DECEMBER 7, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


THIS IS AN INTRODUCTION TO MERKEL’S SUCCESSOR

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46474381
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Who is the new leader of Germany's CDU?
DECEMBER 7, 2018 2 hours ago

PHOTOGRAPH -- AKK, as she is known, is from Germany's smallest state Saarland REUTERS

AKK, as she is known, is from Germany's smallest state Saarland
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has been elected leader of Germany's ruling Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party, bringing Angela Merkel's 18 years at the helm to an end.

As the party's general secretary, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer was favourite to take over when Mrs Merkel announced her retirement in October.

But she clinched only a narrow victory over Friedrich Merz, a long-time Merkel rival, in a run-off vote in Hamburg, with 51.8% of the vote.

Now the head of Germany's largest party, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, could become the next German chancellor.

Who is she?
AKK - as she is widely known - grew up in a Catholic family in Saarland in south-western Germany, the country's smallest state.

She joined the CDU in 1981 as a 19-year-old student and, after completing a masters in political science, worked her way up in state-level politics.

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer became the first woman to serve as a state minister for internal affairs in 2000 and the first woman to serve as prime minister of Saarland, a position she held from 2011 to 2018.

Race to succeed Merkel reaches climax
Germany country profile

After being nominated by Chancellor Merkel, AKK was elected as CDU general secretary with a record 98.9% of the vote.

In her farewell speech as party leader, Mrs Merkel praised AKK's 2017 electoral success in Saarland, in a clear hint of the chancellor's personal preference in the leadership race.

She lives in her hometown of Püttlingen with her husband of 34 years, Helmut Karrenbauer, who quit his job as a mining engineer to take care of their three sons while she pursued her political career.

What does she stand for?

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer was seen as Ms Merkel's anointed heir and a moderate choice for CDU's leadership.

She is seen as a pragmatic, level-headed politician, with an unpretentious style and a reputation for calm analysis as well as political acumen.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
AKK was seen as Ms Merkel's heir apparent and protégé

While she supported Ms Merkel's refugee policy and has a liberal position on women's rights and a minimum wage, she has also expressed more conservative views.

As a practising Catholic, she has a traditional view on marriage equality and has expressed concerns about giving same-sex couples full adoption rights.

She is also in favour of reinstating year-long military or social service and has questioned the right of ethnic Turks to hold dual German and Turkish citizenship. Turks are Germany's largest immigrant community.

What has she said?

Since announcing her candidacy, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer has addressed a range of domestic and international issues.

Merkel to quit as CDU party leader
Angela Merkel's leadership woes

"You always stand on the shoulders of your predecessor," AKK told German TV last month. "One inherits the entire package, the positive as well as the negative."

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer has said she wants to improve on Ms Merkel's legacy and has suggested she would encourage debate within her party on issues such as immigration to encourage new proposals that could become government policy.

"This is democratic order, which reflects a self-confident party," she said. "That's what we want."

Is she Merkel 2.0?

Critics have dismissed her as a mini-Merkel or Merkel 2.0 but observers say there are clear differences between the two women.

Even AKK herself said there was nothing mini about her as a 56-year-old woman with grown-up children and an entire political career of her own.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
CDU leadership candidates for the party chair Friedrich Merz (L), Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Jens Spahn

Ahead of her election as party leader, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer went on a "listening tour" to find out what her party's grassroots wanted.

She reported members were full of "pride, frustration, concern and uncertainty".

"Fundamental questions must be asked in the party," she told German tabloid Bild. "Being a people's party cannot mean being a kind of all-purpose political shop that offers something for everyone."

She went on to say: "We need to discuss and decide what conservative, Christian-social and liberal look like today and we need to have a clearer profile."


WILL HE RUN OR NOT? I HAVE LITTLE DOUBT THAT HE WILL. HE IS CLEARLY HAVING TOO MUCH FUN NOT TO. ALSO IN A LITTLE OVER A MONTH HE RECEIVED $750,000, AND FROM INDIVIDUALS AS USUAL RATHER THAN PACS. AT THE VERY LEAST THAT’S A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE!

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2018/12/07/bernie-sanders-raises-nearly-1-million-in-under-six-weeks
Bernie Sanders Raises Nearly $1 Million in Under Six Weeks
POSTED BY ALICIA FREESE ON FRI, DEC 7, 2018 AT 1:56 PM

Photograph – JAMES BUCK Sen. Bernie Sanders

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) reelection campaign raised more than $925,000 in fewer than six weeks, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. Sanders, who easily won a third Senate term in November and is contemplating a second presidential run in 2020, reported spending nearly $730,000 during the same period, from October 18 to November 26.

That leaves him with nearly $8.8 million, which could be transferred to a campaign for president, should he decide to run.

Sanders' expenses are consistent with those of a probable presidential candidate. They include about $113,000 on events; nearly $92,000 on salaries to 31 individuals; more than $64,000 on travel by car and plane; more than $60,000 on research, including $52,000 to the polling company Tulchin Research; and more than $37,000 on lodging.

His travel expenses also included a $6,800 payment to the private charter plane company Apollo Jets, as well as $5,000 in carbon offsets to Native Energy to compensate for his air travel. According to a previous FEC filing, Sanders spent nearly $300,000 on chartered planes earlier in the campaign season, as VTDigger.org reported last week.

On Monday, Sanders supporters formally launched a federal political action committee called Organizing for Bernie. Cofounder Rich Pelletier, who served as Sanders’ deputy presidential campaign manager in 2016, told Rolling Stone that the group has two goals: “One, we want to show the support is there. The second is to begin to do the organizing that is going to need to happen for him to hit the ground running, by the time he announces — if he announces.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who wasn’t up for reelection, reported $43,200 in contributions. Unlike Sanders, who received 98 percent of his contributions from individuals, Leahy received the majority of his — 64 percent — from PACs. He spent nearly $19,000, leaving him with about $75,500 cash on hand.

Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who handily beat Republican Anya Tynio on November 6, received $52,000 in contributions, 80 percent of which came from PACs. He spent $22,800, leaving him with more than $2.1 million.
Tags: Senator, Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Peter Welch, Organizing for Bernie, Image


HE’S CLEAR-CUT ON ONE SUBJECT: “... WE WISH THAT WE COULD HAVE PRESIDENT WHO IS HONEST BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE AGAIN,’ HE ADDED.” DON’T WE EVER, BERNIE!

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-honest-president_us_5c0a4e0ee4b04046345afab8
POLITICS 12/07/2018 06:06 am ET Updated 14 hours ago
Bernie Sanders Dings Donald Trump With ‘Honest President’ Tribute To George H.W. Bush
The Vermont senator also updated “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert on his 2020 plans.
headshot
By Lee Moran

CBSTV VIDEOS
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) updated Stephen Colbert on his 2020 plans.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) knocked President Donald Trump as he paid tribute to former President George H.W. Bush on Thursday’s broadcast of “The Late Show.”

Sanders told host Stephen Colbert that “yes, of course I disagreed” with Bush, who died last week at age 94. “But he was an honest man, he was a decent man, he loved his country very much and, you know, we wish that we could have president who is honest back in the White House again,” he added.

Sanders also updated Colbert on speculation he’ll mount a presidential challenge to Trump in 2020.

“The answer is, look, when you run for president of the United States, especially in this ugly political world that we live in right now, it is a very difficult decision for one’s family,” explained Sanders, who said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll go for it.

He said he was “trying to ascertain, quite honestly, going beyond ego” which candidates have the best chance to beat Trump and “can most turn this country around so that we have a government that works for all of us and not just the people on top.”

Check out the clip here:
INTERVIEW WITH COLBERT 5:18 DURATION


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https://thehill.com/homenews/media/420235-sanders-to-colbert-you-will-be-my-vice-presidential-candidate
Sanders to Colbert: 'You will be my vice presidential candidate!'
BY JOE CONCHA - 12/07/18 10:25 AM EST



MADDOW TONIGHT

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/episodes
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/6/18
Multiple facets of Trump-Russia scandal reach benchmark moments
Rachel Maddow reviews the slew of events expected on Friday in court cases related to the Trump-Russia scandal, with other major developments apparently in the offing. Duration: 5:42


I’M ASHAMED TO SAY THAT THIS IS MY HOME STATE – MAY THIS DECENT YOUNG DEMOCRAT WIN.

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/6/18
Apparent NC election rigging scheme has been going on for years
Rachel Maddow revisits a past episode of the This American Life radio show in which the central figure in the current North Carolina election scandal is heard admitting to the same scheme in 2016. Duration: 14:52


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/6/18
McCready: 'Harris needs to come clean' on NC vote irregularities
Dan McCready, Democratic candidate for Congress in North Carolina's 9th district, talks with Rachel Maddow about withdrawing his concession to Mark Harris and what needs to be done to address the apparent election rigging scheme in his race. Duration: 6:01


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/6/18
Benczkowski, former Alfa Bank lawyer, recuses from Mueller cases
Rachel Maddow reports on Brian Benczkowski recusing himself from all matters related to the Mueller investigation. Benczkowski, who was a lawyer for Russia's Alfa Bank before being named by Donald Trump to head the DOJ's criminal division, was less clear about recusal in testimony to the Senate. Duration: 4:21


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/6/18
Klobuchar: Whitaker a 'walking conflict of interest'
Senator Amy Klobuchar talks with Rachel Maddow about why it's important for Donald Trump to nominate an actual attorney general candidate that the Senate can confirm to take the place of acting-attorney general Matt Whitaker. Duration: 5:51


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/6/18
Klobuchar still considering candidacy but clear on 2020 agenda
Senator Amy Klobuchar talks with Rachel Maddow about what is shaping her consideration to run for president in 2020, and what role the Senate can play in pressuring the DOJ to take another look at the Jeffrey Epstein plea deal. Duration: 7:53


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/5/18
National Republicans mum on apparent NC election fraud scheme
Rachel Maddow reports the latest details in the increasingly insane story of what appears to the public unraveling of a genuine attempt to rig the a congressional election in North Carolina, and notes that national Republicans who have made a hobbyhorse of "voter fraud" suddenly aren't as outspoken about this exposed scheme. Duration: 3:12


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/5/18
Movement in Butina case eyed for potential Trump-Russia news
Rachel Maddow reports on new developments in the case of accused Russian spy Maria Butina, including attention on her boyfriend, Republican consultant Paul Erickson, that could portend news regarding Russia's efforts to influence American politics, perhaps with the NRA as a financial conduit. Duration: 11:46


THIS IS ONE OF THE STRANGEST STORIES I’VE SEEN FOR MONTHS. THERE IS A DEEP MYSTERY HIDDEN IN HERE. THIS ALMOST LOOKS TO ME LIKE “AN INSIDE JOB,” WHICH MAY HAVE TO DO WITH FINDING OUT WHO AMONG THE REPUBLICANS ARE LOYAL TO TRUMP. I’LL BE VERY GLAD TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON.

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/5/18
Hack of Republican e-mails kept secret, even from Republicans
Alex Isenstadt, reporter for Politico, talks with Rachel Maddow about a Politico report that e-mails of top NRCC officials were hacked, potentially by a "foreign agent." Duration: 6:08