Tag: President

With around 97 percent of the votes counted, the 45-year-old lawyer's tally stood at 58.3 percent of the vote in Saturday’s runoff against European Commission Vice President Maroš Šef?ovi?. "Perhaps we thought politics was only a sign of weakness, and today we see it as a sign of strength," she told jubilant supporters in Bratislava. She had convincingly won the first round of the election, two weeks earlier, with more than 40 percent of ballots cast, more than double that of her opponent. Most of the protesters held Fico’s government and his SMER party indirectly responsible for the killings. The subsequent investigation has discovered links between the man now charged with ordering the murders, Marian Ko?ner, and prominent politicians and officials. ?aputová’s victory is cause for celebration for pro-EU and democratic forces throughout Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Brussels. She told POLITICO in an interview a few days ahead of the result: “My main focus is to bring about change in Slovakia, and for Slovakia to be a reliable and predictable partner of the European Union.” ?aputová also said that her win could embolden anti-corruption activists and liberals across the Continent. “Obviously in the EU but also, more broadly, in Europe, developments in one country influence events in other countries and can have an inspirational effect,” she said. Michal Repa, her chief election strategist, said there is a yearning in the country for a fresh approach. While the role of Slovakia's president is largely ceremonial, ?aputová has said that she intends to be very active in ensuring justice for all Slovaks in reinforcing the independence of the public prosecutor’s office and in the naming of judges.

In this picture taken on June 27, 2012, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, left, and his Army chief of staff, Gen. Ahmed Gaid Salah, review an honor guard before attending a military parade, in Cherchell near Algiers, Algeria. Algeria's powerful army chief, Ahmed Gaid Salah, insisted Wednesday that the military won't get mixed up in politics, a day after he said a constitutional process should be set in motion to declare ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul) ALGIERS, Algeria – Algerians taking to the streets for their sixth straight Friday of protests aren't just angry at their ailing president — they want to bring down the entire political system. Small crowds started filling the boulevards of Algiers on Friday morning, and their numbers are expected to swell after midday Muslim prayers. The Algerian army chief called earlier this week for a constitutional process to declare President Abdelaziz Bouteflika unfit for office. Other politicians and parties backed the idea as a solution to the gas-rich country's political crisis. But protesters see the proposal as a way for the secretive political elite to keep their grip on power and name a hand-picked successor to Bouteflika, who has been largely out of the public eye since a 2013 stroke. Anger at the constitutional process issue is central to Friday's protest.

Watch LIVE at 7pm ET: Trump heads back to Michigan for his first rally since the Mueller investigation ended. FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and…

President Donald Trump’s administration is back on the attack against the Affordable Care Act, squarely weighing in on the side of a Texas judge’s ruling that would strike down the entire health-care law. In new court filings, the Justice Department said it would not fight the district court decision on appeal. This shift on the part of the administration — if its position prevails in higher courts — could strip away health care for millions and void the expansion of Medicaid in most states. [CNN] [WaPost] Topping the news: Gov. Gary Herbert signed 119 bills on Monday, including one to outlaw abortions after 18 weeks of gestation, assuring a legal challenge. He also signed legislation delaying the effective date of all future voter-approved ballot measures to give the Legislature time to change them. His one veto was a bill aimed at limiting voter participation in special election candidate nominations. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews] -> A group of medical marijuana supporters took to the state Supreme Court on Monday to ask justices to restore the original voter-approved initiative. [Trib] [Fox13] [KUTV2] [DNews] -> Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding, is floating a possible three-way split of San Juan County — one that puts most of the area’s majority Navajo population into one county. [Trib] -> @tribjazz: “Jimmer checks in and the crowd goes wild ... presumably cuz they’ve seen him play defense before and are anticipating the Jazz lead expanding.” In other news: Business entrepreneur Dave Bateman likely saved the Utah Republican Party from bankruptcy but he keeps pushing an issue that has deeply fractured the ruling party.

"It is unacceptable that, after Special Counsel Mueller spent 22 months meticulously uncovering this evidence, Attorney General Barr made a decision not to charge the President in under 48 hours. The Attorney General did so without even interviewing the President. His unsolicited, open memorandum to the Department of Justice, suggesting that the obstruction investigation was ‘fatally misconceived,’ calls into question his objectivity on this point in particular. "Although we have confidence that Special Counsel Mueller made the right prosecutorial judgement in these two specific areas—notwithstanding the very public evidence of Trump campaign contact with and willingness to receive support from Russian agents—it will be vital for the country and the Congress to evaluate the full body of evidence collected by the Special Counsel, including all information gathered of a counterintelligence nature. "The only information the Congress and the American people have received regarding this investigation is the Attorney General’s own work product. The Special Counsel’s Report should be allowed to speak for itself, and Congress must have the opportunity to evaluate the underlying evidence. "These shortcomings in today’s letter are the very reason our nation has a system of separation of powers. We cannot simply rely on what may be a partisan interpretation of facts uncovered during the course of a 22-month review of possible wrongdoing by the President. "The American people deserve to see the facts and judge the President’s actions for themselves. "Earlier this month, the House passed a resolution calling for the release of the Special Counsel’s report by a vote of 420-0.

Trump and his allies are already seizing on that line of the summary released Sunday, and it's undoubtedly a major headline pushing back on two years of Democrats claiming they had evidence of collusion. Barr's summary includes a footnote that explains how Mueller defined coordination: an "agreement -- tacit or express -- between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government on election interference." The Justice Department decided not to prosecute the President for obstructing justice with his behavior -- both public and in private -- but Trump isn't fully cleared. Mueller said he thoroughly investigated the obstruction question, though he didn't interview Trump. CNN reported Sunday that Mueller had deliberated at length about subpoenaing Trump before deciding not to make a formal request within the Justice Department. "In light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making at the Justice Department following the Special Counsel report, where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling Attorney General Barr in to testify before ?@HouseJudiciary? in the near future," the New York Democrat tweeted Sunday. The four-page summary Barr released on Sunday is written in a lawyerly way in many cases, especially when it comes to the decisions made over the probe into obstruction of justice. Of course, Republicans have also said they want Mueller's report to be released and several have said the report should be out so that Democrats cannot claim the Justice Department is hiding anything. There are still many pages of documentation of Mueller's work -- plus discussions of his and the attorney general's decisions and findings -- that aren't yet public. (The ongoing investigations are "several" and other prosecutorial offices will be considering "further action," Barr wrote.)

Two South American countries have been in the news a lot lately. For musicians in both those countries, the news is affecting their work. Luna has been very outspoken in her music about the political unrest in her country. "I know that is not my afraid, it's they are afraid of me — of my power, of our power." As Contreras notes, Luna joins a long legacy of Brazilian musicians speaking truth to power. "During the military dictatorship there in the 1960s, there was an entire genre of music that developed around these musicians," Contreras says. Contreras describes Luna, like other artists in this lineage, having "almost a sacred responsibility" to speak up for her people who are subjected to racism, classicism and unfair treatment of any kind. While Venezuelan vocalist Lolita Del Sol made it to the festival this year, Contreras spoke with Alicia Zertuche, SXSW senior programmer and visa supervisor, who recalled a heartbreaking exchange with Venezuela's Desorden Público who couldn't make it this year. It's not because we can't leave the country, we are afraid to leave our families behind.'" Contreras says that whether they could make it to SXSW this year or not, the music of these acts will serve as a timestamp of the political climate and a symbol of perseverance.

And a series of fresh disclosures on Tuesday show there is every reason for him to feel threatened by the vast shadow it is casting over his life, business and presidency. That prosecutors from the Southern District of New York believe those elements need to be kept out of the public eye suggests that their investigations -- which have already indirectly implicated Trump -- are not over. While a sitting President cannot be indicted, according to current Justice Department guidance, Trump cannot be certain that he will not be prosecuted for campaign finance violations when he eventually leaves office. "If I was Donald Trump, I would be scared," Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, said on CNN's "The Situation Room." They show that Cohen was paid more than $500,000 through his company as a business consultant from January to August 2017 by Columbus Nova LLC., an investment management firm that is linked to Russian national Viktor Vekselberg. But he is far from the only Trump associate to have suggestions of links that can be traced back to prominent Russians. Methods used by investigators to track Cohen, including state-of-the-art techniques targeting Apple devices, and the revelation of their sweep through the lawyer's emails and telephone communications may fuel Trump's fury about what he sees as the special counsel's "witch hunt." It's also notable that Mueller has indicted three Russian entities and 13 Russian nationals in connection with Moscow's operation to use social media to interfere in the 2016 election, sow political discord and elect Trump. Washington has been on edge for several weeks over expectations that Mueller is getting toward the end of the road. Some former officials who received letters from the committee requesting documents, including former White House counsel Don McGahn and former deputy counsel Annie Donaldson, are referring them to the White House.

And a series of fresh disclosures on Tuesday show there is every reason for him to feel threatened by the vast shadow it is casting over his life, business and presidency. That prosecutors from the Southern District of New York believe those elements need to be kept out of the public eye suggests that their investigations -- which have already indirectly implicated Trump -- are not over. While a sitting President cannot be indicted, according to current Justice Department guidance, Trump cannot be certain that he will not be prosecuted for campaign finance violations when he eventually leaves office. "If I was Donald Trump, I would be scared," Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, said on CNN's "The Situation Room." They show that Cohen was paid more than $500,000 through his company as a business consultant from January to August 2017 by Columbus Nova LLC., an investment management firm that is linked to Russian national Viktor Vekselberg. But he is far from the only Trump associate to have suggestions of links that can be traced back to prominent Russians. Methods used by investigators to track Cohen, including state-of-the-art techniques targeting Apple devices, and the revelation of their sweep through the lawyer's emails and telephone communications may fuel Trump's fury about what he sees as the special counsel's "witch hunt." It's also notable that Mueller has indicted three Russian entities and 13 Russian nationals in connection with Moscow's operation to use social media to interfere in the 2016 election, sow political discord and elect Trump. Washington has been on edge for several weeks over expectations that Mueller is getting toward the end of the road. Some former officials who received letters from the committee requesting documents, including former White House counsel Don McGahn and former deputy counsel Annie Donaldson, are referring them to the White House.

But this weekend's tirade came across as even more jarring given his tepid tone on Friday when he said that he didn't think white supremacy was a growing global problem after the attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 50. Mulvaney's comments did not explain why the President has often had a chance to vigorously condemn white supremacists — for instance after the far right marches in Charlottesville, Virginia — and has not done so. Mulvaney also dodged when asked on Sunday whether the President would give a speech condemning white supremacy, given that statistics suggest it is becoming an increasing problem. Trump's weekend tweet storm and obsession with personal slights seemed stunning given that the conversation on news shows the world over was focused on the attack in New Zealand. The latest examination of Trump's attitude towards far-right-wing political rhetoric — which has some resonance among a minority in his political base — was set off by his initial reactions to the terror attack on Friday. The President also did not offer public empathy to American Muslims or condemn the specific act of targeting believers in such attacks. "At the very least, he is dividing people. And he, at the very least, should be giving strong statements, public speeches defending Muslims in this world," said Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for president, on "State of the Union." GM responded saying in a statement that "the future of the unallocated plants will be resolved between GM and the UAW," referring to the United Automobile Workers union. Trump also defended one of his most vociferous cheerleaders on Fox, Jeanine Pirro, who did not appear in her usual spot on Saturday night after questioning whether the religious beliefs of Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar were compatible with the US Constitution.