Joining Morning Joe today are Mike Barnicle, Katty Kay, Ayman Mohyeldin, Michael Steele, Chris Jansing, Jonathan Capehart, Nicola Sturgeon, Eugene Robinson, Kevin Tamez, John Kirby, Bob Woodward, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Rep. Pete Sessions, Gabe Gutierrez, Kasie Hunt, Sara Eisen, Bill Pohlad and more.
Update: Employee questioned in New York prison escape. An employee at the prison where two convicted killers escaped over the weekend is being questioned as a possible accomplice, a law enforcement source briefed on the investigation told CNN.
Investigators on Monday questioned the employee, a woman who worked with escaped convicts Richard Matt and David Sweat, tailoring clothing at the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York.
The woman knows the two escapees "very well," the source said, though she has not been charged or arrested.
The development comes after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said inmates Matt and Sweat must have had help in carrying out the intricate plot. The pair, who were in side-by-side cells, used power tools to cut through the cells' steel walls and clambered through a maze of underground pipes, according to authorities.
"They wouldn't have had the equipment on their own, that's for sure," Cuomo told CNN of the convicted killers, who escaped sometime after they were last seen at bed check Friday night.
In their place, the pair left decoys to trick guards into thinking they were asleep in their bunks -- and a yellow sticky note with a smiley face. It read, "Have a Nice Day!"
The two prisoners were in the "honor block" of the prison, meaning they were given certain liberties for good behavior, the law enforcement source said. For the most part they have a clean disciplinary record, according to records provided by a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections.
Despite a $100,000 reward and a manhunt involving some 250 law enforcement officials, Matt and Sweat -- both serving lengthy sentences -- were still on the loose Monday.
"They could be literally anywhere," said Maj. Charles E. Guess of the New York State Police, which is leading the search.
Cuomo said residents of Dannemora, where the prison is located, should feel safe because of the presence of hundreds of law enforcement officers there.
Still, students returned to schools Monday amid heightened security after police thoroughly searched every building and bus, Saranac Central School District Superintendent Jonathan Parks said in an email to parents. Police officers were scheduled to be at every school throughout the day, he said.
Tricking the guards
People call the Clinton Correctional Facility "Little Siberia."
That's in part because of its remote location -- in the sparsely populated northeast corner of New York, about 25 miles from the Canadian border.
And also because it's in a region where wintry weather can persist more than half the year.
The facility has 2,689 inmates, and two of its most notorious inhabitants were Matt, 49, and Sweat, 35.
They apparently were last seen at 10:30 p.m. Friday during a standing count -- head counts that are performed every two hours throughout the night when guards visually check to see whether inmates are in their bunks.
The pair tricked the guards by arranging things in the bunks to look "like people were sleeping ... with these sweatshirt hoodies on," Cuomo said.
Once they were out of their cells, they then followed a catwalk down an elaborate maze of pipes until they emerged from a manhole outside the prison walls.
They evaded detection for some seven hours, until the inmate count at 5:30 a.m. Saturday.
Unanswered questions
Along with the taunting sticky note, the pair also left a host of unanswered, and uncomfortable, questions for law enforcement.
How did they get the power tools? How could they have known the layout of the bowels of the old prison? Did they have help from the inside?
Cuomo, who toured the escape route and announced the $100,000 reward Sunday, said it was possible the tools came from contractors working on the 170-year-old prison. Authorities are also looking at civilian prison employees, he said. But he seemed to rule out the involvement of the prison's certified employees.
"I'd be shocked if a guard was involved, and that's putting it mildly," he said.
'Dangerous people'
The danger the two men pose can't be overstated, officials said.
Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole in the killing of Kevin Tarsia, a sheriff's deputy, in 2002. Matt was convicted on three counts of murder, three counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery after he kidnapped a man and beat him to death in December 1997, state police said. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
"He has a history," said Gabriel DiBernardo, who led the investigation into the murder for which Matt was convicted. "He broke out of jail before. He is a cunning individual, no question about it, and a vicious individual."
Sweat is white, 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. He has brown hair, green eyes and tattoos on his left bicep and his right fingers.
Matt is white, 6 feet tall and weighs 210 pounds. He has black hair, hazel eyes and several tattoos: "Mexico Forever" on his back, a heart on his chest and left shoulder, and a Marine Corps insignia on his right shoulder.
"These are dangerous people," Cuomo said. "And they're nothing to be trifled with."
Matt is also well-known to Mexican authorities. In 2007, he was extradited from Mexico back to New York on a decade-old murder charge, documents show.
With the facility's proximity to Canada, and with Matt's ties to Mexico, authorities on both international borders have been alerted.
'No stone unturned'
Officers used roadblocks and bloodhounds and went door to door in their search for the men. They scoured the woods and sifted through the dozens and dozens of tips that came in.
But so far, no luck.
They don't know if the pair is still together, had help on the outside, or if the men had access to a vehicle.
Jonathan Gilliam, a former Navy SEAL, FBI agent, air marshal and police officer, told CNN's "New Day" on Monday that the inmates might have been able to pull off part of the escape by themselves. But he said the presence of power tools and the complicated escape route suggest that they weren't working alone.
"The combination of all those things is very worrisome for me because that spells help," he said.
On Sunday, the U.S. Marshals Service issued federal arrest warrants for the escapees. The warrants clear the way for the federal government to involve its considerable resources in the manhunt.
"Every resource available to us will be used in bringing these two men to justice," said William O'Toole, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman.
"We're leaving no stone unturned," Guess of the New York State Police said Sunday.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz, Camille Cava, Lorenzo's Ferrigno, Kevin Conlon, Mark Morgenstein, David Shortell, Kevin Bohn, Ralph Ellis and Holly Yan contributed to this report.
Obama: No 'complete strategy' yet on training Iraqis. President Barack Obama said Monday his top national security advisers were still working to solidify training plans for Iraqi defense forces battling ISIS in their own country.
"We don't yet have a complete strategy because it requires commitments on the part of the Iraqis," Obama said during concluding remarks at the G7 conference in Germany, citing recruitment as a key stumbling block facing the central government in Iraq.
Critics of the administration's strategy in Iraq seized upon the President's comments Monday, claiming they indicated a policy failure and referencing similar comments Obama made in August.
"What has President Obama been doing for the last 10 months?" the Republican National Committee wrote Monday. House Speaker John Boehner took the attack another step, responding to Obama with a tweet of a popular emoticon of a person shrugging ("¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ") as a shorter summary of Obama's strategy. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Arizona, hammered Obama on the Senate floor Monday, saying the lack of a strategy is alarming "while ISIS goes from house to house in Ramadi with lists of names and they execute people and they kill 3-year-old children, and they burn their bodies in the streets and the atrocities in Syria continue as Bashar Assad barrel bombs innocent men, women and children."
"One can wonder, one has to wonder, whether this President just wants to wait out the next year and a half and basically do nothing to stop this genocide, bloodletting, horrible things that are happening throughout the Middle East," McCain said.
Obama said during an August press conference his administration was still devising a way to fight ISIS.
"I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have a strategy yet," he said at the time.
Boosting the fighting power of Iraqi forces has proven difficult for the U.S., which is relying on local forces to beat back ISIS terrorists who have gained ground in places like Ramadi and Mosul.
After last month's ISIS siege in Ramadi, the U.S. defense secretary Ash Carter blamed a "lack of will" within Iraqi's military for the setback. Since then, local Sunni fighters and Shia militias have joined the fight.
The situation in Iraq has also become a political issue on the presidential trail. 2016 hopefuls on the Republican side -- including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker who would not rule out bringing in more boots on the ground -- have tried to walk the line of appearing stronger on foreign policy than the President while at the same time being cognizant of a war wary country. Both former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio have struggled recently to articulate their position on how to respond to the situation in Iraq.
The Obama administration says it's not conducting a formal reassessment of its ISIS strategy. But on Monday Obama said his top military brass was still formulating how exactly it can provide enough support for the Iraqi military to beat back the terror group.
"We want to get more Iraqi security forces trained, fresh, well equipped, and focused," Obama said. "We're reviewing a range of plans for how we might do that, essentially accelerating the number of Iraqi forces that are properly trained and equipped and have a focused strategy and good leadership."
On Monday, Obama said he would share a final training plan for the Iraqi military with the American people as soon as his military brass comes up with one.
Earlier in the day, Obama frankly acknowledged setbacks in his war against ISIS, saying the terrorists' gains in Iraq amount to a short-term tactical gain that could be reversed through ramped-up U.S. assistance.
Speaking alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on the sidelines of the G7, Obama reiterated the U.S. pledge to bolster training for Iraqi forces, but stopped short of announcing the increases in lethal aid being requested by Baghdad.
"The challenges we face continue to be significant," Obama said. "We have seen successes, but we have also seen setbacks."
Later, he said he was "confident that although it is going to take time, we are going to be successful, ISIL is going to be driven out of Iraq and ultimately it is going to defeated."
President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in Germany on June 8, 2015, at the end of a G7 summit. Speaking afterward, Abadi said he was confident ISIS would be defeated in his country, and called the fall of Ramadi into ISIS hands last month only a temporary gain for the group.
During his meeting with Obama, Abadi was expected to again press for ramped-up U.S. military assistance to beleaguered Iraqi forces. He's been asking Obama and other American leaders for months to increase their support as ISIS continues to advance in Iraq.
However, an announcement of new lethal aid wasn't forthcoming during Obama's visit to Germany for the G-7. Obama's aides say instead that the President has tasked his national security team with continually assessing the mission against ISIS.
The Obama administration still regards Abadi as a vast improvement over his predecessor Nouri al-Maliki, who the U.S. accused of fostering sectarian resentments within Iraq by not forming an inclusive enough government. Elected last year. Abadi was widely regarded as a more effective partner for the allied mission against Islamic State terrorists.
But leaders in Iraq have continued to struggle in uniting the country's Sunni, Shia and Kurdish populations.
"As long (Abadi) and the government stay committed to an inclusive approach ... I am absolutely confident that we will be successful," Obama said.
During a photo call for leaders attending the G7 summit Monday, there was an awkward moment when Obama turned his back on Abadi as the Iraqi Prime Minister appeared intent on initiating a conversation. Engrossed in a discussion with Italian leader Matteo Renzi and International Monetary Fund president Christine Lagarde, Obama didn't notice Abadi lingering behind him.
After waiting a moment, Abadi turned and walked away.
Rumsfeld Begins Iraq War Rewrite To Help 2016 GOP Contenders.
Let the rewrites begin! And who better to lead the charge into revisionism than Donald Rumsfeld himself.
President George W. Bush was wrong to try to build democracy in Iraq, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a recent interview, marking a striking admission from a key player behind the 2003 U.S. invasion.
In an interview with British newspaper The Times, Rumsfeld said that efforts to oust Saddam Hussein and replace his tyrannical regime with democracy were unworkable, and that he had concerns about the plan from the beginning. “I’m not one who thinks that our particular template of democracy is appropriate for other countries at every moment of their histories,” Rumsfeld told The Times. “The idea that we could fashion a democracy in Iraq seemed to me unrealistic. I was concerned about it when I first heard those words.”
Oh pulease. Rumsfeld, the chief proponent of "Iraq has weapons of mass destruction," said that?
Rumsfeld was one of the chief advocates for the invasion of Iraq. If he didn't believe building democracy post-invasion was the answer, what did he want? To annex Iraq as a territory? I would almost believe that was his goal, which is why Rumsfeld is quick to spin that outcome, too.
The former defense secretary suggested that world leaders needed to mount a broad offense, one that could last for decades.
“You begin to look at this thing not like a war but more like the Cold War … you’re not going to win this with bullets, you’re in a competition of ideas,” Rumsfeld told The Times.
Oh yes, of course. Ideas. Because a country that has been invaded, bombed, and then left to languish in an unending civil war is most certainly open to ideas. I'm sure those people subjected to torture would just sit right down and discuss ideas now, aren't you?
This is all intended to give cover to the 2016 field as they wrestle with the question of how to deal with the long-term implications of the crimes Rumsfeld and his ilk committed. I really hope they try this approach in the campaign, because it will guarantee their irrelevance come Election Day.
This is what I wrote about this very issue in my first book, 'Three Weeks In June':
...They entered us into these wars using deceiving tactics in a campaign based on lies, or bad information from our intelligence committees. That administration released a statement that “we went to war in Iraq bringing the Middle East peace.” Some say that genius is the ability to connect the unconnected to make a juxtaposition to seek relationships where others cannot, however, this way of dealing with foreign relations is so un conservative, overly utopian and absolutely unrealistic to rationalize it could even remotely work. Potentially a diabolic way of dealing with our foreign affairs, this arrogant way of dealing overseas, has us acting in such revealing ways. It’s not even patriotic to go to war and historically, nor have we ever thrived during war time. Look at our country dating back to Washington’s Presidency in the white House. We have grown, built and found this country based on our own people, and our instinct(s). It’s a contradiction today for a politician to lobby for any type of war, and to then say that they are as patriotic as the people were back in the 1800’s. That fringe element that relates the two time periods never got involved in foreign entanglements and besides, we always used to try to avoid wars until the very last second. All wars are dangerous, risky and they end up hurting the United states in the long run. We need to stay focused on our own self defense and never go off on foreign missions to build other nations, or nation build anywhere else in the world, but in America...
In surprise shakeup, Jeb Bush taps Danny Diaz as campaign manager. Jeb Bush is just days away from formally launching his presidential campaign and already a shake-up is underway.
In a surprise move Monday, Bush tapped Republican strategist Danny Diaz to serve as his campaign manager, shoving aside another aide, David Kochel, to head his still-unofficial presidential operation.
Diaz’s promotion is a frank acknowledgment that Bush’s six-month “exploratory phase” has not met expectations and that the former Florida governor needed a new consultant to take the reins ahead of his campaign kickoff in Miami on Monday.
Bush has raised more than $100 million since announcing his presidential interest in December, but he has sunk in opinion polls as the GOP field has grown with credible challengers. Bush has been dogged by deep skepticism within the GOP base about his trustworthiness and viability, and he has struggled to differentiate himself from his brother and father, both former presidents.
The shake-up also threatens to overshadow Bush’s five-day swing through Europe beginning Tuesday, when he arrives in Berlin to speak at an economic summit before heading to Poland and Estonia. The tour is part of an effort to polish Bush’s foreign policy bona fides ahead of his announcement.
“Jeb’s had a pretty bumpy campaign road so far, and he needed to make some changes,” said Douglas E. Gross, a Bush family friend in Iowa who is not aligned with any candidate. “One of the keys to success is getting the right people into the right seats on the bus.”
The restructuring of Bush’s staff was unexpected given that Bush aides, donors and friends had said for months that Kochel — whom Bush successfully wooed away from Mitt Romney’s inner circle earlier this year — was poised to serve as campaign manager.
The arrangement comes after a rough period and tense discussions among Bush loyalists, and conversations between two of his closest advisers, Sally Bradshaw and Mike Murphy, about the campaign’s setup, according to people familiar with Bush.
Bradshaw wrote in an e-mail that “Mike Murphy and I have been friends for over 18 years. It is laughable to think there is any tension between the two of us.” Murphy’s e-mail read that there’s “zero tension between Sally and me. . . . No idea where that silliness came from.”
Starting Monday, Bradshaw and Murphy will go separate ways. She will become a senior campaign adviser and he will take control of Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, and is legally barred from coordinating with the campaign, his aides said.
Diaz, a 39-year-old D.C. native, has developed a close relationship with Bush since joining his orbit in February as a media consultant, endearing himself to the candidate with his hard-driving manner, according to informed Republicans. Diaz was described as a “lion” and “tiger” by others Monday. Bush “very much likes Danny’s vigor and intensity,” a campaign official said.
Veteran Bush associates said they knew little about Diaz — Gross said he didn’t know him “from a bale of hay.” Younger professionals more closely involved in recent campaigns gave him generally positive reviews.
Steve Schmidt, a former adviser on the 2008 presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), called Diaz “the Jim Harbaugh of politics,” referring to the University of Michigan’s intensely competitive football coach. “The degree to which there is a feeling of not having it together, that era is coming to a decisive end.” But another GOP hand who worked with Diaz on campaigns and is close to the Bush camp described Diaz as “a hair-on-fire guy” prone to lose his temper.
Strategist Stuart Stevens — who is close with Kochel and worked as Romney’s chief strategist in 2012 — said: “Dave is a first-rate talent and as good as they come. Every campaign has to chart its own path. But any campaign is lucky to have Kochel working for them.”
The staff reshuffling was first reported Monday by the Wall Street Journal.
Diaz will take a leave from Washington-based FP1 Strategies, which had been hired by Bush to handle media strategy. In that role, he was spotted frequently on the campaign trail alongside Bush. Diaz’s business partner, Jon Downs, will serve as head of Bush’s media and advertising.
The firm’s clients have included FWD.us, a lobbying group established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other Silicon Valley-area technology executives to push Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform — an idea that Bush has endorsed in the past. Diaz is also a former spokesman at the Republican National Committee and more recently worked on the successful gubernatorialcampaigns of Republicans Doug Ducey of Arizona and Susana Martinez of New Mexico.
Kochel, meanwhile, will serve as a chief strategist “and build and oversee a political operation to achieve success in the early states and beyond,” said Tim Miller, who will serve as Bush’s communications director. Kochel is expected to concentrate primarily on building up Bush in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, where he’s lagging in polls.
It was Kochel’s decision in January to join Bush’s kitchen cabinet that first signaled how seriously Bush was preparing for a White House bid and delivered a blow to the potential reemergence of Romney, the 2012 nominee who was considering another run.
Other Republicans close to Bush who demanded anonymity to speak about private conversations said the moves were a sign of the campaign’s adaptability to a race that has been tumultuous and Bush’s need to improve in the early states, where they would like to see him win at least one state in the opening primaries.
Following next Monday’s announcement, Bush is scheduled to make stops in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Washington, where he will attend a fundraiser and speak at a conference hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
In more widely anticipated moves shared Monday by campaign aides, Bush’s high-level staffers will also include Scott Jennings, who will serve as a political adviser. He’s a former political aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
In addition to Miller’s role as communications director, Kristy Campbell will serve as campaign press secretary. She worked for Bush’s nonprofit education foundation and served as his gubernatorial press secretary for a time. Michael Steel, a former spokesman for House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), also has moved to Miami to take a senior communications role.
Heather Larrison, who has spent the past several months raising millions of dollars for Bush’s super PAC, will serve as the campaign finance director. Brenda Gianiny, who served as pollster for George W. Bush’s White House and on his 2004 reelection campaign, will lead the research and polling team. Alex Lundry, a corporate and political consultant who worked on Romney’s 2012 campaign, will handle data analytics. Ed O’Keefe, Dan Balz and Philip Rucker contributed to this report.
Berlin, Leery of One Bush, Prepares to Meet Jeb. They marvel at the enduring influence of a single family in American politics. They recall the painful blunders of his brother. And they confess that the last name — Bush — summons instant unease.
“The alarm bells ring,” said Carolin Hons, 27, an advertising worker here in Germany’s capital.
The denizens of this city, which has known war, peace and the reach of American military might as intimately as any, are warily digesting the reality that another member of the Bush clan is seeking the presidency and using Berlin as a backdrop for his ambitions.
Jeb Bush’s visit, part of a major tour of Europe starting Tuesday, will serve as a high-profile test of his standing in a country that soured on his brother, President George W. Bush, and turned out by the tens of thousands in July 2008 to embrace Barack Obama as the antidote.
Interviews across Berlin suggest that Mr. Bush, a former governor of Florida, arouses the same kind of skepticism by association that, fairly or not, he inspires in the United States. Wolfgang Schwens, 48, said the thought of Mr. Bush’s campaigning in Berlin did not sit well. Strolling around the hip neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg, a part of the former East Berlin that has been thoroughly revamped since the Berlin Wall fell, he pointed to the record of George W. Bush.
“It’s a good thing he isn’t president anymore,” said Mr. Schwens, a consultant to the start-up and medium-size companies for which the German capital is increasingly known.
The concept of a Jeb Bush visit to Berlin, just days before he is set to declare his presidential candidacy, “is not especially great,” Mr. Schwens said. In general, he said, international politicians come to town for themselves, not Germany or Berlin.
When Mr. Bush arrives on Tuesday for two days of meetings and speeches, he will find a country whose sentiments toward his family are deeply conflicted. The second American war in Iraq, engineered by George W. Bush, was profoundly unpopular in Germany.
In the spring of 2008, the Pew Research Center polled Germans about the American president. The verdict was exceedingly unkind: A mere 4 percent said they possessed a “lot of confidence” in Mr. Bush’s leadership; 59 percent expressed “no confidence at all.” “George W. Bush smashed a lot of china,” said Christian Lammert, a professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute at the Free University of Berlin.
Recalling the crowd of 200,000 Berliners who gathered to greet Mr. Obama before his election, Mr. Lammert added, “The measure of German sentiment was how strongly Obama was celebrated in 2008.”
But German regard for Mr. Bush’s father is considerably higher and warmer. After the Berlin Wall tumbled in 1989, the elder President George Bush did much to reunite Germany less than a year later, endorsing the idea despite the resistance of France and Britain.
“He was a key factor, and a key actor, for unification,” said Joschka Fischer, who as foreign minister from 1998 to 2005 was part of the German government that opposed the 2003 Iraq war. Nina Wagner, a 32-year-old teacher, had a pile of notebooks to grade as she enjoyed the sunshine in a park named after the artist Käthe Kollwitz, who chronicled Germany’s turbulent first half of the 20th century in searing sculptures and etchings.
Ms. Wagner said that she had never heard of Jeb Bush but that his plans to meet with conservatives in Berlin matched her perception of President George W. Bush as “just a politician who is interested in money, his own private interests and those of a certain political class.”
“For them, capital counts, not people,” she said, echoing views commonly heard from left-leaning Berlin residents.
Germans, like many Europeans, remain puzzled by America’s system for selecting a leader — for its length, its expense and its inclusion of what Mr. Lammert, the professor, called “crazy outsiders” with little chance at actually securing the Republican or Democratic nomination for president.
But the Germans’ history-laden capital seems to have become an obligatory stop on the campaign path to the White House. Last year, Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled here, inspiring a largely female crowd on a summer Sunday as she promoted her latest book. Mr. Obama was in Germany on Sunday and Monday for a summit meeting of global leaders at a Bavarian castle. Who Is Running for President (and Who’s Not)? Mr. Bush, who is expected to declare his candidacy next Monday, is scheduled to speak and take questions in Berlin for about half an hour at a business gathering of Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Ms. Merkel is also expected to deliver remarks at the event, though it is unclear whether she will meet with him. Mr. Bush will then head to Poland and Estonia, determined to burnish his fluency in global affairs.
Aides to Mr. Bush said that his trip and remarks would emphasize the rich history of America’s relationship with Europe and would seek to repair what they describe as the “frayed relationships” between the United States and its allies under Mr. Obama.
Republican presidential candidates have excoriated Mr. Obama for failing to curb the aggressions of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, a theme Mr. Bush is likely to touch on this week, implicitly or explicitly. That view may resonate especially in Poland and Estonia, where Russia’s actions in Ukraine over the past year have done much to rekindle Cold War fears and suspicions. Those former Communist lands — “new Europe,” in the parlance of former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld — supported George W. Bush’s push into Iraq.
Jeb Bush’s journey comes as the Republican field continues to expand, and he has struggled to establish himself as the clear favorite. His aides hope that the trip can reinforce Mr. Bush’s stature as a mature leader, comfortable and confident discussing issues of international concern.
At this point, Germans are about as engaged in the 2016 presidential campaign as most Americans are, which is not all that much, giving Mr. Bush plenty of time to forge a bond.
Mr. Lammert said that for now, “most people in Germany do not know what he stands for,” and that they were stunned that the United States might again face a presidential race pitting a Bush against a Clinton.
“We are a little amazed,” he said, “that rich families can in fact have that much influence.” Alison Smale reported from Berlin, and Michael Barbaro from New York. Jesse Coburn contributed reporting from Berlin.
Obama says Supreme Court should never have taken up health law case, in blunt challenge. President Obama bluntly challenged the Supreme Court over a pending ruling on the validity of ObamaCare subsidies, complaining Monday that the court should never have taken up the case -- and warning that a ruling against subsidies would be a "twisted interpretation" of the law.
The president and his administration's legal team for months have fought the Affordable Care Act court challenge, which is over whether people who enrolled through the federal HealthCare.gov are entitled to subsidies.
But the president's comments on Monday, during a press conference on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Germany, were perhaps his toughest to date. He strongly suggested the court would be running afoul of established legal guidance if it rules against the administration, and took the rare step of saying the court should have stayed out of this fight.
"This should be an easy case. Frankly, it probably shouldn't even have been taken up," Obama said.
The administration has argued in court that the subsidies are valid through both state-run exchanges and exchanges run through HealthCare.gov. Foes argue that the Affordable Care Act stipulates subsidies are only intended for those buying insurance on state-run exchanges.
The court decision, expected any day, could have far-reaching implications because millions would lose their insurance if the court rules against the administration.
Yet the Obama administration has faced criticism for declining the spell out what its contingency plan is if the court rules that way, instead voicing confidence that the Supreme Court will keep the program as is.
Obama again voiced that confidence on Monday, and urged the court not to rule otherwise.
He said it's safe to "assume" the court will do what most legal scholars expect and "play it straight." Obama said it has been well-documented that Congress never intended to exclude people who went through the federal exchange.
To rule the other way, the president said, would be a "contorted reading of the statute" and a "twisted interpretation."
But if that does happen, Obama said, "that throws off how that exchange operates" and millions of people would lose subsidies.
"It's a bad idea," Obama said.
The president went on to mount a robust defense of the law itself, saying "none" of the alleged "horrors" associated with ObamaCare have "come to pass." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Obama and that administration also has the immigration issue coming up in the Supreme Court.
McKinney, Texas: A Reminder of America’s Segregated Pools. There are so many things wrong with what happened in this scenario. Those police did nothing correct. They only did things wrong.
For much of the last day, we’ve watched a horrifying video of a group of black teenagers’ encounter with white police officers in McKinney, Texas. The officers were called to the pool Friday in response to a “disturbance” involving teens who apparently did not live in the relatively affluent, mostly white suburb about an hour north of Dallas. Many of the teenagers apparently did not have permission to be at the pool.
According to BuzzFeed, adults in the neighborhood asked the teens to leave, made racist comments, and told them to go back to “Section 8 housing,” or public housing.
Moments later, a white police officer, Eric Casebolt, tackled a black teenager and drew his gun on a group of teens who rushed to her side. Much of the episode was captured on video.
The video of the violent encounter has incited a widespread, shocked response from viewers around the country and recalls the viral videos of violent and fatal encounters between white police officers and black people from Missouri to South Carolina. Yet the pool itself as the site of segregation, race-driven conflict, and violence is entrenched in American history.
This image is from a June 18, 1964, “swim-in” organized by civil rights activists—including Martin Luther King Jr.—in St. Augustine, Florida. They were protesting a motel policy that allowed only white people to use its pool. The photo shows the motel’s manager, Jimmy Brock, pouring a bottle of muriatic acid—used to clean pools—on the black swimmers to get them to leave. The Civil Rights Act was signed into law on July 2, 1964, just weeks after the event took place. (Photo: Rolls Press/Getty Images)
In this image from 1951, activists in Pittsburgh protest the segregation of the Highland Park swimming pool. The pool, which opened in 1931, was frequented in protest by groups of black teenagers, as well as interracial groups of swimmers, for years. Mobs of white teens would attack them, and police would then arrive and arrest the black swimmers “for inciting a riot.” (Photo: Teenie Harris/Carnegie Museum of Art/Getty Images)
The response of white homeowners in Craig Ranch North is reminiscent of aggressive encounters between black and white swimmers at both public and private pools throughout American history. “They were just doing the right thing when these kids were fleeing and using profanity and threatening security guards,” a resident who declined to be identified told Dallas–Fort Worth’s Fox 4 News. Signs have since been hung at the pool thanking the McKinney Police Department “for keeping us safe.”
Video of officer who drew gun on black teens raises tension.
A black teenager in a swimsuit repeatedly cried out, "Call my momma!" as a white police officer pinned her to the ground, only moments after drawing his handgun on other black teens. "On your face!" the officer yelled at the girl, amid screaming from a crowd of onlookers.
The officer's actions raised tensions and led to a protest Monday in this Dallas suburb, where some community activists accused him of racism while others urged calm until the facts are investigated.
Jahi Adisa Bakari, the father of another teenage girl at the party, said he would press for the officer to be fired, saying he "was out of control."
But Benét Embry, a black local radio personality who witnessed the incident, said it was "not another Ferguson" or "another Baltimore," referring to other police encounters that have left suspects dead and fueled a nationwide "Black Lives Matter" movement.
"This was a teenage party that got out of hand," Embry said.
Civil Rights Activists Call for Officer's Firi …Play videoCivil Rights Activists Call for Officer's Firi …
Police said some of the young people did not live in the area and did not have permission to be at the pool in McKinney, an affluent, predominantly white city.
According to neighbors, Embry said, a woman who lives in the community reserved the pool for a party. The homeowners' association limits the number of guests each homeowner may have at the pool to two. But about 130 people, mostly kids, showed up for the woman's party, he said.
At one point, several kids began jumping over the fence to get into the pool area and were causing a disturbance, Embry said, and a couple of fights broke out.
While he did not agree with the officer's profanity or belligerence, Embry said, police were right to respond.
"That's what they are supposed to do — protect us," he said. "I don't know any other way he could have taken her down or established order." The officer has been placed on administrative leave. In a statement, the police department said the video "raised concerns that are being investigated."
City spokeswoman Anna Clark identified the officer as 41-year-old David Eric Casebolt, who joined the police force in August 2005.
Prior to that, he served almost two years as a state trooper, according to records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
Casebolt took eight hours of cultural diversity training at Collin County Community College in February 2009. He has also taken courses in racial profiling and use of force.
As police broke up the crowd, the officer pulled the bikini-clad girl to the ground, then used his knees to pin her down. He also pointed his gun at other teens and cursed. The girl claimed the officer told her to walk away but forced her down after "he thought we were saying rude stuff to him," according to an interview she gave to television station KDFW.
"He grabbed me, twisted my arm on my back and shoved me in the grass and started pulling the back of my braids," Dajerria Becton, 15, told the station. "I was telling him to get off me because my back was hurting bad."
"I understand how he was feeling, everybody surrounding him," she said. "I don't think he should have pulled a gun out on 15-year-old kids."
Brandon Brooks, the teen who recorded the video, told KDFW that tensions rose after a white woman and a black teenager at the party had an altercation. He said the white woman told the teen "to go back to Section 8 housing," a reference to federal housing aid given to low-income families.
The comment holds extra significance in McKinney, which has been the target of lawsuits accusing its housing authority of racially segregating Section 8 housing. One long-running lawsuit was settled with a consent decree in 2012 that aimed to open up the west side to subsidized housing. Brooks said that the officer was "out of line" and that he felt compelled to keep filming when Casebolt pulled out his gun.
"At that point, my heart did drop and I was scared that someone was going to get shot and possibly killed," he said.
McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller said city officials plan to meet with community leaders to discuss the incident.
"We really need to come together as a community," the mayor said.
On Monday night, hundreds of demonstrators marched from an elementary school to the pool in protest of Casebolt's actions. Some carried signs that included the phrases, "My skin color is not a crime," and, "Don't tread on our kids."
View galleryResidents watch as thousands march past their homes …
Residents watch as thousands march past their homes during a protest Monday, June 8, 2015, in respon …
Nikki Perez, a black resident of McKinney, attended a City Council meeting Monday to express her concern over the officer's actions.
"I don't excuse the behavior of those teenagers, but if I call 911, then I wouldn't want that cop to respond," Perez said. "He blew his credibility when he opened his mouth and started cursing at the kids."
Robert Taylor, a criminology professor at the University of Texas at Dallas who has done studies for the McKinney Police Department, said both the officer and the teens at the pool party acted inappropriately.
The teens were not following police orders, he said, but the officer's decision to pull out his gun did not help.
"That's not the way we're trained," he said. "We're trained in policing to de-escalate problem encounters like this. ... Obviously, that officer lost his cool. No doubt about it."
Most people were released, except for one man arrested for interference with the duties of a police officer and evading arrest, police said.
Bratton: Crime surge not a return to NYC’s ‘bad old days’ by Bill Bratton (New York Post).
The officer's actions raised tensions and led to a protest Monday in this Dallas suburb, where some community activists accused him of racism while others urged calm until the facts are investigated.
Jahi Adisa Bakari, the father of another teenage girl at the party, said he would press for the officer to be fired, saying he "was out of control."
But Benét Embry, a black local radio personality who witnessed the incident, said it was "not another Ferguson" or "another Baltimore," referring to other police encounters that have left suspects dead and fueled a nationwide "Black Lives Matter" movement.
"This was a teenage party that got out of hand," Embry said.
Civil Rights Activists Call for Officer's Firi …Play videoCivil Rights Activists Call for Officer's Firi …
Police said some of the young people did not live in the area and did not have permission to be at the pool in McKinney, an affluent, predominantly white city.
According to neighbors, Embry said, a woman who lives in the community reserved the pool for a party. The homeowners' association limits the number of guests each homeowner may have at the pool to two. But about 130 people, mostly kids, showed up for the woman's party, he said.
At one point, several kids began jumping over the fence to get into the pool area and were causing a disturbance, Embry said, and a couple of fights broke out.
While he did not agree with the officer's profanity or belligerence, Embry said, police were right to respond.
"That's what they are supposed to do — protect us," he said. "I don't know any other way he could have taken her down or established order." The officer has been placed on administrative leave. In a statement, the police department said the video "raised concerns that are being investigated."
City spokeswoman Anna Clark identified the officer as 41-year-old David Eric Casebolt, who joined the police force in August 2005.
Prior to that, he served almost two years as a state trooper, according to records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
Casebolt took eight hours of cultural diversity training at Collin County Community College in February 2009. He has also taken courses in racial profiling and use of force.
As police broke up the crowd, the officer pulled the bikini-clad girl to the ground, then used his knees to pin her down. He also pointed his gun at other teens and cursed. The girl claimed the officer told her to walk away but forced her down after "he thought we were saying rude stuff to him," according to an interview she gave to television station KDFW.
"He grabbed me, twisted my arm on my back and shoved me in the grass and started pulling the back of my braids," Dajerria Becton, 15, told the station. "I was telling him to get off me because my back was hurting bad."
"I understand how he was feeling, everybody surrounding him," she said. "I don't think he should have pulled a gun out on 15-year-old kids."
Brandon Brooks, the teen who recorded the video, told KDFW that tensions rose after a white woman and a black teenager at the party had an altercation. He said the white woman told the teen "to go back to Section 8 housing," a reference to federal housing aid given to low-income families.
The comment holds extra significance in McKinney, which has been the target of lawsuits accusing its housing authority of racially segregating Section 8 housing. One long-running lawsuit was settled with a consent decree in 2012 that aimed to open up the west side to subsidized housing. Brooks said that the officer was "out of line" and that he felt compelled to keep filming when Casebolt pulled out his gun.
"At that point, my heart did drop and I was scared that someone was going to get shot and possibly killed," he said.
McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller said city officials plan to meet with community leaders to discuss the incident.
"We really need to come together as a community," the mayor said.
On Monday night, hundreds of demonstrators marched from an elementary school to the pool in protest of Casebolt's actions. Some carried signs that included the phrases, "My skin color is not a crime," and, "Don't tread on our kids."
View galleryResidents watch as thousands march past their homes …
Residents watch as thousands march past their homes during a protest Monday, June 8, 2015, in respon …
Nikki Perez, a black resident of McKinney, attended a City Council meeting Monday to express her concern over the officer's actions.
"I don't excuse the behavior of those teenagers, but if I call 911, then I wouldn't want that cop to respond," Perez said. "He blew his credibility when he opened his mouth and started cursing at the kids."
Robert Taylor, a criminology professor at the University of Texas at Dallas who has done studies for the McKinney Police Department, said both the officer and the teens at the pool party acted inappropriately.
The teens were not following police orders, he said, but the officer's decision to pull out his gun did not help.
"That's not the way we're trained," he said. "We're trained in policing to de-escalate problem encounters like this. ... Obviously, that officer lost his cool. No doubt about it."
Most people were released, except for one man arrested for interference with the duties of a police officer and evading arrest, police said.
Bratton: Crime surge not a return to NYC’s ‘bad old days’ by Bill Bratton (New York Post).
It’s time for a sense of proportion about the increase in shootings and murders in New York City in the first five months of 2015.
While it’s true that both categories have risen over last year’s low numbers, the increase is not a harbinger of collapsing law enforcement or crime raging out of control, as some local columnists would have it. Nor is it evidence that the steep decrease over the past four years in reasonable-suspicion stops — or “stop-and-frisks,” as they’re colloquially known — has caused the increase in shootings.
The armchair criminologists writing these columns are verging on hysteria with their predictions of impending doom. As of the end of May, we were up 22 murders citywide and 33 shootings over a period of five months in a city of 8.5 million people. Back in 1993, when we averaged about 37 murders and 100 shootings per week, these recent increases would not have amounted to even a week’s worth of murders and shootings.
As both Chief of Department James O’Neill and I have made abundantly clear, we don’t take any comfort that these increases are relatively small because, regardless of the number, each incident represents a life ended or blighted by injury or a life of imprisonment for a young, impulsive perpetrator. On the other hand, to suggest that this relatively minor increase has been caused by Mayor de Blasio’s opposition to reasonable-suspicion stops is a ludicrous misrepresentation.
In 2011, the NYPD reported about 685,000 reasonable-suspicion stops. That year, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries and grand larcenies all increased, for an overall rise in index crime of 1.5 percent. Last year, stops had been cut to about 47,400 — or by more than 90 percent — and murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary and grand larceny were all down, for an overall decline in index crime of 4.1 percent.
In 2011, there were 515 murders and 1,510 shootings. In 2014, there were 333 murders and 1,171 shootings. Clearly, the supposed relationship between decreasing stops and increasing crime is not supported by the numbers.
This is not the first time murders or shootings have risen in recent years. Murders were up in 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Shootings were up in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011. Yet, even with these increases, the past two years have seen the lowest levels in shootings since 1993 and the lowest levels in murder since 1957.
As anyone who has done professional crime analysis can tell you, these numbers tend to move in ranges, with small upticks in some years and some categories, even during periods when overall crime is declining.
The NYPD has plans to counter the current rise in shootings, including reinforcing patrols this summer with police officers who usually do administrative work, and targeted investigations of known gangs and shooters. We may be able to moderate the increase or even reverse it over the summer.
But even if we don’t succeed, the current rise is not the earth-shaking event that has been pictured. By far, the largest and most dense city in the United States remains an extraordinarily safe environment, with the lowest property-crime rates among the nation’s 25 largest cities and a murder rate lower than the nation’s as a whole. William J. Bratton is the city’s police commissioner.
While it’s true that both categories have risen over last year’s low numbers, the increase is not a harbinger of collapsing law enforcement or crime raging out of control, as some local columnists would have it. Nor is it evidence that the steep decrease over the past four years in reasonable-suspicion stops — or “stop-and-frisks,” as they’re colloquially known — has caused the increase in shootings.
The armchair criminologists writing these columns are verging on hysteria with their predictions of impending doom. As of the end of May, we were up 22 murders citywide and 33 shootings over a period of five months in a city of 8.5 million people. Back in 1993, when we averaged about 37 murders and 100 shootings per week, these recent increases would not have amounted to even a week’s worth of murders and shootings.
As both Chief of Department James O’Neill and I have made abundantly clear, we don’t take any comfort that these increases are relatively small because, regardless of the number, each incident represents a life ended or blighted by injury or a life of imprisonment for a young, impulsive perpetrator. On the other hand, to suggest that this relatively minor increase has been caused by Mayor de Blasio’s opposition to reasonable-suspicion stops is a ludicrous misrepresentation.
In 2011, the NYPD reported about 685,000 reasonable-suspicion stops. That year, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries and grand larcenies all increased, for an overall rise in index crime of 1.5 percent. Last year, stops had been cut to about 47,400 — or by more than 90 percent — and murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary and grand larceny were all down, for an overall decline in index crime of 4.1 percent.
In 2011, there were 515 murders and 1,510 shootings. In 2014, there were 333 murders and 1,171 shootings. Clearly, the supposed relationship between decreasing stops and increasing crime is not supported by the numbers.
This is not the first time murders or shootings have risen in recent years. Murders were up in 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Shootings were up in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011. Yet, even with these increases, the past two years have seen the lowest levels in shootings since 1993 and the lowest levels in murder since 1957.
As anyone who has done professional crime analysis can tell you, these numbers tend to move in ranges, with small upticks in some years and some categories, even during periods when overall crime is declining.
The NYPD has plans to counter the current rise in shootings, including reinforcing patrols this summer with police officers who usually do administrative work, and targeted investigations of known gangs and shooters. We may be able to moderate the increase or even reverse it over the summer.
But even if we don’t succeed, the current rise is not the earth-shaking event that has been pictured. By far, the largest and most dense city in the United States remains an extraordinarily safe environment, with the lowest property-crime rates among the nation’s 25 largest cities and a murder rate lower than the nation’s as a whole. William J. Bratton is the city’s police commissioner.
Nicola Sturgeon was on the Daily Show last night comparing to Saddam Hussein on American TV slot - billed as a comedian.
She is on Morning Joe now. Nicola Sturgeon has been likened to Saddam Hussein during a nervous appearance on a US comedy show that accidentally billed her as a comedian.
Daily Show host John Stewart compared the Scottish First Minister to the late Iraqi despot for not being satisfied unless she got all the votes in Scotland.
Miss Sturgeon was also forced to defend haggis and was laughed at for claiming that Scotland 'almost invented the modern world'.
But she did impress some American viewers on Twitter - one of whom said she was 'crushing' on her and joked: "I'd even eat haggis for her".
And she won laughs after being compared to a dictator by saying it was 'progress' that America would ask permission to invade a country after the Iraq war.
Miss Sturgeon just about held her own on the satirical US news programme, the most high profile part of her four day trip to America to promote Scottish tourism and business.
Her stops included Washington and New York, where she visited a school in a disadvantaged area and a hospital which has links to Glasgow.
Ahead of her appearance on the Daily Show on Monday night Miss Sturgeon was mistakenly described on its website as a 'comedian' and not a politician.
And wearing a pink knee length dress with red bow tie on the waist, she wasted no time in addressing the confusion.
Miss Sturgeon said: 'I'm delighted to be here, it's very exciting if a little scary.
'You billed me on your website as a comedian. You raised all these expectations that I'm going to be funny. And I'm a politician and as you know politicians are rarely funny.'
Home from home: Nicola Sturgeon visits Glasgow Caledonian University New York yesterday
Mr Stewart, who has been hosting the Daily Show since 1998, replied: "You need not worry, they thought I was going to be funny for 17 years".
Mr Stewart brought up the Scottish independence referendum and said the SNP's victory was an 'unprecedented' 56 out of 59 seats.
Miss Sturgeon tried to crack a joke and said: 'I've ordered an inquiry into how we didn't win the other three' - but it fell flat.
Mr Stewart shot back: "What, do you think you're Saddam Hussein, you get 99 per cent? 56 out of 59 is pretty good."
At that point Mr Stewart appeared to turn serious and the crowd became hushed as he built up to what seemed like a serious political question.
He said: "You have pledged for Scotland greater self determination, more financial independence.
"But now after the election that has crashed head-on with the reality that Westminster controls the purse strings, still believes in austerity and receipts can dwindle for the GDP of Scotland.
"My question to you is, First Minister - what is haggis. What is that? Why would anyone?"
Amid roars of laughter from the audience Miss Sturgeon cut in and said: "Haggis is delicious. Have you tasted Haggis?"
Mr Stewart joked that he had during an initiation ritual before admitting he had not.
Miss Sturgeon said: "It's spicy, it's tasty, it's absolutely delicious. Another reason for you to come to Edinburgh".
Miss Sturgeon tried to convince Mr Stewart to come and visit Scotland - he pledged backstage to appear at next year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival - by telling him about the beautiful countryside.
But Mr Stewart said that he should be the one pitching America to her as 'you have a bit of a Jones for getting out of the United Kingdom - we went through a very similar process.'
Miss Sturgeon said: 'You were a bit more successful, though I don't think we'll try to do it your way.'
Mr Stewart said: 'Let me tell you what they hate. They hate it when you throw their stuff in the water'
Miss Sturgeon said: 'That's where we went wrong!'
She added that Scotland could become a 'successful, dynamic, independent' country on its own as in the past 'Scotland almost invented the modern world'Mr Stewart said sarcastically: "Let's not get nuts here...any look at world history Scotland is usually first mentioned".
As the interview drew to a close Mr Stewart jokingly asked permission to invade Scotland because of its oil reserves.
In her best zinger of the night, which made even Mr Stewart laugh, Miss Sturgeon said: "This is progress because you've just heard John, presumably representing the United States, asking permission to invade another country."
The Daily Show is one of the most influential programmes in the US and Mr Stewart is seen as more trustworthy than many news anchors, especially among the young.It pulls in 1.3million viewers each night and has won dozens of awards including 18 Emmys.
Whilst Miss Sturgeon's appearance was uneven, previous British politicians who have appeared on the Daily Show have had equally mixed results.
Gordon Brown was mocked by Mr Stewart for being a 'socialist' and told to 'run off to whatever Commie meeting you're going to'.
Mr Stewart tore into Tony Blair and grilled him intensely on the Iraq war and told him Britain and the US needed to 'rethink' their foreign policy.
Boris Johnson fared better and drew laughs when he joked that his dual British American citizenship meant that he could technically run for President.
Carolyn Maloney and Pete Sessions are on the show (Morning Joe) discussing the newly introduced Breast Cancer research bill.
Semi tips over on Ohio highway, setting 2,200 piglets loose which begs me to ask why a semi truck was transporting piglets in the first place? This type of thing really angers me. You know they were either going somewhere to be killed or have research done on them. And, they were also taken away from their mom after birth. But yeah, hundreds of piglets were on the loose in southern Ohio Monday night after a semi tractor-trailer transporting them overturned.
WXIX, citing Greene County dispatchers, reported that the accident took place at around 7 p.m. local time Monday on State Route 35, east of Dayton. The station reported that two people were inside the truck at the time, and the passenger was taken to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Several police and fire agencies from surrounding areas were attempting to round up the piglets, who scattered into a wooded area by the site of the road. The animals who were rounded up were taken to nearby fairgrounds to be given water.
WXIX reported that the truck was heading to Indiana from South Carolina.
WLWT reported that between 300 and 500 piglets were killed in the crash. WDTN reported that approximately 1,500 of the survivors were recaptured. Police told the station that they were worried the piglets would attract hungry coyotes.
Miss Sturgeon was also forced to defend haggis and was laughed at for claiming that Scotland 'almost invented the modern world'.
But she did impress some American viewers on Twitter - one of whom said she was 'crushing' on her and joked: "I'd even eat haggis for her".
And she won laughs after being compared to a dictator by saying it was 'progress' that America would ask permission to invade a country after the Iraq war.
Miss Sturgeon just about held her own on the satirical US news programme, the most high profile part of her four day trip to America to promote Scottish tourism and business.
Her stops included Washington and New York, where she visited a school in a disadvantaged area and a hospital which has links to Glasgow.
Ahead of her appearance on the Daily Show on Monday night Miss Sturgeon was mistakenly described on its website as a 'comedian' and not a politician.
And wearing a pink knee length dress with red bow tie on the waist, she wasted no time in addressing the confusion.
Miss Sturgeon said: 'I'm delighted to be here, it's very exciting if a little scary.
'You billed me on your website as a comedian. You raised all these expectations that I'm going to be funny. And I'm a politician and as you know politicians are rarely funny.'
Home from home: Nicola Sturgeon visits Glasgow Caledonian University New York yesterday
Mr Stewart, who has been hosting the Daily Show since 1998, replied: "You need not worry, they thought I was going to be funny for 17 years".
Mr Stewart brought up the Scottish independence referendum and said the SNP's victory was an 'unprecedented' 56 out of 59 seats.
Miss Sturgeon tried to crack a joke and said: 'I've ordered an inquiry into how we didn't win the other three' - but it fell flat.
Mr Stewart shot back: "What, do you think you're Saddam Hussein, you get 99 per cent? 56 out of 59 is pretty good."
At that point Mr Stewart appeared to turn serious and the crowd became hushed as he built up to what seemed like a serious political question.
He said: "You have pledged for Scotland greater self determination, more financial independence.
"But now after the election that has crashed head-on with the reality that Westminster controls the purse strings, still believes in austerity and receipts can dwindle for the GDP of Scotland.
"My question to you is, First Minister - what is haggis. What is that? Why would anyone?"
Amid roars of laughter from the audience Miss Sturgeon cut in and said: "Haggis is delicious. Have you tasted Haggis?"
Mr Stewart joked that he had during an initiation ritual before admitting he had not.
Miss Sturgeon said: "It's spicy, it's tasty, it's absolutely delicious. Another reason for you to come to Edinburgh".
Miss Sturgeon tried to convince Mr Stewart to come and visit Scotland - he pledged backstage to appear at next year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival - by telling him about the beautiful countryside.
But Mr Stewart said that he should be the one pitching America to her as 'you have a bit of a Jones for getting out of the United Kingdom - we went through a very similar process.'
Miss Sturgeon said: 'You were a bit more successful, though I don't think we'll try to do it your way.'
Mr Stewart said: 'Let me tell you what they hate. They hate it when you throw their stuff in the water'
Miss Sturgeon said: 'That's where we went wrong!'
She added that Scotland could become a 'successful, dynamic, independent' country on its own as in the past 'Scotland almost invented the modern world'Mr Stewart said sarcastically: "Let's not get nuts here...any look at world history Scotland is usually first mentioned".
As the interview drew to a close Mr Stewart jokingly asked permission to invade Scotland because of its oil reserves.
In her best zinger of the night, which made even Mr Stewart laugh, Miss Sturgeon said: "This is progress because you've just heard John, presumably representing the United States, asking permission to invade another country."
The Daily Show is one of the most influential programmes in the US and Mr Stewart is seen as more trustworthy than many news anchors, especially among the young.It pulls in 1.3million viewers each night and has won dozens of awards including 18 Emmys.
Whilst Miss Sturgeon's appearance was uneven, previous British politicians who have appeared on the Daily Show have had equally mixed results.
Gordon Brown was mocked by Mr Stewart for being a 'socialist' and told to 'run off to whatever Commie meeting you're going to'.
Mr Stewart tore into Tony Blair and grilled him intensely on the Iraq war and told him Britain and the US needed to 'rethink' their foreign policy.
Boris Johnson fared better and drew laughs when he joked that his dual British American citizenship meant that he could technically run for President.
Carolyn Maloney and Pete Sessions are on the show (Morning Joe) discussing the newly introduced Breast Cancer research bill.
Semi tips over on Ohio highway, setting 2,200 piglets loose which begs me to ask why a semi truck was transporting piglets in the first place? This type of thing really angers me. You know they were either going somewhere to be killed or have research done on them. And, they were also taken away from their mom after birth. But yeah, hundreds of piglets were on the loose in southern Ohio Monday night after a semi tractor-trailer transporting them overturned.
WXIX, citing Greene County dispatchers, reported that the accident took place at around 7 p.m. local time Monday on State Route 35, east of Dayton. The station reported that two people were inside the truck at the time, and the passenger was taken to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Several police and fire agencies from surrounding areas were attempting to round up the piglets, who scattered into a wooded area by the site of the road. The animals who were rounded up were taken to nearby fairgrounds to be given water.
WXIX reported that the truck was heading to Indiana from South Carolina.
WLWT reported that between 300 and 500 piglets were killed in the crash. WDTN reported that approximately 1,500 of the survivors were recaptured. Police told the station that they were worried the piglets would attract hungry coyotes.
Regardless of it all today, please stay in touch!
