July 31, 2016

CNN host blasts Trump spokesman for robot-like ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ response about Khans

CNN’s Brian Stelter held a Donald Trump communications staffer’s feet to the fire in a Sunday morning interview, demanding Jason Miller explain why he kept avoiding his question about Trump’s response to the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in combat.

Jason Miller, senior communications adviser to the Trump campaign, was asked why Trump is now entering his third day of bickering with the Khan family, who lost Army Capt. Humayun Khan while he was serving in Iraq.

-snip-

Miller kept trying to steer the interview to “radical Islamic terrorism,” even though Stelter said there was no connection to that and his question about Trump’s response to Khan.

“Let’s get back to the broader point here,” Miller said, before Stelter cut him off and said, “Let’s not, let’s put the statement back on screen, the statement on screen says, ‘Mr. Khan has no right to say what he said.'” Stelter was referring to Trump’s statement on Saturday, which said that Khan had “no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things.”

-snip-

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/cnn-host-blasts-trump-spokesman-for-robot-like-radical-islamic-terrorism-response-about-khans/

July 31, 2016

‘White Lives Matter’ rally in New York descends into chaos as protesters brawl with neo-Nazi

A brawl erupted during a “White Lives Matter” rally Saturday afternoon in South Buffalo, New York. The neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement had called for the rally in Cazenovia Park. But, according to Buffalo News, only one neo-Nazi official showed up, white supremacist Karl Hand of Lockport, along with a handful of other supporters.

“I didn’t organize it. I was just invited to speak,” Hand, who is the chief of the Racial Nationalist Party of America, told WBFO. He plans to run for a Senate seat in New York.

More than 300 activists converged on the event to hold a counter-protest, vastly outnumbering the tiny number of White Lives Matter supporters. Video of the event showed one woman telling Hand that “nobody is going to take your sh*t in this day and age, you are sick people… the rest of the United States is going to trample you out.”

“I came to hear what (Hand) had to say. Obviously I won’t be able to do that,” Anthony Chaman complained to Syracuse.com. He added that he supports white separation but insisted he isn’t a “racist.” Buffalo Police had dozens of officers on the scene, but a fight still broke out between a man wearing a green “White Pride” t-shirt and some of the counter-protesters. His t-shirt ended up being ripped off in the scuffle.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/watch-white-lives-matter-rally-in-new-york-descends-into-chaos-as-protesters-brawl-with-neo-nazi/

July 31, 2016

California bill would prevent LGBT discrimination at religious schools

By DARCY COSTELLO, Associated Press · Saturday, July 30, 2016

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The conflict between religious freedom and gay rights has a new battleground — California‘s religious colleges and universities.

A bill moving through the Legislature would remove a longstanding exemption from anti-discrimination laws for religious institutions, potentially exposing the schools to civil rights lawsuits from students and employees.

Some schools call the measure, SB1146, an attack on their free exercise of religion and say the exemption allows them to craft campus policies in line with their faith.

Currently, religious institutions can assign housing based on sex, not gender identity, and discipline students for violating moral codes of conduct, which can include anti-transgender or strict sexuality provisions.

more
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/07/california-bill-prevent-lgbt-discrimination-religious-schools/

July 31, 2016

Political Analysts Have Discovered One Weird Trick to Stop Donald Trump This November

After months of research, political analysts have come up with a weird way to stop Donald Trump this November, and it's not what you think.

BEN COHEN JUL 29, 2016

It's called voting. So register your ass right now.

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http://thedailybanter.com/2016/07/political-analysts-have-discovered-one-weird-trick-to-stop-donald-trump-this-november/

July 31, 2016

Trump adviser: Nude photos of Melania ‘a celebration of the human body’

A Donald Trump campaign aide on Sunday dismissed the uproar over nude pictures of Trump's wife, Melania Trump, published by the New York Post.

“These were photos that are 20 years old, before Mrs. Trump met Mr. Trump,” Jason Miller said on CNN’s Reliable Sources.

“They’re a celebration of the human body as art.” Miller, Donald Trump’s senior communications adviser, said Melania Trump has “nothing to be embarrassed about. She’s a beautiful woman.”

Miller also said he did not expect the Republican presidential nominee to lash out at the newspaper. "I think Mr. Trump is a little more focused on the direction of the country and what we need to do to get it turned around," he said.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289918-trump-adviser-nude-photos-of-melania-a-celebration-of-the

July 31, 2016

Clinton: 'My heart goes out' to mothers of Americans killed in Benghazi

Source: The Hill

Hillary Clinton doesn't hold any ill feelings toward the mothers of Americans killed in the 2012 Benghazi attack who blame her for those deaths, she said Sunday.

"My heart goes out to both of them. Losing a child under any circumstance, especially in this case — two State Department employees, extraordinary men, both of them, two CIA contractors gave their lives protecting our country, our values — I understand their grief and the incredible sense of loss that can motivate that," Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Pat Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, who was killed in the attacks, said while speaking at the Republican National Convention earlier this month that she blamed Clinton personally for the death of her son.

"He was murdered by radical Islamic terrorists," she said. "I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son. "She lied to me and then called me a liar. ... She looked me squarely in the eye and told me a video was responsible." But Clinton said Sunday that grief can cause someone not to fully recall everything that was or wasn't said.

-snip-

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289905-clinton-doesnt-hold-ill-feelings-toward-mothers-who-blame

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Clinton: Emails were not classified when I sent them

Hillary Clinton on Sunday said her email communications were not classified when she sent them while secretary of State. "There were discussions and decisions made to classify retroactively certain emails," Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, said on "Fox News Sunday" of her use of a personal email server while secretary of State.

"Director Comey said my answers were truthful and consistent," with what she's said in the past, she added.

Clinton has said she never sent classified material over her personal email server, but some argue FBI Director James Comey contradicted her claim in comments to Congress earlier this month.

"I was communicating with over 300 people in my emails. They certainly did not believe and had no reason to believe what they were sending was classified," she said.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289901-clinton-emails-were-not-classified-when-i-sent-them

July 31, 2016

Trump: Romney lost in 2012 because of tax returns

Source: The Hill

Donald Trump said on Sunday that Mitt Romney lost the presidential race in 2012 because of his tax returns.

"He waited 'til September to give 'em, just before the election. They made him look so bad. It was so unfair," Trump said of the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee on ABC's This Week. "I actually think he didn't lose because of the 47 percent [comments]. I think he lost because of a couple of really minor items in a tax return, where he did nothing wrong. ... It is unfair."

Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, reiterated that he will release his tax returns after the Internal Revenue Service completes an audit, even though the agency has said he can make them public while an audit is underway.

Host George Stephanopoulos pushed back, saying past returns that aren't being audited could be released."Yeah, but they're all linked," Trump said. "It's called the link. If my audit's finished, that's great."

-snip-

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289898-trump-romney-lost-in-2012-because-of-tax-returns

July 31, 2016

Trump campaign will meet with presidential debate commission over schedule

Source: The Hill

Donald Trump's campaign chief said on Sunday that the campaign plans to meet with the Commission on Presidential Debates to sort out issues with the debate schedule.

Trump has voiced concern that two of the presidential debates collide with NFL games even though the schedule has been set since September.

"We're just saying our position is we want the maximum audience participation," Paul Manafort said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

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Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289913-trump-campaign-will-meet-with-presidential-debate

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RNC chairman: We'll support Trump on debate schedule protest

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus said he will stand by Donald Trump in his protest of the presidential debate schedule. "We're not going to agree with anything our nominee doesn't agree with," Priebus said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"We're not going to be having debates on Saturday and Sunday night."

Trump, the GOP's presidential nominee, has expressed concerns that two of the debate dates collide with NFL games. The schedule, in place since last September, was set by a bipartisan presidential debate commission. "Certainly, the RNC is going to be involved in supporting our nominee and his position on this," Priebus said, suggesting the debates take place on a Tuesday, Thursday or Wednesday nights instead.

Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort also said on "Face the Nation" Sunday that the campaign will meet with the commission to discuss alternatives.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289914-rnc-chairman-well-support-trump-on-debate-schedule

July 31, 2016

Sanders on sour face during Clinton speech: 'I always have that look on my face'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he may have appeared angry during Hillary Clinton's presidential nomination acceptance speech during the Democratic National Convention, but his face always looks like that.

"I always have that look on my face. That's nothing new," Sanders said on CBS's Face the Nation. "I am not always the smiling kind of guy."

Many noticed Sanders looked angry during the speech, including Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

"The dishonest media didn't mention that Bernie Sanders was very angry looking during Crooked's speech. He wishes he didn't make that deal!" Trump tweeted Thursday.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289911-sanders-on-sour-face-during-clinton-speech-i-always-have

July 31, 2016

Trump vows Putin is ‘not going into Ukraine’ — two years after Russia annexed Crimea

Source: RawStory

In an interview with ABC News, which aired in full length Sunday morning, This Week host George Stephanopoulos grilled GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump over his relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

-snip-

“He’s not going into Ukraine, okay, just so you understand,” Trump responded. “He’s not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want.”

Stephanopoulos then pointed out that Putin is “already there” and noted Trump had said he’d consider recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea if he were elected president. Trump said he’d “take a look at” the Russian take-over of Crimea but then made a pro-Kremlin talking point.

“But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were,” Trump said. “And you have to look at that, also. Now, that was under– just so you understand, that was done under Obama’s administration.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/trump-vows-putin-is-not-going-into-ukraine-two-years-after-russia-annexed-crimea/

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short video of interview at link, above