January 4 and 5, 2017


News and Views


“KENDZIOR SAID THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HE HEAVILY CRITICIZES DOESN'T NECESSARILY WORK FOR HIM, AND ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS ISN'T HIS PERSONAL ATTORNEY. "TRUMP DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE DOJ AND THESE FEDERAL BUREAUS ARE THERE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC," SHE SAID.”

I REALLY DON’T THINK TRUMP’S OVERREACH IS DUE TO A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, BUT TO A DESIRE TO TAKE AS MUCH RAW POWER AS HE POSSIBLY CAN, AS QUICKLY AND WITHOUT BLOWBACK AS HE POSSIBLY CAN. SEVERAL TIMES IF HE WAS FIRMLY OPPOSED HE HAS JUST BACKED OUT OF IT. THE MOST RECENT IS THIS VOTER FRAUD BOARD, WHICH WAS TRYING TO FORCE STATES TO GIVE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DETAILED AND INTENSELY PERSONAL INFORMATION ON ALL OF THE VOTERS. THAT TIME, SOME 15 OR MORE STATES JUST REFUSED TO COMPLY. I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE WILL WIN THIS WAR, BECAUSE THEY AREN’T TIMIDLY AND STUPIDLY DOING WHAT HE SAYS. I HAVE HOPE, AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS FOR THE SHEER EXCITEMENT VALUE OF THIS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/political-panel-left-right-center-russia-investigation-mueller/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS January 3, 2018, 7:40 PM
From left, right and center: Political panel on Robert Mueller's investigation

VIDEO – RED/BLUE WITH SARAH KENDZIOR, STEWART BAKER LAWFARE, NED RYUN

Pundits of various political stripes who appeared on CBSN's "Red and Blue" may not disagree on everything when it comes to Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian election meddling and any ties to Trump associates. But they do agree on one thing -- firing Mueller would be a huge political miscalculation.

CBSN on Wednesday spoke with Stewart Baker, contributor for Lawfare and partner at the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP; Ned Ryan, founder and CEO of the conservative American Majority; and Sarah Kendzior, author of "The View From Flyover Country."

"I think it would be an absolutely terrible idea politically," Ryan said of the idea of firing Mueller, even though he believes the president probably has the authority to do so.

"I think he would give total life to this whole investigation yet again -- I think he would put fuel on the fire of obstruction of justice," Ryan added.

The president "probably has the legal authority to fire Mueller," but it would be ill-advised, Baker said.

Kendzior said the president doesn't understand that the Justice Department he heavily criticizes doesn't necessarily work for him, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions isn't his personal attorney.

"Trump does not understand that the DOJ and these federal bureaus are there to serve the public," she said.

The panel comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed Wednesday by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort -- who is under indictment for money laundering and conspiracy charges as a result of the investigation and ensuing grand jury -- claiming the scope of Mueller's investigation is illegitimate.

Kendzior said, from what she has gathered, the lawsuit against Mueller and the DOJ was "predictable." But she also said "more" charges may be expected against Manafort.

Ryan distanced Manafort from the Trump investigation, saying Manafort "was a bit of a sleazy guy" who was trying to evade taxes and demonstrated "questionable" behavior.

"I would just argue a lot of this had to do with behavior before the election," Ryan said.

Baker pointed out that the lawsuit doesn't have anything to do with Manafort's innocence -- Manafort simply is arguing that someone without the proper authority is prosecuting the case. Still, winning that lawsuit will be an "uphill" battle for Manafort, Baker said.

The full panel will air on CBSN's "Red and Blue" at 9 p.m.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



AS INFANTILE AS THIS KIND OF THING LOOKS TO ME, IT IS A FAVORITE WAY OF THREATENING AN ENEMY/RIVAL WITHOUT BLOODSHED, AND GIVEN HUMAN NATURE, IT MAKES SOME SENSE. PUTIN IS A PRIME EXAMPLE WHO LIKES TO PLAY THAT, TOO. WHEN OBAMA TOOK HIS USA PROPERTIES AWAY AS A PUNISHMENT FOR THIS RUSSIA/TRUMP CAPER, HE WAS PO'D, BUT NOT READY TO GO TO WAR.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-south-korea-agree-to-pause-military-drills-during-winter-olympics/
CBS NEWS January 4, 2018, 1:58 PM
U.S., South Korea agree to pause military drills during Winter Olympics

President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have agreed to halt their countries' joint military exercises set to take place during the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, with both calling for a "safe and successful" 2018 Olympic Games.

A National Security Council official confirmed to CBS News that the agreement took place during a call between the two leaders Thursday morning. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Moon said that it "would greatly help ensure the success of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games if you could express an intention to delay joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises during the Olympics in case the North does not make any more provocations."

According to a White House readout of the call, Mr. Trump agreed with Moon to "de-conflict the Olympics and our military exercises so that United States and Republic of Korea forces can focus on ensuring the security of the Games."

The readout notes that the president also informed Moon that the U.S. will be sending a "high-level delgation" to the Winter Games.

South Korean and U.S. forces have regularly conducted joint drills, which North Korea refers to as invasion rehearsals as the regime has ramped up its threats of nuclear provocation.

The agreement comes after a New Years speech delivered by Kim in which he signaled being open to potential talks with the South as well as possibly sending a delegation to the Olympic Games.

Mr. Trump seemingly took credit the such diplomatic progress in a tweet on Thursday.

"Does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn't firm, strong and willing to commit our total 'might' against the North," he tweeted.

South Korea has welcomed Kim's proposal. Moon's unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, proposed in a nationally televised news conference that the two Koreas meet Jan. 9 at the shared border village of Panmunjom to discuss Olympic cooperation and how to improve overall ties.

The White House readout added that the two leaders "agreed to continue the campaign of maximum pressure against North Korea and to not repeat mistakes of the past."

CBS News' Jacqueline Alemany, Margaret Brennan and Emily Tillett contributed to this report.


© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


THE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY DIMINISHING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY VOTER ROLLS FOR AGES, AND THIS BY TRUMP IS JUST THE SAME GOAL APPROACHED BY A DIFFERENT METHOD. WE NEED A FEDERAL LAW GOVERNING ALL BASIC HUMAN/CITIZEN RIGHTS, SUCH AS THE RIGHT TO VOTE. THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING OF THIS IMPORTANCE THAT IS LEFT UP TO THE STATES UNDER “STATES’ RIGHTS.” MOST OF THE DIRTY SKULLDUGGERY HAS BEEN UNDER THE STATE LAW.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/fact-check-trump-accuses-states-covering-voter-fraud-n834646
POLITICS JAN 4 2018, 4:46 PM ET
Fact check: Trump accuses states of covering up voter fraud
by JANE C. TIMM

Hours after abruptly shutting down his controversial election integrity commission, President Donald Trump accused states of covering for illegal voters and again alleged without evidence that widespread voter fraud exists.

“Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.,” the president tweeted early Thursday morning.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.

6:02 AM - Jan 4, 2018
20,046 20,046 Replies 22,600 22,600 Retweets 80,168 80,168 likes
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But there is no evidence for any Trump's latest claims.

There is still no corroboration of large-scale voter fraud, nor proof that millions of illegal voters cast ballots in the 2016 election as Trump has previously claimed. (Trump lost the popular vote by 2.8 million votes.)

Fraud occurs only in rare, isolated instances, according to experts. Justin Levitt, a former Justice Department official who is now a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, reviewed one billion votes. He found just 31 credible cases of voter fraud.

Many states protested the commission's data request because it included sensitive identifying information, like Social Security numbers, and cited state privacy laws that barred them from complying. There's no evidence that states were trying to hide illegal voters, as Trump claimed in his tweet.

They weren’t all blue states, either: Nearly half those that fully refused to comply voted for Trump in the last presidential election. Consider the response from one deep-red state: In Mississippi, the secretary of state, Delbert Hosemann, a Republican, told the commission to “go jump in the Gulf of Mexico.”

By the time litigation halted data requests, 23 states had refused to comply with the panel's request, according to a Reuters roundup of state reactions. Trump won 10 of those states in 2016: Arizona, Kentucky, South Dakota, Wyoming, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Carolina, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi.

In a second tweet Thursday, Trump pushed for voter ID requirements.

“As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!” Trump said.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!

6:11 AM - Jan 4, 2018
17,976 17,976 Replies 28,693 28,693 Retweets 108,861 108,861 likes
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But the issue is more complicated that Trump's tweet suggests. Voting rights advocates argue that the use of photo ID elsewhere in society is beside the point — and that the strict voter ID laws most often championed in conservative-led states lead to disenfranchisement. Notably, lower-income Americans, the elderly and minorities are less likely to have photo ID.

“Voting is a fundamental right, and extreme photo ID requirements do not make our elections more secure. They just put barriers in front of the ballot box for eligible Americans,” said Myrna Pérez, an elections and voting rights expert at the Brennan Center for Justice. “These very strict photo ID laws only combat one specific kind of voter fraud that is vanishingly rare.”

When Missouri’s secretary of state, Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, championed a voter ID law last summer, he held up a 2010 incident of fraud that had potentially swung an incredibly close election. But he failed to mention that the new law he was championing wouldn't have stopped it.

FIRST PUBLISHED JAN 4 2018, 1:47 PM ET


WHEN TOO MANY REPUBLICANS GET INTO POSITIONS OF POWER, THESE THINGS HAPPEN. THE DEMOCRATS HAVE SEX SCANDALS, BUT THE REPUBLICANS PULL EVERY DIRTY TRICK THEY CAN THINK OF – AND I’M SURE THAT THINKING UP NEW ONES ALL THE TIME IS THE JOB OF SOME OF THOSE REPUBLICAN “THINK TANKS.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/states-are-purging-people-from-voter-rolls-for-not-voting-the-supreme-court-should-stop-it/2018/01/04/b5f13458-effc-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html
Opinions
The Supreme Court has a chance to redeem itself on voting rights
BY KAREN HOBERT FLYNN
JANUARY 4, 2018

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted. (John Minchillo/AP)
Karen Hobert Flynn is president of Common Cause.

Nearly 63 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in 2016, and nearly 66 million cast ballots for Hillary Clinton. But the votes for Trump and Clinton fell well short of the number cast for no one at all; more than 95 million eligible Americans just didn’t vote.

Some of those nonvoters probably just didn’t like Trump or Clinton or any of their minor-party challengers. Some were ill or disabled or out of the country or couldn’t get away from work to vote. Some had no way to get to the registrar’s office before the registration deadline or to the polls on Election Day. And, sad to say, some didn’t vote because they’ve given up on politics and government.

Whatever their reasons, the nonvoters had the same right to vote — guaranteed by our Constitution — as the people who voted. But because they didn’t vote, millions of Americans now face the loss of that right at the hands of state officials who ought to be protecting it.

This is wrong, and the Supreme Court now has a chance to stop it. Next week, the court will hear a case giving the justices a chance to decide whether states can purge people from the voter rolls for not voting. Since 2011, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has wiped about 2 million Ohioans off the books; he wants the high court’s blessing to purge even more.

Husted is among officials in more than a dozen states who — in the name of ballot security — have used purges, limits on early voting and voter registration, and other tactics to stop millions of qualified Americans from casting ballots.

None of those steps have made our elections more secure. Voter purges didn’t protect Ohio’s election systems last year when Russian hackers tried — with some success — to penetrate them. Purges don’t help states buy modern, secure voting equipment, nor did they help implement auditing procedures that make sure votes are tallied accurately.

Instead, Ohio’s electoral system under Husted’s leadership assumes that any voter who fails to vote for two years “may have moved” and mails a “confirmation notice” to his or her registered address. The notice is the state’s only attempt to contact nonvoters; those who do not respond and fail to vote in the next four years are purged from the rolls.

A lower court has halted Husted’s purges, but if he wins at the Supreme Court, they will resume and election administrators in other states will have license to follow Husted’s example. At least one, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, already is running purges on the Ohio model; an appeals court is considering a challenge to the Georgia purges brought by Common Cause and the Georgia NAACP.

Husted argues that Ohio’s purges are part of his responsibility to maintain accurate voter lists. But the National Voter Registration Act, signed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton with bipartisan support, specifically bars states from purging voters for not voting.

Everyone agrees that having accurate voter records is important, but purge policies such as those used in Ohio deprive legally qualified voters of a fundamental right. Consider the case of Larry Harmon, who lives near Akron, Ohio, and a plaintiff in the case before the Supreme Court. After voting in the 2008 presidential race, Harmon missed several elections. When he went to his polling place in 2015 to vote on a ballot initiative, he learned he’d been removed from the rolls.

“You know, I pay my taxes every year, and I pay my property taxes, and I register my car. So the state had to know I’m still a voter,” Harmon told PBS’s “NewsHour” a few months later. He added: “I’m a veteran, my father’s a veteran, my grandfather’s a veteran. Now they aren’t giving me my right to vote, the most fundamental right I have? I just can’t believe it.”

Harmon’s case ought to be unbelievable. Several federal voting laws were enacted to ensure that every qualified citizen can cast a ballot. But thanks to misguided decisions by the Supreme Court, most notably on the Voting Rights Act, and partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill, the laws have lost some of their bite. Meanwhile, partisans have been emboldened to manipulate voting laws to swing elections in their favor.

The Supreme Court has a chance to change its course. The justices must decide whether our democracy belongs to every citizen or if those entrusted with maintaining the levers of power can control who gets to pull them.



"THE INVESTIGATION WILL CONCLUDE WHEN THE COMMITTEE HAS REACHED A CONCLUSION." THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN BY KELLYANN CONWAY OR MAYBE YOGI BERRA, DON’T YOU THINK?

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-republicans-defend-their-handling-russia-probe-n834791
POLITICS JAN 4 2018, 5:18 PM ET
House Republicans defend their handling of Russia probe
by MIKE MEMOLI

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are stepping up their defense of the rigor of their probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, detailing for the first time the full extent of the Intelligence Committee's year-long inquiry, while Democrats warn the committee's work may be coming to a premature end.

Republican officials with knowledge of the investigation tell NBC News that as of late December the committee's Russia Investigative Task Force had completed 67 transcribed witness interviews, for a total of 164 hours of testimony, while reviewing nearly 300,000 documents.

According to the officials, the committee spent 1,200 hours reviewing 2,000 classified source documents that helped shape the intelligence community's January 2017 assessment that Russia aided Donald Trump's candidacy in an escalation of long-running efforts to undermine the U.S.-led democratic order.

Image: Devin Nunes, Peter King, Ron DeSantis
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., center, stands with Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., left, and Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., on Oct. 24. Susan Walsh / AP file

Ten investigators and researchers from the committee's GOP staff participated in a process that included visits to seven other countries to question foreign intelligence services, said the officials. The committee itself has held 11 open and closed hearings on the issue, compiling 5,251 pages of testimony for review.

Committee Democrats, however, take issue with some of the GOP data. They say the majority party's tally of witness interviews doesn't match their own, and suspect the Republicans may have double-counted some public testimony or conducted interviews without Democratic participation.

They also say the volume of material the committee has collected cannot be equated with the quality of its work, and that committee Republicans remain unwilling to follow certain investigatory leads or call other key witnesses.

"No amount of documents produced can obscure the fact that if they persist in refusing to take these investigative steps, they're not very serious about getting to the truth," Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, said in an interview.

Image: Adam Schiff
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, speaks to the media after Donald Trump Jr., was interviewed behind closed doors on Capitol Hill on Dec. 6. Carolyn Kaster / AP file

But Republicans say that the figures demonstrate how the committee is following through on its commitment to fully investigate Russian interference.

"For nearly a year, the House review has been following the facts, and it continues to do so," said AshLee Strong, a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc. "The investigation will conclude when the Committee has reached a conclusion."

The Senate Intelligence Committee is conducting a parallel investigation, with the key difference that up to this point the committee's professional staff, not the committee members themselves, have presided over most interviews.

The chairman of the Senate panel, Republican Richard Burr of North Carolina, said in October that at that point Senate staff had conducted 100 interviews over 250 hours, reviewing almost 100,000 pages of documents including emails, campaign documents and technical cyber analysis products. Another 25 interviews had been scheduled at that time.

Democrats have increasingly made public their concerns that Republicans are short-circuiting the House probe, from refusing to press witnesses to ask key questions, declining to bring in relevant witnesses, and more recently to scheduling multiple key interviews in the same week, or even day. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently urged Ryan not to "cut short valid investigatory threads."

More concerning, said Schiff, is the pressure that House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has put on the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, which Democrats see as part of an effort to undermine the probe led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller.

GOP remains split on how to handle Mueller Play Facebook Twitter Embed
GOP remains split on how to handle Mueller 7:45

"The reality is that the majority is far more interested in trying to discredit the FBI and the Department of Justice than they are in looking in to [sic] what Russians did in our elections, and the connections" with Trump campaign officials, he said.

But Republicans say it is Democrats doing the "endless political posturing," and said the House Intelligence Committee has an obligation to issue findings on how Russia sought to interfere in elections as soon as possible to prevent it from happening again.

"They would like to see this investigation go on forever. Whether it concludes next month, next year, or in three years, they'll say it's too soon," Strong said.

The House returns to Washington next week, and Republicans have said they expect to conduct additional witness interviews this month. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and Steven Bannon have been invited to testify, though one senior committee source said Bannon at least had not yet agreed to appear.

Schiff said Democrats have been so frustrated in their attempts to convince Republicans to call key witnesses to appear that they may soon make those specific requests public, "so that the public can see in very graphic terms what the majority has deemed unworthy of investigation."

"I hope that step won't be necessary," he added.

MIKE MEMOLI


AN ANTIBULLYING APP – GREAT IDEA. 100,000 OTHER PEOPLE THOUGHT SO TOO! I SUSPECT SHE MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE HER FIRST MILLION ON THIS. FOR MORE STORIES AS UPLIFTING AS THIS ONE, GO TO CBS “A MORE PERFECT UNION” ON THE NET.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-more-perfect-union-sit-with-us-app-unites-students-fights-bullying/
CBS NEWS January 4, 2018, 8:48 AM
High schooler's "Sit With Us" app tackles lunchtime bullying

Our series "A More Perfect Union" aims to show that what unites us as Americans is far greater than what divides us. In this installment we introduce you to a young woman taking on bullying – one cafeteria at a time.

Lunchtime bullying is a common Hollywood plot line. But it's also a painful reality in school cafeterias throughout the nation, reports CBS News' Jamie Yuccas.

"I was ostracized by everyone. I ate lunch alone every day. I was pushed into lockers. I was sent threatening emails," said high school senior Natalie Hampton of California. "I was physically attacked three times in two weeks and I came home sobbing with bleeding red scratch marks."

She eventually switched schools, but the memories of those years of torment stuck with her.

"So many people walked back and forth in front of my table and all I wanted to hear was 'hey are you OK? Come sit with us,'" Natalie said.

ctm-010418-mpubullying.jpg
Natalie Hampton CBS NEWS

Those four words, "come sit with us," sparked an idea and eventually an app.

"If you go to the search tab, it gives you a whole list of the lunches that you can join in your school without any fear of rejection," Natalie said.

She created the "Sit With Us" app -- free to download, private to use. It connects kids in need of company with welcoming students.

The app now has over 100,000 users in eight different countries, giving Natalie a megaphone for her message.

She's become an outspoken leader of the anti-bullying movement. She speaks at conferences and even gave a TED Talk.

The app, and its message to be inclusive, is inspiring other students like eighth grader Lola Clark. She created a "Sit With Us" club at her school since they don't allow cellphones.

ctm-010418-sitwithus.jpg
"Sit With Us" app CBS NEWS

"Because they don't have a place to sit at lunch, a lot of 'em. And they know here they can be accepted, not judged. And they can have a really good time," Lola said of why she thinks people are joining the club.

"I was never, like, exactly the same as everyone else," said Colwyn Brainard, one of the club's members.

"But Sit With Us, there's people who sort of you can connect with if you're a little different. And you can feel like you're a part of something," Colwyn said.

"Do you feel different in school?" Yuccas asked.

"I don't feel, like, different in a bad way. I feel different in a good way," Colwyn said.

For Natalie Hampton, the success of "Sit With Us" has given her a new purpose of uniting fellow students, one lunch period at a time.

"Using my story to help others has given me strength and confidence that I never knew that I had," she said.

Other stories from "A More Perfect Union":
How a blind runner regained his footing with a special guide dog
Chris Long on his "responsibility" to give back, and why he's donating an entire season's pay
College student living in retirement community helps bridge generational gap
Teamwork transcends the field for "America's deaf team"
Autoworkers combine skills to build fellow employee a new limb
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



FASCINATING AS THIS WOLFF BOOK MAY BE, SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT IT PROBABLY ISN’T “THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.” HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE EXAMINED FOR GOLD NUGGETS OF INFORMATION. I’M NOT GOING TO PAY MONEY FOR IT, BUT I PROBABLY WILL GET ON A WAITING LIST FOR IT AT MY GOOD OLD TRUSTY NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. I THINK I REMEMBER READING THAT THE FIRST PUBLIC LIBRARY WAS STARTED BY BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. HE IS MY FAVORITE OF THE COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY WAR HEROES. I READ HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN HIGH SCHOOL OR EARLY COLLEGE AND IT WAS FASCINATING, AND TOLD IN A CHARMING AND HONEST WAY.

THIS INFORMATION IS THREE PAGES LONG, SO GO TO THE WEBSITE AND READ IT. IT IS ABOUT FRANKLIN AND OTHERS. HTTPS://DP.LA/EXHIBITIONS/EXHIBITS/SHOW/HISTORY-US-PUBLIC-LIBRARIES/BEGINNINGS/FIRST-PUBLIC-LIBRARIES. A HISTORY OF US PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/these-claims-in-michael-wolffs-explosive-new-trump-book-are-being-challenged/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS January 4, 2018, 1:41 PM
These claims in Michael Wolff's explosive new Trump book are being challenged

Excerpts of Michael Wolff's forthcoming book "Fire and Fury: Inside Trump's White House" that portray a decidedly unflattering view of President Trump and much of his White House have roiled Washington, D.C., in the first week of 2018.

But even before the book's official release on Jan. 9, some are calling into question the authenticity of assertions in some of those excerpts.

Wolff, known for his fiery accusations about subjects in publications like Vanity Fair and New York magazine, wrote in a description of the book published in New York magazine Wednesday that he had interviewed more than 200 people for the book, and was given extensive access for months. According to a report in Thursday morning, Wolff recorded dozens of hours of those conversations. Those recordings may back up much of what Wolff has written.

Still, some of the excerpts published in advance are under scrutiny.

After Donald Trump won the presidency, for instance, Wolff describes an exchange in which Mr. Trump appears to not know who former Speaker of the House John Boehner is.

Roger Ailes, the former Fox News chief who has since died, reportedly suggested to Mr. Trump that he select Boehner as his chief of staff.

"Who's that?" the president-elect asked the day after the election, according to Wolff.

But some pointed out that Mr. Trump played golf with Boehner at his New Jersey course in 2013, and referenced him on Twitter long before the 2016 election in tweets such as this one:

Congratulations to @SpeakerBoehner on standing strong and tying government shutdown to defunding ObamaCare.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2013
Others suggested Mr. Trump could have been mocking Boehner in some fashion, not questioning his identity.

Another excerpt of Wolff's book claims Fox News personality Sean Hannity expressed his willingness to let the president review questions in advance before interviewing him at an Air National Guard base in Pennsylvania last October, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Hannity, through a spokesperson, flat-out denied that he ever provided any questions in advance.

Wolff also says in the book, according to the Guardian, that one of Mr. Trump's outside advisers and a close friend, billionaire Thomas Barrack Jr., said of the president, "He's not only crazy, he's stupid."

However, Barrack denied ever having made the comment. "The quote attributed to me by Michael Wolff is completely and utterly false," Barrack said in a statement to CBS News. "I have never been interviewed by Michael Wolff, nor did I give him any quotes, nor did he attempt to verify this totally false comment with me. It is clear to anyone who knows me those are not my words, and they are wholly inconsistent with how I talk and feel about the President who is my longtime friend and for whom I have inordinate respect."

The British publication the Independent claimed Wolff's book says former British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner during the campaign that British spies could have the campaign under surveillance. Blair has since denied the report, calling it a "complete fabrication" through his spokesperson.

An excerpt published in the New Yorker also describes Mr. Trump as dismayed on Election Night by his unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton. Anthony Scaramucci, who was communications director for less than two weeks, disagreed with that claim and the claim that Mr. Trump didn't know who Boehner was, although Scaramucci was not reported to be present when those events transpired.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed much of Wolff's book on Wednesday, saying "95 percent" of the interviews were granted by former chief strategist Steve Bannon, whom Mr. Trump disavowed publicly on Wednesday.

"Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind," the president said in a strongly worded statement.

Wolff's book hit the #1 bestseller spot on Amazon earlier this week, days before its official release.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


IT’S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO REACH A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FAME ARE NO LONGER IN AS PROTECTED A STATUS ON ISSUES OF DEFAMATION AS AN ORDINARY CITIZEN IS. I DON’T KNOW IF THAT IS FAIR OR NOT, BUT IT IS THE CURRENT LAW. PEOPLE LIKE DONALD TRUMP, CERTAIN HOLLYWOOD PERSONALITIES, ETC. WANT PUBLICITY, AS IN THE OLD SAYING “THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS BAD PUBLICITY.” IF PHOTOGRAPHERS DON’T FOLLOW THEM DOWN THE STREET THEY FEEL SLIGHTED, IN SOME CASES AT LEAST, AND I DO THINK TRUMP DOES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO BE NOTICED. THAT’S WHY HE WANTS TO TWEET ALL THE TIME.

ON THE LAW OF DEFAMATION, SEE: HTTPS://WWW.NOLO.COM/LEGAL-ENCYCLOPEDIA/DEFAMATION-LAW-MADE-SIMPLE-29718.HTML

http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news
Trump probably can't gag Bannon and "Fire and Fury" author, say legal experts
Thursday, January 4, 2018 at 8:01PM
by Louis Milman PermalinkPermalink

Photograph – Donald Trump ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- Just hours after excerpts from author Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House were published by various news outlets on Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s lawyer Charles Harder sent cease and desist letters to Wolff, Wolff’s publisher and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon threatening legal action over alleged falsehoods.

Despite the Trump camp’s blustery warnings, legal experts told ABC News that the president probably cannot gag Wolff or Bannon, both of whom are most likely protected by the First Amendment’s freedom of speech.

Harder’s letter alleged that Bannon has violated an employment contract he signed with the Trump campaign that included broad non-disclosure and non-disparagement provisions. Specifically, Bannon allegedly agreed not to disclose any “confidential information” about Trump and not to “demean or disparage publicly” Trump, the Trump campaign, the Trump Organization or any Trump family member for all time.

However, these contract provisions, according to experts, are likely unenforceable.

“I think it’s highly unlikely that any president has ever sought or obtained such an agreement. Certainly, there have been no written reports of such agreements,” said First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, who works for the law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.

“I believe such a provision would be held contrary to public policy as set forth in the First Amendment and thus unenforceable by any public official. It would bar any serious memoirs by former officials and, perhaps worse yet, any criticism of public officials by the people in the best position to pass judgment on their behavior,” Abrams added.

While individuals and companies in the private sector “can use broad nondisclosure agreements with non-disparagement clauses, the government cannot impose these same restrictions on current or former government employees,” explained Kathleen Clark, a professor at the Washington University School of Law. That’s because the First Amendment specifically restricts the government from limiting speech, she said.

Clark said that as a government employee you can still be barred from disclosing certain information protected by statutes, regulations or executive orders -- like, for example, national security secrets or personal information submitted to the government -- but there must be a policy justification.

“Preventing criticism is certainly not one of these justifications,” said Clark, who called these contract terms as laid out in Harder's letter “beyond inappropriate.”

Without an enforceable contract, according to legal experts, Trump could still pursue defamation lawsuits against Bannon and Wolff. But Trump would then have to prove that these men made false statements of facts -- as opposed to merely offering opinions -- and that they made them intentionally and with malice.

“The standard for slandering an elected official in a very public position, or any public person, is very high,” said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

Finally, a court battle over these issues, particularly on the question of whether Bannon and Wolff’s statements are true or false, would likely become ugly, said legal experts, and require Trump to disclose more in discovery than he may want.

Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.


ONLY THE LITTLE PEOPLE GET AIDS, APPARENTLY, SO IT JUST ISN’T A VERY IMPORTANT PROBLEM. BESIDES, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT AIDS IS A PUNISHMENT FROM GOD FOR THE UNBELIEVABLE SIN OF HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVITY.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/trump-aids-panel-public-health-262909
Trump's firing sets back AIDS prevention efforts
The decision to dismiss 16 advisers comes as the opioid crisis threatens to spike HIV/AIDS cases among those who inject drugs.
By BRIANNA EHLEY 01/03/2018 05:53 PM EST Updated 01/03/2018 05:40 PM EST

President Donald Trump’s decision to fire his HIV/AIDS advisory panel and refusal to fill other key policy positions puts the U.S. at risk of slipping backward on prevention just as the opioid epidemic threatens to spread the virus among intravenous drug users.

The advisory panel, which has existed in some form since the Reagan years, sits empty after Trump removed all 16 of its remaining members last week. That, combined with proposed massive cuts to prevention programs in Trump's fiscal 2018 budget and his not naming a director for the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, sends troubling signals about the administration’s commitment and represents a marked departure from his predecessors, say advocates and lawmakers.

“This White House has to recognize that it must take on a leadership role, as President Bush did, in eliminating the scourge of HIV/AIDS in this generation,” Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, said in an email.

Administration officials maintain that sacking the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS was standard operating procedure. They want to clear out Obama administration appointees and make room for a new, handpicked panel.

But the removal of doctors, business leaders and others tasked with making policy recommendations to the president stunned patient advocates, who were already concerned about Trump’s limited engagement. Six members of the advisory panel had resigned this summer to protest policies, including Trump’s commitment to rolling back Obamacare coverage they said would be detrimental to people with HIV/AIDS.

“The question for many is, what was the precipitating event for this change now? And, does this signal a retreat from the National HIV/AIDS Strategy or evidence-based policy making,” Jeff Crowley, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy for the Obama administration, told POLITICO.

Trump’s decisions about who to place on the panel — if he fills it at all — will help define how he plans to tackle bigger questions about HIV/ AIDS policy, which has been a major public health initiative for previous administrations and underwent a big global push under George W. Bush.

There is added urgency as the opioid epidemic sparks new cases of injection drug-linked HIV in predominantly rural areas where Trump derives some of his strongest political support. The CDC has flagged 200 counties at risk of an injection drug-linked HIV outbreak. It’s still unclear whether Trump will include HIV prevention in his larger federal response to the opioid crisis. His opioid task force, led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, did not raise the issue.

Trump already has drawn scrutiny for his track record on both HIV/AIDS and the opioid crisis. His budget proposal for fiscal 2018 called for $800 million in cuts to global HIV/AIDS prevention programs, another $186.1 million cut to CDC prevention and screening efforts and additional cuts to housing programs for people with the deadly virus. CDC officials in the budget document said the cuts would result in diminished testing and support services for people living with HIV. Trump's support for repealing Obamacare ran counter to the views of the advisory council, which rebuked congressional Republican's legislative efforts in a letter to the administration, saying the legislation would cause “catastrophic damage” to HIV prevention.

Trump still has yet to name a director for the Office of National AIDS Policy, and the office's website was shut down days after he took office, setting off alarm among activists and others working in HIV/AIDS policy. A recent New York Times report described Trump complaining that all Haitian immigrants have AIDS, which the White House denied.

“I am fearful that the people who are appointed will be in line with the current philosophy of the administration,” said Lucy Bradley-Springer, associate professor of the University of Colorado Denver’s Division of Infectious Diseases and one of the advisory council members who resigned this summer. “In my mind that will mean a decrease in funding for important services, fewer people getting tested, and more people going without care.”

Trump could also leave the panel vacant, which would be a major break from previous administrations.

The advisory council took its present shape during the Clinton administration. Former President George W. Bush created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and committed $148 billion to fight HIV/AIDS over the course of his administration. President Barack Obama reauthorized PEPFAR and created the first ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

The Trump administration said terminating the panel was routine and in line with past practice, pointing to the Obama administration’s similar decision to dismiss council members who were appointed under George W. Bush.

“Changing the makeup of federal advisory committee members is a common occurrence during administration changes,” said Kaye Hayes, executive director for the advisory council. She noted that former members can re-apply to serve on the new council that will be convened sometime this year.

Donald Trump is pictured. | Getty Images
7 wild details from the new book on Trump's White House
By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM and LOUIS NELSON

The administration on Dec. 1 posted a notice in the Federal Register seeking recommendations for new members, though a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson declined to discuss the timing of any new appointments.The notice stated an effort will be made “to ensure that the views of women, all ethnic and racial groups, and people with disabilities are represented on HHS federal advisory committees.”

Experts say the United States has made strides in combating the deadly virus. According to federal figures, there were an estimated 37,600 new HIV infections in 2014, an 18 percent drop from 2008. And in that same time frame, reductions were seen in most high risk groups. Still, there are currently estimated 1.1 million people in the United States were living with HIV at the end of 2015.

“For decades, presidents of both parties have relied on PACHA to develop effective, evidence-based federal HIV/AIDS policy,” Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee , co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on HIV/AIDS, told POLITICO. “With an end to AIDS nearly in our grasp, now is not the time to reverse our progress.”



HOMELESSNESS ISN’T BEAUTIFUL, BUT AS MY FATHER USED TO SAY, “IT’S A HARD NUT TO CRACK.” THE CAUSES HAVE TO DO WITH THE FRAGILITY OF THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET – AND OF LIFE ITSELF. I’VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT BRITAIN WAS AHEAD OF THE USA ON THESE MATTERS, BUT IT STILL HOLDS TRUE THAT ANY TIME AN INDIVIDUAL’S INCOME IS DISRUPTED HE OR SHE IS LIKELY TO BECOME HOMELESS EVENTUALLY. MORE PUBLIC HOUSING WILL BE A CONSTANT NEED AS LONG AS JOBLESSNESS PERSISTS, AND THE WAGES PAID ARE TOO LOW TO LIVE ON. THE ARGUMENTS ON THE SUBJECT HERE IN THIS ARTICLE ARE IDENTICAL TO THOSE IN OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE UNWILLING TO POUR THE RESOURCES IN, TO THE DEGREE THAT THEY ARE NEEDED, AND IN ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS. JOB TRAINING IS NEEDED, PUBLIC HEALTH IS A PART OF THE PROBLEM; BUT THERE AREN’T ENOUGH JOBS ANYWAY, ESPECIALLY AS AUTOMATION INCREASES. SO MANY THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT TOTALLY CURABLE, BUT STILL AS A DECENT NATION WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/political-storm-brews-ahead-of-royal-wedding-over-possible-homeless-crackdown/
CBS/AP January 4, 2018, 1:22 PM
Controversy ahead of royal wedding over possible homeless crackdown

LONDON -- A political storm is brewing ahead of Prince Harry's and Meghan Markle's May 19 wedding over whether to crack down on homeless people and beggars in the well-to-do English town of Windsor, where the wedding is taking place. Borough council leader Simon Dudley kicked off the controversy by tweeting over the Christmas holidays about the need to clean up Windsor's streets. He then wrote to police and Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May suggesting that action be taken to reduce the presence of beggars and the homeless.

Dudley referred to an "epidemic" of homelessness and vagrancy in Windsor and suggested many of those begging in the town are not really homeless. He said the situation presents a beautiful town in an unfavorable light.

The prime minister said Thursday she does not agree with Dudley's call for police action, emphasizing that local councils like the one Dudley heads must act to help the homeless.

"I think it is important that councils work hard to ensure that they are providing accommodation for those people who are homeless," said May.

BRITAIN-ROYALS
The Changing of the Guard takes place outside Windsor Castle, west of London, on December 8, 2017. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Homeless charities reacted angrily Thursday to his suggestion that homelessness should be treated as a police matter so Windsor can make a positive impression on visitors during the royal nuptials. They also rejected the assertion that Windsor's homeless were living on the streets by choice.

Greg Beales, a spokesman for the group Shelter, said people sleeping on the streets are in desperate need of help, particularly in winter when the weather can be dangerously cold.

"Stigmatizing or punishing them is totally counterproductive," he said.

Murphy James of the Windsor Homeless Project called Dudley's views offensive.

"It's absolutely abhorrent that anybody has got these views in this day and age, especially a lead councilor of the borough," he said.

James, 35, who lives on the streets of Windsor, said, "It is not our choice to be homeless."

"Everyone has their own reasons, everyone has their own story," he said, BBC News reported.

"[Mr Dudley] should come out and talk to the homeless and find out what their stories are before he makes those kind of accusations," he added.

The wedding will be held at Windsor Castle, the town's most famous landmark and a favored residence of Queen Elizabeth II. It is expected to draw thousands of extra visitors to the picturesque riverside town 20 miles west of London that is already popular with international tourists.

The couple will be wed on the closed-off castle grounds but have said they want the public to be involved to some degree. Harry has supported a number of charity events to help the homeless.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



DACA BREAKTHROUGH, ALMOST ANYWAY

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stake-lawmakers-work-immigration-deal/story?id=52146808
What's at stake as lawmakers work out immigration deal
By ALI ROGIN MARY BRUCE MARIAM KHAN Jan 4, 2018, 5:05 PM ET

WATCH Trump and Democratic leaders reach agreement to protect DACA

With seven working days until a government shutdown, immigration remains a key factor in negotiations over a spending deal. Enter President Donald Trump, who is taking a more-active-than-usual role in bringing Democrats and Republicans to the table to work out a deal that would address Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and border security.

Interested in Immigration?
Add Immigration as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Immigration news, video, and analysis from ABC News.
Immigration Add Interest
While all sides say the negotiations are going well, using words like “intense” and “serious” today, there are still serious issues that need to be resolved.

As Sen. Thom Tillis pointed out, most of the work on big agreements like this doesn’t get done until the 11th hour anyway.

“You know how it works around here. You’ve got a lot of work to do and then all the work get done in the remaining twenty percent of the time you need to get it done,” he told reporters.

Here’s a look at all the individual components of an immigration deal:

Standalone bill, or included with budget deal? Senate Democrats are insisting that immigration be included as part of a deal to fund the government before Jan. 19. But when asked whether he will tell Democrats to vote against the funding deal if it does NOT include protection for Dreamers, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer whiffed. Republicans, for their part, prefer that the immigration bill be dealt with separately.

DACA recipients – What happens to them? Most lawmakers agree that something should be done to provide a fix to permanently safeguard DREAMers from deportation. The question is what? At least two Senate Republicans – Tillis and Sen. Lindsey Graham, who both attended a meeting on immigration with Trump today – have said that the parties are discussing a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, and that there is bipartisan support for such an approach, but nothing has been decided on that front yet.

Border security – What does that look like? Trump mentioned at the meeting with senators today that any DACA bill “must secure the border with a wall.” But most senators are interpreting that broadly. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) alluded to what a final agreement will look like during an interview on ABC’s “Powerhouse Politics” podcast yesterday, before he attended today's White House meeting: “In some places it’s a traditional wall, in other places its technology, and in other places its traditional manpower. But I don't think it's going to be a 2,000-mile tapeworm along our border, 30 feet tall.” Tillis told reporters that the White House and congressional leaders did not discuss details of the border security component today.

Chain/family migration Republicans are intent on ending the process of what they call “chain migration” that allows immigrants to sponsor their family members. This has not been a huge issue of contention with Democrats but they will likely use it as a bargaining tool for other parts of the immigration deal because ending the practice is so important to Trump and the GOP.

Diversity visa lottery Ending the diversity visa lottery, which is how the late-October New York City truck assailant got to the United States, is also a big priority of Republicans. Schumer, for one, has also said in the past that the program has outlived its usefulness, so it’s likely this program in its current form gets cut. It could be replaced with a similar program run like a lottery, but one that is merit -based, in which applicants have already lined up an employer stateside. President Trump has expressed support for that type of system.



VIDEO – FACE THE NATION

https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/where-is-the-russia-investigation-headed/
Where is the Russia investigation headed?
DECEMBER 31, 2017, 12:21 PM| Julie Pace, Ed O'Keefe, Rachael Bade, and David Nakamura join guest host Major Garrett to discuss the White House's response to the Russia investigation and the potential of a DACA deal.
09:33


VIDEOS – MADDOW

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/2/18
Trump admin ends AIDS council without warning or explanation
Gabriel Maldonado, former member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS, talks with Rachel Maddow about the surprise firing of the entire council by the Trump administration without any explanation. Duration: 5:26


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/2/18
American identities hijacked to fake support for Trump policies
Rachel Maddow reports on an emerging pattern of public feedback on U.S. policy changes being stuff with fake comments from the hijacked identities of real Americans to show artificial support for Trump administration policies. Duration: 13:50


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/3/18
Rosenstein, McCabe meet with Ryan on Nunes, Russia investigation
Rachel Maddow reports on a trip by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Andrew McCabe to the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan to discuss the Trump Russia investigation and House Intel chair Devin Nunes. Duration: 6:31


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/2/18
American identities hijacked to fake support for Trump policies
Rachel Maddow reports on an emerging pattern of public feedback on U.S. policy changes being stuff with fake comments from the hijacked identities of real Americans to show artificial support for Trump administration policies. Duration: 13:50


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/2/18
Dossier didn't trigger Trump Russia probe; GOP pretends otherwise
Mark Mazzetti, Washington investigations editor for The New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about his reporting that the Trump Russia investigation was triggered by a tip from U.S. allies, not the Christopher Steele dossier. Duration: 17:22