Samuel L. Jackson for Esquire US - April 2019
Promoting Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson covers the April 2019 issue of Esquire. Making a splash in a photo by Marc Hom, the celebrated actor dons an orange Hermès coat. Jackson also dishes on how much longer he'll act. He confesses, Till I can’t do it. Michael Caine’s still acting, right? It’s acting. It’s not like I’m digging a ditch. The 70-year-old actor continues, I go on set, do some sh*t. I go back and sit in my trailer for two hours watching TV, eat a sandwich, read. And I go back and do ten more minutes and go sit down some more. So, yeah, it’s a great job. See more pics HERE
And for the article go HERE
BREAKING NOW: '40 fatalities' after shootings at Christchurch mosques in New Zealand! 4 Are in Custody!
Forty people are dead and 4 are in custody after shootings at at least two mosques in Christchurch, police said Friday. Officials believe others may be at large.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference that she could not confirm the number of casualties and that it was an “evolving situation” across multiple sites.
"It is clear that this is one of New Zealand's darkest days," Ardern said. "Clearly, what has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence."
New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said in a statement that the situation was evolving "and we are working to confirm the facts, however, we can confirm there have been a number of fatalities” and that police were at a number of scenes.
He asked all mosques across the nation to close to their doors. “I want to ask anyone that was thinking of going to a mosque anywhere in New Zealand today not to go, to close your doors until you hear from us again,” Bush said.
The police commissioner confirmed in a video statement that 4 are in custody, and in a written statement said "police believe there may be other offenders."
Officials were unsure if locations beyond the two mosques were "under threat," Bush said.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired in central Christchurch around 1:40 p.m. Friday local time (8:40 p.m. Thursday ET), police said in a statement. All schools in the city were placed on lockdown, and residents were urged to remain indoors.
Witness Len Peneha said he saw a man dressed in black enter the Masjid Al Noor mosque and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running from the mosque in terror, the Associated Press reported.
Peneha said he went into the mosque to try and help: "I saw dead people everywhere,” he told the Associated Press.
Peneha, who said he has lived next door to the mosque for about five years, said the gunman ran out of the mosque, dropped what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon in Peneha's driveway, and fled.
A member of the mosque told local media at the scene that he was in a side room where the imam was speaking and it was peaceful and quiet when "suddenly the shooting started." He did not see the shooter, but saw people running.
Various social media posts on Twitter and the fringe message board 8chan were posted online by someone who appeared to have had prior knowledge of the shootings, including pictures of weapons and ammunition.
Authorities have not confirmed that the postings are connected to the shootings, but pictures and videos seen by NBC News as well as a manifesto posted shortly before the attack match known details of the shootings.
The posts include anti-Muslim rhetoric, far right and far left political sentiment and references to radicalization via the internet.
Users on one of 8chan’s message boards, where the manifesto and terror threat were posted before the shooting, frequently post racist, homophobic and misogynistic memes and diatribes.
The prime minister acknowledged that many of the people directly affected by Friday's shooting may be migrants to New Zealand, and "they may even be refugees here.”
"They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us. The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not,” she said.
The Bangladesh cricket team was going to Friday prayers at the Masjid Al Noor mosque when the shooting occurred but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.
Although the Islamic faith requires praying five times a day, every day, Friday afternoon prayer services are highly revered because they are meant to be practiced as a community.
Many Muslims pray together at a mosque for the Friday afternoon prayer, referred to as Jumu’ah in Arabic.
The Quran contains specific verses referring to the Jumu’ah prayer as a day of assembly, a day for the Muslim community to come together in remembrance of their god, Allah.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, tweeted "I'm horrified by the reports I'm following of the serious shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. The situation is still unfolding but our thoughts and prayers are with our Kiwi cousins.”
This is a developing story! We will update as more information comes in!
This is a developing story! We will update as more information comes in!
#RHOA: Who has the Best Look for the Reunion of RHOA?
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 11 reunion is airing on Sunday night, the set is on fleek. Here’s your standard seating chart: Andy Cohen is front and center, flanked by the RHOA cast members Nene Leakes, Cynthia Bailey, Eva Marcille, Kandi Burress, Porsha Williams, and Shamari Devoe . Take a look at the outfits.
Now tells us Who you like the best! Be sure to catch the reunion this Sunday at 9/8c!
#Empire: Jussie Smollett Pleads Not Guilty To Disorderly Conduct Indictment; Accused Of Orchestrating Hate Crime Hoax
“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Thursday to 16 counts of disorderly conduct, nearly a week after he was indicted for allegedly lying to police about a hate crime.
Wearing sunglasses on a rainy day, Smollett arrived at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse shortly before 9 a.m., greeted by a handful of supporters holding signs reading “I Stand With Jussie” and “I Believe Jussie Smollett.”
He will be allowed to travel to NY/LA without asking court permission. His attorneys are based there. Must notify pre-trial services before leaving the state.
After Smollett pleaded not guilty, Cook County Judge Steven Watkins granted him permission to travel to New York and California to consult with his attorneys, if he provides 48 hours notice to the court’s pretrial services office. Otherwise, Smollett cannot leave Illinois without the court’s permission while he is free on bail, and Watkins admonished the actor to be present and on-time for all of his upcoming court dates.
Smollett’s next hearing was scheduled for April 17.
#MusicNews: Monica Announces Upcoming Album “Chapter 38”
Monica is sure to have one of the most anticipated R&B album releases this year, and she’s just revealed some details about the project.
The singer recently took to her Instagram account to announce that she has a new album on the way called “Chapter 38”. This is her ninth studio album overall, and the title undoubtedly refers to her age. With over two decades in music so far, it’s easy to forget Monica is still just 38.
The caption of her post reads: “Chapter 38 Is Love , Joy , Pain , Heartbreak , Redemption & the ability to Stand strong morphed into song!! #StoryOfMyLife”
From the sounds of things, this will be one of her most personal albums to date. Monica will be releasing the album for the first time as an independent artist via her own label Mondeenise Music.
“Chapter 38” is led by the single “Commitment” the which released earlier this year. The song has recently reached the Top 20 on the Adult R&B radio charts.
#HipHopNews: JAY-Z & Prodigy Were Originally Supposed To Appear On M.O.P.'s "Ante Up" Remix
JAY-Z and Prodigy’s bitter feud prevented the world from hearing the celebrated MCs on M.O.P.’s “Ante Up (Remix).” In a new interview with Doggie Diamonds TV, M.O.P. member Billy Danze confirmed Hov and Prodigy were both supposed to appear on the song.
According to Danze, Remy Ma made her way onto the remix due to Jay and Prodigy’s absence. The late Mobb Deep member recorded a verse dissing Hov, which led to M.O.P. removing it and telling Jay not to bother recording one of his own.
“We didn’t have [Remy] in mind,” Danze explained. “Cause really, Jay was supposed to get on the song. Prodigy had did a record for the song. Now, I didn’t wanna use Prodigy’s verse because he was actually talking about Jay. Remember, they had the little beef. So, I hit Jay and was like, ‘Yo, nevermind. Don’t worry about the verse, we closing the song out.’”
Danze said he didn’t wanna let the beef play out on his track since he was cool with both men. Jay appeared on M.O.P.’s 1998 album First Family 4 Life and later collaborated with the duo on his “U Don’t Know (Remix).” M.O.P. even signed with Roc-A-Fella Records at one point, though they never released any albums on the label.
“I couldn’t allow that,” Danze noted. “Even if it was the other way around, even if Jay would’ve got on the record dissing Prodigy, I would’ve took Jay off the record. You don’t bring your little beef and your little war into my house. I don’t do that.”
As turned out, the “Ante Up (Remix)” ended up featuring Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma and Teflon.
#RHONJ: ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Star Joe Giudice Has been Released Into ICE’s Custody After Completing Prison Sentence
Trading one pair of handcuffs for another. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Joe Giudice was released from prison on Thursday, March 14, only to be immediately transferred into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Mr. Giudice has finished serving his federal prison sentence and was transferred early this morning from the Bureau of Prisons to a facility in western Pennsylvania which houses immigration detainees,” Teresa’s lawyer James Leonard said in a statement to Us on Thursday. “His lawyers and his family are hopeful that justice will prevail and Mr. Guidice will return home to his wife and four daughters who love him and miss him.”
According to Radar Online Opens a New Window. , Joe is at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in McElhattan, Pennsylvania. The outlet previously reported on February 26 that the Bravo star would not be coming home to his wife, Teresa Giudice, and their four children, Gia, 18, Gabriella, 14, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 9.
“ICE expects the Bureau of Prisons Allenwood Low Federal Correctional Institution to honor our detainer, and Mr. Giudice will be taken into ICE custody,” an official told the website.
The reality star, 46, is expected to remain in a detention center until he is either deported to his native country of Italy or wins the appeal he filed in November against the order of deportation made by Judge John Ellington on October 10. He could remain in custody for up to a year while the appeal process plays out. “Joe isn’t going to go down without a fight and is going to appeal the decision,” a source told Us in October ahead of Giudice’s filing. “This isn’t over, not by a long shot.”
The reality star’s attorney, James J. Leonard Jr., told the New York Post‘s Page Six Opens a New Window. on Friday, March 8, that they are hoping for a positive outcome. “We are optimistic that once his appeal is heard, he will receive the appropriate relief and will be able to come home and remain there with his family. They love him, they support him and they miss him tremendously,” he said.
The businessman pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud, including mail, wire and bankruptcy, in March 2014. He and Teresa, 46, were also forced to pay restitution to the IRS and New Jersey’s Department of Treasury, though their bankruptcy case was dismissed in June.
He reported to the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution on March 23, 2016, to begin his 41-month sentence.
Teresa, who served 11 months in prison in 2015, told Andy Cohen during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in March that she would split from her spouse if he was sent back to Italy. “I’m not doing a long-distance relationship. I’m not doing it,” the Standing Strong author said. “You know, I want somebody with me every day. I know exactly what happens. You know, I’m sure he’ll be with other women. It happens. We do the long-distance thing, it’s not going to work. I’d be like, ‘Bye bye.’”
Everything Teresa Giudice Has Said About Joe's Deportation
The fitness competitor was spotted holding hands with Blake Schreck, who is 20 years her junior, during a weekend getaway to Miami in February and later ditched her wedding ring.
Oprah Winfrey Will Publish Alicia Keys’ Upcoming Memoir!
“I am honored she chose to share her personal story through my imprint,” the media mogul said.
Alicia Keys announced Wednesday that she will be releasing her memoir, More Myself: A Journey, with the help of Oprah Winfrey.
According to EW.com, book will be published by Flatiron Books under the media magnate’s imprint, An Oprah Book. Neither woman had shared any details about working together on a project before the announcement.
“I can NOT believe this is happening!! I am literally in disbelief!!” Keys wrote under a YouTube video in which Winfrey holds a galley copy of the book.
“My sister, mentor, guide and the QUEEN herself Ms. Oprah helped me share my journey with you,” the singer-songwriter and musician added. “And it’s finally here! I could not be more grateful for her endless support and light and love throughout my life she has been one of the main people that has given me some of the most powerful [gems] that I live by. I am full of gratitude!!”
The book is “part autobiography, part narrative documentary,” and will center on the 15-time Grammy winner’s childhood in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem and her musical career.
“I could feel the power of Alicia’s presence even before she belted out the first soulful notes of the lyrics that made her famous — ‘I keep on fallin’ in and out of love with you,’” Winfrey said in a statement. “I knew she had all those sparkling qualities that make stars shine. More important, Alicia has navigated the spotlight and pressures of fame while retaining a humble and beautiful spirit. I am honored she chose to share her personal story through my imprint.”
More Myself: A Journey will be released Nov. 5 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.
Lupita Nyong'o is serving us Blood Red Eyes at 'Us' London Premiere!
Lupita Nyong’o is quite literally seeing red and wearing an Attico dress, Aquazzura heels, a Versace clutch while stepping out for the UK screening of Us on Thursday (March 14) at Picturehouse Central in London, England.
The 36-year-old Oscar-winning actress wore blood red contact lenses that matched the dress she wore for the event.
Lupita was joined by co-star Winston Duke and writer and director Jordan Peele. The movie will be hitting theaters in the U.S. on March 22.
Marvel Makes changes to Avengers: Endgame poster after fan outcry over Danai Gurira’s credit omission
A new trailer for Avengers: Endgame debuted this morning, along with a poster showcasing the surviving heroes.
Fans noticed, however, that Black Panther’s Danai Gurira, the actress who plays Dora Milaje general Okoye, was absent from the credits at the top of the poster. Though Gurira’s name was on the bottom credit block — along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Benedict Wong — she was the only person featured on the poster who did not receive above-the-title billing. The omission prompted outcry, exacerbated by the fact that Gurira was the only actress of color to appear on the poster.
Credit billing is a complex process that involves loads of negotiation by agents, fees, and a whole mess of things to decide who earns a “with,” an “and,” and even how big or small names appear on a poster. Likely, the omission of Gurira in the top billing was less of a conscious decision than the ramifications of dealing with agents, fees, and movie star demands. The coincidence speaks more so to the fact that the MCU has a predominantly white male presence — something they are attempting to rectify in the next slate of movies.
Fans rallied, however, and across social media they insisted that Gurira should receive her place in the top of the poster.
The reaction prompted Marvel to release a new poster, with Gurira’s name coming just before Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin.
“She should have been up there all this time,” reads the accompanying tweet.
The process was likely as simple as digitally adding Gurira’s name to the graphic, but enabled by quick action by the studio and a fleet of agents. Polygon reached out to Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures for clarification over whether Gurira’s addition would appear on in-theater posters, but the studios were not immediately available for comment. Whatever the case, adding Guira’s name to the billing seems a small change, but it speaks volumes to many hopeful fans.
Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26.
Khloe Kardashian Claims Tristan Thompson Isn’t Making Any Effort to See Their Daughter
Just weeks after Khloe Kardashian officially pulled the plug on her relationship with her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson, sources say the socialite is pissed over Thompson’s “lack of interest in seeing” their daughter, True.
“Khloe is getting extremely upset with Tristan because he isn’t really making any effort to be involved in their daughter True’s life,” a source told Us Weekly. Although the mother-daughter duo is located in L.A. and Thompson is in Cleveland, he travels quite frequently – so, one would assume he’d have time to check on his daughter.
“Khloe understands he is on the road because of basketball, and he lives in Cleveland, but she just feels that Tristan has moved on,” the source continued. “Tristan’s attitude seems to be, ‘I will see True when I see her.’”
While the exact details remain unclear, Thompson has been seen with another woman in New York. In fact, just last week, Baller Alert identified Thompson’s mystery woman as 28-year-old New York waitress, Karizma Ramirez.
As for seeing True, this wouldn’t be the first time Thompson allegedly fell back as a father. Back in 2016, three months into his relationship with Kardashian, Thompson’s ex, Jordy C, gave birth to their son, Prince. However, due to Thompson’s absence, his name was not listed on the birth certificate. In addition to that, just last year, Thompson’s own father called him out for leaving his son for Khloe, claiming “Prince Oliver will one day question his father.”
“Tristan act like he does not have a father,” Mr. Thompson wrote. “What goes around comes right back around …watch and see. He’s a want to be a man. Tristan only listens to his self and mother what a joke they don’t know any better. Sad sad sad. Shame on them time will tell. Watch and see.” For what its worth though, sources say Thompson is doing a great job co-parenting with his ex, Jordan Craig. In fact, an insider told Us Weekly that although their relationship is “not romantic, Jordan has always been extremely supportive of Tristan,” as he’s been “a very involved father in Prince’s life, but during the basketball season, it’s challenging.”
Whoopi Goldberg Brings Cohosts to Tears as She Surprises Them on 'The View'
After being out sick with pneumonia for over a month, Goldberg made a triumphant return on Thursday.
It was an emotional morning on "The View," as Whoopi Goldberg finally returned to her seat for the first time since February 6.
The moderator has been MIA after a brutal battle with pneumonia, but surprised everyone -- including her cohosts -- at the top of the show on Thursday.
As Joy Behar said she could be back next week, Goldberg snuck out from the side of the stage and set the audience and her hosts into a frenzy. There were even tears from Sunny Hostin as all the women hugged following her walkout.
"This is my first foray out, I'm not there yet, I know that, but the only way it's gonna get better is if I begin, so this is my beginning," she explained, still coughing. "Over the next week and a half I will start to be here more often. I really kind of missed y'all!"
"I'm the only person who can go into the hospital for thee weeks and put weight on," she joked, before getting more serious in tone. "It was, there's death and here's me. That's how it was. You think that because you've healed quick before that something crazy can't happen, well, it can. Double pneumonia and sepsis. They had to pump a lot of stuff out of me."
"This is a cautionary tale for all of us, you must take care of yourself because there's little tiny stuff out there that can kill you that you never even think of," Goldberg added, before referencing the death of Kim Porter.
"The scariest moment was hearing my doctor say to me, 'You do realize how close to death you were?'" she went on. "That was like, uh, no, actually I hadn't thought of it. Prognosis is I'm not supposed to be here but I got permission. You need to just be upright and not be around a bunch of folks, because my immune system is challenged. I'm supposed to just like ease back in and I will."
Whoopi didn't stay the whole show, but after speaking about her health with her costars, she said she'd probably be back on Monday.
#POLITICS: Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for president in 2020
Keokuk, Iowa Beto O'Rourke announced Thursday he is running for president, entering the 2020 race with a call for Americans to look past their differences in order to confront the challenges facing the country.
"You'll see us run the largest grassroots campaign this country has ever seen," O'Rourke told reporters in Iowa, where he held his first campaign event at a coffee shop in Keokuk. "It's the only way to win. It's the only way to effectively govern."
O'Rourke, who is starting a three-day swing through eastern Iowa, announced his entrance into the race with a video Thursday morning.
"This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us," the 46-year-old Democratic former congressman from Texas said in the video. "The challenges that we face right now, the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy and our climate have never been greater."
"They will either consume us, or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America," he said.
O'Rourke said he will hold a kick-off rally for his campaign in El Paso, Texas, on March 30. His campaign headquarters will be in El Paso, he told CNN, because "it's my hometown and it's where I want to be."
His entrance into the race is the culmination of his two-year, out-of-nowhere rise from a back-bench congressman largely unknown outside El Paso to Democratic stardom as a record-breaking fundraiser, the subject of an HBO documentary and the target of two separate efforts to draft him into the presidential campaign. He joins a crowded field of more than a dozen Democrats vying for the party's nomination.
O'Rourke began his Iowa trip -- which includes stops in eight counties that Barack Obama won in 2012 but Donald Trump won in 2016 -- in the state's rural southeastern corner, pledging to the crowds to listen to and address the concerns of those who believe they have been left behind in recent elections.
He said in Texas, farmers and others in rural areas face a lack of broadband internet access. "They can't go on Tinder to find that special date tonight," he said.
O'Rourke's short stump speech focused on climate change and immigration. Drawing a comparison to refugees who are currently arriving at the Southern border, which he said he doesn't view as a problem, he warned that climate upheaval would lead to a "crisis of a different magnitude altogether."
Answering questions from the crowd, O'Rourke praised the ambitious Green New Deal proposal, saying he hasn't "seen anything better that addresses this singular crisis we face -- a crisis that could, at its worst, lead to extinction."
He said he would end the federal prohibition of marijuana, pointing to incarceration rates and saying that those in prison "don't look like people in this room. They are browner and blacker."
Speaking to reporters afterward, he also answered questions about what sets him apart from the Democratic field of presidential candidates, who he said he will not criticize.
O'Rourke pointed to his life in a border community -- Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is visible from his porch -- and the attention Trump has directed to the border.
"I have a profoundly positive story to tell that as a nation of immigrants, we should remind ourselves that our success, our strength and yes, our safety and security, depend on the fact that we are a city of immigrants in El Paso, a nation of immigrants across this country," he said.
O'Rourke last year lost a Senate race in Texas, a bid to oust Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Still, the Senate race thrust O'Rourke, who served three terms in the House, into the national spotlight. He shattered fundraising records, ending with an $80 million haul, and finished less than 3 percentage points behind Cruz -- much closer than other Democrats had come in recent years against Republicans in a state that's long been a GOP stronghold. But a presidential bid will be a much different test for O'Rourke, who will face serious pressure from the left for the first time in his political career.
O'Rourke told reporters Thursday his loss in the Texas Senate race helped Democrats shift the state into competitive territory for the 2020 presidential election.
"I think I was able to show by going to every single county that we will leave no one behind, that no one will be forgotten, that every single one of us as an American and as a human being is important, and we will pay the respect necessary to show that and ensure that," he said.
In his Senate race against Cruz, O'Rourke often blurred their policy differences on issues like trade by saying the two agreed. And while O'Rourke took a series of progressive positions -- he argued for criminal justice revisions and marijuana legalization, backed "Medicare-for-all" and said he would support President Donald Trump's impeachment -- the race was primarily a clash of personalities.
While O'Rourke will have to prove his policy bona fides, his strengths -- he's a tireless campaigner who won over younger voters -- will serve as a test of whether the Democratic base and its legions of young voters are more interested in inspirational figures or candidates whose ideology matches theirs.
O'Rourke picked up two congressional endorsements Thursday morning, from New York Rep. Kathleen Rice and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, a long-time O'Rourke friend who last fall won his former seat in the House.
"He is a son of the border, and during an era of unprecedented racist attacks on safe, secure communities like ours, I am grateful that he consistently stands up to the xenophobia and bigotry that has driven the ugliest of political debates," Escobar said in a statement.
O'Rourke's entrance into the presidential race is the culmination of calls for him to explore a bid for national office that began after his closer-than-expected finish in the 2018 Senate campaign.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, O'Rourke said the 2020 campaign has "got to be about the big things that we hope to achieve and enact and do for one another."
He said that "the most pressing, the most urgent, the most existential challenge of them all is climate. And the scientists, beyond a shadow of a doubt, know that we have at a maximum 12 years in order to enact significant change to meet that threat and reduce the consequences of the decisions that we made in the past -- the consequences that our kids and the generations that follow will bear."
O'Rourke also began to lay out what he saw as his top priorities on the eve of his entrance into the 2020 race.
"Rewriting and signing into law immigration policies that reflect who we are and our values and what we know to be true, grounded in the facts," he said. "Making sure that everybody can see a doctor and live to their full potential. Listening to and then raising up rural communities that for so long have been left behind. Making sure people that are looking for work are able to find it -- that they're equipped with the skills and training and education necessary to maximize their potential. But also investing in people that are already working. ... There are so many people in this country working two and three jobs and struggling to make ends meet."
"The destination cannot be Election Night, November 2020. The destination really has to be the realization of everything this country is capable of doing," O'Rourke said.
Throughout his Senate race, O'Rourke had insisted he would not run for president -- but that stance shifted after he lost. He acknowledged at a town hall shortly after the election that he was weighing a presidential bid. Then, in December, he met with former President Barack Obama.
The House and Senate Has BLOCKED Trumps National Emergency Declaration!
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a stunning rebuke, a dozen defecting Republicans joined Senate Democrats Thursday to block the national emergency that President Donald Trump declared so he could build his border wall with Mexico. The rejection capped a week of confrontation with the White House as both parties in Congress strained to exert their power in new ways.
The 59-41 tally, following the Senate’s vote a day earlier to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen, promised to force Trump into the first vetoes of his presidency. Trump had warned against both actions. Moments after Thursday’s vote, the president tweeted a single word of warning: “VETO!”
Two years into the Trump era, a defecting dozen Republicans, pushed along by Democrats, showed a willingness to take that political risk. Twelve GOP senators, including the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney of Utah, joined the dissent over the emergency declaration order that would enable the president to seize for the wall billions of dollars Congress intended elsewhere.
“The Senate’s waking up a little bit to our responsibilities,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who said the chamber had become “a little lazy” as an equal branch of government. “I think the value of these last few weeks is to remind the Senate of our constitutional place.”
The Republican-run Senate rejected President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the southwest border on Thursday, setting up a veto fight and dealing him a conspicuous rebuke. (March 14)
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Many senators said the vote was not necessarily a rejection of the president or the wall, but protections against future presidents -- namely a Democrat who might want to declare an emergency on climate change, gun control or any number of other issues.
“This is constitutional question, it’s a question about the balance of power that is core to our constitution,” Romney said. “This is not about the president,” he added. “The president can certainly express his views as he has and individual senators can express theirs.”
Thursday’s vote was the first direct challenge to the 1976 National Emergencies Act, just as Wednesday’s on Yemen was the first time Congress invoked the decades-old War Powers Act to try to rein in a president. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in halting U.S. backing for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the aftermath of the kingdom’s role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“Today’s votes cap a week of something the American people haven’t seen enough of in the last two years,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, “both parties in the United States Congress standing up to Donald Trump.”
The result is a role-reversal for Republicans who have been reluctant to take on Trump, bracing against his high-profile tweets and public attacks of reprimand. But now they are facing challenges from voters — in some states where senators face stiff elections -- who are expecting more from Congress.
Centrist Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who’s among those most vulnerable in 2020, said she’s sure the president “will not be happy with my vote. But I’m a United States senator and I feel my job is to stand up for the Constitution, so let the chips fall where they may.”
Trump’s grip on the party, though, remains strong and the White House made it clear that Republicans resisting Trump could face political consequences. Ahead of the voting, Trump framed the issue as with-him-or-against-him on border security, a powerful argument with many.
“A vote for today’s resolution by Republican Senators is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Crime, and the Open Border Democrats!” Trump tweeted. “Don’t vote with Pelosi!” he said in another, referring to the speaker of the House.
A White House official said Trump won’t forget when senators who oppose him want him to attend fundraisers or provide other help. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on internal deliberations.
“I don’t think anybody’s sending the president a message,” said Jim Risch of Idaho, the GOP chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He blamed the media for “reaching” to view every action “through the prism of the presidency, and that isn’t necessarily the way it works here.”
Trump brought on the challenge months ago when he all but dared Congress not to give him the $5.7 billion he was demanding to build the U.S.-Mexico wall or risk a federal government shutdown.
Congress declined and the result was the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Trump invoked the national emergency declaration last month, allowing him to try to tap some $3.6 billion for the wall by shuffling money from military projects, and that drew outrage from many lawmakers. Trump had campaigned for president promising Mexico would pay for the wall.
The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, and lawmakers seethed as they worried about losing money for military projects that had already been approved for bases at home and abroad. The Democratic-led House swiftly voted to terminate Trump’s order.
Senate Republicans spent weeks trying to avoid this outcome, up until the night before the vote, in a script that was familiar -- up until the gavel.
The most promising was an effort from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah for legislation that would impose limits on future presidential actions. That would give senators some solace as they allowed Trump’s order to stand. GOP senators huddled with Vice President Mike Pence and seemed optimistic the White House might support their plan. Then Trump called Lee in the middle of a private Republican lunch meeting and, in the time it took the senator to step out of the room to take the call, it was over. Trump was opposed.
Lee and other senators were peeling off against the president. In a last-ditch effort the night before the vote, Lindsey Graham and other senators dashed to the White House to try once again for Trump’s support to broker an alternative plan. They mostly failed.
Trump did tweet ahead of the vote that he would be willing to consider legislation to adjust the 1976 law at some later time.
That was enough of a signal for GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces a potentially tough re-election in North Carolina, to flip his vote, according to a person unauthorized to discuss the private thinking and granted anonymity.
Tillis had been the first senator to say he would oppose the declaration, writing in a Washington Post opinion column last month that there’d be “no intellectual honesty” in backing Trump after his repeated objections about executive overreach by President Barack Obama. But on Thursday, he did .
Trump’s public support in that tweet also helped bring on board several other Republicans, including Ted Cruz and Ben Sasse, who had been part of the private huddles, the person said.
For some, he said, “the emergency declaration was just a bridge too far.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘LOOP DE LOOP’
I have no idea what goes into the styling of women’s hair and I’m kinda happy about it. I don’t know what the end result of this is, but I gotta assume it’s not worth it.
#EGGPLANT NATION Meet Ash Cub!
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ENJOY!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
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