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Q-Poll: Just Over Half of Floridians Won't Vote for Trump

Fifty-one percent of Floridians say they will definitely not vote for President Donald Trump in 2020, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

Thirty-one percent would definitely vote for him and 14 percent would consider it.

Here are highlights from the poll released Thursday:

  • 75 percent of Republicans say they are definitely voting for Trump, 14 percent said they would consider voting for him and 8 percent would definitely not vote for the president.
  • 2 percent of Democrats say they will definitely vote for his re-election, 2 percent would consider voting for him and 95 percent definitely would not.
  • 21 percent of independents will definitely cast their ballots for the president, 24 percent would consider it and 49 percent definitely would not.
  • 52 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 40 percent were favorable.
  • 49 percent viewed former Vice President Joe Biden favorably, compared to 35 percent who did not. Biden’s ratings were the highest of any Democratic presidential candidate or those who still might enter the race.

The poll, conducted March 6-11, surveyed 1,058 Florida voters. It has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Christian pilgrims march through Jerusalem for Good Friday

Thousands of Christian pilgrims and clergy members are marching through the ancient alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City, retracing Jesus' path to crucifixion in observation of Good Friday.

The faithful carried wooden crosses on their shoulders and sang hymns to mark one of Christianity's holiest days.

The march launched from the Monastery of the Flagellation, where tradition says Jesus was flogged, continued down the cobblestone Via Dolorosa and will conclude at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe Jesus was buried before his resurrection on what is celebrated as Easter Sunday.

This year's confluence of Good Friday and the Jewish holiday of Passover has led to a festive atmosphere in Jerusalem. Jewish residents rushed to complete their preparations for the ritual of Seder dinner Friday night.

Source: Fox News World

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Strike 2: West Virginia teachers walking out again

Almost a year to the day after West Virginia teachers went on strike that launched a national movement, they're doing it again.

Nearly all of West Virginia's 55 counties have called off public school classes Tuesday as teachers protest education legislation that their unions view as lacking their input and as retaliation for last year's nine-day strike. That walkout launched the national movement that included strikes in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, Washington state, and more recently, Los Angeles and Denver.

Now the movement has come full circle.

Leaders of three unions for teachers and school service workers say how long this one goes on will be a day-to-day decision.

An amended bill that the Senate passed Monday now goes back to the House of Delegates. Among other things, it would create the state's first charter schools.

Source: Fox News National

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New York City man, 19, allegedly steals cab to drive to Six Flags, falls asleep and gets arrested: report

A New York City man allegedly stole a cab and tried to drive it to an amusement park, only to be arrested after falling asleep in the car.

Jonathan Gualpa, 19, took a taxi from the city and drove it to New Jersey, where he intended to go to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township. The amusement park isn't set to open for the season for another two weeks, according to the New York Post.

Police in Rochelle Park, N.J., roughly 20 miles northwest of the city, received a tip from the New York Police Department that a stolen taxi might be in the area after the vehicle's GPS was tracked.

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Local investigators found Gualpa sleeping in the vehicle, which was reported on the side of the road. He is said to have told the authorities he was headed for Six Flags.

Gualpa was reportedly charged with receiving stolen property and released pending a court hearing.

Source: Fox News National

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2020 Dem Hopefuls Open to Expanding Supreme Court

Three Democrat White House hopefuls are saying they wouldn't rule out expanding the Supreme Court if elected, in hopes of curbing Republicans' growing influence.

"We are on the verge of a crisis of confidence in the Supreme Court," Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., told Politico. "We have to take this challenge head-on, and everything is on the table to do that."

Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, all said they would be open to expanding the court, joining prominent Senate Democrats to discussing changes that could include adding seats, imposing term limits on judges and taking other steps.

Gillibrand said that after President Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, was blocked, Justice Neil Gorsuch is holding his Supreme Court seat illegitimately. She urged the Senate to move quickly to enforce new ethics rules on the court.

Warren also said that steps should be taken to depoliticizing the court, mentioning bringing in appellate judges on cases as an option.

The senators were commenting after South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke also said they might consider expansion to the Supreme Court.

Other Democratic candidates said they are not yet ready to move toward expanding the high court.

“I’m open to these kinds of conversations, but I really caution people about doing things that become a tit for tat throughout history,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said. "When the Democrats expand it to 11, 12 judges, when Republicans have it, they expand it to 15 judges.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., another 2020 candidate, was also cautious, saying she thinks it's more "reasonable" to win elections and "stop the bad judges."

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Hong Kong faces commuter chaos after rare train collision

Mass Transit Railway (MTR) trains collide near Central station during signal system trial in Hong Kong
Mass Transit Railway (MTR) trains collide near Central station during signal system trial in Hong Kong, China March 18, 2019. MTR Corp/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

March 18, 2019

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A train collision disrupted services in Hong Kong on Monday, threatening commuter chaos during rush hour in the heart of the Asian financial hub, authorities said.

The rare disruption on a network used by nearly 6 million people every weekday brought services to a halt between the stations of Central and Admiralty, rail operator MTR Corp said.

“The repair will take quite a long time and the service between Central and Admiralty … will not be available for the whole day,” its operations director, Lau Tin-shing, told a news briefing.

An investigation into the incident has begun, although the trains carried no passengers at the time of the collision during the trial run of a new signal system.

The drivers of both trains were taken to hospital, the network operator added, urging commuters to use other forms of travel or different rail routes.

Shares of MTR fell more than 1 percent in early trade, lagging a gain of 0.3 percent in the benchmark index.

(Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree and Donny Kwok; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Source: OANN

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Showdown in Congress over Trump's national emergency declaration; Mystery Mueller case revealed

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Developing now, Thursday, March 14, 2019

TRUMP NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARATION SHOWDOWN: The Republican-led Senate is set to vote Thursday on President Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border to obtain funding for his long-promised wall ... There may be enough Republican opposition in the Senate to block the emergency declaration, which could prompt Trump to issue his first veto while in office. In an interview set to air on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning, Vice President Mike Pence urged Republicans to back the president’s emergency declaration.

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BOEING 737 MAX JETS GROUNDED: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday ordered two Boeing 737 Max jets — one model of which was involved in the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people — to be temporarily grounded in the U.S. ... The agency said the decision was made to ground both the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 models "as a result of the data gathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analyzed." Boeing has suspended its entire global fleet of 371 737 Max jetliners. Worldwide, 69 commercial airlines and airline leasing firms use the Max 8 and Max 9 models. Among the U.S. airlines that have Boeing 737 Max planes among their fleet are Southwest Airlines, which operates 34 Max 8 planes, American Airlines, which operates 24 Max 8 planes, and United Airlines, which operates 14 Max 9 planes. Airlines in other countries, including the entire European Union, Ethiopia, China, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil and Iceland, grounded the jetliner on Monday.

EXCLUSIVE: HILLARY CLINTON INVESTIGATORS TOLD OBAMA DOJ 'NOT WILLING TO CHARGE HER': An internal chart prepared by federal investigators working on the so-called "Midyear Exam" probe into Hillary Clinton's emails, exclusively reviewed by Fox News, contained the words "NOTE: DOJ not willing to charge this" next to a key statute on the mishandling of classified information. The notation appeared to contradict former FBI Director James Comey's repeated claims that his team independently decided that Clinton should not face criminal charges. Comey stated publicly that his FBI conducted the Clinton email investigation honestly and was not swayed by outside influences. However, President Trump and longtime Republican critics have argued that anti-Trump political bias in Comey's FBI and the Justice Department tainted the Clinton investigation.

SINGING THE 'VARSITY BLUES': One day after Lori Loughlin was ensnared in a bombshell college admissions investigation, the "Full House" star has been released on a $1 million bond ... Loughlin and "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman are among the more than four dozen people have been charged in the nationwide bribery scam, which is alleged to have placed students in top-tier schools like Yale, Georgetown, Stanford, the University of Southern California, UCLA and the University of Texas. The federal investigation into the matter – dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" – has been ongoing for more than a year.

Loughlin, her famed fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli and Huffman are all ordered to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29 for a preliminary hearing. In light of the national college admissions scandal, the University of Southern California (USC) on Wednesday announced it will "review" students and graduates who may be linked to the investigation.

MYSTERY MUELLER CASE REVEALED: Documents filed with the Supreme Court and unsealed on Wednesday revealed definitively, and for the first time, that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is the party seeking a grand jury subpoena and subsequent contempt citation against an unnamed, government-controlled foreign corporation that has resisted prosecutors' efforts at every turn ... The proceedings are believed to be linked to attempts by Mueller's team to secure information to present to an empaneled grand jury in the special counsel's Russia investigation.

BETO 'BORN' TO RUN? - Beto O'Rourke all but announced his 2020 presidential candidacy in a wide-ranging interview published Wednesday in Vanity Fair magazine, confidently saying he was "just born to do this" ... The move seemed inevitable Wednesday night. El Paso’s KTSM-TV reported it received a text message from O'Rourke earlier in the day saying he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination, writing: "I'm really proud of what El Paso did and what El Paso represents. It's a big part of why I'm running. This city is the best example of this country at its best."

THE SOUNDBITE

TUCKER CALLS OUT MEDIA MATTERS PRESIDENT - "[MSNBC anchor Chris] Hayes’s political views aren’t very interesting: Cringing hipster sensitivity, burnished with low-grade academic buzzwords. Pretty banal. But Hayes always seemed like a decent guy personally. He didn’t seem like a hater. It was hard to imagine him promoting open racism and anti-Semitism. Or at least it was, until the other night. That’s when Hayes invited a man called Angelo Carusone onto his show. Carusone runs Media Matters. Almost every day, he issues outraged press releases accusing other people of bigotry. And yet, because everything is irony, Carusone is himself an enthusiastic bigot. We know this because he’s written about it extensively." – Tucker Carlson, on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," pointing out Media Matters President Angelo Carusone's past hateful comments in an old blog.

TODAY'S MUST-READS
Stuart Varney: Ocasio-Cortez is so far out of line that she must surely be a 'bubble.'
Kellyanne Conway’s husband rips Trump for ‘pathological’ lying, claims president has ‘disorder.'
Connecticut man who got phone call of support from Trump dies.
Manafort sentenced, then indicted in New York City on mortgage fraud, other state charges.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Trump's grounding of Boeing 737 Max jets trims stock market gains.
British lawmakers reject no-deal Brexit in any circumstance.
Fiat Chrysler recalling nearly 863,000 U.S. vehicles that don't meet EPA standards.

STAY TUNED

On Fox Nation:

What Made America Great, Season 2
Brian Kilmeade travels to historic places and relives the biggest events that shaped our amazing country on "What Made America Great." Watch a preview of the show now.

Not a subscriber? Click here to join Fox Nation today!

Fox Nation is a subscription streaming service offering daily shows and documentaries that you can’t watch anywhere else. Watch from your phone, computer and select TV devices.

On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Vice President Mike Pence; Newt Gingrich; Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren; Fox News' Pete Hegseth tours a border protection training facility with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Your World with Neil Cavuto, 4 p.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla. and John Barrasso, R-Wis.

Fox News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: Lt. Randy Sutton, host of Blue Lives Radio.

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.; Karl Rove, former White House senior adviser to President George W. Bush; Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: "Schools Must Change After Admissions Scandal" - Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz discusses "Operation Varsity Blues" and how colleges can uncover and fight back against admission scams. Transcripts of closed-door testimony of former FBI attorney Lisa Page have been released, and they reveal some new details of the 'insurance policy' she discussed with former FBI agent Peter Strzok. Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst, discusses the released transcript. Plus, commentary by Leslie Marshall, Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: The grounding of Boeing jets, Operation Varsity Blues, Manafort's new legal trouble, Trump's national emergency declaration and more will be discussed with the following guests: Kathleen Bangs, Steve Doocy, Chris Wallace, Andy McCarthy, Stuart Varney, Dr. Jeff Gardere.

The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd Starnes speaks with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., about President Trump's call all for a national emergency at the border and American Family Radio host Bryan Fischer about how to raise the next generation of men.

The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov discusses Operation Varsity Blues and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent comments on impeaching President Trump.

Benson & Harf, 6 p.m. ET: An interview with Howard Schultz, 2020 presidential candidate and former chairman and CEO of Starbucks.

#TheFlashback
2018: Tens of thousands of students across the country walk out of their classrooms to demand action on gun violence and school safety, one month after the shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
1990: The Soviet Congress of People's Deputies hold a secret ballot that elects Mikhail S. Gorbachev to a new, powerful presidency.
1962: Democrat Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy officially launches his successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts once held by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. (Ted Kennedy would serve in the Senate for nearly 47 years.)

Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday morning.

Source: Fox News National

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

April 26, 2019

By Katya Golubkova and Andrei Makhovsky

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OIL PRICES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: OANN

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

April 26, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: OANN

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

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

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

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

BIDEN HIRES FORMER BERNIE SANDERS’ SPOKESPERSON AS SENIOR ADVISER

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

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

Footage of the interview was resurfaced by RealClearPolitics.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fox News Andrew O’Reilly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Fox News World

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