Sanders kicks off campaign for president
NEW YORK — Bernie Sanders kicked off his presidential campaign Saturday miles from the rent-controlled apartment where he grew up in Brooklyn and forcefully made the case that he is nothing like fellow New Yorker Donald Trump, proclaiming himself the Democrat best prepared to beat the incumbent in 2020.
The Democrats in the 2020 race have taken varied approaches to Mr. Trump, with some avoiding saying his name entirely, while others make implicit critiques of his presidency. Mr. Sanders has never shied from jabbing Mr. Trump in stark terms, and during his speech at Brooklyn College, he called Mr. Trump “the most dangerous president in modern American history” and said the president wants to “divide us up.”
Golf course tweet decried
President Donald Trump sent out a pre-dawn tweet Saturday boasting about Trump International Golf Links, constructed near Aberdeen, Scotland, among the high, wind-raked dunes along the North Sea.
“Very proud of perhaps the greatest golf course anywhere in the world. Also, furthers U.K. relationship!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
The comment sparked immediate consternation from critics of the president, who suggested he was using his powerful office to advance his financial interests. The U.S. Constitution has two clauses designed to prevent a national leader from using power in such a manner.
“There it is. The president is using an official statement as an ad for his business and making sure everyone knows he ties his business to US relationships with foreign countries,” tweeted Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which is suing the president over these issues.
Officers won’t be charged
Nearly a year after an unarmed black man was fatally shot by Sacramento police, prosecutors on Saturday announced there would be no charges against the two officers who fired at and killed Stephon Clark.
Mr. Clark, a 22-year-old father of two, was fatally shot on the night of March 18, 2018, as he ran to the backyard of his grandmother’s Sacramento home while police were responding to a neighbor’s call about someone breaking into cars. Officers said they began shooting at Mr. Clark because they thought he was holding a gun; he was later found to have been holding only an iPhone.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said that a monthslong investigation supported the conclusion that the officers were justified in using deadly force against Mr. Clark.
Demanding an apology
Rep. Ilhan Omar, DMinn., faced new accusations of making anti-Semitic remarks Friday, this time rebuked by a senior member from her own party who says the House freshman’s words conjured a “vile anti-Semitic slur.”
Rep. Eliot Engel, DN.Y., the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, demanded an apology over comments Ms. Omar made on Wednesday, less than a month after she was condemned by bipartisan leadership for suggesting pro-Israel lobbying groups and Jewish politicians influence American politics.
Her comments came during a town hall in Washington while speaking about progressive issues. “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” Ms. Omar said.