The Serious Side - part 7

Yep - and hopes to release it to Senate and Congress this weekend - but no new indictments apparently........

.........but he already has any number of sealed indictments........

https://observer.com/2018/11/mueller-holding-dozens-sealed-indictments-intel-source/

[size=37]Team Mueller is Holding ‘Dozens of Sealed Indictments,’ According to Intel Source[/size]

By John R. Schindler • 11/09/18 12:51pm

• 
   
  
  
• 
   
  
  
• 
   
  
  
• 
   
  
  
• 
  
  

[size=12]No matter what Trump does, Mueller is still coming. “Nobody who’s close to the Russians is getting out of this,” an Intelligence Community official who assisted the Special Counsel’s investigation told me. Alex Wong/Getty Images
For every day of his presidency—657 so far, if you’re counting—the issue of Donald J. Trump’s ties to Russia has darkened the Oval Office door. Since May 17, 2017, when former FBI director Robert S. Mueller was appointed Special Counsel to unravel Trump’s secret Kremlin linkages, the president has seethed, his rage seeping into his tweets. From its first day, President Trump has wanted to quash the Mueller investigation, and now he’s making his move.
But is it already too late? There’s mounting evidence it is, specifically that Team Mueller is ready to strike imminently with indictments, no matter what the White House does.
All the same, the feat was impetuous even for Trump. He could not wait even one day, dropping his bomb on Wednesday afternoon, on the heels of his wild, angry press conference about the midterm elections. Although Tuesday’s midterms were hardly the personal success that Trump presented them as—with the Democratic takeover of the House muted by GOP gains in the Senate—the hotly desired Democratic Blue Wave never quite swelled. The midterms were a setback for the White House, but hardly an unprecedented one. Barack Obama in 2010 and Bill Clinton in 1994 took worse midterm hits and got reelected.
Subscribe to Observer’s Politics Newsletter
Nevertheless, only 18 hours after polls closed, President Trump cashiered his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, the cabinet’s most sincere Trumpian true believer. The move was long overdue; indeed, Sessions’ survival this long seems miraculous (that the attorney general’s strange forced-resignation letter lacked a date was the tell). Sessions committed the unpardonable sin in Trump’s eyes of recusing himself from the Russia probe, an act commonsensical for any attorney.

By finally getting rid of the hated Sessions, Trump opened the door to shutting down the Mueller investigation. The president cares nothing for precedent or rules, yet even for Trump what happened on Wednesday was a brazen act which seems destined to force a constitutional crisis.
Not content with pushing Sessions aside, Trump shoved Rod Rosenstein, the dutiful deputy attorney general who has overseen the Mueller probe, out of the way too. Rosenstein is still in his job, for now, but he has been removed from any role in the Mueller inquiry. There went the last bureaucratic top-cover for Team Mueller.
Trump then outdid himself by appointing as acting attorney general Sessions’ chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker. At the Justice Department, Whitaker is disliked as a Trump crony who is qualified, barely, to be the attorney general, being a former Federal prosecutor in Iowa.

However, Whitaker is also a critic of the Mueller inquiry, indeed a vehement one, who has advocated limiting and even shuttering any investigation into the president’s ties to Moscow. By any normal legal standards, Whitaker should immediately recuse himself from anything touching the Special Counsel’s office, but these are not normal times in our nation’s capital. Whitaker was chosen by the White House to fix the president’s Mueller problem by any means necessary. Whitaker’s own highly partisan and less-than-ethical past indicates that, for once, President Trump may have chosen the right man for the job.
Democrats are howling gigantic curses, as expected, but plenty of Republicans are also troubled by the Whitaker appointment. Many are challenging the legality of placing Whitaker in the position, even temporarily, to interfere with Mueller. Embarrassingly for the White House, George Conway, a top Washington legal eagle who is married to Kellyanne Conway, the president’s top consigliera, publicly denounced the Sessions defenestration, adding that replacing him with “nobody” Whitaker is “unconstitutional. It’s illegal. And it means that anything Whitaker does, or tries to do, in that position is invalid.”
Conservative legal celebrity John Yoo weighed in just as harshly. Reviled on the Left for his fierce defense of President George W. Bush during the bumpiest years of his administration, Yoo flatly denounced as “unconstitutional” the current White House effort to let Whitaker kill the Mueller inquiry as acting attorney general. If Trump wants Whitaker to do that, the nominee will need to pass Senate approval.

That’s a high-stakes gamble, and if the White House has any sense it will back off quickly before they have created a bona fide constitutional crisis there’s no way out of. That said, Trump may want a major crisis to buy time before Team Mueller drops indictments on the president, his relatives, and his retinue.
To abide by Justice Department rules, Mueller went silent for almost two months before the midterms, to avoid any appearance of election interference, but the Special Counsel’s office is now renewing the public side of their investigation. Team Mueller is reported to be working on the final draft of their report on the president and his Russian ties in 2016. Whatever that report says, it’s not likely to be flattering to Team Trump.
Worse for the White House, Mueller’s prosecutors are widely believed to be closing in on two people close to the president, Roger Stone and Donald Trump, Jr. Stone, the self-proclaimed Republican “ratf*cker,” has spoken openly of his fears of impending indictment over his links to WikiLeaks in 2016. Don Jr. is reported to be concerned as well, since he appears to have lied to Federal investigators about the fateful June 9, 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russian intelligence officials.

Indictments of Stone, a friend of the president since the 1970s, or worse Trump’s son and namesake, seem certain to push the White House into greater paroxysms of rage. What might happen then is anybody’s guess. Trump’s desperation to shut down the Mueller inquiry before it cuts very close to home is therefore understandable.
It’s also a fool’s errand. In truth, it’s far too late to shut the Special Counsel down altogether. Mueller and his staff, veterans of Beltway wars, were not surprised by this week’s events. They were prepared. Any efforts by Acting AG Whitaker to block indictments will go public quickly and throw Washington into deep crisis. For Trump, there are no exits or off-ramps left.
When Mueller informs the public of more indictments is an open question. That they are coming, however, is not. And there are lots of them. The Special Counsel has been at work for almost 18 months now. An Intelligence Community official who assisted the Special Counsel’s investigation told me this week that Team Mueller is holding “dozens of sealed indictments” of people associated with the president, his 2015-16 campaign, and his administration. “Nobody who’s close to the Russians is getting out of this,” said the IC official. When will those indictments start being unsealed? Watch this space.
[/size]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6840211/US-budget-deficit-sets-February-record-234-billion.html

[size=34]Budget deficit sets an all-time February record of $234 billion and Treasury says U.S. will have $1 TRILLION deficits for the next four years[/size]

• Treasury Department said in its monthly report that the deficit hit an all-time high for February of $234 billion  - previous high was $232 billion in 2012
  
  
• For the first five months of this budget year that began on Oct. 1, the deficit totals $544.2 billion, up from a deficit of $391 billion
  
  
• And deficit is projected to be above $1 trillion for the next four years  
  
  

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 14:15 EDT, 22 March 2019 | UPDATED: 20:00 EDT, 22 March 2019

     




The federal government posted a record budget deficit in February, pushing the overall deficit for the first five months of the budget year up 39 percent from a year ago.
The Treasury Department said Friday in its monthly report that the deficit hit an all-time high for February of $234 billion. That surpasses the old February deficit record of $232 billion set in 2012, the last year the deficit for the year topped $1 trillion.
For the first five months of this budget year that began on Oct. 1, the deficit totals $544.2 billion, up from a deficit of $391 billion in the previous budget year.
In its new budget sent to Congress last week, the administration is projecting that this year's deficit will total $1.09 trillion and will remain above $1 trillion for the next four years.

The administration's 2019 forecast would represent a 40 percent increase from last year's deficit of $779 billion.


+2




+2


Record setter: Trump's February deficit of $234 billion is the biggest on record for the month and the Treasury has the government projected to be in deficit by $1 trillion ever year for the next four years
According to the forecast, this year's deficit will be the largest imbalance since the government had a $1.1 trillion deficit in 2012. 
That was the fourth straight year of trillion-dollar deficits during a period when the Obama administration had boosted spending to grapple with the 2008 financial crisis and lift the country out of the deepest recession since the 1930s.
From October through February, revenue is down 0.6 percent from the same period a year ago. Outlays are up 8.6 percent compared to the same period last year.
Critics of the administration's economic policies blame the bigger deficits on the $1.5 trillion tax cut for individuals and corporations that the administration pushed through Congress in December 2017. 
They also cite billions of dollars in increased spending on the military and domestic programs that Congress approved last year.
For this budget year, withheld taxes for individuals and Social Security taxes are down 1 percent. Corporate taxes have fallen 23 percent.
Tariffs, which the Trump administration has increased on China and other nations as part of the president's get-tough trade policies, are up 91 percent to $30 billion in the first five months of this budget year.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6842103/Tens-thousands-streets-London-demand-Peoples-Vote.html

[size=34]'One MILLION' march to STOP Brexit: People's Vote protest organisers claim gigantic turn out as London is flooded with banner-waving remainers - after petition to cancel withdrawal hits four million[/size]

• Anti-Brexit protesters began gathering in Hyde Park, London for the 'People's vote' march today
  
  
• Speakers set to address a rally outside of Parliament include Nicola Sturgeon, Sadiq Khan and Tom Watson 
  
  
• The march comes as a petition urging the government to cancel Brexit passed four million signatures today 
  
  
• Organisers of the march claim a million people turned up for the protest through central London
  
  

By DANYAL HUSSAIN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:29 EDT, 23 March 2019 | UPDATED: 10:56 EDT, 23 March 2019

     


Anti-Brexit protesters have travelled from all over the country to London for the 'Put it to the People March' as the online petition urging the government to cancel Brexit passed four million signatures.
Opponents of Britain's departure from the European Union began gathering in Hyde Park from 12pm before converging on Westminster and organisers claim a million people turned up to voice their concerns over the decision to leave the EU.
Speakers set to address a rally outside Parliament include Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and opposition Labour deputy leader Tom Watson. 
Other speakers will include former Conservative cabinet minister Justine Greening and ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve, former Tory turned independent MP Anna Soubry, Lib Dem deputy leader Jo Swinson, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford.

Organisers were confident that the size of the crowd would exceed a similar rally held in October, when supporters said 700,000 people turned up. 
The Metropolitan Police refused to comment on the size of the march but organisers said a million protesters turned up to voice their anger over Brexit.


+39


Thousands of people gathered in Hyde Park from 12pm before converging on Westminster to take part in the Put It To The People march


+39


The exact number of people at the march has yet to be determined but photos show large crowds and organisers are confident the final number will be more than 700,000


+39


Trains, coaches and buses were chartered to bring as many people as possible, from all around the country to today's anti-Brexit march in London


+39


A demonstrator paste an anti-Brexit sticker by the entrance of the UK government's Cabinet Office during today's protest


+39


EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal or reverse Brexit entirely, descend on the capital to protest


+39


An anti-Brexit protester carries his child on his back during today's protest, while she holds up a sign saying 'May I have my future back please'
'Brexit is a complete and utter mess,' Khan said on the eve of the event.
'I'll be marching on Saturday with people from every part of our country - from every walk of life - to demand that the British people get the final say.'
Earlier, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage joined the counter March to Leave in Linby, Nottinghamshire, telling around 200 Brexit supporters that Theresa May had reduced the nation 'to a state of humiliation'. 


The 'People's vote' protest - set to be one of the largest in the capital in decades - is hosted by the People's Vote pressure group.
Saturday's protest follows a similar demonstration in October that drew an estimated half a million people.
Organisers have arranged hundreds of coaches and even chartered a train to bring protesters from all corners of the country to the capital.
Among those planning to attend is Stephen Goodall, a 96-year-old World War II veteran, who will travel 200 miles by train from southwest England alongside four generations of his family including his great-granddaughter.


+39


Organisers have arranged hundreds of coaches and even chartered a train to bring protesters from all corners of the country to the capital


+39


Independent Group MPs Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry have a selfie taken with actress Tracey Ullman as they join anti-Brexit campaigners taking part in the People's Vote March


+39


This seven-year-old boy joined in with today's protests and was one of many young people to take part and march towards Parliament


+39


Aerial shots of the protests show the thousands marching through central London to demonstrate against Britain's decision to leave the EU


+39


There was a huge turnout at the march and campaigners arrived in the capital from across the country, with one taking on a 715-mile journey on ferries, trains and buses from Orkney in Scotland
'I am an old man and the outcome won't affect me - but it will affect my family and many people that I know for years to come,' he said in a statement released by organisers.
The marchers will also include 63-year-old Edmund Sides, who spent the last three weeks walking from Wales to London in order to take part.
Sides, a geologist, said he wanted to be able to speak to people along the way, encouraging families that have been split between Leave and Remain to mend fences and talk.
'The whole country isn't doing enough of that,' he said.
Sides is worried about the vicious tone that arguments have started to take and worries about national cohesion. Walking gave him a chance to talk to people along the way, and see what others were thinking.
'People fear the atmosphere is very dangerous in this country,' he said. 
Campaigners arrived in the capital from across the country, with one taking on a 715-mile journey on ferries, trains and buses from Orkney in Scotland.
Student Sorcha Kirker, 27, will be joined by about 30 other students from the University of the Highlands and Islands.


+39


The 'People's vote' protest - set to be one of the largest in the capital in decades - is hosted by the People's Vote pressure group


+39


People hold up placards and European flags as they attend a march and rally organised by the pro-European People's Vote campaign for a second referendum


+39


Saturday's protest follows a similar demonstration in October that drew an estimated half a million people, as an online petition urging the government to cancel Brexit passes four million


+39


The protest comes after EU leaders this week granted a delay to Brexit, prompting Theresa May to make another attempt to get her Brexit deal through




+39


This dachshund, or sausage dog, wears a banner on its coat with the words 'Brexit is the wurst' as it joins in on the protest in London today
The protest comes after EU leaders this week granted a delay to Brexit, prompting Prime Minister Theresa May to make a renewed bid to win MPs' backing for her divorce deal.
However she faces daunting odds with lawmakers deadlocked for months over how to implement the 2016 referendum vote to leave, reflecting bitter divisions nationwide.
If she succeeds, Britain - which was staring at a cliff-edge deadline of March 29 for leaving the EU - will depart on May 22 under the terms of the withdrawal agreement the prime minister struck with Brussels last year.
But if lawmakers defeat the accord again, as expected, London must outline a new plan or face a no-deal Brexit as early as April 12 - unless it decides to request another extension and hold European Parliament elections in May.


+39


Protesters on the Put It To The People March, demanding the public is given a final say on Brexit as they make their way through Piccadilly


+39


Young girls join the protest against Brexit in London today, holding signs in favour of the EU and lending their voices to calls for another referendum


+39


An anti-Brexit and pro-socialist banner is unfurled and hung from Westminster Bridge before today's march in London started


+39


People young and old turned out for the anti-Brexit march and rally, including actor Eddie Marsan and his family who are all wearing T-shirts supporting the EU


+39


Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry took centre stage during the protest, wearing shirts expressing their support for the march as they were surrounded by anti-Brexit campaigners


+39


A demonstrator leads a dog wearing a suit in the EU colors during the Peoples Vote and anti-Brexit march that started at noon today


+39


A man wrapped in an EU flag watches on as the thousands of people in the crowd make their way through London during the march


+39


This woman was one of many holding up banners and signs calling for Article 50 to be revoked and Brexit to be cancelled


+39


Organisers of the march claim a million took to the streets of central London six days before the UK is due to leave the EU


+39


This teenager was one of many young people to take part in today's march and defend another referendum from the government
Any further delay would likely prompt further calls for another referendum as the only way out of the impasse. 
The prime minister has repeatedly ruled out holding another poll on the issue, claiming it would be divisive and renege on promises to honour the 2016 referendum result.
Meanwhile the main opposition Labour Party appears divided on the issue.
At its 2018 conference, it backed holding another poll as a last resort, while advocating staying in a customs union with the EU together with close alignment with its single market.


+39


Anna Soubry  MP taking part in today's march and being enthusiastically greeted by a fellow protester, who is wearing a 'Stop Brexit' hoodie


+39


Protesters brought homemade banners and placards to the march with one saying 'pull out doesn't work' referring to the country's decision to leave the EU


+39


Anti-Brexit marchers said the decision will affect future generations while others brought placards saying 'Cats against Brexit'


+39


This protester is calling for the nation to be 'given a final say'. Using the famous catchphrase of the famous Star Trek character Spock, he believes that Britain should 'remain and prosper'


+39


As well as campaigning against Brexit, this protester took the time out to express his dissatisfaction with the leaders of both of the UK's main parties


+39


Organisers of the march claim a million people joined in on the 'People's Vote' demonstration through the streets of London


+39


Prime Minister Theresa May was unsurprisingly the target of many of the protests, with some coming up with some creative ways to show their anger


+39


Thousands of people pictured taking part in the march while waving pro-EU slogans, EU flags and anti-Brexit placards


+39


One protester waved a placard bearing Edvard Munch's iconic painting of The Scream with the word Brexit! emblazoned above it while another had a picture of Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg saying 'Mogg off'


+39


A girl with a placard 'We Shall NOT be MOGGed!' attends the 'Put it to the People' march in London, in criticism of Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg


+39


One protester referred to Theresa May's slogan in the run-up to the 2017 election referring to her 'strong and stable' government


+39


Dogs seemed to be present at the march in abundance, with this one also wearing a sign that is critical of Brexit


+39


A woman with yet another dog and banner which reads 'No Hard Borders! They're not nice' attends the 'Put it to the People' march in Trafalgar Square
But some MPs are fierce advocates of putting it back to the people, while others representing Leave-supporting areas in central and northern England, are bitterly opposed.
In a sign of the splits, at least half a dozen Labour shadow ministers are set to join deputy leader Tom Watson at Saturday's march, while the party itself asked activists instead to help campaign for local elections due on May 2.
Watson said he had now decided to campaign for a referendum 'reluctantly' and would back May's deal if it was also put to the people.
'It can only begin to bring the country back together again if we all have a final say - and then live with the result,' he said.
'I trust the people I represent. And only they can sort this mess out.' 
ADVERTISEMENT

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6840741/The-hijab-wearing-female-police-officer-striking-picture-holding-rifle-went-viral.html

[size=34]REVEALED: The heavily-armed New Zealand police officer who became a symbol of solidarity when she was pictured wearing a hijab for the Muslim victims of the Christchurch massacre[/size]

• Pictures of an armed female police officer wearing a hijab and holding a semi-automatic rifle have gone viral 
  
  
• She was guarding a cemetery where funerals for Christchurch shooting victims were being held at the time 
  
  
• Constable Michelle Evans, 24, joined the police force three years ago and is showing her support for victims 
  
  

By SHIVE PREMA FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 20:32 EDT, 22 March 2019 | UPDATED: 09:15 EDT, 23 March 2019

     


Toting a semi-automatic rifle, police officer Michelle Evans looked foreboding as she stood outside a cemetery in Christchurch on Thursday. 
But her decision to wear a hijab and pin a red rose to her bulletproof vest as an act of symbolic solidarity touched people around the world.
The photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Vincent Yu, went viral on Friday with many people commenting that Ms Evans perfectly reflected the feeling many New Zealanders had towards Muslims.  
Constable Evans is just 24 and joined the police force in 2016 as a new recruit.

In an interview she gave to The Whanganui Chronicle, Ms Evans said she wanted to become a police officer to serve the Whanganui community, where she was brought up.
'I want my career to be here. I love Whanganui. It's a beautiful, small town and this is where I want to live,' she said.  


+9


Constable Michelle Evans, 24, donned a black Calvin Klein head scarf while she stood guard at Christchurch Memorial Park Cemetery on Thursday


+9




+9



Ms Evans shows her pierced ear and blonde hair out of her police uniform. In her spare time she likes to work out, travel, paint and read 


+9


Constable Evans joined the police force in 2016 as a new recruit when she was just 22-years-old. She wanted to become a police officer to serve her hometown Whanganui


Ms Evans shared a post about the pressure of being a police officer six months ago. 
'It’s not normal, to carry the burdens police officers do, emotionally, physically, and mentally,' the post said. 
Constable Evans began policing after spending her gap year studying business and accounting. 
When she began working at Whanganui Police she wanted to focus on youth engagement and frontline work.
She works out everyday, likes to paint scenery and reads about health and psychology because she is interested in how people think.  




+9


Pictures of Constable Evans armed with a Bushmaster rifle have gone viral with many commending her for wearing the scarf


+9


Ms Evans stands side by side with a female paramedic who is also wearing a hijab. Hundreds of non-Muslim women have donned head scarfs to show solidarity with the Muslim community


+9


'We're not going to leave until we know everybody's safe,' Ms Evans said. Police guarded the cemetery where funerals for people killed in the Christchurch mass shooting took place 


+9


A fellow male police officer took off his hat to show respect for family and friends saying bye to their loved ones 
 On Friday Ms Evan's colleague took off his cap to show respect for grieving family and friends attending funerals.
While New Zealand bikie gang Mongrel Mob stood guard outside Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid mosque in Hamilton, in the North Island.  
Hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims gathered in the city's Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque where worshipers were gunned down in a horrific terror attack just over a week ago. 
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wore a black and gold headscarf for the emotional engagement.
'New Zealand mourns with you, we are one,' she said.
The call to prayer was heard at 1.30pm local time (11.30am AEDT) and followed by two minutes of silence.    










+9


New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wore a black and gold headscarf for the emotional engagement 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
Read more:

What a turnout in London today. As an outsider I may not understand the Brexit issue fully but I see the validity of having another vote. Only one more vote. Considering that there was Russian interference and influence prior to the Brexit vote I think it is legitimate to vote a second time. The more I think about how this whole issue came about I have to seriously question David Cameron’s logic. What was he thinking? What was the contingency plan if the vote was to leave? How difficult would it be to work with Parliament to implement a feasible and orderly exit? What might the repercussions be? I think the whole thing was shortsighted and put the U.K. in a potentially precarious position on the world stage. And that seems to be what has happened. And that’s surely where Russia wanted the U.K. to be.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6840117/Capitals-goaltender-Braden-Holtby-respectfully-declines-visit-Trumps-White-House.html

[size=34]Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby snubs Trump's White House invite to Stanley Cup champs because he 'believes in a world where humans are treated with respect'[/size]

• Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby has become the latest major North American sports star to reject an invitation to the Trump White House
  
  
• Teammates Brett Connolly and Devante Smith-Pelly previously declined to go
  
  
• The reigning Stanley Cup champs will have a private gathering at the White House on Monday. The customary visit has traditionally been a media event
  
  
• Holtby said his support of the LGBTQ community was 'one factor' in the decision
  
  
• Trump drew criticism after banning transgender people from the military in 2017
  
  
• Recent champions like the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia Eagles have skipped the customary White House visit or were disinvited 
  
  

By ALEX RASKIN SPORTS NEWS EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 15:11 EDT, 22 March 2019 | UPDATED: 11:56 EDT, 23 March 2019

     


Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby has become the latest major North American sports star to reject an invitation to the Trump White House.
The reigning Stanley Cup champions will have a private gathering at the White House on Monday, which is a departure from other title-winning teams that met with President Donald Trump and his predecessors in front of the media.
Holtby was asked Friday if his support of the LGBTQ community factored into his decision to 'respectfully decline' the offer, as he put it. The 29-year Saskatchewan native has marched in several pride parades in the Washington area.
'It's one of the factors,' he told reporters. 'But my family, myself, we believe in a world where humans are treated with respect regardless of your stature or what you're born into. That's just where it's at with this decision. You're asked to choose what side you're on, and it's pretty clear what side I'm on. I believe this is the right decision for myself and my family.'

Trump drew criticism from human rights groups after banning transgender people from the military in 2017. 


+6


Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby has become the latest major North American sports star to reject an invitation to the Trump White House


+6


Holtby said his support of the LGBTQ community factored into his decision to 'respectfully decline' the White House invitation. The 29-year Saskatchewan native has marched in several pride parades in the Washington area (pictured) 

Speaking after Capitals practice, Holtby explained that it was not an easy choice to make – particularly because he did not want to disappoint his teammates.
'It's a tough situation for everyone, to be forced into making a decision,' he said. 'You're a team. You want to stick together, no matter what. I hope everyone kind of blows it away. That you don't worry about who goes and who doesn't.
'For me, it's just a personal thing. I believe in what I believe in. In order to stick to those values, I have to do what I think is right, but that doesn't make a difference in anyone else's decision. We stick by every teammate and their decision.



'There's more to it than politics for some guys,' Holty said of the annual champions' White House visit. 'There's history and pride in the nation. It's one of those pretty cool things that's been a thing for a long time. That's why we respect [the decision] either way.'
Recent champions like the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia Eagles have balked at the customary visit to the White House, or were disinvited, depending on one's perspective.
Several players on the Warriors said they would not go to the White House after winning the NBA title in 2017, so Trump rescinded the invitation for the entire team.
The White House also canceled a planned visit for the Philadelphia Eagles last June; and during the 2018 NBA Finals, Trump pre-emptively disinvited by the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but only after LeBron James declared publicly that nobody from either team would be visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.


+6


President Donald Trump (C) holds up a customized jersey presented to him by 2017 Super Bowl Champions the New England Patriots during their visit to the White House in April of that year. Brady did not attend that visit, citing 'personal family matters,' which reportedly upset Trump 


+6


Holtby insists he does not blame any teammate for attending Monday's White House visit 
Holtby cited those team's decisions while explaining his on Friday.
'Once the first team doesn't go, it puts the onus on every other team in professional sports to make a decision, if you're political or not,' he said. 'Our team is trying to take the most professional way we can. Give every player the right to choose, and stand by each one of us, regardless of what you decide.'

Brett Connolly cited Smith-Pelly, who was waived in February, while explaining why he intends to skip Monday's White House visit. 'I've been in full support of an old teammate that I'm really good friends with and who I agreed with, and a guy who will be back here I'm sure at the end of the year'
Holtby won't be the only players skipping the White House visit. Forwards Brett Connolly and Devante Smith-Pelly both declined.
Smith-Pelly told Canada's Postmedia during the Stanley Cup Finals that his decision would be made primarily based on past comments from President Donald Trump.
'The things that he spews are straight-up racist and sexist,' said Smith-Pelly, a Scarborough, Ontario, native who is black. 'Some of the things he's said are pretty gross. I'm not too into politics, so I don't know all his other views, but his rhetoric I definitely don't agree with. It hasn't come up here, but I think I already have my mind made up.'
Connolly cited Smith-Pelly, who was waived in February, in his explanation.
'I've been in full support of an old teammate that I'm really good friends with and who I agreed with, and a guy who will be back here I'm sure at the end of the year,' said Connolly. 'That's all I'll say.'


+6


Smith-Pelly told Canada's Postmedia during the Stanley Cup Finals that his decision to skip the visit was made primarily based on past comments from President Donald Trump
One player who is expected to attend is team captain Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian legend who currently leads the NHL with 48 goals on the season.
While some players have refrained from being political, Ovechkin is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, according to U.S. agencies, ordered interference into the 2016 election with the aim of hurting Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton.
The NHL veteran went so far as announce the start of a social movement he called 'PutinTeam' in 2017.
Following the Capitals' Stanley Cup win over Las Vegas last June, Trump called out Ovechkin in a tweet for his spectacular postseason (15 goals and 12 assists in 25 games).
'Congratulations to the Washington Capitals on their GREAT play and winning the Stanley Cup Championship,' read Trump's Tweet. 'Alex Ovechkin, the team captain, was spectacular - a true Superstar! D.C. is popping, in many ways. What a time!'


+6


While some players have refrained from being political, Alexander Ovechkin (left) is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin (right), who, according to U.S. agencies, ordered interference into the 2016 election with the aim of hurting Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton
Ovechkin, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2018 NHL postseason, has said his praise of Putin is somehow non-political, stressing that he hopes for better relations between the two countries - a desire Trump has expressed publicly as well. 
Holtby is not the first NHL goalie to decline an invitation to the White House . 
Former Boston Bruins netminder Tim Thomas refused the invite from Barack Obama's White House in 2012. 
'I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People,' read the statement from Thomas, who is now out of the NHL. 
'This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.' 





Donald Trump previously withdrew an invitation to the Golden State Warriors after Stephen Curry hesitated when asked if he would be in attendance last September
ADVERTISEMENT

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6843081/Gold-Star-father-Khizr-Khan-slams-Trump-comments-John-McCain.html

[size=34]'He has good words to say about Putin and Kim Jong-un, but he disrespects our hero': Gold Star father Khizr Khan slams Trump for his comments about John McCain and says 'someone should read late senator's book to the president in easy English'[/size]

• Khizr Khan is the Pakistani-American father of a U.S. soldier who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004 
  
  
• He slammed President Trump on Thursday for his comments about John McCain 
  
  
• Khan accused Trump of disrespecting veterans and the military
  
  
• In 2016, Khan appeared with his wife at the Democratic National Convention to denounce Trump for his proposed Muslim ban
  
  
• Trump has continued to attack the late senator from Arizona, who died last summer from brain cancer 
  
  

By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITCAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 19:14 EDT, 23 March 2019 | UPDATED: 19:30 EDT, 23 March 2019

     
 



The Muslim-American Gold Star father who denounced then-candidate Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention in 2016 criticized the president for attacking John McCain while praising Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Khizr Khan is the Pakistani-American whose son Humayun Khan, a captain in the United States Army, was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004.
‘He has good words to say about Putin, our adversary,’ Khan told CNN on Thursday.
 
CNN Privacy Policy



Khizr Khan (left) slammed President Trump (right) on Thursday for his comments about the late Senator John McCain


+11


Khan revealed on Thursday that he and McCain were friends for years. The late senator (above) died of brain cancer last summer
‘He has good words to say about Kim Jong-un, yet he disrespects our hero, he disrespects Senator McCain and his family.

‘What a moment of shame for us to have such a commander-in-chief.’


The bereaved father said that he had known McCain, the late senator from Arizona, for years.
Khan told CNN on Thursday that the last book his son read before he was killed in Iraq was McCain’s Why Courage Matters: The Way To A Braver Life.
While serving his country in Iraq in 2004, at the age of 27, Humayun Khan was killed as he ran towards a suicide bomber who had burst into his base in a taxi - and probably saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers. 
After Humayun Khan told his father that he and the other soldiers in his camp were reading the book, Khizr Khan said that McCain agreed to personally sign the book and inscribe a message to dozens of cadets who were serving alongside his son.


+11


Khan is the father of Humayun Khan, a United States Army captain who was killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber in 2004
In the ensuing years, Khan and McCain would meet so that the senator could sign and inscribe books for newly enlisted cadets.
Khan on Thursday took a swipe at Trump, saying that the president needed to read the book in order to understand ‘some things that are not teachable’ like ‘empathy’ and ‘feeling...the pain that the other person may be feeling.’
‘At least somebody should pick up that book and in easy English read it to him, maybe he will learn,’ Khan said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized McCain in recent days, once again sparking outrage given that the late senator died from brain cancer last summer.
The president told a crowd gathered for a rally in Ohio this week that the McCain family did not thank him for approving the funeral arrangements.
The comments prompted McCain’s daughter, The View co-host Meghan McCain, to defend her father.
Meghan McCain said on Thursday that the president’s comments reminded her of Trump’s criticisms of the Khans from 2016.
Khan also slammed Trump for continuing his attacks on McCain even though he is not alive to respond.
‘Senator McCain had passed seven months ago,’ Khan said.


+11


Khizr Khan says that McCain's book, Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life, was the last book his son read before he was killed
‘There is [a] limit. There is height of this clownishness.
‘I really don't have the words to condemn his behavior except to say that that office, that place where he sits has not changed him a bit.’  
He said that Trump's recent comments about McCain should give the president's supporters 'pause.'
'He's exactly saying what he was before the election, before he became [a] candidate, how he has lived his life and this is a moment to pause for those who support him,' Khan said. 
'Nothing has changed.'
Khan said Trump has 'defrauded' his supporters 'as a hoaxer.'
'He showed them something that is not there,' he said. 
'Now they have seen the true Trump who supports Putin, Kim Jong-un, but does not support the hero of this nation.' 
Khan is a former Republican who switched allegiance to the Democrats after Trump proposed banning Muslims during the campaign and escalated his rhetoric against illegal immigrants.
He appeared with his wife, Ghazala Khan, at the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia and held a copy of the Constitution while slamming Trump.
Trump criticized Khan and his wife, wondering aloud why she stood there silently while her husband spoke.
The remarks by Trump sparked outrage, and prompted McCain to come to the Khans’ defense.
Trump attacked John McCain yet again on Thursday, calling him 'horrible' after the late senator's two daughters begged earlier that day for the president to leave their dad and family alone.
'I'm not a fan. He was horrible what he did with repeal and replace. What he did to the Republican Party and to the nation, and to sick people that could have had great health care was not good. So I'm not a fan of John McCain and that's fine,' Trump told Fox Business Network. 
The president has repeatedly complained about McCain's 2017 vote on the GOP's so-called 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare, which would have repealed the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and rolled back a tax on medical devices.


+11


Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala, appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July 2016 to slam Trump for his comments about banning Muslims from the United States
McCain gave a dramatic thumbs down on the Senate floor during the vote, which killed Republican efforts to take down former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.  
Trump has railed repeatedly against his late nemesis for the past week, starting off with a flurry of critical tweets over the weekend that segued into harsher language in the past few days. 
But he denied to Fox Business Network he's spending a lot of time talking about the Vietnam War hero even as he went back to attacking McCain over the infamous Golden Showers dossier, a document with unverified allegations the Russians have blackmail material on the president.
'It's not a good portion of my time, it's a very small portion. But if you realize about three days ago it came out that his main person gave to the FBI the fake news dossier. It was a fake, it was a fraud, it was paid for by Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. They gave it to John McCain who gave it to the FBI for very evil purposes, that's not good,' he said. 
Fox Business Network's anchor Maria Bartiromo pressed him on attacking someone who was dead and could not respond.
'But Mr. President, he's dead. He can't punch back. I know you punch back, but he's dead,' she said.
'No, I don't talk about it,' Trump said. 'People ask me the question, I didn't bring this up. You just brought it up, you asked the question.'
He added: 'You asked me the question, when I went out yesterday to the scrum they asked me the question. When they ask me the question, I answer the question. But you people bring it up, I don't bring it up.' 
In fact Trump had spoken about McCain in Ohio on Thursday at a speech which featured no questions from reporters or members of the audience. 
The interview was filmed shortly after McCain's daughters both pleaded with the president to leave their father and their family alone. 


+11



Khan appeared on CNN the same day that President Trump once again attacked McCain, calling him 'horrible'


+11


In 2017, McCain gave a dramatic thumbs' down on a GOP vote to repeal Obamacare
McCain's youngest daughter Bridget made a rare public statement in defense of her late father and slammed President Trump in the process, calling him a 'child' and saying he wasn't invited to senator's funeral because 'you could not be counted on to be courteous.' 
Bridget McCain, 27, offered her thoughts on the president's attacks on her father via her Twitter account, which her sister Meghan McCain then read Thursday morning on ABC's 'The View.'
'My little sister Bridget for the first time ever has decided that she wants to speak out,' Meghan McCain announced before sharing her younger sibling's reaction. 
'Mr. Trump, everyone doesn't have to agree with my dad or like him, but I do ask that you be decent and respectful. If you can't do those two things, be mindful. We only said good-bye to him almost seven months ago. Even if you were invited to my dad's funeral, you would have only wanted to be there for credit and not for the condolences. Unfortunately, you could not be counted on to be courteous as you are a child in the most important role the world knows,' McCain read. 
Her sister was adopted by the McCains from Bangladesh and until now has made rare appearances in public life. 
Trump complained during a visit to a manufacturing plant in Ohio on Wednesday  that he didn't get thanked for giving McCain 'the kind of funeral that he wanted.'
'I endorsed him at his request and I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve. I don't care about this, I didn't get a thank-you. That's okay. We sent him on the way. But I wasn't a fan of John McCain,' Trump said. 
He claimed he 'got asked about' the late war hero but the comment came during a free-wheeling speech which was uninterrupted by questions from anyone.
His claim that there were no thanks was also challenged by McCain supporters Thursday. 
They highlighted how in August, shortly after McCain's death from brain cancer, his former campaign manager Rick Davis offered a message of thanks from the McCain family to the Trump administration for their help with the funeral.


+


Meghan McCain read her sister Bridget McCain's defense of their late father during 'The View' on Thursday



John McCain with daughters Bridget and Meghan and wife Cindy on Election Night 2010 in Phoenix 


'The combined efforts of the Trump administration, the White House, Secretary Mattis and the Department of Defense, especially and the Military District of Washington, are very experienced in these issues related to the logistics of a funeral of this magnitude. And we really thank them for coming together very quickly and pulling together all the federal resources that we have,' he said at the time.
And a spokesperson for the Washington National Cathedral said the president's permission was not needed for McCain's memorial service to be held there.
'Washington National Cathedral was honored to host the funeral service for Senator John McCain. All funerals and memorial services at the Cathedral are organized by the family of the deceased; only a state funeral for a former president involves consultation with government officials,' the spokesperson said. 'No funeral at the Cathedral requires the approval of the president or any other government official.' 
The president was criticized after McCain's death for not keeping the flag flying at the White House at half-staff. It was eventually lowered and stayed that way until McCain was buried.
He was not invited to the funeral at the late senator's request. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush gave the eulogies. A slew of political VIPs - Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney and others - were in attendance.











+11


It was a rare public statement from Bridget McCain in defense of her father


+11




+11


It was notable that Bridget McCain broke her long public silence and weighed in on the matter. The youngest McCain child has stayed out of the national spotlight and rarely appeared with her father in his public life. 
She did read a bible verse at her father's memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church this past August. 
But she has otherwise stayed out of the public arena. 
'It's very brave of her. She's young and she does not speak publicly,' Meghan McCain said on 'The View.'
She also noted her younger sister is 'very, very private.' 
'Anyone who knows anything about political history could probably surmise why she's chosen to lead a very private life but she felt inclined to say and tweet this,' Meghan McCain said.

Mueller found no collusion .

Mm, but it's all a bit nefarious and people are wondering about Barr now and Nadler wants to bring him before Judiciary Committee - thinks there's a cover up

Yep there are crimes that were committed but Barr claims not enough evidence to prosecute.

Mueller should have at the very least have been found for obstruction of justice. Leaving it to the discretion of Barr is a big mistake! The House of Representatives needs to call both Barr and Mueller himself to testify to the Judiciary Committee.

One thing I think a lot of people are missing is that if drumpf is impeached Pence becomes President and he's just as dangerous as drumpf - maybe more. Not only is he ultra-conservative, he's smart and politically savvy.

If Congress can keep the worst of drumpf's policies under control, it might be better to wait out his term and let the SDNY prosecute him as soon as he's no longer a sitting president.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/24/mueller-report-trump-collusion-corruption-congress-democrats

Joe :Scarborough this morning:

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1109922846728429570

There have been quite a few political experts who have said that it will be the Southern District of NY who will be Trump’s undoing.  I think impeachment is very unlikely now.  With the lack of a conspiracy charge I don’t think any Republicans would vote for impeachment. The House of Representatives should carry out all of their investigations.  The public needs to know the extent of Trump’s corruption.  Hopefully at some point Trump will clearly be held to account for all his wrongdoings.

What's in the SDNY's favor is that they're not part of the federal system, so they don't have to worry about drumpf being protected from prosecution. He can't hide behind the presidency to avoid the SDNY's charges.

If if turns out that they can't put him behind bars, they can at least put a major financial dent in his "empire". I think I'd almost rather see him totally broke than in jail - almost.

Yep.

Here's the list of cases against him:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-investigations-expla/explainer-why-trumps-legal-woes-go-beyond-the-mueller-report-idUSKCN1R50S3

There are many sealed indictments waiting for the family..........

[size=40]Explainer: Why Trump's legal woes go beyond the Mueller report

Jan Wolfe
10 MIN READ
[/size]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The closure of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election does not mark the end of legal worries for President Donald Trump and people close to him. Other continuing investigations and litigation are focusing on issues including his businesses and financial dealings, personal conduct, charitable foundation and inaugural committee.





U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the crisis in Venezuela during a visit to Florida International University in Miami, Florida, U.S., February 18, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The special counsel on Friday submitted his confidential report on the investigation to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who must decide on how much of it to make public. On Sunday Barr released a summary of Mueller’s findings that said the investigation did not find that President Donald Trump committed a crime but also does not exonerate him.
The summary also said Mueller found no evidence that any member of Trump’s election campaign conspired with Russia during the election.
While Mueller’s probe has ended, the other investigations, pursued by prosecutors at the federal and state level, could result in charges beyond those brought by Mueller or civil liability.
The U.S. Justice Department has a decades-old policy that a sitting president cannot face criminal charges, so such a case against Trump would be unlikely while he is in office even if there were evidence of wrongdoing. Some legal experts have argued the department is wrong and that a president is not immune from prosecution. Either way, Trump potentially could face charges once he is out of office.
Here is an explanation of some criminal investigations and civil lawsuits still under way.

MUELLER’S CRIMINAL CASES

Mueller charged 34 individuals and three companies. Several of those cases resulted in guilty pleas and one case went to trial, with former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort convicted in August 2018 of eight criminal counts, including bank fraud and tax fraud. Longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone was indicted in January of this year and pleaded not guilty, but his trial is still pending. There are other cases involving indicted Russians that have not gone to trial. Other prosecutors within the Justice Department will likely take over criminal cases begun by Mueller, legal experts said.

BUSINESS PRACTICES AND FINANCIAL DEALINGS

Trump may face significant peril from federal prosecutors in Manhattan, according to legal experts. His former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said in Feb. 27 congressional testimony that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is examining Trump’s business practices and financial dealings. Cohen already has implicated Trump in campaign finance law violations to which he pleaded guilty in August 2018 as part of the Southern District investigation.
Cohen admitted he violated campaign finance laws by arranging, at Trump’s direction, “hush money” payments shortly before the 2016 presidential election to porn film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy magazine model Karen McDougal to prevent damage to Trump’s candidacy. Both women said they had sexual relationships with Trump more than a decade ago. He has denied that.

Prosecutors said the payments constituted illegal campaign contributions intended to influence the election. Under federal election laws, such donations cannot exceed $2,700 and need to be publicly disclosed. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, received $130,000. McDougal received $150,000.
The New York investigation has involved longtime Trump ally David Pecker, publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper, who admitted to paying McDougal for the rights to her story and then suppressing it to influence the election, an arrangement called “catch and kill.”
During his Feb. 27 congressional hearing, Cohen said he was in “constant contact” with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, and said other crimes and wrongdoing by Trump are being investigated by them, though he did not offer details. Cohen said he could not testify about the nature of his last conversation with Trump in early 2018 because it was under investigation by the federal prosecutors in New York.

NEW YORK STATE CHARGES AGAINST MANAFORT

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is exploring criminal charges against Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, over financial crimes related to unpaid state taxes and possibly loans. In cases bought by Mueller, Manafort in 2018 was convicted of tax fraud, bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts in Virginia and pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges in Washington. He was sentenced to a combined 7-1/2 years in prison in the two cases. Trump has not ruled out granting Manafort a pardon. The president would not be able to pardon Manafort if he is convicted of charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney because they would not be federal crimes. However, New York has broad double-jeopardy protections that usually prevent the state from prosecuting a person for crimes arising from the same criminal conduct the federal government has prosecuted before.

SUMMER ZERVOS DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

A defamation lawsuit against Trump by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on his reality television show “The Apprentice,” continues in New York state court after a judge in 2018 allowed it to proceed. Zervos sued Trump after he called her and other women who have accused him of sexual misconduct liars and retweeted a post labeling her claims a hoax.
Trump has agreed to provide written answers to questions from Zervos by Sept. 28, according to a court filing.
Zervos accused Trump of kissing her against her will at his New York office in 2007 and later groping her at a meeting at a hotel in California. More than a dozen women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics.
Marc Kasowitz, a lawyer for Trump, had argued that the lawsuit unconstitutionally impedes the president from performing his duties. An appeals court rejected that argument on March 14 by a 3-2 vote. Kasowitz said he would appeal the decision to the state’s highest court.
Separately, two lawsuits against Trump brought by porn star Stormy Daniels were dismissed.

THE TRUMP FOUNDATION

A lawsuit filed by the New York state Attorney General’s Office has already led the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which was presented as the charitable arm of Trump’s business empire, to agree in December 2018 to dissolve, and the litigation continues.
The state is seeking an order banning Trump and his three eldest children from leadership roles in any other New York charity. Trump has said the lawsuit was concocted by “sleazy New York Democrats.” The state’s Democratic attorney general accused the foundation of being “engaged in a “shocking pattern of illegality” and “functioning as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump’s business and political interests” in violation of federal law.
The attorney general’s office alleged Trump and his family members used the charity to pay off his legal debts and purchase personal items. The foundation agreed to dissolve and give away all its remaining assets under court supervision.

“EMOLUMENTS” LAWSUIT

Trump is accused in a lawsuit filed by the Democratic attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia of violating anti-corruption provisions of the U.S. Constitution through his businesses’ dealings with foreign governments.
The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on March 19 in the Trump administration’s appeal of U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte’s 2018 rulings allowing the case to proceed.
The Constitution’s “emoluments clause” bars U.S. officials from accepting payments from foreign governments and the governments of U.S. states without congressional approval. The lawsuit stated that because Trump did not divest himself of his business empire, spending by foreign governments at the Trump International Hotel in Washington amounts to unconstitutional gifts, or “emoluments,” to the president.
The three appeals court judges, all appointed by Republican presidents, expressed approval toward Trump’s arguments in the case and signaled they might dismiss it, but did not issue a ruling.
Some experts have said the case will eventually be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

TRUMP INAUGURAL COMMITTEE

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating whether the committee that organized Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 accepted illegal donations from foreigners, misused funds or brokered special access to the administration for donors.

Federal election law prohibits foreigners from donating to U.S. political campaigns or inaugural committees, and corruption laws ban donors from making contributions in exchange for political favors.
Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said in December 2018 that the president was not involved in his inaugural committee. The $107 million raised by the committee, which was chaired by real estate developer and investor Thomas Barrack, was the largest in history, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

IMPEACHMENT

Under the Constitution, the president, vice president and “all civil officers of the United States” can be removed from office by Congress through the impeachment process for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House of Representatives acts as the accuser - voting on whether to bring specific charges such as obstruction of justice - and the Senate then conducts a trial with House members acting as prosecutors and the individual senators serving as jurors. A simple majority vote is needed in the House to impeach. A two-thirds majority is required in the Senate to convict and remove.
Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6849153/Trump-campaign-tells-TV-producers-ban-Democrats-claimed-evidence-Russia-collusion.html

[size=34]Trump campaign tells TV producers to ban Democrats who claimed there was evidence of Russia collusion[/size]

• The memo calls out Sen. Blumenthal and Reps. Nadler, Swalwell and Schiff 
  
  
•  Also mentions former CIA Director John Brennan
  
  
•  The memo pulls up quotes claiming Trump collusion with Russia
  
  
• Asks networks to employ 'basic journalistic standards'
  
  
• Also suggests challenging the guests on their prior statements
  
  
• Push comes as President Trump called critics 'treasonous' and new GOP efforts to investigate the investigators who pursued 
  
  
• Attorney General Barr's summary of Mueller report says it found no conspiracy between Trump camp and Russian government-backed hacking 
  
  
• It took no position on whether Trump obstructed justice 
  
  

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 18:28 EDT, 25 March 2019 | UPDATED: 19:26 EDT, 25 March 2019

     






President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is taking its fight against Russia'collusion' critics to the airwaves, pushing TV producers not to host prominent Democrats who talked up conspiracy charges that didn't pan out. 
The effort, revealed in a memo by Trump's campaign communications director, urged by TV producers to keep in mind guests who he claims made 'outlandish' and 'false claims,' and cites Attorney General Bill Barr's summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings.
Communications Director Tim Murtaugh's letter singles out two powerful committee chairs – Reps. Jerold Nadler and Adam Schiff – as well as Rep. Eric Swalwell of the House Intelligence Committee and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.


+5


The Trump campaign fired off a letter to TV producers urging them not to book guests who have made 'outlandish' claims
It also lists former CIA Director John Brennan, a favorite target of President Trump's. 

All are a staple of TV bookers and are unlikely to be blacklisted by the campaign's request.
Nevertheless, the Trump camp compiled statements from each that says the guests should be asked about if and when they appear. The memo was reported by Axios.
Blumenthal stated on MSNBC that the 'evidence is pretty clear that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.'


Schiff, the House Intelligence chair, is now a top target of Team Trump, and was mocked by Donald Trump Jr. as 'Adam #fullofSchiff' Sunday. The campaign flagged a Schiff comment that there was evidence of collusion or conspiracy 'in plain sight.' 
Barr's letter summarizing the Mueller report's findings states: 'The Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign,' Barr wrote.


+5


The letter points out times when prominent Democrats predicted the Mueller report would show collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians


+5


House Judiciary Chairman Nadler is demanding the full Mueller report to evaluate Attorney General Barr's statements about it


+5


The campaign wants Rep. Eric Swalwell to be kept off the airwaves for saying his panel saw 'strong evidence of collusion'


+5


The Trump campaign wrote TV bookers about the 'credibility' of certain guests
Notably, the citation refers to the 'Russian government' – terminology that might not include WikiLeaks or other non-governmental Russians, possibly even including the Kremlin-linked lawyer who met with top Trump officials in Trump Tower. It also cites 'multiple offers' from the Russian-affiliated people to help the Trump camp.
Nadler, who like Schiff is conducting his own probe, did not signal an intent to back down, and is demanding Barr testify and release the full Mueller report to Congress.
Brennan cast off his normally tight-lipped persona to become one of President Trump's fiercest critics after he ended his tenure. 


In one example, he retweeted Trump in January, writing: 'Your cabal of unprincipled, unethical, dishonest, and sycophantic cronies is being methodically brought to justice. We all know where this trail leads.' 
During media appearances, Brennan predicted the Mueller probe could ensnare Trump family members. He also predicted incorrectly, that Mueller would bring additional indictments dealing with criminal conspiracy.
An in one startling comment, he declared Trump's press conference in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin was 'nothing short of treasonous.' Trump did not challenge Putin's denial of election interference at the event. Barr's letter describes the Russian interference in the election as an established fact.
The Trump release quotes Brennan as standing by his treason statement. 
Inside the White House, leading the charge against Schiff was counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who herself has been the subject of media criticism for some of her claims in TV interviews – including her use of the phrase 'alternative facts.' 
ADVERTISEMENT
Read more:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6850341/Trumps-lawyer-Rudy-Giuliani-blasts-CNN-saying-network-apologize.html

[size=34]'This network should apologize!' Rudy Giuliani blasts CNN in heated interview for its coverage of the Mueller investigation saying the outlet 'tortured the president for two years with collusion'[/size]

• Rudy Giuliani demanded an apology from CNN during a sit down interview with host Chris Cuomo on Monday evening for their treatment of President Trump
  
  
• He accused Cuomo and his associates of torturing Trump for two years with talks of colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential election
  
  
• The Mueller report made public Sunday found no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice in working with Russia 
  
  
• 'Before we talk about obstruction, apologize,' Giuliani huffed
  
  
• He tweeted this weekend demanding the New York Times, the Washington Post and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff apologize as well 
  
  

By MARLENE LENTHANG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 02:01 EDT, 26 March 2019 | UPDATED: 04:45 EDT, 26 March 2019

 

 

 

 

 

• [email=?subject=Read%20this:%20%27This%20network%20should%20apologize!%27%20Rudy%20Giuliani%20blasts%20CNN%20in%20heated%20interview%20for%20its%20coverage%20of%20the%20Mueller%20investigation%20saying%20the%20outlet%20%27tortured%20the%20president%20for%20two%20years%20with%20collusion%27&body=%27This%20network%20should%20apologize%21%27%20Rudy%20Giuliani%20blasts%20CNN%20in%20heated%20interview%20for%20its%20coverage%20of%20the%20Mueller%20investigation%20saying%20the%20outlet%20%27tortured%20the%20president%20for%20two%20years%20with%20collusion%27%0A%0ARudy%20Giuliani%20demanded%20an%20apology%20from%20CNN%20during%20a%20sit%20down%20interview%20with%20host%20Chris%20Cuomo%20on%20Monday%20evening%20for%20their%20treatment%20of%20President%20Trump%2C%20saying%20%27this%20network%20should%20apologize%27.%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6850341%2FTrumps-lawyer-Rudy-Giuliani-blasts-CNN-saying-network-apologize.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top%0A%0A%0AMost%20Read%20Articles%3A%0A%0AFather%20of%20six-year-old%20girl%20killed%20in%20Sandy%20Hook%20massacre%20is%20found%20dead%20at%20his%20Connecticut%20town%20hall%20office%20from%20apparent%20suicide%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6848135%2FFather-Sandy-Hook-victim-dead-apparent-suicide.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top_most-read-articles%0A%0APIERS%20MORGAN%3A%20The%20Russia%20collusion%20hoax%20was%20a%20disgraceful%20fake%20news%20witch-hunt%20that%20shames%20all%20of%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20deranged%20enemies%20in%20the%20media%2C%20the%20FBI%20and%20Hollywood%20and%20has%20probably%20ensured%20their%20worst%20nightmare%20-%20his%20re-election%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6847671%2FPIERS-MORGAN-Mueller-report-shows-collusion-disgraceful-hoax.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top_most-read-articles%0A%0A%27I%20will%20be%20exonerated%27%3A%20Stormy%27s%20attorney%20Michael%20Avenatti%20protests%20his%20innocence%20following%20his%20release%20on%20%24300K%20bail%20after%20charges%20for%20attempting%20to%20extort%20%2425m%20from%20Nike%20and%20embezzling%20from%20a%20client%C2%A0%C2%A0%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-6848519%2FMichael-Avenatti-charged-four-counts-wire-bank-fraud-trying-extort-20M-Nike.html%3Fito%3Demail_share_article-top_most-read-articles%0A%0A]e-mail[/email]
   
  
• 
  

[size=32]7shares

[/size][size]

[/size][size]
[/size]


Rudy Giuliani has blasted CNN in a heated interview where he squared off with host Chris Cuomo saying 'this network should apologize'.
Donald Trump's lawyer slammed the network on Monday evening for their 'torturous' coverage of the Mueller investigation, despite its anti-climactic results that failed to prove the president colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign.
'You guys on this network have tortured this man for two years with collusion and nobody’s apologizing. Before we talk about obstruction, apologize,' Giuliani demanded pointing fingers to the camera and hitting the desk with fervor. 


+3


Rudy Giuliani demanded an apology from CNN during a sit down interview with host Chris Cuomo on Monday evening for their treatment of President Trump


+3


'You guys on this network have tortured this man for two years with collusion and nobody’s apologizing. Before we talk about obstruction, apologize,' Giuliani said

[ltr]




[/ltr]

Cuomo Prime Time

@CuomoPrimeTime





[ltr]"There was absolutely not a scintilla of evidence that the President was involved [in Russian efforts to influence the election,]" Pres. Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani tells @chriscuomo. "Do you know how absurd that charge was to me? Being on that campaign? It was ridiculous."[/ltr]


612
9:31 PM - Mar 25, 2019

[size][ltr]



808 people are talking about this



Twitter Ads info and privacy

[/ltr]


Cuomo refused to apologize for CNN's coverage of the Special Counsel's two-year investigation saying 'not a chance'.
Giuliani retorted:  'Of course you’re not because you’re not being fair.'
Still Giuliani huffed that the New York Times, the Washington Post and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff should all apologize for their coverage and treatment of the president in the investigation. 
Giuliani went on to slam the report for failing to exonerate the president, even though he wasn't found guilty of collusion. 
'This is a cheap shot. This is unprofessional,' the 74-year-old lawyer said.
'They don’t have to exonerate him, you gotta prove he’s guilty. Even for impeachment...[Trump] is exonerated in the next two paragraphs,' Giuliani argued pointing to the report.
'The next two paragraphs say 'not sufficient evidence' and 'no obstructive conduct...That's exoneration by Rod Rosenstein, the attorney general and the Office of Legal Counsel,' he added. 

RELATED ARTICLES

[/size]

• Previous
  
  
  
• 1
  
  
  
• Next
  
  

• State attorney and former Army intelligence officer, 30, is...Death of second man found inside Democratic donor Ed Buck's...
  
  

[size]

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Share


+3


Giuliani went on to slam the report for failing to exonerate President Trump, even though he wasn't found guilty of collusion, calling it a 'cheap shot'
Following the Mueller report, Giuliani has been demanding apologies from media networks and politicians alike for dragging Trump's name. 
'In light of the Mueller conclusion of no collusion between Trump campaign and Russians are @Adam Schiff, Brennan, Nadler and other Dems going to apologize for their now false claims of collusion. If they care about our country, they should be relieved they were wrong. Are they?' he tweeted Saturday. 
'TURNING POINT for our country. If Democrats who went too far in their partisan and false claims of collusion can step back and admit their mistakes, we can heal. If CNN, NBC, MSNBC et al can realize their overreactions, then we have hope for fairer treatment in the future,' he added. 
As a result of the investigation that found no conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice, Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Sunday that there was insufficient evidence to pursue the matter any further. 
'(T)he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,' Barr said, quoting the report. 
There will be no further indictments in the probe.  [/size]

If this thing gets re-elected I'm moving to Canada!

Sadly, Lizzy it's possible he will be elected again . I hope the dems come up with someone who can beat him but looking at the candidates so far I have my doubts. I guess we can hope enough people are sick of him and will want him out.Just the idea the press should apologize to the idiot. When has he ever apologized for any of the nasty things he has said.

Keep an eye on Pete Buttigieg. There are others I like, but he's the best I've seen so far.

Buttigieg is good. He is so smart, appealing and knows the issues. I’m not sure how he would handle Trump. Need to see all the candidates during the debates to see how they could measure up.

I’ve seriously thought of moving to Canada. Tho it wouldn’t be practical I would consider it.  I don’t know how I could endure another four years. He and the Trump party will pretty much destroy our democracy if he gets re-elected.  He also gets to avoid any criminal prosecutions if he stays in office.  Trump has a lot on the line.

As time passes I get more cynical about our country.  I was heartened though by the 2018 elections.  The Democrats won convincingly.  They had momentum and the issues on their side.  We have to have that kind of mo going into 2020.  Keep harping on the issues.  And we do need someone who can stand up to Trump using the TRUTH as their weapon.  I have to remember that he won a few states by 20,000 votes or less.  If those Dems and Independents who didn’t vote in 2016 because Clinton didn’t inspire them hopefully they will realize how much their vote really counts and will show up at the polls in 2020.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6851985/Late-night-hosts-apologize-Trump-Mueller-report-clears-president-Russian-collusion.html

[size=34]'We're sorry we called you a Russian-pee-loving-pumpkin-headed-colludasaurus': Trevor Noah and Steven Colbert lead late night hosts in 'apologizing' to Trump after he was cleared by the Mueller report[/size]

• A chorus of GOP voices demanded late-night talk show hosts apologize to Trump
  
  
• Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah were among the most prominent to 'apologize'
  
  
• Late Show host Colbert said: 'Mr Trump... I'm sorry you're a terrible president'
  
  
• Noah said: 'Mr President, we're sorry we called you a Russian-pee-loving-pumpkin-headed-colludasaurus... portions of that name were not accurate' 
  
  
• The Late Late Show's James Corden joked: 'This completely wrecks my bracket - I had Trump going all the way to impeachment' 
  
  
• Jimmy Kimmel joked: 'Basically Trump got into the White House the same way Lori Loughlin got her kid into USC' 
  
  
• White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders led the gleeful calls among GOP members for apologies - even sharing a 'Mueller Madness' parody bracket
  
  

By ROD ARDEHALI FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:38 EDT, 26 March 2019 | UPDATED: 12:20 EDT, 26 March 2019

     


Late-night hosts were forced to apologize to President Trump yesterday after the Mueller report finally cleared him of any Russian collusion.
Sadly, for the commander-in-chief however, those apologies were not delivered quite as sincerely he would have hoped.
Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert were among the most prominent comics to 'apologize'. 
Their sketches came amid a chorus of GOP voices demanding they retract two years' worth of scathing remarks about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

But in their own inimitable way, President Trump still found himself on the receiving end of yet more trademark barbs by the late-night hosts.


+9


Sorry not sorry: Trevor Noah (pictured) and Stephen Colbert were the most prominent comics to 'apologize' in their own inimitable way, despite a chorus of GOP voices demanding they retract two years worth of scathing remarks about alleged interference in the 2016 election


+9


Late-night hosts were forced to apologize to President Trump yesterday after the Mueller report finally cleared him of any Russian collusion. Sadly, for the commander-in-chief however, those apologies were not delivered quite as sincerely he would have hoped
The Daily Show host Noah was one of the first to take the plunge - conceding he needed to apologize to Trump over countless statements mocking the president.   
'Mr. President, we're sorry we called you a Russian-pee-loving-pumpkin-headed-colludasaurus,' Noah said. 'Portions of that name were not accurate.'  
Mr President, we're sorry we called you a Russian-pee-loving-pumpkin-headed-colludasaurus
Despite the jokes - Noah was still unable to contain his disappointment at the findings. 
'It's a little bit like coming down the stairs on Christmas morning,' Noah said. 
'You were hoping for a brand-new BMX, but instead you find Santa's dead body, burnt because your parents forgot to turn off the fire.' 



+9


The Daily Show host Noah conceded he needed to apologize to Trump over his statements mocking the president. 'Mr. President, we're sorry we called you a Russian-pee-loving-pumpkin-headed-colludasaurus,' Noah said. 'Portions of that name were not accurate'

Late Show host Colbert also accepted he owed the president an apology - telling viewers dramatically: 'I have said one or two things about Donald Trump, like how he's a terrible president, so I'm just going to bite the bullet and say it...
'Mr. President, if you're watching, and I know you are... I'm sorry that you're a terrible president.'
During his CBS show, Colbert delivered a 16-minute monologue on the Mueller report, slamming the findings and again taking aim at the president.
Mr. President, if you're watching, and I know you are... I'm sorry that you're a terrible president
'This weekend we received some troubling news,' a grave Colbert said. 'Our president is not a Russian asset.'
This, he said, was 'troubling' for a number of reasons.
'If Trump is not working with the Russians, then what the hell is wrong with him?' he asked. 
'If they don't have anything on him, why does he keep saying nice things about Vladimir Putin?'



+9


Late Show host Colbert was one of the first to take the plunge, telling viewers dramatically: 'I have said one or two things about Donald Trump, like how he's a terrible president, so I'm just going to bite the bullet and say it. Mr. President, if you're watching, and I know you are... I'm sorry that you're a terrible president'
On ABC, Jimmy Kimmel said the Mueller report didn't bode well for the future of the United States.
'Now, the process of tearing our country even further apart can finally begin,' he said.
Kimmel joked: 'Putin wanted him in there and did what he had to do. Basically Trump got into the White House the same way Lori Loughlin got her kid into USC.' 
The Late Late show's James Corden also chipped in. The Brit said: 'This completely wrecks my bracket. I had Trump going all the way to impeachment.' 


Share
The distinctly unapologetic apologies came amid a backdrop of gleeful howls by GOP members seemingly vindicated by an initial conclusion of the forthcoming Mueller report which clears Trump of serious wrongdoing.  
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a 'Mueller Madness' bracket that included Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, writing: 'Which of the angry and hysterical @realDonaldTrump haters got it most embarrassingly wrong?'
Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, also demanded apologies from the late-night comics for their regular barbs against his employer. 
Trump got into the White House the same way Lori Loughlin got her kid into USC
On Sunday, a four-page summary of the report by the Attorney General, concluded that Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russians in order to improve his chances of beating Democrat Hilary Clinton. 
A number of Tinseltown actors and entertainers took to social media to express their shock and frustration just hours after.
Alec Baldwin, who mocks President Trump regularly on Saturday Night Live, tweeted on Monday: 'You don't need Mueller's report or Barr's conflict of interest or Sean Hannity's imbecility to make clear one unifying thing: Trump is the Devil.'
Cher also lashed out at Trump on Monday, tweeting: 'I Have Not, Nor Will I Change My Opinion Of trump, His Evil,Or His Ties To Russia. He Is up to his Neck in Crime & Corruption.'


+9




+9



Alec Baldwin (left), who plays President Trump on Saturday Night Live, and Cher (right) were among the big-name celebrities who lashed out at the president after the Mueller findings were announced on Sunday





Baldwin tweeted on Monday: 'You don't need Mueller's report or Barr's conflict of interest or Sean Hannity's imbecility to make clear one unifying thing: Trump is the Devil'





Cher also lashed out at Trump on Monday, tweeting: 'I Have Not,Nor Will I Change My Opinion Of trump,His Evil,Or His Ties To Russia.He Is up to his Neck in Crime & Corruption.'
Rob Reiner, the director of Stand By Me and A Few Good Men, tweeted: 'Robert Mueller did not exonerate the President. 
'The House voted 420-0 to release the report. Trump doesn't want it released. So McConnell won't bring it up for a vote. 
'Considering this is the most corrupt President in U.S. history, there must be some pretty bad s*** in there.' 


+9




+9



Rob Reiner (left), the director hit films like Stand By Me and A Few Good Men, and Debra Messing (right), star of the sitcom Will & Grace, are two outspoken liberals who also shared their views of the Mueller findings


+9





Reiner called Trump 'the most corrupt president in  U.S. history' and speculated that 'there must be some pretty bad s*** in [the Mueller report]'

ADVERTISEMENT

Yes, this is brilliant!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_7wPf9geSM&feature=youtu.be

He was so right.This is a joke we all know he did something but it's going to be covered up.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6852417/Denver-police-remove-non-native-woman-native-powwow-dancing-sacred-regalia.html

[size=34]Woman sparks outrage and is kicked out of a Native American powwow after she took a sacred piece of regalia, put it on and danced in the stands[/size]

• A non-native woman attending a sacred Native American powwow in Denver on Sunday was removed from the event by police
  
  
• The woman was captured on camera dancing around with a sacred bustle which didn't belong to her, sparking outrage from people in attendance and online
  
  
• The bustle of feathers is a traditional part of Native American dancers' regalia
  
  
• One tribe member said guests are welcome at powwows, which are sacred events, but to 'let modesty and respect be your guide' in your actions
  
  
• The incident occurred at the 45th annual Denver March Powwow at the Denver Coliseum on Sunday
  
  

By STEPHANIE HANEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 13:20 EDT, 26 March 2019 | UPDATED: 15:51 EDT, 26 March 2019

     




Police kicked a woman out of a Native American powwow after she put on a sacred piece of dancers' regalia and started dancing while wearing it.
The non-native was seen on video in the stands at the event in Denver on Sunday wearing a Native American's bustle of feathers. 
Another Native American who was in attendance at the Denver Coliseum then approaches her, tells her she is being disrespectful and demands that she remove it from her body. 
A member of the Sicangu Lakota nation told NBC 9 News that a powwow should be treated like any other religious or sacred ceremony, and while visitors are welcome, non-natives should 'let modesty and respect be your guide.'  

Kayak@Ms_Yellowhorse

 · Mar 24, 2019





[ltr]I’m at Denver March Powwow and a nonnative woman took a piece of a dancer’s regalia, put it on, and started dancing around in it. She was rightfully kicked out, but I want to be clear that being respectful of our spaces is necessary.[/ltr]

Kayak@Ms_Yellowhorse


[ltr]Just a PSA: don’t do what this lady did pic.twitter.com/v1kodaKw1r[/ltr]




1,122
7:21 PM - Mar 24, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy

[ltr]



643 people are talking about this


[/ltr]




+12


A non-native woman in attendance at a powwow in Denver was removed by police after she was caught on camera dancing around with a Native American's sacred bustle regalia without permission (pictured)
The video of the unidentified woman's dancing was posted online and has been shared thousands of time.
The bustle is a sacred item made with feathers that is a traditional part of regalia worn by Native American dancers.
A pharmaceutical chemistry and political science student with the username '@Ms_Yellowhorse' was at the event and shared the video.
She wrote: 'I’m at Denver March Powwow and a nonnative woman took a piece of a dancer’s regalia, put it on, and started dancing around in it. She was rightfully kicked out, but I want to be clear that being respectful of our spaces is necessary.'
In a second tweet, the user included a video of the woman dancing with the regalia, writing, 'Just a PSA: don’t do what this lady did.' 


+12


A bustle of feathers is a traditional part of Native American dancers' regalia and it is sacred. A file photo of a Native American bustle made of eagle feathers is shown


+12


A pharmaceutical chemistry and political science student with the username '@Ms_Yellowhorse' tweeted the video writing, 'I’m at Denver March Powwow and a nonnative woman took a piece of a dancer’s regalia, put it on, and started dancing around in it. She was rightfully kicked out, but I want to be clear that being respectful of our spaces is necessary.'


+12


In a second tweet, the user included the video of the woman dancing with the regalia, writing, 'Just a PSA: don’t do what this lady did'


+12




+12



The video shows the woman wearing the regalia on her back and hopping around, bending at the waist at times
The video shows the woman wearing the regalia on her back and hopping around, bending at the waist at times.
As a man named Chad Browneagle eventually comes toward her, she takes off the regalia and extends it toward him.
'I noticed she untied somebody’s bustle and had it around her neck, and I was like, "What? Whoa."' Browneagle said. 
'As soon as she [saw] me, she took off the bustle really quickly,' he said. 'I said, "Hey, don’t be like touching people's stuff. It’s not yours."'


+12


The woman was quickly stopped by another Native American, Chad Browneagle (pictured), who told her not to touch things that didn't belong to her


+12




+12



As Browneagle tells the woman to leave things that aren't hers alone, he then takes the bustle and ties it on the railing nearby. The woman watches for a moment, then awkwardly dances a bit more before returning to standing idly by
As Browneagle tells the woman to leave things that aren't hers alone, he then takes the bustle and ties it on the railing nearby.
The woman watches for a moment, then awkwardly dances a bit more before returning to standing idly by.
Like many others who were outraged at the seemingly thoughtless behavior of the woman, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an associate professor of Native American Studies and Political Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, saw video of the display on Twitter.
'My initial reactions were anger and horror,' Weiden told said. 'Common sense should dictate when you’re in a sacred place, you don’t just walk up and grab someone’s sacred regalia and start dancing around with it and making a mockery of it.'
'This is an adult. She should know better,' a Twitter user identified as Allen Turner said, in response to  user @Ms_Yellohorse's tweet of the video.
'Does she go to church and start playing with stuff on the altar? To a restaurant and play with other people's food? To concert and start playing with the instruments on stage? C'mon now! GTF outta here with that nonsense!'


+12


Responses to the video of the woman's behavior were swift and decisive. A Twitter user identified as Allen Turner said. 'Does she go to church and start playing with stuff on the altar? To a restaurant and play with other people's food? To concert and start playing with the instruments on stage? C'mon now! GTF outta here with that nonsense!'



'So disrespectful, this is infuriating,' wrote Twitter user '@WildWinyanlys'
'So disrespectful, this is infuriating,' wrote Twitter user '@WildWinyanlys.' 
In contract, the Browneagle's reaction was praised, although he was incorrectly assumed to be the dancer to which the bustle belonged.
A Twitter use identified as Apryl Allen wrote, 'This is shocking! Impressed with the dancer... he handled the situation by respecting & honoring what was important!'
Some users called out the apparent white privilege at play, as the woman in the video appears to be Caucasian. 
'Sometimes I really wonder what it must be like to be white and think every space is yours to act and be any way you choose. [flushed face emoji],' wrote Twitter user '@DarkSkyLady.' 


+12


In contract, the Browneagle's reaction was praised, although he was incorrectly assumed to be the dancer to which the bustle belonged. A Twitter use identified as Apryl Allen wrote, 'This is shocking! Impressed with the dancer... he handled the situation by respecting & honoring what was important!'
It's not clear why the woman was in attendance at the powwow, but non-native people are apparently welcome at this so long as they respect the space.
Weiden, who is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, explained appropriate guidelines for those wishing to attend a powwow, which is a sacred event.
'You never take a photograph unless you ask first,' Weiden said.
'You do not enter powwow grounds until you’re allowed to do so on dance floor. There is something called an "inter-tribal," where non-natives may be welcomed onto the dance floor to dance. But you do not do so until you’ve been invited. And you certainly never, never, never, never go and touch someone’s regalia and put it on. That is absolutely the worst thing ever.'






Weiden said a powwow should be treated like any other religious or sacred ceremony.
'We are happy to share our culture with others,' he said. 'Let modesty and respect be your guide.'


+12


Some users called out the apparent white privilege at play, as the woman in the video appears to be Caucasian. 'Sometimes I really wonder what it must be like to be white and think every space is yours to act and be any way you choose. [flushed face emoji],' wrote Twitter user '@DarkSkyLady'
ADVERTISEMENT

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6850241/House-set-uphold-Trump-veto-let-border-emergency-stand.html

[size=34]House Democrats FAIL in their attempt to override Trump's first veto, adding to the president's good news this week[/size]

• House Democrats failed in their attempt to over ride President Trump's first veto 
  
  
• The final vote was 248 yeas to 181 nays  
  
  
• They needed to reach two-thirds of the House chamber to prevail
  
  
• The president had vetoed Congress' attempt to override his national emergency declaration so he could build his wall on the U.S.-Mexico border 
  
  
• With the failure in the House, the Senate will not take up the veto override
  
  
• Both the House and GOP-controlled Senate voted to annul Trump's declaration of a national emergency
  
  
• Trump vetoed it shortly thereafter prompting the latest vote
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 00:21 EDT, 26 March 2019 | UPDATED: 16:48 EDT, 26 March 2019

     







House Democrats failed in their attempt on Tuesday to override President Donald Trump's first veto, which was the president's rebuke of their effort to annul his national emergency declaration at the border.  
The final vote was 248 yeas to 181 nays. Democrats needed to reach two-thirds of the House chamber to prevail. Fourteen Republicans crossed the aisle to vote to override the president.
The vote came as Trump was across the Capitol, having lunch with Senate Republicans. 
It added to the good news the president received this week after the special counsel cleared him and his campaign of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election and his longtime nemesis, attorney Michael Avenatti, was arrested on charges of extortion.  


+4


House Democrats failed in their attempt to override President Trump's first veto


+4


President Trump was across the Capitol having lunch with Senate Republicans when the House vote occurred


+4


The final vote was 248 yeas to 181 nays. Democrats needed to reach two-thirds of the House chamber to prevail
The vote also came on the same day as Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 79th birthday. 

The California Democrat led her party in the fight against the president in her first move as speaker. She kept her Democrats in line and stood firm against the president during the month-long government shutdown over the fight to fund Trump's wall. 
And she vowed Democrats would continue to work to try and stop the president.
'The President’s lawless emergency declaration clearly violates the Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, and Congress will work through the appropriations and defense authorization processes to terminate this dangerous action and restore our constitutional system of balance of powers,' she said in a statement after the vote.  
The failed vote was the accumulation of a long battle over the president's border wall. 


Earlier this month, Congress passed legislation voiding the president's emergency declaration, but Trump vetoed it almost immediately. 
Trump wants to use the declaration to shift $3.6 billion from military construction projects to erecting barriers along the border to keep his signature campaign promise.  
When Congress voted initially to block Trump's emergency declaration, it drew unanimous opposition from Democrats and opposition from some Republicans, especially in the Senate , where lawmakers objected that he was abusing presidential powers.
But the battle over the president's emergency declaration is not over.
Sixteen states, led by California, have sued the president to stop his move.  
Congress voted weeks ago to provide less than $1.4 billion for border barriers.  


+4



The House approved the resolution blocking Trump's national emergency declaration by 245-182 in February. 
This month, the GOP-led Senate rebuked Trump with a 59-41 vote blocking his declaration.
But since the House vote failed, the Senate won't attempt its own override and the veto will stand.
ADVERTISEMENT

https://people.com/politics/betsy-devos-special-olympics-funding-cuts-maria-shriver-kennedy/

this link opens in a new tab
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
Joe Raedle/Getty
Special Olympics founder Eunice Shriver's daughter Maria Shriver described the called-for cuts "outrageous in every way"
By 
[size=14]ADAM CARLSON this link opens in a new tab 
March 27, 2019 10:28 AM
President Donald Trump’s administration is again seeking to cut its funding for the Special Olympics — a move that met with vocal Democratic disapproval on Capitol Hill this week and which both the Kennedy family and some ESPN personalities also criticized.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, under questioning from a Democratic representative on Tuesday, said she did not know how many children would be affected if the proposed $17.6 million cut went into effect.
“I’ll answer it for you, that’s okay, no problem,” Rep. Mark Pocan replied. “It’s 272,000 kids.”
DeVos, who was testifying before a House subcommittee about the administration’s proposed budget for the next year, reiterated that she believes “the Special Olympics is an awesome organization.”
According to CNN, this is the third time the administration has sought to cut Special Olympics funding, which DeVos noted in her testimony “is well supported by the philanthropic sector as well.” (The group receives a mix of monies, both public and private.)

The Special Olympics — founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, whose sister Rosemary had an intellectual disability — worldwide oversees more than 100,000 competitions for more than 5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities.
On Tuesday, as Pocan began to question DeVos about the Special Olympics specifically, she cut in: “Let me just say again we had to make some difficult decisions with this budget.”
The president has asked to cut about 8.5 billion, or 12 percent, of the Education Department’s budget for fiscal year 2020 in what an official described as a “desire to have some fiscal discipline and address some higher priority needs,” according to the New York Timesthis link opens in a new tab.
DeVos echoed that in her Tuesday testimony, saying, “We are not doing our children any favors when we borrow from their future in order to invest in systems and policies that are not yielding better results. Overwhelming Federal debt may prove to be the single greatest barrier that future generations will face in trying to achieve the full potential of the American dream, and we cannot continue to kick that can down the road.”

However, a president’s budget proposal is just that: It requires Congressional approval — or Congress can ignore it entirely — and even Republican lawmakers have split with Trump over some of his requests. Last year they actually increased the Education budget.
This year, with Democrats controlling the House, Trump’s budget faces even grimmer prospects.
While the proposal would slash money for various education programs, including a student loan forgiveness program for public employees that DeVos’ team reportedly described as duplicative and ineffective, it seeks to increase funding for school choice tax credits for students K-12. (As noted by CNNthis link opens in a new tab, DeVos has previously voiced grave concerns about the federal student loan system, which she says must be overhauled.)
On Twitter this week, DeVos wrotethis link opens in a new tab that “freedom and flexibility for teachers is a key part of the 2020 budget.”

“Teachers are our students’ champions,” she wrote. “They deserve to be given the freedom to pursue professional development in ways that work for them, and to benefit from high-quality mentoring and residency programs.”
It was the Special Olympics cuts, as well as other proposed cuts to money for special education and students with special needs, that drew Democratic ire.
After listing off possible funding reductions to state-level special education grants and programs for blind students, Rep. Pocan asked DeVos, “What is it that we have a problem with, with children who are in special education?”
Rep. Barbara Lee went further, telling DeVos: “I still can’t understand why you would go after disabled children in your budget. You zero that out. It’s appalling.”

DeVos said the reductions were consistent with the proposed department-wide cuts. The budget would also keep “the same level of funding for core special education programs, including grants to states under the department’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” CNN reports.
On social media, some ESPN employees spoke out in dismay about the proposed slashing to the Special Olympics, according to the Washington Postthis link opens in a new tab. The network is the “global media partner” for the Special Olympics and, the Post reports, has aired its events for more than 30 years.
Responding to a tweet about Trump’s 2020 budget proposal, ESPN analyst Julie Foudy wrote on Tuesdaythis link opens in a new tab, “The world needs more @SpecialOlympics. The joy those athletes pass on is absolutely contagious.”
ESPN’s Kenny Mayne tweetedthis link opens in a new tab: “Our family supports Special Olympics. Likewise the company I work for.”

On Facebook, Eunice Shriver’s daughter Maria Shriver described the called-for cuts “outrageous in every way.”
“Let’s let our voices be heard,” she wrote in a comment on an article about the budget proposal. “No cutting Special Olympics.”
Despite her support for funding cuts, DeVos has a personal connection to the Special Olympics: She worked as a mentor for the group, according to the New York Timesthis link opens in a new tab, and donated some of her secretary salary there last year.
A spokeswoman told CNN that Devos is “personally supportive of Special Olympics and its mission.”[/size]

I am so sick of these f***ing billionaires crying crocodile tears over "having to make difficult decisions" about taking more and more from the rest of us! If DeVos loses one second of seep over this I'm the King of the World!

What??!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6858543/Shocking-video-shows-Arizona-police-officers-forcibly-removing-two-year-old-boy-home.html

and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzejJ_IZBVU

Sickening, isn't it? Welcome to our world. The only time any of these drumpf sycophants cares about anything is when it affects them directly - otherwise their attitude is "It's not my problem so fix it yourself".

https://deadline.com/2019/03/george-clooney-sultain-of-brunei-hotels-boycott-beverly-hills-hotel-anti-gay-laws-brunei-1202584579/

[size=39]George Clooney: Boycott Sultan Of Brunei’s Hotels Over Cruel Anti-Gay Laws[/size]
by George Clooney

March 28, 2019 12:24pm







 







George Clooney has a long relationship with Deadline, often on matters beyond film and television. In a guest column, he calls for the immediate boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Hotel Bel-Air and six others to protest the imminent legalization of laws that make it open season on the LGBTQ community in Brunei.


The date April 3rd has held a unique place in our history over the years. Theologians and astronomers will tell you that Christ was crucified on that date. On April 3rd Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan, arguably the greatest postwar intervention in the history of man. The first portable cellphone call was made on April 3rd. Marlon Brando was born on that day.
But this April 3rd will hold its own place in history. On this particular April 3rd the nation of Brunei will begin stoning and whipping to death any of its citizens that are proved to be gay. Let that sink in. In the onslaught of news where we see the world backsliding into authoritarianism this stands alone.




Brunei isn’t a significant country. Its population is less than 500,000 people, pretty small in relation to most of its neighbors, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia. But Brunei has oil. This year it was ranked as the 5th richest nation by Forbes. Good for them. Of course they haven’t had an election since 1962 and have adopted the most extreme version of Sharia law so, not so good for them. At the head of it all is the Sultan of Brunei who is one of the richest men in the world. The Big Kahuna. He owns the Brunei Investment Agency and they in turn own some pretty spectacular hotels.
A couple of years ago two of those hotels in Los Angeles, The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel were boycotted by many of us for Brunei’s treatment of the gay community. It was effective to a point. We cancelled a big fundraiser for the Motion Picture Retirement Home that we’d hosted at the Beverly Hills Hotel for years. Lots of individuals and companies did the same. But like all good intentions when the white heat of outrage moves on to the hundred other reasons to be outraged, the focus dies down and slowly these hotels get back to the business of business. And the Brunei Investment Agency counts on that. They own nine of the most exclusive hotels in the world. Full disclosure: I’ve stayed at many of them, a couple of them recently, because I hadn’t done my homework and didn’t know who owned them.
They’re nice hotels. The people who work there are kind and helpful and have no part in the ownership of these properties. But let’s be clear, every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery. Brunei is a Monarchy and certainly any boycott would have little effect on changing these laws. But are we really going to help pay for these human rights violations? Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens? I’ve learned over years of dealing with murderous regimes that you can’t shame them. But you can shame the banks, the financiers and the institutions that do business with them and choose to look the other way.



Below I’ve listed the nine hotels. It’s up to each of us what we want to do.
George Clooney
The Dorchester, London
45 Park Lane, London
Coworth Park, UK
The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills
Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
Le Meurice, Paris
Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris
Hotel Eden, Rome

I had no idea. It’s shocking to me that this kind of barbarism still exists in the world. So glad George is bringing attention to this obscenity.

The thing is, he's really speaking to the wealthiest among us. Most people can't afford to stay at these hotels anyway. And as one of the comments said after the last boycott, the only ones really hurt by the boycott were the hotel employees.

The policy in Brunei is horrific, but there has to be a better, more universal way to have an impact.

It's political stands like this, that help me understand George Clooney's marriage to Amal.  Their shared interest in cases like this make them champions of the LGBQT community.

I think it was two years ago that this despicable man. the Sultan of Brunei brought in Sharia law - and I think there was a move then to boycott the hotels. I also remember reports of George possibly visiting Coworth Park near Ascot and not a million miles from Sonning. I thought it unlikely.

No doubt those of the same despotic nature will continue to go.

But I really hope his statement gets as wide a coverage as possible and that others support him

Pan

With all the Human Rights work Amal does for the LBGQT community world wide I'm sure she will continue to keep this front and center.

Well, as George writes in his article he and others had boycotted the hotels a couple of years ago (which is what I remembered) and of course now it's known people will be stoned to death for being gay, he hopes to re-ignite the campaign again.

As he says, he has previously cancelled big events at these hotels in Hollywood, but hadn't realised quite how many there were worldwide and by mistake had stayed in a couple of them not so long ago. There's no doubt he will not be doing that again.

They definitely sing from the same hymn sheet on these things

Definitely agree PAN I've heard Amal champion the LGBTQ human right causes world wide and now Geroge Clooney is supporting Amal in her global effort.

Nope. Wrong end of the stick, Ladybug.

George has been supporting just causes like this from way before he met Amal.

2009 https://www.nbcsandiego.com/entertainment/celebrity/George_Clooney___At_Some_Point__Gay_Marriage_Won_t_Be_An_Issue_.html

This was when he and Brad Pitt were involved in a stage play about Prop 8.

Loads more examples online if you like...

Your right Pan I remember that Play , George has been involved with this cause for years well before he met Amal.

This is also very much a human rights issue which George has advocated for as long as I can recall. George has always been very consistent in supporting human and civil rights.

The BBC have picked it up

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47744566

Excellent

party animal - not! wrote:The BBC have picked it up

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47744566

Excellent

Yes indeed pan.....Thanks.

I just posted about it too on Chat thread....LOL.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6870279/Mick-Mulvaney-said-Trump-heard-people-wanted-Special-Olympics-funded-change.html

[size=34]'When the president realized the public wanted this money, he made the change': Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney explains Trump's reversal of funding cut for the Special Olympics[/size]

• Mick Mulvaney said President Trump changed his mind about cutting funding for the Special Olympics when he 'realized the public wanted' the funding 
  
  
• 'The president simply listened to people. That's what he does. When the president realized the public wanted this money, he made the change,' he said 
  
  
• The acting White House chief of staff acknowledged there are policy disagreements among staff but said the final decision is always the president's
  
  
• President Trump said Thursday he changed his mind about the Special Olympics 
  
  
• 'I have overridden my people. We're funding the Special Olympics,' he said 
  
  
• His administration wanted to slash U.S. Department of Education spending by at least 10 per cent, and proposed to ax $17.6 million from Special Olympics
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:24 EDT, 31 March 2019 | UPDATED: 11:25 EDT, 31 March 2019

     


Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on Sunday President Donald Trump changed his mind about cutting funding for the Special Olympics when he 'realized the public wanted' the funding.
'These debates take place all the time. What did the president do? The president simply listened to people. That's what he does. When the president realized the public wanted this money, he made the change. This is what he does. It's his budget,' Mulvaney said on CNN's 'State of the Union.'
He acknowledged there are policy disagreements among administration staff but said the final decision is always with the president.  


+18





+18



'Keep in mind, debates like this happen every single day. They're happening even on a Sunday here or up in Washington D.C. at my office, about various policies. We have disagreements all the time about policy. I would hope that folks would appreciate the fact that we're actually having critical review of all of the ways that we spend government's money. So some folks will take one side of an issue, other folks will take another side,' Mulvaney noted on ABC's 'This Week.'

'What you saw this week is the way the system is supposed to work, which is the president made the final decision,' he said.
'This is the president's budget. It's not the OMB budget, it's not the Department of Education budget, it's the president's budget,' he added. 
'We have real serious issues, real serious discussions about serious issues. The president makes the final determination. He wanted to make the change,' he noted.
President Trump on Thursday said he reversed his administration's request to slash federal funding for Special Olympics grants.
He claimed that he just learned about about the cuts that day and immediately withdrew the proposal to Congress to cut $17.6 million from the organization for athletes with disabilities.
'The Special Olympics will be funded. I just told my people. I wanna fund the Special Olympics, and I just authorized a funding of the Special Olympics,' he told reporters on Thursday as he left the White House. 'I have overridden my people. We're funding the Special Olympics.'
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said earlier Thursday that she wasn't 'involved' in the controversial decision to recommend Special Olympics funding cuts, passing the buck. She suggested the White House budget office was behind the assault on the popular program.
After Trump claimed his 'people' were responsible and he found out 'this morning,' she claimed once again that she wasn't culpable.
'I am pleased and grateful the president and I see eye-to-eye on this issue,' she said. 'This is funding I have fought for behind-the-scenes over the last several years.' 


+18


President Trump says he has reversed his administration's request to slash federal funding for the Special Olympics


+18




He claimed that he just learned about about the cuts today and immediately withdrew the proposal to Congress to cut $17.6 million from the organization for athletes with disabilities 


+18




Democrats had condemned the cuts as 'shameful' and a 'bad decision' and Republicans in Congress backed away from the administration's proposal


DeVos suggested that President Trump and the White House are calling the shots when it comes to the administration's budget requests during testimony on Thursday to Congress.
She claimed at a Senate hearing, under questioning from Democrat Dick Durbin, 'I didn't personally get involved.' 
'Let's not use disabled children in a twisted way for your political narrative,' she also said. 'That is just disgusting and it's shameful and I think we should move on from that.' 
He said the recommended slash is 'shameful' and 'someone has to accept responsibility for a bad decision.' 
'Whoever came up with that idea at OMB gets a Special Olympics gold medal for insensitivity,' he told her.


+18



Education Secretary Betsy DeVos came under fire Wednesday and Thursday after unveiling a budget proposal that eliminated $17.6 million in federal grants for Special Olympics







+18


'Whoever came up with that idea at OMB gets a Special Olympics gold medal for insensitivity,' Sen. Dick Durbin told DeVos
DeVos came under intense fire on Wednesday from the family that created the Special Olympics and its most vocal backer in the U.S. Senate after she argued that the federal government should cancel $17.6 million in planned grants to the organization.
Detractors of the administration's request blamed DeVos, who among the biggest lightning rods in Donald Trump's Cabinet, for the line item in the Education Department's fiscal year 2019 budget. Her department cut 10 percent from last year's budget bring it in line with the president's penny-pinching goals. 
She said Wednesday her budget request included $13.2 billion to help states 'ensure students with disabilities have the resources and supports they need,' and insisted that the 50-year-old Special Olympics should be funded by private donors like most other non-governmental charities.
The Special Olympics 2017 annual report showed $144 million of income, including $113 million from individual, corporate and foundation donors.  
As she came under attack on Thursday in the U.S. Senate, the Cabinet official said she wasn't the one who recommended the cuts, throwing the White House under the proverbial bus.


Sen. Roy Blunt, the chairman of the subcommittee she was testifying before, made it clear that he would not support cuts, pushing back on the executive branch request, as well.
So did House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who said Thursday to reporters, 'No. I fully support Special Olympics.'
Maria Shriver, the wife of former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and sister of Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver, unloaded on DeVos in a series of tweets on Wednesday that fueled a bitter controversy over how much is enough.
The Shrivers' mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded Special Olympics in 1968. It's the world's largest sports competition for children and adults with disabilities.
'This is outrageous in every way. Let's let our voices be heard. No cutting @SpecialOlympics,' Mrs. Shriver tweeted. 


+18



Maria Shriver, whose mother founded the group and whose brother is its chairman, unloaded on DeVos







+18



Special Olympics, founded in 1968, is the world's largest sports competition for children and adults with disabilities


+18


The Special Olympics 2017 annual report showed $144 million of income, including $113 million from individual, corporate and foundation donors and more than $15 million from the U.S. federal government
Zeroing out the $17.6 million in Special Olympics grants would save taxpayers roughty the same amount of money the government spends on five of President Donald Trump's repeated trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort club in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Government Accountability Office reported in February that just those trips cost roughly $3.4 million each – approximately $1 million per day.
As the outrage spread at the speed of the Internet, Mrs. Shriver tweeted at DeVos, first lady Melania Trump and second lady Karen Pence: 'You have been at our @SpecialOlympics games. Don't try to balance our nation's budget on the back of those with special needs. Not your best.' 
By mid-afternoon she broadened her outrage to flag Democrats in the race to challenge President Trump. 
'I'd love to hear from those running for president regarding @BetsyDeVosED @SpecialOlympics budget cuts,' Mrs. Shriver wrote. 'This is a values question: Who are we as a nation? What & whom do we value? What does inclusion mean to us? What are the rights of those with specials needs?' 
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, one of the Democratic 2020 hopefuls, swung hard. 
'[P]roposed cuts to @SpecialOlympics by Betsy DeVos are an affront to our values,' Klobuchar wrote on Twitter. 'Kids with disabilities can't write checks & thus got on the chopping block. But their power comes from the people. I will fight these cuts.'





+18




+18


Mrs. Shriver vented on Twitter, challenging Melania Trump, Karen Pence and all of the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls to join in her outrage


+18



More than 7,000 athletes from 170 countries competed in 24 summer sports at this year's Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, along with 2,500 coaches and 20,000 volunteers 


+18


Darina Khrihova of Slovakia competed in the Special Olympics's 25 Meter breaststroke at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on March 18

[size=34]Betsy Devos's outrage at her critics following announcement of Special Olympics funding cut[/size]

+18


Secretary DeVos Corrects the Record on Trump Administration Support for Students with Disabilities
Following is a statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos:
'It is unacceptable, shameful and counterproductive that the media and some members of Congress have spun up falsehoods and fully misrepresented the facts.
'Make no mistake: we are focused every day on raising expectations and improving outcomes for infants and toddlers, children and youth with disabilities, and are committed to confronting and addressing anything that stands in the way of their success.
'The President's budget reflects that commitment. It supports our nation's 7 million students with disabilities through a $13.2 billion request for IDEA funding, the same funding level appropriated by Congress. All of that money goes directly to states to ensure students with disabilities have the resources and supports they need. The budget also requests an additional $225.6 million for competitively awarded grants to support teacher preparation, research and technical assistance to support students with disabilities.
'The Special Olympics is not a federal program. It's a private organization. I love its work, and I have personally supported its mission. Because of its important work, it is able to raise more than $100 million every year. There are dozens of worthy nonprofits that support students and adults with disabilities that don't get a dime of federal grant money. But given our current budget realities, the federal government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations.'



Blunt vowed on Wednesday to block the de-funding request in the Senate's final budget.
'I'm a longtime supporter of Special Olympics and proud that Missouri is home to the largest Special Olympics training facility in the world,' Blunt said in a statement. 'I was just at the World Games and saw, as I have many times before, what a huge impact the organization has on athletes, their families, and their communities.'
He insisted: 'Our Department of Education appropriations bill will not cut funding for the program.' 
Timothy Shriver told MSNBC on Wednesday that without the federal government's money his organization would have to discontinue 'what we are doing in schools to end social isolation' for intellectually disabled students.
'We just disagree,' he said of the administration's proposal.


+18


Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was among the Democratic presidential hopefuls to pile on DeVos this week


+18


Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver tols MSNBC on Wednesday that he disagrees with Devos's proposed funding cuts


+18



Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, pictured with Timothy Shriver in 2010, said he would block the Special Olympics funding cut when the federal budget gets to the U.S. Senate
According to Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who chaired the subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, the three education budgets written by President Trump's administration have proposed the largest cuts to education funding since the department's creation in 1979.

The late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, pictured in 2000, founded Special Olympics in 1968
DeLauro called the budget a 'cruel and reckless,' proposal that 'will hurt the middle class and low-income families that most need our help.'
'How can you support this budget? I mean that genuinely,' she said. 
'As secretary of the Department of Education, how can you support, even boast, about taking 10 per cent ... away from our teachers and students?'
The latest Education Department budget proposal includes a $2 billion reduction for Pell Grants, along with billions more for about 30 other programs.
It already had a slim chance of being approved by Democrats who control the House of Representatives. 
ADVERTISEMENT

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6872519/Tiffany-Trumps-spring-break-vacation-Serbia-cost-taxpayers-23-000.html

[size=34]Tiffany Trump’s spring break vacation to Serbia to 'see billionaire heir boyfriend Michael Boulos' cost taxpayers at least $23,000[/size]

• Tiffany Trump’s spring break vacation to Serbia cost taxpayers at least $23,000 
  
  
• She travelled to the country’s capital of Belgrade from March 7 to March 16
  
  
• The university student gets complete Secret Service protection when she travels
  
  

By JESSICA GREEN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 05:08 EDT, 1 April 2019 | UPDATED: 08:33 EDT, 1 April 2019

     





+3


Tiffany Trump pictured during her trip to Serbia in March
Tiffany Trump’s spring break vacation to Serbia cost taxpayers at least $23,000.
President Donald Trump's youngest daughter travelled to the country’s capital of Belgrade from March 7 to March 16 as she enjoyed some time off from her second years studies at Georgetown Law School.
And according to a purchase order from the State Department, the 25-year-old requested $23,000 for her stay at the Square Nine hotel - which offers rooms from $300 a night to $1,600.

As a members of Trump’s immediate family, the university student gets complete Secret Service protection when she travels, despite not being on official state business.
Dubbed a ‘VIP’ and a Senior High Level US Government Principal, the purchase order explained that the funds would be used on security, communications, logistics, and operations while in Belgrade.




+3


President Donald Trump's youngest daughter (pictured together in 2016) spring break vacation to Serbia cost taxpayers at least $23,000 (£17,600)
It said that the money would be used for 120 hotel rooms as 12 rooms per night were booked for the 10-night trip.
It is thought Trump travelled to the Eastern European country to see her boyfriend, billionaire construction heir Michael Boulos.
However it is unclear if he also stayed at the Square Nine hotel.
The pair met on vacation in Mykonos over the summer, less than a year after Tiffany called it quits with her ex-boyfriend Ross Mechanic in late 2017.




+3



It is thought Trump travelled to the Eastern European country to see her boyfriend, billionaire construction heir Michael Boulos, as he posted a photo to Instagram from Serbia at the same time as her trip (pictured together in February 2019)
Michael's family is of Lebanese descent, and while he was raised in Lagos, he is now based in London.
The first daughter appeared to be having a blast taking in the sights in Belgrade as she took to Instagram during her trip to share a photo of herself posing next to a statue of the late Karl Malden, an American actor with Serb heritage.
Meanwhile, Presidential travel costs have often been the criticised, including those of former President Barack Obama and Trump.
Before entering office, Trump tweeted his annoyance over the funds used for Presidential travel, writing: ‘I say we cannot continue to let Obama fly around on Air Force 1, at a cost of millions of dollars a day, for the purpose of politics & play!’

This is very interesting!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47776964