President Trump may have gotten a clean bill of health from the White House physician, but that’s not enough for one Democratic lawmaker.
Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-PA) is introducing legislation that, if passed, would require all future presidential nominees of a major party to get a physical and cognitive examination from an approved physician to insure they are in proper shape to govern. That includes their mental health.
“Right now you can be elected president, and unless you voluntarily release your medical records, we the voting public and we constituents have no idea,” Boyle told Cheddar in an interview Wednesday.
The Congressman saw an opening for the legislation following President Trump’s now-famous tweet, in which he wrote, “I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!”
As a nod to that declaration, Boyle is calling his proposal the Stable Genius Act, an acronym for “Standardizing Testing and Accountability Before Large Elections Giving Electors Necessary Information for Unobstructed Selection Act.”
"I've never heard someone who is stable or a genius self-declare that they are either or both," he said.
While the president may have released his exam results to shut down any questions about his fitness, Boyle says, “This shows why the bill is really necessary and no big deal for a presidential nominee to take a few hours out and have this examination. The information we got yesterday is exactly the information we should have on future presidential nominees and future presidents”
As for the accuracy of the presidential details presented by the White House doctor yesterday, Boyle says, “His weight was listed as 239, and I demand a recount.”
The Congressman says he has had serious conversations with Democrats in Congress about passing the legislation. He is confident that, come January 2019, Democrats will again hold control of Congress and be able to turn the “Stable Genius Act” into law.
“It’s not just Donald Trump,” he says, citing the example of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who died 82 days into his fourth term. “We the public need to be sure that the person who has the ability to launch a nuclear war is fit for office, physically and mentally.”
To see the full interview, [click here] ( https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-brendan-boyle-d-pa-wants-to-ensure-future-presidents-are-physically-fit-to-lead).
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
