June 29, 2019 at 5:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

“Attorneys for Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who has been indicted for campaign finance violations, asked the court to exclude allegations that he misused campaign funds during extramarital affairs, saying that his alleged relationships ‘often served an overtly political purpose,'” The Hill reports.

“Hunter’s attorneys said in court Friday that the government was attempting to ‘publicly embarrass Mr. Hunter with evidence that reflects poorly on his character,’ and that the value of the evidence is outweighed by the risk it would unfairly prejudice the jury against him, according to a document published in full by USA Today.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2019/06/29/hunter-wants-evidence-of-affairs-excluded/

The New Jersey senator said Biden has demonstrated an "inability to talk candidly about the mistakes he made,” on issues of race.

June 30, 2019, 10:24 AM EDT
By Ben Kamisar

WASHINGTON — Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., questioned Sunday whether former Vice President Joe Biden could be a uniter on race if he wins the Democratic presidential nomination, accusing him of having an “inability to talk candidly about the mistakes he made.”

Booker, who has been one of Biden's most outspoken critics in the Democratic field in recent days, pointed to a handful of examples — Biden's opposition to federally-mandated busing as a tool of desegregation in the 1970s, recent comments about his working relationship with senators who supported segregation, and his defense of the 1994 crime bill — to argue that the former vice president "is not doing a good job of bringing folks together."

“Whoever our nominee is going to be, whoever our next president is going to be, really needs to be someone who can talk openly and honestly about race," Booker said during an appearance on "Meet the Press."

"I’m not sure if Joe Biden is up to that task given the way the last three weeks have played out.”

more
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/cory-booker-questions-whether-joe-biden-able-speak-honestly-about-n1025061?cid=public-rss_20190630

BY REBECCA KLAR - 06/30/19 10:08 AM EDT

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 White House hopeful, said on Sunday that he doesn't want talks between President Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong to be merely a photo op.

"I don't have a problem with him sitting down and negotiating with our adversaries, I don't want it to be a photo opportunity. We need real diplomacy," Sanders said on ABC's "This Week."

Sanders said that while Trump is meeting with the North Korean leader, the president has "weakened the State Department." The senator also said the U.S. needs a "strong State Department to move forward diplomatically."

Trump earlier Sunday became the first sitting U.S. president to cross into North Korea. He later announced that stalled nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea would resume.

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/451057-sanders-hits-trump-on-north-korea-photo-op-we-need-real-diplomacy

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rips Ivanka Trump Over Viral Video of Awkward Conversation with World Leaders

By Tommy ChristopherJun 30th, 2019, 9:16 am

Democratic New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined in on the internet dogpile over First Daughter Ivanka Trump‘s viral video encounter with world leaders, remarking that “being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification.”

On Saturday, a BBC reporter posted French government video of a candid moment between French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde that was presented as if Ms. Trump injected herself into the conversation.

Lagarde, in particular, appears irritated in the clip, although she also tweeted praise for Ivanka. The clip went viral, and led to a tidal wave of internet mockery, which AOC joined in on Saturday night. Retweeting the viral clip, AOC wrote “It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification.”

“It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on,” she continued, adding “The US needs our President working the G20. Bringing a qualified diplomat couldn’t hurt either.”

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1145164720242118656

https://www.mediaite.com/news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-rips-ivanka-trump-over-viral-video-of-awkward-conversation-with-world-leaders/

By Tommy Christopher June 30th

-snip-

On Sunday morning’s edition of CNN’s State of the Union, fill-in host Brianna Keilar asked Castro about the attack that Trump Jr. posted on Thursday, and later deleted, which went after Harris on the basis of her race.

“There have been some just despicable online racist attacks on your fellow candidate Senator Kamala Harris, including one that the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., retreated,” Keilar said, and asked “What is your reaction?”

“That is disgusting,” Castro said. “That it has no place in our politics.”

“And this is the game that these folks play,” Castro continued. “They put something out there, you notice what he did, he tweeted it out and then he deleted it, like a coward, so he could say oh, that was just a mistake, but he knows what he’s doing.”

“He’s giving voice to these racist utterances about Senator Harris,” Castro said, and added “We need to dispel them immediately, and condemn them, and then not give them any more life because they are disgusting.”

full article + video
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/julian-castro-rips-coward-donald-trump-jr-over-disgusting-racist-attack-on-kamala-harris/

Eric Swalwell Doubles Down on Attacking Mayor Pete for Police Shooting Response: ‘Where Does the Buck Stop?’

By Connor MannionJun 29th, 2019, 3:40 pm

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) continued to hit Mayor Pete Buttigieg for his response to a South Bend police officer shooting and killing Eric Logan, asking “where does the buck stop?”

“He’s the mayor of a town where a policy was not followed. Someone is dead. So where does the buck stop? He fired the last chief, and so I’m wondering why wouldn’t he fire this chief,” Swalwell said.

Swalwell appeared on CNN Newsroom with Ana Cabrera Saturday where he continued to criticize Buttigieg for the shooting in South Bend, Indiana where Buttigieg is mayor.

Both men are running for president and briefly faced off during the Thursday debate when Swalwell questioned why Buttigieg didn’t fire the police chief after an officer shot and killed Logan.

“I’ve said I would not give federal funds to any police department unless they had a body camera and unless their police departments look like the communities they patrol,” he continued. “If you talk to African-American communities today, there’s a lot of distrust of the police. We have to be mindful of that and work to build trust with those communities.”

video
https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/eric-swalwell-doubles-down-on-attacking-mayor-pete-for-police-shooting-response-where-does-the-buck-stop/

Source: Politico



A divided America is failing to counter Moscow's efforts to undermine democracy and cast doubt on U.S. alliances, says the report, which warns of a surge in 'political warfare.'

By BRYAN BENDER 06/30/2019 06:11 AM EDT

The U.S. is ill-equipped to counter the increasingly brazen political warfare Russia is waging to undermine democracies, the Pentagon and independent strategists warn in a detailed assessment that happens to echo much bipartisan criticism of President Donald Trump's approach to Moscow.

The more than 150-page white paper, prepared for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and shared with POLITICO, says the U.S. is still underestimating the scope of Russia's aggression, which includes the use of propaganda and disinformation to sway public opinion across Europe, Central Asia, Africa and Latin America. The study also points to the dangers of a growing alignment between Russia and China, which share a fear of the United States' international alliances and an affinity for "authoritarian stability."

Its authors contend that disarray at home is hampering U.S. efforts to respond — saying America lacks the kind of compelling “story” it used to win the Cold War.

The study doesn't offer any criticisms of Trump, but it comes amid continued chaffing by security hawks in both parties who have objected to the president's repeated slights at U.S. alliances in Europe and Asia, public affection for authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, and his habit of scoffing at the evidence that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. A grinning Trump added to that pattern Friday in Osaka, Japan, where he got a chuckle out of Putin by admonishing him, "Don't meddle in the election, president."

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/30/pentagon-russia-influence-putin-trump-1535243

Donald Trump invites Kim Jong-un to US after entering North Korea

US president hails ‘great honour’ of crossing border at impromptu meeting

Justin McCurry in Osaka

Sun 30 Jun 2019 06.39 EDT First published on Sat 29 Jun 2019 21.03 EDT

Donald Trump has invited Kim Jong-un to the US after becoming the first sitting American president to enter North Korea.

The apparently impromptu meeting came about after Trump tweeted an invitation to Kim on Saturday from the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

After shaking hands with Kim in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and walking with him over the border, Trump said: “Stepping across that line is a great honour. Great progress has been made, great friendships have been made and this has been, in particular, a great friendship.”

Following a trilateral meeting between Kim, Trump and the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, Trump later said he agreed with Kim to restart talks after nuclear negotiations stalled earlier this year and had invited him to the US “when the time is right”.

Trump said he and Kim were “not looking for speed. We’re looking to get it right.” He added: “We are going to have teams, they are going to meet over the next weeks, they are going to start a process and we will see what happens.”

more
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/30/trump-to-travel-to-demilitarised-zone-for-possible-meeting-with-kim-jong-un

BY REBECCA KLAR - 06/30/19 09:57 AM EDT

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro said Sunday that while the U.S. can take in more immigrants, he does not want to allow an "unlimited" amount of asylum seekers into the country.

"I agree with people that say, in theory, can’t we take everyone who would like to be in the United States" he said on ABC's "This Week" while clarifying his immigration plan.

"Nobody has called for that," he added. "I do believe, however, and put forward an immigration plan that would accept more people."

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary said a federal statute from the late 1970s allows the U.S. to accept up to 110,000 refugees annually, but about 30,000 or 40,000 are typically accepted.

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/451056-castro-said-us-should-triple-number-of-accepted-refugees

By BIANCA QUILANTAN 06/30/2019 09:38 AM EDT

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro on Sunday described President Donald Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “all for show” and “not substantive.”

“It's worrisome that this president erratically sets up a meeting without the staff work being done, it seems like it's all for show, it’s not substantive, as Jonathan said in his report,” the former HUD secretary told George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” Castro was referring to ABC journalist Jonathan Karl.

“We're left to believe: What progress are we actually making?” Castro continued. “At the same time, the cost to the United States and to our allies is that he's raising a profile, growing the strength of a dictator.”

Trump met with Kim briefly on Sunday, walking across the border into North Korea for their third face-to-face meeting. It was the first time an American president has ever visited North Korea while in office.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/30/julian-castro-trump-kim-dmz-meeting-all-for-show-1390742