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Ruth King

Pelosi ‘Not Giving Up’ Hope of Partnering with Trump on Immigration By Mairead McArdle

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/nancy-pelosi-not-giving-up-hope-of-partnering-with-trump-on-immigration/

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she is holding out hope Democrats and President Trump can work together on immigration reform, which she said “has to happen.”

“It’s complicated, but it isn’t hard to do if you have good intentions,” Pelosi said at Democrats’ 2019 Issues Conference in Virginia. “And I’m not giving up on the president on this.”

“I still say to him, ‘We’ve got to have comprehensive immigration reform,’” she added.

Pelosi’s comments came just a day after Trump called her party’s approach to immigration “treasonous.”

Elizabeth Warren Proposes New Corporate Tax Presidential candidate’s proposal would impose 7% levy on some companies’ financial-statement income, on top of regular taxes By Richard Rubin

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is proposing a new 7% tax on the largest, most profitable U.S. companies, a move that would increase corporate tax collections by about 30% over the next decade.

Her Real Corporate Profits Tax, projected to raise $1 trillion over a decade, would apply to profits above $100 million each year, and it would be based on the world-wide posttax income companies report on their financial statements. The new levy, affecting about 1,200 companies, would come on top of the existing income tax system.

“We need corporate tax reform, but we also need to recognize that enormous companies with armies of lawyers and accountants will always try to exploit any deductions and exemptions that remain,” Ms. Warren wrote in announcing the proposal. “To raise the revenue we need—and ensure every corporation pays their fair share—we need a new kind of tax that big companies can’t get around.”

The corporate-tax proposal is the latest sweeping policy idea from Ms. Warren, a Massachusetts senator who has also proposed an annual wealth tax on the richest Americans, universal child care and $500 billion in new spending on affordable housing.

Ms. Warren’s latest proposal would mark a fundamental change in how the U.S. taxes corporations. It would raise taxes on some companies that make significant global profits but, for a variety of reasons, may pay relatively little to the U.S. government under the current tax law. CONTINUE AT SITE

Quick Thoughts on Assange Arrest By Andrew C. McCarthy

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/julian-assange-arrest-quick-thoughts/

Here are a few things we know, and a few to think about, with respect to the arrest of Julian Assange by British police in London.

Assange wore out his welcome with Ecuador, which hosted him for seven years.

The Brits have a comparatively minor charge against him: essentially bail jumping in 2012, when he failed to appear as directed to a court in Westminster. That was during the time when he was trying to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges. Those charges have been dropped, although Swedish authorities could revive them. The fact that the underlying charges are no longer in effect is not a defense to jumping bail. Still, it makes the offense appear more minor.

Consequently, the driving force of today’s arrest seems to be an American effort to have Assange extradited. The Washington Post is now reporting that, in 2017, the Justice Department charged Assange in a sealed indictment with conspiring to publish classified U.S. documents — specifically, conspiring in 2010 with then-Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, among others.

The Metropolitan police in London have acknowledged that Assange’s arrest is based, in part, on U.S. extradition request. Even our British ally will not extradite people to the United States unless charges have been filed.

Last year, in a court in the U.S. district court in Alexandria, the Justice Department accidentally filed an application to seal a criminal complaint. It was not Assange’s case, but the prosecutor obviously cut and pasted from a similar motion that had been filed in a case involving Assange, and had failed to take out Assange’s name.

It is customary to file an arrest complaint under seal if the person charged is not in custody. An arrest warrant is issued, and the complaint is unsealed when the person is arrested and is presented in court. The sealing, obviously, is done to discourage flight and the destruction of evidence — though it would not have much effect in the case of Assange, who was already in flight and well aware that the U.S. Justice Department was trying to make a case on him.

Are More Indictments of Obama Officials Coming? By Matt Margolis

https://pjmedia.com/trending/are-more-indictments-of-obama-officials-coming/

Yesterday we learned that Gregory Craig, the former White House counsel for Barack Obama, expects to be indicted on criminal charges for lobbying he did for the Ukrainian government back in 2012. The case against Craig originated from the Mueller investigation. Craig was not White House Counsel at the time, but between this and Attorney General William Barr’s revelation that he believes the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign and that it is being investigated, it’s hard not feel as though the tide is turning, and we might start seeing Obama officials finally get put under the microscope for various acts of corruption.

Democrats and the media have pounced on Barr’s statement, trying to paint it as a wacky conspiracy theory that was completely unjustified. The truth is, we have known definitively that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign for quite some time. There’s no reason for Democrats or the media to pretend that this is an unjustified claim. The New York Times even reported on it back in 2017 before Trump took office.

For years now, Barack Obama has insisted that he had scandal-free administration. Often cited as evidence for this claim is the lack of indictments of Obama administration officials. Of course, what is often ignored is the fact that the Obama administration was notorious for protecting its officials by stonewalling and obstructing investigations and hiding behind executive privilege. If there’s anything we can conclude from Barr’s statement it’s that after two years of a bogus Russian collusion investigation we appear on the verge of getting to the bottom of the real story that has been ignored: the illegal spying on the Trump campaign by the Obama administration, and the bogus origins of the Russian collusion hoax.CONTINUE AT SITE

Ex-Obama Counsel Expects Charges in Mueller-Related Probe . By Eric Tucker & Chad Day

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/04/11/ex-obama_counsel_expects_charges_in_mueller-related_probe_140025.html

Former Obama administration White House counsel Greg Craig expects to be charged in a foreign lobbying investigation spun off from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, his lawyers said.

“Mr. Craig is not guilty of any charge and the government’s stubborn insistence on prosecuting Mr. Craig is a misguided abuse of prosecutorial discretion,” the attorneys, William Taylor and William Murphy, said in a statement Wednesday.

The investigation into Craig comes as the Justice Department is cracking down on unregistered foreign lobbying and consulting. Federal prosecutors in New York have been investigating two prominent Washington lobbying firms in a similar probe, and Justice Department officials in Washington have been increasingly willing to prosecute people who they believe intentionally conceal their lobbying work from the federal government.

The scrutiny of Craig stems from an investigation of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his work on behalf of a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. If filed, the charges would come about three months after Craig’s former law firm agreed to pay more than $4.6 million and publicly acknowledge that it failed to register with the government for its work for the Ukraine.

Touchdown today: Israel’s Genesis spacecraft approaching lunar surface by David Isaac

https://worldisraelnews.com/

“….And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon….Deuteronomy 33:14….rsk

Excitement is building in Israel as its first-ever spacecraft, Genesis, is set to land on the moon today at 10:00 p.m. – 11 p.m. Israel time (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EDT).

Israelis are looking skyward tonight as the Genesis spacecraft — the name was chosen in an online vote — is scheduled to touch down on Thursday between 10:00-11:00 p.m. Israel time (3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT).

Once Genesis touches the lunar surface, Israel will have entered the history books as only the fourth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon, sharing the honor with far larger countries with much deeper pockets – the U.S., China and Russia.

Israel has already made history with its spacecraft. Last week it became only the seventh country to place a spacecraft in lunar orbit.

Shortly before touchdown, Genesis will conduct a two-step deceleration process as it dives toward the lunar surface, an operation of about 15 minutes. After landing, it will take a selfie.

WHO IS MIKE GARCIA?

Mike Garcia, a former naval fighter pilot and Santa Clarita businessman, announced his candidacy for Congress against Congresswoman Katie Hill for the 25th Congressional District Wednesday.

Garcia, a first-generation American citizen, is a highly decorated United States Naval Officer who was  one of the first F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter pilots in the Navy. He flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi freedom over Baghdad, Fallujah, and Tikrit, according to officials.

Garcia graduated in the top three percent of his Annapolis class, receiving an M.A. in National Security Studies at Georgetown University.

His performance during Advanced Jet Pilot Training in the T-45 jet set records and earned him the opportunity to become of the first F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter pilots in the Navy, according to officials.As an F/A-18E pilot Garcia was deployed several times on the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

He was lauded as one of the best leaders and one of the most naturally talented pilots in the Navy by his troops, his peers and his leadership, Garcia said.Now, he is hoping to face Katie Hill in 2020 for the CA-25 Congressional seat, which includes the cities of Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Palmdale, Lancaster, and the northern part of the San Fernando Valley.

GOP recruits fighter pilot to challenge freshman Dem in key California race By Tal Axelrod

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/438199-republicans-get-top-tier-candidate-in-key-california-house-race

Republicans recruited Mike Garcia, a fighter pilot and first-generation American, to challenge freshman Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) in 2020, setting up a battle for a key House district.

Garcia, the son of a Mexican immigrant and an Iraq War veteran, announced his candidacy for California’s 25th District Wednesday.

He will challenge Hill, a moderate whose victory helped the Democrats retake the House last year and decimate the GOP delegation from the Golden State.

In his campaign announcement, Garcia sought to tie Hill to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other House progressives in pushing what he called a “Socialist agenda.”

“I have been at the edge where bullets fly and lives are lost,” Garcia said in a press release. “I believe America is the greatest country in the world. I’ve seen men and women lose their lives defending this country. And I am disgusted that politicians in Washington are voting in lockstep with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to push a Socialist agenda that jeopardizes everything we’ve risked blood and treasure to defend.”

Hill thanked Garcia and his family for their service and wished him luck.

“I know how tough these primaries can be. With three Republicans now filed to run and likely more who will jump in, I wish them all luck,” she said in an emailed statement. “I am deeply grateful to Mr. Garcia for his service to our nation and thank him and his family for all they have given to keep America safe.”

Republicans had held the seat in California’s 25th District for 25 years until Hill defeated incumbent Rep. Steve Knight.

Garcia touted the endorsements of former Reps. Buck McKeon (R) and Elton Gallegly (R), who previously represented California’s 25th and 24th Districts, respectively.

Garcia, a U.S. naval officer, was one of the first F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter pilots in the Navy and flew more than 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to his campaign announcement.

Senate Dems call for Barr to walk back ‘spying’ allegation By Jordain Carney

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/438322-senate-dems-call-for-barr-to-walk-back-spying-allegation

Top Senate Democrats are demanding Attorney General William Barr walk back his accusation that the Trump campaign was spied on by the FBI.

Barr sparked a political firestorm earlier Wednesday when he told senators that he believed “spying did occur” during the 2016 election and that he would be reviewing the probe of President Trump’s campaign.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused Barr of “perpetuating conspiracy theories” during his testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee. The hearing was scheduled to discuss the department’s budget but ultimately was dominated by questions about special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.

“AG Barr must retract his statement immediately or produce specific evidence to back it up,” Schumer said in a tweet.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, added in a statement that Barr had “demanded himself” by “carelessly acting as a mouthpiece for President Trump’s conspiracy theories.”

FEAR AND PANIC: ALEX GROBMAN

https://www.jewishlinknj.com/features/30756-fear-and-panic

Part XVII
Throughout April, May and June 1940, the Nazis continued their drive to dominate Europe by conquering Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. As Saul Friedlander noted, the stunning Nazi victories caused panic in the U.S. and fear that an invasion of the Western hemisphere might be imminent.

The Germans understood that America was impotent as a result of the defeat of the Allies, and that no matter how vociferous their verbal objections might be, they were not in a position to initiate practical action. The U.S. was virtually in a state of paralysis in light of a looming election campaign, the speed in which 120 German divisions attacked the entire length of the Western front and the complete lack of preparedness on the part of the American armed forces.

The Jews had “worked themselves into a state of panic, verging on catastrophic despair,” observed Salo Baron, professor of Jewish history at Columbia University in the July-August 1940 edition of the Contemporary Jewish Record. An ever-increasing number of Jews began to believe that there was little use in attempting to ameliorate even a “small fraction” of the distress, for the refugee crisis seemed to be growing beyond their ability to cope with it.

The point had been reached where some Jews were “beginning sincerely to favor, or else find a ready excuse for, complete inertness and a fatalistic suspension of all activities, including even the financial contributions for relief of European Jewry and the reconstruction of Palestine.”