# data[].attributes.body
- Barack Obama meets with a Swedish teenager about to promote environmental issues
- The teenager Greta Thunberg is a young activist and has staged weekly sit ins outside Swedish parliament encouraging other young activist to begin their own protest
- She has sailed across the Atlantic ocean to arrive in New York and she has traveled zero emissions sailboat to reduce the environmental impact

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- Trump fired John Bolton over multiple disagreements, including Iran issue.
- Robert O'Brien, the U.S hostage negotiator is currently serving as Donald Trump's new national security advisor.
- A senior White House official argued that picking O'Brien shows that Trump "wants a consensus builder, not a showboater" in the rol

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trump names new national security adviser - cnnpolitics

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Trump names new national security adviser

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President Donald Trump named Robert O'Brien, the US hostage negotiator, his new national security adviser on Wednesday.

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for 57 years a resettlement Church in Richmond, Virginia, served thousands of refugees from around the world and helped them get on their feet in the States after fleeing their home countries. Some who passed through moved on once they settled in and others came back to work at the office and assist fellow refugees. But in the following month they'll be closing the office down.

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resettlement offices close as fewer refugees are allowed into the us - cnnpolitics

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Resettlement offices close as fewer refugees are allowed into the US

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For 57 years, the Church World Service resettlement office in Richmond, Virginia, served thousands of refugees from around the world, helping them get their feet off the ground in the United States after fleeing dangerous conditions and persecution in their home countries.

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- Bill de Blasio withdraws from the 2020 White House race.
- Trump made sarcastic tweets when he found out."Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years!”
-  Trump and his family have shown a special fondness in recent months for taking aim at de Blasio, the top public official in the president’s hometown.

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President Donald Trump. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Friday taunted Bill de Blasio within minutes of the New York City mayor's withdrawal from the 2020 White House race, tweeting sarcastically that the low-polling candidate's announcement was a major news event.

"Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years!" Trump wrote online. "Part time Mayor of New York City, @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he's coming home!"

Story Continued Below

The jibe from the president came just after de Blasio's appearance on the set of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where he made public his plans to exit the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I feel like I've contributed all I can to this primary election, and it's clearly not my time," he said, citing his inability to qualify for the party's primary debates as the "central reason" behind his decision.

Despite the bloated nature of the 2020 Democratic field, Trump and his family have shown a special fondness in recent months for taking aim at de Blasio, the top public official in the president's hometown.

Hours after de Blasio first declared his presidential candidacy in May, Trump weighed in on Twitter with an insult for his fellow New Yorker.

"The Dems are getting another beauty to join their group," Trump wrote. "Bill de Blasio of NYC, considered the worst mayor in the U.S., will supposedly be making an announcement for president today. He is a JOKE, but if you like high taxes & crime, he's your man. NYC HATES HIM!"

But de Blasio, who called the president a "bully" in his campaign announcement video, had seemingly relished the attention from his would-be general election opponent, previously bragging that he irritates Trump in a way that sets him apart from the rest of the Democratic field.

"I know something about Donald Trump that's different from the other candidates because I watched him for decades," de Blasio told CNN in May, adding: "I understand his game plan. I understand his tricks and his strategies, and I do get under his skin."

The relationship between the two New Yorkers has not always been so acrimonious. As a private citizen, Trump predicted ahead of de Blasio's election to City Hall in 2013 that "he'll end up being a good mayor."

But de Blasio's stewardship of New York City has since become a subject of consistent ridicule from the president's allies and conservative media commentators.

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning - in your inbox.

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Trump trolls de Blasio after mayor's withdrawal from presidential race

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
President Donald Trump on Friday taunted Bill de Blasio within minutes of the New York City mayor's withdrawal from the 2020 White House race, tweeting sarcastically that the low-polling candidate's announcement was a major news event. "Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years!" Trump wrote online.

# data[].attributes.body
- Bill de Blasio withdraws from the 2020 white house race
- Trump made sarcastic tweets to Bill de Blasio
- Bill de Blasio said that trump was a bully and bragged how he irritate trump and can get under his skin

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
President Donald Trump. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Friday taunted Bill de Blasio within minutes of the New York City mayor's withdrawal from the 2020 White House race, tweeting sarcastically that the low-polling candidate's announcement was a major news event.

"Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years!" Trump wrote online. "Part time Mayor of New York City, @BilldeBlasio, who was polling at a solid ZERO but had tremendous room for growth, has shocking dropped out of the Presidential race. NYC is devastated, he's coming home!"

Story Continued Below

The jibe from the president came just after de Blasio's appearance on the set of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where he made public his plans to exit the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I feel like I've contributed all I can to this primary election, and it's clearly not my time," he said, citing his inability to qualify for the party's primary debates as the "central reason" behind his decision.

Despite the bloated nature of the 2020 Democratic field, Trump and his family have shown a special fondness in recent months for taking aim at de Blasio, the top public official in the president's hometown.

Hours after de Blasio first declared his presidential candidacy in May, Trump weighed in on Twitter with an insult for his fellow New Yorker.

"The Dems are getting another beauty to join their group," Trump wrote. "Bill de Blasio of NYC, considered the worst mayor in the U.S., will supposedly be making an announcement for president today. He is a JOKE, but if you like high taxes & crime, he's your man. NYC HATES HIM!"

But de Blasio, who called the president a "bully" in his campaign announcement video, had seemingly relished the attention from his would-be general election opponent, previously bragging that he irritates Trump in a way that sets him apart from the rest of the Democratic field.

"I know something about Donald Trump that's different from the other candidates because I watched him for decades," de Blasio told CNN in May, adding: "I understand his game plan. I understand his tricks and his strategies, and I do get under his skin."

The relationship between the two New Yorkers has not always been so acrimonious. As a private citizen, Trump predicted ahead of de Blasio's election to City Hall in 2013 that "he'll end up being a good mayor."

But de Blasio's stewardship of New York City has since become a subject of consistent ridicule from the president's allies and conservative media commentators.

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning - in your inbox.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump trolls de Blasio after mayor's withdrawal from presidential race

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
President Donald Trump on Friday taunted Bill de Blasio within minutes of the New York City mayor's withdrawal from the 2020 White House race, tweeting sarcastically that the low-polling candidate's announcement was a major news event. "Oh no, really big political news, perhaps the biggest story in years!" Trump wrote online.

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-environmentalists are being put on the spot for their incorrect eco-pocalyptic allegations
-the allegations are most commonly used only to further political agendas
-their time sensitive allegations have come and gone without any repercussions

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Radio host Mark Levin claimed activists and environmentalists have spent a half-century warning of the dangers of climate change, global warming and sometimes global cooling, but have seen none of their time-sensitive premonitions come true.

The former Reagan White House official said Wednesday on " The Mark Levin Show" on Westwood One that these "eco-pocalyptic predictions" have often been used to advance a political agenda.

"Fifty years of failed eco-predictions, eco-pocalyptic predictions," he said. "This climate change stuff -- we're supposed to destroy our society -- the media are now fully behind it."
DOOMSDAYS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN: THINK TANK COMPILES DECADES' WORTH OF DIRE CLIMATE PREDICTIONS
He went on to cite a new review by a conservative think tank that catalogs many of the predictions made in recent decades.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute has put together a lengthy compilation of apocalyptic predictions dating back decades that did not come to pass, timed as Democratic presidential candidates and climate activists refocus attention on the issue.

The dire predictions, often repeated in the media, warned of a variety of impending disasters - famine, drought, an ice age, and even disappearing nations - if the world failed to act on climate change.
AOC APPEARS TO CLAIM MIAMI WILL BE GONE 'IN A FEW YEARS' BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
An Associated Press headline from 1989 read, "Rising seas could obliterate nations: U.N. officials." The article detailed a U.N. environmental official warning that entire nations would be eliminated if the world failed to reverse warming by 2000.

Then there were the fears that the world would experience a never-ending "cooling trend in the Northern Hemisphere." That claim came from an "international team of specialists" cited by The New York Times in 1978.

On " The Mark Levin Show" on Westwood One, Levin said none of the predictions with "due dates" have come true and yet many Democrats are using the threat of the effects of climate change to put forth monumental policy proposals.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"It's happening right before our eyes, and it's going to destroy the country, as they try to push us into a socialistic economic system and destroy what's left of our constitutional system," he said.

"It's been a subterfuge to undermine our constitutional system, to undermine our capitalist system, and to create this almost zen-like support for this radical agenda -- which has as its purpose to destroy many of our freedom institutions in this country."
Fox News' Sam Dorman contributed to this report.

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Mark Levin: Decades of failed 'eco-predictions' more about politics than climate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Radio host Mark Levin claimed activists and environmentalists have spent a half-century warning of the dangers of climate change, global warming and sometimes global cooling, but have seen none of their time-sensitive premonitions come true. The former Reagan White House official said Wednesday on " The Mark Levin Show" on Westwood One that these "eco-pocalyptic predictions" have often been used to advance a political agenda.

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- Trump's whistleblower story
- Trump is supposedly accused of getting assistants from Russia in his campaign against Hilary Clinton.
- There are many things that they know about the topic like Giuliani first denied he asked Ukraine to investigate Biden and his family. Then he admitted it.
- Although they know a lot its things they don't know as well like is there a transcript or recording of it and will it ever clear the air.
- Trump is supposed to speak with press today about the situation.

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-Global climate strike: Young people worldwide are joining marches and climate strikes today.
-Organizers include student groups and teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. But it's not just young people: Labor and humanitarian groups, environmental organizations and company employees are also participating.
-As of Tuesday, 4,638 events were slated to take place in 139 countries, according to Thunberg.

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By Jessie Yeung, CNN

Updated 2:12 a.m. ET, September 20, 2019

Worldwide climate strikes: Young people are asking others all over the world to join them in global climate strikes today. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is among the organizers.

How many people are striking? As of Tuesday, 4,638 events were slated to take place in 139 countries, according to Thunberg.

Crowds have gathered in Bangkok to march for climate action, under the protest slogan "Fridays for Future."

Like the other marches happening worldwide today, this rally is strikingly young, with students in the mix and young voices conducting call-and-response chants.

"Unite behind climate science," says one placard. Another sign has an illustration of the planet burning, and the words "Our home is on fire."

Climate change effects: Cities like Bangkok are feeling the effects of climate change first hand -- rising sea levels could cause residents to abandon the coastal city. Meanwhile, climate change has created hotter, wetter weather in already-tropical countries like Thailand, worsening the deadly dengue outbreak.

The climate strikes have kicked off in Australia, with thousands of students, young people, and climate action activists taking to the streets.

A climate march in Melbourne has drawn more than 100,000 people, according to estimates from a Member of Federal Parliament.

Greens MP Adam Bandt, who represents the seat of Melbourne, tweeted: "This is HUUUGE, Melbourne! Announcers just said over 100,000 people! #climateStrike #Greens,"

Thousands more are marching in Sydney and Brisbane, holding signs with climate action slogans.

"We're here striking because we need adequate action on climate change. That's all we're asking for: adequate climate action and climate justice," said Daisy Jeffrey, a student organizer of the school strike.

"We're coming out here today in solidarity. We're coming together to say that this is not right."
Take a look:

The organizers of today's climate strike say the crisis will most directly affect young people. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be an issue on everyone's minds. They want allies.

What they want: Strikers are also demanding "climate justice" to cast the climate crisis as not just an environmental issue, but also an ethical obligation.

The hope is the strikes will show world leaders that it's not just young people who want climate change to be addressed.

"September's climate strikes will kickstart a huge wave of action and renewed ambition all over the world," organizers say.

Today's climate strikes come just days ahead of the United Nations' Climate Action Summit on Monday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has challenged world leaders to gather in New York and share "concrete, realistic plans" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He's invited government, business and civil leaders.

On Saturday, the UN is also hosting a Youth Climate Summit -- the first of its kind. The program will bring together "young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who are committed to addressing the global climate emergency.

What are some daily changes a single person can make to make less of a carbon footprint?

Jonathan Foley, an environmental scientist and the executive director of the climate solutions organization Project Drawdown, explained some of the options:

At home, the best things we can do are to change our diets and how we use energy.

Reducing food waste and our consumption of greenhouse-gas intensive foods -especially beef, lamb, and dairy products - can help a lot.

We can also use less electricity by buying more efficient air conditioners, refrigerators, and lighting, and purchasing renewable electricity in your town if it's available.

We can better insulate and weatherize our homes, making the spaces more comfortable, less costly, and more efficient at the same time.

We can make a difference by walking or taking public transit, flying less, and switching to hybrid or electric cars in the future.

We can all help address the climate crisis at home but that's no substitute for good policy, changes in technology, and shifting business practices and investments. We need to do it all -- at the local, state, and national level.

New York City's 1.1 million public school students will be excused from class if they participate in today's global climate strike, according to the city's department of education.

There's one catch: The students need parental permission. Elementary school students will need to leave school with a parent.

Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his support of the strike, saying that, "New York City stands with our young people. They're our conscience."

Swedish teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg - one of the organizers of the global climate strike - will lead New York City's arm of the movement.

And she had a commute that would intimidate even seasoned New Yorkers: The young activist, who no longer takes planes because of their carbon impact, sailed from Sweden to New York on a zero-emissions boat.

Thunberg rose to prominence after staging weekly sit-ins at the Swedish parliament. Her protests inspired teen activists to hold their own protests.

The 16-year old appeared in front of Congress before a hearing on climate change earlier this week. However, instead of delivering prepared remarks, she submitted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on global warming, which reported a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"I don't want you to listen to me, I want you to listen to the scientists," she said.

Thunberg also shared a fist bump with former President Barack Obama. He told her: "You and me, we're a team."

Students and workers are walking out today to demand their governments take action on climate crisis.

As of Tuesday, 4,638 events were slated to take place in 139 countries, according to teen activist Greta Thunberg, one of the organizers.

The protests aim to put pressure on leaders at the United Nations' Climate Action Summit, which will take place in New York City on Monday.

But the movement goes far beyond New York: There are sit-ins, marches, and festivals planned in Nepal, Bangladesh, Ukraine, the Philippines, Nairobi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among other nations.

The individual strikes are being organized by young people around the world, like activists Thunberg and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. The teens are also supported by international sponsors like Greenpeace, Oxfam, and World Wildlife Fund.

Worldwide climate strikes: Young people are asking others all over the world to join them in global climate strikes today. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is among the organizers.

How many people are striking? As of Tuesday, 4,638 events were slated to take place in 139 countries, according to Thunberg.

Crowds have gathered in Bangkok to march for climate action, under the protest slogan "Fridays for Future."

Like the other marches happening worldwide today, this rally is strikingly young, with students in the mix and young voices conducting call-and-response chants.

"Unite behind climate science," says one placard. Another sign has an illustration of the planet burning, and the words "Our home is on fire."

Climate change effects: Cities like Bangkok are feeling the effects of climate change first hand -- rising sea levels could cause residents to abandon the coastal city. Meanwhile, climate change has created hotter, wetter weather in already-tropical countries like Thailand, worsening the deadly dengue outbreak.

The climate strikes have kicked off in Australia, with thousands of students, young people, and climate action activists taking to the streets.

A climate march in Melbourne has drawn more than 100,000 people, according to estimates from a Member of Federal Parliament.

Greens MP Adam Bandt, who represents the seat of Melbourne, tweeted: "This is HUUUGE, Melbourne! Announcers just said over 100,000 people! #climateStrike #Greens,"

Thousands more are marching in Sydney and Brisbane, holding signs with climate action slogans.

"We're here striking because we need adequate action on climate change. That's all we're asking for: adequate climate action and climate justice," said Daisy Jeffrey, a student organizer of the school strike.

"We're coming out here today in solidarity. We're coming together to say that this is not right."
Take a look:

The organizers of today's climate strike say the crisis will most directly affect young people. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be an issue on everyone's minds. They want allies.

What they want: Strikers are also demanding "climate justice" to cast the climate crisis as not just an environmental issue, but also an ethical obligation.

The hope is the strikes will show world leaders that it's not just young people who want climate change to be addressed.

"September's climate strikes will kickstart a huge wave of action and renewed ambition all over the world," organizers say.

Today's climate strikes come just days ahead of the United Nations' Climate Action Summit on Monday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has challenged world leaders to gather in New York and share "concrete, realistic plans" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He's invited government, business and civil leaders.

On Saturday, the UN is also hosting a Youth Climate Summit -- the first of its kind. The program will bring together "young activists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who are committed to addressing the global climate emergency.

What are some daily changes a single person can make to make less of a carbon footprint?

Jonathan Foley, an environmental scientist and the executive director of the climate solutions organization Project Drawdown, explained some of the options:

At home, the best things we can do are to change our diets and how we use energy.

Reducing food waste and our consumption of greenhouse-gas intensive foods -especially beef, lamb, and dairy products - can help a lot.

We can also use less electricity by buying more efficient air conditioners, refrigerators, and lighting, and purchasing renewable electricity in your town if it's available.

We can better insulate and weatherize our homes, making the spaces more comfortable, less costly, and more efficient at the same time.

We can make a difference by walking or taking public transit, flying less, and switching to hybrid or electric cars in the future.

We can all help address the climate crisis at home but that's no substitute for good policy, changes in technology, and shifting business practices and investments. We need to do it all -- at the local, state, and national level.

New York City's 1.1 million public school students will be excused from class if they participate in today's global climate strike, according to the city's department of education.

There's one catch: The students need parental permission. Elementary school students will need to leave school with a parent.

Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his support of the strike, saying that, "New York City stands with our young people. They're our conscience."

Swedish teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg - one of the organizers of the global climate strike - will lead New York City's arm of the movement.

And she had a commute that would intimidate even seasoned New Yorkers: The young activist, who no longer takes planes because of their carbon impact, sailed from Sweden to New York on a zero-emissions boat.

Thunberg rose to prominence after staging weekly sit-ins at the Swedish parliament. Her protests inspired teen activists to hold their own protests.

The 16-year old appeared in front of Congress before a hearing on climate change earlier this week. However, instead of delivering prepared remarks, she submitted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on global warming, which reported a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"I don't want you to listen to me, I want you to listen to the scientists," she said.

Thunberg also shared a fist bump with former President Barack Obama. He told her: "You and me, we're a team."

Students and workers are walking out today to demand their governments take action on climate crisis.

As of Tuesday, 4,638 events were slated to take place in 139 countries, according to teen activist Greta Thunberg, one of the organizers.

The protests aim to put pressure on leaders at the United Nations' Climate Action Summit, which will take place in New York City on Monday.

But the movement goes far beyond New York: There are sit-ins, marches, and festivals planned in Nepal, Bangladesh, Ukraine, the Philippines, Nairobi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among other nations.

The individual strikes are being organized by young people around the world, like activists Thunberg and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. The teens are also supported by international sponsors like Greenpeace, Oxfam, and World Wildlife Fund.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Jessie Yeung, CNN Updated 2:12 a.m. ET, September 20, 2019 Worldwide climate strikes: Young people are asking others all over the world to join them in global climate strikes today. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is among the organizers. How many people are striking?

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-Republicans and Democrats have long since separated themselves by ideology, leaving each more uniformly conservative or liberal than ever.
-The partisan polarization of America’s economy is rapidly catching up to the polarization of its voting patterns.
-The House Democratic majority, which represented 39% of the U.S. land area in 2008, now represents just 20%. The House Republican minority 80% of U.S. territory.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/economic-divide-in-the-us-is-becoming-as-stark-as-its-politics.html

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- 2 week deadline to table a plan for replacing the Irish backstop
-conservative party conference and it will remain to be seen whether the EU will stick to it

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Boris Johnson has been set a two-week deadline to table a plan for replacing the Irish backstop as further embarrassing details emerged of the prime minister's chaotic visit to Luxembourg.

France's president, Emmanuel Macron, and Finland's prime minister, Antti Rinne, told reporters in Paris that they were both "concerned about what is happening in Britain".

"We need to know what the UK is proposing," said Rinne, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. "Loose talk about proposals for negotiations is irresponsible ... The UK should make its possible own proposals very soon if they would like them to be discussed."

Rinne said: "We both agreed that it is now time for Boris Johnson to produce his own proposals in writing - if they exist. If no proposals are received by the end of September, then it's over."

A deadline of 30 September would be highly problematic for the prime minister as it falls on the eve of the Conservative party conference, and it remains to be seen whether the EU will stick to the threat.

Johnson would be wary of showing his hand at such a sensitive point given the potentially negative reaction by his party to any movement towards the EU's demands on the backstop.

Rinne said that he intended to speak to the European council president, Donald Tusk, and Johnson to discuss the need for swift action from the UK.

EU leaders want a clear run for negotiations before a summit on 17 October so that they need not engage in detailed talks on the issue and can nod through any deal.

Johnson spoke to the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, by phone on Wednesday afternoon. A Downing Street spokesperson said they discussed their continued determination to reach a deal.

They also discussed their lunch meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, which was described as "positive and constructive" during the call.

It emerged earlier in the day that during the lunch meeting Johnson had expressed surprise to his advisers when he was informed about the scale of checks that would still be needed on the island of Ireland under a plan the government has mooted for the Irish border.

The two-hour lunch preceded Johnson's humiliation at the hands of Luxembourg's prime minister, Xavier Bettel, when he failed to attend a press conference due to anti-Brexit protests.

EU officials said the advantage for them had been in being able to spell out the problems directly to the prime minister. "It seems to have helped the penny drop," said one diplomatic source.
Will Corbyn's Brexit referendum strategy work? Our panel responds | Polly Toynbee and others
During talks with Juncker and the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, the prime minister was shown in detail how allowing Northern Ireland to stick to common EU rules on food and livestock, known as sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS),would still fail to avoid checks on the vast majority of goods that cross the Irish border.

Downing Street has described as "nonsense" a report in the Financial Times that Johnson turned to his chief negotiator, David Frost, and the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, and said: "So you're telling me the SPS plan doesn't solve the customs problem?"

But senior EU sources confirmed that Johnson had expressed surprise during the lunch at the complexity of the situation, and that it appeared to have been a "bit of a reality check to hear it from EU officials".

Sources said it was not the case that Johnson had failed to understand the role of the shared customs territory in the Irish backstop but that it was the scale of checks that would still be necessary without such an arrangement that appeared to hit home.

A second EU diplomat confirmed: "When the commission explained the technical challenges and enduring need for customs checks under the UK proposals, Johnson expressed surprise in the direction of his advisers."

In his address to the European parliament on Wednesday, Juncker hinted at the problems that remained. "I have no emotional attachment to the backstop," he said of his talks with Johnson. "But I made clear that I do have an intimate commitment to its objectives."

Given the wide gap between the two sides, Juncker also expressed doubts about the possibility that a mutually agreeable replacement for the Irish backstop would be agreed before 31 October when Johnson has said the UK will leave, "do or die".

The British government's version of Brexit involves the UK ultimately leaving the single market and customs union, requiring the return of a range of checks on goods crossing the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The "backstop" is intended as a standstill placeholder to ensure such checks do not have to be imposed between Brexit happening with a deal, and the start of a new free trade agreement yet to be negotiated between the UK and the EU.

Theresa May's withdrawal agreement proposed keeping the whole of the UK in a shared customs territory with the EU during this period. An alternative idea involves only Northern Ireland staying in the EU's customs territory. That would place a customs border in the Irish Sea. May described it as a threat to the constitutional integrity of the UK, but the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, has opened the current talks by proposing an all-Ireland agri-food zone. The suggestion is that he will seek to quietly build on that with further NI-only arrangements.

Given an NI-only backstop was an EU proposal in the first place, the U-turn would be warmly welcomed in Brussels, although attempts to give the Northern Ireland assembly a veto on its continuation would not be acceptable, and the DUP would be unlikely to support the prime minister in such a move in parliament.

If there is a no-deal Brexit, then there is no backstop.

Was this helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

The UK said after the Juncker lunch that it would now move to negotiating daily with the EU rather than twice a week but a spokeswoman for the European commission told reporters on Wednesday that there had been no such request as yet.

She said: "We have said and reconfirm that we are fully available to meet 24/7 seven days a week as soon as the UK would like to meet us. But for the moment I do not have any new announcements or scheduling to pass on to you today."

Barnier had suggested that there was a lack of seriousness in the UK's approach during his own statement to the European parliament.

"Almost three years after the British referendum, ladies and gentlemen, it is certainly not a question of pretending to negotiate," he told MEPs.

Meanwhile, Johnson had his first conversation with the president of the European parliament, David Sassoli, on Wednesday. Sassoli is understood to have told the prime minister that any agreement would need to be agreed by both the Commons and the EU's parliament, and "robust debate and parliamentary scrutiny is essential", in a thinly veiled criticism of the decision to prorogue Westminster.
Topics

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Boris Johnson given two-week EU deadline for Irish backstop plan

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Boris Johnson has been set a two-week deadline to table a plan for replacing the Irish backstop as further embarrassing details emerged of the prime minister's chaotic visit to Luxembourg. France's president, Emmanuel Macron, and Finland's prime minister, Antti Rinne, told reporters in Paris that they were both "concerned about what is happening in Britain".

# data[].attributes.body
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio drops out of 2020 presidential race
De Blasio sought to cast himself as the most progressive candidate in the large field of Democrats vying to take on President Donald Trump
de Blasio was unable to convince liberal Democrats that he was more qualified than Massachusetts Sen.
-https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/20/politics/bill-de-blasio-ends-presidential-campaign/index.html

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Trump says he'll consider releasing transcript of call with Ukraine leader

-Trump pressured officials in Ukraine to undertake an investigation.
-On Sunday trump said he would consider releasing a transcript of a phone call he had with Ukraine’s leader.
- that Sunday morning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the details of Trump’s call shouldn’t be made public.

# data[].attributes.body
- Nothing is happening to Donald Trump for his Ukrainian shenanigans
-Trump has no shame in anything he has done or been accused of and He's too good at deflecting investigators and reports
-The democrats are no longer trying to shame him because he can't be shamed they now want to vote him out

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Evan Vucci/AP Photo

Nobody is going to hold Donald Trump accountable for his alleged Ukrainian shenanigans because-as we've seen in his career and the first 32 months of his presidency-he's too good at deflecting investigators, irate Democrats and pesky reporters.

To begin with, Trump suffers no shame when confronted with the outrages of his personal, professional and political lives. A normal fellow would blush crimson if caught paying a porn actress hush money after purportedly having sex with her. He'd cringe if confronted with the lascivious things he'd repeatedly said about his eldest daughter. He'd wear a mask to avoid being recognized if 17 women had accused him of sexual misbehavior. He would leave politics if captured on tape talking about grabbing the ladies by their womanhood.

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But not Trump.

A normal businessman would cower in disgrace if he had been accused of housing discrimination, having mafia ties, running a sham "university," filing serial bankruptcies, stiffing contractors and suppliers, not to mention tax fraud or self-dealing through his personal foundation.

But not Trump.

Your standard politician would be strong-armed into resigning by his own party if he did even one of the 40 things David Leonhardt accuses Trump of doing in the Monday New York Times: urging a foreign country to intervene in a U.S. election; giving classified information to Russia; denigrating U.S. intelligence while standing next to Vladimir Putin; obstructing justice; or calling for the imprisonment and investigation of his critics and opponent.

But hell no, not Trump. Not yesterday, not today, and certainly not tomorrow.

In the pre-Trump world, we depended on the forces of shame to convince public figures to surrender. But our president's ability to repel shame and disregard political mores have moved the normal touchstones. Was Ralph Northam channeling the Trumpian model when he refused to resign over his blackface scandal and survived?

The Trump magic obviously doesn't work on everybody. Press almost any Democrat and they'll say Trump deserves impeachment for his many transgressions even if they don't want to file articles against him right this minute. But for Republicans and Trump supporters (not always the same people), the president's overwhelming negatives and his repeated escapes from close calls with the law and propriety don't diminish him. Rather, they redound to his credit.

Like the " trickster " figure in literature, Trump uses his far-ranging skills at guile, treachery and humor to undermine the established order to get what he wants. Each time he shatters the standard rules of behavior and persists, Trump resets what's considered acceptable. This makes him a bigger villain to his foes. But he also makes him a bigger hero to his fans.

As Brian Bennett wrote in Time last spring, Trump's dexterity at squeezing out of Robert S. Mueller III's trap had the weird effect of inoculating the president from future probes. Like the brassy villain in a movie, Trump has taken everything the established rules of order could throw at him and has not just survived but thrived. If Mueller and his $32 million investigation and saturation press coverage couldn't bring Trump down, can we really expect a Trump telephone conversation with a foreign president in which he urges the investigation of his political rival's clan to break the hold he has on his supporters?

Well, you say, that's not the full extent of controversy. The New York Times reports that the whistleblower's complaint refers to a series of actions by Trump, which potentially expands Trump's rap sheet. If so, the least the House of Representatives can do is commence impeachment proceedings to hobble the president with checks and balances.

But anything that doesn't kill Trump makes him stronger. Like Brer Rabbit, the trickster of African-American lore, Trump has got to be hoping House Democrats toss him in the impeachment patch. No matter how the House votes, we can't expect the Republican Senate to convict. Such an acquittal, following his "victory" over Mueller, would only magnify Trump's martyrdom in the eyes of his followers. The Trump constituency has fully integrated their man's negatives into their support of him, making any loose-lip phone call he might have made to foreign leaders a de minimis matter to them.

If Democrats hope to evict Trump from the White House, they'll have to do better than bang their impeachment pots and pans outside his bedroom window. They'll have go after his positives and his 2016 campaign promises. Has he made the economy stronger, as he claims? Maybe not. The Federal Reserve Bank just dropped rates to goose an economy feared to be entering a recession. Has he made America safer? More respected? Has he brought China to heel? Built the wall? Locked up Hillary Clinton?

Stop thinking you can thwart Trump.You can't shame a man who won't be shamed. You can only vote him out.
****** "I don't need no rising moon/ I don't need no ball and chain / I don't need anything with you / Such a shame, shame, shame," PJ Harvey sang. Send your shameful lyrics to Shafer.Politico@gmail.com. My email alerts dig Buddy Guy on shame. My Twitter feed favors the Beatles. My RSS feed stands with Fat Domino yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
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Nobody is going to hold Donald Trump accountable for his alleged Ukrainian shenanigans because-as we've seen in his career and the first 32 months of his presidency-he's too good at deflecting investigators, irate Democrats and pesky reporters. To begin with, Trump suffers no shame when confronted with the outrages of his personal, professional and political lives.

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-Prosecutors in New York rejects Trump's immunity claim in tax returns case
-Prosecutors challenged the federal court jurisdiction
-New York sought a investigation into hush-money payments during the 2016 campaign.
-Trumps attorneys have argued that a sitting president can't be subjected as a criminal.

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-Ukrainian President says his conversations with Trump are private and confidential
-There are reports that Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden.
-Trump addressed the phone call and that he discussed Biden, but he has denied doing anything improper.

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ukrainian president zelensky says his conversations with trump are 'private and confidential' - cnnpolitics

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Ukrainian President says his conversations with Trump are 'private and confidential'

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday would not answer if it was his understanding that American military aid for Ukraine and an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter was linked.

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A smart community whistle blower said whit house officials expressed alarm that they had saw President Donald Trump abuse his office for personal gain. This happened during a phone call with Ukrainian President.

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President trump abused his officials power to solicit of interference from ukranie in the upcoming 2020 election and the white house went to cover it up. Now the complaint is the center of controversy that has spurred democrats to launch a impeachment inquiry.

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-Colleagues remain largely defensive towards Trump after the house launched an impeachment inquiry
-Trump pressured Ukrainian to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter
-Appropriations meeting prevented them reviewing the complaint

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republican rep. mike turner says trump's conversation with zelensky is 'not ok' - cnnpolitics

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House Republican says Trump's conversation with Zelensky is 'not OK'

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Republican Rep. Mike Turner said Thursday that the controversial conversation between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President is "not OK," a notable comment as most of his colleagues remain largely defensive toward Trump after the House launched an impeachment inquiry.

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- Rep. Elijah Cummings Dead key figure in trumps investigation, dies at 68
-He died of complications concerning longstanding health changes.
-He oversaw a range of investigations into trump admissions from issues relating to the impeachment inquiry.

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rep. elijah cummings dies at age 68 - cnnpolitics

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Rep. Elijiah Cummings of Maryland died Thursday morning at age 68, according to his office.

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-the daring special forces raid that killed the leader of ISIS cannot have come at a better moment for a crisis-haunted President Donald Trump
-he also said the White House did not inform key Democrats on the Hill
-Baghdad's death, which came when he set off a suicide vest when confronted with US troops in Syria

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donald trump may get a moment of poltiical relief with baghdadi's death - cnnpolitics

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Baghdadi death may be a moment of political relief for Trump but impeachment probe is not

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The daring special forces raid that killed the leader of ISIS cannot have come at a better moment for a crisis-haunted President Donald Trump.