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U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who is campaigning for reelection and bringing up his past in the 1990s, repeated on Monday that he was unfairly singled out by former President Bill Clintons Justice Department when he was the CEO of Columbia/Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).

The hospital chain was fined $1.7 billion in Medicare for fraud, which at the time was the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history.

Speaking to reporters in Pinellas County following an event with small businesses, Scott said Monday that the federal government is unfairly going after Donald Trump, saying, I can relate to this. I went through this I was the lead opponent of HillaryCare. HillaryCare was a government takeover of health care. I completely opposed it. I was in the hospital business at the time. She used the the Clinton Justice Department went after me. Now, I think it was wrong, and Ive watched this happen to businesses.

Also, Thats not the way this country should operate, Scott said. This country you should not be worried about your government. So Im very appreciative that [Former President Donald] Trump has been able to stand up for what he believes. Hes fighting for our Constitution. Im going to continue to support him, but this idea of using the court systems, your federal government using your court system to go after political opponents is wrong.

A reporter for the Phoenix then followed up, asking whether the senator was saying that he and Columbia/HCA had been treated unfairly because of his criticism of the Clinton health care plan.

Absolutely, Scott replied.

HillaryCare was the derisive term used by Republicans to oppose the health care reform package proposed by the Bill Clinton administration in 1993. The former president had appointed First Lady Hillary Clinton to lead a task force charged with coming up with a new health care reform plan, but a year later the proposal died in the U.S. Senate. Columbia/HCA was the largest hospital company in the U.S. at the time, and Scott was a leading opponent of the reform plans.

But in 1997, Scott resigned as CEO of Columbia/HCA following allegations of Medicare fraud. In 2000, Scott invoked the 5thAmendment 75 times in a deposition as part of a civil case involving his time leading the company.The company ultimately was fined $1.7 billion, according toPolitiFact.

The issue has been raised by Democrats to hurt Scotts candidacies in all three previous statewide races that hes been engaged in Florida, none of which he has won by more than 1.2 percentage points (that was in 2010, his first run for governor against Alex Sink). In 2018, he defeated Democratic Senate incumbent Bill Nelson by just a little more than 10,000 votes out of more than 8.1 million cast.

In a 2014 gubernatorial debate broadcast on CNN, moderator Jake Tapper asked Scott about a previous comment that he took responsibility for the $1.7 billion Medicare fraud fine. Tapper asked: what was he taking responsibility for?

I could have hired more auditors, Scott said at the time.

One reason perhaps why Scott isnt concerned about bringing up the issue now is that he is in much better political position currently with nearly six months to go before the election compared to his previous campaigns.

Recent polls show him with a comfortable, double-digit lead over his likely Democratic Senate opponent in the fall former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Scott is up 15 points (54%-39%) in a Florida Chamber of Commerce pollpublished last week. AUSA TODAY/Ipsos surveypublished last month had him by 10 points over his Democratic opponent (36%-26%), with 74% of those surveyed admitting that they had never heard of the Democratic candidate.

Those large leads are in part because for the first time since hes run for statewide office, Republicans now outrank Democrats in voter registration. The GOP now has nearly a 900,000 voter-registration lead over Democrats, according to the most recent statistics posted by the states Division of Elections.

Scott was at Ascend Engineering in Largo on Monday, where he launched his Small Businesses for Rick Scott effort. He was joined by dozens of local small business owners and received formal endorsements from the upper crust of the Florida business establishment, including Mark Wilson from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Scott Shalley from the Florida Retail Federation, Walter Carpenter from the National Federation of Independent Businesses in Florida, and Adam Basford, the VP of governmental affairs for Associated Industries of Florida.

Scott says that the Biden administrations Justice Department is persecuting Trump, when in fact it is the District Attorney of Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, who is prosecuting the case. But Scott maintains that because one of the prosecutors in Braggs office was previously a senior official at the U.S. Justice Department, there is a link.

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Sen. Rick Scott again maintains that Clinton DOJ 'went after me' when he led his hospital chain Florida Phoenix - Florida Phoenix

While President Joe Biden called out former President Donald Trump on Wednesday to debate him in June, not everyone thinks it was a good decision, including some top Democrats.

While speaking with CNN on Wednesday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) shared her trepidation with Biden debating Trump, which both men agreed to do on CNN on June 27.

I myself would never recommend going on stage with Donald Trump, Pelosi told CNNs Manu Raju. But the president has decided thats what he wants to do. I think the format he is suggesting is a good one.

The format will include no live audience, a moderator who has yet to be determined, and the debate to be hosted by CNN at its TV studio. The second debate will take place on Sept. 10 and will be hosted by ABC.

Pelosi was asked by Raju why she didnt think Biden should join Trump on the debate stage, to which the former Speaker said he didnt uphold respect for his opponents.

I think he was stalking Hillary Clinton. He wasnt professional. He wasnt presidential. He wasnt meeting the dignity of the office, Pelosi said, Raju reported.

Pelosi said that Trumps past debate behavior, like when he appeared to physically intimidate Clinton on stage, did not earn him another chance at squaring off with Biden.

Reports shared that during the 2020 debates, Trump interrupted Biden and the moderator more than 100 times.

Still, Pelosi acknowledged the importance of the debates, suggesting that the networks hosting the debates hold town hall meetings to let the candidates present themselves to the American public.

I think you all should have separate town hall meetings with them, and let them, challenge them with questions about the future, and let the public make its decision, Pelosi said.

Link:
Pelosi thinks Trump was 'stalking Hillary Clinton' in 2016 - WWJ

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai reaffirmed her support for the people of Gaza after days of criticism over her decision to co-produce a Broadway musical with former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

I wanted to speak today because I want there to be no confusion about my support for the people of Gaza, she wrote in an Instagram post shared on Wednesday night.

We have all watched the relentless atrocities against Palestinian people for more than six months now with anger and despair. This weeks news of mass graves discovered at Gazas Nasser and al-Shifa hospitals is yet another reminder of the horrors Palestinians bear it is their bones, Yousafzai wrote. We do not need to see more dead bodies, bombed shovels and starving children to understand that a ceasefire is urgent and necessary.

She said that she has and will continue to condemn the Israeli government for its violations of international law and war crimes, and I applaud efforts by those determined to hold them to account. Publicly and privately, I will keep calling on world leaders to push for a ceasefire and to ensure the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid.

The activist said she stands against any form of violence against innocent civilians, including the taking of prisoners and hostages. And I stand in solidarity with the people in Gaza whose voices and demands must be heard, she wrote.

When we see alarming signs of genocide, we cannot wait to take decisive action. We must work together to urge our leaders to stop these war crimes and hold perpetrators to account.

Her statement comes after news surfaced of her producing Suffs, a Broadway musical on the suffrage movement in the US alongside Clinton. The internet was awash with criticism, with many calling the activist a sellout, particularly for partnering with Clinton on the project.

Clinton, the former First Lady and secretary of state, wrote an op-ed for The Atlantic last November in which she argued against a complete ceasefire in Gaza. She has also defended Israel, labelling criticism of it by students antisemitic. She has also been criticised over her involvement in drone attacks in Pakistan during her tenure.

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Malala Yousafzai reaffirms support for Gaza after being slammed over producing musical with Hillary Clinton - Dawn

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be attending a special meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in Sofia on May 18, 2024. Hosted by Kiril Domuschiev, co-founder of the Domuschiev Impact initiative, the gathering aims to convene global leaders from both the public and private sectors to devise strategies for advancing women's empowerment on a global scale.

The CGI, renowned for its commitment to fostering tangible solutions to pressing global challenges, will utilize this meeting as part of its "Road to September" initiative. This series of gatherings serves to forge new partnerships and initiatives in anticipation of the CGI 2024 Annual Meeting slated for September 23-24 in New York.

With a focus on supporting women's leadership and enhancing their access to capital, employment, and opportunities for advancement, the event in Sofia is expected to draw over 200 leaders. Discussions will center on sharing success stories of programs bolstering women's entrepreneurship and exploring avenues to expand such initiatives further. Additionally, existing CGI commitments aimed at promoting gender equality and representation in the workforce will be reviewed.

Notably, this gathering follows in the footsteps of President Bill Clinton's visit to Bulgaria in May 2023, where momentum was generated for the commitments made at the subsequent CGI Annual Meeting in New York.

Hillary Clinton's upcoming visit holds particular significance, as it marks her return to Bulgaria more than 25 years after her inaugural trip as the First Lady of the United States in October 1998. During her visit, Clinton championed the cause of women's rights and full participation in Bulgarian and Southeast European societies, inaugurating the "Women in the 21st Century" conference in Sofia.

She also visited Bulgaria in 2012, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Mladenov, and met Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

Read more:
Hillary Clinton is Coming to Bulgaria - Novinite.com

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai have made their Broadway production debut this month with the musical Suffs. However, news of the show was not music to everyone's ears.

Critics took to social media to accuse the pair of double standards and silence over the plight of Palestinian women in Gaza amid ongoing Israeli bombardment, while producing and promoting a musical about the early 20th-century suffragette movement in the US.

Malala co-producing a musical about the American women's suffrage movement while being silent about the horrific atrocities being committed against women and girls in Gaza & actively collaborating with a vocal champion of Israel, posted one user on X, formerly Twitter. Irony has never been more stark.

Clinton, who ran for president in 2016, has promoted herself as an advocate for feminism and womens rights.

This has prompted many online users to highlight what they say is the"glaring hypocrisy"of Clintons backing of Israel despite several reports on Israels human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls, including sexual abuse.

Yousafzai, on the other hand, became a household name in the fight for girls educationafter she was shot in 2012 for speaking out against the Pakistani Talibans restrictions on girls access to education. At 17, she became the youngest-ever Nobel laureate in 2014 for her activism.

Social media users expressed their disappointment with her collaboration with Clinton amid Israels targeted strikes oneducational institutions in Gaza and the violence that has forced schools in the occupied West Bank to close and turn to remote learning.

Malala herself has been relatively muted on the devastation of the education system in Gaza. Whatever little shes said, has been muted platitudes, said one user.

Social media users have also criticised Yousafzai for partnering with warmonger Clinton, who as secretary of state under President Obama oversaw deadly drone strikes that killed hundreds of civilians, including children, in the activists native Pakistan.

Malala said drone attacks are fueling terrorism and killing innocents. She's now partnering with Hillary Clinton, who oversaw the drone campaign, said one user. She exposed her double standards with Palestine and can safely be called a pawn for the imperial powers.

Suffs has made its Broadway debut amid tension and fierce criticism of the country's unwavering support and arming of Israels war in Gaza as the US gears up for presidential elections later this year.

Israel's assault has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, 70 percentof whom arewomen and children.

In February, UN experts said they had received reports of Palestinian female detainees being subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault in Israeli detention since 7 October.

The experts added that hundreds of Palestinian women and girls have been arbitrarily detained since the war started.

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Malala Yousafzai criticised for 'feminist' Broadway collaboration with Hillary Clinton - Middle East Eye