Georgia landed one of the most sought-after prizes on the recruiting trail Monday when shooting guard Anthony Edwards joined its 2019 class.
“Two of my favorite players, Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo, were coached by Tom Crean, and he’s a great coach,” Edwards told 247Sports’ Evan Daniels. “They came in, not highly rated, and came out really good. It weighed big on me.”
“I went to a game and I felt the fans in the gym, everybody showing love, and I felt like I was home,” Edwards added. “My sister just had my nephew, I want to see him grow, so [staying close to home] was a big factor.”
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Anthony Edwards, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2020 Draft, just committed to Georgia https://t.co/mJmSlJ5tdV
According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Edwards is a 5-star prospect and the No. 2 overall player, No. 1 shooting guard and No. 1 player from the state of Georgia in his class.
The 6’5″ and 215-pound playmaker reclassified from the 2020 class to 2019 and still finds himself near the top of the recruiting rankings as he prepares for the next step of his basketball career.
NBADraft.net has Edwards as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has him slotted at No. 2.
Many of the sport’s ultimate blue bloods—Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan State and UCLA—were featured when he cut his list to eight in November, underscoring his talent level and the type of programs interested in him.
Daniels noted Edwards posted 21 points and 6.1 rebounds a night as a member of Atlanta Xpress while playing on the Under Armour circuit. He also drilled 45 percent of his three-point attempts.
Edwards’ combination of size and shooting ability makes him an almost impossible matchup.
He can either shoot over smaller defenders or overpower them by driving into the lane and playing through contact. However, bigger defenders have difficulty keeping up with his quickness and countering the separation he creates with his ball-handling.
The shooting guard can also help his frontcourt teammates battle for rebounds and either keep possessions alive or look for transition opportunities going the other way. His length and athleticism figure to help on the defensive end as well, seeing how he can challenge jump shots and cut off penetration.
Edwards is the type of playmaker who can step on campus and immediately elevate to the position of go-to option. The NBA could well be in his not-too-distant future given his skill set, and he possesses the talent to become a household name in the collegiate ranks.
Georgia hopes he delivers on that talent and helps it compete against formidable programs such as Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee and Auburn in the SEC.
The Bulldogs haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since the 2014-15 campaign and are looking to change the direction of the basketball program in the coming years. Landing playmakers like Edwards, especially when they are from Georgia, is the road map to doing just that.
London, United Kingdom – Chunky, a bulldog, became an unlikely celebrity after relieving himself on a poster of Jacob Rees-Mogg – an MP and strident champion of Brexit, during a march in London.
And as the country’s parliamentarians continue to scrap like cats and dogs over the terms of Britain’s exit – or indeed whether to leave the European Union at all – Chunky’s owner Siobhan Goodchild believes the signal sent by her pet could not have been clearer.
The press pounced on images of Chunky’s mischief; bulldogs are a national icon in the United Kingdom, synonymous with a stubborn, independent spirit.
“The photographers loved it when Chunky relieved himself on Rees-Mogg’s poster because he’s a bulldog, and it sort of subverts the image of bulldogs being only for Britain – they can be for Europe too,” said Goodchild.
Chunky was also photographed relieving himself on an image of another leading Brexiteer, Boris Johnson. His moment of fame came during a march organised by the “Wooferendum”.
This imaginative anti-Brexit campaign attracted 3,000 people in London with nearly 1,000 dogs in October.
“We voted in the referendum and are strongly against Brexit,” Goodchild said. “The Wooferendum march seemed like a quintessentially British way to make a statement because we are dog lovers.”
Jack the border terrier with members of the Seward family on the Wooferendum march [Phil Watson/Wooferendum]
Organiser Daniel Elkan dreamed up the campaign to get dogs “barking out against Brexit” after talking to pet owners who voted to remain in the EU during a referendum on membership in June 2016.
He became convinced that leaving the EU would be a “dog’s dinner” in this animal-loving country – Britain has more than 54 million pets and a quarter of the population owns a dog.
Elkan said: “The reaction from dog owners was incredible: Brexit is a tough dry subject and not a great party conversation, but when I asked them whether their dog would like to join the Wooferendum because dogs were never consulted about it their eyes would light up.”
As parliament finally nears a decision on the UK’s future relationship with Europe after two years of divisive wrangling, Elkan is now considering repeating this successful event.
Conservative governments, in particular, have a woeful record on animal welfare: after Brexit, they will simply discard the additional protections for animals that the EU gives as soon as they can.
Iain McGill, veterinarian
A key reason many informed pet owners oppose Brexit is the new difficulties it will create for those who wish to travel abroad with their animals.
Long-standing fears in the UK of rabies meant that prior to the creation of Pet passports in 2000 – the official Pet Travel Scheme – animals had to be quarantined for six months when returning from the continent.
Mary Fretwell led a lengthy campaign to secure passports for pets, enabling them to avoid quarantine, and she is bitterly disappointed at the prospect of Brexit.
“Not only was quarantine expensive, it was a big question of animal welfare,” she said.
Under the pet passport scheme more than two million pets have since entered the UK and Lady Fretwell, who travels regularly to France with her greyhound border collie Roxy, noted on a recent trip that border staff were expecting 900 animals in just one day.
“I devoted seven years of my life to secure passports for pets and to see that now just discarded for this folly is mind-boggling,” she said.
Wooferendum campaigners oustide the British parliament [Wendy Nowak/ Wooferendum]
Pet owners heading abroad will now have to consult their vet three months before they travel, but if there is a hard Brexit, by which the UK would leave the EU without a negotiated settlement, pet owners fear quarantine could be reintroduced.
“The frustration, sadness and anger that the removal of this freedom to travel with a dog or cat would cause, after 18 years of doing so successfully, would be seen as a mean gesture by those purporting to implement the will of the people,” said Lady Fretwell.
While the Wooferendum was considered fun, it also highlighted serious concerns about the effect of Brexit on animal welfare in the UK.
Prominent animal rights campaigner Dominic Dyer points out that professionals from other EU member states make up over 25 percent of the workforce in British veterinary surgeries.
Dyer said: “We are very reliant on vets from Europe who care for our dogs, cats and other companion animals up and down the country – if we suddenly start shutting those people out of our labour market we will have a shortage of vets at a critical time.”
European vets also make up 90 percent of those working in abattoirs carrying out vital animal welfare and public health checks – a concern raised by the profession with Prime Minister Theresa May – and Brexit could result in shortages of animal medicines.
If they could talk, I am certain they’d be against Brexit.
Siobhan Goodchild, dog owner
Dyer is convinced campaigns like Wooferendum could play a crucial role in determining the eventual outcome of the UK’s Brexit process, especially if there is a second referendum.
“If you have got 15 million dog owners, 13 million cat owners, and millions of people with other companion animals, the vast majority of the population have some sort of pet or animal in their household. And a fraction of those change their minds as a result of these concerns, that would be enough to change the outcome.”
Veterinarian Iain McGill, who spoke at the Wooferendum march, says there are already signs the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is “backpedalling” on the issue of “sentience” accepted under European law – which reinforces animal protections.
He said: “The British government is not to be trusted on this – and Conservative governments, in particular, have a woeful record on animal welfare: after Brexit, they will simply discard the additional protections for animals that the EU gives as soon as they can.”
As the clock now ticks to the Brexit deadline of March 29, when the UK is scheduled formally to leave the EU, pet owners are growing restless.
Dog owner Linda Seward was dismayed by the result of the 2016 referendum and admits that she has been stockpiling pet food in case of restrictions on imports.
“I am stockpiling dog food and supplies that we receive from the EU that may be in very short supply once this disaster happens in March if it does indeed happen,” she says.
Seward joined the Wooferendum march with her children and border terrier, Jack, under a banner proclaiming: “Borders against Borders” and hopes “common sense” will prevail.
“I am very hopeful that there will be another referendum,” she said.
It is, however, beyond our wits to know what man’s best friend thinks about this very human dogfight.
But Siobhan Goodchild is convinced Chunky and his housemate, fellow bulldog Bubbles, would be at the front of the pack in a second Wooferendum march.
“If they could talk, I am certain they’d be against Brexit,” she says.
Vinicius Junior had a silvery smile when he landed at Madrid’s Barajas airport in the summer, a couple of days after turning 18 years old.
His new employers, Real Madrid, were delighted to see him in such a positive mood. But after finally unveiling him to the fans, the team made a demand: The braces on his teeth had to go.
The Spanish giants were worried the Brazilian forward could get seriously hurt if he were hit by an elbow during a game, and he was a prized new asset they needed to protect.
The previous year, Real Madrid agreed to pay Rio de Janeiro side Flamengo an astonishing €45 million ($51 million)—and potentially €61 million ($69 million)—for Vinicius when he was still just 16.
He had made his first-team debut for Flamengo only 10 days earlier and had played a grand total of just 17 minutes of senior football.
Still, Real Madrid knew they had to have him, even though international transfer rules meant he could not move to Europe until he turned 18.
Vinicius went on to play nearly70games at Flamengo, a club in mourning after10 young players diedat their youth team training centre on Friday.
Vinicius tweeted about the incident saying: “Just remembering the nights and days I spent at the training centre, it gives me goosebumps. I still can’t believe it, but praying for all! May God bless everyone’s family!”
Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari also admitted his player was affected by the tragedy, but he still trusted Vinicius with a starting place in Saturday’s Madrid derby, and the youngster won a penalty in a significant 3-1 win over Atletico.
PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/Getty Images
Getting rid of the braces was the first demand Real Madrid put on Vinicius this season, but it hasn’t been the last.
With Cristiano Ronaldo leaving for Juventus and manager Zinedine Zidane also departing the club after a third successive Champions League title, former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui was brought in to try to reconfigure the team.
However, he clearly saw Vinicius as part of the future, not the present.
Under Lopetegui, Vinicius played just 12 minutes in two substitute appearances. It appeared he would have to settle for lining up for Castilla—Madrid’s reserve side—who play in the Spanish third tier.
But after a few months, everything changed. Lopetegui was sacked following a disastrous four-and-a-half months in charge, and new head coach Solari has put his faith in Vinicius. Since then we’ve been witnessing the meteoric rise of a prodigy.
Last week, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, Vinicius became the club’s youngest player to be featured in a Clasico against Barcelona in the 21st century.
He wasted no time proving his future is now. As he touched the ball for the first time at the Camp Nou, an almost deafening whistle from around 92,000 fans was heard. But he needed only six minutes to silence them, combining with Karim Benzema to set up a goal for Lucas Vazquez in the 1-1 draw.
MB Media/Getty Images
He’s been involved in eight goals for Madrid in the Copa del Rey this season, scoring twice and providing six assists.
He has also emerged as a regular starter in La Liga and is primed to play his first UEFA Champions League knockout tie when Real Madrid travel to Amsterdam to face Ajax on Wednesday.
Vinicius brought his whole family—father, mother, sister, two brothers, niece and uncle—with him from Rio de Janeiro to Madrid. They live in a mansion with a basketball court in La Moraleja, an affluent residential neighbourhood near the club’s facilities.
Teammates Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro and Luka Modric all live next to him, which is handy since Vinicius still doesn’t have a driver’s license and relies on lifts from his new pals to get him to Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground.
Some of his new teammates are almost as old as his dad, Vinicius Jose Paixao de Oliveira, a 37-year-old cabling technician.
Oliveira came from a humble background and worked hard his entire life to be able to take his four kids out of one of Rio’s most dangerous favelas, Portao da Rosa, where they lived in a four-room house during Vinicius’ first 15 years. Oliveira once even left the family and moved to Sao Paulo on his own to take a job to make more money for the family.
When Folha de Sao Paulo, Brazi’s most popular newspaper, recently asked Oliveira about the possibility of taking some photos at his old residence, he advised them not to go there because drug dealers would probably be around.
His relatives avoid speaking to the media too. For safety reasons, they don’t want to draw attention to themselves. The loved ones of Brazilian footballers have been kidnapped for ransom in the past.
Family support is a key part of the Vinicius story.
“Vinicius Junior is a diamond in the rough,” Gilmar Popoca, a former midfielder who worked as Vinicius’ coach in the U13, U17 and U20 age groups, tells Bleacher Report. “I have no doubt he’s going straight to the top. If you ask me why I’m so sure about that, I would recommend getting to know his family.”
Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images
Popoca knows what it is like to be highly touted. He was named player of the tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics and was compared to the great Zico as he helped Brazil win the silver medal. However, that was as good as it got for him during what turned out to be a journeyman career.
“The same won’t happen to Vinicius,” Popoca confidently predicts.
“Back in my time, there wasn’t so much money around; there’s plenty of it now. And it can be a problem, bringing arrogance with it, an attitude that can harm a career,” he adds. “But despite the €61 million price tag he carries, Vinicius remains calm, very simple, surrounded by people like his father, who are very down-to-earth and will not let him get carried away by the fuss.”
Vinicius Junior loves tattoos, but his father is not the biggest fan.
On Wednesday, when Real Madrid face Ajax, Oliveira will watch the game closely, knowing there is more at stake for his son than a possible advantage for the second match at home.
That’s because father and son have a deal—a tattoo for every significant milestone Vinicius reaches in his career. The first one came after he made his professional debut, and two more have followed.
Vinicius will be entitled to a fourth if he scores on the European stage for the first time.
Even when it comes to off-the-field passions such as tattoos, Vinicius’ father has managed to transmit it into on-the-field focus.
The way Vinicius has settled into European life reminds former Brazil youth football coordinator Erasmo Damiani of Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, who quickly settled in the Premier League after arriving at City in 2017 as an 19-year-old from Sao Paulo side Palmeiras.
MB Media/Getty Images
“Vinicius’ potential is so huge that I think he can perfectly establish himself even before Gabriel Jesus did,” Damiani, who watched Vinicius climb from Brazil’s U15 to U20 team, tells B/R. “I used to hear people saying in our meetings, ‘He’s very good, has so much potential, but he’s a bit distracted sometimes.’ As long as it is not for negative things, why should we even discuss it? He has always been an extroverted boy and matured a lot throughout his time with us.”
When Viniciushas the ball, you have the feeling something might happen. He’s willing to take risks and run at defenders, which brings to mind great Brazilian players such as Neymar, Kaka and Ronaldinho.
In Spain, he’s starting to fill the Ronaldo void in the hearts of the Madridistas. He’s been the main man responsible for the change of mood at the club. The Bernabeu was a sad, quiet place earlier in the season, but Vinicius has brought the buzz back.
Vinicius’ journey also mirrors that of Savio. Back in 1998, Savio also left Flamengo for Real Madrid. He returned home with three Champions League titles.
The former left-winger, now a 45-year-old businessman, met Vinicius before he moved to Europe and liked what he saw.
“He came here with his uncle [Ulysses Leao], a very kind and simple man. Despite being only 18, he gave me the impression he was already focused on his goals, what he had to do out of the pitch, something that you don’t expect from a kid of his age,” Savio tells B/R.
Savio’s main advice to Vinicius? Get used to the cold Madrid winters, and get the fans on your side.
“My main problem was the weather—I left Rio in the summer and arrived in Madrid to train with zero degrees. It wasn’t easy,” he recalls. “What really helped me is that I had the support from fans since the beginning; it was very important, gave me the confidence I needed. I see the same affection towards Vinicius now. The Bernabeu can be a very complicated stadium to please, with pressure everywhere. Either the fans fall in love for you or hate you.
“Right now, I’m sure they’re in love with Vinicius.”
The hype is certainly building. Just last week, a column by Marco Ruiz in Spanish newspaper AS proclaimed “a new era is approaching at Madrid—it is the Vinicius era.” Is the teenager prepared for such a leading role?
Tostao knows a bit about talent. A key member, alongside the likes of Pele and Jairzinho, on Brazil’s celebrated 1970 World Cup-winning team, he is now one of the country’s leading football pundits.
“[Vincius] is still young but physically ready, extremely fast, with very impressive sprinting,” Tostao tells B/R. “It’s been a while since I saw a player with his pace and control of the ball. He’s not a promise anymore; he’s a reality.”
Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
However, Tostao also urges caution. “It remains to be seen, however, how far he will go—if he will be an excellent player, something he has already proved to be, or will reach the level of the biggest footballers in the history.
“It’s impossible to predict this now. He still makes some poor decisions. I’m not sure if that’s because he’s too young or due to some weakness on his game.”
With his displays at the Bernabeu, Vinicius has managed to silence critics back home who predicted he would not live up to the expectations.
After some patchy early performances at the club when he was still just 16, some critics labelled Vinicius “Neguebinha” (meaning “little Negueba”). Negueba was another Flamengo graduate who seemed destined for greatness, but who is languishing in South Korean football.
“When some fans and even certain people in the media started referring to him as Neguebinha, I warned them: ‘It doesn’t make any sense. This boy is different. He is still only 16,’” Damiani says. “‘Why are you putting so much pressure on him? He has a huge potential.’ Not to mention he always finds a way to overcome adversity—that’s what makes him so special.
“Some people in Brazil seem to get satisfaction from criticising young players, underestimating them, but I think Vinicius is now shutting them up.”
GABRIEL BOUYS/Getty Images
Gareth Bale, for whom Real Madrid paid a world-record fee to acquire in 2013, was often seen as the heir apparent to Ronaldo, but Vinicius has been outdoing him this season and seems to have little concern about losing his place now the Welshman has returned from injury. He often cites a quote from Michael Jordan as his motto: “Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”
The Brazilian has started the club’s last 11 matches and is in such amazing form that Madrid seem to be him plus 10 at the moment.
While the Spanish title might be beyond Real Madrid’s reach (they are still six points behind Barcelona despite closing the gap in recent weeks), Vinicius’ rapid development has helped spark hope of a fourth consecutive Champions League title.
And where will this year’s final take place? In Madrid, at the home of their city rivals Atletico, on June 1. What a place that would be for Vinicius to flash that smile one last time this season.
A cause for another tattoo, if ever there was one.
Tehran, Iran – Despite the rain and snow in the Iranian capital, thousands marched through Tehran’s major streets to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
Monday’s turnout might have been affected by the weather but the intensity of rhetoric against the United States and its allies – Israel and Saudi Arabia – was still prominent in the banners carried by the demonstrators.
The marchers were also seen setting on fire American and Israeli flags, and stepping on a caricature of US President Donald Trump, who in 2018 decided to reimpose economic sanctions on the country.
Among those present at the march were President Hassan Rouhani and reformist members of parliament, Mohammad Reza Aref and Ali Motahari, as well as senior Muslim leaders.
Rouhani said he will not seek permission from foreign powers to boost Iran‘s missile programme, which he said is necessary to defend the country from external threats.
Local reports say that similar demonstrations were held in other major cities, including Mashhad, the second largest metropolis in Iran.
Monday’s event, which is also referred to as the Ten-Day Dawn, marks the 10 days of protests, which followed the return from exile of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 revolution, which successfully overthrew the American-backed monarch of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry declared that since 1979, the nation is now “more mature, prudent, and powerful than ever”.
Melbourne, Australia – Members of the Uighur Muslim community in Australia are renewing calls for action from the government amid reports that a number of Australian permanent residents are effectively trapped in China’s Xinjiang province.
The Guardian reported on Monday that at least 17 Australian residents are being held under house arrest, in prison or detained in so-called “re-education” centres in the far western region of Xinjiang, also referred to by some Uighurs as East Turkistan.
They are thought to have been detained while on trips to visit relatives in China and some have family members who are Australian citizens.
“As soon as they arrive, their passport is taken away because they’re holding a Chinese passport, even though they have permanent residency,” Nurgul Sawut, the Uighur-Australian activist who provided The Guardian with the details of the 17 affected, told Al Jazeera.
“We’re not only talking about the 17 people back in Xinjiang. We’re talking about their direct family members here in Australia. There are 17 families whose lives are destroyed. They can’t continue with their work. Their mental health is deteriorating,” she said.
“This is not a surprise for us. Our community told us that their family members have been in trouble in East Turkistan since 2017,” said Nurmuhammad Majid, president of the East Turkistan Australian Association (ETAA).
“The number is over 20 according to my calculations, including some minor children as well. We are gravely concerned for their safety and well-being.”
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) however, said it was “not aware of any Australian citizens currently detained in Xinjiang”.
“We are aware of a number of cases where family and friends in Australia are unable to contact individuals who have travelled to Xinjiang,” a spokesperson for DFAT said in a statement obtained by Al Jazeera.
“In some cases, those individuals have Australian connections such as permanent residency or a spouse visa. Where Australian family members request us to do so, we have been making enquiries with the Chinese authorities regarding the whereabouts of these individuals,” the spokesperson said.
There are an estimated 600 Uighur families residing in Australia, with a combined population of around 3000. “Some Uighurs spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get permanent residency,” Majid from ETAA said.
“They have rights to live indefinitely in Australia according to the visa conditions. A majority of them have established homes, work and businesses in Australia.”
Internment and intimidation
The Chinese government has in recent years intensified a crackdown against its Muslim minority population, claiming it is combating extremism and the “ideological illness” of Islam. Beijing issued a decree in January announcing that it aimed to “Sinicise” Islam to make it “compatible with socialism” within the next five years.
A United Nations human rights panel last August claimed that more than one million Uighurs and other minorities were being held in what resembled a “massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy”. Those outside of the camps have been subject to surveillance and suppression of their ability to practice Islam, in what some have deemed “cultural genocide“.
With some 10 percent of the overall Uighur population detained, this has impacted the Uighur diaspora worldwide.
Sawut, the Uighur-Australian activist, said that most Uighurs in Australia have between 20 and 50 family members in camps, with one having up to 200 of their maternal and paternal relatives interned.
At least three Australian citizens were put into China’s re-education camps between 2017 and 2018 before being subsequently released, according to DFAT. Many overseas Uighurs have reported intimidation by the Chinese government.
Sawut, who has lived in Australia since 2001, said Chinese authorities in Xinjiang phoned her sister in Melbourne ordering her to stop her activism. “[They threatened] if I don’t stop my activities then my relatives won’t be released [from internment camps],” she told Al Jazeera.
“There are many cases like this. Sometimes they’re receiving phone calls from [Chinese] embassies, sometimes from local authorities in Urumqi or Kashgar, demanding that their relatives release their personal details. By taking hostage of the relatives at home [in Xinjiang].”
“Don’t ring anymore,” Sawut’s family in Xinjiang told her. “Because every time you rang, the consequence is the police will be at our door.”
Nury A Turkel, a board member of the US-based Uighur Human Rights Project who met with members of the Uighur community around Australia in late 2018, told Al Jazeera that “[the Uighur diaspora] are experiencing crippling anxiety because of their inability to maintain contact with their families”.
“They also show a deep level of frustration with the Chinese government and disappointment with their own government for not doing enough,” he said.
Call to action
Australia has joined the United States, Canada and other Western countries in calling for China to end its mass internment of Uighurs. Nevertheless, rights activists say the response from Western governments has been inadequate.
“Australia and the US could put together a coalition to address the humanitarian crisis involving the Uighurs in a multilateral and collective effort,” Turkel said. “The business as usual approach, engaging in bilateral talks behind closed doors, has not yielded any response.”
“The Australian government should throw its support behind an effort at the Human Rights Council to send a UN fact-finding mission to Xinjiang,” said Human Rights Watch’s Australia director Elaine Pearson, echoing a call from 278 scholars issued last November.
“We haven’t seen the Australian government take any clear actions to help us,” added Majid. While New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue of the Uighur with Chinese government officials last year, her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison has not publicly spoken on the issue.
Australia should work with its Five Eyes intelligence partners – the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand – to pressure China.
“How come Canada can do better than Australia? Even New Zealand has done better than Australia,” Sawut said.
The opposition Australian Labor Party has called upon the government to do more to protect Uighurs in Xinjiang – particularly those who are Australian residents.
“It is important that the Uighur community in Australia do not feel pressured or intimidated by events in China and we urge DFAT to continue raise the issue of Uighur Australians with their counterparts in Beijing,” said a statement from Australia’s shadow foreign minister Penny Wong. “We are particularly concerned about reports of Australian residents being detained in China.”
“Engagement with China is very important to Australia but, as with any other country, it never means we abandon our values, or our sovereignty,” Wong said.
On Saturday, Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to openly condemn China’s treatment of the Uighur. “We invite Chinese authorities to respect fundamental human rights of the Uighur Turks and shut down concentration camps,” said a statement from its foreign ministry.
China’s subsequent release of footage of prominent Uighur musician Abdurehim Heyit, to prove he is still alive, demonstrates “Chinese authorities still care about how they’re being portrayed in the international community”, said Turkel.
“[Western governments] should also use international bodies and international law to hold the Chinese accountable.”
OK, WELL WE’RE NOW IN A SHUTDOWN WEEK. Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats have broken down, and they are on the brink of being beyond repair.
HERE’S WHAT’S AT ISSUE: Democrats are pushing for a statutory cap of 16,500 detention beds for people detained in the U.S., which is what they believe is a mechanism to focus the Trump administration’s interior enforcement policies.
REPUBLICANS SAY it’s arbitrary, and will allow criminals to rove the homeland freely. Republicans believe some undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in the U.S. should be exempt from the cap, and Democrats disagree. This is a fundamental disagreement in the talks.
— THERE IS ALSO DISAGREEMENT on how much to spend on border barriers, and where such structures should go.
THIS IS QUICKLY BECOMING December all over again. Nothing has changed.
MARIANNE LEVINE, HEATHER CAYGLE and BURGESS EVERETT: “Among the issues Democratic negotiators are focused on is Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., not just crossing the border. They also insist they want a cap on detention beds to force ICE to prioritize which undocumented immigrants it targets within the U.S., and they say that without it, the agency will increase deportation raids in local communities without valid reason.” POLITICO
— NYT’S EMILY COCHRANE, MAGGIE HABERMAN and ERIC SCHMITT: “Senior officers are voicing greater worries that the deployed troops are not conducting the missions and training needed for their regular missions, while other military units must now pick up the routine duties on behalf of their deployed colleagues.” NYT
— “Devastated by one shutdown, dreading the next,” by WaPo’s Eli Saslow: “As Friday’s deadline approaches, a federal worker overwhelmed the first time wonders: ‘How am I supposed to dig out?’” WaPo
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE: The government shuts down Friday. That leaves four full days in session to move a bill through the House and Senate.
— WAPO’S ERICA WERNER, DAMIAN PALETTA and SEUNG MIN KIM lead their story with this: “The nation faces the real possibility of another government shutdown at the end of this week after bipartisan talks aimed at averting that outcome broke down in a dispute over immigration enforcement, lawmakers and aides said Sunday.” WaPo
WE HEAR that the Democratic House is considering passing a several-week stopgap spending bill for DHS, along with a minibus with the rest of the outstanding spending bills. The DHS bill will include their desired restrictions on the border wall and on detention beds.
EXPECT the White House to become more vocal in the next few days. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP is going to El Paso, Texas, tonight for a rally. Last night we got a call from the administration, promising an on-the-record statement about the status of the talks. The statement never came, but the itchiness to get in the game seemed to be real.
BORDER PATROL IS HAVING TROUBLE HIRING, via Ted Hesson: “Shortly after taking office, the president signed an executive order that called for the hiring of 5,000 additional agents. More recently, his administration pushed a proposal that calls for 2,750 additional agents, law enforcement officers and staff. But Border Patrol can’t hire enough people even to fill jobs that were available before. Even as Congress provides funding to hire 21,370 agents, the patrol is more than 1,800 agents short of that mark.” POLITICO
Good Monday morning.
NEWS … BUCK’S NEW GIG … BRENDAN BUCK, a top aide to Paul Ryan and John Boehner, is joining Blue Engine + JDA as a partner. Blue Engine, a traditionally Democratic outpost founded by Erik Smith, recently merged with JDA Frontline, a Republican shop, to form a bipartisan firm. The firm will roll out a new name in the next few months.
BUCK is a pretty high-profile Republican hire for a firm that is looking to get cred with the right. He worked for Ryan for his whole speakership, serving as one of his most trusted advisers, after working for him on the Ways and Means Committee. Buck was also a senior adviser to Boehner.
BREAKING LAST NIGHT … JOHN BRESNAHAN: “Omar ignites new anti-Semitism controversy with comments on AIPAC”: “Freshman Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar ignited a new controversy on Sunday night when she suggested GOP support for Israel is driven by campaign donations from a prominent pro-Israel group.
“Omar singled out AIPAC, one of the most influential lobbying groups in Washington, as the source of those donations. Omar’s comments touched upon a long-running, and particularly ugly, thread of the anti-Semitic movement — that Jewish money fuels backing for Israel in the United States and elsewhere. A freshman Democrat, Max Rose of New York, said, ‘Congresswoman Omar’s statements are deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself.’
“And the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee is a non-profit that doesn’t donate directly to candidates. AIPAC, however, does relentlessly push a pro-Israeli message on Capitol Hill and inside the executive branch, and its members donate to pro-Israel lawmakers and candidates while seeking to defeat those it considers a threat to U.S.-Israeli relations.” POLITICO … Rose’s tweet
SNEAK PEEK … VIRGINIA GOV. RALPH NORTHAM spoke to CBS’ GAYLE KING for “CBS This Morning.” The interview will air at 7 and 8 a.m. Here’s a snippet …
KING: “What have you learned that you didn’t know before?” NORTHAM: “Well several things, starting with I was born in white privilege and that has implications to it. It is much different the way a white person such as myself is — is treated in this country versus –”
KING: “Did you not know that you were born into white privilege?” NORTHAM: “I knew I was, Ms. King, but I didn’t realize really the powerful implications of that. And again talking to a lot of friends that has come crystal clear to me this week. I have also learned why the use of blackface is so offensive, and yes I knew it in the past. But reality has really set in.”
FOR YOUR RADAR — “Top Pentagon official in Afghanistan amid push for peace,” by AP’s Robert Burns in Kabul: “The Pentagon’s top official made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Monday to meet with U.S. commanders and Afghan leaders amid a push for peace with the Taliban. Pat Shanahan, the recently installed acting secretary of defense, said he has no orders to reduce the U.S. troop presence, although officials say that is at the top of the Taliban’s list of demands in exploratory peace negotiations.
“Shanahan said he is encouraged that President Donald Trump’s administration is exploring all possibilities for ending a 17-year war, the longest in American history. But he stressed that peace terms are for the Afghans to decide. Thus far the Taliban have refused to negotiate with the government of President Ashraf Ghani, calling it illegitimate. Washington is trying to break that impasse.” AP
DINGELL FUNERAL DETAILS … MLIVE’S RYAN STANTON: “Joe Biden, John Lewis and Fred Upton are scheduled to speak at the Michigan service planned for Tuesday, Jan. 12 in Dearborn, and pallbearers will include some of Dingell’s former staff. At Thursday’s service in Washington, D.C., speakers include Bill Clinton, Steny Hoyer and John Boehner, and pallbearers include former Congress members and colleagues of Dingell.” MLive
REMEMBERING WALTER JONES — SARAH FERRIS: “Rep. Walter Jones, a Republican congressman of 24 years who honed a legacy for bucking the GOP on the Iraq war, died Sunday on his 76th birthday. Jones — who faced no challenger last November — had already announced this would be his final term. The 13-term North Carolina Republican had not voted since September, and was too ill to travel to Washington for a swearing-in ceremony last month.
“Jones was a staunch social conservative: a strong Catholic who fiercely opposed abortion and gay marriage. But he also had an independent streak that drove him to break ranks with his party more than any other Republican, on issues from campaign finance to the Russia investigation into President Donald Trump.” POLITICO
THE JUICE … FRANK LOBIONDO, who recently retired after 25 years of representing southern New Jersey in Congress, is launching LoBo Strategies. The firm’s website
TRUMP’S MONDAY — The president will have lunch with VP Mike Pence at 12:30 p.m. He will sign an executive order on “Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” at 3 p.m. in the Oval Office. He will leave the White House at 3:35 p.m. en route to El Paso, Texas, where he will speak at a political rally before returning to the White House.
— FOX NEWS HOST LAURA INGRAHAM will interview the president in El Paso after his political rally. The interview will air at 10 p.m.
2020 WATCH … THE BIG PICTURE — NATASHA KORECKI and CHARLIE MAHTESIAN: “‘Breakthrough moment’: Anti-Trump fires forge historic field of 2020 women”: “That ‘highest and hardest glass ceiling’ Hillary Clinton talked about shattering? As of Monday, there were five more big cracks. … The roster of women officeholders vying for the Democratic nomination now numbers five — more than in any presidential primary election in history.
“It’s a groundbreaking moment, one that nearly all of the candidates paid homage to in their campaign launches. But it’s also a convergence of the political forces unleashed by the Trump era. The president’s style, rhetoric and policies have generated a backlash among women that has turned the traditional gender gap between the parties into a chasm, and that dynamic is already beginning to color every aspect of the upcoming presidential campaign — from the messaging to the kind of candidates Democrats are considering nominating to the very shape of the electorate on Election Day 2020.” POLITICO
— ELENA SCHNEIDER in Minneapolis: “Klobuchar jumps into presidential race”: “Sen. Amy Klobuchar leapt into the 2020 presidential race Sunday, becoming the first Midwestern voice to join the field taking on President Donald Trump.
“The three-term Minnesota Democrat announced her campaign amid driving snow at Boom Island Park with a call to rebuild a ‘sense of community’ in America, against the backdrop of the Interstate 35 bridge that collapsed in 2007, killing 13, spurring Klobuchar and lawmakers from both parties to secure funding to rebuild the span in a year.
“‘We are tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns, the gridlock and the grandstanding,’ Klobuchar said in a speech to supporters. ‘Our nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity. Not by wallowing over what’s wrong, but by marching inexorably toward what’s right.’” POLITICO
— KNOWING KAMALA HARRIS: “‘Progressive Prosecutor’: Can Kamala Harris Square the Circle?” by NYT’s Kate Zernike in San Francisco: “Kamala Harris was three months into her tenure as San Francisco district attorney in 2004 when a gang member killed a police officer with a hail of bullets from an AK-47. Her announcement within three days of the murder that she would not seek the death penalty set off protests from her fellow Democrats as well as from the police. …
“Ms. Harris is running for president as a ‘progressive prosecutor.’ She says she sees no contradiction in the term, arguing that a tough prosecutor can also be a force for reforming the criminal-justice system. … The death penalty episode shows the tricky crosscurrents that she has had to weather — and that are likely to intensify as she tries to square that circle.” NYT
DEEP DIVES — THE NEW YORKER’S ADAM ENTOUS and RONAN FARROW, “Private Mossad for Hire:Inside a plot to influence American elections, starting with one small-town race.”
— JEFFREY TOOBIN: “Roger Stone’s and Jerome Corsi’s Time in the Barrel: Why the mismatched operatives matter to Trump—and to the Mueller investigation”: “Stone has responded to Mueller’s charges with fevered hyperbole. ‘Those who think the Mueller investigation will die out with a whimper are dreaming,’ he told me on the phone in early February, after his arraignment in federal court in Washington, D.C. ‘This is a pretext to allow them to remove both Trump and Pence and replace them with Leather Face—I mean, Nancy Pelosi—and then she can appoint Hillary Clinton as V.P. That’s been the agenda from the beginning.’” New Yorker
BEZOS BEAT — “Jeff Bezos’s Journey From Private Family Man to Tabloid Sensation,” by WSJ’s Erich Schwartzel, Alexandra Berzon and Laura Stevens: “One Saturday night last September, a crowd of celebrities, Silicon Valley titans and Hollywood executives gathered at television producer Mark Burnett’s Malibu mansion for a birthday party celebrating venture capitalist Vivi Nevo. The richest of them all was Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, whose stake in Amazon is worth about $125 billion. He sat in the middle of the action and appeared to relish the spotlight, said a guest who knows Mr. Bezos.
“A flashy party is not the place many would have expected to find the billionaire, who until recently had usually taken pains to depict himself as an ordinary, even shy, family man. … For more than two decades, Mr. Bezos had built a public persona of a low-key billionaire who did the dishes every night, had a happy home life, valued frugality and was a bit of a nerd at work.
“More recently, as Amazon has expanded into the world of entertainment, the e-commerce entrepreneur began to take on the trappings of a different kind of public figure. He began getting photographed by paparazzi and appearing publicly with movie stars—and took up with a Hollywood girlfriend.” WSJ
— “Mistress’ Brother Leaked Bezos’ Racy Texts to Enquirer, Sources Say,” by The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay: “The brother of Jeff Bezos’ mistress, Lauren Sanchez, supplied the couple’s racy texts to the National Enquirer, multiple sources inside AMI, the tabloid’s parent company, told The Daily Beast.
“Another source who has been in extensive communication with senior leaders at AMI confirmed that Michael Sanchez first supplied Bezos’ texts to the Enquirer. … AMI has previously refused to identify the source of the texts, but a lawyer for the company strongly hinted at Sanchez’s role during a Sunday morning interview on ABC.” Daily Beast
MEDIAWATCH —“Steve Schmidt Storms Off Own Podcast When Asked About Advising Howard Schultz,” by The Daily Beast’s Eleanor Clift: “Schmidt railed at having to defend himself on his [“Words Matter”] podcast with a stream of curses a source present in the studio said consumed six minutes. Told that listeners were castigating him for joining an effort that could help re-elect President Trump and that he owed them answers …
“That prompts [host Adam] Levine to ask the question that evidently hits a nerve. ‘Will Derek Jeter or another athlete not hit another home run because they’re going to get taxed at 70? What’s the economic behavior that he thinks is anti-growth, other than his own pocket?’ ‘This is bull***,’ Schmidt exclaims. ‘I’m not doing this.’ ‘Steve, you’ve got to answer the questions,’ Levine says.
“‘I’m not,’ and with that Schmidt slams down his headset and abruptly ends the interview. He threatened legal action against the studio if the interview airs, according to a source involved in the discussion. When his legal threat failed, he offered to buy the recording, according to the source. The studio refused. … Hours later, [Elise] Jordan … Tweeted … that she was also leaving Words Matter.” Daily Beast … The podcast episode
SPOTTED Sunday night at Cafe Milano at three separate tables: Vernon and Ann Jordan and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Dick Blum; French Ambassador Gérard Araud and Pascal Blondeau; and Dikembe Mutombo.
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Evan Siegfried, president of Somm Consulting. What he’s been reading recently: “I just reread ‘Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine,’ by Benjamin Wallace. It is an incredibly entertaining look into the world of rare wine and wine fraud focusing on Hardy Rodenstock, an eccentric German who claimed to have unearthed bottles of 1787 Chateau Lafite that belonged to Thomas Jefferson. Bill Koch, who bought one of the bottles at auction, ended up spending millions to hire top criminal forensic experts to help determine how much fraudulent wine he had bought. … Koch is a damn hero to the wine world.” Playbook Plus Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: Jeb Bush is 66 … Sarah Palin is 55 … Mike Leavitt is 68 … Rick Tyler … Dan Barry … Alex Conant, partner at Firehouse Strategies (hat tip: wife Caitlin) … Mame Huntsman … James Gleeson, comms director at SpaceX (h/ts Juleanna Glover and Kam Mumtaz) … Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) is 57 … Matt Bennett, co-founder and SVP of public affairs at Third Way, is 54 … Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) is 49 … Steven V. Roberts is 76 … POLITICO’s Michelle Zar and Rachel Kosberg … Gene McLean … Elizabeth Patton … Nathan Wurtzel … Wes Barrett … Johanna Maska … Chris Hensman … BBC’s Pascale Puthod … Rob Hendin (h/t Steve Clemons) … Jimmy Dahman … Alicia Mundy … Airbnb’s Casey Aden-Wansbury … Jess Sarmiento (h/ts Jon Haber) … James Hewitt, press secretary at the EPA, is 28 (h/t Fred Brown) …
… ProPublica EIC Stephen Engelberg … Nicole L’Esperance (h/t Samantha Greene) … Sean McCluskie … Adrian Hasler, prime minister of Liechtenstein, is 55 … Ilana Ozernoy, VP and deputy head of comms at News Corp. … Andrew Springer, senior director of editorial and development at NBC News … Francis Potter is 52 … Kyle Buckles … HBO’s Ashley Morton … Kate Sachse … Scott Berkowitz … Burleson Smith … Jerri Ann Henry … Ryan Steusloff … Elizabeth Heng … Eric Stern … Emily Kirlin, partner at Peck Madigan Jones … Jay Reich … Brian Kaveney … Theodora Blanchfield … Scott Wasserman Stern … Olga Davidson … Mark M. Palmer … Sarah Basha … Andrea Mares … David Stern, VP at BofA … Will Smith, SVP at Cornerstone Government Affairs … Amanda Hamilton … Addie Patterson … Fernando Ruiz … Chris Mather, alum of Purple Strategies … E.B. Nesbitt (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)
The suspension of Nigeria’s most senior judge by President Muhammadu Buhari broke international human rights standards on the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers, a United Nations expert has said.
“International human rights standards provide that judges may be dismissed only on serious grounds of misconduct or incompetence,” said Diego Garcia-Sayan, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, on Monday.
“Any decision to suspend or remove a judge from office should be fair and should be taken by an independent authority such as a judicial council or a court,” he said in a statement.
Buhari, who was a military ruler in the 1980s and was voted into office in 2015, is hoping to win a new term in a presidential election scheduled to take place on Saturday.
The chief justice could preside over any dispute over the election result.
Nigeria‘s judiciary has helped resolve electoral disputes in past votes, some of which have been marred by violence and ballot rigging.
Garcia-Sayan, who is mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate legal and judicial independence, said dismissing judges without following legal procedures or offering a chance to contest the decision was incompatible with the independence of the judiciary.
Buhari suspended Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen on January 25 following an order by a tribunal on public officials’ conduct and replaced him with Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad.
But four courts superior to the tribunal had already ordered a stay of proceedings and the tribunal had previously said it lacked jurisdiction over cases involving judicial officers, Garcia-Sayan said.
The UN statement said some of the judges and the defence lawyers involved in Onnoghen’s case had been subject to serious threats, pressures and interference.
‘Attempted coup’
The move prompted anger among the country’s civil society groups and opposition.
Last month, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) decided to embark on a two-day warning boycott of all courts in Nigeria over Onnoghen’s suspension.
The NBA and local civil society associations held protests in Abuja and southeast Enugu state to reject Onnoghen’s suspension, calling it an “attempted coup against the Nigerian judiciary”.
Critics say the suspension is an effort by Buhari to weaken Nigeria’s judiciary and pave the way for his election to a second term in the February 16 vote.
Amid heightened tensions before the vote, observers warned against election-related violence.
Oil-rich Nigeria struggles with multiple security challenges, including the decade-old Boko Haram rebellion and Buhari’s 2015 election was a rare peaceful transfer of power. Diplomats have urged the top candidates to sign a peace pledge.
Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar confers with Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Jan. 15, 2019. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
GOP senators praised the Minnesota Democrat for her deal-cutting ways — even as they worried it could doom her presidential bid.
Amy Klobuchar has an unusual constituency behind her as she launches her run for president: Senate Republicans.
In a Democratic caucus filled with presidential hopefuls taking a hard line against Donald Trump’s presidency, the Minnesota senator’s brand of pragmatic politics stands out. And numerous Republicans are raving about Klobuchar — her personality, her respect for the other party, even her competitiveness in a general election.
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In fact, a dozen GOP senators were so effusive in interviews this month that some worried they might damage her candidacy in a Democratic nomination fight that has many candidates embracing the party’s left flank.
“I hope I’m not condemning her nascent run for the presidency,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) as he praised Klobuchar. “She’s too reasonable, too likable, too nice.”
“She wants to achieve a solution and I would hope that’s not a disqualifying thing for someone who would like to be president,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who runs the Senate Rules Committee with Klobuchar. “I like her a lot and hope that’s not harmful to her.”
The three-term senator is certainly no Joe Manchin. Klobuchar reliably votes with her party when it comes to big issues like abortion and immigration. She’s embraced progressives’ ambitious “Green New Deal” and is rarely a headache for Democratic leadership. But she’s also established herself as someone who can cut deals with Republicans and occasionally tacks to the center. It’s a combination that that could give her a boost among primary voters seeking a candidate with bipartisan bona fides if it doesn’t doom her with a party moving quickly to the left.
In a brief interview Klobuchar made clear that she doesn’t compromise just for compromise’s sake but acknowledged it’s something she actively seeks out as a senator.
“Oftentimes I’ll stand my ground,” she said. “But if I can find common ground to get something done, I do.”
Last year, she reached an agreement with Blunt to combat sexual harassment on Capitol Hill that drew some ire from liberals. And she’s never bought into purity contests, finding herself at odds with other presidential candidates on surveillance issues, a budget deal and some Trump nominees like Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Klobuchar also was the Democratic presidential aspirant most intimately involved with a centrist Senate effort last year to address the plight of hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants. She was in a series of meetings intended to forge a bipartisan immigration deal that ultimately came up short. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). said Klobuchar was one of the “more reasonable voices” in the room.
“She’s a person of character and great ability,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), a fellow negotiator. “She’s the whole package. That’s probably too nice.”
It’s not just on major legislation where Klobuchar collaborates with the GOP. She runs the Congressional Coalition on Adoption with Blunt and has teamed with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) on combating eating disorders and expanding rural broadband. She’s worked with conservative Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on improving a bridge between their two states and pushed through legislation with Tillis to help treat veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in combat zones.
Beyond her ideology and legislative acumen, Klobuchar offers a stylistic contrast from the sharp-edged politics of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and the attention-grabbing inquisitions of Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Republicans say that Klobuchar was one of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who was most respectful when questioning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last year about sexual assault allegations, even as Klobuchar found herself being asked by the nominee whether she had a drinking problem. But befitting her “Minnesota nice” style, Klobuchar moved on and didn’t linger on the confrontation.
“Her questioning [on] the Judiciary Committee is excellent,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “Her questions can be thoughtful and respectful. Still probing, they’re not easy, but it’s a good model.”
“Of the folks that are running, she’s probably more responsible,” said Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).
Klobuchar’s Republican pals say that her political abilities would be imposing in a general election against Trump, noting her strong appeal in the Midwest — the region that tipped the presidency to Trump in 2016.
Some Democrats are “going to be looking for somebody that is actually going to be electable in a general election. And I think it’s a spot she could fill,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the GOP whip.
“I don’t like to give Democrats advice but they’ve got to be able to carry the Midwest,” Collins said.
It’s not just Republican senators who are fans. George Will, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, penned an op-ed recently that described Klobuchar as “the person perhaps best equipped to send the current president packing,” pointing to her Midwest roots as an asset for Democrats and praising her even-keeled temperament.
However, Klobuchar’s “Minnesota nice” reputation has taken a hit in recent days amid multiple reports she has mistreated staff.
Regardless, the very qualities that have earned Klobuchar so much love on the right could be liabilities in a Democratic primary.
Cornyn said Klobuchar “doesn’t strike me as ideological enough to be competitive.” Tillis said she has a “legitimately centrist argument to make but she’s going to find herself in a field that’s going to out-liberal themselves.”
“She’ll probably have a pretty hard time in the nominating process,” Thune acknowledged.
Yet Democrats aren’t so sure. For one, many Democrats believe Klobuchar, former Vice President Joe Biden or Montana Gov. Steve Bullock could all offer a compelling contrast to the more liberal candidates in the field.
Members of her caucus say Klobuchar is results-driven, which inevitably means embracing bipartisanship.
“She’s someone that’s more oriented toward getting some things done. And in order to do that you’ve got to work with both sides. That’s the arithmetic around here,” said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats.
And in early states, bipartisanship might not be a dirty word. Even as New Hampshire keeps electing Democrats to Congress, the Granite State also has a popular GOP governor — and allows undeclared voters to participate in either party’s primary.
“We like our leaders to work together,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). “That’s probably the No. 1 concern I hear when I go around the state … ‘Why can’t you all work together to address the challenges facing this country?’”
Thailand‘s Election Commission has disqualified the sister of the king from running for prime minister after King Maha Vajiralongkorn called the bid “inappropriate”, ending a stunning, short-lived candidacy for a populist party.
The commission released the official list of parties’ candidates for prime minister on Monday without the name of Princess Ubolratana, the older sister of the king.
Members of the royal family should be “above politics” and therefore cannot “hold any political office”, the commission said in a statement, echoing the wording of a public statement from the king on Friday.
The 67-year-old princess had accepted the nomination of Thai Raksa Chart party, made up of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Her shock nomination broke with a long-standing tradition of members of the royal family staying out of politics.
Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, but the royal family wields great influence and commands the devotion of millions.
Ubolratana was stripped of her royal title when she married a US national in 1972.
She returned to Thailand in the late 1990s after getting a divorce. Although her formal title was not restored, she is regarded as and treated like royalty by people in Thailand.
In a statement read out on all television stations within hours of her candidacy, King Vajiralongkorn said it was “inappropriate” for members of the royal family to enter politics.
Thai Raksa Chart responded swiftly, cancelling a campaign event on Saturday and issuing a statement saying it “complies with the royal command”.
The party could be banned from the March 24 election after an activist said he would file a petition seeking its dissolution.
Thai Raksa Chart is one of several pro-Thaksin parties contesting the election. The military government’s leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, is also contesting the race for prime minister as the candidate of a pro-army party. Prayuth was the Thai army chief in 2014 and led the coup that overthrew a government led by Thaksin’s sister.
Parties loyal to former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin have defeated pro-establishment parties to win every election since 2001 but, since 2006, each of their governments has been removed by court rulings or coups.
The gambit of nominating a member of the royal family could backfire on Thai Raksa Chart, said Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the faculty of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University.
“Things are now more unpredictable,” Titipol told Reuters.
If the party is dissolved, it could give more seats to anti-Thaksin affiliated parties, he said, although there are other parties loyal to the former prime minister contesting the election.
Thaksin, himself removed in a coup in 2006, lives in self-imposed exile after being convicted by a Thai court of corruption in absentia.
Daily Trends Hunter 