On Thursday, Hillary Clinton spoke at the Women in the World Summit in New York City. After being introduced by Samantha Bee, Clinton was interviewed by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Clinton and Kristof discussed a number of topics including recent chemical attacks by Syrian President Bashar Assad. Clinton called for airstrikes on Syrian airfields, which President Donald Trump announced hours later. Other topics discussed include the failure of Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the Trump presidency, women’s rights around the world, sexism in the election, and what she learned from the election, and whether she will run for office again in the future.
Clinton said that she still does not fully understand the animosity some people feel toward her saying, “I am not perfect, everybody knows that by now … Sometimes I don’t know quite how to fix what they are concerned about. But I try. And so, I take it seriously, but I don’t any longer, and haven’t for a long time taken it personally. Because part of the attacks … part of the bullying and part of the name calling — and that has certainly become more pervasive — is to crush your spirit and feel inadequate. And I just refused to do that — and that infuriated everyone.” However, she vowed to keep fighting for what’s right and for the American people. A full video from the event is below.
John Podesta, the former chairman of Hillary for America, published an op-ed in The Washington Post attacking President Donald Trump for his continued distortion of the facts and attacks on the media. In the piece, Podesta calls out Trump for calling anything that does not portray him in the best light “fake news.” He has said this about poll numbers, his businesses, his connections to Russia, and any of his nominees. Podesta calls Trump’s attacks on the media “dangerous” as he is trying to turn people against the media and the political system. “He’s not just trying to spin the bad news of the day; all politicians do that. He seeks nothing less than to undermine the public’s belief that any news can be trusted, that any news is true, that there is any fixed reality,” he says. Read the full op-ed HERE.
Last week, the FBI and State Department released documents related to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State. The FBI released 299 pages of internal records detailing a fight between the bureau and the State Department over the classification of an email regarding arrests related to the attacks on the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. The report includes internal emails as well as internal memos that shed additional light into the investigation of Clinton’s emails by the FBI. Read the report below or download a PDF copy HERE.
Meanwhile, the State Department released 371 of the 15,000 emails that were turned over to the department by the FBI. The total document dump totaled over 1,000 pages and are “near duplicates” of the documents turned over by Clinton’s team in 2014. The State Department has been reviewing the emails turned over by the FBI since late summer 2016 and has reported that about 60% of the emails were personal in nature and not related to business. Of the emails that relate to Clinton’s time as Secretary of State, the department reports that a “substantial number” of them are duplicates of those that have been previously reviewed. The State Department will continue to review and release the emails until all 15,000 have been examined. You can access the latest batch of emails by following the steps below:
Americans deserve a president who’s ready on Day One to keep us safe. As a former Secretary of State and senator, Hillary Clinton brings vast experience to the Oval Office, having dealt with the key issues facing Americans around the world for decades. Traveling nearly a million miles as America’s top diplomat, Hillary has handled issues ranging from nuclear proliferation to military readiness, from women’s rights to climate change, and is ready to lead from day one.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has proven himself again and again to be temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief.
Beyond his lack of understanding of foreign policy and unwillingness to learn, Donald Trump is a loose cannon with dangerous views on major global issues. Trump would encourage the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, has insulted our allies and praised several authoritarian dictators. He even encouraged a foreign government to hack Americans, and since then has refused to acknowledge the U.S. Intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government has done just that.
Americans deserve a president who understands the challenging world in which we live, not one who is too erratic and uninformed to have control of nuclear weapons.
Throughout his career, and throughout this campaign, on subject after subject, Trump has proven he is unfit to be commander-in-chief. As we begin the final week of the presidential campaign, here is a look back at Trump’s dangerous record on matters of defense and foreign policy:
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
On nuclear weapons, Donald Trump has displayed a reckless disregard for fact and fails to understand the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Simply put, he doesn’t have the temperament to be trusted with the nuclear codes.
On the prospect of nuclear war in Asia, Trump said, “good luck, enjoy yourself folks.”
Trump’s rhetoric pushed dozens former nuclear launch officers to sign a letter saying Trump “should not have his finger on the button.”
U.S. MILITARY AND VETERANS
Trump has repeatedly insulted our military, our veterans and their families. He has been disrespecting our veterans for decades, continually proving he’s unqualified and temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief.
Trump attempted to kick disabled veterans off of Fifth Avenue over two decades, calling the situation “deplorable.”
U.S. INTELLIGENCE
Trump has disparaged the U.S. intelligence community – not only rejecting their conclusions, but questioning their motives.
When asked whether he trusts intelligence, Trump said “not so much.”
Trump invited a foreign government to commit cyber espionage in the U.S.
Trump maintains that we don’t know if Russia is behind recent hacks, despite being personally briefed by Republican Representative Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Trump called the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia was behind that hack was “public relations, frankly” and repeatedly denied their conclusion.
Trump has been accused by a former acting CIA director of being “an unwitting agent of Putin.”
AMERICA’S ALLIES
For decades, America has held strong alliances across the world – including those with NATO countries. NATO has stood with the United States, for example, invoking Article 5 after 9/11 and collaborating to fight the war on terror today. But on the campaign trail, Donald Trump has outlined plans to cut off America’s allies.
Trump accused NATO countries of ripping off the United States, saying “either they have to pay up… or they have to get out. And if it breaks up NATO, it breaks up NATO.”
Trump said NATO “may be obsolete” and “doesn’t really help us.”
Trump has extendedhis threats past NATO to countries like Japan and South Korea.
FOREIGN DICTATORS
Donald Trump seems to have an admiration for dictators from across the world. From Vladimir Putin to Saddam Hussein and beyond, Trump has repeatedly complimented foreign leaders known for their records of oppression and abuse..
Trump said North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un deserves “credit” for taking out his rivals and has “got to be pretty smart.”
Trump gave Saddam Hussein unduecredit, saying “he did one thing well, he killed terrorists.”
Trump believes that, during the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government showed “strength.”
Trump thinks Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama, “saying in terms of leadership, he’s getting an A and our president is not doing so well.” (But of course, his praise for Putin doesn’t stop there.)
FOREIGN BUSINESS ENTANGLEMENTS
Trump’s extensive foreign dealings would present significant conflicts of interest and endanger our national security. Trump refuses to disclose the full extent of his foreign business entanglements – but without knowing the details of them, how will Americans know whose interests Trump is putting first? What we do know is concerning.
Trump admitted that if his business interests were threatened by another country’s government, he would retaliate with the power of the US government.
Trump has a record of business dealings with foreign governments – including Iran and China that we don’t know the extent of.
Trump has also had numerous foreign business partners we don’t know much about – including one that is allegedly linked to an international money laundering network.
Trump’s foreign entanglements would poseunprecedentedchallenges for U.S. foreign policy and national security.
ISIS
Despite Trump’s claims that he has a “secret” plan to defeat ISIS, he has no real plan at all. And his rhetoric is dangerously playing into terrorists’ hands.
Trump would “ask [his] generals” – the very same generals he believes he knows more than – for a plan to defeat ISIS, since he doesn’t currently have any plan at all.
Trump would continue to promote Russia’s brutal bombing campaign in Syria that is targeting civilians instead of ISIS.
Trump has suggested he would allow Syria to become a “free zone for ISIS.”
Trump would ban Muslims from entering the U.S., a policy that feeds radical jihadist propaganda.
Donald Trump’s approach to Iran is devoid of any substance. He has prefered to denigrate American leaders and spew lies when it comes to Iran — though he was willing to deal with Iran when it made him money.
Trump has peddled falsehoods about Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Trump has been exposed as a lessor to Iranian bank linked to terrorism.
NORTH KOREA
Trump doesn’t understand the threat North Korea poses. On the campaign trail, Trump has taken positions that would endanger the security of the United States and our allies and embolden North Korea.
Trump would meet with Kim Jong-Un, despite his continued violations of international obligations to abandon his nuclear and missile programs.
Trump would open to door to nuclear proliferation in the region. When asked whether it’s “fine” for Japan and South Korea to get nuclear weapons, Trump said, “Can I be honest with you? It’s going to happen anyway.”
While Clinton has stood up to Russia, Trump panders to Putin. He has voiced support for policies and positions that align exactly with the Kremlin’s interests.
Ahead of the GOP convention, Trump’s campaign bucked fellow Republicans by maneuvering to ensure the party platform no longer calls for arming the Ukrainians, and then lied about it.
Trump announced he would meet with Putin prior to the start of his administration, if elected president.
SYRIA
To date, Donald Trump has not laid out any real plans with respect to Syria or offered any indication that he takes the conflict and humanitarian disaster seriously.
Trump raised the possibility of sending 20,000 – 30,000 U.S. ground troops to Syria and Iraq.
Trump praised and encouraged Russia’s brutal bombing campaign in Syria, despite the climbing total civilian casualties and attacks on U.S.-backed forces.
HFA Deputy Communications Director Christina Reynolds offered the following statement on Trump’s “closing argument” speech today in Gettysburg, PA:
“Today, in what was billed as a major closing argument speech, Trump’s major new policy was to promise political and legal retribution against the women who have accused him of groping them. Like Trump’s campaign, this speech gave us a troubling view as to what a Trump State of the Union would sound like—rambling, unfocused, full of conspiracy theories and attacks on the media, and lacking in any real answers for American families.”
This morning, Tim Kaine appeared on three of the Sunday morning news shows: ABC’s This Week, CBS’s Face the Nation, and Fox News Sunday. During each of the interviews, Kaine focused on the WikiLeaks email leaks and Russia’s alleged role in hacking and how Donald Trump and his campaign were also involved. Kaine stressed that it is possible that the emails released by WikiLeaks have been “doctored.” Kaine said, “I don’t think it’s funny when you have a nation like Russia that has engaged in activity to destabilize elections in countries. And somebody running to be president of the United States shouldn’t be encouraging another nation to cyber hack the U.S.” Watch videos of Kaine’s interviews below.
Hillary for America Senior Policy Adviser Jake Sullivan released the following statement today in reaction to Vladimir Putin’s new comments on the U.S. election:
“Vladimir Putin just confirmed that Donald Trump is carrying Russia’s water with his pro-Putin wish list of policies, and the only question left is whether he will follow through for the Kremlin. Putin is trying to put his thumb on the scale through cyber-attacks aimed at influencing the election because he knows that Hillary Clinton will stand up to him.
“It is baffling that his campaign finds cyberattacks on America ‘refreshing’ and ‘diligent’ while continuing to coddle Russia and its leader. Given the alarming set of facts, it’s time for Donald Trump to condemn this modern day Watergate and disclose all of his campaign’s connections to Russia and WikiLeaks.”
Hillary for America released a Medium post yesterday on the Russian hack that Donald Trump refuses to admit or condemn laying out an important question that voters deserve to know – “What did Trump know, and when did he know it?” Read it here.
The campaign also released a new video cataloguing Trump’s disturbing connections to Russia and why they are so concerning. Watch it here.
Today, Hillary for America is releasing a new video spotlighting Donald Trump’s disturbing admiration for fringe InfoWars radio host Alex Jones, a conspiracy enthusiast best know for pushing outlandish and gross theories around national tragedies including that the Sandy Hook shooting, September 11th terror attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing were either inside jobs or simply made up. Over the course of the campaign, Trump has publicly praised and drawn from Jones’ dangerously wacky ideas. In fact, just yesterday he falsely suggested that Hillary Clinton was “pumped up” on drugs, a claim made on Jones radio show just this month.
As Jones said: “And I’ll tell you, it is surreal to talk about issues here on air and then word for word hear Trump say it two days later. It is amazing.”
We agree.
ALEX JONES AND INFOWARS
Alex Jones, whose show Trump has appeared on, and who Trump has praised publicly, is a prominent conspiracy theorist.
Jones pushed several conspiracy theories around national tragedies: “Jones’s amazing reputation arises mainly from his high-volume insistence that national tragedies such as the September 11th terror attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Sandy Hook elementary-school shooting, and the Boston Marathon bombing were all inside jobs, ‘false flag’ ops secretly perpetrated by the government to increase its tyrannical power (and, in some cases, seize guns). Jones believes that no one was actually hurt at Sandy Hook—those were actors—and that the Apollo 11 moon-landing footage was faked.” [New Yorker, 6/23/16]
Jones on the Gabby Giffords shooting: “My gut tells me this was a staged mind-control operation. The government employs geometric psychological-warfare experts that know exactly how to indirectly manipulate unstable people through the media.” [Rolling Stone, 3/2/11]
Jones on the Orlando nightclub shooting: “In a YouTube video posted Sunday evening, the Infowars.com founder called Mateen’s shooting rampage ‘a false-flag terror attack.’” [Daily Beast, 6/12/16]
Apart from conspiracy theories, Jones has a history of offensive comments.
“Real women don’t need #feminism! It destroys society! It promotes division & hate against men! http://bit.ly/1EyNooc #tcot” [@RealAlexJones, Twitter, 3/7/15]
The list of disturbing and bizarre headlines on Jones’ site, Infowars, is unending. Visit http://www.infowars.com/ for a view into the mind of a man Trump has said he “greatly admires.”
Donald Trump shares a mutual admiration with conspiracy theorist and radio show host, Alex Jones.
2015: Donald Trump to Alex Jones: “I just wanted to finish by saying that your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down. You’ll be very, very impressed, I hope, and I think we’ll be speaking a lot, but you’ll be looking at me in a year, or two years—give me a little bit of time to run things—but a year into office, you’ll be saying, ‘Wow, I remember that interview, he said he was gonna do it, and he did a great job.” [Vanity Fair, 12/2/15]
2015: “Alex Jones Is A Big Fan Of Donald Trump, And The Feeling’s Mutual.” “Republican front-runner Donald Trump appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ show on Wednesday in a lengthy display of mutual appreciation. Appearing on a blurry video connection, Trump talked to Jones about Trump’s false claims about Muslims in New Jersey cheering 9/11, Hillary Clinton, and Trump’s book, among other topics. Jones told Trump he had been ‘vindicated’ in his claims. I know it happened and I held my line and people wanted me to apologize and I can’t do that,’ Trump told Jones. ‘People like you and I, we can’t do that so easily.’” [BuzzFeed, 12/2/15]
2016: “Alex Jones Celebrates Trump’s Takeover Of The GOP.” Jones took in Trump’s Republican Convention and “spent Monday mobbed by reporters, sharing a podium with Trump adviser Roger Stone and welcoming several far-right candidates onstage as part of an ‘America First Project’ unity effort.” [Washington Post, 7/18/16]
2016: Trump’s Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller Talked To Infowars And Praised Alex Jones For Being On Top Of The Issues Close To The Trump Campaign. “In a February 8 interview with Infowars.com, Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller praised Jones and Infowars for having ‘been on top of … the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and on the immigration issue.’ Miller then repeatedly pitched Trump to Jones’ audience, telling them that ‘if you want to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership, if you want to close the border, if you want to protect American jobs and wages, then you have to support Donald J. Trump.’” [Media Matters, 2/10/16; Infowars, 2/8/16]
On Tuesday night, the running mates of Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump faced off in the only vice presidential debate. Senator Tim Kaine and former Indiana Governor Mike Pence faced off in a debate moderated by CBSN’s Elaine Quijano. The two vice-presidential candidates argued about a number of topics including foreign policy, health care, social services, and jobs. At the end of the debate, many agreed that Pence was the more polished debater, but Kaine was better at defending his running mate and talking about Clinton’s proposed policies. Pence spent the majority of the debate deflecting attacks on Trump, and not answering the many criticisms thrown his direction.
Everyone will argue about who won or who lost the debate. But they won’t have long since the next presidential debate between Clinton and Trump is this Sunday, October 9. Watch a full replay of the vice-presidential debate below.
Hillary Clinton held two rallies in Florida today with the first being in Fort Pierce. While Clinton spoke about a number of her key platform points, she introduced a new plan focused on expanding national service opportunities. She said that the plan will appeal to younger adults just out of college saying, “Studies have shown that millennials are particularly interested in volunteerism and are looking for ways to contribute to their communities. Applications to AmeriCorps positions are five times greater than the current number of slots available and the Peace Corps has seen a 32 percent increase in applications compared to the previous year.” A video of Clinton’s speech is below.
In Coral Springs, Clinton held a rally where she continued to tout her national service plan along with her broad platform. Clinton also went after Republican Donald Trump for his attacks on former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, calling a series of early morning Tweets attacking Machado “unhinged, even for him.” She then spoke about Trump’s lack of preparation for Monday night’s debate saying, “Did any of you see the debate the other night? Well, I think that it was pretty clear that there are two very different choices for our country based on two very different visions of the kind of America that we want to have. You know, my view is that we are already great and if we work together we will become even greater in the years ahead.” A video from the Coral Spring event is below.
While Clinton spoke at length about her plan for a National Service Reserve at both events, The Briefing released full details of the plan today as well. An outline of the plan is below:
Enable local and state leaders to activate highly-motivated and well-trained volunteers to address the most pressing issues in the community
Provide reservists with the opportunity to earn special certification for 50, 100, and 250 hours of service per year
Work with employers to encourage them to support employees in the Reserve through initiatives like volunteer time off
Draw on new AmeriCorps members to recruit, train, and lead the Reserve
Dramatically expand year-long service positions, with the vision that every person who wants to serve full-time can do so
Engage returning veterans as well as Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and other national service alumni in the Reserve as a way for them to continue to contribute to the common good
Expand service opportunities for encore: Clinton wants to expand service opportunities for all Americans throughout their lives, with a special focus on people over age 55
Grow Peace Corps to create additional opportunities for Americans to serve in countries around the world
Hillary Clinton Speeches 