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Trump Pulls the U.S. out of Surveillance Treaty, His Latest Withdrawal From a Major Pact

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The Trump administration said Thursday that it will withdraw from another major international treaty, a decision expected to disturb European allies as Washington pulls back further from global arms commitments and other pacts.

The Open Skies treaty allows 35 nations, including Russia, to conduct unarmed surveillance flights over each other’s territory in order to assure that nations are not preparing for military action.

The Trump administration has previously said that Russia has repeatedly violated the terms of the pact, which was brokered three decades ago. Washington maintains that Moscow uses the flights as an opportunity to identify critical infrastructure to target during a potential conflict.

“President Trump has made clear that the United States will not remain a party to international agreements that are being violated by the other parties and are no longer in America’s interests,” said national security advisor Robert O’Brien in an emailed statement.

“We look forward to negotiating with both Russia and China on a new arms control framework that moves beyond the Cold War constructs of the past and helps keep the entire world safe,” the statement added. (Read more from “Trump Pulls the U.S. out of Surveillance Treaty, His Latest Withdrawal From a Major Pact” HERE)

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GOP Senators ‘Increasingly Concerned’ Surveillance of Trump Associates Began Earlier Than Previously Known

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By Daily Caller. Two Republican senators dramatically expanded their request for so-called Obama administration unmasking records on Tuesday, saying in a letter to the U.S. government’s top spy chief that they are “increasingly concerned” that surveillance of Trump campaign aides began earlier than the FBI has previously acknowledged.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson sent a letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell on Tuesday asking him to provide their committees unmasking records submitted for any Trump campaign associate between January 2016 and January 2017.

“Based on our investigation and recent press reports, we are increasingly concerned that the surveillance of U.S. persons affiliated with the Trump campaign began earlier than the opening of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation in late July 2016,” the senators wrote in a letter to Grenell.

“It has become evident that the FBI, and possibly members of the U.S. Intelligence Community, were focused on U.S. persons affiliated with the Trump campaign in early 2016, if not even earlier.”

The senators on May 13 released a list of 39 Obama administration officials who submitted requests during the presidential transition period for intelligence reports that mentioned retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. (Read more from “GOP Senators ‘Increasingly Concerned’ Surveillance of Trump Associates Began Earlier Than Previously Known” HERE)

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McEnany Accuses Susan Rice of a ‘Lie’ Over 2017 Interview Answer About Alleged Trump Team Surveillance

By Fox News. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany accused former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice of a “lie” in a 2017 interview, when Rice said she knew nothing about the Trump transition team being caught up in surveillance of foreign officials.

“She was asked specifically about [Devin] Nunes’ claims,” McEnany told reporters Wednesday. “She said ‘I know nothing about this,’ so that was a lie.”

During an appearance on PBS News Hour in 2017, Rice was asked about then-breaking revelations about members of President Trump’s transition team having been surveilled before he took office.

“In the last few hours, we’ve been following a disclosure by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, that in essence, during the final days of the Obama administration, during the transition after President Trump had been elected, that he and the people around him may have been caught up in surveillance of foreign individuals and their identities may have been disclosed. Do you know anything about this?” PBS anchor Judy Woodruff asked. (Read more from “McEnany Accuses Susan Rice of a ‘Lie’ Over 2017 Interview Answer About Alleged Trump Team Surveillance” HERE)

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Cuomo: ‘Ask President Trump’ About Nursing Home Deaths

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By New York Post. First Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed nursing homes for a widely criticized directive from his Health Department barring the facilities from turning away coronavirus-positive people — now he’s pawning it off on the White House.

Critics should “ask President Trump” about it, the governor said Wednesday, arguing that the federal government actually cooked up the mandate — and that New York was just following Washington’s lead.

“Anyone who wants to ask, ‘Why did the state do that with COVID patients in nursing homes,’ it’s because the state followed President Trump’s CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance,” Cuomo told reporters in Albany who pressed him on whether he had any regrets about the directive, which may have played a role in the deaths of thousands of nursing home residents.

“They should ask President Trump. I think that will stop the conversation,” he repeated.

Despite frequently jousting with the president throughout the pandemic, however, Cuomo betrayed no regrets on adopting that March 25 directive, even with well over 5,000 confirmed or suspected coronavirus deaths now reported in nursing homes. (Read more from “Cuomo: ‘Ask President Trump’ About Nursing Home Deaths” HERE)

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New York’s Coronavirus Data Sheds New Light on the Most Severe Cases: 40% Died Within 15 Days of Going to the Hospital, and 67% Were Men

By Business Insider. New York City has reported about 13% of the US’s 1.5 million coronavirus cases.

More than 200,000 people in the city have been infected (though that’s only those who have been tested), and at least 16,000 have died — that’s more than 17% of all confirmed US deaths from COVID-19.

In a new study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, researchers examined what happened to the sickest New Yorkers after they were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19.

They found that, of a cohort of 257 critically ill New York City residents treated at two Manhattan hospitals, 39% died. On average, that happened nine days after they were admitted. Another 37% of patients with severe cases were still in the hospital after four weeks of treatment. (Read more from “New York’s Coronavirus Data Sheds New Light on the Most Severe Cases: 40% Died Within 15 Days of Going to the Hospital, and 67% Were Men” HERE)

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Trump GOES OFF on Pelosi: ‘Waste of Time,’ She Has ‘Mental Problems’ (VIDEO)

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President Donald Trump told The Daily Caller’s Henry Rodgers that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a “waste of time,” and told other reporters that she is a “sick woman” Tuesday.

“President Trump, last night Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called you morbidly obese. I just wanted to know what you had to say in response to that?” The Caller’s Henry Rodgers asked.

“Oh, I don’t respond to her, I think she’s a waste of time,” the president responded.

He also told reporters that she has “mental problems.” . . .

“She’s got a lot of problems. A lot of mental problems. We’re dealing with people that have to get their act together for the good of the country,” he added. (Read more from “Trump GOES OFF on Pelosi: ‘Waste of Time,’ She Has ‘Mental Problems'” HERE)

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Joe Biden Falsely Accuses Trump of Ignoring Antisemitism; Biden Has a New Nickname for President Trump

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By Breitbart. . .[Joe] Biden, speaking to an online fundraising event, claimed that the president was “not saying a word” about antisemitism, according to the pool report (via Sahil Kapur of NBC News).

Not only has Trump repeatedly condemned antisemitism, but he did so extensively just a few weeks ago, in issuing a proclamation declaring May to be Jewish Heritage Month. The president said:

Throughout history, the Jewish people have demonstrated an unbreakable spirit, overcoming suffering, cruel oppression, violence, and bigotry. Tragically, Jewish men, women, and children continue to face anti-Semitic discrimination, persecution, and violence today, and Jewish institutions and places of worship remain targets of vandalism and destruction. Our country has wept too many times in the aftermaths of horrific attacks, including last April when a murderer opened fire in a synagogue in Poway, California, taking innocent life and shattering families in a cowardly display of evil. Such unconscionable acts are an abomination to all decent and compassionate people. Hatred is intolerable and has no place in our hearts or in our society. We must therefore vigorously confront anti-Semitic discrimination and violence against members of the Jewish community. That is why I signed an Executive Order last December, bolstering my Administration’s efforts to combat the rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and build a culture of respect, humanity, and equality.

This month, we reaffirm our commitment to never compromise our steadfast support for the Jewish community, our rejection of anti-Semitic bigotry, and our disdain for malicious attacks of hatred. Jewish Americans strengthen, sustain, and inspire our country through dedication to family, respect for cherished traditions, and commitment to the values of justice and equality that unite Americans of every faith and background. We give thanks for the profound contributions that Jewish Americans continue to make to our society, and way of life.

(Read more from “Joe Biden Falsely Accuses Trump of Ignoring Antisemitism” HERE)

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Biden’s New Nickname for Trump: ‘President Tweety’

By Fox News. Less than a week after he said he was “really resisting” giving President Trump a nickname, it appears Joe Biden’s changed his mind.

The former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee revealed on Monday that he’s calling Trump “President Tweety.”

Arguing that the president’s been slow to get federal relief aid to the American workers and businesses hurt by the shutdown of much of the nation’s economy the past two months to slow the coronavirus pandemic, Biden noted, “Trump is out there tweeting again this morning. I call him President Tweety. Reopen the country, end of quote.”

(Read more from “Biden’s New Nickname for Trump: ‘President Tweety’” HERE)

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Hillary Clinton Ripped State Department Watchdog Fired by Trump

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By New York Post. The same State Department watchdog fired Friday by President Trump was the target of an earlier accusation that he engaged in partisan politics — from Hillary Clinton when she was running for president in 2016.

The former secretary of state’s campaign in 2016 attacked ex-inspector general Steve Linick for criticizing her use of a private email server and allegedly leaking negative stories about her to the press.

Defenders of Trump’s firing of him have charged that Linick was biased against the Republican president and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom he reportedly was investigating for improper use of staff and governmental resources — the same charge Dems leveled at the IG when he criticized Clinton, then the presumptive Democratic candidate for president.

In a May 2016 report, Linick was critical of Clinton’s use of a private server to conduct State Department business and her failure to turn over missing emails after she left Foggy Bottom.

“At a minimum, Secretary Clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with Department business before leaving government service and, because she did not do so, she did not comply with the Department’s policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act,” the report said, Vox reported at the time. (Read more from “Hillary Clinton Ripped State Department Watchdog Fired by Trump” HERE)

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Trump Revives Clinton Playbook to Battle Biden

By AP. Accusations of a “deep state” conspiracy. Allegations of personal and family corruption. Painting an opponent as a Washington insider not to be trusted.

It’s 2016 again. Or at least that’s President Donald Trump’s hope.

Trump and his allies are dusting off the playbook that helped defeat Hillary Clinton, reviving it in recent days as they try to frame 2020 as an election between a dishonest establishment politician and a political outsider being targeted for taking on the system. This time, however, the so-called outsider is the sitting president of the United States. (Read more from “Trump Revives Clinton Playbook to Battle Biden” HERE)

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Nancy Pelosi Fat Shames President Trump; Trump’s Physician Explains Hydroxychloroquine Decision

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By Breitbart. . .Host Anderson Cooper asked, “Madam Speaker, what is your reaction to the president saying he is now taking hydroxychloroquine? Are you concerned?”

Pelosi said, “As far as the president is concerned, he’s our president and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group — morbidly obese they say.” (Read more from “Nancy Pelosi Fat Shames President Trump” HERE)

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Trump’s Physician Explains Hydroxychloroquine Decision

By Axios. President Trump’s physician said in a statement Monday it was decided hydroxychloroquine could be beneficial to him after a White House staffer tested positive for the coronavirus.

. . .Trump said earlier Monday that he’s been taking the antimalarial drug and a zinc supplement for “about a week and a half” as a preventative measure against the coronavirus. The FDA issued a warning last month that the drug should only be taken in hospitals because of the risk of heart complications as its effectiveness against COVID-19 is unproven.

“After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks,” physician Sean Connely said. (Read more from “Trump’s Physician Explains Hydroxychloroquine Decision” HERE)

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Trump Says He’s Taking Hydroxychloroquine to Prevent COVID-19

By NBC News. President Donald Trump said Monday that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine, an unproven treatment for COVID-19 that he has vigorously promoted.

“A lot of good things have come out about the hydroxy. A lot of good things have come out. You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers — before you catch it,” Trump said at the White House. “I happen to be taking it. I happen to be taking it. … I’m taking it — hydroxychloroquine — right now.”

Trump said that he doesn’t believe he was exposed to the virus but that he decided to take the drug after having consulted with the White House physician. He also claimed that essential workers, including doctors and nurses, were taking the drug to prevent contracting the disease caused by the coronavirus. . .

A White House official familiar with the president’s decision told NBC News that Trump started taking the drug after his valet tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month. The president said at the time that he had “very little contact” with the valet, but the White House official said Trump discussed taking hydroxychloroquine with his doctor and weighed the risks before deciding to take it. (Read more from “Trump Says He’s Taking Hydroxychloroquine to Prevent COVID-19” HERE)

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Media Must Report Truth Of Anti-Trump Spy Operation Before It’s Too Late For Them

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As new details emerge about the Obama administration’s broad spying-and-leaking campaign against the incoming Trump administration, reporters have a choice to make about whether to cover this story honestly, at long last. There is a brief window of time afforded the media to get the story right. They should take advantage of it.

Journalist Lee Smith already noted the seriousness of the problem facing legacy media after the implosion of the Russia collusion conspiracy theory they peddled. “Americans still want and need accurate information on which to base their decisions about their own lives and the path that the country should take. But neither the legacy media nor the expert class it sustains is likely to survive the post-dossier era in any recognizable form,” he wrote. “For them, Russiagate is an extinction level event.”

Many of our supposedly smart media elites are dinosaurs who are completely unaware of the asteroid headed right to them. Instead, they are doing their part in an all-hands-on-deck effort to continue pushing out Democratic talking points that got them into the mess. This week, that meant they regurgitated the Democratic claim that the Obama administration’s spying and leaking was “normal” and that to be concerned about it is nothing more than a “distraction.” . . .

The less deft at pushing out the partisan talking point include MSNBC’s Brian Williams, who literally asked implicated former CIA chief John Brennan if he could “once and for all” explain to people who had heard about the scandal despite his corporation’s best efforts why it was no big deal. Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo complained that a biased NBC News piece that itself attempted to wave away the scandal was not biased enough for his liking. The Daily Beast’s Sam Stein begged Axios not to cover the issue lest it help Trump, in the way that covering Hillary Clinton’s email scandal may have helped Trump. . .

Many of these people are simply in too deep. They’re not giving back the awards they got for peddling the false story uncritically. To do so is a level of honesty they are not currently capable of. But not everyone needs to follow them. For liberal media who want to be honest, there is plenty of ground between shouting “OBAMAGATE!” in all caps and denying the spying and leaking ever happened. (Read more from “Media Must Report Truth Of Anti-Trump Spy Operation Before It’s Too Late For Them” HERE)

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Democrats Warning Trump Will Reject Election Results Should Look in the Mirror; The Money Is on Trump

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By National Review. In a recent Washington Post column warning Americans to “prepare for the possibility of Trump rejecting election results” — one of media’s favorite projections — Brian Klaas asks a question:

If he loses, would it be more surprising if Trump graciously accepts defeat and congratulates his opponent or if he claimed to be the victim of a rigged election and a “deep state” plot?

. . .Even as liberals make chilling predictions about Trump’s attack on democratic norms, they champion such politicians as Stacey Abrams, a middling Georgia state legislator whose national fame relies on a baseless contention that her gubernatorial seat was stolen in 2018. This weekend, that same Washington Post published a sycophantic feature story about Abrams (headline: “The Power of Stacey Abrams,”) that echoed her claims of voter suppression and put her in a superhero cape for good measure. . .

We learned about these magnificent norms from 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who, when conventional wisdom anticipated her victory, said: “We’ve been around 240 years. We’ve had free and fair elections and we’ve accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them…”

But Clinton discarded any deference to results after the election, when she, and many Democrats, blamed the Russians, sexism, the unfairness of a 240-year process, James Comey’s letter to Congress, and a slew of other bogeymen. These concerted attacks were not only aimed at Trump’s ideas, policies, or person — completely reasonable targets — but the validity of the election system itself. (Read more from “Democrats Warning Trump Will Reject Election Results Should Look in the Mirror” HERE)

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The Money Is on Trump

By Axios. Even after the White House’s delayed response to the coronavirus outbreak, unprecedented job losses and a bruising recession, investors and betting markets are still putting their money on President Trump to win re-election.

. . .Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a sizable lead in most national and individual swing state polls — but money managers expect Trump to retake the White House in November.

In a late April survey of U.S.-based investors with at least $1 million of assets, UBS found that 53% said they planned to vote for Biden.

But 52% think Trump will win.

. . .The RealClearPolitics average of betting websites gives the advantage to Trump with an average spread of 8.2 as of Sunday night.

(Read more from “The Money Is on Trump” HERE)

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Trump Has a Higher Approval Rating Than Obama and Bush at the Same Point in Their Presidencies; Sanders Says ‘Vast Majority’ of Supporters Will Back Biden (VIDEO)

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By The Blaze. President Donald Trump enjoyed his highest Gallup approval rating on May 13. Trump’s 49% approval rating is better than four of the last six presidents at the same time during their presidencies.

Trump’s 49% presidential job approval rating in his 1,209th day in office is higher than Barack Obama’s 47% on his 1,209th day in the White House, and better than George W. Bush’s 46% on his 1,205th day in office. At the same point in their terms, Bill Clinton had a 55% approval rating, George H.W. Bush was at 40%, Ronald Reagan at 52%, and Jimmy Carter at 38%. Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, and Reagan each won re-election.

Rasmussen found the identical results for the last two presidents at the same point in their presidencies, with Trump edging out Obama in approval ratings 49% to 47%. Rasmussen marked Trump’s high-water mark for job performance approval during his presidency at 53% on Sept. 23, 2019, and April 9, 2019. (Read more from “Trump Has a Higher Approval Rating Than Obama and Bush at the Same Point in Their Presidencies” HERE)

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Sanders Says ‘Vast Majority’ of Supporters Will Back Biden, Despite Polling Concerns

By National Review. Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) promised that the “vast majority” of his primary supporters “will be voting for Joe Biden” in the general election, contradicting a former top aide, who warned last week that Biden was facing an uphill battle to win over Sanders supporters.

Asked by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos about the situation on Sunday, Sanders pushed back on the characterization of his supporters’ intentions, saying they understood that President Trump is the “most dangerous president in modern history.”

“What Joe is going to have to do and he’s beginning to move in that direction, is to say that those working-class people, say to those young people, say to those minorities, ‘Listen, I understand your situation,’” Sanders said. “ . . . I think they are going to reach out to our supporters and come up with an agenda that speaks to the needs of working families, of young families, of minority communities.”

(Read more from “Sanders Says ‘Vast Majority’ of Supporters Will Back Biden, Despite Polling Concerns” HERE)

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