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Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
October 17, 2019
State Sen. Kai Kahele (D-Hilo) is criticizing Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for failing to show up to vote today on a House resolution that condemns President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria. The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in favor of the resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives was a stinging rebuke of the president’s actions, which have left America’s Kurdish allies in Syria vulnerable to attack by Turkish forces and thrown U.S. policy in the region into disarray.
Gabbard, who has been busy on the presidential campaign trail, was one of 14 representatives absent from the vote. The measure passed 354 to 60. Kahele, who is vying for Gabbard’s congressional seat, has repeatedly criticized Gabbard in recent weeks for being absent from her district.
“I support the action taken by the House today to pass this resolution,” Kahele said in a press release. “Unfortunately, the people of Hawaiʻi’s second congressional district were left without a voice because Congresswoman Gabbard, yet again, failed to show up and report to duty. “Appearing on national television the night before is not an excuse to miss work. The people of Hawai‘i deserve a representative who is committed full-time to this job.”
snip
State Sen. Kai Kahele criticizes Tulsi Gabbard for missing House vote on Syria
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/10/16/hawaii-news/kai-kahele-calls-out-tulsi-gabbard-for-missing-vote-on-syria/State Sen. Kai Kahele (D-Hilo) is criticizing Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for failing to show up to vote today on a House resolution that condemns President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria. The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in favor of the resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives was a stinging rebuke of the president’s actions, which have left America’s Kurdish allies in Syria vulnerable to attack by Turkish forces and thrown U.S. policy in the region into disarray.
Gabbard, who has been busy on the presidential campaign trail, was one of 14 representatives absent from the vote. The measure passed 354 to 60. Kahele, who is vying for Gabbard’s congressional seat, has repeatedly criticized Gabbard in recent weeks for being absent from her district.
“I support the action taken by the House today to pass this resolution,” Kahele said in a press release. “Unfortunately, the people of Hawaiʻi’s second congressional district were left without a voice because Congresswoman Gabbard, yet again, failed to show up and report to duty. “Appearing on national television the night before is not an excuse to miss work. The people of Hawai‘i deserve a representative who is committed full-time to this job.”
snip
She’s missed more than half of the votes in the House since July, according to GovTrack.us. She also hasn’t held a town hall in Hawaii since April 2017.
October 17, 2019
Barnier confirms that the DUP will lose its veto on whether the new arrangements come into force. Under the plan proposed by Boris Johnson earlier this month, the new plan for NI would only have taken affect subject to a vote in the assembly - which the DUP would have been able to veto.
Text of new Brexit agreement published.
These are the revisions to the withdrawal agreement. The rest of the agreement as negotiated by Theresa May still stands.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/revised_withdrawal_agreement_including_protocol_on_ireland_and_nothern_ireland.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/17/eu-leaders-gather-for-summit-as-boris-johnson-scrambles-to-get-backing-for-brexit-deal-politics-live
Barnier confirms DUP has lost its veto over whether new Northern Ireland arrangements come into force
Barnier switches to speaking in English (he was speaking in French) and turns to the one aspect of the agreement the UK wanted to reopen - the backstop.
He says the EU wanted to keep the border open, preserve the all-island economy and protect the integrity of the single market.
And it was important for Boris Johnson to keep NI in the UK customs territory.
He says the talks have “at times been difficult”.
But they have a deal, with four parts.
First, EU regulations will apply to all goods in Northern Ireland. This means checks at the border.
Second, NI will remain in the UK’s customs territory. It will therefore benefit from UK trade policy. But it will remain an entry point into the single market. So UK authorities will apply UK tariffs to countries coming from third countries as long as goods entering NI are not at risk of entering the single market. If they are at risk of entering the single market, EU tariffs will apply.
Third, on VAT, the plan will maintain the integrity of the single market, while respecting the UK’s digital wishes.
And, fourth, there will be a consent mechanism. Four years after the arrangements starts, the Northern Ireland assembly will decide by a simple majority if these arrangements stay.
Second, NI will remain in the UK’s customs territory. It will therefore benefit from UK trade policy. But it will remain an entry point into the single market. So UK authorities will apply UK tariffs to countries coming from third countries as long as goods entering NI are not at risk of entering the single market. If they are at risk of entering the single market, EU tariffs will apply.
Third, on VAT, the plan will maintain the integrity of the single market, while respecting the UK’s digital wishes.
And, fourth, there will be a consent mechanism. Four years after the arrangements starts, the Northern Ireland assembly will decide by a simple majority if these arrangements stay.
Barnier confirms that the DUP will lose its veto on whether the new arrangements come into force. Under the plan proposed by Boris Johnson earlier this month, the new plan for NI would only have taken affect subject to a vote in the assembly - which the DUP would have been able to veto.
October 17, 2019
RIP
Elijah Cummings dead: Congressman key to Donald Trump impeachment dies aged 68
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-elijah-cummings-dead-congressman-20639658
RIP
October 17, 2019
Watch Social Europe Editor-in-Chief Henning Meyer in conversation with Katharina Pistor. They discuss "The Code of Capital - How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality", the topic of Pistor's most recent book published by Princeton University Press.
Katharina Pistor is the Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School and Director of the Law School’s Center on Global Legal Transformation. Her research and teaching spans corporate law, corporate governance, money and finance, property rights, and comparative law and legal institutions.
The Code of Capital - How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality
Watch Social Europe Editor-in-Chief Henning Meyer in conversation with Katharina Pistor. They discuss "The Code of Capital - How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality", the topic of Pistor's most recent book published by Princeton University Press.
Katharina Pistor is the Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School and Director of the Law School’s Center on Global Legal Transformation. Her research and teaching spans corporate law, corporate governance, money and finance, property rights, and comparative law and legal institutions.
October 16, 2019
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) went after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for her support of the "Medicare for All" single-payer health care plan during the Democratic presidential debate, saying "the difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something that you can actually get done."
Klobuchar to Warren: You're making GOP talking points (video)
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/10/15/warren-klobuchar-health-care-democratic-presidential-debate-cnn-nyt-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/cnn-new-york-times-democratic-debate/Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) went after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for her support of the "Medicare for All" single-payer health care plan during the Democratic presidential debate, saying "the difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something that you can actually get done."
October 16, 2019
Winners and losers in the debate, winners Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Biden (mainly because Hunter was
not the main topic, but overall he was meh, and he made a big mistake by saying Syria was NEVER about regime change when Obama made it clear it was, but also a winner because Pete and Amy did a job on Warren, he should hire them, lololol)
Bernie gets a special mention for standing up for hours just weeks after a heart attack, even though he has zero chance to win.
Losers
Warren (exposed, especially as she refuse to admit taxes go up, even if cost go down for MFA, and thus looks evasive)
Gabbard (wrecker, go away)
Beto (owned by Buttigieg, was waiting for this all week after his outrageous questioning of Buttigieg's courage)
Castro (his terms limits for the SCOTUS would require a Constitutional Amendment. yet he says that is much easier than adding more justices (which would NOT require a Con Amend)
the non events
Harris (best of the rest)
Steyer (strangely silent and not proactive)
Booker (good closing statement though)
Yang (he has qualified already for November but is a niche candidate)
October 14, 2019
Former first lady Michelle Obama would enter the 2020 Democratic New Hampshire primary race as the frontrunner, a new Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald poll has found — though so far she’s insisted she won’t. The poll, conducted Oct. 9-13, has Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden tied in the lead of the current Democratic field in the Granite State primary, with Bernie Sanders slightly behind.
“Today, the Democratic race is a statistical dead heat between Warren (24%), Biden (24%) and Sanders (22%),” pollster R. Kelly Myers wrote in his summary of the poll results. “If Michelle Obama were to enter the race, it would change things dramatically,” Myers wrote. “Twenty-six percent of Democrats would vote for her, making her the new frontrunner. Under this scenario, Obama (26%) would lead Warren (20%), (Biden (20%) and Sanders (15%). She would take away 4 points from Warren, 4 points from Biden and 7 points from Sanders.”
Obama has shrugged off the notion of running so far.
“Just between us, and the readers of this magazine — there’s zero chance,” Obama told The National, Amtrak’s travel and culture magazine, in August. “There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.” The FPU-Herald poll has some news that might disgruntle President Trump. He still strong among Republicans, with his verall 81 percent job approval, down 2 points from early September.
“However, the percentage of Republican voters who would vote for Trump if the primary were held today was 88 percent a month ago, and 71 percent today, a 17-point decline,” Myers wrote. “Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld’s support increased from 3 percent in early September to 14 percent today.” Another anti-Trumper, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, would attract 12 percent if he were to enter the race.
snip
FPU-Herald Poll: Michelle Obama would enter NH primary as frontrunner
https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/10/14/fpu-herald-poll-michelle-obama-would-enter-nh-democratic-primary-race-as-frontrunner/Former first lady Michelle Obama would enter the 2020 Democratic New Hampshire primary race as the frontrunner, a new Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald poll has found — though so far she’s insisted she won’t. The poll, conducted Oct. 9-13, has Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden tied in the lead of the current Democratic field in the Granite State primary, with Bernie Sanders slightly behind.
“Today, the Democratic race is a statistical dead heat between Warren (24%), Biden (24%) and Sanders (22%),” pollster R. Kelly Myers wrote in his summary of the poll results. “If Michelle Obama were to enter the race, it would change things dramatically,” Myers wrote. “Twenty-six percent of Democrats would vote for her, making her the new frontrunner. Under this scenario, Obama (26%) would lead Warren (20%), (Biden (20%) and Sanders (15%). She would take away 4 points from Warren, 4 points from Biden and 7 points from Sanders.”
Obama has shrugged off the notion of running so far.
“Just between us, and the readers of this magazine — there’s zero chance,” Obama told The National, Amtrak’s travel and culture magazine, in August. “There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.” The FPU-Herald poll has some news that might disgruntle President Trump. He still strong among Republicans, with his verall 81 percent job approval, down 2 points from early September.
“However, the percentage of Republican voters who would vote for Trump if the primary were held today was 88 percent a month ago, and 71 percent today, a 17-point decline,” Myers wrote. “Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld’s support increased from 3 percent in early September to 14 percent today.” Another anti-Trumper, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, would attract 12 percent if he were to enter the race.
snip
October 14, 2019
After briefly threatening to boycott tomorrow's Democratic debate, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) will be there after all.
The Hawaii Democrat announced in a three-sentence email Monday morning that "I will be attending the debate," which is set for Oct. 15. It's the first Democratic debate Gabbard has qualified for since July, having not been on the stage in September. She also confirmed her decision in a six word tweet.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1183716774476312576
Tulsi Gabbard drops threat to boycott the 4th Democratic debate
https://theweek.com/speedreads/871543/tulsi-gabbard-drops-threat-boycott-4th-democratic-debateAfter briefly threatening to boycott tomorrow's Democratic debate, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) will be there after all.
The Hawaii Democrat announced in a three-sentence email Monday morning that "I will be attending the debate," which is set for Oct. 15. It's the first Democratic debate Gabbard has qualified for since July, having not been on the stage in September. She also confirmed her decision in a six word tweet.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1183716774476312576
October 12, 2019
In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan asks Donald Trump's senior economic adviser Stephen Moore about "Trumponomics", the US president’s leadership style, and racism.
Trump has made promises to more than double previous economic growth, revive industries like coal, and slash the debt and the deficit. But has he delivered? The national debt is now skyrocketing to levels not seen since World War II and the trade war with China has experts fearing a global recession.
"Trump makes grandiose promises," Moore told Hasan. "He exaggerates and sometimes I wish he wouldn’t do that. But if you compare where the economy is today versus where it was when he entered office, it’s substantially stronger."
Moore, a conservative commentator and economist at the Heritage Foundation, is also an adviser to the Trump 2020 re-election campaign.
He told Hasan he helped write immigration legislation, referring to a bill supported by President Trump and introduced by Republican senators. Moore, however, said he does not agree with some of the government’s positions on immigration.
When challenged on policies limiting legal immigration and the dire situation in migrant detention centres at the US-Mexico border, Moore said conditions in every centre he visited had been humane.
"But I do believe that until we get the border secure and we get that wall built, once we do that, we can increase our legal immigration."
When pressed further on the numerous false statements Trump has made, like needing an ID to buy a box of cereal and suggesting that wind turbines cause cancer, Moore said, "Donald Trump would be better off to stop talking so much and let his record speak for itself".
"What I'm saying is, what Americans care about is his performance, his results, not what he says and how he acts," he added.
This is the first Head to Head episode with an audience recorded in the United States and marks the beginning of a new series. It takes place in front of an audience at the George Washington University in Washington DC.
We are joined by a panel of three experts:
- Tiffany Cross - liberal commentator, co-founder and managing editor of the US news outlet, The Beat DC
- Rick Wilson - former political strategist for the Republican Party, conservative critic of President Trump, and author of Everything Trump Touches Dies
- Jenna Ellis Rives - constitutional lawyer, member of the Trump 2020 Advisory Board, and author of The Legal Basis for a Moral Constitution
Trump's America: Great again or big failure? Head to Head
In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan asks Donald Trump's senior economic adviser Stephen Moore about "Trumponomics", the US president’s leadership style, and racism.
Trump has made promises to more than double previous economic growth, revive industries like coal, and slash the debt and the deficit. But has he delivered? The national debt is now skyrocketing to levels not seen since World War II and the trade war with China has experts fearing a global recession.
"Trump makes grandiose promises," Moore told Hasan. "He exaggerates and sometimes I wish he wouldn’t do that. But if you compare where the economy is today versus where it was when he entered office, it’s substantially stronger."
Moore, a conservative commentator and economist at the Heritage Foundation, is also an adviser to the Trump 2020 re-election campaign.
He told Hasan he helped write immigration legislation, referring to a bill supported by President Trump and introduced by Republican senators. Moore, however, said he does not agree with some of the government’s positions on immigration.
When challenged on policies limiting legal immigration and the dire situation in migrant detention centres at the US-Mexico border, Moore said conditions in every centre he visited had been humane.
"But I do believe that until we get the border secure and we get that wall built, once we do that, we can increase our legal immigration."
When pressed further on the numerous false statements Trump has made, like needing an ID to buy a box of cereal and suggesting that wind turbines cause cancer, Moore said, "Donald Trump would be better off to stop talking so much and let his record speak for itself".
"What I'm saying is, what Americans care about is his performance, his results, not what he says and how he acts," he added.
This is the first Head to Head episode with an audience recorded in the United States and marks the beginning of a new series. It takes place in front of an audience at the George Washington University in Washington DC.
We are joined by a panel of three experts:
- Tiffany Cross - liberal commentator, co-founder and managing editor of the US news outlet, The Beat DC
- Rick Wilson - former political strategist for the Republican Party, conservative critic of President Trump, and author of Everything Trump Touches Dies
- Jenna Ellis Rives - constitutional lawyer, member of the Trump 2020 Advisory Board, and author of The Legal Basis for a Moral Constitution
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: London
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Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 07:25 PM
Number of posts: 43,328
