Sharyl Attkisson

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The popular uprising against establishment politicians

I recently crossed Europe looking for comments and information about what's called "populism." I found there's no commonly-accepted definition. But I would say it describes the popular uprising of voters against establishment politicians, left or right, whom voters feel aren't listening to them.

Experts say establishment politicians' failure to address illegal immigration and refugee concerns is what sparked populism.

The trend is credited (or blamed) for getting President Trump elected, and similar elections have happened in many places throughout the world. Populism is also said to be behind the election of Great Britain's newest prime minister, as well as the British vote to exit the European Union after the uncontrolled influx of mostly-Muslim refugees in 2015 and subsequent financial strain and Islamic extremist terrorist attacks.

Populism is upending the traditional two-party system in Great Britain and having an impact on establishment politics globally. Watch us for a no-spin examination of populism.

Also Sunday: as we await Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on the government's alleged surveillance abuse, spying on citizens and political opponents (the Trump campaign), we'll revisit part of an interview I conducted with the man at the center of it all: Carter Page.

Former Trump adviser Carter Page

Understandably, many establishment figures in media and politics see populism as a negative trend; others see it as positive. You'll hear all sides Sunday in our cover story on Full Measure.

We'll have a Follow the Money look at ongoing waste in our taxpayer-funded efforts to help Afghanistan.

And I'll take you deep underground to a tunnel crossing from Mexico into Arizona. Smugglers used it for years to move people and drugs into the U.S.

See you Sunday!

We never waste your time rehashing news you've already seen all week. To learn how to watch Full Measure on TV, online or on demand, click: How to watch Full Measure

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VIDEO: Pelosi angered by reporter asking if she hates Trump

The following is a news analysis

It would seem to be a fair question in today's environment. A main narrative among Democrats is that President Trump is "hateful" or "hates" certain groups. On the other hand, some Democrat express what could be described as "hateful" feelings toward Trump and his supporters.

When Sinclair's James Rosen asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) if she "hated" Donald Trump, she appeared to become animated and angry.

In her response, Pelosi called Trump a "coward" and "cruel" but said that doesn't mean she hates him. In fact, Pelosi says, she has a "heart full of love," hates nobody and prays for President Trump.

Pelosi is leading the Democrats' effort to impeach Trump.

Watch the exchange below and leave your comments telling what you think.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?467101-1/house-speaker-weekly-briefing

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New food stamp rules will save taxpayers $5.5 billion over 5 years

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or "Food Stamps"

A new food stamp rule taking effect April first will save U.S. taxpayers $5.5 billion over five years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers food stamps.

Food stamps or the "SNAP" program gave the average recipient household about $250 a month in 2018. Food stamps are funded with tax dollars.

According to the government, 40 million Americans were on food stamps in 2018. In 2017, a little over 9% of households received food stamps at some point and about 16% of all children received food stamps.

Under the new rule, most states will no longer be able to exempt food stamp recipients from work requirements. The work requirements state that adults under age 50 who have no children and are able-bodied must work a minimum of 20 hours a week for more than three months over three years to qualify for food stamps.

Food stamp work requirements: If you...

  • Are an adult under age 50
  • Have no children
  • Are not disabled

Then you...

  • Must work at least 20 hours a week
  • For more than three months
  • Over a three year period

Even though most states will no longer be able to offer exemptions of the rules, some exceptions will be allowed. States with high unemployment rates, 6% or more, will still be allowed to give food stamps to able-bodied, childless adults who haven't worked in three years.

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The national unemployment rate has been at or near all time lows for blacks, Hispanics and women. It was 3.6% in October.

Agriculture Department officials estimate about 688,000 able-bodied, childless, unemployed adults will loose food stamps when the tighter rule goes into effect.

The USDA says 2.9 million adults receiving food stamps are able-bodied and have no dependents. Of those, 2.1 million are unemployed.

In 2018, President Trump signed an executive order, called “Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility. It was designed to reduce the number of people on welfare and the taxpayer cost of it by creating more work opportunities.

Graphic from: USDA
ABAWD: "Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents"

Read more here

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters that states will be barred from giving out waivers too the rules because "Americans are generous" but that food stamps and other welfare program were "never intended to be a way of life."

Critics of the new rule say it will hurt those who have jobs with unreliable hours, such as restaurant servers and seasonal workers. Some also say the most pain will be felt by blacks, Hispanics, women and gays.

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POLL: Most are "disinterested" in upcoming impeachment proceedings

Most people say they are "disinterested" in the upcoming impeachment proceedings.

That's according to the latest unscientific poll here at SharylAttkisson.com.

Slightly more than half, 53% called themselves disinterested.

Eight percent (8%) said they plan to watch live.

Twenty percent (20%) said they will "watch and read a bit."

Read the full results below. Meantime, be sure and vote in our latest poll at SharylAttkisson.com on the home page. Look for the black box in the right sidebar or scroll way down on the mobile site!

Regarding upcoming impeachment proceedings:

8% I'll watch live

8% I'll rely on extensive news summaries

20% I'll watch and read a bit

11% I'll mostly follow through social media

53% I'm disinterested

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Targeted: WikiLeaks and Julian Assange

If one goal was to make sure the WikiLeaks founder was discouraged from publishing leaked documents that could reflect poorly on political figures and government officials during campaign 2020, and if another was to chill whistleblowers and leakers from leaking them, it may be: Mission Accomplished.

The following is an excerpt from an article by Consortium News written by a journalist who visited Assange in London at Her Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh.

...As a remand prisoner he is entitled to wear his own clothes, but when the thugs dragged him out of the Ecuadorean embassy last April, they prevented him bringing a small bag of belongings. His clothes would follow, they said, but like his reading glasses, they were mysteriously lost.

For 22 hours a day, Julian is confined in “healthcare”. It’s not really a prison hospital, but a place where he can be isolated, medicated and spied on. They spy on him every 30 minutes: eyes through the door. They would call this “suicide watch”.

In the adjoining cells are convicted murderers, and further along is a mentally ill man who screams through the night. “This is my One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” he said. “Therapy” is an occasional game of Monopoly. His one assured social gathering is the weekly service in the chapel. The priest, a kind man, has become a friend. The other day, a prisoner was attacked in the chapel; a fist smashed his head from behind while hymns were being sung.

When we greet each other, I can feel his ribs. His arm has no muscle. He has lost perhaps 10 to 15 kilos since April. When I first saw him here in May, what was most shocking was how much older he looked.

“I think I’m going out of my mind,” he said then.

According to a recent article by NBC:

Assange, 48, who spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassybefore he was dragged out in April, faces 18 counts in the United States including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted...

Assange is being held in British jail pending the U.S. extradition, having served his sentence for skipping bail.

He fled to the embassy in 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden to face sex crimes accusations. He says the U.S. charges against him are a political attempt to silence journalists and publishers, and the Swedish allegations were part of a plot to catch him. Sweden is reviewing the sex crimes cases...

Assange's lawyer Mark Summers argued that Assange's extradition hearing, scheduled for February 2020, should be delayed by three months due to the complexity of the case...

Australian-born Assange made international headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.

WikiLeaks later angered the United States by publishing caches of leaked military documents and diplomatic cables.

Admirers have hailed Assange as a hero for exposing what they describe as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech. As he entered the dock, people in the public gallery raised their fists in solidarity with him.

His detractors have painted him as a dangerous figure complicit in Russian efforts to undermine the West.

(Attkisson note: Assange also published Democrats' important internal documents in 2016 that revealed damaging information about some of their practices and communications, including allegations involving Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.)

Read the entire Consortium News article by clicking the link below:

JOHN PILGER: Visiting Britain’s Political Prisoner

READ: Trump White House says "no" to participating in Wednesday impeachment hearing

The Trump administration has sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee stating that the White House will not accept the invitation to take part in Wednesday's “highly partisan” impeachment hearing.

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We cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the President a fair process through additional hearings.

Pat Cipollone, White House counsel, in letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Dec. 1, 2019

Read the letter below:

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Did Democrats really coordinate with Ukraine against Trump in 2016? (PODCAST)

If you've been wishing someone would separate fact from fiction and explain what the allegations are, and what the record shows, when it comes to Ukraine coordinating with Democrats against candidate Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election -- you've got it!

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