Category: Democrat

What Sessions said about Russia ties

Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke twice with the Russian ambassador to the US, the Justice Department said Thursday, adding to the suspicion over Russia’s ties to the current administration. During his confirmation hearings in January, Sessions, however, did not mention his conversations with Sergey Kislyak.

White House staff told to preserve Russia-related materials

Storm clouds begin to form over the White House in Washington Wednesday, March 1, 2017. The White House counsel’s office has instructed the president’s aides to preserve materials that could be connected to Russian interference in the 2016 election and related issues, three administration officials said Wednesday.

Justice Dept. says Sessions spoke with Russian envoy during campaign

Attorney General Jeff Sessions had two conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential campaign season last year, contact likely to fuel calls for him to recuse himself from a Justice Department investigation into Russian interference in the election. Sessions, an early supporter of President Donald Trump and a policy adviser to the Republican candidate, did not disclose those communications at his confirmation hearing in January when asked whether “anyone affiliated” with the campaign had contact with the Russians.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not reveal talks with Russian ambassador in 2016

Then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Justice Department officials said, encounters he did not disclose when asked about possible contacts between members of President Donald Trump’s campaign and representatives of Moscow during Sessions’s confirmation hearing to become attorney general. One of the meetings was a private conversation between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak that took place in September in the senator’s office, at the height of what U.S. intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to upend the U.S. presidential race.

Ridiculous attack ad blasts congressional candidate dressed as Han Solo

The United States of America just elected an aging reality TV star to the presidency, yet a Republican-backed super PAC believes constituents in Georgia will be startled by a Democratic congressional candidate who dressed up as Han Solo in college. Former Capitol Hill staffer Jon Ossoff is barely out of his 20s, which appears to be the main point of this attack ad just released against him.

D.C. Buzz: Esty gets bills signed by Trump

Democratic Governors Association Vice Chairman Jay Inslee, left, Chairman Dannel Malloy, center, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, center, and Hawaii Gov. David Ige, right, share a laugh during a DGA news confernce at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. less Democratic Governors Association Vice Chairman Jay Inslee, left, Chairman Dannel Malloy, center, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, center, and Hawaii Gov. David Ige, right, share a laugh during a DGA news confernce … more Reporters wait to try and get access to an off camera briefing with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer instead of the normal on camera briefing at the White House on February 24, 2017, in Washington, DC.

Former Montana Rep. Zinke takes helm of Interior Department

In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Trump said largely what GOP leaders were hoping to hear Tuesday night, staying on-message and talking in optimistic tones In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Trump said largely what GOP leaders were hoping to hear Tuesday night, staying on-message and talking in optimistic tones The initial reaction signaled that Trump faces a fight with the GOP on the $1 trillion-plus portion of the federal budget that is passed each year by Congress. The initial reaction signaled that Trump faces a fight with the GOP on the $1 trillion-plus portion of the federal budget that is passed each year by Congress.

White House said to kick off infrastructure planning Thursday

President Donald Trump’s administration will convene a meeting of at least 15 federal agencies Thursday as a first government-wide step toward crafting the president’s $1 trillion infrastructure initiative, a senior White House official said. Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, will lead the meeting, which will focus on identifying new projects that would boost the economy; finding existing projects, such as the Keystone XL pipeline, that could be expedited; targeting policies, outdated rules and laws that could delay projects; and developing funding and financing options, the official said.

Oprah for president? Winfrey rethinks a run after Trump win

In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s documentary series “Belief” at The TimesCenter in New York. Winfrey tod Bloomberg Television for an interview posted online on March 1, 2017, that President Donald Trump’s victory has her rethinking whether she could be elected to the White House.

Chicago mayor slams Trump over remarks about citya s murder rate during congressional address

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel slammed President Trump Tuesday night for his remarks during his joint address to Congress about the Windy City’s murder rate. “We have repeatedly made specific requests of the administration for greater law enforcement integration and resources; a higher priority placed on federal gun prosecutions; and funds restored toward mentoring and after-school and summer jobs programs that have proven to be positive alternatives for our young people,” Emanuel said in a statement following Trump’s address.

Keith Ellison calls on AG to investigate cemetery desecration as hate crime

Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging him to investigate the recent desecration of a Jewish cemetery as a hate crime. Ellison, D-Minn., called on Sessions to designate the attack on the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, in which more than 150 headstones were overturned and damaged, as a hate crime.

The Trump who spoke to Congress was a lot less fiery than the Trump who stumped in Maine

Republicans are in celebration mode and Democrats are saying Republican President Donald Trump focused on pandering and not details Tuesday night in his first address to a joint session of Congress. Trump’s speech – which unlike most of his previous public appearances adhered tightly to the script – was remarkable for its departure from Trump’s usual gloom-and-doom characterization of everything from violence in U.S. cities to our country’s role in upheaval in the Middle East.

Story from NorthCountryNow.com

Following the president’s address to congress North Country politician Elisa Stefanik says she is pleased with some of Donald Trump’s actions while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand remains more skeptical. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, says she is pleased with steps President Donald Trump is taking to grow the economy and address issues with the Affordable Care Act.

Oprah for president? Winfrey rethinks a run after Trump win

In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, file photo, Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of the Oprah Winfrey Network’s documentary series “Belief” at The TimesCenter in New York. Winfrey tod Bloomberg Television for an interview posted online on March 1, 2017, that President Donald Trump’s victory has her rethinking whether she could be elected to the White House.

Today in History: March 1

Photographers close in on some souvenirs of a busy day in Congress, spread out at police headquarters on a flag of Puerto Rico, on March 1, 1954. It was a time of routine business, transacted peacefully, in the House chamber when cries of ‘Free Puerto Rico’ broke the calm, this flag was waved from the spectators gallery and pistol volleys felled five Congressmen.

Temporary Turkish base established inside Syria’s al-Bab following capture

Nusret Gokce otherwise known as Salt Bae says he will open up steakhouses in London and New York’in the next few months Turkey-backed Syrian rebels opened fire Sunday on Syrian army forces and allies advancing toward opposition-held positions as the opposing factions waged parallel campaigns against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, in the country’s north. IS terrorists then reportedly withdrew to Tadif, south of al-Bab, and promptly left the town to forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad without a fight.

Barack Obama, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal18 min ago

New York, Mar 1 : Barack and Michelle Obama have signed a deal to publish their memoirs with New York-based Penguin Random House, in a coveted contract reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars. America’s first African American president is already the author of two memoirs and a children’s book.

Congressman Jamie Raskin pledges to join Armenian Caucus

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Armenian Assembly of America welcomes Representative Jamie Raskin ‘s commitment to join the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues during his meeting with Grassroots and Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan, Internship Program Director Joseph Piatt, and former Terjenian-Thomas Assembly intern Joann Khaloyan last week. “We welcome Congressman Raskin’s support of Armenian issues and look forward to working with him and his colleagues,” stated Mariam Khaloyan.

‘Fairness formula’ dead, but push for school aid changes isn’t

Gov. Chris Christie appears to have given up on his ‘fairness formula,’ though not the broader goal of revamping how New Jersey distributes school aid. Christie has called since last June to equalize per-pupil school aid across all districts, rather than give additional aid to districts with higher levels of poverty and homes where English isn’t the main language.

Diplomats told Ottawa trade deal was dead, ministers insisted otherwise: docs

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland take part in a meeting at the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. In the days following Donald Trump’s surprise victory, Canadian diplomats in Washington repeatedly warned Ottawa that the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership was dead ??? even as federal ministers insisted it might survive.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA – In the days following Donald Trump’s surprise victory, Canadian diplomats in Washington repeatedly warned Ottawa that the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership was dead – even as federal ministers insisted it might survive.

Protesters force Rubio out of his Tampa office

The owner of an office building in Tampa, Fla., is evicting Republican Sen. Marco Rubio this Friday as a result of continued protests outside the facility. Jude Williams, president of America’s Capital Partners, which owns the nine-story Bridgeport Center at 5201 Kennedy Boulevard, said it contacted Rubio’s office on Feb. 1 to say it would not renew its month-to-month lease due to the demonstrators’ disruptiveness.

California water bills are starting to trickle out on Capitol Hill

The lead author in the House of Representatives of a big and controversial California water bill that passed last year is back for more. With a Republican in the White House and the GOP controlling Congress, Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., said Tuesday that he was hoping to build on last year’s legislation that was loved by farmers and loathed by environmentalists.

Around D.C., Sheila Jackson Lee’s image belies her persistence

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks during the news conference at the Capitol with other members of the Heroin Task Force on combating heroin abuse on April 21, 2016. That’s at least the way her critics in the past have dismissed her annual ritual of setting up camp on the House floor hours ahead of the president’s State of the Union address to Congress, all to secure an aisle seat so that the president can’t avoid her as he walks by.

Pike Dems keep up the action against Trump

To the Editor: A group of our club went to the Scranton Toomey No-Show Town Hall and were on local print and TV media. Now we have six actions for Drumpf’s sixth week: 1. Oppose PA Senate Bill 10. It will penalize every county in Pennsylvania if they do not hold a released prisoner for 48 hours after their official release date pending clearance from U.S. Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement.

Sanders under rising pressure to form thir…

Democratic Party insiders say efforts to draft Sen. Bernard Sanders to launch a political party are foolish, doomed to fail and could do more to hurt than help the progressive cause. The pressure on Mr. Sanders to strike out on his own is intensifying now that former Labor Secretary Tom Perez was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee , overcoming a stiff challenge from Rep. Keith Ellison and progressive activists who say the party ‘s primary race last year was rigged against the Vermont independent.

No evidence of Russian contract, but calls grow for special prosecutor

Rep. Devin Nunes , California Republican and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Monday that he has not seen a scrap of evidence that Trump campaign officials had any contact with Russian officials, but his assurances failed to silence the growing drumbeat of calls for a special prosecutor. Rep. Darrell E. Issa of California, a former chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, became the most prominent Republican to join Democrats in demanding the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the former Cold War foe’s meddling in the presidential election and an alleged Trump campaign connection to Russian intelligence agents.

Top House Republican hasna t seen a evidencea of Trump-Russia contacts

The chairman on the House Intelligence Committee said Monday that he had not seen any “evidence” of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian government amid an investigation into Russian activities during the 2016 election. “We still have not seen any evidence of anyone from the Trump campaign or any other campaign for that matter that’s communicated with the Russian government,” Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol.

House committee split on Trump-Russia probe

An investigation into potential ties between President Trump’s campaign and Russia has predictably split the House Intelligence Committee on party lines. Committee chairman Devin Nunes told reporters , “We still have not seen any evidence of anyone from the Trump campaign, or any other campaign for that matter, that’s communicated with the Russian government.”

Capitol Hill Buzz: Democratic women wearing white for Trump

Democratic women in the House are planning to wear white in honor of women’s suffrage when they attend President Donald Trump ‘s first address to a joint session of Congress. The heads of the Democratic Women’s Working Group wrote a letter to their colleagues Monday reminding them to wear white to honor the suffrage movement and also to “stand in solidarity with the women of our nation.”

Continue reading Under Trump, government takes new position in Texas voter ID lawsuit

The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump will support Texas officials’ claim that the state’s voter identification law did not specifically target minority voters, retreating from the federal government’s previous stance that state lawmakers intentionally discriminated when crafting the law. The law’s opponents were notified of the switch one day before the question of discriminatory intent is set to be argued in federal court, according to officials at the Campaign Legal Center.

Wasserman Schultz condemns wave of anti-Semitism and bomb threats,…

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rabbi Jonathan Berkun of the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center Beth Jacob appear at a news conference condemning anti-Semitic actions on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, in Sunrise. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rabbi Jonathan Berkun of the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center Beth Jacob appear at a news conference condemning anti-Semitic actions on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, in Sunrise.