News from the note…
A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.
Consider this an OPEN THREAD, folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.
Fewer Republicans (and more Democrats) think moral leadership is important from the President
From CNN
Twenty-two percent of Republicans think Donald Trump provides somewhat or very weak moral leadership as President, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say the same, with 60% of independents and 91% of Democrats agreeing.
When asked if they think it is important for the President to provide moral leadership for the country, Democrats were the most likely to say it was important (77%). Only 63% of Republicans and 62% of independents agreed.
Those numbers have changed substantially since the Clinton administration.
Brownback, no longer in Kansas, has ‘big’ plans as religious freedom envoy
From Politico
As a senator in 1998, Sam Brownback helped push through the law that created the role of the U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom.
Twenty years and a controversial governorship later, the Kansas Republican now occupies that position, which oversees the annual State Department report on atrocities, discrimination and other ills visited on people of faith overseas.
He plans to take advantage.
GOP lawmaker: Porn partly to blame for school shootings
From The Hill
Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) said that pornography is partially to blame for gun violence in schools.
The GOP lawmaker made the comment during a listening session with local pastors last week while discussing several factors that she said contribute to increased gun violence.
“Why do we see kids being so violent?” she asked, according to a recording of her comments obtained by HuffPost. “What makes them do that?”
Black, who is running for Tennessee governor, blamed the increase in school shootings on “deterioration of the family,” “violent movies” and “pornography,” though she did not specify what effect pornography had.
‘People just give up’: Low-income hurricane victims slam federal relief programs
From Politico
Nine months after Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain on the Gulf Coast, green grass has returned to plush Houston developments and the city’s downtown hums with millennial workers choosing a favorite food truck. But just a short drive away, Kashmere Gardens has not recovered.
Nearly every street of the 10,000-person neighborhood has homes that are gutted. Empty window panes reveal sparse interiors without walls, doors or carpets. Doors hang ajar and mold consumes living rooms and kitchens. Signs dot the lawns, promising homeowners that they can quickly sell out and avoid the messy process of rebuilding. One family lives in a tent in their driveway where mangy dogs circle around, shedding fur and leaving a rotten stench hanging in the air. Inside their wrecked home, two 4-year-old children sleep just feet away from open electric wires.
Biden endorses Soto over Grayson in Florida congressional primary
From Politico
Former Vice President Joe Biden is endorsing Rep. Darren Michael Soto as he fends off a primary challenge from his predecessor, Alan Grayson, in a sign that the Democratic establishment wants to keep the firebrand former congressman off the November ballot.
Biden steered clear of mentioning Grayson by name in issuing his endorsement — his first in a contested Florida Democratic race — and instead played up Soto’s blue-collar roots in Florida’s 9th Congressional District.
Trump says, without proof, that Mueller team will meddle in midterm elections
From CNN
President Donald Trump alleged Tuesday — without providing any evidence — that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation will meddle in the midterm elections to benefit Democrats.
Trump’s claim is his latest attack on the credibility of the Russia investigation as being politically motivated, though it’s a significant new step in his attacks on what is intended to be an independent probe working to get to the bottom of Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
“The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt, will be MEDDLING with the mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are taking the lead in Polls,” Trump tweeted. “There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats!”
Russian journalist shot and killed in Ukrainian capital
From AP
A Russian journalist was shot and killed in the Ukrainian capital Tuesday, and the national police said he apparently was targeted because of his work.
Ukrainian police said Arkady Babchenko’s wife found him bleeding at their apartment building in Kiev and called an ambulance, but Babchenko died on the way to a hospital.
Police said he died of multiple gunshots wounds to his back.
“The first and the most obvious version is his professional activities,” Kiev Police Chief Andriy Krishchenko said in televised comments.
Migrant rescues child dangling from Paris balcony, gets new start in France
From NBC
A migrant who climbed four stories up a building to rescue a child dangling from a balcony has been offered a new start in France.
President Emmanuel Macron met with 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama on Monday to thank him personally after videos capturing the spectacular rescue went viral on social media over the weekend.
The footage shows Gassama, who is originally from Mali, pulling himself up from one balcony to the next to reach the child
Les héros ne portent pas de cap. ?? #Paris pic.twitter.com/QrOn3YB4Q7
— •NubiΔΠ• (@Adil__Brown) May 27, 2018
