Tag: POTUS

Tim Ryan Thinks ‘Every Aspect of Society’ Should Be Focused on Curbing Climate Change

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said that if he’s elected president he would make sure “every aspect of society” is focused on curbing climate change. Ryan recently sat down with The New York Times for its “Meet the Candidates” series where he answered a number of questions about his presidential platform. “I do. Yes. We have to marshal every aspect of our society, our government, our free enterprise system, our educational institutions, our venture capital—all has to be pointing in the direction of reversing climate change,” Ryan said in response to whether he thinks it’s possible for the next president to stop climate change. “I think if we do it right, if we engage the free enterprise system, if we align the environmental incentives with the financial incentives, that we can actually do it a lot quick than most people think,” he added. On the issue of health care, Ryan reiterated his belief that the country needs to “move towards a single-payer system.” “We need to move towards a single-payer system,” he told The Times. “I think the natural next step is to have some public option for people to be able to buy affordable, accessible, quality health care. We…

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Tim Ryan Says Trump ‘Hasn’t Done a Damn Thing’ for the Economy

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said during a Thursday night appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that President Donald Trump “hasn’t done a damn thing” for the economy. Noah began the interview by congratulating Ryan for making the first Democratic debate, scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Miami. “Most people would’ve never given me a chance to get on the debate stage, and here we are. And that’s kind of the beginning of the game. We’re in the game and we’re excited to get our message out,” Ryan said. “Do you really believe you have a shot in this game?” Noah responded. “I know you don’t believe you’re out of it, but why?” “Where I come from—I represent the forgotten communities of the country, and I think if you look at the history of these races—Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump—the winner usually comes out of nowhere,” Ryan said, emphasizing throughout the interview that he represents “the forgotten people.” “I think the shine’s coming off the apple,” Ryan said in regards to Trump’s economic policies. “I think people are saying you made all these promises and you haven’t delivered. And so my argument to the…

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Ohio’s Marcia Fudge Shared Letter on House Floor Calling Trump Supporters ‘Racist’ and ‘Just Plain Dumb’

Anthony Gockowski

  On the House floor Tuesday morning, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11) shared a letter she received from a constituent that calls for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and describes his supporters as “racist” and “just plain dumb.” According to Fudge, the letter was written by Dr. Ronald S. Williams, who serves as the senior pastor of Mount Zion Fellowship in Highland Hills, Ohio. “A mobster, a conman, gangster in the White House? I think so,” the letter begins, asking why the U.S. Congress hasn’t “started a formal impeachment investigation.” “Nancy Pelosi is a woman who I respect, however, I do believe her hesitancy to impeach this president is her opinion based upon polls and her belief that it would further polarize the country. However, the country is already divided and polarized,” it continues. The letter, written by a Christian pastor, goes on to belittle Trump supporters for having views that are “steeped in religious beliefs.” “It is glaringly apparent that many who support the present administration are either racist, steeped in religious beliefs, ignorant or, as my mother used to say, just plain dumb,” the letter states. “They have chosen to support a president who has a proven record…

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We Build the Wall Declares End to Standoff With Government Bureaucracy, Which Locks Gate at Private Border Wall

Jason M. Reynolds

  The private builders of a border wall in New Mexico say their standoff has ended with a government bureaucracy to secure a gate and keep criminals out of the border. We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage on Tuesday night posted the last of several updates by press release. He said: The IBWC has decided to close and lock the Border Wall gate we built tonight and every night going forward! They will only be opening the gate at intermittent times during the day as necessary going forward. Further calls to the IBWC are no longer necessary and WeBuildTheWall looks forward to working with them as we continue to secure other segments of the border that they operate on. “Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects!” Kolfage also tweeted. That news was a turnaround from Tuesday morning, when Kolfage announced in a press release that, “yesterday our wall and our nation came under attack by a globalist bureaucracy called the IBWC (International Boundary and Waterway Commission). This group which is half…

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Cleveland Agrees to $225,000 Settlement With Communist Who Believes ‘America Was Never Great’

Anthony Gockowski

  Cleveland has agreed to pay $225,000 in a settlement with a second protester who was arrested outside of the 2016 Republican National Convention for burning the American flag. As The Ohio Star reported in April, the city agreed to a $50,000 settlement with Steven Fridley, who was also arrested for partaking in the protest. This time the money is going to Gregory “Joey” Johnson, the same Gregory Johnson who was the defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1989 Texas v. Johnson decision. That case found that burning the American flag was protected by the First Amendment. Johnson and Fridley both had their criminal charges dismissed by the Cleveland Municipal Court, and sued the City of Cleveland for violating their First Amendment rights. “Instead of protecting RNC protesters’ constitutional rights, Cleveland police stalked them, literally extinguished their speech rights, and then arrested and prosecuted them—violating 30-year-old Supreme Court precedent taught to schoolchildren,” said Subodh Chandra of Chandra Law Firm, which represented both Johnson and Fridley. Chandra criticized city leaders for failing to “hold officers accountable for lying” about Johnson, whom police officers claimed was on fire and setting others on fire during the protest. Video of the incident, however, contradicts…

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Mexico Claims Funding for Migrant Caravans Came from Some Accounts in U.S.

Anthony Gockowski

  The Mexican government recently claimed that some funding for the “illicit support of migrant caravans” came from individuals within the United States. In a June 6 press release, Mexico’s Finance and Tax Secretariat announced that it has “blocked the bank accounts of various individuals and corporations that allegedly participated in the trafficking of migrants and the illegal organization of migrant caravans.” As Breitbart first reported, the Mexican government identified 26 individuals who made “several questionable financial transactions from the cities of Chiapas and Queretaro during the times that the migrant caravans were moving through those places.” The press release states that “illegal payment for migrant smuggling” came from individuals in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Cameroon, the United States, and England. Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit froze the accounts of 26 unnamed people for their “probable link with migrant smuggling and illicit support of migrant caravans.” The press release states that complaints have been presented to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office for prosecution. Breitbart points out that the action came at “a time when Mexican officials are meeting with their U.S. counterparts in an attempt to keep the Trump administration from levying tariffs on international commerce as a punitive measure over the…

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Constituents Plan ‘Squash Amash’ Rally, Call for Congressman’s Resignation

Anthony Gockowski

  Pro-Trump Michiganders are a planning a “Squash Amash” rally for Flag Day outside of Rep. Justin Amash’s (R-MI-03) Grand Rapids office in response to his comments in support of impeaching the president. “Join us on Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday outside the Amash office in Grand Rapids and tell the conservative world we demand he step down from his elected position,” states an event description for the rally, which will be hosted by several pro-Trump groups in Michigan’s Third Congressional District. Protesters have also started an online petition demanding Amash’s resignation, which claims that Amash “has lost all credibility” and “no longer has the right to speak on our behalf.” “The actions and statements by Representative Amash have the effect of negating the will of the people of the 3rd District of Michigan in violation of his oath of office to represent the views and best interests of the people,” the petition continues. Diane Schindlbeck, an organizer of the rally, told MLive that she wants to “make sure he knows here in Michigan we support our president.” “Justin Amash, as one of the elected officials here in West Michigan, is not listening to his own voter base, and…

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Republican Star John James Announces Senate Run on D-Day

Anthony Gockowski

  Veteran John James, one of Michigan’s rising Republicans stars, announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate Thursday morning, the 75th anniversary of D-Day. “I would like to announce that I am running for U.S. Senate after careful deliberation and thoughtful prayer,” James said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” “I believe that the time, again, is to serve,” James continued. “I understand what we need to do because I have experience as a business leader, as a job creator—how to protect our economy from socialism, how to bring people together and unite people to make sure that we can defeat the evils that face us today.” James, who lost to incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in 2018 by seven points, will challenge first-term Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in 2020. “I’m focused on continuing to deliver results for Michigan,” Peters said in a statement provided to Fox News. “I’ll keep working with anyone to improve life for Michiganders, whether it’s to expand training programs so everyone has the skills needed to find good-paying jobs, protect our Great Lakes or lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs.” President Donald Trump endorsed James during his 2018 bid and called…

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Tim Ryan Releases Statement in Support of Impeachment Proceedings

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) said the House “must begin impeachment proceedings” in a statement released Tuesday morning. Republicans criticized Ryan, a 2020 hopeful, for using the impeachment issue to “breakthrough in a crowded primary field” and “satiate his radical base.” But Ryan claims he came to the decision “after much thought and consideration and after both reading the Mueller report and hearing directly from the Special Counsel.” “In America, no one is above the law. In America, we have an elected president, not a king. In America, the people govern,” Ryan began his statement. “We must fully expose the lawlessness which has already occurred and prevent additional lawlessness from occurring. While it is unlikely that we will see a conviction in the Senate with its present Republican leadership more concerned with power and party than their constitutional duties and the rule of law, we can no longer sit by while a lawless president remains unchecked,” he continued. Statement on Impeachment pic.twitter.com/8pzx1zQnhC — Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) June 4, 2019 Ryan went on to suggest that avoiding impeachment would enable “this kind of lawless behavior to continue and to metastasize.” “Our republic cannot survive if we acquiesce to the view held…

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Dean Phillips Agrees With Jake Tapper That Trump Is ‘Daring’ Dems to Impeach

Anthony Gockowski

  During an appearance on CNN last week, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) said President Trump’s impromptu Rose Garden speech showed a “woeful lack of leadership.” Trump apparently left a meeting with Democratic leadership after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said he was engaging in a “cover-up,” and instead went to the Rose Garden to speak with reporters. He said he would refuse work with Democrats on legislation until they “get these phony investigations over with.” “There’s no question whatsoever that the president is making it awfully difficult for us to do our jobs, which is to provide oversight over the executive branch,” Phillips said in response. “Whatever prompted his change of heart today in the Rose Garden, I’m not sure, but if that’s all it took, that’s a woeful lack of leadership.” “Do you think President Trump is daring House Democrats to impeach him?” host Jake Tapper then asked. “I got to tell you, Jake, it’s appearing increasingly evident that he may be doing just that,” Phillips replied. “It is our job to provide oversight. I think we’ve been methodical, we’ve been principled, and we’ve been awfully patient, but that patience has its limits. We surely are reaching that limit. If…

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Pelosi Continues Swing Through Midwest With Speech at DFL Fundraiser

Anthony Gockowski

  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke Friday night at the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in Minneapolis, continuing her swing through key Midwest states. “The House Democratic Majority in Washington has been hard at work tackling the toughest issues facing our country, just as the DFL has been doing in Minnesota,” Pelosi said in a press release. “Democrats have led the way on everything from job-creating infrastructure investments to lowering the prices of prescription drugs. Republicans have responded with division, obfuscation and theatrics.” Pelosi said it was “an honor to celebrate our accomplishments, both legislative and electoral, with so many fine Minnesota Democrats.” “I’m proud of our record of fighting for the American people and I’m confident that record will carry us to victory in 2020,” she added. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have visited Minnesota in recent months. Trump has gone on record saying he believes he could have won Minnesota in 2016 had he made one more visit to the state. “Right now, the DFL is in one of the strongest positions in our party’s storied 75-year history,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin said. “We are offering Minnesotans great schools, fair wages, and affordable health care,…

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USDA Moves Staff Out of D.C., Ohio Tea Party Say It’s a Good Start

Anthony Gockowski

  The We the People Convention, an Ohio-based tea party organization, urged President Donald Trump to move more federal agencies out of Washington, D.C. after news broke that his administration was planning to move offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of the swamp. “I have long believed that President Trump should make a campaign pledge for his 2020 re-election campaign that would really ‘Drain the Swamp.’ That pledge would be to move nearly all federal agencies out of D.C.,” said Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention. The comments came in response to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s plan to move two department offices outside the beltway, which caused staffers to quit en masse. “Why are we taxpayers paying ridiculous Washington, D.C. inflated salaries to these bureaucrats most of whom we don’t even need? It’s because the D.C. swamp is all about growing and concentrating its power within our government not to serve us, but to rule over us,” Zawistowski said. He suggested that the only federal agencies that should remain in Washington are “the military and perhaps intelligence agencies.” “Every other agency, Education, FBI, Treasury, Labor, DOJ, HUD, etc., all need to be dispersed into…

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Pelosi Delivers Rousing Speech to Ohio Democrats: ‘We Will Turn Ohio Blue’

Anthony Gockowski

  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Democrats to “turn Ohio blue” in a passionate speech at the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual Legacy Dinner in Columbus Friday night. Pelosi spent the early portions of her speech touting the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and the legislation new members are pushing, including the Equality Act, which passed Friday morning. “Today is not just a victory, though, for the LGBTQ community. That would be important enough to have done that. But it’s also a victory for the right of every American to live and love openly. It was a victory for America,” she said of the bill. On the issue of health care, Pelosi called it the Democratic Party’s “first principle” and said the party’s goal is “health care for all Americans.” “House Democrats are taking bold action honoring this fundamental belief: that health care must be a right, not a privilege, and it is a right for every American,” Pelosi said. The latter half of her speech, however, took on a more ominous tone when she recalled the words of Thomas Paine during the American Revolution and told the crowd that “we are in a battle to save…

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Omar Calls for Abolishing ICE and Ending ‘Criminalization’ of ‘Those Crossing the Border’

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) called for abolishing ICE and ending the “criminalization” of “immigrants and those crossing the border.” The comments were made during a speech Omar gave at a rally Thursday in Washington, D.C. The event was hosted by MoveOn and its allied organizations, who brought a replica of the State of Liberty to “make clear America welcomes immigrants and refugees.” LIVE we brought the Statue of Liberty to D.C. to make clear #americawelcomes immigrants and refugees https://t.co/pJB5MSD6kE — MoveOn (@MoveOn) May 16, 2019 “We unveiled a Statue of Liberty replica in D.C. as a reminder to everyone that our immigration policies must be rooted in dignity, human rights, and respect,” Omar wrote on Twitter. During the rally, Omar said she decided to participate “because we live in a country that was founded on the idea of justice, of liberty, and of the pursuit of happiness.” “But those core beliefs, these ideas, are being threatened by this administration,” she continued. “This administration has explicitly targeted immigrants and people of color at every single turn. This president would rather demonize immigrants and cage children than pass a comprehensive immigration reform.” We unveiled a Statue of Liberty replica in DC…

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Ilhan Omar Comes to Rashida Tlaib’s Defense in Backlash Over Holocaust Comments

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has repeatedly defended her colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) against criticisms related to comments she made about the Holocaust on a podcast over the weekend. “There’s always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said on a Saturday episode of the podcast “Skullduggery.” “And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews post the Holocaust, post the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time,” she continued. Tlaib immediately faced backlash for the comments, and was accused of engaging in revisionist history. “She ignored the fact that Palestinian leaders at the time allied themselves with Hitler and that total war is how the Arab world reacted to the declaration of Israeli independence,” CNN anchor John King said on his Monday show. Writing for The New York Post, Lahav Harkov, contributing editor…

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Klobuchar Steps Up Attacks on Trump During Visit to Puerto Rico

Anthony Gockowski

  Sen. Amy Klobuchar spent the weekend visiting with leaders in Puerto Rico and repeatedly attacked President Donald Trump for his response to Hurricane Maria ahead of her visit to the U.S. territory. “A lot of it has to do with this president, who continually wants to look at Puerto Rico in a different way when in fact there are citizens there, there are people, this is a U.S. territory. And he’s someone who just wants to look at them and let them go, I guess,” Klobuchar said on Rachel Maddow’s show Thursday night. Joined @maddow last night to talk about what it's like to run for president and why I'm headed to Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/HSSl6zZUq3 — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) May 10, 2019 “You have people that need so much help, that lost everything—that lost their homes, that lost their hospitals, that lost their schools,” she continued. “We respond. We don’t just let them out. We did it when New Jersey needed help, we helped them. When North Dakota needed help with Grand Forks and that flood, we helped them. We come together as a nation.” “This president just looks for divides,” Klobuchar concluded. “He wants to blame people in…

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Pence Calls on Congress to Pass USMCA During Visit to Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

  Vice President Mike Pence called on Congress to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) during his visit to Minnesota Thursday. Pence made two stops during his Minnesota visit, first talking with farmers at R & J Johnson Farms in Glyndon before making his way down to St. Paul to talk with steelworkers at Gerdau Ameristeel. While visiting with farmers on the Minnesota-North Dakota border, Pence was informed of the importance of exports to China for Minnesota’s soybean farmers. “30 percent of our U.S. production hopefully goes to China. That hasn’t been the case, and that’s why we’re hurting,” one farmer told Pence. “One of the things we wanted to show you as far as importance of trade. In Minnesota, 60 percent of all of our soybeans are exported. Every six rows of every 10 are exported. So exports are a huge, huge factor in agriculture for this state,” another added, noting that the “biggest export market is China.” Minnesota’s DFL Party highlighted the exchange on Twitter, saying the Trump administration’s “trade wars are doing serious damage to soybean farmers across Minnesota.” “Farmers are hurting, they said it to Mike Pence’s face. Farmers in the bottom 20 percent lost an…

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2018 Ohio Attorney General Candidate Signs Letter Saying Trump Should Be Prosecuted

Anthony Gockowski

  Steven Dettelbach, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and 2018 Democratic attorney general candidate, joined nearly 800 U.S. Department of Justice alumni in suggesting that President Donald Trump obstructed justice in a Monday letter. “Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting president, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice,” the letter begins. It goes on to state that the “Mueller report describes several acts that satisfy all of the elements for an obstruction charge.” These acts include, according to the letter, conduct “that obstructed or attempted to obstruct the truth-finding process.” The letter claims that the “evidence of corrupt intent and connection to pending proceeding is overwhelming.” It discusses in detail the “attempts to fire Mueller and then create false evidence,” the “attempts to limit the Mueller investigation,” and the evidence of “witness tampering and intimidation.” “As former federal prosecutors, we recognize that prosecuting obstruction of justice cases is critical because unchecked obstructions—which allows intentional interference with criminal investigations to go unpunished—puts our…

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DFL Chairman Slams Pence for ‘Legacy of Homophobia’ Ahead of Minnesota Visit

Anthony Gockowski

  Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to visit Minnesota Thursday to promote the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and discuss its impact on farmers and steel workers. Pence will stop at R & J Johnson Farms in Glyndon before heading to Gerdau Ameristeel, a steel mill in St. Paul. A White House official told The Star Tribune that he will talk with workers about the benefits of the USMCA. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin issued a statement Tuesday in response to Pence’s upcoming visit. “I’d like to remind Vice President Pence that the majority of Minnesotans did not vote for him and do not support his tariffs that are devastating to our farmers, his massive giveaway to the rich disguised as a tax bill, or his efforts to take away our health care,” Martin said. “Minnesotans pride ourselves on being open, welcoming, and hospitable,” he continued. “Pence’s recklessness and cruelty are anathema to our values, as is his legacy of homophobia and discrimination. DFLers will continue working around the clock to ensure that Mike Pence is a one-term Vice President.” Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said she is “pleased to welcome Vice President Mike Pence to the great state of…

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Ohio Dem Chair Thinks the State Could ‘End the Trump Presidency’

Anthony Gockowski

  Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper recently claimed that “Ohio could very well be the state that ends the Trump presidency.” The comment was made during an interview on “The State of Ohio,” Statehouse News Bureau’s television program. He appeared on the show with Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken. The two discussed everything from Ohio’s Congressional map to the recent Lordstown plant closure, but they focused much of their attention on President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the state in 2020. “No, not at all,” Timken said in response to whether she thinks a Democrat can beat Trump in Ohio. “Donald Trump’s popularity is very high in Ohio. You think about the booming economy we’ve had. Ohio’s unemployment rate, I think it’s 4.4 percent. I travel around the state of Ohio and the biggest complaint from small and big businesses is not that they need to layoff workers—it’s that they can’t find enough workers.” “I think Ohio is doing very well under President Trump’s leadership,” she said, while arguing that the Democrats are “lurching further and further to the left” with policy initiatives like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. “All of those things are not what…

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Tim Ryan on Biden’s China Comments: ‘Stunningly Out of Touch’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) called former Vice President Joe Biden’s opinion on the economic threat posed by China “stunningly out of touch” during an appearance Saturday night on CNN’s “The Van Jones Show.” “China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” Biden said during a campaign stop in Iowa last week. “I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what, they’re not, they’re not competition for us.” “No one can compete with us. Nobody can compete with us around the world,” he added. President Donald Trump called the comments “dumb” and “naive,” and Ryan, a Democratic 2020 contender, seems to agree. “You know, I actually think that’s stunning. And I love Joe Biden, but I think that’s stunningly out of touch with where we are right now,” Ryan said in response to Biden’s comments. Joe Biden’s comments that China’s economy is “not competition” for the United States is “stunningly out of touch,” 2020 candidate @RepTimRyan tells @VanJones68. Watch the full interview tonight on “The Van Jones Show” at 7 p.m. ET on CNN. https://t.co/FsRpn5BaZs pic.twitter.com/u5oYZEIfGT — CNN (@CNN) May 4, 2019 “I mean, if you look at what China’s doing, they’ve got a five year…

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Ilhan Omar: ‘This Is Not Going to Be the Country of White People’

Anthony Gockowski

A group of Black Lives Matter founders and communist activist Angela Davis organized a rally in support Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) Tuesday on Capitol Hill. According to Democracy Now, the rally was organized to “defend Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and to urge Congress to censure President Trump for his attacks on her.” Omar made an appearance at the rally and spoke to the crowd of supporters about the “occupant of the White House and his goons in the Republican Party.” “They can’t stand—they cannot stand—that a refugee, a black woman, an immigrant, a Muslim shows up in Congress thinking she’s equal to them,” Omar said. “The occupant of the White House, as my sister Ayanna [Pressley] likes to call him, and his allies are doing everything that they can to distance themselves and misinform the public from the monsters that they created that is terrorizing the Jewish community and Muslim community.” Omar elaborated on the comments by saying that when “we are talking about anti-Semitism, we must also talk about Islamophobia.” “It’s two sides of the same coin of bigotry,” she said. “What we are fighting for is not for the few but for the many. Every single one…

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Angie Craig Facing Criticism for Impeachment Comments

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) hosted her fourth town hall last week and received several questions from constituents on moving forward with impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump. Up until Tuesday’s town hall, Craig had taken a relatively moderate position on the issue of impeachment and believed it shouldn’t be discussed until Mueller completed his investigation. “I believe the next step is for the Congress to request the unredacted version of the report. I believe the next step is for the committee chairmen to call a number of folks forward to testify, to fill in the facts for the American people,” Craig told her constituents Tuesday. “I am very troubled by the number of the potential areas of obstruction of justice that are mentioned in the report.” Some took the comments to mean that Craig supports moving forward with the impeachment process, including the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Yesterday Craig laid out for her constituents how exactly Congress should waste more of Minnesotans’ taxpayer money on baseless impeachment claims,” NRCC spokeswoman Carly Atchison said. “It is bizarre that Angie Craig now decides to pursue baseless impeachment, but regardless, she should stop peddling conspiracy theories and focus on Minnesotans.” Former Congressman…

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Tim Ryan on Biden Announcement: ‘I Don’t Think People Are Looking for a Superstar’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) was on the road Friday morning after former Vice President Joe Biden officially declared candidacy, but he sat down with local media in New Hampshire to discuss the announcement. “Obviously he’s from Scranton, I’m from just outside of Youngstown—very similar communities. I think similar approaches to how we talk about these issues and recognize kind of the anxiety people are going through,” Ryan said of Biden’s announcement on the New Hampshire Now radio program. “I think the ultimate question is going to be: what’s the plan? How do you win the future? We’re divided. Who can bring the country together to win the future?” Ryan added. “People want solutions. They want answers. They want a plan. It’s not hope and change, and it’s not Make America Great Again. It’s like: tell me what you’re going to do.” The hosts then asked Ryan about Biden’s announcement video, which explicitly targeted President Donald Trump. “I don’t think people are looking for a superstar, I don’ think they’re looking for a savior. I don’t think they’re looking for a miracle. I think they’re looking for somebody who can roll their sleeves up and just grind this thing out,” Ryan…

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Ilhan Omar Joins Freshmen Democrats in Calling for Impeachment

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has joined the chorus of Democrats calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report being released to the public. “Impeachment is part of our constitutional responsibility,” the freshman Democrat wrote on Twitter this week. “We have an obligation to investigate whether the president committed impeachable offenses, including: obstruction of justice, violating the emoluments clause, collusion, [and] abuse of power.” Impeachment is part of our constitutional responsibility. We have an obligation to investigate whether the President committed impeachable offenses, including: -Obstruction of justice-Violating the Emoluments Clause-Collusion-Abuse of power https://t.co/Sq907gs7eF — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 18, 2019 Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) has been calling for Trump’s impeachment ever since she first entered Congress, and introduced a resolution last month that urges the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Trump committed any impeachable offenses. “Everything outlined in the Mueller report is further proof of what I’ve been saying for a long time: it’s time to impeach. The first step? The House Judiciary Committee launching an investigation into whether Trump committed impeachable offenses,” Tlaib wrote on Twitter after Mueller’s report was released. Everything outlined in the #MuellerReport is further proof of…

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Trump Visits Minnesota for Tax Day Event While Protesters and Supporters Clash Outside

Anthony Gockowski

BURNSVILLE, Minnesota – President Donald Trump visited Nuss Truck & Equipment Monday for a roundtable discussion with local business leaders while protesters lined the streets outside. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized a protest outside of the Nuss company’s Burnsville location in support of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), who was singled out on Twitter by the president last week for her comments on the 9/11 terror attacks. “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here,” protesters chanted, while on the opposite side of the street a large crowd of Trump supporters led chants of “USA!” and “build the wall!” With a heavy security presence, both sides remained relatively peaceful while engaging in competing chants during the hours leading up to Trump’s arrival.   On the inside, the president touted his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for the tax-day event, calling it the “biggest tax cut in history.”   “This has been a very special state. It’s been a rare victory for Republicans, and we almost won it. One more speech,” Trump continued, saying Minnesota has been treated “extremely unfairly” on immigration. “Today unemployment in Minnesota, because of your federal government policies, is down to the…

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Bernie Sanders Calls on Trump to End Federal Contracts for GM During Lordstown Campaign Stop

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stopped in Lordstown, Ohio Sunday afternoon during his campaign swing through key battleground states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. “Together, we are going to make sure that does not happen again. We’re going to win here in Wisconsin. We’re going to win in Indiana, We’re going to win in Ohio. We’re going to win in Michigan. We’re going to win in Pennsylvania and together we’re going to win this election,” Sanders said during a Saturday rally in Madison, Wisconsin. On Sunday, the Vermont senator and 2020 hopeful participated in a town hall with the American Federation of Teachers in Lordstown, Ohio, a community that has received significant national attention after the recent closure of its General Motors plant. “This is a really important meeting, and it’s an important meeting not just to discuss the horrific impact on this small town, this community, about GM preferring to give billions of dollars in stock buybacks to make the very rich even richer while they chose to close down this plant and other plants around the country, but the discussion that we are having here today, right here, is a discussion that impacts virtually every state in this…

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Cincinnati Mayor Silent on Trump’s Latest Sanctuary City Proposal

Anthony Gockowski

Cincinnati is one of two self-declared sanctuary municipalities in Ohio, but its mayor has been silent thus far on President Donald Trump’s latest immigration proposal. The Washington Post reported last week that Trump was reconsidering a plan to place migrants in sanctuary cities, such as Cincinnati and Franklin County. Trump later confirmed the report on Twitter Friday morning. “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong consideration to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities,” Trump said. “Only the radical left always seems to have an open borders, open arms policy—so this should make them very happy.” But when The Cincinnati Enquirer called Mayor John Cranley’s office for comment on how the city would respond to Trump’s proposal, he didn’t respond, nor has he released any public statements on the matter. Cranley first declared Cincinnati a sanctuary city in 2017, and said it was something he would wear as a “badge of honor.” According to The Enquirer, Cincinnati and Franklin County are the only sanctuary cities in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Julie LeMaster, executive director of the Ohio-based Immigration and Refugee Law Center, called Trump’s proposal a…

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Minnesota Politicians Come to Omar’s Defense After Trump Tweet

Anthony Gockowski

Innumerable politicians and commentators came to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) defense Saturday morning after President Donald Trump tweeted out a video of her controversial remarks at a recent CAIR fundraiser. As The Minnesota Sun reported, Omar delivered the keynote address at CAIR’s March fundraiser in Los Angeles, and faced criticism last week after video from the event showed her describing the 9/11 terror attacks as “some people did something.” On Friday, Trump tweeted a video of Omar’s remarks that was spliced together with footage from the attacks, captioning his tweet with “we will never forget.” WE WILL NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/VxrGFRFeJM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 By Saturday morning, Omar was trending on Twitter along with the hashtag “IStandWithIlhanOmar.” “The video that Donald Trump posted is dangerous, reckless, and I would say criminal,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin said. “For a president to target Ilhan, a member of Congress, is abhorrent to the values of our democracy. No member of congress should have to fear for their safety and his actions cross the line.” The video that @realdonaldtrump posted is dangerous, reckless & I would say criminal. For a President to target @Ilhan, a member of congress, is abhorrent…

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Kasich Calls Trump’s Latest Immigration Proposal ‘Wacky’ and ‘Just Crazy’

Anthony Gockowski

Former Gov. John Kasich called President Donald Trump’s latest immigration plan “wacky” and “just crazy” during a CNN interview Friday morning. The Washington Post reported Thursday night that Trump was once again considering a plan to release migrants into self-declared sanctuary cities. Trump confirmed the report in a pair of tweets Friday morning. “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong consideration to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities,” Trump said. “Only the radical left always seems to have an open borders, open arms policy—so this should make them very happy.” Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019 Trump touted the idea again during a White House event Friday afternoon, according to The Hill. “We can give them an unlimited supply [of migrants] and let’s see if they’re so happy,” he said. “They say ‘we have open arms.’ They’re always saying they have open arms. Let’s see if they have open arms.” Speaker of…

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President Trump Planning Tax Day Event in Minnesota

Anthony Gockowski

President Donald Trump plans to visit Minnesota Monday for an event celebrating the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the April 15 tax filing deadline. Details of the event are still unclear, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that the trip will happen while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday. The Star Tribune reports that the event will be held in the Twin Cities area, and points out that the Federal Aviation Administration has posted a “VIP Movement Notification” for Minneapolis on April 15. Trump visited Duluth and Rochester in 2018 for rallies to bolster Republican candidates, and claimed during both events that he would flip Minnesota red in 2020. Both districts Trump visited (Minnesota’s First Congressional District and Eighth Congressional District) ended up going to Republicans in the 2018 midterms. Trump narrowly lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton in Minnesota in 2016 by just 1.5 percent, or 44,593 votes. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement that “if Donald Trump expects a warm welcome in Minnesota, he’ll be sorely disappointed.” “He’s here to sell a record of broken promises, lies, and attacks of families across our great state. It won’t work,” Martin…

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Jim Jordan Calls Out Democrats for Having No ‘Legislative Initiatives’ Apart from Attacking Trump

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) tore into his Democratic colleagues Tuesday for having no “legislative initiatives” apart from attacking President Donald Trump. The comments came during a contentious House Oversight Committee hearing on climate change and its impact on national security. Former Secretary of State John Kerry was called before the committee as a witness, and criticized the Trump administration for the alleged committee it plans to create to study climate change. Kerry called the task force a “council of doubter and deniers,” though Jordan pointed out that it hasn’t even been formed yet. “I’m just asking the fundamental question: how can it be a council of doubters and deniers when it hasn’t even been formed?” Jordan asked. .@JohnKerry calls the President's climate change task force "a council of doubters and deniers." Apparently Mr. Kerry can foretell the future! The task force hasn't even been formed yet! But @OversightDems just spent 4 hours talking about it. pic.twitter.com/6AIX3Tn8It — Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 9, 2019 “Well, it would be,” Kerry responded, to which Jordan jokingly said the former Obama diplomat “can foretell the future.” “You already know who’s on the council and you already know the conclusion they’re going to reach…

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Trump and Omar Exchange Jabs After Minnesota Congresswoman Calls Jewish Adviser a ‘White Nationalist’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) and President Donald Trump are feuding on Twitter again, this time after the Minnesota congresswoman called White House policy adviser Stephen Miller a “white nationalist.” “Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage,” Omar wrote on Twitter Monday night. Stephen Miller is a white nationalist. The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage. https://t.co/7NyMDgojd7 — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 8, 2019 The comments sparked criticism from Omar’s GOP opponents, who claimed that she was once again targeting Jewish politicians. Trump himself tweeted a video of Jeff Ballabon, a Jewish political strategist and CEO of B2 Strategic, discussing the comments on Fox Business. “What’s completely unacceptable is for Ilhan Omar to yet again target Jews. In this case, it’s not just Stephen Miller, but she’s doing this by declaring a Jew, someone who’s known to be Jewish, a white nationalist. She’s saying, ‘Oh, Jews. You’re not minorities.’ In other words, this is a way of taking away our right to speak out in their culture, in this leftist culture that says only certain kinds of people have…

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Tim Ryan Goes After Trump, NRA at Iowa Event Alongside 2020 Dems

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) was a panelist Saturday at the Heartland Forum in Iowa, and was the only speaker at the event who hasn’t officially declared candidacy for president. The event, sponsored by Huffington Post, Open Markets Action, and the Iowa Farmers Union, featured panelists such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro—all of whom have declared candidacy. Ryan, who said in February that he’s “seriously considering” a run, was asked what his vision for the country would be if he were to do so. “The stock market’s as high as it’s ever been. Unemployment’s as low as it’s ever been, and yet there is a chronic level of stress in our society today because of chronic uncertainty,” he said. “I think it’s time for a new way of doing things.” “The only way forward is for us to come together politically. It’s the division today in our country that’s preventing us from getting to where we need to be, and that’s innovating our way out of this thing, caring about each other, loving each other, being concerned about each other, respecting each other, and then building an…

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Ohio Democrat Mocks Barron Trump, Says He ‘May Need’ the Special Olympics Someday

Anthony Gockowski

An Ohio Democrat suggested Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s administration shouldn’t cut funding for the Special Olympics because his 13-year-old son Barron “may need it someday.” Ellen Connally, former Cuyahoga County Council president and Cleveland Municipal Court judge, made the comments in a Facebook post that has since been deleted, but was obtained by PJ Media. “Trump kills funds for Special Olympics. Baron [sic] may need it someday,” she wrote. In the comments section of her post, another Ohio Democrat, Jocelyn Conwell, said she’s heard “from a reliable source” that Trump’s “kid does have special needs.” “He attend [sic] some school in Maryland. Haven’t you noticed how you hardly ever see this kid, and he never says anything. I am not making light of it, just stating some observations. Even though I can’t stand his father,” Conwell said. Barron’s birthday was last week; he turned 13-years-old. The comments came amid controversy over Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ proposed $17.6 million cut to the Special Olympics, which was included in the $4.75 trillion budget the Trump administration submitted to Congress. During a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, DeVos defended the cuts to the Special Olympics by noting that it’s not a…

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Jim Jordan Reminds Nation That Democrats Used to Talk About Mueller Like He’s ‘Next to Jesus’

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) sat down for an interview with George Stephanopoulos Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” where he said his Democratic colleagues viewed Robert Mueller as “next to Jesus” heading into the Russia investigation. Prior to his interview, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-28) was on the show and suggested that a lack of indictments in the Mueller report doesn’t necessarily vindicate President Donald Trump. “Well we’ve got to read the report, but what I do know is to date not one bit of evidence to show any type of coordination, collusion, conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the election. And that was the charge, George, when this thing started almost two years ago,” Jordan said in response. “The Democrats were all saying that the president of the United States worked with a hostile foreign country to steal the election, and again, there has not been one bit of evidence to suggest that any of that happened.” Jordan repeatedly emphasized that the focus of the special counsel investigation was to determine whether or not there was “collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to impact the election.” “And again, remember, this is Bob Mueller, this was the guy…

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Beto Slams Trump Over Lordstown Comments During Visit to Ohio

Anthony Gockowski

During his recent visit to Ohio, 2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke slammed President Donald Trump for his criticisms of Lordstown union leader David Green. Green is president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents the workers at Lordstown’s General Motors plant. After the plant was unallocated earlier this month, Trump said Green “ought to get his act together and produce.” “The president with his actions has added insult to injury,” O’Rourke told NBC in a recent interview after meeting one-on-one with Green. “Not only has he done nothing to prevent this job loss, he actually blames the workers and their leadership in the UAW president here in 1112 for something GM and his administration caused.” O’Rourke went on to suggest that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “financed GM’s ability” to “move jobs elsewhere” and to “choose their shareholders over the community that has created their value.” “Not only has President Trump failed in his commitment and failed this town of Lordstown, he’s also done nothing to reverse the losses that we’ve seen here,” O’Rourke continued. O’Rourke said, as president, he would make sure the country’s “trade policies and our tax code” don’t “incentivize offshoring these jobs.” “GM pays…

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Sherrod Brown Lashes Out at Trump, Calls Wall ‘Vanity Project’

Anthony Gockowski

National Senate Democrats released a report Monday showing that President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration could divert $112 million in funding away from military projects in Ohio. According to The Columbus Dispatch, the cuts could impact a $61 million plan for a new building for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Other cuts could include $8.8 million in funding just to relocate the main gate at Youngstown Air Reserve Station. Projects like a $7.4 million machine gun range at Camp James A. Garfield, and a $15 million hangar at Toledo Express Airport were also on the list. Morgan Rako, spokeswoman for Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH-10), noted that the “list does not indicate which projects specifically will have delayed funding, if any.” She also pointed out that Trump’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal actually includes $121 million in funding for the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base intelligence center. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), however, claimed that Trump is “hurting military missions by taking money away from Ohio military installations to pay for his vanity project.” “President Trump claims he wants to help workers and support our military, yet his actions tell a different story,” Brown said in…

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Lordstown Union Leader: ‘President Trump Didn’t Unallocate Our Location Here, General Motors Did’

Anthony Gockowski

The union leader for Lordstown, Ohio’s General Motors plant is speaking out after being called out by name by President Donald Trump over the weekend. The General Motors plant was officially “unallocated” earlier this month, meaning it’s not yet closed, but isn’t producing any cars. In a Sunday tweet, Trump called out United Auto Workers Local 1112 President David Green, saying he “ought to get his act together and produce.” But Green said in a recent Fox News interview that he’s “really trying to stay out of the feud,” and just wants to “see better policies.” “President Trump didn’t unallocate our location here, General Motors did. We think General Motors has an obligation. We want to be part of their family for 53 more years. We build great quality products here. We just want to keep doing that,” he said. Host Dana Perino pointed out that Green and Trump should actually be allies in the matter, since General Motors is to blame for putting Ohioans out of work. “Yeah, it could very well be. That’s why, you know, I haven’t taken any of this personal. He obviously doesn’t know me personally. I’ve been working really hard here in the valley.…

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Trump Touts Economic Success in Visit to Last Manufacturer of M1 Abrams Tank in Ohio

Anthony Gockowski

President Donald Trump spoke Wednesday to a crowd gathered at Ohio’s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, the last remaining manufacturer of the U.S. Army’s main battle tank. The facility, based in Lima, Ohio, nearly shut its doors five years ago, but was saved in January when the Trump administration reinvigorated the plant with a $714 million order for 174 M1 Abrams tanks. “Well, you better love me. I kept this place open,” Trump began his address Wednesday to chants of “USA” from the audience. “And now, you’re doing record business. The job you do is incredible and I’m thrilled to be here in Ohio.” “This is some tank plant. There’s nothing like it in the world. You make the finest equipment in the world. You really know what you’re doing,” he continued, joking that he wanted to get into one of the tanks, but then “remembered when a man named Dukakis got into a tank.” According to the White House, the Lima plant has added more than 150 workers since the last year of President Barack Obama’s second term, and plans to hire 400 more workers over the next year and a half. “We’re here today to celebrate a resounding victory…

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Congressman Ryan Makes Surprise Visit to Canton to Attack Trump Ahead of Fundraiser

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) made a surprise appearance Wednesday at an Ohio Democratic Party event organized in response to President Donald Trump’s visits to Lima and Canton. Trump spoke Wednesday afternoon to a crowd gathered at Lima’s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, which nearly closed down five years ago but turned around in January after the Trump administration ordered 174 M1 Abrams tanks at a cost of $714 million. The president then flew to Canton, Ohio for a closed-door fundraising event at Brookside Country Club. Prior to his stops in Canton and Lima, the state Democratic Party hosted two “We Stand With Ohio Workers” events in response to what it called “an attack on those fighting to save thousands of Ohio jobs.” As The Ohio Star reported, Trump tore into United Auto Workers Local 1112 President David Green in a recent tweet, saying he “ought to get his act together and produce” to save the General Motors plant in Lordstown. During Wednesday’s rally in Canton, Congressman Ryan called the criticisms “shameful,” “mean-spirited,” and “one more opportunity for him to distract from what’s going on.” “The man in the middle of this entire sh– storm, and I intentionally said that,” Ryan said.…

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Beto Defends Late-Term Abortions, Slams Trump Over Lordstown Comments During Cleveland Campaign Stop

Anthony Gockowski

2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke slammed President Donald Trump for his criticisms of Lordstown union leaders and defended late-term abortions during a campaign stop in Cleveland Monday. During one stop, O’Rourke was asked how he was “going to protect the lives of third-trimester babies.” “There’s really not a medical necessity for abortion. It’s not a medical emergency procedure because typically third-trimester abortions take up to three days to have. So, in that sense, if there was an emergency, the doctors would just do a c-section and you don’t have to kill the baby. So are you for or against third-trimester abortions?” an audience member asked. O’Rourke, however, framed the question to the audience as being about “abortion and reproductive rights.” “My answer to you is: that should be a decision that the woman makes. I trust her,” O’Rourke responded. Here’s Beto O’Rourke at a campaign event in Cleveland responding to a question about third-trimester abortions: “That should be a decision that the woman makes. I trust her.” pic.twitter.com/nBrlazlMob — Alexandra DeSanctis Marr (@xan_desanctis) March 18, 2019 O’Rourke also responded to Trump’s latest criticism of the leaders behind the closure of the General Motors factory in Lordstown. “Democrat UAW Local 1112…

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Commentary: From Brexit to Trump, Elite Contempt Shines Through

Admin

by Christopher Gage   Not long ago, to support Great Britain’s departure from the European Union remained the hoppy heady preserve of the corduroyed English fruitcake. Only the niche, and utterly mental clung to such opinions. Those trifling oddities, blimpish and better suited to reliving colonial exploits in faraway lands, were not of polite society. To be a Euroskeptic invited the label of weirdo, or, if they liked you—“eccentric.” That argument was settled. Britain, and indeed the world, owed and pinned its future not to outdated concepts such as nationhood, borders, or common culture­­—oddities, pined for by oddities. To be British was embarrassing, and old hat. David Cameron, our ex-prime minister, an alleged conservative, pretended himself to share this turbulence of brain. That Euroskepticism. Until he won his leadership election. Then he called such people, “fruitcakes, loonies, and closet racists.” Then he called for a European referendum. To settle the issue for generations. To smite, finally, those surely dwindling numbers of decaying old white men who still believed in that fatuous list of oddities they held so pathetically dear. Of course, the weirdos won. And ever since, the Camerons of this world have worked tirelessly to overturn our decision. Like…

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Ohio’s Republican Senator Rob Portman Joins Senate Democrats in Voting Against Trump’s National Emergency Declaration

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and 11 of his Republican colleagues joined Senate Democrats Thursday in voting against President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration. In a 59-41 vote, the Senate passed a bill that would terminate Trump’s emergency declaration, though the president has already said he will veto the resolution. Portman announced his intention to vote in line with his Democratic colleagues during a Thursday morning speech on the Senate floor. “From the outset of this process I’ve had two objectives. One, to support the president on the crisis at the border. I believe his plan to address that crisis is a good one—we should support it. But second, to do it in the right way without setting a dangerous new precedent counter to a fundamental constitutional principle, without tying up the needed funds for the border in the courts, and without taking funds away from important military construction projects for our troops” Portman said. Portman later said of Ohio, which has “been devastated by the opioid epidemic,” that “over 90 percent of the heroin is coming across the southern border.” “Yesterday I learned from Customs and Border Protection that fentanyl seizures along the border between the ports of entry has…

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Ohio House Holds First Hearing on Bill to Award State’s Electoral College Delegates to Winner of Popular Vote

Anthony Gockowski

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio House Federalism Committee held its first hearing Wednesday for a bill that would make Ohio a member of the “Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote.” Since 2007, 12 states and the District of Columbia have joined the compact, while both the Colorado General Assembly and the New Mexico Legislature voted in favor of joining this year. Under the agreement, Ohio’s entire Electoral College delegation would be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote. The bill, HB 70, is sponsored by Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus), who testified before the House Federalism Committee Wednesday. “This is a change that is long overdue. Two-thirds of the presidents elected in this century have been chosen by the Electoral College without a corresponding majority of the electorate for their first terms. Put simply, the person the people chose to be their president in their first term was ignored 66 percent of the time in this century,” Leland said during his testimony. He went on to argue that the Electoral College “rewards small states while punishing larger ones,” such as Ohio. “The population of Wyoming is 584,000 and they receive 3 Electors. This…

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We Build the Wall, Inc. Heads to Detroit for Third Town Hall

Anthony Gockowski

We Build the Wall, Inc. is hitting the road for Detroit Thursday night. The Ohio Star was there for We Build the Wall, Inc.’s stop Tuesday night in Cincinnati, which featured panelists such as former White House strategist Steve Bannon, Sheriff David Clarke, and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. We Build the Wall, Inc., which now counts Bannon as its chairman, was formed out of veteran Brian Kolfage’s famous GoFundMe page that he started to help raise funds for the border wall. Now, the group’s plan is to start building sections of the wall on private land, with private money, and with the help of private citizens. “We are thrilled to sponsor the ‘We Build the Wall’ rallies this week in Ohio and Detroit,” said Jim Hoft of The Gateway Pundit, one of the organizations sponsoring the town halls. “The border issue is not just something that affects those Americans in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The unbelievable flood of refugees and illegal immigrants streaming across the southern border is truly a national emergency. No country can handle this constant flow of tens of thousands of civilians and the strain it puts on an already stressed welfare system.”…

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We Build the Wall, Inc. in Ohio: ‘You, Sherrod Brown, are Complicit in the Death of This Lady’s Daughter’

Anthony Gockowski

CINCINNATI, Ohio – We Build the Wall, Inc., an organization launched by triple-amputee veteran Brian Kolfage, hosted its second town hall Tuesday night in downtown Cincinnati. Kolfage drew national media attention in December for launching a GoFundMe page to help pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall, and has now received more than $20 million in donations. The event began with a standing ovation for Kolfage, who said his “team of experts” is prepared to break ground on building sections of the wall by the end of April. “I was just fed up with the way our politicians were handling it. I’m just a common person like you guys just sitting on my couch pissed off,” Kolfage said of his fundraiser. “It didn’t seem like our politicians were taking it serious, and for as long as I can remember we’ve been promised border security. We’re always promised this and they weren’t followed through, and I’d had enough of it.” While the town hall was held in Ohio, thousands of miles from the southern border, Tuesday night’s group of panelists repeatedly emphasized that the border crisis affects the whole country. “I’m in Cincinnati very simply because the border crisis is in Ohio.…

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Former Grand Wizard of the KKK David Duke Calls Ilhan Omar the ‘Most Important Member of the U.S. Congress’

Anthony Gockowski

Former Grand Wizard of the KKK David Duke called Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) the “most important member of the U.S. Congress” in a Thursday tweet. Duke’s statement comes amid a tumultuous week for the House’s Democratic majority, which struggled to unite around a resolution condemning Omar’s anti-Semitic comments. As The Minnesota Sun reported Wednesday, House Democrats were prepared to vote on a resolution that was drafted in response to Omar’s controversial comments, but the vote ultimately fell apart after Omar’s progressive allies rallied to her defense. Now, Democratic leaders have prepared a new resolution that broadly condemns all forms of hate, which was overwhelmingly passed late Thursday afternoon. Throughout the affair, Duke, a fervid anti-Semite, praised Omar for her criticisms of the Israeli state. “Ilhan Omar is now the most important member of the U.S. Congress,” he wrote on Twitter. “I made this provocative statement cause the worst enemy of the USA, Europeans, and the Middle East and the whole world and true peace are the Zionist tyrants who rule media and politics. Sadly, this 100lb girl has more guts than any white member of Congress.” https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/1103766675223130112 Omar’s Minnesota colleagues struggled to navigate the debate, and some, such as Sen.…

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House Dems Plan Vote on Resolution to Formally Condemn Ilhan Omar’s Anti-Semitism

Anthony Gockowski

Democratic lawmakers are preparing to formally denounce Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) anti-Semitic comments in a House resolution set to be voted on Wednesday. Omar once again found herself at the center of a controversy after video leaked of her making anti-Semitic comments at a Washington, D.C. coffee shop. “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country. I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policies?” Omar said during an event at Busboys & Poets. Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said he was “dispirited and appalled that Rep. Omar would traffic in yet another antisemitic trope.” “As the ADL helpfully explains on its website, the antisemitic allegation often referred to as the ‘dual loyalty’ charge, ‘alleges that Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens because their true allegiance is to their coreligionists around the world or to a secret and immoral Jewish…

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Klobuchar Jokes About Eating Salad With ‘a Bit of Scalp Oil and a Pinch of Dandruff’

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke Saturday night at the esteemed Gridiron Club dinner in Washington D.C. where she attempted to joke about the recent stories detailing her abusive behavior towards her staffers. The New York Times reported February 22 that, in one instance, Klobuchar berated a staff member who forgot to bring a fork on board their 2008 flight from D.C. to South Carolina. Fork-less, the Minnesota senator grabbed a comb from her purse and began eating her salad with it. Predictably, conservative Twitter had a field day with the bizarre incident, which Klobuchar tried to joke about during Saturday’s event. “How did everyone like the salad? I thought it was OK, but it needed just a bit of scalp oil and a pinch of dandruff—would be a little better,” she told the crowd, according to CNN. The Times article was just the latest in a series of stories alleging that Klobuchar is a demeaning and abusive boss. The Minnesota Republican Party released a statement in response to the allegations. “The record shows that while Senator Amy Klobuchar represents Minnesota, she clearly doesn’t fit the ‘Minnesota Nice’ persona,” Minnesota Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said in early February. “Last year,…

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