Donald Trump proposes abortion ban, punishment for women who undergo procedure

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• REBECCA SHABAD
• CBS NEWS

Mar 30, 2016 3:54 PM EDT

Donald Trump said Wednesday that abortions should be banned and that there "has to be some form of punishment" for women who undergo the procedure.

In a pre-taped segment for an MSNBC town hall that will air Wednesday night, host Chris Matthews asked the GOP frontrunner if women should be punished for having abortions.

"I would say it's a very serious problem and it's a problem that we have to decide on," Trump initially said.

Asked what his proposal to ban abortion means, Trump said "I am against. I am pro-life. Yes. I am pro-life." But Trump failed to explain how he would actually ban the procedure.

"You know, you'll go back to a position like they had where people perhaps will go to illegal places," he said when asked how he would outlaw it. "But you have to ban it."

Play VIDEO

Trump defends aide charged with battery

Matthews eventually asked Trump if he believes in punishment for abortion as a principle "The answer is there has to be some form of punishment," Trump said. "For the women [who have abortions]?" Matthews followed up. "Yes," Trump responded.

Matthews then asked Trump, "10 days or 10 years" and Trump said, "I don't know. That, I don't know," adding that this is a "very complicated position."

After the clip of that segment aired, Trump issued a statement of clarification.

"This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination. Like Ronald Reagan, I am pro- life with exceptions, which I have outlined numerous times," Trump said.

Hillary Clinton immediately weighed in on Trump's remarks on Twitter.

During a pre-taped interview that will also air during MSNBC's town hall, host Chuck Todd asked anti-abortion Ohio governor John Kasich if he would punish women who get abortions.

"Absolutely not," Kasich said. "I do have exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother but of course women shouldn't be punished. Look, you know -- I think probably Donald Trump will figure out a way to say that he didn't say it or he was misquoted or whatever but I don't think so. I don't think that's an appropriate response and it's a difficult enough situation then to try to punish somebody."

Asked how abortion could ever be banned, Kasich said, "I think it's rape, incest, life of the mother, and you build some restrictions around it, but I think you have to be very careful in the way you do it. We're a long way from there."

Trump has admitted during this presidential election that he had once been pro-abortion, but is now strongly anti-abortion. While his opponents, however, have blasted Planned Parenthood, Trump has actually defended the organization for some of the other health services it provides to women.

Just last month, Ted Cruz released a campaign ad that targeted Trump's previous position on abortion. It used footage from an interview Trump did on "Meet the Press" in 1999 where he says, ""I'm very pro-choice" and says he would not ban partial-birth abortions.

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Lewandowski prosecutor outed as Hillary supporter

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www.wnd.com

NEW YORK – The Florida prosecutor who brought battery charges against Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, supports Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president.

An article published by the Palm Beach Post on Nov. 17, 2015, has been circulating since Tuesday evening because it lists Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg as a member 150-member Florida Leadership Council, which was established by the Democratic Party to promote Hillary Clinton’s presidential candidacy.

The article states that Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg and Tax Collector Anne Gannon “are also part of Clinton’s Florida team.”

Hillary for prosecution, not president! Join the sizzling campaign to put Mrs. Clinton where she really belongs

Mike Cernovich, writing Tuesday in the blog DangerAndPlay.com, cited the Palm Beach Post article in arguing the charges against Lewandowski were politically motivated. He contended “there was no assault,” because reporter Michelle Fields “was heading towards Trump and was brushed away due to security concerns.”

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg’s office hasn’t yet weighed in on what it will do, Bob McGovern reported in the Boston Herald on Wednesday.

“That’s probably because this high-profile case will be tough to prove in court. In Florida, you have to show that Lewandowski ‘actually and intentionally’ touched Fields against her will.”

McGovern wrote that the “ball is in Aronberg’s court now.”

“And even though he’s a well-known Hillary Clinton supporter, those who know Aronberg’s office say there is little reason to believe he’ll try to score political points by throwing the book at Lewandowski.”

The official website for the Office of State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Floridanotes Aronberg, elected state attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit in November 2012, is a former assistant attorney general, a White House fellow in 2000 and a Florida state senator.

“Dave Aronberg was born in Miami,” the Palm Beach County website continues. “He attended public schools before going on to graduate with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After graduation, he worked in the litigation department of a large South Florida law firm while also working closely with then-Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson to investigate European insurance companies that refused to honor World War II-era policies sold to victims of the Holocaust.

“In 2010, Aronberg returned to the Florida Attorney General’s Office as a special prosecutor for prescription drug trafficking,” the website continues. “In his role as the Attorney General’s ‘Drug Czar,’ Aronberg led an anti-pill mill initiative that helped clean up the pain clinic industry and reduced the record number of people dying each day from oxycodone abuse.”

A Newsmax TV interview April 7, 2015, pitted Aronberg against Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, regarding how the antagonism between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would impact Florida voters.

See the report:

Former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields filed assault charges against Lewandowski this week, alleging the campaign manager roughed her to the point of bruising her arm. She claims video of the incident proves she was wrongfully handled.

Trump, meanwhile, has defended Lewandowski, saying the video actually clears his campaign manager of wrongdoing. The candidate suggests Fields is using Florida law – which defines assault as just about any type of unwanted physical contact – for a political or personal agenda.

In a tweet, Trump wrote, as WND previously reported: “Wow, Corey Lewandowski, my campaign manager and a very decent man, was just charged with assaulting a reporter. Look at tapes – nothing there!”

One unnamed Secret Service agent, meanwhile, has given a different version of events, saying in a statement to the London Daily Mail that Fields “crossed in between agents and our protectee after being told not to,” and touched Trump first, WND reported.

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COMMENTS

After Taxpayer Bailout, General Motors Plans Rollout Of Chinese-Built Buicks In America

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by DUSTIN STOCKTON29 Mar 2016127

In 2016, General Motors will roll out for the first time in the United States a new model of Buick built exclusively in China: the Buick Envision.

It’s the first time the iconic American auto manufacturer will sell cars built in China in the United States since receiving a sizable taxpayer-funded bailout at the end of the George W. Bush administration and beginning of the Barack Obama administration.

The Buick Envision–which was available in China for purchase as far back as 2014–will make its official debut in the United States in the summer of 2016.

The Buick Envision bills itself “a luxury crossover designed to turn heads and welcome you in.”

A quick search of “Buick Envision” leads to the Buick Envision’s website where one can explore all the features and design of the vehicle. The website doesn’t appear to make any reference to the fact that the Envision is manufactured in China.

The issue of U.S. auto manufacturers moving production facilities overseas has taken a center stage this presidential election, with the rise of both billionaire Donald Trump in the Republican Party and of 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

16%

 of Vermont in the Democratic Party.

Trump has drawn attention to GM competitor Ford for the company’s decision to move manufacturing to Mexico, but Ford wasn’t the recipient of a taxpayer-funded bailout. Sanders, meanwhile, has used his opposition to the bailouts to show that he isn’t influenced by crony capitalism–all while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has tried to take credit for saving the auto industry with her support of the bailout.

Breitbart News reached out to American Jobs Alliance to get its reaction to GM’s decision to import Chinese-produced cars. “When the taxpayers bailed out General Motors, we were told it was all about saving jobs in America. Now GM turns around and throws Americans under the wheels of Buicks made in China. Where does it stop? Will General Motors build Cadillacs, Chevys and GMC trucks in China next?” Curtis Ellis executive director American Jobs Alliance told Breitbart News.

General Motors has also announced plans to sell a Chinese manufactured hybrid Cadillac, the CT6 in American markets.

“Flint was known for decades as Buick City. It’s now jobless, bankrupt and destitute,” Ellis continued.

That’s inevitable if America is stripped of jobs and industry. 

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

56%

, 

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

44%

 and Barack Obama promise more of the same with the TransPacific Partnership, another globalist trade deal like the ones that destroyed Flint and thousands of communities across America. This must stop. We must put America and Americans first again. What’s good for GM should be good for America, not China.

Rick Manning, President of Americans for Limited Government, blasted GM’s decision in a statement to Breitbart News.

When the Bush Administration bailed out GM there was an implicit agreement that they would build cars here.  GM’s decision to manufacture vehicles in China was an insult, but it takes real chutzpah to import those very cars to compete against American made autos that don’t necessarily have a US companies nameplate. This is an inexcusable slap in the face of American workers and taxpayers. And people wonder why blue-collar workers support Trump?

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Breaking: Secret Service attempted to stop Michelle Fields from touching Donald Trump

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US Political Editor for Daily Mail reported the following update via Twitter: "UPDATE: Member of Trump's Secret Service detail confirms Fields touched Trump twice and was warned to stop, before Lewandowski intervened"

Surveillance video released by law enforcement

17 Men Reportedly Heard Chanting, Firing Off Shots In Apple Valley Detained, Released

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losangeles.cbslocal.com

APPLE VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — Federal and local law enforcement authorities Tuesday are investigating after 17 men were detained for reportedly firing off hundreds of rounds in a remote part of Apple Valley.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies and an FBI agent were among the units that detained the men – reportedly all of Middle Eastern descent – who were camping out in the Deep Creek Hot Springs area Sunday morning, authorities said.

Feds & local law enforcement investigating after 17 men, reportedly Middle Eastern, fired 100s of rounds in Apple Valley. @KNX1070

— Margaret Carrero (@KNXmargaret)March 29, 2016

A 911 caller reported hearing over 100 shots fired and seeing five to seven men wearing turbans and shooting “assault rifles, handguns, and shotguns,” according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.

A county sheriff’s helicopter located the men walking near a creek with backpacks “and other items”, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Officials say the men were cooperative as they were detained and searched.

Several handguns, a rifle, and a shotgun were found at the scene, but a records check found all the weapons were registered with the exception of the rifle, which reportedly didn’t have a serial number because it was purchased in parts, an FBI spokesperson told The Times.

Police scanner traffic posted online by the Victor Valley News Group described “a large group of subjects wearing turbans and chanting” at the scene.

“They were up all night chanting ‘Allah akbar’-type stuff,” an unidentified officer is heard saying on the audio recording.

None of the hikers interviewed by Sheriff’s investigators say they witnessed any shots being fired, according to Sheriff’s officials.

A photo of the arrests was posted by the Victor Valley News Group but were not immediately confirmed by authorities.

All 17 men were eventually released because Sheriff’s investigators say they had no outstanding warrants or criminal histories.

“There was no evidence found that a crime had been committed by any of the subjects who were detained and they were released,” a Sheriff’s spokesperson said.

The FBI may conduct further interviews with the men to determine if any crimes were committed, The Times reported.

COMMENTS

Idaho Governor Signs Bill: 2nd Amendment Is Your Concealed Carry Permit

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

by AWR HAWKINS28 Mar 2016204

On March 25 Idaho Governor Butch Otter signed permitless concealed carry legislation which makes the Second Amendment the official carry permit for state residents 21 years and older.

Open carry of a handgun for self-defense was already legal in Idaho and proponents of the permitless concealed carry legislation–Senate Bill 1389–argued that a law-abiding citizen openly carrying a gun ran the risk of the breaking the law if his jacket, shirt, or other article of clothing inadvertently covered the firearm. SB 1389 removes this risk by recognizing the right to carry openly or concealed without a permit.

The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 27-8 and passed the House by a vote of 54-15.

Breitbart News previously reported that SB 1389 preserves the concealed permitting process for those who still a want a license for the benefits of reciprocity with other states.

According to KTVB, Governor Otter released a letter on March 25 which said, “I’m a gun owner, a hunter and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. I have consistently championed our citizens’ gun rights throughout my years in public office, and I do so again today in signing Senate Bill 1389 into law.” He also used the letter to stress his conviction that SB 1389 “is consistent with the U.S. Constitution,” and encouraged those who will carry without a permit to be sure they are trained in the proper use of firearms.

Idaho now joins Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia in allowing open carry or concealed carry without a permit.

The law abolishing the need for a concealed carry permit goes into effect in Idaho on July 1, 2016.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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Trump Hires Reagan, Ford Delegate Manager to Stave Off Establishment Convention Hopes

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The Associated Press

by MATTHEW BOYLE28 Mar 2016Washington, DC117

In the hopes of staving off the GOP establishment’s efforts to block his nomination at a contested convention, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump hired a new delegate manager who has successfully led similar convention battles over the past several decades.

Trump has hired delegate manager Paul Manafort to lead his GOP convention efforts and shore up enough delegates to ensure he wins the nomination on the first ballot at the GOP presidential convention in Cleveland in July. Manafort is well known in GOP circles because in 1976, on behalf of then President Gerald Ford—who ascended to the presidency without being elected because of Richard Nixon’s Watergate-driven resignation—Manafort successfully fended off future president Ronald Reagan in a delegate battle that may end up looking a lot like 2016. Thanks to Manafort’s work for Ford that year, the incumbent president barely held on to the party’s nomination, beating back Reagan’s challenge.

But four years later, when Reagan faced a similar but less complicated delegate battle in 1980, he hired Manafort to lead his successful delegate fight at the convention that year.

Reagan, of course, would go on to win the nomination and then win the White House back for Republicans from the failing Carter.

Manafort also played a leading role in the 1988 GOP convention, which nominated then future President George H.W. Bush, and in the 1996 convention which nominated then Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole as the GOP presidential nominee. Dole would go on to lose the general election to incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton.

“Yes,” Trump told the New York Times when asked to confirm the news he hired Manafort. “It is true.”

Trump’s hire of Manafort, the Times’ Maggie Haberman and Alex Burns wrote, “is a sign that Mr. Trump is intensifying his focus on delegate wrangling as his opponents mount a tenacious effort to deny him the 1,237 delegates he would need to secure the Republican nomination.”

Haberman and Burns wrote:

Under those circumstances, Mr. Trump’s opponents hope they can wrest that prize away from him in a contested convention.
Bringing Mr. Manafort on board may shore up Mr. Trump’s operation in an area where his opponents currently see him as vulnerable. In an alarming tactical setback for Mr. Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that he may harvest fewer delegates from his primary win in Louisiana than Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), whose campaign has aggressively picked off delegates who are uncommitted or apportioned to candidates no longer in the race. Too many missteps of that kind could force Mr. Trump unnecessarily into a Cleveland floor fight.

Similar reports in recent days have cropped up in Missouri, South Dakota, South Carolina, and many other states where Trump has dominated with the public but still infuriates party insiders. The addition of Manafort to his team decreases the likelihood that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ohio Gov. John Kasich, any other campaign who has since suspended, or the party itself can pull off major delegate shenanigans in Cleveland.

Trump has been aiming to pivot to the general election sooner rather than later, in large part because his only two remaining competitors—Cruz and Kasich—can’t realistically beat him without a contested convention. Cruz would have to reach nearly 90 percent of the party’s remaining outstanding delegates to get there, a virtually insurmountable feat, while it’s already mathematically impossible for Kasich to get there.

Anti-Trump forces inside the GOP have hung all their hopes on a contested convention, and Trump’s Manafort hire could stave off those efforts. A fierce battle lay ahead over the next several days heading into next Tuesday’s Wisconsin GOP primary where different polls show the candidates bunched up competing closely within the margin of error, some with Cruz in front and some with Trump in front. A Trump win in the Badger State would devastate the so-called “Never Trump” group, whereas a Trump loss to Cruz would embolden his critics.

Then two weeks later it is Trump’s home state of New York, where the real estate magnate is expected to dominate. After that, the rest of the eastern seaboard—Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland—votes before the end of April. In May, Indiana, Nebraska, West Virginia, Oregon, and Washington State hold nominating contests before the final votes are cast before the July convention on June 7 in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota.

Theoretically, Trump could wrap everything up before or on June 7—but it’s a tough road ahead. There are also hundreds of delegates who are entirely uncommitted walking into the convention whom Trump could get to vote for him—something Manafort is undoubtedly already working on achieving.

“The move [hiring Manafort] is freighted with political symbolism: After the 1980 election, Mr. Manafort was among the young-gun Reagan operatives who founded one of Washington’s best-known political consulting and lobbying shops,” Haberman and Burns wrote in the Times. “His principal business partners were Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime Trump confidant who frequently advocates for the campaign on television, and Charles R. Black Jr. Mr. Kasich unveiled Mr. Black as an adviser earlier this month, in an announcement intended to convey his readiness for a contested convention – effectively making Mr. Black and Mr. Manafort, allies dating back to the 1970s, direct competitors in the 2016 race.”

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