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DonViejo's JournalVenezuelan deputy minister says more Russian troops could arrive: Interfax
Source: Reuters
APRIL 4, 2019 / 5:54 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Venezuela’s deputy foreign minister Ivan Gil said on Thursday he does not rule out that more Russian military personnel may arrive in Venezuela under agreements already concluded with Russia, Interfax news agency reported.
The deputy minister also said Russian forces will stay in Venezuela as long as needed, and that there is no set period for their stay.
“The group of military specialists is (in Venezuela) in the context of our agreements and contracts for military-technical cooperation,” Interfax quoted Gil as saying.
Earlier the Kremlin said Russian military specialists are in Venezuela to service pre-existing contracts for the supply of Russian arms.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-usa-russia-militar/venezuelan-deputy-minister-says-more-russian-troops-could-arrive-interfax-idUSKCN1RG12A?il=0
Abrams on Biden: 'We cannot have perfection as a litmus test'
BY MICHAEL BURKE - 04/04/19 08:32 AM EDT
Stacey Abrams on Thursday defended J oe Biden amid allegations that the former vice president has inappropriately touched women, saying that "we cannot have perfection as a litmus test" for candidates.
The former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate, appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," added that she thinks Biden has held himself accountable and applauded him for pledging to change his behavior.
"We cannot have perfection as a litmus test. The responsibility of leaders is to not be perfect but to be accountable. To say, ‘I made a mistake, I understand it and here’s what I’m going to do to reform as I move forward,'" Abrams said.
“I think we see Joe Biden doing that. I think the vice president has acknowledged the discomfort he’s caused. He has created context for why that is his behavior and he has confirmed that he will do something different going forward. I think that’s what we should be looking for," she continued. “We have to as a people have to be ready to forgive. But forgiveness does not mean you accept it unless what you see is accountability.”
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/437316-abrams-on-biden-we-cannot-have-perfection-as-a-litmus-test
New Model Forecasts a Very Close Election
April 4, 2019 at 7:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 76 Comments
[linkAbramowitzystalball.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/assessing-trumps-chances-forecasting-the-2020-presidential-election/|Alan Abromowitz] explains the latest iteration of his “time for change” presidential election forecasting model.
“The most plausible prediction at this point, however, is for a very close contest. Given a net approval rating of -10, approximately where Trump’s approval rating has been stuck for most of the past year, and real GDP growth of between 1% to 2%, in line with most recent economic forecasts, the model predicts that he would receive between 263 and 283 electoral votes. Of course, it takes 270 electoral votes to win.”
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https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/04/model-forecasts-a-very-close-election/
Trump punts to Congress to solve the migrant influx, where lawmakers remain at square one
By Priscilla Alvarez and Geneva Sands, CNN
Updated 8:03 AM ET, Thu April 4, 2019
Washington (CNN)Amid a swell of migrants at the southern border, President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have looked to Congress to take action, and while lawmakers agree something should be done, that's about all they agree on.
Democrats don't trust the administration and see what's unfolding as a situation exacerbated by Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement policies. Republicans are doubling down on the situation being a crisis in need of immediate attention.
The reason for the scramble is a steep uptick of migrants -- largely families and children and predominantly from Northern Triangle countries, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras -- at the border.
As DHS deploys reinforcements to the border, it's also urged Congress to find a legislative solution. What that looks like is anyone's guess.
Rep. Mike Rogers, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, is in the preliminary stages of crafting legislation with his Republican colleagues to redirect more resources to the Customs and Border Protection agency.
more
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/04/politics/trump-congress-border-crisis/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_allpolitics+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Politics%29
Legal marijuana workers blast U.S. citizenship denials over work
Source: Associated Press
APRIL 4, 2019 / 6:57 AM / AP
U.S. immigration authorities blocked two immigrants' applications for citizenship because of their work in Colorado's marijuana industry, their attorneys and Denver officials said, accusing the Trump administration of quietly targeting immigrants seeking jobs in the growing field.
Oswaldo Barrientos said he began working in the marijuana industry in 2014, inspired by the research he had done into medical products after his mother's skin cancer diagnosis. He was brought to the U.S. from El Salvador as an infant and was granted a green card when he was 13.
He assumed the citizenship application process would be simple. The 30-year-old is fluent in English and said he has no criminal history, pays taxes and graduated high school. But during an in-person interview in November, the interviewer became focused on Barrientos' job with a state-licensed company that grows marijuana, he said.
Weeks later, he got a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denying him because of his job, his lawyers said.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/legal-marijuana-workers-blast-u-s-citizenship-denials-over-work/
Court to hear arguments on whether terrorist watchlist violates U.S. Constitution
APRIL 4, 2019 / 7:10 AM / AP
A federal judge will hear arguments on whether a government watchlist of more than 1 million known or suspected terrorists violates the Constitution. The Council on American-Islamic Relations sued in 2016 on behalf of Muslim Americans who say they were wrongly placed on the list and suffered negative consequences as a result.
The government's no-fly and selectee lists, which bar some people from flying and force others to go through extra screening, are derived from the watchlist.
The plaintiffs say the list is disseminated so broadly that those listed face not only travel woes but also difficulty completing financial transactions and interacting with police.
The plaintiffs also say the standard for inclusion is over-broad and innocent Muslims are routinely listed by mistake.
A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Alexandria.
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/court-to-hear-arguments-on-whether-terrorist-watchlist-violates-u-s-constitution/
Trump's Pick for Interior Dept. Continued Lobbying After Officially Vowing to Stop, New Files...
Source: The New York Times
Trump’s Pick for Interior Dept. Continued Lobbying After Officially Vowing to Stop, New Files Indicate
By Coral Davenport
April 4, 2019
WASHINGTON — A previously unreleased invoice indicates that David Bernhardt, President Trump’s choice to lead the Interior Department, continued to lobby for a major client several months after he filed official papers saying that he had ended his lobbying activities.
The bill for Mr. Bernhardt’s services, dated March 2017 and labeled “Federal Lobbying,” shows, along with other documents, Mr. Bernhardt working closely with the Westlands Water District as late as April 2017, the month Mr. Trump nominated him to his current job, deputy interior secretary. In November 2016, Mr. Bernhardt had filed legal notice with the federal government formally ending his status as lobbyist.
Westlands, a powerful California agribusiness group, was one of Mr. Bernhardt’s main lobbying and legal clients between 2011 and 2016. In that time, Westlands paid Mr. Bernhardt’s firm $1.3 million for lobbying services. A New York Times investigation this year revealed how Mr. Bernhardt made it a priority at the Interior Department to promote policies long sought by Westlands, including a weakening of Endangered Species Act protections for an imperiled fish. Those changes would have freed more water from the San Francisco Bay Area for irrigation.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Bernhardt, Faith Vander Voort, said in an email that the invoice had been labeled incorrectly and that the documents did not describe lobbying activity.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/climate/david-bernhardt-interior-lobbying.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
China providing services to woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago
Source: Politico/The AP
By ASSOCIATED PRESS 04/04/2019 07:32 AM EDT
BEIJING — Chinese diplomats have been informed of the arrest of a Chinese woman at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club over the weekend and are providing her with consular services, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that the Chinese Consulate General in Houston had been notified of the March 30 arrest, had gotten in touch with the person involved and was providing her with consular assistance. Geng gave no details.
Yujing Zhang is being held on charges of illegal entering and lying to U.S. agents.
Court documents allege 32-year-old Zhang told a Secret Service agent Saturday she was a Mar-a-Lago member there to use the pool. Agents were later summoned and they say Zhang began arguing during an interview.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/04/china-mar-a-lago-arrest-1255290
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says he would support border closure after meeting with Trump
Source: USA Today
Maria Polletta, Arizona Republic Published 7:43 a.m. ET April 4, 2019
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey softened his stance on a possible U.S.-Mexico border closure after meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying he would support Trump if he opted for a shutdown but hoped any closure would be "as short as possible."
The Oval Office meeting came two days after Ducey had said he "of course" did not want to see the border close. He'd pointed to Mexico's status as "our No. 1 trading partner, times four" and said he wanted "to see us continue to be able to trade," confirming that the White House was aware of his position.
Ducey again called trade with Mexico "incredibly important" after his Wednesday discussion with Trump.
"But, border security comes first," he told reporters in Washington, D.C.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/04/arizona-governor-doug-ducey-ok-border-closure-meeting-trump/3362026002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomwashington-topstories
O'Rourke, Sanders vie for young voters in 2020 campaign
Politics Apr 4, 2019 7:54 AM EDT
AUSTIN, Texas — In the growing Democratic presidential field, they seem like a study in opposites.
One’s 77, a democratic socialist from the U.S.-Canada border state of Vermont, who exudes a curmudgeonly grumpiness and bursts with detailed policy proposals. The other’s a boyish 46-year-old native of the U.S.-Mexico border city of El Paso, Texas, who livestreams his skateboarding prowess and offers hopeful but vague paeans to tolerance and cooperation.
Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke may represent different poles among the dozen-plus Democrats vying for the White House, but they have key commonalities that now inject special tension into their rivalry as they ramp up their campaigns.
Both lead the pack in fundraising and have built substantial campaign treasuries on thousands of small donors nationwide rather than using the more traditional model of a small core of major financial backers.
They also strike chords with the same part of the electorate. In their last races, each rose on a strong appeal to young voters.
Now, though, it’s not clear both can exploit their strengths while going head-to-head.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally in downtown Los Angeles, March 23, 2019. Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
more
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/orourke-sanders-vie-for-young-voters-in-2020-campaign
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Name: DonGender: Male
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