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Q: Has Sen. John McCain renounced any affiliation with the Republican Party?

A: No. That claim was made in a fake news story published by asatirical publication.

I just read John McCain left the Republican Party, is this true?

Sen. John McCain is still a Republican, despite bogus reports that claim otherwise.

A story posted on WashingtonFeed.com says: Senator McCain has definitely renounced any affiliation with the Republican Party. It purports to quote the Arizona senator as saying, I am and always will be opposed to Donald Trump. In fact, Ive decided that any party that supports supports [sic] him supports the worst America has to offer. For that reason, Im leaving the GOP and Caucusing [sic] as an independent with the Democrats.

Facebook users flagged the story as potentially fake using the social networks tools for reporting a hoax. They were right to be suspicious.

McCain has not switched parties. That quote first appeared in an April 13 story by Americas Last Line of Defense, which falsely claimed that McCain made the announcement during an appearance on Fox and Friends. It was the second time this year that the website published a phony story calling McCain a traitor for purportedly leaving the GOP.

Regular readers of FactCheck.org know that Americas Last Line of Defense publishes fake stories as satire. A disclaimer on the site reads: Americas Last Line of Defense is a satirical publication that may sometimes appear to be telling the truth. We assure you thats not the case. We present fiction as fact and our sources dont actually exist.

Press releases published on McCains Senate website still refer to him as a Republican, as do his official Twitter and Facebook pages. There also has been no mainstream news coverage of a switch, such as there was when the late Arlen Specter, a longtime Republican senator for Pennsylvania, joined the Democratic Party in 2009.

As we have written before, fake news sites often copy content from one another. In this case, the Washington Feed copied its story from the Conservative Patriot blog, which published a paraphrased version of the fictional story fromAmericas Last Line of Defense.

But unlike WashingtonFeed.com, ConsPatriot.com includes a disclaimer that says, All the information on this website is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. http://www.conspatriot.com/ does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information.

Rumors of McCain leaving the Republican Party are notnew. He has previously denied legitimate news reports that he had considered switching parties in the early 2000s.

In 2007, for example, the Hill, a congressional news publication, reported that former Democratic lawmakers said that McCain was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001 after losing the Republican presidential nomination to George W. Bush.

But McCain said that wasnt the case.

As I said in 2001, I never considered leaving the Republican Party, period, McCain said, according to a statement released by his campaign, the Hill reported in 2007.

Editors note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebookto help identify and label viral fake news stories flagged by readers on the social media network.

WashingtonFeed.com. Boom: McCain Makes Major Announcement About His Future Republicans Cheering! Accessed 7 Jun 2017.

Americas Last Line of Defense. About Us. Accessed 7 June 2017.

Stryker. Breaking: John McCain Goes Full TRAITOR! Does the UNTHINKABLE! Thelastlineofdefense.com. 13 April 2017.

Kiely, Eugene, and Robertson, Lori. How to Spot Fake News. FactCheck.org. 18 Nov 2016.

Cusack, Bob. Democrats say McCain nearly abandoned GOP. Thehill.com. 28 Mar 2007.

McCain, John. McCain Applauds Senate Passage of Bill to Enhance Accountability and Protect Whistleblowers at VA. Mccain.senate.gov. 6 Jun 2017.

@SenJohnMcCain. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee. Twitter.com. Accessed 7 June 2017.

@JohnMcCain. About. Facebook.com. Accessed 7 June 2017.

Hulse, Carl. Specter Switches Parties. The Caucus Blog. New York Times. 18 Apr 2009.

Bailey, Chelsea. McCain Calls Trumps Dictator Praise Very Disturbing. NBCnews.com. 2 May 2017.

Watkins, Eli. McCain calls on Trump to clarify wiretapping claim. CNN.com. 14 Mar 2017.

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John McCain Still a Republican - FactCheck.org

With all the controversies, scandals, tough headlines and reported infighting in the White House, it would have been easy for Republican power players speaking at this weeks E2 Summit to vent and bash the Trump administration -- but they didnt.

Those Republicans invited to speak at the annual E2 Summit this weekend -- far from Washington in Park City, Utah, -- have been some of the vocal critics of Donald Trump, but instead of distancing themselves from the president, they instead told friends and colleagues at the event they are cautiously optimistic about his administration and want to help it succeed.

Dont you want to help the president? Dont you think we all should? Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked the intimate crowd of businessmen and politicians from around the country.

We are much closer than we were just immediately following the election, the summits host, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, said about Trump.

I think we have a president who is learning, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., agreed. Hes got a national security team that is as strong as I have ever seen.

Despite very public disagreements with the current president, all three of these men spoke kindly as they offered their advice, driving home the idea that they still think congressional Republicans and Trump could work together. They spoke about building bridges with the administration and their confidence in the current cabinet.

Graham, McCain and Romney all agreed, first and foremost, that the president needs to take a tougher stand on Russia and acknowledge the severity of Vladimir Putin's attempt to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election. Romney said that much of the conspiracy theories about Trump, his taxes and his staff could have been avoided had the president said outright, this is outrageous.

No one is suggesting it affected the outcome, but [Russians] tried to affect the outcome. This is outrageous, he said, suggesting Trump tell the country, I hope the FBI carries out a thorough investigation of who has anything to do with this and lets move on.

Instead, when you attack and say it is fake news, you just bring more and more attention and more and more people say, whats going on here?'... The more you stir a turd, the more it stinks, he continued.

Graham said Trumps relationship with Putin was his single biggest problem with the president, but added, again, that he wanted to help him.

He believes talking about Russian interference delegitimizes his win, Graham echoed. Thats not true.

The South Carolina senator urged that the president back the bill he and McCain authored to increase sanctions on Russia, and threatened to work to override a veto should the president refuse to sign it. I think it would serve the president well if we publicly say, This is right, we should punish Russia for interfering in our elections.

I will do anything I can to help this president, except give up my own judgment, he added.

McCain told the crowd he is glad the president is calling Graham, his former primary opponent, more frequently. Graham joked that he begged the president not to tweet on Thursday during the Comey hearing. Listening, these men said, could serve the president well.

I want you to understand, despite of all this clutter, that we can pull it off," Graham concluded his remarks. "We can do things that are good for this country and President Trump can be a consequential president. But if he doesnt adjust the way he is behaving and he doesnt let people help him, he is going to lose the last best chance our Republican Party has to change America and make our voice heard."

During the event, Graham also offered domestic policy advice. He complimented the presidents willingness to take bold actions and offered that he go big on environmental and immigration issues.

At the end of the day, the one thing I can tell you about Trump -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- he is willing to do things that no other Republican would think about doing, Graham said. How about a carbon fee?

He argued that the president could both reinvigorate the coal and clean energy technology industries by calling for the federal government to put a price on carbon. A rather liberal idea, Graham said, could have economic advantages for the country and political pluses for his party.

If you are from 18 to 35 [years old] this is a top-five issue for your consistency. Whether we like it or not, young people have been educated through movies and TV that we need to be better stewards of Gods creation, he said. We need to get into environmental game and not give it all to Al Gore.

Is it hard politics? Hell yes, he added. Trump might do it. I am going to advocate that he thinks big.

Romneys advice for the White House was statelier -- almost grandiose. Without naming Trump, he closed his speech with a soliloquy, which seemed to allude to the current president and what his ideas and term so far had meant for the reputation of the country.

If you want to make America great, youve got to believe in goodness, he said, becoming emotional and choked up at times. We stand with good people and good leaders."

What does this country represent? Human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, a conviction that we should aspire for every person to have equal opportunity, he continued. Do we welcome the huddled masses of the earth yearning to be free? That's who we are. That's the cost in the ground in Arlington.

Read the rest here:
Romney, McCain and Graham urge Trump to act on Russia, listen to those offering help - ABC News

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather is predicting that some Republicans could defect from President Trump if his poll numbers slip below 30 percent.

"They're afraid that he may have indeed committed some impeachable offense, and also they're hearing from home that a lot of their constituents have increasing concerns about the Trump presidency," Rather told CNN's Don Lemon.

"As long as he's able to hold that 35, 38 poll rating you may not see that, but I repeat for emphasis, once it gets down below 30 percent, you'll see some Republicans going the other way," said the longtime host.

Despite being saddled with a steady stream of controversies and consistently low approval ratings in his first months in office, Trump has largely maintained the backing of GOP lawmakers.

Trump's approval rating currently sits at 39 percent, according to a Real Clear Politics average of presidential job approval ratings. Among Republicans, his approval rating is much higher.

The president has faced mounting controversies, particularly related to the ongoing law enforcement investigation into Russian election meddling and possible collusion between his election campaign and Russia. Trump has repeatedly called the probe a "witch hunt" and has denied any wrongdoing.

The latest controversy came on Thursday, when fired FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers during a congressional hearing that Trump had once asked him in private conversation for a pledge of loyalty and then to drop the bureau's investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanDan Rather predicts Republican defect if Trump approval falls below 30 percent Ex-GOP rep: Ryans impeachment claim about Trump 'isnt true' Tom Brokaw: 'Trump ran as a big time exec, not as an apprentice' MORE (R-Wis.), acknowledged that the president's requests may have been inappropriate, but defended his actions as rookie mistakes the result of Trump's lack of government experience.

But some of Trump's highest-profile policies have spurred backlash, as well. His decision last week to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, for example, sparked nationwide protests and prompted vows by numerous business leaders, governors and mayors to uphold the agreement in spite of Trump's announcement.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted in the wake of Trump's decision found that nearly six in 10 Americans oppose withdrawing from the climate deal.

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Dan Rather predicts Republican defect if Trump approval falls below 30 percent - The Hill (blog)

By Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON A group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Friday urging him not to reverse former President Barack Obamas opening to Cuba even as White House aides moved closer to completing a plan that could tighten rules on trade and travel to the island.

With the Cuba policy review approaching its final stages, both sides of the issue have stepped up lobbying to sway Trumps decision on how far to go in rolling back measures that Obama implemented after a 2015 breakthrough with Americas former Cold War foe.

In the letter, seven of Trumps fellow Republicans expressed deep concern that he is considering rescinding Obamas policies and said that such a move would incentivize Cuba to once again become dependent on countries like Russia and China.

The warning reflected growing unease on Capitol Hill over returning to a more contentious approach to communist-ruled Cuba, even within a Republican party that has traditionally hewed to a harder line against Havana.

Senior officials at the National Security Council were meeting on Friday to craft recommendations that will be sent to the principals committee - Trumps top foreign policy advisers - and then to the president, people familiar with the matter said.

Though divisions remain within the administration, Trump could make an announcement within weeks, possibly as early as mid- to late June in a speech in Miami, U.S. officials have said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Trump's changes are expected to stop short of breaking diplomatic relations restored two years ago after more than five decades of hostility, administration officials say.

Among the options under consideration are banning U.S. companies from doing business with Cuban enterprises tied to the military and tightening rules on Americans traveling there, according to people familiar with the discussions.

A White House official, asked about the latest meeting, said the Cuba review is still under way and not final.

The U.S. airline and travel industries have made clear they do not want to see reinstatement of Cuba restrictions.

But Trump has come under heavy pressure from Cuban-American lawmakers, including Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, to roll back Obamas rapprochement.

My hope is that when the administration is done with their review, they dont let one or two voices overwhelm what is in the interest of the United States, Representative Tom Emmer, a signatory to the letter, told Reuters.

One of four pro-engagement Republicans who met with White House officials on Thursday, Emmer said they urged the administration not to go too far in rolling back Obamas measures.

Trump threatened shortly after his election in November to terminate Obamas approach unless Cuba made concessions, something it is unlikely to do.

Obama implemented his normalization measures through executive actions, and Trump has the power to undo much of it.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Leslie Adler)

In September 2014, Gilberto Velasquez, a 38-year-old house painter from El Salvador, received life-changing news: The U.S. government had decided to shelve its deportation action against him.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's social media director Dan Scavino broke the law in April in calling for Trump supporters to defeat a Republican congressman at the polls, according to a letter from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

Read the rest here:
Some Republican lawmakers urge Trump not to reverse Cuba opening - Reuters

New York Times

Greg Gianforte, Montana Republican Charged With Assaulting Reporter, Apologizes New York Times Greg Gianforte, the Montana Republican charged with assaulting a reporter the night before he won a seat in the House of Representatives last month, formally apologized to the reporter on Wednesday and said he would donate $50,000 to a journalism ... Mont. Republican Greg Gianforte apologizes for assaulting Guardian reporterUSA TODAY Republican congressman-elect Greg Gianforte writes apology to reporter he punched and bodyslammedBoing Boing Montana Republican seeks to delay court appearance for assault chargeThe Hill Shareblue Media -Slate Magazine (blog) -The Guardian -Fox News all 132 news articles »

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Greg Gianforte, Montana Republican Charged With Assaulting Reporter, Apologizes - New York Times