BREAKING: The dirty FBI agent cited in IG report as "primarily responsible" for misstatements and omissions of exculpatory information in the illegal anti-Trump FISA warrants – Stephen Somma – was handpicked by McCabe and is STILL employed by the FBI, according to IG Horowitz
https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1232037883281903617
Kobe Bryant's widow sues helicopter owner as memorial service takes place in LA
Vanessa Bryant claims the pilot was careless by flying in cloudy conditions and should have aborted the doomed flight.
Kobe Bryant's widow has sued the owner of the helicopter which crashed in fog and killed her husband and their teenage daughter.
Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit alleging wrongful death claims the pilot was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions and should have aborted the flight.
The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was among the nine people killed in the crash last month.
The lawsuit comes as thousands attended a public memorial service for the basketball legend, his daughter and the other victims at the arena where the NBA superstar played most of his career.
The sold-out memorial service is being held at the Staple Centre, which is home to the Los Angeles Lakers, and is known as the "house that Kobe built".
The basketball star was killed along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna when the helicopter he was travelling in crashed in Calabasas, California, north of Los Angeles on 26 January.
Fighting back tears, Ms Bryant paid tribute to her husband and daughter as she delivered a eulogy.
She said Gianna - also known as Gigi - would kiss her good morning and good night every day, and that she "was a daddy's girl but I know she loved her mama".
She spoke of how she would "never get to see her walk down the aisle" and that Gianna "will never get to have a father-daughter dance with her daddy".
Mrs Bryant recalled the 13-year-old's advocacy for pay equality in sport, and her dream to play in the Women's National Basketball Association.
"Gigi would have most likely become the best player in the WNBA," she said.
"She would have made a huge difference for women's basketball…. Gigi was motivated to change the way everyone viewed women in sports."
Speaking about her "sweet husband," Mrs Bryant said "Kobe loved me more than I could express".
"He was mine - he was my everything."
"We always talked about how we wanted to be the fun grandparents to our grandchildren. Kobe always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are. He taught them how to be brave and keep pushing fords when things get tough."
When her tribute on stage ended, Mrs Bryant was helped down the steps by basketball legend Michael Jordan.
In early February, Mrs Bryant announced the service would be held as a "celebration of life" for her late husband and daughter.
February 24 is a special date for the family as it symbolises both Kobe's and Gianna's jerseys and the number of years Kobe and Vanessa were together.
Speakers at the memorial event reflected on Bryant's impact on basketball and the world, along with music and retrospectives on Bryant's on-court achievements.
https://news.sky.com/story/kobe-bryant-widow-sues-helicopter-owner-as-memorial-service-takes-place-in-la-11942446?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
BREAKING: Stephen Somma, unmasked as the "Case Agent 1" whom the IG report said was "primarily responsible" for the FISA misconduct, was hanging out with Halper and Dearlove in London years before targeting the Trump campaign. In fact, Somma was Halper's handler from 2011-2016.
https://twitter.com/paulsperry_/status/1232040645734359043
He's cured, its a miracle, because it was never an act to garner sympathy… Right?
https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1232045377039273987
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1232044189514371079
As if she's not guilty.
Investors eye bleach, food and tissues as virus fears intensify
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-virus-idUSKCN20I28Q?taid=5e543ab33e2fca0001a3e179&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
US weighs expelling Chinese journalists after American reporters banned in 'egregious act'
The Trump administration is mulling whether it should expel some Chinese journalists after China barred three Wall Street Journal reporters working in the country.
The move is set to be discussed on Monday at a White House meeting led by deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who himself once worked as a Wall Street Journal reporter in China. A number of senior administration officials are expected to attend, according to Bloomberg News.
There is disagreement internally about how the United States should respond to the expulsions, which came last week after the country said the outlet's opinion piece referring to China as “the real sick man of Asia” was “racially discriminatory.”
Some at the White House want the U.S. to expel dozens or even hundreds of Chinese reporters in a tit for tat over the act. Other officials, however, are worried about the legal ramifications and if the move would reflect poorly given the constitutional right to freedom of the press.
John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, called China's decision to expel the journalists an "egregious act" on Friday.
“This expulsion is yet another attempt to control the press and prevent the world’s readers as well as investors from reading important stories about China,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang blasted the opinion piece that sparked the controversy and called it an attack on the country.
“Regrettably, what the WSJ has done so far is nothing but parrying and dodging its responsibility,” Geng said. “The Chinese people do not welcome those media that speak racially discriminatory language and maliciously slander and attack China.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo fired back at China after the news, arguing that “mature” countries don’t suppress free speech.
“Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinions. The correct response is to present counter arguments, not restrict speech,” Pompeo said in a statement.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/us-weighs-expelling-chinese-journalists-after-american-reporters-banned-in-egregious-act
VANDALIZED! Bloomberg’s Chicago Offices Covered in Graffiti, Campaign Blames Bernie Supporters
The Chicago offices of Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign were covered with ‘Oligarch’ graffiti early Monday morning, with top staffers suggesting Bernie Sanders supporters were behind the attack.
The Chicago offices of Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign were covered with ‘Oligarch’ graffiti early Monday morning, with top staffers suggesting Bernie Sanders supporters were behind the attack.
“Another one of Mike Bloomberg’s campaign offices was vandalized on Sunday night, with the former New York City mayor’s campaign quickly heaping blame for the graffiti on the rhetoric of Democratic presidential primary rival Bernie Sanders,” reports Fox News.
PHOTO: Graffiti spray-painted on Bloomberg campaign office in Edgewater, details from @lukewilusz and me for @Suntimes, https://t.co/IGtOH1uteN #Bloomberg #Chicago pic.twitter.com/MdPC3IKpGZ
— Carly Behm (@cb_journo) February 24, 2020
“While we do not know who is directly responsible, we do know Senator Bernie Sanders and his campaign have repeatedly invoked this language, and the word ‘oligarch’ specifically when discussing Mike Bloomberg and his campaign,” campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said.
“Sen. Sanders’ refusal to denounce these illegal acts is a sign of his inability to lead, and his willingness to condone and promote Trump-like rhetoric has no place in our politics … No one should have to live in fear of coming to work, and Sen. Sanders must call on his supporters — including his campaign staff — to elevate the discourse in this campaign and end their spread of hateful rhetoric,” he added.
Bloomberg’s offices in Tennessee were targeted last week for a similar attack.
https://hannity.com/media-room/vandalized-bloombergs-chicago-offices-covered-in-graffiti-campaign-blames-bernie-supporters/?utm_source=socialflow
Joe what state are you in? The state of confusion
https://twitter.com/mschlapp/status/1232055810492162048
Sanders comes under fire for Castro comments
Democratic presidential candidates went after front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday for comments he made about the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a “60 Minutes” interview.
Sanders, speaking in an interview that aired Sunday evening, said it’s “unfair to simply say everything is bad” with Castro's Cuba. He highlighted the authoritarian leader's “massive literacy program” as one of the bright spots.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign criticized Sanders, arguing his comments illustrate “a larger pattern throughout his life to embrace autocratic leaders and governments across the globe.”
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Biden adviser Cristóbal Alex said Sanders's remarks are “deeply offensive” to people across the country that have fled political persecution.
“Bernie’s comments indicate he either fails to understand the pain and suffering that Fidel Castro, Nicolas Maduro, and Daniel Ortega have caused to so many people, including Americans now living here, or worse, that his ideology blinds him to the realities of life in these countries,” Alex said.
Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg sought to tie Sanders's comments to President Trump.
“After four years of looking on in horror as Trump cozied up to dictators, we need a president who will be extremely clear in standing against regimes that violate human rights abroad. We can't risk nominating someone who doesn't recognize this,” Buttigieg tweeted in Spanish.
Tras cuatro años de ver con horror cómo Trump se acerca a dictadores, necesitamos un presidente que sea extremadamente claro al oponerse a los regímenes que violan los derechos humanos en el extranjero. No podemos arriesgarnos nominando a alguien que no lo reconozca.
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 24, 2020
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Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also called out Sanders with a tweet in Spanish.
“Fidel Castro left a dark legacy of forced labor camps, religious repression, widespread poverty, firing squads, and the murder of thousands of his own people,” Bloomberg tweeted. “But sure, Bernie, let’s talk about his literacy program.”
Fidel Castro dejó un oscuro legado de campos de trabajo forzado, represión religiosa, pobreza extensa, ejecuciones por fusilamiento y el asesinato de miles de sus compatriotas.
¿Y Bernie quiere hablar de programas de alfabetización?
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 24, 2020
During the "60 Minutes" interview, Sanders condemned Castro’s imprisonment of dissidents. He also distanced himself from Trump’s relationship with foreign leaders, saying, “I do not think that Kim Jong Un is a good friend. I don't trade love letters with a murdering dictator. Vladimir Putin, not a great friend of mine.”
The Sanders campaign defended the senator’s remarks about Castro, arguing Sanders was “simply echoing” former President Obama.
"Sen. Sanders has clearly and consistently criticized Fidel Castro’s authoritarianism and condemned his human rights abuses, and he's simply echoing President Obama’s acknowledgment that Cuba made progress, especially in education,” Sanders communications director Mike Casca said in a statement.
Obama, speaking in 2016 at a joint press conference in Havana with then-Cuban President Raul Castro, said, “The United States recognizes progress that Cuba has made as a nation, its enormous achievements in education and in health care." Obama does not appear to reference Fidel Castro.
Sanders is likely be pressed on the matter at Tuesday night’s debate in South Carolina, when several of his Democratic rivals will be onstage with him.
But Democratic criticism has not been limited to fellow White House hopefuls.
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The Florida Democratic Party chair released a statement Monday saying candidates “need to understand our immigrant communities’ shared stories.”
"Florida Democrats condemn dictators who toppled democracies across the globe and stand in solidarity with the thousands of people who have fled violent dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua,” party chair Terrie Rizzo said.
“Candidates need to understand our immigrant communities’ shared stories, as well as provide solutions to issues that matter to all Floridians including access to affordable health care and rejecting a Trump economy that works only for the very rich."
Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Florida Democrat backing Bloomberg’s campaign, called Sanders’s comments “ill-informed” and “insulting” to Floridians.
Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) said she hopes that in the future Sanders will speak to some of her constituents “before he decides to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/484392-sanders-comes-under-fire-for-castro-comments
REPORT: Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Set to Depart Trump Administration After Immigration Defection
New reports indicate White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is preparing to depart the Trump administration after undermining the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, claiming the United States is “desperate” for more immigration.
Mulvaney made the remarks when speaking to an audience of well-connected political elites at a private event in England. Soon after they were reported on by the Washington Post, Mulvaney was heavily criticized by Trump supporters for endorsing policy one might expect to see promoted by longtime anti-Trumpers such as George Soros and Charles Koch.
The report of Mulvaney’s departure first surfaced in Ryan Girdusky’s populist newsletter. Mulvaney is said to be lining up a new gig in the world of Washington, D.C conservative think tanks.
Mulvaney’s departure, which Girdusky claims to have been informed of by three sources, would represent a victory for ‘MAGA’ conservatives within Trump administration, who have blasted the former Republican congressman for wildly diverging from President Donald Trump’s pro-American immigration platform.
President Trump ran on a platform of lowering annual levels of legal immigration, going on to waffle on the issue in a few presidential speeches since becoming President. Immigration totals have declined under his administration, and many economists have pointed to rising wages for working-class Americans as a benefit of the restrictionist platform.
A takedown from Tucker Carlson, who accused the former anti-Trumper (Mulvaney was caught on tape admitting he viewed Trump as a “terrible human being” in 2016) of carelessness for Donald Trump’s core base of supporters, may have proved instrumental in spurring Mulvaney’s tentative departure from the administration.
Mulvaney’s exit from the administration would represent one of two major victories for immigration hawks within the Trump administration in the past week. The new ‘public charge’ rule, which restricts access to welfare programs, food stamps and Medicaid to American citizens, entered into effect Monday.
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/report-chief-of-staff-mick-mulvaney-set-to-depart-trump-administration-after-immigration-defection/
After a lifetime of reaching for the stars, today, Katherine Johnson landed among them. She spent decades as a hidden figure, breaking barriers behind the scenes. But by the end of her life, she had become a hero to millions—including Michelle and me.
https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1232061971148746754