NationalWatch

White House Criticizes Crackdowns on Peaceful Protests in Iran Newsmax

Monday, 03 October 2022 02:55 PM EDT

The White House on Monday denounced the crackdown by Iranian security forces against peaceful protests in Iran, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"We're alarmed and appalled by reports of security authorities' responding to university students' peaceful protests with violence and mass arrests," she told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to Puerto Rico.

The ongoing protests are in response to the death two weeks ago of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was beaten by security forces for wearing an "improper" hijab.

Jean-Pierre said university students in Iran are "rightly enraged" by her death and that the weekend crackdowns are the type of events that prompt young people in Iran to leave the country "and seek dignity and opportunity elsewhere."

She gave no indication that the crackdown would impact U.S. efforts to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal, which then President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.

Original Article

Economic Issues Hurt Dems in Midterms: Monmouth Poll (Newsmax)

By Peter Malbin | Monday, 03 October 2022 02:08 PM EDT

Economic issues are more important factors than social issues in the November midterm elections, according to the latest Monmouth University Poll.

When asked which group of issues is more important in their support for Congress this year, economic concerns (54%) trump "democratic process" issues (38%) among all Americans, the Monmouth Poll found.

Republicans prioritize the economy (71%), as do Independents (61%), while Democrats prioritize rights (67%).

The poll revealed that about eight in 10 Republicans rank inflation, crime, and immigration at the top of their issues list. A similar number of Democrats prioritize climate change, racial inequality, elections and voting, gun control, and abortion, with about three-quarters also emphasizing jobs and inflation. Independents are more concerned about overall economic issues along with crime and immigration than they are by other issues.

"Democrats are all over the place when it comes to their key issues. This makes it difficult for the party to create a cohesive messaging strategy to motivate its base. Republicans, on the other hand, just have to hammer away at rising prices and 'the wolf is at the door' to get their voters riled up," said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

He added: "A major problem for Democrats is their base messaging doesn't hold as much appeal for independents as the GOP issue agenda does. Even though truly persuadable independents are a rather small group these days, this small difference can have a major impact given the expectation that congressional control will hinge on a handful of very close contests."

President Joe Biden gets a net positive rating for handling the COVID-19 pandemic (50% approve and 47% disapprove), but only three in 10 Americans approve of the job Biden has done on inflation, the nation's top concern (30%).

Currently, 38% approve of the job Biden is doing while 54% disapprove. His approval rating in Monmouth's polling through 2022 has hovered between 36% and 39%, while his disapproval rating has ranged from 54% to 58%. Biden gets an 84% approval rating from his fellow Democrats, but only 28% among independents and 6% among Republicans.

Monmouth concludes that Biden gets poor marks on issues that Americans consider pivotal, and this may bode well for the chances of Republicans in the midterms.

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from Sept. 21-25 with 806 adults in the U.S. The question results in this release have a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

Original Article

Biden: Puerto Rico Hasn't 'Been Taken Very Good Care Of' (Ramunas Bruzas/Dreamstime)

DARLENE SUPERVILLE and DANICA COTO Monday, 03 October 2022 01:46 PM EDT

President Joe Biden on Monday will survey damage from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, where tens of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after the storm hit.

The Category 1 hurricane knocked out electrical power to the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, 44% of whom live below the poverty line.

Power has been restored to about 90% of the island's 1.47 million customers, but more than 137,000 others, mostly in the hardest hit areas of Puerto Rico's southern and western regions, continue to struggle in the dark. Another 66,000 customers are without water.

Biden has pledged that the U.S. government will not abandon Puerto Rico as it starts to rebuild again, five years after the more powerful Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.

On Monday morning, the president said he was going in part because people there "haven't been taken very good care of," and they were "trying like hell to catch up from the last hurricane."

During his visit, Biden planned to announce the administration will provide $60 million through last year's bipartisan infrastructure law to help Puerto Rico shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system so the island will be better prepared for future storms, the White House said.

"We see what you're going through, and we're with you," Biden told Puerto Ricans and Floridians in a message Sunday on his official Twitter account.

Florida is cleaning up after Hurricane Ian churned across that state last week, killing more than 60 people, decimating some coastal communities and flooding others. Biden plans to visit Florida on Wednesday to survey damage.

The president, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden and Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, was to touch down Monday in Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city on the southern coast. Most of the storm damage is in southern Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said he would update Biden on recovery efforts.

"We will make sure to keep working together to ensure the continuity of a reconstruction already underway," the governor tweeted on Sunday.

Fiona caused catastrophic flooding, tore apart roads and bridges, and unleashed more than 100 landslides when it hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18. At least two people died after being swept away by floods, and several others were killed in accidents related to the use of candles or generator during the island-wide power outage.

Government officials have estimated some $3 billion in damages, but warn that costs could rise significantly as evaluations continue.

Some people in Puerto Rico wondered whether Biden's visit would change anything as they recalled how President Donald Trump visited after Hurricane Maria hit as a more powerful Category 4 storm in 2017, and tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd in a display that riled many.

Manuel Veguilla, a 63-year-old retired mechanic who lives in a remote community in the hard-hit northern mountain town of Caguas, said he didn't expect his life to improve in the aftermath of Fiona, which cut off his neighborhood from any help for a week.

"They always offer the lollipop to the kids," he said, referring to Biden's visit. "But in the end, the outcome is always the same. The aid goes to those who have the most."

Criswell, who discussed the aftermath of Fiona and Ian on four Sunday TV news programs, echoed Biden's promise to Fiona's victims.

"We have not left Puerto Rico," she said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Criswell said on ABC's "This Week" that FEMA personnel were sent to the island before the storm hit and that "they're going to stay with the people of Puerto Rico" through the recovery efforts.

Biden recently told Pierluisi that he authorized 100% federal funding for a month for debris removal, search and rescue efforts, power and water restoration, shelter and food.

The lack of electrical power on the island led to the temporary closure of businesses, including gas stations and grocery stores, as fuel supplies dwindled amid heavy generator use. As a result, many cheered the Biden administration's decision to temporarily waive a federal law so that a British Petroleum ship could deliver 300,000 barrels of diesel.

Many also have begun demanding that Puerto Rico be fully exempted from the law, known as the Jones Act, that requires that all goods transported to Puerto Rico be aboard a ship built in the U.S., owned and crewed by U.S. citizens and flying the U.S. flag. This drives up costs for an island that already imports 85% of its food.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also said Puerto Ricans would not be forgotten.

Rubio said the island appeared to be "in better position to respond this time around" due to the prepositioning of personnel and supplies before the storm hit and because part of Puerto Rico's electrical grid had been rebuilt after Hurricane Maria.

"We will do everything we can, we always have, to support Puerto Rico now in the recovery after this, yet another devastating storm," Rubio said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Original Article

Biden: Puerto Rico Hasn't 'Been Taken Very Good Care Of' (Ramunas Bruzas/Dreamstime)

DARLENE SUPERVILLE and DANICA COTO Monday, 03 October 2022 01:46 PM EDT

President Joe Biden on Monday will survey damage from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, where tens of thousands of people are still without power two weeks after the storm hit.

The Category 1 hurricane knocked out electrical power to the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people, 44% of whom live below the poverty line.

Power has been restored to about 90% of the island's 1.47 million customers, but more than 137,000 others, mostly in the hardest hit areas of Puerto Rico's southern and western regions, continue to struggle in the dark. Another 66,000 customers are without water.

Biden has pledged that the U.S. government will not abandon Puerto Rico as it starts to rebuild again, five years after the more powerful Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.

On Monday morning, the president said he was going in part because people there "haven't been taken very good care of," and they were "trying like hell to catch up from the last hurricane."

During his visit, Biden planned to announce the administration will provide $60 million through last year's bipartisan infrastructure law to help Puerto Rico shore up levees, strengthen flood walls and create a new flood warning system so the island will be better prepared for future storms, the White House said.

"We see what you're going through, and we're with you," Biden told Puerto Ricans and Floridians in a message Sunday on his official Twitter account.

Florida is cleaning up after Hurricane Ian churned across that state last week, killing more than 60 people, decimating some coastal communities and flooding others. Biden plans to visit Florida on Wednesday to survey damage.

The president, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden and Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, was to touch down Monday in Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city on the southern coast. Most of the storm damage is in southern Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said he would update Biden on recovery efforts.

"We will make sure to keep working together to ensure the continuity of a reconstruction already underway," the governor tweeted on Sunday.

Fiona caused catastrophic flooding, tore apart roads and bridges, and unleashed more than 100 landslides when it hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18. At least two people died after being swept away by floods, and several others were killed in accidents related to the use of candles or generator during the island-wide power outage.

Government officials have estimated some $3 billion in damages, but warn that costs could rise significantly as evaluations continue.

Some people in Puerto Rico wondered whether Biden's visit would change anything as they recalled how President Donald Trump visited after Hurricane Maria hit as a more powerful Category 4 storm in 2017, and tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd in a display that riled many.

Manuel Veguilla, a 63-year-old retired mechanic who lives in a remote community in the hard-hit northern mountain town of Caguas, said he didn't expect his life to improve in the aftermath of Fiona, which cut off his neighborhood from any help for a week.

"They always offer the lollipop to the kids," he said, referring to Biden's visit. "But in the end, the outcome is always the same. The aid goes to those who have the most."

Criswell, who discussed the aftermath of Fiona and Ian on four Sunday TV news programs, echoed Biden's promise to Fiona's victims.

"We have not left Puerto Rico," she said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Criswell said on ABC's "This Week" that FEMA personnel were sent to the island before the storm hit and that "they're going to stay with the people of Puerto Rico" through the recovery efforts.

Biden recently told Pierluisi that he authorized 100% federal funding for a month for debris removal, search and rescue efforts, power and water restoration, shelter and food.

The lack of electrical power on the island led to the temporary closure of businesses, including gas stations and grocery stores, as fuel supplies dwindled amid heavy generator use. As a result, many cheered the Biden administration's decision to temporarily waive a federal law so that a British Petroleum ship could deliver 300,000 barrels of diesel.

Many also have begun demanding that Puerto Rico be fully exempted from the law, known as the Jones Act, that requires that all goods transported to Puerto Rico be aboard a ship built in the U.S., owned and crewed by U.S. citizens and flying the U.S. flag. This drives up costs for an island that already imports 85% of its food.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also said Puerto Ricans would not be forgotten.

Rubio said the island appeared to be "in better position to respond this time around" due to the prepositioning of personnel and supplies before the storm hit and because part of Puerto Rico's electrical grid had been rebuilt after Hurricane Maria.

"We will do everything we can, we always have, to support Puerto Rico now in the recovery after this, yet another devastating storm," Rubio said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Trump Hails Bolsonaro After Brazil Elections Head to Runoff Incumbent and candidate for President Jair Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party in Brazil talks during a press conference at the end of the general elections day at the main entrance of Alvorada Palace on Sunday in Brasilia, Brazil. (Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)

By Peter Malbin | Monday, 03 October 2022 12:01 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump tweeted a congratulatory message to Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on reaching the runoffs in the election held Sunday in the South American country.

On Truth Social, Trump tweeted: "Congratulations to President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro on greatly "outperforming" inaccurate early Fake News Media polls & getting into a two person runoff, to take place October 30th, with a Radical Left challenger. Now that other Conservatives are out of the race, President Bolsonaro is in a very strong position to win BIG.

"More importantly, he will be victorious because the wonderful people of Brazil appreciate the great job he has done, and is doing. Tremendous Voter Surge over last 24 hours!"

In the runoff, President Bolsonaro will face off against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), who got 48.4% support in the first round, compared to Bolsonaro's 43.2%.

The result came as a surprise, since pre-election polls had given Lula a commanding lead, The Associated Press reported. The last Datafolha survey published Saturday had a 50% to 36% advantage for da Silva.

Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia that he understood there was "a desire for change" in a country with an economic crisis and high inflation. "But certain changes can be for the worse," he said, the AP reported.

Bolsonaro has often been compared to Trump for his outspokenness and questioning the voting systems in Brazil. He has also been criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in 15 years, AP noted.

Like Trump, Bolsonaro built a devoted conservative base.

When Lula was president from 2003 to 2010, he established an extensive social welfare program. His administration was also tarnished by corruption, and he was imprisoned for 19 months.

The Supreme Court later annulled Lula's convictions on grounds that the judge was biased and colluded with prosecutors.

Original Article

Sen. Collins 'Wouldn't Be Surprised' if Lawmaker Killed

(Newsmax)

By Fran Beyer | Monday, 03 October 2022 10:39 AM EDT

An alarming surge in threats and confrontations has elected lawmakers so rattled that Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, reportedly wonders if a murderous encounter may be looming.

Collins was the recipient of an unknown visitor's wrath when a storm window at her home in Bangor was smashed, the New York Times reported.

But her concerns go further.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a senator or House member were killed," the five-term Senator told The Times. "What started with abusive phone calls is now translating into active threats of violence and real violence."

According to the Times, in 2018, after Collins announced she would support the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, she got a message that included footage of a since-deleted video of a beheading.

"We will c-t off your l-mbs and sl-ce off yo-r faces. We will t-ar out your tongues and dism-mber your org-as and sl-t your thro-ts while you watch," the letter read, which contained her personal phone numbers and addresses, as well as those of her staff and their relatives of her staff, the Times reported.

Three people are currently in jail and another few are awaiting some kind of action as a result of threats, Collins told the news outlet.

But she said the window-smashing was of particular concern because it occurred on a secluded side of her house, suggesting the area had been "studied and chosen."

"There's been a sea change in that we now see this constant escalation and erosion of any boundaries of what is acceptable behavior, and it has crossed over into actual violence," Collins told the Times.

But violent rhetoric appears to be normalized in language used by some to pump up their voter base — on both sides of the aisle.

Former President Donald Trump said last week that Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky "has a death wish" over this vote to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan, running for an open Senate seat in Ohio, said on MSNBC that Americans must "kill and confront" the MAGA Republican movement, video posted showed.

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of threats recorded against members of Congress had increased tenfold, according to the Times.

Original Article

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Ban on Gun 'Bump Stocks' A bump-stock device that fits on a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing speed, making it similar to a fully automatic rifle, is installed on a AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, at a gun store on Oct. 5, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images)

By Charlie McCarthy | Monday, 03 October 2022 10:37 AM EDT

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will not hear a case that challenged the Trump-era regulation classifying "bump stocks" as machine guns.

The court began its new term by releasing its order list of cases. W. Clark Aposhian v. Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, et al. was among the "certiorari denied" cases. The high court also rejected a separate challenge pressed by people and groups led by Gun Owners of America.

The justices made no comments in declining to hear the cases that were among many the court rejected.

Bump stocks are devices attached to semiautomatic firearms so that a shooter can fire multiple rounds more rapidly.

The Trump administration banned bump stocks in 2019 after a sniper in Las Vegas used the devices with weapons in the massacre of dozens of concert goers in 2017.

The move was an about-face for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2010, under the Obama administration, the agency found that bump stocks should not be classified as a "machine gun" and therefore should not be banned under federal law.

The justices' decision Monday not to hear the cases comes on the heels of a decision in June in which the justices by a 6-3 vote expanded gun-possession rights, weakening states' ability to limit the carrying of guns in public.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump Objects to Expediting DOJ Appeal in Special Master Case Former President Donald Trump's private resident at Mar-a-Lago in Florida was raided by the FBI in August when he was away. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Monday, 03 October 2022 10:43 AM EDT

Donald Trump objected to a Justice Department request for an expedited ruling in the special master case involving documents seized by the FBI in an August search of the former president's Florida home, a court filing Monday showed.

"The government has not and cannot possibly articulate any real risk of loss or harm resulting from a more deliberative process," Trump's lawyers said in a filing in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Oral argument in January 2023 or thereafter is appropriate," according to the filing.

Original Article

Trump Objects to Expediting DOJ Appeal in Special Master Case Former President Donald Trump's private resident at Mar-a-Lago in Florida was raided by the FBI in August when he was away. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Monday, 03 October 2022 10:43 AM EDT

Donald Trump objected to a Justice Department request for an expedited ruling in the special master case involving documents seized by the FBI in an August search of the former president's Florida home, a court filing Monday showed.

"The government has not and cannot possibly articulate any real risk of loss or harm resulting from a more deliberative process," Trump's lawyers said in a filing in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Oral argument in January 2023 or thereafter is appropriate," according to the filing.

Supreme Court Won't Take Up MyPillow Head's Defamation Case Newsmax

Monday, 03 October 2022 10:33 AM EDT

The Supreme Court says it won't intervene in a lawsuit in which Dominion Voting Systems accused MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell of defamation for accusing the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election against former President Donald Trump.

As is typical, the high court did not say anything Monday about the case in rejecting it among a host of others. Monday is the first day the high court is hearing arguments after taking a summer break.

Lindell is part of a case in which Dominion also accused Trump allies Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani of defamation for claiming that the election was "stolen." The Denver, Colorado-based Dominion has sought $1.3 billion in damages from the trio.

A lower court judge in August of last year declined to dismiss the case and instead said it could go forward. Lindell had appealed that determination, but a federal appeals court said his appeal was premature. The Supreme Court declined to take up that issue.

Powell and Giuliani, both lawyers who filed election challenges on Trump’s behalf, and Lindell, who was one of Trump’s most vocal public supporters, made various claims about the voting machine company during news conferences, election rallies and on social media and television.

A range of election officials across the country, including Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no voter fraud. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, also vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states. Dominion machines tabulated ballots in 28 states.

In September, a judge in Minnesota declined to dismiss a separate defamation lawsuit by a different voting machine maker, Smartmatic, against Lindell. Smartmatic's machines were used only in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election. MyPillow is based in Minnesota.

Biden to Announce $60 Million in Hurricane Aid for Puerto Rico (Newsmax)

Jeff Mason Monday, 03 October 2022 07:52 AM EDT

President Joe Biden plans to announce more than $60 million in aid to help Puerto Rico during a visit Monday to survey damage as the island grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.

The president has pledged the U.S. government's firm support for Puerto Rico as well as the states of Florida and South Carolina, which have also been hit hard in recent days by Hurricane Ian. Biden will travel to Florida on Wednesday.

Biden will announce more than $60 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law "to shore up levees, strengthen flood walls, and create a new flood warning system to help Puerto Rico become better prepared for future storms," a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell and first lady Jill Biden will accompany him on the trip to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

"Our hearts, to state the obvious — it can’t go without saying — are heavy from the devastating hurricane and storms in Puerto Rico, Florida, and South Carolina," Biden said on Saturday night at an event in Washington.

"We owe Puerto Rico a hell of a lot more than they've already gotten," he said.

Costly

Storm-ravaged residents in Florida and the Carolinas alone face a disaster recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

Hundreds of thousands of people have struggled without power since Fiona hit Puerto Rico some two weeks ago.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said via Twitter on Sunday that power had been restored to 90% of customers on the island.

"This is an important milestone, coming just 13 days after Fiona made landfall," she said. "While we're grateful for this progress, we realize the work is not over. Efforts to rebuild and help those impacted will continue."

Last week the Biden administration approved a waiver of U.S. shipping rules to address Puerto Rico's immediate energy needs.

Residents of the island in 2017 accused then President Donald Trump of being slow to dispatch aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Original Article

Biden to Announce $60 Million in Hurricane Aid for Puerto Rico (Newsmax)

Jeff Mason Monday, 03 October 2022 07:52 AM EDT

President Joe Biden plans to announce more than $60 million in aid to help Puerto Rico during a visit Monday to survey damage as the island grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.

The president has pledged the U.S. government's firm support for Puerto Rico as well as the states of Florida and South Carolina, which have also been hit hard in recent days by Hurricane Ian. Biden will travel to Florida on Wednesday.

Biden will announce more than $60 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law "to shore up levees, strengthen flood walls, and create a new flood warning system to help Puerto Rico become better prepared for future storms," a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell and first lady Jill Biden will accompany him on the trip to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

"Our hearts, to state the obvious — it can’t go without saying — are heavy from the devastating hurricane and storms in Puerto Rico, Florida, and South Carolina," Biden said on Saturday night at an event in Washington.

"We owe Puerto Rico a hell of a lot more than they've already gotten," he said.

Costly

Storm-ravaged residents in Florida and the Carolinas alone face a disaster recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

Hundreds of thousands of people have struggled without power since Fiona hit Puerto Rico some two weeks ago.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said via Twitter on Sunday that power had been restored to 90% of customers on the island.

"This is an important milestone, coming just 13 days after Fiona made landfall," she said. "While we're grateful for this progress, we realize the work is not over. Efforts to rebuild and help those impacted will continue."

Last week the Biden administration approved a waiver of U.S. shipping rules to address Puerto Rico's immediate energy needs.

Residents of the island in 2017 accused then President Donald Trump of being slow to dispatch aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Sen. Rubio Fears Venezuelan Prisoner Swap 'Puts Americans … in Danger'

(Newsmax/"National Report")

By Nick Koutsobinas | Sunday, 02 October 2022 06:45 PM EDT

A recent prisoner swap between the United States and Venezuela puts Americans "in danger" worldwide, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said on Sunday.

During an interview with Dana Bash, host of CNN's "State of the Union," Rubio expressed concern that a prisoner swap involving two Venezuelan drug dealers exchanged for seven Americans held on trumped-up charges sets a dangerous precedent for future prisoner swaps.

"Well, the two Venezuelans that were released are the nephews of [Venezuela President Nicolás] Maduro who happen to be convicted drug dealers," Rubio told Bash. "They were put in jail after being convicted after a fair trial in the United States. Evidence was produced and it was overwhelming.

"The seven Americans were hostages. And here's my problem with it. That has now put a price tag on Americans. Every time you do one of these deals — and I wanted those people released as much as anybody. But every time you do this, now others know, I can take Americans, I can hold them until I need something as a bargaining chip.

"So what that has done is now sent a message to tyrants and dictators all over the world to go ahead and trump up some charges and arrest Americans, because, when the time comes, we will be able to exchange them," Rubio added.

"So I think seven innocent American hostages in exchange for two convicted drug dealers who happen to be the nephews of Maduro is a huge win for Maduro and, unfortunately, puts Americans all over the world now in danger."

According to The Hill, on Saturday, President Joe Biden stated that Venezuela freed seven U.S. residents who were asked to visit Venezuela for a business meeting in 2017 but were detained upon arrival and sentenced to eight years in prison on embezzlement charges.

In exchange, the U.S. released two nephews of Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores. The two dealers came under U.S. detainment after the Drug Enforcement Agency arrested them in a sting operation in Haiti in 2015. They were convicted a year later on drug trafficking charges in New York.

"I am grateful," Biden said in his statement, "for the hard work of dedicated public servants across the U.S. government who made this possible, and who continue to deliver on my administration's unflinching commitment to keep faith with Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained all around the world."

Original Article

McMaster: 'Never Uncomfortable' With Trump Handling Classified Info

(Newsmax/"Eric Bolling The Balance")

By Nick Koutsobinas | Sunday, 02 October 2022 05:02 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said he "did not see any problems" with how officials handled classified documents in the former president's administration.

Speaking to host Margaret Brennan of CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday, McMaster said, "[T]here were systems in place. I don't know what happened to those systems. But … I was never uncomfortable with it while I was there. But, you know, that was a long time ago now."

McMaster, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, departed the Trump administration in the spring of 2018 after serving as counsel for nearly a year.

Early in August, the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, pulling out boxes of documents, including some labeled top secret, The Hill reported. In February, the National Archives and Records Administration asked the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Trump's handling of records after officials recovered 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago in January, as reported by The Washington Post.

After what Matt Taibbi described as the "most consequential American news events since 9/11," a Florida district court granted Trump the right to hire a special master to parse through classified and unclassified materials to decide which records are protected under attorney-client privilege or otherwise shielded from the DOJ's review.

Last week, the National Archives announced that it was still missing records from Trump.

Original Article

Rep. Mike Turner: Expect 'Wild West' Spending Spree if Dems Lose House

(Newsmax/"Prime News")

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Sunday, 02 October 2022 04:28 PM EDT

Democrats will stage a "Wild West" spending spree in Washington if Republicans win the House in November while trying to push through every package they can before having to relinquish their gavels, Rep. Mike Turner said Sunday.

"They're going to see this as an opportunity to get through a bunch of things they've been waiting patiently on the sides to get done," the Ohio Republican told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures." "We're going to see some unbelievable contortions by Democrats to get things over the line before they lose power."

The extra spending will come while President Joe Biden blames Republicans for the national deficit and inflation, noted Bartiromo, but Turner said it's clear to see how out of control Democrat spending has been under his White House.

"We can see it in the grocery store and at the gas pump, the effects of his out-of-control spending," said Turner. "You can't say [you're] going to spend $10 trillion, then spend $9 trillion, and then say, 'I saved you a trillion.' That's what he's doing, and now he's raising the interest rates on families and businesses, which is only going to result in a recession."

Turner also on Sunday panned the Biden administration's foreign policy moves on Russia, Iran, China and more.

Where Russia is concerned, President Vladimir Putin's fiery speech last week likely reflects more of his thinking than other declarations he's made, and the Biden administration must heed his warning signs, Turner said.

"This administration needs to step up its game on missile defense," he added. "We have assets in Europe. We need to engage them so that they can provide protection to our allies, including Ukraine. We need to move other missile defense as assets into the area, so that we're not just a casual observer if Putin makes good on these threats and we see the use of these catastrophic weapons."

Meanwhile, when it comes to North Korea, Vice President Kamala Harris was "out of her realm" with her visit to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

"She is confused on many things," he said. "When she goes into any international situation, it's as if it's the first time she's ever heard of it, which is very dangerous for someone in the vice president's position, to be learning on the job."

Turner said he has visited the region, and said he knows from experience that there are significant briefings one must go through, but he doesn't think Harris was listening.

The White House is also in trouble with China, Turner said, calling its policies in "shambles."

"They've been fearful to even continue policies from the prior administration, claiming that in their wokeness that they're concerned that they could be targeting individuals," he said. "Well, of course, they would be targeting our adversary, China."

The administration is "not doing anything" to try to stop China's threats to Taiwan, including echoing Russia's threats by promising "unbelievable consequences" against anyone who opposes them.

"That's the same type of language you're getting out of Russia," he said. "You're seeing where the gap in what the administration is doing to try to deter these two aggressive nations and authoritarian regimes."

When it comes to Iran, the administration's policies are "misplaced," Turner said.

"While they're strengthening the Iranian regime, the Iranian regime is under attack from its own people," said Turner, adding that Iran nuclear deal, which former President Donald Trump stopped, "was not serving Israel and our allies in the area. It was permitting Iran to continue its march to place the United States at risk."

Biden wants to reenter the agreement, but "going back into a failed deal does not protect the United States, said Turner.

Original Article

Trump Staffers Not Returning White House Records, National Archives Says

Doina Chiacu Sunday, 02 October 2022 03:53 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump's administration has not turned over all presidential records and the National Archives will consult with the Justice Department on whether to move to get them back, the agency has told Congress.

A congressional panel on Sept. 13 sought an urgent review by the National Archives and Records Administration after agency staff members acknowledged that they did not know if all presidential records from Trump's White House had been turned over.

"While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should," acting Archivist Debra Wall said in a letter Friday to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

The Archives knows some White House staffers conducted official business on personal electronic messaging accounts that were that were not copied or forwarded to their official accounts, in violation of the Presidential Records Act, Wall said.

"NARA has been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of presidential records from former officials," Wall said in the letter, first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

She said the Archives, the federal agency charged with preserving government records, would consult with the Department of Justice on "whether to initiate an action for the recovery of records unlawfully removed."

The Oversight Committee shared a copy of the letter with Reuters but has not issued a statement on it yet.

Representatives for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter.

Trump is facing a criminal investigation by the Justice Department for retaining government records — some marked as highly classified, including "top secret" — at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office in January 2021.

The FBI seized more than 11,000 records, including about 100 documents marked as classified, in a court-approved Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department and Trump's lawyers have been locked in a legal battle over how the records are handled. Government lawyers have been granted access to the classified documents but on Friday asked an appeals court to expedite its ability to access the non-classified documents seized in Florida.

Original Article

Trump Staffers Not Returning White House Records, National Archives Says

Doina Chiacu Sunday, 02 October 2022 03:53 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump's administration has not turned over all presidential records and the National Archives will consult with the Justice Department on whether to move to get them back, the agency has told Congress.

A congressional panel on Sept. 13 sought an urgent review by the National Archives and Records Administration after agency staff members acknowledged that they did not know if all presidential records from Trump's White House had been turned over.

"While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should," acting Archivist Debra Wall said in a letter Friday to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

The Archives knows some White House staffers conducted official business on personal electronic messaging accounts that were that were not copied or forwarded to their official accounts, in violation of the Presidential Records Act, Wall said.

"NARA has been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of presidential records from former officials," Wall said in the letter, first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

She said the Archives, the federal agency charged with preserving government records, would consult with the Department of Justice on "whether to initiate an action for the recovery of records unlawfully removed."

The Oversight Committee shared a copy of the letter with Reuters but has not issued a statement on it yet.

Representatives for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter.

Trump is facing a criminal investigation by the Justice Department for retaining government records — some marked as highly classified, including "top secret" — at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office in January 2021.

The FBI seized more than 11,000 records, including about 100 documents marked as classified, in a court-approved Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department and Trump's lawyers have been locked in a legal battle over how the records are handled. Government lawyers have been granted access to the classified documents but on Friday asked an appeals court to expedite its ability to access the non-classified documents seized in Florida.

Rubio Fears Russian Attack on NATO Over Nuke Threat (Newsmax)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Sunday, 02 October 2022 01:20 PM EDT

The risks are higher now than they were a month ago that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order the use of a tactical nuclear weapon against Ukraine, Sen. Marco Rubio acknowledged Sunday, but he said his "bigger fear" is that Putin could order an attack on a NATO ally.

"If he decides that the NATO arming and the European arming is causing him not to just lose his war and undermine his grip on power, but perhaps threatening his own forces inside of Russia, I think it's quite possible that he could end up striking some of these distribution places where these supplies are coming through, including inside Poland," the Florida Republican said on CNN's "State of the Union."

He added that Ukraine is on a path to regaining territory seized by Russia after the February invasion, and while he can't say how much Ukraine will advance, the bigger issue is that "there is no way for Russia and Putin to win this war or any of their objectives."

That means Putin has two choices: to design defensive lines or to retreat and continue to lose territory.

"The worry becomes the unpredictability of what Putin does in a situation like that," said Rubio. "There is a lot of talk about nuclear, but the thing I worry about is a Russian attack inside NATO, including aiming at the airport in Poland or some other distribution point."

NATO would then have to respond, but whether it would respond with a counterattack would depend on the nature of Russia's attack and the size and scale of it, said Rubio.

Rubio is the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and said he wouldn't comment on what the intelligence community is seeing, and he's also not saying the risk of Putin detonating a nuclear device as a demonstration of power is zero.

"What's the purpose of a tactical nuclear weapon detonated for demonstration purposes? It's to send a message," he said. "I think if he believes this arming of Ukraine is what's causing him to lose this war and potentially his position of power, he may strike one of these logistical points, and that logistical point may not be inside of Ukraine. To me, that is the area I focus on the most because it has a tactical aspect to it. I think he probably views it as less escalatory. NATO may not."

Rubio also commented on the leaks that are springing up in the Nord Stream pipelines from Russia to Europe, and said "logic and common sense will tell you these things don't blow up on their own."

"The only people in the region who had the motive and the capability to do it are Russian forces," said Rubio. "To me, it's not an intelligence matter at this point, it's a common sense matter."

The senator on Sunday also spoke out about the prisoner exchange between the United States and Venezuela, with the Venezuelans Saturday freeing seven Americans in exchange for two nephews of President Nicholas Maduro's wife."

The released Venezuelans had been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States, Rubio pointed out, while the Americans had been held as hostages.

"That now has put a price tag on Americans," said Rubio. "I wanted those people released as much as anybody."

But now, other countries know they can use Americans as a bargaining chip, and that sends "a message to tyrants and dictators all over the world to trump up charges," said Rubio. "I think seven innocent American hostages for two convicted drug dealers, unfortunately, puts Americans all over the world in danger."

Original Article

Biden Pledge to Make Federal Fleet Electric Faces Slow Start President Joe Biden drives a Cadillac Lyriq through the showroom during a tour at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022, in Detroit. Biden, a self-described “car guy,'' often promises to lead by example by moving swiftly to convert the sprawling federal fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles. (AP)

HOPE YEN, MATTHEW DALY and DAVID SHARP Sunday, 02 October 2022 09:04 AM EDT

President Joe Biden, a self-described “car guy,'' often promises to lead by example by moving swiftly to convert the sprawling U.S. government fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles. But efforts have lagged in helping meet his ambitious climate goals by eliminating gas-powered vehicles from the federal fleet.

Biden last year directed the U.S. government to purchase only American-made, zero-emission passenger cars by 2027 and electric versions of other vehicles by 2035.

“We’re going to harness the purchasing power of the federal government to buy clean, zero-emission vehicles,” the president said soon after his January 2021 inauguration. He has since used photo ops — taking a spin in Ford Motor Co.'s electric F-150 pickup truck, or driving GM’s Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV at the Detroit auto show — to promote their potential. Cabinet officials have hawked a first set of Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs in use at the departments of Energy and Transportation.

The White House frequently describes the 2027 timeline as on track. But the General Services Administration, the agency that purchases two-thirds of the 656,000-vehicle federal fleet, says there are no guarantees.

Then there is the U.S. Postal Service, which owns the remaining one-third of the federal fleet. After initially balking and facing lawsuits, the agency now says that half of its initial purchase of 50,000 next-generation vehicles will be powered by electricity. The first set of postal vehicles will hit delivery routes late next year.

Climate advocates say that agency can do even better.

“USPS should now go all-electric or virtually all electric with its new vehicles,'' said Luke Tonachel, senior director of clean vehicles and buildings at the Natural Resources Defense Council, citing an additional $3 billion in federal spending targeted for the postal fleet under the landmark climate law Biden signed last month.

About 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, making it the single largest source of planet-warming emissions in the country.

Electrification of the federal fleet is a “cornerstone” of Biden’s efforts to decarbonize the federal government, said Andrew Mayock, chief federal sustainability officer for the White House.

“The future is electric, and the federal government has built a strong foundation … that’s going to deliver on this journey we’re on over the next decade,″ he said in an interview.

Excluding the Postal Service, about 13% of new light-duty vehicles purchased across the government this year, or about 3,550, were “zero emissions,” according to administration figures provided to The Associated Press. The government defines zero emissions as either electric or plug-in hybrid, which technically has a gas-burning engine. That compares with just under 2% in the 2021 budget year and less than 1% in 2020.

Nationwide, about 6% of new car sales are electric.

When it comes to vehicles actually on the road, the federal numbers are even smaller. Many of the purchases in recent months won't be delivered for as long as a year due to supply chain problems.

Currently just 1,799 of the 656,000-vehicle federal fleet are zero-emissions vehicles.

At a rate of 35,000 to 50,000 GSA car purchases a year, it will take years, if not decades, to convert the entire fleet.

“It hasn’t been exactly a fast start,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal mobility analyst for Guidehouse Insight. "It’s going to be challenging for them probably for at least the next year or two to really accelerate that pace.”

Christina S. Kingsland, who directs the business management division for the federal fleet at GSA, said “the federal fleet is a working fleet.”

The agency pointed to a limited EV supply from automakers with big upfront costs. In addition, it said the needs of agencies are often highly specialized, from Interior Department pickup trucks on large rural tribal reservations to hulking Department of Homeland Security SUVs along the U.S. border.

Agencies also need easy access to public EV charging stations. The White House has acknowledged agencies are “way behind” on their own charging infrastructure, with roughly 600 charging stations and 2,000 total chargers nationwide.

While Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law provides $7.5 billion to states to build out an EV charging network of up to 500,000 chargers over several years along interstate highways, no money from that law was earmarked for federal agencies' specialized needs. Money for charging stations must be allocated in each department's budget.

Meeting Biden's goal for the federal fleet is contingent on industry increasing production as predicted beginning in 2025 and 2026, analysts say. By that time, the effects of big federal investments to build public chargers and boost EV manufacturing in the U.S. will likely be felt alongside tougher rules for automakers to curtail tailpipe emissions.

GM, for example, has set a target of 1 million EV annual production capacity worldwide by 2025, while Ford expects to make 2 million EVs globally by 2026. Stellantis also is cranking up production capacity and is getting ready to launch a whole slate of new EVs.

The White House has declined to set a specific goal for EV purchases in 2023, but Mayock said he expects the number to be higher than 13%.

While the Postal Service is an independent agency, it plays an essential role in fleet electrification, not only because it owns 234,000 vehicles in the federal fleet, but also because the familiar blue-and-white mail trucks are by far the most visible federal vehicle, rolling into neighborhoods across America each day.

The agency plans to buy up to 165,000 of next-generation vehicles over a decade. The Postal Service remains "committed to reducing our carbon footprint in many areas of our operations and expanding the use of EVs in our fleet is a priority,'' said spokesperson Kim Frum.

White House officials say government EV purchases can only increase exponentially after a near-zero baseline a few years ago under President Donald Trump, who sought to loosen fuel economy requirements for gas-powered vehicles and proposed doing away with a federal tax credit for electric cars.

At a recent EV demonstration at a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center outside Washington, officers test-drove EVs outfitted for police use, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Mayock called it “a big change-management moment″ for the government.

Original Article

Trump: 'We Are on a Mission to Restore the Republic to Greatness'

By Eric Mack | Saturday, 01 October 2022 08:23 PM EDT

Blasting President Joe Biden's inflation and open border, former President Donald Trump vowed at his Save America rally in Warren, Michigan, on Saturday night to continue his "mission to restore the republic to greatness."

"No matter what the left-wing tyrants throw at us, no matter what they do to us, we have no choice, we have to keep on going," Trump told his rally at Macomb County Community College, which aired live on Newsmax. "We have to keep on fighting because we are on a mission to restore the republic to greatness. We're on a mission to bring it back, and it's really down and it's down very big – bad, very bad – very precarious what's going on."

Trump reissued his mantra for teasing his 2024 presidential campaign, which he has yet to officially announce because of "stupid" campaign finance laws.

"The election was rigged and stolen, and now our country is being absolutely destroyed because of it," Trump said. "I ran twice. I want twice. I did much better the second time than I did the first, getting millions and millions of more votes in 2020 than we did in 2016, and likewise getting more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country, as I said.

"And now, we might just have to do it again."

Trump did not announce his campaign once again, only promising his supporters in Michigan were "going to be very happy."

" I think you'll be very happy, but first we have to win a historic victory for the Republican Party this November," Trump said.

"Coming up, job number one for a Republican Congress is to stop the invasion of our southern border. It's an invasion. We're being invaded."

Trump also predicted record inflation will go even higher after the midterm elections.

"Under the Trump administration we had the greatest economy in the history of the world with no inflation," Trump said. "We had no inflation. Biden and the Democrat Congress created the worst inflation in 51 years: 9.2%.

"Now, I have to say that the inflation is going to get much higher now. It's going to get much higher right after the election. Watch what happens."

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Original Article