June 30, 2019

Tim Ryan savages Trump on North Korea, Huawei

By DAVID COHEN 06/30/2019 12:16 PM EDT Updated 06/30/2019 12:39 PM EDT

Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, a Democratic presidential candidate, blasted President Donald Trump on Sunday for his visit to North Korea.

“I think this has been the President Trump appeasement tour,” he said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“I have no idea why he is shaking hands with a dictator who just in May was sending missiles into the Sea of Japan,” Ryan told host Maria Bartiromo. “You don’t reward that kind of behavior with a visit to your country from the president of the United States.”

Trump met with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, briefly on Sunday, walking across the North Korean border for their third face-to-face meeting. It was the first time a sitting American president has visited the North.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/30/tim-ryan-trump-appeasement-1390791

June 30, 2019

Graham says he wants to compromise with Pelosi on aid, asylum laws

Source: The Hill


BY REBECCA KLAR - 06/30/19 12:13 PM EDT

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that he offered a compromise to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to limit the deaths of migrants making the dangerous trek to cross the U.S. border.

"I spent about an hour with Speaker Pelosi and here's the compromise: We'll start turning the aid back on to Central America. It is in our national security interest to help the Northern Triangle nations with their economy, with their rule of law problems. But if you don't turn off the magnets that attract people, which is our asylum laws, if you don't reform them, they'll keep coming," Graham said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Graham also addressed the viral photo of a father and toddler drowned in the Rio Grande while attempting to gain access to the U.S.

"Here's what I think the father believed, 'If we can just make it across the Rio Grande, and I can put one foot in America, my child and myself are gonna be in America and we're not going to get sent back,'" Graham said.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/451068-graham-says-he-wants-to-amend-asylum-laws

June 30, 2019

U.S. Democratic candidates dump on Trump over North Korea meeting

JUNE 30, 2019 / 12:14 PM / UPDATED 20 MINUTES AGO

Doina Chiacu
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. candidates running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday criticized President Donald Trump’s latest overture to North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, saying the leaders’ meeting lacked substance and elevated a ruthless dictator.

The Republican Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to step into North Korea on Sunday, drawing on his penchant for showmanship and surprise to pull off talks with Kim in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas. [nL4N24109H]

The meeting, at Trump’s last-minute invitation, drew praise from some including Pope Francis as a step toward peace. Critics called it a publicity stunt and said Trump wasted an important symbolic move when there has been little sign that North Korea has taken meaningful steps toward denuclearization.

A number of Democrats vying to replace Trump in the White House in the 2020 election said there was nothing wrong with talking to U.S. adversaries including Kim. This round of talks however, they said, should have followed intense preparations and substantive progress by North Korea on the nuclear issue.

more
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-democrats/u-s-democratic-candidates-dump-on-trump-over-north-korea-meeting-idUSKCN1TV0PE

June 30, 2019

'Big moment': Trump waltzes into North Korea

By BLAKE HOUNSHELL and DANIEL LIPPMAN 06/30/2019 11:12 AM EDT

HE DID IT … ANITA KUMAR in SEOUL -- “Trump takes historic step into North Korea with Kim Jong Un”: “President Donald Trump on Sunday took a step no other sitting American president had before, crossing into North Korea with its leader, Kim Jong Un — a theatrical gesture meant to kick start stalled nuclear negotiations between the two countries. ...

“It was a made-for-TV moment for the reality show-groomed president that unfolded at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Trump approached the border from the south, while Kim approached from the north. The two met at the line demarcating the two countries, grinned and shook hands.

“‘It is good to see you again,’ Kim said through an interpreter. ‘I never expected to meet you in this place.’

“‘Big moment,’ Trump said. ‘Big progress.’

“Trump said Kim then asked him if he would like to cross into North Korea. Trump said he would be honored and walked about 20 steps into the country.” POLITICO … 32-second video:

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1145266508110675971

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2019/06/30/big-moment-trump-waltzes-into-north-korea-452223

June 30, 2019

Tucker Carlson: North Korean Regime is 'Monstrous' But Leading a Country 'Means Killing People'

By Caleb HoweJun 30th, 2019, 10:51 am

President Donald Trump made history on Sunday when he became the first sitting President to cross into North Korea, and the big news was covered by all the networks. On Fox & Friends, they interviewed Tucker Carlson, who is on the trip with the president, about the big moment.

In talking about the regime, Carlson made some startling statements comparing Kim Jong Un and his “Stalinist” regime to countries around the world, including American allies.

“There’s no defending the North Korean regime, which is a monstrous regime. It’s the last really Stalinist regime in the world,” said Carlson by phone. “It’s a disgusting place, obviously, so there’s no defending it.”

“On the other hand,” he said, immediately switching to defending it. “You know, you’ve got to be honest about what it means to lead a country, it means killing people. Not on the scale that the North Koreans do, but a lot of countries commit atrocities including a number that we’re closely allied with.”

“You know, I’m not a relativist or anything, but it’s important to be honest about that,” said Carlson.

more + video
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-north-korean-regime-is-monstrous-but-leading-a-country-means-killing-people/

June 30, 2019

Motel 6 Agrees to Pay $10M for Sharing Guest Info With ICE

Source: The Daily Beast



Allison Quinn
Breaking News Reporter
Published 06.29.19 11:38PM ET

The Motel 6 hotel chain has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over allegations the company shared guest information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Reuters reports. The deal stems from a case filed on behalf of unidentified guests who were reportedly subjected to ICE interrogation and deportation proceedings after Motel 6 employees turned over guest lists to ICE agents. The proposed settlement would not only compensate the victims but also require Motel 6 to provide training to employees on the issue and adhere to a three-year consent decree to not give out guest information to authorities without a warrant or subpoena.

An earlier agreement to resolve the matter was rejected by an Arizona federal judge who said it did not go far enough to ensure the plaintiffs, many of whom are undocumented immigrants, would actually receive their compensation. “Motel 6 fully recognizes the seriousness of the situation and accepts full responsibility for both compensating those who were harmed and taking the necessary steps to ensure that we protect the privacy of our guests. Since this issue emerged, we’ve taken strong action to make sure a similar issue never happens again in the future,” the hotel chain said in a statement Saturday.

Read it at Reuters

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Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/motel-6-agrees-to-pay-dollar10-million-for-sharing-guest-info-with-ice?ref=home

June 30, 2019

Biden Suggests That Mocking a 'Gay Waiter' Was Seen as OK Five Years Ago

Audrey McNamara
Reporter
Published 06.30.19 10:42AM ET

Joe Biden reportedly suggested that mocking a “gay waiter” would have been fine just five years ago while speaking at a gay rights fundraiser in Seattle on Saturday. Per a pool report of the event, the Democratic frontrunner for president said that five years ago—in 2014—if someone in a business meeting in Seattle “made fun of a gay waiter” people would have let it go. The former vice president's remark reportedly drew pushback from the crowd, who yelled: “Not in Seattle!” Others in attendance reportedly said that kind of behavior would only have been acceptable much longer than five years ago. Biden then made the point that times have changed for the better. “Today, that person would not be invited back,” he said.

It’s not the first time the Democratic nominee has put his proverbial foot in his mouth. Just last week, Biden came under fire for saying that a kid in a hoodie “may very well be the next poet laureate and not a gangbanger.” The remarks came a day after Biden also drew ire for his response to criticism from senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) over his record on civil rights issues, specifically his position on school-desegregation busing in the 1970s while he was a senator. The controversial comments highlight Biden's vulnerabilities and what has so far been a defensive campaign approach.

https://twitter.com/ddiamond/status/1145205386397519874

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-suggests-that-mocking-a-gay-waiter-was-seen-as-ok-five-years-ago?ref=home

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Biden's 'gay waiter' comment on LGBTQ rights falls flat in Seattle

By Kate Sullivan, CNN

Updated 12:31 PM ET, Sun June 30, 2019

Washington (CNN) - People gathered at a 2020 presidential fundraiser for Joe Biden Saturday pushed back against the former vice president's claim that just a few years ago people in Washington state would have let a homophobic comment slide, saying "Not in Seattle!"

The presidential hopeful suggested public sentiment toward gay rights issues has come far in a short period of time, saying five years ago if someone at a business meeting in Seattle "made fun of a gay waiter" people would just let it go, according to a pool report of the event. The audience vocally responded to the remark and some in the crowd said homophobic comments would not have gone unchallenged even before five years ago, according to the report.

The event was hosted by public relations executive Roger Nyhus, who is known as a leader in the Seattle gay rights community.

Biden said if someone made homophobic comments today, "that person would not be invited back," and said it was wrong that a gay couple could get married one day and get fired the next in 22 states because they lacked legal protections from job discrimination.

Biden recalled when he, as vice president, said publicly in 2012 that he supported same-sex marriage before former President Barack Obama. Obama, who had previously said his position on the issue was "evolving," announced his support for same-sex marriage after Biden's comments.

more
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/politics/joe-biden-pushback-gay-rights-waiter-comment-seattle/index.html

June 30, 2019

43-Year-Old Salvadoran Migrant Dies in U.S. Border Facility

Source: The Daily Beast


Allison Quinn
Breaking News Reporter
Published 06.30.19 12:11AM ET

A 43-year-old migrant from El Salvador has died after spending about a week at a U.S. border facility in Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Saturday. The man, who has not been named, is said to have collapsed before later dying in a hospital. He had been held at the Rio Grande Valley central processing center in McAllen and suffered from health issues but had been medically checked, a law enforcement official told the AP. The man’s cause of death is not known but an investigation is said to be underway. His daughter will be moved to a shelter until she can be released to a sponsor. The latest death comes after a flu outbreak at the McAllen facility in May prompted it to be shut down temporarily and sanitized. Since December, at least seven migrants—two adults and five children—have died in U.S. custody.

Read it at Associated Press

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Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/43-year-old-salvadoran-migrant-dies-in-us-border-facility?ref=home

June 30, 2019

Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Spotted at DMZ With Trump for Interview

Audrey McNamara
Reporter

Updated 06.30.19 9:56AM ET / Published 06.30.19 9:47AM ET

Fox News host Tucker Carlson was spotted with Donald Trump at the Demilitarized Zone on Sunday during the president’s historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. The American contingent for the trip also included Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, both senior White House advisers. Carlson was present when Trump walked into the pariah nation, and became the first sitting president to set foot into North Korea. The controversial host is reportedly a guest of the White House press pool on the trip, and will interview the president at some point on Sunday for a segment that is scheduled to air Monday night.

The scene at the DMZ on Sunday was chaotic, as cameras and reporters scrambled to capture Trump and Kim Jong Un’s unorthodox meeting, and president Trump's surprise history-making walk. Trump offered to meet the North Korean leader at the DMZ in a tweet just two days before, writing: “If Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!” The resulting meeting is a sign of cooperation between the two nations that are still technically warring. Talks broke down the last time the leaders met face-to-face in Vietnam in February. Kim has reportedly balked at Trump’s insistence that North Korea give up its weapons before international sanctions can be lifted.

https://twitter.com/jonkarl/status/1145210332568100869

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-fox-news-host-spotted-at-dmz-with-trump-for-interview?ref=home

June 30, 2019

Donald Trump Becomes First Sitting American President to Step Into North Korea--a Win for Kim Jong Un

Clearly, Kim had now recovered from the humiliation of the aborted summit with Trump in Hanoi earlier this year.

Donald Kirk
Updated 06.30.19 10:13AM ET Published 06.30.19 10:10AM ET

SEOUL—Kim Jong Un would have to be declared the easy winner Sunday from his third meeting with President Donald Trump, this one in the dramatic setting of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone that is the border between North and South Korea.

In an atmosphere of mounting excitement, Trump clapped Kim on the shoulder as they shook hands exactly on the North-South line. The greetings exchanged between them seemed portentous, laden with hope that this time, perhaps, the yearning for reconciliation would survive the usual recriminations and intimidation.

“Nobody had expected this moment,” said Trump.

“It’s significant,” said Kim, talking in Korean, an interpreter at his side. “We want to bring an end to this unpleasant past and create a new future.”

It was not just that Trump met Kim in the truce village of Panmunjom, or for a few seconds stepped across the line into North Korea, then made his way with Kim through besieging cameramen and security people on the southern side to Freedom House for a extended meeting with the North Korean leader. If Trump was able to proclaim the gesture “a very historic moment,” it was there behind closed doors that he and Kim got down to serious talking. Clearly, Kim had now recovered from the humiliation of the aborted summit with Trump in Hanoi at the end of February.



more
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-becomes-first-sitting-american-president-to-step-into-north-koreaa-win-for-kim-jong-un?ref=home