Politics

The Associated Press reports: The five living former presidents put aside politics and appeared together for the first time since 2013 at a concert on Saturday to raise money for victims of devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Democrats Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and Republicans George H.W. and George W. …

The New York Times reports: In a first for Spain, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced on Saturday that he would remove the separatist government of the independence-minded region of Catalonia and initiate a process of direct rule from Madrid. The announcement, made after an emergency cabinet meeting, was an unexpectedly forceful attempt to stop a yearslong drive for secession in …

The Associated Press reports: Shock and condemnation continued Saturday after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was named a “goodwill ambassador” for the World Health Organization by the agency’s first African leader. The 93-year-old Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, has long been criticized at home for going overseas for medical treatment as Zimbabwe’s once-prosperous economy falls apart. Mugabe also faces …

USA Today reports: President Trump said Saturday that he will allow more than 3,000 classified files on the JFK assassination to be released next week by the National Archives as ordered by Congress. The classified files were scheduled to be made public by Oct. 26, barring intervention by the president, under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act …

The New York Times reports: Video of a 2015 speech delivered by Representative Frederica S. Wilson revealed Friday that John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, misrepresented her remarks when he accused her of bragging about securing $20 million for a South Florida F.B.I. building and twisting President Barack Obama’s arm. Ms. Wilson, in an interview on Friday, …

Regina Willis reports at Project Q Atlanta: State Rep. Betty Price, a Republican from Roswell, suggested quarantining people living with HIV during a House study committee meeting addressing the barriers HIV-positive people face. Price’s suggestion came Tuesday during a two-hour meeting of the House Study Committee on Georgians’ Barriers to Access to Adequate Health Care. Price – a medical doctor …

The Associated Press reports: A national women’s rights group and three Massachusetts women filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the U.S. Education Department’s new guidance on investigating campus sexual assaults. The Los Angeles-based Equal Means Equal and the three women, who have separately accused their colleges of mishandling complaints of sexual assault, say the new guidance is discriminatory and violates state …

Reuters reports: The Spanish government has secured opposition support for dissolving Catalonia’s parliament and holding new elections there in January in its bid to defuse the regional government’s push for independence. The Socialists, the main opposition, said on Friday they would back special measures to impose central rule on the region to thwart the secessionist-minded Catalan government and end a …

The Hill reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Americans to show more respect for their president in response to a question posed to him at the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday. In his remarks, Putin called Americans’ disrespect for President Trump a “negative” feature of the American democratic system. “Inside the country, disrespect is shown for …

The BBC reports: Take a close look at this face. Who do you see? We’d call him a clean-cut, middle-aged white man. He looks like a John, a James, or a Robert. Perhaps you’ve met him once: the husband of a friend, or a former colleague. Or maybe you’ve only ever seen him on television – people who look like …

Politico reports: In the face of growing scrutiny, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday said the type of attack that killed four U.S. troops in Niger earlier this month was “considered unlikely” and pledged to release the findings of a Pentagon investigation “as rapidly” as possible. “I would just tell you that in this specific case contact was considered unlikely,” …

The Washington Post reports: For the last nine years, George W. Bush has largely stayed out of presidential politics; he declined to criticize his successor, Barack Obama, and he chose not to endorse but largely ignored President Trump. While Mitt Romney and others spoke out publicly against Trump, Bush stayed above the fray. That changed in a big way Thursday. …

The Detroit Free Press reports: Despite the less-than-sellout crowd — the arena was probably two-thirds full — those who arrived to christen the joint for basketball helped fill it with buzz. The atmosphere was helped by a slick, Pistons-colored light show and an unexpected showing from Eminem. The rapper took the microphone briefly and worked the crowd into a frenzy. …

The New York Times reports: In a sign of mounting frustration among Republicans in Washington, Representative Pat Tiberi of Ohio, a senior lawmaker with close ties to his party’s leaders, is expected to resign and take up an executive post with a business group in his home state, according to three Republicans briefed on his plans. An abrupt departure by …

This morning Trump retweeted praise from a Twitter user who yesterday posted the above image. This tracks perfectly with Trump’s history of promoting Twitter users who are openly racist and openly anti-Semitic. You may recall that last year he even retweeted a user who had “White Genocide” in their name. If you dig into the history of @USArmy333 you’ll find …

The Denver Post reports: Because of a lack of demand, the Colorado Republican Party is offering a Groupon-like deal to see Vice President Mike Pence. Pence is the headliner for a party fundraiser Oct. 26 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, where the lowest-priced tickets originally cost $275. The party announced the event weeks earlier but struggled to sell the …

Reuters reports: Former President Barack Obama returns to the campaign trail on Thursday for the first time since he left the White House, venturing out to support Democrats in two governor’s races that could offer a clue about the national mood before next year’s midterm elections. Obama, who has spoken at private party fundraisers but largely steered clear of electoral …

Politico reports: Mississippi GOP Sen. Thad Cochran insists that he is not retiring from Congress, despite widespread speculation about the veteran lawmaker’s health and political future. The 79-year-old Cochran appeared frail and at times disoriented during a brief hallway interview on Wednesday. He was unable to answer whether he would remain chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and at one point, …

I followed this account for months after seeing how many major right wingers were retweeting it. Eventually I was blocked but I never dreamed it was by Russians. Buzzfeed News reports: Twitter took 11 months to close a Russian troll account that claimed to speak for the Tennessee Republican Party even after that state’s real GOP notified the social media …

Courthouse News reports: Congress has the right to hold a prayer at the start of each legislative day, and can reject an atheist’s request to give the invocation without violating the Establishment Clause, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer, a George W. Bush appointee, said Wednesday the House chaplain’s refusal to invite an avowed atheist to deliver …