Saturday, January 25, 2020

Sen. Patty Murray: We all need to vote today for evidence and fairness, not a sham designed to protect an impeached President from the facts”


Press Release issued 1/ 22/ 20
(Washington, D.C.) – Following the release of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) proposed rules package for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined her fellow Senate Democratic leaders to decry McConnell’s resolution as a “cover-up” that would not lead to a fair and transparent trial. In remarks delivered during a morning news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Senator Murray emphasized the importance of both the Senate and the public hearing from key witnesses and seeing relevant documents that President Trump has withheld, and castigated Senator McConnell’s proposed resolution for breaking with bipartisan precedent—in particular by holding some of the most important parts of the trial in the dead of night.
See the full text of Senator Murray’s remarks below:

“Thank you very much.
“Last week, my colleagues and I signed our names in the official Senate record affirming our promise to ‘do impartial justice.’
“It was a sobering experience, especially since Senator McConnell has explicitly said he would do the complete opposite.

“He said ‘no’ to impartial justice in spite of the careful and thorough investigation the House conducted…
“In spite of President Trump’s unprecedented stonewalling, which denied Congress access to key material witnesses and documents, directly related to the President’s actions, during the House investigation…
“In spite of the President’s continued refusal to provide any credible defense against the allegations against him, including in the trial brief we saw this weekend…

“And, the Majority Leader’s position has not changed despite new evidence made public in recent days, which lays out a complex web of falsehoods and corruption surrounding the President’s actions in Ukraine.
“And now, as the trial begins, as new evidence comes out, and after each of us has reaffirmed our most solemn responsibilities to our states and our country, it is clear people across the country are watching this carefully, and they are deeply concerned our President may have demanded a foreign government interfere in our next election, to help him in his campaign.

“They want to know all the relevant testimony and evidence is being considered—and the Senate is acting fairly rather than staging a cover-up.
“So I hope Republican senators remember they have a choice.
“I hope they choose to recognize we cannot do our job as senators to ‘do impartial justice’ without key documents and witness testimony that has so far been hidden from the public.
“And I hope they choose to work with Democrats to make sure fairness and honesty in this process—because that is what the people we represent here deserve.

“And I want to make one more point: the President’s actions are on trial—but the U.S. Senate is on trial, too.
“I’ve heard many Republicans say they want a trial modeled after the Clinton impeachment trial.
“But I will remind all of us that at the end of that trial, no one doubted the Senate had acted fairly and honorably.
“That’s the truly critical test before us and this institution, beginning today…

“And to be clear, we will fail that test with a dead-of-night, rushed cover-up resolution like the one Majority Leader McConnell has put forward.
“We all need to remember the oath we took and act in ways that prove the Senate, and all of our democratic institutions, are worthy of the public’s trust now and for generations to come…
“We all need to vote today for evidence and fairness, not a sham designed to protect an impeached President from the facts.
“Thank you.”




Senator Murray: Despite Republican Attacks, Support for Right to Safe, Legal Abortion Stronger Than Ever On Roe v. Wade Anniversary
Press release issued 1/ 22/ 20

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate health committee and the highest ranking woman in the Senate, released a video statement regarding the 47th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, which affirmed the constitutional right to a safe, legal abortion.

“Today we recognize the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision that has made women across the country more free to plan their lives and families as they choose. But while Roe has been the law of the land for almost a half century, the fight to defend every woman’s constitutional right to a safe, legal abortion—and to make sure they can actually exercise that right—has never been more urgent… extreme politicians across the country, in the Capitol, and in the White House, are doing everything they can to undermine and overturn the constitutional right to abortion,” said Senator Murray










WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

Top UN court orders Myanmar to protect Rohingya from genocide.
Myanmar must take steps to protect its minority Rohingya population, the top UN court unanimously ruled on Thursday.

UN health emergency committee to re-convene on global threat posed by China coronavirus.
Experts convened in Geneva by the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again on Thursday to determine whether novel coronavirus is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

UN health agency to gauge global threat, as China confirms coronavirus transmission between humans.
Following an announcement by China’s national health body that a new virus first identified there, can be transmitted from person to person, the World Health Organization (WHO) is to hold a meeting on Wednesday to decide if it should be declared a global health emergency.

Rising inequality affecting more than two-thirds of the globe, but it’s not inevitable: new UN report.
Inequality is growing for more than 70 per cent of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development. But the rise is far from inevitable and can be tackled at a national and international level, says a flagship study released by the UN on Tuesday.

‘Negative developments’ undermining two-State solution in Middle East.
Recent heightened tensions in the Middle East underscore the critical need for dialogue and diplomacy in the region, the UN’s Political Affairs chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.

Independent UN rights experts call for ‘immediate investigation’ into alleged Bezos phone hack by Saudi Arabia.
Independent UN rights experts said on Wednesday they were “gravely concerned” over allegations that in 2018, a messaging app account belonging to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was used to hack into The Washington Post owner’s mobile phone, calling for an “immediate investigation” by authorities in the United States.

UN chief outlines solutions to defeat ‘four horsemen’ threatening our global future.
The start of the New Year finds the world facing four looming threats to human progress: surging geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, global mistrust and the downsides of technology, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday.

UN Press release:
Speakers Decry Israel’s Unilateral Actions to Legitimize Presence on Occupied Arab Lands, as Security Council Concludes Middle East Debate
Speakers in the Security Council today roundly denounced unilateral moves by Israel to legitimize its presence on occupied Arab lands, with several rejecting such actions — and United States recognition of them — as a blatant trampling of sovereignty and glaring violation of international law.

Outlining Road Map for Change in 2020, Secretary-General Says World Must Unite to Tackle Nuclear Menace, Rising Tensions, Climate Emergency.

Illegal Settlement Growth, Widespread Hopelessness among Youth Eroding Middle East Peace Prospects, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council
Negative trends continue to undermine prospects for a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council today, citing a deadlocked political process, illegal settlement expansion and a pervasive hopelessness among young people that peace will ever be achieved.

US MISSION TO THE UN:
Remarks at an Arria-Formula Meeting on Syria Chemical Weapons
The United States categorically objects to Russia’s blatant attempt to use a Security Council meeting to weaken the credibility of the OPCW and its findings on the Douma attack.

Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East.
Thank you Mr. President. Thank you Under Secretary DiCarlo, thank you for your briefing. Addressing these issues in a fair manner is not easy, and we appreciate the efforts of you and your team to do so. Thank you as well Assistant Secretary Mueller for your briefing.

Remarks at a Press Availability Following a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East


Phil Collins - Another Day In Paradise (Official Music Video)