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Biden video ‘highlighted all of his weaknesses’ and shows he’s ‘out of date’: Matthew Continetti

Former Vice President Joe Biden did not do himself any favors when he released a video message addressing the controversy over his history of inappropriate touching, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Matthew Continetti argued Wednesday.

In the video posted earlier in the day on Twitter, Biden promised he would be “more mindful and respectful of people’s personal space” going forward but never offered an apology to the women accusing him of making them feel uncomfortable. Since the video was released, at least three more accusers have come forward with accusations against him, making the total at least seven women.

During Wednesday's All-Star panel segment on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier," Continetti -- along with Washington Times opinion editor Charles Hurt and Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason -- weighed in on the political fallout of Biden’s attempt at damage control as he mulls a 2020 run for president.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SHOW

Continetti argued that you can “make a human connection” as Biden says “without sniffing somebody’s hair.”

“The video highlighted all of his weaknesses," Continetti continued. "His voice seemed frail, the production value is poor, he wasn’t framed very well, he was very pale, and he confesses that social norms have passed him by, which means he’s out of date -- which is exactly why Democrats are worried about him entering the race.

“This is another bad moment for Biden in several weeks of bad news. It makes me wonder whether he’ll actually pull the trigger and enter the race.”

“This is another bad moment for Biden in several weeks of bad news. It makes me wonder whether he’ll actually pull the trigger and enter the race.”

— Matthew Continetti, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief

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But Mason told the panel that Biden was being “authentic,” pointing out that the former vice president wasn’t reading from a script and that his video message indicated that his previous statements weren’t enough and that he didn’t “feel the need to apologize.”

Meanwhile, Hurt noted how “strange” it is that former President Barack Obama hasn’t weighed in on the controversy and suggested that Obama and Biden overhyped their relationship while they were in office.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Chelsea Handler Says She’s ‘Very Sexually Attracted’ To Robert Mueller

Scott Morefield | Reporter

Comedian Chelsea Handler tweeted that she is “very sexually attracted” to special counsel Robert Mueller.

“If I’m being completely honest, I am very sexually attracted to Robert Mueller,” Handler tweeted. “I know it’s not meant to be, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hang a poster of him above my bed.”

The Handler tweet was in response to Friday’s news that the completed Mueller report had been delivered to Attorney General William Barr. It was unclear whether the liberal comedian understood that the report didn’t include any new indictments of President Donald Trump or anyone else associated with him. (RELATED: Chelsea Handler Chooses ‘National Coming Out Day’ To Imply That Lindsey Graham Is ‘Closeted’)

Several were quick to mock Handler on Twitter, but the reactions were best summed up by mixed martial artist Ben Askren, who tweeted: “You have issues, get help.”

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Source: The Daily Caller

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Dollar dips as crude oil surge supports commodity currencies

FILE PHOTO: U.S. dollar banknote is seen in this picture illustration
FILE PHOTO: U.S. dollar banknote is seen in this picture illustration taken May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

April 9, 2019

By Shinichi Saoshiro

TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar was shackled on Tuesday by a combination of weak U.S. economic data and gains for commodity-linked currencies such as the Canadian and Australian dollars which drew support from an extended surge in crude oil prices.

The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies inched down 0.05 percent to 97.001 after losing 0.35 percent the previous day, marking its biggest daily decline since March 20.

On top of the pressure from buoyant commodity-linked currencies, the dollar was weighed by data showing U.S. durable goods orders declined in February and a bounce in the euro as investors squared positions ahead of a looming European Central Bank meeting.

“The dollar’s strength peaked out towards the end of last week, when the U.S. jobs data showed that wage increases had slowed. The currency hasn’t been able to find traction since,” said Shin Kadota, senior strategist at Barclays in Tokyo.

“And the latest bounce in U.S. yields did not provide much lift for the dollar as they still remain at low levels in absolute terms.”

The 10-year Treasury yield bounced to 2.52 percent, edging further away from a 15-month low of 2.34 percent plumbed at the end of March. The yield was still significantly below its recent highs around 2.8 percent hit in early March.

The Canadian dollar was little changed at C$1.3312 per dollar after gaining more than 0.5 percent overnight.

The Australian dollar was steady at $0.7128 having risen 0.3 percent the previous day.

Oil prices have surged to five-month highs on expectations that global supplies would tighten due to fighting in Libya, OPEC-led cuts and U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela. [O/R]

“Themes such as U.S.-China trade talks and Brexit are turning rather stale and no longer providing the currency market with as much incentive. The rally in crude gave the market something to focus on under such conditions,” said Bart Wakabayashi, Tokyo branch manager at State Street Bank.

The Norwegian kroner held to its gains and stood at 8.543 per dollar after rallying 0.7 percent the previous day on higher crude.

The kroner was also boosted after Norges Bank Governor Oeystein Olsen said on Monday that the central bank will continue to hike interest rates over the coming months.

Oil-rich Norway stands alone among other developed economies in tightening monetary policy, thanks to rising crude prices and higher-than-anticipated economic growth and inflation.

The euro was effectively flat at $1.1265 after advancing 0.4 percent on Monday, when it ended a two-day losing streak.

The pound edged up 0.1 percent to $1.3078, having traded in a narrow range so far this week, reflecting nervousness in the market about key Brexit talks between British Prime Minister Theresa May and the opposition Labour Party.

Britain is due to leave the European Union on Friday but May is seeking a compromise with the Labour Party regarding terms for Brexit ahead of an EU leaders’ summit on Wednesday.

May heads to Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron before setting out the case for another delay at Wednesday’s EU summit in Brussels.

The dollar shed 0.1 percent to 111.37 yen to put additional distance between a three-week peak of 111.825 scaled on Friday.

(Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Sam Holmes & Shri Navaratnam)

Source: OANN

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Elizabeth Warren builds largest U.S. presidential campaign staff

Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at NABTU legislative conference in Washington
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks at the North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) 2019 legislative conference in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

April 16, 2019

By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has hired the largest campaign staff in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, quickly building a payroll that far exceeds her Democratic rivals, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Elections Commission.

Warren spent more than $1 million on payroll in the first quarter of 2019, more than double that of rivals such as U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris, the two who raised the most money in the first quarter.

The total does not include other payroll-related expenses. She spent about $566,000 on payroll taxes and $114,000 on health insurance.

Warren has said she intends to build a “grassroots” campaign. She has sworn off expensive fundraisers and is relying almost entirely on online donations to fund her campaign.

Building a large campaign staff can create challenges. If a campaign begins to run short on cash, it is often more difficult to cut back on staff compared to trimming other expenses, such as advertising.

Warren had 161 employees already on her staff by the end of the first quarter, according to the disclosures she filed. About half of the staff, her campaign said, are positioned in early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

By comparison, Sanders’ campaign had 86 people on its payroll by the end of the quarter, during which he spent $417,209 on salaries. Harris spent $477,108 on salaries on the 44 people she had on her payroll in the first quarter.

Warren has also outpaced Republican President Donald Trump’s campaign hiring. Trump spent about $408,000 on staff in the first quarter, although the Republican National Committee is already working to help his reelection and has hundreds on staff.

Warren isn’t without cash to pay her employees – she raised $6 million in the first quarter and had an additional $10.4 million from her Senate campaign. She finished the quarter with $11 million in cash.

However, her campaign disclosures revealed that she may be making tradeoffs.

Warren spent about $905,000 on online advertising. Sanders spent about $1.6 million and Harris $1 million.

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Additional reporting by Amanda Becker and Grant Smith; Editing by Paul Tait)

Source: OANN

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German market regulator lifts short sale ban on Wirecard

FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of Wirecard AG, an independent provider of outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payment transactions is seen in Aschheim
FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of Wirecard AG, an independent provider of outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payment transactions is seen in Aschheim near Munich, Germany September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

April 18, 2019

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany’s markets regulator Bafin on Friday said its two-month ban on short-selling shares of payments company Wirecard had expired.

In February, Bafin initiated the ban due to volatility in Wirecard’s stock following reports in the Financial Times that became the subject of an investigation by German authorities.

Wirecard has denied wrongdoing and the FT has stood by its reporting.

The short-selling ban “has now expired”, Bafin said in a statement, without elaborating further. Short-selling is when an investor borrows shares to sell in the hope of being able to buy them back later at a lower price.

Earlier this week, Bafin filed a complaint with the Munich Prosecutor’s Office alleging market manipulation in the shares of Wirecard.

A series of reports run by the FT, citing a whistleblower’s claims of fraud and creative accounting at its Singapore office, have wiped billions off Wirecard’s market value and triggered a police investigation in the Asian state.

(Reporting by Tom Sims, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

Source: OANN

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Volvo raises 600 million euros in second bond deal this year

FILE PHOTO: An electric vehicle charging cable is seen on the bonnet of a Volvo hybrid car in this picture illustration
FILE PHOTO: An electric vehicle charging cable is seen on the bonnet of a Volvo hybrid car in this picture illustration taken July 6, 2017. REUTERS/Phil Noble/Illustration

March 26, 2019

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Volvo Cars has raised 600 million euros ($677 million) via a bond issue on Tuesday, its second this year and which also comes seven months after the Swedish carmaker shelved plans to list on the stock market.

Carmakers like Volvo are facing rising costs for developing electric and driverless cars while they grapple with the fallout from trade wars and an industry downturn.

Volvo said on the Tuesday the bond would mature in April 2024, pay a fixed coupon of 2.125 percent and have an issue price was 99.625, equating to a yield of 2.205 percent and a Euro mid-swap of plus 215 basis points.

The settlement was expected to be April 2 April and the bonds would be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, Volvo said.

A spokeswoman for Volvo, which is owned by China’s Geely, said the money raised would be used for corporate purposes.

In November, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson had ruled out a bond issue in the short term because of turbulent markets.

(Reporting by Esha Vaish in Stockholm. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: OANN

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Southwest 737 MAX makes emergency landing, says computer system not to blame

FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is pictured in front of United Airlines planes, including Boeing 737 MAX 9 models, at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston
FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is pictured in front of United Airlines planes, including Boeing 737 MAX 9 models, at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

March 26, 2019

(Reuters) – A Southwest Airlines Co Boeing 737 MAX 8 heading to the California desert for parking during a global ban of the aircraft made an emergency landing on Tuesday due to an engine-related problem shortly after take-off, the carrier said.

It did not have any passengers and the issue was not related to a computer system on the 737 MAX aircraft that has come under scrutiny following two fatal crashes, one on Lion Air and another on Ethiopian Airlines, since October, the airline said.

“The crew followed protocol and safely landed back at the airport,” Southwest said in a statement.

Southwest Flight 8701 returned to Orlando International Airport just before 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) after pilots reported a performance issue with one of the engines, the airline said.

The flight was scheduled to fly from Orlando to a logistics airport in Victorville, California, near the Mojave desert, where Southwest began flying its fleet of 34 MAX jets for storage.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration grounded the 737 MAX following the two crashes but has allowed airlines to conduct flights without passengers to move planes to other airports.

A Boeing spokesman said the company was “aware of the incident and supporting our customer.”

Rather than fly to California, Southwest said the plane will be moved to an Orlando maintenance facility for review.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski; editing by Grant McCool and Howard Goller)

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.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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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