major news breaks all day and night
There were major events over the past 24 hours that will have lasting impact.
First the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings was a surprise.
Cummings was a major voice who made an impact in the House. He was heading a committee in the impeachment inquiry. May he rest in peace. He was only 68 years old.
The possible Brexit deal is big.
If passed there will be a major U.S. and England trade deal announced. It will further the restructuring of trade under this administration. I can’t say what the exit will mean to England, but I can say it will be a boost for the U.S.
By the way, what should not be lost in this is the difference between this administration and the past one. President Trump supported the Brexit exit and wants a new trade deal on day one. President Obama warned England if they vote to leave they would go to “the bottom of the list”.
Let’s see if the MSM remembers this.
On Turkey it was quite a day.
The WH meeting certainly got news. According to whom you believe either Nancy Pelosi or President Trump were out of their mind. Maybe the whole situation in Washington is.
The American voters in 2020 have to fix this and decide what direction and kind of country we want.
The situation in Syria is dire and at a crossroad.
V.P. Pence and Secretary Pompeo are in Turkey as I write this to meet with Erdogan.
This is complicated but consider this:
Erdogan is tough and has long wanted to attack across the border.
It is clear to me he was going in now, whether we stayed or left.
President Trump did not want another Mideast conflict.
His problem is he pulled the troops and made the decision without consultation with anyone.
His tendency to act alone harms him with the military and congress.
His gut that this is not our fight and we don’t belong there is right.
The way he did it, leaves him open to criticism.
Now what are his opponents saying? He was wrong to pick up and leave?
What is there solution? Do you hear what they would have done?
We all accept we don’t want ISIS to reform, but what would they have done if Turkey came across the border?
When you hear the criticism, listen for what they would have done and would do now. They never say. Only that Trump was wrong.
Where were Nancy and Chuck when Obama called ISIS the JV? Right behind him then.
Where were they when the previous administration did not enforce the red line in Syria? Right behind them then.
Now they are hawks?
The President’s biggest mistake was acting alone after a call with Erdogan and not asking or seeing what congress and the military had to say.
Here’s an example of how quickly and surprisingly we left:
On Wednesday, the U.S. military said two F-15E jet fighters carried out an airstrike to destroy an ammunition-storage facility, latrines, tents and other parts of the Syria headquarters of the American campaign to destroy Islamic State after pulling its forces from the base.
Col. Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition overseeing the fight against Islamic State, said the airstrikes were intended to ‘reduce the facility’s military usefulness.
Sounds more like a retreat than a withdrawal doesn’t it?
Did you see the President’s letter to Erdogan?
He was clear in his threat to him. The question now is what will Turkey do and how do we react? If they continue the assault we need the heaviest of sanctions and NATO needs to join us.
The same NATO that refused to guard the border with us when asked.
The Democratic debate on Tuesday:
Drew only 8.3 million viewers. This was down from last month’s debate and not good news for them.
I know the polls show Joe Biden is still at the top but:
I remain convinced he is in big trouble. You know the old “follow the money”, well check this out:
In the last quarter his campaign spent almost $2 million more than he raised. This was caused by sluggish fundraising coupled with the expenses of maintaining a big payroll and a nationwide operation.
His cash on hand sum of $8.9 million is so low that it’s almost four times lower than the $33.7 million banked by Sanders, nearly three times lower than Warren’s $25.7 million war chest and more than twice as small as Pete Buttigieg’s $23.3 million.
Joe is in trouble. At the bottom of this blog is a list of all quarterly reports.
Remember Bowe Bergdahl who deserted and became a campaign issue?
Well they kept saying no one died trying to save him to defend the past administrations moves at “rescue” and then pardon. Here’s what happened yesterday:
A retired soldier who was shot in the head while searching for US Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan a decade ago has died of complications from the injury, according to reports.
Master Sgt. Mark Allen, of Loganville, Ga., was severely wounded in 2009 when he and other troops looked for Bergdahl, an Army private who deserted his post and was captured by the Taliban.
Allen, who died Saturday at age 46, was shot during an insurgent ambush in 2009, when he was left paralyzed over much of his body after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
His wife, Shannon Allen, told WSB radio she did not learn about the circumstances surrounding her husband’s injuries until 2014, after former President Barack Obama negotiated Bergdahl’s release in a swap for five Taliban members held at Guantanamo Bay.
Allen’s funeral is Friday.
Third Quarter fundraising reports for the Democratic candiates:
Steyer: $49.6 (all but $2 million of that was from the candidate himself)
Sanders: $25.3
Warren: $24.6 Buttigieg:
$19.1 Biden:
$15.2 Harris:
$11.6 Yang:
$10Booker:
$6 Klobuchar:
$4.8 O’Rourke:
$4.5 Williamson:
$3 Bullock:
$2.3 Bennet:
$2.1Delaney:
$870KRyan:
$430KSestak:
$370KMessam: