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Washington goes soft

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On the roster: Washington goes soft - Beto O’Rourke, hipster hacker - Trump issues first veto, slaps back at Congress’ rebuke - It's Mueller time (almost) - Life, liberty and the finger

WASHINGTON GOES SOFT
The Irish have a wonderful way to refer to days like this one in Washington: “soft.”

The air is cool but not chilly and certainly a little damp. The winds are mild and when the sun breaks through from time to time it reveals a glorious brilliance and sapphire-blue skies behind.

Yes, spring is springing here in America’s Mid-Atlantic and it is, as always, stirringly, heart-rendingly beautiful. Other places in America may have consistently better weather, but no place in America has a finer pageant of seasons than ours. An army of daffodils is rising up even now to protect our title.

But the effects on the population are noticeable. Children begin to slouch toward a touch of languid insolence and adults begin to stir at the thought of all the wonderful things they want to see and do in these fine days. Spring fever is here indeed.

With that in mind, perhaps we can best hold your attention with some newsy nuggets from a very unusual day and week in politics.

- How racist and sexist do Democrats believe Americans to be? Serious question. In 2008, there were plenty of Democrats who either openly or not-so-openly said that as much as they liiiiked Barack Obama that America just wasn’t “ready” for an African-American president. A similar argument was had about the party’s 2016 female nominee. There’s visible discontentment within the Democratic base that three members of the 2020 top tier are white dudes: Bernie Sanders, Beto O’Rourke and Joe Biden. Democrats have not selected a male person of pallor as their nominee for 15 years. And there’s no doubt that no matter how many “this is what a feminist looks like” t-shirts they wear, the B brothers will come in for continued criticism of their gender and ethnicity. But also don’t forget that many Democrats believe that sexism and racism were major forces against their Obama and Hillary Clinton. So if you are concerned about pervasive racism and sexism among Americans today might there be an incentive to actually pick a nominee who could avoid these issues? 

- It’s starting to dawn on Democrats that they picked a terrible time to give up their top-down, tightly controlled nominating process. The party has changed its nominating rules to open up the process to Sanders, who got shafted by party insiders in 2016. It will come at a considerable cost. The folks at FiveThirtyEight observe that with now more than a dozen credible contenders in the race, the chances of a contested convention are rising by the day. And if that moment – which would be the Dems’ first since 1952 – should come in Milwaukee next year, the party will be badly ill-equipped to keep the peace.

- White House whisperers tell Politico that President Trump is fixating on Biden as perhaps his most dangerous general election opponent. Trump may very well be right. Biden is the best known and best liked of any Democrat running for the party’s nomination. But Republicans should bear in mind that one of the other candidates might well emerge over the next 10 months as a more formidable opponent. Remember how Democrats in 2016 were gearing up the fight an establishment Republican and worked to stir up the GOP base in favor of long-shot candidates like… oh yeah, the guy who is now the sitting president of the United States.

- Jeb Bush has a lot in common with Hillary Clinton. They are both considered the less successful, more serious members of their respective political dynasties. Now we can add another one: Coming back from the political wilderness to make trouble for their political party. In an interview with David Axelrod set to air this weekend, the former Florida governor and exclamation point enthusiast called for a primary challenge to President Trump. “I think someone should run just because Republicans ought to be given a choice,” Bush said. “It’s hard to beat a sitting president, but to have a conversation about what it is to be a conservative, I think it’s important.” Bush also had encouraging words for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is currently considering a 2020 presidential run.

- What’s a ‘Jexodus’ anyway? The president tweeted about it this morning. And its apparently a follow up on Team Trump’s efforts to use professional celebrity Kanye West to sell something called “Blexit,” the purported mass exit of black voters from the Democratic Party in favor of Trump’s GOP. This portmanteau is Jewish + exodus = Jexodus. Coupla points here: First, the original Exodus was Jewish so isn’t that kind of redundant? Second, there’s no sign of such a thing. One way that Republicans often misunderstand Jewish voters is by imagining that it is their Jewishness that makes them Democratic. The major American metropolitan areas with the largest concentration of Jewish Americans – led by New York, Philadelphia and Miami by one estimate – are overwhelmingly Democratic. If you took a sampling of almost any major sect or ethnic group in those places they would also be overwhelmingly Democratic. Republicans’ staunch support for Israel has no doubt won many converts, but the partisan percentages for Jewish voters remain remarkably consistent. According to one poll, 67 percent of Jews backed Democrats in 2018 compared with 20 percent for the GOP.

- Trump had to take down a different tweet today. He had blasted out his ominous-sounding claim in an interview with a nationalist web site in which he warned of coming political violence. “I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.” But Trump’s account took down the tweet this morning when the president wanted to broadcast his expression of sympathy for the victims of a mass murder of Muslim worshipers in New Zealand. We suppose it’s good that the White House understands how such loose talk about civil strife is inappropriate. But if that’s so, wouldn’t that argue against ever saying such things in the first place?  

- As the daffodils prepare to raise their heads to face the glorious sun, we hope that you are preparing for your own splendid weekend. See you Monday. 

THE RULEBOOK: LOLZ
“It is evident from the state of the country, from the habits of the people, from the experience we have had on the point itself, that it is impracticable to raise any very considerable sums by direct taxation.”Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 12

TIME OUT: RATH DÉ ORT 
History: “Every March 17, the United States becomes an emerald country for a day. Americans wear green clothes and quaff green beer. Green milkshakes, bagels and grits appear on menus. In a leprechaun-worthy shenanigan, Chicago even dyes its river green. Revelers from coast to coast celebrate all things Irish by hoisting pints of Guinness and cheering bagpipers, step dancers and marching bands parading through city streets. These familiar annual traditions weren’t imported from Ireland, however. They were made in America. In contrast to the merry-making in the United States, March 17 has been more holy day than holiday in Ireland. Since 1631, St. Patrick’s Day has been a religious feast day to commemorate the anniversary of the 5th-century death of the missionary credited with spreading Christianity to Ireland. For several centuries, March 17 was a day of solemnity in Ireland with Catholics attending church in the morning and partaking of modest feasts in the afternoon.”

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SCOREBOARD
Trump job performance
Average approval: 41.6 percent
Average disapproval: 53.8 percent
Net Score: -12.2 points
Change from one week ago: down 1.4 points
[Average includes: Gallup: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 52% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 55% disapprove; IBD: 41% approve - 53% disapprove; NBC/WSJ: 46% approve - 52% disapprove.]

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BETO O’ROURKE, HIPSTER HACKER
Reuters: “While a teenager, [Beto O'Rourke] acknowledged in an exclusive interview, he belonged to the oldest group of computer hackers in U.S. history. … An ex-hacker running for national office would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. But that was before two national elections sent people from other nontraditional backgrounds to the White House and Congress, many of them vowing to blow up the status quo. Arguably, there has been no better time to be an American politician rebelling against business as usual. Still, it's unclear whether the United States is ready for a presidential contender who, as a teenager, stole long-distance phone service for his dial-up modem, wrote a murder fantasy in which the narrator drives over children on the street, and mused about a society without money."

Racks up endorsements, even on Gillibrand’s turf - The Texas Tribune: “Four Democratic members of Congress quickly endorsed former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke's presidential bid within hours of his official announcement Thursday. U.S. Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney and Kathleen Rice, both of New York; Stephanie Murphy of Florida; and Veronica Escobar of El Paso all announced their support for O'Rourke to be their party's nominee for president in 2020. All four are part of the younger generation of Democratic House members. All joined the chamber either with O'Rourke in 2013 or afterwards. ‘I have endorsed Beto O’Rourke in every election he’s run — including this exciting run for President of the United States — because he is an extraordinary public servant, driven by compassion and a desire to unify,’ Escobar, who succeeded O'Rourke in his El Paso-based district in January, said in a post on Facebook.”

Barnstorms Iowa - Texas Tribune: “Making his debut Thursday in Iowa, hours after announcing his presidential campaign, Beto O'Rourke all but picked up where he left off in his blockbuster U.S. Senate run last year, bringing his off-the-cuff, frenetic campaign style to the towns that outline the Mississippi River. It was a return to form for O'Rourke, who has made ample public appearances in recent weeks but few that allowed him to practice the retail-heavy politics that animated his bid against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. If the style wasn't new, the setting certainly was. ‘This is my first time to ever visit Iowa,’ O'Rourke declared Thursday morning inside a coffee shop in Keokuk, where he kicked off the three-day Iowa swing. … Many of his rivals have already logged multiple trips to the state and made multiple hires, though if the reception O'Rourke got Thursday was any indication, he has not yet missed his moment.”

Bernie’s campaign becomes the first in history to unionize - AP: “Campaign workers for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Democratic campaign have unionized, becoming the first presidential campaign workers in history to do so. The United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 confirmed Friday that Sanders’ campaign workers were the first to win union representation. UFCW Local 400 President Mark P. Federici says he expects the decision will mean that Sanders’ campaign workers have pay parity and transparency, as well as no gender bias and harassment. Earlier this year, Sanders apologized to female staffers on his 2016 campaign who said they experienced sexual harassment from male staffers. The New York Times reported allegations of unwanted sexual advances, as well as pay inequity. Sanders’ campaign manager Faiz Shakir says the Vermont senator is honored to be the first presidential candidate with a unionized workforce.”

Bernie’s wife closes family non-profit amid ethics worries - AP: “The Sanders Institute, a think tank founded by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' wife and son, is shutting down, at least for now, amid criticism that the nonprofit has blurred the lines between family, fundraising and campaigning. The Vermont-based institute has stopped accepting donations and plans to suspend all operations by the end of May "so there could not even be an appearance of impropriety," Jane Sanders told The Associated Press. …. Jane Sanders, who also serves as a chief adviser to her husband's presidential campaign, is not compensated for her role at the institute. Her son, David Driscoll, is paid $100,000 a year as co-founder and executive director. Driscoll previously was an executive for Nike and the Vermont snowboarding firm Burton, but had no previous nonprofit experience, according to his LinkedIn profile.”

Ouch: Bernie campaigns with big bandage after bathroom mishap - Politico: “Sen. Bernie Sanders cut his head on a glass shower door on Friday morning and received seven stitches, his campaign announced. But the 2020 candidate was given a ‘clean bill of health’ and will attend all of his previously scheduled campaign events over the next couple days. Arianna Jones, a Sanders spokeswoman, said ‘out of precaution, he went to a walk-in clinic’ to have the cut checked out.”

Harris keeps focus on South Carolina - Guardian: “This was the third trip [Sen. Kamala Harris] has made to South Carolina since launching her campaign, making it her most visited of the first four primary states in next year’s election. There is now established thought in Democratic circles that winning South Carolina, with its diverse voting constituency, provides the real gateway to the party’s nomination rather than the starting states of New Hampshire and Iowa with their overwhelmingly white electorate. Senior campaign aides say Harris will give equal time to all four early states throughout the race. Recent public polls place the senator third here at 13%, behind the more familiar names of Joe Biden, who has yet to declare a bid, and Bernie Sanders, who ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016 but failed to win the state. She placed fourth in a recent poll among caucus goers in Iowa.”

Klobuchar: It takes a tough boss to deal with Putin - Mediaite: “With presidential candidate and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) dealing with, sometimes wild, reports about mistreatment of her staff in the Senate, Klobuchar defended her management style – saying toughness is needed on the world stage. ‘Your campaign was shaken up in the early days by multiple reports, negative reports about how you’ve treated your past at times. Your answer was, too, I can be too hard. What’s too hard,’ CNN’s Poppy Harlow asked. ‘…If, you know, they felt that something was unfair or they felt bad about something, but I still think that you have to demand good product. When you are out there on the world stage and dealing with people like Vladimir Putin, yeah, you want someone who is tough,’ she added. ‘You want someone that demands the answers and that is going to get things done. That’s what I’ve done my whole life.’”

Booker cops to romance with actress Rosario Dawson - Fox News: “Presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker confirmed on Friday that he’s dating actress Rosario Dawson. ‘I am dating Rosario Dawson and I’m very happy about it,’ the New Jersey Democrat told reporters following a campaign stop in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary along the road to the White House. ‘She’s a wonderful actor,’ Booker highlighted. The 39-year old actress broke the news on Thursday, saying ‘yes, very much so,’ when asked by TMZ at Washington’s Reagan-National airport if she was involved with Booker, who turns 50 next month. ‘He’s a wonderful human being. It’s good to spend some time together when we can. Very busy.’ … If Booker wins the White House, he would become just the third bachelor in the nation’s history to serve as president.”

TRUMP ISSUES FIRST VETO, SLAPS BACK AT CONRESS’ REBUKE
AP: “President Donald Trump issued the first veto of his presidency on Friday, overruling Congress to protect his emergency declaration for border wall funding. Flanked by law enforcement officials as well as the parents of children killed by people in the country illegally, Trump maintained that he is not through fighting for his signature campaign promise, which stands largely unfulfilled 18 months before voters decide whether to grant him another term. ‘Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution,’ Trump said, ‘and I have the duty to veto it.’ A dozen defecting Republicans joined Senate Democrats in approving the joint resolution on Thursday, which capped a week of confrontation with the White House as both parties in Congress strained to exert their power in new ways. It is unlikely that Congress will have the two-thirds majority required to override Trump’s veto, though House Democrats have suggested they would try nonetheless.”

The week trump lost Congress - NYT: “Time and again … lawmakers on Capitol Hill warned him not to push them too far. This week, in a remarkable series of bipartisan rebukes to the president, Congress pushed back. On Wednesday, with seven Republicans breaking ranks, the Senate joined the Democrat-led House in voting to end American military aid to Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen in protest over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post. On Thursday morning, the House voted unanimously on a nonbinding resolution to make public the findings of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. And on Thursday afternoon, 12 Republican senators abandoned the president to pass legislation, already adopted by the House, that would block Mr. Trump from declaring a national emergency to build his border wall — an act of defiance that he has vowed to overturn with the first veto of his presidency.”

Senators facing 2020 re-election stick with Trump on emergency funding - Politico: “Two weeks ago, Sen. Thom Tillis said President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration violated the separation of powers and created a dangerous precedent, stating in an op-ed that he would vote to reverse it. On Thursday, the North Carolina Republican flipped and sided with Trump on the border vote. While a dozen Senate Republicans joined Democrats to support a resolution undoing Trump’s move to fund a border wall, Tillis and all but one other Republican up for reelection in 2020 — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine — stuck with the president. The list includes Sen. Cory Gardner of blue-trending Colorado and Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed this year but will face Arizona voters again in 2020 after losing a tough race in 2018. The vote underscores how little Republicans on the ballot in 2020 want to break with the president, even on an issue that divided the party and in states where Trump’s approval rating is low.”

Sasse, Tillis face conservative backlash - WashEx: “While consistent constitutional conservatives including Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul held firm, other conservatives who often warn about the erosion of checks on executive power, prominently Sens. Ted Cruz and Ben Sasse, caved. Thom Tillis, who actually wrote an op-ed outlining why he would vote against the measure, changed his mind when it came to vote. In explaining away his decision, Sasse said: "…I think that law is overly broad and I want to fix it, but at present Nancy Pelosi doesn't, so I am therefore voting against her politically motivated resolution. As a constitutional conservative, I believe that the NEA currently on the books should be narrowed considerably.” … He is setting up a classic false choice. Sasse has in the past lamented the tendency of people to put their preferred outcomes over respecting process and institutional checks on power, and yet here he is, embracing a move because of the policy outcome.

IT'S MUELLER TIME (ALMOST)
Fox News: “For weeks, rumors have been swirling that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is nearing the end of his years-long Russia investigation — and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are eager to make his final report public. The House of Representatives unanimously voted (420-0) Thursday in favor of a resolution to urge Attorney General William Barr to release Mueller’s full report to Congress and the country for the sake of ‘transparency.’ The probe was intended to examine Russian election interference and whether President Trump's campaign colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 election -- and has since resulted in charges for several former Trump campaign associates, though none have directly related to collusion. Trump called the investigation ‘illegal’ and ‘conflicted’ this week, arguing Mueller should have never been appointed in the first place. … When the investigation — which began in May 2017 — concludes, Mueller will release his final report to Barr, who has been overseeing the special counsel since he took office in February.”

Graham ready to deploy countermeasures - Politico: “Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham is demanding answers from the Justice Department about former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s explosive allegation that top officials there discussed invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office. In a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Friday, Graham said his panel intends to investigate the allegations and gave Barr a two-week deadline to turn over any documents relating to conversations between McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about the 25th Amendment or about covertly recording Trump. Last month, during a media blitz to promote his new book, McCabe said that after the abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein had offered to wear a wire into the White House and furthermore had brought up whether Trump could be removed from office using the 25th Amendment.”

To investigate or to legislate? - NPR: “Nowhere else in the House of Representatives is the tension between legislation and investigation more present than on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where a bipartisan infrastructure deal could be in the making — even as the Democrats on the committee launch a reinvigorated investigation into the D.C. Trump Hotel. ‘I have to do my duty over here and get questions answered,’ committee Chairman Peter DeFazio told NPR. ‘But I also need to pursue vigorously working with the White House to try and move an infrastructure package. And I'm willing and able to do both, and I think that the president will understand that if he really wants to do infrastructure.’ Trump famously declared at his latest State of the Union address that members of Congress could choose between working with him on passing bills or probe his business and administration — not both.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
House Democrats scramble to head off GOP legislative trolling - Politico

Trump will have another rally in Michigan - Fox 17

AUDIBLE: CHILLY
“…consider this our resolution of disapproval.” – Editorial from The Denver Post rescinding the newspaper’s 2014 endorsement of Sen. Cory Gardner. Gardner, facing a tough re-election fight, carried President Trump’s water, voting against the congressional resolution of disapproval for the president’s emergency declaration.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
This weekend Mr. Sunday will sit down with Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind. and 2020 Presidential Candidate. Watch “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.” Check local listings for broadcast times in your area.

#mediabuzz - Host Howard Kurtz has the latest take on the week’s media coverage. Watch #mediabuzz Sundays at 11 a.m. ET.

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

LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE FINGER
NPR: “If you've ever been tempted to make a rude gesture at a police officer, you can rest assured that the Constitution protects your right to do so, a federal appeals court says. In the sequence of events described by the court, a woman in Michigan, Debra Cruise-Gulyas, was pulled over in 2017 for speeding. The officer showed leniency, writing her up for a lesser violation known as a nonmoving violation. As she drove away, apparently insufficiently appreciative of the officer's gesture, Cruise-Gulyas made a certain gesture of her own. Or as the court put it, ‘she made an all-too-familiar gesture at [Officer Matthew Minard] with her hand and without four of her fingers showing.’ Minard was not amused. He pulled her over again and rewrote the ticket for speeding. Cruise-Gulyas sued, arguing she had a First Amendment right to wiggle whatever finger she wanted at the police. … The court's ruling means Cruise-Gulyas' lawsuit can proceed in a lower court.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“One day, we shall all have to account for what we did and what we said in this scoundrel year. For now, we each have our conscience to attend to.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post June 9, 2016.

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Liz Friden 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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Trump blasts Pelosi, Omar after 9/11 video controversy

President Trump blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for defending Rep. Ilhan Omar and called the freshman Democrat “anti-Semitic” and “out of control.”

“Before Nancy, who has lost all control of Congress and is getting nothing done, decides to defend her leader, Rep. Omar, she should look at the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and ungrateful U.S. HATE statements Omar has made. She is out of control, except for her control of Nancy!” Trump tweeted Monday.

PELOSI MOVES TO ENSURE ILHAN OMAR'S SAFETY, CALLS FOR TRUMP TO TAKE DOWN VIDEO 

The president’s tweets come after Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Sunday that she’d taken steps to ensure the safety of Omar, D-Minn., after the president tweeted a video that combined images of the 9/11 terror attacks with remarks by Omar.

The video showed the burning World Trade Center towers and Omar speaking last month at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), where she said the organization was founded because “some people did something” and Muslims “were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

“For far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen and, frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it,” she said in her March 23 speech, according to a video posted online. “CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

CAIR was founded in 1994, but according to its website, its membership skyrocketed after Sept. 11, 2001.

NADLER BLASTS TRUMP FOR TWEETING VIDEO OF 9/11 ATTACKS AND OMAR COMMENTS, SAYS HE HAS 'NO MORAL AUTHORITY'

The video tweeted by Trump also included news footage of the terror attacks on the Twin Towers. Trump captioned his tweet with: “WE WILL NEVER FORGET!”

Critics accused Omar of offering a flippant description of the attackers, who killed nearly 3,000 people. She later sought to defend herself by tweeting a quote from President George W. Bush. Days after 9/11, the Republican president referred to the attackers as “people.”

Pelosi called for Trump take down the video he had pinned to his Twitter page. That same day, the video was removed, but it is unclear whether it was because of Pelosi’s demand.

The White House defended Trump, saying the president had a duty to highlight Omar’s history of comments that others have found offensive, and that he wished no “ill will” upon the congresswoman.

“Certainly the president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence towards anyone, but the president is absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman for her not only one time but history of anti-Semitic comments,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. “The bigger question is, why aren’t Democrats doing the same thing? It’s absolutely abhorrent the comments that she continues to make and has made and they look the other way.”

Omar repeatedly has pushed fellow Democrats into uncomfortable territory with comments about Israel and the strength of its influence in Washington. She apologized for suggesting that lawmakers support Israel for pay and said she wasn’t criticizing Jews. But, she refused to take back a tweet in which she suggested American supporters of Israel “pledge allegiance” to a foreign country.

Fox News’ David Aaro and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Two Venezuela central bank employees arrested after meeting Guaido: lawyer, source

FILE PHOTO: Protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas
FILE PHOTO: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, speaks during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

April 12, 2019

CARACAS (Reuters) – Two workers at Venezuela’s central bank were arrested on Friday after meeting opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has called on public officials to disavow President Nicolas Maduro, according to the employees’ lawyer and a source familiar with the matter.

The attorney, Alonso Medina Roa, said the two employees – Deny Albujar and Manuel Alberto Guisseppe – had also recently taken part in protests demanding better working conditions.

According to Roa, they have not yet appeared in court and the charges against them are unknown.

The arrests came as Maduro cracks down on the opposition amid a nearly three-month power struggle with Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who invoked the country’s constitution to assume an interim presidency in January.

He has been recognized as the OPEC nation’s rightful leader by more than 50 countries, which agree with his claim that Maduro’s May 2018 re-election was illegitimate. Maduro, a socialist, argues Guaido is a puppet of the United States attempting to oust him in a coup.

Both Albujar and Guisseppe, whose job titles were unknown, were present at a public meeting on Monday that Guaido held at the National Assembly with a few dozen state employees, the source said. Guaido discussed a proposed law to improve benefits to public workers in a new government once Maduro leaves power, the source said. None of the other participants has been arrested.

Albujar and Guisseppe worked at the bank for more than five years, the source added.

Neither the central bank nor Venezuela’s information ministry, which handles media for the government, responded to requests for comment.

Public workers in Venezuela have been demanding better salaries and benefits for several months, as their wages and living standards have been eroded by hyperinflation.

(Reporting by Caracas Newsroom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source: OANN

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Peruvian judge orders jail for former president Kuczynski

A Peruvian judge has ordered that former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski be jailed for up to three years as authorities investigate his alleged involvement in a corruption case.

The order announced Friday against Kuczynski, which is designed to prevent him from trying to flee during the course of a money laundering investigation, came after 80-year-old was hospitalized because of illness in recent days.

Last week, a judge had ordered Kuczynski's detention for 10 days as he investigates some $782,000 in previously undisclosed payments from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht more than a decade ago.

Kuczynski resigned last year as opposition lawmakers sought his impeachment.

Source: Fox News World

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Statue of Virgin Mary beheaded in LA, officials fear vandal targeting Catholic churches in area

The beheading of a   Virgin Mary statue outside of a California church has reportedly ignited some local Catholic officials' fears a vandal is targeting houses of worship.

In recent months, several acts of vandalism were recorded against other Catholic churches, with the vandal supposedly trying to “make a statement.”

VANDALS DECAPITATE 800-YEAR-OLD ‘CRUSADER’ IN CRYPT AT DUBLIN CHURCH

Marianne Hacker, the pastoral administrator at Saint Margaret Mary’s Church, told KCAL 9 the vandal severed the statue in two, “like a clean cut.”

“This is a place we come to feel safe, to feel God’s presence, to worship with our community,” Hacker said of the chapel and statues. “It brings people comfort.”

“This is a place we come to feel safe, to feel God’s presence, to worship with our community. It brings people comfort.”

— Marianne Hacker

She said the crime resembled vandalism at another church in Los Angeles.

“That’s why I’m thinking it was a sledgehammer like they used at Our Lady Lourdes,” Hacker said.

VIRGIN MARY STATUE BEHEADING IN NEW YORK BEING PROBED AS HATE CRIME

She was referring to a vandal who used a sledgehammer to hack the heads off two statues at that church, according to KCAL9.

“Definitely trying to make a statement,” Hacker said.

Saint Margaret Mary’s Church believes the same person was responsible for both acts.

The Church officials say they also suspect the individual could be behind the destruction of their double pane stained glass window, which featured Mary and was smashed with a stone.

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“We’re always willing to forgive, and we’re always willing to help if there’s anger,” Hacker said, noting that the churches don’t know why they would be targeted.

The church said they will install security cameras as a response to the damage.

Source: Fox News National

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UN adopts weak resolution on sexual violence in conflict

The U.N. Security Council has approved a watered-down resolution on combatting sexual violence in conflicts after eliminating language on providing "sexual and reproductive health care" to survivors of rape and abuse to get U.S. support.

Tuesday's vote on the German-drafted resolution was 13-0, with Russia and China, which had submitted a rival draft, abstaining.

The resolution expresses the council's deep concern at "the slow progress" in addressing and eliminating sexual violence in conflicts around the world. It says such acts often occur with impunity "and in some situations have become systematic and widespread, reaching appalling levels of brutality."

It urges strengthened access to justice for victims, but eliminated a positive reference to the International Criminal Court's work in prosecuting alleged perpetrators.

Source: Fox News World

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Seth Moulton, Massachusetts rep and Iraq War vet, jumps into 2020 presidential race

Add Rep. Seth Moulton to the large list of Democrats running for the White House.

The congressman from Massachusetts and Marine veteran who served four tours of duty in Iraq announced his candidacy for president on Monday morning.

BIDEN POISED TO ANNOUNCE 2020 BID

"I'm running because we have to beat Donald Trump, and I want us to beat Donald Trump because I love this country. We've never been a country that gets everything right. But we're a country that, at our best, thinks that we might," the three-term congressman said in a video as he launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Taking a shot at the Republican president, Moulton emphasized that the most important thing needed is "to restore our moral authority in everything we do."

Moulton, 40, was one of the ringleaders of last year’s failed push by some House Democrats to prevent Nancy Pelosi from regaining the speaker’s gavel. Another one of those leaders – Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio – announced his candidacy for president earlier this month.

Moulton becomes the third candidate from Massachusetts to launch a presidential campaign, joining Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Republican Gov. Bill Weld, who’s primary challenging Trump.

BUTTIGIEG DRAWS PARALLELS BETWEEN TRUMP AND BERNIE SUPPORTERS

Moulton’s scheduled to visit all four early voting primary and caucus states this week. He heads to New Hampshire on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, when he’ll headline ‘Politics and Eggs,’ a must stop in the first-in-the-nation primary state for White House hopefuls. Later Wednesday, Moulton campaigns in South Carolina, which holds the first southern primary. That will be followed Thursday by stops in Iowa – which kicks off the caucus and primary calendar – as well as Nevada – which holds the first western contest.

In an interview Monday morning on ABC’s "Good Morning America," Moulton seemed to take a shot at one of the front runners in the Democratic race, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

“I’m not a socialist, I’m a Democrat,” Moulton said in an interview. “That’s a differentiator for me in this race.”

Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist.

Moulton was first elected to Congress in 2014, after upsetting former Rep. John Tierney in a Democratic primary fight. The Salem lawmaker represents the state’s sixth congressional district, which covers the northeast corner of Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is expected to declare his candidacy for president next week, two sources with knowledge of the former vice president’s plans confirmed to Fox News.

“The plan is to go Wednesday,” said a person close to Biden’s inner circle, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely. “But it could slip to Thursday.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

April 26, 2019

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – China’s Huawei Technologies said Britain’s decision to allow the firm a restricted role in building parts of its next-generation telecoms network was the kind of solution it was hoping for in New Zealand, where it has been blocked from 5G plans.

Britain will ban Huawei from all core parts of 5G network but give it some access to non-core parts, sources have told Reuters, as it seeks a middle way in a bitter U.S.-China dispute stemming from American allegations that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Washington has also urged its allies to ban Huawei from building 5G networks, even as the Chinese company, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipment, has repeatedly said the spying concerns are unfounded.

In New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network that includes the United States, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in November turned down an initial request from local telecommunication firm Spark to include Huawei equipment in its 5G network, but later gave the operator options to mitigate national security concerns.

“The proposed solution in the UK to restrict Huawei from bidding for the core is exactly the type of solution we have been looking at in New Zealand,” Andrew Bowater, deputy CEO of Huawei’s New Zealand arm, said in an emailed statement.

Spark said it has noted the developments in Britain and would raise it with the GCSB.

The reports “suggest the UK is following other European jurisdictions in taking a considered and balanced approach to managing supplier-related security risks in 5G”, Andrew Pirie, Spark’s corporate relations lead, said in an email.

“Our discussions with the GCSB are ongoing and we expect that the UK developments will be a further item of discussion between us,” Pirie added.

New Zealand’s minister for intelligence services, Andrew Little, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday that he would report to parliament the conclusions of a government review of the 5G supply chain once they had been taken.

He added that the disclosure of confidential discussions on the role of Huawei was “unacceptable” and that he could not rule out a criminal investigation into the leak.

The decisions by Britain and Germany to use Huawei gear in non-core parts of 5G network makes it harder to prove Huawei should be kept out of New Zealand telecommunication networks, said Syed Faraz Hasan, an expert in communication engineering and networks at New Zealand’s Massey University

He pointed out Huawei gear was already part of the non-core 4G networks that 5G infrastructure would be built on.

“Unless there is a convincing argument against the Huawei devices … it is difficult to keep them away,” Hasan said.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The logo commodities trader Glencore is pictured in Baar
FILE PHOTO: The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company’s headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Glencore shares plunged the most in nearly four months on Friday after news overnight that U.S. regulators were investigating whether the miner broke some rules through “corrupt practices”.

Shares of the FTSE 100 company fell as much as 4.2 percent in early deals, and were down 3.5 percent at 310.25 pence by 0728 GMT.

On Thursday, Glencore said the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating whether the company and its units have violated some provisions of the Commodity ExchangeAct and/or CFTC Regulations.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

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Well, Joe Biden didn’t exactly clear the field.

I don’t think it matters much that Biden waited until yesterday to become the 20th Democrat vying for the nomination, even though it exposed him to weeks of attacks while he seemed to be dithering on the sidelines.

A much greater warning sign, in my view, is the largely negative tone surrounding his debut. He is, after all, a former vice president, highly praised by Barack Obama, who has consistently led in the early primary polls, and beating President Trump in head-to-head matchups. Yet much of the press is acting like he’s an old codger and it’s just a matter of time before he keels over politically.

This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that the vast majority of journalists and pundits know and like Joe Biden and his gregarious personality.

The reason is that Biden, after a half-century in politics, lacks excitement, and the press is magnetically attracted to novel and unorthodox types like Beto and Mayor Pete. You don’t see Biden on the cover of Vanity Fair, and a grind-it-out win by a conventional warrior doesn’t set journalistic hearts racing.

JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCES 2020 PRESIDENTIAL BID: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT

For many in the media, Biden isn’t liberal enough, at least not for the post-Obama era. He doesn’t promise free college and free health care and has a history of working with Republicans, such as John McCain (whose daughter Meghan loves him, and Biden will hit “The View” today.)

What’s more, Biden’s campaign style — speak at rallies, rack up union endorsements — seems hopelessly old-fashioned when we measure popularity by Instagram followers. News outlets are predicting he’ll have trouble getting in the online fundraising game, leaving him reliant on big donors, which used to be standard practice.

And then there’s the age thing. Biden would be the oldest president to be inaugurated, at 78, and he looked a step slow in encounters with reporters yesterday and a few weeks ago.

But what if the journalists are in something of a Twitter bubble, and the actual Democratic Party is much more moderate? We saw that with the spate of allegations by women of unwanted touching, which dominated news coverage until polls showed that most Dem voters weren’t concerned. In that wider world, the Scranton guy’s connection to white, working-class voters could help him against Trump in the industrial Midwest.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF OF THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

Biden denounced the president’s term as an “aberrant moment” in his launch video, saying four more years would damage the country’s character and “I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”

But first, he’d have to win the nomination in the face of an unenthusiastic press corps.

A New York Times news story said Biden would be “marshaling his experience and global stature in a bid to lead a party increasingly defined by a younger generation that might be skeptical of his age and ideological moderation.”

The Washington Post quoted Democratic strategists as saying that Biden faces an “uphill battle” and “isn’t necessarily the heir apparent to Obama, despite being his No. 2 in the White House for eight years. They argue voters will judge Biden by the span of his decades-long career and are worried the veteran pol hasn’t yet found a winning formula for his own candidacy.”

The liberal Slate said the ex-veep’s rivals view him as a “paper tiger”:

“Biden is something more like a 2016 Jeb Bush: a weak establishment favorite whose time might be past … Biden’s biggest challenge in the primary will be a compromised past spanning nearly 50 years.”

“Compromised” suggests a history of scandal, yet what Slate means is political baggage, such as his backing of a Clinton-era crime bill unpopular with black voters today. Yet I think the rank and file isn’t as concerned about a vote back in 1994, or even the Anita Hill hearings, as the chattering classes.

BIDEN’S SENATE RECORD, ADVOCACY OF 1994 CRIME BILL WILL BE USED AGAINST HIM, EX-SANDERS STAFFER SAYS

One of the few left-leaning pundits to suggest the press is underestimating Biden is data guru Nate Silver at 538:

“Media coverage could nonetheless be a problem for Biden. Within the mainstream media, the story of Biden winning the nomination will be seen as boring and anticlimactic. That tends not to lead to favorable coverage. Meanwhile, some left-aligned media outlets may prefer candidates who are some combination of more leftist, more wonkish, more reflective of the party’s diversity, and more adept on social media.

“If Biden is framed as being out of touch with today’s Democratic Party and that narrative is repeated across a variety of outlets, it could begin to resonate with voters who don’t buy it initially. If he’s seen as a gaffe-prone candidate, then minor missteps on the campaign trail could be blown up into big fumbles.”

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Look, it’s entirely possible that Biden could stumble, get lapped in fundraising and just be outclassed by younger and savvier rivals. He was hardly a great candidate in 1987 and in 2008.

But if the former vice president finds his footing and the field narrows, the press will be forced to change its tune, and we’ll see a spate of stories about how Joe Biden has “grown.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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South Africa's 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston
South Africa’s 400m Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks on as he attends South African Championships in Germiston, South Africa, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

April 26, 2019

GERMISTON, South Africa (Reuters) – Olympic 400 meters champion Wayde van Niekerk has backed South African compatriot Caster Semenya in her battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which now appears to have taken a new twist.

Semenya, a double 800 meters Olympic gold medalist, is waiting for the outcome of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of new regulations by governing body IAAF that would require her to take medicine to limit her natural levels of testosterone.

The IAAF wants female athletes with differences of sexual development who run in events from 400 meters to a mile, to reduce their blood testosterone level to below five (5) nmol/L for a period of six months before they can compete, saying they have an unfair advantage.

“She’s fighting for something beyond just track and field, she’s fighting for woman in sports, in society and I respect her for that,” Van Niekerk told reporters.

“I will support her and with the hard work and talent that she’s been putting into the sport. With what she believes in and what she’s dreaming for, I’ve got a lot of respect for her.

“I really hope and pray that everything just goes from strength to strength for her.”

Semenya has sprung a surprise at the on-going South African Athletics Championships though, ditching the 800 meters and instead competing over 1,500 and 5,000-metres – the latter one would not require her to medically lower her testosterone level.

She stormed to victory in the 5,000-metres final in a modest time of 16:05.97, but looked to have lots left in the tank as she passed the finish line.

Semenya beat fellow Olympian and defending national 5,000m champion Dominique Scott in Thursday’s final but the latter admitted she is unsure whether the 800m specialist could be a serious Olympic contender over the longer distance.

“Honestly‚ I have no idea‚” Scott said. “Before today I probably would have said no. It’s hard to compare a 5,000 at altitude to a 5,000 at sea level.

“But I think she’s an amazing runner and I don’t think there’s any limit or ceiling on what she can do.”

Van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder, had to abort his comeback from a knee injury, that had sidelined him for 18 months, following a combination of cold weather and a wet track.

“We are trying to take the correct decisions now early in the year so as not to put myself in any harm,” he said.

“It was a bit chilly this entire week prepping and coming through here as well it was quite cold and it caused bit of tightness in my leg. We decided to not risk it.

“My recovery is going well and I would like to be back in competition this year, but will only do so if I can deliver a good performance.

“I am a competitor and respect my opponents, so I need to be at my best when I return.”

(Reporting by Nick Said, additional reporting by Siyabonga Sishi; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

Source: OANN

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The suspected leader of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka died in the Shangri-La hotel, one of six hotels and churches targeted in the attacks that killed at least 250 people, authorities said.

Police said Mohamed Zahran, leader of the National Towheed Jamaat militant group, had been killed in one of the bombings. The group’s second in command was also arrested, police said.

Zahran amassed an online following for his hate-filled sermons. Some were delivered before a banner depicting the Twin Towers.

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people. 

Sri Lankan authorities said Friday that Islamic cleric Mohammed Zahran died in the blast at the Shangri-La hotel during the Easter Sunday atatcks that killed at least 250 people.  (YouTube)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that the attackers responsible for the bombings were supported by the Islamic State group. Around 140 people in Sri Lanka had connections to ISIS, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said.

“We will completely control this and create a free and peaceful environment for people to live,” he said.

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Investigators determined the attackers received military training from someone called “Army Mohideen.” They also received weapons training overseas and at some locations in Sri Lanka, according to authorities.

A copper factory operator arrested in connection with the bombings helped Mohideen make improvised explosive devices, police said. The bombings have led to increased security throughout the island nation as authorities warned of another attack.

Source: Fox News World

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