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Now You Know

IMPEACHMENT 101

To Impeach Or Not Impeach?

As Democrats debate what to do in the wake of the release of the Special Counsel’s report, here’s what you should know about impeaching a U.S. president.

Not What You Think

Now You Know

“The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. The founders purposely left 'high crimes" open-ended for Congress to decide. Consequently, the power of removing the U.S. President falls to the people's representatives.
Now You Know

How It Works:

  • The House of Representatives can vote for impeachment, but only the Senate can convict.
  • House Judiciary Cmte. drafts “articles of impeachment” (charges); simple majority is needed to impeach in the House.
  • The Senate holds impeachment proceeding (trial). Conviction (removal from office) requires a 2/3 supermajority (67 of 100).
Now You Know

KNOW THIS:

  • No U.S. president has EVER been impeached AND removed from office; 2 have been impeached by the House.
  • Pres. Bill Clinton (1998) impeached for obstruction of justice & lying under oath; 22 votes shy of Senate conviction.
  • Pres. Andrew Johnson (1868) impeached on 11 charges; 1 vote short of conviction by Senate.
Now You Know

Did You Know?

  • Pres. Richard Nixon wasn’t impeached. The House Judiciary Committee passed articles of impeachment, but he resigned before the full House voted.
  • Pres. Bill Clinton served for more than two years after he was impeached by the House. Republicans lost public support & seats in the House during the impeachment process.
Now You Know

“While our views range from proceeding to investigate the findings of the Mueller report or proceeding directly to impeachment, we all firmly agree that we should proceed down a path of finding the truth.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a letter to House Democrats Monday before a conference call. As Pres. Clinton's example shows, pursuing impeachment has potential political risks 18 months ahead of another election.
Now You Know

Impeachment is not limited to the Executive Office. While no U.S. president has ever been officially impeached AND removed from office, 8 federal officials (all judges) have. Do you think Democrats will attempt to impeach Pres. Trump? Should they?

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Quick Quotes

“The implications of this are huge for the city, the state and the country.”

Dr. Steven Goldstein, pediatrician in Brooklyn, NY, where a measles outbreak continues to grow. The CDC reported more than 71 new cases of measles last week in America. 22 states have reported measles cases bringing the total for 2019 *so far* to 626. For context, in the full year of 2014, America reported 667 cases total, the highest number in two decades.
Quick Quotes

“I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children.”

British citizen Ben Nicholson, whose wife and two children were killed on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka during a bombing at their hotel. Early reports indicate at least 30 foreigners were killed in the attacks, including at least 4 Americans.
Quick Quotes

“The President of The United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by Mrs Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from Her Majesty The Queen to pay a State Visit to the UK.”

Buckingham Palace announcing a 3-day visit by Pres. Trump June 3-5. The Pres. met with Queen Elizabeth last summer during a visit to Europe; protesters took to the streets. A State Visit is a formal occasion reserved for allies.
Quick Quotes

“Maximum pressure on the Iranian regime means maximum pressure.”

Sec. of State Mike Pompeo Monday as he announced the U.S. will no longer grant waivers to country's purchasing Iranian oil. Waivers enabled countries to legally sidestep American sanctions used to punish Iran's "outlaw regime" as a state sponsor of terror. Some worry this move will disrupt U.S.-China trade talks; China is Iran's #1 purchaser of oil. Oil prices overall climbed on the news.
Quick Quotes

“While many reviewers shared with us the vast potential they see, some also showed us how the device needs further improvements…”

Samsung announcing a delay of its new foldable screen smart phone. Reports suggested the phone's screen was breaking. The Galaxy Fold was scheduled to go on sale Friday for est. $2,000.
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Quote of the Day

“Look at us — everything is possible.”

Volodymyr Zelensky

Quote of the Day

Zelensky, 41, first-time politician & likely new president of Ukraine. He'll be the nation's first Jewish leader. Zelensky, a comedian, previously played a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president. He easily defeated a well-known billionaire.

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Quick Quotes

“We are seeing very expensive gas prices for this time of year across the country.”

Jeanette Casselano, AAA, as gas prices nationwide track about 10 cents higher on avg. per gallon than the same time last year. While gas prices typically increase in the spring, this price jump is due to unexpected maintenance repairs at major refineries in the western U.S. leading to a cut in supplies.
Quick Quotes

“Essentially impeachment is a political process and in my view there’s an even better political process coming right down the road on almost the same timeframe. And that’s the elections of 2020.”

Sen. Angus King (I-ME) speaking about the next steps after the public release of the Special Counsel report. Watch the reactions of senators. The Senate matters because while the House can vote for impeachment of a public official, the Senate decides if that official is removed from office.
Quick Quotes

“I think what happened at Notre Dame is a great tragedy but humans should be more important than stones.”

Protester Jose Fraile Saturday during a march in Paris that included street fires. The so-called "Yellow Vest" movement started in November in reaction to gov't policies that some believe hurt the middle-lower class. Some supporters think the attention & money on Notre Dame Cathedral is misplaced.
Quick Quotes

“The odds are stacked against us. Sometimes the kids just disappear.”

Silvia Quintana, who teaches English at a vocational school in Guatemala. "The Stay Here Center," funded in part by the U.S. gov't, aims to incentivize young adults to stay in their native country. The Washington Post reports 1 out of 100 Guatemalans traveled to the U.S. Southern Border in the last year. U.S. agencies requested nearly $70M in foreign aid for Guatemala this year.
Quick Quotes

“Michael was basically rapidly strengthening almost its entire life cycle.”

Dr. Michael Brennan, National Hurricane Center, as federal scientists upgraded Hurricane Michael to a Category 5 storm - the first to hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Scientists determined Michael made landfall in October at 160 mph, stronger than the wind threshold for a Cat 4 (130-156 mph). 45 people died as a result of the storm; it caused est. $25B damages.
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Current Events

Easter Attack

 

 

 

 

A poignant photo reflects the bigger picture.

 

 

Current Events

Sri Lanka Terror

Who: Nearly 300 people died & more than 500 injured.
What: 8 coordinated bomb blasts in Catholic churches & hotels
When: Majority of attacks during Easter morning services.
Where: Mainly focused around Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.
Why: No claim of immediate responsibility. Gov’t blames a local militant Muslim group; arrests made.

Current Events

“Muslims and Christians, especially evangelical Christians, have been facing persecution for many years in Sri Lanka, but the scale and nature of today’s attacks are not comparable.”

Ruki Fernando, Roman Catholic human rights activist based in Sri Lanka, a country with a history of sectarian violence. Sri Lanka is a majority Buddhist nation (70%), followed by Hindus (12%), Muslims (10%) & Christians (6%).
Current Events

Big Picture:

“…Christians were a primary target, and their faith has been increasingly under attack by militants and politicians across South and Southeast Asia.”

New York Times detailing attacks against Christians in Asia have grown as secularism (separation of church & state) in gov't has declined.
Current Events

One image in the aftermath of the attack surfaced as a symbol of the timing and targets of the day. Easter is a Holy Day for Christians who celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God who was crucified for his beliefs. View the photo.

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SmartHER News

 

 

 

Week In Review
April 15-19

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Quick Quotes

“Clearly, the moment is not yet right.”

Sultan Barakat, Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Qatar & host of a scheduled gathering between the Taliban & representatives of the Afghanistan gov't. The meeting was cancelled after the Taliban named a list of "acceptable" attendees from the Afghanistan gov't that differed from those planning to come. The talks were supposed to be part of the "peace process" to end the 18 year war.
Quick Quotes

“We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get.”

A message from Instagram uncovered by researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who says she believes Instagram is testing a way for users to not focus so much on "likes." Instagram told Mashable.com that while they aren't testing the feature "at the moment," they're always thinking about ways to reduce "pressure."
Quick Quotes

“…I’ve been hearing from the parents who are seeing an unprecedented spike in vaping among their teenage children,”

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaking about his plans to introduce legislation in May for moving the cigarette purchasing age to 21. Critics of so-called "Tobacco 21" laws say they can include provisions that ironically favor the tobacco industry.
Quick Quotes

“It means the Earth is failing all the time.”

Seismologist Zachary Ross, California Institute of Technology & lead author of a new study revealing the prevalence of tiny earthquakes happening every 3 minutes in California. We can't feel these tiny earthquakes, which occur as pieces of Earth slip past each other. Researchers hope this study adds to understanding of earthquakes and ways to predict them.
Quick Quotes

“As pot becomes more legal, more discussed, more interesting to people, more widely used, then 420 becomes more mainstream as well.”

Kit Yarrow, consumer psychologist at Golden Gate University, on big brands, like Lyft, Carl's Jr, and Ben & Jerry's, embracing April 20th, the unofficial marijuana "holiday" by offering marijuana themed products or deals.
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Current Events

REDACTED READING

Why the Special Counsel Report matters … but why you may make the ultimate decision about what happens next.

Current Events

No Collusion

“…the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

The DOJ released the redacted Special Counsel Report Thursday that centered on Russian collusion. Fun Fact: the report reminds us the word “collusion” isn't a "specific offense" & doesn’t appear in U.S. criminal code.
Current Events

Obstruction?

“…if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

What Is obstruction? Influencing or impeding a federal investigation with the intent to change the outcome.
Current Events

Important Context

  • Obstruction of Justice, in general, is difficult to prove.
  • Intent matters: a person needs to clearly want to sway the investigation, not just defend their own name (which we are all legally able to do).
  • You can be guilty of obstruction of justice for trying to influence an investigation even if you’re not guilty of any other crime.
Current Events

BIG PICTURE:

  • Why It Matters: The Special Council maps out 10 instances where the President potentially obstructed justice, providing info for Congressional investigations & potentially impeachment.
  • Why It May Not Be A Game Changer: Congress may not pursue impeachment, so results stay in court of public opinion.
Current Events

Some top Dems have downplayed impeachment proceedings, like House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) who said Thursday, “Very frankly, there is an election in 18 months and the American people will make a judgment.”

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On This Day

April 18, 1906

 

 


“like the roar of 10,000 lions”

Monster earthquake strikes San Francisco

On This Day

What Happened:

  • Shortly after 5 a.m. a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck San Francisco; one of the most powerful earthquakes on record.
  • An est. 3,000 people died.
  • The shaking reportedly lasted upwards of a minute.
  • While the earthquake caused immeasurable damage, a fire added insult to injury, burning the city for 4 days.
On This Day

Something To Consider:

  • Although history remembers the 1906 earthquake as a San Francisco event, the earthquake shook the California coast from Los Angeles to southern Oregon & inland to Nevada.
  • The USGS estimates this type of devastating earthquake will happen every 200 years. But warns smaller earthquakes can still do incredible damage.
On This Day

Dozens of unique & rarely seen photos of San Francisco in the aftermath of the earthquake are up for auction today on the 113th anniversary of what the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) still calls "one of the most significant earthquakes of all time." View them on our source page.

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