CATHERINE PUGH RESIGNS FROM BALTIMORE MAYOR’S POST (CORRUPTION SCANDAL)

CATHERINE PUGH RESIGNS FROM BALTIMORE MAYOR’S POST (CORRUPTION SCANDAL):

BALTIMORE & ATL - DRAIN THE SWAMP.

MOST BLACK POLITICIANS USE THEIR EDUCATION & POWER AS A WEAPON AGAINST BLACK VOTERS.

HOW DOES THIS ABUSE OF POWER HELP STRENGTHEN BLACK COMMUNITIES?

BLACK VOTERS DESERVE MUCH BETTER LEADERSHIP.

YES, WHITE POLITICIANS CAN EFFECTIVELY LEAD BLACK VOTERS WITHOUT RACISM.

2020 ELECTION


Post Sources: CBS News, Fox News, NY Times, Washington Post, Youtube


****** Baltimore’s Mayor, Catherine Pugh, Resigns Amid Children’s Book Scandal


After weeks of mounting pressure, Mayor Catherine Pugh of Baltimore resigned on Thursday amid a widening scandal involving hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of children’s books that she wrote and sold to the University of Maryland Medical System while serving on its board of directors.

Her resignation comes days after the Baltimore City Council proposed amending the city charter to make it possible to remove her, and after the F.B.I. raided her two homes and her office at City Hall.
Ms. Pugh stepped down from the hospital network’s board, but she had resisted calls to step down as mayor.

She has been home on medical leave for weeks. Her lawyer told reporters previously that she was too ill to make decisions.

Bernard Young, president of the Baltimore City Council, has been serving as acting mayor and will complete the rest of her term.

“I am sorry for the harm that I have caused to the image of Baltimore and the credibility of the office of the mayor,” Ms. Pugh said in a statement read aloud by her lawyer, Steve Silverman, at a brief news conference that she did not attend. “Baltimore deserves a mayor who can move our great city forward.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who appoints the board of the University of Maryland Medical System, applauded Ms. Pugh’s resignation in a post on Twitter.

“This was the right decision, as it was clear the mayor could no longer lead effectively,” he wrote. “The federal and state investigations must and will continue to uncover the facts.”

Ms. Pugh has been under intense scrutiny since March, when The Baltimore Sun reported that she was one of nine members of the board of the University of Maryland Medical System who had profited personally from contracts with the hospital system.

When the scandal broke, Ms. Pugh maintained that there was nothing illegal or unethical about her deal to sell her “Healthy Holly” children’s books, which promote nutritious food and exercise, to the hospital network, whose board she has served on since 2001.

The network, in turn, was supposed to donate the books to Baltimore schools and day cares.

She apologized for failing to report the deal on disclosure forms when she was a state senator and returned the most recent payment of $100,000.

But questions continued to swirl over who authorized the contract and how many of the books actually reached children, especially after thousands of books were discovered untouched in a school warehouse.

Ms. Pugh has received $500,000 since 2011 from the medical system for the books.

Other entities, including Kaiser Permanente, reportedly paid her an additional $190,000 for the books.

“This whole entire episode has been hurtful to the city,” said Jill Carter, a state senator representing Baltimore who has been pushing to limit self-dealing on the hospital network’s board. “Those of us who are holding elected office now, it is incumbent upon us to do everything in our power to restore the public trust.”

Ms. Carter said she began investigating the hospital network’s contracts after hearing complaints from minority-owned businesses that it was impossible for them to bid on contracts, while politically connected board members received lucrative deals that did not go through normal channels of procurement.

Ms. Carter noted that other board members reaped far more from the hospital network, including Francis X. Kelly, who advocated the privatization of the hospital network as a state senator, and went on to obtain $16 million in contracts through his insurance company, Kelly & Associates Insurance Group.

“It’s been very troubling to me that so much focus has been placed on the mayor that there has been too little scrutiny and too little desire to investigate the other members,” Ms. Carter said.

The hospital network’s website lists Mr. Kelly as being “on leave” from the board, along with three other members who had business contracts.

He did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.

A recent bill passed by Maryland’s General Assembly will replace the medical system’s entire board in July, and generally prohibits future board members from receiving no-bid contracts.

Michael Schwartzberg, a spokesman for the medical system’s management, said it would not be issuing a statement on the mayor’s resignation.

Ms. Pugh, who was elected mayor in 2016, has long been a fixture in the city’s politics.

She previously served as a state senator and majority leader in Maryland’s General Assembly.

Her resignation comes after a series of other corruption scandals in the city have shaken faith in Baltimore’s government.

Last year, six Baltimore police officers pleaded guilty in a wide-ranging corruption trial that included robbing a motorist of $25,000 and dumping garbage bags full of stolen prescription drugs on the market.

The city, which endured riots and unrest in the wake of the 2015 death in police custody of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, has seen four police commissioners cycle through since Mr. Gray’s death.

Last year, former police commissioner Darryl De Sousa pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to file income tax returns.

In 2010, another Baltimore mayor, Sheila Ann Dixon, resigned after being found guilty of misappropriating gift cards for the poor.

Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, a nonpartisan watchdog organization, said her group has received several calls from people expressing a loss of faith in Ms. Pugh.

But Ms. Antoine said she is heartened by recent proposals brought by Baltimore City Council members to tighten ethics disclosure rules and make it easier to remove the mayor.

“I think we’re on the verge of recovering from all of this,” she said. “We believe the City Council is taking steps to move forward.”

MEL WATT, 72, FANNIE MAE CHIEF, INVESTIGATED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIM BY FEMALE EMPLOYEE (#MeToo)

MEL WATT, 72, FANNIE MAE CHIEF, INVESTIGATED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIM BY FEMALE EMPLOYEE (#MeToo):

FANNIE MAE OWNS THE LOANS FOR MANY U.S. MILITARY VETERAN HOMEOWNERS.

U.S. MILITARY VETERAN HOMEOWNERS ARE LOSING THEIR HOMES UNDER FANNIE MAE'S LEADERSHIP......WHY??

IF U.S. MILITARY VET HOMEOWNERS EXPERIENCE HARDSHIPS, WHY NOT TRANSFER THOSE LOANS TO VETERANS AFFAIRS ADMIN?

THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIM IS BEING THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED BY A FEDERAL AGENCY.

THE VICTIM HAS HIRED A VERY REPUTABLE ATTORNEY.

MEL WATT IS A CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA NATIVE & FORMER U.S. CONGRESS MEMBER.

MEL WATT IS AN OBAMA ADMIN HOLDOVER. HIS FIVE-YR TERM ENDS IN 2019.

DRAIN THE SWAMP.


Post Sources: Politico, Charlotte Observer, Daily Caller, Youtube


****** **** Federal housing leader Mel Watt under investigation for sexual harassment claim


Mel Watt, a former Democratic congressman from Charlotte who now heads a federal housing agency, is under investigation for harassment of a female employee.

Politico first reported the allegations Friday, citing documents and partial transcripts of conversations between Watt and the employee, which the story did not name. The story describes three 2016 incidents of Watt making sexual advances on the woman.

A statement from Watt through the Federal Housing Finance Agency to McClatchy confirmed an ongoing investigation, as did an attorney for the woman.

“The selective leaks related to this matter are obviously intended to embarrass or to lead to an unfounded or political conclusion.

However, I am confident that the investigation currently in progress will confirm that I have not done anything contrary to law. I will have no further comment while the investigation is in progress,” said Watt, who is the agency’s director.

The investigation began a month or two ago, said Diane Seltzer Torre, an attorney for the woman who alleges the harassment.

Torre said the investigation is being conducted by an official with the U.S. Postal Service. It is typical for an outside agency to investigate claims such as these.

My client did not submit information to the media. She is not looking for attention and doesn’t want to talk to the media,” Torre said.

Torre declined to identify her client nor would she discuss her client’s employment status with the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

She said she is not aware of any other complaints against Watt.

Watt, 72, represented Charlotte in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2014, when he was tapped by President Barack Obama to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The agency oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHLBanks, which provide nearly $6 trillion for mortgage markets and financial institutions, according to FHFA.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency was created after the housing crash in 2008 and it serves as the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Watt was confirmed by the Senate 57-41 months after he was nominated. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina was one of two Republicans to back Watt’s nomination.

Watt’s five-year term is set to expire in January. Watt is still on the job, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

Watt, an attorney, is married and has two grown children and three grandchildren, according to his FHFA bio.

A Mecklenburg County native, Watt graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill before earning a law degree at Yale. He served one term in the North Carolina state senate.

While in the U.S. House in 2011, Watt tried to slash funding for the Office of Congressional Ethics by 40 percent, a move that was soundly defeated.

Watt and seven colleagues were investigated and cleared by the office for fundraising that took place before a key House vote.

In 2008, Watt had voted to create the Office of Congressional Ethics.

“I wouldn’t call it a ‘personal vendetta,’” Watt told McClatchy at the time. “But I also wouldn’t deny that my experiences had something to do with my view of this agency.”

CHARLOTTE, NC WINS 2020 RNC CONVENTION BID (NON-PARTISAN DEMOCRAT MAYOR)

CHARLOTTE, NC WINS 2020 RNC CONVENTION BID (NON-PARTISAN DEMOCRAT MAYOR):

CHARLOTTE MAYOR VI LYLES (DEMOCRAT) WISELY CHOSE BUSINESS & JOBS OVER FOOLISH PARTISAN POLITICS.

CHARLOTTE VOTERS NEED TO FIRE ALL CLOSE-MINDED PARTISAN POLITICIANS SO THE CITY’S ECONOMY CAN FINALLY REBOUND.

NOW IT’S TIME FOR CHARLOTTE TO DEVELOP A ZOO & OTHER TOURIST ATTRACTIONS THAT WILL ENTERTAIN LARGE CROWDS FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK.

VI LYLES WOULD SOMEDAY MAKE A GREAT PROGRESSIVE 21st CENTURY GOVERNOR FOR NORTH CAROLINA.

CONGRATS


Post Sources: Charlotte Observer, Youtube


****** GOP picks Charlotte for 2020 convention. Now, the fundraising and organizing begin


Charlotte won its second national political convention in a decade Friday, kicking off two years of planning, fundraising and anticipation.

The Republican National Committee on Friday formally awarded Charlotte the 2020 party event, pushing Charlotte into a small group of cities that will have held both major party conventions.

The vote capped a dramatic week in which the Charlotte City Council agreed to host the convention Monday by a single vote. Four Democrats joined two Republicans in support. Five Democrats voted no.


“We could not be more excited,” North Carolina GOP Chair Robin Hayes said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the strong leadership in Charlotte that has followed a long North Carolina tradition of putting the needs and opportunities of our people before politics.”

But politics was behind the contentiousness surrounding the council decision.

More than 100 people debated the convention publicly and passionately before Monday’s council vote. Through it all, Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles championed the event and urged people to put partisanship aside.

Asked Friday if she would have started the bidding process had she known the opposition it would spark, she said she would have. She said the city would have had the same debate, even if the outcome may have been different.

“I think we would have done exactly what we did,” she told reporters. “The outcome I can’t project.”

Friday’s RNC vote means Charlotte will host its second national political convention eight years after finding itself the site of Democrat Barack Obama’s nomination for a second term.

Lyles and council members who joined her in Austin said they’re confident that law enforcement officials can provide security for the convention and the city.

“We’ve got two years to plan for protests we know will happen,” said Mayor Pro Tem Julie Eiselt, a Democrat.

Republican council member Ed Driggs agreed.

“We were very clear-headed about the political climate we’re in right now,” Driggs said. “We felt the benefits to the city outweigh the risks.”

Businessman Ned Curran co-chairs the host committee with Doug Lebda, the founder of Lending Tree, and attorney Walter Price. Former council member John Lassiter will be the host committee’s CEO and executive director.

Curran said the committee is “way ahead of schedule” in reaching its $70 million fundraising goal. In 2012 Democrats fell $10 million short of theirs. Duke shareholders footed about $6 million of that after the company was not repaid.

Lassiter told reporters the host committee already has raised “more than 10 percent” of what they need.

Other Republicans applauded the RNC’s selection.

“I think it’s going to be great,” said Saul Anunzis, Michigan’s former GOP chairman. “It’ll make sense politically for us.”

GOP National Chair Ronna McDaniel complimented not only Charlotte but Lyles.

“I love that it’s the Queen City and we have Mayor Vi Lyles — you are a queen,” McDaniel said. “We look forward to Charlotte being center stage when the Republican Party nominates Donald Trump and Mike Pence for a second term.”

“To be one of only a few American cities to host conventions from both political parties is a testament to the people of our state,” Pat McCrory, North Carolina’s former governor and Charlotte’s former mayor, said in a statement.

The convention is expected to involve not only uptown Charlotte but venues around the region.

“Every venue in the region is in play, and part of the attraction,” Curran said.

HANDEL vs OSSOFF - GEORGIA SPECIAL ELECTION CONGRESSIONAL RACE (POLLS)

HANDEL vs OSSOFF - GEORGIA SPECIAL ELECTION CONGRESSIONAL RACE:

CURRENT POLLS ARE TOO CLOSE TO SPECULATE.


Sources: Newsweek, WSB-TV, YouTube


****** GEORGIA SPECIAL ELECTION BETWEEN HANDEL AND OSSOFF TOO CLOSE TO CALL, POLL SUGGESTS


Democrat Jon Ossoff holds a very slight lead over Republican Karen Handel in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District as Tuesday’s much-anticipated special election runoff approaches.

The most recent poll, from Atlanta local television station WSB and Landmark Communications, has Ossoff up by just under two points. Ossoff is supported by 49.7 percent of likely voters, while 48 percent support Handel.

The runoff election in the traditionally solidly Republican district has attracted immense national attention as Democrats look for their first major electoral victory during President Donald Trump’s presidency. It is the most expensive congressional race in history, with over $50 million spent, mostly from out-of-state donors.

"Ossoff has the lead.… Handel is very close behind him,” pollster Mark Rountree told WSB. “So either candidate could win.”

Ossoff and Handel are running to fill the seat left vacant by Tom Price, appointed by Trump as secretary of health and human services. Ossoff, a former congressional staffer, nearly won the election outright with 48.1 percent in the primary. Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state, topped nearly a dozen other Republicans with just under 20 percent of the total vote.

Both sides have poured money into the campaign, which many are calling a referendum on Trump. The poll, which surveyed 800 likely voters, found that 91 percent of Ossoff voters had an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 78 percent of Handel voters have a favorable opinion of the president. While Price won the suburban Atlanta seat by 23 points in 2016, Trump only edged Clinton by 1.5 points.

In response to the poll, Handel and Ossoff both said the race was too close to call.

"It's about where we would've expected,” Handel said. “It's a dead heat, neck and neck, and is all about turnout.”

Ossoff has maintained a lead over Handel since the primary, with a late May poll putting him seven points ahead. More recent polls have shown a tighter race.

Last week’s shooting at a GOP congressional baseball practice and subsequent threats against Handel may be last-minute game changers. Police blocked streets in Handel’s neighborhood after packages “with threatening letters and a suspicious substance” were delivered to her and her neighbors, according to her campaign.

The suspicious packages have increasingly become a campaign narrative. Some believe the shooting and threats may be able to push Handel to victory.

“I think the shooting is going to win this election for us,” Brad Carver, chairman of the Republican party in the neighboring 11th congressional district, told The Washington Post. “Because moderates and independents in this district are tired of left-wing extremism.”

Ossoff, who said he has also received threats, condemned the shooting and called for unity.

DONALD TRUMP & BERNIE SANDERS TAKE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARIES

DONALD TRUMP & BERNIE SANDERS TAKE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARIES:

TRUMP WILL BE THE 2016 GOP NOMINEE.

HILLARY WILL STILL BE DEMOCRAT'S NOMINEE.

**** New Hampshire Primary: Donald Trump Wins on G.O.P. Side; Bernie Sanders Tops Hillary Clinton

Donald J. Trump claimed victory in New Hampshire’s Republican primary on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, while Senator Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in the Democratic contest in a state where he has long held an advantage.

Mr. Trump, a billionaire businessman whose outsize presence has upended the Republican race, recovered from a humbling second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses to take a state where he led in the polls for months. He won despite largely shunning the kind of retail campaigning that is commonplace among presidential candidates trying to win over New Hampshire voters.

The victory by Mr. Trump suggests for the first time that his unconventional and divisive campaign, powered in large measure by celebrity and showmanship, is capable of delivering votes. And it puts him in strong position as the race heads to South Carolina, where Mr. Trump holds a double-digit polling lead over his two closest rivals, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

Mr. Sanders’s victory is the second disappointing result in as many weeks for Mrs. Clinton, who barely eked out a win in the Iowa caucuses against Mr. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist whose candidacy has proved surprisingly formidable.

Mr. Sanders has represented the neighboring state of Vermont for more than two decades, giving him at least some degree of home-field advantage in New Hampshire.

Sources: ABC News, CNN, NY Times, YouTube

DONALD TRUMP & BILL CLINTON FIGHT FOR WOMEN VOTERS (2016 BEEFS)

DONALD TRUMP & BILL CLINTON FIGHT FOR WOMEN VOTERS (2016 BEEFS):

DONALD'S FIRST TERM OR BILL CLINTON'S THIRD TERM?

Donald Trump & Bill Clinton are beefing to attract 2016 Women voters.

Donald claims Bill is a Pedophile (Monica Lewinsky).

Bill claims Donald doesn't care about Women's issues (Planned Parenthood).

So who wins this Gender War to attract Women voters?

Do Women voters care about Donald Trump serving his first term in the Oval Office?

Or.........

Do Women voters care more about Bill Clinton serving a Third term in the Oval Office?

Who wants a 2016 Coronation?

I most certainly don't!

I want to experience a REAL Presidential election just like in 2008.

The fireworks are beginning to heat up and I'm loving it!

Stay tuned.

~ Ex-Ally Donald Trump Now Heaps Scorn on Bill Clinton

For years, President Bill Clinton was the best friend Donald J. Trump always hoped to have.

When scandal engulfed Mr. Clinton’s White House, Mr. Trump leapt to the president’s defense. “He’s probably got the toughest skin I’ve ever seen, and I think he’s a terrific guy,” Mr. Trump told CNN.

Then there were Mr. Trump’s pitches to the former president to settle in a gilded Trump building in Manhattan when he and Hillary Clinton left the White House. They moved to Westchester instead. 

His overtures for them to vacation at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., were also rebuffed. The Clintons preferred the Dominican Republic.

When Mr. Clinton had trouble joining a conservative Westchester golf club, Mr. Trump boasted that he welcomed the former president to a newly built Trump National Golf Club, a five-minute drive from the Clintons’ Chappaqua, N.Y., home.

“He’s a great gentleman, a good golfer and a wonderful guy,” the real estate developer said of Mr. Clinton, who, in reality, is a so-so golfer known for taking mulligans.

In the past week, any semblance of a friendship between Mr. Trump and Bill Clinton came to an ugly end as the former president and his wife’s presidential campaign found themselves in a muddy battle over sexism with the Republican candidate who has upended this election cycle with his insults and attacks.

“If Hillary thinks she can unleash her husband, with his terrible record of women abuse, while playing the women’s card on me, she’s wrong!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday.

The criticism of Mr. Clinton’s personal life comes as Mrs. Clinton is increasingly relying on the former president, mentioning him in almost every speech as she praises his economic record.

But Mr. Trump’s attacks on him are now rippling through the race, with other candidates and even a prominent newspaper columnist suggesting that Mr. Clinton’s sexual history is fair game.

“This works for Trump because it reinforces what his most ardent supporters believe to be his greatest strength,” said Kevin Madden, a Republican communications strategist. “He will say things that no one else will say but that need to be said.”

On Monday, Mr. Clinton will hold two organizing events for Mrs. Clinton in New Hampshire — his first solo outing on the campaign trail in a state where he remains widely popular and where polls show Mrs. Clinton slightly trailing Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Mr. Trump’s turn against the former president started last week when Mrs. Clinton, in response to Mr. Trump’s use of a crude sexual reference to describe her loss to Barack Obama in 2008, accused him of having a “penchant for sexism.”

On Saturday, Mr. Trump said on Twitter: “Hillary Clinton has announced that she is letting her husband out to campaign but HE’S DEMONSTRATED A PENCHANT FOR SEXISM, so inappropriate!”

He went further on Tuesday, saying that in Mr. Clinton’s political career, “there were certainly a lot of abuse of women, and you look at whether it’s Monica Lewinsky or Paula Jones or many of them.”

In response to Mr. Trump’s latest onslaught, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign said in a statement that “Hillary Clinton won’t be bullied” or “distracted by the slings he throws at her and former President Clinton.” A spokesman for Mr. Clinton declined to comment.

Mr. Trump’s tactics could backfire. Mrs. Clinton had some of her highest approval ratings ever after revelations that Mr. Clinton had a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky, a 22-year-old White House intern.

This month at a New Hampshire town hall, a young woman asked Mrs. Clinton about several women who alleged they were sexually harassed by Mr. Clinton.

“You say that all rape victims should be believed,” the woman said. “Should we believe them as well?”

Mrs. Clinton did not hesitate. “Well, I would say that everybody should be believed at first until they are disbelieved based on evidence,” she said, with an awkward smile, as the crowd applauded.

Still, the issue seems to be echoing, at least among her detractors. 

Other Republican candidates, including Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson, have followed Mr. Trump’s lead, saying Mr. Clinton’s history is a legitimate criticism, though Mrs. Fiorina said she doubted voters would care. Mr. Clinton, after all, is 69 years old, and the Lewinsky scandal happened nearly two decades ago.

The Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus has been critical of Mr. Trump but on Tuesday wrote that she agreed with him that Mr. Clinton’s past is relevant to his wife’s campaign. “Trump has smeared women because of their looks,” she wrote. “Clinton has preyed on them.”

Mr. Trump has been the most direct in his attacks on Mr. Clinton, but Republicans, concerned about the party’s declining appeal to women, have long considered using the former president’s personal life and Mrs. Clinton’s response to the women who alleged extramarital affairs.

Stuart Stevens, a Republican operative and Mitt Romney’s chief strategist in his 2012 presidential campaign, said the way the Clinton operation disparaged women who complained about the president’s behavior in the 1990s “would be all but disqualifying in a Democratic primary” nowadays.

During Mr. Clinton’s 1992 campaign, Betsey Wright, a close aide, coined the term “bimbo eruptions” in describing rumors of extramarital affairs involving the candidate.

According to White House-era documents from Diane D. Blair, a close friend of Mrs. Clinton’s who died in 2000, the first lady had referred to Ms. Lewinsky as “a narcissistic loony toon.”

Until last week, Mr. Trump had hardly uttered a negative word about Mr. Clinton. In 1999, he said the president had been treated unfairly for his relationship with Ms. Lewinsky. His criticism, according to an interview with The New York Times at the time, was the president’s choice of paramour: “It was Monica! I mean, terrible choice.”

Mr. Trump has been a donor to the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and to Mrs. Clinton’s Senate campaign.

While a senator from New York, Mrs. Clinton and her husband attended Mr. Trump’s 2005 wedding to his third wife, the Slovenian model Melania Knauss, held in a $42 million ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate decorated to resemble Versailles. (Mr. and Mrs. Trump were not invited to Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding.)

“He liked them and their star quality, and he respected a lot of things Bill Clinton did as president,” said Edward G. Rendell, a former governor of Pennsylvania who is close to the Clintons. “That’s all out the window now,” he added.

In an email, Mr. Trump said his friendship with Mr. Clinton was strictly business. “It was my obligation to get along with all politicians,” he wrote. “And I did it better than anybody.”

He said he did not recall whether the Clintons had stayed at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. “If they did want to stay there, or stayed there, it only shows that they have good taste,” he added.

Some have suggested that Mr. Trump, whose own affair with Marla Maples and his split from his first wife, Ivana Trump, were splashed across tabloids, is an imperfect messenger on the issue of fidelity.

Mr. Trump also opens himself up to criticism about his own personal life, including allegations that he assaulted Ivana Trump, which he has denied and which the former Mrs. Trump recently backed away from.

Mr. Trump, however, said he was “the perfect messenger because I fully understand life and all its wrinkles,” and reiterated his claim that Mrs. Clinton had bullied some of the women who accused her husband of improprieties.

Republican opponents have highlighted Mr. Trump’s previously fawning comments about Mr. Clinton.

Back in 1999, Mr. Trump expressed admiration for Mr. Clinton’s retail political skills, telling CNBC: “I wish I could be like that. I just can’t.”

And a couple of years later, he echoed that comment, recalling an anecdote about watching Mr. Clinton work a crowd.

“He shook hands with everybody out there,” said Mr. Trump, who is regarded as something of a germaphobe. “And some of these people had filthy hands.”

Sources: ABC News, NY Times, NBC News

BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE, NEITHER SHOULD YOU (POLITRICKS)

BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE, NEITHER SHOULD YOU (POLITRICKS):

THANK YOU TROLLS

It's Official!

BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ has been around for eight years.

Thank you to all my Supporters & my Haters!

From eight years (2008-2016) the BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ network has been on the Political Social Media scene buzzing about POLITRICKS.

My blog has attracted more than 1 Million views and I didn't have to PAY for views.

In fact, prior to me launching my Media network the word "BUZZ" was rarely used in mainstream POLITICAL circles or when discussing POLITICS.

BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ is a Media Pioneer which has survived the dirty Shenanigans of several Key Players from both major Political Parties, who wanted me to Shut up and Disappear whenever I disagreed with their agenda.

But thank God I'm still here!

As a BLACK American voter I'm not obligated to rubber stamp every platform issue endorsed and pushed by the national DEMOCRAT party.

Refusing to rubber stamp each issue endorsed by the national DEMOCRAT party has of course cost me some Lucrative OPPORTUNITIES.

Nevertheless I refuse to give up no matter what.

BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ is a Unique voice in the world of POLITICS and I plan to be around for many more years.

I want encourage my Supporters to persevere and Never Give Up in life no matter what.

Thank you again and God Bless!

Happy New Year!

RICHARD BURR & ROY COOPER, I ENDORSE YOU FOR 2016

In this video I express my Political endorsement of Incumbent US Senator RICHARD BURR
(R-NC) and current NC State Attorney General ROY COOPER for the 2016 general election.

I endorse Senator Burr's re-election and I endorse Roy Cooper to replace incumbent NC Governor Pat McCrory.

Richard Burr (REPUBLICAN) is very Strong on National Security.

Roy Cooper (DEMOCRAT) is very Strong on Criminal Justice Reform and National Security.

In 2016 I encourage BLACK Voters to Vote Intelligently based on the issues not just based on Political PARTY.

Source: YouTube

Hillary Clinton vs Jeb Bush: Personal Wealth In 2016 And How BLACK Nepotism Contributes To BLACK Poverty

‪#‎Hillary2016‬

HILLARY CLINTON vs JEB BUSH: PERSONAL WEALTH IN 2016

HOW BLACK GREEK NEPOTISM CONTRIBUTES TO BLACK POVERTY.

WEALTHY MALE CANDIDATES vs WEALTHY FEMALE CANDIDATES.

The GOP wants to depict HILLARY CLINTON as this super Elite, uber Wealthy member of Society whom no regular everyday Voter can relate to.

Coming from a Political Party loaded with BILLIONAIRE Supporters, this Political Gimmick Rhetoric is such HYPOCRISY!

What about JEB BUSH??

Isn't JEB BUSH Wealthy too??

Isn't GH BUSH super Wealthy?

Isn't GW BUSH also super Wealthy?

Isn't MITT ROMNEY super Wealthy?

Isn't JOHN MCCAIN super Wealthy?

Wasn't RONALD REAGAN super Wealthy?

Wasn't JOHN F KENNEDY super Wealthy?

Isn't RUPERT MURDOCH super Wealthy?

Aren't the KOCH Brothers super Wealthy?

Isn't ART POPE super Wealthy??

The only Successful U.S. Presidential Candidates who weren't super Wealthy were ABRAHAM LINCOLN.......JIMMY CARTER..........BILL CLINTON..........and BARACK OBAMA JR.

GOP leaders, GOP Strategist and FOX NEWS need to Stop being HYPOCRITES on the issue of a Candidate's Personal WEALTH.

So it's acceptable for MEN to be super Wealthy but Not WOMEN?

Does GOD want only MEN to be Wealthy and Not WOMEN??

Please show me where such Foolish Theology is written in the BIBLE.

I've read the entire BIBLE and have Never come across any Scriptures referencing such Foolishness!

HILLARY CLINTON did Not grow up as a Wealthy Child.

Thus She should not run from her Personal Wealth for which She has Worked hard to acquire as an Adult.

Nor should HILLARY be Ashamed of any Opportunities She has been Blessed with as a WOMAN who resides in the United States.

Instead HILLARY should be Thankful to GOD for Blessing Her with Opportunities to achieve Greatness and Wealth, just as the LORD GOD Blessed OPRAH.

HILLARY should also Embrace Her Personal Wealth by using Her Wealth & Good Fortune to help LIFT the 47% who want to come out of POVERTY.

The United States remains a Melting Pot and a Land Flowing with Milk & Honey!

Acquiring Wealth is a Conduit for helping LIFT People out of the pit of POVERTY, and to then encourage those People to do likewise.

Everyone in the United States can SUCCEED if provided with OPPORTUNITIES versus Discriminatory BARRIERS.

Helping LIFT People out of POVERTY via removing Discriminatory BARRIERS and providing them with OPPORTUNITIES to acquire WEALTH is the Foundation of AMERICA's Legacy!

When GOD Blesses a Human Being with Great Wealth there is no need to Apologize!

Instead use that Wealth to reach back and help show other People how to acquire Wealth.

Reaching back to help LIFT up other People out of POVERTY via Equal OPPORTUNITIES, is where the BLACK American Community has FAILED BLACK Voters.

In most instances the BLACK American Community only helps other BLACK People if they are in the same FRATERNITY or the same SORORITY.

Most BLACK People who are Hired as Human Resource MANAGERS choose to Hire their FRAT Brothers and SOROR Sisters, even if they are Not QUALIFIED for the JOB.

This includes BLACK Human Resource MANAGERS who are Employed within State Agencies, County Agencies, City Agencies and PUBLIC SCHOOL Districts.

Of course these unmistakable demonstrations of NEPOTISM and ELITE BLACK Selfishness, have created a Permanent UNDER CLASS within the 21st century BLACK American Community.

At least that is how it is for BLACK People in NORTH CAROLINA.

I'm Not Lying.

Please don't make me Expose what I know about the CHARLOTTE-Mecklenburg Public School System, Guildford County Public Schools and Durham County Public School System HUMAN RESOURCE Departments.

Especially CHARLOTTE-Mecklenburg Public Schools!

Such clear demonstrations of NEPOTISM and ELITE BLACK Selfishness are also being practiced in some SOUTH CAROLINA Public School districts.

To discuss BLACK Greek NEPOTISM within the City of ATLANTA would require me writing a separate post on this subject.

Does BLACK NEPOTISM contribute to the National BLACK Unemployment rate?

Yes!

For the record, I am not Opposed to the BLACK Greek Lifestyle.

However I am Opposed to the BLACK Greek Lifestyle contributing to POVERTY within 21st Century BLACK America.

So why am I exposing this NEPOTISM and ELITE BLACK Selfishness within the BLACK American Community?

Because DISCRIMINATION on any level is WRONG and NEPOTISM is a form of DISCRIMINATION!

As members of the Human Race, we all need one another.

If HILLARY CLINTON is to launch a Successful bid for U.S. President in 2016, it will require UNITY.......DIVERSITY......TOLERANCE.......and COOPERATION.

There is No room for DIVISION and NEPOTISM if HILLARY is expected to Win in 2016!

The World needs more Wealthy WOMEN regardless of Ethnicity, Race, Religion, Age, Demographics, etc., to help create JOBS and Opportunities for both Women & Men to Rise up and experience Abundant Living on planet Earth.

All INTELLIGENT registered Voters expect U.S. Presidential Candidates to be well-qualified and WEALTHY.

It takes a lot of MONEY to be Elected into CONGRESS and even more MONEY to be Elected as President of the United States.

HILLARY does Not have to be POOR for ME to relate to Her.

I can relate to Her because She is a Human Being whom GOD created and a WOMAN.

Let the CHURCH say AMEN!

I'M READY FOR HILLARY IN 2016

Sources: Bloomberg Business; CBS News; CNN; NY Times; Talking Points Memo; Youtube

Pat McCrory Delivers 2015 State Address, No Medicaid Expansion; Focuses On Gangs

‪#‎PatMcrory‬

Gov PAT MCRORY'S 2015 State-of-the-State Address:

His Focus - NO MEDICAID EXPANSION and GANGS.

The word "GANGS" in North Carolina translates to BLACK Men.

Gov McCrory wants to increase the Pay for North Carolina Teachers to $35,000 annually.
(That's still too LOW!)

As is the case with most Politicians, Gov McCrory and some of his Key people are
very, very VINDICTIVE.

Yes McCrory is running for re-election in 2016.

However after listening to his 2015 State Address wednesday night, it's clear Gov McCrory thinks he NO longer needs the BLACK Vote.

On a more positive note, I was very impressed with NC Legislator LARRY HALL'S Democrat Response to Gov McCrory's 2015 state-of-the-state address.

Rep Larry Hall was Precise, Confident, Articulate and Persuasive.

Great Job!
(Rep Hall has served in the U.S. Marine Corps)

Sources: UNC-TV; WRAL; Youtube

BILL DE BLASIO Shovels His Own Snow After Brutal Blizzard Strikes The Northeast (A Man Of The People)

#BillDeBlasioNYC

It's a welcome change to see NYC Mayor BILL DE BLASIO Shoveling his own snow during this Brutal Blizzard which has almost Paralyzed the Northeast.

I can assure you MICHAEL BLOOMBERG has NEVER shoveled snow!

At least NOT while he was Mayor of NYC.

BILL DE BLASIO is truly a Man of THE PEOPLE!

I will continue to Pray GOD'S Blessings on this Man....his Family....and his Administration daily.





"Blizzard Blasts Northeast With Snow, Wind And Bitter Cold"


The heavy snow falling along much of the mid-Atlantic Coast into New England is expected to taper off Friday as a nor'easter heads into Canada, leaving bitter cold in its wake, the National Weather Service said.

By early morning, the snowfall was nearly finished in the nation's capital; it was expected to stop by late morning in New York City, where 6 inches were covering Central Park, and by early afternoon in Boston, which got socked by nearly 15 inches.

North of Boston, residents of Topsfield, Massachusetts, got nearly 2 feet of snow.

The combination of cold and winds gusting more than 30 mph was expected to lower wind chill temperatures to less than 10 degrees over the mid-Atlantic and into the teens in New England.

And not just the Northeast will be hit, forecasters said.

About one-third of the nation -- approximately 100 million people in 22 states -- is in the path of this storm.

Snow was also predicted from the Upper Midwest into the Great Lakes, with as much as 8 inches expected in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and additional snow possible along a cold front that extends through the Midwest and into the Central Plains, the service said.

Across the country, the weather has snarled travel plans for many.

FlightAware.com, which tracks cancellations due to weather and mechanical problems, said more than 2,000 flights had been canceled for Friday within, into or out of the United States. That's after more than 2,600 U.S. flights were canceled Thursday.

Flights were expected to resume later Friday in much of New England, though delays were predicted at some airports. Ticket holders were urged to check with their airlines.

Barb Plooster had planned to fly Friday from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Grand Rapids, Michigan, but her flight was canceled. She told CNN affiliate WICU that she was on the phone with United Airlines for five hours trying to find a way to get home but has concluded that she will have to wait until Monday. "We got a warm place to stay, get to visit the kids, the grandkids, so it's OK," she said.

Here's a breakdown of what to expect where:

New York and Long Island

A winter storm warning was to remain in effect across the five boroughs until 1 p.m., with wind gusts dropping wind chills to as low as 15 below, the mayor's office said.

"This has been and remains a dangerous storm," newly sworn-in Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday in a prepared statement. "The best things people can do are to stay off the roads so we can clear them as fast as possible, and to check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbors who might need help this morning."

New York City had gotten nearly 10 inches of snow by the time it abated late Friday morning, de Blasio told reporters. "It's hard to drive out there," he said. "If you do not need to travel today, please stay home."

Sanitation workers were on 12-hour shifts to clear the city's 6,200 miles of roadways, he said.

Long Island will be under a blizzard warning until 1 p.m. Friday, with wind chills as low as 10 below zero and sustained winds of at least 35 mph.

Flight operations resumed late Friday morning at John F. Kennedy International Airport; they were continuing -- despite hundreds of cancellations -- at LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Temperatures in the single digits were predicted for Saturday morning.

New York City public schools were closed Friday.

Upstate, the capital city of Albany could get buried under 14 inches of snow, with wind chills of 15 to 25 below zero, the National Weather Service said.

The weather had its fans. In Rochester, New York, CNN iReporter Blake Sampson, 29, took a picture from his apartment window. "I grew up in Minnesota, so I'm used to it," he said. "I like how quiet things get when there is a fresh blanket of snow."

Massachusetts

That blanket covered Boston, which expected to see 10 to 18 inches of snow and temperatures as low as 6 degrees below zero by Friday night.

But limited flights were continuing into and out of Boston's Logan Airport.

The state's emergency management agency predicted up to 2 feet of snow on parts of the North Shore, South Shore and Cape Cod.

Students in scores of school districts were told to stay home Friday.

"I guess Mother Nature wanted to give me one more gift," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Thursday, one of his last days in the office he has held since 1993.

Blizzard warnings were in effect for parts of nearby Essex and Plymouth counties -- including the communities of Gloucester, Brockton and Plymouth -- as well as Cape Cod.

The state warned that midday high tides could produce "significant flooding" along the coast. The towns of Scituate and Duxbury requested voluntary evacuations of certain low-lying areas.

Connecticut and Delaware

Wind chills in parts of Connecticut were expected to range from -5 to -20 degrees Friday, and the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for most of the state through Friday morning.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy urged residents to take it slow and give themselves extra time for their commutes Friday. He said he expects delays but not cancellations in public transit.

Delaware said state offices were closed for all but "essential employees."

Chicago and points beyond

In the Windy City, wind chills Friday will creep down to minus 12, with more snow possible over the weekend.

The arctic blast was expected to be the coldest in 17 years, with temperatures predicted to drop below zero Sunday evening and not return to positive digits until Wednesday.

Though snow in Chicago in the winter is a common event, it "can still wreak havoc on daily routines," city emergency director Gary Schenkel said.

Next week could be no better for some U.S. residents.

A new shot of colder air will start to move into the northern Midwest by Saturday and will dive south Monday and Tuesday, carrying zero-degree cold as far south as Nashville. "That's the coldest air we've seen that far south in several years," CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

The cold air will kick off a new storm Sunday into Monday that could affect a number of NFL playoff games this weekend. In Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers will give a cold welcome to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, when temperatures could bottom out at -17.

The U.S. weather had international implications, too: All meetings were canceled Friday at the United Nations headquarters complex on New York's East Side.


Sources: CNN; USA Today, Youtube

BILL DE BLASIO'S Inauguration Ceremony: NEW YORK CITY Is No Longer A Divided Plantation! (Rev Fred Lucas Jr)

#NYCPlantation

NEW YORK CITY IS NO LONGER A DIVIDED PLANTATION: "TALE OF TWO CITIES"

Today during BILL DE BLASIO'S Inauguration Ceremony, Rev FRED LUCAS JR (BROOKLYN) made these Shocking yet Truthful remarks about NEW YORK CITY while delivering the Ceremonial Prayer:

"“Let the plantation called New York City be the city of God, a city set upon the hill, a light shining in darkness,”

“Elevate our valleys. Make low our mountains. Make our crooked places straight and our rough places smooth. Oh God, oh God, oh God, break every chain, break every chain, break every chain.”

“Oh God, on this first day of January–the anniversary of the first Emancipation Proclamation–sound forth the trumpets of heaven proclaiming a new Emancipation Proclamation in New York City.

"From your divine leadership, emancipate every New Yorker from the shackles of fear, futility and frustration …...

Oh God, end the civil wars and usher in a new Reconstruction Era that builds upon the many successes and achievements of yesterday while proclaiming the beginning of a new beginning.”

"Pastor Unloads On The ‘Plantation Called New York City’ At New Mayor’s Inauguration"

During inauguration ceremonies for New York City’s new mayor, Bill DeBlasio, Reverend Fred Lucas Jr. tore into the nation’s racial inequality.

Sounding a variety of themes echoing American slavery and the Civil War, the Brooklyn-based minister scoffed at the “plantation called New York City” and called for a new “Reconstruction” based on the post-Civil War federal occupation of the South.

“Sound forth the trumpets of heaven proclaiming a new Emancipation Proclamation in New York City,” Lucas began. “For your divine leadership, emancipate every New Yorker from the shackles of fear, futility, and frustration.”

“Help us to be mastered by only the masters of love and compassion,” he continued. “Let integrity never stand on the auction block or be sold to the highest bidder.”

“Free us from the shackles of partisan politics, political correctness, and personal egos and agendas,” Lucas railed. “End the civil wars and usher in a new Reconstruction Era that builds upon the many successes and achievements of yesterday.”

The pastor concluded by blasting the “plantation called New York City.”

Sources: AP, Facebook, Mediaite, NY Times, Youtube