Tag: Fly

Newly elected Rep. Ilhan Omar will jet off to Los Angeles next month to keynote a fundraiser for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a terror-tied organization that was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorist financing case in U.S. history. “CAIR-LA is honored to have Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) as the featured speaker for the 4th Annual Valley Banquet,” reads a press release from the Los Angeles chapter of the group that was formed as a Hamas support network in the United States. She will deliver her address alongside CAIR-Florida director Hassan Shibly, according to a CAIR flier promoting the event. Moreover, Shibly regularly takes to social media to demonize the U.S. military as equivalent to the jihadi terrorists that they are fighting. The director of CAIR-Los Angeles is Hussam Ayloush, who, like many CAIR executives, has disturbing Islamist views. Following the tragic San Bernardino terrorist attacks, Ayloush suggested that the United States was “partly responsible” for the ISIS-led attack on innocents in California. “Let’s not forget that some of our own foreign policy, as Americans, as the West, have fueled that extremism,” he added. Though AIPAC does not contribute to political campaigns, CAIR certainly does. CAIR’s fundraiser is just one of the controversial events lined up for Omar’s schedule. HSBC bank has also severed ties with the organization, cautioning that funds delivered to the group could end up in the war chests of terrorist organizations.

Two days after John McCain’s death and well behind the thousands of glowing tributes that poured in from around the country – and beyond – for the war hero, Donald Trump issued a statement on Monday afternoon saying he respected the late senator’s service to his country. “Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half staff until the day of his interment,” the statement said. McCain died on Saturday at the age of 81 from brain cancer and will be buried this Sunday at the US Naval Academy in Maryland. Meanwhile, in his final statement to the nation, McCain emphasized the importance of unity among Americans and urged the country to not “despair of our present difficulties” in a farewell message prepared before his death. I lived and died a proud American,” McCain wrote. ‘It's going to be difficult to fill his shoes’: Arizona remembers John McCain Read more “We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.” McCain’s blunt criticism of Trump factored heavily into his strained relationship with the president, who reportedly rejected issuing an official White House statement praising the six-term Arizona senator after his death on Saturday, even as leaders from across the world paid tribute to McCain as a decorated Vietnam war hero who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. He will be memorialized in ceremonies in his home state of Arizona and Washington DC this week and laid to rest in a private burial on Sunday. Former Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama are expected to speak at McCain’s memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington on Saturday. In his closing statement, McCain acknowledged he was not without his flaws but said he tried to serve the country “honorably”. John McCain opened Pandora’s box – Sarah Palin came out, but Trump was right behind her Read more “I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them,” he said.

Because the attitudes of Texas Republican voters on immigration issues are taking political precedence over the best interests of the state. Texas polling data shows a negative network of attitudes toward both legal and illegal immigrants among many GOP voters. Any Republican leader who might publicly oppose the census order fears angering these voters — and inciting primary challengers more willing to cater to these Republican ideals. The state’s leadership was playing in tune with their political base: In October 2017 UT/TT polling, 88 percent of Republicans supported requiring local law enforcement officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and 69 percent said that officers should always be able to question a person’s immigration status. In the February 2018 UT/Texas Tribune Poll, 62 percent of Republicans expressed the opinion that the United States allows too many people to immigrate here legally, and 49 percent disagreed with the statement that “newcomers from other countries enrich Texas with their hard work and values.” GOP voters’ reservations about the role of immigrants extends to other areas, such as birthright citizenship. But November 2015 UT/TT polling, in the wake of proposals by candidate Trump and other Republicans to repeal birthright citizenship, found that 66 percent of Texas Republicans favored repealing this part of the 14th Amendment. Were immigration competing with other priorities for the attention of Republican voters, there might be potential for state elected officials to redirect voters’ attention toward realistic concerns about defending the flow of federal funds available to the state for social spending, transportation and education. The grounds for the argument hide in plain sight. In the 2016 fiscal year, according to the comptroller’s office, federal funds composed more than a third of state budget revenue at 35.5 percent. Henson is the director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas.

(WASHINGTON) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has broken months of silence about his frequent premium-class flights at taxpayer expense, saying he needs to fly first class because of unpleasant interactions with other travelers. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt spoke about his flight costs on Tuesday in a pair of interviews in New Hampshire, following a first-class flight to meet with the state’s Republican governor and tour a toxic waste site. Pruitt said he was not involved in the decision for him to fly first class. “There have been instances, unfortunately, during my time as administrator, as I’ve flown and spent time, of interaction that’s not been the best,” Pruitt told WMUR TV in Manchester, New Hampshire. They place me on the plane where they think is best from a safety perspective.” Pruitt was asked about the issue following a Washington Post report on Sunday that detailed some of his travel expenses, including a $1,641.43 first-class seat for a short flight in June from Washington to New York City. Pruitt’s ticket cost six times what EPA paid for his aides seated in coach. Federal regulations allow government travelers to fly business class or first class when no cheaper options are “reasonably available” or if there are exceptional security circumstances. Records show Pruitt has taken at least four flights on non-commercial aircraft, costing more than $58,000. The office of EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins said Wednesday it expects to release the results of its investigation by summer. His spokeswoman, Jennifer Kaplan, said that would impair the ability of the inspector general to perform investigations like the one into Pruitt’s spending.