Thursday, February 28, 2019

Trump calls out NRA in meeting on gun control

What happened to the Trump that originally took on the NRA?

March 1, 2018
President Trump shocked lawmakers in a bipartisan meeting by calling for comprehensive gun control measures backed by Democrats.

There is a case out of Maine that is rather worrisome.

I am NOT trying to effect his guilt or innocence, but, was this man beaten? Some of what the police are accused of is torture. That is a separate investigation and it needs to be carried out by disinterested parties.

There was a time gap between the time he was apprehended and the time he was read his Miranda rights, I don't believe that constitutes proof of the comprehension of his arrest and the charges before him. If he was tortured he would do anything to prevent more of the same.

At this point, it looks as though the State's case is completely compromised as it should be if this man was tortured by the police. I don't' see how the case can go forward without a complete investigation of the accusations of torture.

February 28, 2019
by Megan Gray

John D. Williams is shown being led away after his capture by Maine State Police on April 28 and during his court hearing Thursday on a motion to suppress his confession to killing Somerset County Sheriff's Cpl. Eugene Cole. His attorney argued that Williams had been beaten by the arresting officers and feared further physical violence if he didn’t cooperate with the interrogation, and his drug withdrawal symptoms and weakened state made him vulnerable to coercion by police.

The man accused of killing a Somerset County sheriff’s deputy (click here) was in withdrawal from drugs during his arrest and police interrogation, a doctor testified Thursday morning.

John D. Williams is charged with murder in the death of Cpl. Eugene Cole in April. Cole, 61, became the first Maine police officer fatally shot in the line of duty in three decades. Williams, 30, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in June.

The doctor was the first witness in a multi-day hearing on a motion to suppress all statements Williams made to law enforcement upon his arrest, including a confession to the killing.

Defense attorney Verne Paradie argued in his motion that police obtained those statements illegally. He said Williams had been beaten by the arresting officers and feared further physical violence if he didn’t cooperate with the interrogation, and his withdrawal symptoms and weakened state made him vulnerable to coercion by police.

Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese pushed back on those ideas with her own questions, pointing in particular to a moment when Williams said he understood his Miranda rights and explained them to police....

They need safety harnesses.

The country has a problem. It has an entire political party in the Republicans that is bonded to Trump and he is a criminal. His methods are criminal and he doesn't care the amount of damage he does to our country or our people. Not only that but there is an entire segment of the population that has turned off the media for information and receives information only from Trump.

I hope the proper authorities are moving to take into custody the information Michael Cohen taken about that is "off site" in warehouses. The authorities need to get the information before it is destroyed. Have there been any warehouse fires lately?

I have no confidence at all in President Trump. He was tolerable, but, as time has worn on there is less and less about him that is tolerable. He uses racism to his advantage with a segment of the USA population. He breeds hate.

The USA has a profound problem and there is only one political party willing to do anything about it. There needs to be more Republicans separating themselves from Trump and be willing to love their country more than a man.

It was an alarming day.

The news both abroad and domestic was alarming yesterday and no American should take it lightly.

The talks with North Korea collapsed. They were touted by Trump for a long time as being award winning talks. That failed to be the case.

The USA military needs to reestablish its stance with South Korea and begin military games once more. That reality needs to automatically be part of any agreement between the USA and North Korea. The agreement between North Korea mist reflect a decreasing nuclear profile. In other words, as North Korea denuclearizes THEN the USA military decreases it's a profile in the area IN RELATION TO THE DEGREE OF DENUCLEARIZATION.

I find the abrupt removal of the USA military from South Korea and the compromise of South Korean national security to radical. It is understandable North Korea is demanding the removal of the USA military from the Korean Peninsula, but, to grant these demands without recognized and measurable concessions was an enormous mistake by Trump. What incentive did Kim have to carry out denuclearization after he got everything he wanted without changing a very aggressive profile? There were none.

In the domestic picture of the USA, there were alarming facts revealed in the US House with the testimony of Michael Cohen. He was very well spoken. He was more than willing to talk about the facts regarding his involvement in crimes by the Trump Company and the president as the president himself.

It was heartbreaking to realize Michael Cohen was enjoying a very lucrative career only to be drafted into a company that destroyed his professional status and life as a high earning lawyer. His family has suffered because of his affiliation with the Trump Company and the president.

Yesterday's testimony provided many lessons including the fact a slick public profile can mask the truth about the crime behind that profile. I hope if there are more Michael Cohens in the USA they take an example from this man and begin to reverse their involvement in crime.

The USA federal legislature has a heavy task ahead of it. It cannot leave a criminal in the Executive Branch. The American people should not consent to any criminal leadership in any branch of government. There are always hidden priorities with such people and it effects the path the USA government takes.

It is very worrisome that Trump is a criminal. He has taken enormous steps in regard to the USA treasury, dissolving treaties and reversing alliances with long standing allies. This is simply poor leadership, but, in the case of Trump it is poor leadership in the face of strong favoritism to Russian influence in both his election and his White House.

There is much to be done, but, the federal legislature cannot turn their backs on the facts brought to the country by Michael Cohen.

Donald Trump is heating up his veto pen.

Trump is very wrong in his assessment of these bills. They need to be signed into law and they are popular with gun owners. The veto should be viewed as adverse to gun ownership and safety for the American people. A majority of gun owners want better background checks.

The second bill is to extend the period of time given to gun shops to clear a person for ownership. That is a very good idea since Dillon Roof would not have been able to own his guns if he needed to wait a day or two longer for his background check.

There are very big consequences affiliated with the planned vetos of current bills passed with bipartisan votes. Those consequences need to be told to the American people. Vetos are serious issues and to use them for cronies and political votes is simply wrong when Americans are heavily impacted. Vetos impact the advocates and their campaigns to pass laws to help Americans. It simply wrong and proves the president is out of touch with the majority of Americans.

February 26, 2019

Washington — President Donald Trump (click here) is threatening to veto two Democratic bills expanding federal background checks on gun purchases, saying they do not sufficiently protect gun owners’ Second Amendment rights.

The House is expected to vote this week on separate bills requiring background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms and extending the background-check review from three to 10 days.

The bills are the first in a series of steps planned by majority House Democrats to tighten gun laws after eight years of Republican control.

The White House said in a veto message that the bill expanding background checks would impose unreasonable requirements on gun owners. It said the bill could block someone from borrowing a firearm for self-defense or allowing a neighbor to take care of a gun while traveling....

FedEx is proving the IMF was correct in warnings about a slowing global economy.

In the fourth quarter of 2018, there has been a slowing to the USA economy. Many blame the government shutdown, but, the greatest impact didn't occur in 2018. The first paycheck was missed by the government employees in 2019. The USA government shutdown definitely affected the USA economy, but, to extrapolate that into the global slowdown is not likely.

Timeline to tariffs (click here)

November 13, 2018
By Dan Murphy

Growth is slowing in a number of the world’s big economies (click here), and the International Monetary Fund is warning that investor sentiment could make a “sudden reversal” for the worse.

“Although still supportive of growth, global financial conditions have started to tighten,” the fund said in its latest Regional Economic Outlook report for Middle East and Central Asia, released Tuesday.

The report is published annually and gives a broad overview of recent economic developments and of prospects and policy issues for the medium term....

FedEx is one of the companies that launched and grew with the expansion of global markets. It makes complete sense that FedEx would be feeling the CONTRACTION of the global market place. Now, 3.5 growth is still significant, but, if the slowing continues it will have a larger impact. I think this slowing is on track due to the USA tariffs.

February 25, 2019
By Max Garland

FedEx’s view on the economy (click here) isn’t getting any better with its next earnings report less than a month away, according to a recent company report.

The Memphis logistics giant expects global and U.S. economic growth to slow this year and next, per a FedEx analysis as of Feb. 1.

Global gross domestic product growth will dip to 2.9 percent in 2019 and to 2.8 percent in 2020, according to the analysis in FedEx’s roadshow report for investors. FedEx forecast global GDP growth to be 3.1 percent last year.

“Global economic growth is slowing as growth eases in the Eurozone, China, and other large economies,” FedEx said in the report. “Given the importance of access to global supply chains to U.S. competitiveness and jobs, it is important to have a policy environment that encourages free trade. Higher tariffs represent a downside risk to the economic outlook, especially as global trade growth slows.”

FedEx is one of many expecting the global economy to slow. In January, the International Monetary Fund said GDP growth would drop from 3.7 percent in 2018 to 3.5 percent in 2019....

continued...

Thank you, Speaker Pelosi.

Expanding background checks high a high approval rate by the American people, including gun owners. Those that can lawfully own a gun recognize the loopholes in the current law and want those loopholes closed. This is the first time in nearly two decades a gun law has been passed in the USA legislature. It is a result of hard work and reaching across the aisle.

The elections of 2018, placing Democrats in the majority in the US House, was won due to expectations of increasing gun control and guaranteeing health insurance without regard to pre-conditions. Yesterday was a great day in the US House which occurred with committees recessed for the vote.

This bill was possible because gun control groups never gave up, including with the help of Michael Bloomberg.

February 27, 2019
By Brakkton Booker

The House passed (click here) what advocates call the most significant gun control measure in more than two decades on Wednesday when it approved the first of two bills aimed at broadening the federal background check system for firearms purchases.

The vote on the first bill, dubbed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, passed largely along party lines 240 to 190 with Democrats who control the House cheering as they carried the legislation across the finish line.

A second bill, expected to be taken up Thursday, would extend the period federal authorities have to complete a background check before a gun sale can go through. Under current law, if a check isn't finalized in three business days, the transaction can automatically proceed.

House Democrats hope the swift passage of the companion bills will put pressure on the Senate to act. The National Rifle Association opposes the legislation, and it faces major headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate. In the unlikely event the Senate approves the measure, the White House has already signaled the President would veto the bill, should it reach his desk....