Politics
UN Ambassador Says ‘No Love’ Between US and Russia Right Now
Published
7 years agoon
By
Willie DavidWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says there’s no question Russia was involved in the U.S. presidential election and insists President Donald Trump would fully support strong action against the Kremlin once investigations are complete.
Speaking in television interviews broadcast Sunday, Nikki Haley contended there is no contradiction between her tough stance and Trump’s repeated public statements seeking to minimize Russia’s role. She said Trump “has not once” told her to stop “beating up on Russia.”
She joins Defense Secretary James Mattis as Trump administration officials who have forcefully called out Russia for its actions during the 2016 U.S. campaign.
“We don’t want any country involved in our elections, ever,” Haley said. “We need to be very strong on that.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied his country meddled in the 2016 contest between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. While Trump himself has said he believes Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party emails during the election, he has repeatedly lambasted as “fake news” any suggestion that he or his staff had connections to Russia.
Trump continued his attacks over the weekend, tweeting: “It is the same Fake News Media that said there is ‘no path to victory for Trump’ that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam!”
He added on Sunday: “The real story turns out to be SURVEILLANCE and LEAKING! Find the leakers.”
U.S. intelligence agencies report that Russia tried to help Trump’s campaign effort. The FBI as well as congressional committees are investigating whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump associates during the campaign. The White House is also trying to quell a firestorm over its behind-the-scenes role in helping the Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, view secret intelligence reports that he says pointed to inappropriate leaking.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, went to the White House on Friday to view materials that he said were “precisely the same.” He declined on Sunday to describe the contents, but criticized the unorthodox disclosure to Nunes, suggesting that the material was more likely an “effort to deflect attention” and “create a cloud through which the public cannot see.”
“Whenever they see the president use the word ‘fake,’ it should set off alarm bells,” Schiff said. “I think that’s really what going on here.”
Trump as president persuaded Haley to leave the governorship of South Carolina to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. She said she was “beating up on Russia” over issues such as its actions in Crimea and its dispute with Ukraine.
When asked if she believes Trump should publicly take a harder Russia stance, she said: “Of course, he’s got a lot of things he’s doing.”
“There’s no love or anything going on with Russia right now,” Haley said. “They get that we’re getting our strength back, that we’re getting our voice back and that we’re starting to lead again, and, honestly, at the United Nations, that’s the No. 1 comment I get is that they’re just so happy to see the United States lead again.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who chairs the Armed Services Committee, said it was indisputable that Russia attempted to influence the U.S. election, reiterating his call for a special select committee.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he didn’t think another review was necessary, citing the bipartisan work from the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“I think they clearly laid out that they’re going wherever the facts take them,” McConnell said, referring to Republican chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina and Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the panel. “We don’t need yet another investigation. We know the FBI is looking at it from their perspective.”
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, said Russia was not worried about what any U.S. investigation might reveal. “We insist that any blaming that Russia could have been interfering in domestic affairs of the United States is slander,” he said.
Haley, Peskov and McCain appeared on ABC’s “This Week,” Haley also was on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Schiff spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and McConnell appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and NBC’s “Meet The Press.”
—
AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace and AP writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.
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Politics
Puerto Rico Republicans award Trump all 23 of their delegates
Published
5 days agoon
April 21, 2024By
FNN NEWSSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Republican Party held a district assembly on Sunday and awarded former President Donald Trump all 23 of their national delegates.
About 77% of the 1,340 members that make up the U.S. territory’s Republican Party participated, according to Angel Cintron, who heads the GOP there.
He said they held a caucus-style vote that decided how Puerto Rico’s delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July will pledge their votes. Twenty delegates and 20 alternates were chosen.
Trump effectively clinched his party’s nomination earlier this year.
As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico does not participate in the presidential elections but does vote in primaries for the eventual nominees.
Politics in Puerto Rico is dictated by the political status people believe the island should have: statehood, independence or the territorial status quo. Several prominent members of the island’s Republican Party had announced ahead of the district assembly that they do not support Trump.
Politics
Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Minkara Travel to Kenya
Published
5 days agoon
April 21, 2024By
FNN NEWSSpecial Advisor on International Disability Rights (SAIDR) Sara Minkara is traveling to Kenya April 22 to 26 to meet with host government officials to support continued U.S.-Kenyan relations on the development of assistive technology, inclusive education, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Additionally, SAIDR Minkara will meet with civil society to learn about the challenges and opportunities to participation for persons with disabilities in society. She will also participate in the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Business Summit in Nairobi, where she will discuss the importance of investing in disability-inclusive entrepreneurship and integrating disability rights into trading partnerships.
Politics
Suspended Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren Seeks Re-Election
Published
1 week agoon
April 17, 2024By
FNN NEWSTAMPA, Fla. – In a video released Tuesday morning, State Attorney Andrew Warren announces he will seek re-election to a third term as State Attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida. Warren, a Democrat, points to his proven record of reduced crime, increased public safety, and improvements to the justice system as he declares his candidacy in the race, which will appear on the November 2024 general election ballot.
“Today, I’m running for election as State Attorney to serve the people—all the people—of Hillsborough County. I’m running to keep our neighborhoods safe. I’m running to fight for victims and to make our criminal justice system better,” Warren declares in the video.
Warren has twice been elected by Hillsborough County voters, in 2016 and 2020.
During his first 5 1/2 years in office, before he was illegally suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Warren worked with prosecutors, law enforcement, and community partners to:
· Reduce crime in Hillsborough County by more than 30%
· Make Hillsborough the safest large county in Florida, according to state statistics
· Invest in safety through prevention and rehabilitation, and by addressing mental health and addiction
· Target child predators, convicting an average of one predator every four days the courthouse was open
· Create and expand civil citation programs, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline
· Establish a Community Council and a Racial Justice Work Group
· Become a national leader in transparency, launching a groundbreaking public Data Dashboard
· Reduce the criminalization of poverty
· Pursue drunk drivers with aggressive sanctions to reduce repeat offenses
· Adopt the Disarming Domestic Abusers policy to protect victims of domestic violence
A native Floridian and former federal prosecutor, Warren and his wife Alex are parents of three children—their daughters Elliot and Lucy, and their late son Zack.
The announcement video is now live on Warren’s Facebook and X/Twitter pages. It encourages supporters to visit Warren’s website, AndrewWarrenFL.com, to sign up for updates or contribute to the campaign.
While outlining his successes in office, Warren also highlights the suspension that installed an unelected political appointee into his position last year—an appointment that is illegitimate, according to prominent Florida legal experts, including a former Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice.
“On August 4, 2022, Ron DeSantis threw out your vote. He illegally forced me from office under armed guard,” Warren says in the video. “My late son. My beautiful daughters. My strong wife. They inspire me to serve others—to do good. That’s why I took DeSantis to court.”
As an image in the video quotes federal Judge Robert Hinkle’s January 20, 2023 ruling that Warren “was diligently and competently performing the job he was elected to perform,” Warren says, “The judge ruled that I did my job and the suspension was unconstitutional. But our fight is not over”—referring to Judge Hinkle’s conclusion that he lacked the authority to reinstate Warren. On January 11, 2024, the appellate court affirmed Judge Hinkle’s findings regarding the constitutional violation while clearly stating that Judge Hinkle has the authority to reinstate Warren.
Even as Warren awaits reinstatement, his announcement Tuesday affirms that in addition to winning in court, Warren intends to be back on the ballot so voters can emphatically make it clear that they decide who represents them—not a governor who broke the law and abused his power for a political stunt.
“I’m running to protect our values, for a woman’s right to choose, for a fair and just system, and—above all—for freedom and democracy,” Warren says. “I’m running to do what’s right. It’s what I’ve always done, as a former federal prosecutor, as a father, and as your State Attorney. I’m Andrew Warren, and together, it’s time we reclaim the future of this community—our community. Join us in this fight.”
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