House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) emphasized...

 House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) emphasized the criticality of electing a Speaker to secure resources for Israel and demonstrate unwavering support in light of Hamas's assaults on the nation.

"We must elect a Speaker this week to facilitate vital discussions, such as bolstering the Iron Dome, passing a bipartisan resolution denouncing Hamas for their actions against Israel," stated McCaul during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."

"We aim to present this resolution for unanimous consent, irrespective of whether a Speaker is in place, as time is of the essence. We must convey our message promptly," McCaul added.

McCaul's remarks follow a devastating attack by Hamas on Saturday morning, resulting in the loss of numerous Israeli lives. Officials have described this incident as one of the most severe since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Furthermore, his comments come in the aftermath of a historic House vote last Tuesday, in which former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was removed, leaving a vacant position as the third-highest-ranking official in the United States government. Eight Republicans joined ranks with the Democrats to oppose McCarthy.

Leading contenders in the race include Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), although, as of Sunday afternoon, neither candidate appears to have gained the necessary votes to secure a majority. House Republicans are set to convene on Tuesday for a candidate forum to narrow down the field and determine a single candidate capable of securing majority support in the closely divided chamber.

McCaul also cautioned against the message conveyed to adversaries of the United States by the vacancy in the Speakership.

When asked whether Congress can pass additional aid to Israel in the absence of a Speaker, McCaul responded, "Well, it is not an ideal situation. I did not support the removal of the Speaker. I deemed it to be perilous."

"Considering the threats looming around the world, what message are we sending to our opponents when we cannot govern effectively? When dysfunction cripples us? When there is no Speaker of the House?" McCaul continued. "I mean, how does Chairman Xi Jinping in China perceive this when he asserts that democracy is ineffective? How does the Ayatollah in Iran view our predicament, knowing that our ability to function optimally is compromised? It sends a dismal message."

Read More

McCaul asserts that the presence of a Speaker is imperative in order to restore support for Israel's Iron Dome.

 McCaul asserts that the presence of a Speaker is imperative in order to restore support for Israel's Iron Dome.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) emphasized the criticality of electing a Speaker to secure resources for Israel and demonstrate unwavering support in light of Hamas's assaults on the nation.

"We must elect a Speaker this week to facilitate vital discussions, such as bolstering the Iron Dome, passing a bipartisan resolution denouncing Hamas for their actions against Israel," stated McCaul during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."

"We aim to present this resolution for unanimous consent, irrespective of whether a Speaker is in place, as time is of the essence. We must convey our message promptly," McCaul added.

McCaul's remarks follow a devastating attack by Hamas on Saturday morning, resulting in the loss of numerous Israeli lives. Officials have described this incident as one of the most severe since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Furthermore, his comments come in the aftermath of a historic House vote last Tuesday, in which former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was removed, leaving a vacant position as the third-highest-ranking official in the United States government. Eight Republicans joined ranks with the Democrats to oppose McCarthy.

Leading contenders in the race include Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), although, as of Sunday afternoon, neither candidate appears to have gained the necessary votes to secure a majority. House Republicans are set to convene on Tuesday for a candidate forum to narrow down the field and determine a single candidate capable of securing majority support in the closely divided chamber.

McCaul also cautioned against the message conveyed to adversaries of the United States by the vacancy in the Speakership.

When asked whether Congress can pass additional aid to Israel in the absence of a Speaker, McCaul responded, "Well, it is not an ideal situation. I did not support the removal of the Speaker. I deemed it to be perilous."

"Considering the threats looming around the world, what message are we sending to our opponents when we cannot govern effectively? When dysfunction cripples us? When there is no Speaker of the House?" McCaul continued. "I mean, how does Chairman Xi Jinping in China perceive this when he asserts that democracy is ineffective? How does the Ayatollah in Iran view our predicament, knowing that our ability to function optimally is compromised? It sends a dismal message."

Read More

Israel has officially declared war and has authorized a series of 'significant' measures in response to an unexpected assault carried out by Hamas.

 Israel has officially declared war and has authorized a series of 'significant' measures in response to an unexpected assault carried out by Hamas.

The Israeli government officially declared war on Sunday and authorized "significant military actions" in response to Hamas' surprise attack. The military is currently focused on eliminating remaining fighters in southern towns and intensifying its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The death toll has surpassed 1,000, with thousands injured on both sides.

While Israeli forces continue their efforts to defeat the remaining groups of militants, who are currently holed up in various towns, the staggering toll of at least 700 reported deaths in Israel represents a level of devastation that the country has not witnessed in decades. In Gaza, over 300 people have lost their lives due to the ongoing Israeli airstrikes.

The declaration of war indicates that greater conflicts lie ahead, and one crucial question is whether Israel will initiate a ground assault on Gaza. Historically, such a move has resulted in a surge of casualties. Additionally, a brief exchange of strikes between Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group and northern Israel has amplified concerns about the potential expansion of the fighting into a broader regional war.

Authorities are still working to determine the number of civilians and soldiers who were taken captive by Hamas during the chaotic events and transported back to Gaza. Based on videos and witness testimonies, it is known that among the captives are women, children, and the elderly.

During an interview on ABC's "This Week," U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Blinken stated that up to 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in the assault, highlighting the extensive planning undertaken by the militant group that governs Gaza. They ruthlessly targeted civilians in towns, along highways, and even at a techno-music festival held in the desert near Gaza.

Israel's military has already struck over 800 targets in Gaza, according to its reports. This includes airstrikes that have leveled a significant portion of the town of Beit Hanoun in the northeastern corner of the enclave. Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told journalists that warplanes dropped tons of explosives on 120 targets, claiming that Hamas had been utilizing the town as a staging area for attacks. At present, there is no information available regarding casualties, though it is likely that most of the tens of thousands of residents in the community fled prior to the bombardment.

Read More

Trump decides to let Trump be Trump

 Trump decides to let Trump be Trump 

 

Trump be Trump

When Donald Trump was elected president, there was modest comfort in knowing the executive branch is made up of some 4,000 presidential appointees, 1,200 of whom must be confirmed by the Senate and 630 of whom fill top-tier agency positions. The hope was that Trump would get himself some honest, competent help.

With some exceptions, that has not proved to be the case. Hundreds of jobs went unfilled for a year or more, including 240 top-three agency officials. Regulatory jobs went to alumni of regulated industries. Key West Wing jobs turned over as the White House turned into a human resources merry-go-round.

Now Trump is into a new phase of personnel changes, purging people who have said “no” to him once too often or people who have embarrassed him with bad headlines about ethical problems. The irony of that speaks for itself.

White House sources have told the New York Times and the Washington Post that the president has decided that after 14 months in office, he can get by on his trusted gut. He makes decisions, he once said, “with very little knowledge other than the knowledge I [already] had, plus the words ‘common sense,’ because I have a lot of common sense and I have a lot of business ability.”

So last week he replaced his top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, with former CNBC talking head Larry Kudlow. Cohn told Trump “no” too many times on trade issues. Kudlow is a true believer in trickle-down economics, which on TV gave him an almost unblemished record of being wrong on big economic stories. But he was on TV, which is a key credential for Trump.

Trump last week also replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who told him “no” a lot, with CIA director Mike Pompeo, the former congressman from Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan.

To replace Pompeo at the CIA, Trump’s gut led him to agency veteran Gina Haspel, who played a big role in the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” of terrorist detainees. Trump’s gut has told him “waterboarding works,” though studies say otherwise.

Next on the hit list could be Housing Secretary Ben Carson, not because of his deep lack of understanding of housing issues but because his wife’s insistence on $31,000 worth of office furniture caused embarrassing headlines. The same kind of headlines could cost high-flying Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin his job.

After that could come a third national security adviser. Trump has had it with the intellect and restraint of Gen. H.R. McMaster, who replaced Gen. Michael Flynn, who was caught lying about what he told the Russian ambassador.

Even with competent people around him, however briefly, Trump’s first 14 months have been chaotic. Now he’s staffing up with sycophants. Trump Unleashed is a profoundly disturbing thought.

>>Source<<

Read More

Samuel L. Jackson mocks Trump’s proposal to arm teachers

Samuel L. Jackson took to Twitter to criticize President Trump after he made repeated pushes for arming trained teachers as a way to address school shootings.

“Can someone that’s been in a Gunfight tell that Muthaf---- that’s Never been in a Gunfight, the flaws of his Arm The Teachers plan??!!” Jackson tweeted on Friday.

Trump tweeted on Thursday that highly trained teachers would serve as a deterrent to school shootings in the wake of the deadly attack at a Florida high school last week.

The president called for 20 percent of teachers — with military or special training experience — to be allowed to carry concealed guns.

Student survivors of the Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead have led reignited calls for action on gun violence.

On Wednesday, Trump held a listening session at the White House with students and parents affected by school shootings to discuss solutions for the national epidemic.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, Trump doubled down on his proposal to arm teachers who have had firearms training. 

“The teachers and the coaches and other people in the building, the dean, the assistant principal, the principal, they love their people, they want to protect these kids,” Trump said.

Trump added of the suspected gunman: “A teacher would have shot the hell out of him."

Jackson and Trump have sparred before. In 2016, Jackson said Trump cheats at golf and that he received a surprise bill from Trump for being a member of one of his courses.

News from: thehill

Read More

Trump_processes Fla. students’ grief as president, parent

Once again, it was the images of children that propelled President Donald Trump to act.

Trump spent the first days after the Feb. 14 school shooting in Florida fixated on the grieving and anguished students and parents.

While at his Florida estate for the long weekend after the shooting, Trump studied the students’ appeals on cable news, listened to their accounts during a visit to a hospital and processed their words not just as a president but as the father of an 11-year-old.

The shooting made “no sense,” Trump has told aides privately, and said the White House had to do something.

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to share private conversations, likened the president’s reaction to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students to the impact Trump felt when he saw images of children’s listless bodies after a chemical attack in Syria last April. Trump ordered airstrikes against the Syrian government.

After the shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people, Trump cast widely for answers. He even embraced some ideas at odds with his allies at the National Rifle Association.

One idea took root during a dinner last weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort, where the president had put off playing golf for two days on the advice of aides who said golfing so soon after the shooting would be insensitive.

Television personality Geraldo Rivera, who dined with the president and his two oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, arrived with a pitch: ban people under age 21 from buying assault-type weapons.

Trump took the idea “under advisement,” Rivera, a Fox contributor, wrote in an email. And as days passed by, consideration turned into full-blown support.

“The savagery of the wounds inflicted by the AR-15 shocked and distressed him,” Rivera said.

Before the weekend was over, Trump was weighing ideas from imposing new gun controls to arming school officials. He tapped into the thinking of family, aides and outside allies. As the days went on, his list kept growing.

Trump has offered support for strengthening federal background checks, banning “bump stock” type devices like the ones used in the Las Vegas massacre, reopening mental institutions, and having some trained school personnel carry concealed weapons.

That last notion was promoted by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on “Fox and Friends,” a program frequently watched by the president.

Whether Trump’s search ultimately yields significant results is an open question.

Much like the Trump presidency, this search for solutions has been an unscripted process playing out on live television and on Twitter.

“There’s a tremendous feeling that we want to get something done,” Trump said Thursday during a discussion with state and local officials. “And we’re leading that feeling, I hope.”

Throughout his meetings, Trump kept coming back to the students.

A week after the Valentine Day’s attack, he hosted an extraordinary and cathartic session with surviving students and grieving parents in the White House’s State Dining Room. The unscripted event unfolded as a televised national mourning session.

Heading into the event, aides were nervous about it would go.

Trump, never a natural at emotional language, grasped for the right words.

“I know you’ve been through a lot. Most of you have been through a lot — more than you ever thought possible,” he said. “More than you ever thought humanly possible. And all I can say is that we’re fighting hard for you, and we will not stop. We will not stop. We’re going to get there. And I just grieve for you.”

He clutched in his hands a notecard listing numbered questions and talking points for the conversation.

The last one: “I hear you.”

Perhaps the powerful moment came when father Andrew Pollack stood, flanked by his sons, and offered an anguished appeal to Trump to fix this problem now — albeit too late to help his own daughter, Meadow.

“King David Cemetery, that is where I go to see my kid now,” Pollack said.

The moment stuck with Trump.

On Friday, he spoke of Meadow’s “beautiful, beautiful smile and a beautiful life so full of promise.”

“There are not enough tears in the world to express our sadness and anguish for her family and for every family that has lost a precious loved one,” he said.

The White House has yet to offer a complete plan to address school violence. But by week’s end, Trump felt like the discussion itself was evidence of progress.

“We’re well on the way to solving that horrible problem,” he said.

News Credit To : wfla

Read More

House Speaker Ryan of Republican is not ready to support Trump

Ryan, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said conservatives wanted to know if Trump shares their values.

The top elected Republican, Paul Ryan, said on Thursday he was not ready to endorse Donald Trump, a sign of the challenges the party's presumptive presidential nominee faces rallying the Republican establishment behind his White House bid.
Trump, who has built a huge following with an anti-establishment message, shot back at Ryan in a statement.
"I hope to support our nominee, I hope to support his candidacy fully," Ryan said on CNN. "At this point, I'm just not there right now."
"I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda. Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people," he said.
"We respect Speaker Ryan’s opinion and believe that since the primary ended early we will have time to unify. We anticipate the two meeting soon to begin to help unite the party," said RNC spokeswoman Lindsay Walters.
The Republican National Committee, under pressure to unify the party or face an electoral rout in the Nov. 8 election, said Ryan and Trump were expected to meet soon. It added that "only a united Republican Party will be able to beat Hillary Clinton."
Many Republicans have grappled this week with whether to support Trump, who has deviated from the party line on trade and upset the party establishment with offensive comments about women and immigrants. Trump on Thursday announced a new campaign finance chairman in response to questions about his readiness for a general election race.
Trump's last remaining rivals in the Republican race, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, dropped out this week, clearing the New York billionaire's path to be picked as the presidential nominee. His will likely face Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, in the Nov. 8 general election.

 to see the video click here

Read More