State Department releases thousands of Clinton emails, 125 contain classified information
Published September 01, 2015
FoxNews.com
The State Department released thousands of pages of Hillary Clinton’s emails Monday night that a department spokesman said contained 125 messages with material now considered classified.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the emails in question were “subsequently upgraded” to classified. He stressed that none of the emails was considered classified at the time.
However, the sheer number of emails that have been redacted stands as the latest example of how much sensitive material was contained in Clinton’s email transactions. The FBI is conducting an investigation into whether classified information that passed through Clinton’s so-called “homebrew” server was mishandled. Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The emails with redacted sections discussed global issues in countries from Haiti to China to Sudan.
One April 2010 email from Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin containing a report from then-ambassador to China Jon Huntsman was redacted entirely, while a message from that September about “calls” Clinton said she was willing to make regarding trilateral talks over Sudan was likewise blacked out.
Other classified emails contain discussions about a potential presidential election in Haiti, meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials regarding aid to Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in that country, discussions of a conversation between the Russian and American ambassadors to the United Nations, and elections for the presidency of the International Development Bank,
In all, the State Department said that 7,121 pages of emails from the former secretary of state’s personal email server had been made public — the largest such release to date.
“We’re producing more documents this month than we have produced in the previous three releases,” Toner had said earlier Monday.
The billionaire businessman and reality TV star cemented his standing as the GOP frontrunner in August, kicking off the month with a feisty and unapologetic debate performance and closing it out with direct attacks to Jeb Bush.
He heads into the fall with momentum after having orchestrated what Republicans are describing as a months-long clinic in the race for the presidential nomination.
Trump is leading in the polls; blanketing the airwaves; relishing the role of attack dog against his opponents and the media, and forcing the other candidates to adapt to a race that’s being run on his terms.
He has perfected a style and message that resonates with the conservative base’s long-simmering frustration with party leadership. And he’s owned the hot-button issue of immigration, successfully driving the policy discussion to the right.
While Trump finished the month of July atop the polls nationally, few political watchers took his rise seriously.
The hot weather and limited rainfall has led to a big increase in water use for irrigating. At the same time, the rainfall and groundwater status as monitored by NJDEP has recently been downgraded from “near normal” to “moderately dry.” Stage I restrictions have not moderated the water demand enough to maintain reserves for firefighting and other emergencies, so Ridgewood Water is implementing Stage II restrictions. Stage II limits the use of water for irrigation to two days per week. If your street address is an odd number, you may irrigate on Tuesdays and Saturdays only. If your street address is an even number, you may irrigate on Wednesdays and Sundays only. A hand held hose may be used at any time. No irrigation is allowed on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays except for a hand held hose.
We appreciate your cooperation in conserving this vital, shared resource.
*Please DISREGARD the notice published in the Village Calendar about Water restrictions ending in September. Stage II Water Restrictions remain until further notice.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Saturday that if he were elected president he would combat illegal immigration by creating a system to track foreign visitors the way FedEx tracks packages.
Mr. Christie, who is far back in the pack of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, said at a campaign event in New Hampshire that he would ask the chief executive of FedEx, Frederick W. Smith, to devise the tracking system.
Immigration has become a top issue in the Republican campaign, with the front-runner, Donald J. Trump, having vowed to deport the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country and to build a wall along the United States’ southern border.
“At any moment, FedEx can tell you where that package is. It’s on the truck. It’s at the station. It’s on the airplane,” Mr. Christie told the crowd in Laconia, N.H. “Yet we let people come to this country with visas, and the minute they come in, we lose track of them.”
He added: “We need to have a system that tracks you from the moment you come in.”
He said 40 percent of illegal immigrants are allowed into the United States legally with a visa and then stay longer than their visa allows.
If you’re having trouble understanding the phenomenal rise of Donald Trump, buck up — you’re not alone. Even political pros are dumbfounded.
They were shocked when the reality-TV star and businessman first grabbed the lead in national GOP polls. Now they’re double shocked as he soars in primary states, grabbing a 24-point lead in New Hampshire and a 15-point lead in South Carolina.
In one survey, Trump more than doubled his favorability ratings among Republicans in a single month, from 20 percent to 52 percent. The Hill newspaper called the turnaround “political magic” and the poll’s director, Patrick Murray of Monmouth University, called it “astounding.”
“That defies any rule in presidential politics that I’ve ever seen,” Murray told The Hill.
Other pollsters made similar comments, but a closer look shows an explanation. I call it the Pendulum Factor.
It reflects the fact that the legacy of each president includes the political climate he leaves behind. In plain English, Barack Obama’s most important failures as a leader begat Donald Trump’s success.
A favorable legacy among voters generally means the public wants more of the same in the next president. The clearest example is that Vice President George H.W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan in 1988, an election widely regarded as Reagan’s third term.
On the other hand, George W. Bush narrowly defeated Vice President Al Gore in 2000, a disputed election that was nonetheless seen as a repudiation of the scandal-scarred Bill Clinton era.
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on August 29, 2015 at 8:30 AM, updated August 29, 2015 at 9:34 AM
TRENTON — New Jersey’s faltering public-sector retirement system would be swamped by new pension liabilities if the state Supreme Court strikes down cuts to retirees’ pension benefits, the state Senate president said this week.
Those cuts were a critical piece of a 2011 overhaul of government worker benefits expected to save tens of billions of dollars over the coming decades. A group of retired state workers brought a lawsuit against the state challenging a freeze on cost-of-living adjustments in their pension payouts.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) told The Star-Ledger’s editorial board Thursday that a victory for the retirees and the restoration of COLAs would bankrupt the pension system, but he predicts the state will prevail.
“I don’t think they win it, to be honest with you. And I think it would cause the bankruptcy of the pension system,” he said.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says he is leading the GOP race because he represents Americans who have had it with their nation coming up short.
“People in this country are smart,” he told listeners at the National Federation of Republican Assemblies’ 2015 conference in Nashville on Saturday.
“We’re tired of being the patsies for everyone,” Trump said.
“There is a big, big, growing-by-leaps-and-bounds silent majority out there. [The 2016 race] is going to be an election based on competence.”
Trump argued he is surging in national polls because he represents the Tea Party supporters ignored by Democrats and betrayed by Republicans.
“I love the Tea Party,” Trump said. “You people have not been treated fairly. These are people who work hard and love their country, and then get beat up by the media. It’s disgusting.”
“At least I have a microphone and can fight back,” the outspoken billionaire added.
They’re the pundits’ front-runners, but they’re at odds with a restless electorate.
BY JOSH KRAUSHAAR
August 27, 2015 By focusing so much on the candidates, consultants, and donors in political coverage, it’s easy to overlook the most important element in the political process—the voters. And at a time when Washington has prospered but much of the country has struggled, it’s easy to forget just how disaffected the American electorate is. For nearly all of the past decade, Americans have consistently believed that the country was headed in the wrong direction and have grown alienated from their elected leaders.
Consider: Since 2006, there have only been seven public polls (out of thousands) showing that more people believe the country is generally headed in the right direction than the wrong direction. In recent years, the “right-track” optimists have rarely hit even the 30 percent mark. In the year before the two most recent open presidential elections (2008/2016), nearly three-quarters of voters surveyed in theNBC/Wall Street Journal poll said they wanted the next president to take a different approach than his or her predecessor.
It has been a dismal decade for most Americans. Whether it’s government incompetence (Hurricane Katrina, the Veterans Affairs’ deadly lapses in medical care), economic recession followed by a slow recovery, deadly struggles in managing post-war Iraq, or the increasing threat of terrorism from a brutally repressive enemy, there’s been good reason for voters to distrust their government and its political representatives. Indeed, since 2006, we’ve seen wave elections occur in four out of the past five cycles. Democrats capitalized on the public’s anger to take back control of Congress in 2006 only to hit historic lows in representation across the country eight years later. If the United States had a parliamentary system, the government would be facing routine votes of no confidence.
So it’s no surprise that this year’s presidential campaign has been as unpredictable as ever. That happens when voters feel that government isn’t working for them, and they’ve been feeling that way for nearly 10 straight years. In past elections during times of voter alienation, the unexpected happens. In 1976, the first campaign after Watergate and amid rising crime and inflation, a little-known Georgia governor (Jimmy Carter) came out of nowhere to win the Democratic nomination and the presidency. That same year, a Republican president (Gerald Ford) was nearly unseated by a conservative insurgent (Ronald Reagan) that few pundits took seriously at first. In 1992, in the middle of a recession, Democrats chose a fresh-faced Arkansas governor (Bill Clinton) while Republicans saw a populist (Pat Buchanan) threaten their president (George H.W. Bush) in early primaries—with a billionaire winning 19 percent of the vote running as a third-party candidate (Ross Perot).
WASHINGTON — The polls show Donald Trump is for real, and on Thursday, he set out to prove his hair is, too.
In his latest dizzying performance, the billionaire real-estate mogul defended his famous mane after The New York Times quoted a Spanish-language radio host who mocked him for supposedly wearing a hairpiece.
“I don’t wear a toupee. It’s my hair,” Trump told a South Carolina crowd of 1,800 during a free-association speech, as he gently brushed the front of his hair with his hand.
“You have to do an inspection — this is getting crazy,” Trump continued, to laughter. At that point, he invited a local woman on stage for an up-close exam.
She strode to the podium, scrutinized the top of Trump’s head as he leaned over and delivered the verdict: “Yes, I believe it is.”
It was just the latest in a growing body of evidence: An Iowa radio host rubbed Trump’s hair in January to confirm its authenticity
5:41 PM ET5:41PM ET
By Patrick Healy and Maggie Haberman
MINNEAPOLIS – Martin O’Malley had one clear chance to make waves within the Democratic National Committee, and he seized it, delivering a fiery speech Friday that condemned his party’s leadership for what he called a process “rigged” to help Hillary Rodham Clinton — namely, curtailing the number of presidential primary debates.
Accusing party leaders of trying to keep Democratic ideas hidden as the Republican presidential candidates spew “racist hate” from their debate lecterns, Mr. O’Malley, the former Maryland governor and mayor of Baltimore, questioned the decision to hold “four debates and four debates only” before the first four states finish voting.
“This is totally unprecedented in our party’s history,” Mr. O’Malley said. “This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before. Whose decree is it exactly? Where did it come from? To what end? For what purpose? What national or party interest does this decree serve? How does this help us tell the story of the last eight years of Democratic progress?”
While Mr. O’Malley never named the party’s chairwoman, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, his remarks about the debates were clearly aimed at her – and she sat looking grim throughout, barely clapping, and appeared angry when she shook his hand once he finished.
He did not name Mrs. Clinton in his speech, either, but Mr. O’Malley was asked afterward if he thought the debate schedule had been arranged for her benefit. “Yes, I think so. Don’t you?” he replied.
Recently Hillary Clinton had a fairly contentious conversation with Black Lives Matter activists in New Hampshire. At times she seemed to lecture and at others she was obviously down right annoyed.
“You can keep the movement going,” Clinton urged, “and through it, you may change actually some hearts, but if that’s all that happens, we’ll be back in 10 years having the same conversation because we will not have all of the changes that you deserve to have because of your willingness to talk about this.”
At one point during the 15-minute discussion, Clinton pointed: “I believe you change laws, you change allocation of resources, you change the way systems operate.”
It was obvious Clinton strongly disagreed with the methodology of the Black Lives Matter activists. With her dismissive nods and disgruntled looks, the divide between the activists and Clinton was evident, and should be a cause of concern for the Democratic Party and its presidential hopefuls.
Blacks vote heavily Democratic and are a stronghold for the Democratic Party. However, with the recent deaths of unarmed African-Americans, Black Lives Matter has grown into a national movement. The movement has increased awareness and political activism among young African-Americans with chapters sprouting up across the country.
It’s apparent from my vantage point behind the microphone that if you’re even remotely glossy-eyed by presidential coverage in the media, you’d better buy some eye drops. The panorama of candidate content, communications and messaging is barely on the horizon, and soon to be in full view as the Iowa caucus and primaries in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada come into focus.
Maneuvering through the gauntlet of opinions, I’m finding a consistency remains in deep-rooted support for presidential candidate Donald Trump.
People love Trump. They deem him a saving grace. He’s the proverbial Hercules and America’s problems are the labors to pursue and slay. He is riding a wave of popularity so profound even the sharks are curbing their taste.
In light of the Trump sensation, it may be appropriate, or at least instructive, to delineate what my radio listeners embrace from Trump’s message.
Here are five reasons why Trump appears to be the candidate to beat:
1. He doesn’t need to bluff. Trump has such confidence that he’s the kind of player who doesn’t bluff in a poker game. While this feels counterintuitive to a winning strategy, particularly in an age of baby-kissing politicians who thrive on placation over results, it’s actually refreshing. His candor builds respect. Radio listeners are extolling day after day the fact Trump is transparent to a fault, from his stances on immigration to foreign relations. Even his faults are steadily accepted and adopted. Poll Americans on who they like better: Trump vs. Univision reporter Jorge Ramos, actress Rosie O’Donnell, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), blogger Erick Erickson, pollster Frank Luntz or even columnist George Will, and the New York businessman will be on top every time by double digits.
2. He can’t be intimidated. Forget his multibillion dollar net worth. Push aside his armada of contacts and networking forged over decades. One of the strongest resonating dimensions to Trump is grit and tenacity. Super-PAC coffers of more than $100 million, compliments of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United case, don’t dissuade or cower Trump. He has access to the same level of resources. Political titles and legislative chevrons glimmering with laws passed in Congress don’t make Trump blink, because he’s been the donor sought after by many of these same politicians now running against him. From connections to chits, deep roots in business to opponents with far less resources, competitors simply can’t match Trump’s popularity. As one caller to the show recently bemused, compare Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) student loans or Gov. Scott Walker’s (R-Wis.) personal debt to Trump’s acumen and portfolio, and it’s almost like petulant children are competing against their successful, prominent father.
3. Out with political correctness. Build a wall to block illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America while deporting what he calls “anchor babies” and their families; impugn Russian, Chinese and South American leaders despite inextricably linked economies with the U.S.; hobble castigators who choose insults and fodder over substance in debates and interviews. It’s almost like describing a Roman general or martyr of a revolution, yet it’s a precise portrayal of Trump. His wherewithal is opening the eyes of Americans to the incompetence of our government. Callers remind me nearly every show that they want solutions, not sensationalism. They seek commonsense policies, not sound bites. My callers think Megyn Kelly was rude in her Fox News debate questions. They resoundingly believe Ramos deserved his fast-and-furious escort out of the recent Iowa press conference. They concur that chest-pounders like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) do, in fact, need to be taken down a notch on the hubris ladder. From race to gender to economic principles, Trump’s stark opinions are catching the attention of the public, and they can’t stop staring — in a good way. This isn’t a painted breast in Manhattan, but the cold, hard truth about America being broken, and a journeyman blessed with the right tools to “get ‘er done” and make repairs.
4. He’s reinvigorating America across the political spectrum. Like a Lee Greenwood or Johnny Cash song, Trump is traveling from the lakes to the fields to the cities of America, and he’s definitely been everywhere — and isn’t stopping. The media follow his path; opponents emulate his narrative; the electorate revels in the freshness of a candidate diagnosing what ails us and offering painful but necessary remedies. As for radio talk show listeners, be it the libertarian free marketer, Tea Party stalwart, open-minded Republican or smidgeon of moderate Democrats, Trump’s ascension in public support isn’t just vertical, but also lateral from right to middle to left in partisan affiliation. As one listener messaged last month, President Obama’s initial campaign maxims of “hope” and “yes we can” were just that: maxims, that never came to fruition. It appears Trump’s legacy may be following through with his promises, and that expectation appears to have awakened the American ethos.
5. Finally, a business-centric leader who is comfortable making decisions. A fan of the show recently commented that Trump can win the race for the presidency by naming his vice president and Cabinet members in the next few months, rather than after a Republican nomination. The logic is that building a team of experts who will manage the operations of the nation, as part of a campaign platform, is superior to generalities and wishful thinking. Trump’s business acumen is proven. Callers are alluding to the fact that he isn’t afraid of the media, nor does he use the crutch of notes and prepared speeches. He’s a negotiator, not a political puppet. He’s a dealmaker who thrives in the hot seat of a boardroom. Logic suggests he’ll be the same in foreign negotiations or hunkered down in a military command center. Trump doesn’t “blink,” in the Malcolm Gladwell context
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Planning Board or the Shade Tree Commission.
The Planning Board reviews site plans and subdivision applications; prepares, adopts, and amends the Master Plan; makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding amendments to developmental regulations and the official map.
The Shade Tree Commission works closely with the Parks and Recreation Department, the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Green Team to promote awareness and education of the residents as well as advise and provide recommendations to the Village Council in promoting and sustaining a safe and productive shade tree resource. Members will preferably have forestry or tree backgrounds or hold the designation of a certified Arborist.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Heather Mailander, Village Clerk
Village of Ridgewood
131 North Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07451
shington (CNN)Vice President Joe Biden fares better against top GOP candidates in hypothetical general election match-ups than Hillary Clinton, according to a new national survey.
The Quinnipiac University poll, released Thursday, also shows Donald Trump smashing the GOP presidential competition garnering 28% support from registered Republican voters in the 17-member field. The real estate mogul’s closest competitor is retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who tallies 12%.
Just 7% said they would vote for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a record low since November 2013.
Those results show just how far both Trump — now the Republican front-runner — and Bush — the old one — have come. Bush led national polls for much of the first half of 2015, but was quickly dislodged by Trump, after he announced his presidential ambitions this June.
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida both are tied with Bush at 7%, the polls shows, with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 6% and former tech CEO Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich tied at 5%.
“Donald Trump soars; Ben Carson rises; Jeb Bush slips and some GOP hopefuls seem to disappear,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the survey. “Trump proves you don’t have to be loved by everyone, just by enough Republicans to lead the GOP pack.”
And Trump certainly isn’t loved by everyone, the survey shows. About 1-in-4 GOP voters say they would never vote for Trump, topping the field. Bush comes in second with 18%.
Clinton still leads the Democratic race at 45% support from registered Democrats, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 22% and Biden — who is currently mulling a 2016 bid — at 18%.
But Biden, currently sporting the highest favorability rating among any 2016 candidates polled of either party, tops Trump 48% to 40%, compared to Clinton, who beats Trump 45% to 41%. Biden also beats Bush, 45% to 39%, compared to Clinton, who beats Bush 42% to 40%.
As the vice president edges toward a presidential run, is he banking on further public disclosures to discredit the frontrunner?
YONI APPELBAUM
AUG 26, 2015
As Joe Biden edges closer to a presidential run, there’s no shortage of theories as to what he’s up to. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has built a commanding lead in the national polls, giving Biden little apparent space to gain traction. Perhaps he’s counting on the early-primary state of South Carolina to provide a critical boost. He might be banking on appearing as a stronger general-election candidate than any of his potential rivals in the primary race. Maybe after spending the past 42 years of his life running for elective office, he just can’t stop.
But there’s one intriguing theory that has so far garnered little attention: What if Biden knows something about Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton that the rest of us don’t?
After jumping to what seemed a prohibitively large early lead, Clinton has stumbled in recent months. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, hardly the most charismatic politician, has emerged as a viable challenger, generating enormous enthusiasm on the campaign trail, and surging ahead in polling averages in New Hampshire.
