Hours before North Korea reportedly fired another missile over a Japanese island, speakers with connections to the Korean Peninsula at a forum hosted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch offered differing strategies for dealing with North Korea amid heightened tensions with its reclusive nuclear-armed regime.The consensus in the room was that war would be devastating beyond the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to fire nuclear weapons at the U.S. and Japan while in recent months conducting more advanced nuclear weapons tests.“Hopefully in the end, cooler heads will prevail and we can avoid whatever terrible situation that could happen,” said John Kim, the president of the Korean-American Society of Greater Richmond, speaking at the newspaper’s 72nd Public Square.Kim said the U.S. should withdraw its troops stationed in South Korea and let that country deal with its northern neighbor. Kim suggested the U.S. could still provide Seoul with the … [Read more...] about Public Square: Politics, tensions in Korea
Politics
Brett Favre rules out career in politics, calls fantasy football ‘too stressful’
Brett Favre is famous for playing football.Now that his playing career has been over for several years, he’s had time to take up a wide array of hobbies and interests. One thing, though, Favre will apparently never delve into is politics.In a recent interview on the Just Not Sports podcast’s 100th episode, the NFL Hall of Famer, Southern Miss legend and Hattiesburg resident spoke at length on such topics as fantasy football, “road biking” and hunting mountain lions. He also made it clear he has no desire to enter the political realm and alluded to the fact that a future career in broadcasting or an NFL front office job would probably take up more time than he is willing to devote. More: Brett Favre puts on dancing shoes for Abbie Rogers Civitan Camp “Politics, first of all, ain’t my thing,” he said. “You mention broadcasting and doing all those things like front office work. I think I would enjoy it. I may be wrong but I think I … [Read more...] about Brett Favre rules out career in politics, calls fantasy football ‘too stressful’
The top California political stories of 2017 ranked
By John Phillips | December 27, 2017 at 7:30 pm The news cycle now changes so quickly, it seems like every time you click refresh on your internet browser, the top stories have all changed … and a whole new batch of politicians, actors, and newscasters have been accused of being perverts. That being said, California news typically gets pushed so far to the back pages, it ends up somewhere near the horoscopes and ads for snow tires. But since I’ve been dabbling in that part of the paper and my horoscope (as an Aquarius) says, “the past can seem cozy and reassuring, especially when the unknown looms,” I’ve decided that I should spend some time highlighting the top five California political stories of the year. The fifth most important story of 2017 is the conventional wisdom that California’s junior U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are mulling 2020 presidential runs. Both politicians have reportedly met with advisors who … [Read more...] about The top California political stories of 2017 ranked
Cargill turns to workforce in political trade war
MINNEAPOLIS — On Cargill’s new FedByTrade website, the Houfek family tells how selling meat to foreign countries has supported two generations working at the company’s packing plant in Schuyler, Nebraska. Four hundred miles north, in Hopkins, Minnesota, Brian Donovan, an operations manager in Cargill’s salt division, stands ready to explain how providing de-icing and water conditioning products to Canadians keeps dozens of U.S. workers on the payroll. As President Donald Trump’s disparagement of free trade agreements pushes America away from deals like the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership and the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, Cargill, one of the world’s largest private companies, is pushing back. The Minnesota-based shipping and agriculture giant has enlisted its 155,000-person workforce in a political trade war. It just launched FedByTrade, where its employees, customers and communities can tell … [Read more...] about Cargill turns to workforce in political trade war
Bipartisan panel a start, but playing politics with judges continues
The Atlantic County Bar Association and state Sen.-elect Chris Brown in November announced they had created a bipartisan panel to review and recommend candidates for judicial and administrative appointments. Under New Jersey law and political custom, state senators recommend judges, then the governor nominates them and the state Senate confirms them. Brown said he is looking forward to having the “advice and counsel” of the Judicial Candidate Review Committee. This sounded like an effort to dial back the politics of judicial appointments — until the next day, when the County Republicans criticized a Superior Court nomination by Democrats and said the Judicial Candidate Review Committee was created in part to avoid making such nominations. That makes us wonder if the bipartisan panel isn’t itself mostly a political effort. The late state Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, submitted Sarah Beth Johnson’s name to the state director of appointments in June 2016 … [Read more...] about Bipartisan panel a start, but playing politics with judges continues
Tom Still: Holiday perks includes naughty and nice in state politics
A source close to the toy industry has leaked a copy of Santa’s perks list for Wisconsin politicians and newsmakers. Here’s what the good boys and girls in Madison and Washington will reportedly find in their stockings this Christmas. But they better not pout and they better not cry if an alert district attorney asks why gifts were delivered down chimneys after midnight.Gov. Scott Walker: It’s hard to shop for the guy who has everything. Major Asian company to call Wisconsin home? Got that. State budget with a decent reserve? Got that, too. Strong majorities in both houses of the Legislature? Under control … for now. Santa will give Walker an autonomous vehicle lane on I-94 to transport workers to and from the new Foxconn plant … and a few toll booths to pay for it.Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch: Wisconsin’s high-energy lieutenant governor is becoming a favorite on some national talk circuits, so much so that her boss joked the other day to a crowd: … [Read more...] about Tom Still: Holiday perks includes naughty and nice in state politics
Castro learns to use Twitter as a political weapon
Castro learns to use Twitter as a political weapon By Gilbert Garcia December 14, 2017 Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1of/2 CaptionClose Image 1 of 2 Julian Castro, former San Antonio Mayor and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaks at the Reimagining the UTSA Downtown Campus and Celebrating 20 Years event held Monday Nov. 13, 2017 at the campus. less Julian Castro, former San Antonio Mayor and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaks at the Reimagining the UTSA Downtown Campus and Celebrating 20 Years event held Monday Nov. 13, 2017 at the ... more Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 2 of 2 LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 13: Former U.S. Sec. of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro waves during the National Clean Energy … [Read more...] about Castro learns to use Twitter as a political weapon
Politics play big role in VA reform fights
0 View Comments Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, expected last week that every committee member, Democrat and Republican, would vote for the VA Care in the Community Act, his comprehensive plan developed over months to reform the flawed Veterans Choice program. Roe said he was surprised and disappointed when all nine Democrats at the bill's markup hearing opposed the legislation they helped to shape and for which they were original co-sponsors.In a phone interview, Roe blamed the split vote on "pure, blatant, raw politics based on this tax bill."The tax bill in dispute is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act backed solely by Republicans. Democrats and many independent analysts contend it overwhelmingly favors corporations and the wealthy over middle-class taxpayers. The Congressional Budget Office forecasts it will drive up the nation's debt by $1.5 trillion in a decade.Democrats told Roe they could not in principle vote for his Choice reform bill, … [Read more...] about Politics play big role in VA reform fights
Colorado’s growing political divide leaves rural communities feeling forgotten and voiceless
ILIFF — Under a hard gray sky, Andrew Hernandez guides his combine through the cornfield as he curses the summer hailstorm that let the rows fill with weeds. In this town, 140 miles from the state’s booming capital, the economy feels stagnant, at best. This year, Hernandez is just hoping to break even on the land his family farms. The uneven roads rattle trucks, and snowplows don’t operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. because of state spending cuts. Parents must raise money to replace the gym floor at the local school. “It’s a struggle, always a struggle,” Hernandez says. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Andrew Hernandez harvests corn on November 3, 2017 in Iliff, Colorado. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Andrew Hernandez harvests corn on Nov. 3, 2017 in Iliff. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Former Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament stands at his farm on Oct. 26, 2017 in Iliff. Show Caption of Expand He and his neighbors worry … [Read more...] about Colorado’s growing political divide leaves rural communities feeling forgotten and voiceless
Surviving the political hell known as Christmas dinner
There’s a fair chance that if you are reading this you’re only doing so because it’s better than talking to the relatives who invaded your home over the Christmas holidays. In these days of political polarization any casual conversation can turn nuclear in an instant. The benign spark of, “I just couldn’t believe Charlie Rose did those things,” quickly turns into an inferno of bulging neck veins, people talking past one another and no one convincing anyone of anything. So, Merry Fricking Christmas. But if you are willing to try something new, look at Arnold King’s work “The Three Languages of Politics” as a model to think about how and why we talk past each other and how to talk in a language even your entitled Bernie-ite nephew might hear. For those of us who have strong political opinions, we generally fall into three tribes, progressives, conservatives and libertarians. I’m not talking about political parties. I’m … [Read more...] about Surviving the political hell known as Christmas dinner