Leebrick-Stryker Blog 3101

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker President Donald Trump accused San Juan mayor  Carmen Yulín Cruz of "poor leadership"   on Saturday after she criticized the White House response to Hurricane Maria. Cruz tearfully spoke at a press conference Friday, according to the Guardian.  “We are dying here,” she said. “I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out the logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles. So, mayday, we are in trouble.” Trump responded the following day. "The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," the Trump said in a tweet. "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort." Trump was criticized for his comments, CNN said.  One Puerto Rican ...

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A Minneapolis man was charged with Murder Friday after he set his ex-girlfriend's bed on fire, killing her in the process, prosecutors said. Vanessa Danielson, 36, was brought to the hospital with severe burns Thursday. A neighbor heard Danielson screaming and saw her covered in flames "from head to toe," according to a criminal complaint. The neighbor covered her in a blanket to douse the fire. Danielson died later in the hospital, according to the Associated Press.  A suspect was located near Danielson's duplex near Central Avenue NE. The man is also suffering severe burns and is expected to survive, the Star Tribune said.  His identity has not been released.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A Nevis, Minn. man suspected of being under the influence of alcohol struck and killed a passenger on an Amish horse-drawn buggy Saturday night, the Pioneer Press reported.  The accident occurred around 7:35  p.m. as both the buggy and the Ford F-350 pickup truck were traveling southbound on Minnesota 92 in the Leon Township, according to the Star Tribune.  The pickup driver, 27-year-old Christopher Keith Bauman, struck the rear of the buggy, killing Elsie Yoder, 23, of Clearbrook, Minn., the Minnesota State Patrol said. The driver in the buggy, Mervin Yoder, 27, also from Clearbrook, did not receive life threatening injuries. Bauman remains in jail.

In looking at the story about Jared Kushner and his private email, which Politico first reported , the use of sources was surprising. To begin, the meat of the story comes from four anonymous sources. These four people told Politico about the email and its contents. I am continually fascinated by the idea of an anonymous source. It interests me that there always seem to be these kinds of sources, especially in the political world. Do they have something to gain or are their moral convictions strong? I digress. There are a couple other uses of sources in this story that are very different. They are not at all similar to how the anonymous sources are used. Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, is frequently cited in this story, and her quotes are dispersed across the article, unlike the anonymous sources, which were mainly tied to the beginning paragraphs of the story. The writer also attributes the law itself, explain that it is the law for all records within the white house to be saved,...

Senior White House advisor and son-in-law to President Trump, Jared Kushner, used a private email account for communication with officials within the administration, according to CNN . Politico reported that Kushner’s account was set up in December and was used to speak to officials and advisors about media coverage, event planning, and other subjects. "Mr. Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business," Abbe Lowell, Kushner’s lawyer, said in a statement. "Fewer than a hundred emails from January through August were either sent to or returned by Mr. Kushner to colleagues in the White House from his personal email account." During the campaign last year, Donald Trump continually attacked Hillary Clinton about a private email of her own. The White House has not made a comment regarding Kushner.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was elected to her fourth term in Germany on Sunday and a far right party has entered parliament for the first time in around 60 years, according to the New York Times.  Support for Germany's two main parties lagged as the far right party, known as Alternative for Germany, won around 13.5 percent of the vote, which was a large showing from voters who felt angry about immigration and inequality, according to exit polls. Merkel's conservative party has seen its worst results in an election in 70 years, the BBC reported.  Though she won, Merkel and her conservatives can no longer rule parliament alone, promising to make the chancellor's political life more challenging. The far-right Alternative for Germany party were pleased with their results. "We are in German parliament and we will change Germany," Alexander Gauland, one of the leaders of Alternative for Germany, said. "We will claim our country back."

After a series of twitter attacks towards protesting players in professional sports from President Trump this weekend, NFL owners and players across the country knelt or linked arms in a display of solidarity on Sunday. Owners from teams like the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings along with owners around the US joined in unison to criticize Trump's suggestion that players who knelt during the national anthem be fired. "Our players are intelligent, thoughtful, and care deeply about the community," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "I support their right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner that they feel is most impactful." Along with owners, players chose to show their support for their NFL colleuges. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady linked arms with his fellow Patriots during the national anthem and Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans skipped it all together, the New York Times Reported.   NFL comm...