Sunday, April 3, 2016
Donald Trump Calls for John Kasich to Drop Out
MILWAUKEE — Donald J. Trump called for Gov. John Kasich of Ohio to drop out of the Republican primary contest, saying that Mr. Kasich “should not be allowed to run.”
Mr. Trump said on Sunday that Mr. Kasich, who has so far finished first in just one primary — in his home state, Ohio — could ask to put his name under consideration for the nomination at the Republican convention in Cleveland in July. But he said Mr. Kasich was siphoning votes from him and called on the Republican National Committee to urge him to drop out.
“Kasich shouldn’t be allowed to continue, and the R.N.C. shouldn’t allow him to continue,” Mr. Trump told a small group of reporters at Miss Katie’s Diner here.
Mr. Trump, who is struggling to make up ground against Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in Wisconsin, which votes on Tuesday, argued that Mr. Kasich had no chance of winning the 1,237 delegates required to earn the party’s nomination and should therefore end his 2016 bid.
“Rand Paul could’ve stayed in and he had nothing, Marco Rubio could have stayed in, Jeb Bush could have stayed in,” Mr. Trump said, listing some of his previous Republican rivals who had since ended their campaigns. “They all could have stayed in. They could have just stayed in. That’s all he’s doing.”
Mr. Trump, who last week met with R.N.C. officials in Washington, said he had been mentioning his concerns to committee officials, including Reince Priebus, the party’s chairman.
“I said, ‘Why is a guy allowed to run?’” He said. “All he’s doing is just he goes from place to place, and loses, and he keeps on running.”
Mr. Trump added that he told the R.N.C. that the situation was “very unfair.”
“He doesn’t have to run and take my votes,” Mr. Trump said.
Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Mr. Kasich, said in a statement that both Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump were unlikely to secure the necessary delegates to win the Republican nomination — and instead called for Mr. Trump to drop out.
“Ted Cruz also has no possibility of accumulating enough delegates and Trump also will not receive a majority of delegates before the convention,” Mr. Schrimpf said. “Since he thinks it’s such a good idea, we look forward to Trump dropping out before the convention. Trump living up to his own self-declared standard is best for the party since he will lose the White House by a historic margin to Hillary Clinton and also cause Republicans to lose control of the Senate.”
2 Dead in Amtrak Crash Near Philadelphia
Two people were killed when an Amtrak train partially derailed near Philadelphia today, officials said.
Amtrak said Train 89, traveling from New York to Savannah, Georgia, partially derailed after striking a backhoe that was on the tracks.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said the two fatalities were reportedly the backhoe operator and another track worker. Travis Thomas of the Chester Fire Department said the two people killed were not passengers. Amtrak did not immediately comment on the victims.
Thirty-five people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
WPVI
The train struck the backhoe in Chester, Pennsylvania -- approximately 15 miles outside of Philadelphia -- and came to a stop in the neighboring town of Trainer, the fire department said.
The train had 341 passengers and seven crew members on board at the time of the crash.
WPVI
Passenger Ari Ne’eman, who was sitting in the second car, told ABC News the train got "extremely bumpy" and at one point the window in the aisle across from him "started to break apart."
He said it appeared that many injuries were in the first car. Ne'eman said most passengers were fine and that they were being moved to a local church.
@alexsweet/Instagram
Ari Neeman/Facebook
Photos taken by a passenger on the train obtained by radio station WCHE showed the frightening damage to the train.
Federal Railroad Administration officials are at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board was notified and planned to send a team.
Amtrak is working with the NTSB to investigate.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
The Latest: Mormon leads calls for embrace of all children
A Mormon leader is telling members to be more thoughtful and sensitive toward children of all backgrounds, many of whom don't come from "picture perfect" families.
Neil L. Anderson said Saturday at a church conference in Salt Lake City that the religion has hundreds of thousands of children who live with only one parent or whose parents aren't Mormon.
Anderson, a high-ranking leader with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the religion will continue to advocate for families led by married men and women who belong to the faith. But he said the religion should embrace other children too.
Anderson didn't mention children of gay parents. The church came under fire last November when it announced new rules banning baptisms for children living with a gay or lesbian parent.
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2:55 p.m.
Five of 11 new people chosen to serve on the Mormon church's second-tier leadership council are from countries outside the United States in a reflection of the religion's international footprint.
The men come from Guatemala, Argentina, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. More than half of the religion's 15 million members live outside the United States.
Church leaders announced the new selections for the faith's Quorum of the Seventy on Saturday at a twice-a-year conference in Salt Lake City. The council serves under the church president and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also announced new leaders for a women's council that oversees religious education for children in the faith. All three women are from the United States.
More than 100,000 Mormons are expected to attend five conference sessions over two days.
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12 p.m.
A Mormon leader is calling on church members to be tolerant of others even if they practice another religion or hold a different political affiliation.
Kevin R. Duncan said during a church conference in Salt Lake City that God doesn't view people based on "color of the jersey or the political party." Duncan urged members to be graceful no matter if they win or lose in the competitions of life.
Duncan is a member of a second-tier leadership council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
His guidance comes during a presidential campaign marked by explosive rhetoric and bickering.
Church leaders don't endorse candidates or parties but sometimes weigh in on what they consider crucial moral issues.
More than 100,000 Mormons are expected to attend five conference sessions over two days, with millions more watching live broadcasts.
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11:25 a.m.
A top Mormon leader kicked off a church conference in Salt Lake City by telling members that the religion is the "only true church" and that its top leaders speak for the Lord.
Henry B. Eyring on Saturday urged church members to listen carefully to speeches from Mormon leaders during the two-day conference so they can feel closer to the Lord. Eyring is a member of a top church leadership council called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Thomas S. Monson, the 88-year-old president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is in attendance but hasn't talked yet. He is considered a prophet.
More than 100,000 Mormons are expected to attend five conference sessions over two days, with millions more watching live broadcasts from their homes.
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1 a.m.
Mormon leaders are set to deliver guidance to their worldwide membership in a series of speeches this weekend during the religion's semiannual conference in Salt Lake City.
Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aren't expected to mention presidential candidates by name, but they may reiterate their push for more public civility and compassion amid a campaign marked by explosive rhetoric and bickering.
The conference kicks off Saturday morning at the faith's 21,000-seat conference center. More than 100,000 Mormons will attend the five sessions over two days, with millions more watching live broadcasts of the speeches.
The church doesn't back one party or endorse candidates, but Mormon leaders sometimes weigh in on what they consider crucial moral issues.
'It was a mistake': Trump regrets retweet of Cruz wife
New York (AFP) - Donald Trump says he regrets retweeting an unflattering picture of the wife of arch-rival Ted Cruz, in a rare act of contrition from the Republican presidential frontrunner.
Trump is in pole position to seize the Republican nomination but is doing poorly nationwide among women voters, polls show, and faced stern criticism from all sides in recent days after saying women who have illegal abortions should be "punished," before he backtracked.
The billionaire real-estate mogul has been engaged in an increasingly personal war of words with Cruz, his nearest challenger in the Republican race for the White House, that even drew in their wives.
An anti-Trump political group unveiled a controversial campaign ad ahead of votes in Arizona and Utah last month that used a GQ magazine photograph of Trump's wife Melania lying naked and handcuffed to a briefcase.
Cruz denied being behind the ad, which was accompanied by the words: "Meet Melania Trump, your next first lady."
Trump then retweeted a photo compilation of an unflattering photo of Cruz's wife Heidi next to Melania, a Slovenian-American jewelry designer and former model.
"Yeah, it was a mistake," Trump said of the retweet, talking to The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, in a column published Saturday.
"If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have sent it."
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Brussels attacks: Man charged with terrorist offences
Belgian prosecutors have charged a man with terrorist offences, in connection with Tuesday's attacks in Brussels that left 31 dead, including three bombers.
He was named as Faycal C and was arrested on Thursday.
At least half the victims died at the airport, the rest in an attack on the metro in suicide bombings claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS).
Zaventem - Brussels international airport - will not reopen before Tuesday, authorities have announced.
Meanwhile a demonstration against the attacks, planned for Sunday in central Brussels, has been cancelled after a request from the authorities.
Organisers said people's security was a top priority.
Belgian prosecutors said that Faycal C had been detained outside the prosecutor's office in Brussels on Thursday. A search of his home had found no weapons.
Faycal C was charged with "participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist murders and attempted terrorist murders," a statement said.
It gave no further details and made no comment on Belgian media reports that he was the third man in an airport CCTV image that showed the two suicide bombers - Najim Laachraoui on the left, and Brahim el-Bakraoui. Belgian media say the third man is Faycal Cheffou, a freelance journalist.
The third man, wearing a hat and pale jacket, also had luggage packed with explosives. However he was said to have fled without detonating his device. It was detonated in a controlled explosion once the departures hall was cleared.
Brahim el-Bakraoui's brother Khalid carried out the Maelbeek metro attack.
French 'plot'
Faycal C was among 12 people arrested on Thursday and Friday in police raids in Belgium, France and Germany.
Four days before the Brussels attacks, the key suspect in the 13 November Paris attacks which killed 130 people, Salah Abdeslam, was detained in a raid in Brussels. Police said he was initially co-operative.
But Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens later confirmed in parliament that Abdeslam "no longer wants to talk since [Tuesday's] attacks" in Brussels.
Other arrests confirmed by prosecutors include:
- A man named as Rabah N, who has been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group. This followed the arrest on Friday in a Paris suburb of Reda Kriket, 34, who was alleged to be in the "advanced stage" of plotting an attack
- A man named as Abubakar A had been placed under arrest and charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist group, prosecutors said
- Another man who was detained after being shot in the legs at a Brussels tram stop on Friday was Abderamane A, whose detention has been extended
Security measures
Separately, Brussels airport authorities said the "investigative work related to the judicial inquiry into the airport terminal has been completed" but that passenger activity could not resume before Tuesday.
Airport engineers and technicians are getting access to the terminal for the first time since the attack.
They will assess the damage and stability of the building. The airport authorities will also put new security measures in place.
The check-in area suffered severe damage when two blasts seconds apart hit opposite ends of the departures hall.
In addition to the dead, 340 people were injured. One hundred and one remain in hospital, of whom 62 are in intensive care.
In his weekly address on Saturday, US President Barack Obama paid his respects to the victims and said attempts to stigmatise Muslim-Americans should be rejected.
Meanwhile, US singer Mariah Carey has cancelled a concert scheduled for Brussels on Sunday, citing security concerns.
In a separate development, Belgian prosecutors denied the murder of a security official at the Fleurus nuclear research centre was a terrorist act, the Belga news agency reported.
San Francisco mayor bans city workers from traveling to North Carolina
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement Friday he doesn’t want any city workers to travel to North Carolina unless necessary in wake of its legislation which blocks anti-discrimination for gay, lesbian and transgender people.
“We are standing united as San Franciscans to condemn North Carolina’s new discriminatory law that turns back the clock on protecting the rights of all Americans including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals,” Lee said in the statement.
“Effective immediately, I am directing City Departments under my authority to bar any publicly-funded City employee travel to the State of North Carolina that is not absolutely essential to public health and safety.”
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill this week to void a Charlotte ordinance that would’ve provided protections against discrimination in public accommodations.
McCrory, who was the mayor of Charlotte for 14 years and had criticized the local ordinance, signed the legislation Wednesday night that he said was "passed by a bipartisan majority to stop this breach of basic privacy and etiquette."
Although 12 House Democrats joined all Republicans present in voting for the bill in the afternoon Wednesday, later all Senate Democrats in attendance walked off their chamber floor during the debate in protest. Remaining Senate Republicans gave the legislation unanimous approval.
"We choose not to participate in this farce," Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue of Raleigh said after he left the chamber.
The law also prevents other cities and counties from passing anti-discrimination rules and imposes a statewide standard that leaves out protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to KTVU-TV.
Gay rights leaders and transgender people said the legislation demonizes the community and espouses bogus claims about increasing the risk of sexual assaults. They say the law will deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people essential protections needed to ensure they can get a hotel room, hail a taxi or dine at a restaurant without fear.
"McCrory's reckless decision to sign this appalling legislation into law is a direct attack on the rights, well-being and dignity of hundreds of thousands of LGBT North Carolinians and visitors to the state," Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said in a statement. Civil liberties groups pledged to push for repeal and were weighing legal options
Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, who pressed to get the anti-discrimination ordinance approved, said she was appalled by the legislature's actions.
"The General Assembly is on the wrong side of progress. It is on the wrong side of history," Roberts said in a prepared statement. But McCrory said in a release "the basic expectation of privacy in the most personal of settings" was violated by "government overreach and intrusion" by Roberts and the city council.
Lee applauded Roberts in his statement Friday for taking “steps at the local level to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination. I also applaud Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed who is a champion for equality for all.”
Georgia is also embroiled in a religious liberty bill, which has passed the Georgia Legislature but Gov. Nathan Deal has yet to sign.
KTVU-TV reported that Facebook and Apple have expressed its displeasure with the North Carolina law.
The NBA has also mulled relocating its 2017 All-Star Game which was scheduled to be played in Charlotte. “[We] do not yet know what impact it will have on our ability to successfully host the 2017 All-Star Game in Charlotte,” the statement read. "The NBA is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment to all who attend our games and event," the association
5 things to watch in Saturday's Democratic contests
Democrats will hold presidential contests in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington state on Saturday, three states expected to be friendlier to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders than former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
But with Clinton leading Sanders by nearly 300 pledged delegates, and because none of the contests are winner-take-all, Sanders needs stunning wins in each state to give the Clinton campaign any real anxiety about the outcome of the race.
In the run-up to the votes, Sanders has left nothing to chance. His campaign has spent millions on ads in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, including a powerful television spot featuring Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned her position with the Democratic National Committee earlier this year to endorse Sanders.
Going into Saturday's contests, Sanders needs to net an estimated 75% of the remaining delegates, while Clinton only needs 35%.
Here's what to watch:
Good weekend for Sanders
Don't be surprised if Sanders sweeps on Saturday. His campaign has received endorsements from influential players and his campaign has invested in a strong air and ground game in each state.
There are 142 total delegates at stake Saturday, 16 in Alaska, 24 in Hawaii and 101 in Washington.
All three will hold caucuses to choose delegates -- a method that has favored Sanders in the past -- instead of primaries. Alaska and Washington are also largely white and rural, demographics that typically have given Sanders a boost.
If Sanders does as expected, the headlines declaring him a winner thrice over will surely provide a gust of wind for Sanders' campaign for fundraising purposes, even if it doesn't change the calculus of the race.
Delegate math is still on Clinton's side
Clinton heads into the weekend with 1,229 pledged delegates to Sanders' 952, not counting the 428 superdelegates who have vowed to support her. (The "magic number" needed to clinch the nomination is 2,383.)
So even if Sanders posts strong numbers Saturday, he still faces an uphill battle to overcome Clinton's lead. All three states dole out delegates proportionately or by county, so even if Sanders wins a majority in each, Clinton will still nab pledged delegates along the way. And because of the relatively low populations in these states, there simply aren't enough delegates on the table this weekend to make a significant dent.
Looking at the line-up ahead, this could be Sanders' final big night. The next states on the calendar, particularly New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, where a combined 531 delegates will be up for grabs, look good for Clinton.
Washington state is the main battleground
Nowhere on Saturday are expectations higher for Sanders than in Washington state.
Sanders has visited the state multiple times throughout his campaign, and the state's liberal urban centers have been especially welcoming of his message of ideological purity over Clinton's pragmatism.
In Seattle, which last year approved a measure to raise the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour over time, support for Sanders is especially strong. The city's largest newspaper, The Seattle Times, endorsed Sanders. He spent the week before the election touring the state, holding six rallies, including a major event at Seattle's Safeco Field the night before the caucuses. His campaign has invested $2.4 million in radio and television advertising in the state, according to Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver.
Sanders is expected to win, but with more than 100 delegates at stake, it will be imperative for him to make that win count by scooping up as many delegates as possible. His results in Washington will help set the tone for the upcoming electoral bouts.
Clinton countered Sanders' Washington state offensive with her own visit to Puget Sound on Tuesday, and she dispatched her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to Spokane and Vancouver days before the caucuses.
Turnout is anticipated to be high, another factor that aids Sanders. Some 35,000 people have already voted in Washington state using absentee ballots and about 200,000 are likely to participate.
Campaigns on the ground even if candidates aren't
It's not easy to pop in and out of states like Hawaii and Alaska, and with the small number of delegates on the table, the campaigns have largely determined their time is better spent elsewhere. But that doesn't mean they aren't making plays in each using surrogates, ad buys and family visits.
In Alaska, Sanders' wife, Jane, visited Anchorage on Thursday and will remain through Saturday. Sanders' campaign has dropped at least $56,877 on radio and television spots in the state.
Jane Sanders also visited Hawaii recently.
Clinton's campaign, meanwhile, has invested in a phone-banking effort in rural parts of Alaska, emphasizing climate change and veteran issues and expressing her opposition to a controversial Alaska mine project, according to The Anchorage Daily News. Clinton called into Alaska radio last Tuesday morning and talked about working briefly in a salmon cannery in Alaska in 1969.
Both campaigns are spending money on ads in Hawaii, although Sanders is outspending Clinton $192,680 to $54,300. Sanders this week touted his endorsement from Gabbard, a popular Hawaii Democratic lawmaker.
How states will dole out delegates
Alaska (16): Delegates will be rewarded by state House districts and determined by a caucus system. Candidates must receive at least 15% of votes in a district to be granted any delegates. The caucuses begin at 10 a.m. local time.
Washington (101): Washington uses a mixed system to appoint delegates from the caucus results by congressional district. Registered voters who attend must publicly attest to being Democrats if they want to participate in the caucuses, which begin at 10 a.m. local time.
Hawaii (25): Hawaii Democrats also hold caucuses, but unlike Alaska and Washington, it is considered a presidential preference poll and conducted by secret ballot. Delegates are doled out proportionately. Voting begins at 1 p.m. local time.
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