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Monday, December 25, 2017

And they wonder why Trump wants the wall




Mexico murders hit record high, dealing blow to President  Peña Nieto



A total of 23,101 murder investigations were opened in the first 11 months of this year, surpassing the 22,409 registered in the whole of 2011, figures published on Friday night by the interior ministry showed. The figures go back to 1997.

Pena Nieto took office in December 2012 pledging to tame the violence that escalated under his predecessor Felipe Calderon. He managed to reduce the murder tally during the first two years of his term, but since then it has risen steadily.

At 18.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, the 2017 Mexican murder rate is still lower than it was in 2011 when it reached almost 19.4 per 100,000, the data showed. The rate has also held below levels reported in several other Latin American countries.

According to U.N. figures used in the World Bank's online database, Brazil and Colombia both had a murder rate of 27 per 100,000, Venezuela 57, Honduras 64 and El Salvador 109 in 2015, the last year for which data are available.

The U.S. rate was 5 per 100,000. 

(4 out of 5 is probably due to Chiraq)

(Bear in mind the population in Mexico is only 130 million as opposed to the United States with 325 million)

Still, Pena Nieto's failure to contain the killings has damaged his credibility and hurt his centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which faces an uphill struggle to hold onto power in the July 2018 presidential election.

The current front-runner in the race, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has floated exploring an amnesty with criminal gangs to reduce the violence, without fleshing out the idea.

Mexican newspaper Reforma said on Saturday that after a campaign stop in the central state of Hidalgo on Friday, Lopez Obrador again addressed the issue when asked whether talks aimed at stopping the violence could include criminal gangs.

"There can be dialogue with everyone. There needs to be dialogue and there needs to be a push to end the war and guarantee peace. Things can't go on as before," Reforma quoted Lopez Obrador as saying.

Such a strategy harbors risks for the former Mexico City mayor.

A poll this month showed that two-thirds of Mexicans reject offering an amnesty to members of criminal gangs in a bid to curb violence, with less than a quarter in favor.

The law bars Pena Nieto from seeking re-election.







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Chelsea bomber tried to radicalize inmates, prosecutors say






The man convicted in the 2016 bombing in New York's Chelsea neighborhood that injured 30 people has been trying to radicalize other inmates, federal prosecutors say. 

This is precisely the reason these bastards should be treated as enemy combatants and sent to Gitmo.

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Ahmad Khan Rahimi also told a judge he is on a hunger strike.

Rahimi provided inmates with copies of terrorist propaganda and jihadist materials, including speeches by Osama Bin Laden and the late militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, bomb-making instructions, books on jihad and issues of the al Qaeda-backed magazine Inspire, prosecutors said.

Rahimi "has been attempting to radicalize fellow inmates in the Metropolitan Correction Center by, among other things, distributing propaganda and publications issued by terrorist organizations," according to a letter from Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim to US District Judge Richard Berman.

Rahimi let other inmates view the items on his laptop and gave them electronic copies, Kim's letter said. Discs of the materials were found in two inmates' possession.

Defense attorneys for Rahimi have yet to respond to the allegations.

Prosecutors said Rahimi began distributing these materials in October if not earlier. Rahimi was convicted October 16 on eight federal charges in connection with the Chelsea bombing.

Among the inmates Rahimi gave the materials to, prosecutors say, is Sajmir Alimehmeti, who is scheduled to go on trial next month on terrorism-related charges.

Alimehmeti is represented by attorney Sabrina Shroff, who is also on Rahimi's defense team. Kim wrote to Berman asking for a hearing to make sure Rahimi "has knowingly waived the potential conflict of interest that exists between [Rahimi] and his attorneys."
Hunger strike

Rahimi also says he's on a hunger strike. In an undated handwritten letter to Berman, Rahimi states that he began a hunger strike on December 8 out of protest because he says his wife and children have not been able to visit him since the end of his trial.

"I am on a short time because my sentencing date is on January 18, 2018. Because of this short time and the frustration I have decided to go on a hunger strike," Rahimi wrote.

Berman received the letter December 21 and has ordered attorneys for both the government and defense to respond, according to court documents.

Rahimi was arrested and charged after a pressure cooker bomb went off in New York's Chelsea neighborhood on September 17, 2016. A second pressure cooker bomb was found a few blocks away, on 27th Street, but didn't detonate.

Earlier the same day, a bomb went off near the start of a Marine Corps charity run in Seaside Park, New Jersey.

After a two-week trial and roughly four hours of jury deliberation, Rahimi was convicted of charges including the use and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place, destroying property by means of fire or explosives, and using a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence.

During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence -- including DNA and fingerprints -- linking Rahimi to the bombs that were placed in New Jersey and New York.

Rahimi faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, according to an earlier statement from Kim.

Rahimi faces separate charges in other jurisdictions in connection with the bomb that went off in Seaside Park, a backpack containing improvised explosive devices found the following day at a transit station in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and a shootout he had with police before being taken into custody.





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Well...that didn't take long




Haley announces $285M cut in 2018-19 UN operating budget



Calling it “a big step in the right direction,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Sunday night announced a historic reduction in the U.N. biennial operating budget.

Haley said the plan calls for a $285 million cut for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known,” Haley said. “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked."

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"The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known. We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked."- Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

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She added, “This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable U.N. – is a big step in the right direction.”

The U.N. budget now covers a two-year period, beginning in January of an even-numbered year.


The United States was seeking a $250 million cut to the U.N. budget for 2018-19, on top of $200 million in savings already proposed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Agence France-Presse reported two weeks ago.

Guterres has proposed capping the U.N. biennial budget at $5.4 billion, shaving off $200 million from the 2016-17 budget.

The U.S. pays about 22 percent of the U.N.’s budget, or roughly $3.3 billion, and fully 28 percent of its peacekeeping effort.

The U.N.'s operating budget is separate from its peacekeeping budget, which was cut by $600 million this year, under pressure from President Donald Trump, AFP reported.

Trump last week threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor of a draft U.N. resolution calling for the U.S. to withdraw its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The final tally was 128-9, with 35 nations abstaining, including five members of the European Union.






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Saturday, December 23, 2017

FBI arrests ex-Marine accused of plotting San Francisco terror attack




If they can lure an ex-Marine over to the dark side imagine the potential in the fertile minds of millions of Syrian refugees around the world.

 

Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The FBI has arrested a former U.S. Marine on charges he hatched a plot for a Christmas terrorist attack on San Francisco's Pier 39.

Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, of Modesto, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to a federal complaint obtained by the New York Times and published online. Jameson was arrested this week, the Modesto Bee reported.

A paid informant reported Jameson to the FBI after they saw him liking posts on Facebook supportive of the Islamic State and terrorism, according to the complaint. Jameson also reportedly praised the Oct. 31 truck attack in New York City that killed eight people. Sayfullo Saipov, 29, who has been charged with eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering in that case, allegedly asked for Islamic State flags to be brought to his hospital room and felt satisfied with the attack.

On Dec. 16, Jameson met with an undercover FBI agent, who asked about the ex-Marine having "something to offer," according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Jameson then said San Francisco needed to face an attack similar to the New York truck attack or the 2015 gun attack that killed 14 in San Bernardino, Calif.

Jameson continued by saying that he'd like to use explosives to chase people into a tight space, where they could be more easily injured, according to the complaint. He reportedly suggested San Francisco's Pier 39 because of the large amount of foot traffic there and Christmas as an ideal day of the attack.

Separately, Jameson also offered part of his wages as a tow truck driver and said he would be open to travel to Syria, according to the complaint.

Two days later, Jameson told the undercover agent, "I also don't think I can do this after all." But when FBI agents conducted a search warrant at Jameson's Modesto residence on Wednesday, they said Jameson expressed his support for the Islamic State and said he would be happy if an attack took place.

Jameson completed basic training in 2009, earning a sharpshooter rifle qualification, but was discharged from the Marines some time later when it was discovered he didn't disclose his history with asthma, court documents show.






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Thursday, December 21, 2017

The full UN vote - US & Israel lost 128-9, with 35 gutless abstentions



Fear Defined

How else do you explain it? 

Our 'allies' including France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, and a whole host of others side with the likes of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Cuba, etc.

Wouldn't have anything to do with the likely repercussions of allowing throngs of Muslims into their countries would it? 

 South Korea is really a surprise. Trump said, "we got your back" then stuck a knife in his. 



Click to enlarge 




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The gravy train is over




Jerusalem vote: Trump threatens to cut off aid to countries ahead of UN vote



This should have happened years ago. Barry's tenure was an 8-year apology tour. Trump's is 'put America first'. What a dramatic contrast!
Great having a take the bull by the horns billionaire businessman running the country then a guy who's only claim to fame is he once worked at Baskin Robbins.



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President Donald Trump's threat to cut off U.S. funding to countries that oppose his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has raised the stakes in Thursday's U.N. vote and sparked criticism at his tactics, which one Muslim group called bullying or blackmail. 

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley hinted in a tweet and a letter to most of the 193 U.N. member states on Tuesday that the U.S. would retaliate against countries that vote in favor of a General Assembly resolution calling on the president to rescind his decision. 

She said Trump asked her to report back on countries "who voted against us" — and she stressed that the United States "will be taking names." 

At the start of a Cabinet meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Trump went further, telling reporters that Americans are tired of being taken advantage of and praised the U.S. ambassador for sending the "right message" before the vote. 

"For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us," Trump told reporters at the Cabinet meeting. "We're watching those votes. Let them vote against us." 

"We'll save a lot. We don't care," he said, alluding to U.S. aid. 


We have given money to every country in the world and 90% of them hate our guts. About time we woke up!




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Hell freezes over: Media start admitting that Trump's first year isn't a flop






'MediaBuzz' host Howard Kurtz weighs in on why the media is starting to admit that Trump's first year isn't a flop.

I have sensed for weeks now that some in the media were on the verge of rolling out a contrary take on President Trump’s first year in office.

And in the wake of yesterday’s final passage of massive tax cuts, that moment has arrived.

The dominant media narrative, of course, is that Trump hasn’t gotten much done, that he’s in over his head, that he doesn’t understand government, that he keeps picking petty fights rather than winning big battles.

But the thing about the pundits is that they get tired of pushing the same line, week after week, month after month. Some inevitably want to seize credit for a new insight, for getting ahead of the pack with a burst of contrarian wisdom.

And that hot take is, hey, maybe Trump has gotten some important things done after all.

It’s true that the president had not gotten much from the Republican Congress this year. But a new law that cuts taxes for businesses and individuals—even though the measure polls poorly and is not mainly aimed at the middle class—puts an end to the verdict that Trump doesn’t know how to work the Hill. Like it or not, this is a sprawling piece of legislation that was quickly pushed through the House and Senate in a show of party-line muscle.

Trump hasn’t gotten much credit for the record-breaking stock market, but there is now some recognition that Dow-Almost-25,000 can’t be completely divorced from his policies. And there’s starting to be a greater appreciation for the president’s progress on slashing regulations and appointing judges (even though three nominees recently had to withdraw, one because he couldn’t answer a Senate panel’s questions about basic court procedures).

On Axios, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen stake out the new ground:

"The media often appraises presidencies and politics through liberal-tinted glasses. But the vast majority of the Republican Party like, even love, these policies ...

"We have been saying all year: Watch what he does, not what he says. Until recently, he hasn't done much. But these wins are substantial, with consequences for millions of people and many years to come."

They note that Trump has won approval not just for Neil Gorsuch but for a dozen Circuit Court judges.

And while Trump failed in repeated attempts to scrap ObamaCare, he boasted yesterday abolishing the individual mandate—a provision added to the tax bill—amounts to repealing the health care program. That’s an overstatement, but letting people wait until they get sick to buy insurance could well undermine the exchanges created by Barack Obama.

On foreign policy, there is a telling New York Times piece by conservative columnist Ross Douthat, a harsh critic of Trump. He says the decimation of ISIS has drawn scant media attention:

"There is nothing more characteristic of the Trump era, with its fire hose of misinformation, scandal and hyperbole, than that America and its allies recently managed to win a war that just two years ago consumed headlines and dominated political debate and helped Donald Trump himself get elected president — and somehow nobody seemed to notice."

It’s true there was no surrender ceremony and ISIS still exists, but it has lost physical stronghold in Iraq.

Says Douthat: “This is also a press failure, a case where the media is not adequately reporting an important success because it does not fit into the narrative of Trumpian disaster in which our journalistic entities are all invested.”

But the narrative is changing a bit. While Trump remains quite unpopular, at least according to the polls, the media are reluctantly starting to acknowledge that his presidency is having a significant impact.





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Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Hillary Clinton sings My Favorite Excuses





Video 388











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Every AT&T worker gets $1,000 bonus after tax bill passes




And their not the only one.
Check it out.

 Pelosi called the new take bill what...Armageddon?


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Some of America's biggest companies gave workers a Christmas cheer Wednesday as they passed on some of their winnings from a dramatic corporate tax cut.

AT&T said that it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 200,000 employees - and promised to make $1 billion in new investments in the United States next year - once a tax reform bill approved by Congress is signed into law.

The Republican-controlled House and Senate have given final approval to the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in 30 years, sending the sweeping bill to President Donald Trump for his signature.

As part of that bill, the tax rate on corporations will drop from 35 percent to 21 percent. Trump previously called the measure 'rocket fuel' for the economy.

After AT&T's announcement, other companies followed suit.

Comcast NBCUniversal said it would award $1,000 bonuses to more than 100,000 workers, 'based on the passage of tax reform' and a recent FCC decision to repeal 'net neutrality' rules.



President Donald Trump's tax-cut victory lap at the White House included the news that AT&T is responding by paying $1,000 bonuses to all its workers





In a letter to employees, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the bonuses would be paid to all 'union-represented, non-management, and 1st and 2nd line managers'



Trump read aloud part of a news story about the move, saying more like it will be coming from corporate America



Father Christmas: AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson's firm was first to announce the Trump windfall for its workers



Big busness follows: Comcast, which also owns NBC Universal, announced $1,000 each for more than 100,000 staff, Boeing said it would put $300 million into workforce development and Wells Fargo hiked its minimum wage to $15 an hour



Roughly 100 GOP lawmakers came out to celebrate Wednesday with the president. Members of the president's cabinet and White House staff were also there

The cable and Internet giant also boasted that it 'expects to spend well in excess of $50 billion over the next five years investing in infrastructure.'

Boeing said it would make a '$300 million employee-related and charitable investment as a result of #TaxReform legislation.'

And Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati, Ohio said it will pay $1,000 bonuses to more than 13,500 employees and raise the minimum wage for its workforce to $15 per hour because its tax rate is about to plummet. 

Wells Fargo matched that $15 per hour minimum wage hike and said it was prompted by the tax plan. The San Francisco-based bank also said it would make $400 million in donations to nonprofit charities and other community organizations in 2018. 

FedEx also showed optimism, with its CFO saying during an earnings call that the package shipping giant will likely expand if the tax cuts lead to larger national economic growth.

'GDP could increase materially next year as a result of U.S. tax reform. If this occurs, we would likely increase capital expenditures and hiring,' Alan Graf told investors.

In a victory-lap event on the White House's South Lawn, Trump read aloud a news account of the AT&T decision and said more like it are coming.

'That's because of what we did,' he said. 'So that's pretty good.'

'I mentioned AT&T,' he said minutes later, 'but many companies have come forward and [are] saying they're so happy, and they're going to be doing similar announcements.' 



'Something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. Mr. President thank you for getting us over the finish line,' said House Speaker Paul Ryan



GOP leaders congratulated Trump on the legislative achievement - the first major one of his presidency - one by one in remarks that praised him as the greatest executive officeholder in generations


Video playing bottom right...



Right after the House of Representatives passed the final version of the tax bill, Boeing announced $300 million in new spending in the U.S.

In a letter to employees, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the bonuses would be paid to all 'union-represented, non-management, and 1st and 2nd line managers.'

'If the President signs the bill before Christmas, employees will receive the bonus over the holidays,' the company added.

The missive to AT&T's workforce said the new 21 percent corporate tax rate would put the U.S. 'in line with the rest of the industrialized world.'

'This new lower rate encourages businesses to invest more in the United States. And more investment creates more good-paying jobs and increases economic growth.'

Just minutes before AT&T announced its employee bonuses, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer excoriated the company as a greedy corporation that would use its tax cut to buy back its stock and reward its executives.

'Over the last ten years, AT&T has paid an average tax rate of 8 per cent a year. They have 80,000 fewer employees today than they had then,' the New York Democrat complained.

'Tax breaks don't lead to job creation. They lead to big CEO salaries and money for the very, very wealthy.'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (left) said the tax cuts represented 'the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress'; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted AT&T as a greedy corporation just minutes before the company announced its bonuses



Trump's event on the White House's South Lawn was attended by nearly all the Republican members of Congress



The legislation sailed through by a 224-201 margin with 12 Republicans crossing party lines to side against it

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said the Republican tax cuts represented 'the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress.'

But Trump predicted that an outpouring of domestic investment from American companies would be 'very special.'

'We're bringing the entrepreneur back into this country. We're getting rid of the knots and all the ties and we're going to – you're going to see what happens,' he said.

'And ultimately what does it mean? It means jobs. Jobs jobs, jobs.'

AT&T is involved in a takeover attempt of Time Warner, the parent company of CNN, which has put them at odds with Trump's Justice Department.

The DOJ is opposing it on competition grounds, and the case is set to make its way to court.

AT&T's rapid praise for the president may well be seen as a gesture intended to soften Trump's opposition to the merger. 

But on the South Lawn, the merger was not mentioned amid jubilation at the first major legislative achievement of the Trump presidency.

'We are making America great again!' Trump said at the outdoor ceremony.






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Rosie O’Donnell Vows to Give Jeff Flake, Susan Collins $2 Million Each if They Vote Against GOP Tax Cuts





Rosie O'Donnell offered Senators Flake and Collins $2m each to vote no on taxes 

She offered the money over Twitter late Tuesday night just before it was passed

Neither senator listened to her though, as both voted 'Yes' early Wednesday

Vote was along strict party lines; Only GOP Sen. John McCain was absent

It is a felony to offer money to a politician to influence acts like voting on a bill

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She's as beautiful as she is intelligent.


I’m glad they didn’t fall for it because the sweat hog said she would move to Canada if Trump won. She didn’t keep that promise either.

Oh...wait I'm wrong.




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Rosie O'Donnell sent out a flurry of tweets late Tuesday night - offering Republican senators $2million in cash in exchange for a 'no' vote on Trump's tax reform bill.

'So how about this, I promise to give 2 million dollars to senator susan collins and 2 million to senator jeff flake if they vote NO' the comedian desperately wrote on Twitter

'NO I WILL NOT KILL AMERICANS FOR THE SUOER [super] RICH. No s*** 2 million cash each' she wrote, telling the lawmakers to send her a direct message on Twitter if they were interested in negotiating. 

The bribery didn't work, though, as Senate Republicans managed to push through the new tax bill by a narrow and last minute margin of 51-48. 

It's also a felony to offer money to a politician to influence acts such as voting on a bill -though O'Donnell may not know that, or may have meant the offer as a joke.



O'Donnell said she'd give the senators $2million in cash each if they voted no and decided not to 'kill Americans for the super rich,' telling Collins and Flake to send her a Twitter direct message

About 10 minutes after the first tweet, O'Donnell wrote out another plea to Senator Collins in an attempt to appeal to Collins' feminine side.

'Do u (sic) think your family is proud of u (sic) @sennatorcollins,' she tweeted, again renewing the offer for $2million to the Maine Republican in exchange for a no vote. 

'woman - mother - grandmother - sister - daughter u have betrayed us all,' she wrote. 

'Dear god, ask for forgiveness, redeem ur (sic) soul tomorrow #NOTSEXIST.' 

O'Donnell also attached a photo of Senator Collins spending time with her family and celebrating her father's 90th birthday. 

Collins seems not to have listened to Rosie's pleas - though that could be because the former co-host of The View used a misspelled twitter handle. 


About 10 minutes after the first tweet, O'Donnell wrote out another plea to Senator Collins in an attempt to appeal to Collins' feminine side



Collins seems not to have listened to Rosie's pleas - though that could be because the former co-host of The View used a misspelled twitter handle. The Maine Republican is pictured speaking to reporters as she arrived for Tuesday's vote 

Both Collins and Flake voted for the bill - which has been roundly criticized as a major cut for the wealthy but an increase for the middle class. 

The bill was also passed by the House - but representatives have to vote again Wednesday because of two provisions Senate said didn't comply with budget rules. 

'The United States Senate just passed the biggest in history Tax Cut and Reform Bill,' Trump tweeted just after 1:00 in the morning. 'Terrible Individual Mandate (ObamaCare)Repealed. Goes to the House tomorrow morning for the final vote.'

With a final House vote not expected until around lunchtime, the White House announced that Trump would hold a 'bill passage event.' The president will have to sign the bill later.


The bribery didn't work, though, as Senate Republicans managed to push through the new tax bill by a narrow and last-minute margin of 51-48







'The United States Senate just passed the biggest in history Tax Cut and Reform Bill,' Trump tweeted just after 1:00 in the morning. 'Terrible Individual Mandate (ObamaCare)Repealed. Goes to the House tomorrow morning for final vote'

House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted: 'Great news. The Senate just passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. After years of work, we are going to enact the most sweeping, pro-growth overhaul of our tax code in a generation.'

A wave of protesters provided one of the biggest bursts of emotion. One small group yelled out ‘Kill the bill, don't kill us!’ as the final vote was being taken.

‘The Sergeant at Arms will restore order in the gallery,’ said Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the chamber.

Pence's appearance was a flourish that put him in the spotlight – though party leaders knew in advance his potential tie-breaking vote was not needed.

One protester yelled at GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, 'Have you no shame?'

Flake voted for the bill, weeks after warning colleagues against complicity with Trump. 



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