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Jack Burgess| Correspondent

President Bidens recent meeting with Russias Putin was an apparent success.Bidens an experienced leader, and he puts America first, not personal gain or ego. Our nation does best when we focusas Bill Clinton said, like a laser, on the economy. In 1992 Clinton defeated incumbent President G.H.W. Bushwhod led us into war in Iraqwhile unable to keep his promise of no new taxes. Clinton got re-elected in 96, even as Republicans smeared him with impeachment over his private life, mainly because real wages were going up for everybody, includingfor the only time since the 60s---lower-income groups.

Republicans, whove saddled themselves with the philosophy of mostly helping the wealthy, with tax cuts and deregulation, have trouble winning majorities because of that, and the unemployment and poorer government services that result. Most voters know that tax cuts are not generally good for working folks. So, Republican strategists have often used the Southern strategy, developed by Nixon, to scare ordinary white folks into believing people of color and foreigners are taking over our country.

Going back to the 1940s, Republicans have often tried to scare folks with communism and socialism.They blamed Democratic President Truman for losing China to communism, and for the Korean War.

Republican Eisenhower steered clear of sending troops to Vietnam, but Kennedy did send a small force, and Johnson sent 500,000 Americans in a losing battle to convince the poor people of S.E. Asia theyd be better off on our side than Chinas. We know how that ended, with over 50, 000 Americans killed, and Vietnam becoming communist,---though ironically theyre now a significant trading partner.

And even though Johnsons Great Society programs were generally successful, Democrats lost the 68 election to Nixon, mainly because of the disastrous Vietnam War.

Wars are often popular at their beginnings.Both Bushes got a big political lift from their attacks on Iraq.But Bush Sr.s war ended a bit too soon for his 92 election.His sons invasion and occupation of Iraq, looking for the fictional weapons of mass destruction, lasted long enough to get him past Sen. Kerry, whod been unfortunately for his political status on both sides of the Vietnam War.Kerry was reviled as a flip-flopper, and it was all over.

Forward to 2008.Democrats had a choice between two firsts a black man, and a woman.Obamas natural assets were partly why he edged out Hillary Clinton.But so was the fact that he seemed less warlike on foreign policy.Obama admitted Americas role in overthrowing the government of Iran in 1953, which spiraled our relationship with that nation into endless conflict.Hillary, as Sec. of State, pushed for overthrowing Gadhafi in Libya and Assad in Syria, and she lost the sizeable peace vote in the Democratic primaries of 08. She never regained that vote in losing to Trump in 16, who took the stance that we should get along with Russia.

He was right about that. Russia has never attacked America, though we invaded them in 1917, trying to put down their budding revolution.Weve also pushed NATO ever closer to Russias borders, in spite of Reagans promise to Gorbechev that we wouldnt. Russia is defending Crimea-Ukraine, with its only warm-water port, even as we blockaded Cuba in 1962. Russia is a smaller country than us in population and economically, but they have more nuclear weapons. Enough to blow up the world, and us with it. So Trump and Biden are both right that we need to get along. Putin seems to agree, though he may well have sanctioned the hacking of our cyber networks. In fairness, our spies are everywhere, too, and it would be nave to think we dont try to interfere in their internal affairs.

So, lets hope President Biden and the Democrats stay focused on building America back, better, as they promised. While were at it, we could invest more in cyber security, but not more bombs or more wars.

Jack Burgess is a retired teacher of American & Global Studies, and a member of Veterans For Peace.

Original post:
Burgess: Democrats right to focus on economy, not Russia and China - Chillicothe Gazette

Former President Donald Trump has offered a new explanation for his claims of voter fraud, saying his political opponents "used COVID" to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

The former president, who has made frequent claims of widespread voter fraud despite federal and state election officials assuring that the votes were secure, said the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic afforded his foes the opportunity to cheat.

"They used COVID in order to cheat. They used COVID in order to rig the election and in order to steal the election. They used COVID," he said during the Saturday night rally in Ohio. "That's as simple as it gets."

TRUMP SLAMS WISCONSIN GOP LEADER WHO HIRED RETIRED POLICE TO INVESTIGATE 2020 ELECTION

Several states took steps toward allowing for remote voting, such as vote-by-mail, in the 2020 election in an effort to curb the transmission of COVID-19, which the former president argued allowed for malfeasance because mail-in ballots are "treacherous."

Trump praised the new moves taken by Republicans in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to reexamine the results of the 2020 presidential election, calling those leading the investigations "patriots."

"I hear now that Wisconsin is looking very, very seriously [into the allegations of voter fraud], and I respect Wisconsin so much. It's a great state. They're looking very seriously. Pennsylvania is really starting to take this very seriously," he said, thanking legislators in both states for their efforts.

Pennsylvania has signaled an openness to ordering an audit of its 2020 election results, with state Sen. David Argall, who heads a committee that oversees elections, telling local outlets last week that a forensic audit similar to the one being conducted in Arizona is now a "very real possibility."

Wisconsin's state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos announced in May that he would hire police officers and an attorney to investigate parts of the November 2020 general election. Contracts obtained by the Associated Press reported this week show that he has already hired some people to investigate "potential irregularities and/or illegalities" in the 2020 presidential election.

Trump's support for the Wisconsin investigation was an apparent reversal from his position on Friday, when the former president chastised Vos by name for "working hard to cover up election corruption in Wisconsin."

Trump contrasted his praise of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin with condemnation for other states, such as Michigan, where "the [Republicans in Name Only] in the Michigan Senate" recently released a report confirming Biden carried the state in 2020.

"Michigan is not [taking the allegations of voter fraud seriously]. You can't get those Republicans. Some are great, by the way, but Michigan is not doing the job. ... How do you win Ohio by so much, record numbers, and lose Michigan?" he said during the rally, suggesting that the only way would be through voter fraud.

Trump also singled out Georgia for criticism, saying Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's decision to remove 100,000 "out of date" names from the state's voter rolls came too little, too late.

"Now, they're saying they're going to delete over 100,000 names. I said, 'Why the hell didn't you delete them before the election, not after the election?'" he said of Georgia.

The former president accused his political adversaries of a double standard, saying former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams did not attract the same criticism for failing to accept their electoral losses.

"Stacey Abrams goes around saying she won the election. Nobody says anything. Hillary Clinton says she won the election. Nobody says anything. I say we won the election. 'That's terrible. That's terrible,' [they say]," he said. "Isn't it a terrible situation?"

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Both Clinton and Abrams contested their respective losses, with Clinton calling for recounts in several swing states after her 2016 loss and Abrams refusing to use the word "concede" when acknowledging that Brian Kemp would become the governor of Georgia following the state's 2018 election.

Trump, who continues to assert there are "mountains of evidence" of widespread cheating in the 2020 presidential contest, filed several claims alleging massive voter fraud, most of which were tossed by federal courts.

Original Location: Trump says opponents 'used COVID to steal the election,' applauds election investigations in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

Continued here:
Trump says opponents 'used COVID to steal the election,' applauds election investigations in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - Denver Gazette

June 28

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT

2000

Seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba.

ALSO ON THIS DATE

1838

Britains Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

1863

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. George G. Meade the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, following the resignation of Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.

1914

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were shot to death in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip an act which sparked World War I.

1919

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending the First World War.

1940

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, which required adult foreigners residing in the U.S. to be registered and fingerprinted.

1950

North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

Radio performers Freeman Gosden (left) and Charles Correll (right) reading a script for their situation comedy Amos 'n' Andy.

1951

A TV version of the radio comedy program Amos N Andy premiered on CBS. (It was the first network TV series to feature an all-Black cast, but came under criticism for racial stereotyping.)

1964

Civil rights activist Malcolm X declared, We want equality by any means necessary during the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity in New York.

1978

The Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued hed been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

2000

Seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba.

2010

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., the longest-serving senator in the nations history, died in Falls Church, Virginia, at 92. The Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that Americans had the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they lived.

2013

Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi rallied in Cairo, and both sides fought each other in the countrys second-largest city of Alexandria, where two people including an American were killed and scores injured. The four plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Californias same-sex marriage ban tied the knot, just hours after a federal appeals court freed gay couples to obtain marriage licenses in the state for the first time in 4 1/2 years.

2019

Avowed white supremacist James Alex Fields, who deliberately drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing a young woman and injuring dozens, apologized to his victims before being sentenced to life in prison on federal hate crime charges.

Ten years ago: Taliban fighters raided an international hotel in Kabul and killed 10 people on the eve of a conference to discuss plans for Afghan forces to take over security when international troops left by the end of 2014.

Five years ago: House Republicans concluded their $7 million, two-year investigation into the deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, with fresh accusations of lethal mistakes by the Obama administration but no smoking gun pointing to wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton, who said the report found nothing, nothing to contradict the findings of earlier investigations.

Three suicide bombers armed with assault rifles stormed Istanbuls Ataturk airport, killing 44 victims and wounding nearly 150; no one claimed responsibility, but Turkish officials said they suspected the Islamic State group.

Death claimed Pat Summitt, the most successful coach in major college basketball history, at age 64; former pro football coach Buddy Ryan at age 85; and pioneering rock guitarist Scotty Moore at age 84.

One year ago: A St. Louis couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, waved guns at protesters who marched on their private street amid the national racial injustice demonstrations. (The McCloskeys, who were initially indicted on felony charges including unlawful use of a weapon, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and agreed to give up the weapons they used during the confrontation.) Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars that had opened in seven counties to immediately close, and urged bars in eight other counties to do the same, amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus in parts of the state.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 95. Former Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., is 87. Comedian-impressionist John Byner is 84. Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is 83. Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 76. Actor Bruce Davison is 75. Actor Kathy Bates is 73. Actor Alice Krige is 67. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 61. Jazz singer Tierney Sutton is 58. Actor Jessica Hecht is 56. Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 56. Actor Mary Stuart Masterson is 55. Actor John Cusack is 55. Actor Gil Bellows is 54. Actor-singer Danielle Brisebois is 52. Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 52. Actor Tichina Arnold is 52. Actor Steve Burton is 51. Entrepreneur Elon Musk is 50. Actor Alessandro Nivola is 49. Actor Camille Guaty is 45. Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 45. Rock musician Mark Stoermer (The Killers) is 44. Country singer Big Vinny Hickerson (Trailer Choir) is 38. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 35.

The rest is here:
Today in History, June 28, 2021 - News-Herald.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio The race to succeed Marcia Fudge in Congress is rapidly coming down to two candidates, each boasting a hefty amount of national, state and local backing.

Big name figures have endorsed both former state Sen. Nina Turner and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown in the Democratic Primary, a sign of the dividing line thats sprung up. However, the endorsements show that contrary to the national media description of the 11th Congressional District being a Biden-versus-Sanders type race, theres more nuance.

Turner, an ally of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, did garner his endorsement earlier in the race while Brown recently logged that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, giving more fuel to this being a showdown of the establishment and liberal wings of the party.

But both candidates boast a healthy amount of congressional and local backing that doesnt fit neatly into that mold.

Of the two largest cities in the district Akron and Cleveland Turner and Brown are roughly split on local government endorsements.

Turner has the backing of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland City Council members Blaine Griffin, Kerry McCormack and Brian Mooney and Akron City Councilmembers Phil Lombardo, Shammas Malik and Tara Samples who was also on her campaign payroll as of the last filing deadline in April.

Supporting Brown are Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, former Mayor Don Plusquellic and Akron City Councilwoman Ginger Baylor and Cleveland City Council members Joe Jones, Kevin Bishop, Basheer Jones, Anthony Hairston and Brian Kazy.

Brown has a clear edge in Cuyahoga County government, with County Executive Armond Budish, County Council President Pernel Jones Jr. and County Council members Dan Brady, Scott Tuma and Sunny Simon.

Turner does not have any members of county government listed in her endorsements on her website, but does boast the backing of the Black Elected Officials of Summit County.

Brown also leads handily in terms of the number of mayors who have endorsed her candidacy, which includes:

-Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell

-Seven Hills Mayor Anthony Biasiotta

-Woodmere Mayor Benjamin Holbert III

-Warrensville Heights Mayor Brad Sellers

-Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss

-North Randall Mayor David Smith

-Solon Mayor Ed Kraus

-Orange Village Mayor Kathy Mulcahy

-Glenwillow Mayor Mark Cegelka

-Highland Hills Mayor Michael Booker

-Brooklyn Heights Mayor Michael Procuk

-Broadview Heights Mayor Samuel Alai

-Bedford Mayor Stanley Koci

Although logging the mayor of the largest city in the district in Jackson, Turners only other mayoral endorsements are University Heights Mayor Michael Brennan and Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins who was also on Turners campaign payroll as of April.

Of the mayors who have endorsed, Turners oversee a population of 395,524 while Browns represent 334,396 including Akron, which is not fully in the district.

Turner has a slight edge when it comes to members of the state legislature:

-Ohio Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko

-State Sen. Sandra Williams

-State Sen. Nickie Antonio

-State Rep. Phil Robinson Jr.

-State Rep. Janine Boyd

-State Rep. Stephanie Howse

-State Rep. Juanita Brent

-State Rep. Mike Skindell

-State Rep. Tavia Galonski

Brown counts the backing of state Reps. Terrence Upchurch and Kent Smith.

Both Turner and Brown have received support from members of Congress as well, though Turner has logged more. Turner has often been backed by all six members of The Squad, a group of the most liberal members in Congress, as well as the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of 91 House members that make up the most liberal branch of the House Democratic Caucus.

Those supporting Turner include Sanders, California Reps. Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna and Katie Porter, Michigan Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Andy Levin, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Mark Pocan.

Brown counts the backing of Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Columbus Democrat and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat and chief deputy whip of the House Democrats.

While not listed on her website, multiple U.S. House members also headlined a Washington fundraiser for Brown, including G.K. Butterfield of Arizona, Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Robin Kelly of Illinois, Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Marc Veasey of Texas and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

Both Turner and Brown also boast a bevy of faith leaders, crucial to political success in the district, especially on the East Side of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Labor has also split on the two, with SEIU Local 1 and 1199, the Communication Workers of America District 4 and Local 4340 and the Amalgamated Transit Union among those supporting Turner. The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, United Auto Workers Regional 2B, Pipe Fitters Local 120, Laborers Local 310, Boilermakers Local 744, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 38 and Bricklayers Local 5 are among the unions that support Brown.

While both have raced to gather as many endorsements as possible, several high-profile endorsements are still sitting the race out.

The most notable name who hasnt endorsed as of yet is Fudge, one of the highest profile political names in the area who represented the district in Congress for a decade. Fudge was recently named President Joe Bidens Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

While she has not offered her insight into the race, Fudge and Brown have a close relationship. However, a recent violation of the Hatch Act by Fudge and a desire to work with whoever wins the race may prevent her from attaching her name to a candidate.

Other national figures have remained mostly quiet on the race as well, including Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, perhaps not wanting to alienate the eventual winner should they choose the losing candidate.

Locally, Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who lives in the district, has said he has no plans to endorse either.

Shontel Brown, who chairs the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, has said there are currently no plans for an endorsement since the party has never endorsed in congressional primaries in the past. Vice-chairman and City Council President Kevin Kelley, an influential figure in Democratic politics, is also staying out of the race, as required by the by-laws of the party.

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat who at one point was considering a run for herself, also hasnt made it known who she is supporting.

None of the other 11 candidates have tallied significant national, state or local endorsements.

Ohios 11th Congressional District includes the eastern portion of Cuyahoga County stretching south to Summit County and the West Side of Akron. It is gerrymandered to heavily favor Democrats.

The registration deadline to vote in the Aug. 3 primary is July 6. Early voting for the contest starts July 7.

See more here:
Who is winning the endorsement race in the 11th Congressional District special election? - cleveland.com

A fantastical story recently appeared on a website familiar to the fact-checkers of PolitiFact.

Real Raw News has published several stories that weve previously debunked, including about former President Donald Trump indicting Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a foiled Trump assassination, and Navy SEALs arresting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Its latest dispatch about Clinton claims that she was hanged on April 26 at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to the story, it was the culmination of an operation that started the night the SEALs arrested her.

"After a five-day tribunal at the worlds most infamous detention center, a three-officer panel found Clinton guilty of murder, accessory to murder, treason, child trafficking, and other high crimes," the story says.

This post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

News of Clintons arrest, let alone killing, would be widely covered by the media. No such reports exist, nor credible evidence to support the idea that Clinton was hanged. The information in this blog post is completely baseless.

In the days since her supposed execution, Clinton has been active on Twitter, including promoting the latest episode of her podcast, "You and Me Both," on April 27.

The previous week, publishers Simon & Schuster and St. Martins Press announced Clinton would co-author a thriller with her friend titled "State of Terror."

Like that forthcoming novel, this blog post is a work of fiction.

We rate it Pants on Fire!

Go here to see the original:
PolitiFact | No, Hillary Clinton wasnt hanged at ...