Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am


Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

New leader of Canada’s Alberta province chips away at Trudeau’s green plan

FILE PHOTO: United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney speaks in front of the Trans Mountain Edmonton Terminal in Edmonton
FILE PHOTO: United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney details the "UCP Fight Back Strategy" against foreign anti-oil special interests, in front of the Trans Mountain Edmonton Terminal in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Candace Elliott/File Photo

April 17, 2019

By Julie Gordon

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s already shaky bid to persuade Canadians to fight climate change will get even tougher after the election on Tuesday of conservative Jason Kenney as premier of the energy-rich province of Alberta.

Kenney and his United Conservative Party easily trounced left-leaning incumbent Premier Rachel Notley of the New Democratic Party in the provincial vote, where climate actions were made the scapegoat for Alberta’s economic woes.

The province’s economy has struggled to recover since oil prices plummeted in 2014 and spurred an exodus of major energy firms from Alberta.

Kenney, who opposes much of Trudeau’s green agenda, had pledged to repeal a provincial carbon tax that Notley introduced. Such a move would automatically trigger a federal carbon tax in Alberta that is aimed at provinces that do not have their own plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Alberta will become the fifth out of Canada’s 10 provinces to oppose a carbon tax, indicating the scale of the challenge for Trudeau’s Liberals ahead of the October general election. Three provinces are suing the federal government over the levy.

“The carbon tax is all economic pain and no environmental gain. (Albertans) want to scrap the carbon tax cash grab,” Kenney told cheering supporters late on Tuesday.

In Alberta, Canada’s most traditionally conservative province, the Liberals face an uphill battle to hold on to their three seats. Kenney’s antagonism, particularly on climate matters and pipeline construction, is unlikely to help.

Trudeau, who was leading in polls at the start of the year, is trailing his Conservative Party rival Andrew Scheer because of a scandal over his alleged interference in a corporate corruption case.

“Even losing three seats in Alberta is really a big problem,” said Ipsos pollster Darrell Bricker.

Notley has been an occasional Trudeau ally, and she introduced Alberta’s own carbon tax in 2015 as part of a wide-ranging effort to make the province’s oil and gas sector more environment-friendly.

CARBON CLASH

Despite the challenges, Trudeau has no intention of changing his mind.

“There are premiers right across the country right now that have gotten elected … and have made it very, very clear they do not think doing anything to fight climate change is a priority. And I disagree with them,” he told a town hall on Tuesday.

In Ontario, the most populous of the provinces, Premier Doug Ford killed a provincial cap-and-trade system after his election last year, forcing Trudeau’s government to fully impose its carbon tax on April 1.

Prices at the pump jumped immediately, which could hurt Trudeau’s chances in auto-dependant suburban swing ridings around Toronto. The Liberals need to win as many seats as they can in the vote-rich province.

“Ontario has another strong partner that will fight for Canadian families against the job-killing federal carbon tax!” Ford tweeted late on Tuesday, referring to Kenney’s win.

The provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick, which have conservative governments, have not implemented their own emission plans and are now paying the federal tax.

Federal Conservative leader Scheer has pledged to kill the carbon tax if elected, though he has yet to outline a climate plan of his own.

“I think it’s really unfortunate,” Catherine McKenna, Canada’s environment minister, told Reuters of the push to kill the federal carbon levy. “It seems to be part of a movement by this generation of conservative politicians to not make decisions based on science, evidence and facts.”

McKenna noted that Canada’s carbon tax effort was being closely watched around the world as momentum builds in other nations to tackle climate change.

And support is growing at home as well. An Angus Reid poll in November showed that a majority of Canadians, 54 percent, supported the carbon tax.

This result was bolstered by the Trudeau government’s pledge that most revenues from the tax would be returned to consumers in the form of a rebate worth hundreds of dollars a year for a typical family.

Kenney, meanwhile, told the rally that Albertans took the challenge of climate change seriously, adding without elaborating, “we are world leaders in innovating to reduce emissions.”

(Additional reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary, Alberta and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; editing by David Ljunggren)

Source: OANN

0 0

Buffet Says He Would Support Bloomberg If He Runs in 2020

Billionaire Warren Buffett told CNBC on Monday he would support former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg if decides to run for president in 2020.

"I think he would be a very good president," Buffett said. "I mean, he and I disagree on some things, but I think that he knows how to run things, I think that he has the right goals for America, he understands people, he understands the market system, and he understands the problems of the people that don't fit well into the market system. I would have no trouble being for him."

Buffett, however, said he is against the idea of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz making a bid for the presidency as a third-party candidate.

"If he ran as an independent, I think he would take votes away from any Democrat, including Bloomberg, if he were running," he said. "So, I think it would be a real mistake for him to run, and I think generally third-party candidates are gonna hurt one side or another, and they're more likely to hurt the side that they actually favor because they're closer to that view."

Buffet added third party candidates can actually thwart the will of the people.

Buffet said he is not a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party, although he did say that over the past 30 years he has voted for many more Democratic candidates than Republican ones.

Source: NewsMax America

0 0

Dalai Lama hospitalized with chest infection, in stable condition, reports say

The Dalai Lama has been taken to a private hospital in New Delhi, India, after he was diagnosed with a chest infection, his private secretary told reporters Tuesday.

"Today [Tuesday] morning his holiness felt some discomfort and he was flown to Delhi for [a] checkup," Tenzin Taklha told Reuters. "Doctors have diagnosed him with chest infection and he is being treated for that. His condition is stable now. He will be treated for two [to] three days here."

The 83-year-old has lived in exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala since 1959, when Communist Chinese troops crushed an uprising against Beijing's rule of the long-disputed region. China claimed Tibet has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries, while many Tibetans have insisted they essentially were independent for most of that time.

The Dalai Lama told reporters last week that he was not seeking independence for Tibet, but would prefer a "reunion" with China under mutually acceptable terms.

"I prefer Tibet remain within the zone of China. Some kind of reunion," he said.

He added that Chinese and Tibetans could live side-by-side, with China helping Tibetans economically and gaining from their knowledge.

The Dalai Lama said he has been in contact with China's leadership off-and-on since 1979, but little progress has been made since.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"I am not a splittist," he said at a news conference, "but [the] Chinese government considers me a splittist."

The religious leader received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his advocacy of a non-violent solution to the Tibet problem.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News World

0 0

Comedian Zelenskiy takes lead in Ukraine presidential election: exit poll

Candidate Zelenskiy casts his ballot during Ukraine's presidential election in Kiev
Ukrainian comic actor and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy casts his ballot at a polling station during a presidential election in Kiev, Ukraine March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

March 31, 2019

KIEV (Reuters) – The first exit poll in Ukraine’s presidential election showed comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy winning the first round with 30.4 percent of the vote, and incumbent President Petro Poroshenko coming in second place with 17.8 percent.

Announcing the first poll, the Central Election Commission said it was based on voting up to 18:00 (15:00 GMT).

If no candidate receives more than half the votes, the election goes to a run-off on April 21.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; writing by Polina Ivanova; editing by Matthias Williams)

Source: OANN

0 0

Australian doctors, cave divers honored in Thailand for helping rescue soccer team, coach

Two Australian doctors who were instrumental in the dramatic rescue of 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach from a cave last year received a royal honor from King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Friday.

Richard Harris and Craig Challen were presented the award at a ceremony in Bangkok. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was also in attendance.

THAILAND PUZZLES OVER POLITICAL SURPRISES FROM ROYALS

Harris and Challen said before the presentation that they were looking forward to going to Chiang Rai province on Monday and see how the boys on the Wild Board soccer team they helped save were doing.

In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, Richard Harris, left, an Australian member of the Thai cave rescue team, shakes hands with Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha after receiving the Member of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn during the royal decoration ceremony at the Royal Thai Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, April 19, 2019. 

In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, Richard Harris, left, an Australian member of the Thai cave rescue team, shakes hands with Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha after receiving the Member of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn during the royal decoration ceremony at the Royal Thai Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, April 19, 2019.  (Government Spokesman Office via AP)

DIVER WHO HELPED RESCUE TRAPPED THAI BOYS IS RESCUED FROM UNDERWATER TENNESSEE CAVE

"It's really exciting for us to go and see them and make sure they're well and see how they're doing after the rescue," Harris said. "Hopefully we will find them in good shape."

Last July, a mixed team of Thais and expert divers from several countries around the world joined forces for the dramatic search and rescue mission for the team and their coach who went missing when heavy rain flooded the Tham Luang cave complex.

The drama and eventual rescue unfolded over 18 days and grabbed global headlines.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Harris and Challen, who were jointly named Australians of the Year in January, and said should another cave rescue be needed, they are ready and willing to help.

"We have a little bit more experience now," Challen said. "We seem to be the world record holders in cave-diving rescues now."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News World

0 0

China to cut coal from new green bond standards: sources

FILE PHOTO: Worker walks past coal piles at a coal coking plant in Yuncheng
FILE PHOTO: A worker walks past coal piles at a coal coking plant in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, China January 31, 2018. Picture taken January 31, 2018. REUTERS/William Hong/File Photo

March 21, 2019

By David Stanway and Andrew Galbraith

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese regulators are close to releasing new “green bond” standards that would exclude polluting fossil fuel projects from corporate financing channels designed to lift environmental standards, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Beijing has in recent years promoted new green financing methods to help industry pay for its transition to cleaner modes of growth.

But China’s inclusion of “clean coal” in a 2015 central bank list of technologies eligible for green bonds has put the country at odds with global standards, a point of contention for some international investors and many environmental groups.

Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation say China’s central bank, which regulates financial institution debt issuance and whose 2015 guidelines were adopted by other market regulators, has already revised the eligibility list. One of the people said the list is due to be published later this month. The People’s Bank of China did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

“If confirmed, ending the policy of financing coal with green bonds would be a much-needed step in the right direction,” said Liu Jinyan, senior campaigner with environmental group Greenpeace in Beijing.

“With no new coal projects taking money from the green bonds market, those funds can actually accelerate China’s energy transition and green development,” she said.

Of the $42.8 billion worth of green bonds issued in China last year, only $31.2 billion would have met global criteria, according to a report published at the end of February by the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), a non-profit group backing green bond standards.

The share of what CBI calls “internationally aligned” green bonds has been steadily increasing as China’s institutions move to align themselves more with global markets.

The PBOC’s revised criteria, however, would not apply to green “enterprise bonds”, which are regulated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the state planner, and are primarily issued by state-owned enterprises and unlisted companies.

In its “green industry” catalog of approved environmental sectors, the NDRC in February still included the production and utilization of “clean coal”, allowing coal companies to issue “green enterprise bonds” to finance the installation of low-emission technology.

The NDRC did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Green bonds have already financed a number of big coal projects in China. Tianjin SDIC Jinneng Electric Power Co Ltd issued 200 million yuan ($29.81 million) in commercial paper on the interbank market in mid-2017 to finance a low-emissions coal-fired power plant.

Coal-to-chemical plants have also received billions of yuan in financing through green bonds, despite criticism from environmental groups.

Industry experts say the two-tiered regulatory framework – one under the PBOC and one under the NDRC – means some coal-related projects could still issue green bonds, although access to the most active green finance markets would be restricted.

“Many of the international investors and financiers have publicly announced plans to reduce their coal portfolio,” said Herry Cho, head of sustainable finance for Asia Pacific at ING.

She said the NDRC catalog is already “largely aligned” with international standards, and even includes some categories, such as equipment related to renewable energy and resource recycling, that are not yet included in global guidelines.

Shengzhe Wang, counsel at Hogan Lovells in Shanghai, who has worked on green bonds in the U.K.-China Green Finance Taskforce, said it was unrealistic to expect the sudden exclusion of coal from all green financing in China.

“For the time being perhaps we have to put up with, make a compromise with clean coal,” she said.

While that compromise may limit foreign involvement in the market, Peter Corne, managing partner at legal firm Dorsey & Whitney in Shanghai said green financing was still required to help clean up China’s coal sector.

“I don’t think it necessarily means there will be more coal projects because of it, because there has already been a moratorium for quite some time,” said Corne, who follows China’s environmental policies.

“Coal’s not going to go away, and it will greatly accelerate our progress towards achieving emission goals if we do clean up the coal sector.”

(Reporting by Andrew Galbraith and David Stanway; Editing by Sam Holmes)

Source: OANN

0 0

Chuck Grassley: I Don’t Want to See Trump’s Tax Returns

As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley has the authority to request President Donald Trump's income tax returns, but Monday he said he will not seek them.

"I don't want to see them," the Iowa Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "I am not going to request them...I look at that not from the point of view of Trump, but what is legitimate for Congress to do, looking at people's tax returns."

Last week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., asked the Internal Revenue Service for six years of Trump's business and personal tax returns. Under the nation's tax code, committee chairmen from the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation can request tax information.

"It is supposed to serve a legislative purpose," Grassley said, and not to use the IRS "for political purposes."

The only reasons tax returns should be sought is to determine if people are avoiding taxes or how they are using tax loopholes, he added.

Grassley also discussed statements from Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who said over the weekend he plans to send the Department of Justice eight criminal referrals alleging misconduct during the Trump-Russia probe.

"If Hillary Clinton had been elected president none of this stuff would have been known, so I just congratulate him on being a patriotic person, following through, even though he is in the minority making sure justice is done," said Grassley.

Source: NewsMax Politics

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta
Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta, Cyprus, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Stefanos Kouratzis

April 26, 2019

NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cypriot police searched on Friday for more victims of a suspected serial killer, in a case which has shocked the Mediterranean island and exposed the authorities to charges of “criminal indifference” because the dead women were foreigners.

The main opposition party, the left-wing AKEL, called for the resignation of Cyprus’s justice minister and police chief.

Police were combing three different locations west of the capital Nicosia for victims of the suspected killer, a 35-year-old army officer who has been in detention for a week.

The bodies of three women, including two thought to be from the Philippines, have been recovered. Police sources said the suspect had indicated the location of the third body, found on Thursday, and had said the person was “either Indian or Nepali”.

Police said they were searching for a further four people, including two children, based on the suspect’s testimony.

“These women came here to earn a living, to help their families. They lived away from their families. And the earth swallowed them, nobody was interested,” AKEL lawmaker Irene Charalambides told Reuters.

“This killer will be judged by the court but the other big question is the criminal indifference shown by the others when the reports first surfaced. I believe, as does my party, that the justice minister and the police chief should resign. They are irrevocably exposed.”

Police have said they will investigate any perceived shortcomings in their handling of the case.

One person who did attempt to alert the authorities over the disappearances, a 70-year-old Cypriot citizen, said his motives were questioned by police.

The bodies of the two Filipino women reported missing in May and August 2018 were found in an abandoned mine shaft this month. Police discovered the body of the third woman at an army firing range about 14 km (9 miles) from the mine shaft.

Police are now searching for the six-year-old daughter of the first victim found, a Romanian mother who disappeared with her eight-year-old child in 2016, and a woman from the Phillipines who vanished in Dec. 2017.

The suspect has not been publicly named, in line with Cypriot legal practice.

A public vigil for the missing was planned later on Friday.

(Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
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

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist