January 1, Portland Mayor Upset with Trump’s ‘Personal Army’

This Day in History | 1940

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who first took office in 1933 as America’s 32nd president, is nominated for an unprecedented third term. Roosevelt, a Democrat, would eventually be elected to a record four terms in office, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms.

Good morning Middle Americans, 

Have you been following the situation in Portland Oregon? There have been almost 50 straight days of violent protests in the street and Portland’s mayor Ted Wheeler seems content to let it all play out. President Trump clearly does not. So the commander in chief has dispatched the Border Patrol and other Federal agents to Portland to quell the violence. It’s created quite a stir, the ACLU is suing the federal government. It’s going to be a real Constitutional Stress test. 

Also today, former Vice President Joe Biden is now receiving intel briefings and he warning us about Russian meddling in the election. The only question we have, which election is he talking about. Maybe Biden, has 2020 mixed up with 2016?

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has deftly banned the Confederate flag at all U.S. Military installations. Find out how he did it and what the president might say about it below. Finally, an update on the health of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. RBG’s cancer is back. And everyone is wishing her well. So are we. Cancer sucks. 

Read all about it!

-Fraser Dixon

Portland Mayor Accuses Trump Of Using Federal Agents As ‘Personal Army’

(OPB) – As Portland’s protests against police violence grab national attention, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued his strongest condemnation yet of the presence of federal troops, painting their deployment as part of an ill-conceived strategy by the White House to bolster the president’s “sagging polling data.”

“Over the past week, President Trump has used our city as a staging ground to further his political agenda, igniting his base to cause further divisiveness,” Wheeler said during a Friday afternoon press conference. “Mr. President, federal agencies should never be used as your own personal army.”

The remarks followed an onslaught of condemnation from local and national leaders after OPB reported that federal agents had been snatching protesters and detaining them in unmarked vehicles. The revelation has helped bring a national spotlight on the presence of federal law enforcement who were ostensibly dispatched to guard federal property in downtown Portland.

Find out more here

Biden Begins Receiving Intel Briefs, Warns of Russian Meddling

(Bloomberg) – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he is receiving intelligence briefings and warned Friday about Russian interference in the 2020 election. We know from before and I guarantee you I know now because now I get briefings again — the Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process. Fact,” the former vice president said during a fundraiser organized by lawyers that included general counsels from roughly 100 companies.

“China and others are engaged as well in activities designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome” of the November election, Biden added.

A Biden campaign official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the briefings had begun and said the candidate also received advice from his team of national security experts.

Read more here

Pentagon Bans Confederate Flag in Way to Avoid Trump’s Wrath

(AP) – After weeks of wrangling, the Pentagon is banning displays of the Confederate flag on military installations, in a carefully worded policy that doesn’t mention the word ban or that specific flag. The policy, laid out in a memo released Friday, was described by officials as a creative way to bar the flag’s display without openly contradicting or angering President Donald Trump, who has defended people’s rights to display it. 

Signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday night, the memo lists the types of flags that may be displayed at military installations. The Confederate flag is not among them — thus barring its display without singling it out in a “ban.” Details of the policy were first reported by the AP.

Find out more here

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Being Treated For Cancer But Will Remain On SCOTUS

(Deadline) – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that she has been undergoing treatments for a recurrence of cancer but will remain on the court.

“On May 19, I began a course of chemotherapy … to treat a recurrence of cancer,” she wrote in a statement made public Friday. “A periodic scan in February followed by a biopsy revealed lesions on my liver.” She said that her hospitalization this week to remove gall stones and treat an infection were unrelated to the recurrence.

“Immunotherapy first essayed proved unsuccessful,” Ginsburg wrote. “The chemotherapy course, however, is yielding positive results. Satisfied that my treatment course is now clear, I am providing this information.”

Get the latest here