Trump lets Saudis build U.S. weapons, more on Trump-Russia ties, Dems force out candidate, abortion poll

By Robert A. Vella

President Trump has moved to allow Saudi Arabia to produce high-tech U.S. weapons adding to the growing concern among American lawmakers and policy experts that this transfer of military technology to such an increasingly aggressive Middle East state will have serious consequences.  More information has been revealed about Trump’s ties to Russia involving his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and then Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.  Recent rule changes by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) may force out an intriguing candidate (Steve Bullock) from its presidential debates – a two-time elected governor in the red state of Montana who has championed the cause of getting “dark money” out of politics, and has successfully expanded healthcare coverage for Montanans under the ACA’s Medicaid provision.  A new opinion poll on abortion shows overwhelming opposition to the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trump lets Saudis build U.S. weapons

From:  Trump Allows High-Tech U.S. Bomb Parts to Be Built in Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON — When the Trump administration declared an emergency last month and fast-tracked the sale of more American arms to Saudi Arabia, it did more than anger members of Congress who opposed the sale on humanitarian grounds.

It also raised concerns that the Saudis could gain access to technology that would let them produce their own versions of American precision-guided bombs — weapons they have used in strikes on civilians since they began fighting a war in Yemen four years ago.

The emergency authorization allows Raytheon Company, a top American defense firm, to team with the Saudis to build high-tech bomb parts in Saudi Arabia. That provision, which has not been previously reported, is part of a broad package of information the administration released this week to Congress.

More on Trump-Russia ties

From:  Flynn told investigators Russia asked for Trump-Putin video call day after inauguration

Prosecutors have released a less-redacted version of an FBI memo describing the interview agents had with President Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn in January 2017.

[…]

The memo, a more restricted version of which was released last December, shows that Flynn repeatedly denied having any discussions with Kislyak about the sanctions on Russia when questioned by the agents.

The new version of the memo, known as an FD-302, also shows that Flynn told FBI agents that he met with Kislyak and Jared Kushner at Trump Tower in New York City following the 2016 election. The meeting has previously been subject to press reporting and is referenced in Mueller’s 448-page report, a redacted version of which was released in April following the conclusion of his investigation. The memo describes the meeting as “sensitive.”

Dems force out candidate

From:  2020 candidate slams DNC for ‘arbitrary’ rule change that could keep him out of debate

One 2020 presidential hopeful’s chances of securing a spot on the Democratic National Committee’s debate stage have been dashed by what his campaign is calling an “arbitrary” rule change.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s campaign manager Jenn Ridder ripped the DNC on Thursday, six days before contenders have to meet the polling and fundraising criteria to participate in the first debate series, for disqualifying a public opinion survey on which Bullock was relying.

“While Governor Bullock was expanding Medicaid to one in ten Montanans despite a nearly 60% Republican legislature, the DNC was making arbitrary rules behind closed doors. The DNC’s unmasking of this rule unfairly singles out the only Democratic candidate who won a Trump state — and penalizes him for doing his job,” Ridder said in a statement.

See also:  Who’s in — and out — of the first Democratic debates

Abortion poll

From:  Poll: 77 percent say Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade

An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Friday found that 77 percent of respondents said the Supreme Court should uphold the landmark decision that established a woman’s right to abortion in some form.

According to the poll, 26 percent of Americans want to keep Roe v. Wade in place, but add more restrictions. The survey found that a strong majority, 61 percent, said they favored a combination of limitations on abortion.

[…]

Only 13 percent of Americans, including one-third who identify themselves as “pro-life” said they want to overturn the Supreme Court ruling, the poll found.