NationalWatch

US, Cubans Will Meet Again in Havana: State Department A vintage American car carries tourists next to hotel Riviera, managed by the Spanish company Iberostar, in Havana, Cuba, April 24, 2019. U.S. and Cuban officials plan to meet in Havana on Nov. 15, 2022, to discuss migration policy. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

MATTHEW LEE and MEGAN JANETSKY Tuesday, 15 November 2022 09:30 AM EST

U.S. and Cuban officials plan to meet in Havana on Tuesday to discuss migration policy, the latest in a series of sessions between two governments with a historically icy relationship and amid one of the biggest migratory flights from the island in decades.

The State Department on Monday confirmed the latest meeting to The Associated Press. While the department did not offer specifics on what would be discussed, it said the talks were routine and represent a continuation of a nearly 30-year engagement with Cuba on migration matters as neighboring states. The talks were limited to migration, the State Department said.

U.S. authorities stopped Cubans nearly 221,000 times in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, a 471% increase from the year before, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

In October, Cubans replaced Venezuelans as the second-largest nationality after Mexicans, extending the biggest flight from the Caribbean island to the United States since the Mariel boatlift in 1980, according to figures released late Monday. Cubans were stopped 28,848 times, up 10% from September.

The mass migration is fueled by a complex mix of economic and political turmoil exacerbated by a deepening energy crisis and devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian in late September.

Last Wednesday, State Department officials traveled to Cuba to discuss the expansion of consular and visa services with Cuban officials. Those services were previously closed following a series of health incidents in 2017.

The Biden administration also announced that visa processing would resume in January.

Tuesday's meeting represents a slow thawing of a relationship that has always been tense, but has been particularly strained since President Donald Trump tightened American sanctions on the island.

A U.S. official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity said Cuba has agreed to receive one flight of deported Cuban migrants from the U.S. It would be the first flight since the beginning of the pandemic, potentially offering American authorities a tool to deter Cuban border crossers.

U.S. officials, the official said, hope more will come out of the Havana talks as the exodus from the island has no end in sight.

Original Article

Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: Biden Didn't Confront China on Serious Issues Fred Fleitz (Newsmax)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Tuesday, 15 November 2022 09:00 AM EST

President Joe Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where vital issues such as China's export of fentanyl and the origins of COVID-19 were not discussed, shows that the administration is not "interested in confronting the Chinese on any serious issues," Fred Fleitz, the vice-chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security, told Newsmax on Tuesday.

"It seems like Biden spent most of his time talking about climate change and trying a new way to cooperate," Fleitz, a Newsmax contributor and former chief of staff to the National Security Council, said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "Let's be clear: The Chinese have no intention of cooperating with climate change."

Fleitz also questioned why Secretary of State Antony Blinken hasn't visited China before, and wants to know why there haven't been negotiations or discussions between the United States and Russia or China, "whether we agree or not."

"Why has the dialogue been absent?" Fleitz said. "I think just think this is another element of the incredible incompetence of this administration."

The summit was also "strange," said Fleitz, noting that there was no joint press conference or statement issued after the meeting.

"Biden claims things were discussed in the meetings such as North Korea, such as that a nuclear war should never be fought, but the Chinese statement didn't say that," Fleitz said. "We're not sure what was agreed to. The Chinese had a statement, and I read all of it. They talk about that … Xi explained his position on Taiwan. He would like a negotiated settlement to Ukraine."

Meanwhile, Biden said that he does not think there is an "imminent attempt" by China to invade Taiwan, but Fleitz noted that Biden's comments "don't track what the Chinese statement says."

"The Chinese were very clear and aggressive on their right to Taiwan," Fleitz said. "They make this clear in their statement. Biden seems to be talking about the world he wishes for rather than the world that actually exists here. There's growing tension concerning Taiwan. China looks like it is preparing its military foreign invasion."

Fleitz also said Tuesday that Biden showed weakness in the way he greeted Xi by walking across a stage to greet him, while the Chinese leader stood still.

"Compare this to the way President (Donald) Trump dealt with every foreign leader," he said. "You know who the great power was … it's simply another sign of weakness. It's body language. I don't understand why [Biden's] advisers would allow the meeting to start this way."

Fleitz said he was also concerned about Biden's speech about China, where he "condemned Republicans for political violence and voter intimidation."

"How a president could say that on foreign soil," said Fleitz. "After an election, you're supposed to bury the hatchet, and to say something so awful, so divisive in countries that do not have free elections, I just thought it was reprehensible."

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Original Article

Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: Biden Didn't Confront China on Serious Issues (Newsmax/"Wake Up America")

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Tuesday, 15 November 2022 09:45 AM EST

President Joe Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where vital issues such as China's export of fentanyl and the origins of COVID-19 were not discussed, shows that the administration is not "interested in confronting the Chinese on any serious issues," Fred Fleitz, the vice-chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security, told Newsmax on Tuesday.

"It seems like Biden spent most of his time talking about climate change and trying a new way to cooperate," Fleitz, a Newsmax contributor and former chief of staff to the National Security Council, said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "Let's be clear, the Chinese have no intention of cooperating with climate change."

Fleitz also questioned why Secretary of State Antony Blinken hasn't visited China before, and wants to know why there haven't been negotiations or discussions between the United States and Russia or China, "whether we agree or not."

"Why has the dialogue been absent?" Fleitz said. "I think just think this is another element of the incredible incompetence of this administration."

The summit was also "strange," said Fleitz, noting that there was no joint press conference or statement issued after the meeting.

"Biden claims things were discussed in the meetings such as North Korea, such as that a nuclear war should never be fought, but the Chinese statement didn't say that," Fleitz said. "We're not sure what was agreed to. The Chinese had a statement, and I read all of it. They talk about that … Xi explained his position on Taiwan. He would like a negotiated settlement to Ukraine."

Meanwhile, Biden said that he does not think there is an "imminent attempt" by China to invade Taiwan, but Fleitz noted that Biden's comments "don't track what the Chinese statement says."

"The Chinese were very clear and aggressive on their right to Taiwan," Fleitz said. "They make this clear in their statement. Biden seems to be talking about the world he wishes for rather than the world that actually exists here. There's growing tension concerning Taiwan. China looks like it is preparing its military foreign invasion."

Fleitz also said Tuesday that Biden showed weakness in the way he greeted Xi by walking across a stage to greet him, while the Chinese leader stood still.

"Compare this to the way President [Donald] Trump dealt with every foreign leader," he said. "You know who the great power was … it's simply another sign of weakness. It's body language. I don't understand why [Biden's] advisers would allow the meeting to start this way."

Fleitz said he was also concerned about Biden's speech about China, where he "condemned Republicans for political violence and voter intimidation."

"How a president could say that on foreign soil," said Fleitz. "After an election, you're supposed to bury the hatchet, and to say something so awful, so divisive in countries that do not have free elections, I just thought it was reprehensible."

About NEWSMAX TV:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!

• Find NEWSMAX in over 100 million U.S. homes via cable/streaming – More Info Here
• Watch NEWSMAX TV online – See It Here
• Download the FREE NEWSMAX App on Your Smartphone to Watch Now!

Original Article

Boebert Colorado Race Rests With 'Cured' Ballots Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. (Getty)

By Charlie McCarthy | Tuesday, 15 November 2022 08:31 AM EST

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., continues to lead in her bid for reelection in a race still too close to call a week after Election Day.

The latest Newsmax numbers show Boebert with a 1,122-vote lead over Democrat Adam Frisch in Colorado’s 3rd District with 95% of the votes counted.

Republicans needed one more seat to claim a House majority in the next Congress. Newsmax projected the GOP with 217 seats, Democrats with 203 and 15 races still undecided.

"Waiting this long for election results is going to make firing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House that much sweeter," Boebert tweeted Monday night.

Votes are still being counted and, in some cases, "cured" – a process by which voters are provided an opportunity to fix ballots initially rejected due to problems (e.g. missing signatures).

Voters have until Wednesday to cure their ballot.

"We're still in this fight," Frisch tweeted. "Just in a holding pattern. As ballots continue to be counted, we continue to feel proud of where we stand and what we've accomplished.

"As ballots continue to be counted, we continue to feel proud of where we stand and what we've accomplished."

The Washington Examiner reported that county clerks also are waiting to process a small number of ballots, including ones from military and overseas residents, until they can be counted with all the cured ballots.

Political operatives' estimate as many as 5,000 ballots remain uncounted or in transit.

Frisch is a businessman and former city councilman from the posh, mostly liberal ski town of Aspen.

Boebert, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, established herself as a partisan flashpoint in Washington, D.C., in her first term, and had been favored to win reelection after redistricting made the conservative and mostly rural district more Republican.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Original Article

Boebert Colorado Race Rests With 'Cured' Ballots Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. (Getty Images)

By Charlie McCarthy | Tuesday, 15 November 2022 09:04 AM EST

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., continues to lead in her bid for reelection in a race still too close to call a week after Election Day.

The latest Newsmax numbers show Boebert with a 1,122-vote lead over Democrat Adam Frisch in Colorado's 3rd District with 95% of the votes counted.

Republicans needed one more seat to claim a House majority in the next Congress. Newsmax projected the GOP with 217 seats, Democrats with 203 and 15 races still undecided.

"Waiting this long for election results is going to make firing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House that much sweeter," Boebert tweeted Monday night.

Votes are still being counted and, in some cases, "cured" – a process by which voters are provided an opportunity to fix ballots initially rejected due to problems (e.g. missing signatures).

Voters have until Wednesday to cure their ballot.

"We're still in this fight," Frisch tweeted. "Just in a holding pattern. As ballots continue to be counted, we continue to feel proud of where we stand and what we've accomplished.

The Washington Examiner reported that county clerks also are waiting to process a small number of ballots, including ones from military and overseas residents, until they can be counted with all the cured ballots.

Political operatives' estimate as many as 5,000 ballots remain uncounted or in transit.

Frisch is a businessman and former city councilman from the posh, mostly liberal ski town of Aspen.

Boebert, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, established herself as a partisan flashpoint in Washington, D.C., in her first term, and had been favored to win reelection after redistricting made the conservative and mostly rural district more Republican.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Original Article

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:20 PM PT – Monday, November 14, 2022

Ohio Senator-elect J.D. Vance urged Republicans to stop blaming former President Trump for what some see as underwhelming midterms results.

In an op-ed published on Monday, Vance (R-Ohio) pointed out that lobbyists and lawmakers were taking all the credit on election night when the polls suggested the red wave was coming. However, when the numbers turned out to be more modest, Vance said those same people abandoned their optimism and turned on Trump.

Vance said the real reason Democrats kept the Senate and did not get blown out of the House was due to the DNC’s massive fundraising machine. He claimed that is how John Fetterman (D-Penn.) was able to overcome Doctor Oz’s campaign and why Stacey Abrams (D-Ga.) lost by a single digit margin.

The incoming Senator urged party officials to enhance outreach to small dollar donors and voters. He added that blaming the 45th President is counterproductive.

Original Article Oann

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:27 PM PT – Monday, November 14, 2022

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threw her support behind Joe Biden following the midterms.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressed optimism about the direction of the United States in light of this year’s midterm elections.

During an interview on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Pelosi voiced her support of Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. This comes despite the Democrat party being split on Biden’s 2024 aspirations.

Additionally, she praised Biden’s economic policies, which have led the country into experiencing a 40-year high inflation with recession worries looming on the horizon.

Recent exit polls showed that over 46% of voters felt Biden’s policies were hurting the economy and over 73% were dissatisfied with the direction the country is going.

“Yes, I do,” Pelosi said. “President Biden has been a great president for our country. He has accomplished so much. Over 10 million jobs under his leadership, working with the private sector, of course. He has just done so many things that are so great we would need a lot more show to talk about it. He’s put money in people’s pockets, vaccines in their arms, children back to school, people back to work, for starters, creating 10 million jobs.”

Pelosi then went on to claim that Democrats are a unifying force in the country by “making many of their bills bipartisan.”

However, cooperation between the two parties has been limited to a small fraction of the GOP who have been labeled as RINOS by 45th President Donald Trump.

“Well, we have always been taking that step because we honor our oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and that should be a unifying principle for us,” Pelosi stated. “Many of our bills, we worked very hard to make it bipartisan, bipartisan, bipartisan, and while the bills were bipartisan, the votes were not.”

The House Speaker ended her interview with a bizarre comparison between the elections and Las Vegas live performances. She said that this year’s midterms were a lounge act with the 2024 presidential election being the main event.

“The main event of it all is the Presidential (election),” Pelosi said. “As important as our races are, if we were in Las Vegas, we’re the lounge act, they’re the Presidential is the main event, and this will be a very important election, very dispositive of the direction our country will go in.”

In the meantime, Pelosi has floated the idea of retiring after a recent attack on her husband.

Original Article Oann

N.Y. Rep.-Elect Brandon Williams Puts GOP on Verge of Majority (Newsmax)

By John Gizzi Monday, 14 November 2022 11:30 PM EST Current | Bio | Archive

The news Monday evening that Brandon Williams, a Republican who had the additional ballot line of the New York Conservative Party, was triumphant in the Syracuse-based 22nd District brought Republicans to just one seat shy of magic 218 they need for a majority in the House.

Observers on both sides agree with 15 House races left to be decided, it is now almost a foregone conclusion Republicans will have the majority for which they worked so hard in 2022.

With vote-counting almost finalized, software company owner and retired U.S. Naval officer Williams won by a margin of 50.75% to 49.25% for Democrat and fellow Navy veteran Francis Conole.

With Democrats in Albany wielding the redistricting knife, the 22nd had been made into a more Democrat district and one President Biden carried by 9 percentage points in 2020. In addition, Williams was considered to the right of retiring Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., a moderate who was one of the 10 House Republicans to vote for Donald Trump's impeachment in 2021.

Pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-Trump, Williams nonetheless managed to overcome the better-funded Conole (who spent $2.6 million to Williams' roughly $750,000) by about 4,000 votes.

"Brandon Williams will make an outstanding member of Congress," Conservative Party State Chairman Gerard Kassar told Newsmax on Tuesday. "I am ecstatic that he won and pleased that the almost 19,000 votes he received on the Conservative Party line provided him with his margin of victory."

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

Original Article

McCarthy Still Best to Lead GOP as Speaker (Save America PAC)

By John Gizzi | Monday, 14 November 2022 10:41 PM EST

As House Republicans and those just elected to the House ponder the now-very-real possibility of a majority in their chamber, the immediate question before them is whether Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., should now assume the Speaker’s gavel.

With Republicans scheduled to meet behind closed doors Tuesday and select a speaker-designate, McCarthy remains the favorite for winning the support of the GOP Conference in the House.

And for good reason.

Michigan Rep. John Moolenaar spoke for scores of GOP colleagues when he told Newsmax on Monday morning, "Kevin is the best choice to lead our Conference in fulfilling our Commitment to America."

The Commitment for America was the McCarthy-inspired, conservative manifesto on which Republican House candidates ran.

Some are already voicing doubts and raising the specter that McCarthy is incapable of getting what is called “the magic 218”—a majority of the 435 member House required to elect the Speaker and determine control of the House when Congress convenes January 3.

But they are forgetting the real question: If not McCarthy, then who?

After interviewing dozens of Congressmen there is no member I could find who could both unite all wings of the party at the same time keeping former President Trump’s strong support.
Except for Kevin McCarthy.

Their complaints range from McCarthy not being forcefully conservative enough to his failure to see that the “Red Wave” many predicted for November 8.

The truth is that issue after issue McCarthy has been a strong conservative.

And he has been one of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters in the House.

An adviser to Donald Trump reminded me that he will never forget that just days after Biden was inaugurated and the former president found himself exiled to Mar-a-Lago, he was written off by the establishment GOP and the Washington Swamp.

Still, McCarthy got on a plane, went to Florida and stood with Trump.

Today, the current count on undecided races indicate that Republicans will eventually end up with around 220 seats. With near full support, the GOP Conference’s pick can get to the necessary 218 votes.

“All I’ll say at the moment is McCarthy doesn’t have 218, and there will be an alternative challenger,” Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, told reporters Monday morning.

Biggs, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is seriously pondering a bid for speaker.

Other Capitol Hill sources told Newsmax that Biggs is actually a “stalking horse” for Rep. Jim Jordan (OH), who, they say, would be a stronger opponent to McCarthy.

And Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff and a close ally of Jordan’s, has led 60 other conservatives to sign a letter calling for the leadership elections in the House and Senate to be postponed until after the special Senate runoff in Georgia December 6.

Some conservatives outside Congress have also weighed in against McCarthy. But they are few and far between.

Leading voices in conservative media like Mark Levin and Sean Hannity are backing McCarthy.

McCarthy’s Majority Committee Political Action Committee gave $25 million in helping Republicans in tight races including California Reps. Michelle Steel and Tom McClintock.

Steel and McClintock, both conservative stalwarts, told Newsmax that McCarthy was especially hard-working in electing new members from their state and that all of the Golden State GOP delegation would support their “favorite son” for Speaker.

And reelected New York Reps. Claudia Tenney and Nicole Maliotakis have already sent out signs they are for McCarthy for speaker.

Of course, the Californian has the strong public endorsement of Donald Trump, still the most popular figure in the Republican party.

It is becoming increasingly clear 2022 was a good year for incumbents overall, and that the GOP had misread the electorate.

With a relatively strong economy, a growing GDP last quarter, and very low unemployment, the public was not willing to make a major change in Washington.

Make no mistake about it, the next two years will be critical for the nation and the GOP.

McCarthy is the best man to lead the House during this time.

Original Article

McCarthy Still Best to Lead GOP as Speaker (Save America PAC)

By John Gizzi Monday, 14 November 2022 10:41 PM EST Current | Bio | Archive

As House Republicans and those just elected to the House ponder the now-very-real possibility of a majority in their chamber, the immediate question before them is whether Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., should now assume the Speaker's gavel.

With Republicans scheduled to meet behind closed doors Tuesday and select a speaker-designate, McCarthy remains the favorite for winning the support of the GOP Conference in the House.

And for good reason.

Michigan Rep. John Moolenaar spoke for scores of GOP colleagues when he told Newsmax on Monday morning, "Kevin is the best choice to lead our Conference in fulfilling our Commitment to America."

The Commitment for America was the McCarthy-inspired, conservative manifesto on which Republican House candidates ran.

Some are already voicing doubts and raising the specter that McCarthy is incapable of getting what is called "the magic 218"—a majority of the 435 member House required to elect the Speaker and determine control of the House when Congress convenes January 3.

But they are forgetting the real question: If not McCarthy, then who?

After interviewing dozens of Congressmen there is no member I could find who could both unite all wings of the party at the same time keeping former President Trump's strong support.
Except for Kevin McCarthy.

Their complaints range from McCarthy not being forcefully conservative enough to his failure to see that the "Red Wave" many predicted for November 8.

The truth is that issue after issue McCarthy has been a strong conservative.

And he has been one of Donald Trump's strongest supporters in the House.

An adviser to Donald Trump reminded me that he will never forget that just days after Biden was inaugurated and the former president found himself exiled to Mar-a-Lago, he was written off by the establishment GOP and the Washington Swamp.

Still, McCarthy got on a plane, went to Florida and stood with Trump.

Today, the current count on undecided races indicate that Republicans will eventually end up with around 220 seats. With near full support, the GOP Conference's pick can get to the necessary 218 votes.

"All I'll say at the moment is McCarthy doesn't have 218, and there will be an alternative challenger," Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, told reporters Monday morning.

Biggs, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is seriously pondering a bid for speaker.

Other Capitol Hill sources told Newsmax that Biggs is actually a "stalking horse" for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who, they say, would be a stronger opponent to McCarthy.

And Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff and a close ally of Jordan's, has led 60 other conservatives to sign a letter calling for the leadership elections in the House and Senate to be postponed until after the special Senate runoff in Georgia December 6.

Some conservatives outside Congress have also weighed in against McCarthy. But they are few and far between.

Leading voices in conservative media like Mark Levin and Sean Hannity are backing McCarthy.

McCarthy's Majority Committee Political Action Committee gave $25 million in helping Republicans in tight races including California Reps. Michelle Steel and Tom McClintock.

Steel and McClintock, both conservative stalwarts, told Newsmax that McCarthy was especially hard-working in electing new members from their state and that all of the Golden State GOP delegation would support their "favorite son" for Speaker.

And reelected New York Reps. Claudia Tenney and Nicole Malliotakis have already sent out signs they are for McCarthy for speaker.

Of course, the Californian has the strong public endorsement of Donald Trump, still the most popular figure in the Republican party.

It is becoming increasingly clear 2022 was a good year for incumbents overall, and that the GOP had misread the electorate.

With a relatively strong economy, a growing GDP last quarter, and very low unemployment, the public was not willing to make a major change in Washington.

Make no mistake about it, the next two years will be critical for the nation and the GOP.

McCarthy is the best man to lead the House during this time.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

Original Article

House Extends Civil Rights Cold Case Board Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

By Charles Kim | Monday, 14 November 2022 10:55 PM EST

The House on Monday extended the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board for three more years through 2027, The Hill reported.

According to the report, the panel reviews citizen records requests for the declassification of documents compiled regarding "cold cases" during the Civil Rights era, such as lynchings.

"There are far too many unsolved crimes from the Civil Rights era where there could be critical information found in Federal case files," former pastor and Civil Rights activist Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who introduced the original 2018 legislation, said in a statement Monday. "Four years ago, my bill requiring that those files be made public was signed into law. The passage of my bill today means the law will be implemented as Congress intended and grieving families and communities are now one step closer to receiving closure on what happened decades ago."

The board was created in the 2019 as part of the bipartisan Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018, which was signed into law by former President Donald Trump, although he never nominated anyone to serve on the board.

Four people were confirmed to the board by the Senate in February to determine which records from the Civil rights era, between 1940-79, can be made public, and which might be delayed, Courthouse News Service reported in April.

At the time, the appointments to the board were confirmed in February, National Archives and Records Administration Chief Operations Officer William Bosanko said then the panel might run out of time unless it was extended past its original sunsetting in 2024.

"Absent congressional intervention and a change in the law, the board doesn't really have a fighting chance," Bosanko said in April. "They're going to need more time in order to deal with these very important and very weighty issues around these cold cases."

The current bipartisan extension bill was introduced by Rush, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., with a similar bipartisan Senate bill introduced by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, The Hill reported.

"Today we demonstrated that the United States will never rest in the pursuit of truth and justice for those who were lynched, abducted, beaten, killed, and assaulted in the segregation era South and during the Civil Rights Movement," Ossoff said in a statement to The Hill.

Related Stories:

• Dem Rep. Bobby Rush Latest to Say He Won't Seek Reelection
• Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush Tests Positive for COVID

Original Article

House Extends Civil Rights Cold Case Board Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

By Charles Kim | Monday, 14 November 2022 10:55 PM EST

The House on Monday extended the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board for three more years through 2027, The Hill reported.

According to the report, the panel reviews citizen records requests for the declassification of documents compiled regarding "cold cases" during the Civil Rights era, such as lynchings.

"There are far too many unsolved crimes from the Civil Rights era where there could be critical information found in Federal case files," former pastor and Civil Rights activist Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who introduced the original 2018 legislation, said in a statement Monday. "Four years ago, my bill requiring that those files be made public was signed into law. The passage of my bill today means the law will be implemented as Congress intended and grieving families and communities are now one step closer to receiving closure on what happened decades ago."

The board was created in the 2019 as part of the bipartisan Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018, which was signed into law by former President Donald Trump, although he never nominated anyone to serve on the board.

Four people were confirmed to the board by the Senate in February to determine which records from the Civil rights era, between 1940-79, can be made public, and which might be delayed, Courthouse News Service reported in April.

At the time, the appointments to the board were confirmed in February, National Archives and Records Administration Chief Operations Officer William Bosanko said then the panel might run out of time unless it was extended past its original sunsetting in 2024.

"Absent congressional intervention and a change in the law, the board doesn't really have a fighting chance," Bosanko said in April. "They're going to need more time in order to deal with these very important and very weighty issues around these cold cases."

The current bipartisan extension bill was introduced by Rush, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., with a similar bipartisan Senate bill introduced by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, The Hill reported.

"Today we demonstrated that the United States will never rest in the pursuit of truth and justice for those who were lynched, abducted, beaten, killed, and assaulted in the segregation era South and during the Civil Rights Movement," Ossoff said in a statement to The Hill.

Related Stories:

• Dem Rep. Bobby Rush Latest to Say He Won't Seek Reelection
• Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush Tests Positive for COVID

Club for Growth Polls: DeSantis Leads Trump for GOP Primary (Newsmax)

By Jeremy Frankel | Monday, 14 November 2022 10:02 PM EST

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is currently leading former President Donald Trump in several Club for Growth Action polls in a hypothetical 2024 Republican presidential primary.

In an Iowa caucus-based survey, 48% of 508 respondents said they would back DeSantis for the Republican nomination, while 37% said they would back Trump. There were 16% were undecided.

This implies an 11-point swing for DeSantis among Iowa respondents since August, where a similar poll showed 52% backing Trump and 37% backing DeSantis.

A New Hampshire poll showed 52% of 401 respondents supporting DeSantis, versus 37% for Trump. Both were tied in an August poll.

Florida showed 56% of poll respondents supporting DeSantis, while 30% are supporting Trump.

In Georgia, 55% would support DeSantis, while 35% would support Trump.

The polls were conducted from Nov. 11-13, with a total of 1,044 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Original Article

Club for Growth Polls: DeSantis Leads Trump for GOP Primary (Newsmax)

By Jeremy Frankel | Monday, 14 November 2022 10:02 PM EST

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is currently leading former President Donald Trump in several Club for Growth Action polls in a hypothetical 2024 Republican presidential primary.

In an Iowa caucus-based survey, 48% of 508 respondents said they would back DeSantis for the Republican nomination, while 37% said they would back Trump. There were 16% were undecided.

This implies an 11-point swing for DeSantis among Iowa respondents since August, where a similar poll showed 52% backing Trump and 37% backing DeSantis.

A New Hampshire poll showed 52% of 401 respondents supporting DeSantis, versus 37% for Trump. Both were tied in an August poll.

Florida showed 56% of poll respondents supporting DeSantis, while 30% are supporting Trump.

In Georgia, 55% would support DeSantis, while 35% would support Trump.

The polls were conducted from Nov. 11-13, with a total of 1,044 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Election Denier Lake Loses Governor's Race in Battleground Arizona (Getty)

Julia Harte Monday, 14 November 2022 09:48 PM EST

Kari Lake, one of the most high-profile Republican candidates in the midterm elections to embrace former President Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud in 2020, lost her bid to become the next governor of Arizona, Edison Research projected on Monday.

The closely fought governor's race between Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs was one of the most significant in the general election because Arizona is a battleground state and is expected to play a pivotal role in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Lake had vowed to ban the state's mail-in voting, which conspiracy theorists falsely claim is vulnerable to fraud, fueling distrust among voters about the safety of a voting method used by hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Her defeat capped a triumphant week for Democrats, who defied Republicans' hopes for a "red wave" in the midterm elections.

Democrats retained their control of the U.S. Senate after keeping seats in the swing states of Arizona and Nevada, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote. The party could win outright majority control if Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock beats Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Georgia runoff on Dec. 6, bolstering Democratic sway over committees, bills and judicial picks.

The Democratic victories in a swath of gubernatorial, congressional and statehouse elections defied expectations that voters would punish them for record inflation, including high gas and food prices. Instead, Democrats were able to curb their losses, in part by mobilizing voters angry over the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

Still, Republicans continued to edge toward control of the House of Representatives. As of Monday, Republicans had won 212 seats and the Democrats 206, with 218 needed for a majority. Control of the House would allow Republicans to stymie President Joe Biden's legislative agenda.

It could take several days before the outcome of enough House races is known to determine which party will control the 435-seat chamber.

Lake, a former television news anchor, was one of a string of Trump-aligned Republican candidates who lost battleground state races. Voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin also rejected election deniers in races for governor and other statewide election posts.

Original Article

Pence: GOP Has Better Choices Than Trump in 2024 (Newsmax)

By Michael Katz | Monday, 14 November 2022 09:34 PM EST

Former Vice President Mike Pence, in another sign of his strained relationship with Donald Trump, said Republicans will have “better choices” as a presidential nominee in 2024 than his former boss.

The remarks came on the eve of what many expect to be Trump’s announcement of a third run at the White House.

In an interview from Pence's Indiana home aired on ABC News on Monday night, David Muir asked Pence if he thinks Trump should run in 2024. Pence said, “I think that's up to the American people.”

“But I think we'll have better choices in the future,” Pence said. “People in this country actually get along pretty well once you get out of politics. And I think they want to see their national leaders start to reflect that same, that same compassion and generosity of spirit.”

Pence, 63, whose autobiography, "So Help Me God" goes on sale Tuesday, said he and his family are giving “prayerful consideration” about a White House bid in 2024. But he avoided a direct answer when asked about possibly running against, and defeating, Trump, 76.

“That would be for others to say, and it'd be for us to decide whether or not we'd want to test that,” Pence said.

Related stories

• Pence: Trump 'Reckless' on Jan. 6, 'Endangered Me and My Family'
• CPAC Chairman to Newsmax: 'Silly' to Blame Trump for GOP Setbacks

Original Article

Trump Defied Jan 6 Probe Subpoena, Panel Says, Mulling Next Steps (AP)

Dan Whitcomb Monday, 14 November 2022 09:13 PM EST

Former President Donald Trump did not show up for deposition testimony before the congressional committee investigating his supporters' attack on the U.S. Capitol last year, the panel said on Monday.

In doing so Trump defied a subpoena issued by the panel in October, Chair Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, and co-chair Liz Cheney, a Republican, said in a joint statement.

"The truth is that Donald Trump, like several of his closest allies, is hiding from the Select Committee’s investigation and refusing to do what more than a thousand other witnesses have done," Thompson and Cheney said.

The panel did not say what next steps they might pursue against Trump. Thompson told the New York Times in an interview that he would not rule out seeking contempt of Congress charges against the former president.

"That could be an option. And we’ll have to wait and see,” Thomson told the Times. “The first thing we’ll do is see how we address the lawsuit. At some point after that, we’ll decide the path forward.”

Trump filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to avoid having to testify or provide any documentation to the Jan. 6 committee.

The congressional committee has held a series of hearings as it seeks to present its narrative that Trump incited supporters into storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while lawmakers met to formally declare his loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has denied incitement, painting the breach as an earnest protest against widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The subpoena ordered Trump to submit documents to the panel by Nov. 4 and for him to appear for deposition testimony beginning on or about Nov. 14.

On Nov. 4, it said it had agreed to give Trump an extension before producing the documents but the Nov. 14 deadline remained in place.

Republicans are expected to dissolve the panel if they win control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.

Original Article

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:06 PM PT – Monday, November 14, 2022

Slovenia has elected its first woman president, and she is none other than Melania Trump’s former lawyer.

Natasa Pirc Musar, a liberal rights activist, won in a runoff vote on Sunday, thus making her the first woman to gain power since the country gained independence.

Almost all the votes in the election have been tallied. Pirc Musar received 54% of the vote while her opponent, right-wing politician and former Foreign Minister Andze Logar, received 46%.

Following the announcement, the new head-of-state has said that she seeks to bridge the gap between the right-wing and left-wing parties.

Original Article Oann

Trump. US Win Dismissal of Michael Cohen Lawsuit Over Alleged Book Retaliation (AP)

Jonathan Stempel Monday, 14 November 2022 08:50 PM EST

A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen accusing Trump, former Attorney General William Barr and others of abruptly returning him to prison in retaliation for writing a tell-all memoir.

In a 33-page decision, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan rejected Cohen's claims that putting him in dangerous solitary confinement conditions for 16 days violated the U.S. Constitution by undermining his free speech, and subjecting him to an illegal seizure and to cruel and unusual punishment.

Liman, a Trump appointee, appeared reluctant in finding that U.S. Supreme Court precedents "squarely and unequivocally" required dismissing many claims, saying his decision did "profound violence" to Cohen's constitutional rights.

"Cohen's complaint alleges an egregious violation of constitutional rights by the executive branch–nothing short of the use of executive power to lock up the President's political enemies for speaking critically of him," Liman wrote.

Liman also dismissed several claims against the United States, including for false arrest.

Andrew Laufer, a lawyer for Cohen, said, "We strongly and respectfully disagree with the decision" and may appeal, citing the "grave and extensive abuse of power that our client suffered by the prior administration."

Trump's lawyer Alina Habba said in an email: "The court saw through Cohen's frivolous lawsuit, which was legally deficient and, more importantly, based upon inflammatory allegations that are simply not true." She said Trump will keep fighting against "innumerable falsehoods being perpetrated by his enemies."

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which represented the other defendants, declined to comment.

The case arose in July 2020 when Cohen, 56, had been serving a since-completed three-year sentence for campaign finance violations and tax evasion under home confinement because of the risk of contracting COVID-19 in prison.

Authorities returned Cohen to prison amid a dispute over whether he could speak with the media about his forthcoming book while under home confinement.

Cohen said he suffered severe headaches, shortness of breath and anxiety while spending 23-1/2 hours a day in a small cell at the Otisville, New York, federal prison, where temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).

His book "Disloyal: A Memoir" topped the New York Times' hardcover nonfiction bestseller list in September 2020.

Original Article

Trump, US Win Dismissal of Michael Cohen Lawsuit Over Alleged Book Retaliation (AP)

Jonathan Stempel Monday, 14 November 2022 08:50 PM EST

A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen accusing Trump, former Attorney General William Barr, and others of abruptly returning him to prison in retaliation for writing a tell-all memoir.

In a 33-page decision, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan rejected Cohen's claims that putting him in dangerous solitary confinement conditions for 16 days violated the U.S. Constitution by undermining his free speech, and subjecting him to an illegal seizure and to cruel and unusual punishment.

Liman, a Trump appointee, appeared reluctant in finding that U.S. Supreme Court precedents "squarely and unequivocally" required dismissing many claims, saying his decision did "profound violence" to Cohen's constitutional rights.

"Cohen's complaint alleges an egregious violation of constitutional rights by the executive branch–nothing short of the use of executive power to lock up the President's political enemies for speaking critically of him," Liman wrote.

Liman also dismissed several claims against the United States, including for false arrest.

Andrew Laufer, a lawyer for Cohen, said, "We strongly and respectfully disagree with the decision" and may appeal, citing the "grave and extensive abuse of power that our client suffered by the prior administration."

Trump's lawyer Alina Habba said in an email: "The court saw through Cohen's frivolous lawsuit, which was legally deficient and, more importantly, based upon inflammatory allegations that are simply not true." She said Trump will keep fighting against "innumerable falsehoods being perpetrated by his enemies."

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which represented the other defendants, declined to comment.

The case arose in July 2020 when Cohen, 56, had been serving a since-completed three-year sentence for campaign finance violations and tax evasion under home confinement because of the risk of contracting COVID-19 in prison.

Authorities returned Cohen to prison amid a dispute over whether he could speak with the media about his forthcoming book while under home confinement.

Cohen said he suffered severe headaches, shortness of breath, and anxiety while spending 23-1/2 hours a day in a small cell at the Otisville, New York, federal prison, where temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).

His book "Disloyal: A Memoir" topped the New York Times' hardcover nonfiction bestseller list in September 2020.

Original Article