abby's news

If you thought the FBI’s decision to look at new Clinton emails would lead to a bombshell against her, think again. That’s because, as the Associated Press and other outlets reported soon after the story broke Friday afternoon, the new emails in question weren’t retrieved from Clinton’s servers. They instead came from the personal electronic devices of her aide Huma Abedin, and Abedin’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Anthony Weiner.
Witness the triumphant return of Carlos Danger, per the latest report from the New York Times:

Federal law enforcement officials said Friday that the new emails uncovered in the closed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server were discovered after the F.B.I. seized electronic devices belonging to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton, and her husband, Anthony Weiner.

That the F.B.I. would seize Abedin’s devices makes sense considering its previous investigation, but why Weiner’s? Possibly because they’re currently “investigating illicit text messages that Mr. Weiner sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.”
According to information distributed to members of Congress by the F.B.I., the intelligence agency indicated “it had uncovered new emails related to the closed investigation into whether Mrs. Clinton or her aides had mishandled classified information.” Director James B. Comey indicated as much (and more) in a letter obtained by the press, writing he would “supplement [his] previous testimony” in light of the new evidence discovered on Abedin and Weiner’s devices.
(Via New York Times)

Newfound Trump devotee Ted Cruz doesn’t think the empty Supreme Court Justice seat will be filled anytime soon, at least, unless Donald Trump is doing so. On Wednesday, the Texas senator said the GOP would block any judge that Hillary Clinton would nominate if she is elected president, as reported by The Washington Post.
The selection of the new Supreme Court Justice after the death of Antonin Scalia has been the source of much controversy. That Republicans would want to wait until the election to fill the seat makes sense, but Cruz goes further and seems to think the justices are doing fine with one seat down. He said there’s precedent for having an open seat:

“You know, I think there will be plenty of time for debate on that issue. There is certainly long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices. I would note, just recently, that Justice Breyer observed that the vacancy is not impacting the ability of the court to do its job. That’s a debate that we are going to have.”

Cruz’s position somewhat contradicts other GOP lawmakers. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley says it would be counterproductive for Republicans to stonewall a Clinton appointment. However, Trump hasn’t made it easy for down-ballot Republicans — mostly those who have endorsed him — to win their respective races. And if the Democrats earn the majority on Election Day and Hillary Clinton wins, SCOTUS could easily see its first liberal Supreme Court majority since the 1970s.
(Via The Washington Post)

Despite a recent squabble with Hillary Clinton and her campaign over her use of a private email server, former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced Tuesday he was endorsing the Democratic nominee for president. That’s according to a report in the Queens, New York daily Newsday, which recounts statements made by the Republican politician and career military man to a crowd of 1,000 people at the Long Island Association luncheon. Despite his party affiliation, Powell seems keen on seeing Clinton get into the White House instead of rival Donald Trump:

“She is smart; she is capable; she was a good Secretary of State,” Powell said. “She is balanced, she has temperament and no matter what anyone says she has stamina… I think she is fully qualified to serve as the president of the United States and will serve it with distinction.”

Emails notwithstanding, Powell has been very support of Clinton in recent memory. According to a leaked email to his successor Condoleezza Rice, Powell purportedly dubbed the Benghazi hearings a “stupid witch hunt” and praised Clinton’s handling of the complicated situation.
As for Trump, who allegedly said “b*tch” in a 2006 reference to Rice, Powell didn’t have much to say about the Republican nominee that was positive:

“He has insulted America in one way almost every day,” Powell said of Trump. “He has insulted Latino Americans. He has insulted African Americans. He has insulted women. He has insulted his own party. He has insulted our allies around the world one by one. He has insulted veterans.”

Seeing as how Powell also supposedly described Trump as a “national disgrace” in another batch of leaked emails, Tuesday’s remarks on Long Island aren’t all that surprising.
(Via Newsday)

While former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders did endorse rival Hillary Clinton, the Independent Vermont senator hasn’t cowered completely to the Democratic nominee. In fact, the progressive politician has even used the spotlight to occasionally criticize the ex-secretary of state while defending her against things like the Wikileaks email hacks. And if Clinton wins the general election, Sanders promises to hold her accountable for every campaign promise she’s ever made — especially the one about overhauling campaign finance spending, which the Democratic Party adopted from Sanders himself.
According to the Washington Post, Sanders admitted he and a few of his Senate colleagues were drafting legislation designed to kick-start various progressive measures championed by his presidential campaign. Things like “a $15 federal minimum wage, tuition-free public college, an end to ‘mass incarceration’ and aggressive steps to fight climate change,” as well as campaign finance spending reform. Sanders was especially incensed regarding Clinton’s potential to appoint the “same old, same old Wall Street guys” to certain cabinet positions, saying he “will be vigorously in opposition” and “will make that very clear” throughout her administration.

“The leverage that I think I take into the Senate is taking on the entire Democratic Party establishment, and, you know, taking on a very powerful political organization with the Clinton people. We won 22 states and 46 percent of the pledged delegates, 13.4 million votes… and a majority of the younger people, the future of the country… That gives me a lot of leverage, leverage that I intend to use.”

Per the Post‘s interview with Sanders, the other senators “informally” working to promote these progressive measures and pressure Clinton (should she win) are Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), the latter of whom campaigned with the Democratic nominee in New Hampshire on Monday.
(Via the Washington Post)