Dems demand documents on Trump sanctuary city plan

Three top Democrats wrote to Trump administration officials Monday asking for documentation on the White House plan to shuttle migrants to sanctuary cities.

Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) – chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Homeland Security committees, respectively – asked Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan for all communications regarding the plan endorsed by President Trump.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/438923-dems-demand-documents-on-trump-sanctuary-city-plan

Redacted Mueller Report To Be Released To Congress & Public On Thursday

Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec announced this morning Attorney General William Barr is expected to send Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report to Congress and make it public on Thursday (ahead of the long weekend's news cycle).

Those following Mueller’s investigation will pore over the report’s almost 400 pages for any new disclosures of contacts between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian operatives who interfered in the 2016 election, as well as evidence that the president sought to obstruct justice by interfering in the probe.

But, as Bloomberg reports, readers also will puzzle over sections that Barr has said he’ll blank out. He’s said the redacted material will be color-coded to indicate whether it involves classified material, grand jury information or damage to the reputation of a private citizen “peripheral” to the investigation.

One key question the report may answer is why Mueller decided not to make a recommendation one way or the other on whether to charge Trump with obstructing justice.

We look forward to Schiff and Swalwell's comments…

As a reminder, Barr will testify about the Mueller report before the House and Senate Judiciary panels on May 1 and May 2.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-15/redacted-mueller-report-be-released-congress-public-thursday

Ocasio-Cortez says she gave up Facebook, calls social media a 'public health risk'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in a new interview that she gave up her personal Facebook account, adding that the move was especially painful because she first organized her successful congressional campaign on the platform.

The freshman lawmaker told Yahoo News's "Skullduggery" podcast that “social media poses a public health risk to everybody.”

“There are amplified impacts for young people, particularly children under the age of 3, with screen time,” she said. “But I think it has a lot of effects on older people. I think it has effects on everybody. Increased isolation, depression, anxiety, addiction, escapism.”

Ocasio-Cortez also said she “gave up on" Facebook, calling it a "big deal."

“I personally gave up Facebook, which was kind of a big deal because I started my campaign on Facebook,” she said. “And Facebook was my primary digital organizing tool for a very long time. I gave up on it.”

The 29-year-old progressive often knocks critics and calls out President Trump on Twitter.

She told Yahoo News that she writes all her own posts on both Twitter and Instagram, and is aware of the effects social media has “both as a person with a larger audience but also as an individual user of these platforms.”

Ocasio-Cortez has also gained popularity for live-streaming daily tasks and habits on Instagram while talking to her viewers.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/438921-ocasio-cortez-says-she-gave-up-facebook-calls-social-media-a

Wondering if AOC is being used to bring more exposure to FB (C_A)… What a show!

Russian aluminum maker investing in Kentucky plant after sanctions lifted

Russia's largest aluminum maker is investing in a Kentucky aluminum rolling mill just months after sanctions against the company were lifted, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

United Co. Rusal, whose largest shareholder is billionaire Oleg Deripaska, reportedly intends to invest $200 million intothe plant being built by Braidy Industries Co.

The agreement, which is set to run for 10 years, would turn Braidy into Rusal’s biggest customer and give the Russian company a foothold into U.S. rolled-aluminum market, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Rusal would own a 40 percent stake in the Braidy unit that will operate the mill, according to the Journal.

Rusal faced sanctions from the U.S. that effectively barred it from the global financial systems because of its ties to Deripaska.

The Trump administration agreed to lift sanctions on Rusal after the Russian oligarch agreed to give up control, though he still owns the largest stake in the company.

The billionaire aluminum magnate remains under U.S. sanctions, which were part of a series of penalties against Russia over its meddling in the 2016 election.

Deripaska has denied the accusations and sued to get sanctions on him reversed.

Braidy CEO Craig Bouchard told Bloomberg that he is not concerned about the perception of buying metal from the Russian company.

“I’m aware of what happened, but it never entered my conversation or mind,” Bouchard said in a telephone interview.

“I’m not a politician, it’s all about the business, and I have 10,000 families in Appalachia riding on my shoulders, and anyone that can help me rebuild Appalachia is my friend.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/438925-russian-aluminum-maker-investing-in-kentucky-plant-months-after-sanctions-lifted

Even the Russians are wanting to get in on the great American economy. Kek