Why Fico Sees Uzbekistan as a Model for Europe
Welcome to the weekend issue of Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. Join us on Saturdays for deeper dives from our bureaus across Europe.
BRATISLAVA — Slovakia's prime minister has some advice for fellow EU leaders striving to navigate the current turmoil: Politics is overrated.
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Trump Called Canada the 51st State. Now the G-7 Summit Brings Him to Alberta.
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CNN
2 hours ago
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Why McCain and Obama are causing marital tension
(LifeWire) -- Pamela Rainey Lawler and Denis Lawler of Philadelphia have handled the travails of being married 38 years without seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. The upcoming presidential election is no different. Pamela, a 58-year-old self-described "left-left" Democrat, will be voting for Barack Obama. Denis, a 60-year-old longtime Republican, plans to vote for John McCain. Although they joke about their situation, Pamela says it's hard to keep her sense of humor when the stakes are so high. Good thing they love each other. "It gets hard when things are getting down and dirty and there is a lot on the line," Pamela, the director of outreach and development at an educational company, says of her husband, a lawyer. But she adds, "The foundation of [our] relationship is so much bigger than politics, and tends to trump politics." Especially in an election season where emotions are running high, couples who don't agree on politics can keep the peace by being open and honest with one another. "Where couples get in trouble is not so much having a different opinion; it's how they communicate it," says Grecia Matthews, a couples therapist and social worker in New York City. Couples need to be honest about their arguing styles and tolerance for criticism, she adds. State your opinion Good communication skills are important, it's true, but as Lorraine Duval knows, it also helps to be married to a good-natured spouse. Duval, a 33-year-old music teacher and McCain disciple from Glens Falls, New York, admits that in the heat of the moment she has called her pro-Obama husband, Chris, by other, less loving names. "Sometimes you have to state your opinion," she says, though she emphasizes that Chris' easygoing nature diffuses the tension. She returns the favor at social gatherings where Republicans far outnumber Democrats. She'll "go off the deep end" in his defense if she feels McCain voters are ganging up on him, says Chris, a 34-year-old mortician. "We really didn't discuss our views until later on in the relationship," Lorraine explains. "It wouldn't have been an issue for me anyway." Besides, points out Andre Anthony Moore, the founder of Marriage and Couples Counseling in New York City, if spouses agreed on everything, "life would be dull." "But in the process of drinking in the other's opinion," he says, "you might get to be a bigger person." Embrace the difference Opinions always got a good airing in the Lawlers' home when she was growing up, says their daughter, Kristin, 37. "At our dinner table, if you couldn't be persuasive, you were toast," says Kristin, an assistant professor of sociology at the College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, New York. But such debate wasn't divisive, it was healthy, she says. Even today, when the family gathers, they debate politics. "I do think that my parents would make a good model for others who vote differently and who are able to see their differences in a positive light," says Kristin. "Difference is a vital principle -- it keeps you on your toes. Having a good opponent makes you a better debater. And if you want your side to win, you have to know how to make a strong political argument." For the record, though, Pamela Lawler says the couple's three children tend to side with her. Agree to disagree "Elizabeth Leslie, 37, a Democrat from Sacramento, California, works hard to maintain the political peace with husband Troy Gassaway, 35, a Republican." "It's exceptionally challenging," she says. "We agree to disagree." Leslie confesses she can't help but try to sway her husband's allegiance -- as communications manager for the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of California, political persuasion is part of her job. Leslie, who was not speaking on behalf of the League, says she has persuaded her husband to vote her way on several proposals in the past two elections. She praised him for listening to her when he's on the fence about any legislation. But come November, he's sticking with McCain. "My advice is for couples to hear the other out," she says. "The passion that made up their mind -- at least consider it." And even if the debate gets ugly, consider the fringe benefits. All that emotion can stimulate friendlier activity, therapist Grecia Matthews points out: "There can be makeup sex." Keeping the peace Live in a house divided? Here are some tips for keeping the peace when you and your partner split the ticket: • If disagreements get too personal, consider keeping sensitive subjects like politics off-limits. • If you need to vent an unpopular opinion, talk with a friend who holds similar values. • Agree on a "safe word" signifying that a tense conversation needs to end, out of respect for one another. • After tensions peak, do an activity you both enjoy -- take a walk or go to the movies -- and remember why you love each other. • Establish firm guidelines on when and where it's OK to bring up the campaign -- if at all. E-mail to a friend LifeWire provides original and syndicated lifestyle content to Web publishers. Ron Dicker, a Brooklyn-based journalist, frequently writes about relationship topics. He previously covered sports for the New York Times. All About U.S. Politics • John McCain • Barack Obama
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NY's Mannion, Lawler trade barbs in heated House spat. What was said?
Two New York members of Congress had a heated spat on the House floor that began when Democratic Rep. John Mannion angrily confronted Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. The clash took place at a supercharged moment on Thursday, June 12, after Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, was forcibly removed from a press conference and handcuffed by federal agents, stoking Democrats' fury. According to an Axios account, Lawler was talking with a colleague on the Democrats' side of the room when Mannion shouted at him to "do something" and "grow a pair of balls." He laced that message with expletives, according to what was picked up in a C-Span broadcast and quoted by 'F---ing get over there and get some f---ing balls.' Mannion, a freshman representing the Syracuse area, later gave Axios a more sanitized description, saying "I asked him to compel his colleagues to save the country and stop what the people of this country do not want ... the defiance of law." One reporter who witnessed the dustup posted on X: "Wow. Massive shouting fight on the floor. A house democrat is screaming at Mike lawler to get Off the democratic side of the floor." Lawler soon posted in response: "John Mannion was entirely unhinged and unprofessional. That was a shameful display that exposed his complete lack of temperament." Lawler, a second-term member from Rockland County, didn't detail what the two said to one another, but closed with some profane advice: "He should go seek help for anger management — and f--k off." In an interview on Friday, Lawler told the USA Today Network the run-in came out of the blue as House members were casting votes and he was chatting with Rep. Jimmy Pannetta, a California Democrat and fellow member of the Problem Solvers Caucus. All of sudden, he said, Mannion began screaming at him from about four rows away. "It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen happen on the House floor," he said. Lawler said he was so surprised he asked if Mannion was talking to him. He was. They exchanged profanities. What Mannion was demanding of him was unclear when the encounter ended, Lawler said. "It was unhinged, it was certainly unprofessional," Lawler said of Mannion's outburst. Mannion said in a statement that he's fighting for his hometown and country to "stop the rise of authoritarian government and the destruction of American democracy." "If making some noise on the house floor and calling out Trump enablers draws attention to what's happening to our country right before our eyes — good," he said. "Today it's roughing up and handcuffing a United States Senator and a politicized military patrolling the streets of American cities. It's the willing abandonment of the rule of law and a gross fealty to a want-to-be dictator who is tearing the country apart. None of this is normal or okay." The backdrop was a political storm over President Donald Trump sending National Guard troops and Marines into Los Angeles to quell protests over his mass-deportation push. Democrats have condemned Trump's orders as inflammatory and authoritarian. Padilla, the senator from California, planned to question Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference on Thursday when he was pushed from the room and handcuffed on the ground by federal agents. Partisan tensions were also evident Thursday at a day-long House hearing at which Republicans berated Gov. Kathy Hochul and two other Democratic governors for "sanctuary" policies toward undocumented immigrants. As Democrats were ripping the Trump administration for rounding up law-abiding parents and children, Republicans were deploring what they see as overly lax policies. Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Immigration debate: NY's Mannion confronts Lawler on House floor
