Parliament to debate banning Donald Trump from UK

The petition says that because the country has banned entry to people for "hate speech" before, "the same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK."

Last week, the UK government released a statement reaffirming that Home Secretary Theresa May has the power to "exclude a non-European Economic Area national from the UK if she considers their presence in the UK to be nonconducive to the public good."

The statement did not clearly state whether her office would apply that criteria to Trump.

"The Home Secretary has said that coming to the UK is a privilege and not a right," the official comment reads. "She will continue to use the powers available to prevent from entering the UK those who seek to harm our society and who do not share our basic values."

After Trump launched his proposal to temporarily halt the immigration of Muslims into the United States, Prime Minister David Cameron called the billionaire "stupid" and "three times a loser."

Trump owns a golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The Trump Organization released a statement specifying its investments and criticizing any possible move to restrict travel.

"Any action to restrict travel would force The Trump Organization to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom. Westminster would send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment," it read.

"This would also alienate the many millions of United States citizens who wholeheartedly support Mr. Trump and have made him the forerunner by far in the 2016 presidential election. Many people now agree with Mr. Trump that there is a serious problem that must be resolved. This can only be achieved if we are willing to discuss these tough issues openly and honestly."

Obama, wiping tears, makes new push to tighten gun rules

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wiping back tears as he remembered children killed in a mass shooting, President Barack Obama on Tuesday ordered stricter gun rules that he can impose without Congress and urged American voters to reject pro-gun candidates.

Obama made it clear he does not expect gun laws to change during his remaining year in office, but pledged to do what he can to make gun control a theme in the months leading up to the November election to replace him.

In a powerful address in the White House, surrounded by family members of people killed in shootings, Obama's voice rose to a yell as he said the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms needed to be balanced by the right to worship, gather peacefully and live their lives.

Obama has often said his toughest time in office was grappling with the December 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

"Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said, tears rolling down his cheek.

"That changed me, that day," he said, after being introduced by Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son was killed in the shooting. "My hope earnestly has been that it would change the country."

After that tragedy, the Democratic president failed to persuade Congress to toughen U.S. gun laws. He has blamed lawmakers for being in the thrall of the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby group.

Obama, comparing the issue to the great civil rights causes of his time, is set to discuss gun violence again during a live televised town hall on CNN on Thursday, and during his State of the Union address next Tuesday.

Vice President Joe Biden is slated to do a series of television interviews on the topic on Wednesday.

LEGAL CHALLENGES EXPECTED

The U.S. Constitution's 2nd Amendment gives Americans the right to have arms, a right that is fiercely defended.

Obama laid out executive action he is taking to require more gun sellers to get licenses and more gun buyers to undergo background checks.

Under the changes, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is issuing guidelines intended to narrow exceptions to a system that requires sellers to check with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether buyers have criminal records, are charged with crimes or have mental health conditions that would bar them from owning a gun.

The proposal is "ripe for abuse" by the government, said Chris Cox, an official with the NRA, in a statement, adding that the group will continue to fight to protect Americans' constitutional rights.

Legal challenges to the changes, which are contained in guidance from the ATF, are expected.

The crucial question in any direct legal challenge will be whether the ATF guidance creates new obligations, or merely clarifies existing law.

The more the Obama administration acts as though the guidance has created a new legal requirement, the more legal trouble it might invite, said Lisa Heinzerling, administrative law professor at Georgetown University.

The stocks of gunmakers Smith & Wesson Holding Corp and Sturm Ruger & Co Inc have climbed since the announcement. On Tuesday, Smith & Wesson ended up 11.1 percent to $25.86 a share and Sturm Ruger closed up 6.8 percent at $65.54.

REPUBLICANS VOW TO FIGHT

Republican leaders were quick to denounce Obama's gun changes, with most Republican candidates for the 2016 presidential race promising to reverse his actions if they win the White House.

Democratic candidates praised the moves.

Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, said the changes were "all about burnishing the president’s legacy and boosting Democrat enthusiasm in a presidential election year."

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I know you have missed me after a very long time I am back on blogger to give you guys the news as it breaks all types of news celebrity,political,fashion etc.

Flypocalypse’ hits D.C., New York airports

A major malfunction in the system that routes planes through 160,000 square miles of airspace centered over Washington caused airlines to delay or cancel hundreds of flights nationwide Saturday, and some frustrated passengers won’t reach their destinations until Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was not immediately able to determine what caused the problem.

“The FAA is continuing its root cause analysis to determine what caused the problem and is working closely with the airlines to minimize impacts to travelers,” the FAA said in a statement.

Two airports serving the Washington region were particularly hard hit, with dozens of outbound flights cancelled or delayed. New York area airports also experienced delays, and scores of flights headed to Reagan National Airport and the Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport also were cancelled, stranding passengers overnight at airports across the nation.

“Are we wasting our time being here?” asked Laurence Oster, 40, as he sat and BWI airport with his wife and two young sons, wondering whether their flight to Manchester, N.H. would get off the ground. “You would think, it’s a Saturday—” he snapped his fingers “—it would be a breeze.”

It wasn’t. Their flight was cancelled.

Many passengers complained that authorities had left them in the dark, noting that the FAA posted no information about the problem on Twitter until 4:30 p.m., after it had been fixed.

“The airline was saying, ‘It’s not our fault, it’s the airport,’ and the airport said, ‘it’s not our fault, it’s the FAA, but you go to their Twitter account and they (FAA officials) haven’t said anything about it,” said Ilya Lozovsky, 32, who had been waiting over seven hours at Dulles International Airport for his flight to Alaska for a long-awaited vacation.

Though it caused delays and cancellations up and down the eastern seaboard, the problem was confined to the Washington air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va. For several hours the system which processes flight plans at the center stopped functioning for reasons that are still unclear. Federal authorities said there was no indication that hackers had breeched the system.

The FAA said the system had been restored to service by 4 p.m., but it ultimately is up to the airlines to sort out the mayhem caused to their scheduling.

The Washington facility and other centers dictate routing once airplanes reach an altitude above about 20,000 feet. (One they go below that altitude they are directed to airports by controllers at Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities called TRACONS. For final approaches and takeoffs they are directed from control towers.)

When the Washington Center stopped functioning, the TRACON serving Reagan National and BWI had no one they could hand flights off to as they reached cruising altitude. And East Coast flights — for example, a Miami-New York flight — either were delayed or routed around the airspace controlled by the Washington center.

The disruption, which some on social media dubbed “flypocalypse,” infuriated travellers who normally can count on the system to function on schedule on a Saturday, when thunderstorms usually are the only variable that cause delays or cancellations. Their frustration was exacerbated because the airlines first had no knowledge of what was causing the delays and then weren’t able to say if or when their flights might be able to take off.

The words “cancelled” and “delayed” taunted travelers from departure boards at airports, keeping them from joining family reunions, shipping off to college and heading back home after vacation.

“It’s been a long day and it’s still going on,” said Magdalene Ruiz, who woke up at 4 a.m. in London to head back to West Virginia via Dulles. “It’s really killing us.”

Dulles International Airport was the least affected of the three big Washington region airports. Although Dulles, by early evening, had seen 154 inbound and outbound flights delayed, only 5 percent had been cancelled. By contrast, about 25 percent of inbound and outbound flights were cancelled at Reagan National and BWI.

The FAA worked with airlines to keep some flights in and out of the region’s airports in operation. It achieved that by keeping the flights below 20,000 feet and having TRACON controllers hand off directly to another TRACON rather than to the Washington Center.

“I’m doubtful it’s actually going to get out,” said Gabriella Stefano, 19, as she stared at a monitor in Terminal B in BWI, hoping to learn whether a 6 p.m. flight would take her to Atlanta.

She and her mother said they booked an additional flight to Atlanta at 6 a.m. Sunday in case Saturday’s flight was cancelled. The Clemson University sophomore needed to make it back to school before classes start on Wednesday.

If both flights fell through, “we’re just going to drive the nine hours,” she said. “I mean, what can you do?”

Arlington resident Leslie Aun was stuck on a plane in Chicago for two hours, trying to get home after a trip to Montana.

“Delayed, delayed, delayed,” Aun said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, am I ever going to get home?”

Aun said it wasn’t clear what was happening until about an hour into her delay.

“The gate guy finally stood up and really talked to us and told us about what happened,” Aun said. “My sense was that the airlines weren’t entirely sure. They were calling the pilots and asking the pilots for updates. Pilots were calling the air traffic controllers.”

Sharon Fisher’s 11:15 a.m. flight to Grand Rapids, Mich., had boarded at BWI and was backing away from the gate when the cancellation announcement came from the cockpit, she said.

“I think if we had left five minutes beforehand, it would have been okay,” she said.

Fisher, 64, rescheduled her Southwest flight for 9:25 p.m. Saturday. Instead of landing in Grand Rapids, she said she is flying to Detroit, where a friend has offered to pick her up and drive her the rest of the way.

“I just kind of roll with the punches,” she said.

Brian Norment reported he had to sit on the runway in Fort Walton, Florida for two hours before he was told the earliest flight he could take back to National Airport wouldn’t be until Monday morning. He said he planned to make the 14-hour drive back to the D.C. area instead.

Anya Shah grilled a Southwest Airlines representative at Reagan National on Saturday afternoon, as she waited in line to re-book her cancelled flight to Nashville.

“I’m fired if I don’t get there by 10 o’clock tomorrow,” she told the agent. She received sympathy but no guarantees. Flights had already been almost fully booked before the delays Saturday, and with so many flights canceled, it wasn’t a sure thing that she could get on a later flight today.

Shah stayed in a re-booking line and kept trying to call reservation phone lines but a recording told her there was a 60-minute wait for a callback.

At BWI, as a Southwest flight bound for Nashville boarded, the gate agent thanked the passengers for their patience. As he began to close the door after a seven hour delay, they applauded.

Amy Ellis Nutt, Dan Balz, Will Greenberg, Anne Kenderdine, Elizabeth Koh and Patricia Sullivan contributed to this report.

Breaking down Brady's incendiary filing in federal Deflategate case

Tom Brady vs. NFL: Is there a settlement that would please both sides?

On SI Now, Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann shares why he thinks neither the NFL nor Tom Brady are going to settle anytime soon and what a settlement could look like if there is one.

There comes a point in any litigation when there is no turning back, when no settlement can be reached. It’s the moment when both sides are resigned to taking their chances with the judge or jury. Until then, they often wage all-out war. IfTom Brady and Roger Goodell fail to reach a settlement in their case, Friday will probably be remembered as the day when the point of no return was crossed and when the gloves truly came off.

In a seething memorandum filed to U.S. District Judge Richard Berman Friday night, attorneys for Brady ridiculed Goodell as incompetent and dishonest. They also expanded earlier arguments that the NFL’s procedure for reviewing Brady’s alleged involvement in a purported ball deflation scheme in the 2015 AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts violated federal law.

On SI Now, Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann shares why he thinks neither the NFL nor Tom Brady are going to settle anytime soon and what a settlement could look like if there is one.

There comes a point in any litigation when there is no turning back, when no settlement can be reached. It’s the moment when both sides are resigned to taking their chances with the judge or jury. Until then, they often wage all-out war. IfTom Brady and Roger Goodell fail to reach a settlement in their case, Friday will probably be remembered as the day when the point of no return was crossed and when the gloves truly came off.

In a seething memorandum filed to U.S. District Judge Richard Berman Friday night, attorneys for Brady ridiculed Goodell as incompetent and dishonest. They also expanded earlier arguments that the NFL’s procedure for reviewing Brady’s alleged involvement in a purported ball deflation scheme in the 2015 AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts violated federal law.

• MMQB: Takeaways from Brady and Goodell's day in court

In a later filing Friday night, the NFL responded by asserting that questions about evidence concerning Brady’s alleged involvement are completely irrelevant under the law. The league also insists that Goodell enjoyed ample facts to conclude that Brady—whom Goodell only a week ago called “a great young man”—had “personal involvement in a tampering scheme.”

Here are my five legal takeaways from the clashing filings:

1. This was personal

While all of Brady’s legal filings to date have been critical of Goodell, the one filed on Friday appears uniquely aimed at Goodell. Its tone is especially harsh and its rhetoric is most unforgiving.
Among the many accusations leveled at Goodell in its filing, Brady’s legal team mocks Goodell’s July 28, 2015 memorandum upholding Brady’s four-game suspension as “a propaganda piece written for public consumption, at a time when the NFL believed the transcript would be sealed from public view, to validate a multi-million-dollar ‘independent’ investigation.” This is extraordinary language for any legal filing, let alone one about the commissioner of the NFL.

To advance this dismissive characterization of Goodell, Brady (through NFLPA attorneys) takes direct aim at Goodell’s assertion that Brady “destroyed” his phone. Brady highlights that Goodell “never acknowledged that Brady had turned over all of his emails and all of his phone bills.” Brady, in other words, hopes that Judge Berman—as well as Goodell’s bosses, the 32 NFL owners, and thousands of NFL players and millions of fans—view Goodell as simply not believable. If Judge Berman concludes that Goodell lied in his arbitration award (the memorandum upholding Brady’s suspension), the judge would be more likely to vacate it.

2. No matter what happens from here, Brady’s filing on Friday was damaging to Goodell

Even if Judge Berman ultimately sides with the NFL, the harm inflicted upon Goodell’s reputation from Deflategate has been severe and perhaps irreversible. Many have questioned Goodell’s judgment in going to court against one of the league’s most popular players, particularly in a case built on questionable evidence. With Friday’s filing, that same player appears determined to use the legal system to directly undermine Goodell’s credibility.

To be sure, Deflategate is unlikely to cost Goodell his job. The NFL is making more money than ever. But it would not be surprising if some owners openly wonder how the commissioner could have let this bizarre controversy get to where it is currently at: a disaster.

• Tom Brady denied ever deflating footballs at appeal hearing

Worse yet for Goodell, if the parties do not settle and Judge Berman issues an order, the loser of it will likely appeal. This would set off an appellate process that could take months if not longer. If Goodell believes the Brady matter will go away by being firm against Brady, Goodell may be sorely disappointed.

3. Judge Berman’s unexpected interest in the facts is a focal point in both sides’ briefs

In the court hearing conducted this past Wednesday, Judge Berman surprised most observers by demonstrating significant curiosity in the underlying evidence relating to Brady and slightly under-inflated footballs. The main reason for this surprise is that Judge Berman’s role is to review an arbitration award, not to conduct a trial. In such a review, judges are expected to accord high deference to the arbitrator’s findings of facts. Moreover, should he issue an order vacating or upholding Brady’s suspension, Judge Berman would base his decision primarily on how the NFL applied Article 46 of the collective bargaining agreement—not on whether Brady “did it.” Judge Berman’s interest in the facts was also surprising given that the NFL and NFLPA agreed that no discovery (which would entail each side sharing new information with one another) would be part of the judge’s review.

In its filing Friday night, the NFL indirectly reminded Judge Berman that his interest in the facts could be misplaced. Most notably, the league asserted that Goodell’s factual conclusions about Brady “may not be disturbed” under federal law. The NFL stressed that an arbitrator’s factual findings are accorded “extreme deference” under the law, meaning that Judge Berman should only explore questions about evidence with the highest form of reverence for Goodell’s fact-finding. The league even went so far to cite the U.S. Supreme Court case MLBPA v. Steve Garvey to conclude that federal judges can’t vacate arbitration awards “despite allegations that the [award] rests on factual errors.” In other words, from the NFL’s perspective, whatever concerns Judge Berman may have about the lack of direct evidence linking Brady to a ball deflation scheme should not be grounds for the judge to overrule Goodell.

Brady’s legal team clearly anticipated the NFL raising the issue of deference for Goodell’s fact-finding. In Brady’s brief, his attorneys tell Judge Berman that, “the point here is not that the Court needs to decide any disputes issues of fact.” Instead, Brady’s team explains, Judge Berman should conclude that, “the Award itself [Goodell upholding Brady’s suspension] evidences a clearly biased agenda—not an effort at fairness and consistency.” Still, Brady’s team used its brief to remind the judge of negative facts for the NFL. This was especially evident when Brady’s side bolded a quote from Wells in which Wells admitted that analysis of halftime PSI measurements was based on “uncertain” information.

• MMQB: Patriots prepare for season in shadow of Deflategate

In some ways, the attorneys for both sides are intentionally talking past each other when it comes to the issue of “facts.” Brady’s team wants Judge Berman to view Goodell’s fact-finding not as a question of evidence but as a question of process. From Brady's perspective, the absence of direct evidence is in fact a question of process, since Goodell would have misapplied Article 46 by punishing him without regard for “fairness and consistency.” In contrast, from the NFL’s perspective, the absence of direct evidence is irrelevant since Goodell is to be accorded “extreme deference.” To further this point, the league cites various forms of circumstantial evidence purportedly implicating Brady. This includes the “sudden spike in communications between Jastremski and Brady following the AFC Championship Game” and the supposed “evidence of McNally’s demands for cash, clothing and autographed items from Brady, some of which Brady provided.”

How will Judge Berman view these competing arguments about the legal significance of evidence? We’ll find out on Wednesday, which is when the parties are next scheduled to meet in court.

4. Brady team hammers home argument that rationale for his punishment has changed

One of Brady’s core arguments centered on unlawful process is that the NFL’s rationale for punishing Brady has changed without notice or explanation.

Originally, the Wells Report cited a theory that it was “more probable than not” that Brady had “general awareness” in an alleged ball deflation supposedly carried out by Jastremski and McNally. Subsequent declarations by NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent and Goodell, however, expressed far more certainty in Brady’s wrongdoing—despite the uncertain source of that increased certainty. Now the NFL portrays Brady as involved in a conspiratorial scheme, implying that he played an active role in it. Separately, the NFL has not explained what portion of the four-game suspension is based on Brady’s alleged uncooperativeness in not turning over all electronic records when initially requested.

The NFL’s brief categorically rejects this argument, stressing that “in no sense did the Commissioner depart from the original basis” for Brady’s discipline. The NFL, moreover, emphasizes that Judge Berman is obligated to provide high deference to Goodell’s interpretation of Brady’s fault. Taking a shot at the NFLPA, the NFL also referenced how “much of [Goodell’s] evidence—including the forensic analysis that revealed that Brady had destroyed his phone—came from the Union itself ... the Union cannot seriously contend that the Commissioner exceeded his authority by considering the evidence it proffered.”

5. Will witnesses testify in court next Wednesday?

In yet another surprising twist, ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reported on Friday that the NFL and NFLPA might call witnesses to testify before Judge Berman next Wednesday. If this proves true, it would constitute a highly irregular development in a federal court review of an arbitration award—particularly a review where the parties have agreed that the available evidence for Judge Berman would only include the record used by Goodell. It’s not clear who the witnesses would be, but two who do not meet the criteria agreed by both parties are Patriots assistants Jim McNally and John Jastremski. Neither testified in the Brady appeal. Also, neither Brady nor Goodell are expected to be in court next Wednesday, which signals that they are unlikely to testify.

• Tom Brady returns to Patriots, plays in preseason game

Ted Wells would be one person who would meet the limited criteria to testify in court. He testified in Brady’s appeal and obviously has played a key role in the NFL’s review of Brady. Wells, however, could invoke the attorney-client privilege if called to testify before Judge Berman, just as he did during Brady’s hearing before Goodell on June 23, 2015. To be sure, Wells invoking the attorney-client privilege before Judge Berman would further undermine the NFL’s earlier characterization that Wells conducted an “independent” investigation. NFL attorneys, however, now insist that because Article 46 does not obligate the NFL to provide an accused player with an independent investigation, Wells’ independence is irrelevant under the law. As I explained last week, Judge Berman might reject such an argument under an estoppel rationale. Judge Berman could reason that the NFL should be prohibited from assuring Brady of Wells' independence and then, in a subsequent attempt to gain a legal advantage, insist that those assurances carry no legal consequence.

Michael McCann is a Massachusetts attorney and the founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. In the fall 2015 semester, he will teach an undergraduate course at UNH titled “Deflategate.” McCann is also the distinguished visiting Hall of Fame Professor of Law at Mississippi College School of Law.

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and the Trumpcopter descend on the Iowa State Fair

DES MOINES -- All of the forces that have unexpectedly made this presidential contest epically memorable, and often entertaining, collided at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday.

Donald Trump, the television personality turned GOP presidential contender, in what may be a state fair first, arrived in a helicopter. And just in case that isn't enough to impress Iowans, the colorful billionaire is allowing local children to go up for a free ride while he checks out the fair's famed cow carved out of butter.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, also made an appearance at the fair on Saturday, with an entourage of security, staffers and a swarm of reporters shouting questions. And rounding out the presidential hopefuls roster on Saturday is U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is also running for the Democratic nominee and has been quickly climbing in early polls and attracting massive crowds at rallies.

The Iowa State Fair is already a bit of a spectacle itself, as summed up in this slogan: "Nothing compares." More than a million people attend each year to inspect hundreds of farm animals, listen to live music, ride the Ferris wheel, play games on the midway, have a couple beers or eat several days worth of calories in one meal. The food is a hallmark of the state fair, and this year there are nearly 200 booths competing to take fried delicacies -- especially fried food on a stick, with bonus points for the inclusion of bacon -- to new culinary heights. Menus include deep-fried nacho balls, bacon-wrapped smokies on a stick, deep-fried Twinkies, a double-bacon corn dog, pumpkin-spice funnel cake and something ominously called an "Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb." (Note to readers: It's okay to feel like you need an antacid after just reading that sentence.)
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Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and the Trumpcopter descend on the Iowa State Fair

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By Jenna Johnson and Philip Bump August 15 at 3:52 PM   

Clinton, State Fair-ing. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

This story has been updated.

DES MOINES -- All of the forces that have unexpectedly made this presidential contest epically memorable, and often entertaining, collided at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday.

Donald Trump, the television personality turned GOP presidential contender, in what may be a state fair first, arrived in a helicopter. And just in case that isn't enough to impress Iowans, the colorful billionaire is allowing local children to go up for a free ride while he checks out the fair's famed cow carved out of butter.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, also made an appearance at the fair on Saturday, with an entourage of security, staffers and a swarm of reporters shouting questions. And rounding out the presidential hopefuls roster on Saturday is U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is also running for the Democratic nominee and has been quickly climbing in early polls and attracting massive crowds at rallies.

The Iowa State Fair is already a bit of a spectacle itself, as summed up in this slogan: "Nothing compares." More than a million people attend each year to inspect hundreds of farm animals, listen to live music, ride the Ferris wheel, play games on the midway, have a couple beers or eat several days worth of calories in one meal. The food is a hallmark of the state fair, and this year there are nearly 200 booths competing to take fried delicacies -- especially fried food on a stick, with bonus points for the inclusion of bacon -- to new culinary heights. Menus include deep-fried nacho balls, bacon-wrapped smokies on a stick, deep-fried Twinkies, a double-bacon corn dog, pumpkin-spice funnel cake and something ominously called an "Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb." (Note to readers: It's okay to feel like you need an antacid after just reading that sentence.)

On Saturday, the Democratic and Republican front-runners made the pilgrimage to Des Moines.

Jerry Lynch lucked into the best possible shift volunteering to man the Gammon Barn at the Iowa State Fair. For most of his 8 a.m. to noon shift, he could stand on the porch outside, watching the press mill around waiting for the arrival of Hillary Clinton. With Secret Service at the entrance ramp to the barn, there wasn't much else to do.

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Lynch breeds Hereford cows at a farm in eastern Iowa and is a retired middle school guidance counselor. He's not a stranger to state politics, though; he serves on the central committee in Dubuque County. But he hadn't made up his mind who to support yet, first because it's "damn early" and second because the Democratic National Committee asked him to participate in a group trying to figure out how to bolster turnout for the caucus. (Perhaps thanks to so many other Democrats having already made up their minds about who to support.)

After a few minutes, the unexpected: someone less interested in politics and more interested in his barn arrived. "Hey," Lynch exclaimed,"someone wants to see the Hereford barn!"

Clinton arrived at the fair just after 11 a.m., accompanied by former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, who just endorsed her. Clinton shook hands with a few of the fairgoers who waited in the sun for an hour to see her, and then stepped back to wave at the others. Before addressing a swarm of reporters, she and Harkin stopped to chat with a young boy watching the spectacle with his white and brown calf.

"I'm deeply honored to have Tom's support," Clinton told the dozens of reporters who gathered for a rare opportunity to ask her questions."

A couple dozen Iowan children and their parents gathered at a baseball field near the state fair grounds and excitedly waited for the arrival of Donald Trump and his helicopter. The campaign had been promised to take as many of them as possible up for rides to see the state fair from the air. As the sound of helicopter blades became louder, the Iowan children who were randomly selected for this Willy-Wonka-like opportunity -- a chopper ride with a presidential candidate who they've likely only seen on TV -- ran out of the shade to watch his descent.

The helicopter lowered toward the parking lot next to a baseball field near the fair grounds, throwing up leaves and dirt at the swarm of waiting reporters. The door opened and out he came, sporting a red baseball cap with the message "Make America Great Again" and bright white shoes that likely wouldn't do well in the cow barn.

Trump made his way toward a fence separating him from a horde of reporters and declared: "It's a great honor to be here."

Then he looked around for his backdrop: "Where are the children? Get them over here. That's great."

When asked by a reporter why he had staged this spectacle, Trump said: "I love children. I love Iowa, great place. I've really developed a relationship with it. And it's an amazing place."

There were also a few super fans who stealthily tracked down the helicopter's precise landing spot. Two women brought along a blanket decorated with Trump's face and slogan.

One of those fans: Joe McNeley, 54, who said he used to be a Democrat but hasn't voted in a presidential election in years. McNeley said he loves Trump, and wants to see him become president.

"Since the Bush years, I haven't been interested in putting anyone in power," said McNeley, who lives in Ankeny, just outside of Des Moines. "Mr. Trump -- he's not in the political realm. He speaks his mind and he's not afraid."

Trump turned back to the young fans behind him, many wearing campaign shirts they had received that day. Some were the children of friends of campaign staffers, others the kids of the ballfield's board of directors.

"I love my kids," Trump said. "Come here. Does anyone want to take a ride? It's nice, right? ... Who wants to go first? We're going to have some fun... They're going to have a great time. It's a great experience."

As a reporter tried to ask Trump about comments he'd made yesterday about rival GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush, Trump cut him off from finishing the question and let everyone know, at length, what he thought about Bush "Jeb Bush is a puppet to his donors, there's no question about that. And he's got lobbyists. I know them... And, you know, he made statements over the last couple of days that are incredible, trying to justify the war in Iraq -- I can't be justified."

He called Bush's "skin in the game" comment "one of the dumbest things I've ever heard" and likely an attempt by Bush to protect his brother "because I understand psychology."

Trump then took questions from reporters -- often devolving into his usual rants about the loss of jobs to other countries, the need to be fiercely protective of the U.S., the greatness of the wall he will build on the southern border and the need to, as his hat says, make America great again. If he ran into Clinton at the fair, what would he say? "I would say hello." For Clinton, the fair was also a test of her retail-politics skills, another chance to push back at the image critics and rivals have painted of an impersonal and aloof politician who is unable to connect with voters. Her campaign has largely focused on placing her in settings with small groups of voters, although she did attend a Fourth of July parade in New Hampshire last month -- only to have her appearance overshadowed by hecklers and outrage over her staffers using a rope to keep reporters away from the candidate.

Several other candidates have already made their requisite pilgrimage to the state fair this year. Bush strayed from his strict Paleo diet on Friday, eating a pork chop and deep-fried Snickers bar (both on a stick, of course) and downing a beer well before lunchtime. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) and his wife sampled some pork on Thursday morning. That afternoon, former Democratic senator from Virginia Jim Webb schmoozed with a George Washington doppelganger and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley (D) posed for selfies in front of the butter cow.

As Trump's comments continued, hitting 15 minutes and continuing on, the children behind him became restless. The mogul stopped taking questions, posed for a photo with all of the children and then started loading people onto the helicopter: "It's a beautiful machine, isn't it?"

The helicopter ride was brief, just a few minutes in the air and a quick circle of the fairgrounds. Trump left his chopper at the ball field so other kids could get a turn. He hopped into a gold cart and headed to the fair.

Iowa's status as home to the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest has made its the state fair a rite of passage for those who dream of becoming the next president. But it's also a political obstacle course that has tripped up many prior candidates. In that laid-back atmosphere -- and with a stomach roiling from consuming who-knows-what -- it's easy to get too casual, too flippant, too funny, too trusting of reporters with cameras. With time have come these lessons: Don't wear a suit. Don't order the corn dog -- and if you do, don't jam it straight into your mouth. Don't cut the line to see the butter cow. Don't get grease stains all over your shirt. And don't say things like: "Corporations are people." Sanders was "a scary person."

"He's like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Steve said. "Once he gets into office, he's going to change."

Near where Sanders was meeting people, another argument broke out. Keith Hora was arguing against socialism, despite being on Medicare, which he referred to as "socialized medicine."

He didn't agree with Steve, though. "There's a difference between communism and socialism," he said.

As Sanders's voice boomed from the tiny soapbox stage with his call for "political revolution," a swarm of onlookers stopped in their tracks to listen, making the main-course of the fair nearly impossible to cross for roughly 15 minutes. For those trying to get through so they could exit the fair -- or buy a root beer float, super-sized corn dog or Dutch letter at stands just beyond the soapbox -- there were occasionally screams of "Move!" As he spoke, Sanders, one of the race's least wealthy candidates, spotted Trump's helicopter hovering above. "I apologize -- we left the helicopter at home. I forgot to bring it," he said.

Trump and Clinton had already opted out of appearing at the soapbox, a beloved state fair tradition: an opportunity for presidential hopefuls to share their vision for the future of the nation with fair-goers -- and get mercilessly heckled. The risk is high. After all, the soapbox is where former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2011 made the "corporations are people" comment, a damaging gaffe that followed him to the election. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) took the soapbox challenge as he visited the fair on Friday and was endlessly pelted with questionsabout the legacy of the two former presidents in his family and the Iraq war.

Clinton drew pre-visit criticism for not partaking in the tradition. Trump -- who is often more than eager to answer questions -- said he was skipping the soapbox because of an ongoing feud with the Register: "I don't do that because that paper was, in my opinion, not relevant," he told reporters Saturday.

Flight delays persist as F.A.A. resumes operations

The Federal Aviation Administration said it resumed operations Saturday afternoon after an automation problem at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va., halted flights across the country. Airlines also started to resume services, but delays and cancellations still remain. The FAA is working with airlines to return to normal operations, and the agency expects to lift any remaining traffic management programs by 4 p.m. EST, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement.

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Flight delays persist as F.A.A. resumes operationsTyler Pager, USA TODAY2 minutes agoFacebookTwitterGoogle Plusmore

The Federal Aviation Administration said it resumed operations Saturday afternoon after an automation problem at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va., halted flights across the country. Airlines also started to resume services, but delays and cancellations still remain.

The FAA is working with airlines to return to normal operations, and the agency expects to lift any remaining traffic management programs by 4 p.m. EST, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement.

Jacquelyn Martin, AP

A man walks past people standing in line at Washington's Reagan National more

"The FAA is continuing its root cause analysis to determine what caused the problem and is working closely with the airlines to minimize impacts to travelers," she said.

Flights in and out of New York and Washington, D.C., area airports were affected by the technical problem.
Reagan Airport @Reagan_Airport

Update: @FAANews is beginning to resume flight operations. Passengers should check w/their airline for info about their specific flight.

The AP reported the automation problem stemmed from the En Route Automation Modernization computer system, known as ERAM, which the FAA installed at 20 high-altitude traffic control centers. The installation was completed earlier this year behind schedule, according to the AP.

The Baltimore airport tweeted Saturday afternoon that a computer outage was keeping arrivals and departures at Reagan, Dulles International Airport and its own airport at a minimum.

Representatives from Southwest Airlines said the outage was also causing delays and cancellations at Richmond International Airport, Norfolk International Airport and Raleigh Durham International Airport. The airline said the large amount of delays could impact flights around the country as well.

As of 2 p.m. EST, Southwest said fewer than 200 of its flights were canceled due to the automation problem.