ComplexDataLab/Misinfo_Datasets · Datasets at Hugging Face

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the crowd gathered in the streets outside the oc fair & event center as trump addressed several thousand supporters at the center's amphitheater. at least one police car was damaged and several scuffles broke out amid the hectic scene. protesters blocked a main intersection, impeding traffic, and officers with the orange county sheriff's department and costa mesa police department worked to disperse the crowd, ordering protesters out of the streets. about 20 people were arrested, the orange county sheriff's department tweeted late thursday night after the protests had cleared. lt. mark stichter, the sheriff's department's public information officer, could not provide an official estimate on the number of protesters, but demonstrators could be seen filling the intersection of fairview road and fair drive. several scuffles broke out between trump supporters who were leaving the rally and people in the streets who accused them of being racists. one trump supporter was visibly bloodied after being punched in the face. a @realdonaldtrump supporter just got punched in the face as a scuffle broke out in the street: pic.twitter.com/3h3fllm3v3 <u+2014> jeremy diamond (@jdiamond1) april 29, 2016 several people damaged a police car, smashing its back window before jumping on it and kicking its doors. as a crowd formed around the car, police officers in tactical and riot gear moved into action, forming a perimeter around the crowd before forcing the demonstrators to move down the road. people jumping on police car outside @realdonaldtrump rally. window smashed few minutes earlier pic.twitter.com/sosfarqevr <u+2014> jeremy diamond (@jdiamond1) april 29, 2016 while some demonstrators shouted insults and slurs at police officers, others focused on delivering a message of protest against the republican front-runner's rhetoric. several protesters told cnn they were demonstrating against trump's rhetoric on illegal immigration. some were seen carrying mexican flags as they marched in the street. other demonstrators shouted insults and slurs at police officers. "i'm against trump's nativist and nationalistic agenda, which divides people and is very hateful of the other," he said. while banuelos simply marched through the streets, he called the property damage and anger some demonstrators expressed friday night "the symptom of hate speech" and said he did not believe any individuals were taking advantage of the protest. "i think people are tired of these messages of hate," she said.

protesters take to streets after trump rally in california

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leaders of gulf nations unnerved by washington's nuclear talks with iran and tehran's meddling across the mideast look to president barack obama to promise more than words and weapons at thursday's camp david summit. they want commitments from obama that the united states has their backs at a time when the region is under siege from islamic extremists, syria continues to unravel, iraq is volatile and yemen is in chaos. "i think we are looking for some form of security guarantee, given the behavior of iran in the region, given the rise of the extremist threat. we definitely want a stronger relationship," said yousef al qtaiba, the united arab emirates' ambassador to the united states. "in the past, we have survived with a gentleman's agreement with the united states about security. i think today, we need something in writing. we need something institutionalized." what are the expectations for obama's meetings with gulf cooperation council countries <u+2014> saudi arabia, kuwait, united arab emirates, qatar, bahrain and oman? weapons sales. a renewed call for a coordinated missile defense system. more joint military exercises. better cooperation on cybersecurity, as well as maritime or border security. making the countries' defense systems work in concert. "i don't believe there's a single gcc country that doesn't think a defense shield for the region is a bad idea. i think everyone's on board," qtaiba said. "the challenge is how do you turn on a regional defense system when different countries are purchasing different equipment and at different paces? how do you link it? how do you get the radars to talk to each other?" a high-level saudi official told the associated press in riyadh that his country wants a defense system and military cooperation similar to what the u.s. affords israel. the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to disclose details of the saudis' wish list at the summit, said they also want access to high-tech military equipment, missiles, planes and satellites, as well as more technology and training cooperation with the u.s. the u.s. and five other nations are working to finalize a deal intended to stop iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for easing penalties that are choking the iranian economy. the white house says the gulf countries would be better off with an agreement that blocks iran's path to an atomic weapon. but the nuclear deal is not the only source of unease. arab allies feel threatened by iran's rising influence and they fear a nuclear pact will embolden tehran. they worry that the deal would unlock billions of dollars that iran might decide to use to further intrude in countries or support terrorist proxies. sen. john mccain, chairman of the senate armed services committee, said obama will have to work hard to convince the arab allies that they do not need to fear fallout from any nuclear deal. "right now they feel that they have no support from this administration so he has a steep hill to climb," said mccain, pointing to saudi arabia's decision to act unilaterally in yemen. mccain, r-ariz., said that's why the saudis gave gen. lloyd austin, head of the u.s. central command, only "an hour's notice they were going to strike yemen." saudi arabia has led airstrikes against iranian-backed rebels who have toppled the yemeni government. secretary of state john kerry is optimistic, but declines to say exactly what kind of reassurances obama is prepared to offer at camp david. "i can just tell you in general terms that they have to do with the intensifying and strengthening of the security-military relationship between the united states of america and the gulf cooperation council countries, as well as dealing with new challenges that we face in the region, foremost of which is the iranian interference in the affairs of the countries of the region," kerry said friday in paris. he said u.s. officials were fleshing out a series of commitments that will create a "new security understanding, a new set of security initiatives," standing by his side, saudi foreign minister adel al-jubeir said he expected the summit would lead to ways that "joint action will be more effective and more expansive in all areas, whether it relates to cybersecurity or defense against ballistic missiles or military training or equipping." sen. lindsey graham of south carolina, chairman of the senate panel overseeing foreign aid, warns against the u.s. offering a massive arms package in exchange for gulf nations' support of a nuclear deal. graham, r-s.c., said he isn't opposed to upgrading the military capabilities of arab allies, but "if it has a hint of being connected to the iran deal, i will do everything i can to make sure they never get one bullet or one plane." jon alterman at the center for strategic and international studies in washington wonders if there is anything the united states can do that would reassure the gulf states when it comes to iranian expansionism in the region. "it seems to me that where they most want reassurance is where the u.s. is both least able and most unwilling to provide it," he said. "my guess is that the summit is going to leave everybody feeling a little bit unsatisfied."

obama to try to allay gulf nation leaders' fears about iran

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vice president joe biden, in germany this weekend to help reach a diplomatic solution to russian aggression in ukraine, said ukrainians <u+201c>have a right to defend themselves" but did not address the possibility of the united states sending weapons to them. biden is in munich with secretary of state john kerry to back the german-french diplomatic effort, which he says is "very much worth the attempt." biden said he and other u.s. leaders think they should <u+201c>attempt an honorable peace" but that they also believe the ukrainian people "have a right to defend themselves." he suggested that the impact of economic sanctions imposed on russia for its actions will get worse if leaders refuses to accept a peaceful resolution and continue to escalate the conflict, the white house said saturday. russian military forces started taking control of parts of eastern ukraine in late-february 2014, after protesters and other ukrainian residents helped oust moscow-backed president viktor yanukovych. and within weeks, russian began its ultimately successful effort to annex the eastern ukraine region of crimea. in response to recent calls in washington and kiev for the u.s. to give the outgunned ukrainians such lethal weapons as anti-tank and anti-mortar systems to fight russian-backed separatists, moscow said earlier this week that such a move would be a threat to its national security. while in munich, biden also met with ukrainian president petro poroshenko to discuss the diplomatic efforts and to pledge u.s. support for the ukraine economy as it pursues reforms, according to the white house. still, biden remains skeptical about whether russian officials will comply with a diplomatic solution, saying they will be judged by their actions on the ground, "not by the paper they sign." german chancellor angela merkel and french president francois hollande traveled to kiev on thursday and moscow on friday. they are trying to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict based on the sept. 24, 2014, minsk agreements. poroshenko is pushing for a quick cease-fire and insists that the conflict must be resolved, not frozen. "there is no temporary solution,<u+201d> he said at the munich security conference, amid the flurry of international diplomacy to calm the ukraine conflict. poroshenko also renewed kiev's call to be provided with defensive weapons, something that's opposed by european countries. the associated press contributed to this report.

biden says ukrainians 'have a right to defend themselves,' mum on us sending weapons

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the announcement by house speaker john boehner that he is retiring at the end of october stunned washington where life is all about grabbing power and holding on to it, often until death they do part. at a meeting with reporters, boehner said, <u+201c>my first job as speaker is to protect the institution.<u+201d> really? is that why ohio voters sent him to washington in 16 elections and his republican colleagues elected and re-elected him speaker? did he take an oath to preserve, protect and defend the institution of the house or the constitution, which, if followed, offers protection enough? in 2010, i interviewed boehner when he was minority leader and i asked him to cite the most important lesson he learned when republicans lost their hard-won house majority in 2006. he replied, <u+201c>our team failed to live up to our own principles.<u+201d> failing to live up to gop principles, indeed, failing to articulate what those principles are, was largely the reason for the increase in conservative members who then demanded either action or the speaker<u+2019>s head. they got his head. whether that means his successor will do a better job is open to question. on july 28, rep. mark meadows (r-n.c.) expressed the frustration of many conservatives by filing a <u+201c>motion to vacate the chair,<u+201d> for the purpose of ousting boehner from the speakership. meadows<u+2019> resolution charged boehner with using <u+201c>the power of the office to punish members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the speaker,<u+201d> providing for <u+201c>voice votes on consequential and controversial legislation to be taken without notice and with few members present,<u+201d> using <u+201c>the legislative calendar to create crises for the american people, in order to compel members to vote for legislation<u+201d> and failing to comply with <u+201c>the spirit of the rules of the house of representatives, which provide that members shall have three days to review legislation before voting.<u+201d> that last one had been a promise made by republicans, should voters return them to a congressional majority. most conservatives understand that with a democrat in the white house and an insufficient gop congressional majority to override presidential vetoes they can<u+2019>t always, or maybe even mostly, have their way. but they would like to see republicans at least employ some of the tactics democrats shamelessly use when they hold the majority, such as the <u+201c>nuclear option<u+201d> employed in the senate in 2013, which allowed a majority vote instead of a <u+201c>supermajority<u+201d> to advance confirmation votes on judicial nominees and executive branch appointments. at a minimum, conservative members want to see their convictions articulated by the leadership and to fight the left with conviction in hopes that getting their positions heard will influence voters. instead, in too many instances, conservatives have seen their views ignored and the republican leadership in both houses knuckle under to democrats out of fear of being called names or getting blamed for a government shutdown. former speaker newt gingrich notes that previous government shutdowns over matters of principle worked in republicans<u+2019> favor, notwithstanding how they were portrayed by the media. in an email to me, he writes: <u+201c>we closed the government twice in 1995 and <u+2019>96 and became the first re-elected house republican majority since 1928. our supporters realized we were serious and rewarded us for the effort. the republicans closed the government in 2013 and won a big election in 2014.<u+201d> in my 2010 interview, boehner bemoaned the size and cost of big government, saying, <u+201c>i came here for a smaller, less costly and more accountable government and that has not been what<u+2019>s happening. we don<u+2019>t need any more programs; we need to undo a lot of programs.<u+201d> on boehner<u+2019>s watch, the debt has increased nearly $4 trillion, according to figures published by the u.s. treasury. it is one of many reasons conservative voters are increasingly fed-up with congress and for the rise of <u+201c>outside<u+201d> presidential candidates. the frustration cuts both ways and it is also a major reason boehner has decided now is the time to hang it up before meadows<u+2019> resolution can be put to a vote. cal thomas is america's most widely syndicated op-ed columnist. he joined fox news channel in 1997 as a political contributor.<u+00a0>his latest book is "what works: common sense solutions for a stronger america" is available in bookstores now. readers may email cal thomas at [email protected].

john boehner and the failure to live up to conservative principles

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congratulations, republicans! you won the senate majority! now, can you hold on to it for more than two years? looking at the 2016 senate map, there<u+2019>s reason for doubt. republicans will have to defend 24 seats, compared with 10 for democrats. and the raw numbers don<u+2019>t even tell the whole story. seven seats held by republicans <u+2014> florida, illinois, iowa, new hampshire, ohio, pennsylvania and wisconsin <u+2014> were carried by president obama in 2008 and 2012. and there is chatter about potential republican retirements in arizona and iowa. if either john mccain or chuck grassley decided to call it a career, each of those races would be major democratic targets. on the other side of the coin, republican takeover opportunities are few and far between. by far, the most endangered democrat is senate majority leader harry reid, who survived in 2010 but could face nevada gov. brian sandoval (r), who won a second term tuesday with more than 70 percent of the vote. reid has said he will run again, although his demotion from majority leader to minority leader might make him rethink those plans. the only other democrat who starts the 2016 cycle in serious jeopardy is freshman michael bennet (colo.), who, like reid, was a surprise winner in 2010. the convincing win by cory gardner (r) over sen. mark udall (d) on tuesday in the rocky mountain state will undoubtedly energize republicans, though it<u+2019>s less clear what the gop bench looks like in a race against bennet. outside of those two seats, there<u+2019>s almost no vulnerability on the democratic side. even if sen. barbara boxer (calif.) or barbara mikulski (md.) decide not to run again, both sit in very, very democratic states <u+2014> particularly at the federal level. to win back the senate majority in two years, democrats will probably need to net four (if they hold the white house in 2016) or five (if they don<u+2019>t) seats. republicans control 52 senate seats in the 114th congress, but sen. mark begich (d) is behind by 8,000 votes in alaska and is likely to lose, and chances for sen. mary landrieu (d) don<u+2019>t look great in louisiana<u+2019>s dec. 6 runoff. gaining five seats is not out of the question for democrats <u+2014> though it might be a bit of a stretch <u+2014> given the senate map of 2016. of the 10 most vulnerable seats listed below, republicans hold eight. the no.<u+00a0>1 race is the most likely to flip party control in 2016. 10. kentucky (republican-controlled): as tuesday<u+2019>s election showed, kentucky isn<u+2019>t exactly fertile ground for democrats. but something interesting happened even as mitch mcconnell walloped alison lundergan grimes: democrats held on to their majority in the state house. that means sen. rand paul (r-ky.) can<u+2019>t count on changing state law to be able to run for president and senate at the same time. hence, a possible open seat. 9. florida (r): sen. marco rubio (r) has suggested that he won<u+2019>t run for both president and reelection to the senate in 2016. if he pursues the former and isn<u+2019>t on the senate ballot, this becomes an open-seat race in a true swing state in a presidential year <u+2014> in other words, a good opportunity for democrats. if rubio passes on a white house bid or drops out with enough time to mount a senate bid, republicans would probably feel better about holding this seat. 8. ohio (r): sen. rob portman is one of several republican members of congress who have been mentioned (or mentioned themselves) as possible white house contenders. so, this could end up being an open seat. if portman decides to run for reelection, his deep connections to donors through his work as national republican senatorial committee vice chairman should ensure that he will be a financial behemoth. portman is not terribly polarizing, and there is no obvious democratic recruit waiting in the wings. 7. new hampshire (r): the granite state was one of the few bright spots for democrats nationally as sen. jeanne shaheen (d) beat back a challenge from scott brown. it could be a senate battleground again in two years if gov. maggie hassan (d), who won reelection tuesday with 53 percent of the vote, decides to take on freshman sen. kelly ayotte (r). there is also considerable chatter among conservative activists about a primary challenge to ayotte, though it remains to be seen whether a serious one might materialize. and, just to make things more complicated, ayotte is likely to be in the vice presidential mix no matter who wins the republican presidential nomination. 6. north carolina (r): the gop picked off a seat here tuesday. it<u+2019>s safe to assume, however, that if the environment wasn<u+2019>t so good for the gop, kay hagan would still be a senator come january. her colleague, sen. richard burr (r) is up for reelection in 2016, and even if he doesn<u+2019>t retire <u+2014> he has raised very little money the past two years, which is usually a precursor to retirement <u+2014> he is likely to find himself targeted. 5. colorado (democrat ic-controlled): bennet probably doesn<u+2019>t want to think about 2016 yet. he just finished a stint as chairman of the democratic senatorial campaign committee, during which his party lost the senate majority and he became the first chairman in more than four decades to lose a home-state colleague in the process. but bennet won by the narrowest of margins in 2010 and probably would have lost had ken buck, the republican candidate, not said some unhelpful things. 4. pennsylvania (r): 2010 was about as good a year as a republican could hope for in pennsylvania. and sen. pat toomey (r) still won with only 51<u+00a0>percent of the vote. in a presidential year, toomey<u+2019>s challenge will be even more serious. republicans haven<u+2019>t carried the keystone state at the presidential level since 1988. one thing working in toomey<u+2019>s favor: a relatively weak democratic bench. state attorney general kathleen kane apparently has no interest in running for the senate. the only person actively looking at a bid is former congressman joe sestak, who lost to toomey in 2010. 3. illinois (r): the first big question that needs to get answered in this race is whether sen. mark kirk (r) will run again. kirk, who suffered a severe stroke in early 2012, has insisted that he plans to seek a second term, but even some republicans are taking a wait-and-see approach. democratic speculation <u+2014> matter what kirk does <u+2014> will center on state attorney general lisa madigan, but she seems a much more likely 2018 challenger to gov.-elect bruce rauner (r). assuming madigan is a no-go, look for rep.<u+00a0>tammy duckworth to be at the top of democratic wish lists. 2. nevada (d): reid will soon no longer be majority leader. the question is whether he wants to be minority leader and whether he sticks around. he<u+2019>s got bad approval numbers and is staring at a potential matchup with sandoval. tuesday<u+2019>s election was actually pretty big here. not only did sandoval cruise to reelection with 71 percent of the vote <u+2014> 71<u+00a0>percent! <u+2014> the gop also cruised in the lieutenant governor<u+2019>s race, a huge proxy war that reid badly wanted to win. that means sandoval can run in 2016 without worrying about the governor<u+2019>s seat going to a democrat. 1. wisconsin (r): sen. ron johnson starts the 2016 election cycle as the most vulnerable senator on the map. he<u+2019>s undefined in the eyes of many, and he<u+2019>s running in a state that has gone democratic in seven straight presidential elections. to boot, there are rumors that democrat russ feingold, whom johnson unseated in 2010, may run.

republicans face challenge in holding on to senate majority in 2016

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texas sen. ted cruz has apparently had enough of the fig leaf most presidential candidates wear as their unofficial spring costume the year before the election actually happens. that is a bold stroke, but entirely in keeping with the go-for-broke style the junior senator from texas has exhibited since first challenging the republican establishment's candidate for the senate in 2012. cruz, who officially announced his candidacy for president in a midnight monday tweet and video, has not been the buzz candidate so far in the party's 2016 discussions <u+2014> nor the media's. in fact, he has seemed at times a bit of a faded rose, a skyrocket that spent much of its sparkle. there was the debacle over his brinkmanship in the 2013 government shutdown. that was followed by countless run-ins with republican colleagues in the senate. but cruz is still a barnburner on the hustings and a potential game changer in the presidential contest. while he is not among the leaders in national polls of republicans, he has an undeniable appeal to the base voters, who dominate in primaries <u+2014> especially in red states. and polls at this stage are largely meaningless. so it makes sense for him to step out early and go big doing it. in fact, there are at least five good reasons for him to make his move as the first major full-fledged candidate. 1. cruz needs to cut through the noise and confusion created by the expanding gop field. given all the talk on the right about finding a fresh face, why not give the media one relatively fresh face to focus on right now? in recent days, the campaign theme on the republican side has been, "the more the merrier." that may be great grist for the media's mill <u+2014> as we love to do candidate profiles and lists that look like brackets for the ncaa basketball tournament. but that's not helping cruz. as static about countless prospective candidacies has grown, cruz has struggled to get his signal through. cruz had hoped his status as the enfant terrible of the senate's backbench would make him newsworthy in early 2015. but right now that distinction has been commandeered by sen. tom cotton of arkansas, who is seven years younger than cruz (and has been in the senate less than three months). 2. getting in first should help cruz raise money. the biggest challenge facing cruz at the moment is money. and the fastest way to raise real money is to get out there with a real campaign and ask for it. his home state is one of the top sources of political money, of course, as it has been for decades. but cruz is competing for texas donors with former gov. rick perry, who has been aggressive about locking down oil money and other wealthy politicos in the lone star state, much as he did in his first campaign four years ago. rand paul also has a claim on many texas dollars, having grown up in the state his father served in congress. the paul name is still highly revered by many texas conservatives. jeb bush and other candidates will also find adherents here, so cruz needs to defend his home court aggressively. 3. skipping the "exploratory committee" phase cuts through the usual persiflage that surrounds nascent candidacies. if you're running and you know it, why not say so? real men needn't horse around with exploratory committees. aren't average news consumers confused by the dance of seven veils that all those coy candidates perform every four years? more serious students of the process may appreciate the nuances and legal uses of shadow campaigns, but even they often find them to be annoying ploys to prompt multiple "announcement" stories. so dispensing with this business serves not only to elevate the seriousness of the cruz bid, but also to reinforce his image as a straight shooter, a regular guy who calls things by their right names. the cruz campaign manifesto, just now hitting the stores, is titled a time for truth. 4. the early declaration bolsters cruz's bid to be the standard-bearer for the party's conservative activists. there are many wannabes who'd like to run in this lane. indeed, only a few are going the other way and appealing to the straight-up establishment side of the party (jeb bush, chris christie, marco rubio). so, to hold off the legion of competitors on the right, cruz needs to break the tape and stand apart from the mere prospects, such as rick santorum, mike pence, mike huckabee, bobby jindal and others who would be his natural rivals on the right, if they decide to run. getting in early may discourage some of this crowd <u+2014> and also serve to eclipse some of the boutique candidates such as ben carson and carly fiorina. 5. the sooner cruz gets in, the longer his long-shot candidacy will last. even if he is washed up after the first four voting events, he will have had 10 months of formal candidacy now that he's in. that should be enough not only to test the market but to maximize his media exposure. not all his media attention will be positive, of course, but cruz thrives on attacks and uses them to enhance his credentials as a crusader for the cause. it might well serve cruz to battle through the first few primaries, bow out relatively early and return as a ticket-balancer at convention time. the most overlooked element of the presidential nominating game is that it has two winners: the presidential nominee and the running mate. the candidates always deny interest in it, but scarcely anyone ever turns down the vp spot when it's offered. there is no better springboard to the top of the national ticket than the lower half of that ticket.

5 reasons cruz announced his candidacy early

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rep. mark meadows (r-n.c.) has been able to count on his facebook page for stalwart support during his long-running battle with the house republican leadership, including a successful effort to oust house speaker john a. boehner (r-ohio). <u+201c>keep up the great work,<u+201d> read a comment posted last week. <u+201c>we the people thank you for ridding us of john boehner!<u+201d> but in recent days, the tone of the comments on meadows<u+2019>s page, and those of the other members of the hard-right house freedom caucus, have changed significantly. <u+201c>you truly should be ashamed,<u+201d> one commenter wrote thursday. <u+201c>the people in the caucus will be held responsible come election day.<u+201d> <u+201c>you should all be replaced,<u+201d> a critic told rep. barry loudermilk (r-ga.). another called rep. ra<u+00fa>l r. labrador (r-idaho), one of the most persistent thorns in boehner<u+2019>s side, <u+201c>a rino establishment lap dog<u+201d> and <u+201c>another go-along to get along phony who will gladly step on the throats of the conservative electorate.<u+201d> things may never be the same for the freedom caucus after most of its members moved last week to support rep. paul ryan (r-wis.) as the next house speaker. suddenly, they may not be conservative enough for some in the party. the groundswell of support from hard-core conservative voters that emboldened the group as it battled boehner and the gop establishment seemed to subside for the first time in months. that has put its members in the unfamiliar position of defending their right flank. <u+201c>look, i imagine that there<u+2019>s theoretically a chance that [we] all went from being radical extremist crazies to washington sellouts in 12 hours,<u+201d> said rep. mick mulvaney (r-s.c.), a freedom caucus leader. <u+201c>but maybe a more likely narrative is that we really think that this is a good step for the conservative movement. and it<u+2019>s up to us to try to explain that to people, and that<u+2019>s what we<u+2019>ve been doing.<u+201d> they would seem to have a lot of explaining to do. the anger over ryan<u+2019>s ascent has been fueled by voices across the conservative media landscape. on the internet, sites such as breitbart.com and the drudge report have pumped out a steady stream of anti-ryan stories casting doubt on his record, while such prominent commentators as erick erickson, ann coulter and mickey kaus have sharpened their teeth and urged conservatives to contact lawmakers and tell them to spurn ryan. particularly brutal have been the syndicated talk-radio hosts who have helped foment the anti-establishment outrage that has kept donald trump atop the gop presidential race and forced jeb bush, a well-financed mainstream conservative, to undertake a campaign shake-up. laura ingraham last week called ryan <u+201c>basically john boehner with better abs<u+201d> and featured segment after segment attacking ryan<u+2019>s positions on trade and immigration. she also mocked his desire to spend his weekends with his family. another influential host, mark levin, lambasted ryan as a creature of the establishment elite. <u+201c>i think it<u+2019>s time, ladies and gentlemen, to choose a speaker from outside the house of representatives,<u+201d> he told his audience wednesday. <u+201c>this is the best the republican establishment can do; it<u+2019>s just not good enough.<u+201d> and the biggest conservative talker of them all, rush limbaugh, on thursday called ryan a favorite of the republican <u+201c>donor class<u+201d> and <u+201c>the new cantor<u+201d> <u+2014> a reference to former house majority leader eric cantor, who was ousted last year in a gop primary. meanwhile, the man who did the ousting <u+2014> rep. dave brat (r-va.) <u+2014> counts himself among the roughly 70 percent of freedom caucus members who say they are willing to support ryan. <u+201c>when they make decisions, it<u+2019>s not in haste,<u+201d> brat said of the caucus. <u+201c>and so i would ask the american people: hold your fire. wait till you see exactly what our group is doing, and i think you<u+2019>ll see that it<u+2019>s coherent, it makes sense.<u+201d> one problem for brat and his freedom caucus colleagues is that ryan has remained mum for the most part on his intentions. when he spoke to the house republican conference on tuesday, ryan set out conditions for agreeing to serve as speaker, including an end to the house rule allowing a speaker to be ousted by a simple majority. ryan appeared to soften on that point in meetings with lawmakers later in the week, and freedom caucus members say ryan privately discussed other concessions, including a restructuring of the house republican steering committee and adherence to the <u+201c>hastert rule<u+201d> requiring a majority of republicans to support any measure put on the floor. but ryan mentioned none of those items in the letter he sent to colleagues thursday agreeing to serve. he opted instead for gauzy generalities: <u+201c>we can make the house a more open and inclusive body <u+2014> one where every member can contribute to the legislative process. we can rally house republicans around a bold agenda that will tackle the country<u+2019>s problems head on. and we can show the country what a common-sense conservative agenda looks like.<u+201d> that has left a cadre of tea party insurgents, most elected no more than five years ago, in the position of defending their willingness to trust implicitly a 17-year incumbent with a long record of negotiating spending deals with democrats and backing immigration reform measures that are deeply unpopular on the right. the latter has proved to be especially toxic for ryan in conservative circles, to the point that his chief partner in pushing reform legislation, rep. luis v. gutierrez (d-ill.), said he <u+201c>had republican members who are friends of mine saying: <u+2018>don<u+2019>t say anything good about paul ryan! don<u+2019>t say anything at all about paul ryan!<u+2019><u+200a><u+201d> <u+201c>there<u+2019>s a small group that wields an inordinate influence and power over the group,<u+201d> gutierrez added. <u+201c>they are slaves and captives to laura ingraham.<u+201d> meadows said thursday that he and like-minded members were more concerned that ryan might have made contradictory pledges to different groups while courting support last week. and he suggested that ryan might be at risk of fraying the house gop anew if he didn<u+2019>t make a clearer statement before thursday<u+2019>s speaker vote. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s important that a down payment be made in order to keep that supermajority intact,<u+201d> he said. a handful of house hard-liners, perhaps 10 to 15, remain proudly outside the pro-ryan camp; most continue to back rep. daniel webster (r-fla.), a backbencher who has emphasized procedural reforms. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t know what they<u+2019>re thinking, really,<u+201d> rep. thomas massie (r-ky.), a webster backer, said of the freedom caucus. <u+201c>if you<u+2019>ve got problems with a man today, and the man tells you, <u+2018>tomorrow, i<u+2019>ll be a different person<u+2019> <u+2014> it doesn<u+2019>t happen,<u+201d> said rep. walter b. jones (r-n.c.), who said he has received more than 100 calls over two days from constituents opposing ryan. but others say they are willing to take the heat from the base. commentators and activists might be exercised about ryan<u+2019>s immigration positions, they say, but lawmakers are more focused on how he<u+2019>ll run the house. rep. matt salmon (r-ariz.) noted that webster, whom the freedom caucus had previously endorsed for speaker, is not considered to be particularly conservative. <u+201c>it never was about the most perfect guy with the most perfect voting record; it<u+2019>s about the person that<u+2019>s willing to govern in a way that allows conservative ideas to at least come to the forefront, which he has said he is willing to do,<u+201d> salmon said. <u+201c>i think conservatives all over the country ought to be doing cartwheels. .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. we<u+2019>ve been dealing with eating crumbs off the table. now we<u+2019>ve got an opportunity to sit at the table and actually partake in the meal.<u+201d> some simply say they are confident that their constituents will trust them to make the right decision. rep. ken buck (r-colo.) said calls to his office were running 2 to 1 against ryan, but he said passions were at <u+201c>a much lower level<u+201d> than after he voted for boehner in january. asked thursday if he expects pitchforks back home, buck said he did not: <u+201c>i<u+2019>m the guy with the pitchfork.<u+201d>

fuming over ryan, some conservative voices turn on the freedom caucus

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as demonstrations<u+00a0>erupted in cologne on saturday over new year's eve sexual assaults and robberies blamed largely on foreigners,<u+00a0>chancellor angela merkel called<u+00a0>for stricter laws regulating asylum seekers. merkel, who has been<u+00a0>particularly outspoken in welcoming refugees to germany, told a two-day meeting of the christian democrats in mainz that<u+00a0>tighter restrictions would be "in the interest of citizens, but also in the interests of the great majority of the refugees who are here,<u+201d><u+00a0>deutsche presse-agentur reported. "when crimes are committed, and people place themselves outside the law ... there must be consequences," she told reporters after the meeting, the bbc reported. party leaders agreed on a proposal to strengthen the ability of police to conduct checks of identity papers, and also to exclude foreigners from being granted asylum who had been convicted of crimes and sentenced to terms even<u+00a0>as light as probation. the measures would require approval by parliament. the sharper tone follows<u+00a0>reports in cologne<u+00a0>that some 1,000 men <u+2014><u+00a0>many intoxicated<u+00a0><u+2014><u+00a0>robbed, sexually assaulted and in some cases raped women during celebrations<u+00a0>on new year's eve. "refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, foreigners, friendly or evil, new or long-time residents: it doesn't matter," the newsmagazine<u+00a0>der spiegel<u+00a0>said in an editorial. "it seems as though the time has come for a broad debate over germany's future <u+2014> and merkel's mantra 'we can do it,'<u+00a0>is no longer enough to suppress it." police initially identified the suspects as up to 1,000 men "of middle eastern origin,<u+201d> but later backtracked as public officials cautioned there was little information on whether those involved were migrants.<u+00a0>of the 32 suspects identified by police in cologne, 22 are asylum seekers, the german interior ministry said. one suspect was carrying a document with arabic-german translations of sexist phrases and threats, which mass-circulation tabloid bild published on saturday. as the uproar over the assaults gathered strength,<u+00a0>thousands of demonstrators, from the left and right, turned out in cologne for a day of protests saturday. the protesters included the anti-islamic<u+00a0>pegida<u+00a0>movement and the right-wing extremist pro cologne party.<u+00a0>at one point, police fired tear gas and used water cannon to break up a pegida rally after protesters threw firecrackers and bottles at officers, agence france-presse reported. one group carried signs saying, "no violence against women." another banner read,<u+00a0>"migrants out." demonstrators from the political left chanted, "say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here," buzzfeed reported. some 1,700 police, many in riot gear,<u+00a0>were on hand to control the crowds,<u+00a0>the dpa news agency reported.

germany's merkel backs tighter refugee rules amid sex assault protests

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notable names include ray washburne (commerce), a dallas-based investor, is reported to be under consideration to lead the department.

warring senate and house republicans see peacemaker in ryan

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san diego (cnn) hillary clinton is back in the golden state. bernie sanders, seemingly, has been living here. the former secretary of state begins a five-day swing through california on thursday that she hopes will result in a victory that convinces sanders and his supporters that it's time to unite against donald trump. but sanders shows no signs of going away. the vermont senator, who has used a bus to traverse the state, headlined over 27 rallies and forums last month, and is expected to have a jam packed schedule the week before tuesday's primary. clinton had planned to campaign this week in new jersey ahead of that state's tuesday primary, but the campaign decided instead to fly to san diego for a speech on foreign policy that will also go directly after trump, as well as tout her own experience as secretary of state. clinton will argue that the choice in 2016 "goes beyond partisanship" because trump is "unlike any presidential nominee we've seen in modern times and he is fundamentally unfit for the job," jake sullivan, clinton's senior policy adviser, said in a statement. the speech shows the predicament clinton is currently in: she is committing five days to battle sanders in california, a solidly democratic general election state, while also trying to focus on the presumptive gop nominee. "i wonder why secretary clinton and her husband bill are back in california," sanders sarcastically told reporters wednesday in spreckels, california. "i thought we had lost it. it was all over but i guess secretary clinton maybe is looking at some polling would suggest otherwise." the non-stop campaigning -- coupled with a small ad buy, dozens of surrogate events and targeted get out the vote efforts -- is more than clinton's senior aides expected to commit to california months ago. aides acknowledge clinton could lose the state, despite polls showing her up narrowly. internal polling has clinton up double digits in new jersey, aides said, and their thinking is that it "doesn't make sense" to be in the garden state while the race in california is still "tight." "clearly california is a big state and i am going to do everything i can to meet as many voters as possible," clinton told cnn on tuesday. "i was proud today to be endorsed by gov. jerry brown and we are going to keep working as diligently and tirelessly as we can to get as much voters to turn out and vote for me next tuesday." "i will tell you that in every state that we have gone into, we have taken on the entire democratic establishment," sanders said in response to a question about brown's endorsement. "it's not surprising to me that, you know, we will have the democratic establishment supporting hillary clinton." at the same time, the former secretary of state doesn't need to win california <u+2014> or even come that close <u+2014> to win the nomination on tuesday. clinton currently needs 70 delegates to clinch the democratic nomination, according to cnn's estimate, a number she is likely to win from the new jersey primary. because results from new jersey will come in hours before california, top aides assume that most news networks will call the democratic primary on tuesday before results come in from the west coast. and since delegates are awarded proportionally <u+2014> this isn't winner-take-all as some of the big gop contests were -- a sanders win in california wouldn't make a much of a dent in her lead. but clinton aides said they were aware that losing california to sanders would be embarrassing for her campaign and could hand the vermont senator the needed momentum to justify staying in the race through democratic convention in july. sanders has continued to rail on the superdelegate system throughout california, blasting the "democratic establishment" for allowing democratic elected officials and party insiders to have a vote in who the party nominates. "it is a pretty dumb system," sanders said in monterey, california on tuesday about the fact so many party insiders are behind clinton. "it's an unfair system, it's a dumb system, and it's a system we will change." but sanders, with a win in california, hopes he will be able to turn the system to his advantage. sanders and his aides have argued for weeks that a win in california will help the vermont senator convince super delegates currently backing clinton to support him instead. so far, though, the effort has been largely fruitless: clinton has maintained a sizeable superdelegate lead and sanders has only been able to flip one delegate. in an attempt to lower the stakes in california, the clinton campaign has instructed surrogates to say that they "expect" california to be a close contest, but to downplay its importance in picking the eventual nominee. "even if senator sanders wins each of the remaining contests by 32 points, hillary clinton will still have earned the majority of pledged delegates and popular vote," read talking points distributed to supporters on tuesday. clinton will continue to largely ignore sanders in california, aides said, a tactic clinton employed in late may during a string of events in los angeles and the bay area. her speech thursday will begin drawing from her record as secretary of state, defending what some republicans have said will be a liability for her in a race against trump. "she will reflect on her experience making the tough calls and doing the hard work of protecting our country," sullivan said. "she'll reaffirm her conviction that strong, principled american leadership makes both the united states and the world more secure." sullivan added: "and you will hear in her speech a confidence in america and our capacity to overcome the challenges we face while staying true to our values -- a strong contrast to donald trump's incessant trash-talking of america." sanders, however, is expected to continue to draw contrast with clinton as primary day in california gets closer. he spent wednesday hitting clinton for opposing an outright ban on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling tactic. "sec. clinton does not support a ban on fracking," sanders tweeted on wednesday. "instead, she would simply impose a few more regulations on it. not good enough."

bernie sanders, hillary clinton battle for california

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who's winning the 2016 race <u+2014> on facebook and twitter? while the 2016 presidential hopefuls are hitting the road in places like iowa, new hampshire and south carolina, the race is also taking off on social media. let's start with twitter: with nearly 3 million twitter followers, hillary clinton is way ahead of the other potential candidates: clinton only started tweeting in june 2013, and she tweets sparingly <u+2014> though she seems to be ramping up this week. it's a calculated mix of her opinions on political news, photos from her travels and work to empower women and girls as well as family photos. it was on twitter that she finally posted a long-anticipated response to her recent email debacle on march 4: "i want the public to see my email. i asked state to release them. they said they will review them for release as soon as possible." that tweet received more than 10,000 favorites. this week she got more political, weighing in on the house republicans' budget, and expressing frustration that the senate is stuck on a bill that would create a fund for human trafficking victims and is continuing to block loretta lynch's confirmation as attorney general. sen. rand paul of kentucky is taking the lead on facebook. paul's politician page has 1.9 million likes and 228,537 people were "talking" about him as of tuesday: in his facebook posts, he can be seen behind podiums and on political trips. he also links to articles and video clips he's featured in and infographics that express his views on topics from legalizing marijuana to loretta lynch. he also denounces his (potential future) competition. but it seems clinton isn't even in the game on facebook. she doesn't have a verified facebook page, just a topic page with more than 400,000 likes. that's still more than jeb bush's 163,000, even though he appears to be doing all the right things <u+2014> using hashtags, tagging friends like benjamin netanyahu, and posting selfies, baby pictures and vintage photos of his mom, barbara bush, and his wife, columba: while verified public pages could not be found for some <u+2014> vice president joe biden, former maryland gov. martin o'malley or former pennsylvania sen. rick santorum <u+2014> many had more than one verified account. for example, sen. elizabeth warren (who has said she will not run) has two twitter handles: @senwarren and @elizabethforma; one is her official twitter account as senator of massachusetts and the other is her official personal account, in which she describes herself as senator. in one photo, she wears a pink blazer and in the other a blue blazer. the difference in looks is subtle, but she divides the content <u+2014> on one account she tweets politics and on the other she cheers on the patriots. all the numbers so far pale in comparison to accounts that are making big waves on facebook or twitter (see katy perry's 66 million or president obama's 56 million followers). but the 2016 race is still, technically, anybody's game <u+2014> so the next great social candidate might just be one good tweet or selfie away.

who's winning the 2016 race <u+2014> on facebook and twitter?

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congressional republicans face a major test this week as they seek to pass a budget that makes both fiscal and defense <u+201c>hawks<u+201d> happy, and the big story right now is that republicans may not resolve the impasse between the warring camps. but they very well might <u+2014> and at that point, a bruising political battle with democrats will unfold as republicans move towards a congressional vote on repealing obamacare (a key pillar of the gop fiscal blueprint) and a possible presidential veto looms. gearing up for the fight to come, the senate democratic caucus will release a report this morning that previews how they will prosecute the political case. first, though, republicans have to find a way to unify. politico and roll call report this morning that the house gop leadership will try a new strategy to resolve their internal divisions. here<u+2019>s how it will work: the house will hold votes on both a budget that the fiscal <u+201c>hawks<u+201d> want (which would balance the budget in 10 years with no new revenues and less defense spending) and on a budget that the defense <u+201c>hawks<u+201d> want (which would balance the budget in 10 years with no new revenues and more defense spending, while not counting it as spending that busts the sequester caps conservatives want to keep in place). such are the parameters of responsible gop budgeting in this congress. whichever gets more votes will be the winner, whereupon the effort will begin to reconcile that budget with the senate gop version (presuming one passes). if republicans fail to unify, there will be countless stories about their failure to govern, and it will raise the possibility of a lot more chaos ahead. but if they do agree on a budget, a whole new chapter begins. thus, the forthcoming report from the senate democratic policy and communications center will argue that the spending cuts that are detailed in the gop blueprints <u+2014> such as the repeal of obamacare (while keeping its savings) and the block-granting of medicaid to states <u+2014> would <u+201c>take affordable health coverage away from millions of americans.<u+201d> and it will argue that, to get to its goal of balance within 10 years with no new revenues, the house and senate gop fiscal blueprints go to extraordinary lengths to conceal the real impact of the spending cuts that would be required to accomplish that goal: says senator chuck schumer: <u+201c>fuzzy math, sleight of hand, and arithmetic acrobatics can disguise but not change the fact that the republican budgets would devastate programs that the middle class relies upon.<u+201d> meanwhile, the liberal center on budget and policy priorities calculates that 69 percent of the cuts in the gop budgets would have to fall on programs helping people with lower incomes. but will republicans pay any political price for any of this? one key thing to watch will be how gop senators up for reelection in states carried by obama handle the politics of it. meanwhile, most house republicans are cossetted away in safe districts where gop voters are presumably happy to be told that it<u+2019>s perfectly possible to balance the budget in 10 years with no new taxes while hiking defense spending, with the vast bulk of any cuts (to the degree that they<u+2019>re detailed at all) falling on people with low incomes, even as relatively few of the cuts hit programs that serve older americans. * israel spied on iran talks: the wall street journal reports that senior white house officials learned soon after negotiations began over iran<u+2019>s nuclear program began that israel was spying on the talks, as part of a broader effort to undermine the possibility of a deal: this could conceivably give some skittish congressional democrats the cover they need to side with obama on any eventual nuclear deal with iran. on the other hand, the benjamin netanyahu speech arranged by congressional republicans was supposed to accomplish that, too, but it<u+2019>s still unclear whether it will. * israeli ambassador lobbies house dems: meanwhile, politico reports that israeli ambassador ron dermer held a dinner last night with a number of house democrats. according to one of them this is yet another reminder that, if there is a deal with iran, many democrats may find themselves forced to choose between the israeli government and the obama-led one. * vote on loretta lynch delayed until mid-april? bloomberg news reports that senate republicans may not put up loretta lynch<u+2019>s nomination as attorney general for a vote until at least mid-april, because of a partisan dispute over a human trafficking bill. democrats are filibustering it due to an anti-abortion provision; republicans are saying lynch won<u+2019>t move until that dispute is resolved. that would mean the vote on lynch could come five months after she was first nominated. while lynch would be the first female african american attorney general, the delay could also make history in another way, one that doesn<u+2019>t reflect particularly well on republicans. * camp hillary is psyched about cruz presidential run: hillary advisers think ted cruz<u+2019>s presidential announcement is very much in her interests: well, okay. it<u+2019>s not clear to me that the lack of any serious challenge to clinton will end up benefiting her, but we<u+2019>ll see. * the next conservative attack on jeb bush: byron york previews it: conservative activists are complaining that jeb bush, turning his years in business after his tenure as florida governor, was not vocal enough in publicly joining the republicans<u+2019> <u+201c>desperate attempt to stop obamacare.<u+201d> ted cruz launched his presidential run on the premise that only he possesses the heroism and perseverance required to fully vanquish obama<u+2019>s efforts to destroy america. watch for the <u+201c>where were you while there was still a chance to defeat obamacare before it began enslaving millions?<u+201d> line to emerge as a key attack. * and obamacare is a disaster, part 973: the associated press reports: better get the supreme court to do something about this right quick!

morning plum: will gop pay any political price for budgetary hocus-pocus?

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with the average of polls showing rival hillary clinton ahead six percentage points less than a month before the gop convention in cleveland, embattled trump campaign manager corey lewandowski has been fired. <u+201c>the donald j. trump campaign for president, which has set a historic record in the republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that corey lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,<u+201d> the campaign spokeswoman, hope hicks, said in a statement, according to the new york times. <u+201c>the campaign is grateful to corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.<u+201d> according to nbc news, trump called lewandowski this morning to inform him of his firing after<u+00a0>an emergency meeting with family members and top advisers to right the ship, and to plot a more serious campaign strategy. the announcement comes hours after an explosive gq profile of hicks revealed disturbing incidents of alleged abuse directed at the<u+00a0>27-year-old national press secretary from lewandowski. <u+201c>you made a big f***ing mistake; you<u+2019>re f***ing dead to me,<u+201d> lewandowski allegedly told hicks after she expressed interest in leaving the campaign recently, bringing her to tears, according to former trump operative<u+00a0>sam nunberg. while lewandowski denied gq<u+2019>s reporting, the hotheaded campaign manager, of course, first grabbed the spotlight away from his boss when he was arrested for yanking<u+00a0>a female breitbart writer, an act he denied happened but was caught on camera. while the charges were eventually<u+00a0>dropped, trump remained loyal and committed to lewandowski even as reports<u+00a0>emerged that lewandowski had a history of making abusive, sexist, and sexual remarks to his female coworkers. according to reaction from at least one <u+201c>senior adviser<u+201d> to the trump campaign, lewandowski<u+2019>s ouster was welcome news:

trump<u+2019>s starting to panic: corey lewandowsi fired as campaign manager amid huge staff shakeup

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for political observers, 2016 feels like an earthquake <u+2014> a once-in-a-generation event that will remake american politics. the republican party is fracturing around support for donald trump. an avowed socialist has made an insurgent challenge for the democratic party<u+2019>s nomination. on left and right, it feels as though a new era is beginning. and a new era is beginning, but not in the way most people think. though this election feels like the beginning of a partisan realignment, it<u+2019>s actually the end of one. the partisan coalitions that defined the democratic and republican parties for decades in the middle of the twentieth century broke apart long ago; over the past half century, their component voting blocs <u+2014> ideological, demographic, economic, geographic, cultural <u+2014> have reshuffled. the reassembling of new democratic and republican coalitions is nearly finished. what we<u+2019>re seeing this year is the beginning of a policy realignment, when those new partisan coalitions decide which ideas and beliefs they stand for <u+2014> when, in essence, the party platforms catch up to the shift in party voters that has already happened. the type of conservatism long championed by the republican party was destined to fall as soon as a candidate came along who could rally its voters without being beholden to its donors, experts and pundits. the future is being built before our eyes, with far-reaching consequences for every facet of american politics. the 2016 race is a sign that american politics is changing in profound and lasting ways; by the 2020s and 2030s, partisan platforms will have changed drastically. you may find yourself voting for a party you could never imagine supporting right now. what will that political future look like? today<u+2019>s republican party is predominantly a midwestern, white, working-class party with its geographic epicenter in the south and interior west. today<u+2019>s democratic party is a coalition of relatively upscale whites with racial and ethnic minorities, concentrated in an archipelago of densely populated blue cities. in both parties, there<u+2019>s a gap between the inherited orthodoxy of a decade or two ago and the real interests of today<u+2019>s electoral coalition. and in both parties, that gap between voters and policies is being closed in favor of the voters <u+2014> a slight transition in the case of hillary clinton, but a dramatic one in the case of donald trump. during the democratic primary, pundits who focused on the clash between clinton and sanders missed a story that illuminated this shift: the failure of jim webb<u+2019>s brief campaign for the presidential nomination. webb was the only candidate who represented the old-style democratic party of the mid-20th century <u+2014> the party whose central appeal was among white southerners and northern white <u+201c>ethnics.<u+201d> even during the <u+201c>new democrat<u+201d> era of bill clinton, white working-class remnants of that coalition were still important in the party. but by 2016, webb lacked a constituency, and he was out of place among the politicians seeking the democratic presidential nomination, which included one lifelong socialist (bernie sanders) and two candidates who had been raised as republicans (hillary clinton and, briefly, lincoln chafee). on the republican side, the exemplary living fossil was jeb bush. like his brother, jeb pushed a neo-reaganite synthesis of support for a hawkish foreign policy, social conservatism, and cuts in middle-class entitlements to finance further tax cuts for the rich. from the reagan era until recently, the gop<u+2019>s economic policies have been formulated by libertarians, whose views are at odds with those of most republican voters. in march of this year, a pew research center poll showed that 68 percent of republicans and republican-leaning voters opposed future reductions in social security benefits <u+2014> almost the same amount of support found among democrats and dem-leaning voters (73 percent). republicans who supported trump were even more opposed to social security benefit cuts, at 73 percent. and even among those who supported kasich, 62 percent opposed cuts in social security benefits <u+2014> even though kasich, himself, is in favor of cutting entitlements. as country-and-western republicans have gradually replaced country-club republicans, the gap between the party<u+2019>s economic orthodoxy and the economic interests of white working-class voters in the gop base has increased. house republicans repeatedly have passed versions of paul ryan<u+2019>s budget plan, which is based on cutting social security and replacing medicare with vouchers. except for trump, all of the leading republican candidates<u+2014>cruz, bush, rubio, kasich<u+2014>favored some version of the ryan agenda. by contrast, trump was the only leading gop candidate who expressed the actual preference of most republican voters, declaring his <u+201c>absolute intention to leave social security the way it is. not increase the age and leave it as is.<u+201d> trump is now the presumptive republican presidential nominee. if trump is defeated, what is left of the gop establishment might try to effect a restoration of the old economic dogma of free trade, mass immigration and entitlement cuts. but sooner or later, a republican party platform with policies that most of the party<u+2019>s core voters reject will be revised or abandoned<u+2014>over the objections of libertarian republican party donors and allied think tanks and magazines, if necessary. why is this all happening now? because the decades-long <u+201c>culture war<u+201d> between religious conservatives and secular liberals is largely over. most culture-war conflicts involve sexuality, gender, or reproduction (for example, abortion, contraception, lgbt rights, and same-sex marriage). the centrality of culture-war issues in national politics from the 1960s to the present allowed both major parties to contain factions with incompatible economic views. for a generation, the democratic party has included both free traders and protectionists <u+2014> but support for abortion rights and, more recently, gay rights have been litmus tests for democratic politicians with national ambitions. conversely, republicans have been allowed to disagree about trade and immigration, but all republican presidential candidates have had to pay lip service to repealing roe v. wade and outlawing abortion. social issues spurred a partisan realignment by changing who considered themselves democrats and republicans. over decades, socially conservative working-class whites migrated from the democratic party to join the republican party, especially in the south. socially moderate republicans, especially on the east coast, shifted to the democratic coalition. now, there<u+2019>s little disagreement within each party on social issues. liberal republicans are as rare as reagan democrats. like an ebb tide that reveals a reshaped coastline, the culture war remade the parties<u+2019> membership and is now receding. in its absence, we are able to see a transformed political landscape. the culture war and partisan realignment are over; the policy realignment and <u+201c>border war<u+201d> <u+2014> a clash between nationalists, mostly on the right, and multicultural globalists, mostly on the left <u+2014> have just begun. for the nationalists, the most important dividing line is that between american citizens and everyone else<u+2014>symbolized by trump<u+2019>s proposal for a mexican border wall. on the right, american nationalism is tainted by strains of white racial and religious nationalism and nativism, reinforced by trump<u+2019>s incendiary language about mexicans and his proposed temporary ban on muslims entering the u.s. but while there is overlap between nationalists and racists, the two are not the same thing. the most extreme white nationalists don<u+2019>t advocate nationalism as a governing philosophy in our multiracial country; they hope to withdraw from american life and create a white homeland within the nation-state. nationalism is different than white nationalism, and a populist american nationalism untainted by vestiges of racial bigotry might have transracial appeal, like versions of national populism in latin america. the rise of populist nationalism on the right is paralleled by the rise of multicultural globalism on the center-left. for multicultural globalists, national boundaries are increasingly obsolete and perhaps even immoral. according to the emerging progressive orthodoxy, the identities that count are subnational (race, gender, orientation) and supranational (citizenship of the world). while not necessarily representative of democratic voters, progressive pundits and journalists increasingly speak a dialect of ethical cosmopolitanism or globalism <u+2014> the idea that it is unjust to discriminate in favor of one<u+2019>s fellow nationals against citizens of foreign countries. this difference in worldviews maps neatly into differences in policy. nationalists support immigration and trade deals only if they improve the living standards of citizens of the nation. for the new, globally minded progressives, the mere well-being of american workers is not a good enough reason to oppose immigration or trade liberalization. it<u+2019>s an argument that today<u+2019>s progressive globalists have borrowed from libertarians: immigration or trade that depresses the wages of americans is still justified if it makes immigrants or foreign workers better off. the disagreements within both parties on trade is a living example of the inchoate policy realignment. every major republican presidential candidate supported free-trade agreements <u+2014> with the sole and major exception of donald trump, the presumptive nominee, who routinely slams free-trade deals and has called for the reintroduction of certain tariffs on foreign goods. likewise, the current opposition of many democratic politicians to free-trade agreements like the trans-pacific partnership reflects the residual influence of declining manufacturing unions within the party according to a march 2016 study by the pew research center, by a margin of 56 percent to 38 percent, democratic voters believe that free-trade agreements have been good for the u.s. among republicans, those numbers are almost reversed: by a 53 percent to 38 percent margin, a majority of republicans believe free-trade has been a bad thing. among younger americans, who tend to prefer democrats to republicans, support for free trade is high: 67 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say trade agreements are good for the country. even progressives who campaign against trade deals feel obliged by the logic of ethical cosmopolitanism to justify their opposition in the name of the labor rights of foreign workers or the good of the global environment. for the next decade or longer, as the parties<u+2019> stances adjust, this <u+201c>border war<u+201d> that has succeeded the <u+201c>culture war<u+201d> will define and remake american politics. the outlines of the two-party system of the 2020s and 2030s are dimly visible. the republicans will be a party of mostly working-class whites, based in the south and west and suburbs and exurbs everywhere. they will favor universal, contributory social insurance systems that benefit them and their families and reward work effort<u+2014>programs like social security and medicare. but they will tend to oppose means-tested programs for the poor whose benefits they and their families cannot enjoy. they will oppose increases in both legal and illegal immigration, in some cases because of ethnic prejudice; in other cases, for fear of economic competition. the instinctive economic nationalism of tomorrow<u+2019>s republicans could be invoked to justify strategic trade as well as crude protectionism. they are likely to share trump<u+2019>s view of unproductive finance: <u+201c>the hedge-fund guys didn<u+2019>t build this country. these are guys that shift paper around and they get lucky.<u+201d> the democrats of the next generation will be even more of an alliance of upscale, progressive whites with blacks and latinos, based in large and diverse cities. they will think of the u.s. as a version of their multicultural coalition of distinct racial and ethnic identity groups writ large. many younger progressives will take it for granted that moral people are citizens of the world, equating nationalism and patriotism with racism and fascism. the withering-away of industrial unions, thanks to automation as well as offshoring, will liberate the democrats to embrace free trade along with mass immigration wholeheartedly. the emerging progressive ideology of post-national cosmopolitanism will fit nicely with urban economies which depend on finance, tech and other industries of global scope, and which benefit from a constant stream of immigrants, both skilled and unskilled. while tomorrow<u+2019>s republican policymakers will embrace fdr-to-lbj universal entitlements like social security and medicare, future democrats may prefer means-tested programs for the poor only. in the expensive, hierarchical cities in which democrats will be clustered, universal social insurance will make no sense. payroll taxes on urban workers will be too low to fund universal social insurance, while universal social benefits will be too low to matter to the urban rich. so the well-to-do in expensive, unequal democratic cities will agree to moderately redistributive taxes which pay for means-tested benefits<u+2014>perhaps even a guaranteed basic income<u+2014>for the disproportionately poor and foreign-born urban workforce. as populist labor liberalism declines within the democratic party, employer-friendly and finance-friendly libertarianism will grow. the democrats of 2030 may be more pro-market than the republicans. of the two coalitions, which is likely to prevail most of the time? while progressives claim that nonwhite americans will become a majority, this is misleading for two reasons. to begin with, according to the census bureau, from this point until 2060, there will be only limited growth in the african-american population (a rise from 13.2 percent to 14.3 percent) and the asian-american population (5.4 percent to 9.3 percent) as shares of the whole. the growth of the nonwhite category by 2060 is driven overwhelmingly by the increasing latino share of the population, from 17.4 percent to 28.6 percent. second, latino americans increasingly identify themselves as white. between the 2000 census and the 2010 census, about 7 percent of hispanics changed their self-description from <u+201c>some other race<u+201d> to <u+201c>white.<u+201d> at the same time, according to the census bureau, three-fourths of <u+201c>white population growth<u+201d> in 21st-century america has been driven by individuals who declared themselves white and of hispanic origin. if increasing numbers of hispanics identify as white and their descendants are defined as <u+201c>white<u+201d> in government statistics, there may be a white majority in the u.s. throughout the 21st century. more important than unscientific census classifications will be how the growing latino population votes. trump<u+2019>s unpopularity among latino voters is likely to help the democrats in the short run. but democrats cannot assume they<u+2019>ll have a solid latino voting bloc in the future. in texas, in particular, republicans have been successful in winning many latino voters, all the way back to senator john tower and governor george w. bush. in texas<u+2019> 2014 elections, republican gubernatorial nominee greg abbott won 44 percent of latino texans. republican u.s. senator john cornyn did even better, with 48 percent. in the coming decades, it is possible that latinos will be reliable democratic voters and condemn the republican party to minority status at the presidential level, if not everywhere. but it is also possible that as latinos assimilate and intermarry, they will move from the democratic party to the republican party, following a trail blazed in the past by many <u+201c>white ethnic<u+201d> voters of european descent, including irish-americans and italian-americans. the policy realignment of the present and near future will complete the partisan realignment of the past few decades. and though it<u+2019>s impossible to know exactly how it will end, one thing is clear: in 2016, the old political system is crumbling, and a new american political order is being born.

this is what the future of american politics looks like

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washington (cnn) president barack obama announced thursday that a u.s. counterterrorism operation targeting an al qaeda compound in january accidentally killed two innocent hostages, including one american. multiple u.s. officials told cnn the hostages, warren weinstein , an american, and italian national giovanni lo porto , were killed by a u.s. military drone that targeted the al qaeda compound. "as president and as commander in chief, i take full responsibility for all our counterterrorism operations including the one that inadvertently took the lives of warren and giovanni," obama said thursday morning in the white house briefing room, where he apologized on behalf of the u.s. government. the white house also disclosed thursday that two americans, both al qaeda operatives, were also killed in u.s. counterterrorism operations in the same region. earnest said at a press briefing thursday that obama did not specifically approve the operations that killed the americans, but that the strikes were within the bounds of policy guidance. earnest said thursday that the families of the hostages will be financially compensated by the u.s. government. he would not disclose the details of that compensation. american officials at the time had "no reason to believe either hostage was present" when the operation was launched on a compound in the afghanistan-pakistan border region. u.s. officials also did not know that farouq or gadahn were present at the targeted sites and "neither was specifically targeted," earnest said in a statement. earnest said during the briefing thursday that u.s. officials believed with "near certainty" there were no hostages at the target site and that the strike was carried out after "hundreds of hours of surveillance" on the al qaeda compound and "near continuous surveillance in the days leading up to the operation." "unfortunately that (assessment) was not correct and the operation led to this tragic, unintended consequence," earnest said. "analysis of all available information has led the intelligence community to judge with high confidence that the operation accidentally killed both hostages," earnest said in a statement. "no words can fully express our regret over this terrible tragedy." obama directly apologized during his televised address to the families of the two hostages who were killed in the drone strike and said he spoke wednesday with weinstein's wife and italian prime minister matteo renzi. obama did not refer to the operation as a drone strike and earnest would not confirm that the operation was carried out by drone strike. "as a husband and as a father, i cannot begin to imagine the anguish that the weinstein and lo porto families are enduring today. i realize that there are no words that can ever equal their loss. i know that there is nothing that i can ever say or do to ease their heartache," obama said thursday. officials are conducting thorough independent investigation of the operation to ensure this type of incident is never repeated. earnest said the office of the inspector general was conducting an investigation. a senior administration official told cnn that the review began in january after the drone strike occurred, but said the review so far suggests the operation "was by the book until we realized these people (the hostages) were in there." "the concern is not about anything other than this is a colossal tragedy," the official said. "this doesn't seem to be raising any process flags ... but everyone is still going through this, and no one is resisting that." and earnest told reporters the death of the hostages "raises legitimate questions about whether additional changes need to be made" to the protocol for launching counterterrorism operations. "to put it more bluntly," earnest said. "we have national security professionals who diligently followed those national security protocols...and yet it still resulted in this unintended but very tragic consequence and that's why the president has directed his team to conduct a review to see if there are lessons learned, reforms that we can implement to this process." the death of an american hostage weinstein was an american usaid contractor whose work focused on helping pakistani families, obama said, and was captured by al qaeda in august 2011. the other hostage, lo porto, was an italian aid worker and had been held by al qaeda since 2012. weinstein's wife, elaine weinstein, said thursday in a statement that she and her family "are devastated by this news," but said weinstein's captors are ultimately responsible for his death. "we were so hopeful that those in the u.s. and pakistani governments with the power to take action and secure his release would have done everything possible to do so and there are no words to do justice to the disappointment and heartbreak we are going through," she said. she added that her family does not yet "fully understand all the facts surrounding" her husband's death, but said the family looks forward to the results of the investigation obama said was underway. the u.s. never recovered weinstein's body and did not conduct a dna test to determine his death, several sources told cnn, adding that multiple intelligence sources confirmed their deaths based on circumstantial evidence and a cia assessment. renzi, the italian prime minister, expressed his condolences on behalf of his country to the families of weinstein and lo porto. "i express my deepest sorry for the death of an italian, who has dedicated his life to the service of others," renzi said in a statement. "my condolences also go the family of warren weinstein." the decision to go public the information on the killings had been classified until obama directed officials to declassify the information and share it thursday. obama said he decided to release the information because "the weinstein and lo porto families deserve to know the truth" and because the u.s. "is a democracy committed to openness in good times and bad." earnest emphasized that the counterterrorism operation that killed the hostages was "lawful and conducted consistent with our counterterrorism policies" in a statement earlier thursday and obama said an "initial assessment indicates that this operation was fully consistent with the guidelines under which we conduct counterterrorism efforts in the region." but obama still stood by u.s. counterterrorism efforts in the region, which have been criticized for their heavy reliance on drone strikes and resulting civilian casualties. "since 9/11, our counterterrorism efforts have prevented terrorist attacks and saved innocent lives, both here in america and around the world. and that determination to protect innocent life only makes the loss of these two men especially painful for all of us," obama said thursday. the white house said the strike occurred in the afghanistan-pakistan border region, a haven for the taliban and al qaeda, but did not specify in which country the strike occurred. pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs on thursday declined to comment on the news of the strikes. elaine weinstein, who resides in maryland, specifically thanked their senators, ben cardin and barbara mikulski, and congressman, rep. john delaney, for "their relentless efforts to free my husband." cardin, mikulski delaney expressed their sorrow at weinstein's death in statements thursday morning and recalled their efforts to try and secure their constituent's release. "i have tracked warren weinstein's status since he was first taken hostage in 2011. the united states government, including members of my staff, worked tirelessly to bring him home safely," said cardin, who recently became the top democrat on the foreign relations committee. he added that he received a "preliminary briefing" from cia director john brennan and said he requested "a full account of the events that led to" the hostages' deaths. delaney called weinstein's killing "a sobering national security and government failure" and said he was "saddened, disappointed and outraged that our government was not able to bring warren home." "the loss of warren is devastating, a tragic event that we must never forget," delaney said. "as warren's representative, i feel like his country failed him in his greatest time of need. i'm determined to ensure that warren's story is not forgotten, that we get to the bottom of why warren wasn't found and how he was killed." he also called for a broader effort to reassess the u.s. government's policies and procedures for securing the release of american hostages held abroad and called for the need for a top u.s. official focused specifically on the location and release of american hostages <u+2014> "someone who wakes up every morning" focused on freeing hostages. "a much broader analysis needs to be launched and we're going to push it really hard to make sure that we're really pursuing this really hard as a top priority for the united states of america," he said on cnn. mikulski in a statement said she has "many questions about how this tragedy occurred" and said she was "truly heartbroken" to learn the news of weinstein's death. "dr. weinstein dedicated his life to improving the conditions of others all around the world and his legacy is truly immeasurable. his humanitarian service, and that of mr. lo porto, stands in stark and shining contrast to the depravity of their captors," mikulski said. house speaker john boehner and minority leader nancy pelosi also shared their condolences thursday and lauded obama's decision to launch an independent investigation into the drone strike that killed the hostages. "as president obama indicated, this is not a time for excuses," boehner said at a news conference. "we need all the facts for the families, and so that we can make sure that nothing like this ever happens again in our efforts to keep americans safe." pelosi said she was "so saddened by the deaths of the two hostages" and called obama's remarks on the deaths "very moving." "he took full responsibility as commander in chief; apologized to the family for the tragedy. and i look forward to what he called for, the declassification of all the information related to the strike, so that the families will know the facts and so will the public," pelosi said thursday morning. lawmakers on the house and senate intelligence committees said they would be investigating the operation that killed the two hostages. vice chairwoman of the senate committee dianne feinstein said the committee "has already been reviewing the specific january operation that led to these deaths" and said she will now review that operation "in greater detail." and rep. adam schiff, ranking member of the house committee, said his committee would look into the operation. "in the weeks ahead, we will be examining this operation to make sure that the high standards that have been set were, in fact, met, and whether there are any other steps that can be taken to further reduce the risk of loss of innocent life," schiff said in a statement.

u.s. drone strike accidentally killed 2 hostages

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just weeks before he's expected to launch a presidential campaign, sen. marco rubio (r-fla.) teamed up on wednesday with gop colleague mike lee (r-utah) to unveil a comprehensive set of proposals to overhaul the tax code. "our hope here isn't to pick winners and losers. our hope here is to trigger economic growth," rubio told reporters. he added that he believes "the vast majority of americans" would see tax cuts if the plan was implemented. under the lee-rubio plan, the seven current tax brackets would be condensed to just two -- 15 percent for people earning up to $75,000 or married couples earning up to $150,000, and 35 percent for higher-income earners. corporations would pay a top tax rate of 25 percent, a drop from 35 percent. the plan also would eliminate taxes on capital gains and dividends, create a new $2,500 child tax credit, and eliminate most deductions, except for mortgage interest and charitable giving. rubio said the plan would serve as his economic and tax blueprint should be announce plans to run for president, as expected, or if he opts instead to run for reelection in 2016. but in his remarks he again declined to signal which race he's leaning toward for 2016. he defended his decision to unveil a comprehensive, specific plan that might open him up to attacks by would-be gop opponents or democrats. "i've tried to govern myself in my entire time in public service by being specific about ideas," he said. he reminded reporters about his 100-point reform plan when he was speaker of the florida house. "i think people should expect more of their candidates -- no matter what they're running for," he added. "and if in fact we've reached a point in our republic where being detailed about what you would do is a hindrance to winning an election, we're in bad shape, because what are you supposed to then vote on?" rubio is expected to formally launch a presidential bid next month and is planning to hold more fundraisers next week as he ramps up his operations, according to aides familiar with his planning. on monday night, the senator dined in washington with sheldon adelson, the casino executive who spent nearly $100 million helping gop candidates during the 2012 presidential cycle. lee, a first-term senator who is also up for reelection in 2016, didn't answer a question about whether his appearance with rubio signaled he's supporting his florida colleague for president. but rubio quickly jumped in and joked: "i hope so."

marco rubio unveils comprehensive tax plan

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st. louis county police announced on sunday that they had made an arrest related to the two officers who were shot during a protest on thursday in ferguson, missouri. st. louis county prosecutor robert mcculloch announced that authorities had brought charges, including assault in the first degree, against 20-year-old jeffrey williams. williams is from the st. louis area and had been on probation for receiving stolen property. williams had been involved in protests on the evening that the shooting occurred and had "acknowledged" firing shots, according to mcculloch. mcculloch said that williams, who is african-american, may have been firing at someone other than the police. "we don't know him," said tony rice, the founder of ground level support, who has been protesting since august after naming three young male protesters who were regularly at the demonstrations, rice told huffpost, "i don't think there is a male 20-years-old that regularly protest outside of them." "i think i can speak for the protester community in saying we don't know him," said rice. after the press conference, press swarmed alicia street when she helped source the first picture of williams. street, 29, has been actively involved in protest since august as well and says she was unfamiliar with williams as well. "i have never seen him at a protest. i cannot recall that i even seen him that night. we know a lot of people out there, we really do. i even showed pictures to other regular protesters and they said they didn't know him," street told huffpost. the shooting came during protests after ferguson police chief thomas jackson announced that he would resign. one of the officers was shot in the face and the other was shot in the shoulder, but both survived the attack. attorney general eric holder said in a statement on sunday that the arrest was a testament to good collaboration between federal and local authorities. <u+201c>this arrest sends a clear message that acts of violence against our law enforcement personnel will never be tolerated. the swiftness of this action is a credit to the significant cooperation between federal authorities and the st. louis county police department," holder said. "the atf<u+2019>s ballistic imaging technology has played a critical role in the ongoing investigation. i commend both the atf and st. louis police for their tremendous work in identifying this suspect." president barack obama condemned the shooting on thursday, posting on twitter that "violence against police is unacceptable." holder also called the shooter a "damn punk" last week. read the full complaint against williams below:

arrest made in connection to ferguson police shooting

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the election in 232 photos, 43 numbers and 131 quotes, from the two candidates at the center of it all.

trump's terror response has republicans fretting anew

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washington (cnn) it might be the best job in town -- at the worst possible time. president barack obama is suddenly searching for a new supreme court justice after the death of conservative icon antonin scalia left a rare vacancy at the pinnacle of u.s. jurisprudence. normally, an open spot on the exalted bench -- complete with a lifetime tenure and a boatload of benefits -- would have those who labor in the law's dusty obscurity salivating at the chance to crown their careers in the black robes of the nation's highest court. and candidates with political inclinations have extra incentive to covet this particular seat, as it comes with a chance to tilt the ideological balance of the court and shape the nation's future for decades. scalia speaks at the university of minnesota as part of the law school's stein lecture series on october 20, 2015, in minneapolis. scalia speaks at the university of minnesota as part of the law school's stein lecture series on october 20, 2015, in minneapolis. u.s. president barack obama greets supreme court justices clarence thomas, antonin scalia, sonia sotomayor, anthony kennedy and john roberts at obama's inauguration for his second term of office. u.s. president barack obama greets supreme court justices clarence thomas, antonin scalia, sonia sotomayor, anthony kennedy and john roberts at obama's inauguration for his second term of office. scalia conducts a naturalization ceremony for 16 new u.s. citizens during the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of president abraham lincoln's historic gettysburg address on november 19, 2013, at gettysburg national military park in gettysburg, pennsylvania. scalia conducts a naturalization ceremony for 16 new u.s. citizens during the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of president abraham lincoln's historic gettysburg address on november 19, 2013, at gettysburg national military park in gettysburg, pennsylvania. scalia and his wife, maureen, arrive for a state dinner in honor of british prime minister david cameron at the white house on march 14, 2012, in washington. scalia and his wife, maureen, arrive for a state dinner in honor of british prime minister david cameron at the white house on march 14, 2012, in washington. scalia testifies during a hearing before the senate judiciary committee on october 5, 2011. the justice testified on "considering the role of judges under the constitution of the united states." scalia testifies during a hearing before the senate judiciary committee on october 5, 2011. the justice testified on "considering the role of judges under the constitution of the united states." scalia listens as u.s. president george w. bush speaks at the the federalist society's 25th anniversary gala dinner at union station in washington, on november 15, 2007. scalia listens as u.s. president george w. bush speaks at the the federalist society's 25th anniversary gala dinner at union station in washington, on november 15, 2007. heather myklegard, scalia, dirk kempthorne and u.s. president george w. bush walk through the rose garden before kempthorne is sworn in as the new interior secretary at white house on june 7, 2006, in washington. heather myklegard, scalia, dirk kempthorne and u.s. president george w. bush walk through the rose garden before kempthorne is sworn in as the new interior secretary at white house on june 7, 2006, in washington. scalia calls on people during a question-and-answer period at the american enterprise institute on february 21, 2006, in washington. scalia delivered the keynote address about foreign law and the debate about how it is used in american law during the seminar called "outsourcing of american law." scalia calls on people during a question-and-answer period at the american enterprise institute on february 21, 2006, in washington. scalia delivered the keynote address about foreign law and the debate about how it is used in american law during the seminar called "outsourcing of american law." surrounded by security, scalia walks in the annual columbus day parade on october 10, 2005, in new york city. surrounded by security, scalia walks in the annual columbus day parade on october 10, 2005, in new york city. members of the u.s. supreme court, justice ruth bader ginsburg, justice stephen breyer, justice clarence thomas, justice david souter, justice william kennedy, justice antonin scalia, justice sandra day o'connor and justice john paul stevens file out of the u.s. supreme court building to attend funeral services for chief justice william rehnquist on september 7, 2005, in washington. members of the u.s. supreme court, justice ruth bader ginsburg, justice stephen breyer, justice clarence thomas, justice david souter, justice william kennedy, justice antonin scalia, justice sandra day o'connor and justice john paul stevens file out of the u.s. supreme court building to attend funeral services for chief justice william rehnquist on september 7, 2005, in washington. the casket of chief justice william h. rehnquist lies in the great hall of the u.s. supreme court as scalia and sandra day o'connor, left, walk past on september 6, 2005, in washington. the casket of chief justice william h. rehnquist lies in the great hall of the u.s. supreme court as scalia and sandra day o'connor, left, walk past on september 6, 2005, in washington. scalia shakes hands with u.s. marines corps maj. gen. robert c. dickerson, commanding general, upon scalia's arrival at marine corps base camp lejeune, north carolina, for an official visit on march 12, 2004. scalia shakes hands with u.s. marines corps maj. gen. robert c. dickerson, commanding general, upon scalia's arrival at marine corps base camp lejeune, north carolina, for an official visit on march 12, 2004. scalia speaks to a crowd gathered at the religious freedom monument in fredericksburg, virginia, to celebrate religious freedom day on january 12, 2003. scalia complained that courts have gone overboard in keeping god out of government. scalia speaks to a crowd gathered at the religious freedom monument in fredericksburg, virginia, to celebrate religious freedom day on january 12, 2003. scalia complained that courts have gone overboard in keeping god out of government. u.s. supreme court justices pay their respects in front of the casket of former chief justice warren e. burger during a prayer ceremony in the great hall at the supreme court building in washington on june 28, 1995. u.s. supreme court justices pay their respects in front of the casket of former chief justice warren e. burger during a prayer ceremony in the great hall at the supreme court building in washington on june 28, 1995. retiring chief justice warren burger, right, administers the oath to scalia, as scalia's wife, maureen, holds the bible on september 26, 1986. scalia was the 103rd person to sit on the court. retiring chief justice warren burger, right, administers the oath to scalia, as scalia's wife, maureen, holds the bible on september 26, 1986. scalia was the 103rd person to sit on the court. scalia, seen in a 1986 photo, was the first justice of italian-american heritage and passed through confirmation with a unanimous vote. scalia, seen in a 1986 photo, was the first justice of italian-american heritage and passed through confirmation with a unanimous vote. scalia appears before the senate judiciary committee during his confirmation hearings in washington on august 6, 1986. scalia appears before the senate judiciary committee during his confirmation hearings in washington on august 6, 1986. scalia works in his office in washington on july 28, 1986. scalia, who was appointed in 1986, was the longest-serving justice on the supreme court. scalia works in his office in washington on july 28, 1986. scalia, who was appointed in 1986, was the longest-serving justice on the supreme court. president ronald reagan announces the nomination of scalia to the supreme court on june 17, 1986, as a result of chief justice warren e. burger's retirement. president ronald reagan announces the nomination of scalia to the supreme court on june 17, 1986, as a result of chief justice warren e. burger's retirement. u.s. supreme court justice antonin scalia, who was found dead on saturday, february 13, was one of the most influential conservative justices in history. he was 79. u.s. supreme court justice antonin scalia, who was found dead on saturday, february 13, was one of the most influential conservative justices in history. he was 79. but this time, things are different. whoever accepts obama's nomination will walk into a wall of political fire. a pitched battle is already raging over scalia's seat, embroiling the white house, congress and presidential candidates eager to whip up grass-roots activists. white house deputy press secretary eric schultz insisted monday that obama will nominate a successor to scalia. but for all their troubles, whoever is chosen could very well not end up with the job. senate republicans are warning that they may not even grant obama's nominee a hearing, saying it should be up to the next president to fill the vacancy. a nominee could be left hanging in limbo for a year with no guarantee that, even if a democrat wins in november, they'll end up on the court. of course, if a republican wins the white house, they can forget it. at worst, if the gop relents and holds confirmation hearings, the nominee could emerge so damaged by the political tumult that their reputation could be shredded along with their hopes of one day reaching the supreme court. for obama's next nominee, the ordeal will be many times worse. and there doesn't seem any obvious way for obama to shield his pick. "it is possible that he could bend this like beckham and get it through," jonathan turley, a professor of law at george washington university told cnn's jim scuitto. "but i wouldn't bet on it it. the fact is, you are replacing a conservative icon. any moderate nominee is going to move this needle to the left on the court and it is going to be a battle royale." the sudden opening on the court is emerging as a top issue in an already vicious white house campaign, and threatens to expose the eventual nominee to the full fury of the conservative political, legal and media machine. so it would be no wonder if a candidate might choose to take a pass on the partisan anger that surrounded the likes of clarence thomas, who did make it to the court. ronald reagan's nominee, robert bork, and harriet miers, george w. bush's white house counsel and supreme court pick, did not make it through the acrimonious process. it would be difficult to see, for instance, why one often-mentioned potential presidential nominee, kamala harris, the california attorney general who is running for a senate seat, would instead opt for a supreme court spot that might be a mirage. there might also be a case for the president to take on a pass on someone like sri srinivasan, a judge on the u.s. court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit, who many see as a supreme court justice in waiting. srinivasan, who has historic potential as the first indian-american on the high court, was confirmed unanimously by the senate for his current post. but his supporters might see a nomination now as a waste, given the risk that he could be burned by a bitter confirmation process and left too stigmatized to be viable in future. so what type of nominee might be willing to take on such a poisoned chalice? for sure, whoever is picked would have to be a rare glutton for punishment. but some legal experts believe the white house will still have no trouble drawing up a list. "number one -- most judges, if they are not sitting on the supreme court, toil in relative anonymity," said professor david ryden of hope college, michigan, whose research focuses on the how the supreme court influences the electoral process. "they are human beings. there is the lure of the limelight and there is the honor of being named." daniel franklin, a georgia state university political science professor and author of the book "pitiful giants: presidents in their final term," said that for lawyers, the supreme court is the equivalent of the big leagues. that could mean that even a nomination as challenged as this one is special. "if you say, you have a remote chance of playing center fielder for the dodgers, i would take it," he said. "it is still a pretty big deal." there are some potential ways out of the imbroglio for obama that involve finding an unorthodox candidate who might be flattered by a nomination. since the effort to replace scalia comes in the twilight of his presidency, obama has much less leverage than when he picked sotomayor and elena kagan in his first term. that means he may have no choice but to settle on someone less palatable to liberals but who might increase his minimal chances of winning a confirmation. "the president is on the ideological spectrum at one point and the senate is on the ideological spectrum on another," said franklin. "even in a normal circumstance, the president has to meet the senate somewhere in the middle with his preference while getting someone as close to his preference as possible." franklin added: "now, he has to move that point closer and closer to the senate's point of preference." if obama's priority is to get a justice confirmed at all costs, he could call senate republican majority leader mitch mcconnell's bluff and name a moderate, establishment republican who gop senators would feel forced to support -- perhaps someone like gop sens. orrin hatch of utah or sen. thad cochran of mississippi as the nominee, franklin said. but that approach -- effectively installing a pro-life nominee with big abortion cases looming -- would enrage obama's liberal backers. still, it would move the court incrementally left on some issues from where it stood when scalia was alive. and since hatch and cochran are 81 and 78 respectively, they would unlikely be a choice that would haunt the president for decades. such a scenario, however, seems remote given the political ire of the times. obama seems more likely to take a more nakedly political route. he could pick someone he knows is unlikely to be confirmed, but who would be willing to do a service for their party and become a cause celebre throughout election season. a politician already locked in the heat of partisan battle might work in this case -- that's why the names of democratic sens. amy klobuchar of minnesota and cory booker of new jersey have been floated. neither have re-election races in 2016 and both are rumored to have presidential ambitions that might benefit from a spell in the national partisan spotlight. and if for some reason their colleagues found it impossible to block them in the senate's clubby atmosphere, there are worst places to end up than on the supreme court. another approach would be to choose a candidate who is a woman or a minority -- perhaps someone from the hispanic community -- who could be crucial in driving up democratic turnout in november. stalwart republican opposition to such a nominee would enable democrats to paint the gop as prejudiced and motivated by considerations other than legal reservations -- and perhaps might embarrass some swing-state senate republicans up for re-election. and even some judges already on lower courts might be willing to serve as a political placeholders for such a strategy, said ryden of hope college. "judges have their own political preferences and agendas and there are many on the federal court bench ... who would fit that label and be happy to collaborate on a strategy with the white house -- even if they weren't the ones who would immediately benefit from it," he said.

worst job in washington: obama's scotus pick

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232 photos, 131 quotes and 43 numbers that tell the story of america's craziest election.

billionaires fund anti-trump delegate push

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memorial day is a<u+00a0>time to remember those who gave their lives to protect this country. it is a day when the focus on those sacrifices<u+00a0>will be through commemorations with bugle calls and wreath layings instead of the controversies that have dogged the department of veterans affairs. yet, even as the ceremonies get underway, another debate involving the federal hiring preference for veterans is brewing. president obama focused on their sacrifice friday with a prayer for peace proclamation: <u+201c>since america<u+2019>s earliest days, proud patriots have forged a safer, more secure nation, and though battlefields have changed and technology has evolved, the selflessness of our service members has remained steadfast. they have stepped forward when our country was locked in revolution and civil war; fought threats of fascism and terrorism; and led the way in securing peace and stability around the globe. they have sacrificed more than most of us could ever imagine <u+2014> not for glory or gratitude, but for causes greater than themselves.<u+201d> he called on americans to observe a national moment of remembrance beginning at 3 p.m. local time and requested <u+201c>the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this memorial day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the united states and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control.<u+201d> there will be ceremonies at cemeteries across the nation, including at arlington national cemetery at 11 a.m. <u+201c>whether at gettysburg, one of our country<u+2019>s first national cemeteries, or at cape canaveral, our most recent dedication, each va national cemetery is a sacred place of honor befitting the great deeds and sacrifices of the fallen,<u+201d> said va secretary robert mcdonald. memorial day brings some relief from a double-barrel shot of controversy last week. last monday, mcdonald drew strong criticism from republicans for comparing lines at disney amusement parks to the long wait times veterans have experienced at va hospitals. a couple of days later, rep. david jolly (r-fla.) revealed that more than 4,200 veterans were mistakenly declared dead by va from 2011 to 2015. now another issue is emerging. the senate armed services committee has advanced legislation that would limit the federal hiring preference provided to veterans and certain close relatives. the bill still would give them preference points or preferential listing when first hired, but not for each new federal job after that, as is now the case. that broader, long-standing preference won<u+2019>t go down without a fight. a statement from the american federation of government employees said it <u+201c>has long been an advocate for veterans preference and the principles it stands for. we strongly oppose this provision.<u+201d> the american legion supports the larger national defense authorization act that includes the preference limiting provision. but ian de planque, legislative director of the veterans service organization, said it will work to keep the preference in its current form. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s worked for a long time,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s been a good thing.<u+201d> vet, one of 4,200 mistakenly declared dead by va, feels <u+2018>resurrected<u+2019> senators call for va chief to resign over disney remark

memorial day provides respite from va controversies, even as new issue brews

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this post has been updated. a day after again declining to apologize for her use of a private e-mail system while she was secretary of state, hillary rodham clinton told an interviewer tuesday that the arrangement was a mistake and that she is "sorry" for it. <u+201c>as i look back at it now, even though it was allowed, i should have used two accounts. that was a mistake. i<u+2019>m sorry about that. i take responsibility,<u+201d> clinton said in an interview with<u+00a0>abc news. the statement was the furthest clinton has gone in showing remorse for the arrangement, which mingled her work and personal communications and kept them outside<u+00a0>the regular state department e-mail system. the fbi is investigating whether the system, maintained on a privately owned computer server at clinton's<u+00a0>new york home, jeopardized classified information. in interviews friday with nbc and monday with the associated press, clinton had<u+00a0>declined to apologize, even as she said the arrangement was a poor choice that she regrets. she told nbc interviewer andrea mitchell that she is sorry the issue is confusing for people, but insisted that she had done nothing wrong. she would not apologize, she told the ap, because <u+201c>what i did was allowed.<u+201d> republican critics had begun to use the question of an apology against her, undermining the campaign's plan to address the<u+00a0>complex e-mail issue more directly and with greater humility. questions about the private system have contributed to clinton's slide in the polls, with more people saying they do not trust her. a washington post/abc news poll this month<u+00a0>found that 53 percent of americans now see clinton unfavorably. that rating rose by<u+00a0>8 percentage points since earlier in the summer, tipping the balance to a majority of americans now seeing her in an unfavorable light. clinton turned over copies of roughly 30,000 e-mails at<u+00a0>the state department's request late last year, nearly two years after she left office. at the same time she directed that a slightly larger number of e-mails stored on the server be destroyed<u+00a0>because she deemed them personal and not part of her government business. initially she refused to turn over the server, but did so in august. clinton told abc that she<u+00a0>did not send or receive classified material on the account and said<u+00a0>she is <u+201c>trying to be as transparent as i possibly can.<u+201d> late tuesday, the campaign sent a message to supporters in clinton's name reiterating the apology. donors and activists have been complaining to the campaign headquarters for weeks that the e-mail issue was being mishandled, and it largely is their concern and disappointment clinton is trying to head off. "i wanted you to hear this directly from me," this e-mailed statement to supporters said. "yes, i should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the state department. not doing so was a mistake. i'm sorry about it, and i take full responsibility." clinton went on to stress, as she regularly does, that her personal account was "aboveboard," and that "nothing i ever sent or received was marked classified at the time. " despite the campaign<u+2019>s effort to more directly confront its problems stemming from the e-mail saga, clinton<u+2019>s own reckoning with it still seemed grudging. in march, she insisted that she had done everything by the state department book and had nothing for which to answer; last month she said that she <u+201c>gets it<u+201d> that voters have questions. that was a significant shift <u+2014> as was the decision to stop insisting the controversy was a manufactured republican hit job. but until now, clinton had always said that although she would make a different choice today, there was nothing inherently wrong with setting up the system as she did. clinton<u+2019>s reversal on making an apology echoed the protracted 2008 campaign discussion of whether she would say she was wrong or sorry about her senate vote in support of the iraq war. in both cases, clinton adopted a narrow and somewhat lawyerly stance at first, then came to a more direct show of remorse.

hillary clinton apologizes for e-mail system: <u+2018>i take responsibility<u+2019>

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as the deadlines near for iran and world powers to reach an agreement on the country's nuclear program <u+2014> the first, on march 31, for a basic political framework <u+2014> negotiations are focusing on what kind of program iran can have. how much uranium and plutonium can it have? how many centrifuges can it use to develop more fuel? how long will restrictions be in place? there's one fact, though, that is taken as assumed: iran very badly wants a nuclear program. so badly that it has been willing to press ahead with the program, secretly as well as overtly, despite western and un sanctions that have crippled its economy, and despite repeated us warnings of possible military action. iran claims its program is entirely peaceful, but there are major reasons to doubt this, and it is generally taken as a given by analysts that the country has at least taken just-in-case steps partway toward building a bomb. some facilities seem to serve<u+00a0>little plausible function beyond nuclear weapons capability, though a point that western intelligence agencies have made in the past is that building the capacity for making a bomb is not the same as deciding to make a bomb. whatever iran's intentions, though, the country's<u+00a0>dedication to nuclear enrichment even at such enormous costs can seem bizarrely counterproductive. so why is iran so set on its nuclear program? there is no one dominant answer, but rather a few plausible explanations, some of which go against the most common western perceptions and misperceptions of how iran works. there is probably some truth to all of them. consider tehran's view for a moment: israeli and american leaders have been talking for years about bombing iran or invading it outright. the bush administration named iran part of its "axis of evil," alongside iraq, which it invaded months later. for much of the last decade, the us has had thousands of troops in iraq and afghanistan, both iran's neighbors. iranian leaders appear to sincerely believe that the united states is bent on their government's destruction. for example, the united states helped iraqi leader saddam hussein in his brutal, years-long war against iran, in which he killed thousands of iranians, including with chemical weapons. it is difficult to overstate how traumatic the years-long war was for iranians, how badly they want to prevent another such war. and nothing deters chemical weapon attacks like a nuclear weapon. you will hear iranians frequently mention<u+00a0>iran air flight 655, a civilian airliner that the us military accidentally shot down in 1988, killing 290 civilians. in iran, this is still frequently viewed as deliberate. imagine you're an iranian leader seeing all this. you might want a nuclear deterrent. also consider the timing of the program. when the ayatollahs came to power in the 1979 islamic revolution, they at first cancelled the country's nuclear program, but then re-started it after saddam invaded in 1980. "tehran wanted to guard against a future surprise analogous to iraq's repeated use of chemical weapons,"<u+00a0>writes<u+00a0>shahram chubin of the carnegie endowment. more recently, iran has been embroiled in low-level proxy conflicts with israel and saudi arabia, and with what it sees as a defensive conflict against the hostile west. it's important to remember that iran sees itself as isolated in the world, despite intimations of occasional russian or chinese support. save for proxies such as hezbollah and the syrian government, it sees the middle east as largely aligned against it. it is also important to remember that its leaders, in power only since 1979, feel weak and isolated. current supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei in particular has never been very confident in power. that sense of insecurity feeds into a rational desire for deterrence against external threats, but it also creates a less rational belief in anti-iran conspiracies or an impending american invasion. when the us threatens to bomb iran to stop a nuclear program, iranian leaders can misread this as a desire to destroy the iranian state itself, which would make them more likely to want a nuclear deterrent, which only makes the us threaten more strenuously. iran's national pride runs deep, and with good reason: it has been an active center of cultural, scientific, religious and political thought for many centuries. it's also still upset, again with reason, about decades of western interference during the 19th and 20th centuries. the nuclear program is a way in which iran affirms, to itself and to the world, that it is an advanced and sovereign nation. it's a way of saying: we are not inferior to the world powers, even though you treat us that way, but are in fact equals. it's also a way of defying what iran sees as continued western efforts to control, exploit or weaken iran. the more that the world tells iran it cannot have a nuclear program, the more important building such a program becomes for the cause of iranian nationalism. this is part of why iranian leaders so often state that they want world powers to affirm iran's right to enrich uranium and to respect iran's "dignity" <u+2014> a word that top officials use frequently. this isn't posturing <u+2014> they really mean it. in november 2013, as nuclear talks got underway, iranian foreign minister javad zarif<u+00a0>released a video articulating iran's position. he spent very little time talking about actual nuclear policies <u+2014> the meat and potatoes of the negotiations <u+2014> and lots of time saying things like, "we expect and demand respect for our dignity." he frequently mentioned phrases such as "equal footing" and "mutual respect." the video was taken as bizarre and inexplicable by americans, because they could not see that this demand for respect was not a side issue <u+2014> it was central for iran. there was a brief moment, after the us invasions of afghanistan in 2001 and iraq in 2003 (both iran's neighbors) where tehran seemed eager to strike a deal with the west over its nuclear program. there are many reasons that fell apart <u+2014> dick cheney<u+00a0>personally worked to torpedo any communications, for example <u+2014> but a crucial one was iranian politics. iran's anti-us hard-liners took the parliament in 2004, and the presidency in 2005 with the election of mahmoud ahmadinejad. the hard-liners turned the nuclear program into something of a partisan wedge issue, using it to weaken reformers and moderates who wanted to compromise the program to soften relations with the west. "both ahmadinejad and supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei used the nuclear issue to stigmatize reformists, depicting them as defeatists willing to negotiate away iran's interests," chubin writes. "their use of the nuclear issue as an instrument of partisan politics ended the phase when the nuclear program was supposed to be a national issue. and debate was actively discouraged." this was great politics for ahmadinejad and other hard-liners. but it made it much more difficult for him or other iranian leaders to compromise on the program. they were too invested in the program, politically, to back down <u+2014> even if backing down would have been in iran's national interests. "by 2010," chubin writes, "the divide over iran's nuclear program had more to do with domestic politics-and very little to do with what many of the key players actually wanted to see happen." ahmadinejad is out of power, but the hard-liners are still powerful. they have particular influence over khamenei, who as supreme leader is the ultimate decision-maker. because of the way khamenei came to power <u+2014> his religious credentials are weak, and his political credibility never as strong as predecessor and national founder ruhollah khomeini <u+2014> he's long caved to hard-liners, who he fears could turn against him. since iran become the islamic republic in the 1979 revolution, it has seen the middle east as a battleground for its influence. this is meant as both defensive and offensive; ever since saddam invaded, iranian leaders have feared that hostile, western-backed arab leaders could do them terrible harm. and tehran sees pro-american sunni powers such as saudi arabia as inherently hostile. but iran is also expansive and aggressive in the region, supporting proxy terror groups such as hamas and hezbollah both as a deterrent against american or israeli threats and as a way to project its power. in the context of this regional struggle for power, a nuclear weapon starts to make a lot more sense. not as something that tehran would want to actually use, but as a way to get away with other sorts of trouble-making. clifton w. sherrill of troy university<u+00a0>explained in a 2012 issue of<u+00a0>nonproliferation review how iran could use a nuclear weapon as not just a deterrent but a way to give itself cover for bullying its neighbors and generally projecting more power in the region, where competition for influence is already high, and the stakes are enormous. "the regime believes nuclear weapons would deter foreign military strikes targeting the iranian homeland, making the iranian use of conventional military force abroad less risky," sherrill writes. "at a minimum, possession of nuclear arms would allow iran greater policy flexibility in the middle east." that likely means using proxy groups, such as hezbollah in lebanon, even more aggressively to threaten and bully other countries in the region. that also means pushing harder to support pro-iran militant groups in countries such as syria and yemen where iran sees itself as competing for influence. the idea is that iran can be more brazen and aggressive with these non-nuclear threats because its nuclear weapon would scare other countries out of retaliating. that bullying could also have implications for energy politics; iran might feel it could force "demands in the persian gulf regarding disputed islands or natural gas fields" or "desires regarding production quotas" within opec, sherrill warns. and he points to nuclear-armed pakistan as an example of how this all can happen: despite widespread misconceptions to the contrary in the us <u+2014> often pushed by politicians who wish to play up the iranian threat for political gain <u+2014> there is no reason to believe that iran wants to launch an offensive nuclear strike against the us, israel, or any other country. the well-established logic of nukes would make any war against other nuclear powers a loser for iran. this is because powers such as the us and israel have what is called second-strike capability, meaning that even if iran got off a nuclear strike, the country would still be destroyed by the retaliation. there is no cost-benefit calculation by which an offensive strike would make sense for iran. as sherrill explained, "it is highly unlikely that the islamist regime plans to actually detonate a nuclear weapon in an offensive attack. both of the obvious targets, the united states and israel, have a second-strike nuclear arsenal capable of threatening the islamist regime's survival." some argue that iran's leaders are inherently irrational because of their religion and would be willing to launch a suicidal war against the us or israel. as newt gingrich once put it, for example, "it's impossible to deter them. what are you going to threaten?" the seemingly sole piece of evidence that iran's leaders have spent the last 36 years secretly plotting a suicidal war is the idea that their interpretation of shia islam foretells of a messiah who will return on the apocalypse. while ahmadinejad did reference this idea many times, he was alone in this, as matt duss of the foundation for middle east peace explains, and was widely rebuked by shia scholars and his own country's political and clerical establishments. actual readings of iran's official shia theology by actual religious scholars, duss finds, reach the opposite conclusion that newt gingrich did: iranian leaders see it as their religious duty to preserve their system, not destroy it in a fiery war with israel. as scholar mehdi khalaji told duss, "as the theory of the guardianship of the jurist requires, the most significant task of the supreme leader is to safeguard the regime, even by overruling islamic law." meanwhile, there is ample evidence that iranian leaders are just as rationally invested in self-preservation as anyone else. you can't hold up a political system as complex and besieged as iran's without being shrewdly self-interested. if iran's islamic regime were really looking for a suicidal war in which to martyr itself, the eight-year war with iraq offered many such opportunities, none of which they took. there are a number of reasons that iran wants a nuclear program and has taken steps toward a nuclear bomb. some of those reasons are rational and others are not. but a desire to launch an offensive strike against another country is not one of them.

the real reasons iran is so committed to its nuclear program

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hillary rodham clinton sought to cement her standing as the rightful leader of the democratic party here friday, but two of her challengers launched a fierce counterattack against her and a party establishment they see as trying to hand her the 2016 presidential nomination. what began as a routine forum of candidate speeches evolved into a surprisingly dramatic day at the democratic national committee<u+2019>s summer meeting, as sen. bernie sanders (i-vt.) and former maryland governor martin o<u+2019>malley issued thinly veiled attacks on clinton and the party leadership. speaking from the dais, with dnc chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz sitting a few feet away, o<u+2019>malley blasted the party<u+2019>s limited number of sanctioned debates as a process <u+201c>rigged<u+201d> in favor of the front-runner. the dnc is holding six debates, only four before february<u+2019>s first caucuses in iowa, which o<u+2019>malley argued is a disadvantage for all the candidates and a disservice to democrats generally. <u+201c>this sort of rigged process has never been attempted before,<u+201d> said o<u+2019>malley, who has struggled to gain traction in the polls. he added: <u+201c>we are the democratic party, not the undemocratic party.<u+201d> sanders <u+2014> who later told reporters he agreed with o<u+2019>malley <u+2014> lamented low democratic turnout in last year<u+2019>s midterm elections and said the party must grow beyond <u+201c>politics as usual<u+201d> if it hopes to produce the level of voter enthusiasm required to retain the white house in 2016. <u+201c>we need a movement which takes on the economic and political establishment, not one which is part of that establishment,<u+201d> said sanders, who is an independent but caucuses with democrats in the senate. asked later whether he was speaking specifically about clinton, he told reporters, <u+201c>i<u+2019>ll let you use your imagination on that.<u+201d> the barbs from sanders and o<u+2019>malley came as clinton and her campaign flexed their organizational muscle here. the front- runner and her top aides worked aggressively behind the scenes this week to secure commitments from party leaders pledging to be delegates for her in next summer<u+2019>s nominating convention in philadelphia. clinton<u+2019>s organizational push sent a clear signal to vice president biden, who has been weighing a late entry into the 2016 campaign, that he would begin far behind her. in her address to a ballroom full of dnc members, clinton sought to position herself as the undisputed democratic standard- bearer. she fired up the party faithful with a call to arms against republicans as dangerously out of touch and peppered her remarks with gibes at current gop front-runner donald trump <u+2014> including a suggestion that his hair, although natural, is dyed like her own. <u+201c>the party of lincoln has become the party of trump,<u+201d> clinton said. she mocked trump for suggesting that she did not understand women<u+2019>s health issues and that he would be a better advocate. <u+201c>now that<u+2019>s a general election debate that<u+2019>s going to be a lot of fun,<u+201d> she said. clinton said that trump is getting most of the media attention this summer but that the other republican candidates are making statements that ought to scare mainstream voters. <u+201c>they<u+2019>re trump without the pizazz and the hair,<u+201d> she said. clinton made no reference in her speech to the controversy surrounding her use of a private <u+00ad>e-mail server while secretary of state. when asked about it later in a news conference, clinton said: <u+201c>i have said repeatedly that i did not send nor receive classified material, and i<u+2019>m very confident when this entire process plays out, that will be understood by everyone. it will prove what i have been saying.<u+201d> former rhode island governor lincoln chafee raised eyebrows when he touted himself as <u+00ad>scandal-free in his remarks. he later said this was not <u+201c>a direct swipe at anybody.<u+201d> but pressed on how clinton has handled the <u+00ad>e-mail issue, chafee said: <u+201c>the rules are the rules, and we all have to adhere to them, and when you don<u+2019>t, you suffer the consequences. unfortunately this is self- inflicted.<u+201d> the fifth declared candidate, former senator jim webb of virginia, did not attend because he was taking his daughter to college. o<u+2019>malley used his time onstage to highlight his dissatisfaction with the dnc<u+2019>s management of the debates. he argued forcefully that as trump and other republican candidates dominate news coverage with inflammatory rhetoric, democrats would be wise to hold more, not fewer, nationally televised debates to highlight the differences between the parties. <u+201c>will we let the circus run unchallenged on every channel while we cower in shadows under a decree of silence in the ranks? or will we demand equal time to showcase our ideas?<u+201d> o<u+2019>malley asked. he slammed what he called a <u+201c>cynical move<u+201d> to limit the debates to six and to hold the only new hampshire debate on a saturday night in mid-december, the peak of the holiday shopping season. <u+201c>whose decree is this exactly?<u+201d> he asked provocatively. <u+201c>where did it come from? to what end or purpose?<u+201d> wasserman schultz, who was visibly miffed by o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s speech, said in an interview thursday that she had consulted widely with past dnc chairs, as well as with the campaigns, before setting the debate schedule. <u+201c>we felt like this structure for actual debates was really the best one that could give maximum exposure that voters need to make a decision but that also would be manageable and give the candidates the opportunity and the time to go out and campaign in a retail way,<u+201d> she said.

democratic challengers launch attacks against clinton, party leadership

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ok, in the <u+2019>90s, the clintons backed some bad things. but they backed some good things. whatever. the <u+2019>90s aren<u+2019>t what matters. the future is. with the election less than two months away, there still remains plenty of cause for concern regarding the black vote and hillary clinton. clinton and the democrats inevitably were going to win the lion<u+2019>s share of the black vote, but that has never been enough. clinton needs to win a share of the black vote similar to barack obama<u+2019>s to ensure that the democrats retain the white house. and black voters need to flex their electoral might to show that 2008 and 2012 were not flukes buoyed by america<u+2019>s first black president. presently, neither seem foregone conclusions, and the majority of the uncertainty resides with young black voters. as a young black voter myself i<u+2019>ve heard countless reasons why black millennials may not want to vote for clinton this year. while each argument may consist of some valid points, on average they display a myopic na<u+00ef>vet<u+00e9> that undermines the progress they intend to forge and projects some of the less desirable narratives attributed to millennials. i<u+2019>ve spoken to older african americans too, and many remain perplexed by the willful disenfranchisement expressed by this younger generation. also, this generation<u+2019>s fixation on the clintons of the 1990s<u+2014>with an emphasis on their faults and not their successes<u+2014>instead of the clintons of today remains baffling to the older generation. african americans do not condone hillary<u+2019>s <u+201c>super predators<u+201d> comment from 1996; nor do they embrace bill<u+2019>s tough on crime policies, which were an extension of the policing measures of the two previous presidential administrations. yet america was far less racially progressive in the 1990s than it is today. and besides, the clintons<u+2019> policies on racial questions didn<u+2019>t begin and end with crime. they actively sought the black vote, welcomed the opinions of african americans, and hired african americans for administration and cabinet positions at rates that were previously unheard of. he defended and saved affirmative action at a moment when it was on death row. it<u+2019>s disingenuous of people to forget all these good things. additionally, older african americans remember how bill clinton won traditionally republican states such as georgia, arkansas, louisiana, tennessee, and kentucky on his way to the white house in 1992. the clintons dismantled richard nixon<u+2019>s southern strategy, which hinged on stoking the racial animus of white americans to win southern states and secure the presidency for republicans. that<u+2019>s a big part of why the gop became hell bent on destroying the clintons. and while they failed at that, they succeeded at defeating al gore, his chosen successor, and facilitating racial divisions. the parallels between unprecedented republican attacks on bill clinton<u+2019>s and obama<u+2019>s presidencies due to their ability to create radical electoral shifts by engaging and enfranchising african americans should be obvious for anyone who reexamines the 1990s. yet irrationally, some young black voters have instead chosen to fixate on the mistakes of the clintons, and parrot the disparaging conservative rhetoric of the 1990s regarding them. and in doing so, black millennials may be contributing to creating another improbable window for a divisive republican candidate to claim the presidency. in addition to a bizarre mis-recollection of the 1990s, these black millennials also exude a desire for perfection and a reluctance to settling. since neither candidate is perfect in their eyes, they say they are now forced to chosen between the lesser of two evils, and they argue that there is an inherent injustice in being forced into this situation. plenty of young white millennials who supported bernie sanders expressed similar sentiments. but this amounts to willful disenfranchisement. willfully disengaging or voting for a third party candidate who more closely embodies their idea of perfection seems an adequate recourse for some young black voters instead of settling for one of the two major candidates. yet the collective impact of this action will only result in stunting the progress black millennials hope to achieve. the increased weight of black voices in american society does not stem from a national, progressive moral epiphany or even the presence of the obamas in the white house. our louder voice exists now because african americans voted at unprecedented rates for two consecutive presidential elections, and our enhanced electoral voice forced america to listen to us. in 2012, 66 percent of eligible african american voters voted, surpassing the percentage of white voters<u+2014>for the first time in history<u+2014>by 2 percent. in 2008, 65 percent voted. the young black voters who remain reluctant to vote for clinton assume that our societal influence has become the new norm. they have remained focused on striving to improve american society and simultaneously oblivious to the profound threat posed by a trump presidency for african americans and other minorities. this is a privileged perspective that older african americans struggle to comprehend.

black millennials: don<u+2019>t help donald trump

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donald trump said it; jeb bush said it, too. frankly, a whole range of people have used the term "anchor baby" this week in public discussions about trump's immigration-related policy ideas -- ideas that include an end to the nearly 150-year-old practice of granting citizenship to anyone born in the united states. it's the former, known as "birthright citizenship," which is delineated in the 14th amendment to the constitution. and as all sorts of public figures have discussed the future of the 14th amendment this week, the more colloquial -- many say pejorative -- term "anchor baby" has come up over and over again. but the anchor baby, while potent politically, is a largely mythical idea. here's the basic concept: people, namely women, come to the united states illegally and give birth to children, generally<u+00a0>for the specific purpose of bolstering legal attempts of the child's parents remain in the united states or even become citizens themselves. looser definitions suggest "anchor babies" can simply be intended<u+00a0>to help<u+00a0>illegal-immigrant parents access taxpayer-financed public education and/or social services through their citizen children -- another political hot button, to be sure. (even here,<u+00a0>the law limits those benefits to the children themselves.) but<u+00a0>usually<u+00a0>the debate has been about the residency<u+00a0>of the parents, who after all are supposed to be using the child as their "anchor." this is the definition that has little legal underpinning.<u+00a0>for illegal immigrant parents, being the parent of a u.s. citizen child almost never forms the core of a successful defense in an immigration court. in short, if the undocumented parent of a u.s.-born child is caught in the united states, he or she legally faces the very same risk of deportation as any other immigrant. the only thing that a so-called anchor baby can do to assist either of their undocumented parents involves such a long game that it's not a practical immigration strategy, said<u+00a0>greg chen, an immigration law expert and director of the american immigration lawyers association, a trade group that also advocates for immigrant-friendly reforms. that long game is this: if and when a u.s. citizen reaches the age of 21, he or she<u+00a0>can then apply for a parent to obtain a visa and green card and eventually enter the united states legally. in order to apply for such an option, the parent of a so-called anchor baby would need to do all of the following. if a person has lived in the united states unlawfully for a period of more than 180 days but less than one year, there is an automatic three-year bar on that person ever reentering the united states -- and that's before any wait time for a visa. so that's a minimum of 21 years for the child to mature, plus the three-year wait. and, for the vast majority of these parents, a longer wait also<u+00a0>applies. if a person has lived in the united states illegally for a year or more, there is a 10-year ban on that person reentering the united states. so, in that case, there would be the 21-year wait for the child to mature to adulthood, plus the 10-year wait. all told, the parents of the so-called anchor baby face a 24-to-31-year wait to even enter the united states, much less obtain a visa and green card or become a citizen. want proof?<u+00a0>see sections 212(a)(9)(i) and 212 (a)(9)(ii) of the immigration and nationality act (ina)<u+00a0>-- or spend an afternoon in your nearest, severely backlogged immigration court. [immigration court backlog grows to more than 450,000 cases] immigration courts routinely reject claims that an undocumented parent must remain in the united states to care for a u.s. citizen child. the main but rare<u+00a0>legal exceptions are for children who are so seriously ill or profoundly disabled that one parent must care for them full-time, or for a child in need of medical care unavailable in their parents' home country. these parents are given something called "humanitarian parole," chen explained. and this is<u+00a0>very rarely applied to people already living in the united states illegally. it is more often given to the parents of, say, an afghan war burn victim who want to accompany their child to the united states for medical care. and, even then, humanitarian parole is generally granted for limited period of time. alternatively, these parents can apply for something even more rare: an extreme hardship exception, according to deborah anker, a clinical professor of law and director of the harvard university law school<u+2019>s immigration and refugee clinical program.<u+00a0>very rarely they can apply for a waiver that may allow them to reenter the united states sooner, anker said. but if that request is denied, there is no form of appeal available. decisions are final. yes, it is true that some undocumented immigrants come to the united states and have children with or perhaps even because of the mistaken belief that this will strengthen a legal bid to remain in the united states. mistaken beliefs have spurred previous surges in illegal immigration -- including last year's. and it is true that some people -- such as breast-feeding mothers, children brought to the united states illegally as children and others -- have benefited from the immigration system equivalent of proprietorial discretion, known as "deferred action." but with the exception of an<u+00a0>obama administration program known as daca (limited to an estimated 1.2 million young adults brought to the united states illegally as children) and a second program<u+00a0>currently blocked by a federal court<u+00a0>that would have granted deferred action to another 300,000 people (mostly the parents of those eligible for daca), deferred actions typically come with a short and limited timeline. they also do not include a pathway to a visa or legal work in the united states. and these programs did not exist when the concept of an<u+00a0>"anchor baby" was politically popularized, so it becomes harder to accept the idea that<u+00a0>having an "anchor baby" was the express goal of<u+00a0>many people immigrating illegally. it's also important to note that, as of august 2014, only about 550,000 daca applications had been approved, according to a pew research center analysis of federal data. and<u+00a0>even these applicants must wait until their 21st birthday to begin the lengthy process described above to attempt to help an undocumented parent. and "attempt" is the key word here. and if you're still skeptical, here's the real proof that having a baby in the united states does little to help an undocumented parent remain in the united states, there's this: in 2011, there were at least 5,000 children in state custody or foster care because an undocumented parent or parents has been deported, according to a study released by the applied research center, a new york-based think tank that focuses on racial and social justice issues. some estimates put that figure even higher today. immigration and customs enforcement sent mandatory reports to the senate that among other things revealed that during 2013, the agency deported 72,410 people who told federal authorities they have one or more u.s. citizen children. each of these children and their parents certainly know the "anchor baby" is not real.

the myth of the <u+2018>anchor baby<u+2019> deportation defense

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say what you will about donald trump, but the man is winner. trump didn<u+2019>t just wallop his opponents tuesday <u+2014> he crushed them. up 41 percent in delaware, 40 percent in rhode island, 37 percent in pennsylvania, 33 percent in maryland, 30 percent in connecticut, he<u+2019>s estimated to have won 110 delegates, versus five for kasich and three for cruz. if the race for the gop nomination were a little league game, the mercy rule would be imposed. here<u+2019>s where we stand today. ted cruz is mathematically eliminated from winning the republican nomination before the convention in cleveland. john kasich has now won a single state <u+2014> ohio <u+2014> where he is governor. if ever there were a series of states that would at least theoretically be fertile territory for him, it would be the northeast, home of the last vestiges of republican moderates. yet, he didn<u+2019>t crack 30 percent anywhere. republicans can talk all they want about never trump and trying to stop him at the rnc in cleveland. they can talk about changing the rules and holding out hope that a white knight candidate will emerge. it isn<u+2019>t going to happen. either trump is the nominee or he<u+2019>ll burn the whole thing to the ground. if you<u+2019>re a gambler, go all in on the former. it is worth stepping back, however, and noting that trump<u+2019>s hammerlock over the party <u+2014> and his ascendancy within the gop <u+2014> is astounding. he<u+2019>s a political amateur who never held elected office; he<u+2019>s a xenophobe, a bully, and a misogynist and he has run directly against the leadership of the party he hopes to lead. yet, today he stands on the cusp of winning the nomination of the party of lincoln, eisenhower, nixon, and reagan. i know we<u+2019>ve all become inured to trump<u+2019>s insults, his know-nothingness, and his crudeness, but it can<u+2019>t be said enough <u+2014> truly we are living in a political moment unlike anything that any of us has seen before. here<u+2019>s what might be even more amazing: trump<u+2019>s position as the presumptive nominee of the republican party is not the most remarkable political event this year. rather, it<u+2019>s that the democratic party is poised to nominate the first woman to be a major party candidate for president. somehow this constantly seems to be forgotten; and whether you like hillary clinton or despise her, that america is poised to nominate a woman for president is a big deal. tuesday night, clinton racked up four more primary wins, including the delegate-rich states of maryland and pennsylvania. only in rhode island did bernie sanders thwart her. early on in the evening, before all the races had been called, he gave a <u+201c>victory<u+201d> speech in west virginia that not only left unmentioned the evening<u+2019>s results, but plowed forward with confidence about the road ahead. it<u+2019>s a fitting metaphor for the sanders campaign, which increasingly seems to operate in a realm completely divorced from reality. sanders cannot and will not win the democratic nomination. period. indeed, in her victory speech, clinton <u+2014> as she has increasingly done <u+2014> simply ignored sanders. instead she aimed her daggers at her real target, donald trump. the democratic race will continue, but for all intents and purposes, it is over. clinton can now begin her pivot to the general election, and sanders can play out the string. what we now with some certainty is that we<u+2019>re only a few months away from an historic, unprecedented presidential campaign <u+2014> and no matter which candidate wins on election day, history will be made.

a shutout for donald trump - the boston globe

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a former military intelligence officer claimed tuesday that the white house was delaying the announcement of its decision to file desertion charges against sgt. bowe bergdahl, who was released by taliban-aligned militants last year in exchange for five guantanamo prisoners. in defending claims he originally made monday on "the o'reilly factor" that bergdahl would be charged, retired lt. col. tony shaffer told bill o'reilly that there was "no doubt" the white house was dragging out its decision. his original accusation had resulted in a strong denial from the pentagon earlier in the day. "they said there's no time limit on this decision. (pentagon spokesman rear adm. john) kirby even said there's no pressure ... of course, the moment you say that, there's pressure," said shaffer, who works at the london center for policy research. "what they didn't say was more compelling than their denial." shaffer, who believes the white house's alleged decision to delay its announcement is politically motivated, added that he stands by "all of those facts," referring to his report on monday that bergdahl's lawyer has been given a statement of charges. kirby, meanwhile, on wednesday stood by his claim that no charges have been filed. asked whether there was political pressure to delay the charges, he said, "that is the most ludicrous claim i've heard in the last few days." maj. gen. ronald f. lewis, the army's chief of public affairs, put out a statement tuesday afternoon calling the reports, including a similar one by nbc news, "patently false." "to be clear there have been no actions or decisions on the sgt. bergdahl investigation," he said. "the investigation is still with the commanding general of u.s. army forces command who will determine appropriate action -- which ranges from no further action to convening a court martial." kirby earlier said bergdahl "has not been charged," and no charges have been referred. "no decision has been made with respect to the case of sgt. bergdahl, none," he said. "and there is no timeline to make that decision." he said he would not "speculate" about what might happen in the future. eugene fidell, bergdahl's lawyer, did not comment when reached by fox news earlier tuesday. shaffer said monday that bergdahl's attorney has been given a "charge sheet" outlining the section of the military justice code bergdahl allegedly violated. "as a corporate entity, the army has decided that they want to pursue bergdahl for this violation," shaffer said. shaffer said there's a "huge battle" going on inside the obama administration, as some try to "suppress" this development. "this is shaping up to be a titanic struggle behind the scenes," he said. shaffer said the army "wants to do the right thing," but the white house "wants this to go away." he said: "the white house, because of the political narrative, president obama cozying up to the parents and because of he, president obama, releasing the five taliban ... the narrative is what the white house does not want to have come out." bergdahl was held for five years before his release was secured in 2014. but while the president joined with bergdahl's parents in the rose garden at the time in celebrating his return home, the prisoner swap swiftly became a matter of severe controversy. fellow soldiers accused bergdahl of deserting his post on a base in afghanistan in 2009. and the trade itself, of his freedom for five guantanamo prisoners, drew criticism in congress from lawmakers who said it sent a troubling signal. on monday, former diplomat richard grenell claimed the administration has "sent the message" that the u.s. will negotiate on such matters. he cited an alleged offer, made around the same time as bergdahl's release, by the qatari government to trade two americans held in qatar for an al qaeda agent held in a u.s. federal prison. the obama administration denies there was any deal. those prisoners were ultimately released over the past two months.

ex-military intel officer says white house delaying announcement of bergdahl desertion charge

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as soon as rep. kevin mccarthy (r-calif.) shocked his fellow republicans by withdrawing from the race for house speaker, paul ryan knew what was coming. <u+201c>i will not be a candidate,<u+201d> the wisconsin republican said in a release issued less than 20 minutes after mccarthy<u+2019>s stunning thursday announcement, in an immediate bid to cut off any pressure for him to do a job he has repeatedly said he does not want. but this time, it didn<u+2019>t take. by mid-afternoon, outgoing speaker john a. boehner (r-ohio) had spoken to ryan at least twice, trying to convince the reluctant congressman that he was the only man who could save house republicans from their self-created chaos. by day<u+2019>s end, after hunkering down for two hours in his ceremonial office a few steps from the house floor, after listening to pleas from friends to take the reins of the bitterly divided republican caucus, he emerged, declining to explicitly state his plans. <u+201c>i<u+2019>ve got no news for you guys,<u+201d> ryan told reporters, exiting the capitol. <u+201c>i<u+2019>ve got nothing to add right now. .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. this is not the time or place, guys.<u+201d> boehner and several other prominent republicans are turning to their party<u+2019>s 2012 vice-presidential nominee out of desperation, believing that he is the only member of the house with the stature to be speaker. two other members, reps. daniel webster (r-fla.) and jason chaffetz (r-utah), have announced their candidacies, but they are widely seen as too inexperienced or underwhelming to handle the job. although ryan has the standing and experience <u+2014> at 45, he has already been in office 17 years <u+2014> it is not clear that he is suited to the role, either. he has never held an elected leadership position, never had to spend hours listening to every complaint possible from rank-and-file lawmakers. a self-styled policy wonk, ryan prefers to spend time in a committee room cobbling together legislation than working the fundraising circuit in new york and florida <u+2014> a modern-day requirement of any house speaker. even if ryan does win the job, some supporters question whether the most respected member of the house republican conference would be able to tame the divisions to push a unified agenda: the same 30 to 40 conservatives who have helped usher boehner toward the door, and who appeared ready to deny mccarthy the job, plan to be just as hard on whoever the next speaker is when it comes to showdowns with president obama and democrats. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s still going to have to deal with the same dynamic,<u+201d> said rep. charlie dent (r-pa.), a leader of the small moderate wing and a backer of ryan<u+2019>s ascension. <u+201c>that may be part of the reason why he<u+2019>s denying this so far <u+2014> he knows the dynamic.<u+201d> yet by 6:15 p.m. thursday, as mccarthy increased the pressure on ryan to run for the job and the capitol press corps camped outside his office, ryan<u+2019>s spokesman resorted to twitter. but everything has changed, according to his colleagues. as they voted on the house floor late thursday, ryan was besieged by his gop colleagues. as the lawmakers huddled, ryan aides canceled his fundraising and political events for the next 48 hours, a move interpreted by his friends as a signal that he had gone from a hard <u+201c>no<u+201d> to undecided after speaking with boehner. his party<u+2019>s elder statesmen, long enamored with ryan<u+2019>s policy inclinations since his days as a disciple of jack kemp, said he needed to answer the call. but that doesn<u+2019>t mean the door is shut. <u+201c>knowing him, if it becomes clear to him, as it is to so many others, that he<u+2019>s first among peers, he may do it,<u+201d> william j. bennett, an education secretary in the reagan administration and a close friend of ryan, said in an interview thursday. the situation is more dire than the one ryan confronted two weeks ago when boehner, under intense pressure from the right flank, shocked the house republican conference by announcing his plan to resign oct. 30, setting oct. 29 as the original date for a full vote of the house on his successor. walking out of that sept. 25 meeting, ryan said then <u+2014> and has consistently repeated <u+2014> that he did not want the job and that it would be a terrible one for a man with three school-age children living in janesville, wis., 75 miles southwest of milwaukee. his long game, according to those close to him, is not rising up in the house. he has been touted as a potential treasury secretary in a gop administration. he declined to run for president this time, but he still has a couple of decades ahead of him. that future could crumble if he listens to his colleagues. not since tip o<u+2019>neill (d-mass.) left as speaker in 1986 has anyone retired from that job in good standing. today<u+2019>s house is more rife with pitfalls than it was even a decade ago. many of his colleagues, such rep. bill flores (r-tex.), head of<u+00a0>the conservative republican study committee, were calling on him thursday to gamble his future to meet the present need. <u+201c>i would say, unequivocally, if i could choose the perfect person to be speaker, today, for this conference, it would be paul ryan,<u+201d> flores said. karoun demirjian, kelsey snell and david weigel contributed to this report.

under speaker pressure, signs pointing to a reluctant paul ryan

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libyan fighters are celebrating a major victory on tuesday: they've driven isis out of parts of benghazi, eastern libya's largest city, building on advances in and around the city on sunday. isis isn't just losing in benghazi. in its home base in syria and iraq, it's lost up to 30 percent of its territory from its peak in august 2014. and it's tried expanding abroad, officially declaring a wilayat <u+2014> which literally means "province" and refers to isis's foreign franchises <u+2014> in roughly a dozen countries. these isis franchises showed some initial successes, for example in libya, but since mid-2015 they have been struggling. many of isis's wilayat have stopped growing and begun shrinking. some isis affiliates have been wiped out altogether. "the islamic state has encountered one serious obstacle after another as it has tried to expand its presence beyond syria and iraq," daveed gartenstein-ross, a fellow with the foundation for defense of democracies and ceo of the consulting firm valens global, writes with threat analyst nathaniel barr in war on the rocks on tuesday. "these stumbles have gone largely unnoticed by the international media." gartenstein-ross and barr examined seven isis expansion attempts and found that each had serious problems. in every case, the isis franchise they looked at has either suffered a major battlefield defeat, had members targeted and killed in significant numbers by rival jihadist groups, or was defeated outright. "overall, [isis] is having significant troubles expanding. joining isil can be a fatal decision," gartenstein-ross told me, using another name for isis. the first example he pointed to was a group called the islamic movement in uzbekistan (imu). imu is a decades-old jihadist group with ties to the taliban and al-qaeda. in august, it formally pledged itself to isis, working with the already-established afghanistan-based isis franchise. over the course of the next several months, the taliban, once imu's ally, sought out and killed imu fighters in a targeted campaign aimed at destroying the group. this culminated in a november purge, wherein the taliban killed 100 imu fighters and allegedly captured its leader, wiping out the group entirely. "what america and its agents could not do in 14 years, the taliban did in 24 hours," one imu supporter tweeted at the time. isis's troubles in algeria are, if anything, more dramatic. the group officially recognized a wilayat there, largely made up of former al-qaeda fighters, in 2014. in october 2014, isis's algerian branch captured a french mountain climber and beheaded him on tape. the beheading attracted the attention of algerian security forces, which shortly thereafter killed the group's leader. later, in may 2015, algerian forces killed five isis commanders and the overwhelming majority of its ground fighters in two days of fighting. today, gartenstein-ross says, isis in algeria is a "paper wilayat," with only six or seven fighters to its name. isis's yemen wilayat is in even worse shape. you'd think yemen would be the perfect opportunity for isis: it has no functional government and is in the midst of a civil war with major sectarian overtones. but the group has been riven by public infighting; gartenstein-ross and barr documented roughly 100 defections in the past several months <u+2014> out of a force estimated to be at most 1,000, and possibly much less. "this outfit in yemen is not very strong," will mccants, director of the project on us relations with the islamic world at the brookings institution, tells me. "they're, at the moment, a pretty bit player in that conflict." even relatively powerful isis franchises are having problems. the libya branch lost its hold on the libyan city of derna in december, pushed out by a coalition of rival militant groups. today, it controls only one major population center <u+2014> the town of sirte <u+2014> and about 173 miles of coastal territory. "in libya, where they're strongest, they only control a thin strip along the coast," mccants says. "it's not nothing, but it's not nearly as impressive as what they control in syrian and iraq." these cases, according to gartenstein-ross and barr, are representative of isis's struggles to expand beyond iraq and syria. "the group has stumbled or even fallen flat in almost every country where it has tried to establish a new wilayat," gartenstein-ross and barr write. "the group<u+2019>s failures as it tries to expand beyond syria and iraq could cast doubt on its entire global caliphate project." isis's struggles to expand reveal some major weaknesses inherent in the group's "dna," as gartenstein-ross puts it, that limit its efforts to expand. first, the group makes enemies out of other jihadist groups. its ideological and strategic model depends on its claim to be the prophesied islamic caliphate and its ability to prove that claim by holding territory. other militant groups, in isis's mind, must submit to isis and hand over their territory <u+2014> or be destroyed. "that's a constant <u+2014> they don't play well [with others]," mccants says. this leads to conflict with other jihadist groups such as al-qaeda and the taliban, which perceive isis as a threat and so move to crush new franchises as they're forming. this is particularly problematic for isis because it thrives most in civil wars with sectarian elements <u+2014> places where other jihadist groups already operate. "derna was always gonna be a tough nut to crack, because that's jihadist central in libya," mccants says. "aqap [al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula] has long roots in yemen, and has been more successful in exploiting the chaos." second, isis's showiness <u+2014> the penchant for ghoulish murders and slick social media <u+2014> can attract the attention of enemies before isis is really ready to take them on. "that's one of the things that got them into trouble in algeria," gartenstein-ross says. "the ostentatious beheading of [the french mountain climber] drew counterinsurgent resources down on them in a way that they weren't ready for." finally, isis is, weirdly enough, too top-down and bureaucratic. it isn't very good at selecting leaders who work well with locals or mediating internal, local disputes in its franchises. "despite their rebellious nature, they're a very rigid organization internally," gartenstein-ross explains. "in yemen, the central leadership ended up contributing to that branch falling apart under the weight of a leader that the isil members don't agree with." despite isis's defeats in the libyan cities of benghazi and derna, the group is still deeply entrenched in sirte <u+2014> and getting a number of new recruits. its egypt branch has withstood repeated assaults from the egyptian government and has managed to pull off a number of high-profile terrorist attacks. and that's to say nothing of boko haram, which pledged itself to isis last year and is now recognized as wilayat nigeria. "around january 2015, when i finished the first draft of [my isis] book, it was laughable," mccants says of the franchises. "then when i had to go back and revise four months later, i had to completely change the section. in that short time, they had made such a rapid advance. they've gotten stronger since then." so the point is not to dismiss the franchises entirely. rather, it's to recognize that they are not, as is often portrayed in the media, a sign of isis sweeping across the globe. it's an attempt by a terrorist group with very serious problems to try to create some breathing room outside of its troubled core holdings. isis thrives on a narrative of victory. now that the group's defeats in iraq and syria are too numerous and prominent for anyone to reasonably deny, the group has increasingly turned to the franchises to continue selling its narrative of constant territorial growth. "they have this narrative of momentum; it's clearly very important to drawing people to the group, drawing organizations to isis," gartenstein-ross says. "this is an area of great vulnerability if [the truth] were widely known." isis's affiliates help "maintain the fiction that this is an empire on the march," mccants says. no matter how you judge the success of the franchises <u+2014> and here, mccants is less optimistic than gartenstein-ross <u+2014> both agree that any victories abroad don't come close to outweighing the losses the group has taken in iraq and syria.

beyond syria and iraq: isis is losing ground around the world

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after donald trump presented a dark picture of the country at his convention in cleveland last week, hillary clinton and the democrats plan to project a more optimistic and inclusive vision of the future when they convene here starting monday. but the challenge for clinton and her newly minted running mate, sen. timothy m. kaine (va.), will be to avoid becoming cheerleaders for the status quo and instead infuse that hopeful tone into an argument for change that could galvanize a frustrated and divided electorate. democrats promise four nights of speeches and entertainment that will highlight the core theme of clinton<u+2019>s campaign: <u+201c>stronger together.<u+201d> the program will alternate among political heavyweights led by president obama and former president bill clinton, celebrities such as katy perry and lena dunham, and everyday americans whose aim will be to make clinton appear more appealing and approachable. clinton<u+2019>s advisers are confident that the philadelphia festivities will present a far more united democratic party than republicans were able to display at their convention, which was repeatedly marred by outbursts of dissent and division. central to that mission is the monday night speech by sen. bernie sanders (vt.), who is charged with trying to rally his fervent supporters behind clinton<u+2019>s banner after a bruising primary battle, although there is lingering resistance to clinton among some of his loyalists. the harsh tone of trump<u+2019>s convention <u+2014> symbolized by the anti-clinton chants of <u+201c>lock her up!<u+201d> <u+2014> gives the democratic nominee-in-waiting and her allies an opportunity to expand her appeal to disaffected voters who are hungry for change but perhaps reluctant to embrace trump and the brand of politics he enunciated in cleveland. at the same time, the democrats similarly risk overreach in their denunciations of trump. another danger is that if protests outside the arena turn violent, it could mar the party<u+2019>s effort to provide a united and relatively peaceful contrast to the republican event. <u+201c>the republicans painted a black canvas with maybe a little stripe of red, which would be donald trump<u+2019>s tie,<u+201d> democratic pollster peter hart said. <u+201c>unexpectedly, the democrats end up with a white canvas and a chance to paint it in any direction that they wish.<u+201d> [in his most important speech ever, donald trump echoes richard nixon] all year, clinton has struggled to find a message that both energizes the democratic faithful and reaches to a different part of the general electorate disenchanted with politics as usual. this will be her challenge on thursday night, when she becomes the first woman to accept the presidential nomination of a major party. <u+201c>if she is so concerned about the progressive revolt that days one, two, three and four [of the convention] are saying, <u+2018>i<u+2019>m bernie sanders lite with pantsuits,<u+2019> then this whole group turned off by trump has nowhere to go,<u+201d> said henry olsen, a fellow at the ethics and public policy center. but housing secretary juli<u+00e1>n castro, who was in the competition to become clinton<u+2019>s running mate, noted the importance of energizing the coalition that helped obama win two elections. <u+201c>we need an infusion of motivation and energy to remind folks that we can<u+2019>t take this election for granted,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>the nature of modern presidential elections, given the country<u+2019>s partisanship, is that these are close elections. it<u+2019>s probably not going to be a blowout, and people need to understand how important their individual vote is.<u+201d> four days of programming at the wells fargo center will showcase the democratic party<u+2019>s diversity and progressivism, designed to help as many voters as possible identify with clinton and the rest of the ticket. the speakers will be white, black, latino and asian; christian, jewish and muslim; old and young; gay and straight; male and female. there is expected to be a heavy focus on issues such as immigration, gay rights and gun control. having watched the republicans fight among themselves in cleveland, democrats will arrive in philadelphia full of confidence. but some in the party suggest that, like much about trump over the past year, what looks to be a problem for him does not always become one. <u+201c>we need to be agnostic on just how negative its consequences will be or indeed whether they<u+2019>ll be negative at all,<u+201d> said william galston, domestic policy adviser in bill clinton<u+2019>s white house and now a senior fellow at the brookings institution. galston added, <u+201c>the idea that donald trump<u+2019>s convention speech allows democrats to put any product they want on the shelf and expect the consumers to buy it is an optimistic proposition that i can<u+2019>t embrace, and i hope the clinton campaign won<u+2019>t either.<u+201d> democratic leaders have no doubt that their convention will contrast sharply with that of the republicans. <u+201c>we just saw four days of some of the angriest people possibly in the united states of america <u+2014> chaos, vitriol, confusion, plagiarism, mismanagement of a convention the likes of which we<u+2019>ve not seen in either party in modern times,<u+201d> said former philadelphia mayor michael nutter (d). clinton enters her convention with a majority of americans questioning her honesty. she has an opportunity to speak to a huge audience beyond the delegates assembled at the wells fargo center, but many of those voters will be looking on skeptically. whit ayres, a republican pollster, noted that the underlying mood in the country puts clinton at some risk as she campaigns to extend the democrats<u+2019> hold on the white house to a third consecutive term. <u+201c>what clinton cannot do is get herself in the position of defending the status quo, and that<u+2019>s going to be a challenge, because she is the essence of the status quo,<u+201d> ayres said. <u+201c>if she lets this [election] get defined as change versus status quo, where trump<u+2019>s change and she is not, that<u+2019>s one way she can lose this thing.<u+201d> trump<u+2019>s coalition potentially cuts across traditional party lines, and as a political outsider, he has shown a particular ability to attract support from what he called <u+201c>forgotten<u+201d> americans, many of them white and working class. <u+201c>people who work hard but no longer have a voice: i am your voice,<u+201d> trump said in cleveland. [donald trump positions himself as the voice for <u+2018>the forgotten<u+2019>] olsen suggested that clinton could peel away some of that support with the right message aimed at the right segment of trump<u+2019>s base <u+2014> such as white, working-class women. he said trump<u+2019>s daughter, ivanka, set him up to talk to these women with her introductory speech but that the candidate failed to do so. on friday in tampa, clinton previewed how she would rebut trump<u+2019>s declarations, including his suggestion that he alone could fix what ails the country. <u+201c>i can<u+2019>t really imagine him on a white horse,<u+201d> she quipped. clinton said: <u+201c>we will offer a very different vision. it<u+2019>s about building bridges, not walls, between people. it<u+2019>s about making the economy work for everyone, not just those at the top. it<u+2019>s about embracing our diversity that does make our country great.<u+201d> the convention<u+2019>s nightly themes focus on unity. opening night, monday, will be <u+201c>united together: putting families first<u+201d> and feature addresses by first lady michelle obama and sanders, as well as astrid silva from nevada, a <u+201c>dreamer<u+201d> brought to the united states as a child by parents who are illegal immigrants. tuesday<u+2019>s theme is <u+201c>a lifetime of fighting for children and families<u+201d> and will be headlined by bill clinton and <u+201c>the mothers of the movement,<u+201d> whose sons and daughters were killed in police and other shootings. wednesday night, <u+201c>working together,<u+201d> will star kaine, president obama and vice president biden. many democrats expect that obama will reprise the role bill clinton played at the 2012 convention in charlotte by delivering not only a full-throated endorsement of onetime rival hillary clinton, but also a point-by-point defense of his record and the economic gains under democratic leadership. on friday, obama gave a taste of how he would respond to trump<u+2019>s dark portrayal of the state of the country. <u+201c>this idea that america is somehow on the verge of collapse, this vision of violence and chaos everywhere, doesn<u+2019>t really jibe with the experience of most people,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>i hope people, the next morning, walked outside, and birds were chirping, and the sun was out.<u+201d> the convention will reach its crescendo on thursday night with the theme <u+201c>stronger together,<u+201d> when clinton will give her acceptance speech and be introduced by her daughter, chelsea. clinton spokesman glen caplin said: <u+201c>this convention will crystallize the fight that she<u+2019>s already fought and what she will do going forward for american families as president. hillary clinton and democrats will effectively make the case over these four days for an america that<u+2019>s at its best when we work together to solve our problems.<u+201d> democrats thought the republican convention focused too much on trump<u+2019>s personality and offered generalities but few policy proposals to back them up <u+2014> especially on the economy and jobs. in philadelphia, democrats are expected to remind voters that the economy was roaring during bill clinton<u+2019>s presidency and has improved considerably during obama<u+2019>s. yet they also will acknowledge that there is more to do. <u+201c>there is an opening for someone who can create some hope that she knows how to make things better with some specific ideas,<u+201d> said ayres, the republican pollster. striking the right tone on the state of the country, and the proper balance between a celebration of the democratic base and an appeal for broader unity, remain the biggest tests for clinton. <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t think the american public desires to have <u+2018>happy days are here again,<u+2019><u+00a0><u+201d> democratic pollster hart said. <u+201c>the ability to condense the clinton message into something which is both hopeful and realistic would make a huge difference.<u+201d>

clinton<u+2019>s challenge will be to balance a hopeful tone with an argument for change

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russian president vladimir putin said moscow would not abandon russians living in southeast ukraine to ukrainian nationalists, ria news agency quoted him as saying in a documentary due to be broadcast later on sunday. more than 9,000 people have been killed in fighting in eastern ukraine between russian-backed separatists and ukrainian troops since april 2014. moscow says ukrainian nationalists pose a threat to ethnic russians and russian-speaking ukrainians in the region. according to ria, putin also said russia would continue to improve its nuclear arsenal, but added that it would not wield the "nuclear big stick."

putin says will not abandon russians in ukraine to nationalists

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the party apparatus exploits and exacerbates these fraidy-<u+2019>crat jitters. whenever something major looms<u+2014>an election, a state of the union address, a major senate vote, a gravitational ripple<u+2014>my e-mail box turns into a wailing wall of democratic fund-raising messages bearing subject lines such as <u+201c>worried,<u+201d> <u+201c>be afraid,<u+201d> <u+201c>why haven<u+2019>t we heard from you?,<u+201d> <u+201c>all hope is lost,<u+201d> and <u+201c>doomed,<u+201d> which isn<u+2019>t how general patton would have fired up the troops. the heebie-jeebie-ing is even worse on social media during the election cycle; social media make everything worse if you open up the sluices, turning even stoics into headless chickens. a few years ago such aunt pittypat palpitations inspired a viral poster that showed president obama making a bold gesture with the message everyone chill the fuck out, i got this! and yet, after nearly two terms of obama<u+2019>s unruffled, unrattled mastery of the long game, his confidence doesn<u+2019>t seem to have energized democrats en masse with a <u+201c>forward march!<u+201d> spirit. when democrats contemplate their navel, they still see a panic button. <u+2018>republicans are from mars, democrats are from venus<u+201d> goes an adage much beloved by pundits always looking for a convenient platitude to rest their elbows on. (or chins.) caricatured another way, republicans are cast as the daddy party (jaw-jutting, decisive, disciplinarian, financially prudent, militarily assertive: meat), democrats are the mommy party (huggy, permissive, socially concerned, globally cooperative: veggies). such gender stereotypes may have outlived whatever hinky usefulness they ever had, as stereotypes are wont to do, but beneath the sexual cosplay of republican executive blue suits versus democratic mom jeans (which president obama was accused of fancying by no less a fashion arbiter than sarah palin) is a forked dynamic deeper than any policy differences or identity politics. republicans are driven by anger; democrats, riven by anxiety. anger stokes republicans to lash out, their grievances, real and imaginary, kept at a raging boil by fox news, matt drudge , radio talk-show hosts, and similar mayhem artists. anxiety pincushions democrats into a defensive crouch waiting for the ceiling to cave, their blood pressure spiking with every alarming headline in the new york times, of which there is never a shortage. not all democrats, naturally, otherwise the party would have gone the way of the pony express, political architect karl rove<u+2019>s vision of a permanent republican majority having come to pass. yet there does seem to be an intestinal queasiness in the institutional identity that<u+2019>s chronic and unworthy of its ancestors. when i was a stripling in the never dull 60s, democrats didn<u+2019>t quaver as if a wagon-train attack lurked around every bend. activated by adversity, they appeared outgoing, future-striding, and firm-resolved: dashing john f. kennedy, happy warrior hubert h. humphrey, steer-wrangling lyndon baines johnson, and, radiating in the background, the chromo image of franklin delano roosevelt<u+2014>the greatest president, and perhaps the greatest figure, of the 20th century. the republican adults in charge came across as somberly dour (richard nixon) or apocalyptically dire (barry goldwater). the bloody morass of vietnam, the urban riots and campus upheavals, the assassinations of j.f.k., his brother robert, and martin luther king jr., and the druggy saturnalia of the decade eroded the faith in liberal progress and took the bright shine off social engineering. when nixon swept the board in his re-election victory of 1972 over george mcgovern, winning 49 states, it was as if a dark visor had been lowered over the future for liberal democrats, nothing ahead but charred landscape. undone by hubris and thirsty vengeance, nixon did the country a favor by befouling himself over watergate, opening a respite of hope for democrats (the improbable success of jimmy carter in time for the bicentennial), only to have it smushed beneath the golden hammer of ronald reagan, with whose two-term presidency the democrats are still reckoning. it wasn<u+2019>t only that reagan was popular, racking up a second-term victory that equaled nixon<u+2019>s 49-state total and scored the highest electoral-college vote in history (525 out of a possible 538), leaving liberals thunderstruck. it wasn<u+2019>t only that he was the first pontiff of the unfettered free-market capitalism that has become the economic dogma of our time (even if the actual record of his administration wouldn<u+2019>t pass ayn rand<u+2019>s inspection). reagan<u+2019>s dandiest trick was inverting the personae of liberal democrats and conservative republicans, turning the character roles inside out. optimistic, affable, rhetorically broad-gestured and bold-colored, a mega-dose of vitamin d, the former movie star opened a picture window on the majestic vista of <u+201c>morning in america,<u+201d> where the skies were big and blue and the hills alive with the sound of jingle-jangle spurs. in political, media, and public awareness, perceptions turned topsy-turvy, placing republicans high in the saddle and challenging the horizon while nit-picking, nay-saying democrats clung to the status quo as if it were the schoolmarm<u+2019>s apron strings. a gross caricature, but gross caricatures are what the beltway press eats for brunch, and, apart from a leonine few, democrats became gun-shy of proposing any f.d.r./l.b.j.-scaled domestic programs or making anything resembling dovish cries. the party lost labor muscle<u+2014>reagan<u+2019>s crackdown on the air-traffic controllers<u+2019> union in 1981, when his threat to fire more than 11,000 striking controllers carried the day, was a crippling defeat from which unions never recovered<u+2014>and shifted attention to knowledge workers, who didn<u+2019>t have the same organizational strength and loyalty in the non-unionized, neoliberal economy. <u+201c>though [michael dukakis] lost the [1988] election after being defamed in the infamous willie horton ad <u+2026> , his platform won him a following among white-collar professionals in the metropolitan areas of the sunbelt, west, and northeast,<u+201d> historian and political analyst lily geismer wrote in the winter 2016 issue of jacobin magazine. <u+201c>four years later, the [democratic leadership council]<u+2019>s golden boy, bill clinton, placed high-tech growth and suburban professionals at the forefront of his policy vision in his own presidential bid.<u+201d> the <u+201c>triangulation<u+201d> strategy and small-ball initiatives (school uniforms, etc.) practiced and proposed by clinton once he was in office weren<u+2019>t just wily poker tricks but a recognition of the political realities of the post-reagan era. expansive, ebullient, and popular, clinton was finely tuned to the public<u+2019>s mood, sensed just how far to push. fat lot of good it did him. oh, sure, he made mistakes, some of them beauts<u+2014>such is the frailty of man, especially one with a hearty appetite<u+2014>but the telenovela that unfolded was an orchestrated takedown that nearly succeeded. whitewater, the monica lewinsky uproar, the starr report, the nightly kangaroo courts of cable-news panels, the impeachment debate and vote<u+2014>all were a preview of coming distractions. the rabid harrying of clinton was a dress rehearsal for the swift boating swarm-attack mode that would be mounted against even the most mainstream, dry-cleaned, neatly pressed democratic candidate, often with the sneering assistance of putative liberals giving their class snobbery some exercise. when we consider the barrage of racism, paranoia (rumors of fema camps), derangement (the <u+201c>birther<u+201d> conspiracies, the rise of glenn beck), and unprecedented insults delivered by the republican-held congress that barack obama has jedi-deflected, we will look back on his presidency as a marvel of levitation as so much of the country seemed intent on plunging into the mire. if hillary clinton is the nominee, as looks likely, the swift boating will return in armada force and be crewed by insane clown posses. factor into that the fear of an <u+201c>enthusiasm gap<u+201d> (the republicans have so far pulled far more people to their caucuses and primaries than have democrats); the tasty prospect of bill clinton, feeling a little frisky or blabby, upstaging and embarrassing the hillary campaign; the as yet unplumbed depths of the political and popular culture<u+2019>s misogyny, especially against older women, doubtless reviving the mommy party business with a vengeance; and television<u+2019>s slavish royal-carpet lay-down for donald trump (assuming he<u+2019>s the nominee, with ideally marco rubio as his howdy doody running mate). it<u+2019>s been a helluva arc from jefferson, lincoln, and roosevelt to this.

when did the democratic party become such a nervous wreck?

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mothers whose children have been killed by police officers marched in washington, d.c., on saturday to call attention to police brutality and racial injustice. the million moms march was sponsored by mothers for justice united, an organization of mothers whose children have been killed by police officers and others, and the coalition for justice. the march moved from the u.s. capitol to the u.s. department of justice, where demonstrators demanded changes in police practices. maria hamilton founded mothers for justice united and helped organize the march of mothers and their supporters. hamilton's 31-year-old son, dontre hamilton, was shot 14 times and killed by a former milwaukee police officer. "this is a call for everybody to wake up," hamilton said as the march began saturday afternoon. "we are here on behalf of our babies to tell the united states government that we aren't going anywhere. we aren't going to continue to keep burying our babies. do something and do it now." hamilton said as moms walked through the streets they aimed to honor "stolen lives" in solidarity. "we will continue to lift our babies up," she said. "they live through each and every one of us. they are gone physically but we have our own personal angels now." as demonstrators moved through the streets saturday, some in the crowd shouted, "no justice. no compromise," and "black lives matter." many of the mothers and other protesters held photos of young men and women killed by law enforcement officers. others clutched bright yellow balloons, flowers and held hands. mothers for justice united, which also includes family members, clergy and concerned citizens, is focused on halting the killing of unarmed people of color by police and vigilantes through direct action, legislation and community building, the group says. marion gray-hopkins, whose 19-year-old son gary was killed by a police officer in maryland in 1999, told nbc news she planned to participate. "enough is enough," gray-hopkins told the network. "we need to put about some changes in laws and practices that will stop the senseless killing of our unarmed children."

moms march to demand end to police brutality, racial injustice

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can huckabee overcome the 'new car smell' of other candidates? this post was updated at 11:40 a.m. et. that's the message the gop presidential hopeful is already conveying as he makes another bid for the presidency. "we need the kind of change that really could get america from hope to higher ground," he said, officially launching his campaign tuesday in hope, ark. to recapture the magic that propelled him to second place in 2008, he needs to re-embrace his roots and downplay the political celebrity he has created in the past eight years. "what he's got to do is draw a contrast that shows, 'i'm not just a talk show host and i'm not just a baptist minister, but i governed for over a decade and we achieved results in a very democratic environment,' " said iowa conservative activist bob vander plaats, who chaired huckabee's winning 2008 campaign in the first caucus state. he is so far undecided this go-around. that message was also evidenced in the video that huckabee rolled out last week. the video was vintage huckabee, harking back to how he took on the clinton machine of the 1990s in what was then a very democratic state. that's a valuable weapon he has now that he didn't eight years ago, with other republican candidates now arguing they're best equipped to take on hillary clinton, the likely democratic nominee. huckabee boasted of his populist record, touting his work raising family income and cutting taxes during his decade-long tenure as governor. there were no clips of his eponymous talk show or his 2008 stump speeches except for the address he made to the gop convention that year. "i'm not a republican because i grew up rich," he declared at the republican national convention in st. paul. "i'm a republican because i didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me." his runner-up slot enabled him to dig out of his humble beginnings. a fox news contract and radio show soon followed, and huckabee and his wife were able to build a 8,224 square-foot florida beachfront home worth $3 million. "janet and i, neither of us grew up thinking we'd see salt water in person," huckabee told the northwest florida daily news last year of the mansion he and his wife called home. "we both grew up dirt poor in southern arkansas ... for us, growing up, the thought that we would ever put our feet in salt water, no that would never happen." the newfound financial freedom was reportedly one reason huckabee passed on a 2012 bid, despite his rumored disdain for the eventual nominee, former massachusetts gov. mitt romney. in order to do so, he would have had to sever his media ties, which were his main source of income. that's why it surprised many when he announced, without much warning, in january of this year that he would be stepping down from his fox news saturday evening show, huckabee. but it was also a clear signal to those skeptical he would leave the lucrative private sector to re-enter the political arena that he was serious this time. huckabee was underestimated early on in 2008 in iowa, too. he didn't even begin registering in polling there until the summer of 2007 and never surged into the lead until december of that year. he ended up winning the caucuses by 9 points. he starts off the 2016 cycle not having to go from pizza ranch to pizza ranch praying supporters will show up, as vander plaats once recalled their team had to do, but with a sure buzz and a reservoir of good feelings once he heads to the state this week. he still trails wisconsin gov. scott walker, former florida gov. jeb bush and florida sen. marco rubio in the latest surveys, but there's no clear front-runner yet. that's both good and bad news for huckabee. there are higher expectations this time around, both on fundraising and the crowds he will draw and the poll numbers he can expect as he becomes a candidate yet again. "while people still genuinely like gov. huckabee and they trust gov. huckabee," vander plaats said, "there's still a certain flirtation with the new car smell of new candidates."

can huckabee overcome the 'new car smell' of other candidates?

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the san francisco medical examiner's office determined the parts were human remains and the body had been dismembered, officer grace gatpandan said. "we do have people of interest that homicide investigators are speaking to," she said. detectives are also reviewing surveillance camera footage and officers are looking for a suspect. she declined to identify the suspect. the suitcase was found wednesday afternoon on 11th street in the mission district. police closed four blocks while they investigated. the los angeles times reported that remains were also found at three locations within a three-block radius. asked about the reporting, a police spokeswoman told cnn there are no updates. there were other items around the suitcase, gatpandan said. the gender and age of the person were unclear, she said.

body parts found in suitcase left on sidewalk

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the move would make it easier for the trump administration to demolish the exchanges.

kentucky election could blot an obamacare bright spot

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donald trump<u+2019>s call on monday to bar all muslims from entering the united states provoked a variety of reactions from republican lawmakers on capitol hill, ranging from silence to gentle disapproval to full-throated condemnation. but only one, so far, has visited a mosque this week to speak up for religious tolerance and american unity. sen. jeff flake (r-ariz.) attended a friday afternoon prayer service at the islamic center of the north east valley in scottsdale, with his wife, cheryl, and two of his four sons. in remarks there, he did not mention trump by name but offered a stout rebuke of trumpism following what he called <u+201c>a difficult week in washington.<u+201d> <u+201c>it wasn<u+2019>t so much the legislative calendar as it was the rhetoric that came forth, mostly from the presidential campaign,<u+201d> flake said. <u+201c>that is not in keeping with the values and ideals that have made this country the shining city on the hill that it is. we are a better country than has been on display this week.<u+201d> flake delivered his remarks from the perspective of one of 16 mormons in congress. he is a descendant of some of the original mormon settlers of the west, and he compared the tribulations that adherents of his own religion have faced to those muslims have faced and are facing today. and, he said, mormons and muslims aren<u+2019>t so different, really: there is, as i mentioned, much that separates mormons and muslims, but we do collaborate on a number of things <u+2014> in helping to bring relief after natural disasters. we cooperate, our two faiths, on the translation of ancient texts, and there is much in the history and the tradition and even some doctrine that is common between us. as mormons and muslims, we trace our lineage to father abraham. while we may not agree on the divinity or the prophetic calling of jesus and mohamed, we all revere them as inspired teachers and leaders. early persecution drove mohamed from mecca to medina. early mormon persecution drove the mormons from illinois to utah. i have ancestors buried along that trail. the principle of the fast is embraced and practiced by both of our religions. my two boys there <u+2014> a couple of years ago, i took them to an island in the middle of the pacific to test our survival skills. they got more of a fast than they wanted to. but we both practice the fast in different ways, as well as the responsibility and the obligation to care for the sick and the needy. that is something that is central to both of our faiths.<u+200e> muslims make the pilgrimage to the holy city of mecca. the mormon hajj is to our holy temple. because like muslims, mormons do not drink alcohol, our trip to the temple is usually followed by a stop at dairy queen. ice cream is about all we mormons have; i<u+2019>m not sure if there<u+2019>s a corollary for muslims. flake closed his remarks with an appreciation for the muslim soldiers who have fought in americas wars, the muslim first responders who have put themselves in harm<u+2019>s way <u+2014> including in san bernardino, calif., this month <u+2014> and for muslims who give generously to charity. <u+201c>there can be no religious test for those who serve in public office; we do not tolerate religious discrimination in the workplace, or in the neighborhood,<u+201d> flake said. <u+201c>the slogan on the statue of liberty <u+2014> <u+2018>give us your poor, your tired, and your huddled masses yearning to breathe free<u+2019> <u+2014> contemplates no religious test for those who reach our shores. <u+2026> my hope and prayer today is that the isolated voices calling for division are overwhelmed by the chorus of voices like those in this room today calling for acceptance, for tolerance and inclusion.<u+201d>

this republican senator visited a mosque to repudiate donald trump

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the water crisis in flint, mich., is just the tip of the iceberg <u+2013> and if you think that it can<u+2019>t happen in your community, you<u+2019>re sadly mistaken. the aging water infrastructure in this country is deeply flawed. many of the 150,000 public water systems that serve more than 300 million people are based on rusting, leaky pipes and decades-old plans that<u+2014> if not corrected and replaced<u+2014> will have devastating and long-lasting effects on our communities. the disaster in flint, which began in 2014 when the city switched its water supply from detroit<u+2019>s system to the flint river in a cost-saving measure, is likely brewing in many other communities. it is inconceivable to me that in the most developed nation on the planet, we have exposed families and young children to the poisonous effects of lead. and it is almost criminal to me that water supply officials were unaware that the water pumping through a large american city was endangering the community. that level of negligence is beyond comprehension. the dangerous, detrimental effects that lead can have on a developing brain and body are well-documented. in 1978, a largely successful campaign to remove lead from home paint products resulted in a new law, after it was found that small children could mistakenly eat paint chips and be exposed to lead poisoning. when it comes to levels of lead in water, no true amount is safe. however, in 1991 the environmental protection agency (epa) established an action level for lead in public drinking water at 15 micrograms per liter, and required water supplies to routinely test household tap water to check lead levels. these laws and others were established to protect our citizens from both indirect and direct exposure to the harmful compound. a person can be directly exposed to lead by drinking contaminated water with unsafe levels, while indirect exposure can occur when a person inhales contaminated water particles through steam or vapors. once lead enters the human body, the heavy metal attaches itself to cells that can begin to build up in bones or major organs like the liver or kidneys. it disrupts the normal cellular biology of the organ and can lead to chronic diseases. however, the most dangerous damage lead poisoning can inflict is on the brain, especially in young or unborn children. if lead is deposited in a developing fetal brain, it can disrupt the normal function and cause irreversible damage. the same can happen in young children whose brains are still maturing. the consequences can result in low iq, severe delays in cognitive function, significant disruption in the memory center of the brain, learning disabilities and other neurological deficits. the devastating part of this diagnosis is that it is, for the most part, irreversible. patients exposed to acute lead poisoning can be treated through chelation, which is a method used to filter out the lead. however, for children chronically exposed over a period of time, the damage cannot be undone. this makes the preventable crisis in flint all the more devastating. i read that the obama administration is planning to pick dr. nicole lurie to act as a <u+201c>czar<u+201d> and fix the crisis in flint, but i urge her to look further than just michigan. lurie and others must start to seriously evaluate other areas of america where the people are most susceptible to a disaster such as this. the government failed the city of flint, it must act now to protect the rest of us. dr. manny alvarez serves as fox news channel's senior managing health editor. he also serves as chairman of the department of obstetrics/gynecology and reproductive science at hackensack university medical center in new jersey. click here for more information on dr. manny's work with hackensack university medical center. visit askdrmanny.com for more.

dr. manny: water crisis in flint is just the tip of the iceberg

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who has trump appointed to his cabinet so far? donald trump added three new men to his list of cabinet picks friday. get to know them.

onpolitics | 's politics blog

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lynch warned that inaction from the senate would cause "a serious lapse" in the government's ability to protect americans. a day earlier, obama urged congress "to work through this recess and identify a way to get this done." "this needs to get done," he said during an oval office meeting with nato secretary general jens stoltenberg. the national security agency's bulk metadata collection program, which has allowed the nsa to collect and store phone data on millions of americans, will sunset on monday unless congress passes legislation by midnight on sunday. obama and lynch have endorsed the usa freedom act, the bill to make changes to the patriot act that overwhelmingly passed the house of representatives but came three votes shy of passage in the senate this weekend. obama said tuesday that bill "strikes an appropriate balance; our intelligence communities are confident that they can work with the authorities that are provided in that act." under that plan, phone companies would store their customers' metadata and the nsa would need to obtain a specific, targeted warrant to get a customer's data. his comments came after the senate failed in a rare overnight session this weekend to pass the usa freedom act or a short-term extension of the patriot act's expiring provisions as reform opponents and the staunchest anti-surveillance advocates stood firm on their positions. the senate now stands in recess until next sunday, though senate dealmakers are working this week to find a way to keep the programs from lapsing. obama pressed the senate to work through the recess to find "a way to get this done." "the house of representatives did its work," obama said. "the senate did not act."

loretta lynch joins obama in prodding senate over nsa

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the banner headline on the drudge report the morning after wednesday<u+2019>s presidential forum screamed <u+201c>hillary and the ear pearl.<u+201d> the story it linked to was from infowars.com, the website of radio host alex jones, a crazy person who believes the government has a special tornado weapon<u+00a0>and used it to attack oklahoma in 2013. citing a tweet from actor and right-wing troll james woods, infowars wondered if clinton had been<u+00a0><u+201c>wearing an earpiece during last night<u+2019>s presidential forum,<u+201d> as indicated by pictures that <u+201c>appeared to show hillary with some kind of flesh-colored device embedded inside her ear.<u+201d> so was it a flesh-colored earpiece as infowars insisted?<u+00a0>or was it a pearl-colored earpiece as drudge claimed? no one can say, but the ad hoc investigative group of conspiracy theorists and crackpot celebrities seems pretty convinced that hillary clinton had someone secretly feeding answers into her ear during the forum. the <u+201c>evidence<u+201d> was convincing enough that donald trump<u+2019>s son <u+2014> the elephant-butchering one, not the off-broadway <u+201c>american psycho<u+201d><u+00a0>one <u+2014> tweeted out a link to the infowars story. so congratulations, everyone: we<u+2019>ve officially reached the <u+201c>presidential candidate cheats via secret radio technology<u+201d> stage of the 2016 election. it<u+2019>s arrived a bit early this year, but this conspiratorial story line has become a recurring fixture of presidential campaigns thanks to the internet<u+2019>s inexhaustible capacity to prey on gullibility and partisan reflexes. the <u+201c>secret earpiece<u+201d> story made its first big splash in the latter stages of the 2004 presidential election, when blogger joseph cannon noticed an odd bulge in the back of george w. bush<u+2019>s suit jacket during an early october debate. <u+201c>bush seemed to have a wire, or an odd protrusion of some sort, running down his back,<u+201d> cannon wrote. <u+201c>apparently, fearless leader used an earpiece during the confrontation.<u+201d> the speculative accusation might have remained confined to the liberal blogosphere had it not been for the efforts of the website you<u+2019>re reading at this moment, salon.com, which published half-skeptical write-ups of the circumstantial evidence surrounding the bush <u+201c>wire<u+201d> and contacted nasa scientists for image analysis of the <u+201c>bush bulge.<u+201d> from salon, the story jumped to the washington post and the new york times, which managed to obtain derisive denials from bush campaign staffers. the <u+201c>bulge<u+201d> even became the centerpiece of a david letterman riff. fervent speculation aside, no direct evidence was ever produced indicating that bush was wired during his debate with john kerry. after bush won re-election a month later, the issue receded back into the shaded corners of the internet. almost exactly four years later, as a young democratic senator from illinois took to the debate stage, it was the conservative blogosphere that found itself on secret earpiece patrol. during the oct. 7, 2008, presidential debate, blogger ann althouse wrote that she had <u+201c>noticed that obama was wearing an earpiece<u+201d> and posted a photo of the alleged device in barack obama<u+2019>s ear. she quickly reconsidered her analysis and recognized that she was looking at light reflecting off obama<u+2019>s ear but left open the possibility that a secret earpiece might still exist: <u+201c>just because the thing i saw wasn<u+2019>t there doesn<u+2019>t mean there wasn<u+2019>t something there that i didn<u+2019>t see.<u+201d> the 2012 election was largely free of any prominent earpiece speculation, though some chain emails bounced<u+00a0>around,<u+00a0>accusing<u+00a0>obama of wearing an earpiece and having a suspicious bush-like suit bulge. that cycle<u+2019>s primary example of overwrought <u+201c>he<u+2019>s a cheater<u+201d> attacks were directed at republican contender mitt romney, whom liberal bloggers accused of consulting crib notes during the first debate with obama (romney was actually holding a handkerchief). the relative lack of earpiece mania in 2012 has been more than compensated for in 2016, with this ridiculous story about hillary clinton<u+2019>s clandestine listening device featured prominently on one of the world<u+2019>s most heavily trafficked political websites and endorsed by the son of the republican nominee. other clinton-related conspiracies have proved to be remarkably persistent this cycle (her allegedly failing health being the most prominent among them). so there<u+2019>s an excellent chance that this one will stick around, too. the question that arises from all this is why the <u+201c>earpiece<u+201d> phenomenon keeps popping up election after election, in defiance of consistent debunking and a lack of evidence to support the allegations. <u+201c>these sorts of beliefs are dependent on if you have a conspiracy worldview, and then on your partisanship,<u+201d> said joseph uscinski, a professor of political science at the university of miami who<u+2019>s written extensively about political conspiracy theories. <u+201c>people point fingers at the other side.<u+201d> basically, if you<u+2019>re already predisposed to believe that a<u+00a0>candidate from the other party is going to cheat, then you<u+2019>re more likely to take at face value an allegation that he or she<u+00a0>cheated during a debate. when someone presents you with grainy screen captures of george w. bush or hillary clinton and claims that they show telecommunications equipment hidden on their bodies, your partisanship enables you to bridge the sizable gap between the poor evidence and the firm conclusion that someone offstage was whispering into the candidate<u+2019>s ear. these cheating allegations tend to take the form of a secret earpiece simply because that<u+2019>s really the only way someone participating in a nationally televised presidential debate could conceivably cheat. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s just like when hillary clinton goes on [<u+201c>jimmy kimmel live<u+201d>] and opens the pickle jar,<u+201d> uscinski explained, referring to a humorous<u+00a0>feat of strength that clinton performed to<u+00a0>mock questions about her health and that<u+00a0>conspiratorial conservatives claimed was rigged. <u+201c>the only way she could have cheated in that test . . .<u+00a0><u+00a0>was to have a preopened pickle jar. it<u+2019>s sort of obvious that if people are going to be predisposed to thinking that cheating was taking place, that would be the method in which it would be done.<u+201d> i don<u+2019>t know whether matt drudge and donald trump jr. actually believe that clinton was wired up during this week<u+2019>s president forum, but they<u+2019>re nonetheless legitimizing that idea in the minds of people who are already apt to believe it.

the phantom earpiece phenomenon: why presidential candidates are consistently accused of cheating during debates

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president-elect donald trump preached national unity and vowed to "reclaim our country's destiny," in his victory speech, which was delivered around 3:00 a.m. in new york city. rival candidate hillary clinton had already called trump to concede, he told the crowd. "she fought very hard," he said. "hillary has worked very long and hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country. i mean that very sincerely." trump then turned to the business of healing the vast political divide. he promised to be a president for all americans. "for those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, i'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help, so that we can work together and unify our great country," he said. the president-elect claimed to have a "great" economic plan, though he offered no details. he closed by thanking his most vocal supporters<u+2014>his family, rudy giuliani, sen. jeff sessions, ben carson, and others<u+2014>and assuring the american people that "you'll be so proud of your president" by the time his reign comes to an end. trump's election has sent shockwaves: the markets are in free-fall, democratic voters are petrified, and the media has no idea what just happened. libertarians should be girding themselves for four years of the federal government trampling their freedoms<u+2014>but of course, we've come to expect that regardless. as i wrote on facebook earlier tonight, it's perhaps moments like this where the case for the libertarian vision of a constrained government is most powerful: i'm watching msnbc as i write this, and i just heard lawrence o'donnell say the following: that didn't take long: the left is interested in limited government again. would have been nice to have them with us during obama's eight years in office, but we'll take what we can get, i guess.

trump gives victory speech, liberals rediscover appeal of limited government

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killing obama administration rules, dismantling obamacare and pushing through tax reform are on the early to-do list.

senate gop prepared to replace obamacare subsidies

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last year, during the early days of the presidential campaign, donald trump boldly promised, <u+201c>i<u+2019>m gonna win the hispanic vote.<u+201d> the past few days have suggested he was wrong. after trump<u+2019>s immigration speech focused on deporting millions of unauthorized immigrants and building a wall at the us<u+2013>mexico border, several of his top latino advisers resigned or threatened to resign. and a new, huge survey shows trump isn<u+2019>t just losing the latino vote <u+2014> he<u+2019>s losing it by far more than the past few decades of republican presidential candidates. the survey, by america<u+2019>s voice and latino decisions, found that if the election were held today, 70 percent of registered latino voters would vote for hillary clinton. only 19 percent would vote for trump. about 2 percent said they won<u+2019>t vote for president, 4 percent said they<u+2019>d vote for someone else, and 4 percent said they<u+2019>re undecided or don<u+2019>t know. the findings are quite credible: the survey was huge, reaching 3,729 latino registered voters online and by phone between august 19 and 30. it has a margin of error of 1.6 percentage points. the findings are incredibly damning for trump. to put this in context, this means that the republican party and trump have effectively eliminated any gains the party made with latino voters under president george w. bush, who supported immigration reform that would have allowed unauthorized immigrants to gain legal status. in 2000 and 2004, bush got 35 and 40 percent of the latino vote. that was up from the share of the vote that ronald reagan (35 and 37 percent), george h.w. bush (30 and 25 percent), bob dole (21 percent) got. it was also higher than what john mccain (31 percent) and mitt romney (27 percent) got in subsequent elections. trump<u+2019>s numbers, then, are below the previous six republicans to run for president. and they<u+2019>re especially low at a time when the latino population has grown <u+2014> from 14.8 million people in 1980 to 55.2 million in 2014. as for why trump has so little support among latino voters, it<u+2019>s basically what you'd expect: 70 percent said that trump has made the republican party more hostile to latinos. and 68 percent said that trump<u+2019>s views on immigrants and immigration made them less likely to vote for republicans in november. meanwhile, 75-plus percent of latino voters said president barack obama<u+2019>s actions on immigration <u+2014> such as letting undocumented immigrant youth stay in the country <u+2014> made them more likely to vote for democrats. and 64 percent said hillary clinton<u+2019>s views on immigrants and immigration made them more likely to vote for democrats. so republicans seemed to be on a downward trend with latino voters after george w. bush. but with obama, clinton, and trump, that slide seems to have sped up by quite a bit.

donald trump is doing worse with latinos than the previous 6 republican presidential candidates

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barring that, what will actually happen is that obama will veto the bill. darn, so close, guys. and we were all so sure the 62nd time would be the charm. now, this was only possible because the senate passed a similar bill through the budget reconciliation process, which is not subject to minority filibusters and allows bills to pass with a simple majority vote. so ryan didn<u+2019>t really do anything different than his predecessor john boehner would have, legislatively speaking. but he did get to tweet out a<u+00a0>spiffy new: #onhisdesk. which in washington is now preferable to the actual hard work of writing and passing legislation that might impact your constituents<u+2019> lives in tiny but positive ways. hashtags and demagoguery aside, what<u+00a0>the gop has actually done is start off the new year <u+2013> and the 10-month push to election day <u+2013> by voting to take away healthcare from millions of americans. the larger point here is that, while it is still early in his tenure, so far the best evidence suggests<u+00a0>that paul ryan<u+2019>s house of representatives is going to be pretty much as worthless as boehner<u+2019>s, at least this year: do the bare minimum to keep the lights on and the government performing its basic functions, then placate the gop<u+2019>s<u+00a0>angry right wing by letting them pass <u+201c>messaging<u+201d> bills that president obama will laugh right out of the oval office. we<u+2019>ve already seen the house take on an omnibus spending bill just before christmas that ryan needed democratic votes to pass while the gop<u+2019>s freedom caucus was screaming for his head. this was pretty much how boehner used to operate. the former speaker was an amiable party hack who didn<u+2019>t really want to shut the government down to placate the gremlins that run through right-wingers<u+2019> minds whenever they see a line item for planned parenthood in the government<u+2019>s budget. such shutdowns might get the base excited, but they are bad for the business leaders and lobbyists who so recently held some semblance of control of the party so boehner would listen to the extremists, pat them on their heads, pay lip service to the idea that, say, repealing obamacare was worth giving thousands of federal employees indefinite and unpaid vacations, and then at the last minute go negotiate with nancy pelosi to keep the lights on. this was a terrible way to run the nation, and it eventually cost boehner his job. there was never any reason to believe any of this would change with ryan at the helm. but when the gop was begging him to take the job, party leaders sold him as the only man who could unite his fractious caucus. ryan himself promised the far right that he would return to them some of the power boehner had yanked, that he would listen to their concerns without condescension, and that he would take action on the issues most important to them. he was helped by boehner secretly negotiating one final spending deal with obama, which allowed ryan to pass the latest omnibus while telling conservatives that, gosh darn it, he hated to vote for such a monstrosity but his wily predecessor left him no choice. none of this is to say that ryan and boehner are ideologically similar. ryan has long been a zealot on supply-side economics, demonstrating a randian belief in radically cutting the size of government, mostly on the backs of the poor. boehner, on the other hand, while generally conservative, never met an ideological principle he wouldn<u+2019>t trade away for a bottle of scotch and someone else paying his greens fees. but ryan is pragmatic enough to understand his goals are unreachable by full-frontal assault. so you get him passing the omnibus and following it up with this latest attempt at repealing obamacare. you have him slamming president obama<u+2019>s mild executive actions on guns (over which at least one republican is threatening to shut down part of the executive branch), which keeps anyone from noticing the giant gift the business wing of the party is about to hand volkswagen and its lobbyists after the automaker was caught earlier this year in a systemic violation of the clean air act. in terms of the results he<u+2019>s getting in the house, ryan is basically boehner with cleaner lungs and minus<u+00a0>the rambling, wine-drunk press conferences. it remains to be seen whether this two-faced act will carry out through the entire year. the far right has been grumbling, and ryan<u+2019>s approval ratings have dropped. if the gop thinks it has a real shot at winning the white house while retaining control of both houses of congress, ryan might be able to keep the right wing in line by pointing out the bonanza that will result for them with president ted cruz in the oval office. but if a democrat takes the oath of office a year from now, far-right republicans <u+2013> and the gop electorate in general <u+2013> will be screaming very loudly for his scalp.

paul ryan is an endangered species: how congressional extremists could easily doom his speakership

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republican leaders vow to show that they can govern effectively by following through on a budget. but that will take compromises both within the republican caucus and with the president. two sunday attacks add to recent rise in fatal shootings of us police senate majority leader mitch mcconnell (r) of kentucky (l.), joined by senate majority whip john cornyn of texas, speaks with reporters on capitol hill on last month. the republican leadership team faces an early test of its capacity to govern with this year's annual budget process, which began this week with the release of the white house budget on monday. the new gop-controlled congress, keen to prove that republicans can govern, is faced with its first big test in governing 101: the president<u+2019>s $4 trillion budget proposal, delivered to congress<u+00a0>on monday. appropriating money<u+00a0>to pay for government is a basic function of congress. now that republicans rule the roost under the capitol dome, they<u+2019>re promising to tackle this job properly: to have both houses agree on a budget blueprint by<u+00a0>the<u+00a0>april 15<u+00a0>deadline, to work out the details in 12<u+00a0>annual<u+00a0>spending bills, to have both chambers agree on those bills, and send them to the president for his signature<u+00a0>in time for the start of a new fiscal year on<u+00a0>oct. 1. it<u+2019>s a tall order. the last time congress got to step 1 <u+2013> agreeing on a budget blueprint <u+2013> was 2009. since then, it<u+2019>s been a perilous process, remembered for fiscal cliffs, a budget showdown, and forced across-the-board cuts (the dreaded <u+201c>sequester<u+201d>) that were never meant to be. house speaker john boehner (r) of ohio and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell (r) of kentucky both say there will be no more shutdowns or fiscal<u+00a0>cliffs. yet both essentially declared the president<u+2019>s budget dead on arrival <u+2013> setting the stage for a fiscal food fight. that doesn<u+2019>t bode well for their governing pledge. <u+201c>to govern means to compromise,<u+201d> says william hoagland, senior vice president<u+00a0>at the bipartisan policy center, a washington think tank. <u+201c>if republicans want to prove they can govern, then the president and congress will have to show they can compromise.<u+201d> as it stands, the president has started out with <u+201c>a very clear ideological position that is almost 180 degrees opposite of the congress,<u+201d> says mr. hoagland, who has a long history of budget experience on the hill. the white house budget increases spending, raises taxes, and projects a $1.8 trillion trim to the deficit over a decade. leaders of the house and senate<u+00a0>budget committees,<u+00a0>on the other hand, plan a blueprint that balances the budget in 10 years. republicans<u+00a0>oppose<u+00a0>tax and spending increases, though both parties are concerned about automatic spending cuts to the military. john feehery, former spokesman for house speaker dennis hastert (r) of illinois, says it<u+2019>s <u+201c>essential<u+201d> that republicans return to the regular budget process. <u+201c>if republicans do this right, and they pass all the appropriations bills in regular order and get them through the house and senate, they can present them to the president in a series of legislation that makes it awfully difficult for the president to veto,<u+201d> he says. at that point, he explains, the argument is no longer about the size of the pie, just the pieces of it <u+2013> and which party<u+2019>s priorities are included in those pieces. whether the republicans succeed will come down to political will<u+00a0>and<u+00a0>patience.<u+00a0><u+201c>there<u+2019>s<u+00a0>definitely going to have to be compromise,<u+201d> says feehery. he<u+00a0>says he<u+00a0>is encouraged by senator mcconnell<u+2019>s <u+201c>promise to govern<u+201d> as evidenced in last week<u+2019>s passage of the keystone pipeline bill. it gained the backing of nine democrats after three weeks of debate and a<u+00a0>much more open amendment process than was afforded republicans under former majority leader harry reid (d) of nevada. also working in the leaders<u+2019> favor, he says, are voters. they may not care if congress does its budget work, but sure do notice when it doesn<u+2019>t. republican presidential candidates, especially<u+00a0>former florida gov.<u+00a0>jeb bush, will also want to see a<u+00a0>congress that<u+2019>s functioning again, feehery says. but even with a gop majority, just approving a budget blueprint <u+2013> which only requires a majority<u+00a0>vote<u+00a0>in both houses <u+2013> could be difficult. conservative hardliners in the house will make their demands, while moderate republican senators facing tough election battles in blue or purple states will make theirs, says hoagland.<u+00a0>twenty-four senate republicans are up for election in 2016, compared to only 10 democrats. the process gets harder once committees take up to appropriation bills, which unlike the budget blueprint,will be subject to democratic filibuster in the senate and will have to clear a 60-vote threshold to pass. republicans hold a 54-seat majority. even if<u+00a0>mcconnell can keep all republicans with him on key votes <u+2013> also a tall order <u+2013> he still needs six democrats to pass spending bills. there<u+2019>s simply no getting around it, if republicans want to prove they can govern, they<u+2019>ll have to compromise. so will the president. on opening day of the budget process, neither seemed in a compromising mood.

can republicans govern? budget 2016 could be biggest test.

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washington -- forty-three years after the supreme court established the right to a safe and legal abortion in roe v. wade, the stakes have never been higher for those on both sides of the abortion debate. states have enacted 288 new abortion restrictions in the past five years that have shut down a slew of clinics across the country, and the next president could nominate supreme court justices who will determine the fate of legal abortion for decades to come. but even as abortion access for millions of women hangs in the balance, the issue has somehow been neglected by presidential debate moderators, causing the issue of reproductive rights to fade from the 2016 race. the democratic candidates haven't been asked about reproductive rights at all in any of their four debates, and the republicans have only been asked about abortion and funding for planned parenthood in the first two of the six debates they've participated in so far. advocates working for and against abortion rights are baffled by the silence. <u+201c>there are real and important differences between candidates here, and it's a loss for american women that they haven't been explored,<u+201d> said jess mcintosh, a spokeswoman for emily<u+2019>s list, a group that helps elect pro-choice women to office. nbc moderators did not ask how sen. bernie sanders<u+2019> (i-vt.) new<u+00a0>health plan, released just two hours before the democratic debate the network hosted sunday, would handle public funding for abortion, and did not press hillary clinton on her view that federal restrictions on medicaid funding for abortion should be repealed. sens. marco rubio (r-fla.) and ted cruz (r-texas) haven't been asked in the past four gop debates about their opposition to allowing victims of rape or incest to get abortions, a position that is significantly more conservative than those held by prior republican presidential nominees. the only abortion-related question gop frontrunner donald trump has fielded during a debate was back in august, when fox's megyn kelly asked him about his 1999 comment that he was "very pro-choice." his stance on abortion is much murkier these days, but no other moderators have chosen to ask him about it. americans united for life, an anti-abortion group, wants candidates on both sides to explain whether they support public funding for abortion or the kinds of clinic regulations that conservative states have passed to make it difficult for abortion providers to stay open. <u+201c>pro-life americans would love to know whether candidates support health and safety standards for women who are exposed to great risks in abortion clinics,<u+201d> said kristi hamrick, a spokeswoman for aul.

as reproductive rights hang in the balance, debate moderators drop the ball

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as he tries to charm republicans still skeptical of his presidential candidacy, donald trump has a challenge: on several key issues, he sounds an awful lot like a democrat. and on some points of policy, such as trade and national defense, the billionaire businessman could even find himself running to the left of hillary clinton, his likely democratic rival in the general election. trump is a classic republican in many ways. he rails against environmental and corporate regulations, proposes dramatically lower tax rates and holds firm on opposing abortion rights. but the presumptive gop nominee doesn't fit neatly into a traditional ideological box. "i think i'm running on common sense," he said in a recent interview with the associated press. "i think i'm running on what's right. i don't think in terms of labels." perhaps trump's clearest break with republican orthodoxy is on trade, which the party's 2012 platform said was "crucial for our economy" and a path to "more american jobs, higher wages, and a better standard of living." trump says his views on trade are "not really different" from the rest of his party's, yet he pledges to rip up existing deals negotiated by "stupid leaders" who failed to put american workers first. he regularly slams the north american free trade agreement involving the u.s, mexico and canada, and opposes a pending asia-pacific pact, positions shared by democratic candidate bernie sanders. "the problem is the ideologues, the very conservative group, would say everything has to be totally free trade," trump said. "but you can't have free trade if the deals are going to be bad. and that's what we have." trump long has maintained that he has no plans to scale back social security benefits or raise its qualifying retirement age. the position puts him in line with clinton. she has said she would "defend and expand" social security, has ruled out a higher retirement age and opposes reductions in cost-of-living adjustments or other benefits. "there is tremendous waste, fraud and abuse, but i'm leaving it the way it is," trump recently told fox business network. it's a stance at odds with the country's top-ranked elected republican, house speaker paul ryan of wisconsin, who has advocated fundamental changes to social security and other entitlement programs. but it's also one that trump argues keeps him in line with the wishes of most voters. "remember the wheelchair being pushed over the cliff when you had ryan chosen as your vice president?" trump told south carolina voters this year, referring to then-vice presidential candidate ryan's budget plan. "that was the end of that campaign." ryan was mitt romney's running mate in 2012. complicating the efforts to define trump is his penchant for offering contradictory ideas about policy. he also has taken recently to saying that all of his plans are merely suggestions, open to later negotiation. trump's tax plan, for instance, released last fall, called for lowering the rate paid by the wealthiest people in the united states from 39.6 percent to 25 percent and slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. trump described it as a massive boon for the middle class. outside experts concluded it disproportionately benefited the rich and would balloon the federal deficit. close to clinching the nomination, trump now appears to be pulling away from his own proposal. while he still wants to lower taxes for the wealthy and businesses, he now says his plan was just a starting point for discussions and he would like to see the middle class benefit more from whatever changes he seeks in tax law. "we have to go to congress, we have to go to the senate, we have to go to our congressmen and women and we have to negotiate a deal," trump said recently. "so it really is a proposal, but it's a very steep proposal." trump has a similar take on the minimum wage. trump said at a gop primary debate that wages are too high, and later made clear that he does not support a federal minimum wage. yet when speaking about the issue, he says he recognizes the difficulty of surviving on the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. "i am open to doing something with it," he told cnn this month. on foreign policy, trump already appears working to paint clinton as a national security hawk who would too easily the lead the country into conflict. "on foreign policy, hillary is trigger happy," trump said at a recent rally, he listed the countries where the u.s. had intervened militarily during her tenure as secretary of state and pointed to her vote to authorize the iraq war while she was in the senate. trump's own "america first" approach appears to lean more toward isolationism. one of his foreign policy advisers, walid phares, recently described it as a "third way." "this doesn't fit any of the boxes," phares said. clinton has advocated using "smart power," a combination of diplomatic, legal, economic, political and cultural tools to expand american influence. she believes the u.s. has a unique ability to rally the world to defeat international threats. she argues the country must be an active participant on the world stage, particularly as part of international alliances such as nato. trump has criticized the military alliance, questioning a structure that sees the u.s. pay for most of its costs. "no, i think i'm much tougher than her on foreign <u+2014> and i think we won't have to use it," trump recently told fox news when asked whether he might come to clinton's left on some foreign policy issues. "you know, i appear that i might <u+2014> maybe to the left. i believe in very, very strong defense. i believe in world peace. i want to help other countries."

on more than one issue, gop's trump sounds like a democrat

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a series of legal setbacks have halted the government<u+2019>s intensive preparations to move forward with president obama<u+2019>s executive actions shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, even as community organizations continue a rapid push to get ready for the programs, according to u.s. officials and immigrant advocacy groups. since a federal judge first blocked the new programs in february, the department of homeland security has suspended plans to hire up to 3,100 new employees, most of whom would be housed in an 11-story building the government has leased for $7.8<u+00a0>million a year in arlington, va. that building, in the crystal city area, is now sitting mostly unused, dhs employees say. yet inside and outside the beltway, community groups are mobilizing, educating immigrants and training volunteers to help them apply for relief, even though it remains unclear whether the program will ever begin. most recently, a foundation headed by billionaire george soros, undaunted by the court rulings, pledged at least $8<u+00a0>million to that effort. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re full speed ahead,<u+201d> said josh hoyt, executive director of the chicago-based national partnership for new americans, a<u+00a0>coalition of pro-immigrant groups that have held more than 700 information sessions on the new programs and trained more than 2,000 volunteers to aid immigrants in applying for them. obama announced in november that up to 5<u+00a0>million illegal immigrants would be eligible to be shielded from deportation <u+2014> including undocumented parents of u.s. citizens and legal permanent residents <u+2014> as long as they met certain criteria. one of the signature initiatives of his presidency, the plan also expands a 2012 program that has deferred the deportations of more than 600,000 immigrants brought to the united states illegally as children and has granted most of them work permits. but after texas and 25<u+00a0>other states sued the administration, calling the moves unconstitutional, a federal judge in texas in february put them on hold until the case is resolved. a federal appeals court recently upheld that injunction, with legal observers now saying the court fight could last until late in obama<u+2019>s term. the 2012 program remains unaffected. the legal battle highlights the explosive nature of the immigration debate, which has emerged as an early issue in the 2016 presidential race even as immigration legislation remains stalled in congress. the fate of obama<u+2019>s executive action benefiting immigrant parents, known as deferred action for parents of americans and lawful permanent residents, or dapa, will resonate into the next administration. most republican presidential candidates have pledged to overturn obama<u+2019>s immigration actions, while leading democratic candidate hillary rodham clinton has strongly endorsed them. as soon as obama took his actions on nov.<u+00a0>20, u.s. citizenship and immigration services <u+201c>immediately began efforts to implement those initiatives,<u+2019><u+2019> said marsha catron, a dhs spokeswoman. the next day, the agency leased a 280,000-square-foot building on crystal drive in crystal city to house dapa employees, according to dhs documents sent to congress. the building came fully furnished but required about $26<u+00a0>million in start-up costs, including $2.7<u+00a0>million for workstation and desktop equipment, documents show. those costs were to be funded with fees collected from immigrants who had applied for other government programs, and dhs says dapa would have no impact on any existing programs. citizenship and immigration services, which is part of dhs, is central to managing the nation<u+2019>s immigration system and processes more than 6<u+00a0>million citizenship and other applications and petitions each year. the plan also called for 1,000<u+00a0>employees, mostly new hires, to start up dapa in crystal city and 400<u+00a0>staffers at other service centers nationwide to process applications for the expanded 2012 program for immigrants brought illegally to the united states as children. that program is known as deferred action for childhood arrivals, or daca. over time, however, citizenship and immigration services projected that a total of 3,100 new employees might be needed for the two programs, which were expected to cost up to $484<u+00a0>million per year and be paid for by the $465 application fees required for each applicant. by mid-february, dhs was days away from beginning to accept applications for the expanded daca program, with the first dapa applications to follow in may. but on feb.<u+00a0>16, u.s. district judge andrew hanen in texas issued his ruling temporarily blocking both. citizenship and immigration services <u+201c>immediately took steps to ensure the agency ceased its preparations,<u+2019><u+2019> said catron, who added that dhs is <u+201c>disappointed<u+201d> by that decision as well as the may<u+00a0>26 one by the u.s. court of appeals for the 5th circuit upholding it. since then, <u+201c>everything is on hold,<u+201d> said kenneth palinkas, president of national citizenship and immigration services council 119, which represents about 12,000 citizenship and immigration services employees. current employees who had been offered jobs in crystal city have had the offers put on hold or rescinded, he said. as for the crystal city building, only the first floor is being used to train employees, about 30 at a time, on various aspects of immigration law, said palinkas, who recently toured the facility. federal contractors, some of whom were also slated to work in crystal city, have also been affected. dhs has canceled a request for proposals for a new mail and file room operations center to be staffed by about 400<u+00a0>contractors, documents said. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s kind of come to a screeching halt,<u+2019><u+2019> said marielena hincapie, executive director of the national immigration law center, which helps immigrants with legal and other issues. she said the obama administration <u+201c>is being very cautious. .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. they feel that injunction was very clear, that they<u+2019>re not able to do anything.<u+201d> but immigrant advocacy groups feel differently, she said, because activists are confident that the administration will eventually prevail in the courts. <u+201c>there is a sense of being undeterred, that we are going to continue planning,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>we need to make sure that the infrastructure is in place and ready to go.<u+2019><u+2019> across the nation, immigration advocacy organizations and other community groups are training people who will act as <u+201c>navigators<u+201d> <u+2014> helping immigrants determine whether they are eligible for dapa , locate key documents such as school transcripts and fill out the application. activists describe the training as similar to that for another key obama initiative, the affordable care act, which also used navigators to help people enroll for health insurance. <u+201c>the reality is you can<u+2019>t turn on a switch in people<u+2019>s lives and all of the sudden 5<u+00a0>million people pour into the gates of dhs and move into the application process,<u+2019><u+2019> said ken zimmerman, director of u.s. programs for the open society foundations, of which soros is founder and chairman. zimmerman said the $8<u+00a0>million the organization is making available will go to a variety of community groups and will fund things such as new computer software to help them process applications. he said the foundations may donate more. in the washington area, casa <u+2014> a maryland-based immigrant advocacy group <u+2014> is continuing the dapa informational sessions it has been holding in maryland, virginia, pennsylvania and delaware since obama<u+2019>s announcement in november. at first, <u+201c>hundreds and hundreds upon hundreds<u+201d> of people showed up, said george escobar, casa<u+2019>s senior director of human services. since then, he said, <u+201c>obviously interest has waned a little<u+201d> amid frustration over the legal setbacks. <u+201c>our job is to keep people motivated,<u+201d> added escobar, who believes it is <u+201c>highly likely<u+201d> that dapa will survive the court challenge. <u+201c>we will continue to prepare for it,<u+201d> he said.

obama administration stops work on immigrant program

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surprised about donald trump's popularity? you shouldn't be there are a lot of surprising things about donald trump's campaign. he has been atop polls almost constantly for nearly five months. contrast that to gop primaries of recent past, in which a series of "front-runners" have come and gone before a nominee was chosen. likewise, he seems not only immune to fact checks but is helped when he is perceived to be a victim of media targeting <u+2014> even when he has made blatantly untrue claims and refused to back down. wednesday provided the latest trump news that shocked (shocked!) many: nearly two-thirds of likely gop primary voters said in a bloomberg poll that they supported his proposal to block all muslims from entering the u.s. <u+2014> a proposal that many legal scholars say would be unconstitutional and that many of trump's gop opponents blast as "un-american." but when you look at americans' attitudes, not only on that specific question of islam but toward politics in general, a lot of things that have surprised the political establishment about trump aren't surprising at all. let's start with that bloomberg poll. one important caveat of this poll is that it's primary voters, not all gop voters. conventional wisdom says that primary voters (of either party) tend to have more extreme views than voters writ large, but they are who pick a nominee. it's true that americans view muslims more negatively than they do any other major religious group, as pew found in a 2014 study. on a "feelings thermometer" of 0 (most "cold" or negative) to 100, muslims scored a 40, on par with atheists' 41. at the other end were jews, catholics and evangelical christians, at 63, 62, and 61, respectively. in addition, a majority of americans <u+2014> 56 percent <u+2014> believe islam is "at odds with" american values, up from 47 percent in 2011, according to a recent survey from the public religion research institute. the results are even more extreme on a partisan level, with 76 percent of republicans agreeing with that idea. in another new prri survey, 67 percent of republicans said that "u.s. muslims have not done enough to confront extremism," along with 45 percent of democrats. especially in a time when fear of an extremist islamist terrorist group dominates the news, surveys like these show why some people might be particularly inclined to jump onto the trump bandwagon. as a trump supporter told a focus group this week, "we have to do something." and trump has brought forth the biggest "somethings" of all candidates. trump may be appealing to people who already have misgivings about islam (or, prior to that, immigrants), but of course, it's not those attitudes that are driving his campaign. after all, his popularity has held, regardless of which topic he has chosen to focus on. rather, a bigger phenomenon may be at work in why trump and his ideas are so popular: polarization. it's not clear whether americans are growing more polarized ideologically (that is, whether their ideas are growing further apart politically). what is clearer is that americans are experiencing more affective polarization <u+2014> that is, regardless of where their views are moving, liberals increasingly dislike conservatives, and conservatives increasingly dislike liberals. for a real-world spin on this, consider that 30 percent of consistent conservatives and 23 percent of consistent liberals say they'd be unhappy if their children married someone of the opposite party, according to a 2014 pew poll. "regardless of whether or not their political beliefs are separate, the degree of dislike and distrust between the parties is really high," said adam berinsky, a political science professor at the massachusetts institute of technology who studies political misinformation. "democrats and republicans live in different worlds. so what's trump tapping into? i think it's this idea that the world is going bad." a few things have driven this dislike, as polarization expert and vanderbilt university professor marc hetherington told npr last month: <u+2014> the rise of "gut-level" issues like terrorism, guns and abortion as political topics; <u+2014> the way race helped re-sort the political map in the past century; and <u+2014> how closely matched the two parties are. (think about how much easier it is to hate a sports rival who's a constant threat to your team than one who's way worse or way better.) what it creates is distrust. americans' levels of trust in the federal government are at nearly the lowest levels on record, as pew reported last month. "more polarization begets poor performance, which begets worse trust, which gives you worse performance, which, of course, gives you more frustration," hetherington said. a lack of trust and a want for 'change' notably, trust is lower among republicans during a democratic administration (just as trust is low among democrats during gop administrations) <u+2014> and trust is exceedingly low among republicans right now. all of that creates a perfect environment for a trump to arise right now in the republican party. lack of trust in government means americans <u+2014> particularly non-democrats <u+2014> may be particularly willing to vote for an "outsider." similarly, as hetherington explained, democrats were willing to vote for the "outsider" obama after eight years of a george w. bush presidency. obama and trump's rhetoric may be vastly different, but americans' willingness to vote for change <u+2014> even if untested <u+2014> is the common factor here. polarization may also contribute to why trump seems to have a teflon skin when it comes to fact checks. he has over the years claimed that obama wasn't born in the u.s. and, more recently, that there were "thousands and thousands" of muslims in new jersey cheering the attacks on the world trade center. he hasn't disavowed those ideas <u+2014> even given repeated fact checks. and, more important, his supporters haven't abandoned him. in fact, they've become more intensely supportive. polarization once again may be at work. when people increasingly dislike their countrymen across the aisle, it could reasonably make them more susceptible to "motivated reasoning" <u+2014> loosely defined as what happens when one's reasoning process is clouded by emotions (such as hatred of the other party) and other pre-existing biases. motivated reasoning can happen when new information challenges one's worldview. as political scientists from appalachian state university wrote in a 2012 article, "when individuals engage in motivated reasoning, partisan goals trump accuracy goals." in these situations, people "vigorously defend their prior values, identities, and attitudes at the expense of factual accuracy." getting back to trump, this could lead his supporters to believe some of his more brazen claims about muslim hatred toward other americans, sept. 11 celebrations, black-on-white homicide rates or immigrants and crime. to be clear, the willingness to believe in unsupported ideas is bipartisan. to take an extreme example, according to research from dartmouth college political science professor brendan nyhan, democrats were, as of 2006 (that is, during the bush administration), roughly as likely to believe that the sept. 11 attacks were an inside job as republicans were, as of 2010, to believe that obama wasn't born in the u.s. the point is that in this low-trust, highly polarized environment, when one party is always suspicious of the other, things that might have surprised americans just a few decades ago are commonplace now.

surprised about donald trump's popularity? you shouldn't be

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after a tireless campaign to unbind republican delegates to <u+2018>vote their conscience<u+2019> at next week<u+2019>s convention, the anti-trumpers were trampled at a marathon rules committee session. were pushing a proposal designed to stop trump in the days leading up to the republican convention next week. the proposal would unbind republican delegates from how citizens in various states voted and allow them to vote instead based on their personal consciences. for weeks, members of the rules committee had been urged to support this rebel effort. one delegate said she had received some 400 emails urging her to support the so-called conscience clause. it all converged late thursday night, after an exhausting day of mind-numbing, obscure rules changes. then came the dramatic moment, a vote that one 40-year rules committee veteran said had "obviously been the subject of more pre-convention publicity than any rules matter ever in living memory." the incessant campaign of the anti-trump rebellion rankled some of the delegates committed to the new york businessman. <u+201c>the people who sent all those emails: it<u+2019>s over, folks,<u+201d> proclaimed iowa delegate steve scheffler while the committee debated the proposal. <u+201c>let<u+2019>s get behind our nominee right now.<u+201d> the results were disastrous: not only did the #nevertrump delegates lose on their issue by an overwhelming number, but the republican delegates voted to strengthen the binding of delegates. using procedures to their advantage, pro-trump forces on the committee shut down the #nevertrump effort with ease. in the end, the anti-trump delegates failed event to get a tallied vote on the <u+201c>conscience clause<u+201d><u+2014>they were shouted down in a voice vote. they were denied even the chance to debate the initiative. <u+201c>this angst isn<u+2019>t going to go away just because we paper over it with rules,<u+201d> said sen. mike lee, a rules committee delegate from utah and a urging trump instead to make the substantive case to republican delegates for why they should support him. not long after his speech, the senator walked out of the rules committee. he told the daily beast he didn<u+2019>t want to comment on what happened inside. unbinding proponents never expected to gain a majority of committee members. instead, the anti-trump republicans set their sights on securing 28<u+2014>a quarter<u+2014>of the committee<u+2019>s 112 members, which would have sent the proposal to the convention floor as a <u+201c>minority report.<u+201d> kendal unruh, a colorado delegate leading the unbinding effort, claimed throughout the last week that the anti-trump republicans had secured the necessary 28 votes, citing the movement<u+2019>s internal whip count. a wall street journal last week found 20 members open to consider unbinding delegates. yet a , published the day before the failed vote, found only five committee members in support of allowing delegates to vote their conscience. the anti-trump republicans now plan to take their fight to the convention floor next week. under their interpretation of party rules, delegates have always been free to vote their conscience. the #nevertrump movement<u+2019>s last chance to stop trump will be through a last-minute challenge on the convention floor, when state delegations participate in the official vote for the presidential nomination. usually, each state delegation chairperson simply announces the state delegates<u+2019> vote count, as it has been pre-assigned by party rules. but an anti-trump delegate could contest his or her state<u+2019>s vote count and ask for, essentially, a redo of votes while on the convention floor<u+2014>and the delegates hope to switch their votes away from trump during the recount.

#nevertrump goes down in flames in final attempt to stop the donald

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americans must be vigilant in light of a terror threat calling for attacks at malls such as the mall of america in minnesota,<u+00a0>homeland security secretary jeh johnson said sunday. "if anyone is planning to go to the mall of america today, they've got to be particularly careful," he said on cnn's "state of the union." "there will be enhanced security there, but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important, and it's the environment we're in, frankly." johnson<u+2019>s comments came after the release of a video saturday that was purported to be from the somali militant group al-shabab and called for attacks on malls in the united states, canada and britain. the video used footage of the 2013 attack on the westgate mall in nairobi and specifically mentioned the mall of america, in bloomington, minn.; west edmonton mall in canada; and westfield mall in stratford, england, among others, as potential targets. the video called on muslims to conduct these attacks independently and quickly. <u+201c>so hurry up, hasten towards heaven, and do not hesitate, for the disbelievers have no right whatsoever to rejoice in the safety of their lands until safety becomes a reality in palestine and all the lands of muslims,<u+201d> an english-speaking narrator says in the video, provided by the site intelligence group. johnson<u+00a0>said sunday that groups such as al-shabab are "relying more and more on independent actors to become inspired" and "attack on their own." he also said there was a need for a comprehensive approach to fighting the ever-present threat posed by terror groups, including the islamic state, which is variously known as isis and isil. "groups like isil, al-shabab, aqap [al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula] are now publicly calling for attacks, either through the internet, through videos, through publications, which means that we need to respond militarily," he said. "but we also have to have a whole government approach to law enforcement." dhs undersecretary suzanne e. spaulding elaborated on such an approach during a senate hearing last fall. she noted that government officials routinely work with the private sector to understand the scope of threats they face and to share information and training. for instance, she said the dhs and the energy department regularly provide threat briefings to energy company ceos and other executives about physical threats and cyberthreats. she also referenced the 2013 attack in kenya. "in the wake of the terrorist attack on the shopping mall in nairobi, kenya, dhs and the fbi engaged more than 400 major malls across the united states to facilitate table-top exercises based on a similar attack involving active shooters and the use of improved explosive devices," spaulding told lawmakers, according to a transcript. the mall of america released a statement<u+00a0>sunday indicating that it takes potential threats seriously and that it had increased security. johnson also said sunday that he hopes congress this week will "finally come together" and pass an appropriations bill that would not defund dhs. should it be defunded, his headquarters staff would be "dialed back to a skeleton," he said on cbs's "face the nation." johnson has condemned house<u+00a0>republicans for their efforts to defund dhs over president obama's immigration executive action. "i'm a little frustrated, frankly, because when i talked to my friends on the senate side, they say, 'go talk to the house.' and when i go talk to my friends on the house side, they say, 'it's not me, i passed my bill. go talk to the senate,'" he said sunday. johnson also dived into the debate over how to refer to the islamic state. on "fox news sunday," he said that calling the militant organization an islamic group gives it "more dignity than it deserves." he said the president's refusal to tie the militant organization to "radical islam" is more about not giving the group religious "legitimacy" than about being politically correct. "to say that they are in any form islamic cedes to them a playing field that they would like to be drawn into," he said. after making the rounds of the sunday talk shows, johnson also addressed the national governors association winter meeting in washington, where he again outlined the consequences of an agency shutdown. texas gov. gregg abbott (r), in an interview, disputed as "baloney" warnings by johnson of the potential impact on states and cities, noting that all essential personnel would still be on the job even if funding is halted. abbott also said that in light of the recent court ruling blocking implementation of the president's executive actions, it is now the democrats who stand as the major obstacle to passing legislation in congress. "it would be irresponsible," he said, for democrats to block action this week. brady dennis and dan balz contributed to this report.

jeh johnson calls for increased vigilance after mall of america terror threat

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former cia director and retired gen. david petraeus says the biggest threat to long-term stability in iraq isn<u+2019>t the islamic state -- but instead, iran-backed shiite militias. <u+201c>what has happened in iraq is a tragedy <u+2014> for the iraqi people, for the region and for the entire world. it is tragic foremost because it didn't have to turn out this way,<u+201d> petraeus told the washington post. <u+00a0><u+201c>the hard-earned progress of the surge was sustained for over three years.<u+00a0>what transpired after that, starting in late 2011, came about as a result of mistakes and misjudgments whose consequences were predictable.<u+201d> petraeus, who continues to advise the obama administration on iraq despite his recent guilty plea for leaking classified information to his former mistress, says there is plenty of blame to go around for the chaos in the region. but petraeus told the post he thinks iraq and coalition forces are making progress against isis. "in fact," he said, "i would argue that the foremost threat to iraq's long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the islamic state; rather, it is shiite militias, many backed by -- and some guided by -- iran." he told the post the iran-backed militias returned to the streets of iraq in response to a fatwa by shia leader grand ayatollah sistani during a moment of <u+201c>extreme danger<u+201d> and acknowledged this prevented isis from continuing its offensive into baghdad. but he said the militias went after sunni civilians as well as extremists, "and committed atrocities against them.<u+201d> what<u+2019>s resulted is that the group has been both part of iraq<u+2019>s salvation but also its the most serious threat in the campaign to get the sunni arab population in iraq to believe they have a say, petraeus argued. petraeus, 62, admitted to having an affair with his biographer paula broadwell, following his resignation as cia director. prosecutors claimed that while broadwell was writing her book in 2011, petraeus gave her binders with classified <u+00a0>information he kept while he was top military commander in afghanistan. in addition to working with the obama administration, petraeus has started to re-enter public life. he<u+2019>s a scholar at harvard<u+2019>s kennedy school of government and has taken a job at kkr & co., a private-equity firm known for its large corporate takeovers.

gen. petraeus: biggest threat to iraq's stability is iran-backed militias, not isis

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republican presidential candidate carly fiorina is blasting cnn for relying in large part on old polling to determine who makes their prime-time debate stage next month. the former hewlett-packard ceo has been rising in the polls since what was widely seen as a breakout performance in the first aug. 6 fox news-facebook debate where lower-polling candidates squared off. but in determining who makes their prime-time debate on sept. 16, cnn plans to count a number of polls from the three weeks before the august debate, when fiorina's numbers were low. the calculation could well exclude her. "it's frustrating to say the least if cnn is putting their thumb on the scale," fiorina told fox news on friday. cnn plans to take an average of major polls from july 16 to sept. 10, and allow the top 10 on the prime-time debate stage in simi valley, calif. others will be invited to an earlier debate. however, the fiorina camp says because there were far more polls taken in the three weeks before the debate than since, cnn will be weighting pre-debate polls more than three times as heavily as post-debate polls. they argue it doesn't make sense to rely so heavily on old polling. "it doesn't seem right to me," fiorina said friday. since the aug. 6 debate, a fox news poll has fiorina in seventh place nationally with 5 percent, a significant increase from a pre-debate poll that put her in 12th place with 2 percent. a post-debate rasmussen poll put her in a tie for fourth with 9 percent and this week's quinnipiac poll has her in eighth place with 5 percent. some key state polls have her doing even better. "i'm also comfortably within the top five in virtually every statewide poll that has been taken since that debate," fiorina said friday. a cnn spokeswoman told fox news that "we believe our approach is a fair and effective way to deal with the highest number of candidates we have ever encountered." however, the fiorina campaign blasted both cnn and the republican national committee for "rigging the game" to keep her off the main stage.<u+00a0>fiorina has also nudged cnn to simply take more polls to remedy the situation. "to be clear, if carly isn't on the main stage, it will not be because her rise in the polls can't overcome lower polling from july, but because only two of cnn's chosen polling companies have released polls at all since the first debate," a fiorina campaign aide told fox news. an rnc spokesman told fox news the party is legally barred from interfering with the media's rules. still, fiorina told fox news on thursday she wants the rnc to take charge. fox news' serafin gomez and howard kurtz contributed to this report.

fiorina blasts cnn for debate rules that could exclude her despite rise in polls

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killing obama administration rules, dismantling obamacare and pushing through tax reform are on the early to-do list.

bush donors await green light to jump ship

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(cnn) sen. john mccain is chastising gop leaders for failing to embrace donald trump as the choice of millions of voters, laying out his most extensive views to date about trump at the top of the ticket. he's also repudiating some of the presumptive nominee's comments -- particularly about prisoners of war. in a wide-ranging "state of the union" interview in his campaign office in phoenix, mccain criticized party leaders who are reluctant to back trump, saying they are "out of step" with voters who have chosen the controversial businessman as the gop standard-bearer. he defended trump for being a strong and "capable" leader, particularly on foreign policy. he called on trump to choose a running mate who could "unite the party," possibly iowa sen. joni ernst, even as he strongly defended his 2008 choice of sarah palin. but he also urged trump to "retract" his criticisms of prisoners of war while blasting trump's personal attacks during the primary campaign as off-putting. "frankly, i have never seen the personalization of a campaign like this one, where people's integrity and character are questioned," said mccain, the veteran senator of nearly 30 years and his party's 2008 presidential nominee. "it bothers me a lot. because you can almost violently disagree with an issue, but to attack their character and their integrity -- then those wounds take a long time to heal." asked if trump should continue calling hillary clinton "corrupt hillary," mccain said: "well, i wouldn't, but i'm not one to tell him how to campaign except on the part of uniting the party." mccain, 79, said he'd back the nominee since gop voters have had their say. "you have to draw the conclusion that there is some distance, if not a disconnect, between party leaders and members of congress and the many voters who have selected donald trump to be the nominee of the party," mccain said when asked about the comments by house speaker paul ryan and his close friend sen. lindsey graham, both of whom have so far refused to back trump. "you have to listen to people that have chosen the nominee of our republican party," mccain said. "i think it would be foolish to ignore them." at the same time, mccain would not commit to appearing on the same campaign stage as trump, a tacit acknowledgment of the balancing act the arizona senator needs to perform as he faces re-election this fall. he needs to court trump backers in a state that the candidate handily won during the primary season, while also reaching out to independents, latinos and women voters -- many of whom view the real estate mogul unfavorably. "a lot of things would have to happen," mccain said when asked if he would stump with his party's nominee. he said there'd have to be a condition first: "i think it's important for donald trump to express his appreciation for veterans, not john mccain, but veterans who were incarcerated as prisoners of war." mccain was referring to trump's jaw-dropping comment last year on pows, when he said, "i like people that weren't captured." "i'd like to see him retract that statement. not about me, but about the others," said mccain, who was captured and tortured by the north vietnamese during the vietnam war. asked if he'd like trump to retract his statements that many undocumented mexican immigrants are "rapists" and criminals, mccain was more circumspect. "oh, i don't know," mccain said. "i think that it's important that we understand the importance of the hispanic vote in america. many states -- in arizona, more than 50% of the kids in school are hispanic. after the 2012 election, as you know, we laid out a blueprint and part of it was outreach to the hispanic community. i think we ought to recognize that the republican party has to do that." despite having a friendly relationship with hillary clinton when the two served together in the senate, mccain was sharply critical of the likely democratic nominee, saying she would run a feckless foreign policy in the mold of barack obama. trump, he said, would provide a much stronger dose of american leadership around the world. "well, i think american leadership, he emphasizes that and i think that's important," mccain said when asked what specifically he likes about trump's foreign policy platform. "this president doesn't want to lead. hillary clinton was secretary of state for four years -- tell me one accomplishment that she can point to besides she flew more miles than any other secretary of state in history." as a leading defense hawk, mccain, the senate armed services chairman, said he wanted to use his influence to "steer" trump and the party toward ronald reagan's view of national security. asked if he had confidence that trump could be like reagan, mccain said: "i think that he could be a capable leader. i don't think anybody is -- no one could compare to ronald reagan, because he was the right man at the right time." still, mccain is worried that trump's toxicity among latinos could hurt him in his tough re-election race, where he's expected to face democratic rep. ann kirkpatrick in the fall campaign. "there is a hispanic vote, which i have to continue my good relationship with because of the turmoil that exists in the whole national campaign," mccain said, adding that every incumbent has to recognize the "great turmoil" that exists partly because of trump's rhetoric and hardline immigration positions. asked if the trump effect was "good or bad" for him in the fall, mccain said: "i don't think he affects it. i think that with 100% name id people know me, but having said that, there is turmoil out there as we just discussed." given his long service on capitol hill, mccain knows full well that being an incumbent is a vulnerability with the approval rating of congress at rock-bottom. "anybody in this environment that would take a re-election in stride or for granted does not have an appreciation for the tumult that's out there amongst the electorate, and i'm confident of victory but to take anything for granted would be foolish."

mccain on trump: 'foolish' to ignore will of gop voters

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in april, president obama announced the framework of a deal that he said would prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. <u+201c>we only have three options for addressing iran<u+2019>s nuclear program<u+201d> -- cutting a deal with iran, <u+201c>starting another war in the middle east<u+201d> or <u+201c>hope for the best.<u+201d> in deploying his favorite rhetorical device, the president reaffirmed to the world he only really saw one option: cutting a deal with iran no matter the cost. if after witnessing six years of president obama<u+2019>s weak and feckless foreign policy wasn<u+2019>t enough to embolden the regime in tehran, president obama<u+2019>s comments in april must have convinced the mullahs they had the american president right where they wanted him. the price for president obama<u+2019>s penchant for negotiating from weakness is now clear. the deal announced with much fanfare by the white house two weeks ago comes nowhere close to the deal president obama promised the american people he<u+2019>d get. far from the promise of preventing <u+201c>iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,<u+201d> the deal brokered by president obama and secretaries of state hillary clinton and john kerry guarantees that the world<u+2019>s foremost state sponsor of terror will be a nuclear threshold state in the next 15 years, but probably much sooner. the details of the breadth and scope of president obama<u+2019>s capitulations to tehran are startling, even by his standards. but most alarming of all is the realization that president obama decided to elevate an evil and illegitimate third-rate autocracy. in order to ensure that the damage done by president obama can be repaired, we need to learn the lessons of his failures. they began long before he reached the white house, when during his campaign for the presidency he announced his willingness to meet, without preconditions, with the leaders of iran, syria, venezuela, cuba and north korea. when american presidents speak, leaders around the world, both friends and foes, listen. and the listening begins long before the president is sworn into office. in addition, how candidates aspiring for the presidency now talk about iran will send a clear signal to the world about their foreign policy vision. our allies and adversaries alike want to know whether america will continue the retreat from the world begun by president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton, or will america return to its indispensable leadership role in the world? making that case begins now, by making it clear to the american people and the world that this is president obama<u+2019>s deal with iran, not america<u+2019>s deal with iran. the next president must campaign for the office on the principle that has long guided american foreign policy toward iran <u+2013> that the regime cannot have mastery of dangerous nuclear technologies. period. the next president must re-impose the sanctions waived by president obama and work with congress to impose new crushing sanctions on iran<u+2019>s leaders for their ongoing support for terrorism and brutal human rights abuses. this will require engagement with our european allies to lead them toward a different approach to iran than the obama-clinton approach. part of this reengagement must make it clear that european security does not benefit by empowering iran<u+2019>s terrorist proxies and missiles that can hit europe<u+2019>s cities. but the rest of the world also needs to realize that if europe intends to pursue a strategy that empowers an unreformed iran, america will put our security interests first. the next president must give iran a choice: change your behavior, or face the collapse of your economy due to u.s. pressure.<u+00a0> despite its inflammatory rhetoric, iran<u+2019>s clerical dictatorship has immense vulnerabilities. iran<u+2019>s economy continues to suffer from inflation and unemployment while rampant corruption plagues the state at all levels. a strategy of pressure will not just focus on iran<u+2019>s economy, but also its regional position. for iran<u+2019>s leaders to make painful concessions they have avoided thus far, they need to understand that there are consequences for their actions. the u.s. should undertake a systematic effort to isolate iran in the middle east. the islamic republic, its clients and proxies, should find no sanctuary in the region. the u.s. must do all it can to counter iran<u+2019>s nefarious plots in places like iraq, lebanon, gaza, syria or yemen. this will be advanced by shoring up our alliance with israel.<u+00a0>the first step will be an end to the threatening rhetoric from senior u.s. officials warning of israeli isolation and dismissing israeli government leaders <u+201c>who know what they<u+2019>re talking about.<u+201d> president obama<u+2019>s capitulation has made it more difficult, but not impossible, to prevent a nuclear iran.<u+00a0> he has failed with iran because he has failed as president.<u+00a0> this may be the best deal that a weak president can achieve, but a strong, trusted and respected america can do much better. those who aspire to lead the greatest nation on earth cannot wait until 2017 to begin making the case for a new approach toward this critical issue to the american people, and the world. republican marco rubio represents florida in the u.s. senate. he is a member of the senate committee on commerce, science and transportation and was a candidate for the republican nomination for president in 2016.

lessons from obama's deal with iran

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with early voting opening as early as next week in north carolina, democrats may get an initial leg up in the election. a cyclist rides past a sign directing voters to a primary election voting station early, in phoenix. early voting kicks off next week in north carolina, the first in a two-month run of voting through key swing states where non-whites and young adults could give one of the presidential campaigns a decisive advantage before election day. two months prior to election day, the first votes of the 2016 election will be cast next week in the battleground state of north carolina. with early votes expected to make up 50 to 75 percent of ballots cast in north carolina and other key swing states, the next two months could prove even more critical than nov. 8th in deciding who will be the 45th president of the united states. the influence of early voting has been growing, and the major american political parties know it. <u+201c>this is going to change the dynamics in [battleground] states, so that you will expect to see early rallies timed when the early voting opens up likely in florida, ohio, north carolina,<u+201d> prof. paul gronke, founder and director of the early voting information center and a professor at reed college, told npr. <u+201c>the candidates travel schedule will reflect this because they want to follow up this kind of enthusiasm and get people to the polls right away.<u+201d> historically, early voting has favored the democrats in some key states, and in 2008 35 percent of votes are cast before the election according to the associated press. that's up from 22 percent in 2004. in 2008, for example, barack obama won 58 percent of the pre-election day votes to sen. john mccain's 40 percent and managed to win colorado, florida, iowa and north carolina even though on election day more people in those states voted for senator mccain <u+2013> which speaks to the overall enthusiasm young and minority american democrats felt for obama. the 2012 presidential election saw a less dramatic divide between the republicans and democrats when it came to early voting. mitt romney pulled in more early republican voters than the party usually sees, but the process still favored the democrats with obama ultimately winning the election. the debate surrounding early voting splits down party lines. democrats argue that restricting voting in any way is an attempt to limit the turnout of minority and low-income voters who tend to vote democrat. republicans say the restrictions are necessary to prevent voter fraud. mr. trump is particularly worried about the election being rigged and has asked individuals to monitor polls to ensure democrats do not attempt to vote multiple times. for trump, the early voting challenge will be with hispanic, black, and first-time voters who are more likely than white people to vote early, but tend to vote democrat. trump is lagging in the polls with these demographics now. combined with the fact that trump<u+2019>s campaign organization is significantly behind hillary clinton<u+2019>s in putting paid and volunteer workers into key swing states, and spreading the <u+201c>get out and vote<u+201d> message, trump may struggle in early polls. <u+201c>a campaign with a superior voting operation can make a difference, and right now donald trump has shown little sign of organization,<u+201d> ryan williams, a former senior staffer to mitt romney<u+2019>s 2012 presidential campaign, told the associated press, adding that trump only just hired a national field director. mrs. clinton has been pushing for early voting since last june as a part of her voting rights platform, which includes repairing the voting rights act and automatically registering voters when they turn 18, unless the opt out. she has strongly opposed attempts to limit the right to vote, such as the recently overturned voter id law in north carolina. some 37 states and the district of columbia allow voters to cast ballots by mail or at polling sites before nov. 8. early votes can also help reduce the logistical effort needed to get out the vote on election day. <u+201c>we can<u+2019>t say this will be locked up with early voting, but it can absolutely make a huge difference,<u+201d> marlon marshall, clinton<u+2019>s director of state campaigns and political engagement, told the washington post. <u+201c>every early voter we get is one less person we need to mobilize on election day.<u+201d> some worry something critical could happen between when early voters cast their ballots and the official election day <u+2013> and that could make them reconsider their choice. however, people who vote early are typically decidedly in one camp or the other. <u+201c>early ballots will come in not much earlier than a week or a week and a half before the election and when we have asked people about whether they have any regret or they would have changed their minds, very few said they would change their minds,<u+201d> professor gronke told npr. <u+201c>you may not want them to cast their ballots early but many are ready to do so.<u+201d>

why early voting could favor democrats in key states

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washington (cnn) donald trump's colorful presidential campaign heads to the u.s.-mexico border on thursday, where the billionaire businessman is sure to expand on his controversial comments about immigrants. he'll travel to laredo, texas, for a tour with u.s. border patrol agents. the trip comes as trump dominates the republican presidential contest -- both in the polls and in the headlines. he sparked a fierce debate among republicans last month when he referred broadly to mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists . he angered many republicans this weekend by questioning john mccain's status as a war hero. and on tuesday, he escalated a verbal war with lindsey graham by releasing the south carolina senator's cell phone number. a chapter of the national border patrol council, the agency's union, invited trump earlier this month to tour one of the most active parts of the border with the agents who work there. hector garza, the president of the chapter, told cnn earlier this month that he wanted "to give donald trump a state of the border" and a "boots on the ground perspective." garza, a border patrol agent, said his invitation was not an endorsement of trump's presidential run, saying that his group regularly invites politicians -- including previous tours with gop reps. jason chaffetz of utah and blake farenthold of texas. he also invited sen. ted cruz, who is also vying for the republican presidential nomination, last month. garza said his organization's only goal is to encourage policies that will lead to a strong border and a safer environment for his fellow agents. the laredo chapter is one of the largest in the country, garza said, representing about 1,400 border patrol agents. while he would not comment on trump's controversial remarks about mexican immigrants, garza said agents posted near laredo "do see a lot of aliens with a criminal history," and said that while not all are criminals, a "large number" have criminal backgrounds. trump first told cnn he had been invited to the border by a group of border patrol agents during a phone interview two weeks ago. the visit will be trump's fourth to the border, by his count. "i'm the only one that speaks their language," he said.

donald trump to trek u.s.-mexico border thursday

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rand paul may very well already be<u+00a0>on his way out of the republican presidential campaign, but he<u+2019>s going out with a bang, not a whimper, forcefully rebuking his senate colleague and republican presidential rival, ted cruz, for being the root of senate dysfunction. paul told fox news<u+2019> brian kilmeade<u+00a0>that he believed cruz<u+2019>s petty politics and disregard for senate decorum have made him an ineffective legislator, writing off the texas freshman<u+2019>s future in the senate: <u+201c>he is pretty much done for<u+201d>: ted has chosen to make this really personal and chosen to call people dishonest in leadership and call them names which really goes against the decorum and also against the rules of the senate, and as a consequence he can<u+2019>t get anything done legislatively. he is pretty much done for and stifled and it<u+2019>s really because of personal relationships, or lack of personal relationships, and it is a problem. i approach things a little different, i am still just as hardcore in saying what we are doing , i just chose not to call people liars on the senate floor and it<u+2019>s just a matter of different perspectives on how best to get to the end result. in july, cruz called senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, the effective leader of the republican party, a liar on the senate floor. days later, his republican colleagues refused to grant him the 16 votes needed to pass a simple procedural vote as a public rebuke of his outburst. this week, mcconnell got his revenge, denying (for now) cruz the government shutdown over planned parenthood he so desperately wanted to prop up his presidential campaign. of course, that didn<u+2019>t stop the stunts from cruz <u+2014> he tried to offer up a <u+201c>referendum<u+201d> on mcconnell<u+2019>s leadership this week before being summarily shutdown by his fellow republican senators. of course, paul is mostly just backing up the senior senator from his home state of kentucky, as he actually opposes the continuing resolution set to pass this week to keep the government operating for the time being. paul, like cruz, is in favor of defunding planned parenthood, even if that means shutting down the government over it. he just disagrees with cruz<u+2019>s tact: i would defund not only planned parenthood but hundreds and hundreds of regulations, hundreds and hundreds of wasteful programs. i would take them all out, put them on the table and say <u+2018>you know what democrats, it doesn<u+2019>t take 60 votes to defund something, it<u+2019>s actually going to take 60 votes to fund any of these programs,<u+2019> vote on them one at a time and we will see how many of these crazy programs get 60 votes. my guess would be very few, but that would take the courage to let the spending expire and start anew and let new programs all require 60 votes to pass paul and cruz would appear to be natural allies, with their tea party base of support and their libertarian bents, but since entering the senate, the two have had markedly different styles. cruz has been on a seemingly non-stop rant against the d.c. establishment while paul has forged friendships and close political alliances with the party<u+2019>s top leaders as he works double-time to keep his senate seat while running for president.

rand paul shreds ted cruz over his showboating antics: <u+201c>he is pretty much done for<u+201d>

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in the wake of the terrorist attacks in paris last week, republican frontrunner donald trump said monday that the united states must resume heavy surveillance of mosques. as<u+00a0>president, trump said, he would consider shutting down some mosques. "i would hate to do it, but it's something that you're going to have to strongly consider because some of the ideas and<u+00a0>some of the hatred -- the absolute hatred -- is coming from these areas," trump said in an interview on "morning joe." this isn't the first time trump has said he's willing to consider closing down mosques, which some critics say would be a violation of the country's religious freedom protections. during an<u+00a0>interview with fox business in late october, trump said he was unsure if he would close mosques, but said, "you<u+2019>re going to have to certainly look at it.<u+201d> during the monday interview on "morning joe," co-host<u+00a0>mika brzezinski asked trump if closing down mosques would only incite more hatred. "there's already hatred," trump said. "the hatred is<u+00a0>incredible; it's embedded. it's embedded. the hatred is beyond belief. the hatred is greater than anybody<u+00a0>understands. and it's already there. it's not like, what, you think that<u+00a0>they think we're great people? it's already there. it's a very, very sad situation. and i know so many people, muslims, who are such unbelievably great people, and they are being so badly tarnished by what's happening now. it's a shame." trump said the united states needs to resume its surveillance of mosques, especially in new york city, where he says such surveillance has ceased. he said that has been "a mistake." [conservative suspicions of refugees grow in wake of paris attacks] "you're going to have watch and study the mosques because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques," trump said "and from what i heard, in the the old days -- meaning a while ago -- we had great surveillance going on in and around mosques in new york city. and i understand our mayor totally cut that out. he totally cut it out. and<u+00a0>i don't know if you brought that up, and i'm not sure<u+00a0>it's<u+00a0>a fact, but i heard that<u+00a0>under the old regime we had tremendous surveillance going on in and around the mosques of new york city and right now that has been totally cut out." at one point, host joe scarborough asked trump if he agrees that only a small percentage of muslims are violent radicals. "yes," trump responded, "but it's a tremendous amount of horror and damage and vitriol. i mean, if you look at what's happening... this is something that needs to be stopped. and we have to be very strong. we have to be vigilant, and we have to be intelligent."

donald trump would <u+2018>strongly consider<u+2019> closing some mosques in the united states

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administrators at the popular online forum reddit have been accused of censorship after quarantining a subreddit titled 'european.' subreddits, which are also known as communities, are forums dedicated to specific topics. <u+201c>the administration has decided to censor free speech for europeans and they quarantined the subreddit on the 12th of may 2016,<u+201d> says a note on the subreddit link. with the subreddit set to private, the note adds that <u+201c>you must be a moderator or approved submitter to visit.<u+201d> visitors to the subreddit were also urged to continue their discussions on voat, another online forum. the question of bias in social media has erupted recently. the reddit accusation came just days after anonymous allegations that contractors at facebook deliberately suppressed conservative news on the site<u+2019>s trending topics section. facebook has denied any political bias, saying there is <u+201c>no evidence<u+201d> of the alleged activity. reddit told foxnews.com that the 'european' subreddit violated the forum's content policy. "quarantines on reddit are rare - there are thousands of vibrant conversations flourishing on the site every day," it explained, in an emailed statement. "subreddits are quarantined only when the content is clearly offensive to the broader reddit community." quarantining aims to prevent the content from being accidentally viewed by those who do not wish to do so. "a subreddit is quarantined when there are concerns that its content is extreme and could be offensive to people outside of that community," explained reddit. "the quarantine process doesn<u+2019>t end the conversation; it adds an opt-in measure so that people have the choice to join the conversation," it added. restrictions on a quarantined subreddit include requiring an explicit opt-in, requiring an account with a verified email address, no use of custom images and the removal of revenue generation. related: reddit updates content policy, bans a 'handful' of groups that exist 'solely to annoy' others the <u+2018>european<u+2019> quarantining prompted a mixed reaction elsewhere on reddit. some users say that racist views were expressed on the subreddit, while others say that it hosted a range of opinions and cite the importance of open dialogue. reddit, which had over 277 million unique visitors last month, uses teams of volunteers to moderate subreddits. the forum updated its content policy last year, consolidating multiple rules and policies into a single set of guidelines. a blogger with an interest in numbers, who uses the name curious gnu, recently crunched a reddit dataset of 4.6 million comments and noted that 78 percent of reddit threads with over 1,000 comments mention nazis or hitler. the blogger found that around 2.6 percent of comments in the <u+2018>european<u+2019> subreddit mentioned nazis or hitler. a slightly higher percentage of comments on the <u+2018>askhistorians<u+2019> subreddit mentioned nazis or hitler, with around 2.75 percent of comments on the <u+2018>history<u+2019> subreddit referencing the topics. related: no censorship in chinese internet, says china's top censor reddit prohibits illegal content, spam, publication of someone<u+2019>s private and confidential information, sexually suggestive content featuring minors and anything that incites harm or violence against an individual or group of people. content that harasses, bullies, or abuses individuals or groups is also banned. the associated press contributed to this report.

reddit administrators accused of censorship

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with ideological extremism on the<u+00a0>rise in congress, president barack obama argued during his state of the union that america must reform its elections. "if we want a better politics, it<u+2019>s not enough to just change a congressman or a senator or even a president," obama said. "we have to change the system to reflect our better selves." obama was less clear on how, exactly, america might pull this off. the president criticized gerrymandering <u+2014> the process by which parties draw oddly shaped, highly partisan congressional districts <u+2014> and called for campaign finance reform and repealing restrictions to voter access. these reforms, however, have gone nowhere. in the meantime, the incentives have only increased for politicians to stake out maximalist positions, with little structural reward for moderates who anger their bases. it raises the question: does anybody out there have a better idea? anne kim, a policy editor at washington monthly and a senior fellow at the progressive policy institute, has proposed a new way to help fight polarization of congress. in an essay published in the winter 2016 issue of democracy, kim calls for the creation of one "at-large" congressional seat in every state, chosen by voters statewide. we currently determine our house seats by slicing up a state's map into a bunch of different smaller segments, except for states with very small populations that only get one at-large representative. under kim's plan, every state with more than two representatives would get an "at-large" house member <u+2014> someone who would be accountable to the whole state, rather than a narrow sliver of it. vox's matthew yglesias has already advanced the idea of using at-large districts to reduce polarization. these plans envision treating the representatives as one at-large group, to be doled out proportionately after a statewide vote. kim's proposal is more modest and perhaps more practical. by only asking for states to add one at-large seat, the plan preserves the benefits of the basic idea without requiring a wholesale transformation of how we conduct congressional elections. federal and state law would have to be changed to make it possible. but doing so, kim says, would likely create several dozen house seats that are by definition not gerrymandered <u+2014> and, as a result, are more responsive to the actual demands of their constituents. "this seems like a simple and easy-to-understand mechanism to get moderate americans a little more excited about a way for their voices to actually be heard," kim says. voters across a state are significantly more moderate than those in a gerrymandered district. having a bloc of house members picked through statewide elections, kim says, would make it at least more likely that there's an institutional incentive for politicians to move to the center. "the creation of new 'plurality-moderate' at-large seats in many states would increase the number of competitive seats while bolstering the odds for moderate candidates," kim writes in her democracy essay. "challenging the status quo might be an excellent and concrete opportunity to test moderate muscle." there's also precedent for these kinds of seats. before 1967, at-large districts existed in southern states as a way to prevent african americans from getting elected to congress. but that doesn't mean they couldn't be brought back now to serve a new purpose, kim says. it would take an act of congress <u+2014> and thus a rare moment of bipartisan consensus <u+2014> for the plan to be enacted. but in our interview, kim argued that her plan could help an embattled republican leadership that wants to regain control of a nomination process increasingly ceded to hardcore conservatives. "it's a way to defang the tea party. ... i'm not sure the gop has gotten any favors by allowing that wing of the party to get as powerful as it has been," kim says. she added: "if the gop has learned anything about reasserting the power of the establishment, this is certainly the way to do it. because it would give gop moderates a voice." the idea sounds interesting, but it's unclear if at-large house members would reduce political polarization even if it were somehow implemented, according to experts interviewed for this story. "i think most political scientists would tell you that this is a nonstarter. for one thing, we already have 50 at-large districts <u+2014> states <u+2014> and the senate is just as polarized as the house," said morris fiorina, a political science professor at stanford university who has done extensive research on polarization. american politics is moving inexorably to the margins, and even in a statewide vote the candidate will have to win a primary, fiorina noted. in other words, there's just not much reason to believe gerrymandering is the main culprit here. "single-member or at-large, safe district or competitive, the candidate has to win a primary dominated by the wingnuts," fiorina said. matthew dickinson, a professor of political science at middlebury college, had a more measured response to the idea. he, too, noted that the senate is highly polarized, and questioned the premise that gerrymandering was the key contributing factor to the rise of extremism in congress. "it's an interesting proposition," dickinson said of kim's proposal, "but i suspect it will have less of an impact in reducing polarization than the author thinks." but dickinson raised a possible counterargument to the counterargument. yes, the senate is very polarized. but is the senate polarized at least in part because the house is? dickinson pointed to an academic paper from 2011 that argued this point, noting that many of the highly partisan senators of today began as highly partisan members of the house. "the polarization in the house has directly contributed to polarization in the senate," write sean m. theriault, of the university of texas austin, and david rohde, of duke university. in addition, kim, the author of the democracy piece, also pushed back on the idea that the senate and the house were equally driven by party factionalism. "the senate is polarized, but it's not nearly as polarized as the house," she said. "the most extreme member of the senate is not as extreme as the most extreme member of the house." kim also acknowledged that the plan would not represent a "silver bullet" for the problem. but with democrats and republicans in congress moving further apart than ever before, she said, it seems worth trying.

a semi-radical plan to elect more moderates to congress

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we need a true conservative to run third party. not to win. just to save the gop from total ruin. suicide? no<u+2014>it would be seen as heroic. conservatives and the never trump movement are discouraged and rightfully so. despite 60 percent of republicans voting against donald trump this primary season, he is now the presumptive gop nominee. a plurality of the voters have essentially allowed a stranger in our house. the problem of conservatives staying home on election day is something that needs to be reversed. if it is not, republicans will likely lose not just the white house but their majority in the senate. their fight to hold it is an uphill battle already, but conservatives staying home would result in a majority leader chuck schumer. already at risk are incumbents kelly ayotte, mark kirk, ron johnson, rob portman, pat toomey, roy blunt and john mccain, as well as the seat being vacated by marco rubio. there are three ways to avoid conservatives being disenfranchised and not participating in november. first, the delegates at the republican national convention could stage some sort of coup that sees trump lose the nomination. but this is not going to happen. republicans are resigned to trump as the nominee and delegates won<u+2019>t rock the boat. next, trump finds a way to connect with and energize those on the legions on the right that say they will not vote for him. his relationship with conservatives has always been tenuous. trump has had more positions on conservative issues than there are in the kama sutra. from four different positions on abortion in less than four days to not being willing to raise the social security retirement age to even pushing for the individual mandate. he has said he hates obamacare, but he wants to just replace it with a better version of it<u+2014>of course, trump says he will do so by making <u+201c>great deals.<u+201d> reconciliation is a long shot. it seems clear that the division within the republican party is vast and will not be repaired until, at the very earliest, after the election. trump unifying the gop is as likely as my going on a date with jennifer lawrence. this leaves us with the third option: a viable third-party presidential candidate whom conservatives would be excited about. were a ben sasse, tom coburn, james mattis (who already declined once), even a mitt romney or other conservative would improve the odds for many senate republicans just by energizing the conservative base. without this viable third-party candidate, house and senate republicans are going to lose. let<u+2019>s not kid ourselves; we conservatives hold no illusion that a third-party candidate would be able to capture the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. the best this candidate could hope for would be no candidate hitting 270 and the election going to the house of representatives, where skillful lobbying would secure the presidency. but the chances that the election turns to the house are minimal. we<u+2019>re probably looking at president hillary clinton, and we know it. being the viable third-party presidential contender is a suicide mission of sorts. it is a form of self-sacrifice that demonstrates a willingness to endure the hardships of the campaign trail. granted, it could also be argued that it is a sign of stupidity. from endless fundraisers and rubber chicken dinners to having every facet of your life picked apart by opponents and the press, it is not an enjoyable experience. in fact, it<u+2019>s likely that what you will be remembered for will be some flaw that was exposed. just ask rick <u+201c>oops<u+201d> perry, <u+201c>lyin<u+2019> ted<u+201d> cruz, john <u+201c>flip flop<u+201d> kerry, michael <u+201c>willie horton<u+201d> dukakis, and numerous others. if and when trump loses in november, this third-party candidate would be scapegoated by trump supporters as the reason that trump lost. it would be pure fiction, as trump will be the reason for his own loss. the misogyny, the xenophobia, the childish insults, the utter lack of actual policy and the paucity of understanding of the issues will be his downfall. voters already know who trump is and what he represents. given the level of fanatical zeal with which trump<u+2019>s supporters attack opponents, especially online, this third-party candidate will face a vicious amount of backlash and harassment. however, this candidate would be fondly remembered in conservative circles. after the general election, the republican party will begin to rebuild. the third-party candidate who ran to save vulnerable house and senate republicans would be an immediate leader whose voice would carry weight. on top of this, he or she would have endeared themself to these vulnerable republicans whom they ran to save. their campaign will have the benefit of being creating a lot of ious. conservative leaders have soul searching to do and conversations to have. they know that donald trump is imperiling republican majorities in the house and senate. they know that they need to coalesce behind a viable third-party candidate whose campaign would energize the depressed conservative base and ensure they vote to save vulnerable republicans in november. they know that it is not too late to beat back the trumpkins and give conservatives an energy boost that would have them out on the front lines fighting to save gop candidates over the next six months.

here<u+2019>s the best way to stop trump<u+2014>and save republicans in the senate and house

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nearly simultaneous explosions targeted a turkish peace rally saturday in ankara, killing at least 95 people and wounding hundreds in turkey's deadliest attack in years <u+2014> one that threatens to inflame the nation's ethnic tensions. there was no immediate claim of responsibility but prime minister ahmet davutoglu said there were "strong signs" that the two explosions <u+2014> which struck 50 meters (yards) apart just after 10 a.m. <u+2014> were suicide bombings. he suggested that kurdish rebels or islamic state group militants were to blame. the two explosions occurred seconds apart outside the capital's main train station as hundreds of opposition supporters and kurdish activists gathered for the peace rally organized by turkey's public workers' union and other groups. the protesters planned to call for increased democracy in turkey and an end to the renewed violence between kurdish rebels and turkish security forces. the attacks saturday came at a tense time for turkey, a nato member that borders war-torn syria, hosts more refugees than any other nation in the world and has seen renewed fighting with kurdish rebels that has left hundreds dead in the last few months. many people at the rally had been anticipating that the rebels of the kurdistan workers' party, or pkk, would declare a temporary cease-fire <u+2014> which it did hours after the bombing <u+2014> to ensure that turkey's nov. 1 election would be held in a safe environment. television footage from turkey's dogan news agency showed a line of protesters saturday near ankara's train station, chanting and performing a traditional dance with their hands locked when a large explosion went off behind them. an associated press photographer saw several bodies covered with bloodied flags and banners that demonstrators had brought for the rally. "there was a massacre in the middle of ankara," said lami ozgen, head of the confederation of public sector trade unions, or kesk. the state-run anadolu agency said the attacks were carried out with tnt explosives fortified with metal ball-bearings. turkey's government late saturday raised the death toll in the twin bomb blasts to 95 people killed, 248 wounded. it said 48 of the wounded were in serious condition <u+2014> and a doctor's group said many of them had burns. "this massacre targeting a pro-kurdish but mostly turkish crowd could flame ethnic tensions in turkey," said soner cagaptay, an analyst at the washington institute. cagaptay said the attack could be the work of groups "hoping to induce the pkk, or its more radical youth elements, to continue fighting turkey," adding that the islamic state group would benefit most from the full-blown turkey-pkk conflict. "(that) development could make isis a secondary concern in the eyes of many turks to the pkk," cagaptay said in emailed comments, using another acronym for is militants. small anti-government protests broke out at the scene of the explosions and outside ankara hospitals as interior minister selami altinok visited the wounded. some demonstrators chanted "murderer erdogan!" <u+2014> referring to president recep tayyip erdogan, whom many accuse of increasing tensions with kurds to profit at the ballot box in november. erdogan denies the accusations. later saturday, thousands gathered near istanbul's main square denouncing the attacks and also holding the government responsible. the turkish government imposed a temporary news blackout covering images that showed the moment of the blasts, gruesome or bloody pictures or "images that create a feeling of panic." a spokesman warned media organizations they could face a "full blackout" if they did not comply. many people reported being unable to access twitter and other social media websites for several hours after the blasts. it was not clear if authorities had blocked access to the websites, but turkey often does impose blackouts following attacks. at a news conference, davutoglu declared a three-day official mourning period for the blast victims and said turkey had been warned about groups aiming to destabilize the country. "for some time, we have been receiving intelligence information based from some (kurdish rebel) and daesh statements that certain suicide attackers would be sent to turkey... and that through these attackers chaos would be created in turkey," davutoglu told reporters, using the is group's arabic acronym. "the (kurdish rebels) or daesh could emerge (as culprits) of today's terror event," davutoglu said, promising that those behind the attacks would be caught and punished. davutoglu said authorities had detained at least two suspected would-be suicide bombers in the past three days in ankara and istanbul. authorities had been on alert after turkey agreed to take a more active role in the u.s.-led battle against the islamic state group. turkey opened up its bases to u.s. aircraft to launch air raids on the extremist group in syria and carried out a limited number of strikes on the group itself. russia has also entered the fray on behalf of the syrian government recently, bombing sites in syria and reportedly violating turkish airspace a few times in the past week. on a separate front, the fighting between turkish forces and kurdish rebels flared anew in july, killing at least 150 police and soldiers and hundreds of pkk rebels since then. turkish jets have also carried out numerous deadly airstrikes on kurdish rebel targets in northern iraq. erdogan condemned saturday's attacks, which he said targeted the country's unity, called for solidarity and canceled a planned visit monday to turkmenistan. "the greatest and most meaningful response to this attack is the solidarity and determination we will show against it," erdogan said. critics have accused erdogan of re-igniting the fighting with the kurds to seek electoral gains <u+2014> hoping that the turmoil would rally voters back to the ruling justice and development party, or akp. electoral gains by the country's pro-kurdish party caused the akp, founded by erdogan, to lose its parliamentary majority in a june election after a decade of single-party rule. the attacks saturday, which even surpassed twin al qaeda-linked attacks in istanbul in 2003 that killed some 60 people, also drew widespread condemnation from turkey's allies. turkey's state-run news agency said president obama called erdogan to extend his condolences. the anadolu agency, citing unnamed officials, said obama told erdogan the united states would continue to side with turkey in the fight against terrorism. it quoted obama as saying the u.s. "shared turkey's grief." erdogan earlier said the twin bombings aimed to destroy turkey's "peace and stability." anadolu said the two leaders agreed to talk more in the coming days. german chancellor angela merkel sent her condolences, calling the attacks "particularly cowardly acts that were aimed directly at civil rights, democracy and peace." "it is an attempt at intimidation and an attempt to spread fear," she said. "i am convinced that the turkish government and all of turkish society stands together at this time with a response of unity and democracy." nato secretary general jens stoltenberg said "there can be no justification for such a horrendous attack on people marching for peace... all nato allies stand united in the fight against the scourge of terrorism." saturday was the third attack against meetings of kurdish activists. in july, a suicide bombing blamed on the islamic state group killed 33 peace activists, including many kurds, in the town of suruc near turkey's border with syria. two people were killed in june in a bomb attack at the pro-kurdish party's election rally. "this attack (saturday) resembles and is a continuation of the diyarbakir and suruc (attacks)," said selahattin demirtas, leader of the turkey's pro-kurdish party. he held erdogan and davutoglu's government responsible for the latest attack, saying it was "carried out by the state against the people." in the aftermath of the ankara attack, the pkk declared a temporary cease-fire. a rebel statement said saturday the group is halting hostilities to allow the nov. 1 election to proceed safely. it said it would not launch attacks but would defend itself. the government has said there would be no letup in its fight against the kurdish rebels. "our operations (against the pkk) will continue until they lay down arms," davutoglu said late friday.

turkish pm says deadly attacks likely were suicide bombings

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notable names include ray washburne (commerce), a dallas-based investor, is reported to be under consideration to lead the department.

immigration crackdown splits gop

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exclusive: a world food program initiative that handed out hundreds of millions of dollars of food vouchers has been confronted with "persistent" diversion and sale of the vouchers to middlemen for cash by the growing flood of syrian refugees in neighboring jordan and lebanon, according to its internal auditors. one reason for the diversion:<u+00a0> the agency<u+00a0> did not have systems in place to identify valid recipients, and its procedures were <u+201c>not detailed enough to provide assurance that voucher transfers reached the correct beneficiaries in the correct amount,<u+201d> the auditors have said. the full extent of the desperation voucher sales was not made clear in the most recent audit document obtained by fox news, which covered wfp operations from july 2013 to march 2014. during the audited period,<u+00a0> however, spending on the jordan and lebanon voucher programs amounted to more than $230 million in 2013 alone-- nearly three-fourths of<u+00a0> the $317 million that wfp spent<u+00a0> that year on vouchers across the entire region affected by the syrian conflict. a wfp spokesman, declaring that the agency has taken steps to meet the problem, indicated to fox news that the cash-outs were continuing<u+00a0> at a reduced rate. the voucher issue is only one of a host of challenges that cloud the wfp relief effort in syria and neighboring countries. one of the most glaring is that<u+00a0> much of the syrian food distribution is<u+00a0> in the hands of charities and non-government organizations picked by the syrian arab red crescent, which is considered by many critics to be too close to the assad regime, and wfp <u+201c>was not involved in the assessment or selection of these charities,<u+201d> according to the agency<u+2019>s<u+00a0> auditors nor could wfp check consistently on how well those agencies were reporting: in all,<u+00a0> according to the recent internal audit, less than 40 percent of its distribution sites were visited<u+00a0> in 2014 by wfp or what auditors called a <u+201c>third-party facilitator<u+201d> who went where wfp staffers couldn<u+2019>t. moreover, that <u+201c>facilitator<u+201d><u+00a0> was not required to report on the results in the same way that wfp staffers do, including an assessment of the <u+201c>impact<u+201d> of wfp programs, meaning how well they actually worked. click here for the audit report beyond all that is the brutal reality of syria<u+2019>s ongoing war: <u+00a0>as wfp spokesman told fox news in response to questions about the food delivery audit, <u+201c>insecurity and access continue to be wfp<u+2019>s greatest challenge inside syria.<u+201d> a big part of the problem is that the agency is still being handcuffed by the assad regime in getting aid to hundreds of thousands of desperate people across the country. the wfp spokesman cited a report by u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon, which noted that between december 2014 and the end of february 2015, <u+201c>719,000 people have been denied access [to u.n. relief convoys] or are waiting for approval by the government of the syrian arab republic at the national and governorate levels.<u+201d> the same report also noted that relief had managed to reach about 158,000 people during that period<u+2014>roughly 18 percent of the total mentioned. the fact that huge problems have arisen in making sure<u+00a0> food relief gets to the suffering<u+00a0> as planned are not exactly surprising<u+00a0> in<u+00a0> a relief operation as massive, chaotic and dangerous as<u+00a0> the one that the war is continuing to generate. the u.n. overall has appealed for some $8.4 billion<u+00a0> to cover the relief effort this year for syria and its neighbors<u+2014>roughly the size of the annual u.n. peacekeeping budget<u+2014>even as the brutal civil war continues calamity and additional waves of refugees. overall, some 12.2 million people are currently said by the u.n. to need humanitarian assistance, with 7.6 million of them syrian internal refugees, and the remainder now living in surrounding countries. at the same time donor fatigue may be setting in:<u+00a0> after the $8.4 billion appeal,<u+00a0> the u.n. claimed that some $3.8 billion in pledges had been received. however,<u+00a0> the u.n.-managed financial tracking service (fts) notes that so far, only some $1.5 billion has been received. specifically for its syria response plan this year, wfp has so far received about $137 million, according to fts<u+2014>less than 20 percent of its $714 million announced requirements. the huge size of the required effort also calls for extra caution in dealing<u+00a0> with the <u+201c>high-risk<u+201d> problems the wfp auditors have uncovered.<u+00a0> for its part, a wfp spokesman told fox news that many of the issues detailed in the recent audit were under control<u+2014>although how much was still not exactly clear. when it came to checking on distribution efforts by charities it had not selected, the spokesman said,wfp continues to <u+201c>as much as possible monitor distributions organized by all its partners throughout the country<u+201d><u+2014>a sizeable caveat. at the same time that the spokesman acknowledged that the syrian arab red cross, or sarc, <u+201c>collaborates with other charities<u+201d> outside wfp<u+2019>s ambit to support food distributions,<u+00a0> he added that the syrian organization <u+201c>provides detailed reports to wfp<u+201d> on the activities of the charities it works with. the extent to which wfp can cross-check those reports, however, is part of the problem the auditors were noting. the spokesman also said that in 2014 wfp had carried out 76 percent of its planned 1,760 monitoring visits in 2014, <u+201c>in a very unpredictable and volatile context<u+201d> a significantly higher number than the auditors indicated. the spokesman added, however, that much of this <u+201c>significant achievement<u+201d> was the result of the <u+201c>third-party monitors<u+201d> that auditors had said used different, and less discriminating, measures of the actual achievements of the aid deliveries. this year, the spokesman said, <u+201c>wfp is further enhancing its monitoring capacity<u+201d><u+00a0> by adding more wfp field monitors<u+2014>and also more of the third-party monitors that auditors had criticized. likewise, the spokesman said, wfp voucher programs had been overhauled. the agency, he said, had purged an electronic voucher system in lebanon, deactivating those deemed invalid, and declared that <u+201c>encashment trends are decreasing<u+201d> in both lebanon and jordan--without specifying by how much. he also did not answer a fox news question asking how many people<u+00a0> in lebanon had received such electronic cards overall. the spokesman also underlined one of wfp<u+2019>s bigger new achievements: the launching of a school feeding program in syria that he said currently reaches almost 112,000 children, along with 75,500 young children who get specialized nutrition support. to put that in perspective, however, the u.n.<u+2019>s 2015 strategic response plan for syria declares that <u+201c>more than 5.6 million children<u+201d> are in need of some kind of assistance, about<u+00a0> 2.5 million children under age 5 need food aid, and some 370,000 need special nutritional help. george russell is editor-at-large of fox news and can be found on twitter: <u+00a0>@georgerussell <u+00a0>or on facebook.com/georgerussell

un agency food aid vouchers in syrian crisis diverted and sold for cash

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most latino voters intend to support democrat hillary clinton, but the more traditional conservatives are split between republican donald trump and libertarian gary johnson, who is beginning to court their vote. protesters face off with a supporter of republican presidential nominee donald trump outside the phoenix convention center as the candidate gives a speech on immigration in phoenix, wednesday. the last week of the presidential race has focused on immigration, culminating with a visit to mexico by republican nominee donald trump and a campaign rally in phoenix. suggested solutions to illegal immigration and security have ranged from amnesty to border walls, but it has left most hispanics supporting democratic nominee hillary clinton and tossed others afield. "i'm going to flip, but not flop. i am no longer supporting trump for president, but cannot with any conscience support hillary [clinton]," massey villarreal of houston told nbc latino after trump's wednesday night speech. mrs. clinton currently has the lion's share of support from the nation's hispanics, with as much as 76 percent of the vote, according to a wall street journal/nbc news poll in july. gary johnson, former republican governor of new mexico and libertarian candidate for president, aims to siphon off the rest.<u+00a0>on monday, his campaign hired lionel sosa, who has worked for multiple republican presidential campaigns beginning with ronald reagan's, to coordinate his outreach to american hispanics, the wall street journal reported. mr. sosa declared in a june<u+00a0>op-ed in the san antonio express news, "if my party winds up electing<u+00a0>donald trump, i<u+2019>ll have to bid farewell, hoping that one day soon, it comes to its senses." he expressed his affection for the traditional values of the republican party.<u+00a0>"here's my quandary," he wrote. "if my party's left me, where do i go?" sosa has gone to mr. johnson's campaign, and<u+00a0>16 percent of hispanics<u+00a0>have done the same, according to<u+00a0>a fox news latino poll in august.<u+00a0>trump currently has 17 percent of the latino vote, compared to mitt romney's 27 percent and former president george w. bush's 44 percent. "the appeal of johnson is that there is part of the latino electorate who don't trust either clinton or trump," ariel armony, a political scientist at the university of pittsburgh specializing in latino politics, told fox news latino. in that sense, american latinos are no different from the rest of the united states, as both clinton and trump have some of the lowest favorability ratings in recent political history. this mistrust is leading some americans who otherwise support republicans or democrats to consider a third-party vote for the first time, the christian science monitor reported. johnson, especially with the experience of sosa, may also appeal specifically to some latino voters looking for immigration solutions. his platform on immigration is, not surprisingly, libertarian. "we want immigration <u+2013> we are a nation of immigrants," johnson told a saturday rally in boston. he described his immigration solution: a simple work visa program that would give immigrants a means to enter the country, receive a social security card so they can pay taxes, and go to work, often doing jobs most americans don't want. johnson's is one of many ideas playing to a complex reality: most americans want some immigrants, but they want them to adapt to local culture, and many fear the current situation, the monitor's peter grier wrote earlier this week. but because immigration touches many hispanics so personally, the question of how to solve it leaves many wondering where to go.

amid immigration questions, how will gop hispanics vote?

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planned parenthood<u+2019>s lobbying gets aggressive.<u+00a0>congress may have spent august away from washington but planned parenthood<u+2019>s campaign to convince lawmakers to protect the group<u+2019>s funding followed them back to their home states. power post has more. <u+201c>lawmakers will raise the stakes when congress returns next week by threatening to defund the group through the federal appropriations process. planned parenthood<u+2019>s counter-offensive is widespread and varied and is unfolding inside and outside the beltway. the group has been<u+00a0>organizing rallies, flooding lawmakers<u+2019> town hall meetings, commissioning polls, shelling<u+00a0>out six figures for television<u+00a0>ads and<u+00a0>hiring forensics experts to try to discredit undercover video footage that sparked the controversy. the success of these lobbying efforts will be tested when congress returns and must move a short-term spending bill to keep the government open. some conservatives in both chambers are pushing to defund planned parenthood, even if a standoff with democrats leads to a government shutdown.<u+201d> federal workers expected to get a pay hike in january.<u+00a0>the stalled appropriations process in congress means uncertainty for federal agencies and their workers but the white house isn<u+2019>t waiting around for lawmakers to decide the fate of federal worker pay. federal eye<u+2019>s eric yoder reports that president obama sent a letter on friday detailing plans for a 1.3 percent pay raise for federal workers. <u+201c>it prevents what would be a much higher raise from being paid under the complex laws governing federal pay raises should no raise number be enacted into law by the end of the year. congress could yet set a different figure, but the appropriations bills for 2016 so far have been silent on a raise. that continues a pattern that resulted in 1 percent raises being paid by default in january 2014 and 2015.<u+201d> rate hike at the fed still likely.<u+00a0>speculation has been rampant in recent months over when the federal reserve will increase u.s. interest rates and the wall street journal reports that all signs still point to a rate increase this year. <u+201c>inside the fed, advocates for holding off a rate boost beyond this year aren<u+2019>t getting much traction. in jackson hole, minneapolis fed president narayana kocherlakota was an isolated voice among officials for sustaining near-zero interest rates. he has lost his share of battles over policy, including the decision last october to end the fed<u+2019>s bond-buying program.<u+201d>

planned parenthood<u+2019>s lobbying effort; pay raises for federal workers; and the future fed rates

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police use tear gas, arrest 9 during protests in st. louis police used tear gas and arrested nine people during protests in st. louis on wednesday. demonstrators gathered after police shot and killed an 18-year-old they say pointed a gun at them. police said protesters threw bottles and bricks at them, so they deployed armored vehicles and teams of officers in riot gear. "the rev. renita lamkin of st. charles, who regularly attended protests in ferguson, went to page avenue with several other clergy members wednesday evening. she accused the police of engaging in an overly aggressive response. " 'there has to be a better way, but the better way is not to terrorize an already terrorized community,' she said. 'how they deal with the situation is classist and dehumanizing. the people here don't matter as much to them.' "kayla reed of the organization for black struggle also said she believed officers were too aggressive toward a crowd 'that never was all that big.' she claimed officers gave no warning firing canisters of smoke and tear gas." police defended their actions, saying they warned protesters that the gathering had been deemed an unlawful assembly. as the associated press reports, officers were serving a warrant at a home in that neighborhood wednesday afternoon. they encountered two suspects. "the suspects were fleeing the home as [18-year-old mansur] ball-bey, who was black, turned and pointed a handgun at the officers, who shot him," the ap says. police say they found four guns and crack cocaine at the home. "police said a 33-year-old white officer with seven years on the force and a 29-year-old white officer with nearly seven years experience fired their weapons after ball-bey pointed his gun at them. "a black male in his mid to late teens escaped and remains at large. police said they recovered a 9-mm gun with 'an extended magazine' from ball-bey that had been reported as stolen in rolla, mo. they also recovered three other guns at the scene." of course, these protests come at a time when tensions in the st. louis area are running high. the last few weeks have been marked by events commemorating the shooting death of michael brown. the protests and clashes with police extended through the night. one vacant house was set on fire and the post-dispatch says police have received reports of businesses being set on fire.

police use tear gas, arrest 9 during protests in st. louis

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donald trump expanded his commanding delegate lead tuesday night by winning primary contests in illinois, north carolina and the winner-take-all state of florida, prompting senator marco rubio to suspend his campaign and bringing the republican front-runner one step closer to securing the party<u+2019>s nomination for president. while trump lost the winner-take-all state of ohio to the state<u+2019>s governor, john kasich, slowing his potential path to the white house, the billionaire developer remains the odds-on favorite to become the party<u+2019>s standard-bearer in july, absent a convention-floor fight that could see g.o.p. leaders elevate kasich or ted cruz in defiance of the republican electorate. democratic front-runner hillary clinton also cleaned up tuesday, shaking off her surprise loss last week to rival bernie sanders in michigan by winning ohio, florida, illinois and north carolina, delivering a much-needed jolt of momentum to her campaign. sanders gave clinton a run for her money in each state, picking up a share of the night<u+2019>s delegates, but remains hundreds of delegates behind in the overall count<u+2014>a gap that may prove insurmountable, especially if sanders is unable to convince clinton<u+2019>s hundreds of superdelegates to switch sides. (as of 7:00 a.m., the missouri presidential primaries both remained too close to call, with trump and clinton ahead by just 0.2 percent each.) despite trump and clinton<u+2019>s dominating performances, tuesday<u+2019>s results all but guarantee that both races will continue until this summer, and, in the g.o.p.<u+2019>s case, potentially after. sanders controls a massive campaign war chest, as well as the proven ability to continue raising huge sums of money<u+2014>the vermont senator raised more than $5 million in the day following his victory in michigan<u+2014>and has indicated he is willing to spend big to win, all the way until the democratic national convention in july. on the republican side, the window is closing to prevent trump from reaching the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the g.o.p. nomination, but party leaders have made no secret of their intentions to block him, no matter what. even if trump surpasses that threshold, establishment party figures have indicated they could change convention rules or even launch a conservative third-party challenge<u+2014>a suicide mission, but one some republicans see as a necessary corrective to the existential threat posed by trump<u+2019>s insurgent candidacy. either way, cruz and kasich are likely to remain in the race for the long haul, ensuring a three-month slog to what is sure to be a chaotic convention in cleveland. in an election season defined by roiling anger toward washington elites and economic policies that have contributing to a widening income gap, kasich<u+2019>s rousing victory in ohio, and gee-whiz positivity, may be just a blip amid the wider revolt driving donald trump and, to a lesser extend, bernie sanders. clinton has managed, with some success, to absorb that populist rage, running to the left by condemning wall street greed and turning against trade deals she previously supported. the republican establishment, however, which long held together its unwieldy coalition of economic elites and working class whites by merging a pro-business platform with social conservatism, may not survive in its current form. the astounding popularity of trump, a nationalist with little ideology beyond his belief that he is the sole candidate capable of restoring american greatness, has exposed the lie at the heart of the party: the majority of the conservative base doesn<u+2019>t care about small business principles. they just want someone who will keep immigrants out and tell it like it is. after all, the limited-government ideology preached by the g.o.p. may have made their lives worse. whether or not trump can secure the delegates he needs to lock up the republican nomination<u+2014>a feat that will require winning some 60 percent of all remaining delegates from here on out<u+2014>the damage to the g.o.p. will have been done.

kasich<u+2019>s ohio win pushes g.o.p. race closer to chaotic convention

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on a late july day this past summer, a roar filled the sky over cairo. it was the sound of barack obama<u+2019>s capitulation to a dictator. eight new american fighter jets, freshly delivered from washington, swooped low over the city, f-16s flying in formation. as they banked hard over the city<u+2019>s center, they trailed plumes of red, white and black smoke<u+2014>the colors of the egyptian flag. for egypt<u+2019>s brutally repressive president, general abdel fattah el-sisi, the spectacle was a triumph, symbolizing not only his militaristic power at home, but also his victory over an american president who had tried to punish him before surrendering to the cold realities of geopolitics. just two years earlier, sisi had seized power in a military coup, toppling mohamed morsi, the democratically elected successor to hosni mubarak, himself a strongman of 30 years pushed out in early 2011 by mass protests in cairo<u+2019>s tahrir square. in the summer of 2013, sisi followed his coup with a brutal crackdown that would have done saddam hussein proud. his security forces arrested thousands of people, including much of his political opposition, and in one bloody day that summer, they gunned down some 1,000 pro-morsi protesters (or more) who were staging peaceful sit-ins. the massacre was shocking even by the standards of egypt<u+2019>s long-dismal human rights record. obama was appalled. <u+201c>we can<u+2019>t return to business as usual,<u+201d> he declared after the slaughter. <u+201c>we have to be very careful about being seen as aiding and abetting actions that we think run contrary to our values and ideals.<u+201d> several weeks later, obama halted the planned delivery of u.s. military hardware to cairo, including attack helicopters, harpoon missiles and several f-16 fighter jets, as well as $260 million in cash transfers. he also cast doubt on the future of america<u+2019>s $1.3 billion in annual military aid to egypt<u+2014>a subsidy on which cairo depends heavily, and much more than the united states sends to any country in the world aside from israel. but a fierce internal debate soon broke out over whether and how to sanction egypt further, a fight that many officials told me was one of the most agonizing of the obama administration<u+2019>s seven years, as the president<u+2019>s most powerful advisers spent months engaged in what one called <u+201c>trench warfare<u+201d> against each other. it was an excruciating test of how to balance american values with its cold-blooded security interests in an age of terrorism. some of obama<u+2019>s top white house aides, including his deputy national security adviser, ben rhodes, and the celebrated human rights champion samantha power, now u.s. ambassador to the united nations, urged the president to link further military aid to clear progress by sisi on human rights and democracy. but secretary of state john kerry, then-defense secretary chuck hagel and hagel<u+2019>s successor, ash carter, argued for restoring the aid. trying to punish sisi would have little effect on his behavior, they said, while alienating a bulwark against islamic radicalism in an imploding middle east. <u+201c>egypt was one of the most significant policy divides between the white house and the state department and the department of defense,<u+201d> says matthew spence, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for middle east policy. for months, obama tried to split the difference. in meetings and phone calls with the egyptian ruler, by now paranoid and resentful about america<u+2019>s intentions, obama and kerry urged sisi to respect human rights, while also seeking his help in countering the the metastisizing islamic state in nearby syria and iraq. sisi did little of either. in the end, obama folded. this past march, he called sisi once again, this time to explain that he would release the cash transfers and delayed hardware<u+2014>including the f-16s<u+2014>and end the administration<u+2019>s threats to block the larger $1.3 billion annual aid package. <u+201c>we caved,<u+201d> says a former senior administration official who participated in the debates. in a long conversation recently, rhodes, the speechwriter turned national security aide who has been with obama from the beginning of his presidency, didn<u+2019>t mince words when it came to the years-long internal battle over egypt. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re in that sweet spot where everyone is pissed off at us,<u+201d> rhodes told me. and not just about egypt. the persistent problem of how to deal with american-allied strongmen has long tripped up a president who prefers pragmatic solutions to moral purity but has been unable to find much of either in the middle east. while every u.s. president struggles to balance values like democracy and human rights with national security, obama has struggled more than most because of the vast gap between his inspirational rhetoric and the compromises he has made with thuggish world leaders, especially<u+2014>but by no means exclusively<u+2014>in a middle east where authoritarian heads of state from riyadh to cairo have cracked down with renewed vigor after the unsettling protests of the arab spring. <u+201c>the rhetoric got way ahead of the policymaking,<u+201d> says michael posner, who served as obama<u+2019>s top state department official for human rights and democracy in his first term. <u+201c>it <u+2026> raised expectations that everything was going to change.<u+201d> <u+201c>he<u+2019>s never quite melded his rhetoric with his policies,<u+201d> says dennis ross, who served as obama<u+2019>s top middle east aide in his first term. adds robert ford, who was obama<u+2019>s ambassador to syria before resigning in frustration over the president<u+2019>s policy there: <u+201c>it seems like we are swinging back to the idea that we must make a choice between supporting dictators or being safe.<u+201d> their views were echoed in many of more than two dozen recent interviews with current and former administration officials, members of congress, experts and activists<u+2014>interviews that revealed a striking degree of frustration and disillusionment. many obama supporters started out believing that the president had grand ambitions for replacing george w. bush<u+2019>s militaristic posture with a more enlightened and progressive approach to the world before coming to believe they had misread a president who was not the idealistic internationalist they had thought he was. in hindsight, it seems clear that obama came to office far more focused on showing the world that the bush era was over than on any coherent strategy of his own for advancing human rights or democracy. but it didn<u+2019>t seem that way at the time: obama<u+2019>s aides entered the white house full of plans for <u+201c>dignity promotion<u+201d><u+2014>a favorite phrase of power<u+2019>s meant to signal a contrast with bush<u+2019>s post-9/11 talk of <u+201c>democracy promotion<u+201d> and his second-term <u+201c>freedom agenda<u+201d> that many came to equate not with bush<u+2019>s lofty goal of <u+201c>ending tyranny in our world<u+201d> but with imposing western values on countries like iraq and afghanistan at gunpoint.

<u+2018>we caved<u+2019>

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trump and sanders get all the attention for their passionate support. but supporters at a hillary clinton rally are passionate, too <u+2013> in their own way. as yet another general joins trump's team, what does the pick reveal? retired deputy sheriff debbie boyd wears her support for hillary clinton at a rally at the university of california, riverside, on wednesday. the retired deputy sheriff wears a white straw hat on which a miniature hillary clinton doll sits, surrounded by flowers and little american flags. red, white, and blue peace signs clatter around her neck, and <u+201c>hillary<u+201d> stickers adorn her cheeks. she even carries around a picture-book biography of mrs. clinton that she hopes to get autographed. <u+201c>she sends a message to little girls about what it means to be a leader,<u+201d> says ms. boyd, a mother of two, when asked what excites her about her candidate. few others standing in line for the clinton rally at the university of california, riverside on tuesday wear their support as overtly as boyd, a former republican who switched parties to vote for barack obama in 2008. the orderly, almost quiet scene outside the venue seems to illustrate one of the most persistent criticisms leveled against clinton: her lack of likability, expressed in part by a relative disinterest among her supporters. and when placed beside the more outspoken advocates for vermont sen. bernie sanders <u+2013> some of whom came to the tuesday rally to protest clinton<u+2019>s candidacy <u+2013> or the outrage that marks followers of presumptive republican nominee donald trump, clinton voters do appear almost dispassionate. but none of that means the former secretary of state fails to inspire, her supporters say. to them, the ability to excite and rile up a crowd is less important than experience, a sense of respect, and the skill to negotiate one<u+2019>s way out of a problem. these voters say they choose to show their enthusiasm in less sensational ways, whether it<u+2019>s donating to clinton<u+2019>s campaign or encouraging others to educate themselves and turn out to vote. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m not looking for someone to entertain me,<u+201d> says boyd, as she squats on the grass to add tinsel to her <u+201c>hillary<u+201d> poster. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m looking for someone to lead this country.<u+201d> which isn<u+2019>t to say passion doesn<u+2019>t exist among clinton supporters. inside the johnson family practice center at uc-riverside, a current of anticipation runs through the gathering <u+2013> an intimate affair that is typical of clinton<u+2019>s rallies. when she at last appears just after 6 p.m., the crowd cheers, waving campaign-issued balloons and posters. <u+201c>we are very enthusiastic,<u+201d> says sebastiano grasso, a local artist, dismissing any suggestion that clinton is unable to galvanize her supporters. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re just not punching people, yelling at people.<u+201d> others, like carrie lucas, say they show their enthusiasm with actions, not words. ms. lucas, a ballroom dancing instructor from corona, calif., says she donates to the clinton campaign with every paycheck. <u+201c>i put my money where my mouth is,<u+201d> she says. denise davis, a school administrator at the university of redlands, defends clinton<u+2019>s ability to move her constituency. <u+201c>if you<u+2019>ve ever seen her live in person, she<u+2019>s completely energizing,<u+201d> ms. davis says, recalling how she managed to convince her mother to vote for clinton over president obama in the 2008 democratic primaries.<u+00a0><u+201c>she went to see hillary speak and that<u+2019>s what swayed her decision.<u+201d> but davis's support for the former secretary of state goes beyond optics. to her, clinton<u+00a0>embodies progress that is earned over decades. <u+201c>she<u+2019>s very much interested in progressive, social change, and she<u+2019>s in a position to make that change happen,<u+201d> davis says. <u+201c>she would be the first female president <u+2013> that<u+2019>s huge in itself. but she has the best ability to make change happen. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s what fires me about her.<u+201d> likability was not always a criterion for electability. indeed, the founding fathers would <u+201c>be horrified by the modern presidential campaign,<u+201d> slate<u+2019>s john dickerson noted in 2012. <u+201c>in their day,<u+201d> he wrote, <u+201c>no man worthy of the presidency would ever stoop to campaigning for it.<u+201d> particularly since the advent of television, however, the charm factor has haunted many a losing candidate. <u+201c>there<u+2019>s an assumption that the candidate you want to win is the candidate you prefer to<u+201d> hang out with, says jennifer lawless, director of the women and politics institute at american university<u+2019>s school of public affairs in washington. <u+201c>it becomes a cue for whether [or not] you trust this person, whether they<u+2019>ll understand people like you, whether they<u+2019>ll have your interests at stake, whether they get what it<u+2019>s like to be a real american living in this country right now. it<u+2019>s all rolled up in this term called <u+2018>likability.<u+2019> <u+201d> <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t think hillary clinton <u+2026> comes off as a warm and fuzzy person you want to hang out with after work,<u+201d> she says. and it shows, at least in the polls. as of mid-may, only 40.2 percent of americans saw clinton as a favorable candidate, according to the huffington post, which tracks data from more than 400 surveys nationwide. mr. trump is doing just worse, with 38.7 percent of voters viewing him as favorable in the same period. the figures represent some of the lowest favorability ratings for presidential candidates in american history. for clinton, the problem is that <u+201c>it<u+2019>s hard from the outside to think of any non-career or pre-career aspect to her life,<u+201d> writes new york times columnist david brooks. <u+201c>except for a few grandma references, she presents herself as a r<u+00e9>sum<u+00e9> and policy brief.<u+2026> it<u+2019>s hard from the outside to have a sense of her as a person; she is a role.<u+201d> yet the folks at the clinton rally on tuesday applaud her rational approach, saying they support her precisely because she is about her work and not her celebrity. <u+201c>she has done so much for this country,<u+201d> says earlene freeman, a retired registered nurse, as she leans on her walker. <u+201c>she will better represent the values that i have; she wants people to reach their potential.<u+201d> <u+201c>and it<u+2019>s time for a woman to be president,<u+201d> she says. clinton<u+2019>s younger supporters seem to be thinking along similar lines. <u+201c>her approach is very analytical,<u+201d> says callie scoggins, a senior at redlands east valley high school, about a half-hour drive from riverside. <u+201c>she won<u+2019>t be quick to do something without considering the consequences.<u+201d> <u+201c>what it comes down to,<u+201d> adds tyler washington, a new graduate at riverside, <u+201c>is that the other candidates are like the tooth fairy or santa claus, offering magical rewards. clinton is like the mom telling you to eat your vegetables.<u+201d> that may not make her likable, he says, but <u+201c>those thinking with their brains understand what<u+2019>s more important.<u+201d> <u+201c>we don<u+2019>t need a slogan,<u+201d> adds mr. grasso, the artist. <u+201c>we need solutions.<u+201d>

hillary supporters: we're excited, too, but also practical

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the obama administration has made "virtually no progress" to increase transparency and accountability for its lethal drone program, a new report has concluded, with only months left to spare before the white house hands control of the targeted killing apparatus to a successor. the report by the nonpartisan stimson center said the administration is failing to release fundamental information about the program or to significantly overhaul it <u+2014> even after a 2015 strike mistakenly left american contractor warren weinstein and italian hostage giovanni lo porto dead. "we have seen relatively few successes," said rachel stohl, a researcher at the center. "the administration has been unwilling to provide the number of strikes, even in aggregate; the number of civilian casualties that they estimate that have occurred because of those strikes; the legal justification, unless required by court order, that allows the program to continue; so even on the most basic levels, what is the program doing, we don't know." a bipartisan task force called on the white house nearly two years ago to reconsider its reliance on targeted killing of suspected terrorists, in part, because the strikes may be doing more harm than good by fomenting hatred overseas. but stimson researchers said they've uncovered little evidence anything like that reorientation has happened. a senior administration official told npr the white house goes to "extraordinary lengths" to avoid civilian casualties. the official added: "unlike our enemies, which deliberately and pointedly violate the law of armed conflict, the united states takes great care to adhere to the fundamental law of armed conflict principle of distinction, which requires that attacks be directed only against military objectives and that civilians and civilian objects not be the target of attack." at least nine nations now have weaponized drones, and four have used them, the report said. "it's important that the united states establishes good policy and sets an international precedent that demonstrates leadership and responsibility and transparency over the program because other countries are going to follow the u.s. lead," stohl said. u.s. government officials have walked a fine line on the drone program, which is supposed to be secret. former cia and nsa director michael hayden addressed the strikes in his new book and an opinion article in the new york times sunday, when he wrote: "i think it fair to say that the targeted killing program has been the most precise and effective application of firepower in the history of armed conflict." days earlier, lawyers for the obama administration appeared in an appeals court in washington, d.c., to fight a demand by the american civil liberties union for legal justifications and "summary strike data," including the numbers and identities of people killed by weaponized drones. jameel jaffer, deputy legal director of the aclu, said the administration can't have it both ways. "the law of the drone campaign should not be a secret, nor should the cia be permitted to withhold basic information that would allow the public to understand the implications of the government's policies," jaffer said. "this is particularly the case since so many senior officials have spoken so freely about drone strikes."

report: obama administration makes 'no progress' on drone program transparency

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and the agency was ready for the critics. <u+201c>the only people with reason to oppose the rule,<u+201d> white house senior advisor brian deese told reporters on a press call wednesday, <u+201c>are polluters who knowingly threaten our clean water.<u+201d> so who are those willful polluters? congressional republicans, along with a select group of democrats from farm and energy-heavy states, who are already pushing legislation aimed at crippling the rule in both houses. they<u+2019>re characterizing it, as they do most epa regulations, as a <u+201c>power grab<u+201d> and an overreach, and are vowing to destroy it the same way, presumably, they want to be allowed to destroy waterways. house speaker john boehner (r-ohio) summed up the overwrought sentiment nicely in his reaction to the rule<u+2019>s release.<u+00a0><u+201c>the administration<u+2019>s decree to unilaterally expand federal authority is a raw and tyrannical power grab that will crush jobs,<u+201d><u+00a0>he said.<u+00a0><u+201c>these leaders know firsthand that the rule is being shoved down the throats of hardworking people with no input, and places landowners, small businesses, farmers, and manufacturers on the road to a regulatory and economic hell.<u+201d> sen. deb fischer (r-neb.), who is sponsoring a bill with<u+00a0>sens. john barrasso (r-wyo.) and james inhofe (r-okla.) that would overturn the rule, called it <u+201c>reckless and unwarranted<u+201d><u+00a0>in a statement, and vowed to <u+201c>work tirelessly to stop this expansion of federal control.<u+201d> epa administrator gina mccarthy, in announcing the rule this morning, in fact pointed out that the agency has received over one million public comments on the rule since it was proposed last year. and it was based, she emphasized, on the best available peer-reviewed science. mccarthy also took care to stress that the rule has been changed from the proposed version<u+00a0>to clarify that it does not apply to ditches or groundwater, and that agriculture will continue to be exempted. the rule <u+201c>does not interfere with private property rights or address land use,<u+201d> she elaborated. <u+201c>it does not regulate any ditches unless they function as tributaries. it does not apply to groundwater or shallow subsurface water, copper tile drains or change policy on irrigation or water transfer.<u+201d> <u+201c>farmers, ranchers, and foresters are all original conservationists, and we recognize that,<u+201d> mccarthy said. farmers are nonetheless some of the strongest opponents of the rule, along with other business interests new york times identifies as <u+201c>property developers, fertilizer and pesticide makers, oil and gas producers and a national association of golf course owners<u+201d> <u+2014> again, polluters that, under the status quo, are getting away with it. those in favor of the rule, on the other hand? aside from the usual groups interested in protecting the environment, which are all pretty thrilled, it<u+2019>s backed, per one poll, by 80 percent of voters<u+00a0>and, per mccarthy, 80 percent of small business owners. craft breweries are also big fans: <u+201c>beer is about 90 percent water, making local water supply quality and its characteristics, such as ph and mineral content, critical to brewing,<u+201d> a coalition of beer companies wrote to the epa in 2014. president obama, too, stood up for the rule wednesday, asserting in a statement that it<u+00a0><u+00a0><u+201c>will provide the clarity and certainty businesses and industry need about which waters are protected by the clean water act, and it will ensure polluters who knowingly threaten our waters can be held accountable.<u+201d>

congressional republicans are outraged that the epa wants to protect our drinking water

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ben carson<u+2019>s debate night in houston can be summarized in one line: <u+201c>can somebody attack me, please?<u+201d> okay, his <u+201c>fruit salad<u+201d> line was pretty good, too, but it was his plea for negative attention that perfectly captured his irrelevance. he was so desperate for a chance to speak that he figured a verbal assault from one of his opponents <u+2014> which, by rule, would entitle him to a response <u+2014> might be the only way he<u+2019>d get to talk. cnn, which broadcast the debate and supplied the moderator, wolf blitzer, didn<u+2019>t even pretend that the retired neurosurgeon is still a factor in the republican presidential nominating contest. carson received just six questions in more than two hours and got only 11 minutes and 10 seconds of speaking time<u+00a0><u+2014> roughly half the allotment of ted cruz and about a third of donald trump<u+2019>s share, according to a tally by politico. [why is ben carson still running for president?] managing talk time is always difficult, especially in a debate as fractious as thursday<u+2019>s. trump, cruz and marco rubio bickered, interrupted and shouted over one another constantly. but it<u+2019>s philosophically challenging, too: should a moderator try to grant equal time to every candidate or focus more heavily on the leaders? it depends. in november, when i interviewed fox business network anchors neil cavuto and maria bartiromo before they moderated a gop debate featuring<u+00a0>eight candidates, they acknowledged some imbalance is inevitable but said they would attempt to dole out time more or less evenly. their efforts made sense at that stage of the race <u+2014> three months before the start of primary balloting, a point where polls aren<u+2019>t very good predictors. on the day of that debate (nov. 10), trump and carson were in a virtual tie atop the republican field, according to the real clear politics national average. carson, of course, has plummeted since then; it was just too early for moderators to judge who was or was not legit and to hand out speaking time accordingly. but by now, it<u+2019>s very clear that carson has no shot to be the republican nominee. while each of the other remaining candidates has managed to finish second or better in at least one of the first four primary states, carson hasn<u+2019>t placed higher than fourth. those are real results<u+00a0><u+2014> not polls. he hasn<u+2019>t done well in the midwest, northeast, south or west. he has a very small constituency that is sticking by him, but there is zero reason to believe he's got a shot. it<u+2019>s hard to understand why he<u+2019>s still in the race, in fact. debate moderators should be slow to dismiss candidates, allowing for the possibility of an improbable comeback. perhaps that<u+2019>s why john kasich, whose own viability is in serious doubt, got almost exactly as much speaking time as rubio. but carson is so far out of the running that it would have been difficult to justify giving him much air. this was the last debate before super tuesday. the purpose was to help voters in the upcoming states <u+2014> and elsewhere <u+2014> choose among the candidates who could actually represent the republican party in the general election. carson just isn<u+2019>t one of them. and every minute devoted to him was a minute deducted from a real contender. this kind of thing is a judgment call, and cnn got the judgment right.

cnn basically ignored ben carson at thursday<u+2019>s debate. and that<u+2019>s just fine.

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the climate change plan announced by the obama administration monday is not as aggressive as plans by some other countries. but it suggests the us is serious about the issue and gives the country new credibility in climate talks. as yet another general joins trump's team, what does the pick reveal? president obama speaks about his clean power plan in the east room of the white house in washington on monday the president is mandating even steeper greenhouse gas cuts from us power plants than previously expected, while granting states more time and broader options to comply. the obama administration's new rules to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from existing power plants have helped propel the united states to a leadership role in international efforts to curb global warming, some analysts suggest. monday's announcement of president obama<u+2019>s clean power plan is being seen as a significant step forward for the us and for the international process. "this is a case of leading by example," says elliot diringer, executive vice president of the center for climate and energy solutions, a climate- and energy-policy think tank in arlington, va. "the rest of the world has been waiting a long time for the us to demonstrate the kind of leadership we're seeing now." the plan adds to the us's diplomatic credibility on climate, adds andrew deutz, director of international government relations for the nature conservancy. and that is as significant as the emissions goals, he suggests. but how strict are the emissions goals themselves? is the us on the verge of becoming a world leader in cutting carbon emissions? there<u+2019>s no easy way to compare the climate efforts of different nations, specialists say, because negotiators working on a paris treaty are taking a "pledge and review" approach. each country chooses its own targets, based on a range of factors. the clean power plan aims to cut co2 emissions from existing power plants to 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. it is part of a broader obama administration plan to cut carbon emissions economy-wide. the goal for that broader plan is to reduce all co2 emissions to between 26 and 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. the european union, by contrast, aims to cut emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels <u+2013> a more-aggressive target <u+2013> by 2030. some european countries not in the eu, such as norway and iceland, aim to at least match the eu targets. switzerland aims for 50 percent cuts. meanwhile, china, canada, new zealand, japan, and singapore are using 2005 as the base year for their targets, like the us. canada, new zealand, and japan have proposed emissions cuts of 25 to 30 percent by 2030. china and singapore have pledged to significantly reduce their carbon intensity <u+2013> the amount of carbon produced per unit of gross domestic product. their goal is to see that their emissions peak by 2030. still others, such as mexico, south korea, ethiopia, and morocco, have set another, even softer baseline, offering to cut emissions between 32 and 64 percent, compared with what their emissions might have been in 2030 if emissions followed a "business as usual" path. of particular interest are india, indonesia, brazil, and south africa, which have yet to submit plans, notes david waskow, who heads the international climate initiative at the world resources institute in washington. along with china, these countries fall into a category of newly industrialized nations whose economic aspirations could lead to troubling emissions paths. "people have tried to devise all sorts of formulas to suggest what an equitable distribution of effort would be," says mr. diringer. so far, none has stuck. still, monday's announcement gives the us fresh credibility in dealing with climate change. this new credibility first emerged last november, says mr. deutz, when mr. obama and chinese president xi jinping jointly announced their national offerings toward a new global climate pact during a summit in beijing. for its part, china committed to capping emissions by 2030, with renewable energy sources accounting for 20 percent of the country's generating capacity. the country also would reduce its carbon intensity by 60 to 65 percent by 2030. "that did a couple of things," deutz says. "it put the us out there with a significant, credible target. it demonstrated that china was prepared to commit to an international target as well. and the fact that the us and china were moving together helped to unlock the negotiating space." that played out in interesting ways a month later at global climate talks in lima, peru. "suddenly the us became a credible, positive force in the negotiations, getting a lot more respect than it had previously," he says. "it also meant that some countries that were hiding behind the us couldn't do that, and they were exposed." now, with the clean power plan, which covers a sector of the economy responsible for 31 percent of the country's carbon emissions, the white house has added meat to the bones of its broader, international offering, mr. diringer says. how all this plays out in paris remains to be seen. counting eu countries as a single entity, so far 22 countries have proposed their individual contributions to a new treaty. taken together, these represent 56 percent of global emissions. but the commitments fall far short of what it would take to put the world on track to meet its current global-warming objective <u+2013> holding global warming to 3.6 degrees fahrenheit by 2100. many developing countries view as inadequate the emissions plans industrial countries have offered so far. other difficult issues that don't involve emissions targets also remain to be solved. and even with a fully operational clean power plan, a new administration faces a lot of work to achieve the overall emissions reductions obama has put forward to the paris meeting of the united nations framework convention on climate change, notes alden meyer, director of strategy and policy for the union of concerned scientists in washington. still, the clean power plan represents "a very important step" in fulfilling the us's commitment, mr. meyer says. "given the history at the state level with things like renewable-electricity standards and energy efficiency programs, we think it's quite likely that the us could overachieve the standard" in the clean power plan.

is us now a climate change leader? how obama's new plan measures up.

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donald trump and hillary clinton have among the highest unfavorability ratings of recent presidential candidates. their success shows how us politics is changing. will trump's plan to register muslims make it to the white house? tesla under trump: how will electric cars fare under the next president? john mccain defies donald trump on torture: 'we will not waterboard' audience members listen as republican presidential candidate donald trump speaks during a campaign rally at clinton middle school saturday in clinton, iowa. it is possible, perhaps even probable, that this fall<u+2019>s election will be contested between two of three most disliked presidential candidates of at least the past quarter century. and it is possible, perhaps even probable, that this is not a coincidence. a<u+00a0> gallup survey<u+00a0>released saturday shows that donald trump has the highest unfavorability rating (60 percent) of any presidential candidate since the polling firm started tracking the figure in 1992. for her part, hillary clinton ranks third (52 percent) with the no-new-taxes-breaking george h.w. bush of 1992 at no. 2. in other words, the 2016 presidential election could be decided between two people that the majority of americans, according to gallup, don<u+2019>t like politically. how is this possible? actually, it makes complete sense. in fact, one could argue that such a contest would perfectly befit the current political era. at a time when partisanship has taken new and more rigid forms, the result has been an america increasingly wary of the other side. many americans are increasingly motivated to vote<u+00a0>against<u+00a0>candidates rather than<u+00a0>for<u+00a0>them. mr. trump and former secretary of state clinton symbolize this shift in different ways, but they speak to the shrinking middle of american politics. as the national parties have less and less in common, their national candidates likewise have less in common, leaving voters with a starker choice that they are just as likely to oppose as embrace. indeed, political scientists note that americans are<u+00a0> more neatly <u+201c>sorted<u+201d><u+00a0>into the two parties than they have been in recent history. in other words, conservatives support republicans and liberals support democrats. no more <u+201c>blue dog<u+201d> democrats who want to reform welfare. no more northeast republicans who want to address climate change. it means there is a brighter line between the national democratic and republican parties than there has been in decades, because there is less internal pressure to moderate. if, increasingly, everyone in the party is left-of-center (or right-of-center), the party naturally shifts left (or right). the result is two sharply different visions for america, two sharply different sets of solutions. another result is the vanishing swing voter. (see the monitor<u+2019>s<u+00a0> cover story<u+00a0>on the subject.) a larger share of american voters might<u+00a0> register as independents<u+00a0>than as democrats or republicans, but they don<u+2019>t act that way. those independents who reliably turn out to vote tend to take sides just like the partisans, voting in consistently partisan ways. <u+201c>people are more confident in their opinions when they see polarized parties,<u+201d> corwin smidt, a michigan state university political scientist, told the monitor. <u+201c>they think, <u+2018>well, if the choices are so stark, it<u+2019>s just not a gray area at all.<u+2019> <u+201d> and so they worry about the <u+201c>other side<u+201d> winning, according to research by emory university political scientists alan abramowitz and steven webster. they found that voting behavior is increasingly guided by this <u+201c>negative partisanship.<u+201d> this fall, it seems, american voters might have a lot to vote against. trump has become the republican front-runner precisely because of his lack of broader appeal,<u+00a0> argues pollster frank luntz<u+00a0>in the financial times. <u+201c>no high-polling presidential candidate in the modern era has so intrepidly drawn the ire of so many within the american<u+00a0> electorate,<u+201d> he writes. <u+201c>yet in rendering one voting bloc utterly apoplectic, he has appealed viscerally to another. the balance of middle ground politics is not, shall we say, mr. trump<u+2019>s bailiwick.<u+201d> his calls for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and a temporary ban on all noncitizen muslims entering the country are antithetical to those outside his conservative base, which partly explains their appeal within it. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s simply raising an important issue nobody else has the courage to talk about,<u+201d> mr. luntz adds, paraphrasing the trump voters<u+2019> reasons for supporting the billionaire. for clinton, the issue is less ideological than historical. she is facing a<u+00a0> perceived lack of trustworthiness<u+00a0>that dates back to her husband<u+2019>s administration <u+2013> and has been exacerbated by her handling of<u+00a0> state department e-mails. yet the same trends that have vaulted trump to front-runner status are apparent in the democratic primary process, too. bernie sanders could topple clinton in iowa and new hampshire. and he is an avowed socialist talking about a revolution. <u+201c>in sanders<u+2019>s vision, a massive grassroots uprising will shatter the constricting limits of today<u+2019>s political debate and thrust forward long-time liberal goals such as single-payer health care and free public-college tuition,<u+201d><u+00a0> writes ronald brownstein<u+00a0>in the atlantic. <u+201c>for sanders<u+2019>s growing army, it<u+2019>s an exhilarating prospect.<u+201d> for republicans, it is appalling. to some degree, this is what primaries do: push candidates toward the extremes. but there is a mounting sense that, as the parties move further apart, this year represents something new <u+2013> or at least more intense. while the experience might be temporarily cathartic, evidence suggests it might not be ultimately satisfying. as congress has become more sorted, americans<u+2019> confidence in it has declined. americans have less confidence in congress than they do in any other major american institution <u+2013> and have since 2010 <u+2013> according to<u+00a0> a gallup survey. after all, a revolution entails one side <u+201c>winning<u+201d> <u+2013> not likely in a political environment where each side is becoming more entrenched to stop the other. <u+201c>on both sides, the energy is with candidates <u+2026> offering the dream of a clean sweep and a blank sheet on which to rewrite the nation<u+2019>s priorities,<u+201d> writes mr. brownstein. <u+201c>yet because the candidates offering such fundamental change are largely misdiagnosing the reasons for today<u+2019>s impasse, it<u+2019>s unlikely they could break it even if they capture the presidency.<u+201d> their misdiagnosis? brownstein suggests that it<u+2019>s unlikely one side can ignore the other to rewrite the nation<u+2019>s priorities. <u+201c>given the nation<u+2019>s underlying partisan divisions, the only way to advance bigger ideas may be through compromises across party lines that neither side is discussing much yet.<u+201d> what this primary campaign has done, perhaps, is highlight the shifting political topography and distance between those party lines.

why america might elect a president it doesn't like

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from his condemnation of journalists to his racially tinged attacks on a judge presiding over a lawsuit related to trump university to his feud with new mexico gop gov. susana martinez, there's one thing in common about the mounting trump controversies: the presumptive republican presidential nominee is aiming to make the entire 2016 campaign about himself. american politics is littered with larger-than-life personalities. but no presidential candidate in living memory has built a campaign so exclusively on the foundation of his own personal, brand, self-congratulatory rhetoric and life story as trump. and don't expect anything different if he makes it to the white house. "you think i'm going to change?" he told reporters at a press conference this week. "i'm not going to change." trump has prospered by being the loudest, most unapologetic salesman of self in politics that most seasoned observers have ever seen. he is not just the figurehead of his own campaign -- his personality is the campaign, as evidenced by stump speeches, press conferences and endless television and radio interviews that add up to an unstoppable torrent of self-promotion. "the trump campaign is not about any cause, it is all about trump," said peter wehner, who has watched candidates and presidents up close as an aide in the last three republican administrations. "his campaign is all about him. how he treats other people is all about him -- whether one is praised and patted on the head or cruelly mocked depends on what you have said about him." trump's self-aggrandizement has become a dominant theme of the presidential campaign. the billionaire boasts about his wealth, his portfolio of gleaming buildings and golf resorts, soaring poll numbers, the size of his crowds, his "crazy" television ratings, how mexicans will love him, how his book is an all time best-seller and how his 757 jet is superior to air force one. it's an ego-driven strategy that would doom most politicians. but, so far, trump's unique, personal and unconventional campaign style has worked. he's dispatched his rivals in a bloated republican field and is now locked in a tight general election duel with hillary clinton. his style could even help him win over disaffected workers who also seem themselves as victimized by the political and economic establishment. still, there are major questions about whether a personality-driven campaign -- lacking the traditional organizational and field skills -- can be successful during a complex national contest. the clinton campaign is working overtime to make trump's personal mythologizing look like a fatal flaw. the former secretary of state is mounting a two-pronged strategy that centers directly on trump's persona. she hopes to make a case that his volatile personality makes him unsuitable to be commander-in-chief and to use incidents from his colorful character and business career to deconstruct trump's carefully built self image. trump's allies dismiss the idea that his campaign style lacks the gravitas and temperament required of a president, arguing that his tirades against the press, for instance, are merely a result of unfair coverage. "many of the reporters know the facts, but choose to write horrible stories about him or portray him in a negative light," trump spokeswoman katrina pierson told cnn's "new day" on wednesday, adding that if trump becomes president he will have wide public support. "so it's not going to get to the point of a temperament question because the people will be behind mr. trump." trump is hardly alone in getting high on himself: self-confidence is synonymous with politics. but presidential candidates typically take pains to mask their personal ambition in a flurry of detailed policy positions and ostentatious attempts to feel the voters' pain. peter feaver, a former aide to president george w. bush, said trump's reliance on his personality is unique. "this persona is actually one he has been honing for decades," said feaver, a former senior national security council official, noting that unlike other big personalities that took aim at the presidency, trump lacked core ideological convictions. "take ronald reagan for instance. he clearly had a persona that was built up over decades but even more he had a governing philosophy even as he was developing a persona," fever said. "trump doesn't have that. he just has the persona." feaver also notes the irony that after spending eight years lambasting president barack obama as a hubristic, self-obsessed figure, republicans are about to nominate someone who takes those perceived deficiencies to extremes. the presumptive gop nominee is not known for introspection. but he seems to agree with critics who say the campaign is almost exclusively about himself. "a very good musician said trump is the greatest in the world without a guitar, meaning without an instrument. i've got to stand up here by myself," trump said in california last week, explaining his unique style of political performance art. he want on to boast how a good friend -- who was "by the way, one of the most successful people in the country, in the world" -- asked him how he was able to hold such large audiences in the palm of his hand. "i said, 'you know, honestly, it's not hard because there's so much love in the room. it's unbelievable.'" such comments, laced throughout trump's public appearances, reveal a politician apparently intoxicated with his own magnetism and brimming with self belief. and they contrast with the stump speeches of more conventional political nominees -- which sag with policies designed to lure various constituencies of a party and cliched invocations to a higher national purpose and political unity that trump's speeches conspicuously lack. his public appearances, while hitting top political points on illegal immigration, free trade and u.s. allies who he says are fleecing america, are effectively a list of his personal triumphs -- that seem like the obsessions of a billionaire and have little in common with his heartland audiences. he frequently relates the tale of his new hotel in washington in the city's old post office building which he says will come in under budget and ahead of schedule and will be "a higher-quality hotel than anybody ever saw before." and he often recalls the media frenzy as he and his wife melania descended the escalator at trump tower to launch his campaign last year, saying it "looked, literally, like the academy awards." trump's implicit case is that his personality is so dominant, his presence alone makes the need for detailed policy proposals moot. that's why when he vows to rescue health care for veterans, he doesn't say how he will get it done. he promises to bring back jobs from mexico and china -- again without revealing his approach. he says he will "knock the hell out of isis" but doesn't detail a credible military strategy. given the billionaire's somewhat ill defined political creed and unpredictable style, no one can say for sure what his presidency would be like. but if the campaign is anything to go by, one thing is certain: it would be all about trump.

donald trump's obsession with himself

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republicans say social security<u+2019>s support for people with disabilities will be 'broke' next year; the obama budget suggests the system needs only a patch. but both sides agree: something must be done by 2016. why are americans more open to torture than other nations? senate budget committee ranking member sen. bernie sanders (i) of vermont (l.) talks as committee chairman sen. michael enzi (r) of wyoming listens during a hearing of the senate budget committee on capitol hill in washington earlier this month in the wake of republican victories in the election last fall, pundits warned that congress would be at loggerheads with president obama on a number of budget issues in 2015, including over highway funding and the department of homeland security. not high on the list of hot topics: social security. yet the vaunted social insurance system is suddenly a hot part of the fiscal debate in washington <u+2013> and it's not waiting for 2016 elections. the new obama budget proposes a patch to the program<u+2019>s support for people with disabilities, but republicans say the system needs an overhaul,<u+00a0>not a band-aid. how urgent an issue is this? specifically, how real is the financial trouble for the disability program? the two sides are far apart on their characterizations, but they agree that something needs to be done, and a good case can be made that the reality is between the extremes. many democrats and liberals say, in effect, that social security<u+2019>s disability insurance program is in trouble only<u+00a0>if republicans refuse to rubber stamp mr. obama<u+2019>s fix. sen. bernie sanders (i) of vermont, the<u+00a0>top member of the democratic caucus on the senate budget committee,<u+00a0>accused republicans of trying <u+201c>to manufacture a crisis where none exists.<u+201d> on the republican side, sen. mike enzi of wyoming, who chairs that panel, says that <u+201c>by december of next year, the program will be broke.<u+201d> what's new is that after years of talk about social security's solvency and the need to reform it (or not), congress has come to its first definitive fork in the road on the issue. perhaps the problem isn<u+2019>t as dire as republicans say it is, but obama also might not have a slam-dunk case for his patch. a good many economists agree with the republican view that reforms are needed to keep the system solvent <u+2013> and the sooner they<u+2019>re enacted, the better it will be for the nation<u+2019>s fiscal health. here are key facts behind the rhetoric: these facts suggest that republican sen. orrin hatch of utah had a valid point when he argued this week on the senate floor that <u+201c>having a joint trust fund exhaustion as a target doesn<u+2019>t solve any fundamental financial problem facing ... social security.<u+201d> at the same time, democrats have a point when they note that rebalancing the tax revenues between the two trust funds has been done by congress many times in the past. the nonpartisan committee for a responsible federal budget notes that congress has reallocated<u+00a0>tax receipts between these two funds in the past, but generally accompanied by reforms to social security. house republicans are seeking to block any such reallocation, unless it<u+2019>s accompanied by reforms to shore up social security so promised benefits can be paid beyond 2033. the social security trustees said in their 2014 annual report that although congress may consider another rebalancing, such a move "might serve to delay di reforms and much needed financial corrections for oasdi as a whole." regardless of whether the tax flows are rebalanced, the two programs may call for<u+00a0>differing reforms to bolster their solvency. in the old-age program, possible fixes include asking high-earning americans to shoulder bigger tax burdens, modestly raising the retirement age, and adjusting the inflation index used for benefits (so that annual cost-of-living increases aren<u+2019>t so big). on the disability side, changes might include expanding incentives for people to work rather than rely on di benefits. <u+201c>increasing employment among individuals with disabilities could improve their economic well-being and increase their autonomy while also reducing the fiscal strains on social security,<u+201d> stanford university economist mark duggan argued at a senate hearing this week. the disability program has grown markedly in recent years. by 2012 it was accounting for 18 percent of all social security benefits, up from 10 percent in 1970, according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office. much of the expansion stemmed from demographics, as an aging population included more people developing disabilities in their later work years, a 2013 cbo analysis concluded. but it also<u+00a0>found the growth in the program<u+00a0>to be related to 1984 legislation that loosened the definition of conditions qualifying as disabilities, and in fluctuations in the economy <u+2013> such as the long jobs drought following the 2008 financial crisis. <u+201c>the di rolls have barely grown for the last two years,<u+201d> notes kathy ruffing of the liberal center on budget and policy priorities. that slowdown coincides with an easing of demographic pressures on the program, as the baby boomers retire, as well as the improving economy.

funding shortfall for social security disability program: is it real?

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over half of non-donald trump voters in tuesday<u+2019>s republican primaries say they would consider a third party or independent candidate should the businessman pick up the republican nomination for the white house. the fox news exit poll taken among voters in missouri, illinois, north carolina, florida, ohio, shows that six-in-ten non-trump gop voters would consider a third party candidate if the general election matchup was trump versus democratic frontrunner hillary clinton. four-in-ten republican primary voters overall would consider a third party or independent candidate, while approximately five-in-ten of late deciders would consider the same choice, fox news<u+2019> exit poll said. trump himself has repeatedly raised the possibility of running an independent campaign should he be treated <u+201c>unfairly<u+201d> by the republican party, despite signing a pledge to support whoever the eventual republican nominee may be. billionaire and former new york mayor michael bloomberg was understood to have been considering a third party run in recent months, but eventually decided against a run after concluding that there was not a viable route to victory, and his candidacy would likely hand the republicans the white house.

most non-trump gop voters say they would consider independent candidate

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marco rubio said sunday that he believes sexual orientation isn't a choice, but he is opposed to courts deciding on marriage for same-sex couples. "i believe that sexual preference is something that people are born with," he said on cbs's "face the nation." rubio also said that he believes marriage should be "between one man and one woman" but insisted "it's not that i'm against gay marriage." "states have always regulated marriage, and if a state wants to have a different definition, you should petition the state legislature and have a political debate," he said. "i don't think courts should be making that decision, and i don't believe same-sex marriage is a constitutional right."

marco rubio doesn<u+2019>t think sexual orientation is a choice but wants states to decide marriage

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the downing of a russian warplane by turkish f-16s over the syrian border has split two obstinate strongmen deeply involved in syria<u+2019>s increasingly crowded civil war: russian president vladimir putin and turkish president recep tayyip erdogan. officials from both countries on wednesday discounted the possibility of direct conflict over the downing. <u+201c>we are not going to wage a war on turkey,<u+201d> russian foreign minister sergei lavrov told reporters, although he said moscow viewed the attack as a <u+201c>planned provocation.<u+201d> the turkish government offered its condolences for the deaths of a russian pilot and a marine in the downing of the plane and an attempted rescue of its crew, russia<u+2019>s first combat fatalities in the country<u+2019>s two-month-old airstrike campaign in syria. but the incident has revealed the potential for conflict between foreign powers supporting and opposing syrian president bashar al-assad despite a shared opposition to the islamic state. in particular, russian airstrikes against turkish-backed rebel groups have fomented deep frustration in ankara. <u+201c>there is a clear message from the turks with this downing of a russian jet,<u+201d> said mustafa alani, a middle east expert at the geneva-based gulf research center. <u+201c>it is a check on russia<u+2019>s policy in the region. russia can<u+2019>t do whatever it wants.<u+201d> russia says its su-24 bomber did not violate turkish airspace, but turkish officials say it did. putin hypothesized tuesday that even if the plane did briefly enter turkish airspace, it was not a threat. [this is the russian plane that turkey just shot down] in moscow at least, the event is being seen as something larger than an attack on an errant jet. <u+201c>the conflict happened because russia was attacking rebel groups allied with turkey,<u+201d> said alexander baunov, an analyst at the moscow carnegie center, when asked about the possibility of an accidental clash. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s wrong to say that this happened because of anything like crowded skies.<u+201d> the russian defense ministry announced in a statement wednesday that russian fighter jets will now escort the bombers, and moscow will move into syria powerful new ground-to-air missiles that can reach across the country and far into turkey from the russian air base in the province of latakia on syria<u+2019>s mediterranean coast. additionally, analysts say, russia will choose from a menu of asymmetric responses in retaliation against turkey, including informal economic sanctions and providing military aid to turkey<u+2019>s enemies, including the kurds. <u+201c>of course, russia is going to intensify strikes on that part of syria and on those groups that are affiliated with turkey,<u+201d> said fyodor lukyanov, a prominent russian political analyst. he added that russia probably would not scale back its deployment in syria because of the incident. on wednesday evening, turkey<u+2019>s state-run news agency, anadolu, reported that russian airstrikes targeted turkish aid vehicles in the syrian border town of azzaz, killing at least seven drivers. the town is a hub for supplies being delivered from turkey to syrian rebels fighting government forces in the nearby city of aleppo. the details of the incident could not be assessed independently. shady al-ouaineh, a media <u+00ad>representative for determined storm, a rebel group associated with the free syrian army, said in a telephone interview that russia had dramatically intensified air raids in rebel-held areas of latakia province. syrian government forces and allied shiite militiamen from iraq, backed by russian air cover, have been trying to advance on some of the last opposition holdouts in the province, said ouaineh, close to where the russian jet was shot down. <u+201c>it is clear russia is taking out its revenge on us here,<u+201d> he said. [nato faces new mideast crisis after downing of russian jet by turkey] russian attitudes toward turkey, which were reasonably friendly a year ago, have turned cold with alarming speed. most russian tour operators stopped selling travel packages to turkey on wednesday. protesters in moscow pelted the turkish embassy with eggs and rocks, shattering windows. russian lawmakers introduced a bill that would criminalize denying that the mass killings of armenians in 1915 by the ottoman empire was a <u+201c>genocide.<u+201d> the issue remains highly sensitive: turkey acknowledges that atrocities occurred but has long denied that what took place constituted a genocide. last december, russia diverted a planned gas line away from europe to turkey in order to spurn the west. that project<u+2019>s fate is also now in doubt. <u+201c>the consequences are going to be significant,<u+201d> lukyanov said. russia will seek retribution against turkey but wants to avoid antagonizing the west, baunov said. <u+201c>if this becomes a fight between russia and the west, then that goes against the goals of the intervention in the first place: to escape international isolation connected to sanctions,<u+201d> he said. those sanctions were imposed after russia annexed the crimean peninsula and backed separatist rebels in ukraine<u+2019>s southeast. president obama, meeting with french president fran<u+00e7>ois hollande in washington on tuesday, said that turkey had a right to defend its airspace and accused russia of attacking moderate opposition groups as opposed to the islamic state. russia has said it carries out airstrikes only against terrorist organizations. <u+201c>they are operating very close to a turkish border and they are going after a moderate opposition that are supported by not only turkey but a wide range of countries,<u+201d> obama said. at the same time he discouraged <u+201c>any kind of escalation.<u+201d> [u.s., france to press allies for more assets in fight against the islamic state] the frantic russian search for the missing bomber crew was marred by the death of a marine on an mi-8 helicopter hit by an antitank missile. <u+201c>one on board was wounded when he parachuted down and killed in a savage way on the ground by the jihadists,<u+201d> alexander orlov, the russian ambassador to france, told europe<u+00a0>1 radio. <u+201c>the other managed to escape and, according to the latest information, has been picked up by the syrian army and should be going back to the russian air force base.<u+201d> putin has promised the russian public a limited engagement in syria, with no ground forces, to limit casualties. although the syrian army has managed to halt a rebel offensive, russian air power has not yet led to a significant turn of the tide in the war. <u+201c>turkey dealt a major blow to putin, and now he<u+2019>s been placed between a rock and a hard place,<u+201d> said fawaz a. gerges, a professor of international relations at the london school of economics. <u+201c>there could be mission creep where russia will get entangled in an unwinnable war.<u+201d>

downing of russian plane reveals potential for more conflict

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" 'your armed forces on monday carried out focused air strikes in libya against daesh camps, places of gathering and training, and weapons depots,' the military said in a statement, using the arabic acronym for isis. "it was the first time egypt confirmed launching air strikes against the group in neighboring libya, suggesting president abdel fattah al-sisi is ready to escalate his battle against militants seeking to topple his government. "the military said the dawn strike, in which libya's air force also participated, 'achieved its targets accurately' and the pilots returned to base safely, the egyptian military said, as state television ran brief footage of a fighter plane taking off in darkness."

retaliating for killings, egypt launches airstrikes against isis in libya

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president obama is plotting with his attorney general to get our guns. the president will purportedly <u+00a0>bypass congress and crack down on small scale gun sellers. fox news reports the plan would require gun sellers to order background checks on prospective buyers and tighten laws for gun sales to those who have committed domestic-abuse offenses. click here to sign up for todd<u+2019>s american dispatch <u+2013> a <u+00a0>must-read for conservatives! if the white house really wants to crack down on gun violence -- maybe they should enforce the laws that are already on the books. but that's not the point. this president ultimately wants to disarm the nation. the primary reason our founding fathers wrote the second amendment was to protect all the other amendments. just after the muslim terrorist attack in san bernardino the washington post found that 53 percent of voters oppose a ban on assault weapons -- a record high. the american people seem to understand what the president does not -- guns keep our families safe. so instead of declaring war on law-abiding gun owners<u+00a0> -- maybe the president ought to declare war on the true threat facing our nation -- radical islam. the national rifle association accused the president of pulling a <u+201c>political stunt<u+201d> and republican presidential candidates have widely condemned the president<u+2019>s gun-control plans. <u+201c>the president is a petulant child,<u+201d> new jersey gov. chris christie told "fox news sunday." <u+201c>whenever he doesn<u+2019>t get what he wants<u+2026>this president acts like a king.<u+201d> <u+201c>it is delusional, dangerous, not to mention unconstitutional,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>we have a long list of criminals who own guns, who routinely purchase guns. we know who these people are, and we are not prosecuting any of them.<u+201d> texas governor greg abbott summed up it up best in a tweet: "obama wants to impose more gun control. my response? come & take it." todd starnes is host of fox news & commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. his latest book is "god less america: real stories from the front lines of the attack on traditional values." follow todd on twitter<u+00a0>@toddstarnes and find him on facebook.

president obama wants to disarm america

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sen. bernie sanders is calling out donald trump for withdrawing his offer to debate, an apparent attempt to goad the presumptive republican presidential nominee and self-described <u+201c>tough guy<u+201d> into reconsidering ahead of california<u+2019>s big june 7 primary. sanders said friday night on hbo<u+2019>s <u+201c>real time with bill maher<u+201d> that he would still <u+201c>love<u+201d> to debate trump and essentially asked him to reconsider. <u+201c>first he said he would do it,<u+201d> the democratic presidential candidate said. <u+201c>then he said he wouldn<u+2019>t. then he said he would, then he said he wouldn<u+2019>t do it. <u+201c>so i would hope that if he changed his mind four times in two days changing the fifth time (would be possible.) you know, trump claims to be a real tough guy, pushes people around. hey donald, come on up and let's debate about the future of america." trump recently suggested he would debate sanders after democratic front-runner hillary clinton declined a fox news channel offer to debate him. however, trump apparently changed his mind after getting 1,237 delegates on thursday, the number needed to clinch the gop nomination. <u+201c>now that i am the presumptive republican nominee, it seems inappropriate that i would debate the second-place finisher,<u+201d> trump said friday through his campaign. <u+201c>as much as i want to debate bernie sanders -- and it would be an easy payday -- i will wait to debate the first place finisher in the democratic party, probably crooked hillary clinton, or whoever it may be.<u+201d> clinton is now just 73 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to clinch her party<u+2019>s nomination, with 913 still at stake, including 475 in california. sanders has won nearly as many state contests as clinton, including a string of wins in the past couple of months but has just 1,542 delegates. the vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist has been campaigning furiously in liberal-leaning california -- in hopes of winning or at least taking a sizeable number of delegates. he has vowed to keep his campaign alive into the party<u+2019>s july nomination convention, and more delegates could give him more influence over the party<u+2019>s platform. california has one of the most expensive media markets in the country. with campaigns having already spent so much of their money on earlier races, a national tv debate with trump could certainly help sanders. he first learned about trump cancelling the debate offer at campaign event earlier friday in los angeles county, with his remarks sounding like the ground work for his hbo comments. <u+201c>i heard he was going to be debate. then i heard he was not going to debate, then i heard he was going to debate. well i hope that he changes his mind again. (trump<u+2019>s) known to change mind many times in the day. he<u+2019>s a big tough guy. mr. trump what are you afraid of?<u+00a0>why won<u+2019>t you debate here in california?"

sanders says 'tough guy' trump should reconsider, still debate him

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editor<u+2019>s note: this story was originally published on may 1. it has been updated to include the news that pataki has announced his presidential campaign. the tall man in a blazer burst into the chipotle in the middle of the afternoon. he had a smile, a tv camera following him and the jovial air of a man who expects to be recognized. <u+201c>george pataki, from new york,<u+201d> he said, shaking hands with the first two diners he met. <u+201c>we<u+2019>re doing the non-hillary tour. we<u+2019>re actually saying <u+2018>hi<u+2019> to people.<u+201d> then the tall man moved on, to quiz the next table about their food. (<u+201c>chicken burrito? i gotta try something new.<u+201d>) when he was gone, the first two diners wondered: who was that? do they not have chipotle where he lives? <u+201c>it<u+2019>s like, <u+2018>oh, i<u+2019>m from new york,<u+2019><u+2009><u+201d> said aaron lee, 22. <u+201c>what are you doing here, then?<u+201d> officially, what george e. pataki was doing was flirting <u+2014> for the fourth time in 16 years <u+2014> with the idea of running for president of the united states. a few weeks ago, pataki was in new hampshire: raising money, and telling people that he was close, close, close to making a decision. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m strongly leaning toward making the run,<u+201d> he told a radio station in new hampshire. this happened three times before. every other time pataki flirted with running, he didn<u+2019>t [on thursday, the republican ex-governor of new york announced that this time, he is actually is running]. spring is the flirting season in american politics: in the early part of this year, more than 20 politicians were officially <u+201c>considering<u+201d> or <u+201c>exploring<u+201d> a run for president. the key to understanding this strange every-four-years ritual is to understand that there are two kinds of flirting. for the big-name candidates, the presidential flirt is a useful, temporary, legal dodge. they will run. they are essentially running already. but they don<u+2019>t want to admit it yet, because that would bring on tighter fundraising rules. for the others <u+2014> particularly the eight or so who have fallen out of the political spotlight <u+2014> the flirt can be an end in itself. it allows them to experience some of the most pleasant parts of a campaign: audiences, media attention, a chance to raise money. and then it lets them escape before they have to face the less-pleasant parts. such as getting crushed. this time, apparently, pataki is ready to take that risk. <u+201c>i make a joke that every four years, there<u+2019>s the olympics, there<u+2019>s the world cup and i come to new hampshire thinking about running for president,<u+201d> pataki told a crowd of 15 people during a speech at a sea-doo and snowmobile dealership in laconia, n.h. nobody laughed. then pataki said this election was different: <u+201c>this time, in all honesty, i see things differently.<u+201d> pataki, 69, has already lived a remarkable political life. the son of a postman, he unseated liberal icon mario cuomo (d) in a 1994 governor<u+2019>s race <u+2014> one of new york<u+2019>s legendary upsets. pataki then won second and third terms by large margins. he led new york through the sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the rebuilding of ground zero. but he has not held office since 2007. since then, his political star has faded somewhat. <u+201c>who is bloomberg?<u+201d> a <u+201c>jeopardy!<u+201d> contestant said in january while looking at a photo of pataki. the category was <u+201c>new york governors,<u+201d> and the clue was <u+201c>he took new york into the 21st century.<u+201d> <u+201c>no,<u+201d> host alex trebek said. the other two contestants stared blankly at the same photo, without buzzing in, until time ran out. another sign: there used to be a museum about pataki in his hometown of peekskill, n.y. it opened after he left office, complete with an exhibit where schoolkids could see pataki<u+2019>s gubernatorial desk. then, in 2013, it closed. its leaders thought maybe more schoolkids would visit if it was a web site. <u+201c>basically, it would be like a monkey flying out of a unicorn<u+2019>s [posterior]<u+201d> if pataki won the 2016 republican nomination, said florida-based gop strategist rick wilson. if pataki got into the gop primary, he would face obstacles that go far beyond his meager name recognition. he is pro-choice. he signed strict gun-control laws. he let state government spending grow rapidly. in recent polls, his best showing has been 1<u+2009>percent. <u+201c>let<u+2019>s just say a meteor strikes the first debate and kills everyone except pataki, who is stuck in traffic. let<u+2019>s hypothesize for a moment,<u+201d> wilson said. he thought. no. it still wouldn<u+2019>t be pataki. they<u+2019>d find somebody else. but despite those long odds, pataki came to new hampshire last month for his eighth flirting-related visit since september. he later made a ninth. <u+201c>i know i can appeal <u+2014> not just to republicans and conservatives <u+2014> but to independents and intelligent democrats as well,<u+201d> pataki told an audience of eight college republicans at the university of new hampshire. this is the heart of pataki<u+2019>s pitch to voters. he<u+2019>s a republican who won big in a blue state. he<u+2019>s a reformer who would tame washington<u+2019>s bureaucracy. <u+201c>i go there today, and it<u+2019>s like i<u+2019>m on an alien planet,<u+201d> pataki said of washington. <u+201c>they are an insular world. they talk a language you don<u+2019>t understand.<u+201d> in new hampshire, pataki<u+2019>s crowds were not big. at the official opening of his super pac<u+2019>s office in manchester, for instance, 25 people turned up. and one of them turned out to be an incognito staffer for donald trump. think about that. if this was an intentional act of flirter-against-flirter espionage (which the trump staffer denied), it might be the most pointless dirty trick in the history of american politics. nevertheless, wherever pataki went, the crowds were pleasant and admiring. <u+201c>under a pataki administration,<u+201d> one man asked him at a diner, how would middle east policy change? this is one of the things that makes flirting worthwhile: for an ex-politician, it is an unlocked door back into the american political arena. that can mean new audiences for men used to audiences. the same college republicans, for instance, had recently hosted a 2016 flirter whose odds are even longer than pataki<u+2019>s: former virginia governor james gilmore iii (r). gilmore left office in 2002. <u+201c>i mean, thank god for wikipedia,<u+201d> said unh senior elliot gault, 22. and the same kind of magic works on the news media. before former rhode island governor lincoln chafee (d) announced he was exploring a presidential run on april 9, the washington post had not quoted him about anything in nine months. in the weeks after that, the post quoted him eight times. er, nine. <u+201c>clinton is just too hawkish,<u+201d> chafee said in an interview, repeating his signature attack line on the democratic front-runner, former secretary of state hillary rodham clinton. the other great thing about flirting is the money. while you flirt, you can raise it. and if you don<u+2019>t run, you can spend it anyway. in 1999, for instance, pataki flirted with a campaign, then gave up and endorsed george w. bush. in 2007, he did it again. <u+201c>i was very serious about it<u+201d> that time, pataki says now. <u+201c>but: mayor giuliani.<u+201d> the former new york city mayor was in the race, and pataki didn<u+2019>t think there was room for two new yorkers. so he got out. both times, pataki raised more than $1<u+2009>million in donors<u+2019> money. both times, the new york times reported, pataki spent it <u+2014> giving to allied republican candidates, paying for pataki<u+2019>s travels, and paying a circle of pataki<u+2019>s own advisers, strategists and fundraisers. <u+201c>i was very serious about it,<u+201d> pataki says. <u+201c>but everywhere i went, people had committed to mitt romney.<u+201d> he pulled the plug but still raised and spent more than $600,000 via a political nonprofit. this year, pataki is raising money again <u+2014> for a super pac called <u+201c>we the people, not washington.<u+201d> among those leading the fundraising are several pataki associates who got paid from the money he raised in past flirtations. aides wouldn<u+2019>t say how much he<u+2019>d raised or spent this time. <u+201c>because he was my friend, i wouldn<u+2019>t feel cheated [if pataki didn<u+2019>t run]. i<u+2019>m never one to say that a guy should be a suicide lunatic,<u+201d> said peter kalikow, a new york real estate titan who donated to pataki<u+2019>s super pac this year. in the last presidential cycle, kalikow was a major backer of another long shot: pizza executive herman cain. pataki<u+2019>s aides said they had a strategy ready if their man really got into the race. he<u+2019>ll stand out in the debates with his genial wit and executive experience. then he<u+2019>ll surge in new hampshire, by appealing to libertarian-leaning .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. perhaps we<u+2019>re getting ahead of ourselves. <u+201c>when i heard the name, i was like, <u+2018>pataki. pataki. pataki.<u+2019> but i didn<u+2019>t know that he was the mayor of new york,<u+201d> tony coutee, 42, a crane operator who was at the second table pataki visited in that manchester chipotle, said incorrectly. after pataki left his table, coutee said, <u+201c>i googled him and found out.<u+201d> while the two of them were talking, pataki was into a full-blown, campaign-style restaurant schmooze. he bumped elbows with the grill man. he walked back to greet employees in the walk-in cooler (<u+201c>he just shook my hand and i said i didn<u+2019>t want to be on camera, and he asked if i was on parole,<u+201d> one said, bewildered.) pataki went through the line and loudly asked if he could leave a tip. then he came back and sat down with coutee and soto. <u+201c>i<u+2019>m trying the chicken burrito,<u+201d> pataki told them. the two men quickly got up to leave. <u+201c>kinda normal,<u+201d> soto said of this only-in-flirting-season interaction, a pseudo-conversation with a pseudo-candidate, who never said what he was running for. <u+201c>but abnormal.<u+201d> anu narayanswamy in washington contributed to this report.

heard of george pataki? every four years he thinks about running for president.

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the israeli leader may be able to form a more stable government than his last, but he had to run hard to the right in the campaign and reverse his stance supporting a palestinian state. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu greets supporters at the party's election headquarters in tel aviv, wednesday, march 18, 2015. netanyahu's ruling likud party scored a resounding victory in the country's election, final results showed wednesday, a stunning turnaround after a tight race that had put his lengthy rule in jeopardy. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu<u+2019>s 11th-hour campaign decision to swerve deep into right-wing territory <u+2013> reversing his support for a palestinian state and urging supporters to counter <u+201c>droves<u+201d> of arab voters <u+2013> has paid off in a stunning victory. his likud party, trailing its leftist opponents in the final polls, not only closed the gap but surged to a six-seat victory over the zionist camp<u+2019>s 24 seats in national elections tuesday, according to a near-complete tally wednesday morning. the clear margin will almost certainly give mr. netanyahu a fourth term as prime minister. and while president reuven rivlin called tuesday night for the two top parties to form a national unity government, both rejected the idea. netanyahu now looks much better positioned to build a right-wing nationalist government that would allow him to govern unfettered by the wide ideological differences that doomed his previous coalition. <u+201c>dear friends, against all odds, we got a great victory for the likud party,<u+201d> he said in a jubilant election night speech at likud headquarters in tel aviv, to chants of <u+201c>bibi! bibi! bibi!<u+201d> the fiercely fought campaign, which just days before the election seemed headed toward a major political upheaval, was in many ways a referendum on netanyahu. the two main campaign slogans were, <u+201c>only netanyahu<u+201d> and <u+201c>just not netanyahu.<u+201d> with turnout increasing to 68.4 percent, and nearly a quarter of the votes cast for likud, the voters<u+2019> answer was clear. but the political and social cost <u+2013> never mind the $60 million price-tag of holding elections <u+2013> remains to be seen. once the confetti settles, and netanyahu turns to the task of actually trying to rule a deeply fractured country besieged by enemies, he will be facing many of the same challenges <u+2013> but with few fresh ideas, and perhaps fewer friends. <u+201c>i was very disappointed with the fact that there was no real discussion about the issues,<u+201d> speaker of the knesset yuli edelstein of the likud party told reporters tuesday night in tel aviv. <u+201c>it was probably one of the lowest campaigns we had, and we wasted the opportunity as a country and a society, because when exactly are we going to discuss the real issues if not during an election campaign?<u+201d> netanyahu called early elections last fall after firing two of his coalition partners, finance minister yair lapid of the yesh atid party and justice minister tzipi livni of the hatnua party. he argued that he couldn<u+2019>t govern effectively with such an ideological gap. one of the divisive issues was the coalition parties' opposition to a bill that would have formally identified israel as the nation state of the jewish people, a move some saw as undermining its democratic nature and marginalizing the country<u+2019>s 20 percent arab population. at the time, another netanyahu victory seemed a pretty sure bet. but ms. livni<u+2019>s decision to partner with the labor party<u+2019>s isaac herzog gave the prime minister a run for his money, attracting voters with their more moderate position on palestinians as well as their commitment to socioeconomic issues. as of the final polls last friday, they were projected to win by three to four seats. so netanyahu, widely recognized even by his foes<u+00a0>as a shrewd politician, abruptly switched tack. after weeks of promoting himself as the only leader who could protect israel against iran, hamas, and the islamic state, he started talking about the things that were hurting likud<u+2019>s traditional blue-collar base<u+00a0><u+2013> the skyrocketing cost of housing and groceries. he vowed to appoint as finance minister moshe kahlon of the kulanu party, a former likudnik from a humble background whose monopoly-busting policies reduced charges for cellphone plans by 90 percent. netanyahu also openly cannibalized votes from estranged right-wing allies like naftali bennett<u+2019>s jewish home party and avigdor lieberman<u+2019>s israel beitenu. a day before the vote, he declared that there would be no palestinian state on his watch, reneging on a 2009 pledge of support for the two-state solution to the middle east conflict. that puts him on a collision course with the obama administration, which is already fuming over his bombastic speech to congress two weeks ago in which he criticized a potential iran nuclear deal. but the reversal appears to have played well with his base. as early indications tuesday showed an uptick in israeli arab voter turnout, netanyahu warned his supporters that <u+201c>arab voters are coming out in droves to the polls,<u+201d> putting a right-wing government in danger if they didn<u+2019>t get out of their homes and vote. when exit polls came in tuesday night, it was clear that his tactics had paid off. all three israeli tv news channels showed him pulling even with the zionist camp led by mr. herzog and ms. livni, with each party getting 27 of the knesset<u+2019>s 120 seats and one poll putting likud at 28. but only wednesday morning was the full picture clear. with 99 percent of the votes counted, likud is projected to get 30 seats to the zionist camp<u+2019>s 24. its victory came at the expense of estranged netanyahu allies. mr. bennett, a rising star in the last elections, had to settle for eight seats; mr. lieberman was relegated to a record-low of six. mr. lapid of yesh atid, who as a rookie in 2013 captured 19 seats, also suffered and was downsized to 11. <u+201c>we had an atmosphere of a neck-and-neck race, and when you have such an atmosphere we know that <u+2026> first of all you increase the turnout,<u+201d> says abraham diskin, a political scientist and former statistician for the central elections committee. <u+201c>second, the two really leading parties are gaining power from the satellite parties, and that <u+2026> really happened here.<u+201d> the two ultra-orthodox parties, shas and united torah judaism, got seven and six, respectively, and could well become coalition partners for netanyahu. he is also courting mr. kahlon, whose kulanu party secured a solid 10 seats. the joint list, a bloc of arab parties, made history by becoming the third-largest bloc for the first time, with 14 seats, while the left-wing meretz party barely squeaked into the knesset with four. prof. avi degani, a pollster and president of the geocartography knowledge group, told reporters wednesday morning that the unexpected surge from likud was due in part to inaccurate polling that may have galvanized long-time likud supporters who were on the fence. <u+201c>people who supported likud got scared<u+2026>. they say, i leave my fear and my inability to decide and i<u+2019>m going to save the right and the likud.<u+201d> that certainly describes voters like ran ohayon, who was considering abandoning likud but changed his mind on the eve of elections. <u+201c>there<u+2019>s a serious threat,<u+201d> he said, sipping a foamy coffee outside a trendy tel aviv caf<u+00e9> on tuesday. <u+201c>we haven<u+2019>t been in this situation since the [1973 yom] kippur war.<u+201d> <u+201c>there<u+2019>s a lot of people thinking like me, and you will see that in the election,<u+201d> he said. and he was right.

netanyahu scores stunning victory <u+2013> but at what cost? (+video)

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israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu took his protest of the iran nuclear agreement to the u.s. airwaves on sunday. "this deal will both threaten us and threaten our neighbors," netanyahu said on cnn's state of the union. netanyahu, who also appeared on nbc's meet the press and abc's this week, said the proposal will leave iran's nuclear infrastructure in place. the israeli leader spoke days after the u.s., allies and iran reached the framework of an agreement in which the allies would reduce sanctions on iran if it gives up the means to make nuclear weapons. the parties will now try to work out the details of a final agreement, with a deadline of june 30. president obama and aides said diplomacy is the only alternative to military action against iran's nuclear program. in his weekend radio address, obama said the agreement would deny iran the plutonium and enriched uranium needed to build a nuclear weapon. "moreover," obama said, "international inspectors will have unprecedented access to iran's nuclear program because iran will face more inspections than any other country in the world, if iran cheats, the world will know it." in his television appearances, netanyahu said the united states and its allies should intensify economic sanctions on iran in order to force it to give up more of its nuclear program. he also questioned the effectiveness of inspections, saying iran has cheated in the past. "i'm not trying to kill any deal," netanyahu said on nbc. "i'm trying to kill a bad deal." netanyahu also said the framework will lift sanctions on iran too quickly, improving its economy. he told abc that iranian leaders will use the new money "to pump up their terror machine worldwide." iran, meanwhile, says its nuclear program is designed for peaceful energy purposes, not weapons. in his radio address, obama said he is looking forward to the debate with critics over iran. "as president and commander in chief, i firmly believe that the diplomatic option <u+2014> a comprehensive, long-term deal like this <u+2014> is by far the best option," obama said. "for the united states. for our allies. and for the world."

netanyahu blasts obama's iran nuclear deal

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washington (cnn) donald trump will become the 45th president of the united states, cnn projects, a historic victory for outsiders that represents a stunning repudiation of washington's political establishment. the billionaire real estate magnate and former reality star needed an almost perfect run through the swing states -- and he got it, winning ohio, north carolina and florida. the republican swept to victory over hillary clinton in the ultimate triumph for a campaign that repeatedly shattered the conventions of politics to pull off a remarkable upset. clinton conceded to trump in the early hours of wednesday morning. speaking at a victory party in new york, trump was gracious toward clinton and called for unity. "we owe (clinton) a very major debt of gratitude to her for her service to our country," trump said. "i say it is time for us to come together as one united people." he added: "i pledge to every citizen of our land that i will be president for all americans." trump won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for clinton, according to cnn projections. trump's supporters embraced his plainspoken style, assault on political correctness and vow to crush what he portrayed in the final days of his campaign as a corrupt, globalized elite -- epitomized by the clintons -- that he claimed conspired to keep hard-working americans down. his winning coalition of largely white, working-class voters suggests a populace desperate for change and disillusioned with an entire generation of political leaders and the economic and political system itself. now, trump faces the task of uniting a nation traumatized by the ugliest campaign in modern history and ripped apart by political divides exacerbated by his own explosive rhetoric -- often along the most tender national fault lines such as race and gender. trump is sure to follow his own playbook trump will be the first president to enter the white house with no political, diplomatic or military executive experience. his victory will send shockwaves around the world, given his sparse foreign policy knowledge, haziness over nuclear doctrine, vow to curtail muslim immigration and disdain for us alliances that have been the bedrock of the post-world war ii foreign policy. his promises to renegotiate or dump trade deals such as nafta and to brand china a currency manipulator risk triggering immediate economic shocks around the globe. trump, 70, will be the oldest president ever sworn in for a first term and will take the helm of a nation left deeply divided by his scorched-earth campaign. his victory was built on fierce anger at the washington establishment and political elites among his grass-roots voters, many of whom feel they are the victims of a globalized economy that has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs. his victory ends clinton's crusade to become the first woman to ever rise to the nation's highest office. it's a humiliating chapter in the long political career of clinton and her husband, former president bill clinton. trump's win also deals a painful rebuke to president barack obama, whom he pursued for years with his birtherism campaign built on the false premise that obama was born outside the united states. now trump will have the power to eviscerate obama's political legacy -- including the affordable care act, the latter's proudest domestic achievement. but there are deeper, more fundamental questions about trump's presidency that will be key to his capacity to unify a deeply divided country and appeal to americans who will feel outraged and disgusted by his victory. he's got the attention of the whole world trump's campaign was built on rage, falsehoods and singling out culprits for the ills of modern america, including undocumented migrants, foreign nations such as china and muslim immigrants. he mocked a disabled new york times reporter, vowed to use the power of the presidency to put clinton in jail and pledged to sue women who accused him of sexual assault. trump has promised to build a wall on the southern border and make mexico pay for it, and to deport undocumented migrants. he has vowed to reintroduce interrogation methods for terror suspects that are more extreme than waterboarding. so the demeanor that trump will adopt as president and the manner in which he will behave will be closely watched -- not just in the united states, but among nervous leaders abroad. one of the many uncertainties about trump's coming presidency is how his white house will interact with republicans in congress <u+2014> and whether he and gop leaders will heal their rift from the campaign. republicans repelled a democratic bid to recapture the senate, giving the gop control over capitol hill and the white house. that means it would fall to the gop either to rubber stamp policies likely to mark a break from conservative orthodoxy or to provide a check on the power of trump, who has shown every sign he will use executive power aggressively. house speaker paul ryan will face intense pressure from pro-trump members of his own coalition to cooperate with the new president. senate republicans, meanwhile, are likely to hold trump's feet to the fire to ensure he lives up to his promise to appoint justices who could ensure a generational conservative majority on the u.s. supreme court. clinton apparently failed to reassemble the diverse coalition that helped obama win the presidency in 2008 and 2012. the events of clinton's terrible final week on the campaign -- the revival of her email controversy by fbi chief james comey and a damaging drip, drip, drip of revelations by wikileaks which her campaign says was orchestrated by russian intelligence -- could have helped consign her to defeat. there also is the question of trump's temperament. clinton repeatedly warned that he was unfit to control the nuclear codes because he could be baited with a tweet. obama passionately denounced trump as intellectually and temperamentally unfit to succeed him in the oval office. but now, he will be forced to greet his successor on the morning of inauguration day in january, and look on while he is sworn in as the 45th president of the united states.

the ultimate triumph: president trump

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taking social security benefits early comes with a price, yet more than 4 in 10 americans who are 50 and over say they'll dip into the program before reaching full retirement age. an associated press-norc center for public affairs research poll found that 44 percent report social security will be their biggest source of income during their retirement years. full benefits begin at 65 or 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954. americans can begin collecting as early as age 62, but with benefits reduced by up to 30 percent, according to the social security administration. "one thing we know for certain is that claiming early can have long-term repercussions on your fiscal security as you age," said gary koenig, vice president of financial security at the aarp public policy institute. koenig said benefits increase significantly for those who wait, rising around 8 percent more for each additional year past age 66 and up to 70, when benefits max out. "so we encourage people to delay as long as possible," he said. but waiting is a luxury many americans don't have. ken chrzastek of chicago began drawing social security benefits at age 62 and pulled $50,000 out of an ira after losing a retail job two years ago. he has been unable to find even part-time work. "hiring a 62-year-old is a liability for a company," he said. the poll found that americans 50 and over have multiple sources of income for retirement but that social security is the most common by far. eighty-six percent say they have or will have social security income. more than half had a retirement account such as a 401(k), 403(b), or an ira. slightly less had other savings. about 43 percent had a traditional pension. the average age at which people expect to start or have started collecting social security benefits is 64. just 9 percent said they would wait until after they turned 70. while the retirement age has been rising in recent years, particularly for women, the average american still retires relatively early, at age 64 for men and age 62 for women, according to the center for retirement research at boston college. charles jeszeck, director of education, workforce and income security for the government accountability office, said there is no one right answer to when people should take social security, especially since increases in life expectancy are not spread out evenly between the rich and poor, or between ethnic groups. included in any discussion about social security are lingering questions about its solvency. the social security trust fund has been running a surplus every year since 1984. those surpluses are forecast to stop sometime around 2020, as more boomers start claiming benefits. the social security administration says interest income from the fund should be able to bridge this gap until 2034. at that point, without changes, payments could shrink but not disappear. gary burtless, a brookings institution economist, said that people taking benefits early <u+2014> or late <u+2014> should have no impact on the trust fund. "it costs the government roughly the same amount," he said. among the presidential candidates, both bernie sanders and hillary clinton have called for an expansion of social security. donald trump said during a debate in march, "it's my absolute intention to leave social security the way it is." many americans worry that they won't have enough to live on once they stop working, the poll said. among those with incomes under $50,000, 58 percent say they feel more anxious than secure about the amount of savings they have for retirement. people with higher incomes appear less anxious, but still 40 percent of those with incomes of $100,000 or more worry whether their savings will be sufficient. alison cowen, 57, said she doesn't see any path for her to retire_ever. "not unless a miracle happens," she laughed sarcastically. "i just don't have enough to live on for the rest of my life." the poll said a quarter of workers over 50 say they never plan to retire, a sentiment more common among lower-income workers. cowen, a saleswoman from albuquerque, new mexico, said she didn't save that much when she was younger, and a messy divorce 10 years ago meant she had to start over. "i've got $20,000 in the bank, but i would need to figure out a way increase that substantially before i could ever think of retiring," she said. the ap-norc center survey was conducted march 8-27 by norc at the university of chicago, with funding from the alfred p. sloan foundation. it involved online and telephone interviews with 1,075 people aged 50 and older nationwide, most of whom are members of norc's probability-based amerispeak panel. results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

many opt to take social security before full retirement age

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(cnn) the thing about women, donald j. trump once wrote, is that they "have one of the great acts of all time." "the smart ones act very feminine and needy, but inside they are real killers," he continued. "the person who came up with the expression 'the weaker sex' was either very na<u+00ef>ve or had to be kidding. i have seen women manipulate men with just a twitch of their eye -- or perhaps another body part." the provocative passage, along with several others, is contained in a chapter devoted to women in trump's 1997 book, "the art of the comeback." his words on women have newfound relevance in 2016 as trump's enigmatic relationship with the opposite sex is front and center in his campaign for president. the comments play on potential vulnerabilities for his likely general election opponent -- but they also highlight trump's own significant hurdles with female voters as he tries to win their votes in november. he went on to connect clinton with her husband's marital indiscretions. in a testy exchange, he told cuomo he raised the issue as retribution for clinton "playing the woman's card to the hilt" in the campaign. trump raised that notion last week during his victory speech in new york, suggesting her appeal to female voters, based solely on gender, was her only asset. "she's got nothing else going on," he said. the intense scrutiny of the campaign has also renewed interest in trump's crude banter about his sexual conquests and desires on howard stern's radio show. his controversial remarks then and during the 2016 campaign have taken a toll on his image among female voters. the women standing by him but for all the women who have voiced their collective disapproval in polling numbers, those closest to the billionaire businessman insist he's a model husband and father -- supportive, nurturing, and empowering. some women who have worked for trump offer a similar assessment: despite his controversial public comments, he is a giving and inspirational boss, they say, and treats female employees no differently than their male counterparts. still, it is difficult to paint a full portrait of trump's dealings with women, because many who have worked with him over the years have no interest in talking publicly about a candidate who has shown no hesitation in striking back at his critics. a number of trump's former female colleagues contacted by cnn did not return calls. some refused to talk on the record. one prominent former trump colleague hung up abruptly on a reporter, explaining that she had no interest in being hounded by the press. hence, the lingering question: what's the deal with donald trump and women? the perception that trump has a problem with females stems, in part, from high-profile clashes over the years in which he's called them names and ridiculed their appearance. trump has said he loves women, finds them beautiful, and is not a sexist. twice divorced by the time the book was published, trump's views on women were shaped by what he saw as the aggressive behavior of females around him. he wrote of a married socialite who propositioned him on a ballroom dance floor as her husband looked on and about a bride-to-be "jumping on top of me wanting to get screwed" in his limousine a week before she was due to be married. "the level of aggression was unbelievable," he wrote of the dance floor incident. "this is not infrequent, it happens all the time." "their sex drive makes us look like babies," he wrote of women at another point in the same book. living up to his mother trump opened the chapter on women by writing that part of "the problem" he has with them is "having to compare them to my incredible mother, mary trump." he recalled his mom as "smart as hell" and as "a really great homemaker and wife to my father." he came to see his mother's supporting role as a model not just for his own situation, but for any man who wants to succeed. "for a man to be successful he needs support at home, just like my father had from my mother, not someone who is always griping and bitching," he wrote. "when a man has to endure a woman who is not supportive and complains constantly about his not being home enough or not being attentive enough, he will not be very successful unless he is able to cut the cord." the passage did not explore the possibility of a woman as the family's primary wage-earner. trump wrote that his "big mistake" with his first wife, ivana, was "taking her out of the role of wife and allowing her to run one of my casinos in atlantic city, then the plaza hotel." she did an excellent job at both, he wrote, but once she took on those roles "work was all she wanted to talk about." "i will never again give a wife responsibility within my business," trump wrote. "ivana worked very hard, and i appreciate the effort, but i soon began to realize that i was married to a business person rather than a wife." on the campaign trail in 2016, trump has said his wife, melania, would make a great first lady. melania trump, a former model who has designed her own jewelry line for qvc, has emerged as an important advocate for her husband, driving the argument that he treats everyone equally. she has spoken about the importance of her career, but described herself in an interview with parenting magazine as a "full-time mom" to her son barron. "that is my first job." melania has tried to explain the paradox of trump and women by saying that when her husband is attacked, "he will attack back, no matter who you are." "he encourages everybody, if you're a man or a woman," she said during an april 12 trump family cnn town hall. his daughter ivanka, a successful businesswoman in her own right, said during the cnn town hall that he taught her that there "wasn't anything that i couldn't do if i set my mind to it." she also praised him for hiring "incredible female role models" in "the highest executive positions at the trump organization." but trump has repeatedly stumbled into controversy with his asides about women over the past year, and his approval numbers among women have spiraled downward. the republican party was already facing a deficit among women voters. in 2012, barack obama led mitt romney among female voters by about 11 points -- with a particularly steep deficit among single women. (romney beat obama by 7 points among married women, who have generally viewed the gop more favorably). in a march quinnipiac university poll, 60% of women said they would not vote for trump in a general election -- a reflection of his poor approval ratings among women in a wide variety of national polls. his campaign manager, corey lewandowski, predicted trump's image among women would improve as the campaign progressed. his aides have pointed out that he trounced his rivals among republican women in recent gop primaries, including pennsylvania, maryland and connecticut (though that is hardly a good measure of how he would fare in a general election). "donald trump's numbers are going to be strong with women because they want the same thing that everybody else wants," lewandowski said in a telephone interview. "they don't vote based on gender. they vote on competency -- and that competency includes making sure that the nation is secure, which donald trump has pledged he will do, making sure we don't have illegal immigrants pouring across the border, and making sure individuals have opportunities for jobs. "those are the things that cut across socio-economic status, they cut across gender, they cut across race." beyond focusing on those broad themes, however, trump has done little to try to shore up his weaknesses among women voters. his various stumbles haven't helped. he angered both abortion-rights supporters and opponents, for example, when he said during an msnbc town hall that women who have abortions should be punished if the procedure is outlawed<u+2014>and then quickly reversed himself. his personal critiques of women's looks on the campaign trail have been pointed. when an anti-trump super pac cut an ad that used a revealing photo of melania from her days as a super model, trump blamed cruz. "be careful, lyin' ted, or i will spill the beans on your wife," he tweeted. he offended some female voters when he re-tweeted an unflattering picture of heidi cruz, a goldman sachs executive, next to melania. "a picture is worth a thousand words," the caption said. angered by the tweets, cruz warned his then-adversary to "leave heidi the hell alone," and told reporters: "strong women scare donald." trump insisted the press stirred up the controversy. "the media is so after me on women," the real estate magnate tweeted on march 26. "wow, this is a tough business. nobody has more respect for women than donald trump." but female voters seem increasingly skeptical as trump prepares to take on hillary clinton, who is running to be the first female president. some women who have worked for trump say they find it difficult to reconcile some of his statements and written opinions with the way he treated them. jill cremer worked as a vice president overseeing real estate development at the trump organization for a decade beginning in 1998. she said it was a hard decision to leave, and she only learned after working elsewhere just how good she'd had it. "he was a fantastic employer," said cremer, still a real-estate executive in manhattan. "i don't have one bad thing to say about him." she said trump ran the office as a meritocracy and was refreshingly unconcerned about educational pedigrees. though she went to work for trump at the relatively young age of 30, she said he put her on projects that challenged her and forced her to grow. "he'd say, `i believe in you. i'm gonna give you this -- now go run with it," cremer recalled. "and i did it," she said. cremer said trump has made some cringe-worthy public comments involving women over the years, but she said he never talked that way to her or in her presence. "i don't know how to explain it," she said. "but, when you're on the inside, it's different." lili amini, who manages trump's golf club in palos verdes, offered a similar description of her billionaire boss. amini, who was identified by a trump campaign aide as a female employee who could talk about his management style, said she met trump in 2005 when she accompanied her father to work at the sprawling resort overlooking the pacific ocean. her parents owned a flower business and maintained the plants and flowers at the trump facility. she was 27 at the time and studying to be a buyer in the fashion world. she said trump walked up and asked her father: "who's this?" he introduced his daughter and the two struck up a conversation. by the end of it, amini recalled, trump told her: "i want you to work here." she said she didn't know anything about running a food and beverage operation at the time, and didn't even know what job she was being offered. but after discussing the offer with her parents she decided it was too good to pass up. she started out as the small events coordinator and, with trump's mentoring and support, has worked her way to general manager. she said trump would periodically show up at the resort and each time he did would encourage her to learn everything she could about some new aspect of the business. he was always encouraging, she said, and always professional. he taught her, she said, to never doubt herself. "he's been a great motivator," she said. "impossible is never a word that i use in my vocabulary." amini said trump never made her feel like she got the job because she was a woman or that she was being second-guessed based on her gender after she rose through the ranks. "it's just about the work," she said. "it's always about the work." trump received more mixed reviews from barbara res, who worked for trump from 1978 to 1996 and helped oversee the construction of trump tower on fifth avenue. res said she had good working relationship with trump and that it was an unusual move for him to hire her in 1978, because there were so few women working in the construction industry. but res, who wrote about her experiences in her book, all alone on the 68th floor: how one woman changed the face of construction, said trump became less approachable and accessible over time. in an essay for the new york daily news, res wrote that trump was "nasty to the people who work for him," that he could "be very abusive and curt" and had an "incredible temper ... he lashes out at everyone." "of all the people i know who worked for or with trump, including contractors, lawyers, architects, employees, only a very few actually like him," res wrote in the new york daily news. "some respect him, some don't. many hate his guts." but she said he had a good eye for talent, and had several strong women working for him in her heyday. he told her she was "a killer" and that wanting to be liked by her subordinates was a weakness. "later, he would hire and promote many people with questionable qualifications," res wrote in her new york daily news essay. "i could see, over time, his growing need to be coddled and agreed with," she wrote, adding that by the 1980s, he "had taken to decorating his office with beautiful women." "he changed," res said in a telephone interview. "i think it was fame and fortune, absolutely." in his book, trump wrote: "i don't know why, but i seem to bring out either the best or worst in women." he reiterated that "they're really a lot different than portrayed," and "far worse than men, far more aggressive." he praised their intelligence and said they should be saluted for their "tremendous power, which most men are afraid to admit they have."

trump's women problem

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mitt romney is moving quickly to reassemble his national political network, calling former aides, donors and other supporters over the weekend and on monday in a concerted push to signal his seriousness about possibly launching a 2016 presidential campaign. romney<u+2019>s message, as he told one senior republican, was that he <u+201c>almost certainly will<u+201d> make what would be his third bid for the white house. his aggressive outreach came as rep. paul ryan (r-wis.) <u+2014> romney<u+2019>s 2012 vice presidential running mate and the newly installed chairman of the house ways and means committee <u+2014> announced monday that he would not seek the presidency in 2016. romney<u+2019>s activity indicates that his declaration of interest friday to a group of 30 donors in new york was more than the release of a trial balloon. instead, it was the start of a deliberate effort by the 2012 nominee to carve out space for himself in an emerging 2016 field also likely to include former florida governor jeb bush, new jersey gov. chris christie and wisconsin gov. scott walker. romney has worked the phones over the past few days, calling an array of key allies to discuss his potential 2016 campaign. among them was ryan, whom romney phoned over the weekend to inform him personally of his plans to probably run. ryan was encouraging, people with knowledge of the calls said. other republicans with whom romney spoke recently include sens. kelly ayotte (n.h.) and rob portman (ohio), former minnesota governor tim pawlenty, hewlett-packard chief executive meg whitman, former massachusetts senator scott brown, former missouri senator jim talent and rep. jason chaffetz (utah). in the conversations, romney said he is intent on running to the right of bush, who also is working vigorously to court donors and other party establishment figures for a 2016 bid. romney has tried to assure conservatives that he shares their views on immigration and tax policy <u+2014> and that should he enter the race, he will not forsake party orthodoxy. on new year<u+2019>s eve, romney welcomed laura ingraham, the firebrand conservative and nationally syndicated talk-radio host, to his ski home in deer valley, utah. romney served a light lunch to ingraham and her family as they spent more than an hour discussing politics and policy, according to sources familiar with the meeting. <u+201c>he was relaxed, reflective and was interested in hearing my thoughts on the american working class,<u+201d> ingraham said in an e-mail monday. <u+201c>he was fully engaged and up to speed on everything happening on [the] domestic and international front. to me, it didn<u+2019>t seem like he was content to be just a passive player in american politics.<u+201d> romney<u+2019>s undertaking to re-engage and pursue anew the gop<u+2019>s leading financial and political players began friday, when he told a private gathering of donors, <u+201c>i want to be president.<u+201d> he also told them that his wife, ann, was <u+201c>very encouraging<u+201d> of another campaign. romney is considering attending this week<u+2019>s meeting of the republican national committee in san diego and is working on a new message about economic empowerment, advisers said. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s a lot more focused in these calls on developing a path to victory and talking through a message, rather than talking about money,<u+201d> said spencer zwick, romney<u+2019>s 2012 national finance chairman. <u+201c>mitt romney has proven that he can raise the money.<u+201d> this comes as bush <u+2014> another favorite of the republican elite <u+2014> is holding meetings with party leaders and financiers as he explores his campaign. bush and romney have overlapping political circles. many of romney<u+2019>s past supporters may feel torn <u+2014> not only between him and bush but also among christie, walker, sen. marco rubio (fla.) and other republicans who are weighing a run. some already have publicly aligned with bush and others. <u+201c>they<u+2019>re competing hard and it<u+2019>s going to get complicated for bush,<u+201d> said former senate majority leader trent lott (r-miss.). <u+201c>but romney still has to prove that he has the ability to reach out to ordinary, hardworking people and emote <u+2014> smiling with one eye and crying with the other.<u+201d> romney<u+2019>s outreach extends beyond his cheerleaders to onetime foes as well. he called newt gingrich, the former house speaker who relentlessly attacked romney on the stump and debate stage in 2012 during his presidential run. gingrich said he told romney, <u+201c>there are no front-runners<u+201d> in the 2016 race. <u+201c>we have runners, but no front-runners.<u+201d> romney is measuring how much of his 2012 operation would gear up behind him again. he is particularly intent on rebuilding his past political infrastructure in new hampshire, where he owns a vacation home in wolfeboro. the state, which holds the first presidential primary, ignited his 2012 campaign when he won it resoundingly in a crowded field. as of monday, romney had secured the backing of his top two new hampshire-based advisers, thomas d. rath and jim merrill. <u+201c>he called me right after the patriots beat the ravens, so we were both in good moods,<u+201d> merrill said. <u+201c>it was a good conversation. he was very clear that he is seriously considering a run. i<u+2019>ve been with mitt romney since march 2006, so if he decides to do it, i<u+2019>ll be there for him.<u+201d> rath, a former new hampshire state attorney general, concurred in a separate interview: <u+201c>i<u+2019>ve been with mitt romney for eight years. if he<u+2019>s in, i<u+2019>ll make the coffee or drive the car <u+2014> whatever he needs.<u+201d> romney also has called brown, who ran unsuccessfully for senate from new hampshire in 2014, as well as former governor john sununu, who was a surrogate for romney in 2012 but has close ties to the bush family after serving as chief of staff under then-president george h.w. bush. judd gregg, a former u.s. senator from new hampshire who backed romney in 2008 and 2012, said, <u+201c>he<u+2019>s reaching out to people. my sense is he feels strongly he has an opportunity to do what was incomplete last time. he figures there<u+2019>s a lot of buyer<u+2019>s remorse now and that his message is a good message and it<u+2019>ll resonate.<u+201d> romney is also paying attention to iowa, which holds the first-in-the-nation caucuses, calling his former iowa strategist, david kochel. romney, however, has not connected with iowa republican sens. charles e. grassley or joni ernst. <u+201c>i haven<u+2019>t talked to him in two years,<u+201d> grassley said monday. one romney adviser, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said, <u+201c>mitt<u+2019>s a very restless character. he is not the type to retire happily, to read books on the beach. .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. he believes he has something to offer the country and the only way he can do that is by running for president again.<u+201d> sen. john mccain (ariz.), the gop presidential nominee in 2008, was skeptical of a romney candidacy and endorsed the idea of a <u+201c>dark horse<u+201d> run by his longtime friend in the senate, lindsey o. graham (s.c.). eric fehrnstrom, a former romney spokesman, ticked through issues that he said were motivating romney to try again. <u+201c>at home our economy is still not as strong as it could be,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>long-term growth is in doubt. and around the world there<u+2019>s really deep concern that america<u+2019>s leadership has unraveled and hostile forces have filled that vacuum.<u+201d> romney<u+2019>s national finance network <u+2014> which raised roughly $1 billion on his behalf for the 2012 campaign <u+2014> came alive in the hours after he declared his interest in a 2016 bid. <u+201c>when the news broke friday, my phone started blowing up with texts, calls and e-mails from people that had donated to the campaign before and pledging their help,<u+201d> said travis hawkes, a republican donor in idaho who served on romney<u+2019>s national finance council. <u+201c>they say, <u+2018>let me know when you need my credit card number.<u+2019> my response to everyone has been, <u+2018>let<u+2019>s just slow down and see what happens.<u+2019><u+2009><u+201d> <u+201c>i don<u+2019>t know, man, it<u+2019>s a free country,<u+201d> mccain said of a possible romney campaign in 2016. <u+201c>i thought there was no education in the second kick of a mule. .<u+2009>.<u+2009>. i respect his judgment, he<u+2019>s a strong leader.<u+201d> dan balz, matea gold and paul kane contributed to this report.

romney moves to reassemble campaign team for <u+2018>almost certain<u+2019> 2016 bid

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the tentative deal reached this weekend between the presidential campaigns of hillary clinton and bernie sanders includes a debate thursday at the university of new hampshire in durham. msnbc announced sunday it will host the debate, scheduled for 9 p.m. eastern with chuck todd and rachel maddow moderating. new hampshire's first-in-the nation primary is feb. 9. clinton and sanders are in a tight race before monday's iowa caucuses, and clinton trails the vermont senator in new hampshire, raising the possibility that the democratic front-runner could lose the first two contests. former maryland gov. martin o'malley has trailed them by wide margins. the democratic national committee says it's reached an agreement in principal to have the party sanction and manage more debates during the primary schedule, including the new hampshire debate.

msnbc, dnc reach deal to host democratic debate in new hampshire

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with house republicans pushing for a government shutdown over planned parenthood, speaker john boehner's leadership is again under scrutiny <u+2013> and under fire. house speaker john boehner (r) of ohio holds a news conference following a house republican caucus meeting at the capitol in washington earlier this month. reuters/ house speaker john boehner likes to say he learned all the skills he needs for his current job during his childhood years in ohio <u+2013> mopping floors in his dad's bar and growing up with 11 brothers and sisters. in a two-bedroom house. with one bathroom. that<u+2019>s got to teach a person patience, and the republican speaker has an abundance of it. some say too much, especially when it comes to the latitude he gives his rebellious right-wing faction <u+2013> such as right now. with just 10 days before the federal government runs out of money, gop hardliners are threatening the second widespread government shutdown in two years, this time over federal funding for planned parenthood. they<u+2019>re also considering a rare maneuver to oust mr. boehner from the speaker<u+2019>s chair. it<u+2019>s not the first time they<u+2019>ve plotted to get rid of him. yet boehner <u+2013> <u+201c>the coolest cucumber i know,<u+201d> as one of his colleagues puts it <u+2013> has been calmly exploring the options as the gop leadership holds more than a half dozen <u+201c>listening<u+201d> sessions with members of the divided caucus. he still hasn<u+2019>t found a funding solution that will satisfy everyone. he might not be able to. but pushing and prodding in his own unperturbed way, he won't stop trying. <u+201c>what boehner does is, he<u+2019>s very patient. he lets things play out for a while. he doesn<u+2019>t get mad<u+2026>. sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn<u+2019>t,<u+201d> says john feehery, former spokesman for denny hastert, the longest serving republican speaker. it<u+2019>s the tactics <u+2013> not the ideology <u+2013> that separate the speaker from his right flank. in 2013, when tea partyers forced a 16-day partial government shutdown over obamacare, boehner was as opposed to the affordable care act as they were. but he repeatedly warned against a shutdown. failing to persuade, he eventually joined in, leading the way on several measures to delay or defund the president<u+2019>s signature domestic program. on day 16, after having exhausted all his options, he gave up the fight <u+2013> and received a standing ovation from his caucus, hardliners included, for his efforts. as he explained to the former late-night television host jay leno last year, <u+201c>you learn that a leader without followers is simply a man taking a walk.<u+201d> this time, boehner is again in lockstep with the right flank on the substance of the issue. videos showing officials of planned parenthood, a women<u+2019>s health provider, discussing the sale of aborted fetus parts for scientific research are <u+201c>gruesome,<u+201d> he has said, and the federal government should stop funding the group. yet neither he nor senate majority leader mitch mcconnell (r) of kentucky want to shut down the government over it. trying to defund planned parenthood with a democratic president in the white house is an <u+201c>exercise in futility,<u+201d> as senator mcconnell put it. at a closed-door gop caucus meeting last week, the house leadership shared internal polling that showed that two-thirds of respondents in 18 gop swing districts oppose shutting the government to try to stop funding planned parenthood, according to politico. in 2013, the gop<u+2019>s approval ratings plummeted in the wake of the shutdown. that doesn<u+2019>t mean much to rep. john fleming (r) of louisiana, who belongs to the house freedom caucus, a group of more than 40 hardliners formed this year to challenge the gop leadership. congressman fleming says he<u+2019>s one of 31 members who have pledged not to vote for legislation <u+2013> be it a short-term or long-term budget <u+2013> that funds planned parenthood. <u+201c>that<u+2019>s my conscience vote.<u+201d> and so the speaker has been patiently rolling out other options <u+2013> investigations of planned parenthood in the house, legislation to freeze funding for the organization, and an abortion-related bill. both bills passed the gop-controlled house on friday, but will be blocked by senate democrats. and that<u+2019>s where another leadership proposal comes in. in order to actually get a defunding bill to the president<u+2019>s desk, they<u+2019>ve proposed using a legislative process known as <u+201c>budget reconciliation<u+201d> that only needs a majority vote to pass. it would get to the president all right, but he would veto it. hardliners say they aren<u+2019>t interested in this <u+201c>show vote.<u+201d> instead they seem determined to press for the shutdown, and try to put the blame on the president. as the speaker cycles through his options and the calendar clicks closer to a shutdown, some of his allies are getting frustrated with the repeated clashes. there was another one earlier this year over immigration and funding for the department of homeland security. boehner supporter rep. devin nunes (r) of california calls the hardliners <u+201c>right-wing marxists<u+201d> who use extreme tactics to promote themselves <u+2013> and then offer no realistic, alternative plans. the speaker, he says with exasperation, <u+201c>let<u+2019>s these guys get away with everything.<u+201d> take the case of rep. mark meadows (r) of north carolina, who in july filed a rare motion to <u+201c>vacate the chair<u+201d> and call a new election for the speakership. such a move hasn<u+2019>t been tried in 105 years <u+2013> and it didn<u+2019>t succeed then. the speaker could have killed off the meadows resolution in the rules committee, which the speaker controls <u+2013> but he didn<u+2019>t. he could have brought it immediately to the floor for a vote he would have won, and stamped out the spark before it caught fire <u+2013> as some of his allies urged. he didn<u+2019>t. "he chose not to press his advantage and divide his caucus," said rep. tom cole (r) of oklahoma. in july, boehner called the meadows move <u+201c>no big deal,<u+201d> but right-wingers are talking about returning to it after the pope<u+2019>s visit this week. it is unlikely to succeed but nothing is certain. intraparty division is not new in congress, says former house historian ray smock. he recalls the civil rights era, when both parties had deeply divided caucuses. but this is different, he says, because of the uncompromising wing of boehner<u+2019>s party. <u+201c>i think boehner is seriously trying to run the house the way it<u+2019>s supposed to be run, but this has been a losing proposition for him since the advent of the tea party,<u+201d> says mr. smock. <u+201c>you<u+2019>ve got an awful lot of members in that caucus that don<u+2019>t really care that government functions well. they<u+2019>re elected as antigovernment people.<u+201d> which raises the question: what<u+2019>s the point of patience with recalcitrants? mr. feehery says the free rein boehner gave the tea partyers during the last shutdown could have been meant as a learning experience for them <u+2013> but it simply emboldened them. now it<u+2019>s time for the speaker to make an example of a few people <u+201c>and just kick them out of the conference.<u+201d> but then, feehery admits, right-wing media would have a field day with that, and so would the <u+201c>antiestablishment<u+201d> presidential candidates. and that<u+2019>s not the boehner way.<u+00a0><u+201c>members get not just second and third chances, they get repeated chances to operate as members of the team,<u+201d> says congressman cole, a boehner ally. one thing<u+2019>s certain: democrats will not agree to defund planned parenthood. boehner knows that. eventually, he<u+2019>ll have to work with democrats to pass a <u+201c>clean<u+201d> funding bill that leaves the women<u+2019>s health care provider alone. what happens between now and then, though, is anybody<u+2019>s guess.

understanding john boehner, reluctant ringleader of gop shutdown politics (+video)

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after he managed to win support from his warring caucus, the full house is expected to elect ryan as speaker on thursday. but he won't have much time to celebrate, because he will immediately confront a series of divisive issues that could undermine his hold on the speakership just as he reaches the pinnacle of his career. at the heart of the list: fiscal fights that have badly divided the gop since it took control of the house in the 2010 elections. congress must raise the national borrowing ceiling -- or risk the first-ever default on u.s. debt -- by november 3 and then pivot to a high-stakes debate over funding the government the following month. the outgoing speaker, john boehner of ohio, is trying to take the debt limit off the table for ryan, but he's running into familiar obstacles that could force the wisconsin republican to deal with the matter after he takes the top job. "if you think about what the debt is -- it's what happened in the past -- so i think that the speaker is trying to clean that up for before he leaves," republican rep. tom rooney of florida told reporters, but he admitted that might not be possible with time running out before boehner's last day at the end of this week. and ryan will soon command the lead house gop role in budget talks with the white house -- a discussion centered on raising domestic and defense spending by roughly $76 billion, and one bound to anger the same conservatives the likely new speaker wooed last week. president barack obama and democrats on the hill are insisting that any increase in national security spending be matched dollar for dollar with more money for domestic programs. but a deal with the white house could undermine the pledge ryan has privately been making: that he would restore "regular order" and let congressional committees drive policy -- not the speaker's office. rep. mark sanford, a south carolina republican and member of the conservative house freedom caucus, told cnn that if ryan agrees to get rid of budget caps it will be a "mixed bag" since it will please defense hawks but anger small-government conservatives. "i suspect it would stir up the rank and file. and when you get the rank and file at the grass-roots level, other folks get stirred up within the conference," sanford said. sources familiar with the leadership discussions with the white house say there remains a possibility of a deal to scrap the automatic cuts known as sequestration for one year, but the two sides still are not in agreement over how to pay for the spending increases. moreover, everything is on hold until house republicans try to raise the debt ceiling this week -- and there is no consensus within the ranks on how to proceed. senate republicans want to extend the debt ceiling until 2017 to take the issue off the table during an election year. house republicans were forced last week to pull back a proposal crafted by a group of conservatives, that conditioned any debt increase to more spending cuts and a regulatory freeze, because it didn't have enough support to pass. gop leaders are still trying to come up with a proposal that includes some type of reforms their members can point to in return for increasing the nation's borrowing authority. all but two house democrats signed a letter to boehner on friday demanding he move a "clean" extension of the debt limit -- one without conditions -- and warning that "failing to do so will plunge the nation into default for the first time in american history, risking economic catastrophe." but some house republicans say that a short-term increase should be pursued, potentially putting the issue in ryan's lap. rep. david brat, the virginia republican who unseated then-majority leader eric cantor last year, said ryan should pair a debt ceiling increase with dollar-for-dollar spending cuts -- an idea democrats strongly reject. "leadership promised the american people that," brat said. "we don't want to go back on that if we give our word." rooney said it's possible that leaders could be forced again to take up a clean debt limit to avoid a default. while he'll oppose that approach, and noted ryan voted against it last time, the florida republican said no one should blame ryan for the struggle to avoid an economic crisis. "if you really hold paul ryan responsible for a clean debt limit vote in his first day on the job, i think that's a little unfair to say that that's on him, especially since he's worked so hard at the issues which really do directly deal with the debt and trying to fix that problem," rooney said. yet if ryan or boehner try to jam a debt ceiling bill through, they can expect outrage from their right flank. "i can't vote for a bill dropped on my desk 24 hours before the vote," said rep. mick mulvaney, r-south carolina, a member of the house freedom caucus.

paul ryan will face 'monumental obstacles' as speaker

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should the u.s. continue to support israel?

7 times obama failed to support israel

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the move will help trump consolidate the republican party apparatus under his leadership now that he has become the party's presumptive presidential nominee. it marks an official departure from trump's claim that he's self-funding his campaign, and allows him to repay himself for the money he has already spent, if he chooses to do so. under the deal, the trump campaign and the rnc will establish two committees: trump victory and the trump make america great again committee. trump victory -- for which the maximum contribution is $449,400 -- will benefit 11 states whose republican parties are part of the agreement: arkansas, connecticut, louisiana, mississippi, new jersey, new york, south carolina, tennessee, virginia, west virginia and wyoming. notably absent from that list: swing states. the only big general election battleground included is virginia. the agreement doesn't cover states like ohio, florida and colorado, where the race could be won or lost. helping trump victory will be lew eisenberg, the rnc's finance chairman. he'll work with trump finance chairman steve mnuchin. "lew eisenberg is going to do an outstanding job leading this effort," rnc chairman reince priebus said in a statement announcing the deal. "lew has already helped the rnc raise a record $135 million in support this cycle, and i have every confidence his track record of success will continue in this new role." the trump make america great again committee is a joint fundraising committee between the rnc and trump's campaign. joint fundraising committees are a regular part of the presidential election process. democratic front-runner hillary clinton has announced similar groups with the democratic national committee. the biggest benefit of the joint committees is that they allow donors to write checks much larger than the $2,700 limit for individual candidates. the joint fundraising agreement's structure will allow trump to raise money not just for the general election, but for the primary -- taking advantage of a window to bring in extra money before he officially accepts the gop's nomination. that could potentially allow trump -- who regularly boasted that he was self-funding his campaign -- to reimburse himself for some of the millions of dollars he shelled out during his primary election fight. trump, however, said on wednesday that he has "absolutely no intention of paying myself back for the nearly $50 million dollars i have loaned to the campaign." it's not unusual to see states that aren't up for grabs in november included in joint agreements, because federal law limits the amount donors can give to $10,000 per state under such deals -- which means the more states that are included, the more money the candidate and the party can ask from each donor. candidates also tend to include state parties they have strong relationships with as another way to exert control over the money raised. for instance, mitt romney's joint fundraising agreement in 2012 funneled money to utah and massachusetts -- states where romney owned homes and had existing relationships. the $449,4000 limit includes a maximum limit of $2,700 for the trump campaign's general election fund, $33,400 for the rnc, $110,000 for the 11 state parties and hundreds of thousands of dollars for party's building, legal and convention funds. "we are pleased to have this partnership in place with the national party," trump said in a statement. "by working together with the rnc to raise support for republicans everywhere, we are going to defeat hillary clinton, keep republican majorities in congress and in the states, and make america great again."

trump, rnc announce joint fundraising deal

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washington - a state department official deliberately cut several minutes of videotape from a news briefing dealing with sensitive questions about u.s.-iranian nuclear negotiations before posting the footage to its website and youtube, the agency said wednesday. in the dec. 2, 2013, briefing, a reporter asked about the department's denial earlier that year of secret talks between washington and tehran. those discussions had been periodically occurring and eventually led to a breakthrough, seven-nation nuclear deal. is the state department lying about the iran nuclear deal? jerusalem bureau chief chris mitchell weighed in on facebook live. then-spokeswoman jen psaki responded at the briefing: "there are times where diplomacy needs privacy." but the exchange wasn't on video the department posted on its website and youtube, even if it remained in the official transcript and backup video for broadcasters. fox news discovered the discrepancy last month. on wednesday, the state department's current spokesman john kirby said someone had censored the video intentionally. he said he couldn't find out who was responsible, but described such action as unacceptable. "deliberately removing a portion of the video was not and is not in keeping with the state department's commitment to transparency and public accountability," he told reporters. kirby said he learned that on the same day of the 2013 briefing, a video editor received a call from a state department public affairs official who made "a specific request ... to excise that portion of the briefing." the video editor no longer remembers the name of the person who called, he said. as a result, "we do not know who made the request to edit the video or why it was made," he told reporters. while the state department previously suggested a "glitch" occurred, the sensitivity of the removed portion raised questions. the reporter, fox news' james rosen, started his inquiry by referencing an earlier feb. 6, 2013, briefing in which state department spokeswoman victoria nuland said no intermittent conversations were occurring between obama administration and iranian officials in one-to-one format, outside of larger multilateral gatherings. eight months later, those gatherings had become public after reporting by the associated press and other media. and rosen asked psaki if her predecessor was speaking truthfully. upon learning of the video's editing, kirby said he ordered the original video restored on all platforms and asked the state department's legal adviser to examine the matter. he said no further investigation will be made, primarily because no rules were in place against such actions. kirby said he has ordered new rules created to prevent a recurrence. copyright 2016 the associated press. all rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

state dept. admits official censored sensitive iran nuclear deal video

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