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Kamala Harris' Father Blasts 'Fraudulent Stereotype'

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., admitted last week that she smoked marijuana in college and joked about her family’s Jamaican heritage, prompting her father, former Stanford University economics professor Donald Harris, to issue a statement condemning her remark.

When asked in an interview with “The Breakfast Club,” if she had ever smoked marijuana, Harris replied: "Half my family's from Jamaica. Are you kidding me?"

She later admitted to smoking a joint in college, saying she “did inhale,” in an apparent reference to former President Bill Clinton’s remarks about using marijuana.

Her father, in a statement to Jamaica Online News, decried his daughter's use of a “fraudulent stereotype… in the pursuit of identity politics.”

"My dear departed grandmothers (whose extraordinary legacy I described in a recent essay on this website), as well as my deceased parents, must be turning in their grave right now to see their family's name, reputation and proud Jamaican identity being connected, in any way, jokingly or not with the fraudulent stereotype of a pot-smoking joy seeker and in the pursuit of identity politics," Donald Harris said.

"Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty."

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Biden bungles apology for sexism


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On the roster: Biden bungles apology for sexism - Trump’s $1 billion 2020 strategy - Barr says ‘weeks’ to wait for Mueller report - House Dems too divided to draft a budget - Jet ski? Check. Crossbow? Check. 

BIDEN BUNGLES APOLOGY FOR SEXISM 
AP: “Former Vice President Joe Biden condemned ‘a white man’s culture’ as he lashed out at violence against women and, more specifically, lamented his role in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings that undermined Anita Hill’s credibility nearly three decades ago. Biden, a Democratic presidential prospect who often highlights his white working-class roots, said Hill, who is black, should not have been forced to face a panel of ‘a bunch of white guys’ about her sexual harassment allegations against Clarence Thomas. ‘To this day I regret I couldn’t come up with a way to give her the kind of hearing she deserved,’ he said Tuesday night… Biden’s role in the 1991 Thomas confirmation hearings is among his many political challenges as he considers making a 2020 bid for the presidency. Should he run, he would be among a handful of white men in a Democratic presidential field that features several women and minorities.”

Harris flexes small-dollar fund-raising muscle - NYT: “Over the last two years, Ms. [KamalaHarris has systematically constructed a database of donors and email addresses that raised several million dollars for her fellow Democrats, demonstrating an uncommon potency for a first-term senator, according to federal election records and interviews with numerous political strategists. Now, as she makes her own run for president, her digital following serves as a kind of stealth weapon, putting her in perhaps the best position to challenge the small-dollar fund-raising operations of two top rivals, former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Those two candidates outgunned every other 2020 Democratic candidate with their roughly $6 million hauls in the first day of fund-raising, besting Ms. Harris by 4 to 1. Ms. Harris raised $1.5 million, the next-highest total in the field, from more than 38,000 donors in the first 24 hours. In a campaign in which small donations have emerged as an early proxy for viability, Ms. Harris’s team hopes her grass-roots appeal will allow her to compete at the highest level of American politics.”

Gillibrand makes 2018 taxes public - NYT: “Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York disclosed on Wednesday that she earned about $218,000 last year through her congressional salary and a book deal, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to disclose her most recent tax returns and issuing a challenge to her rivals to do to the same. In a tax return shared with The New York Times, Ms. Gillibrand stated that she earned $167,634 from her salary and an additional $50,000 through a book that she reported as business income. She paid $29,170 in federal taxes. … The release of Ms. Gillibrand’s taxes may increase pressure on the other Democrats running for president to be open about their personal finances. With the exception of Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has released a decade of her tax returns — though not yet for 2018 — none of the major Democratic presidential candidates has given the public more than a highly selective look at their personal taxes.”

Tim Ryan gets closer to 2020 decision - The [Youngstown] Vindicator: “U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said he’s going to make a decision shortly on whether he’ll run for president. ‘In the next few weeks definitely got to pull the trigger one way or the other, got to make a decision,’ Ryan told The Vindicator on Monday before speaking at the Rotary Club of Youngstown luncheon. …But Ryan gave somewhat of an indication when he said he’s ‘listening to what the other candidates are saying. I’m a little concerned that I’m not hearing about jobs and health care and pensions. We’re not hearing a lot about that. I think those are the most important messages. I’m also not hearing a lot about how we’re going to be competitive as a country. We’re so divided right now that the challenges are unbelievable coming from Russia, coming from China, economic challenges.’”

TRUMP’S $1 BILLION 2020 STRATEGY
Forbes: “In the days preceding the official conclusion of the Mueller Report, Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager, was on a trip to Romania, where he outlined a $1 billion dollar strategy to get the U.S. President re-elected in 2020. Parscale’s visit was received with great public interest in this mostly pro-American country located on the European Union's Eastern border. Officially appointed at the helm of Trump’s 2020 re-election efforts in 2018, Parscale had previously been in charge of the candidate’s digital marketing efforts during the 2016 campaign. Parscale delivered a talk on Thursday at the Romanian Academy with the title ‘Let’s Make Political Marketing Great Again’ in the presence of numerous personalities of Romania’s political and academic elite. … In this unlikely context so far from home, he shared fascinating details about the Trump campaign's plans to use 1.6 million volunteers in a data-driven, large-scale ground game operation to win the next Presidential election.”

THE RULEBOOK: HEAR, HEAR 
“The republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they intrust the management of their affairs; but it does not require an unqualified complaisance to every sudden breeze of passion, or to every transient impulse which the people may receive from the arts of men, who flatter their prejudices to betray their interests.” – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 71

TIME OUT: WHEN 46 POINTS COULD GET YOU A CHAMPIONSHIP
History: “The University of Oregon defeats The Ohio State University 46–33 on this day in 1939 to win the first-ever NCAA men’s basketball tournament. ‘March Madness,’ as the tournament became known, has grown exponentially in size and popularity since 1939. … For the first 12 years of the men’s tournament, only eight teams were invited to participate. That number grew steadily until a 65-team tournament format was unveiled in 2001. In 2011, the field expanded even further, allowing 68 teams to qualify for the ‘big dance.’ After four ‘play-in’ games between, now known as the First Four, the tournament breaks into four regions of 16 teams. The winning teams from those regions comprise the Final Four, who meet in that year’s host city to decide the championship. … The NCAA held its first women’s basketball tournament in 1982. The women’s tournament started with 32 teams, expanding to 64 teams before the 1994 season.”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
Trump job performance 
Average approval: 
43 percent
Average disapproval: 52.6 percent
Net Score: -9.6 points
Change from one week ago: up 1.2 points 
[Average includes: Quinnipiac University: 39% approve - 55% disapprove; Fox News: 46% approve - 51% disapprove; USA Today/Suffolk: 48% approve - 49% disapprove; CNN: 43% approve - 51% disapprove; Gallup: 39% approve - 57% disapprove.]

BARR SAYS ‘WEEKS’ TO WAIT FOR MUELLER REPORT 
USA Today: “Attorney General William Barr plans to deliver special counsel Robert Mueller's report to Congress and the public in ‘weeks, not months,’ a Justice Department official said Tuesday, offering the first indication of how soon the government would release more complete findings of the investigation. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, said the department has ‘no plans at this time’ to provide a copy of the report to the White House before it is made public. Lawmakers intensified their demands for access to the special counsel's full report. Leaders of six House committees said in a letter to the attorney general that they wanted to see the entire document by April 2. They asked him to turn over the evidence Mueller's investigators gathered, saying the materials were ‘urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution.’”

Overwhelming majority wants to see Mueller report - Quinnipiac University: “Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report should be made public, American voters say 84 - 9 percent in a Quinnipiac University National Poll released [Tuesday]. Republicans say 75 - 17 percent the report should be made public and every other listed party, gender, education, age and racial group supports making the report public by even wider margins. Mueller conducted a ‘fair’ investigation, 55 percent of voters say, as 26 percent say it was not fair, the independent Quinnipiac University National Poll finds. … But voters are divided on another question, as 49 percent say the investigation was ‘legitimate’ and 43 percent say it was a ‘witch hunt.’ … American voters give President Donald Trump a negative 39 - 55 percent job approval rating, compared to a negative 38 - 55 percent approval rating March 5.”

DEMS SEE LIFELINE IN TRUMP’S RENEWED OBAMACARE ATTACK 
NYT: “The Trump administration’s decision to ask a federal appeals court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act has given House Democrats a new opening to pursue what they see as a winning political strategy: moving past talk of impeachment to put kitchen-table issues like health care front and center. The notice to the court, filed late Monday by the Justice Department, could not have come at a more opportune time for Democrats. … Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who celebrated her 79th birthday on Tuesday — had already planned to move to change the conversation with the unveiling of the Democrats’ own health care plan on Tuesday. The Democrats’ bill aims to lower health insurance premiums, strengthen protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions and ban the sale of what Democrats call ‘junk insurance.’ The Justice Department’s move gave the unveiling an urgency that not even she could have anticipated.”

Mulvaney orchestrated surprise move - Politico: “The Trump administration’s surprising move to invalidate Obamacare on Monday came despite the opposition of two key cabinet secretaries: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Attorney General Bill Barr. Driving the dramatic action were the administration’s domestic policy chief, Joe Grogan, and the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the decision. Both are close allies of White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who helped to engineer the move. But Monday’s terse, two-sentence letter from the Department of Justice to a federal appeals court, which reversed the administration’s previous partial opposition to a lawsuit challenging the 2010 health care law, took many Republicans aback…”

Poll: Voters want to protect ObamaCare - Quinnipiac University: “American voters say 55 - 32 percent they would prefer to improve rather than replace the health care system in the U.S. No listed group prefers replacing the health care system. But 43 percent say it's a ‘good idea’ to remove the current health care system and replace it with a single payer system in which Medicare is expanded to cover all medical expenses, while 45 percent say ‘Medicare for all’ is a ‘bad idea.’ Support is 51 - 30 percent for keeping the current health care system while allowing all adults the option of buying into Medicare. Among Republicans, 43 percent support this Medicare buy-in option, with 39 percent opposed.”

HOUSE DEMS TOO DIVIDED TO DRAFT A BUDGET
WaPo: “House Democrats are likely to punt on writing a budget this year, amid divisions between liberals seeking more money for domestic programs and moderates who fear getting accused of raising taxes. Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) said Tuesday he would make a final decision later in the week. But he said that after meeting with various groups of House Democrats, ‘I’m not particularly hopeful.’ The divisions, which include disagreements about spending levels for the Pentagon, make it unlikely a budget resolution would pass on the House floor. Such a failure would be an embarrassment for the new majority and one Democratic leaders would rather avoid — especially because a budget resolution is a largely symbolic document that serves mostly to lay out a party’s priorities. … Although Yarmuth did not expect that any potential Democratic budget resolution would lay out specific tax hikes, he had planned to call for significant new revenue — which Republicans could seize on as requiring new taxes.”

Minimum wage hike fizzles - Politico: “Several red-state Democrats have threatened to oppose their party’s hallmark $15 minimum wage bill, imperiling a key plank of the progressive platform and revealing another schism in the sprawling caucus. In a closed-door meeting Tuesday, tensions broke out as some House moderates pushed back against the chief policy proposal from House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott… Democrats are broadly united on raising the minimum wage. Still, the clash exposes an ideological divide in the Democratic caucus, which is being pulled to the left by high-profile progressives while many of its members — particularly freshmen who helped deliver the House — represent states where the GOP has long dominated. … Scott spent an hour attempting to sell his bill to members of the New Democrats Coalition… But several Democratic lawmakers who attended the meeting said they left dissatisfied with Scott’s presentation…”

Dems don’t take the bait on Green New Deal - CNBC: “A Green New Deal proposal backed by numerous Democrats failed to advance in the Senate on Tuesday as Democrats protested what they called a political show vote orchestrated by majority Republicans. The nonbinding resolution, which calls on the United States to make an ambitious effort to slash its use of fossil fuels to fight climate change, fell short in a procedural vote. The Senate did not proceed to debating the measure, as 57 senators voted against it and 43 Democrats and independents who caucus with them — nearly all of the Democratic caucus — voted ‘present.’ Four senators who vote with Democrats —Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Doug Jones of Alabama and independent Angus King of Maine — voted against the resolution. By voting ‘present,’ Democrats hoped not to go on the record on a bill that had no realistic chance of passing, even if they support the concept of a Green New Deal.”

GRAHAM, DURBIN REVIVE BIPARTISAN BILL FOR ‘DREAMERS’
WaPo: “Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) reintroduced long-stalled legislation Tuesday to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. The legal status of ‘dreamers,’ as those immigrants are commonly known, has been a major flash point in the immigration policy debate… Bipartisan support for dreamers extends to 2001, and versions of the Dream Act have been introduced in subsequent years but never passed. Despite its widespread popularity, it has gotten tied up in the broader immigration debate. … The Dream Act would allow young adults to stay in the United States if they came to the country as children, graduated from high school or obtained a GED, and pursued college, military service or at least three years of employment. More than 2 million people could be eligible.”

LUJÁN FRONTRUNNER TO REPLACE UDALL IN SENATE 
Politico: “Rep. Ben Ray Luján is expected to run for Senate in 2020, abandoning a chance to move up the rung in House leadership, according to multiple people close to the New Mexico Democrat. It is a sharp change of course for the fast-climbing congressman, a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi who led House Democrats’ campaign arm to victory in 2018 and then catapulted into the new Democratic majority’s No. 4 leadership position. But while Luján hasn’t decided, he is heavily leaning toward jumping into the race to replace retiring Sen. Tom Udall, according to multiple Democratic lawmakers and aides familiar with Luján’s thinking. Although the timing is unclear, an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.”

Progressives not pleased with DCCC anti-primary stance - National Journal: “The cochairman of the House Progressive Caucus blasted a decision by House Democratic leadership to blacklist political aides who work for primary challengers and said he hopes they will reverse the decision. Rep. Mark Pocan, cochairman of the House’s progressive wing, said he will talk to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Cheri Bustos this week about the decision. ‘I think this is such a dumb idea I don’t think it’s going to last long,’ Pocan said in an interview. ‘I think it was someone thinking they were being clever. … I think it’s a bad idea. I think it sends all kinds of wrong messages and doesn’t accomplish anything they want to accomplish. I hope they’ll revisit that idea in some way.’ … Pocan suggested that if the DCCC follows through with the policy, it could drive more progressives to operate solely through their own political arm, which would be more inclusive.”

Get ready for a N.Y. House battle - Politico: “Rep. José Serrano’s retirement has initiated a battle for the future of his party in the South Bronx, where the ideological and generational change buffeting congressional Democrats will play out in an open primary next summer — in a district right next door to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s. The primary to replace Serrano (D-N.Y.) in his deep-blue district will be one of several hard-fought Democratic contests in New York City in 2020, with incumbents also set to face primary challenges after Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 win. But the open seat — where 98 percent of residents are people of color and more than half are under 35 years old — offers a ripe opportunity for younger progressive activists to make their mark.”

Swalwell seat draws a crowd - The Mercury News: “As Rep. Eric Swalwell nears a decision on running for president, he could set off a scramble among East Bay politicians hoping to move up the political ladder. There’s a lot riding on his choice — one that could provide a rare opportunity to fill an open congressional seat. If Swalwell decides not to run for re-election in his Democratic-leaning congressional district, the race to succeed him could include multiple state legislators, local officials and a Hayward councilwoman who’s already being compared to progressive phenom Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. … [T]he potential of an open seat is attracting attention from ambitious East Bay pols. … The highest-profile potential contender so far is State Sen. Bob Wieckowski, a Fremont Democrat who several Bay Area politicos said had been quietly making moves toward a possible run.”

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Q Poll finds 75 percent of Americans feel good about their financial futuresQuinnipiac University

Betsy DeVos announces cuts to Special Olympics, student programs - Detroit Free Press

Say what?: ‘Alaska moose-hunter can ‘rev up’ his hovercraft, court rules’AP

AUDIBLE: K BYE
“Beautiful day in Alabama! No, not now. War Eagle!” – Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in response to the Atlantic when asked for comment about Attorney General William Barr’s summary of the Mueller report.

FROM THE BLEACHERS
“Mr. S & Brianna, I am in need of some Political Parsing from you Expert Parsers up north who look out over the Swamp. Is there a difference between ‘found no evidence of collusion’ and ‘there was no collusion?’ Thanks for your time…read the Halftime Report every day… kudos to you & Ms. Brianna… and, if you have another moment, can you enlighten me as to why it’s called the Halftime Report?” – Rick Randell, Bradenton, Fla.

[Ed. note: Proving negatives is hard, no matter what. Our criminal justice system relies on a presumption of innocence because it is not only oppressive but also unreasonable to force people to prove what they did not do. Instead prosecutors have to make the case. We’ll know more when we see Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, but the vehemence of Attorney General William Barr in his description of Mueller’s findings suggest that the special counsel seemed pretty satisfied. As for our name, it was originally intended as a reflection of the note’s arrival in the middle of the day. We shifted our times around over the past year, but you may have noticed earlier arrivals. We’re trying to put the “halftime” back in the Halftime Report.]

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

JET SKI? CHECK. CROSSBOW? CHECK 
EuroNews: “A British man wanted in Australia on drug-related charges has been caught trying to flee the country on a jet ski. Armed with a crossbow, the 57-year-old unnamed individual was spotted launching the jet ski off Punsand Bay, off the northern tip of Queensland, and was believed to have set his sights on Papua New Guinea. Australian police gave chase and eventually apprehended the man on mudflats near Saibai Island, just south of his intended destination. Saibai Island belongs to Australia but is only separated from PNG by a short channel of water less than 5 kilometers across. The island represented the fugitive's best chance of landfall, but authorities would no doubt have been alerted to his potential, though somewhat bizarre arrival.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“There was an absence for eight years. America is back, and you're not allowed to do whatever you want. That in and of itself is going to have a big effect.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) on “Special Report with Bret Baier” on April 7, 2017. 

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland 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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Death of the filibuster? With McConnell and Reid changes, it may be just a matter of time

Commentators spilled a lot of ink this week, forecasting the end of the Senate filibuster.

They didn’t have to. The filibuster’s days have been numbered for years.

SENATE MOVES TO SPEED UP CONFIRMATION OF NOMINEES

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., deployed an artful parliamentary gambit this week on a related front. McConnell’s goal was to prune the amount of time the Senate can burn after it breaks a filibuster -- before confirming lower-level administration nominees. Congressional observers suggested that McConnell’s maneuver spelled doom for the filibuster itself.

The Senate’s tinkered around the edges of the filibuster – as it pertains to nominees – three times in five-and-a-half years. Squeezing available debate time was the case this week. The chamber lowered the bar to crush filibusters for nominees via what’s billed as “Nuclear Option #1” in 2013 (under Democratic control) and Nuclear Option #2 in 2017 (under Republican control). But both of those schemes only dealt with nominations. There is nothing in the mix yet about abolishing filibusters for legislation.

McConnell says the Senate doesn’t have the votes to euthanize the legislative filibuster. He’s right. But only for now. That may change. The Senate previously lacked the votes to lower the standard to squelch filibusters for executive branch nominees, except the Supreme Court. That was the case until then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., deployed Nuclear Option #1 in 2013. McConnell then dropped the requirement of 60 votes to quash a filibuster on Supreme Court nominees with Nuclear Option #2 in 2017. The Senate didn’t have the support to accelerate the confirmation of lower-tier nominees -- until McConnell meddled with Senate procedure this week.

DEMS TAKE AIM AT FILIBUSTER

Like everything on Capitol Hill, it comes down to the math. That’s why Reid and McConnell carried out these ploys. They had the votes on their side. So they went ahead and executed their plans.

Reid and McConnell both administered their filibuster-related contrivances to boost Presidents Obama and Trump, respectively. So why wouldn’t a Senate majority try to boost a president of their own party by ending the legislative filibuster?

Trump repeatedly browbeat McConnell over the current filibuster rule for legislation. Sixty votes are necessary to terminate a legislative filibuster. A filibuster prevented Trump from scoring a big win two years ago to repeal and replace ObamaCare. At the time, Republicans only held a 51-49 advantage in the Senate. Senate Republicans fretted that eliminating the legislative filibuster could backfire. Democrats would only have to poach the votes of a couple of Republican senators to advance their own legislative priorities – despite GOP Senate control. For instance, a coalition of Republican senators worked with Senate Democrats last year to undercut a Trump administration policy about net neutrality.

It would take a lot to kill the legislative filibuster.

Forty-four Standing Rules govern the Senate’s operations. Senate Rule XXII (22) deals with filibusters. Rule XXII enables the Senate to thwart a filibuster. Sixty yeas are needed to halt a filibuster on legislation (called “invoking cloture”). A simple majority of senators are needed to end debate or a filibuster on nominations, thanks to Nuclear Options #1 & #2.

The Senate can vote to change any of its rules. But altering the rules is subject to a filibuster itself. The threshold to kill the filibuster of a proposed rules change is an eye-popping 67 yeas. Two-thirds of the Senate.

So, it’s nearly impossible to change the Senate’s rules.

But there’s the rub. The Senate conducts much of its business via precedent. There are only 44 standing rules. Yet the book of Senate precedents is immense. Neither Reid nor McConnell could amass 67 votes for a rules change. But they sure could steer the Senate into the appropriate parliamentary posture to implement a precedent change. A precedent change entails a mere 51 votes (or a simple majority). That’s precisely how Reid and McConnell effectuated the latest parliamentary shifts for filibusters. And if the Senate would ever eliminate the legislative filibuster, senators would likely follow the course burnished by Reid and McConnell for the Nuclear Option.

Americans romanticize the filibuster. They think of stem-winding, all-night orations and Jimmy Stewart. But most filibusters aren’t that intriguing.

Seizing the Senate floor and speaking for hours on end isn’t always a filibuster. Blocking something constitutes a filibuster. Remember the “filibuster” just before the 2013 government shutdown by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas? Cruz spoke on the floor for 21 hours and 18 minutes. It was the third-longest speech since 1900. But Cruz wasn’t filibustering. Cruz had to yield the floor around noon the next day because Reid locked the Senate in for a procedural vote day. So, even though Cruz spoke for a really long time, it truly wasn’t a filibuster. The Texas Republican simply delivered an exhausting speech.

The public rarely notices filibuster, even though they go on all the time. Dozens of bills never make it to the floor because a senator or a group of senators are filibustering the bill. You just don’t see them doing it publicly. The Senate majority leader knows if he has the votes to complete a bill. If he doesn’t, the leader usually doesn’t try to force the issue because of a phantom filibuster. So the Senate never even tackles those bills.

That said, the Senate votes to break filibusters constantly. The Senate vanquishes filibusters by “invoking cloture.” In those instances, the filibuster is real. Senators usually aren’t on the floor talking all day and night. But in order to move on, the majority leader initiates the process via Rule XXII to “bring debate to a close.” The leader typically knows he has 60 votes to “invoke cloture” and kill the filibuster.

There is some thought on Capitol Hill that the filibuster could evaporate if Republicans maintain control of the Senate in 2020 and Trump wins a second term. Perhaps the same scenario is in play if Democrats win the Senate and the White House in 2020, too. Others suggest the demise of the legislative filibuster won’t come until 2025.

But one thing’s for sure: a weapon exists to get rid of the filibuster. Harry Reid invented the Nuclear Option stratagem. McConnell’s now perfected it. The only difference is if the Senate has the political will to eliminate this Senate tradition.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Job boom to outweigh soft patch as Bank of Canada mulls rate moves

FILE PHOTO: Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz speaks during a news conference in Ottawa
FILE PHOTO: Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 9, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo

March 14, 2019

By Fergal Smith and Julie Gordon

TORONTO/OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Bank of Canada is unlikely to cut interest rates to support a flagging economy as long as job growth continues at a robust pace, an analysis of the central bank’s response to past divergences in economic data suggests.

The economy could also get a boost from a revival in consumer spending, with next week’s federal budget expected to offer incentives that may ease the burden of debt-laden consumers.

The Canadian economy has become sluggish, with trade uncertainty weighing on business investment and a housing downturn hitting consumer spending, prompting speculation the Bank of Canada could cut rates this year.

But the pace of job growth has historically been a better signal for easing than variations in economic growth, Refinitiv data analyzed by Reuters shows. On the last two occasions that job growth and the strength of the economy diverged, in 2006 and 2012, the Bank of Canada chose not to cut rates.

(GRAPHIC: Canada GDP, jobs and Bank of Canada – https://tmsnrt.rs/2UH2ynG)

If gross domestic product is expanding at a slow pace “but jobs are blasting ahead, then yes, the bank is unlikely to cut rates,” said Royce Mendes, a senior economist with CIBC Capital Markets, cautioning that job data can be volatile.

Dismal economic growth in the fourth quarter prompted the Bank of Canada – which has hiked rates five times since July 2017 – to warn about “increased uncertainty,” even as job gains topped 55,000 in four of the last six months.

MORE JOBS, RISING SALARIES

The more dovish tone has led the market to price in about a 30 percent chance of a rate cut this year, whereas before it had been pricing in a potential hike. Canada’s 10-year bond yield on Tuesday hit its lowest level since June 2017, dropping below the 1.75 percent level of the central bank’s benchmark interest rate.

But experts say the strong employment numbers suggest Canada is facing a temporary soft patch, making rate cuts a risky response that would leave the Bank of Canada little room to maneuver in the case of a real economic shock.

“The jobs data throws into question whether it is really that serious of a soft patch,” said Greg Anderson, global head of foreign exchange strategy at BMO Capital Markets in New York.

“This might be a three-month soft patch,” he added. “If you spend all your ammunition on a slow patch then there’s nothing else.”

In addition to the economy churning out jobs, there are signs wages are finally rising, something the central bank has been watching closely.

And Canadians may find their wallets padded further, with the potential for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to introduce measures next week on child care, pharmaceutical care and skills training in the ruling Liberals’ final budget ahead of an October election.

“The bank is rightly cautious because even with the job gains that we’ve had, disposable income growth is really not that supportive,” said Mark Chandler, head of Canadian fixed income and currency strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

“It may change if we get something in the budget – tax rates down, transfers up. Then, disposable income might look a little better.”

(Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto and Julie Gordon in Ottawa; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: OANN

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Macquarie backs drone map, electric-vehicle businesses

A man operates a drone over olive trees in Nabatieh
FILE PHOTO: A man operates a drone over olive trees in Nabatieh area, Lebanon October 25, 2018. REUTERS/ Jamal Saidi

February 19, 2019

By Joshua Franklin

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Macquarie Group, the world’s largest manager of infrastructure assets, has seeded money in a map system for drones and an electric-vehicle sharing business, it said on Monday.

The investments highlight how money managers are looking beyond traditional infrastructure projects, such as toll roads and airports, to burgeoning technologies.

“The overarching theme is that technology is revolutionizing the infrastructure world,” Stephan Feilhauer, senior vice president at Macquarie Capital, said in an interview.

Macquarie said in a statement it had backed AirMap, a provider of airspace information for drone operators, and Envoy Technologies, which offers on-demand electric vehicles in urban areas. It also put money into soil analytics company Teralytic.

The investments are part of Macquarie Capital Venture Studio (MCVS), which was set up with R/GA Ventures about a year ago to back and support emerging tech companies relating to infrastructure.

The companies will receive about $1 million of cash and support services with the possibility of a further $10-$20 million of follow-on investment, Feilhauer said.

Earlier investments out of MCVS include Zero Mass Water, which aims to produce water from sunlight and air, and cyber security start-up Mission Secure, Inc.

“Infrastructure technology, or ‘InfraTech’ is a crucial theme for Macquarie and we absolutely look to continue making further investments in that space,” said Feilhauer.

(Reporting by Joshua Franklin in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas)

Source: OANN

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Britain must get to bottom of Huawei leak: UK finance minister

FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Britain must get to the bottom of the leak of confidential discussions during a top-level security meeting about the role of China’s Huawei Technologies in 5G network supply chains, British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday.

News that Britain’s National Security Council, attended by senior ministers and spy chiefs, had agreed on Tuesday to bar Huawei from all core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core elements was leaked to a national newspaper.

The leak of secret discussions has sparked anger in parliament and amongst Britain’s intelligence community. Britain’s most senior civil servant Mark Sedwill has launched an inquiry and written to ministers who were at the meeting.

“My understanding from London (is) that an investigation has been announced into apparent leaks from the NSC meeting earlier this week,” said Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

“To my knowledge there has never been a leak from a National Security Council meeting before and therefore I think it is very important that we get to the bottom of what happened here,” he told Reuters in a pooled interview.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday he could not rule out a criminal investigation. The majority of the ministers at the NSC meeting have said they were not involved, according to media reports.

Hammond said he was unaware of any previous leak from a meeting of the NSC.

“It’s not about the substance of what was apparently leaked. It’s not earth-shattering information. But it is important that we protect the principle that nothing that goes on in national security council meetings must ever be repeated outside the room.”

Allowing Huawei a reduced role in building its 5G network puts Britain at odds with the United States which has told allies not to use its technology at all because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied this.

There have been concerns that the NSC’s conclusion, which sources confirmed to Reuters, could upset other allies in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, British ministers and intelligence officials have said any final decision on 5G would not put critical national infrastructure at risk. Ciaran Martin, head of the cyber center of Britain’s main eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, played down any threat of a rift in the Five Eyes alliance.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Steelers’ Smith-Schuster slams ex-teammate Brown

NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
Oct 15, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Phillip Gaines (23) and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis (57) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

April 8, 2019

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ former franchise receiver took a Twitter swipe at the team’s new franchise receiver on Sunday.

The Steelers’ newest top wideout is not pleased, and not staying quiet.

Nearly a month after the Steelers traded seven-time Pro Bowl wideout Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders after a contentious few months, including his absence from the team’s season finale, Brown sparked a Twitter spat with ex-teammate Juju Smith-Schuster when commenting on a fan post on social media.

Brown had been tagged on a posted image with the header touting the 22-year-old Smith-Schuster as the Steelers’ 2018 team MVP. Brown’s Twitter response blamed Smith-Schuster for his crucial fumble late in a Week 16 loss at New Orleans, saying he “fumbled the whole post season in the biggest game of year.”

Smith-Schuster caught wind of the post and tweeted, “Keep your emotions off the internet,” followed by a series of tweets referencing Brown.

“All I ever did was show that man love and respect from the moment I got to the league,” Smith-Schuster tweeted. “I was genuinely happy for him too when he got traded to Oakland w/ a big contract, and now he takes shots at me on social media?”

Smith-Schuster continued, tweeting, “Crazy how big that ego got to be to take shots at people who show you love!”

Smith-Schuster then posted a quote from famous author Mark Twain that read, “Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”

Brown, 30, and Smith-Schuster were Pittsburgh teammates for the younger wideout’s first two NFL seasons in 2017-18. Publicly, Smith-Schuster has supported Brown, but he has also voiced strong support for Brown’s former quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Brown and Roethlisberger reportedly had a practice dispute heading into the Steelers’ Week 17 game against Cincinnati.

That apparent argument devolved into Brown missing the Steelers’ final game, despite their playoff fates being on the line.

Surrounding his trade to Oakland in March, Brown has often referenced his problems with Roethlisberger’s leadership style. Last month, Smith-Schuster publicly backed his quarterback amid the controversy, saying, “I was so blessed to enter the league and play with a Hall of Fame QB as a 20-year old. Ben has taught me so much, he’s a true Leader and I can’t wait to rock with my guy this season.”

Brown tweeted the next day, “Do not listen to any NFL player who haven’t got paid yet! They will do and say anything to make sure they going to get paid even if it’s compromising integrity or anything ! sad but true.”

In late January, Smith-Schuster appeared on ESPN’s First Take and said the Steelers needed to limit off-field drama and distractions, comparing the team to a family of reality TV stars.

“I think everyone just needs to stop being divas,” Smith-Schuster said. “I think we need to stop being the Kardashians and just play ball.”

While the wideout wouldn’t offer names at the time when asked about which teammates he might be referring to, he said only, “I’ve learned a lot in that locker room, and I know that I would never want to be a problem to any franchise.”

“For me, personally, let’s focus on the main goal: win a Super Bowl,” Smith-Schuster said.

In his second season, Smith-Schuster finished with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns, reaching his first Pro Bowl. Brown caught an NFL-high 15 touchdown passes while catching 104 passes for 1,297 yards. Brown caught 100-plus passes for an NFL-record sixth consecutive season.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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U.S. President Trump departs for travel to Indianapolis from the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs for travel to Indianapolis, Indiana from the White House in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said trade talks with China are going very well, as the world’s two largest economies seek to end talks with a trade agreement to defuse tensions.

Trump said on Thursday he would soon host China’s President Xi Jinping at the White House.

Earlier this week, the White House said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more talks on a trade dispute marked by tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on North Korea this week following the Russian leader’s summit with Pyongyang’s Kim Jong Un.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump also said China was helping with efforts aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Makini Brice; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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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)

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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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