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This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: June 10, 2008 - Barack Obama ended his campaign swing through St. Louis on Tuesday after attending a fundraiser in downtown and visiting a hospital. The visit was part of a Midwestern trip that is expected to take him toWisconsin on Thursday. A trip to Iowa on Wednesday was canceled due to flooding.

His visit to Missouri was the second in a month, underscoring the importance of this state to Obama's hopes for the November election. Last month, he visited Cape Girardeau, Mo., a Republican stronghold.

At Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate chatted with several nurses about medical procedures and talked with some patients about their health insurance coverage. Among the patients was Raymond Bisher, 52, who retired as a St. John police officer after being diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1998.

In a lengthy conversation, Bisher told Obama how Bisher's wife worked two jobs in spite of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis herself. One of Bisher's four sons is a soldier in Iraq.

Obama paid special attention when Bisher said his wife's weekly medical treatment consists of weekly shots costing $1,500 a piece.

Obama responded, "That's $6,000 a month. Wow." He then promised Bisher that health care would be a "big priority" if he's elected president. As he departed, he told Bisher, "Your wife sounds like a good woman... You tell your son we're thinking of him and praying for him in Iraq."

At the Democratic fundraiser the night before at St. Louis' Renaissance Hotel, Obama was greeted by a variety of his supporters for himself as well as rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters. To underscore the importance of unity in the campaign, Rachel Storch, who headed the Clinton campaign drive in Missouri, introduced him.

The message from Storch and Obama was that Democrats have put any animosity from the presidential primaries behind them and were united to win the White House in November.

At the fundraiser, Obama paid tribute to Clinton and thanked backers who had supported his candidacy from the beginning. He called Sen. Claire McCaskill, one of his strongest supporters, "somebody you want in a foxhole." She and Rep. William Lacy Clay did not attend the fundraiser, but sent family members.

According to some reports, the $500 a ticket general reception and the $2,300 VIP reception were expected to generate about $1 million for Obama's campaign.

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Obama talks health care with St. Louis patients, nurses - St. Louis Public Radio

When ISIS first began its first acts of terrorism, President Obama called ISIS a "JV Team" and told the world there was nothing to be concerned about. Since then the world has found out just how very wrong Obama was in his description of ISIS. Since then, thousands of innocent people, even children, have lost their lives because of these terrorists Obama described as a "JV Team"! Only time itself will tell the truth about why Obama described this group as unimportant. The question is, was Obama so ignorant of this situation that he did not see or understand the danger this group presented to the world, or was this simply his way of removing attention from ISIS long enough for them to organize and spread unnoticed around the world! How could anyone, much less a president of the United States, call this group a "JV Team" that required no attention? Well, at least President Obama was correct when he called ISIS a "Team"! We will probably never know the answer to that question, but what we do know is that the whole world is now feeling the results of it. ISIS has now become the main topic of terrorist concerns around the world! Instead of killing the people, ISIS instead drove the people from their lands, so that ISIS could infiltrate them unnoticed as they passed into other countries, across once secure borders unnoticed. I also find it very strange that America's once secure Mexican border, all of a sudden, became "unattended' by both the Bush Administration and the Obama Administration.

Both Bush and Obama refused to enforce existing immigration laws that has since resulted in millions of "unknowns" to enter America, along with tons of mind destroying cheap drugs that has now destroyed the minds of an American generation. Never in the history of America has any president of the United States refused to enforce existing immigration laws, designed to prevent exactly what has now happened! The first immediate concern for America's safety today is the elimination of ISIS. You remember, Obama's "JV Team"! The second greatest concern is for the safety of the whole world, concerning Iran's growing nuclear capabilities, and guess what - President Obama was the main player in the development of both these safety concerns!

While Obama was president, he not only eliminated the restrictions that was created to slow down Iran's nuclear development capabilities, he also released Iranian prisoners that were important to Iran's nuclear process. Obama also gave Iran millions of American dollars, some in secrecy in the middle of the night, all of which has resulted in the financing and advancement of Iran's nuclear development and capabilities, that now threatens the safety of the whole world and what appears in the headlines of today's American newspapers - Possibie connection between Donald Trump and the Russians." Go figure! This is what happens when "We The People" refuse to enforce the laws of our Constitution that was given to us for the purpose of limiting the government to control of national defense only. This is what happens when we allow the government to take total control over our entire education system! It not only removes the intelligence from the minds of America's students, it eliminates their ability to even know that it is gone!

Charlie Dunn,Dinwiddie County

Continued here:
Obama's JV Team - Progress Index

More than a year after President Barack Obamas transportation secretary appointed a trio of safety experts to Metros governing panel, the Trump administration will replace two of them with its own appointees this week.

The incoming members whose names could not be learned Sunday will take the place of Carol Carmody and David L. Strickland, the federal governments voting representatives on Metros board of directors, according to multiple board members with knowledge of the decision.

Carmody, a former vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, presided over the panels safety committee. Strickland, the former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, headed the real estate committee, but was frequently absent over the past year because of health issues.

The third person appointed by then-transportation secretary Anthony Foxx, alternate member Robert C. Lauby, is expected to remain in his role.

[Foxx, saying no more excuses for Metro, replaces 3 board members]

The new appointees were expected to be announced as soon as Monday, those with knowledge of the decision said, and to take office as early as Thursday, when the full board will meet and consider key changes to its governing structure, which has come under scrutiny in recent years as the transit system has struggled with major financial and operational problems.

Board Chairman Jack Evans confirmed that he had been informed of the upcoming appointments over the weekend, but he declined to elaborate. The U.S. Department of Transportation declined requests for additional information.

The 16-member board consists of eight voting and eight alternate directors, with two votes each from the District, Maryland, Virginia and the federal government. Passing a resolution requires a yes vote by at least one director from each jurisdiction.

There is also the possibility of a jurisdictional veto, when both voting members from a single jurisdiction including the federal government align with no votes.

Board members from the deep-blue Washington region tend to be Democrats, and in some cases they have pressed for increased funding for Metro. The Republican presidents transportation agenda, in contrast, seeks a decrease in federal spending, with a larger reliance on private investment and potential public-private partnerships.

[On Metro board, another dispute, more strong words, and a rare veto]

Board members said they were not surprised that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao would want to make her own appointments to the Metro board, even so soon into the current directors terms. Carmody was a year into a four-year appointment, while Strickland had two years remaining in his three-year term, Carmody said.

Im sorry to leave, Carmody said in an interview Sunday. But elections have consequences, as the saying goes, and if the new secretary wants to replace these jobs, she certainly has the right to.

Carmody said she had been informed that the replacements had already been selected and would be joining the board very soon. Until then, Lauby and alternate member Anthony E. Costa will vote on behalf of the federal government.

We have turned some corners as a board and made some big decisions and tough choices, Carmody said. Its a very good board, and over the past year, I think weve really come together and worked well together through a lot of soul-searching.

Stricklands tenure was marked by repeated absences, which he attributed in an interview last week to illnesses: his wifes battle with breast cancer and a life-threatening infection he had.

Strickland said he has made an effort to be physically present, adding that his fellow board members, including Evans, had been updated on the reasons behind his absence.

I have a full appreciation for the responsibilities of the board, he said last week. I plan to serve my term as long as the president has made the decision to allow me to stay.

According to public minutes of Metro board meetings, Strickland missed six out of the 12 board meetings since his appointment. Of the six he attended, one was by phone. He did not attend a special meeting of the board last month.

He attended four out of nine meetings of the Capital Program, Planning and Real Estate Committee, which he chairs.

Continued here:
Trump administration to replace Obama-era picks on Metro board - Washington Post

The New York Times blamed former Obama administration officials for releasing information that a U.S. general says allowed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi to slip away from American forces.

Gen. Tony Thomas, oversees Special Operations Command, told Fox News Catherine Herridge last week that his team was particularly close to al Baghdadi in May 2015 after killing a top ISISofficial,Abu Sayyaf, and capturing his wife, who reportedly providedintelligence to U.S. forces. The Pentagon announced Sayyafs death and the capture of his wife in a press release the same day.

The NYT published a storyon June 8, 2015 titled,A Raid on ISIS Yields a Trove of Intelligence,citing unnamed U.S. officials who shared confidential intelligence assessments with the NYT.

U.S. President Barack Obama (3rd L) and members of his delegation, including Defense Secretary Ash Carter (L) and Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L), sit down to meet with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker alongside the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland July 8, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The NYT cited five senior American officials who provided additional details about the materials recovered from the house of Abu Sayyaf, a nom de guerre for a Tunisian militant whom American authorities have since identified as Fathi ben Awn ben Jildi Murad al-Tunisi. The officials, according to the NYT, spoke only on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential intelligence assessments.

Information obtained from the 2015 raid was a very good lead, Gen. Thomas said last week. Unfortunately, it was leaked in a prominent national newspaper about a week later and that lead went dead. Thomas did not name the NYT specifically, but Herridge noted that he appeared to be referencing the NYT story.

Following Fox News reporting on Gen. Thomass comments, President Trump said in a tweet that The Failing New York Times foiled U.S. attempt to kill the single most wanted terrorist, Al-Baghdadi. Trump accused the NYT of putting their sick agenda over National Security.

The paper ran a fact check articleon Sunday disputing Trumps claims. The NYT blamed instead the Obama officials who released the information. NYT reporter Michael Gordon noted that the information in the Times article on June 8 came from United States government officials who were aware that the details would be published.

Gordon also questioned then-Defense Secretary Ash Carters decision to publish a statement about the successful raid.

If the military wanted to exploit the information from Umm Sayyaf about Mr. Baghdadis movements, why did the Pentagon rush to announce her capture on the day of the raid? Gordon asked.

The NYT article stated as fact that the papers reporting hadnt foiled an attempt by the United States military to kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State.

Continue reading here:
NYT Blames Obama Officials For Foiled Attack On ISIS Leader - The Daily Caller

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Westchester Beats Obama Wall Street Journal (subscription) Westchester County Chief Executive Rob Astorino spent seven years fighting Obama-era Department of Housing and Urban Development accusations that his county's zoning laws are racist. Now HUD has conceded that the suburban New Yorker was right ...

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Westchester Beats Obama - Wall Street Journal (subscription)