March 31, 2018

Miracle-Ear joins growing list of companies pulling ads from Ingraham's show

BY AVERY ANAPOL - 03/31/18 05:11 PM EDT

Hearing aid manufacturer Miracle-Ear is pulling its ads from Laura Ingraham's Fox News show.

The company is one of at least 14 to pull advertising from "The Ingraham Angle" after she attacked Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/MiracleEar/status/979736383567880192

Miracle-Ear joins a growing list of companies, including Nestle, TripAdvisor, Office Dept and Ruby Tuesday, who have abandoned the show in recent days. In the wake of her advertisers fleeing, Ingraham announced Saturday that she was taking a vacation next week.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/381126-miracle-ear-joins-growing-list-of-companies-pulling-ads-from-laura-ingrahams

March 31, 2018

Don King talks to Trump about Stormy Daniels: 'It's utterly ridiculous'

BY AVERY ANAPOL - 03/31/18 04:10 PM EDT

Boxing promoter Don King reportedly dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week, where he told the president that the Stormy Daniels story is “utterly ridiculous.”

The White House has not yet confirmed to pool reporters that King joined his longtime friend Trump for dinner, but The Washington Post reported that King joined the Trump family, including first lady Melania Trump, at the Palm Beach, Fla., resort on Thursday evening.

King told the newspaper that he complained to Trump about the media coverage of Daniels's claims that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which have been at the center of political coverage in recent weeks.

“The top story, number one, is Stormy Daniels,” King told the Post. “I told [Trump] it’s utterly ridiculous. I just came back from Hamburg, Germany, and they were just laughing at us.”

-snip-

“If he denies it happened, that’s what it is,” King told the Post.

“Who cares what he does with some lady?” he added.

-snip-


full article
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/381120-don-king-talks-to-trump-about-stormy-daniels-its-utterly-ridiculous

March 31, 2018

Roseanne Barr faces backlash over Trump conspiracy theory tweet

BY JOHN BOWDEN - 03/31/18 04:38 PM EDT

Actress Roseanne Barr faced heavy criticism on social media this weekend after posting a tweet apparently indicating support for an online conspiracy theory claiming President Trump is involved in combating a global trafficking ring tied to the "deep state."

In a tweet posted Friday night, the "Roseanne" star alleged that Trump was breaking up human trafficking rings and freeing "hundreds" of children in sex slavery around the world every month.

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/979890451200258048

-snip-

Journalists quickly noted that Barr's claim appeared to indicate her support for a conspiracy theory that alleges the existence of a massive child-trafficking ring linked to rogue elements in the government tied to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.

The conspiracy has been traced to an anonymous user identified as "Q" or "QAnon" on the online message board 4Chan. Twitter users noted that Barr has mentioned Q in past tweets as recently as November. The conspiracy theory is similar to the "Pizzagate" theory that led to a man firing shots inside a Washington, D.C., pizzeria in 2016 in an attempt to "investigate" the claims.

Barr's tweet led to backlash from members of the media, Democrats and other public figures, including former Nixon White House counsel John Dean, who slammed Barr's network, ABC, for giving her a platform.

https://twitter.com/JohnWDean/status/979964324427939840
https://twitter.com/michaeltomaso/status/980099418572570629
https://twitter.com/GovHowardDean/status/980116847327670273

Despite the criticism, Barr later doubled down on the message, but said she would refrain from mentioning it further because it invited "bullying" from critics.

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/979955366300708864

-snip-

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/381123-roseanne-barr-faces-social-media-backlash-over-trump-conspiracy-theory-tweet

March 31, 2018

White House asserts Shulkin 'resigned' from VA post

Source: The Hill




BY JOSH DELK - 03/31/18 11:50 AM EDT

The White House now says Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin resigned from his post this week, despite Shulkin's claim that he was fired by the White House chief of staff, according to Politico.

Shulkin, who was fired after months of worsening relations among top VA officials and a controversy pointing to his improper use of taxpayer dollars for personal benefit, said this week that he received a phone call from chief of staff John Kelly informing him of his removal from the post.

But when asked by Politico on Saturday about the latest administration shake-up, VA spokeswoman Lindsey Walters said, "Secretary Shulkin resigned from his position as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs."

A source familiar with the situation told Politico that Shulkin had never tendered a resignation letter, and that he was forced out so quickly that he never had the chance to give an official farewell address to the agency's employees.



Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/381107-white-house-asserts-shulkin-resigned-from-va-post

March 31, 2018

Did Shulkin get fired or resign? This is why it matters

Trump potentially opened the door to legal challenges that could hobble the VA.

By ANDREW RESTUCCIA 03/31/2018 10:50 AM EDT

The White House is now asserting that recently departed Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin resigned. Shulkin has made it clear in his public comments that he was forced out.

While Washington often wraps firings in the verbal cloak of a resignation, the distinction this time could have far-reaching implications that could throw the Department of Veterans Affairs, the second-largest federal agency, into further disarray.

In announcing the removal of Shulkin as VA secretary, Trump tapped Defense Department official Robert Wilkie as the acting leader of the department, bypassing Shulkin’s deputy, who was next in line to succeed him. That decision has reignited a debate among legal experts about the president’s ability to hand-pick replacements for ousted Cabinet secretaries.

The debate centers on vague language in the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which gives the president broad authority to temporarily fill a vacancy at a federal agency with an acting official if the current office holder “dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office.”

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/31/did-shulkin-get-fired-or-resign-veterans-492877

March 31, 2018

Trump cabinet official buys $3.2 million home in Great Barrington (Mass)

By Terry Cowgill Friday, Mar 30

The home and property on Seekonk Cross Road sold for $3.2 million and includes 7.5 acres and 4,665 square feet of floor space.

Great Barrington — Denizens of the Berkshires have grown accustomed to seeing celebrities. After all, from the Gilded Age mansions of more than 100 years ago to the music, film and television artists of today, the rich and famous have been an established presence in the area for as long as anyone can remember.

Now yet another billionaire celebrity has bought property in the Berkshires. On March 12, a pair of properties on either side of Seekonk Cross Road in Great Barrington was sold for $3.2 million, according to records in the Register of Deeds. The buyer, W.L. Ross Family, is a limited liability company that had only been formed a few days earlier.

According to the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the manager and signatory of the LLC is none other than Wilbur L. Ross, the billionaire investor and industrialist who currently serves as secretary of commerce in the administration of President Donald Trump.

And if the old saying about politics making strange bedfellows is true, then it must apply to business as well. The seller is Robert M. Beusman, better known in the area as Bobby Houston.

more
https://theberkshireedge.com/trump-cabinet-official-buys-3-2-million-home-in-great-barrington/

March 31, 2018

North Korea will take part in next two Olympics: IOC chief Bach

Source: Reuters




MARCH 30, 2018 / 9:59 PM / UPDATED 11 HOURS AGO

Martin Quin Pollard, Irene Wang

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea will take part in the next two Olympic Games in Japan and China, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Saturday after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.

Bach traveled to Pyongyang on Thursday in a visit that comes after North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Games helped ease tensions over the Korean peninsula.

Speaking to reporters at Beijing airport upon his return, Bach said North Korea will participate in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

“This commitment was fully supported by the supreme leader of the DPRK in a very open and fruitful discussion I had with him yesterday,” Bach said, using the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.




Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-ioc/north-korea-will-take-part-in-next-two-olympics-ioc-chief-bach-idUSKBN1H701Z

March 31, 2018

The Parkland shooter should not face the death penalty - WaPo Editorial Board

By Editorial Board March 30 at 6:58 PM

EACH NEW detail about the accused Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gunman makes more apparent that Nikolas Cruz suffered from mental illness. Each new detail — the latest being the recommendation for his involuntary commitment two years before the mass shooting — makes clearer the extent and seriousness of his illness. And each new detail further calls into question the decision of a Florida prosecutor to seek the death penalty in what promises to be a costly and agonizing trial rather than accept a guilty plea that would put a sick young man away for the rest of his life.

Less than a month after the Parkland, Fla., rampage killed 17 people, Michael J. Satz, the Broward County state attorney, announced plans to seek execution of the 19-year-old suspect. He had earlier called the Feb. 14 mass shooting “the type of case the death penalty was designed for” and in a court filing he called the crime “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.”

The horror of that day is without dispute. So, too, is the need for serious legal consequences. The gunman — and Mr.?Cruz’s lawyers don’t dispute his guilt — must never again be in a position to be able to harm others. But will killing him serve justice? Even proponents of the death penalty (which we decidedly are not) are hard-pressed to justify its use on those who suffer from mental illness.

Mr.?Cruz’s life was replete with behavioral and mental-health issues. According to medical records, his mother (since deceased) said he had been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It was recommended he be sent to a residential treatment facility in 2013; in 2016, after he made threats to himself and others, school officials considered but did not pursue involuntary commitment. It was one of many missed opportunities by government agencies alerted to his antisocial tendencies.

It probably will take three years before the start of the trial, which would be just one step in an arduous legal process that would cost millions of dollars. In the event of a death-penalty sentence, there would be lengthy appeals, with Mr.?Cruz at the center of attention. Would that benefit the victims and their families? How would that help the community? Wouldn’t the time and money be better spent fixing the systems that failed Mr. Cruz and his victims?

Mr.?Satz should revisit his decision and accept a guilty plea, which would be the last thing heard from Mr.?Cruz.

###

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-parkland-shooter-should-not-face-the-death-penalty/2018/03/30/9c4015a6-2bac-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html

March 31, 2018

Fed judge blocks Trump administration officials from stopping immigrant teens from getting abortions

Federal judge blocks Trump administration officials from stopping immigrant teens from getting abortions

BY LYDIA WHEELER - 03/30/18 08:01 PM EDT

A federal judge on Friday evening temporarily blocked Trump administration officials from stopping pregnant, unaccompanied immigrant teens who are or will be in federal custody from getting an abortion.

Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is violating the teens' constitutional rights to obtain the procedure.

According to the judge, the administration cannot strip unaccompanied immigrant minor children "of their right to make their own reproductive choices,” Chutkan wrote in the decision.

Chutkan's preliminary injunction stops Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families Steve Wagner, Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Scott Lloyd and their associates from interfering or obstructing access to abortion, counseling, medical appointments or other pregnancy-related care.

“While ORR and its director are certainly entitled to maintain an interest in fetal life, and even to prefer that pregnant UC [unaccompanied immigrant minor children] in ORR custody choose one course over the other, ORR may not create or implement any policy that strips UCs of their right to make their own reproductive choices,” she wrote.

more
http://thehill.com/regulation/381076-federal-judge-blocks-trump-administration-officials-from-stopping-immigrant-teens

March 31, 2018

Internet Sends 'Thoughts and prayers' to Laura Ingraham after announcement she's taking vacation

THE INTERNET SENDS ‘THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS’ TO EMBATTLED FOX NEWS HOST LAURA INGRAHAM AFTER ANNOUNCEMENT SHE’S TAKING VACATION

By DAVID BADASH MARCH 31, 2018 9:21 AM

As she closed her five-month old show Friday night Laura Ingraham announced she will be taking next week off. Ingraham has been plagued by at least 16 advertisers fleeing her program, some promising to never return after the Fox News host attacked Parkland student survivor David Hogg.

https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/979923018150445056

"I'll be off for Easter break with my kids, but fear not – we've got a great lineup of guest hosts to fill in for me," Ingraham told viewers.

Former Fox News president Joe Peyronnin says Ingraham's apology – which she said she was offering because of "Holy Week" – was insufficient and the flood of advertisers leaving "could be fatal" to the future of her show.

David Hogg, who had responded to Ingraham's attack by tweeting out a list of just 12 of her top advertisers on Wednesday, offered this tweet:

https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/979935782126354432

Others on social media noted that at Fox News, vacations after advertiser boycotts are sometimes permanent:

https://twitter.com/_Kitty_Wampus_/status/980065756506480642
https://twitter.com/TheGoodGodAbove/status/979972270927106048

Meanwhile, some rejoiced in the success of the Parkland students, and others sent Ingraham their "thoughts and prayers":

https://twitter.com/DearAuntCrabby/status/979926665508933632
https://twitter.com/soshoes/status/980043978136588288
https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/979937426595598336
https://twitter.com/jd1515151/status/980032212610535424
https://twitter.com/adamcbest/status/979942935079866368
https://twitter.com/SocialPowerOne1/status/980045612522655744
https://twitter.com/kenvitiello/status/979881805892542465
https://twitter.com/Mikel_Jollett/status/979920796242997249

####

http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2018/03/the-internet-sends-thoughts-and-prayers-to-embattled-fox-news-host-laura-ingraham-after-announcement-shes-taking-vacation/