3 Stories You Should Read 3/1/2019: 2020 Primary, Jared Kushner, Otto Warmbier

March 1, 2019 Confluence

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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In the category of: Defending a murdering dictator.

Otto Warmbier’s family rebukes Trump, says Kim Jong Un is responsible for son’s death

The family of Otto Warmbier rebuked President Donald Trump on Friday for siding with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who denied knowledge of their son’s maltreatment during his imprisonment.

rebuked President Donald Trump on Friday for siding with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who denied knowledge of their son’s maltreatment during his imprisonment.

“We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that. Thank you,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier, Otto’s parents, said in a statement provided to CNN.

After a second summit with Kim in Vietnam, President Trump said Thursday he does not hold the North Korean dictator responsible for Warmbier’s death.

Donald Trump’s shocking, shameful about-face on Otto Warmbier

“He tells me that he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word,” Trump said.

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In the category: Not even a little shocking.

Trump Lied About Not Ordering Jared Kushner’s Top Security Clearance: Report

The president previously said he had no role in securing the top-secret clearance for his son-in-law.

President Donald Trump ordered a top-secret security clearance be granted to Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, last May despite objections raised by intelligence and White House officials, four people familiar with the matter told The New York Times.

The Thursday report contradicts previous statements Trump made claiming he had no role in giving Kushner his clearance. Ivanka Trump, Kushner’s wife and a senior adviser to her father, reiterated that claim earlier this month.

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In the category of: It’s complicated.

The biggest questions about the 2020 Democratic primary, answered

All the Democrats running for president and everything else you should know about 2020.

The 2020 presidential campaign is well underway.

Any Democrat with dreams of occupying the Oval Office can see Donald Trump is a vulnerable president who hasn’t broadened his appeal beyond his base. A lot of them are going to run for their party’s nomination next year. Some already are.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Bernie Sanders have entered the fray, and a few dozen others are seriously considering runs. The Democratic field promises to include a record number of women and nonwhite candidates, a mix of high-wattage stars and lesser-known contenders who believe they can navigate a fractured field to victory.

Whoever emerges will face Trump, who has already raised more than $100 million for reelection to a second term. Recent history tells us Americans usually give their presidents another four years. That should lend Trump an advantage. But the president has been historically unpopular during his first term, and the US economy — typically at the top of voters’ minds — has stumbled lately.

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