LUIS MARTINEZ,Good Morning America
5 hours ago
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A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down a Syrian regime fighter jet on Sunday that had dropped bombs on Syrian rebel forces fighting ISIS in Syria, marking the first time the U.S. has engaged in air-to-air combat there and signaling an escalation of the conflict.
The incident market the first time an American aircraft has shot down another country’s aircraft in air-to-air combat since 1999 during the Kosovo air campaign when a U.S. Air Force F-16 shot down a Serbian Mig-29.
The U.S.-led coalition said in a statement that its focus is on fighting ISIS, and not fighting the Syrian regime or Russian forces, but it will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces coming under attack.
The incident occurred in the town of Ja'Din, south of Tabqa, Syria, which had recently been retaken from ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group of Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebel forces supported by the U.S. in the fight against the militant group.
SDF came under attack from regime forces in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad around 4:30 p.m. Syria time. A number of SDF fighters were wounded in the assault, and the SDF soon left Ja'Din.
Coalition aircraft conducted a show of force overhead that stopped the initial pro-regime advance towards the town.
"Following the Pro-Syrian forces attack, the coalition contacted its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established 'de-confliction line' to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing," said a statement from Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS.
"At 6:43 p.m., a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet," said the statement.
The Syrian pilot is believed to have been able to eject from the aircraft, according to a U.S. official.
Ja'Din is approximately two kilometers north of an established East-West SDF-Syrian Regime de-confliction area.
In the statement, the coalition stressed its goals and that it will defend its partnered forces.
"The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat," it said.
"The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated," it added.
The shootdown is the latest escalation between the U.S.-led coalition and pro-regime Assad forces in Syria.
Over the last four weeks, the U.S. has conducted three airstrikes at pro-regime Assad forces, backed by Iran, that have moved into a de-confliction zone around the town of at Tanf in southwest Syria, which is the location of a coalition training base for local forces fighting ISIS.
The incident market the first time an American aircraft has shot down another country’s aircraft in air-to-air combat since 1999 during the Kosovo air campaign when a U.S. Air Force F-16 shot down a Serbian Mig-29.
The U.S.-led coalition said in a statement that its focus is on fighting ISIS, and not fighting the Syrian regime or Russian forces, but it will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces coming under attack.
The incident occurred in the town of Ja'Din, south of Tabqa, Syria, which had recently been retaken from ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group of Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebel forces supported by the U.S. in the fight against the militant group.
SDF came under attack from regime forces in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad around 4:30 p.m. Syria time. A number of SDF fighters were wounded in the assault, and the SDF soon left Ja'Din.
Coalition aircraft conducted a show of force overhead that stopped the initial pro-regime advance towards the town.
"Following the Pro-Syrian forces attack, the coalition contacted its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established 'de-confliction line' to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing," said a statement from Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS.
"At 6:43 p.m., a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet," said the statement.
The Syrian pilot is believed to have been able to eject from the aircraft, according to a U.S. official.
Ja'Din is approximately two kilometers north of an established East-West SDF-Syrian Regime de-confliction area.
In the statement, the coalition stressed its goals and that it will defend its partnered forces.
"The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat," it said.
"The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated," it added.
The shootdown is the latest escalation between the U.S.-led coalition and pro-regime Assad forces in Syria.
Over the last four weeks, the U.S. has conducted three airstrikes at pro-regime Assad forces, backed by Iran, that have moved into a de-confliction zone around the town of at Tanf in southwest Syria, which is the location of a coalition training base for local forces fighting ISIS.
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At least 1 dead, 10 injured in 'horrific terrorist attack' outside London mosque
DEAN SCHABNER, J.J. Gallagher, Rym Momtaz and Molly Hunter,Good Morning America
1 hour 6 minutes ago
At least one person has died and ten were injured when a van plowed into a crowd gathered outside a London mosque after prayers.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said police were responding to a "horrific terrorist attack."
Prime Minister Theresa May called it a "potential terrorist attack" and said: "All my thoughts are with those who have been injured, their loved ones and the emergency services on the scene.”
The Metropolitan Police called it a "terrorist attack" and said an investigation was being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command. “This was an attack on London and all Londoners and we should all stand together against extremists whatever their cause," Neil Basu, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism, said.
Some witnesses said there were a total of three "attackers," but police said they arrested a 48-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and that no other suspects had been identified.
"From what we are seeing and from what witnesses have reported to us there was nobody else in the van and it appears at this time that this attacker attacked alone," Basu said.
Two people were treated at the scene and eight were transferred to three London hospitals, according to London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations, Kevin Bate.
The incident happened in Finsbury Park in the north of London, in Seven Sisters Road, according to officials.
May will chair an emergency meeting on Monday morning to coordinate the government's response.
The Muslim Council of Britain called the incident a "terror attack" and the "most violent manifestation" of Islamophobia.
Eyewitnesses interviewed by ABC News said people were gathered outside the mosque after prayers tending to an old man who was having a heart attack when the van drove into them. There were men, old men and women, no children.
Khan called it "a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
"While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect," Khan said in a statement.
A man identified as Jermain Jackman told the BBC the sidewalks were "packed with people walking home" when the incident occurred.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said police were responding to a "horrific terrorist attack."
Prime Minister Theresa May called it a "potential terrorist attack" and said: "All my thoughts are with those who have been injured, their loved ones and the emergency services on the scene.”
The Metropolitan Police called it a "terrorist attack" and said an investigation was being carried out by the Counter Terrorism Command. “This was an attack on London and all Londoners and we should all stand together against extremists whatever their cause," Neil Basu, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism, said.
Some witnesses said there were a total of three "attackers," but police said they arrested a 48-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and that no other suspects had been identified.
"From what we are seeing and from what witnesses have reported to us there was nobody else in the van and it appears at this time that this attacker attacked alone," Basu said.
Two people were treated at the scene and eight were transferred to three London hospitals, according to London Ambulance Service Deputy Director of Operations, Kevin Bate.
The incident happened in Finsbury Park in the north of London, in Seven Sisters Road, according to officials.
May will chair an emergency meeting on Monday morning to coordinate the government's response.
The Muslim Council of Britain called the incident a "terror attack" and the "most violent manifestation" of Islamophobia.
Eyewitnesses interviewed by ABC News said people were gathered outside the mosque after prayers tending to an old man who was having a heart attack when the van drove into them. There were men, old men and women, no children.
Khan called it "a deliberate attack on innocent Londoners, many of whom were finishing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.
"While this appears to be an attack on a particular community, like the terrible attacks in Manchester, Westminster and London Bridge it is also an assault on all our shared values of tolerance, freedom and respect," Khan said in a statement.
A man identified as Jermain Jackman told the BBC the sidewalks were "packed with people walking home" when the incident occurred.
"It was a van that mounted the pavement as
men and women were leaving the mosque to go home to their families and
friends and their loved ones," Jackson said.
"During the night, ordinary British citizens were set upon while they were going about their lives, completing their night worship," the Muslim Council said in a statement, adding that "Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia," over the past weeks and months.
"We urge calm as the investigation establishes the full facts, and in these last days of Ramadan, pray for those affected and for justice," the statement concluded.
One person was in custody and the investigation was ongoing, police said.
Britain set its terror at "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely, after a pair of incidents recently.
Earlier this month, a van rammed pedestrians on London Bridge, setting off vehicle and knife attacks that left eight people dead and many other injured on the bridge and in the nearby Borough Market area. Three Muslim extremists who carried out the attack were killed by police.
There was also an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, where a bomber set off an explosion that killed more than 20 people.
Witnesses posted on social media about armed police closing off the area and seeing people injured.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more.
ABC News' Joshua Hoyos, Rex Sakamoto and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"During the night, ordinary British citizens were set upon while they were going about their lives, completing their night worship," the Muslim Council said in a statement, adding that "Muslims have endured many incidents of Islamophobia," over the past weeks and months.
"We urge calm as the investigation establishes the full facts, and in these last days of Ramadan, pray for those affected and for justice," the statement concluded.
One person was in custody and the investigation was ongoing, police said.
Britain set its terror at "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely, after a pair of incidents recently.
Earlier this month, a van rammed pedestrians on London Bridge, setting off vehicle and knife attacks that left eight people dead and many other injured on the bridge and in the nearby Borough Market area. Three Muslim extremists who carried out the attack were killed by police.
There was also an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, where a bomber set off an explosion that killed more than 20 people.
Witnesses posted on social media about armed police closing off the area and seeing people injured.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more.
ABC News' Joshua Hoyos, Rex Sakamoto and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Wrap
Leonardo DiCaprio Turns Over Picasso Painting, Brando Oscar to Justice Department
Ross A. Lincoln,The Wrap
14 hours ago
Leonardo DiCaprio has voluntarily surrendered several works of art worth millions of dollars and an Oscar statuette that once belonged to Marlon Brando to
the U.S. Government, as part of its ongoing investigation into a money
laundering operation connected to Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.
The surrendered items include: a Picasso painting, “Nature Morte au Crane de Taureau,” valued at more than $3 million; a Basquiat collage, “Redman One,” valued at at least $9 million; a Diane Arbus photograph valued at $750,000; and the Oscar Brando won for his performance in “On the Waterfront.”
The paintings and photograph were reportedly gifts from Malaysian financiers connected to Riza Aziz, co-founder of Red Granite Pictures, the outfit that produced the DiCaprio-starring “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The Justice Department has been investigating whether Aziz assisted Prime Minister Razak, his father-in-law, in embezzling more than $4 billion. Some of that money was used to finance Red Granite, and several of the company’s films.
The paintings and photograph were included in a 250-page forfeiture complaint filed last week by the Justice Department. However, representatives for DiCaprio say that the paintings were surrendered to the government before the complaint was filed.
DiCaprio intended the art for an upcoming charity auction, not for his personal collection, his representatives say.
The Marlon Brando Oscar, a set gift from Red Granite, was not mentioned in the Justice Department complaint, but was turned over voluntarily along with the other items nonetheless.
“Last July, upon hearing of the government’s civil action against certain parties involved in the making of The Wolf of Wall Street, Mr. DiCaprio’s representatives – working under his instruction – initiated contact with the Department of Justice,” representatives for DiCaprio said in a statement. “This effort was to determine if there were any gifts or charitable donations originating from the parties named in the civil complaint, and to offer the return of any such gifts or donations with the aid and instruction of the government.”
The statement continued: “Prior to the government’s filing of the civil pleading today, Mr. DiCaprio initiated return of these items, which were received and accepted by him for the purpose of being included in an annual charity auction to benefit his eponymous foundation. He has also returned an Oscar originally won by Marlon Brando, which was given to Mr. DiCaprio as a set gift by Red Granite to thank him for his work on The Wolf of Wall Street.
Mr. DiCaprio is grateful for the support of the government in this effort, and continues to hope that justice is done in this matter.”
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The surrendered items include: a Picasso painting, “Nature Morte au Crane de Taureau,” valued at more than $3 million; a Basquiat collage, “Redman One,” valued at at least $9 million; a Diane Arbus photograph valued at $750,000; and the Oscar Brando won for his performance in “On the Waterfront.”
The paintings and photograph were reportedly gifts from Malaysian financiers connected to Riza Aziz, co-founder of Red Granite Pictures, the outfit that produced the DiCaprio-starring “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The Justice Department has been investigating whether Aziz assisted Prime Minister Razak, his father-in-law, in embezzling more than $4 billion. Some of that money was used to finance Red Granite, and several of the company’s films.
The paintings and photograph were included in a 250-page forfeiture complaint filed last week by the Justice Department. However, representatives for DiCaprio say that the paintings were surrendered to the government before the complaint was filed.
DiCaprio intended the art for an upcoming charity auction, not for his personal collection, his representatives say.
The Marlon Brando Oscar, a set gift from Red Granite, was not mentioned in the Justice Department complaint, but was turned over voluntarily along with the other items nonetheless.
“Last July, upon hearing of the government’s civil action against certain parties involved in the making of The Wolf of Wall Street, Mr. DiCaprio’s representatives – working under his instruction – initiated contact with the Department of Justice,” representatives for DiCaprio said in a statement. “This effort was to determine if there were any gifts or charitable donations originating from the parties named in the civil complaint, and to offer the return of any such gifts or donations with the aid and instruction of the government.”
The statement continued: “Prior to the government’s filing of the civil pleading today, Mr. DiCaprio initiated return of these items, which were received and accepted by him for the purpose of being included in an annual charity auction to benefit his eponymous foundation. He has also returned an Oscar originally won by Marlon Brando, which was given to Mr. DiCaprio as a set gift by Red Granite to thank him for his work on The Wolf of Wall Street.
Mr. DiCaprio is grateful for the support of the government in this effort, and continues to hope that justice is done in this matter.”
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Paris Jackson Flaunts Bra Fashion for Vogue Cover Spot
Gordon Hurd
14 hours ago
It seems virtually impossible in this day and age for
a celebrity’s child to stay out of the spotlight, and legend Michael
Jackson’s daughter Paris is no exception. Whether it’s about her hairy
armpits, going braless, her political statements, or her growing
modeling career, the 19-year-old celebrity has a knack for drawing
controversy and breathless headlines. Her tale continues this week as
she landed a spot on the cover of Vogue Australia, sporting little more
than an embroidered bra for the fashion magazine.
The cover was shared on Twitter from a celebrity news account called PopCrave, which also helped reveal there’s more to her spread than merely posing in a bra. The account posted other photos from the magazine of Jackson looking fashionable in a floral dress in one shot and a plaid skirt ensemble in another. It appears that Jackson herself is a fan of the Vogue cover, as she is now using it as her main profile pic on the social media network.
In the many instances of Paris Jackson in the media, this is perhaps the more mainstream one of late. Many seem to believe Jackson’s behavior is odd at best and eccentric at the least. And her own family members have recently been expressing concern for her — her uncle Jermaine Jackson, speaking to The Sun newspaper this week expressed both his pride for his niece and his worries for what fame and celebrity can do to people. “We’re very proud of Paris,” he said. “I just think we have to make sure she is ok because this business not kind to anybody. It can break you.”
The cover was shared on Twitter from a celebrity news account called PopCrave, which also helped reveal there’s more to her spread than merely posing in a bra. The account posted other photos from the magazine of Jackson looking fashionable in a floral dress in one shot and a plaid skirt ensemble in another. It appears that Jackson herself is a fan of the Vogue cover, as she is now using it as her main profile pic on the social media network.
In the many instances of Paris Jackson in the media, this is perhaps the more mainstream one of late. Many seem to believe Jackson’s behavior is odd at best and eccentric at the least. And her own family members have recently been expressing concern for her — her uncle Jermaine Jackson, speaking to The Sun newspaper this week expressed both his pride for his niece and his worries for what fame and celebrity can do to people. “We’re very proud of Paris,” he said. “I just think we have to make sure she is ok because this business not kind to anybody. It can break you.”
We’ve seen this danger in Paris Jackson’s
life already. She has openly discussed attempting suicide multiple times
in her teen years. Speaking of her ordeal, Jackson explained, “When I
was 14 I got so much hatred that I tried to kill myself and I took,
like, a two-year break from social media and then people asked me to
come back, to make my Instagram public again, so I did. And nothing
changed!”
Nothing indeed. But perhaps with a few more fashionable covers, Paris can help elevate her coverage to that of more refined variety.
Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty
Nothing indeed. But perhaps with a few more fashionable covers, Paris can help elevate her coverage to that of more refined variety.
Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty
- Paris Jackson Hasn’t Celebrated Her Birthday Since Her Dad Michael Died
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- Paris Jackson Loves Being Naked
Is it too soon to miss George W. Bush? Not in the age of Trump.
Christopher Wilson
Sun, Jun 18 12:00 PM GMT+3
During an April appearance on ABC News, Rep. Nancy
Pelosi, D-Calif., said something that would have sounded impossible to
anyone who had followed American politics in the first decade of the
21st century.
“I’m sorry, President Bush,” said Pelosi after mistakenly invoking his name instead of Donald Trump’s. “I never thought I would pray for the day that you were president again.”
The Democratic leader in Congress repeated the sentiment in early June on MSNBC, saying that she wished George W. Bush were president. Pelosi — one of Bush’s main antagonists — benefited from his plunge in approval in his second term, which led to a Democratic surge in the 2006 midterms, making her the first-ever female speaker of the House. But in the age of Trump and his 60 percent disapproval rating, Pelosi is not alone in missing the last Republican president.
Earlier this year, when Bush was promoting his book of paintings and stories of veterans, “Portraits of Courage,” he went on Ellen DeGeneres’ show and shared a hug with the host. He had a cordial visit with Jimmy Kimmel, whose criticism of the Republican health care plan went viral this spring. At comedian Samantha Bee’s Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner special, Will Ferrell strutted out to do his Bush impersonation, opening by asking the audience, “How do you like me now?” Actor Aziz Ansari praised Bush’s response to 9/11 during a “Saturday Night Live” monologue. The Guardian’s editorial board called Bush’s book tour “a welcome return,” while People magazine offered a glowing investigation into his friendship with Michelle Obama. “I like George Bush now!” exclaimed liberal comedian Joy Behar on “The View” after the former president had criticized the current one for attacking the media.
“I’m sorry, President Bush,” said Pelosi after mistakenly invoking his name instead of Donald Trump’s. “I never thought I would pray for the day that you were president again.”
The Democratic leader in Congress repeated the sentiment in early June on MSNBC, saying that she wished George W. Bush were president. Pelosi — one of Bush’s main antagonists — benefited from his plunge in approval in his second term, which led to a Democratic surge in the 2006 midterms, making her the first-ever female speaker of the House. But in the age of Trump and his 60 percent disapproval rating, Pelosi is not alone in missing the last Republican president.
Earlier this year, when Bush was promoting his book of paintings and stories of veterans, “Portraits of Courage,” he went on Ellen DeGeneres’ show and shared a hug with the host. He had a cordial visit with Jimmy Kimmel, whose criticism of the Republican health care plan went viral this spring. At comedian Samantha Bee’s Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner special, Will Ferrell strutted out to do his Bush impersonation, opening by asking the audience, “How do you like me now?” Actor Aziz Ansari praised Bush’s response to 9/11 during a “Saturday Night Live” monologue. The Guardian’s editorial board called Bush’s book tour “a welcome return,” while People magazine offered a glowing investigation into his friendship with Michelle Obama. “I like George Bush now!” exclaimed liberal comedian Joy Behar on “The View” after the former president had criticized the current one for attacking the media.
But the list of Bush’s transgressions, in the
minds of his detractors, is long. There was the foray into Iraq that
resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the destabilization
of an entire region, and the use of torture along the way. There was the
botched response to Hurricane Katrina, which led to two infamous quotes
that will forever be associated with his presidency — one by Bush to
FEMA Director Michael Brown (“Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job”)
10 days before Brown resigned, and one by Kanye West during a telethon
to raise money for the hurricane victims (“George Bush doesn’t care
about black people.”) The economy cratered in his final year, a Great
Recession that wiped out retirement savings, housing value and jobs for
millions of Americans. Then there were the proposals that didn’t become
law: support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, and a
plan for the privatization of Social Security that, when combined with
the crash of 2008, would have crippled the program.
The final Gallup poll of his presidency had Bush at a 61 percent disapproval rate versus just 34 percent approval. He did not speak at the Republican national conventions in 2008 or in 2012 when John McCain and Mitt Romney, respectively, were nominated, a break from recent precedent. A 2015 survey by the Brookings Institution ranked Bush 35th out of the 43 men to hold the office, and criticisms of Bush throughout the 2016 primary didn’t hurt Trump with Republican voters.
But is the thawing of public opinion on Bush a result of the contrast with the current Oval Office occupant, or does absence simply make the heart grow fonder for former presidents? According to historians, it’s a little bit of both.
“Americans are really nice to future and past presidents, but they’re pretty darn mean to incumbent presidents,” said Barbara A. Perry, presidential studies director at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. “Part of it is the rosy glow of nostalgia: ‘Those were the good old days and we just didn’t know it.’”
“It’s almost an American tradition to give presidents an upward revision after they leave office,” said Douglas Brinkley, an author and history professor at Rice. “Only Richard Nixon, due to the damage of the tapes, doesn’t fit that paradigm, so it only makes sense because once you leave office you’re no longer the bullseye of the opposition. A kind of nostalgia and fondness kick in, you open a big presidential library and write a best-selling memoir, and pick a few media shows to go on in which your interrogators are friends and you’re able to start rebuilding a post-presidential life.”
There is data to back up the anecdotes. In 2013, Gallup published a study that found “presidents’ retrospective approval ratings are almost always more positive than their job approval ratings while in office,” and that Bush’s mark was already better just a year removed from his final days in office.
There are two post-World War II examples of presidents who exited with approval ratings similar to Bush’s but who rebuilt their reputations — the beneficiaries of historical perspective as well as their own post-presidential activities. When Harry Truman left office, he was at 32 percent approval versus 56 percent disapproval. There were a number of factors at play in Truman’s lack of popularity, according to Perry, including the stalemate in the Korean War and the comparison to his overwhelmingly popular predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Truman left office in 1953, he moved to Independence, Mo., and began work on his library. Following his death in 1972, history did the rehabilitating for him. “Plain Speaking,” an oral biography of his conversations with author Merle Miller, was published, providing a stark contrast to the quagmire in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal swirling around Nixon.
“With Korea, 20 years later when Lyndon Johnson was having all the trouble he was having in Vietnam,” said Kurt Graham, director of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, “people realized there was an outcome in Asia that was worse than a stalemate — you could actually lose. And as Vietnam became part of the American consciousness, people looked back and thought, ‘Maybe Harry Truman’s restraint in not getting involved, stopping at the 38th Parallel, not pursuing, not drawing China in — maybe he was wiser than we gave him credit for at the time.”
The Truman nostalgia grew to the point that a song by the band Chicago, with the president’s name as the title, reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, with the opening lines “America needs you, Harry Truman/Harry, could you please come home.” By the time David McCullough’s bestselling and Pulitzer-winning biography was published in 1992, Truman had gone from 56 percent disapproval to consistently ranking near the top of presidential surveys.
Jimmy Carter’s post-presidency provides another example. He left office in 1981 with just a 34 percent approval rating versus 55 percent disapproval, having suffered a 9-point loss to Ronald Reagan in his bid for reelection in 1980. Carter’s term was marred by inflation as the result of an oil embargo, the Iranian hostage crisis and — according to historian Randall Balmer — Carter’s lack of tact in dealing with Congress. Balmer, who teaches at Dartmouth and is the author of “Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter,” says that Carter’s strategy of post-presidential rehab via the Carter Center was deliberate.
“What Carter did when he left office, he could have gone into a golden retirement at that point, but he chose not to, and instead he followed an intentional and deliberate strategy to continue working on the things that he cared about. In some ways his post-presidency was his second term that he never was able to win,” said Balmer. “I think his reputation rebounded due to his long advocacy for eradicating tropical diseases, pursuing clean elections around the world and trying to be a broker for peace in various areas of conflict.”
In his post-presidency, Carter has contributed to building homes through Habitat for Humanity and working to eradicate river blindness and Guinea-worm disease. The center has monitored more than 100 elections, and Carter’s diplomatic work in Haiti, North Korea and across the globe helped earn him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. By 1990, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found Carter to be more popular than Reagan, the man who had defeated him by more than 400 electoral votes a decade earlier.
Bush’s post-presidency seems modeled more on that of Truman, a personal hero of his.
“George W. Bush always admired Harry Truman, and the way Truman went back to Independence and became one of the folks,” said Brinkley. “If you spend time in Dallas, everybody has a sighting of George and Laura Bush, and they maneuver around town without any pomposity or feeling of self-aggrandizement, so a kind of folklore has grown around him in Dallas of being such a wonderful guy.”
Bush has not been entirely absent from the public scene. He has continued to urge support for AIDS relief in Africa, including a Washington Post op-ed earlier this year about the need to continue funding the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He joined with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in 2010 to help raise money for earthquake relief in Haiti, and funds from the sales of his newest book are going to the Bush Center’s Military Service Initiative, which helps ease the transition for veterans coming back home.
“Before Trump, I would have said there’s a limit to the upside of Bush’s rehabilitation,” said Perry, “but if Trump forever alters the presidency, it’s possible that Bush and all the ‘normal’ presidents that preceded the shift would be viewed very favorably.”
But even if Bush continues to look more palatable in contrast to Trump, while benefiting from sepia-toned nostalgia, the multitude of mistakes he made during his eight years will likely put a ceiling on his approval ratings.
“It’s going to be a hard upward revision with scholars because of the Great Recession and the unpopular Iraq War,” said Brinkley. “The war in Iraq was Bush’s war of choice and it didn’t go well, and the Great Recession happened on his watch, so there’s only so much historical rehabilitation that can be done.”
“Historians in the future will surely focus on Bush’s significant failures: Iraq, Katrina and the financial meltdown, chief among them,” said Kevin Kruse, an author and history professor at Princeton. “But as time passes, they’ll increasingly be drawn to the differences between his presidency and his Republican successor, most notably on matters of race and religion. Bush sought to broaden the Republican coalition, softening the party’s stances on immigration and making room for Latinos and African-Americans as well. More impressively, his outreach to Muslims at home and abroad in the wake of 9/11 made for a notable departure on religious liberty as well.”
“But,” added Kruse, “there are significant failures on his watch that no amount of comparison will ever make good.”
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The final Gallup poll of his presidency had Bush at a 61 percent disapproval rate versus just 34 percent approval. He did not speak at the Republican national conventions in 2008 or in 2012 when John McCain and Mitt Romney, respectively, were nominated, a break from recent precedent. A 2015 survey by the Brookings Institution ranked Bush 35th out of the 43 men to hold the office, and criticisms of Bush throughout the 2016 primary didn’t hurt Trump with Republican voters.
But is the thawing of public opinion on Bush a result of the contrast with the current Oval Office occupant, or does absence simply make the heart grow fonder for former presidents? According to historians, it’s a little bit of both.
“Americans are really nice to future and past presidents, but they’re pretty darn mean to incumbent presidents,” said Barbara A. Perry, presidential studies director at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. “Part of it is the rosy glow of nostalgia: ‘Those were the good old days and we just didn’t know it.’”
“It’s almost an American tradition to give presidents an upward revision after they leave office,” said Douglas Brinkley, an author and history professor at Rice. “Only Richard Nixon, due to the damage of the tapes, doesn’t fit that paradigm, so it only makes sense because once you leave office you’re no longer the bullseye of the opposition. A kind of nostalgia and fondness kick in, you open a big presidential library and write a best-selling memoir, and pick a few media shows to go on in which your interrogators are friends and you’re able to start rebuilding a post-presidential life.”
There is data to back up the anecdotes. In 2013, Gallup published a study that found “presidents’ retrospective approval ratings are almost always more positive than their job approval ratings while in office,” and that Bush’s mark was already better just a year removed from his final days in office.
There are two post-World War II examples of presidents who exited with approval ratings similar to Bush’s but who rebuilt their reputations — the beneficiaries of historical perspective as well as their own post-presidential activities. When Harry Truman left office, he was at 32 percent approval versus 56 percent disapproval. There were a number of factors at play in Truman’s lack of popularity, according to Perry, including the stalemate in the Korean War and the comparison to his overwhelmingly popular predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Truman left office in 1953, he moved to Independence, Mo., and began work on his library. Following his death in 1972, history did the rehabilitating for him. “Plain Speaking,” an oral biography of his conversations with author Merle Miller, was published, providing a stark contrast to the quagmire in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal swirling around Nixon.
“With Korea, 20 years later when Lyndon Johnson was having all the trouble he was having in Vietnam,” said Kurt Graham, director of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, “people realized there was an outcome in Asia that was worse than a stalemate — you could actually lose. And as Vietnam became part of the American consciousness, people looked back and thought, ‘Maybe Harry Truman’s restraint in not getting involved, stopping at the 38th Parallel, not pursuing, not drawing China in — maybe he was wiser than we gave him credit for at the time.”
The Truman nostalgia grew to the point that a song by the band Chicago, with the president’s name as the title, reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, with the opening lines “America needs you, Harry Truman/Harry, could you please come home.” By the time David McCullough’s bestselling and Pulitzer-winning biography was published in 1992, Truman had gone from 56 percent disapproval to consistently ranking near the top of presidential surveys.
Jimmy Carter’s post-presidency provides another example. He left office in 1981 with just a 34 percent approval rating versus 55 percent disapproval, having suffered a 9-point loss to Ronald Reagan in his bid for reelection in 1980. Carter’s term was marred by inflation as the result of an oil embargo, the Iranian hostage crisis and — according to historian Randall Balmer — Carter’s lack of tact in dealing with Congress. Balmer, who teaches at Dartmouth and is the author of “Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter,” says that Carter’s strategy of post-presidential rehab via the Carter Center was deliberate.
“What Carter did when he left office, he could have gone into a golden retirement at that point, but he chose not to, and instead he followed an intentional and deliberate strategy to continue working on the things that he cared about. In some ways his post-presidency was his second term that he never was able to win,” said Balmer. “I think his reputation rebounded due to his long advocacy for eradicating tropical diseases, pursuing clean elections around the world and trying to be a broker for peace in various areas of conflict.”
In his post-presidency, Carter has contributed to building homes through Habitat for Humanity and working to eradicate river blindness and Guinea-worm disease. The center has monitored more than 100 elections, and Carter’s diplomatic work in Haiti, North Korea and across the globe helped earn him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. By 1990, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found Carter to be more popular than Reagan, the man who had defeated him by more than 400 electoral votes a decade earlier.
Bush’s post-presidency seems modeled more on that of Truman, a personal hero of his.
“George W. Bush always admired Harry Truman, and the way Truman went back to Independence and became one of the folks,” said Brinkley. “If you spend time in Dallas, everybody has a sighting of George and Laura Bush, and they maneuver around town without any pomposity or feeling of self-aggrandizement, so a kind of folklore has grown around him in Dallas of being such a wonderful guy.”
Bush has not been entirely absent from the public scene. He has continued to urge support for AIDS relief in Africa, including a Washington Post op-ed earlier this year about the need to continue funding the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He joined with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in 2010 to help raise money for earthquake relief in Haiti, and funds from the sales of his newest book are going to the Bush Center’s Military Service Initiative, which helps ease the transition for veterans coming back home.
“Before Trump, I would have said there’s a limit to the upside of Bush’s rehabilitation,” said Perry, “but if Trump forever alters the presidency, it’s possible that Bush and all the ‘normal’ presidents that preceded the shift would be viewed very favorably.”
But even if Bush continues to look more palatable in contrast to Trump, while benefiting from sepia-toned nostalgia, the multitude of mistakes he made during his eight years will likely put a ceiling on his approval ratings.
“It’s going to be a hard upward revision with scholars because of the Great Recession and the unpopular Iraq War,” said Brinkley. “The war in Iraq was Bush’s war of choice and it didn’t go well, and the Great Recession happened on his watch, so there’s only so much historical rehabilitation that can be done.”
“Historians in the future will surely focus on Bush’s significant failures: Iraq, Katrina and the financial meltdown, chief among them,” said Kevin Kruse, an author and history professor at Princeton. “But as time passes, they’ll increasingly be drawn to the differences between his presidency and his Republican successor, most notably on matters of race and religion. Bush sought to broaden the Republican coalition, softening the party’s stances on immigration and making room for Latinos and African-Americans as well. More impressively, his outreach to Muslims at home and abroad in the wake of 9/11 made for a notable departure on religious liberty as well.”
“But,” added Kruse, “there are significant failures on his watch that no amount of comparison will ever make good.”
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Devil Ball Golf
Joe Buck calls Brooks Koepka's girlfriend the wrong name in awkward U.S. Open moment
Kevin Kaduk,Devil Ball Golf
8 hours ago
Somewhere there’s a Fox Sports researcher who wants to get away.
In an awkward but funny moment, Joe Buck saw a woman kiss Brooks Koepka after he won the 2017 U.S. Open in record-tying fashion. The Fox Sports announcer identified the woman as Becky Edwards, a pro soccer player who used to be in a relationship with Koepka after both attended Florida State.
Gotta say: The last person we ever expected to hear a “well, actually” from was Brad Faxon.
In an awkward but funny moment, Joe Buck saw a woman kiss Brooks Koepka after he won the 2017 U.S. Open in record-tying fashion. The Fox Sports announcer identified the woman as Becky Edwards, a pro soccer player who used to be in a relationship with Koepka after both attended Florida State.
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The only problem? That wasn’t Becky, but rather Koepka’s new girlfriend: Jena Sims, a fledgling actress
(you’ll see her in Sharknado 5 this year) and former MIss Teen USA.
Buck was quickly corrected on his mistake, but not before making sure
Koepka reaches for the remote wheneve he and Jena watch a replay of the
biggest moment of his golfing career.
File this one under #pgatourproblems.Gotta say: The last person we ever expected to hear a “well, actually” from was Brad Faxon.
Now in their
third year of broadcasting the U.S. Open, Buck and the Fox Sports crew
actually had a pretty good tournament, worlds better than their debut at
Chambers Bay in 2015.
But the simple slipup left Twitter tittering as the broadcast came to a close.
As Buck quickly
found out, the world of golfer WAGs (wives and girlfriends) can be an
ever-changing and confusing place. Here’s betting he’s working off an
updated flowchart at Shinnecock Hills next June.
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