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The Hong Kong democrat who claimed he was kidnapped and tortured in the city by mainland agents rebutted allegations that his story was a self scripted charade as he pledged to quit the local political arena for good in the wake of the incident.

The remarks by Howard Lam Tsz-kin came as pro-establishment lawmakers challenged the authenticity of his accounts made on Friday, which have renewed fears the one country, two systems principle has been eroded.

Lam said he was abducted by mainland agents in Yau Ma Tei on Thursday, pushed into a van, brought to a building, and tortured with staples punched into his thighs. He said he woke up on a Sai Kung beach on Friday morning.

But some questioned why Lam did not immediately report the case to police and even cleaned his clothes when he got home a move described by founding Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming as a bit silly as doing so could have jeopardised evidence needed for an investigation.

There was sand and mud [in the clothes] and they were stinky, Lam said on Sunday during a Facebook Live session. My wife asked me to soak the clothes ... and so I did. I didnt think too much about it.

He added that his mother was horrified by the incident and did not want him to report the case to the police or make it public.

But Lee and former Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan eventually prevailed upon Lams mother, with both arguing that a press conference would afford Lam better protection.

Lam on Sunday clarified he never altered the written statement he gave police regarding the exact spot where he was kidnapped, as suggested by some reports, and voiced disappointment the force leaked some details of the statement.

He earlier said he believed the abduction was linked to his intention to send a signed postcard from Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi to Liu Xia, widow of the late mainland dissident, Liu Xiaobo.

I do not want to be a hero

Lam

But Lam vowed on Facebook Live to end his political activism in Hong Kong as he denied allegations he was trying to exploit the incident to build political capital.

I am under immense pressure. I am very exhausted, he said. I do not want to be a hero, and I do not want to climb up the political ladder.

I will not actively engage in any political activities any more. I am just a coward who hopes to keep my family members safe. Goodbye and thank you.

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Hong Kong democrat Howard Lam rebuts his kidnapping claim doubters - South China Morning Post

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) is claiming that Ivanka Trump has blocked him on Twitter.

On Sunday, Lieu tweeted out an image showing that Trump, who is the president's daughter and serves as an unpaid adviser in the White House, had blocked him on the social media site.

Hey look, a senior White House official is afraid of tweets from a Congressman. Ivanka blocked me. Also, why is she in the White House? he tweeted.

Hey look, a senior White House official is afraid of tweets from a Congressman. Ivanka blocked me. Also, why is she in the White House? pic.twitter.com/hTaagBF7MM

Lieu has also repeatedly called for White House senior adviser Jared Kusher, Ivanka Trumps husband, to have his security clearance revoked.

A First Amendment group suedTrump last month forblocking seven private citizens on Twitter, alleging that he is violating their constitutional rights to see the president's tweets.

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Democrat lawmaker claims that Ivanka Trump blocked him on Twitter - The Hill

Sen. Claire McCaskill already was anticipating a tough fight from Republicans as she seeks a third term, but her path got even trickier this month when she found out she now faces a challenge from her left as well.

Ms. McCaskill is perhaps the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate heading into next year, where she will try to defend her seat in Missouri, a state thats tilted heavily toward Republicans in recent years.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has been showering Ms. McCaskill with criticism for months, accusing her of joining fellow Democrats in obstructing President Trumps agenda.

Another GOP-aligned group, Missouri Rising Action, has formed a political action committee intended to entice Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley to jump into the race to challenge the two-term senator.

The left has its own complaints about Ms. McCaskill, and 31-year-old Angelica Earl jumped into the race this month, vowing to mount a primary challenge while representing the Bernard Sanders progressive wing of the Democratic Party, with a push for single-payer health care, looser marijuana laws and compassion training for police officers.

McCaskill probably is the most vulnerable Senate Democrat both because of Missouris turn to the right over the past decade or so and a decent chance that shell have a strong challenger, likely state Attorney General Josh Hawley, said Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginias Center for Politics.

Nonpartisan political handicappers view the contest as a tossup right now, and say Ms. McCaskill has several things going for her.

Shes avoided several major challengers on both sides of the aisle. Rep. Ann Wagner, a Republican, took a pass on the race, as did former Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democrat who has emerged a favorite of progressives after nearly upsetting GOP Sen. Roy Blunt in 2016.

As Jason has said numerous times, he is going to do everything he can to help his good friend Claire McCaskill get re-elected in 2018, said Austin Laufersweiler, a spokesman for Mr. Kanders new venture, Let America Vote, an effort to push back against President Trumps claims of voter fraud.

Should Ms. McCaskill survive the primary, analysts said shell benefit in the general election from historical trends that make midterm elections a referendum on the sitting president.

McCaskill should not be underestimated, Mr. Kondik said. If [Hillary] Clinton was in the White House, shed probably be in deep trouble. But with Trump in the White House, the party out of the White House gets a boost historically.

The NRSC released a new rodeo-themed radio ad last week trying to paint Ms. McCaskill as being out of touch with the Missouri voters who handed Mr. Trump an 18-point win in the state last year.

She says she is willing to work with Republicans, but she has fought President Trump all the way, the narrator says in the ad. McCaskill was all-in for Hillary, called her heads above the field. OK, well, election is over, your horse lost, time to move on, and since Trump became president, McCaskill has fought him tooth and nail.

The McCaskill campaign did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Meira Bernstein, a spokesman for the Missouri Democratic Party, dismissed the attacks, saying Ms. McCaskill has put her constituents first, worked with Mr. Trump on legislation and voted to confirm more than half of the presidents campaign nominees.

National Republicans attempt to claim otherwise is just smoke and mirrors from a party that is pinning its hope of defeating a strong, Missouri-first senator on a candidate who broke his promise to Missourians not to be another ladder-climbing politician just eight months after taking office, Ms. Berstein said.

A FiveThirtyEight analysis shows that Ms. McCaskill has voted 42.6 percent of the time in line with the Trump agenda.

She voted against the Trump administrations push for an Obamacare repeal, the confirmation of Neil M. Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court and Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. She supported the White Houses push to repeal a stream protection rule, Rick Perrys nomination to be energy secretary and Ryan Zinkes nomination as interior secretary.

In addition to Mr. Hawley, several other Republicans are considering running for the nomination: former Missouri GOP chief Ed Martin, state Rep. Paul Curtman, state Treasurer Eric Schmitt and state Rep. Vicky Hartzler.

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McCaskill faces 2018 challenge from within her party - Washington Times

Sen. Claire McCaskillClaire McCaskillOPINION | Wendy Davis: Collins and Murkowski inspire the next generation of women in politics Sex trafficking bill would make the internet a wasteland How the Portman-McCaskill proposal on sex trafficking could harm online businesses MORE (D-Mo.) said at a town hall on Friday that President Trump has fulfilled North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's wish to be seen as a serious player on the world stage.

"I think that the president unfortunately has elevated [North Korean Supreme Leader] Kim Jong-Un now,"McCaskill told the crowd, according to the Daily Journal Online.

"What he wants is to be seen as a world stage player and now we've kind of made him one," she added.

On Wednesday,North Korea announced that a plan to attack Guam would be complete by mid-August.

"I know people say the rhetoric wasn't stopping the advancement of their weapons, but we're tracking it and we have the technology to intercept," McCaskill said Friday.

"I've traveled and (seen) the anti-ballistic missiles that we have in Alaska, South Korea, Guam as part of my service on the Armed Services Committee," she continued.

"I feel very comfortable with the technology that we have."

Trump sought to calm tensions with North Korea on Friday after days of warning the country it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the U.S. or its allies.

Hopefully it will all work out, he said Friday. Nobody loves a peaceful solution more than President Trump, that I can tell you But we will see what happens. We think that lots of good things could happen, and we could also have a bad solution.

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Democrat senator: Trump has elevated Kim Jong-Un to the world stage - The Hill

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ROBERT DIGITALE

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | August 11, 2017, 8:41PM

The inmate found dead Thursday at the Sonoma County Jail was a 57-year-old Santa Rosa man, according to the Marin County Sheriffs Office, which is handling the investigation.

Michael Estes died in custody Thursday morning, said Marin County sheriffs Lt. Doug Pittman.

Estes, whose name had been withheld until his family was notified, had a long history of undisclosed medical problems, Pittman said.

The inmate had not been involved in any confrontations and was alone in his cell when he called for help, Pittman said. Suicide and drugs are not suspected.

An autopsy will be performed by the Marin County Coroners Office. Acting Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano chose to ask Marin County to investigate the death, an option allowed under an agreement between law enforcement agencies.

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Dead inmate was from Santa Rosa - Santa Rosa Press Democrat