#Michael Pittman extension | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

patriotsnet · 3 years ago

Text

What Are The Republicans Saying About Impeachment

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-are-the-republicans-saying-about-impeachment/

What Are The Republicans Saying About Impeachment

Partisans Express Little Or No Confidence In The Senators On The Other Side Of The Aisle To Be Fair And Reasonable During Impeachment Trial

About four-in-ten say that Republicans in the Senate will be at least somewhat fair and reasonable during the trial, with just 17% saying they are very confident GOP senators will do this. Slightly more expect Democratic senators to be at least somewhat fair, though just 18% say they are very confident in this.

Opinions about the behavior of senators during the trial are similar to views about how House Republicans and Democrats would conduct themselves during the impeachment inquiry in a survey conducted in October.

As in October, these views largely fall along partisan lines. Most Republicans and Republican leaners say they are at least somewhat confident in Senate Republicans to be fair. By contrast, 85% of Republicans express little or no confidence in Democrats in the Senate – with 53% saying they are not at all confident.

Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, 78% are at least somewhat confident in Democrats to be fair during the trial, while 84% have little or no confidence in Senate Republicans – including 52% who express no confidence at all.

Only about one-in-ten Americans express at least some confidence that both parties will act fairly. About three-in-ten express confidence in Republican senators, but not confidence in Democrats and 36% are confident in Democrats, but not Republicans. One-in-five Americans are not too confident or not at all confident that either Republicans or Democrats will act fairly and reasonably during the impeachment trial.

In Trump’s 2019 Impeachment Trial Romney Was The Only Republican Who Voted To Convict Already Six Times That Many Have Broken With The Ex

A second defendant has stepped into the dock in this first week of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. The brilliant work by the House managers contrasted with the inept showing by the former president’s counsel so far leaves no good excuse for anything other than a conviction. That one-sidedness puts the U.S. Senate itself on trial, threatening serious reputational, career and historical consequences for senators who fail do the right thing — vote to convict Trump.

As a trial lawyer who served as co-counsel for the first impeachment of then-President Trump, I had been expecting surprises and there were many. The House managers enlivened what was supposed to be a constitutional debate Tuesday by previewing their main argument: that Trump knowingly incited the insurrectionists. It’s amazing that Trump’s lawyers were caught off guard by this. We did the same thing in the 2019 impeachment trial, using the opening debate over whether to call witnesses to preview the entire case. Nevertheless, Trump’s counsel were thrown into confusion — they both showed it and one admitted that they’ll “have to do better.”

Capitol Police Chief Apologizes For Security Failures During The Assault Including A Delay In Calling For Guard Troops

The acting chief of the Capitol Police apologized to Congress on Tuesday for the agency’s extensive security failures on Jan. 6, acknowledging during a closed-door briefing that the department knew there was a “strong potential for violence” but failed to take adequate steps to prevent what she described as a “terrorist attack.”

Yogananda D. Pittman, the acting chief of police, also confirmed that the Capitol Police Board, an obscure panel made up of three voting members, had initially declined a request two days earlier for National Guard troops and then delayed for more than an hour as the violence unfolded on Jan. 6 before finally agreeing to a plea from the Capitol Police for National Guard troops, according to prepared testimony obtained by The New York Times.

In an extraordinary admission, Chief Pittman, who was not the acting chief at the time of the siege, told members of the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees funding for the agency, that the Capitol Police “failed to meet its own high standards as well as yours.” She added, “I am here to offer my sincerest apologies on behalf of the department.” Chief Pittman’s predecessor, Steven Sund, resigned after the riot.

Chief Pittman’s comments offered the fullest detailed account to date about police preparations for Jan. 6, when thousands of angry protesters, believing false claims that the election had been stolen, marched on the Capitol at the behest of former President Donald J. Trump.

While Most Republicans Are Likely To Vote To Acquit The Former President A Handful Of Votes Appear To Be In Play

@Rubinations

Former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on a charge of inciting the riot at the Capitol Jan. 6 begins with the battle lines clearly drawn. The partisan math makes it unlikely there will be the 67 votes necessary for a conviction. But at least a handful of Republican senators do appear to be in play to join what will likely be all the Democrats in voting to convict.

Forty-four of the Senate’s 50 Republicans voted Tuesday that the trial was unconstitutional because Mr. Trump has left office. Most legal experts disagree with that argument, but it was embraced by both the Trump defense team and even senators who believe he bears some responsibility for the riot, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Here are the most important Republican senators to watch during the second Trump impeachment trial.

Sen. Mitt Romney

Sen. Susan Collins

Ms. Collins has long held Trump at arm’s-length, especially when running successfully for a fifth term last year. Ms. Collins frequently falls back on a refrain that as a juror she can’t comment on impeachment proceedings until she gets to hear from the prosecution and the defense, but she has sharply criticized Trump’s conduct. “He incited them in the first place” and later failed to quell the violence by his supporters “by repeating his grievances and telling the rioters that he knew how they felt,” she wrote in a first-person account of Jan. 6 for the Bangor Daily News.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Among Gop Views Of Whether Trump Has Behaved Illegally Or Unethically Are Associated With Opinions On Removal

Among the two-thirds of Republicans who say Trump has definitely or probably not done things that are illegal, nearly all say that he should remain in office following the Senate trial. While a majority of the 32% of Republicans who say Trump has likely done illegal things either during the campaign or while in office also say he should remain in office , about four-in-ten say the president should be removed from office.

Janet Yellen The First Woman To Be Treasury Secretary Is Sworn In By The First Woman To Be Vice President

Janet L. Yellen was sworn in as the secretary of the Treasury Department on Tuesday by Vice President Kamala Harris, a history-making moment as both are the first women to hold two of the most powerful jobs in the United States government.

Ms. Yellen is the nation’s 78th Treasury secretary and the first woman to head the institution in its 232-year history. She is also the first woman to have held all three top economic jobs in the government, having served as chair of the Federal Reserve and the Council of Economic Advisers.

She is taking the job at a time of economic crisis, with millions still out of work and the recovery slowing as the coronavirus persists. Ms. Yellen will quickly be thrust into fraught negotiations over how to design and pass a robust stimulus package to help revive an economy that has been hammered by the pandemic.

Standing outside the White House, Ms. Yellen took the oath of office with her husband, the economist George Akerlof, and her son by her side. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Ms. Harris said, “Congratulations, Madam Secretary,” to which Ms. Yellen replied, “Thank you, Madam Vice President.”

Ms. Yellen said on Twitter that she was proud to be joining the Treasury Department and described the field of economics, and the agency’s mission, as one that can “right past wrongs and improve people’s lives.”

transcript

Capitol Riot Investigation Will Slow As Officials Work To Build More Complicated Cases Justice Dept Says

Justice Department officials said on Tuesday that the fast-moving federal investigation into the assault on the Capitol is expected to slow as investigators turn their attention to more complex matters such as conspiracy and sedition cases, the investigation into the death of Officer Brian D. Sicknick of the Capitol Police and violent attacks on members of the press.

In the 20 days since rioters stormed the Capitol, the F.B.I. has received over 200,000 digital media tips and identified more than 400 suspects. Federal prosecutors quickly charged 150 criminal cases, many of which have now been elevated to felonies.

But the manhunt and investigation is expected to “reach a period of a plateau,” said Michael R. Sherwin, the U.S. attorney in Washington, as investigators shift from identifying and rounding up individuals to putting together more complicated conspiracy cases related to possible coordination among militia groups and individuals from different states who had planned to travel to the Capitol and engage in criminal conduct before the attack.

“We have to have the proper evidence to charge these, and we’re going to get it,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, the F.B.I. assistant deputy in charge of the Washington field office. “All these cases are not based upon social media and Twitter and Instagram posts. We also have traditional law enforcement tools we need to use — grand jury subpoenas search warrants — and you don’t get that overnight.”

Senator Patrick Leahy 80 Is Briefly Hospitalized As A Precaution After He Reported Feeling Unwell

Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the longest-serving senator and the president pro tempore, was briefly taken to a hospital in Washington for observation early Tuesday evening after he reported not feeling well, his spokesman said. He returned home a few hours later after an evaluation.

Mr. Leahy, whose position in the Senate puts him third in line for the presidency, oversaw the start of the impeachment proceedings against former President Donald J. Trump earlier on Tuesday. At 80, Mr. Leahy is one of the oldest senators and has served in the Senate since 1975.

After he reported not feeling well in his office, Mr. Leahy “was examined in the Capitol by the attending physician,” said David Carle, the spokesman. “Out of an abundance of caution, the attending physician recommended that he be taken to a local hospital for observation, where he is now, and where he is being evaluated.”

Mr. Leahy was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he received tests and “a thorough examination” before being released, Mr. Carle said.

The senator “looks forward to getting back to work,” Mr. Carle said.

Mr. Leahy has received both vaccine shots for the coronavirus, and it was unclear what his symptoms were.

Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and Mr. Leahy’s predecessor as president pro tempore, was among those who wished Mr. Leahy well in a tweet Tuesday evening.

Republicans Have Questioned The Constitutionality Of The Trial To Prevent It From Moving Forward

Day one of Trump’s second impeachment trial was primarily focused on debates about its constitutionality, since Republicans have increasingly argued that it’s unconstitutional to try a former president — even though most legal scholars disagree, a fact Democratic House impeachment managers emphasized Tuesday.

As Vox’s Ian Millhiser has explained, a majority of legal scholars have concluded that holding an impeachment trial for a former president would be constitutional. However, the precedent for how to handle the impeachment of a former government official is less clear: In 1876, Secretary of War William Belknap faced a Senate trial after he had already resigned, and though a majority voted to proceed with the trial, two-thirds did not vote to convict, with multiple lawmakers citing concerns about the proceedings’ constitutionality.

The House impeachment managers and Trump’s counsel presented their respective arguments on this matter Tuesday, with Democrats emphasizing that impeachment is still viable for officials who’ve left office because the Constitution’s authors intended it as a way to ensure accountability, while Trump’s attorneys tried to paint the trial as a partisan effort for political gain.

Trump won’t be convicted. Impeachment is still worth it.

Ultimately, as the result of the final constitutionality vote suggests, their arguments seemed only to reaffirm where senators, on both sides of the aisle, already stood.

Gop Senators Signal They Plan To Acquit Trump Despite Visceral Presentation By House Democrats

The House impeachment managers presented senators with videos of their colleagues fleeing a pro-Trump mob, which breached the US Capitol shouting “stop the steal.” They showed the rioters searching for then-Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and rummaging through the senators’ desks on the chamber floor.

Some of the Trump supporters were dressed in tactical gear, armed with zip-ties. Others held Trump 2020 flags, broke windows with poles and set up a gallows for Pence, who was constitutionally obligated to oversee the certification of the 2020 presidential election, and the peaceful transfer of power to the Democrats.

Key moments from the second day of Trump’s impeachment trial

But even after witnessing the deadly violence firsthand, and being reminded of it again at the scene of the crime, many Republican senators appeared no closer on Wednesday to convicting former President Donald Trump on the charge of “incitement of insurrection.”

While they were struck by the impeachment managers’ presentation, these Republicans said that the House Democrats did not prove Trump’s words led to the violent actions. They compared the January 6 riot to last summer’s racial justice protests and criticizedhow the trial is being handled.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he couldn’t believe “we could lose the Capitol like that” but added that it didn’t change his mind on whether to acquit Trump during the trial.

How will GOP senators ignore this?

Others were clearly moved.

Biden Calls Putin To Discuss Navalny Government Hack Ukraine And Malign Actions By Russia

President Biden called President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday to address a long list of grievances — from the hacking of U.S. federal agencies, to the poisoning and detention of the Russian dissident Aleksei A. Navalny as well as a host of other “malign actions by Russia,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said.

Mr. Biden struck a more confrontational tone — a sharp break from former President Donald J. Trump’s chummy approach to Mr. Putin — committing to the protection of Ukraine’s “sovereignty,” and pressing for the extension of the New Start treaty for five years, which would limit both countries to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear weapons.

“President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies,” according to a White House readout of the conversation. “The two presidents agreed to maintain transparent and consistent communication going forward.”

When Mr. Biden was asked at an event at the White House on Tuesday what Mr. Putin had to say, the president joked, “He sends his best!”

Mr. Biden attacked Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin with abandon during the 2020 campaign. But although he was able to mock Mr. Trump’s relationship with the Russian leader when he was a candidate, as president he must keep the peace between uneasy nuclear rivals.

But he quickly pivoted to the need for cooperation in “mutual self-interest,” and the treaty.

transcript

Lloyd Austin The New Defense Secretary Prepares To Address Sexual Assault In The Military

After years of failure to curb the scourge of sexual assault in the military, Lloyd J. Austin III, the new secretary of defense, is open to to how those crimes are prosecuted, a potential sea change that generations of commanders have resisted.

Overhauling the way the military handles sexual assault cases — by taking them outside the chain of command and assigning them to prosecutors with no connection to the accused — would need approval by Congress, where some legislators have long pushed for such a system.

President Biden has been a vocal proponent of these changes, even as general after general has gone to Capitol Hill to argue against them over the past decade. “I had a real run-in with one of the members of the Joint Chiefs in the cabinet room on the issue,” Mr. Biden said last year at a fund-raiser.

Mr. Austin’s first act as secretary was to order a review of how the Pentagon has been handling sexual assault cases. He is also being pushed by Congress. Senators repeatedly asked him how he planned to handle the problems of sexual harassment and assault in the military during his confirmation hearing this month.

If Mr. Austin, a retired four-star army general, were to embrace these changes, he would be the first secretary to do so, a major shift in position for the Pentagon.

The Capitol Attack Wasnt A False Flag Gop Officials Continue To Spread The Theory Anyway

In the hours after supporters of President Donald J. Trump engaged in a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, some Republicans began advancing a fantastical alternative theory: that the attack was actually led by far-left activists trying to frame Republicans.

The outlandish claims have been widely discredited by the authorities, and some of the faces in the Capitol crowd were recognizable right-wing figures. The numerous arrests since the assault have overwhelmingly involved devoted Trump supporters and far-right adherents. But despite the clear evidence, the so-called false flag theory continues to persist in Republican circles.

Last week, the Oregon Republican Party passed a resolution falsely claiming that there was “growing evidence that the violence at the Capitol was a ‘false flag’ operation designed to discredit President Trump, his supporters and all conservative Republicans.” Bill Currier, the chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, said in a video discussion that state party officials were working with counterparts across the country to “coordinate our messaging” around the Capitol attack, the response to it and the continuing efforts to impeach the president.

Mr. Currier said other states would be adopting similar resolutions. “There will be many states doing this,” Mr. Currier said. “We’re not the only ones.”

Most Senate Republicans Back Measure Saying Trump Impeachment Trial Is Unconstitutional

Dareh Gregorian

Senate Republicans voted Tuesday for a measure that would have declared the impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump unconstitutional because he is no longer in office.

The motion, by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was defeated by a vote of 55-45, showing that Democrats have an uphill climb to secure the 67 votes needed for a conviction. Among those who voted for the motion was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has said he is undecided whether to convict Trump and who worked on the trial calendar with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

McConnell, when he was majority leader, rebuffed Democrats’ efforts to hold the trial while Trump was in office.

Senators were sworn for Trump’s second impeachment trial earlier Tuesday, a day after House impeachment managers delivered to the Senate the article of impeachment accusing Trump of incitement of insurrection in the Capitol riot this month.

The senators were given the oath by Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the president pro tempore of the Democratic-controlled Senate.

“Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of Donald John Trump, former president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws, so help you God?” Leahy asked the assembled senators.

Leahy is presiding over the trial instead of Chief Justice John Roberts because Trump is a former president.

Majorities Of Americans Say It Is Likely That Trump Has Acted Illegally Or Unethically

About six-in-ten Americans think that Donald Trump has probably or definitely done things that are illegal either during the 2016 election campaign or during his time in office. Slightly more say he has probably or definitely done things that are unethical.

More than nine-in-ten Democrats and about one-third of Republicans say he has definitely or probably done illegal things, while 90% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans say he has definitely or probably done things that are unethical.

About two-thirds of Democrats express certainty that Trump has done things that are illegal, including 79% of liberal Democrats and 55% of moderate and conservative Democrats.

Republicans are much less likely than Democrats to say that Trump has definitely done illegal things, with only 8% saying this. However, an additional 23% say he has probably done illegal things.

About half of moderate and liberal Republicans say that Trump has probably or definitely done things that are illegal . Just 20% of conservative Republicans say this.

The proportion of Democrats saying Trump has probably or definitely done unethical things is nearly identical to the proportion saying he has done illegal things . Among Republicans, more say that Trump has probably or definitely acted unethically than say he has probably or definitely acted illegally .

Stacey Plaskett Addresses Emotional Toll Of Seeing Black Women Used In Trump Defense

“Those 43 who voted to acquit the president did so because they were afraid of him, because they were more interested in party and in power than they were in our country and in duty to their Senate oath,” she added.

Plaskett said Trump “will be forever tarnished” by the impeachment.

“I think it leaves him for all history — our children and my grandchildren will see in history that this was the most despicable despot attempting to become a fascist ruler over a country that was founded in democracy,” she said.

President Biden said the attack on the Capitol “has reminded us that democracy is fragile.” Above, Biden speaks during a visit Thursday to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Evan Vucci/APhide caption

toggle caption

President Biden said the attack on the Capitol “has reminded us that democracy is fragile.” Above, Biden speaks during a visit Thursday to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

President Biden responded to the Senate’s acquittal of Donald Trump on Saturday by reminding Americans that truth must be defended, saying the impeachment of the former president was a stark illustration of the danger posed to democracy by lies, misinformation and extremism.

And Biden said that although Trump was acquitted, his actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 insurrection were not “in dispute.”

Trump Lawyer: His Call To Georgia Officials To ‘find’ Votes Was Taken Out Of Context

Trump’s lawyers largely sidestepped Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., asked during the question-and-answer session: “Are the prosecutors right when they claim that Trump was telling a big lie, or in your judgment did Trump actually win the election?”

Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen shot back, “My judgment? Who asked that?”

“I did,” Sanders replied.

“My judgment is irrelevant,” van der Veen said.

“You represent the president of the United States!” Sanders yelled back before Sen. Patrick Leahy, the presiding officer, gaveled the chamber back to order.

Trump’s rhetoric about widespread fraud and a stolen election was false, dismissed by many courts stemming from dozens of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and allies across several key states.

How The Seven Republicans Who Voted To Convict Trump Later Explained Their Decisions

“The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors,” said Senator Richard Burr, who is retiring at the end of his term in 2022.

Senator Bill Cassidy said he voted “guilty” because that’s what Trump was, and that “Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person.”

“Instead of preventing a dangerous situation, President Trump created one,” explained Senator Susan Collins, referencing how primed the January 6 crowd of Trump supporters was for violence. “And rather than defend the Constitutional transfer of power, he incited an insurrection with the purpose of preventing that transfer of power from occurring.”

Explained Senator Lisa Murkowski: “If I can’t say what I believe that our president should stand for, then why should I ask Alaskans to stand with me?”

Senator Mitt Romney said the House managers proved their case, adding that Trump incited an insurrection “despite the obvious and well known threats of violence that day. President Trump also violated his oath of office by failing to protect the Capitol, the vice president, and others in the Capitol. Each and every one of these conclusions compels me to support conviction.”

After Speaking Out On Impeachment Herrera Beutler Heads Toward Clash With Her Party

“The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president,” he said, “and having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories and reckless hyperbole which the defeated president kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth.”

McConnell rebuked Trump for his actions after the insurrection as well.

“He did not do his job. He didn’t take steps so federal law could be faithfully executed and order restored,” he continued.

“No. Instead, according to public reports, he watched television happily — happily — as the chaos unfolded,” he said. “Even after it was clear to any reasonable observer that Vice President Pence was in serious danger.”

But McConnell said that the process of impeachment and conviction is a “limited tool” and that he believes Trump is not “constitutionally eligible for conviction.”

“The Constitution gives us a particular role. This body is not invited to act as the nation’s overarching moral tribunal,” he said.

He said that the text of the question of constitutionality is “legitimately ambiguous” and that he “respects” his colleagues for reaching either the conclusion to acquit or convict.

Seven Republicans broke ranks with their party in voting for a conviction.

toggle caption

Michael van der Veen, defense lawyer for former President Donald Trump, gives closing arguments during Trump’s second impeachment trial on February 13, 2021.

Trump’s Defense Closes Its Case By Saying Impeachment Trial Is A ‘complete Charade’

Manager Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado rebutted the defense’s argument that Trump has been denied due process.

“We had a full presentation of evidence, adversarial presentations, motions. The president was invited to testify. He declined. The president was invited to provide exculpatory evidence. He declined. You can’t claim there’s no due process when you won’t participate in the process,” he said.

He noted that impeachment is separate and distinct from the criminal justice system.

“Why would the constitution include the impeachment power at all, if the criminal justice system serves as a suitable alternative once a President leaves office?” he asked. “It wouldn’t.”

Neguse also sought to address an allegation raised by defense attorneys, that the impeachment trial was rooted in hate. He turned to a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

“This trial is not born from hatred,” said Neguse. “Far from it. It’s born from love of country. Our country. Our desire to maintain it. Our desire to see America at its best.”

toggle caption

On Saturday morning, senators voted to hear from Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler as a witness in the impeachment trial. Later, an agreement allowed a statement by her into the record without calling her.

The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump won’t be hearing from witnesses after all.

toggle caption

The White House Press Briefings Will Include An American Sign Language Interpreter

The Biden administration announced this week that it would include an American Sign Language interpreter in its daily press briefings, a step that the previous administration avoided taking until a court ordered it to do so late last year.

The move is a “historical first,” according to Howard A. Rosenblum, the chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf.

Past administrations have occasionally had A.S.L. briefers at some White House events and meetings, Mr. Rosenblum said, but President Biden is the first to make it a fixture.

“The president is committed to building an America that is more inclusive, more just and more accessible for every American, including Americans with disabilities and their families,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said during Monday’s briefing. She introduced the interpreter as Heather.

Last year, Mr. Rosenblum’s advocacy group and five deaf Americans sued the Trump administration for holding briefings on the coronavirus without a sign language interpreter present, arguing that it was a violation of the First Amendment.

The government responded that it had provided closed-captioning, but the plaintiffs said that was not an adequate substitute. A federal judge in Washington sided with the plaintiffs, and the Trump administration started including an interpreter in November.

Stacey Plaskett: Trump Trial Needed ‘more Senators With Spines Not More Witnesses’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and West Virginia GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito both cited constitutional concerns in their decision to vote to acquit Trump.

Virgin Islands House Del. Stacey Plaskett, another impeachment manager, told NPR’s Weekend Edition that they didn’t “reverse course” on witnesses but instead succeeded in adding Herrera Beutler’s statement describing a conversation between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Trump as the attack was ongoing.

“I know that people have a lot of angst and they can’t believe that the Senate did what they did . But what we needed were senators, more senators with spines, not more witnesses,” Plaskett said.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a close ally of President Biden, reportedly urged House managers to relent on witnesses. He told ABC’s This Week on Sunday that spending “months fighting over witnesses” wouldn’t have been worth it.

“What the House managers needed wasn’t more witnesses or more evidence, what we all needed was more Republican courage,” he said. “This was the most bipartisan verdict in American history, a strong rebuke to President Trump, but frankly at the end of the day, the trial had reached its natural conclusion.”

Seven Republican senators voted to convict Trump, after 10 GOP House members voted to impeach Trump for inciting the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol.

0 notes

paulbenedictblog · 4 years ago

Text

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Fox news Power Rankings: Who's up/down after the draft? - NFL.com

Fox news

The virtual draft is over.

You now know what the interior of your traditional supervisor's home place of job looks adore. You are mindful if he is a dog or cat person. Most importantly, you now bear a stunning impartial idea of the roster your favourite crew will steal into action in 2020. (Please let there be action in 2020.) So, before we hit up Kliff Kingsbury for a loan, let's model out all 32 teams in our submit-draft edition of the Energy Rankings.

Undergo in solutions, all opinions are mine and mine by myself. It's likely you'll presumably presumably also impartial bear got the most attention-grabbing to disagree with them, even change into viscerally offended over them, nonetheless please take into accout I invent no guarantees to care. Contend with safe, every person.

The Chiefs frail their first-spherical protect shut -- No. 32 total -- on LSU running support Clyde Edwards-Helaire, whose pass-catching ability and elusiveness invent Kansas Metropolis's offense almost unfair. Edwards-Helaire is arguably the exclusively receiving support in this draft class, prompting many to join the dots and film a 2020 Chiefs attack the usage of Edwards the tactic Reid frail Brian Westbrook to befuddle opposing defenses in Philadelphia. Huge Crimson acknowledged that Edwards-Helaire is better than Westbrook. It begs the effect a question to: Are we about to leer the fleshy likely of this Chiefs offense? Or no longer it is a unpleasant idea for the relaxation of the NFL.

Kudos to traditional supervisor John Lynch, who additional cranked initiate the Niners' Gargantuan Bowl window with the acquisition of seven-time Legitimate Bowler Trent Williams, who takes over for the retiring Joe Staley as Jimmy Garoppolo's blind-aspect protector. It exclusively tag Lynch a pair of mid-spherical picks spread out over this year and subsequent. If Williams is the relaxation shut to the identical player he became before he dropped off the grid in Washington, this change is a heist. Speaking of Jimmy G, issues ended up factual stunning for the quarterback. He survived the Tom Brady rumor storm, bought public backing from his crew, then obtained a Hall of Repute-stage left take care of and a chief-spherical receiver (No. 25 total protect shut Brandon Aiyuk). And he is stunning as hell. Rotten.

[Patrick Queen](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/patrick-queen?identity=32195155-4530-8806-168a-7e9ee3bd3f96), meet outsized expectations. After the [Ravens](/teams/baltimoreravens/profile?crew=BAL) frail the No. 28 total protect shut on the interior linebacker out of LSU, [Ravens](/teams/baltimoreravens/profile?crew=BAL) quarterback and reigning league MVP [Lamar Jackson](/player/lamarjackson/2563943/profile) [shouted "Ray Lewis Jr.!" on Instagram Live](http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001111046/article/lamar-publicizes-patrick-queen-as-ray-lewis-jr). Queen might perchance perchance presumably no longer change into a 13-time [Pro Bowl](http://www.nfl.com/probowl) option and two-time [Super Bowl](http://www.nfl.com/superbowl) champion, nonetheless he'll be one other hit for GM Eric DeCosta if he fortifies the center of Baltimore's protection with his sideline-to-sideline proceed and plus protection ability. Queen and [trade acquisition Calais Campbell](http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001106265/article/jaguars-to-change-de-calais-campbell-to-ravens) bear upgraded the [Ravens](/teams/baltimoreravens/profile?crew=BAL)' entrance seven in a huge formulation. Baltimore and Kansas Metropolis are the determined class of the AFC.

The Saints entered the draft boasting one of the most necessary whole rosters in the NFL. And not using a evident holes, coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis did some tinkering. Enter first-spherical protect shut Cesar Ruiz, who appears poised to interchange outmoded incumbent Larry Warford at appropriate guard. Arrive Sunday morning, the Saints' quarterback room grew to alter into the source of the crew's absolute best stage of intrigue. We realized that Unique Orleans is reportedly closing in on a deal to signal Jameis Winston(!) on the identical day Taysom Hill inked a two-year, $21 million extension. That is enormous cash for a machine player poised to be a Third-string QB if Winston signs to be Drew Brees' backup. Hey, filthy rich-other folks issues, appropriate?

First-spherical protect shut Isaiah Wilson enters the most attention-grabbing take care of competition created by the departure of Jack Conklin. Or no longer it is a a must-bear feature for the Titans, who leaned on Conklin to blow initiate holes for rushing champion Derrick Henry. Speaking of Henry, he has some modern backfield firm in Darrynton Evans. The third-spherical protect shut is a home-speed hitter and a get fit for Tennessee's plan. With Henry poised to play out 2020 on a one-year franchise value, might perchance perchance presumably the Titans be grooming Evans as a likely replace in 2021? In the period in-between, is Jadeveon Clowney collected on the radar in Nashville? Tennessee did no longer exercise any of its six picks on a extinct edge rusher. This feels adore a actually most attention-grabbing fit.

The Payments' draft became a productive one before it began, on account of the four-protect shut kit that grew to alter into change acquisition Stefon Diggs. Buffalo then addressed an keep apart of want with second-spherical protect shut A.J. Epenesa, a extremely efficient and versatile defensive lineman who can help mitigate the shortcoming of Shaq Lawson. Third-spherical protect shut Zack Moss brings some modern legs to the backfield, and Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm -- who took a surprise drop to the fifth spherical -- presents Buffalo a compelling prospect whose passing ability feature vastly contrasts with starter Josh Allen. Or no longer it is very unlikely to bear a examine at Buffalo's roster and no longer leer it as the strongest in the AFC East -- by a appreciable margin.

How about them Cowboys? Jerry Jones and Co. did most attention-grabbing work in the draft, finding payment up and down the board. It might perchance probably presumably no longer had been the idea to protect shut a huge receiver in the first spherical, nonetheless Dallas did no longer effect a question to CeeDee Lamb to collected be on the board at No. 17. Request: Would the 'Boys bear re-signed Amari Cooper to that huge contract if they knew Lamb became going to drop to them? We will never know, nonetheless we enact know that Lamb joins Cooper and Michael Gallup to perform one of the most necessary talented large receiver teams in football. In numerous places, Dallas added depth and starting alternate concepts at offensive line, line of defense and cornerback. This feels adore your NFC East favourite.

Successfully, that became attention-grabbing. Packers fans and football pundits went into the draft expecting Green Bay so as to add a huge receiver (or two) to help support Aaron Rodgers. As a replace, the Packers handed on any receiver from a historically deep class and as an quite a lot of drafted Rodgers' conceivable replace with their first-spherical protect shut. I will also impartial envy Jordan Like's formative years, athleticism and checking yarn, nonetheless being Rodgers' teammate at this moment in time feels ... dicey. After taking Like, Green Bay frail its subsequent protect shut on a between-the-tackles pounder in Boston College running support A.J. Dillon. Huh. Cincinnati tight cease Josiah Deguara, the crew's third-rounder, might perchance perchance presumably add some payment in the passing sport in time, nonetheless that is no longer the draft that anyone expected. We consider Rodgers is okay with some social distancing in the intervening time.

Indianapolis' first-spherical protect shut became frail to perform DeForest Buckner, a switch that might perchance perchance bear an worthy affect on the Colts' interior protection. With Indy's first protect shut in the draft (34th total), Chris Ballard landed one other distinction-maker in USC wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who has all of the instruments to alter into an instantaneous important person having fun with with Philip Rivers and T.Y. Hilton. Pittman at as soon as upgrades a huge receiver neighborhood that lacked depth and playmaking skill. The Colts had a identical enlighten at running support before trading as a lot as land Wisconsin important person Jonathan Taylor. A 2,000-yard rusher in every of his closing two collegiate seasons (and with regards to all three), Taylor might perchance perchance presumably threaten Marlon Mack for The Man web philosophize in the Colts' backfield. Huge-armed Washington QB Jacob Eason (taken in the fourth spherical) will be taught in the support of Rivers and ceaselessly is the first man up when the outmoded decides to dangle up his bolo tie.

Eliminate a load off, Rick Spielman. The Vikings traditional supervisor made history by deciding on 15 gamers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Or no longer it is a long way the most gamers obtained in a draft class since the league adopted the seven-spherical format in 1994. The first protect shut became LSU important person Justin Jefferson, who neatly slides into the huge receiver keep apart vacated by Stefon Diggs. Jefferson can play initiate air or in the slot, and you get the feeling he would be an instantaneous producer having fun with with the ever-consistent Kirk Cousins. The additions of Jeff Gladney (31st total protect shut) and Cameron Dantzler (89th) ought to collected present rapid support to a cornerback room that wished reinforcements. Offensive take care of Ezra Cleveland became a pleasant payment add in the second spherical that at as soon as ended any probability of a Trent Williams change. The Vikings watch in a position to roll.

Celebrity cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick tag the Steelers their first-spherical protect shut on Thursday night, nonetheless we already know that became draft capital well spent. With their first protect shut in the draft (49th total), Pittsburgh landed worthy Notre Dame large receiver Hotfoot Claypool, a huge-play athlete who well complements JuJu Smith-Schuster. Relaxing fact: Ben Roethlisberger now has three top receiving targets standing as a minimum 6-foot-4 -- Claypool and tight ends Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald. There is been a form of speculation -- great of it fueled by the Steelers themselves -- about unearthing competition (or a replace) for James Conner in the backfield, nonetheless GM Kevin Colbert waited till Day 3 before pulling the feature off on Maryland running support Anthony McFarland Jr. in the fourth spherical. McFarland scans as extra of a proceed complement than a lead dog -- obviously impartial news for Conner in a a must-bear season.

The Bucs made their most attention-grabbing wave appropriate before the draft with the bombshell change that introduced Eliminate Gronkowski out of retirement to play with buddy Tom Brady. It remains to be considered how great football is left in ol' Gronk, whose physique took a vicious beating in 9 seasons with the Patriots. With that in solutions, it presumably is excellent to protect shut both O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, growing tight cease depth that can permit Bruce Arians to protect shut the exclusively spots to deploy Gronkowski. Brady obtained extra impartial news on Thursday night, when Tampa Bay traded as a lot as land offensive take care of Tristan Wirfs with the 13th total protect shut. The Bucs are clearly a crew in protect shut-now mode -- they're going to be attention-grabbing to leer when football returns. (Please return, football.)

So are the Seahawks out on bringing support Jadeveon Clowney or no longer? Pete Carroll acknowledged the free-agent defender might perchance perchance presumably collected return to Seattle, nonetheless then the Seahawks moved up 11 spots in the second spherical to protect shut Tennessee edge defender Darrell Taylor. Seattle added one other edge player in Day 3, taking Syracuse's Alton Robinson early in the fifth spherical. Carroll and GM John Schneider now bear protection if Clowney signs in other places, nonetheless it can perchance also be shiny to surprise if the three-time Legitimate Bowler might perchance perchance presumably collected be of their plans. Few teams in the NFL had been worse at getting to the quarterback final season. Nonetheless, Clowney became segment of that enlighten, contributing factual three of Seattle's 28 sacks. Choices, choices.

[Packers](/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?crew=GB) fans had been afraid to leer their crew draft a quarterback in the first spherical of Thursday's draft. [Eagles](/teams/philadelphiaeagles/profile?crew=PHI) supporters had been equally befuddled when GM Howie Roseman pulled the feature off on Oklahoma quarterback [Jalen Hurts](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/jalen-hurts?identity=32194855-5276-7022-85cf-a74490936f42) with the 53rd total protect shut. On the skin, it doesn't seem adore a feature of want, nonetheless Philly can no longer ignore the probability that [Carson Wentz](/player/carsonwentz/2555259/profile) will merely never be a sturdy quarterback. Hurts presents Doug Pederson with great-wished insurance and a dynamic athlete opposing teams must enlighten into the sport idea (mediate: [Taysom Hill](/player/taysomhill/2558954/profile) in Unique Orleans). And let's no longer act adore the [Eagles](/teams/philadelphiaeagles/profile?crew=PHI) did no longer support Wentz out: The crew frail its first protect shut (25th total) on explosive TCU important person [Jalen Reagor](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/jalen-reagor?identity=32195245-4133-8982-9a32-957d59a1e153), who molded himself into a chief-spherical target despite being saddled with subpar QB play in college. Deep breath, [Eagles](/teams/philadelphiaeagles/profile?crew=PHI) fans.

[I joked on Twitter](https://twitter.com/DanHanzus/web philosophize/1253519413875097601) that Bill Belichick traded out of the first spherical because he did no longer desire anyone to leer the interior of his home. Indubitably, it became factual the [Patriots](/teams/newenglandpatriots/profile?crew=NE) coach doing the most Belichickian enlighten conceivable -- starting their most extremely scrutinized draft in ages by deciding on a security out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. Traditional. [Kyle Dugger](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/kyle-dugger?identity=32194455-4767-4843-b362-237ddcf75c1b) is a actually impartial prospect, nonetheless it speaks to the real fact in Unique England: [Tom Brady](/player/tombrady/2504211/profile) would be gone, nonetheless the basics of crew-constructing are unchanged on Patriot Means. The Pats did no longer exercise any of their 10 picks on a quarterback -- a decision that reveals faith in 2019 fourth-spherical protect shut [Jarrett Stidham](/player/jarrettstidham/2562746/profile) ... or hints on the upcoming acquisition of a known outmoded. Hi, [Andy Dalton](/player/andydalton/2495143/profile).

Houston did no longer bear a chief-spherical protect shut this year -- and it is a long way the identical story in 2021 -- so the Texans wished coach/GM Bill O'Brien to unearth some gemstones in the non-top rate rounds. Houston's 2020 class numbered factual 5 gamers and became headlined by TCU defensive take care of Ross Blacklock, selected 40th total. O'Brien took one other defender in the third spherical -- edge rusher Jonathan Greenard -- an acknowledgement that the crew's protection slipped in 2019. Beforehand, O'Brien frail draft capital in trades so as to add running support David Johnson (in the excellent-castigated DeAndre Hopkins deal) and big receiver Brandin Cooks, whose second-spherical protect shut tag value felt exorbitant, occupied with Cooks' troubling concussion history. Laremy Tunsil, the left take care of who tag Houston their first-spherical picks in 2020 and '21, signed a three-year, $66 million extension with $57.85 million guaranteed. Or no longer it is exhausting to claim which direction this organization is headed in.

The Rams bear several roster holes and no longer ample cap home or draft picks to repair the entirety in one offseason. Coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead started plugging away in the draft. Out the door are running support Todd Gurley and big receiver Brandin Cooks. Enter second-spherical picks Cam Akers (RB) and Van Jefferson (WR) as their presumed replacements. Clay Matthews became one-and-carried out in Los Angeles, so recount hiya to initiate air linebacker Terrell Lewis, drafted 84th total out of Alabama. Eric Weddle can also be history, so here comes fourth-spherical rookie Terrell Burgess at security. You get the image. The Rams are getting younger and cheaper. That second segment is terribly indispensable with mega-contracts on the books for Jared Goff, Aaron Donald -- and soon ample -- Jalen Ramsey.

Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper called first-spherical protect shut A.J. Terrell "one of the most necessary attention-grabbing reaches of the previous few years." Oof. Rumors swirled about Atlanta potentially transferring as a lot as protect shut one of the most tip two corners in this class, nonetheless the Falcons ended up staying home to address a famous feature of want. GM Thomas Dimitroff had better hope Kiper is losing his fastball. Draft critiques apart, this has been a get offseason total for the Falcons, who added running support Todd Gurley and pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. and traded for tight cease Hayden Hurst after losing Austin Hooper in free agency. There can also impartial no longer be one other reprieve for Dan Quinn and Dimitroff if Atlanta misses the playoffs for a Third straight year.

Or no longer it is all there for Baker Mayfield. The Browns' talented gash of playmakers obtained better with the addition of tight cease Austin Hooper in free agency. The offensive line obtained a superb-wished makeover at take care of with the arrival of free-agent acquisition Jack Conklin and first-spherical protect shut Jedrick Wills. The glaring holes are gone, and so are the excuses for Mayfield, who disappointed mightily in 2019 after a file-setting rookie marketing campaign. Give the Browns credit score: They collected consider in Mayfield's likely, and they've carried out the entirety they'll -- from teaching hires to roster moves -- to keep apart the frail No. 1 total protect shut in a feature to prevail. Now all Mayfield has to enact is ... invent the jump.

The Raiders knew they needed to get extra explosive on offense, and they did no longer mess spherical on the tip of their 2020 draft class. Las Vegas had 5 picks in the first 100 picks of the draft, and they frail three of their first four on large receiver. Enter Henry Ruggs III (12th total), Lynn Bowden Jr. (80th) and Bryan Edwards (81st), additions that give the Raiders' attack an instantaneous shot in the arm. Ruggs -- a speedster with important person likely -- joins running support Josh Jacobs and tight cease Darren Waller to perform a dynamic core spherical Derek Carr. Speaking of Carr, this offseason couldn't be going any better. The crew punted on a Tom Brady pursuit, signed middling Marcus Mariota as his modern competition, then frail the draft so as to add weapons spherical him. The effect a question to now turns into whether the notoriously conservative Carr can ruin away and invent the most of his spoils.

The Broncos appear occupied with turning over the reins of their franchise to quarterback Drew Lock, so it exclusively is excellent to surround the second-year passer with extra authentic skill. Working support Melvin Gordon and guard/center Graham Glasgow had been imported in free agency, and Denver frail the 15th total protect shut on large receiver Jerry Jeudy, who fills an glaring want opposite Courtland Sutton. John Elway wasn't carried out, nonetheless. The GM frail Denver's second protect shut on one other large receiver, this time Penn Express standout KJ Hamler, your classic Undersized Vertical Deep Threat Man (UVDTG). All people needs their very possess Tyreek Hill this bid day. If Elway is appropriate about Lock, the Broncos ought to collected have the option to protect shut their very possess in the high-flying AFC West.

With Joe Douglas responsible, it feels adore the Jets lastly bear a grown-up in the room. The GM has Gargantuan Bowl rings for his contributions to championship teams in Baltimore and Philadelphia, and his intellectual formulation to crew constructing became on display in this draft. Offensive take care of and big receiver had been the two most attention-grabbing needs for Unique York, and Douglas addressed these with his first two picks: LT Mekhi Becton (11th total) and Baylor WR Denzel Mims, who surprisingly slid to the Jets at No. 59. The picks of Becton and fourth-rounder Cameron Clarke capped a whole offseason makeover of the Jets' offensive line, which might perchance also impartial bear 5 modern starters in 2020. Like we seen with the Browns and Baker Mayfield, the Jets had been aggressive in addressing roster issues that held support their prized younger quarterback final season. Now it is on Sam Darnold to steal the subsequent step.

Let's welcome Justin Herbert, who turns into factual the most standard QB prospect to blast away an offseason's value of notebook ledes exclaiming "Team X views Tyrod Taylor as a likely long-term starter." That became never going to be the case in L.A., and the Dolphins eradicated a potentially agonizing decision when they chose Tua Tagovailoa the protect shut before the Bolts hit the clock at No. 6. Herbert is huge -- 6-foot-6 huge -- and has the instruments to be a important person, nonetheless we're told it will also impartial steal time. That makes Taylor the most attention-grabbing in-home technique to protect shut the castle. We will leer how long the Chargers can resist temptation. GM Tom Telesco made extra waves on Thursday night by trading support into the first spherical to land interior linebacker Kenneth Murray, who ought to collected be an instantaneous starter. Successfully, he had better be.

The Cardinals' offseason became made support in March, when GM Steve Keim fleeced Bill O'Brien in the already-legendary DeAndre Hopkins change. Hopkins became a chief addition to the roster, and loads are expecting Kyler Murray to steal a Lamarian twelve months 2 jump on account of the All-Legitimate wideout's arrival. No longer so rapid. A No. 1 large receiver wasn't the exclusively glaring want for Arizona, and passing on a top rate take care of prospect in prefer of uber-talented linebacker Isaiah Simmons with the eighth total protect shut might perchance perchance presumably come support to bite Arizona, especially if third-spherical OT Josh Jones doesn't pan out. Murray became sacked 48 times final year, tied with Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson for the most in football. For certain, Simmons might perchance perchance presumably change into Darius Leonard crossed with Lawrence Taylor, and this blurb will probably be rendered as meaningless as all that Tyrod Taylor copy.

Thanks in worthy segment to the blockbuster Khalil Mack change, which tag the Bears their first- and third-spherical picks in this draft, Chicago exclusively had a pair of picks (two second-rounders) in the first 150 slots. That doesn't invent for uncomplicated crew constructing in what would be a invent-or-ruin year for traditional supervisor Ryan Tempo and coach Matt Nagy. They did land the perceived exclusively tight cease in the class in Notre Dame's Cole Kmet. They wished extra than a mild Jimmy Graham in that positional neighborhood. Seven picks later, the Bears landed cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who might perchance perchance bear of project to initiate on a Chicago protection that would be asked to protect shut this crew as soon as more. With a glamour-free draft class in tow, the purpose of hobby spherical this crew will hasty turn support to Mitchell Trubisky vs. Prick Foles. Undergo in solutions when kicker became the exclusively feature the Bears idea they needed to pain about?

Miami's offseason makeover has been rather an enterprise. The Dolphins spread out their wallets in free agency so as to add a bunch of quality gamers, then frail an worthy draft bounty to infuse an improved roster with younger skill. It starts with Tua Tagovailoa, the fascination of this draft class, and now, the face of the Miami Dolphins. Tua had been linked to the Dolphins since final year -- him being readily available at No. 5 total would be remembered as a franchise-transferring stroke of fortune. The modern quarterback will play in entrance of a modern offensive line, as the Dolphins frail first-, second- and fourth-rounders on blockers. The collection of USC LT Austin Jackson at 18th total became no longer universally adored; in an ultimate world, Jackson is animated to steal on the all-indispensable feature of blind-aspect protector come September. Or no longer it is a modern day in Miami.

[Joe Burrow](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/joseph-burrow?identity=32194255-5267-9731-81c8-48673dcec5e2) has come home. Is he the man who will restore dignity to Who Dey Nation? Or no longer it is been three decades since the [Bengals](/teams/cincinnatibengals/profile?crew=CIN) final obtained a playoff sport, and Burrow is modern off arguably the most attention-grabbing season a college quarterback has ever loved. He became a slam-dunk No. 1 total desire who can change the entirety for one of the most league's without ruin wandering franchises. Every hotshot rookie QB ought to collected be paired with a dynamic younger pass catcher, which is why I loved the gathering of [Tee Higgins](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/tamurice-higgins?identity=32194849-4738-7791-9f89-d556c4b59b9a) with the first protect shut of the second spherical. That is no longer your practical 2-14 crew. The roster has skill and a potentially special rookie passer out entrance. Dawn has arrived.

"We desire to repair this offensive line as soon as and for all," GM Dave Gettleman acknowledged on Thursday night, after the Giants frail the fourth total protect shut on Georgia All-American left take care of Andrew Thomas. The Giants weren't carried out addressing the feature, either: They tabbed UConn take care of Matt Peart with the 99th total protect shut on Friday night. That is all gargantuan news for second-year quarterback Daniel Jones and important person running support Saquon Barkley, who both stand to profit vastly from improved performance up entrance. Safety Xavier McKinney might perchance perchance had been a Day 2 prefer; he joins a protection that frail free agency so as to add cornerback James Bradberry and center linebacker Blake Martinez. That is no longer a Gargantuan Bowl roster, nonetheless it does watch better than final year's. We will secure out if the Giants protect shut ample in 2020 to permit Gettleman to leer this rebuild thru.

The Lions had the worst pass protection in the league final season, so it is exhausting to argue with their decision to keep at No. 3 total and steal Ohio Express standout Jeff Okudah. Okudah and Darius Assassinate would bear made for a killer pairing in the secondary, nonetheless Desmond Trufant is a get second banana if Okudah turns into a important person, as many predict. 2nd-spherical protect shut D'Andre Swift is Detroit's most standard swing for a legit retort at running support. (Are we inching into Curse Of Barry Sanders territory here?) Swift ought to collected add one other dimension to the Lions' passing sport, as well, and Matthew Stafford is no longer any doubt contented with support-to-support guard picks in Rounds 3 and 4. Is there ample here to compete for a playoff keep apart? The jobs of GM Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia can also impartial rely on it.

[Chase Young](https://www.nfl.com/potentialities/whisk-younger?identity=3219594f-5514-6550-d662-263c81d981b1) has *superduperstar* likely, and his option at No. 2 total presents Washington one of the most exclusively defensive traces in football. For a rebuilding crew, that is a gargantuan starting up line. On the flip aspect, the [Trent Williams](/player/trentwilliams/497073/profile) standoff got here to a merciful conclusion when the disgruntled left take care of became [traded to the 49ers](http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001111403/article/niners-perform-redskins-take care of-trent-williams-in-change) for a fifth-rounder and a 2021 third-rounder. Williams became on a [Hall of Fame](http://www.profootballhof.com/) trajectory before his gruesome falling out with the crew -- [Redskins](/teams/washingtonredskins/profile?crew=WAS) fans can exclusively hope the organization realized from the fiasco. After Young, Washington frail its subsequent four picks on ability gamers and offensive linemen. This ought to collected support [Dwayne Haskins](/player/dwaynehaskins/2562660/profile), who will get one other shot to uncover himself. Does he bear the merchandise? We will secure out.

The Jaguars are starting over, and the draft targeted on protection on the tip. Cornerback CJ Henderson (No. 9 total) is a a must-bear add to a secondary that lost both Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye over the direction of six months. Ample'Lavon Chaisson, selected 20th total, became one of the most exclusively pass rushers in this class and will bear the void if/when the crew finds a change suitor for Yannick Ngakoue. The Jags did no longer protect shut out a quarterback with any of their 9 picks in the first 5 rounds, extra evidence that Gardner Minshew will get a fleshy-season audition to be The Man. 2020 will probably be an audition for a form of people in Jacksonville.

0 notes

kenttsterling · 2 years ago

Text

Jonathan Taylor extension with #Colts? JT not sure! Ready to celebrate Michael Pittman TDs! Kevin Bowen with surprise cameo!

youtube

View On WordPress

#Jonathan Taylor Colts #Youtube

0 notes

newyorktheater · 5 years ago

Text

James Earl Jones in 1974 King Lear

Christopher Fitzgerald and Bill Irwin in In-Zoom

Gospel choir member in Antigone in Ferguson

Elaine Paige in CATS

Among the avalanche of streaming options this weekend are a timely Beckett play and the rich theater offerings of an arts “marathon” — both “opening” today — that count as must-see theater in my book. Two plays are opening Sunday that you could and should see (especially if they’re new to you). And then I list another ten still running that are worth catching before the end of their “runs.” Unlike live theater on stage, some of this online theater you can see right on this page.

These recommendations are by no means all that’s available this weekend. For more listings check out my Calendar of May 2020 Theater Openings. and my overview of ongoing series and platforms, Where To Get Your Theater Fix Online

Must-see theater opening Saturday

Brooke Adams in Happy Days when it was on stage Off-Broadway

Happy Days Plays in the House Brooke Adams and (her husband) Tony Shalhoub will read Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (I loved the production of this absurdist play in which they starred; my review.) This absurdist play about a woman trapped in sand somehow feels an exact metaphor for this moment, and since it’s basically a monologue, it may well translate well on the Zoom platform that the program Stars in the House uses.

All Arts Marathon The All Arts Celebration of New York City (cultural) Institutions includes a healthy dose of theater — episodes on The Shed, Heather Christian’s concert-cabaret, Animal Wisdom filmed at The Bushwick Starr, the 1974 Shakespeare in the Park production of King Lear with James Earl Jones, Raul Julia, Rosalind Cash, Paul Sorvino, et al; Pascale Armand’s new work entitled “$#!THOLE COUNTRY CLAPBACK” (chronicling her family’s journey from Haiti) as part of En Garde Arts Uncommon Voices series, and Antigone in Ferguson, the production at Harlem Stage of Theater of War’s adaptation of Sophocles tragedy (featuring Samira Wiley, Chris Noth and Tamara Tunie and a rousing gospel choir.) (I’ve written extensively about Antigone in Ferguson) Some of these are documentaries that incorporate the theater rather than uninterrupted screen-captures of the dramas.

Could-see theater opening Sunday

School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play

The title of Jocelyn Bioh’s play that debuted Off-Broadway in 2017 (my review) is is almost longer than its running time. It was inspired by a true story. Pageant officials in Ghana maneuvered for an American-born Ghanian beauty queen of mixed race to represent the West African country in the Miss Universe pageant of 2011, reasoning that her lighter complexion would give her a better chance in the contest.

I And You Plays in the House Jr. A reading of the play by Lauren Gunderson, starring Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen). Q&A with the playwright after. Debut of “Plays in the House Jr.” Readings of plays for young people performed by young people, every Sunday from now on at 2 p.m. (My review of an Off-Broadway production of “I and You”)

Still Running, Worth Seeing

Clockwise from top left: Jay O. Sanders, Maryann Plunkett, Sally Murphy, Laila Robins, and Stephen Kunken in the livestreamed world premiere of the Apple Family Play, What Do We Need To Talk About?, written and directed by Richard Nelson.

“What Do We Need To Talk About?”

This tops the list on purpose . Streamed live on April 29 but available once again on YouTube, this is the fifth play by Richard Nelson about the Apple Family, a brother and three sisters in Rhinebeck, New York, and the first one specifically written for Zoom. It is beautiful and sad, funny and moving, terrifically acted, and perfectly timed – a precise reflection of our sudden new era.

Barber Shop Chronicles National Theatre At Home This play by Inua Ellams of the importance of barber shops to African men by presenting scenes from them in Peckham, Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra over the course of a single day. Online free through May 21

Bill Irwin’s In-Zoom San Diego’s Old Globe The master clown presents his new 10-minute play in which he and Christopher Fitzgerald portray two fellows attempting to record inspirational messages with tragicomic results.Free on the Old Globe’s Youtube channel available through Sunday.

youtube

CATS The Shows Must Go On The film of the 1998 stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, starring Elaine Paige and Sir John Mills. Available through Sunday afternoon.

youtube

COVID and Incarceration 24 Hour Plays This special edition of Viral Monologues offers 15 newly created plays about the prison system. Of particular note are the plays by Lynn Nottage, Shakira Senghor and Lemon Anderson)

The Encounter St. Ann’s Warehouse A revival of the audio-heavy one-man play by Simon McBurney that tells the eerie true story of National Geographic photographer Loren McIntyre’s encounter with the elusive Mayoruna tribe while lost in the Amazon rainforest. The show had a run on Broadway in 2016. (My review) It will be presented through May 22.

Frankie and Will (MCC) This is a play for the ages – specifically two ages, our own and 1606 in England. In both eras, pandemics (the Black Plague; COVID-19) have shut down the theaters, leaving people, including theater people, stuck in their homes. In this 25-minute play, Talene Monahan whimsically imagines William Shakespeare (portrayed by Michael Urie, who’s rapidly becoming the go-to pandemic period performer) as trapped in quarantine with his unpaid apprentice Francis (Ryan Spahn)

youtube

Love, Loss and What I Wore (92y)

Times have changed since Rosie O’Donnell, Carol Kane and three other actresses gave a one-night only reading in 2017 of Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron’s popular play at the 92nd Street Y. The Y recorded the evening, and is now presenting it nightly on its website through May 25th as a fundraiser. But if we have been thrust suddenly into a radically different era, the resurrection of this decade-old play about women and fashion turns out to be a surprisingly good fit

Pipeline BroadwayHD In its second collaboration with BroadwayHD, Lincoln Center presents Dominique Morisseau’s “Pipeline,” a play about a schoolteacher (Karen Pittman) whose son (Namir Smallwood) got into a scuffle with a teacher at his boarding school and is in danger of being expelled, and arrested. As I wrote in my review in 2017, Morisseau masterfully upends the tired assumptions that might attach to such a drama, in a play that is not just smart and engaging; it is also the most literate of any I’d seen that year. Available through May 22.

Selected Shorts (Symphony Space)

In the first ever virtual edition of Symphony Space’s long-running Selected Stories series, four familiar actors read the following short comic stories, based on the theme of best laid plans: Maulik Pancholy: Riding Solo by Simon Rich. Emily Skeggs: Miss Laura’s School for Esquire Men by Carmen Maria Machado. Allison Williams: The Meeting by Aimee Bender. Bobby Cannavale: Magnificent Desolation by Jess Walter

Must-See Theater This Weekend May 16-17: Beckett’s Happy Days, All Arts Marathon (Jame Earl Jones’ King Lear. Antigone in Ferguson, etc.) Among the avalanche of streaming options this weekend are a timely Beckett play and the rich theater offerings of an arts "marathon" -- both "opening" today -- that count as must-see theater in my book.

0 notes

junker-town · 5 years ago

Text

The Colts spent big to bounce back from a slump. Now what?

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

Indianapolis made a big decision at QB and finally spent cash to make some significant moves.

The Colts didn’t have a great 2019. It could have been much worse.

Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement threatened to leave Indianapolis in a spiral, but a hot start from backup-turned-starter Jacoby Brissett helped the club exceed expectations ... for roughly half the season. The Colts’ 2-7 finish was proof Frank Reich’s team isn’t a contender yet, but a smart offseason could have it ascendant once more.

Only one team in the league entered 2020 with more spending room under the salary cap than the Colts. That gives general manager Chris Ballard a tremendous opportunity to add the talent needed to get Indianapolis back to the playoffs.

Indianapolis Colts (7-9), missed playoffs

Ballard also had plenty of spending money in 2019 — and only added Justin Houston and Devin Funchess as high-profile free agents last offseason. While major questions loom, the team’s stockpile of young, inexpensive talent (Darius Leonard, Quenton Nelson, Malik Hooker) could make this year Ballard’s best opportunity to add veteran difference-makers.

Before free agency:

Wide receiver: For too long, the Colts have been the T.Y. Hilton show at wideout without a supporting cast. Now he’s 30 years old and coming off an injury-riddled season. Adding receiving talent wouldn’t just help free him up for more game-breaking deep throws, it would also boost Indy’s quarterback play in 2020 — whether that’s coming from Brissett or someone else.

Defensive tackle: The Colts lacked penetration up front in 2019. While Leonard was there to vacuum up tailbacks, a gap-shooting, blocker-occupying big man could transform the Indianapolis run defense into one of the league’s best. It could also work wonders for a pass rush that ranked 16th in the league in sack rate.

Quarterback: Brissett is under contract through 2020, but he fell back to earth after an impressive start to last season. Was the knee injury he suffered in Week 9 solely to blame? Or has he hit his ceiling as a top-line quarterback? Indianapolis has another season to figure it out, but adding a veteran passer from a deep pool of available talent would give the Colts a valuable insurance policy and a potential building block beyond.

What Stampede Blue wants most this offseason: Since Luck surprised the NFL world by retiring in his prime, the top unanswered question and long-term need to fill is at quarterback. Otherwise, Indianapolis is lacking in proven talent at the wide receiver position and Hilton is showing some signs of age. The defense has shown potential, but no Cover-2 system will work without consistent pressure using four rushers. The primary area to improve is on the defensive interior, allowing some of the promising young edge talent to increase their own production. — Brett Mock

After free agency:

Ballard made a splash when he traded the 13th overall pick to the 49ers to acquire defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. With it came a four-year, $84 million extension. Then the Colts dished out a one-year, $25 million deal to Philip Rivers.

Wide receiver: It was already a need prior to free agency and now it’s even more important with Rivers on the roster. The Colts didn’t give a 38-year-old quarterback $25 million so they can sit on their hands. Expect the position to be a priority in the draft.

Tight end: Rivers has relied on tight ends for much of his career and won’t have Eric Ebron in Indianapolis. The Colts would benefit from adding another player at the position to complement Jack Doyle.

Quarterback: Signing Rivers makes it explicitly clear that the Colts don’t see Brissett in their long-term future at the quarterback position. Rivers is a band-aid for now, but finding a plan for 2021 and beyond is a priority.

After the draft:

Despite not having a first-round pick, the Colts acted quickly. With their first second-round pick, they nabbed USC receiver Michael Pittman Jr., a 6’4 target for whoever is under center. Their next pick was used on highly decorated running back Jonathan Taylor out of Wisconsin.

Indianapolis made a quarterback move in the fourth round by selecting Washington’s Jacob Eason, who was expected to go on Day 2. They added depth on the offensive line and in the secondary, too. The Colts didn’t end up with a tight end, though sixth-round pick Dezmon Patmon (Washington State), like Pittman, is another big body at wide receiver.

Dan Kadar’s draft grade: B

0 notes

patriotsnet · 3 years ago

Text

Will Any Republicans Vote To Remove Trump

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/will-any-republicans-vote-to-remove-trump/

Will Any Republicans Vote To Remove Trump

Capitol Police Chief Apologizes For Security Failures During The Assault Including A Delay In Calling For Guard Troops

Janet Yellen The First Woman To Be Treasury Secretary Is Sworn In By The First Woman To Be Vice President

transcript

Gop Senator Ted Cruz Says It’s ‘certainly Possible’ That ‘a Couple’ Republicans Will Vote To Remove Trump

U.S.Ted CruzDonald TrumpImpeachmentSenate

Republican Senator Ted Cruz said that some GOP senators may vote to remove Donald Trump from the White House in a pending Senate trial. However, he argued such a decision wouldn’t match the facts of the impeachment case against the president.

Cruz, who represents Texas, made the remarks during an interview with Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. He first asserted that he doesn’t personally think any Republican senators will vote against the president, but then admitted that it could happen.

“It is certainly possible,” the senator noted. “And there are a couple that could vote that way. But I think anyone voting on the facts, anyone voting on the law, this is a very easy vote,” Cruz said. “What they have alleged is not a high crime or misdemeanor,” he continued, referring to the articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives as “weak.”

Texas Church Minister Thanks Government For Chance to ‘Protect Ourselves’

A few GOP senators have expressed concern about the president’s actions–as well as criticism of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, and his decision to coordinate the trial with White House counsel. However, Republican lawmakers in Washington have largely remained defensive of the president, with the vote for impeachment passing largely along partisan lines in the House of Representatives, without any GOP members voting in support.

Capitol Riot Investigation Will Slow As Officials Work To Build More Complicated Cases Justice Dept Says

Senator Patrick Leahy 80 Is Briefly Hospitalized As A Precaution After He Reported Feeling Unwell

Mr. Leahy was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he received tests and “a thorough examination” before being released, Mr. Carle said.

The senator “looks forward to getting back to work,” Mr. Carle said.

Mr. Leahy has received both vaccine shots for the coronavirus, and it was unclear what his symptoms were.

Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and Mr. Leahy’s predecessor as president pro tempore, was among those who wished Mr. Leahy well in a tweet Tuesday evening.

The Insurrection At The Capitol And Trumps Unsteadiness Have Weakened Gop Support In The Senate

Sen. Mitt Romney is considered the most likely Republican to vote for conviction in a second impeachment of President Trump.

Print icon

Resize icon

In President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial early last year, Sen. Mitt Romney was the lone Republican vote in favor of conviction. That seems unlikely to be the case should there be another such vote.

Romney has voiced his anger over the Wednesday invasion of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, many of whom were violent. Having voted for removal last year, he’s an odds-on favorite to do so again, alongside, at least publicly, a mere handful of other Republicans.

Across the aisle, so far no prospective defectors have arisen publicly.

“In light of today’s sad circumstances, I ask my colleagues: Do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom? What is the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience?” Romney asked his fellow senators when the Senate reconvened after the hours-long interruption Wednesday.

Since then, a few — but far short of the 17 that would be needed — Senate Republicans have expressed either outright support for impeachment or openness to the idea.

“I want him out. He has caused enough damage,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, told the Anchorage Daily News Saturday.

Democratic Lawmakers Press Ahead With Efforts To Remove President Following Riot At Us Capitol

[email protected]

WASHINGTON—Congress careened toward a fresh showdown with President Trump, as House Democrats said they plan to vote on impeaching him Wednesday over accusations he incited supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.

House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment on Monday morning and said they would move ahead regardless of tepid Republican support. While some Republicans have condemned the president for encouraging his supporters to march to the Capitol as lawmakers were voting to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, only a handful have backed removing him from office through impeachment or other means, while some have floated censure as an alternative.

Democrats, who have unsuccessfully pressed Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office, are expected to have enough votes to impeach in the House, which requires only a simple majority. A two-thirds supermajority in the Senate would then be required to convict Mr. Trump. The single article of impeachment alleges “incitement of insurrection.”

Nearly All Gop Senators Vote Against Impeachment Trial For Trump Signaling Likely Acquittal

All but five Republican senators backed former president Donald Trump on Tuesday in a key test vote ahead of his impeachment trial, signaling that the proceedings are likely to end with Trump’s acquittal on the charge that he incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

arrow-right

The vote also demonstrated the continued sway Trump holds over GOP officeholders, even after his exit from the White House under a historic cloud caused by his refusal to concede the November election and his unprecedented efforts to challenge the result.

Trump’s trial is not scheduled to begin until Feb. 9, but senators were sworn in for the proceedings Tuesday, and they immediately voted on an objection raised by Sen. Rand Paul questioning the constitutional basis for the impeachment and removal of a former president.

“Impeachment is for removal from office, and the accused here has already left office,” he argued, adding that the trial would “drag our great country down into the gutter of rancor and vitriol, the likes of which has never been seen in our nation’s history.”

But Democrats argue that Trump must be held accountable for the riot, which saw the Capitol overrun and resulted in the deaths of one police officer and four rioters. Paul’s argument, they said, suggests that presidents can act with impunity late in their terms.

The final vote was 55 to 45 to kill Paul’s objection, with GOP Sens. Susan Collins , Lisa Murkowski , Mitt Romney , Ben Sasse and Patrick J. Toomey joining all 50 Democrats.

Biden Calls Putin To Discuss Navalny Government Hack Ukraine And Malign Actions By Russia

When Mr. Biden was asked at an event at the White House on Tuesday what Mr. Putin had to say, the president joked, “He sends his best!”

But he quickly pivoted to the need for cooperation in “mutual self-interest,” and the treaty.

transcript

Lloyd Austin The New Defense Secretary Prepares To Address Sexual Assault In The Military

If Mr. Austin, a retired four-star army general, were to embrace these changes, he would be the first secretary to do so, a major shift in position for the Pentagon.

There Are Still Far Too Many Political Incentives For The Gop To Stick With The President

When President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen testified before Wednesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, his revelations about his ex-boss seemed explosive. Cohen depicted Trump as a racist con man and a mob chieftain, and implicated the president in crimes including witness tampering, campaign finance violations and even potentially conspiring with Russia to promote his business interests and defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016. But the near-uniform hostility from Republicans who tangled with Cohen during the hearing — a day after 13 House Republicans voted to nullify Trump’s national emergency declaration — were stark reminders that anyone who thinks impeachment is near has misjudged the GOP.

With much of Capitol Hill awaiting the release of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report into the Trump campaign’s role in Russian election interference, the talk of impeachment, on a low burn for two years, is finally heating up. Op-eds have urged members of Congress to consider impeaching Trump , while hedge-fund billionaire Tom Steyer opted against a presidential bid so he could concentrate on his media campaign to persuade lawmakers to launch impeachment proceedings. First-term Rep. Rashida Tlaib promised a gathering of progressive activists that the new Democratic House majority would do just that. Two House members have already formally introduced articles of impeachment.

arrow-right

Even with evidence of ‘high crimes,’ impeaching Trump would probably fail

House Democrats To Vote To Remove Gop Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene Of Committee Assignments

House Democrats are set to push ahead with stripping Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments after Republicans opted not to punish the Georgia congresswoman for past comments she’s made in support of harmful conspiracy theories.

Greene has claimed that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and high-profile school shootings like the Sandy Hook Elementary attack are hoaxes and has called for the execution of prominent Democrats.

The Rules Committee Wednesday voted to bring the matter to the full House for a vote Thursday that will decide whether Greene can stay on her committees for the rest of her term.

More:Donald Trump’s backers failed to take down Liz Cheney. But the GOP’s ‘civil war’ is nowhere near over.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the Democrats Greene had said should be killed, denounced Republicans for not expelling Greene from the caucus. “McCarthy has chosen to make House Republicans ‘the party of conspiracy theories and QAnon’ and Rep. Greene is in the driver’s seat,” Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday that identified McCarthy’s party identification as “Q.”

“We had hoped that the Republican leadership would have dealt with this. For whatever reason, they don’t want to deal with it. And that’s unfortunate. So we are taking this step,” said Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass, who chairs the Rules Committee. “The question we all have to ask ourselves is what is the consequence of doing nothing.”

– Matthew Brown

The Capitol Attack Wasnt A False Flag Gop Officials Continue To Spread The Theory Anyway

Mr. Currier said other states would be adopting similar resolutions. “There will be many states doing this,” Mr. Currier said. “We’re not the only ones.”

Twice As Many Republicans Vote To Impeach Trump Than Democrats Voted To Remove Clinton

Newsweek

More Republicans in the House voted for the second impeachment of President Donald Trump on Wednesday than Democrats voted in favor of impeaching President Bill Clinton in 1998.

The House voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of riots at the U.S. Capitol in January, an event many have said Trump incited, by a vote of 232-197. Four Republican members of the House declined to vote. While a majority of Republicans chose to stand behind Trump and his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, 10 GOP members decided to break ranks with Trump and call for his impeachment.

NBC News

Trump’s second impeachment was seen as the most bipartisan impeachment in U.S. history. Only 5 Democrats broke ranks to vote for impeaching Clinton. During the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868, only 7 Republicans joined with Democrats to vote in favor of Johnson’s impeachment.

A majority of the 10 Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment represent districts that voted for Trump in the 2020 election.

Ohio Republican Representative Anthony Gonzalez announced his support for impeaching Trump on Wednesday.

“When I consider the full scope of events leading up to January 6th including the President’s lack of response as the United States Capitol was under attack,” Gonzalez wrote, “I am compelled to support impeachment.”

Michigan Representative Peter Meijer, who supported a resolution to censure Trump on Tuesday, voted for impeachment on Wednesday.

Trump Acquitted In Impeachment Trial; 7 Gop Senators Vote With Democrats To Convict

Dareh Gregorian

The Senate on Saturday voted to acquit former President Donald Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection despite significant Republican support for conviction, bringing an end to the fourth impeachment trial in U.S. history and the second for Trump.

Seven Republicans voted to convict Trump for allegedly inciting the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, when a mob of pro-Trump supporters tried to disrupt the electoral vote count formalizing Joe Biden’s election win before a joint session of Congress. That is by far the most bipartisan support for conviction in impeachment history. The final vote was 57 to 43, 10 short of the 67 votes needed to secure a conviction.

Republican Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania all voted guilty.

The vote means the Senate cannot bar Trump from holding future federal offices.

Moments after the vote concluded, the former president issued a statement praising his legal team and thanking the senators and other members of Congress “who stood proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country.”

“This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it,” Trump said.

The White House Press Briefings Will Include An American Sign Language Interpreter

The move is a “historical first,” according to Howard A. Rosenblum, the chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf.

Past administrations have occasionally had A.S.L. briefers at some White House events and meetings, Mr. Rosenblum said, but President Biden is the first to make it a fixture.

Raskin Compares Trumps Actions On January 6 To Lighting A Fire In Closing Argument

Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen, meanwhile, insisted his client did nothing wrong and maintained he was the victim of vengeful Democrats and a biased news media. He called the impeachment proceedings a “charade from beginning to end.”

While he often seemed angry during his presentation, van der Veen was delighted by the acquittal. Reporters saw him fist bump a fellow member of Trump’s legal team afterward and exclaim, “We’re going to Disney World!”

“While a close call, I am persuaded that impeachments are a tool primarily of removal and we therefore lack jurisdiction,” the influential Kentucky Republican wrote in the email, which was obtained by NBC News.

McConnell, who’d rebuffed Democratic efforts to start the trial while Trump was still in office, had condemned Trump’s conduct after the riot and said he’d keep an open mind about voting to convict — something he’d ruled out entirely during Trump’s first impeachment trial last year.

After voting to acquit, McConnell blasted Trump for his “disgraceful dereliction of duty” and squarely laid the blame for the riot at Trump’s door in what amounted to an endorsement of many of the arguments laid out by House impeachment managers.

“There’s no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor.

Cassidy gave a simple explanation for his vote in a 10-second video statement he posted on Twitter.

Fox Gives A Show To One Former Trump Aide But Shoots Down Claims It Hired Another

Larry Kudlow, the former CNBC star who served as director of President Donald J. Trump’s National Economic Council, is returning to broadcasting.

Mr. Kudlow was named the host of a new daily show on Fox Business set to begin later this year, the network said on Tuesday. He will also appear on Fox Business and Fox News as an on-air financial analyst starting Feb. 8.

This is the first major television gig secured by a senior Trump aide who stayed in the White House until the president’s term ended last week. It is also something of a hiring coup for Fox Business, which competes against CNBC and will now feature one of its rival’s longtime featured players.

Fox said that it would provide more information about Mr. Kudlow’s new weekday program at a later date.

Mr. Kudlow’s hiring is the latest example of the revolving door between Fox News and members of the Trump administration. But another prominent Trump defender may not be headed to the Rupert Murdoch-owned network so soon.

Kayleigh McEnany, the former White House press secretary, included an “employment agreement” with Fox News on a federally mandated disclosure form she filed earlier this month, signaling that she had landed a job at the cable channel.

Fox News on Tuesday had a different message for Ms. McEnany: not so fast.

“Kayleigh McEnany is not currently an employee or contributor at Fox News,” the network said in a statement.

Ms. McEnany did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

‘a Win Is A Win’: Trump’s Defense Team Makes Remarks After Senate Votes To Acquit

Despite the acquittal, President Joe Biden said in a statement that “substance of the charge” against Trump is “not in dispute.”

“Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a ‘disgraceful dereliction of duty’ and ‘practically and morally responsible for provoking’ the violence unleashed on the Capitol,” Biden’s statement read in part.

The president added that “this sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That it must always be defended. That we must be ever vigilant. That violence and extremism has no place in America. And that each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Saturday’s vote “the largest and most bipartisan vote in any impeachment trial in history,” but noted it wasn’t enough to secure a conviction.

The trial “was about choosing country over Donald Trump, and 43 Republican members chose Trump. They chose Trump. It should be a weight on their conscience today, and it shall be a weight on their conscience in the future,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor.

With control of the Senate split 50-50, the House managers always had an uphill battle when it came to convincing enough Republicans to cross party lines and convict a former president who is still very popular with a large part of the GOP base.

As Many As 8 Republican Senators Could Vote To Convict And Remove Donald Trump

TwitterWhatsappRedditMail

While it’s hard to envision a scenario in which the GOP-controlled Senate votes to remove Donald Trump from office, there is a growing possibility that a handful of Republicans in the upper chamber could still side with the Democrats.

As MSNBC political contributor Jason Johnson pointed out on Monday, Trump’s impeachment messaging has been a disaster and it’s making it more likely that a substantial number of Republican senators will vote to convict and remove Trump.

“You could see five, six, seven, eight senators – Republican senators – make symbolic votes for impeachment because the president can’t explain himself and they’re tired of taking arrows for him,” he said.

Video:

Johnson said:

Pelosi Throws Down Gauntlet In Senate Impeachment Trial: Courage Or Cowardice

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered a fiery justification Thursday for pursuing the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump after he left office by saying it will reveal whether the Senate has “courage or cowardice.”

The California Democrat was asked at her weekly news conference why House members would bother with the trial after a Senate procedural vote suggested Trump would be acquitted. The Senate rejected a motion to find the case unconstitutional, but the 45 Republicans who supported the motion suggested that Trump will have support from more than 34 needed for acquittal.

Pelosi forcefully rejected that reasoning, saying senators haven’t yet heard the case. A two-thirds majority of the 100 members would be required to convict Trump of inciting insurrection in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Pelosi said House prosecutors are carefully preparing their case for the court of the Senate, the court of public opinion and for history.

“We’ll see if it’s going to be a Senate of courage or cowardice,” Pelosi said.

Republicans have argued that the trial is divisive. But Pelosi quoted Pope Paul VI and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in saying that justice is required for peace. She said the founders who wrote the Constitution included impeachment as a penalty for wrongdoing.

– Bart Jansen

0 notes

patriotsnet · 3 years ago

Text

What Are The Republicans Saying About Impeachment

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-are-the-republicans-saying-about-impeachment/

What Are The Republicans Saying About Impeachment

Partisans Express Little Or No Confidence In The Senators On The Other Side Of The Aisle To Be Fair And Reasonable During Impeachment Trial

In Trump’s 2019 Impeachment Trial Romney Was The Only Republican Who Voted To Convict Already Six Times That Many Have Broken With The Ex

Capitol Police Chief Apologizes For Security Failures During The Assault Including A Delay In Calling For Guard Troops

While Most Republicans Are Likely To Vote To Acquit The Former President A Handful Of Votes Appear To Be In Play

@Rubinations

Sen. Mitt Romney

Sen. Susan Collins

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Among Gop Views Of Whether Trump Has Behaved Illegally Or Unethically Are Associated With Opinions On Removal

Janet Yellen The First Woman To Be Treasury Secretary Is Sworn In By The First Woman To Be Vice President

transcript

Capitol Riot Investigation Will Slow As Officials Work To Build More Complicated Cases Justice Dept Says

Senator Patrick Leahy 80 Is Briefly Hospitalized As A Precaution After He Reported Feeling Unwell

Mr. Leahy was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he received tests and “a thorough examination” before being released, Mr. Carle said.

The senator “looks forward to getting back to work,” Mr. Carle said.

Mr. Leahy has received both vaccine shots for the coronavirus, and it was unclear what his symptoms were.

Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and Mr. Leahy’s predecessor as president pro tempore, was among those who wished Mr. Leahy well in a tweet Tuesday evening.

Republicans Have Questioned The Constitutionality Of The Trial To Prevent It From Moving Forward

Trump won’t be convicted. Impeachment is still worth it.

Ultimately, as the result of the final constitutionality vote suggests, their arguments seemed only to reaffirm where senators, on both sides of the aisle, already stood.

Gop Senators Signal They Plan To Acquit Trump Despite Visceral Presentation By House Democrats

Key moments from the second day of Trump’s impeachment trial

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he couldn’t believe “we could lose the Capitol like that” but added that it didn’t change his mind on whether to acquit Trump during the trial.

How will GOP senators ignore this?

Others were clearly moved.

Biden Calls Putin To Discuss Navalny Government Hack Ukraine And Malign Actions By Russia

When Mr. Biden was asked at an event at the White House on Tuesday what Mr. Putin had to say, the president joked, “He sends his best!”

But he quickly pivoted to the need for cooperation in “mutual self-interest,” and the treaty.

transcript

Lloyd Austin The New Defense Secretary Prepares To Address Sexual Assault In The Military

If Mr. Austin, a retired four-star army general, were to embrace these changes, he would be the first secretary to do so, a major shift in position for the Pentagon.

The Capitol Attack Wasnt A False Flag Gop Officials Continue To Spread The Theory Anyway