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Screenshot via Mediate via CNNSen. Rand Paul stridently rejected the notion that American intelligence officials should resume the use of torture on detained combatantssomething President Trump favors.

Trump recently declared that torture "absolutely works," and U.S. officials should use any and all legal means to extract intelligence.

Paul took the opposite view, telling CNN's Jake Tapper that "it's currently against the law and I hope it will remain against the law."

He pointed out that incoming Defense Secretary James Mattis is also against torture and believes that it doesn't work. He also argued that U.S. intelligence officials have previously detained the wrong people, casting additional doubt on the idea that enhanced interrogation methods were justified.

"The CIA detained 119 people, 39 of them were tortured, and the conclusion of the Senate committee's report was that it didn't work, but there was also something very alarming," said Paul. "Of the 119 people that the CIA detained around the world, 26 of them were mistakenly identified, sometimes with people who had similar names, but they detained the wrong people. I think most Americans would be alarmed if 22 percent of the people we picked up and tortured were the wrong people."

Paul went on to say that Mike Pompeo's support for torture was one of the reasons he voted against his confirmation as CIA director.

Watch the full video here, via Mediate.

Paul is one of just a handful of people in Congress consistently representing the interests of Americans who are concerned about big government, no matter which team is running the government. He has supported Trump on the (rare) occasions that Trump has staked out a libertarian position on an issue, but is not afraid to go against the president.

If more Congressional Republicans were as principled as Paul, they would actually have the numbers to force Trump to hew closer to the Constitution.

Excerpt from:
Bravo to Rand Paul for Saying President Trump Is Wrong, Torture Doesn't Work - Reason (blog)

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Senator Rand Paul has shared his plan for a replacement to the Affordable Care Act. While I commend the Senator for starting a dialogue that includes specifics, there are elements of the plan that should cause mental health advocates to shudder. Three components of the plan that have me cringing include:

The Paradox of Relying on Medicaid While at the Same Time Relaxing State Standards

In a conference call with Republican leaders, Paul was reported to have stated that he believes the best way to deal with very sick people with pre-existing conditions will lie with Medicaid and the states who can "look for innovative ways" to provide necessary care without bankrupting the system.Senator Paul is also reported to have said that hewants through the bill to "give new flexibilities to states in their Medicaid plan design, through existing waiver authority in current law....[to] allow states to make changes to their Medicaid plans without interference from Washington."

Senator Paul is telling us that he believes that Medicaid is the answer for those with pre-existing conditions and that states should be allowed to make changes to their Medicaid plans without interference from Washington. Sounds good, right? Wrong.

This mantra of "letting states decide" is good political theatre, but very precarious for those who have loved ones with mental health challenges. History has shown that providing quality health care coverage for those with mental health challenges is far too often at the bottom of the priority list when states are not bound to minimum standards. The zeal to "let states decide" is theTrojan Horsethat will likely be inserted into all of the Republican plans coming forward, and mental health advocates should pay close attention.

Senator Paul deserves props for at least publicizing a replacement approach for the ACA that can help start a dialogue. But his plan and likely many of the alternative plans to the ACA that will emerge over the next few days have some significant flaws that should concern all mental health advocates, regardless of political affiliation.

Call Your Congressional Representative

When you call your congressional office today, share the importance of finding ways to increase coverage for as many Americans as possible, keeping minimum standards high, and protecting all Americans with pre-existing conditions, so they are not shunned by the health care delivery system.

Original post:
Senator Rand Paul ACA Replacement Plan Has Flaws That Should Concern All Mental Health Advocates - Huffington Post

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Updated: Wednesday, January 25, 2017, 5:25 PM

Sen. Rand Paul is sticking his turtleneck out for civil liberties, though the internet is more interested in his clothing.

The Kentucky libertarian told CNN that he opposes a possible return to torture after fellow Republican President Trump ordered a review of policies around it.

However, those watching the Jake Tapper interview focused less on CIA black sites and more on Pauls sweater, which appeared to be a half-turtleneck or mockneck.

Paul has also become known for his appreciation of high-necked sweaters, with Mother Jones once calling him "the leading fashion visionary of DC, nay, the world."

Not everyone is buying the tie story behind Cam Newton's benching

Its new iphone time already? Twitter user Shoshana Weissman posted as discussion of the mock turtleneck began Wednesday, recalling the favorite apparel of late Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Others such as Maggie Serota said that Paul was looking like he just got back from his semester abroad.

Another common comparison for the senators sartorial choice was to the cartoon Archer where the secret agent main character is fond of a tactical turtleneck or "tactleneck."

However, he appeared on CNN to call for greater oversight of the CIA, and the senator said that among the 119 people detained by the CIA, more than 20 had been mistakenly identified.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson on his infamous fanny pack

He also discussed his proposed replacement to the Affordable Care Act, which gives tax credits for health savings accounts.

Go here to read the rest:
Internet mocks Rand Paul's mock turtleneck wardrobe choice - New York Daily News

Sen. Rand PaulRand PaulOvernight Finance: Ryan lays out timeline for ObamaCare, tax reform | Dow hits 20K | GOP weighs how to pay for border wall Trump review exposes GOP divide on torture Rand Paul criticizes alternative GOP health plan MORE (R-Ky.) is criticizing an ObamaCare replacement plan put forward by other GOP senators, arguing it doesn't go far enough to repeal the law.

Paul, who on Wednesday introduced his own replacement plan, swiped at a proposal from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Susan CollinsSusan CollinsRand Paul criticizes alternative GOP health plan Trumps abortion gag rule threatens long-fought global health gains Senators move to nix Trump's ban on funding NGOs that provide abortions MORE (R-Maine) that was introduced early this week.

The Cassidy-Collins planismore centrist than some other Republican plans because it allows state legislatures to keep ObamaCare operating in their state if they choose and also keeps ObamaCares taxes in place to provide revenue.

" 'If you like ObamaCare you can keep it' is not a ringing rallying cry, Paul said on a call with reporters Wednesday when asked about the Cassidy-Collins plan.

For example, Paul, like other conservatives, is pushing to repeal all of ObamaCares taxes.

I dont think a lot of Republicans are going to want to keep the ObamaCare taxes, Paul said.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) has also called for repeal of all the taxes and said the Cassidy-Collins plan would not pass muster with conservatives.

I'm not a fan of that, Meadows said of the Cassidy-Collins plan on Tuesday. I don't think that that would pass conservative muster.

Still, both Meadows and Paul applauded the senators for introducing a plan of some sort. Both are vocal proponents of having a replacement ready to pass at essentially the same time as repeal.

GOP Sens. Lindsey GrahamLindsey GrahamTrump stirs fear with voter fraud probe Trump review exposes GOP divide on torture Rand Paul criticizes alternative GOP health plan MORE (S.C.), Shelley Moore CapitoShelley Moore CapitoRand Paul criticizes alternative GOP health plan GOP senators: Give states the option of keeping ObamaCare Five takeaways from Pruitt's EPA hearing MORE (W.Va.) and Johnny IsaksonJohnny IsaksonRand Paul criticizes alternative GOP health plan GOP senators: Give states the option of keeping ObamaCare Trump, Democrats can bridge divide to make college more affordable MORE (Ga.) are also co-sponsoring the Cassidy-Collins plan.

Paul said that his plan had consensus ideas that he thinks all Republicans can support.

Pauls plan would provide a tax credit of up to $5,000 per person to use as part of a Health Savings Account. He proposes a two-year period where people with pre-existing conditions could get coverage. After that, people with pre-existing conditions would be protected if they continuously maintained coverage.

Read the original here:
Rand Paul criticizes alternative GOP health plan - The Hill

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) explained Monday night that he voted against President Donald Trumps pick for CIA director because he worries Rep. Mike Pompeos (R-Kan.) desire for security will trump his defense of liberty. The Senate confirmed Pompeos nomination Monday in a66-32 vote.

Paul, who wrote about his decision in an op-ed posted at Rare, seems to have two problems with Pompeo: his record on torture and his position on government surveillance.

When the Senate Intelligence Committee released its 2014 report critical ofthe effectiveness of the CIAs torture program, Pompeocriticized the results, which concluded thatenhanced interrogation techniques including waterboarding and sleep deprivation were not an effective means of obtaining accurate information or gaining detainee cooperation.

Furthermore, President Barack Obama, whomPompeoknocked for ending our interrogation program, banned waterboarding in 2009, just two days after taking the oath of office.

Our men and women who were tasked to keep us safe in the aftermath of 9/11 our military and our intelligence warriors are not torturers, they are patriots, Pompeo saidin 2014 of the Senates report.

Though he voted in favor of the 2015 USA Freedom Act, which came as a result of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowdens 2013 revelations about the intelligence communitys surveillance of U.S. citizens,Pompeohas since voiced support for reinstating the very powers the previous controversial Patriot Act established.

In 2013, Snowden revealed that the NSA, through the Patriot Act, had been collecting the telephone and internet records of virtually every American citizen and storing that information in a database. The federal agency was storing metadata, often referred to as data about data. Analysts were collectingdataaboutphone calls, such as the phone numbers of both the caller and the receiverandthe duration of conversations, and about emails, including therecipients and time stamps of those messages.

The passage of the USA Freedom Act barred the bulk collection of Americans telephone and internet metadata and limited the governments data collection to the greatest extent reasonably practical, which means the intelligence community could no longer collect and storemass amounts of data without cause.

In a 2015 op-edin National Review, Pompeo asserted that those who suggest the Freedom Act, which he claimed gutted the NSAs metadata collection program, enables the intelligence community to better protect the U.S. are lying.

To share Edward Snowdens vision of America as the problem is to come down on the side of President Obamas diminishing willingness to collect intelligence on jihadis, he wrote.No Republican candidate who does that is worthy of our vote.

Paul strongly disagrees with the incoming CIA director on both government surveillance and torture.

When it comes to torture, the Kentucky senator wrote thatthe U.S. let fear get the better of our responsibility to liberty following the attacks on 9/11.

Many of our military leaders, including incoming Sec. of Defense James Mattis, have acknowledged that waterboarding is torture, is ineffective, and sends a signal to our enemies that it is justified to torture U.S. soldiers when they are captured, Paul wrote.

Paul also called the intel communitys collection of metadata an incredible invasion of privacy in some ways more intrusive than the English soldiers that invaded American households to search for any untaxed papers.

The existence of the database itself is a violation of our right to privacy, he later added. Our intelligence community needs more oversight, not less.

Paulvowedto be a skeptic when it comes to the the CIA and the intelligence community in general because, in his words, someone must pledge to watch the watchers.'

I swore an oath to defend the Constitution and the rights of the American people. Shielding the CIA from needed oversight is not consistent with that oath, he concluded.

Go here to read the rest:
Rand Paul explains why he voted against Trump's pick for CIA director - TheBlaze.com