Impeachment Explained: How would a Senate trial play out if Trump is impeached?WASHINGTON — Public support for impeachment of President Trump is rising — and so is anxiety among Republicans who worry that the White House has not done enough to coordinate an aggressive response.That lack of uniform messaging has led to freelance efforts to help the president, as well as criticism from supporters of the president over what they deem an insufficient strategy to counter Democrats.On Thursday afternoon, Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a Senate resolution to condemn House Democrats for the way they have handled the impeachment inquiry into Trump’s attempts to have the Ukrainian government to investigate the family of his political rival, the former Vice President Joe Biden.A co-author of the resolution was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., famous for his ability to count votes and discern shifts in political moods. And yet McConnell was not standing alongside Graham as the South Carolina senator argued his case at a press conference. For that matter, neither were any of the more than 40 other Republicans who endorsed the measure, giving what should have been a show of force the feel of a one-man show.McConnell’s office would not say on record why he didn’t attend the resolution’s announcement. Later reports indicated that some Republicans were uneasy with Graham’s original pro-Trump language, which McConnell worked to soften.Impeachment proceedings against Trump are entering their most consequential stage yet, with a raft of witnesses slated in the coming days and a House vote on articles of impeachment perhaps only a month away. Even so, Republicans — many of whom face reelection in 2020 — are still struggling to figure out how to defend Trump. There is little consensus about whether to attack impeachment on substance or on process, which is being led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the House Intelligence Committee chairman who is widely despised by the right.President Trump returning from South Carolina to Joint Base Andrews on Friday. (Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters)And while some legislators have been vociferous in standing up for Trump, others have laid low. One top Republican operative in Washington told Yahoo News that it was a mistake to not have a single official coordinating an impeachment response from inside the White House.

“The president needs to put one person in charge of the impeachment defense,” the operative said. He added that having White House counsel Pat Cipollone or acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney working on impeachment in addition to the respective responsibilities each already carries was poor management.

“They should not be running this,” he said of the two men, who are said to be vying for influence over how to handle impeachment.

The lack of a central Republican strategy much was in evidence Friday morning, when Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., appeared on “War Room: Impeachment,” the new impeachment-focused radio show hosted by Steve Bannon, the former White House chief political strategist. Bannon launched the show earlier this week out of frustration with what he saw as a disorganized, unfocused response to what he sees as a grave threat to Trump’s presidency.

“No more just taking punches,” Bannon said at the opening of Friday’s episode, in what could serve as the program’s theme.

Bannon showered praise on Gaetz, who earlier this week led a Republican storming of the secure basement room in the U.S. Capitol, where witnesses were testifying in front of the impeachment panel. While the president’s critics saw the move as little more than a disruptive stunt, loyalists like Bannon were thrilled to watch members of Congress come so forcefully to Trump’s defense.

Two days later, Gaetz said he had no regrets. “I thought we worked ’em pretty silly,” he said, describing how surprised Democrats were to see a gang of Republicans making its way through the door of a secure facility where intelligence matters are often discussed well out of public view. “It was almost like watching cockroaches scatter when you turn the lights on,” Gaetz said of his Democratic foes.

Notably absent from the show of force was House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the chamber’s leading Republican — a fact that was not lost on Bannon. After the Gaetz action was concluded, Bannon criticized McCarthy for a “60 Minutes” interview in which, according to Bannon, McCarthy came off as a “complete and total buffoon” who was unprepared to discuss the details of the impeachment inquiry.

McCarthy, Bannon added, needed to “jump in here and get engaged.”

One Republican staffer on Capitol Hill cautioned against drawing conclusions about fractures in the Republican conference.“I’ve rarely seen our caucus this riled up. We’re totally united in fighting Schiff’s secret impeachment,” the staffer added. “Across the board, members think this whole thing is a farce, and you’ll see little dissent from that view.”

The staffer acknowledged that “Senate Republicans are quieter,” but so were, in his estimation, Democrats in the upper chamber, with both parties “keeping their powder dry over there.”

As for McCarthy, a spokesman said that he supported Gaetz’s effort, even if he wasn’t present for it. “House Republicans are speaking with one voice against the undemocratic impeachment process,” the spokesman said, pointing to efforts like a resolution to censure Schiff that was introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and roundly supported by this Republican colleagues.

GOP fractures, however, extend beyond the House. After all, that chamber is controlled by Democrats. The Senate and White House, meanwhile, are in Republican control, making them natural epicenters of pro-Trump impeachment initiatives. But so far, such initiatives have been limited.

Graham acknowledged as much during Thursday’s press conference. “What’s missing here, I think, is that coordinated effort to put somebody in charge of developing a message and delivering it,” Graham said. “I believe that’s about to be corrected, I hope.”

Democratic Rep. Katie Hill resigns amid ethics probe

Associated Press•October 28, 2019 Rep. Katie Hill threatens legal action over nude photos WASHINGTON (AP) — Freshman Rep. Katie Hill, a rising Democratic star in the House, announced her resignation Sunday amid an ethics probe, saying explicit private photos of her with a campaign staffer had been „weaponized” by her abusive husband and political operatives.The California Democrat, 32, had been hand-picked for a coveted leadership seat. But in recent days, compromising photos of Hill and purported text messages from her to a campaign staffer surfaced online in a right-wing publication and a British tabloid.The House ethics committee also launched an investigation into whether Hill had an inappropriate relationship with an aide in her congressional office. Hill has denied that.”It is with a broken heart that today I announce my resignation from Congress,” she wrote in a statement released Sunday, adding that her resignation is effective Friday.”Having private photos of personal moments weaponized against me has been an appalling invasion of my privacy. It’s also illegal, and we are currently pursuing all of our available legal options,” she added. „However, I know that as long as I am in Congress, we’ll live fearful of what might come next and how much it will hurt.”Last year, Hill won a Republican-held seat near Los Angeles. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi picked Hill for a leadership post.

Hill said she is divorcing her husband. She is one of the few openly bisexual women in Congress.

World

This Is How America Can Stop China From Dominating the South China Sea

The National Interest•October 27, 2019

109 Comments

Key Point: The Philippines have a role to play.

The United States and the Philippines have been discussing whether the Filipino military should buy the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a multiple rocket launcher used by the United States and other nations, according to the South China Morning Post.

“If deployed, the long-range, precision-guided rockets fired by the system would be able to strike Chinese man-made islands on reefs in the Spratly chain,” the newspaper said. HIMARS is a lighter, more mobile six-barreled version of the U.S. Army’s M270 multiple rocket launch system (MLRS). It can shoot rockets out to 70 kilometers (43 miles) and GPS-guided ballistic missiles out to 300 kilometers (186 miles).

However, funding from the cash-strapped Philippines is a hurdle. “The two sides have been unable to reach a deal because HIMARS could be too expensive for Manila given its tight defense budget,” said the newspaper.

Exactly how much does HIMARS cost? Manufacturer Lockheed Martin refused to give cost estimates, instead referring queries to the U.S. Army’s Aviation and Missile Command, which didn’t respond to questions from TNI. The cost of HIMARS is split between the launcher itself and separate contracts for various munitions including guided and unguided rockets, the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, and weapons under development such as extended-range rockets and the Precision Strike Missile.

Some estimates put the cost of a HIMARS guided rocket at $100,000 to $200,000 apiece, or an ATACMS at more than $700,000 apiece. Another clue is that Poland recently signed a $414 million contract for eighteen launchers plus support and training. With the 2019 Philippines defense budget at only $3.4 billion, a big HIMARS purchase would be a strain.

Read the original article.

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The Latest: Police, separatists clash in Barcelona

Associated Press•October 26, 2019

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Spain Catalonia

Catalan pro-independence protesters gather during a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Protests turned violent last week after Spain’s Supreme Court convicted 12 separatist leaders of illegally promoting the wealthy Catalonia region’s independence and sentenced nine of them to prison. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Latest on clashes in Barcelona between police and separatists (all times local):

9:30 p.m.

Police are clashing with a large group of Catalan separatists in downtown Barcelona in a flareup of violence in the restive Spanish region.

Several hundred mostly masked protesters have surrounded the national police headquarters in the Catalan city and are throwing bottles and rocks at officers in riot gear. The police are responding by swinging batons.

The clash comes after 350,000 people protested peacefully Saturday against the imprisonment of nine Catalan separatist leaders for their roles in an illegal 2017 secession bid.

Last week Barcelona and other nearby towns were rocked by six days of violent riots that hurt over 500 people, including police, and led to over 150 arrests.

___

8:30 p.m.

Hundreds of thousands in Spain’s restive region of Catalonia protested Saturday in Barcelona against the imprisonment of nine separatist leaders for their roles in an illegal 2017 secession bid.

Barcelona’s police say 350,000 people rallied in downtown Barcelona, many waving pro-independence flags for Catalonia. The rally was organized by the main pro-secession grassroots groups who want to create a new state in wealthy northeastern Spain.

Nine Catalan officials were given sentences of nine to 13 years for sedition by the Supreme Court. Four of those were also convicted of misuse of public funds. The other three were fined for disobedience. They were all acquitted of the more serious crime of rebellion, which carries sentences of up to 25 years.

The Oct. 14 sentence sparked peaceful protests in Barcelona and other nearby cities that later spiraled into violent clashes with police during six straight days.

 

John Conyers, longest serving black congressman, dies at 90

Associated Press•October 27, 2019

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John Conyers Jr., longest-serving African American congressman, dies at 90

DETROIT (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, one of the longest-serving members of Congress whose resolutely liberal stance on civil rights made him a political institution in Washington and back home in Detroit despite several scandals, has died. He was 90.

Conyers, among the high-profile politicians toppled by sex harassment allegations in 2017, died at his home on Sunday, said Detroit police spokesman Cpl. Dan Donakowski. The death „looks like natural causes,” Donakowski added.

Known as the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, which he helped found, Conyers became one of only six black House members when he won his first election by just 108 votes in 1964. The race was the beginning of more than 50 years of election dominance: Conyers regularly won elections with more than 80% of the vote, even after his wife went to prison for taking a bribe.

That voter loyalty helped Conyers freely speak his mind. He took aim at both Republicans and fellow Democrats: He said then-President George W. Bush „has been an absolute disaster for the African-American community” in 2004, and in 1979 called then-President Jimmy Carter „a hopeless, demented, honest, well-intentioned nerd who will never get past his first administration.”

Throughout his career, Conyers used his influence to push civil rights. After a 15-year fight, he won passage of legislation declaring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday, first celebrated in 1986. He regularly introduced a bill starting in 1989 to study the harm caused by slavery and the possibility of reparations for slaves’ descendants. That bill never got past a House subcommittee.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that without Conyers there would be no King holiday — „no doubt about that.”

„He was one of the most consequential congressmen,” Jackson said.

His district office in Detroit employed civil rights legend Rosa Parks from 1965 until her retirement in 1988. In 2005, Conyers was among 11 people inducted to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

But after a nearly 53-year career, he became the first Capitol Hill politician to lose his job in the torrent of sexual misconduct allegations sweeping through the nation’s workplaces. A former staffer alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances, and others said they’d witnessed Conyers inappropriately touching female staffers or requesting sexual favors.

Why The U.S. Military Never Wants To Bomb North Korea

The National Interest•October 27, 2019

143 Comments

Key point: North Korea knows how to raise the costs for America.

The idea of retaliating against North Korea has, of course, been around for a long time. North Korea provokes South Korea, Japan, and the United States regularly. Several of those provocations were severe enough that military action would likely have enjoyed some global acceptance. In 1968, the North Koreans captured the USS Pueblo, a naval intelligence vessel, and held the crew for almost a year. In 1969, North Korea shot down a U.S. reconnaissance plane, killing the crew. In 1998, North Korea shot a missile over Japan. In 2010 North Korea sank a South Korean corvette and shelled a South Korean-held island, killing fifty. Yet in each case, the United States, South Korea, and Japan choose to defer. The reasons for that restraint are broadly still in place and will likely inhibit President Donald Trump as they have previous U.S. presidents:

1. Seoul is extremely vulnerable to North Korean counter-fire:

This is probably the greatest military constraint. South Korea is badly configured for a protracted bout of tit-for-tat retaliation and counter-retaliation with North Korea. This is not like Israel’s ability to strike Arab opponents with limited counter-strike vulnerability. Seoul and its surrounding Kyeonggi province lie right on the demilitarized zone border. Kyeonggi includes 55 percent of the entire South Korean population and is the economic and political heart of this highly centralized country. This megalopolis makes for a big, hard-to-defend, easy-to-hit target should Pyongyang hit back against an airstrike.

2. Trump would need the political approval of South Korea and Japan:

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Taiwan Is Finally Getting 66 New F-16s, But It’s Too Little Too Late

The National Interest•October 26, 2019

140 Comments

Key point: Fighters are the least important part of Taiwan’s strategy to deter China.

Nearly a decade after first requesting them, the Taiwanese air force finally could get 66 new F-16 fighters to begin replacing some of its older fighter aircraft.

But the $8-billion fighter-acquisition, which the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump approved over strong objections from China, likely will do little to alter the overall balance of power across the Taiwan Strait.

China possesses hundreds of more modern fighters than Taiwan does. Sixty-six F-16s won’t change that. And Taipei already has begun to revamp its defensive strategy to de-emphasize the importance of conventional major weapons systems such as F-16s.

To counter China’s roughly 1,500 fighters, Taipei possesses around 400 fighters of its own including aging F-5s and Mirage 2000s, locally-made F-CK-1s and the survivors of 150 F-16As and Bs that the island country bought from the United States in 1992. In 2001 the Taiwanese government asked for 66 F-16Cs and Ds.

The administration of then-U.S. president George W. Bush rejected the request. A decade later Pres. Barack Obama also turned down the proposed purchase. As a consolation, Obama’s administration agreed to upgrade Taiwan’s older F-16s to the new “F-16V” standard with improved sensors.

Now Taipei is getting new-build “Block 70” F-16s that essentially are identical to F-16Vs. These new fighters could replace the 50 or so Mirage 2000s as well as a couple dozen old F-5s, leaving Taiwan with a force of around 200 F-16s plus and around 120 F-CK-1s.

But the modernization occurs just as fighters are beginning to matter less to Taiwan’s defense strategy. Drew Thompson explained the strategy in a 2018 article for War on the Rocks.

“Last year, Taiwan’s chief of the general staff Adm. Lee Hsi-ming quietly proposed a revolutionary new approach to Taiwan’s defense, called the Overall Defense Concept,” Thompson wrote. “This new concept, if effectively implemented, could turn the tables and give Taiwan a fighting chance of preventing China from being able to take it by force.”

Read the original article.

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Football coach says he ‘couldn’t hold back my tears’ after video of boy crying while reading thank you letter goes viral

Megan Johnson

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Yahoo Lifestyle•October 27, 2019

198 Comments

Get ready to grab the tissues, because a viral video of a 6-year-old boy thanking his football coach will officially give you all the feels.

Jayden, a first-grade student at Charles Elementary School in Richmond, Ind., wanted to thank his football coach for his hard work through the season. In the video, he presents Coach Richard with a mug that reads “A good coach can change the game. A great coach can change a life.”

“Thanks, buddy!” Coach Richard Nelloms says while embracing Jayden. But that wasn’t the only thing Jayden had for his coach.

“Hold on, he’s got a little note he wrote you,” Jayden’s mother, Courtney Wigginton, can be heard saying behind the camera.

The little boy soon pulled out a heartwarming letter he wrote for Nelloms, and read it aloud while his mom caught it on video.

“Dear Coach Richard, you have been the greatest coach of my life. I love you Richard,” Jayden reads, as he starts to break down crying. “You help me love football again. Thank you for being my favorite coach. Love, Jayden.”

StanceGrounded@_SJPeace_

My hear can’t

Jayden, a 1st grader at Charles Elementary School in Indiana, reads a special letter to his football Coach

This is so pure I’m crying

Coach Richard is a HEROIC Coach

SALUTE

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8:25 PM – Oct 26, 2019

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The TikTok video has since gone viral.

On his Facebook page, Coach Richard Nelloms shared that while he was able to hold back tears when Jayden presented him with the letter, he did break down upon rewatching the video.

“I held it together when Jayden was reading to me. But after I watched it, I couldn’t hold back my tears,” Nelloms writes. “This was something that I felt so lucky to have an opportunity to do … I felt blessed with the chance to be myself and teach my players how to have fun no matter what. It’s a dream of mine to make an impact on as many souls as possible. Thank you Jayden for allowing me to fulfill a dream of mine!!! GO TIGERS.”

In a Facebook post, Jayden’s mother shared an emotional response to the video’s impact.