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Today in Campaign 2016: Aipac, Aipac, Aipac
We’re going to switch over to a new liveblog to cover tonight’s “Final Five” event on CNN, where each of the five remaining presidential candidates from both parties will appear on the same stage for the first time, but before we do, a wrapup of today in campaign news:
- Most of today’s big political news came from the candidates themselves, four of whom appeared before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) meeting in Washington, DC, to make clear their personal commitment to Israel and its foreign-policy objectives.
- Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton closed her Aipac speech by comparing Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. After running through the (unnamed) candidate’s history of encouraging violence, “playing coy with white supremacists,” demanding refugees get turned away because of their religion and sending away 12 million immigrants living in the US, Clinton declared that “we’ve had dark chapters of our history before... If you see bigotry, oppose it. If you see violence, condemn it. If you see a bully, stand up to him.”
- Republican candidate John Kasich condemned the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal and pledged “In a Kasich administration, there will be no more delusional agreements with self-declared enemies.” Highlighting his admiration for Israeli politician, human rights activist and author Natan Sharansky, who spent nine years in Soviet prisons for allegedly spying, Kasich said that “I remain unwavering ion my support of the Jewish state and the historic partnership between the United States and Israel.”
- Trump, giving what may have been his first fully prepared remarks since the beginning of his presidential campaign last June, repeatedly urged those assembled at Aipac to “believe me” on his commitment to the state of Israel. “I didn’t come tonight to pander to you about Israel,” Trump said, before loudly and repeatedly condemning the Iranian nuclear deal. “We’ve rewarded the world’s leading state sponsor of terror with $150 billion and we’ve received absolutely nothing in return. I’ve studied this issue in detail - I promise you, in greater detail than anybody else,” Trump said, to laughter from the apparently skeptical audience.
- Ted Cruz, the third Republican to take the stage, declared that “Palestine has not existed since 1948,” and lambasted his Republican opponents for their lack of sincerity in speaking at Aipac. “Let me be very, very clear. As president, I will not be neutral,” Cruz vowed, noting Trump’s remarks about a willingness to be neutral on the Israeli-Palestinian question. “American will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel.”
- In non-Aipac-related news, Trump’s campaign spent $9 million last month - including $50,000 in bonuses to his campaign manager who allegedly attacked a protester over the weekend. Video captured Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, pulling the collar of a protester at a rally in Tucson, Arizona. Trump’s campaign denies that it was Lewandowski that pulled the protester.
Calling Israel “a beacon of light unto the world,” Cruz closed his remarks to Aipac by saying that “peace is achievable only through strength.”
“Weakness is provocative - appeasement increases the chance of military conflict,” Cruz said. “The way to avoid conflict is to stand up to bullies, and it is worth remembering that this same nation, Iran, in 1981, released our hostages the day Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. That is the difference a strong commander in chief can make, and together, standing strong, we can do it again.”
Cruz promised to move the American embassy to “the once and eternal capital of Israel,” echoing similar promises made by each of the other Republican presidential candidates this evening.
“The difference is, I will do it,” Cruz said.
Cruz also promised to remove federal funding for any colleges or universities involved in the “BDS movement,” also known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, which seeks to use economic pressure on the state of Israel to end of occupation of Palestinian land.
Any colleges that violated federal law in doing so, Cruz vowed, “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“On the first day in office, I will rip this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal to shreds,” Cruz declared to the crowd. “This agreement gives over $150 billion to the Ayatollah, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism. That dwarfs the $3 billion in aid we give to Israel each year.”
“We will re-impose sanctions on Iran” on Cruz’s first day of office, he said.
“If I am president, and Iran launches a missile test, we will shoot that missile down,” Cruz said, directing his comments towards Ayatollah Khomeini.
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“Let me be very, very clear. As president, I will not be neutral,” Cruz vowed, noting Donald Trump’s remarks about a willingness to be neutral on the Israeli-Palestinian question.
“American will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel.”
“When Israel was facing relentless rocket attacks from Hamas, and the prayers of all of us and people across the world were with the people of Israel,” Cruz said, “Hamas would place rockets in elementary schools - they placed their headquarters in the basement of a hospital.”
“And I would note that Hillary Clinton, in 2014, explained this as follows: ‘Hamas puts its missiles, its rockets in civilian areas. Part of it is because Gaza is pretty small and it’s densely populated.’”
Cruz begged to differ: “The reason the missiles are in schools is because Hamas is terrorist monsters using children as human shields.”
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“When the forces of good are divided, evil can prevail. But when we come together in unity together, we can defeat tyrants,” Cruz said, echoing what he called the moral of the Jewish holiday of Purim, celebrated this week.
“Today, we are reliving history. Facing a similar time of challenge for American and for Israel. But today I give you a word of hope - in the next few months, we will bring this country together,” Cruz vowed.
With a coalition of women, working-class voters, African Americans, young people and Reagan Democrats, Cruz said, his campaign “will lead to a commanding victory in November that unifies this country and brings us together. And standing together, America will stand with Israel and defeat radical Islamic terrorism.”
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Ted Cruz takes the stage at Aipac conference
Republican presidential candidate and Texas senator Ted Cruz has taken the stage at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) conference in Washington, DC, the third candidate to do so this evening.
“God bless Aipac!” Cruz declared. “I am thrilled to be with you here today.”
Cruz then declared that “Palestine has not existed since 1948.”
Republican candidate John Kasich has condemned the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal and pledged: “In a Kasich administration, there will be no more delusional agreements with self-declared enemies.”
The former Ohio governor told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference how he had flown to the House of Representatives for the first timein 15 yearsto listen to the Israeli prime minister raise concerns about the Iran nuclear accord “to show my respect, personal respect to the people of Israel.
“And I want you all to know that I have called for the suspension of the US’s participation in the Iran nuclear deal in reaction to Iran’s recent ballistic missile tests,” Kasich said.
That remark produced rapturous applause at the conference in Washington, where earlier Democrat Hillary Clinton had reaffirmed her support for the deal. The Republican continued: “These tests were both a violation of the spirit of the nuclear deal and provocations that can no longer be ignored.
“One of the missiles had printed on it in Hebrew – can you believe this? – ‘Israel must be exterminated’. And I will instantly gather the world and lead us to reapply sanctions if Iran violated one crossed t or one dot of that nuclear deal. We must put sanctions back on them as the world community, together.”
Kasich said Israel, which he first visited in 1983, is in one of the world’s “roughest neighbourhoods”. He accused Palestinians of promoting a “culture of hatred and death” that included anti-semitic textbooks at schools and the naming of streets and football tournaments named after terrorists.
As president he could lead a coalition to defeat Isis in the air and on the ground, he added. “We’re all in this together.”
A distant third behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the Republican race, Kasich called for politicians to rededicate themselves to a bipartisan national security policy that Ronald Reagan and Democrats once achieved. “I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land,” he said.
He also told the gathering that he had supported the building of a Holocaust memorial designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in Ohio. “My support and friendship for our strategic partner Israel has been firm and unwavering for more than 35 years of my professional life.”
Describing Israel as a “bedrock partner” in regional security, he added: “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. America’s and Israel’s interests are tightly intertwined, despite our inevitable disagreements from time to time.”
Donald Trump's complete prepared Aipac remarks
We never thought we’d say this, but the Donald Trump campaign has released the full prepared remarks for the candidate’s speech before the Aipac conference.
You can read it here (with some key omissions from the famously extemporaneous speaker).
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“My daughter Ivanka is about to have a beautiful, Jewish baby,” Trump concludes. “It could be happening right now - which would really be great, as far as I’m concerned.”
“This has truly been an honor - thank you everybody, thank you very much.”
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“We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem,” Trump promised, to loud and sustained applause.
“And we will send a clear signal that there is no daylight between America and our most reliable ally, the state of Israel,” Trump said. “The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is absolutely, totally unbreakable. They must come to the table willing and able to stop the terror being committed on a daily basis against Israel - tthey must do that. And they must come to the table willing to accept that Israel is a Jewish state, and it will forever exist as a Jewish state.”
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“You see, what president Obama gets wrong about deal making is that he constantly applies pressure to our friends - and rewards our enemies,” Trump said, zeroing in criticism of the president once again. “And you see that happening, all the time. That pattern, practiced by the president and his administration, including former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton - who is a total disaster, by the way - she and president Obama have treated Israel very, very badly.”
“But it’s repeated itself over and over and has done nothing but embolden those who hate America,” Trump said. “We saw that with releasing $150 billion to Iran in the hope that they would magically join the world community -it didn’t happen. President Obama thinks that applying pressure to Israel will force the issue, but it’s precisely the opposite that happens.”
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“In Palestinian society, the heroes are those who murder Jews. We can’t let this continue. We can’t let this happen any longer,” Trump said.
“You cannot achieve peace if terrorists are treated as martyrs,” Trump said. “It’s a barrier that can’t be broken - it’s a barrier that can’t be broken. That’ll end, and it’ll end soon. Believe me.”
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“To make a great deal, you need two willing participants,” Trump said. “We know Israel is willing to deal. Israel has been trying to sit down at the negotiating table, without pre-conditions, for years. You had Camp David in 2000, where Prime Minister Barak made an incredible offer – maybe even too generous. Arafat rejected it.”
“In 2008, Prime Minister Olmert made an equally generous offer. The Palestinian Authority rejected it also. Then John Kerry tried to come up with a framework, and Abbas didn’t even respond, not even to the secretary of state of the United States of America!”
“They didn’t even respond,” he emphasized. “When I become president, the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day One.”
“And when I say something, I mean it. I mean it.”
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The United States’ intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian question “will only further delegitimatize [sic] Israel, and it would reward Palestinian terrorism, because every day they are stabbing Israelis – and even Americans.”
“The United States can be useful as a facilitator of negotiations, but no one should be telling Israel it must abide by some agreement made by others thousands of miles away that don’t even really know what’s happening to Israel, to anything in the area, it’s so preposterous - we’re not gonna let that happen,” Trump declared, to loud whistles and hoots.
“I will veto any attempt by the UN to impose its will on the Jewish state,” Trump vowers. “It will be vetoed, one-hundred percent.”
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“The United Nations is not a friend of democracy,” Donald Trump said. “It’s not a friend to freedom. It’s not a friend even to the United States of America, where as all know, it has its home. And it surely isn’t a friend to Israel.”
“With President Obama in his final year - YAY!” Trump interjected in his own remarks, to perhaps the most sustained applause of this evening’s session. “He may be the worst thing to ever happen to Israel, believe me. And you know it better than anyone.”
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Donald Trump's overarching message on Iran: "Believe me."
“Iran is financing military forces throughout the Middle East, and it’s absolutely incredible that we handed them over $150 billion to do even more toward the many horrible acts of terror,” Trump declared, to polite applause.
“We will totally dismantle Iran’s global terror network - which is big and powerful, but not powerful like us,” Trump vowed. “During the last five years, Iran has perpetuated terror attacks in 25 different countries on five continents.”
“Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism around the world, and we will work to dismantle that reach believe me - believe me,” Trump said. “We must enforce the terms of the previous deal to hold Iran totally accountable, and we will enforce it like you’ve never seen a contract enforced, people - believe me.”
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Reading from a teleprompter possibly for the first time in his short political career, Donald Trump declared that “when I’m president... we will stand up to Iran’s aggressive push to destabilish and dominate the region.”
“Iran is a very big problem, and will continue to be, but if I’m not elected president, I know how to deal with trouble, and believe me, that’s why I’m going to be elected president, folks.”
“And we are leading in every poll,” Trump noted.
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“I didn’t come tonight to pander to you about Israel,” Donald Trump said. “That’s what politicians do - all talk, no action. Believe me.”
“My number-one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran,” Trump said, in reference to the Iranian nuclear deal. “I have been in business a long time - I know dealmaking. And let me tell you - this deal is catastrophic for America, for Israel and for the whole of the Middle East.”
“We’ve rewarded the world’s leading state sponsor of terror with $150 billion and we’ve received absolutely nothing in return,” Trump said. “I’ve studied this issue in detail - I promise you, in greater detail than anybody else,” Trump said, to laughter from the apparently skeptical audience.
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Donald Trump takes the stage at Aipac conference
Billionaire Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has mounted the dais at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) conference in Washington, DC, to muted applause. Trump is the second of three Republican presidential candidates scheduled to appear.
“I speak to you today as a lifelong friend and supporter of Israel,” Trump said. “I’m a newcomer to politics– but not to backing the Jewish state.”
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Bernie Sanders bragged about winning the Democrats Abroad vote in a brief tangent to his foreign policy speech in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“We won the Democrats abroad primary with I believe 69% of the vote. What that means is that we pick up over Secretary Clinton five more delegates, which I would mention to the media is about the same number of delegates she gained over us in Illinois and Missouri.
What we’re fighting for is delegates, not states.”
The aversion to Donald Trump is so strong among Utah Mormons that if the Republican frontrunner secures the party’s presidential nomination, it could produce a general election outcome that has not happened in half a century, reports the Guardian’s Sam Levin: The state could go blue.
“The Bible says if you’ve got a wicked leader, the nation suffers,” said Chris Herrod, a former Utah state representative and a Utah campaign coordinator for Ted Cruz. “I’m not saying Donald Trump is wicked, but for most Utahns, the moral character of a leader makes a big difference.”
At the state’s high-stakes GOP caucuses on Tuesday, political experts say many conservative Mormon voters like Herrod will be motivated by their distaste for the real estate billionaire’s vulgar style, bombastic comments and outlandish anti-immigration policies – fueling an “anyone-but-Trump” mentality that has spread across the political spectrum in the very red state.
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“I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land - I will not do it!” John Kasich declared to the crowd at Aipac, in a not-so-subtle dog to one of his major political opponents.
Declaring that the United States would never fail in protecting the interests of Israel “and of course, its eternal capital, Jerusalem,” Kasich said that “it’s about civilization; it’s about peace; it’s about love; it’s about togetherness; it’s about healing the world.”
“Everyone lives a life a little bigger than themselves,” Kasich concluded, quoting a Jewish proverb. “Lift others, heal, provide hope, provide progress, and with that, the rest of this century and the relationship between the United States and Israel will grow stronger and stronger.”
John Kasich, on Palestinians:
If they truly want peace, Palestinians cannot continue to promote a culture of hatred and death.
Bernie Sanders said the US is “not the policemen of the world” in a foreign policy speech calling on Muslim countries to lead the effort to defeat Isis.
“That struggle must be led by the Muslim countries themselves on the ground. I agree with King Abdullah of Jordan who a number of months ago made it clear that what is going on there is nothing less than a battle for the soul of Islam. And the only people who will effectively destroy Isis there will be Muslim troops on the ground. What we need is a coalition of those countries. Now, I am not suggesting that Saudi Arabia or any other state in the region invade other countries nor unilaterally intervene … What I am saying is that the major powers in that region, especially the gold states, have to take greater responsibility for the future of the Middle East and the defeat of Isis.”
“Isis has only about 30,000 fighters on the ground. So when we ask the nations in the region to stand up … we know it is surely, within their capabilities to destroy Isis. Now the United States has every right in the world to insist on these points.”
“Some of these countries are extraordinarily wealthy … they can no longer expect the united states to do their work for them … We are not the policemen of the world.”
Turning his attention to the “rough [geopolitical] neighborhood” in which Israel is situated, John Kasich says that his administration would fight the “existential threat” os the Islamic State. To do anything else would mean remaining “committed to an ineffective and piecemeal approach to dealing with ISIS,” Kasich said.
“We’re all in this together,” he pledged, to loud applause.
Meanwhile, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders is giving his own speech on foreign policy, highlighting issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian question, reports the Guardian’s Sam Levin from Salt Lake City:
Bernie Sanders said the suffering of Palestinians cannot be ignored during a foreign policy speech for a small crowd of about a hundred people packed into a room inside West High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before a larger rally next door.
“I think I am the only candidate for president who has personal ties to Israel. We are united by our values ... We as a nation are committed not just to guaranteeing Israel’s survival but also making sure it’s people have a right to leave in peace and security.”
“We are obligated to speak the truth as we see it and that is what real friendship demands especially in difficult times ... It is important among friends to be honest and truthful.”
“We face a very daunting challenge and that is the Israeli Palestinian conflict.”
“I will work tirelessly to advance the cause of peace as a partner and as friend to Israel. But to be successful, we have also got to be a friend not only to Israel but to the Palestinian people where in Gaza unemployment today is 44%. We have there a poverty rate, which is almost as high. So when we talk about Israel and Palestinian areas. It is important to understand that today there is a whole lot of suffering among Palestinians and that cannot be ignored.”
“The road toward peace will be difficult. Wonderful people, well intentioned people, have tried decade after decade to achieve that.”
“I firmly believe that the only prospect for peace is the successful negotiation of a two-state solution.”
“Progress is never made unless people are prepared to sit down and talk to each other.”
“This will require compromises on both sides, but I believe it can be done.”
“Peace has to mean security for every Israeli ... but peace also means security for every Palestinian.”
Sanders also called for Israel ending “disproportionate responses” to attacks.
“The international community must come together to help Gaza recover. That doesn’t mean rebuilding factories that produce bombs and missiles. But it does mean rebuilding schools, hospitals ... These are difficult subjects. They are hard to talk about for many Americans. I recognize that.”
“Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East,” Kasich continued. “America’s and Israel’s interests are tightly intertwined, despite our inevitable disagreements from time to time.”
Emphasizing the “unrelenting opposition to Iran’s attempts to develop nuclear weapons” on the part of pro-Israel Americans, Kasich underscored his own opposition to the Iranian nuclear deal, which he says Iran has already violated.
If Iran violates the agreement, Kasich said, “we must put the sanctions back on them as the world community, together.”
Ohio governor John Kasich highlighted his admiration for Israeli politician, human rights activist and author Natan Sharansky, who spent nine years in Soviet prisons for allegedly spying.
“Sharansky’s story has always inspired me,” Kasich said, “but I don’t know how many of you have read his book, Fear No Evil.”
When Sharansky was imprisoned in the Soviet Union, Kasich said, “they wanted him to confess something, and they said to Natan, ‘well, you understand that Galileo even confessed,” Kasich said, before quoting Sharansky’s response to the interrogators. “You’re using Galileo against me - no one will ever use me against any other prisoner of conscience. For that he deserves to always be remembered.”
“I remain unwavering ion my support of the jewish state and the historic partnership between the united states and Israel,” Kasich said, to prolonged applause and whistles.
John Kasich takes the stage at Aipac conference
Ohio governor John Kasich has mounted the dais at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) conference in Washington, DC, to boisterous applause. Kasich is the first of three Republican presidential candidates scheduled to appear
Vox Pop: The “goth for Bernie”
Iris Doubek, 20, said Bernie Sanders is the obvious choice for goths deciding who to support in the Tuesday Democratic caucus in Utah.
“He was a big fan of punk,” said Doubek, an Ogden, Utah resident. “Everything he stands for is about allowing people to have self expression. It’s less about alienating people, but letting people be different. I can’t think of a better candidate.”
Doubek added: “I care about college affordability. I want to go to college and right now I can’t afford it.”
“I also really wish wages were higher,” Doubek continued. “I’m trying to move out and get my own place, but it’s impossible to get a job where they pay higher than $8 an hour. We’re not being paid enough to live.”
Doubek considered bringing a “Poseur Patrol for Bernie” sign - a reference to a group working to revive the goth music scene. But “goths for Bernie” seemed like it might get more traction. “And I’m clearly a goth, so I thought why not?” Doubek said.
Sanders was set to make a speech on foreign policy Monday afternoon at a local school.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) conference’s evening addresses are scheduled to begin any minute, with speaker of the house Paul Ryan, Ohio governor John Kasich, Texas senator Ted Cruz and billionaire Donald Trump all set to address the 18,000 estimated attendees.
Here’s Aipac’s livestream of the event - we’ll be liveblogging minute-by-minute coverage of the addresses, as they happen.
As Donald Trump prepares to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) in a few minutes, the Republican presidential frontrunner is facing mounting criticism from pro-Israel leaders for his incendiary rhetoric and policy stances.
Meanwhile, after months bashing other candidates for their links to big donors, Trump appears to be making inroads wooing some staunchly pro-Israel megadonors, including billionaire Sheldon Adelson – though other big check-writers still have huge concerns about his candidacy.
Despite awards Trump has received from pro-Israel groups and his boast that he would “do more for Israel than anyone else”, many Jewish leaders both conservative and liberal have found much to criticize about Trump.
“Anybody who is lauded by David Duke, Vladimir Putin and Jean-Marie Le Pen, I can’t support,” said former US senator Norm Coleman, a board member of the conservative pro-Israel Republican Jewish Coalition, of which Adelson is the lead funder. “They’re listening to his dog whistles and responding favorably, which frightens me.”
President Raúl Castro of Cuba demanded that Barack Obama hand back Guantánamo Bay and fully end the US trade embargo as their historic first summit in Havana witnessed an unexpectedly spirited clash of political values.
Despite emotional scenes of reconciliation that earlier saw the Star Spangled Banner played to spine-tingling effect by a Cuban band in Revolution Square, the two leaders made clear that rapprochement had only come so far.
“There are profound differences between our countries that will not go away,” said Castro as he turned the tables on the question of human rights and criticised the US for its failures to ensure universal healthcare and equal pay for women.
“In our view, civil, economic, social and cultural rights are indivisible, interdependent and universal,” he added. “We find it inconceivable that a government does not defend and secure the right to healthcare, equal pay and the rights of children. We oppose political double standards in the approach to human rights.”
The Cuban leader also angrily rejected questions by a US journalist who questioned his country’s human rights record, a subject he said should not be “politicised”.
Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has continued her Twitter tirade against Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump this afternoon, accusing the billionaire of “basing his campaign on racism, sexism, xenophobia & hatred.”
Why is it that @realDonaldTrump can call himself the “unity” candidate while basing his campaign on racism, sexism, xenophobia & hatred?
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
.@RealDonaldTrump is “cool with being called an authoritarian,” isn't upset at Hitler comparisons & thinks we won’t fight back? WRONG!
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
We cannot elect wannabe tyrants to the White House. Not now, not ever. It’s up to all of us us to stop @realDonaldTrump .
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Trump, who has never shied away from a fight on social media, has yet to respond to the senator’s criticisms on Twitter, but did refer to her as “the Indian” during a press conference earlier today.
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Donald Trump’s recent on-the-record conversation with the editorial board of the Washington Post covered issues ranging from his foreign policy acumen to his pledge to reel in freedom of the press with new anti-libel legislation. But the most interesting section of the conversation may just be a digression into the size of the billionaire’s hands.
“Normal,” the real estate tycoon reportedly insisted of his hand-size. “Strong.” “Good size.” “Great.” “Fine.” “Slightly large, actually.”
Jokes about Trump’s hands have been a running gag ever since satirical magazine Spy labeled him a “short-fingered vulgarian,” much to the billionaire’s apparent displeasure. The characterization found itself becoming a permanent component of the current presidential campaign, with onetime candidate Marco Rubio mocking Trump for the size of his hands and the latest issue of the New Yorker depicting a palm reading of the potential president’s hands:
This week's cover, “The Big Short,” by Barry Blitt: https://t.co/z19zrkZ26K pic.twitter.com/zc4pzXtGFi
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) March 21, 2016
More video from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference:
Clinton declared that Iran still poses a threat to Israel and needs to be closely watched, and also criticized her Republican rival Donald Trump for having a “neutral” stance on Israel.
Some low-key protesters outside the Trump press conference in Washington DC today, captured by reporter David Smith.
When asked about Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator who went on a scathing tirade against Trump today on social media, Trump’s response focused on her Native American ancestry (which he regularly dismisses).
Trump, asked about Elizabeth Warren, "who's that, the indian? You mean the indian?"
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) March 21, 2016
You can watch Trump’s press conference in DC live right now.
Interesting tweet from the deputy digital director at the Washington Post in the Opinions section. Trump is in DC today and about to give a press conference.
So. I got hit on today by Donald Trump.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) March 21, 2016
In a follow-up tweet, Attiah said she’s writing about the experience now.
President Trump would wind back US leadership in NATO, the candidate said in an interview with The Washington Post on foreign policy.
“Ukraine is a country that affects us far less than it affects other countries in NATO and yet we’re doing all of the lifting,” Trump said. “They’re not doing anything. And I say, ‘Why is it that Germany’s not dealing with NATO on Ukraine? Why is it that other countries that are in the vicinity of Ukraine, why aren’t they dealing? Why are we always the one that’s leading, potentially the third world war with Russia.’”
“We certainly can’t afford to do this anymore,” said Trump. “NATO is costing us a fortune and yes, we’re protecting Europe with NATO, but we’re spending a lot of money.”
Trump steered away from interventionist policies overseas.
“I do think it’s a different world today and I don’t think we should be nation-building anymore,” Trump said. “I think it’s proven not to work and we have a different country than we did then. We have $19 trillion in debt. We’re sitting, probably, on a bubble. And it’s a bubble that if it breaks, it’s going to be very nasty. I just think we have to rebuild our country.”
Trump unveiled his foreign policy advisors as Senator Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Keith Kellogg, Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, Walid Phares and Joseph E. Schmitz.
David Smith was in the crowd for Hillary Clinton’s Aipac speech this morning, here’s an extract from his report...
The former secretary of state has a long history in the Middle East, including overseeing Barack Obama’s first attempt to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace. Her stance against Jewish settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians has been criticised by some in the pro-Israel community, but she has been received warmly by pro-Israel groups in the past.
During the gruelling election contest with Sanders, however, she has aligned herself closely with the president. Obama has had a difficult relationship with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, particularly over issues such as the Iran nuclear deal which has seen some sanctions lifted.
“We will never allow Israel’s adversaries to think a wedge can be driven between us,” she said, renewing promises to provide sophisticated defence technology toIsrael and to quickly invite the country’s prime minister to the White House. “We must take our alliance to the next level.”
Read the whole article here.
Trump gives controversial campaign manager $50k in bonuses
Donald Trump’s campaign spent $9 million last month -- including $50,000 in bonuses to his campaign manager who allegedly attacked a protester over the weekend.
Video captured Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, pulling the collar of a protester at a rally in Tucson, Arizona. Trump’s campaign denies that it was Lewandowski that pulled the protester.
Here is Donald Trump's campaign manager in the Tucson crowd grabbing the collar of a protester. pic.twitter.com/JZ9RntWlHY
— Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) March 19, 2016
That was the second alleged incident of violence by Lewandowski in recent weeks, after then-Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields said he had grabbed her arm and left bruises on it when she attempted to ask Trump a question.
Lewandowski received two $25,000 bonuses as a reward for top finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire.
An Associated Press review of the latest campaign finance filings show Trump has spent $33 million on his campaign, $24 million of which came from his own personal money. Most of the $710,000 spent on air travel went to Trump’s own airline, and he spent $540,000 on Trump merchandise -- including his Make America Great Again hats -- last month.
Edit: This article originally said Lewandowski got a $50,000 pay rise, this was incorrect and has been adjusted.
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A Bernie Sanders rally in Boise is warming up, with thousands pouring in and the Vermont Senator to take the stage in about 30 mins. Actress Susan Sarandon will make an appearance.
Crowd inside @TacoBellArena getting ready to hear @BernieSanders speak at 12. pic.twitter.com/e2EzlXgygV
— Karen Lehr (@KarenLehr) March 21, 2016
Berning intensifies. One hour until the rally. #Sanders2016 pic.twitter.com/V4tDN6rOZI
— Tim Hand (@timwhand) March 21, 2016
Power to the people, Bernie Sanders supporters in a red state.. #Bernie #Boise pic.twitter.com/ohLARra9Lo
— Frozen Justice (@Celia_Harrison) March 21, 2016
Elizabeth Warren also took to Facebook to continue her argument against Donald Trump.
Let’s be honest – Donald Trump is a loser. Count all his failed businesses. See how he kept his father’s empire afloat by cheating people with scams like Trump University and by using strategic corporate bankruptcy (excuse me, bankruptcies) to skip out on debt. Listen to the experts who’ve concluded he’s so bad at business that he might have more money today if he’d put his entire inheritance into an index fund and just left it alone.
Trump seems to know he’s a loser. His embarrassing insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, and flagrant narcissism. But just because Trump is a loser everywhere else doesn’t mean he’ll lose this election. People have been underestimating his campaign for nearly a year – and it’s time to wake up.
People talk about how “this is the most important election” in our lifetime every four years, and it gets stale. But consider what hangs in the balance. Affordable college. Accountability for Wall Street. Healthcare for millions of Americans. The Supreme Court. Big corporations and billionaires paying their fair share of taxes. Expanded Social Security. Investments in infrastructure and medical research and jobs right here in America. The chance to turn our back on the ugliness of hatred, sexism, racism and xenophobia. The chance to be a better people.
More than anyone we’ve seen before come within reach of the presidency, Donald Trump stands ready to tear apart an America that was built on values like decency, community, and concern for our neighbors. Many of history’s worst authoritarians started out as losers – and Trump is a serious threat. The way I see it, it’s our job to make sure he ends this campaign every bit the loser that he started it.
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Elizabeth Warren attacks Trump on Twitter
Elizabeth Warren, the prominent Massachusetts Senator who is yet to endorse either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton for president, unleashed on Donald Trump in a Twitter tirade today.
First she criticized his business credentials -- one of his main points of pride.
Let’s be honest - @realDonaldTrump is a loser. Count all his failed businesses. See how he cheated people w/ scams like Trump U.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
See how @realDonaldTrump kept his father’s empire afloat using strategic corporate bankruptcies to skip out on debt.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Listen to experts who say @realDonaldTrump might have more money today if he’d put his inheritance in an index fund & left it alone.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Then she went into his politics.
.@RealDonaldTrump knows he’s a loser. His insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, flagrant narcissism.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
But just because @realDonaldTrump is a loser everywhere else doesn’t mean he’ll lose this election.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Many of history’s worst authoritarians started out as losers – and @realDonaldTrump is a serious threat.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Maybe this is Warren saying she’ll take a more active role in the race? She’s long been floated as a VP pick for Sanders...
The way I see it, it’s our job to make sure @realDonaldTrump ends this campaign every bit the loser that he started it.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
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Want a dinner date with George Clooney and Amal Clooney?
The Clooneys are hosting a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in their Los Angeles home. George sent out an email to Clinton supporters today explaining why he supports her:
In all of this clutter, there’s been one consistent voice. A voice of tolerance and experience, from a candidate who’s spent a lifetime fighting for the rights of the less fortunate. A candidate who knows firsthand the complexity of our international relationships. That candidate is Hillary Clinton.
Look, you’re probably more likely to become president yourself than win a ticket to the dinner, but you can enter here. And as George writes “The good news is, I’m not cooking.”
We’re going to guess Amal won’t be cooking either, as she’s too busy giving speeches in the United Arab Emirates about governments needing to speak out against human rights violations.
Clooney spoke with The Guardian recently about his distaste for Donald Trump, who he calls “a xenophobic fascist,” but says he still has faith that Americans won’t vote for Trump.
Let’s put things into perspective. You know, the truth of the matter is, in election season, things go crazy, and the loudest voices are the furthest and most extreme. So you hear a massively stupid idea, like we’re going to ban Muslims from the country. Now, we’re not ever going to do that. It says in the Statue of Liberty, bring us your huddled masses. It’s not what’s going to happen.
Tunes on the campaign trail is one of our favorite topics, but this video of Donald Trump and Ben Carson awkwardly grimacing at an event in Palm Beach while someone sings the world’s worst version of Stand By Me is a truly special election music moment.
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Sanders easily wins the Democrats Abroad vote
US expats #feeltheBern, with Bernie Sanders winning decisively in the Democrats Abroad global primary.
Sanders picked up 69% of the vote of US Democrats living abroad, cinching nine delegates. Hillary Clinton won 31%, earning herself four delegates.
“This political revolution that is gaining momentum across America is now resonating all over the world,” said Sanders in a statement. “There is a clear path to victory as we begin the second half of the delegate selection process. We are waging a strong campaign and plan to take it all the way to the Democratic National Convention this summer in Philadelphia.”
Turnout was up 50% from 2008, with 34,570 US citizens in 38 countries casting their vote by internet, mail, fax, or in person.
The votes from individual countries is fascinating: Afghanistan had seven votes (2 for Clinton, 5 for Sanders), Australia had 873 votes (635 for Sanders, 237 for Clinton, 1 for Martin O’Malley), Dominican Republic went Clinton (350 for her, 53 for Sanders) and Japan is a big Sanders hotspot (1178 for him, just 176 for her). Mexico (838-545) and Russia (48-17) both leaned Sanders and the UK had the most voting US Democrats of any country (4610 votes in total, 2874 in favor of Sanders).
“DA volunteers worked around the clock and around the world over the past two weeks to verify and count every ballot cast,” said DA international secretary Julia Bryan in a press release.
After the Democrats Abroad primary, Clinton now has 1,163 delegates to Sanders’ 844. Once superdelegates are included -- party leaders who can support whomever they prefer -- Clinton’s delegate count jumps to 1,630, compared to Sanders’ 870. Remeber, it takes 2,383 delegates to seal the Democrat presidential nomination.
Tomorrow Democrats vote in Idaho, Arizona and Utah and then on Saturday in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington, with a total 173 delegates up for grabs.
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Guardian columnist, and former New York Times executive editor, Jill Abramson, recorded a Politico podcast with Glenn Thrush about the election. She chats about why people hate Hillary Clinton, how Bernie Sanders compares to other Democrat politicians from the 1970s and points out where the media stuffed up its Trump coverage.
JILL ABRAMSON: I think that it is that, at first, reporters couldn’t quite believe, like last summer, that this was a serious candidacy. It was unimaginable that Donald Trump could be president, and, you know, it just--I remember when Huffington Post said they were going to cover him in the entertainment section of their site. And, you know, I don’t think many of, you know, the legacy newspapers, which have historically led campaign reporting, that--I think many of them didn’t even have a full-time reporter--
GLENN THRUSH: That’s true.
JILL ABRAMSON: --assigned to Trump. And I think it just was unimaginable, and what I think it shows, I don’t--you know, I don’t view myself as a press critic--
GLENN THRUSH: Right.
JILL ABRAMSON: --and I don’t think that the press has either, you know, made Donald Trump or, you know, ignored him. But, you know, I think that it’s--you know, that the criticisms of the press, that it’s become too much of the elite, I feel that there’s some truth to that.
GLENN THRUSH: How so?
JILL ABRAMSON: Because so many newsrooms are filled with, you know, Ivy Leaguers like me, but a younger version, who haven’t, you know, had the time to go live in the South for a couple of years and meet people who are really different.
Clinton ends Aipac speech with calling Trump a "bully"
Clinton just finished up her Aipac speech by basically comparing Donald Trump to Hitler.
Again she didn’t mention Trump (or Hitler) by name, but she went through the GOP frontrunner’s policies and actions, talking about a politician encouraging violence, “playing coy with white supremacists,” demanding refugees get turned away because of their religion and sending away 12 million immigrants living in the US.
“We’ve had dark chapters of our history before. We remember the nearly 1000 Jews aboard the St Louis who were refused entry in 1939,” she said. The German ocean liner, with 908 Jewish refugees aboard, was forced to return to Europe.
“America should be better than this and I believe it is our responsibility as citizens to say so,” said Clinton. “If you see bigotry, oppose it. If you see violence, condemn it. If you see a bully, stand up to him.”
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Clinton sort-of addresses Donald Trump directly, noting how the USA can’t have a president who flip flops and changes their public support on Israel “because ‘everything’s negotiable’” (a key quote attributed to Trump and his views on immigration).
“Well my friends, Israel’s security is non-negotiable,” she said.
More big applause from the crowd when Clinton calls on students to speak out in support of Israel.
“Don’t let anyone bully you, or shut down debate... especially in places of learning like college or universities,” she declared.
Clinton gets thunderous applause when she says one of the first things she would do as president would be to invite the Israel prime minister to the White House. Crowd clapped for around 10 seconds straight!
Clinton warns of “outsourc[ing] Middle East security to dictators.”
“It would be a serious mistakes for the United States to abandon our responsibilities or cede the mantle of leadership of global peace and security to anyone else.”
Clinton takes to the stage, gives a big shout out to the college kids who are in the building.
“The next president will sit down at that desk and start making decisions that will affect both the lives and livelihoods of every American and the security of our friends around the world. So we have to get this right.”
Clinton is just taking to the stage now, but this preview from David Smith who is attending the event.
Expect Hillary Clinton to take some swipes at Donald Trump during an address to a pro-Israel advocacy organization in Washington coming up shortly.
Clinton is likely tell 18,000 attendees of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) policy conference on Monday that the US must never be “neutral” about defending Israel. She will also stress that the relationship with Israel is not “negotiable”, her campaign said, according to the Associated Press.
Trump broke ranks with Republican colleagues in February by saying he would be “sort of a neutral guy” on Israel and the Palestinians, describing it as the toughest deal in the world to pull off. While the US is officially neutral in the conflict, rivals such as Ted Cruz have been vehemently pro-Israel during the campaign.
The Aipac conference, taking place under hockey banners in a sports arena, is emphasising the importance of the US-Israel relationship after some difficult years under Barack Obama and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Clinton, who has aligned herself closely with Obama during the campaign, will say the next president must be a “steady hand, not unpredictable” when dealing with its allies.
The former secretary of state’s Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, bidding to become the first Jewish candidate to win a major party’s presidential nomination, will not be speaking at the event as he is on the campaign trail. But Trump, Cruz and fellow Republican John Kasich are all due to appear later today.
Trump told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he will lay out his ideas for a peace deal in his speech. South Florida rabbi Jeffrey Salkin is among a group of about 40 rabbis that plans to boycott Trump’s address, saying his appearance “poses political, moral, and even spiritual quandaries”.
As well as Israel, Cuba is also the hot foreign policy discussion of the day, thanks to President Obama’s historic visit to the Caribbean island.
Obama dropped some Spanish (“que bolá” means “what’s up/what’s good”) in his hello tweet in Havana.
¿Que bolá Cuba? Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people.
— President Obama (@POTUS) March 20, 2016
But Trump and Cruz both found a different way to argue against the trip. Cruz called it a “gaudy spectacle.”
I have a word for the people of Cuba who will witness the gaudy spectacle in Havana: America has not forgotten you: https://t.co/AiTSTraOPA
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 20, 2016
While Trump reckoned Raul Castro didn’t pay enough respect to the USA.
Wow, President Obama just landed in Cuba, a big deal, and Raul Castro wasn't even there to greet him. He greeted Pope and others. No respect
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2016
Still waiting for Clinton to start chatting at Aipac, but Observer has a good take on why it’s significant that Bernie Sanders isn’t speaking there today -- the only presidential candidate not appearing. Sanders lived on a kibbutz in Israel in the 1960s, but his political views on Israel these days are often kept quiet.
He is now, as much as he is a Democratic candidate, the leader of the progressive movement in America, and anyone in that position can’t be unequivocally pro-Israel. Many of the grassroots progressives powering Mr. Sanders’ campaign against Hillary Clinton see Israel as an imperialistic hegemon waging asymmetrical warfare against the Palestinians; the Democratic Party that views Israel as the shining beacon of democracy in the Middle East has little in common with Mr. Sanders’ most ardent fans.
Sanders offered to appear via video link but was turned down.
Hillary Clinton will soon speak at Aipac in Washington, and when she does so, you will be able to watch her here:
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Hillary Clinton’s speech at Aipac has in the way of these things been trailed to the press, and those trails suggest she is going to have a pop at one Donald J Trump, who said last week that his chief adviser on foreign policy was… himself. Here’s how the Associated Press says the former secretary of state will approach the issue:
Clinton will tell attendees … the US must never be ‘neutral’ about defending Israel. She will also stress that the relationship with Israel is not ‘negotiable’.
In February, Trump said he’d be ‘sort of a neutral guy’ on Israel, sparking criticism from Republican allies of the Jewish state. While the US is officially neutral in the Middle East conflict, [presidential candidates are] typically strongly pro-Israel.
Clinton will also say the next president must be a ‘steady hand, not unpredictable’ when dealing with allies like Israel.
As we wait for Hillary to speak, consider this: John Oliver has returned to the subject of Donald Trump, aka Donald Drumpf, this time to examine the Republican frontrunner’s proposal to build an immigrant-repelling wall on the US border with Mexico.
Like the Last Week Tonight host’s demolition of Trump’s name a couple of weeks ago, his work on the wall does not pull punches, starting with a comparison to the supposed delights of the dental dam and escalating from there to a consideration of the project’s ludicrous costs, Mexico’s rejection of Trump’s suggestion they pay for it, and much more.
It’s like getting a pet walrus. You think it’s stupid now, wait until you discover what a bucket of sea cucumbers costs. You’ve not planned for that.
For your delectation, the whole thing is here:
Welcome to another week of election madness, covered live.
Tomorrow Utah and Arizona vote in Republican and Democratic caucuses, while Democrats in Idaho hold their primary.
Mormons are traditionally big GOP supporters, but Salt Lake City is not a Donald Trump town. Current and former Utah governors are split on who to support, reports Politico, with a mix for John Kasich and Ted Cruz. Adopted son Mitt Romney declared Trump a liar and begged voters to choose Cruz. Cruz is leading in the Mormon state by 24 points.
Polls show Hillary Clinton ahead in Utah against Bernie Sanders. In Arizona, Trump and Clinton maintain double-digit leads. Sanders has a good chance in Idaho: only minor polling has been done but it shows him ahead and thousands turned up to rallies over the weekend.
After a weekend of more violence at Trump rallies – protesters blocked a road going into a Phoenix rally on Saturday and a protester was punched after another appeared dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit – the businessman will hold a press conference at 2.15pm in DC.
The Guardian’s Sam Levin is in Utah, while Paul Lewis is in Arizona.
Today also sees the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) conference in Washington. Clinton kicks off the speeches by presidential candidates, in this morning’s general session, which started at 8am.
The GOP candidates – along with House speaker Paul Ryan – will address the conference from 7pm. There was supposed to be a Fox News debate tonight, but it was cancelled after Trump pulled out last week.
David Smith is in the Aipac hall to report.
Bernie Sanders, the lone Jewish presidential candidate left in the running, is the only candidate not in attendance. Instead he’s in Boise, Idaho for a 9am rally, followed by a 1pm rally in Salt Lake City.
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