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ELECTION 2020-KENTUCKY SENATE-BOOKER

Police protests upend Democratic Senate contest in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) For months, Charles Booker languished in the shadows talking about racial and economic justice in a long-shot bid for the chance to take on Republican powerhouse Mitch McConnell in the fall. Now, Bookers campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination from the left wing of Kentucky politics has won mainstream support in whats become a serious bid for the nomination in Tuesdays primary. His efforts to bridge gaps between white and Black Kentuckians have drawn in new supporters and left longtime Kentucky political observers wondering if he might be the right man for the moment.

AMERICA PROTESTS-KENTUCKY

Officer involved in Breonna Taylor shooting to be fired

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Louisville's mayor says one of three police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor will be fired. Mayor Greg Fischer said Friday that interim Louisville police Chief Robert Schroeder has started termination proceedings for Officer Brett Hankison. Two other officers remain on administrative reassignment while the shooting is investigated. Fischer said officials could not answer questions about the firing because of state law. He referred all questions to the Jefferson County attorneys office. Taylor was shot eight times by officers who burst into her Louisville home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home.

CONGRESSMAN'S WIFE DEAD-FUNERAL

Funeral for U.S. Rep. Andy Barr's wife to be held on Monday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) A funeral service for the wife of U.S. Rep. Andy Barr will be held on Monday in Kentucky. Eleanor Carol Barr died unexpectedly this week at the age of 39. An announcement for the service says she will be laid to rest at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. There will also be a visitation service for her Sunday. Her husband said on Twitter the services will be a beautiful tribute to a beautiful life. The family is requiring social distancing and masks for those planning to attend. The announcement said those who dont feel comfortable attending due to the coronavirus pandemic can stream the funeral service on YouTube.

ELECTION 2020-KENTUCKY NEWS GUIDE

Senate, House races among decisions in Kentucky primary

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Among the races that will be decided in Kentucky on Election Day are party nominations for a U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a contentious primary for U.S. Representative in the Fourth District. Two Democrats have risen to the forefront in the Senate race: retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, who has raised the most money to challenge McConnell, and progressive state Rep. Charles Booker, who's been gaining momentum recently with several key endorsements. In the House race, attorney Todd McMurtry is posing a strong challenge to Republican incumbent Thomas Massie.

ELECTION 2020-KENTUCKY-SENATE

Booker picks up Warren endorsement in Kentucky Senate race

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Democrat Charles Booker has picked up another national endorsement, from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, as he seeks the nomination in Kentuckys primary election next week to run against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this fall. Warren said in a tweet Thursday that Booker is a lifelong Kentuckian who has seen how Mitch McConnell and Washington, D.C. have failed working families." Booker, a freshman state lawmaker from Louisville, was endorsed earlier by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

RAND PAUL-ASSAULTED

Date set for resentencing of man who attacked Rand Paul

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) A new sentencing date was set for a Kentucky man who tackled U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, breaking several of the lawmaker's ribs. Rene Boucher was scheduled to be resentenced on July 27. Boucher served a 30-day sentence and paid a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to attacking his then-neighbor Paul. Federal prosecutors appealed the sentence, stating 30 days was too lenient considering Pauls injuries. A federal appeals court agreed to resentence Boucher and vacate his 30-day sentence. Bouchers attorney said the decision to resentence Boucher was giving prosecutors a second chance and this wouldn't happen if the incident didnt involved a senator.

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Latest Kentucky news, sports, business and entertainment at 1:20 am EDT - WBKO

Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Boltons revenge book hasnt revealed much that is new. It mostly adds details to already-known episodes of President Donald Trumps mismanagement of world affairs. But there is one exception: the story of Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus efforts to sabotage Trumps would-be diplomacy with Tehran. This episode reveals something crucial and until now not fully appreciated: Netanyahus ferocious opposition to the Iran nuclear deal had little to do with the deal itself and everything to do with the very idea of the United States striking any deal with Iran. The same is true for Saudi Arabia. Whomever occupies the White House next year must address head-on the Israeli prime minister and the Saudi crown princes commitment to keeping the United States bogged down in conflict with Iran.

Bolton boasts about his extensive coordination with Pompeo and Netanyahu to scuttle mediation efforts by French President Emmanuel Macron and to, at all costs, prevent a meeting between Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, in 2019.

Desperate to block any opening between the United States and Iran, Bolton instructed his staff to prepare a flight for him to return to Washington in protest. The idea of the Americans and Iranians talking to each other so offended Bolton that he prepared a two-sentence letter of resignation if the meeting were to go ahead. He had no such letter in hand before Trumps summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In fact, Bolton himself participated in that meeting and shook Kims handdemonstrating that as hawkish as he is on North Korea, he views Iran as a separate sort of pariah altogether. He had already succeeded in scuttling an effort by Republican Sen. Rand Paul to get Zarif to visit the White House. Pompeo assured Bolton that he would follow his lead in resigning if Trump met with Zarif, though, publicly, Pompeo continues to insist that his goal is to get the Iranians to come to the table.

Bolton appears to have had no qualms about working with a foreign leader to undermine the expressed desire of the U.S. president he was supposedly serving. When Netanyahu tried to dissuade Trump from meeting with Zarif, Trumps son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner blocked the Israeli prime ministers attempts to reach Trump, as he believed it was inappropriate for a foreign leader to try to dictate to the U.S. president whom he should and shouldnt speak to. Bolton had no such trepidation and instead accused Kushner of being a Democrat.

But behind the banal palace intrigue that Bolton details lurks a geopolitical reality that the United States must come to terms with. The Netanyahu government and the Israeli security apparatusalbeit not all parts of itwere not opposed to former President Barack Obamas nuclear deal because of its alleged flaws. They were then and now remain opposed to any deal with Iran due to its geopolitical implications.

Boltons account indicates that there simply wasnt anything the Obama administration could have done to placate Netanyahu and the Saudi regime. It wasnt that Obama was insufficiently sympathetic to Israeli and Saudi security concerns or that his bad rapport with Netanyahu and the Saudi royals fueled their misgivings about the nuclear talks.

After all, in Trump, Netanyahu found a very different U.S. president. In Trump, he had a president willing to break with all his predecessors in acquiescing to almost all key Israeli demands: moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli control of the Golan Heights, accepting Israeli annexation of Palestinian land, and even promising Netanyahu that the United States will support Israel if it chooses to start a war with Iran.

Both Presidents George W. Bush and Obama had pressed Israel not to take military action and only offered U.S. backing if the Iranians initiated the fighting. It is then no surprise that the Israeli prime minister has hailed the former reality TV star as the the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.

It is hard to imagine a bigger pushover in the White House from Netanyahus standpoint. Yet, he repeatedly worked with Bolton and Pompeo to prevent even a single meeting between Trump and the Iranians, fearing that it would lead to an agreement between Tehran and Washington that would dial back their animosity.

Netanyahus calculation is not terribly difficult to understand. Israels longest-serving prime minister and many within the Israeli security establishment have feared that U.S.-Iranian diplomacy ultimately would lead to an agreement that would reduce U.S.-Iranian tensions without necessarily decreasing the Israeli-Iranian animus proportionally. With Iran largely moving off of the United States radar, the U.S. government would be freed to shift its focus and resources away from the Middle East, leaving Israel abandoned to deal with Iran without the automatic backing of the United States. This would reduce Israeli maneuverability in the Middle East and affect the configuration of the regional balance of power in a way that negatively impacts Israeli interests.

Supremely confident that he could bend Washingtons will to his own, Netanyahu opted to prevent U.S.-Iranian diplomacy and sabotage any potential negotiationseven at the expense of damaging his relations with Obama or Israels relations with the Democratic Party.

The calculation of the House of Saud was very similar. Saudi Arabias partnership with the United States has allowed it to enjoy a position in the region that its own power never could justify. But for that benefit to be enduring, the United States must remain committed to keeping a large military presence in the region to check Riyadhs rivals. A U.S.-Iranian accommodation would not only jeopardize Saudi Arabias beneficial position, but it would also force Riyadh to confront Tehran alonesomething it lacks the military and political competence to do, unlike Israel.

In that sense, Saudi Arabias anxiety about losing U.S. backing is more understandable. Israel is a powerful nuclear-equipped nation with one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world. It has deterred and pushed back Irans position in Syria without any help from the United States. Saudi Arabia cant point to any such achievement.

For the United Stateswhether led by Trump or by his rival candidate Joe Bidenthis implies that any effort to square the circle of diplomatically resolving the dispute with Iran while satisfying Saudi Arabias and Israels geostrategic needs simply may not be possible.

Boltons inside account has inadvertently clarified that Washington must choose between either satisfying its own interest in bringing U.S. troops home from the Middle East and avoiding an unnecessary war with Iran or satisfying Netanyahu and the Saudi royal familys interest in keeping the United States trapped in a cycle of enmity with Iran that keeps the regions balance in their favor.

The reality is that none of the United States core interests warrants a major U.S. military presence in the Middle East, let alone U.S. military domination of the region. Retaining such a force structure in order to sustain a partnership with Israel and Saudi Arabia gets the very purpose of alliances backward. However problematic or erroneous their approach may be, Israel and Saudi Arabia have defined their interests vis--vis America and are pursuing them unapologetically. The U.S. government should do the same.

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John Bolton's Book Reveals the Depth of His Hostility Toward Iran - Foreign Policy

Amid the visceral national outcry for racial justice in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, a lone US senator is standing in the way of a bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime.

Rand Paul, a Republican with a reputation as a one-man awkward squad in the US Senate, has put the historic legislation into limbo, frustrating black colleagues and civil rights leaders, including the Rev Jesse Jackson.

About 4,075 African Americans were lynched in 12 southern states between 1877 and 1950, according to a 2015 report by the Equal Justice Initiative. Some were watched by crowds, as if attending a form of public entertainment.

Ida B Wells, a crusading African American journalist, once said: Our countrys national crime is lynching.

The killing of Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, caught on film and seen by millions, has been likened to a 21st-century lynching. It spurred more than two weeks of worldwide protests.

From 1882 to 1986, Congress failed to pass anti-lynching legislation 200 times, but this moment appeared to be different.

Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Tim Scott, the only three African American members of the Senate, led the unanimous passage of the legislation in that chamber in 2018 and 2019. The House of Representatives then passed it by a 410-4 vote in February but renamed it for Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy lynched in Mississippi in 1955.

That was the only change that returned the bill to the Senate, which makes Pauls sudden objection all the more idiosyncratic.

The Democratic congressman Bobby Rush, who proposed the House legislation, tweeted: The language of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act is IDENTICAL to the bill that was unanimously approved by the Senate. The only conclusion I can draw from Rand Pauls sudden opposition is he has an issue with the House bill being named after Emmett Till.

But Paul, a licensed doctor, is notorious for rousing colleagues ire by stalling legislation and for a life and career that are seldom conventional.

In 2017 he was physically assaulted by a neighbour while mowing his lawn; in 2018 he visited Russia and delivered a letter from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin; earlier this year he became the first senator to test positive for coronavirus, shortly after being the only one to vote against a bipartisan $8bn deal to provide emergency coronavirus funding.

He now argues that the anti-lynching legislation is drafted too broadly and could define minor assaults as lynching.

The bill as written would allow altercations resulting in a cut, abrasion, bruise, or any other injury no matter how temporary to be subject to a 10-year penalty, Paul said. My amendment would simply apply a serious bodily injury standard, which would ensure crimes resulting in substantial risk of death and extreme physical pain be prosecuted as alynching.

He has previously worked with Democrats in pushing for criminal justice reform and taken a more progressive stance than many Republican colleagues.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, while speaking with activists in Louisville in his home state of Kentucky, Paul criticised no-knock search warrants, such as the one used at the home of Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by police in March, and the militarisation of police departments. And he said he is likely to support some form of federal legislation aimed at overhauling police procedures.

Challenged about his opposition to the bill, Paul called lynchings a horror of American history and said he supports the bill, the AP added, but reiterated that its language is too broad.

Last Thursday, as Floyd was mourned at a memorial service in Minneapolis, Paul proposed an amendment to the bill, which would require a vote of the full Senate and would send the bill back to the House currently out of session for additional consideration.

The amendment was defeated after emotions ran high on the Senate floor. Booker, of New Jersey, said: One man, one man is standing in the way of the law of the land changing because of a difference of interpretation. Does America need a win today on racial justice?

Appearing on The View on the ABC network, Harris described the senators contrarian stance as insulting, adding: What Rand Paul is doing, which is one man holding up what would be a historic bill recognising one of the great sins of America and it was on the day of George Floyds funeral which just added insult to injury and frankly made it so painful that on that day thats what was happening.

Although Paul is often an outlier, there are fears that the holdup could be indicative of wider Republican reluctance to tackle systemic racism in the police and embrace reforms. Moe Vela, a former senior adviser to Joe Biden, said on Wednesday: My thoughts on it are very simple: birds of a feather.

If Rand Paul somehow doesnt believe we need an anti-lynching bill in the United States and his Republican colleagues cant get him to release the hold, to me it says everything Americans need to know about the Republican party. Either youre for lynching or youre against lynching. Its that simple.

But Tara Setmayer, a political commentator and former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill, was less critical, noting the consistency of Pauls libertarian streak.

I understand that he wants to strengthen the bill with certain language as an amendment, she said. He doesnt want it to go away. He wants it to be strengthened from his perspective.

But I think its a bit out of step with the political climate that were in So hes going to get the backlash, but Senator Tim Scott said hes going to talk to him and see if they can work something out in the language. I think they will come to some type of agreement and it will eventually pass. I dont see it being held up forever.

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Rand Paul stalls bill that would make lynching a federal hate crime - The Guardian

Rand Paul, Opinion contributor Published 12:27 p.m. ET June 8, 2020 | Updated 2:06 p.m. ET June 8, 2020

When I ran for office, I promised to read the bills.Apparently, that is not a requirement for Courier Journal columnists.Had The Courier read the anti-lynching bill and listened to the floor debate before launching into an ad hominem attack on me, they might have discovered that not only did I not block the bill, I actuallysought the Senates immediate consideration and passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act with an amendment.

I offered an amendment to strengthen the bill because of my long-standing commitment to work in a bipartisan fashion to enact criminal justice reform and ensure that all people, regardless of race or class, are treated equally under the law.

Second, understanding what the anti-lynching bill actually addresses is particularly relevant. To be perfectly clear, lynching and murder are already against the law. Hate crime statutes have been on the federal books for more than50 years and murdering someone because of his or her race has been a federal hate crime for over a decade.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a virtual Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing, Tuesday, May 12, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Win McNamee/Pool via AP)(Photo: Win McNamee, AP)

Because I stand so strongly behind the belief that a hateful crime such as lynching deserves a severe sentence, I could not support a bill that places such a low threshold on what could be considered a lynching. My immediate concern was the unintended consequence of making victims out of the very people we seek to protect.

Related: Jesse Jacksoncalls for Rand Paul to end opposition to anti-lynching bill

Gerth: Rand Paul's timing impeccable as he blocks lynching bill during racial unrest

For example, Tiffany Harris is a black woman from New York and was arrested in December 2019 after slapping three Jewish women and making a religious slur. Harris was initially charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. But, if she were convicted under a federal hate crime statute, she could be sentenced for up to 10years in prison.

I fear that, with the low threshold provided in this bill, the jury trial will be eroded. Prosecutors will inevitably threaten people guilty of the crimes like those committed by Tiffany Harris with trumped up charges in an effort to obtain a plea bargain.

Prosecutors already have enough blank checks. I do not intend on giving them another one.

This is why I have led on criminal justice reform. For too long, Congress ignored the impact of our systems harsh penalties, turning a blind eye as mandatory minimum sentences led to the problem of over-criminalization and mass incarceration. A 10-year sentence for slapping someone is an abomination and the law has already incarcerated too many people unfairly. I am trying to preclude that kind of unintended consequence.

But you dont need to take my word for it. I actually encourage you to take a look at my record and the nearly two dozen justice reform bills Ive authored and co-sponsored In the Senate. But the left would prefer to politicize my record on criminal justice reform contorting facts and quotes to fit a rigid narrative that all Republicans are to blame. That is not only uncalled for, but completely counterproductive to what I thought we all were fighting for.

Instead of personal slander and innuendo you would think a newspaper of record would have the decency to portray my attempts to strengthen the Emmett Till Antilynching Act honestly.

We passed the First Step Act to begin to fix some of the racial disparities in criminal justice.I led that bipartisan effort, first meeting with President Obama and ultimately getting it passed under President Trump.It only happened because partisans put away the slings and arrows of partisanship to address serious inequities in our system.

Is it too much to ask that we try again, in a bipartisan way, to work together to come up with an anti-lynching bill that doesnt unintentionally mete out 10-year sentences for minor altercations?

The terrible act of lynching deserves the most severe penalty we can apply. But the bill as written could potentially define slapping someone as a lynching and thereby eligible for 10years in prison.That is an injustice and the public deserves to know the facts.

We can work together for a better future, or we can continue to divide our nation by hurling unfounded insults and silencing important perspectives that could lead to real progress.No matter how loud the noise gets, no matter what comes my way, I will always continue to work for a more just America.

Rand Paul,a Republican,represents Kentucky in the U.S. Senate.

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Rand Paul: I didn't block anti-lynching bill, I attempted to strengthen it - Courier Journal

Dear Friend,

The recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are tragedies and injustices. There is no excuse for the actions of those involved, or the abuse of government power that enables tragedies like these.

Since entering the Senate, I have been a leading advocate for criminal justice reform, and you can find a video covering some of my work and statements on this critical issueHERE.

Dr. Rand Paul Introduces Legislation and Senate Rule Change to Enact Congressional Transparency

Too often in Congress, legislation is pushed through without hearings, amendments, or debate.

I firmly believe the American people have a right to be part of the legislative process, and, this week, I reintroduced multiple reforms to improve that process -the Write the Laws Act (filed in the Senate as S. 3904), the One Subject at a Time Act (S. 3845), and the Read the Bills Act (S. 3879), as well as a Read the Bills change to Senate rules and procedure.

The rule change would require the Senate, unless it waives the rule by a three-fifths majority vote after three hours of debate for the American people to see, to wait one legislative day for every 20 pages in a proposed bill before it could hold a vote.

This would help prevent legislation, often totaling hundreds of pages, from being rammed through the Senate at the last minute.

The Write the Laws Act, One Subject at a Time Act, and Read the Bills Act (which would require a seven-day waiting period before voting on legislation) would restore the constitutional principle of separation of powers, end the practice of including more than one subject in a single bill, and preserve the constitutional authority of Congress.

These bills, which I originally introduced in the 112th Congress, will allow citizens sufficient time to read legislation and give input to members of Congress as it considers policies that impact all Americans lives.

I will continue to stand by my pledge to increase transparency and accessibility in the U.S. Senate.

Dr. Rand Paul Helps Military Veteran Receive Honors at Funeral

The novel coronavirus pandemic has changed so much about our daily lives, including some of our most time-honored traditions.

Recently, my team learned that Kentuckian, Vietnam veteran, and Purple Heart recipient James Shaw, who passed away on Saturday, would not be able to receive military honors at his funeral due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

My staff worked together with the Betts & West Funeral Home in Nicholasville, KY, and the VA to make sure this veteran could be recognized for his service, and I'm pleased to report that our efforts were successful, as the Military Freedom Festorganization provided the honors at his service this week.

You can find LEX 18's report on this storyHERE!

Dr. Rand Paul on Justin Walker Nomination Advancing to the Senate Floor

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of Judge Justin Walker's nomination to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, our nation's second most powerful court, and I look forward to his approval by the full Senate soon!

I recommended Judge Walker to the Trump administration for his current seat on the Western Kentucky District Court, and I was honored to introduce him at the Judiciary Committee's hearing on his nomination in May.

Im very pleased that President Trump reached outside the Beltway-to-New York bubble to elevate a judge who is committed to our Constitution, I said at the time.

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Rand Paul's weekly report - The Falmouth Outlook