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White House Panics Knowing Flynn Is Going To Take Them Down

While Donald Trump has been taking vacations, special counsel Robert Mueller has been working hard on the Russia investigation. Instead of golfing this weekend, we suggest that the former reality show star huddle with his lawyers. Trump s former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador and he s fully cooperating with Mueller. As part of the plea deal, Flynn admitted that he was directed by a senior member of the Trump transition team to make contact with Russian officials in December. In addition, Flynn is prepared to testify that Trump as a candidate, ordered him to make contacts with the Russians.This marks the first instance of solid proof that there was collusion between team Trump and a hostile foreign government.On Friday, just after the news broke, the White House insisted that Flynn s guilty plea will not implicate Trump or anyone else in the White House.The White House said in a statement that Flynn was fired for making false statements to Trump officials, and that he worked for the administration for a short time and that he was a former Obama administration official. The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year, said White House lawyer Ty Cobb. Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn. The White House then referred to Flynn as the former National Security Advisor at the White House for 25 days as well as a former Obama administration official. However, the White House left out a few important details. President Obama fired Flynn as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and he also warned Trump about Flynn during a discussion two days after the election and emphasized that he had concerns about him joining the national security team for the new president.On top of that, just after Flynn was forced to resign, Trump called him a wonderful man who was treated unfairly by the media.Photo by David Becker/Getty Images.

YOU’RE FIRED: Trump Dumps Corey Lewandowski As Campaign Manager

The Donald Trump campaign is in trouble, and it s showing. In a very surprising move, Trump has cut ties with his notoriously angry campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Infamously, the campaign manager was once videotaped (and nearly charged) for assaulting a reporter at one of Trump s notoriously violent rallies. Now, he s out the door, and no one is quite sure why. The Trump campaign released the following cryptic statement regarding Lewandowski s exit: The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican Primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign. The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future. This move comes amid the fact that Trump s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has pumped more than $20 million into advertising in key general election battleground states, while Trump has not started advertising at all. Further, there is a renewed and growing effort among the #DumpTrump faction of GOP delegates who do not want Trump as their presidential nominee. The newly formed group, dubbed Free the Delegates, is aimed toward unbinding delegates who are bound to Trump and allowing them to vote their conscience instead.The thing is, the way Trump shook up the primary season with his outrageous remarks that fired up the ignorant, bigoted unwashed masses in the GOP s insane base simply isn t working in the general election. Lewandowski was definitely an issue, with his hot temper. That, along with Trump s own uncontrollable mouth simply could not continue.I suppose their recognizing these facts is good for the GOP and the Trump campaign, but it is likely too late. The general electorate has seen what Trump is selling, and nobody is buying it. He s a racist, sexist, xenophobic buffoon, and America does not want him as our next Commander-in-Chief. Hopefully, this signals a death knell for Trump s nutty campaign, and we can focus on moving the nation forward when we elect Hillary Clinton in November.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images

(VIDEO) AS RAMADI FALLS TO ISIS, YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT

Huh? Do these people live in a bubble or what? It s almost like they re sticking their fingers in their ears singing La, La, La WTH!

House Republican offers bill to keep government funded through April

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican head of a House of Representatives committee said on Tuesday he was offering a bill to keep the U.S. government funded through April, ahead of a Friday deadline to keep agencies running. House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers said in a statement the short-term Continuing Resolution would fund the federal government until April 28, and included money for emergency disaster relief. The move would give incoming Republican President-elect Donald Trump more of a say on budget and appropriations issues, allowing him to set funding priorities for the remainder of fiscal year 2017, which ends on Sept. 30. The bill also contains a provision that will make it easier for Trump’s choice as defense secretary, General James Mattis, to pass a bureaucratic hurdle to his appointment. Since he retired only in 2013, Mattis will need Congress to waive a requirement that he be a civilian for at least seven years before taking the top job at the Pentagon. Rogers expressed disappointment at having to offer the bill, which suspends months of work by lawmakers and their staffs on full-scale appropriations bills Congress had intended to enact before the end of the year. “This type of short-term spending absolutely should not be the final answer to funding the federal government for the year,” he said in the statement. “This legislation is just a band aid, but a critical one. It will give the next Congress the time to complete the annual Appropriations process, and in the meantime, take care of immediate national funding needs,” Rogers added. Democrats and some Republicans have said such a decision was a mistake that could lead to a more difficult appropriations task next year.

When You See A Trump Supporter Calling The Election ‘Rigged,’ This Is The PERFECT Reply

When you see a Trump supporter parroting his blatantly false talking point about the electoral process being rigged, just send them to istheelectionrigged.com.Recent polls have been disappointing for Trump and his followers, to say the least. In response they ve began to accuse the election of being rigged, but where is there proof? Because we have plenty of facts that say otherwise.The electoral process in America is thorough, to say the least. Thorough enough to earn the United States an 11/12 score on the electoral process from Freedom House, an independent, nonprofit organization that rates democratic institutions. You can find their reasoning through the link above.Voter fraud, for example, is virtually nonexistent. In 2014, a study showed that out of a billion ballots casted since 2000, there s only been 31 cases of voter fraud. So where s this fraud Trump is talking about? Oh, wait, it s just another one of his lies.The right-wing really screwed us over when they chose Trump as their candidate. He s brought nothing good to our country, ever. Donald Trump is a child, and what do children do when they don t get their way? They whine, saying it s unfair or try to blame it on someone else. There is no fraud going on in our election, Donald is just running out of excuses. He s a liar, just saying what people want to hear. His supporters are the type of people to follow blindly, never actually doing the research themselves otherwise they wouldn t be his supporters. This is slightly worrisome, especially with recent talk of taking up arms against the corruption. Trump s rhetoric is undermining faith in United States democracy, with absolutely no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing. He s taking advantage of low information voters and, through his own narcissism and grand stupidity, may cause violence to break out when he inevitably loses (make sure to vote!).There s no proof of fraud or rigging in our electoral process, and there s been plenty to disprove it. Unfortunately, it s incredibly doubtful that this news will stop Trump and his supporters from angrily blaming the system for Trump s failure.

Professor Who Predicted Trump’s Election Has Another Prediction Trump Will HATE (VIDEO)

Until November 8, Democrats desperately tried to dismiss the prediction of presidential historian Allan Lichtman, who has accurately predicted every presidential election for the last 30 years. Unfortunately, it turned out polls were wrong and he was completely right.Lichtman has a second part to his prediction, though. While he accurately called the fact that Trump would win the White House, he s now predicting that he will just as quickly lose it through impeachment.While his electoral prediction was based on a scientific system, his latest prediction is not. It s a gut call, but let s call his an educated gut. His main argument is the baggage that Trump is carrying with him to the Oval Office. But it has a few reasons behind it. What you see [with Trump] is what you get: candidates don t fundamentally change. Donald Trump throughout his life has played fast and loose with the law. He was found by the justice department in the seventies to have discriminated against African Americans with his real estate business. This video is a couple of days old, so Lichtman didn t know that Trump would be settling the Trump University fraud case that s been hanging over his head, but that s far from the only scandal. While that alleged victim in the child rape case dropped the charges, Gloria Allred, the alleged victim s attorney, said the story isn t over yet.All of this, though, might just be an excuse to get rid of Trump. Trump is a wildcard and if there s anything Republicans can t stand, it s unpredictable behavior. Republicans love control and they would love to see Mike Pence, the vice president, as president because he is predictable and controllable. Pence is anti-choice and anti-gay. Trump keeps changing his opinions on those issues. That type of moral uncertainty doesn t sit well with the ber religious Republican Party.Here s the video:Of course, if Trump is impeached, that would leave us with a President Pence. Trust me when I say that s no better.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images

koch brothers helped incite the impending bloodbath among republicans

military an american soldier talks with saudi troops file photo by the us army a us congressman has warned that american troops could be prosecuted for providing military support to the saudi war on yemen ted lieu made the warning in a letter to us secretary of state john kerry and defense secretary ashton carter saying the us governments denial of target selection for saudi airstrikes in yemen does not excuse washington from legal responsibilities i find it deeply troubling that the us apparently has no advanced knowledge of what targets will be struck by jets that are refueled by us personnel with us tankers lieu said in his letter the us would appear to be violating loac laws of armed conflict and international standards by engaging in such direct military operations if us personnel are not aware if targets are civilian or military if the loss of life and property are disproportional or if the operation is even militarily necessary he noted a yemeni boy walks past a mural depicting a us drone and reading why did you kill my family photo by afp pointing to the month involvement of the us in saudi war on the yemeni people the democratic congressman stressed that washington had knowledge of a bombardment campaign hitting civilian targets including schools and hospitals multiple times us personnel are now at legal risk of being investigated and potentially prosecuted for committing war crimes under international law a person can be found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes under us law a person can be found guilty for conspiring to commit war crimes lieu wrote the pentagon has been providing logistic and surveillance support to saudi arabia in its military aggression against yemen the kingdoms impoverished southern neighbor which has killed more than yemenis since its onset in march the unprovoked war started by a coalition of saudiallies in an attempt to undermine the houthi ansarullah movement and reinstate former yemeni president abd rabbuh mansur hadi a staunch ally of the riyadh regime washington has on several occasions criticized the saudi regime for its crimes against humanity in yemen but has shown no sign of ending its support for riyadh us representative ted lieu of california addresses delegates on the fourth and final day of the democratic national convention at wells fargo center on july in philadelphia pennsylvania photo by afp in august the us state department approved the sale of more than abrams tanks armored recovery vehicles and other equipment worth about billion to saudi arabia saudiled bombardments have struck hospitals markets and other places where civilians gather in september amnesty international reported that a us manufactured bomb had been used in a saudi strike against a doctors without borders hospital in yemens northwestern province of hajjah which claimed the lives of people in october more than people lost their lives and over others sustained injuries after saudi military aircraft struck a hall in the yemeni capital of sanaa where rows of people were attending a funeral yemeni rescue workers pull out a victim from amid the rubble following a saudi airstrike against a packed funeral site in the capital sanaa on october photo by afp un humanitarian coordinator for yemen jamie mcgoldrick said last month that the death toll from the saudi military aggression could rise even further as some areas had no medical facilities and that people were often buried without any official record being made loading

Women Will Get More Elected Representation If Clinton Becomes President

In 1991, when old, white men turned on Anita Hill, a monster was awakened, and that monster was the fury of the woman. In the 1992 election, women let the old boy s club know exactly how it felt they elected a Democrat for president, and they made unprecedented gains in the House and he Senate. The 1992 election was called the Year of the Woman. And it was all thanks to one woman Hill who stood up to the good old boys.And now that the 2016 Democratic Primary is almost over, with Hillary Clinton reaching the threshold to claim victory, women will come out of the woodwork (at an even faster pace) and enact real change.Vox contends that should Clinton win the presidency, just her mere presence in the White House will be enough to spur a growth of women running for office:Clinton s gender is the most obvious way she stands out from everyone who s held the presidency before, but people inside and outside the campaign have hesitated to argue explicitly that it matters. But it does matter. Enormously. A woman president would be by far the biggest, most salient, and most important example of a successful woman in American politics likely inspiring secondary and tertiary waves of women s election runs and election victories.Using analysis from political consultant Amelia Showalter, Vox shows that when women are even mentioned as potentially running for office, female involvement in the whole process increases by a percentage point. When a woman is elected as a state Attorney General, participation increases to two percent. When elected Governor, it increases to 2.36 percent. When elected Senator, it increases to 2.9 percent.Should Clinton be elected President of the United States, with the sort of name recognition she has, the amount of female participation in the process (elected and unelected) would increase astronomically. And that measure doesn t include the throngs of women Clinton will choose to fill her cabinet.Analysis also shows that when women have representation (such as the presidency) and their identity politics abortion, equal pay, childcare are adequately represented by women, they will cause a ripple effect that will essentially bring male legislators onto their side. As Tali Mendelberg, Christopher Karpowitz, and Nicholas Goedert show:When women are many, they are more likely to voice women s distinctive concerns about children, family, the poor and the needy. What s more, when women are more numerous and therefore more vocal on these topics, men become more vocal too, and these effects are associated with more generosity to the poor.Women, in a sense, could liberalize the country by being elected to office. How do they get elected to office? They are inspired to run. And how are they inspired to run? They see other women, like Hillary Clinton, achieve high office.It s a ripple effect that will usher in the much needed change in Washington. After all, it s been proven that women in Congress, when they are in charge, get more done in a more bipartisan fashion.Hillary Clinton is going to help continue that.Featured image via Kevin Winter

Trump Responds To Berlin Truck Attack With DANGEROUSLY Reckless Anti-Muslim Comment

Donald Trump turned a tragedy into an opportunity to do some heavy fear mongering after news broke that a truck had driven into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, killing 12 and injuring dozens.As expected, Trump s response was highly inappropriate and reckless, as he jumped to conclusions and blamed ISIS and other Islamist terrorists before any concrete facts about the incident had been reported.Here s what Trump said: Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today s horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday. ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners. Likely another effort by Trump to distract the nation from Russia s involvement in the election, Trump jumped at the opportunity to refresh his anti-Muslim rhetoric and remind everyone why he wants to ban Muslims. There was zero hard evidence to support how Trump reacted, and we can expect much more of this carelessness in January, when he takes office.In contrast, Germany s interior minister gave a much more measured, cautious response: There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation. Those are words that Trump could certainly learn from. Whether or not ISIS sympathizers were actually behind the Berlin attack is irrelevant to Trump, as he is trigger happy and quick to point blame, even if he doesn t have the evidence to back it up. This raises massive concerns, and Trump has approximately one month before he begins his role as Commander in Chief. If he doesn t start practicing some restraint, this country is going to be in big trouble.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Russian foreign ministry says neither confirms nor denies Tillerson visit

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s Foreign Ministry declined on Tuesday to confirm or deny reported plans by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to visit Moscow, expressing its surprise at the “regular leak” of information from Washington. Sources told Reuters on Monday Tillerson planned to skip his first meeting of the 28 NATO allies in April in order to stay home for a visit by China’s president and then go to Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in response to media requests for confirmation of Tillerson’s Moscow visit that the ministry was “not prepared to confirm or deny this information”. “But we are certainly surprised by the regular leak of sensitive information from Washington,” she said in a post on Facebook. “It’s time for U.S. political elites to figure out if ‘Russian hackers’ have once again got into State Department servers or if the threat to U.S. cyber security has an American origin after all,” Zakharova said. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said later he was unaware of plans by Tillerson to visit Moscow. Skipping the NATO meeting and visiting Moscow could risk feeding a perception that Trump’s administration may be prioritizing U.S. dealings with big powers over smaller nations that depend on Washington for security. Tillerson worked with Russia’s government for years in his former role as a top executive at Exxon Mobil Corp. He has questioned the wisdom of sanctions against Russia that he said could harm U.S. businesses.

Alien Donald Trump appears on Mexico City billboard

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A massive image of U.S. President Donald Trump as an alien intruder now towers above one of the busiest roads in Mexico City urging motorists to “Make America Great Again.” The gaudy billboard sports a caricature of Trump with a blue and red fleshless face beneath his blond hair. It went up above the two-tier inner city ring road known as the Periferico last week after failing to find takers in the United States. Backed with an American flag, the 13-by-7 meter (43-by-23 feet) placard of a finger-pointing Trump was originally intended to adorn a U.S. city, said its creator, Chicago-based artist Mitch O’Connell. “America is afraid to put up this tongue-in-cheek billboard,” O’Connell told Reuters by telephone. “Then Mexico came to mind because Trump started out his campaign by being cruel and mean to everyone in Mexico.” The White House had no comment on the sign. A real estate developer and reality TV star-turned politician, Trump sparked fury in Mexico when he launched his campaign for the presidency in 2015 with a pledge to build a massive border wall and accusations that Mexico sent rapists and drug runners across the border. At the time, O’Connell was working on a poster for a science-fiction and horror film festival featuring John Carpenter’s 1988 cult classic ‘They Live’ about aliens living incognito among humans. That project would inspire his vision of Trump. About four months ago, O’Connell set up a GoFundMe page to get the image onto a billboard. The campaign raised about $3,000. He failed in some 30 attempts at pitching the arresting image in Washington, Chicago and other U.S. cities. He said he found no U.S. company “wanted to touch it because it’s political.” In the end, the Trump billboard was placed in Mexico and will remain on display for about a month, said Jorge Alderete, an Argentine artist living in Mexico City who helped mount the billboard above the busy highway. “With every month that passed since I did the drawing two years ago, he has become more like that crazy alien,” O’Connell said. “It seems over time he became more and more like the movie, so it became more and more appropriate over time.”

Mideast needs two-state solution, Pope says in Christmas message

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis used his Christmas message on Monday to call for a negotiated two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after U.S. President Donald Trump stoked regional tensions with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital. Francis spoke of the Middle East conflict and other world flashpoints in his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) address, four days after more than 120 countries backed a U.N. resolution urging the United States to reverse its decision on Jerusalem. Let us pray that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders, he said, referring to the Israelis and Palestinians. We see Jesus in the children of the Middle East who continue to suffer because of growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, he said in his address, delivered from the balcony of St. Peter s Basilica to tens of thousands of people. It was the second time that the pope has spoken out publicly about Jerusalem since Trump s decision on Dec. 6. On that day, Francis called for the city s status quo to be respected, lest new tensions in the Middle East further inflame world conflicts. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, whereas Israel has declared the whole city to be its united and eternal capital. Francis, leader of the world s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, urged people to see the defenseless baby Jesus in the children who suffer the most from war, migration and natural calamities caused by man today. Today, as the winds of war are blowing in our world ... Christmas invites us to focus on the sign of the child and to recognize him in the faces of little children, especially those for whom, like Jesus, there is no place in the inn, he said. Francis, celebrating the fifth Christmas of his pontificate, said he had seen Jesus in the children he met during his recent trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, and he called for adequate protection of the dignity of minority groups in that region. More than 600,000 Muslim Rohingya people have fled mainly Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh in recent months. The pope had to tread a delicate diplomatic line during his visit, avoiding the word Rohingya while in Myanmar, which does not recognize them as a minority group, though he used the term when in Bangladesh. Jesus knows well the pain of not being welcomed and how hard it is not to have a place to lay one s head. May our hearts not be closed as they were in the homes of Bethlehem, he said. He also urged the world to see Jesus in the innocent children suffering from wars in Syria and Iraq and also in Yemen, complaining that its people had been largely forgotten, with serious humanitarian implications for its people, who suffer from hunger and the spread of diseases . He also listed conflicts affecting children in South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Ukraine and Venezuela. At his Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter s Basilica on Sunday, Francis strongly defended immigrants, comparing them to Mary and Joseph finding no place to stay in Bethlehem and saying faith demands that foreigners be welcomed.

U.S. urges dialogue on Northern Ireland power sharing: State Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged the parties involved in Northern Ireland to continue their dialogue to reach a power-sharing agreement on Wednesday after the British government moved to impose a budget on the region. While we understand the issues under discussion between both parties are complex and sensitive, we share the UK and Irish governments belief that these can be resolved in a spirit of shared political responsibility and pragmatism, the State Department said in a statement. The British government moved on Wednesday to directly set Northern Ireland s budget after the province s main political parties failed to reach agreement on restoring a power-sharing government that collapsed in January.

Legal Fears Push Newsweek to Delete Eichenwald’s Articles Used to Smear Sputnik News

21st Century Wire says Failing US magazine Newsweek once again finds itself on the ropes.For the last year, US mainstream media outlets have given themselves license to freely spray any and all slanderous accusations regarding Russia into the public domain, and about Russian-based media outlets in particular. One of the primary motivations for this festival of defamation is of course political. Early on in the general election the Russian conspiracy theory was promulgated by the White House and the Clinton campaign and the mainstream media in order to damage Trump s credibility. After Clinton s epic loss, legions of Democratic Party affiliated journalists and Hillary Clinton supporters in the media are still angry and upset about their election loss and do not accept Donald Trump as their President. As a result, many journalists are still using their positions in media to act out in public, and mostly with the full backing of their like-minded editors and media executives.While most of the endless scapegoating and lies about Russia and Trump continue as annoying background noise, some of the US liberal establishment s fake news and libelous claims, like stories made-up by CNN are beginning to be challenged in the courts which is causing a panic on many mainstream editorial news desks across America.This latest challenge to Newsweek and its shamed staff writer Kurt Eichenwald follows on the current blow-back trend line RT International reports Sputnik and RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan commented on the removal by Newsweek of false stories about Trump conspiring with Russia, saying it deleted the lies about us, fearing court proceedings. We ll continue explaining to various newsweeks that lying is bad, Simonyan told Sputnik.Her comments come after Newsweek was forced to take down two erroneous articles by journalist Kurt Eichenwald, claiming that US President Donald Trump had conspired with Russia, as well as smearing former Sputnik editor William Moran.On Friday, Moran said that a settlement had been reached, but did not provide any further details, saying that the deal was confidential between the two sides.In October, Moran mistakenly attributed an article by Eichenwald to Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal and, realizing his mistake, deleted the article 20 minutes later. However, while the piece was online, Eichenwald saw it and imagined collusion between the Trump campaign, Sputnik, and Wikileaks.At the time, numerous media outlets (some usually quite critical of Russia) spoke out against Eichenwald. The Washington Post said that Eichenwald is at best misleading, while BuzzFeed proved that Trump and Moran quoted the same erroneous tweet, which was widespread online.Moran then contacted Eichenwald, attempting to clarify the situation and expecting Eichenwald to retract the story.That, however, did not happen. Instead, Eichenwald asked him to stay silent in exchange for a job as political reporter with The New Republic, and warned him about the potential consequences if the young journalist refused. Moran turned down the offer and went public with his version of events.Moran has left the field of journalism and is currently pursuing a law degree, Sputnik news agency said. Newsweek is an established brand of 80 years and yet it is not even in Sputnik s league in terms of global web traffic and performance, Patrick Henningsen, geopolitical analyst and executive editor at 21stCenturyWire.com, said. News outlets like RT and Sputnik are winning in the ratings battle with many US and UK English language media platforms, he said, and explained why this is happening. It is simply because the Russia-based English language outlets are filling a demand for real international news and edgy opinion. They are simply feeding a massive audience out there which has been intentionally neglected for decades by Western establishment media conglomerates who have always enjoyed a monopoly on the global English language market. A network like RT, and a website like Sputnik, are only filling a demand which was always there. READ MORE ABOUT MSM DISINFORMATION AT: 21st Century Wire Media Cog FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

Michigan governor's aides urged switch away from Flint River

DETROIT (Reuters) - Quality problems prompted two of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s top lawyers to urge that Flint be moved back to the Detroit water system just months after a decision to draw water supply from the Flint River, according to emails released on Friday. Several critics have called for Snyder to resign over concerns about the state’s poor handling of the crisis, and the governor said Friday he felt regret every day. Flint switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014 in a bid to cut costs when the city was under a state-appointed emergency manager. While the city switched its water source back to Detroit in October 2015, corrosive water from the river had already leached lead from city pipes, posing a serious threat to public health. Snyder’s aides discussed Flint’s water quality problems as early as autumn 2014, with one calling the situation “downright scary,” about a year before the switch back to the Detroit system was finally made. The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News earlier reported about the emails, which were released by the governor’s office. “That’s where I’m kicking myself every day,” Snyder said after signing a $30 million supplemental bill to reimburse Flint residents for their water bills. “I wish I would have asked more questions.” Snyder, scheduled to testify to Congress on March 17, has repeatedly apologized for the state’s poor handling of the crisis. Liberal group Progress Michigan again called for Snyder to resign, citing the emails. “There’s no reasonable person who can believe at this point that every top adviser to Rick Snyder knew that there was an issue, but Snyder knew nothing,” said executive director Lonnie Scott, who also called for Snyder’s resignation. Valerie Brader, Snyder’s senior policy adviser, addressed problems over the quality of Flint River water in an email to the governor’s chief of staff, Dennis Muchmore, and others on Oct. 14, 2014. She argued Flint should be returned to the Detroit water system, citing bacterial contamination and reduced quality that prompted General Motors to switch away from the river due to rusted car parts. Michael Godola, then the governor’s legal counsel, responded, calling the Flint River as a water source “downright scary.” On Friday, State Representative Sheldon Neeley of Flint asked Attorney General Bill Schuette for his legal opinion on whether an official withholding information that leads to death or harm can be charged criminally.

New York City ad campaign supports transgender bathroom rights

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced a citywide advertising campaign supporting a person’s right to use bathrooms corresponding with his or her gender identity, wading into a debate that has pitted more than a dozen states against the federal government. The advertisements, which de Blasio described as the nation’s first government-sponsored citywide campaign of its kind, will appear in subway cars, at bus stops, on phone booths and in both online and traditional publications. The ads feature transgender New Yorkers and encourage residents to “look past pink and blue,” among other messages. In March, de Blasio signed an executive order ensuring that transgender people can use the bathroom of their choice in any city-owned building without being asked for identification by employees. City law already allows transgender individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. “While other cities and states are legislating intolerance and taking away individuals’ right to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity, we are proudly standing with our transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers,” de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement. President Barack Obama’s administration in May released guidance telling public schools across the United States that they must allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. The letter, which offered the U.S. government’s interpretation of anti-discrimination law, contained the implicit threat of cutting off federal funding for schools that do not comply. Officials from more than a dozen states have either sued or plan to sue the Obama administration, challenging the directive as unconstitutional. North Carolina and the U.S. Department of Justice exchanged federal lawsuits last month over the state’s law banning people from using bathrooms that do not correspond to their gender of their birth.

(VIDEO) NEW AD FROM CARLY FIORINA HAMMERS HILLARY IN A BIG WAY!

However you feel about Fiorina, this ad takes the gloves off and gives Hillary a big smack down!

the simpsons react to their trump election prediction and theyre not happy video

on november pm donald trump has had a rocky relationship with the press ever since his presidential campaign and hes only punished them further for trying to report the truth since becoming the presidentelect on monday trump was set to have an off the record meeting with television networks to try and hash out presidential press access this meeting was particularly important because trump has previously limited press access and has ditched two protocol press pools since getting elected some reporters in attendance were nbcs deborah turness lester holt and chuck todd abcs james goldston george stephanopoulos david muir and martha raddatz cbs norah odonnell and charlie rose fox news bill shine jack abernethy jay wallace suzanne scott msnbcs phil griffin and cnns jeff zucker and erin burnett it was a good group and it could have been a very effective meeting if only things had gone according to plan unfortunately instead of having a respectful conversation and coming up with an amicable way to move forward what the press got was a baby trump temper tantrum of epic proportions or as one person put it it was like a fcking firing squad trump made zero attempt to hide his disrespect for the media according to the new york post one anonymous source said the meeting was a total disaster the tv execs and anchors went in there thinking they would be discussing the access they would get to the trump administration but instead they got a trumpstyle dressing down this claim was backed up by another person who said the meeting took place in a big board room and there were about or people including the big news anchors from all the networks trump kept saying were in a room of liars the deceitful dishonest media who got it all wrong he addressed everyone in the room calling the media dishonest deceitful liars he called out jeff zucker by name and said everyone at cnn was a liar and cnn was network of liars this attack left reporters stunned and even as they tried to keep bringing up press access to stay on topic trump barely let them speak while this is certainly shocking this behavior is completely typical of trump he has always hated the free press because it has held him accountable and reported on his mistakes and shortcomings americans on social media are already coming to terms with how terrifying this is twitter twitter twitter interestingly enough trump spokeswoman kellyanne conway had the nerve to say the meeting went well she said excellent meetings with the top executives of the major networks pretty unprecedented meeting we put together in two days disgraceful featured image by christopher furlong via getty images share this article author vera my passion is bringing attention to human rights and equality issues in addition to writing for addicting info i also run a website and digital magazine dedicated to social issues and promoting equality in all forms search

Bodies of Egyptians killed by Islamic State in Libya recovered: report

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The bodies of 21 Egyptian Christians killed by Islamic State in its former Libyan stronghold of Sirte have been recovered, the attorney general s office said on Friday. The bodies were found in the same orange jumpsuits the victims were wearing when they were filmed being killed in the coastal city in February 2015, according to a statement provided to Libya s Al-Ahrar TV channel. Sadiq al-Sour, the head of investigations for the attorney general s office, said last week that the area where the bodies were buried had been identified after a captured commander gave details of its whereabouts. Islamic State took control of Sirte in 2015 and lost the city late last year to local forces backed by U.S. air strikes.

Small protests against Trump in Japan, Philippines

TOKYO (Reuters) - Several hundred people, most of them expatriate Americans, held a protest on Friday in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, hours before his inauguration in Washington. Some people held up electric candles and others carried placards reading “Love Trumps Hate” and “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”, as they marched along a downtown street. “Trump presidency gets my blood boiling ... Everything we value could be gone. It’s time to speak your mind and concerns and to do our best to salvage the values we cherish in America,” said Bill Scholer, an art teacher. “I grew up in the 1960s, and it feels like we are going backwards, and am very worried that we will lose all of the advances we have made over these years,” said Holly Thompson, a writer. Women’s rights activists plan protests in various Asian cities on Saturday. In the Philippines earlier on Friday, about 200 demonstrators from a Philippine nationalist group rallied for about an hour against Trump outside the U.S. embassy in Manila. Some held up signs demanding U.S. troops leave the Philippines while others set fire to a paper U.S. flag bearing a picture of Trump’s face. Trump’s presidency is being viewed with caution in some parts of Asia. He alarmed China by breaking with decades of precedent last month by taking a congratulatory telephone call from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and objects to countries interacting with it as a violation of Beijing’s “one-China” principle. Trump has even raised questions about the U.S. position on the principle. Trump has also criticized China’s trade practices and threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports. He has also said he would kill an ambitious Asia-Pacific trade pact, raising questions about the prospects for globalization and free trade.

Michigan Teacher Accused of Assault for Trying to Make Student Stand for Pledge of Allegiance [Video]

So we disrespect the flag in class now? Whether this teacher tried to get this child to stand is one thing another thing is the fact that children AND adults aren t being taught why we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. MAYBE THIS KID COULD TALK TO THE KID WHO WON T STAND: The video below was created by a student to teach students the importance and meaning behind saying the Pledge of Allegiance:STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE!A student in Farmington Hills, Michigan is accusing a teacher of assault. The teacher tried to get the boy to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance but the boy says he doesn t do that.The teacher was put on leave and is under investigation now.A Black Publication is trying to spin this as just more racism after other black athletes refused to stand for the National Anthem. Notice how The Root spins this alleged assault: Everybody is all about freedom of speech and expression until a black person (hey, Colin Kaepernick; hey, Jemele Hill) decides to exercise his or her right to do so. And in this particular case, a black sixth-grader out of Michigan says he was assaulted by his homeroom teacher all because he was exercising his rights and declined to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.STONE CHANEY:Stone Chaney is a sixth-grader and had just started his first week of school but may not go back because he feels his rights were violated.Stone claims: The teacher consultant comes up behind me and snatches me out of my chair violently. I was so confused. I didn t know what was going on. He says the homeroom teacher tried to force him to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. I PLEDGE TO GOD AND FAMILY Click on Detroit reported: I don t stand because I don t pledge to a flag, Stone said. I pledge to God and family. The alleged incident happened Sept. 7. Stone said the next day, another teacher yelled at him for sitting down during the Pledge. I don t feel safe going to that school anymore because I don t know what they re going to do next, Stone said.His father addressed the district directly during their last board meeting. It s his choice to sit, Brian Chaney said. I don t make him sit. And they should respect that. Marine veteran Stephen Stevens sees things differently. I would love to be able to talk to them and get their side and explain my side so maybe we could come to an understanding, Stevens said. Because I get they have that right, but I don t believe they understand what that right really entails. If they re fighting for freedom, they re fighting for us to have choices, Brian Chaney said. Then it s our choice. The superintendent of Farmington Public Schools released the following statement: The District fully supports the right of each student to participate or not in the daily Pledge. The teacher allegedly involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave. At this time, the District cannot speculate about the outcome of the pending investigation. The family is exploring its options. Stone hasn t gone back to school, but they re probably going to leave the district.

Trump Just Claimed He Beat Obama In The Election And Got RIPPED APART By Twitter (TWEETS)

Donald Trump can t let it go. A broken and antiquated system that exists solely to benefit slave-owning states by increasing the value of their residents votes while devaluing everyone else s the Electoral College allowed him to become President despite his opponent trouncing him in the popular vote, and he still isn t satisfied because he failed to travel back in time and vanquish his true nemesis: President Obama.Ever since he recently claimed that he could have beaten the President if he ran against him, Trump has been the subject of mockery but on Tuesday, his delusion came to a head when he claimed he had actually beaten Obama, who could not and did not run in 2016. President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in the very important swing states, and lost, Twitler tweeted. The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in the very important swing states, and lost.The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2016Now sure, he actually ended up with a historic popular vote loss among people who have become President while Obama enjoyed a record-shattering popular vote win while also managing to win via the Electoral College, but The Donald is confident that he could beat Obama in a head-to-head matchup. Naturally, the mockery intensified to match this new level of stupidity:.@realDonaldTrump Honey honey shhhh. It's over. You did it, baby. You have to be President now. Stop catastrophizing into imaginary spirals. Bess Kalb (@bessbell) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump My nephew tweets 3-4x a day too. He's 12. david nuzzy nussbaum (@theNuzzy) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump obama wasn't running this year Tuesdave (@redletterdave) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump delete your account Brad Sams (@bdsams) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump OMG get over it, you "won", we all KNOW, believe me Mike Denison (@mikd33) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump I love that it's always going to eat you alive, that you lost the popular vote. You're a sore winner, and a sore (popular vote) loser. Trey Pearson (@treypearson) December 27, 2016@treypearson @realDonaldTrump He lost the popular vote in HISTORIC FASHION! Long after he's dead & gone, that HISTORIC LOSS will remain. LOL Hadus A. Goodrun (@ochutup) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump How is you being a bitch on twitter making America great again? Tommy Campbell (@MrTommyCampbell) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump you're lucky he couldn't run for a third term. pic.twitter.com/y8bwsGGLIw Jordan Uhl (@JordanUhl) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump You lost the popular vote by 2.9 million just sayin' Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump Reminder: Obama wasn't running this year. You're claiming to have won against an imaginary opponent. Anirvan Ghosh (@anirvanghosh) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump president Obama won both times. Release your tax returns. Molly Knight (@molly_knight) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump You are a child. No, that's an insult to children. Children love life, & are full of wonder & happiness. That's not you. Larry Sullivan (@larrysullivan) December 27, 2016Good God @realDonaldTrump. It's over you won (sort of). Have a nice conjugal cuddle with your "charity" funded portrait, and move on. Steve Blum (@blumspew) December 27, 2016 @realDonaldTrump Oh dear, it must be time for your pills, grandpa Trump. Obama didn't run in 2016, remember? It was Hillary. HILL-LA-REE! RJ Palacio (@RJPalacio) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump President Obama campaigned in 2008 and 2012, and unlike you, he won the electoral college AND the popular vote. #resist Nicky Jay (@BrooklynSun76) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump you are a bit of a goose. Obama is far more popular than Hillary and wasn't the candidate, if you hadn't noticed. Stephen Mayne (@MayneReport) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump Obama wasn't running. I'm honestly not sure you realize that. You may have legit mental issues. Get checked out. Scott Springer (@scott_springer) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump} You really are senile aren't you,President Obama didn't loose, Hillary Clinton lost ,to a cheater named Donald Trump Larry Martin (@LarryGeneMartin) December 27, 2016@realDonaldTrump The voters had no choice. We couldnt vote Obama in for a third term. LisaL.A.?? (@LisaBBFF) December 27, 2016At this point, Trump should be working on unifying the country (as though that is possible with him in charge). Unfortunately, it seems that he is more focused on being a Twitter troll than on being President. Even more unfortunately, our country will suffer for it.Featured image via Getty Images (Ethan Miller)/screengrab

Pence says NAFTA renegotiation will be a 'win win win'

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday he was confident a renegotiation of the NAFTA trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada will be a “win win win.” Speaking to business leaders in Santiago, Pence added it was important for Chile to comply with the intellectual property rights section of its free trade agreement with the United States and that he had urged President Michelle Bachelet to make TV piracy a criminal offense.

NEW SMOKING GUN IRS DOCUMENTS Prove Targeting of Conservative Groups

Remember the emotional testimony of Wetumpka Tea Party leader Becky Garritson:The documents were produced after a revelation by the IRS that it had located an additional 6,924 documents of potentially responsive records relating to a 2015 Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit about the Obama IRS targeting scandal. The FOIA lawsuit seeks records about the IRS selection of individuals and organizations for audits based upon applications requesting nonprofit tax status filed by Tea Party and other 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organizations (Judicial Watch v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:15-cv-00220)).Of the 695 pages of documents released by the IRS, 422 (61%) were withheld in their entirety. These newly identified records are not records that were contained in the Congressional Database, which the IRS created in 2013 to house records responsive to congressional inquiries into the IRS scandal.Included among the newly released material is a June 20, 2013, memo from Karen Schiller, then-Acting Director, EO Rulings and Agreement, suspending use of the controversial Be on the Lookout (BOLO) and Touch and Go (TAG) lists:EO Rulings and Agreements is undertaking a comprehensive review of screening and identification of critical issues. We intend to develop proper procedures and uses for these types of documents. Until a more formal process for identification, approval and distribution of this type of data is established, Rulings and Agreements will not use this technique to elevate issues.In an August 9, 2013, memo, Schiller admitted the IRS used political labels in targeting the groups for special scrutiny and possible audit and that, going forward, the agency would screen organizations based only on their activities, not words or labels of any kind: As Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel has said, the IRS has taken decisive action to eliminate the use of inappropriate political labels in the screening of 501(c)(4) applications. IRS policy is now clear that screening is based on activity, not words in a name. The new steps and current policies were outlined in the June 24 report, which noted: In the absence of BOLO lists, the Determinations Unit will continue to screen for information affecting the determination of applications for tax exempt status, including activity tied to political campaign intervention, but it [will] be done without regard to specific labels of any kind. The 30-day report also reflects the June 20, 2013 memorandum, which was issued to officially suspend the use of the BOLO list in the screening process.The documents also include a Dear Applicant letter which offers an expedited process for 501(c)(4)s in exchange for restriction on their activities:This optional expedited process is currently available only to applicants for 501(c)(4) status with applications pending for more than 120 days as of May 28, 2013, that indicate the organization may be involved in political campaign intervention.In this optional process, an organization will represent that it satisfies, and will continue to satisfy, set percentages with respect to the level of its social welfare activities and political campaign intervention activities (as defined in the specific instructions on pages 5-7). These percentage representations are not an interpretation of law but are a safe harbor for those organizations that choose to participate in the optional process.On September 30, 2013, Acting Director, Exempt Organizations, Kenneth C. Corbin, sent a memo to IRS staff providing detailed guidance on classifying applications when merit approval is not an option, emphasizing that the determination is to be based on facts and circumstances, not words and labels: Classifier reviews the application and determines if it should be routed to a specialty group. This determination is based upon facts and circumstances of the stated activities within Part II of the application rather than names or labels. This is consistent with Karen Schiller s August 9, 2013 memorandum The Schiller and Corbin memos came on the heels of the May 14, 2013, Inspector General report revealing that the IRS had singled out groups using conservative-sounding terms such as patriot and Tea Party when applying for tax-exempt status. The IG probe determined that Early in Calendar Year 2010, the IRS began using inappropriate criteria to identify organizations applying for tax-exempt status (e.g., lists of past and future donors) and delayed processing of targeted groups applications in advance of the 2012 presidential election.Of the 422 withheld pages, 98% (all but nine) cited the FOIA deliberative process provision under FOIA Exemption 5. No wonder the Obama IRS has been hiding these records. The new smoking-gun documents contain admissions by the Obama IRS that it inappropriately targeted conservative groups, said Judicial Watch President, Tom Fitton. But the records also show that the abuse continued as the Obama IRS tried to force conservative applicants to give up their First Amendment rights in order to finally get their applications granted. Previously, Judicial Watch released IRS documents containing email correspondence dated April 2, 2013, from former IRS Director of Exempt Organizations, Lois Lerner, to internal IRS investigators revealing the inappropriate BOLO criteria used to select conservative organizations for screening and scrutiny:The screening [Cincinnati field office] group manager asked his employees how they were applying the BOLO s short-hand reference to tea party. His employees responded that they were including organizations meeting any of the following criteria as falling within the BOLO s reference to tea party organizations: 1. Tea Party , Patriots or 9/12 Project is referenced in the case file. 2. Issues include government spending, government debt and taxes. 3. Educate the public through advocacy/legislative activities to make America a better place to live. 4. Statements in the case file that are critical of the how the country is being run Via: Judicial Watch

Trump's 'bad hombres' and 'nasty woman' remarks stoke online outrage

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stirred social media ire on Wednesday after he said: “We have some bad hombres here” and referred to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton as “such a nasty woman.” The remarks during the third and final presidential debate came as Trump struggles to attract support from Latinos and women ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. During the face-off in Las Vegas, Trump repeated his call for tougher security at the Mexican border, saying: “We have to keep the drugs out of our country.” Adding he would also go after major drug dealers in the United States, he said: “We have some bad hombres here and we’re going to get them out.” Social media users quickly seized on the remark. “This #BadHombres is the first of his family to graduate from college, did Americorps & taught in public schools,” tweeted José N Miranda. “Sometimes I forget this is a presidential debate and not an SNL (Saturday Night Live) skit #badhombres,” wrote Twitter user Ian Mayberry. The term “Bad Hombres” became one of the most-discussed topics of the night on U.S. social media and was tweeted out about 134,000 times during and immediately after the debate, according to digital marketing technology company Amobee. Trump has aroused criticism for inflammatory comments about Mexican illegal immigrants during his presidential bid. During a speech to kick off his campaign in June 2015, Trump accused Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals to the United States. In late August, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto met with the Republican nominee and said later that Trump’s policies “could represent a huge threat to Mexico.” Later in the debate, Trump interjected as Clinton said she would raise taxes on the wealthy to help fund the U.S. government’s Social Security retirement program and that Trump would be paying higher taxes too unless he could get out of it. “Such a nasty woman,” he said. The comment struck many online as sexist, with over 300,000 tweeting the phrase “nasty woman” by the early hours of Thursday. “Calling someone a ‘nasty woman’ on live television is so deeply and unbelievably offensive,” tweeted Danielle Suchet. “‘What a nasty woman.’ That was the viscerally, awful, genuine part,” wrote Jake Swanton. Trump’s campaign was shaken by the recent release of a 2005 tape in which he boasted of kissing and touching women without their consent. Several women have since charged that he groped them, allegations he has described as “absolutely false.” (This version of the story has been refiled to clarify Amobee company role)

NUDGING TO WAR: U.S. Shoots Down Syrian Army Fighter Jet

21st Century Wire says Yesterday a US F/A-18E Super Hornet is reported to have shot down a Syrian Army SU-22 jet near the village of Rasafah, south of Raqqa. Washington claims it was an act of collective self-defense because the Syrian jet had dropped bombs near US-backed forces. Syrian officials in Damascus deny the US claims, stating that their plane was downed while conducting a strike on an ISIS position. According to a statement released by Damascus, the US act of aggression in Syria airspace was a flagrant attack was an attempt to undermine the efforts of the army as the only effective force capable with its allies in fighting terrorism across its territory. Officials added that, this comes at a time when the Syrian army and its allies were making clear advances in fighting the (ISIS) terrorist group. US officials are claiming that pro-Syrian regime forces on the ground attacked the US-backed Kurdish militias under the SDF brand (Syrian Democratic Forces) near Tabqa outside Raqqa, after which time the US-led Coalition planes engaged Syrian military. US officials then claim that a Syrian planes dropped bombs near the US-backed forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issue this statement: We call on the United State and all others who have their forces or advisors on the ground [in Syria] to ensure the coordination in our work. Zones of de-escalation are one of the possible options to jointly move forward. We call on everyone to avoid unilateral moves, respect Syrian sovereignty and join our common work which is agreed with the Syrian Arab Republic s government. 21WIRE reported earlier this week how the presence of US and UK troops on the ground inside of Syrian sovereign territory may be provoking an escalation of an already tense situation in both Raqqa and in the region around al-Tanf. US-led coalition forces are supposedly there to train and assist anti-ISIS militias, but also anti-Assad rebel militias too. The US also also trying to impose self-styled deconfliction zones around al-Tanf.In recent months, the Syrian Army have been making huge advances against ISIS positions. This latest US attack on Syria indicates that the US do not want the Syrian Army involved in the liberation of Raqqa presumable to be able to stage-manage and control the operation and media coverage for its global audience, as the US did previously with Mosul in Iraq.A clear pattern has emerged with almost every US strike against Syrian forces inside of Syria in each and every instance, the main beneficiary appears to be ISIS.Based on past incidents where US forces have attack Syrian military assets, in each instance the US attacks have benefited ISIS on the ground leading many to conclude that the US Coalition forces are helping ISIS to gain strategic advantage against the Syria Army on the ground.Back in September 2016, US had attacked and massacred over 80 Syrian military soldiers after a Coalition airstrike on Dier Azor a US attack which allowed ISIS to strategically advance past Syrian Army defensive positions. In addition to aiding ISIS on the ground, this act by the US also ruined any chance of a viable ceasefire agreement with Russia and Syria at the time.A similar events took place on June 5, 2017 when US-led coalition forces attacked what they called pro-Syrian regime forces near the town of al Tanf in southeast Syria, claiming the Syrian forces including some 60 troops, had somehow entered what the US claim was a well-established de-confliction zone. The US strike helped to take pressure off of a retreating ISIS in the region.In addition to this, the US cruise missile strike Syria s Sharat airbase near Homs killed some 80 people, supposedly in response to an alleged ;chemical weapons attack at Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib Province.According to Aleppo MP Fares Shehabi, the US missile attack should be viewed as an act against an airport that is solely dedicated to fighting ISIS in Syria. And this attack is illegal, it s stupid. As it stands the US presence in Syria is in violation of both US and International Law. STAY TUNE FOR MORE UPDATESREAD MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire SYRIA FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

JUDGE JEANINE PIRRO Rips Into The Trump Rally Protesters In A Great Opening Statement [Video]

We love Judge Jeanine s take on everything but this Opening Statement is epic! I think you can see steam coming out of her ears!

No cuts to U.S. entitlement programs in Trump budget: Mnuchin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s first budget proposal will spare big social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Mnuchin said Trump would also use a major policy speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night to preview some elements of his sweeping plans to cut taxes for the middle class, simplify the tax system and make American companies more globally competitive with lower rates and changes to encourage U.S. manufacturing. Speaking on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program, Mnuchin, who has acknowledged that tax reform is his top policy priority, said the budget plan would not seek cuts to federal benefits programs known as “entitlements.” “We are not touching those now. So don’t expect to see that as part of this budget, OK,” Mnuchin said of the programs, according to a transcript provided by Fox. “We are very focused on other aspects and that’s what’s very important to us. And that’s the president’s priority.” Trump during his election campaign promised not to cut Social Security, Medicare healthcare for seniors nor Medicaid healthcare for the poor. Preservation of these programs, coupled with a middle-class tax cut, would aid the retirees and working class Americans who make up a significant portion of Trump’s political base. In a transcript of the Fox News Channel interview, Mnuchin said Trump will be “touching on tax reform” in his speech. Mnuchin said the plan would cut the number of tax brackets and “create a level playing field for U.S. companies to be able to compete in the world.” But Wall Street, which has sent stocks to record highs on anticipation of Trump’s tax cut plans, has grown impatient and could react negatively to a lack of substantive details about the plan in Trump’s speech, financial analysts said. With both chambers of the U.S. Congress in Republican hands, Trump has the potential to enact major elements of his legislative agenda. But divisions with the Republican Party over the approach on Obamacare and taxes could prove to be an obstacle. Some Republican lawmakers have urged Trump to lay out more specifics on his policy plans, saying that more White House engagement is needed to build momentum in Congress for his agenda. Mnuchin offered little new information and said key tax plan elements were not yet settled. He said Trump was looking at a “reciprocal tax” that would help create more trade parity with other countries. Trump administration officials have complained that many countries charge value-added taxes on imports while exempting exports from taxation. But Mnuchin again said he was still “studying very carefully” a House Republican border tax adjustment plan that would levy a 20 percent tax on imports to encourage more U.S.-based production and exports. That plan aims to raise more than $1 trillion in revenue over a decade to offset lower tax rates for businesses. “There are certain aspects that the president likes about the concept of a border-adjusted tax, there are certain aspects that he’s very concerned about,” Mnuchin said. He added that the Trump administration would work with the House of Representatives and Senate to craft “a combined plan that takes the best of all of this when we bring it forward.” In a comment suggesting that Trump’s budget and tax plans may use aggressive revenue assumptions, Mnuchin said the administration “fundamentally believes in dynamic scoring,” a budget calculation method that assumes that a lower tax burden boosts revenues by encouraging economic activity. The Congressional Budget Office has previously used mainly “static” scoring methods that assume very conservative economic effects of tax and budget changes.

video rude cnn reporter asks trump why hes taking time off to open a hotel

ive been living in south east asia for almost a decade now and over that time ive come to have a matured perspective on living here and a fair appreciation of the pros and cons of doing so like most people who come here i set off thinking i was going to live in paradise thats far from the reality let me tell you living in south east asia has its pros and cons just like anywhere else while i myself have decided to return west for a while ill always have a connection to asia and im sure ill be back many times throughout my life so whats the real story with living in asia is it all its cracked up to be what does a man have to be aware of when coming here lets look at six common stereotypical ideas about living in south east asia and assess them in the light of reality asian women are kind gentle and compliant to their husbands so sweet not so fast this is most definitely a myth and if you come out here expecting to find some little house pet who does your bidding youll be in for a rude awakening its definitely true that asian women in my experience are a lot more traditional they give the man his place in the house rarely question your final decisions and do not resent housework and basic wifely duties however the idea that theyll just do whatever you tell them without question is nonsense theyre human beings with a will of their own and you wouldnt be the first guy to get a smack in the head from a fivefoottwo broad who weighs pounds if you disrespect her the idea that asian women are some sort of angelic alternative to western women is also nonsense while its not the norm ive met several western men who have been taken to the cleaners by their asian wives and girlfriends when you move here youre completely at her mercy and you will never have any legal rights as a citizen asian women generally are a lot more traditional but this stereotype that theyre some sort of perfect wife material has got to go theyre individualsand there are all kinds good and bad among them read this guide to dating asian women for a more complete perspective on the issue its a thorny subject and theres a lot of misunderstanding surrounding it asia is ridiculously cheap this is one id have to lean slightly towards agreeing with most things in asia are a lot cheaper eating out for my entire family often costs less than meaning i can afford to do it basically every day my rent for a condo apartment costs less than a month although thats mostly because i live in the sticks and am not in a major city a general rule of thumb is that outside of major cities like bangkok singapore and kl you can divide the cost of living by three and get a rough estimate note this does not apply to consumer goods such as cars and electrical appliances which are in and around the same price it certainly does not apply to luxury goods which are often much more expensive because of the taxes placed on them by local governments asia is cheaper overall but anything other than the basics costs roughly the same life in south east asia can be cheaper but it isnt necessarily soit depends on your lifestyle you can become a citizen of an asian country and stay forever becoming a citizen in an asian country is nigh on impossible even if you could you probably wouldnt want to you can get a variety of visas like permanent residency and each country aims to facilitate the spouses of their nationals and especially retirees with proven cash in the bank however youll not become a citizen with all of the various rights they enjoy its also worth noting while you might get permanent residence youll never be one of them even if you live here for years you will always be a foreigner and will be viewed as such by locals this has pros and cons to it but youll never quite feel at home and accepted as one of the group youll get undue respect from some for being a westerner but forget about talking politics or leveling criticisms at the way things are doneyoull be met with hostility and resentment for the latter the weather in asia is sunshine the weather in south east asia is generally pretty awesome and you can live an outdoors life youll truly enjoy if youre that type the sun shines almost every day and even when its overcast its warm meaning you can go out and about and do anything from walk on the beach to shop in the city however when the storms come youd better be prepared to get your ass inside the rainfall and wind in many countries in south east asia is truly terrifying just switch on any news station the next time a major storm hits the philippines and youll see what its like thankfully after years of living in the philippines ive never been caught directly in a major storm although ive seen the tail end of plenty of them the weather is good when its good and utterly awful when its bad check this clip out to see how bad it can get asia is years behind the west in terms of development this is a stereotype thats deeply mistaken and whether or not its true depends on which country you go to true countries like laos and bangladesh are miles behind any western nation but head to singapore and youll be shocked by how far ahead of us they are in terms of tech and development asia is developing at breakneck pace and with that development comes super highways skytrains skyscrapers and everything else we usually associate with an advanced country it wont be long before many countries out here catch up and surpass the west although it is definitely true that most of them are slightly behind for now theres a phenomenon called leapfrogging which virtually guarantees asian countries will catch up to and surpass the west quickly leapfrogging is when they can skip all of the evolution and development and simply emulate modern day technology developed elsewherea great example is india where they have skipped the transition from dialup to mobie internet and gone straight from nothing to mobile if you think this cant be done and there are intellectual property laws to protect tech from being stolen wholesale i salute you but i have to laugh there are no such laws and even if there were nobody would bother to enforce them on the other hand you still have many scenes like this outside your window when you get out of the main cities asians are extremely family oriented again this is one i lean towards agreeing with there are exceptions to every rule but the family unit is extremely strong in asia especially countries like the philippines i dont want to wax lyrical or speculate as to why this is its enough to acknowledge it as a fact and accept that its the case of the asian people i have ever met and gotten to know from indonesia to the philippines to thailand are devoted to their families to the extent that wed consider it cultlike in most western countries i pass no judgment on this whatsoever it can be a great thing or a bad thing depending on your own perspective i personally like it and think its something weve lost in many european countries and america too this is an idea about asia i agree withthe dedication to family above individuality is definitely true and so by default if you get into a relationship with an asian woman be prepared for this the family unit is the sun around which everything orbits in most asian countries living in asia summary sorry to disappoint you fellas but you wont find paradise in south east asia what you will find is a place with many opportunities pitfalls pros and cons but which i do not regret living in for a single second and which has come to be a large part of my lifes story i came out for a year and stayed for almost a decade however ive decided that time is now over and its time to go home id love to hear about your experiences living or traveling in asia do you find my perceptions to be accurate or do you have a different view read more why western men prefer foreign women over their own

WOW! HUNGARY’S PRIME MINISTER Follows Through On Promise To Build Border Wall…George Soros Will Be Furious When He Sees The STUNNING Number of Illegal Immigrants He’s Kept Out So Far

Hungary has slashed illegal immigration by over 99 per cent after rolling out a series of powerful border fences in response to the European migrant crisis, possibly providing a lesson as to the potential impact of constructing President Trump s much-discussed southern wall in the U.S.A razor-wire fence built along Hungary s southern border with Serbia and Croatia has helped to sharply reduce the number of migrants from the hundreds of thousands who last year moved up from the Balkans towards northern Europe, especially Germany.Hungary says it has registered 19,140 asylum applications in 2016 and more than 14,000 migrants have crossed its southern borders illegally.Speaking on the second anniversary of the government s move to seal Hungary s border with Serbia which is also an external border for the European Union Prime Minister Viktor Orb n s Chief Security Advisor Gy rgy Bakondi announced that the fences have caused illegal immigration to collapse from 391,000 in 2015, to 18,236 in 2016, to just 1,184 in 2017.In February 2017, Prime Minister Orb n took his war against George Soros public:Hungary s populist prime minister on Friday lashed out against billionaire financier George Soros, claiming he and groups backed by him want to secretly influence the country s politics.In his annual state of the nation speech, Viktor Orban said groups partly funded by Soros, who was born in Hungary, needed to be made transparent and identifiable. Large-bodied predators are swimming here in the waters. This is the trans-border empire of George Soros, with tons of money and international heavy artillery, said Orban, who received a Soros-funded scholarship as Hungary was transitioning from communism to democracy in the late 1980s. It is causing trouble that they are trying secretly and with foreign money to influence Hungarian politics, Orban said.Breitbart: The system of technical barriers is the key to the success of border security, and without it, it would be impossible to stop the mass arrival of immigrants , the security chief explained.Hungary had to respond rapidly to the migrant influx which burst upon Europe after Germany s Angela Merkel announced there was no limit on the number of asylum seekers her own country would accept, so its frontiers are defended by twin fences peppered with watchtowers and patrolled by thousands of newly recruited border guards rather than a solid wall which would have taken longer to construct.Nevertheless, as it has been steadily reinforced illegal migration has slowed to a trickle drawing the ire of open borders activists like billionaire financier George Soros and globalist officials at the European Union and the United Nations.In June 2017, Orb n told the Hungarian parliament that his country will not give in to blackmail from Brussels and we reject the mandatory relocation quota. Schulz shot back swiftly at Orb n in his speech on Tuesday.His comments came as the European Commission voted to launch infringement proceedings against the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary for not taking in refugees under a mandatory 2015 quota system advocated by Germany that aimed to relocate 160,000 refugees across the Continent.Hungary s badass Prime Minister Viktor Orb n has consistently stood up to leftist EU bullies who are demanding that all EU nations take their fair share of the mass influx of mostly Muslim refugees. We shall not allow others to tell us whom we can let into our home and country, whom we can live alongside. Prime Minister Viktor Orb nWatch Prime Minister Viktor Orb n s historic speech in March 2016, where he demands other European leaders find their backbone and save Europe before it s too late. His speech will make you want to stand up and cheer! Mr.Orb n says That s a German problem, Schulz said. Let me make this perfectly clear: When it comes to agricultural policy, it s all Yes, please. When it comes to subsidies, it s all Yes, please. And when it comes to solidarity in refugee policy, it s No, thank you that s not acceptable.

Merkel: We'll conduct Brexit talks to minimize damage to Germany

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday she would conduct negotiations on Britain s looming departure from the European Union in such a way that Germany suffers as little damage as possible. These negotiations are important. We ll conduct them, she said at a trade union event in the northern state of Lower Saxony, which is due to hold an election on Sunday. And we ll conduct them in such a way that there is as little damage as possible for us here in Germany, she added.

Clinton 'strongly opposes' Hensarling plan to roll back Dodd-Frank: adviser

(Reuters) - Hillary Clinton “strongly opposes” a proposal unveiled by a Republican congressman on Tuesday to roll back Dodd-Frank financial reforms, an adviser to the Democratic presidential candidate said. In a statement, Clinton adviser Gary Gensler said the proposal from Representative Jeb Hensarling, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, was “ill-conceived.” “Hillary Clinton strongly opposes Chairman Hensarling and Donald Trump’s efforts to gut critical reforms put in place to protect the public after the financial crisis,” he said.

Russia's Putin says Trump behaves extravagantly to get message across

KRASNAYA POLYANA (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump behaved extravagantly during his campaign because he represented ordinary voters and wanted to get his message across. “He has chosen a method to get through to voters’ hearts,” Putin told foreign policy experts in southern Russia. “He (Trump) behaves extravagantly of course, we see this, but I think there’s a reason for this.”

dr david duke with mark collett of the uk collett explains why duke trump victories would change politics forever

dr david duke and adrian salbuch the international impact of a us president trump and us senator duke november at pm dr david duke and adrian salbuch the international impact of a us president trump and us senator duke today dr duke had renown argentine journalist adrian salbuchi as his guest for the hour our show is aired live at am replayed at et pm eastern and am eastern click on image to donate and please spread this message to others

Italy's 5-Star pummels center-right in Rome beachfront vote

ROME (Reuters) - Italy s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement pummeled a center-right coalition to govern Ostia, one of Rome s largest neighborhoods, in a run-off vote that confirms the 5-Star s strength months away from a national election. Five-Star s Giuliana Di Pillo took 60 percent of the vote, doubling her first-round result, against 40 percent for the center-right s Monica Picca in a closely watched contest that comes just months before a national election. The result shows the legal troubles that have plagued the administration of Rome s 5-Star mayor, Virginia Raggi, since her election in June of last year have not dampened the maverick party s popularity in the capital. There is a Raggi effect and it s positive, Luigi Di Maio, the 5-Star prime minister candidate, wrote on Twitter. In Rome we continue to win even against a coalition of five center-right forces. The 5-Star is Italy s most-popular party ahead of a national vote due between March and May, while the ruling Democratic Party (PD) is a distant second, a poll showed last week. But a center-right alliance joining Silvio Berlusconi s Forza Italia (Go Italy!), the anti-immigration Northern League and the far-right Brothers of Italy would pull in the most votes, though it would fall short of a parliamentary majority. The PD failed to make it to Ostia s run-off and the turnout was just 34 percent. The previous center-left administration for the capital s seaside borough, which has more than 230,000 inhabitants, was dissolved two years ago after police said it had fallen under the influence of organized crime. This year s campaign was marred by alleged connections between the neo-fascist Casapound party, which won more than 9 percent in the first round and will have a seat on the local council, and organized crime. Ten days before the runoff, Robert Spada, a brother of an imprisoned mobster, attacked a journalist for RAI state TV who had gone to ask questions about Spada s open support for Casapound. Italian organized crime groups have long sought control of local governments, and some 450 municipal administrations of different political stripes have been dissolved for mafia infiltration over the past quarter century.

Ex-Bosnian Serb commander Mladic convicted of genocide, gets life in prison

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A U.N. tribunal on Wednesday convicted ex-Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic of genocide and crimes against humanity for massacres of Bosnian Muslims and ethnic cleansing campaigns to forge a Greater Serbia , and jailed him for life. Mladic was hustled out of the court minutes before the verdict for angrily shouting, This is all lies, you are all liars! The outburst occurred after Mladic returned to the courtroom from what his lawyers described as a visit to the bathroom, then a blood pressure test which held up proceedings. The U.N. Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) found Mladic guilty of 10 of 11 charges, including the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica and the 43-month siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, in which more than 10,000 civilians were killed by shelling, mortar and sniper fire. The killings in Srebrenica of men and boys after they were separated from women and taken away in buses or marched off to be shot amounted to Europe s worst atrocity since World War Two. The crimes committed rank among the most heinous known to humankind, and include genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity, Presiding Judge Alphons Orie said in reading out a summary of the judgment. Many of these men and boys were cursed, insulted, threatened, forced to sing Serb songs and beaten while awaiting their execution, he said. Mladic had pleaded not guilty to all charges. His legal team said he would appeal against the verdict. Called the Butcher of Bosnia by survivors of his actions, Mladic was the most notorious of 163 ICTY indictees together with Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb nationalist leader and political mastermind of ethnic cleansing, and their patron, then-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The tribunal found Mladic significantly contributed to genocide committed in Srebrenica with the goal of destroying its Muslim population, personally directed the bombardment of Sarajevo and was part of a joint criminal enterprise aimed at purging Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats from Bosnia. Prosecutors said the ultimate agenda of Mladic, Karadzic and Milosevic was what came to be known worldwide as ethnic cleansing, to carve out an Orthodox Greater Serbia in the ashes of multinational federal Yugoslavia. ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz called the verdict a milestone in holding Mladic accountable not just for massacres but the detention of tens of thousands of non-Serbs in camps where many were beaten and raped, and the forced displacement of over one million to remake Bosnia s demographic map. The Mladic case is the last major decision by the ICTY, which plans to close its doors soon after sentencing 83 Balkan war criminals since opening in 1993. In Geneva, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra ad al-Hussein called Mladic the epitome of evil and said his conviction after 16 years as an indicted fugitive and five years of trial was a momentous victory for justice . Today s verdict is a warning to the perpetrators of such crimes that they will not escape justice, no matter how powerful they may be nor how long it may take, Zeid said in a statement. RESPECT THE VICTIMS, LOOK TO THE FUTURE -SERBIA President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, whose 1990s strongman leader Milosevic died in a tribunal prison in 2006 before the end of his genocide trial, said Serbia respects the victims . I would like to call on everyone (in the region) to start looking into the future and not to drown in tears of the past... We need to look to the future...so we finally have a stable country, Vucic told reporters when asked about the verdict. Serbia, once the most powerful Yugoslav republic, is now democratic and seeking ties to the European Union. Bosnian Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic said he hoped that those who still call for new divisions and conflicts will carefully read the verdict rendered today ...in case that they are still no ready to face their past . He was alluding to enduring separatism in post-war federal Bosnia s autonomous Serb region. Srebrenica, near Bosnia s eastern border with Serbia, had been designated a safe area by the United Nations and was defended by lightly armed U.N. peacekeepers. But they quickly surrendered when Mladic s forces stormed it on July 11, 1995. A bronzed and beefy Mladic was filmed visiting a refugee camp in Srebrenica on July 12. He was giving away chocolate and sweets to the children while the cameras were rolling, telling us nothing will happen and that we have no reason to be afraid, recalled Munira Subasic of the Mothers of Srebrenica group. Serbian TV footage showed Mladic approaching a blond boy in a friendly way and asking him his name and how old he was, then turning to fearful Muslim women and children and assuring them: All who would like to stay can stay. Just take it easy. Subasic said: After the cameras left he gave an order to kill whoever could be killed, rape whoever could be raped and finally he ordered us all to be banished and chased out of Srebrenica, so he could make an ethnically clean town. Dutch peacekeepers looked on helplessly as Bosnian Serb officers separated men and boys from women, then sent them out of sight on buses or marched them away to be shot. The remains of Subasic s son and husband were both found in mass graves by International Commission of Missing Persons (ICMP) workers. The ICMP have identified some 6,900 remains of Srebrenica victims through DNA analysis. The siege of Sarajevo terrorised its people. It involved both heavy shelling that sometimes slaughtered residents queueing outside for scarce supplies, and random sniper fire that picked off people who dared to venture into the streets, or even as they stood indoors by exposed windows. In May 1992, as artillery barrages from surrounding hillsides were setting Sarajevo ablaze, Bosnian intelligence intercepted a Mladic phone call in which he was giving orders about targets: Fire on the parliament, presidency, the Old Town. Fire so that they cannot sleep, burn their brains! That phone call was entered as evidence in his trial. Mladic is still seen as a national hero by some compatriots for the swift capture of much of Bosnia after its Serbs rose up against an early 1992 referendum vote by Muslims and Croats for independence from Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia. His lawyers will argue in their appeal that Bosnian Serbs were victims of the referendum and fought in self-defence . Mladic s lawyers contended that Sarajevo was a legitimate military target as it was the main bastion of Muslim-led Bosnian government forces. They also asserted that Mladic left Srebrenica shortly before Serb fighters began executing Muslim detainees and was later shocked to find out they had occurred. But Wednesday s verdict was never much in doubt, given the mountain of evidence of Serb atrocities produced at previous trials. Four of Mladic s subordinates received life sentences. Karadzic, 72, was convicted of genocide in 2016 and sentenced to 40 years. He is appealing. Mladic was indicted along with Karadzic in 1995, shortly after the Srebrenica killings. But he evaded capture until 2011, three years after a heavily disguised Karadzic was arrested. Mladic s trial in The Hague took five years in part because of delays due to his poor health. He has suffered several strokes, but the ICTY rejected a flurry of last-minute attempts by his lawyers to put off the verdict on medical grounds. The ICTY indicted 161 people in all from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. Of the 83 convicted, more than 60 of them were ethnic Serbs.

[Video] DUCK DYNASTY’S WILLIE ROBERTSON LOVES DONALD TRUMP AND HERE’S WHY…

Willie s support should come as no surprise to fans of Duck Dynasty. He s a business man who doesn t mince words or worry about what others think sound familiar?

Fox News Is Imploding As Greta Van Susteren Leaves Network In Wake Of Settlement With Gretchen Carlson

An aging audience combined with a devastating sexual harassment lawsuit and the exodus of several high-profile hosts and the resignation of Roger Ailes has all but crippled the conservative propaganda machine in recent months.Fox News has settled with former host Gretchen Carlson for $20 million after she revealed that Ailes had been sexually harassing her for years. Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy was also named by Carlson as a perpetrator but there has been no word as yet on whether he will also get the boot or resign. He probably wouldn t be able to get another job in the media anyway if he did.But soon after Carlson s allegations, Andrea Tantaros slapped the network with a sexual harassment lawsuit of her own, not only naming Ailes but also Bill O Reilly, who allegedly made sexual advances toward Tantaros.That might make it easier for Fox to choose between keeping Megyn Kelly or the longtime host of The O Reilly Factor if reports that the network might have to choose one or the other are true.And now, just after announcing the settlement, longtime host Greta Van Susteren has departed Fox News as well and will be replaced by obnoxious sexist Brit Hume, who once complained that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie can t act like a real man because of feminists and creepily complimented Megyn Kelly by marveling about how smart she is despite being pretty.Way to go, Fox. You had a chance to replace Van Susteren with another woman or at least with a male anchor who isn t a misogynist and you failed spectacularly. Replacing her with Hume must mean you didn t learn a damn thing from all the sexual harassment lawsuits being filed against you. We are grateful for Greta s many contributions over the years and wish her continued success, Fox News said in a brief statement that also included a public apology to Carlson.This is the biggest staff shakeup within Fox News to occur in many years. The sexual harassment bombshell has shattered a working environment that the network cultured for decades and now it is biting them HARD. If Bill O Reilly or Megyn Kelly or both end up jumping ship for calmer waters next year when their contracts expire it could throw the network into even worse chaos.Again, Fox News may have a large audience but their audience is older and that means big trouble for a network that has largely refused to appeal to a millennial audience. Losing Kelly would not help.But considering how many female hosts have left Fox recently and the fact that Fox chose Brit Hume of all people to replace Van Susteren, it appears Kelly could very well decide to leave the toxic anti-women atmosphere of Fox News, which Tantaros described as a media company that masquerades as a defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny. Featured Image: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Britain, Germany committed to Iran nuclear deal: May's office

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and Germany agreed on Sunday they remained committed to the nuclear deal with Iran after a U.S. decision to decertify the agreement, a spokeswoman said after a call between Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They agreed the UK and Germany both remained firmly committed to the deal, the spokeswoman said in a statement. They also agreed the international community needed to continue to come together to push back against Iran s destabilizing regional activity, and to explore ways of addressing concerns about Iran s ballistic missile program.

Once on the outside, conservative Koch network warms to Trump

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - At a glitzy weekend gathering of donors to the powerful Koch brothers’ network, much of the talk was about the conservative political group’s criticism of the healthcare bill moving through the U.S. Senate. That opposition suggests billionaires Charles and David Koch, powerful players in Republican politics, remain at odds at least on some key issues with President Donald Trump, whose campaign last year they refused to back. But beyond healthcare, the Kochs and their operatives have welcomed much of the fledgling administration’s actions, including efforts to roll back federal regulations, the decision to pull out of the Paris global climate accord, a Veterans Administration reform bill and the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Koch officials say their network has better access to the Trump administration than they expected given past frictions, partly because former Koch operatives have been hired in key administration jobs. “Overall, we’ve made tremendous progress on the federal level that we haven’t been able to make in the last 10 years,” said James Davis, a spokesman for Freedom Partners, a Koch-backed advocacy group. Vice President Mike Pence has played a key role, meeting privately with Charles Koch on Friday, as well as Marc Short, a former member of the Koch network who is now Trump’s point man in Congress. Charles Koch, addressing more than 400 supporters gathered at The Broadmoor luxury resort in Colorado for the event, touted the progress the organization is making, particularly since the 2016 election. “When I look at where we are — at the size and effectiveness of this network — I’m blown away,” he said. “I’m more optimistic now than ever.” The Koch brothers have been a force in American politics since the 1980s. Their influence has largely been powered by a fortune centered on Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held company in the United States with annual revenues of more than $115 billion from interests in energy, chemicals and other sectors. Both Trump and the Koch network have incentives to build warmer ties. The Kochs could end up spending hundreds of millions to preserve the Republican majority in Congress during next year’s midterm elections. Attendees to the weekend meeting had to donate at least $100,000 to be invited. Koch-funded groups such as Freedom Partners could also help build support among conservative activists for tax reform and other Trump administration agenda items. During the 2016 campaign, the Kochs kept their distance from Trump. Charles Koch spoke out against Trump’s proposed Muslim registry, invoking a comparison to Nazi Germany. The network did not actively work to defeat Trump during the Republican primary. But when he secured the nomination, the group did not spend money backing him or criticizing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. By contrast, the Koch network spent more than $120 million in the 2012 election to defeat President Barack Obama.     For his part, Trump lumped the Kochs in with other special-interest groups, boasting that he did not need their money and that they could not influence him. But the Koch network began showing its clout in the spring when it worked with the White House to push the House of Representatives healthcare bill in a more conservative direction.     Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch advocacy group, teamed with Pence and Short, Trump’s legislative affairs director, to help get the measure through the House.     Pence is viewed as a trusted friend of the Koch network, dating to his time as a congressman.     At the meeting with Charles Koch on Friday they discussed healthcare and tax reform, Phillips and other Koch aides said.     Short is a former Pence aide and Koch alumni, having run the Koch political organization that became Freedom Partners. Stephen Ford, a speechwriter for Pence, has worked for Freedom Partners.     Koch operatives were encouraged when the White House recently cooled to the idea of a tax on imports, the so-called “border adjustment tax” advocated by House Speaker Paul Ryan.     Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners mounted a media and public-pressure campaign against the border tax. Phillips has met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on the issue. Mnuchin’s chief of staff, Eli Miller, served as the Ohio director of AFP.     Mnuchin has since come out against the tax in meetings with members of Congress, Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina said at the donor retreat.     On the veterans bill, Koch group Concerned Veterans of America was able to work with one of their own. Darin Selnick, a former senior adviser to that group, is now a top aide to Trump’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin.     That group is working with the White House on the more than 130 federal judicial vacancies Trump must fill, partnering with conservative legal advocate Leonard Leo, who has become a trusted Trump adviser on the issue.     Leo joined Charles Koch on stage at a donor event on Saturday night. A Koch group, Concerned Veterans of America, mounted a grassroots campaign to secure Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.     Yet some stark policy differences remain between the Kochs and the Trump administration.     The Kochs, who are proponents of criminal justice reform, are frustrated with the Department of Justice’s effort to crack down on low-level drug offenders. They also disagree with Trump’s hardline immigration stance.     Asked about the Koch network’s successes, a White House aide did not expressly address the network’s goals, but said Trump “has already made tremendous progress toward making our country prosperous and safe again.”     In interviews with attendees at the donor summit, opinions on Trump were mixed, but even some critics found reason to praise the administration. Several mentioned Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, an advocate of charter schools and vouchers.     Other attendees were effusive in their praise of Trump’s actions so far.     “He’s walks the walk,” said Al Hartman, CEO of a property management firm in Houston. “He’s doing exactly what everyone wants done.”

No word Tuesday on Supreme Court nomination: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration does not plan any announcement on Tuesday on a nominee for the Supreme Court, the White House said. President Barack Obama has said he plans to soon present a nominee to fill the vacancy on the high court left by the Feb. 13 death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, despite a stated refusal by Republican leaders in the Senate to consider any nominee during Obama’s final term. Spokesman Josh Earnest was responding to a question at a regular White House briefing.

Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Got Bashed By Trump on Twitter, His Response Is PERFECT (TWEET)

Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump embarrassed himself yet again when he hit back at civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis after the Democrat stated that he didn t consider Trump a legitimate president a sentiment that most Americans share.Just two days before Martin Luther King Day, Trump slammed Lewis on Twitter and said Lewis was all talk, no action : Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk no action or results. Sad. Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S. I can use all the help I can get!It was a disgusting statement to make about Lewis, who has been more involved in civil rights causes than most Americans and personally marched alongside Dr. King. Trump immediately got blasted for his remarks, but the best response yet is coming from Lewis himself. In a DNC fundraising email that was released last night, Lewis addressed Trump s ill-advised comments: Today Donald Trump attacked me on Twitter. He said that I m all talk and no action. I ve been beaten bloody, tear-gassed, fighting for what s right for America. I ve marched at Selma with Dr. King. Sometimes that s what it takes to move our country in the right direction.We refuse to stop now. We re not done fighting for progress. We re ready for the next four years. Join me and chip in whatever you can today to help Democrats stand up to injustice. The email stated that any funds donated would be split between Lewis re-election fund and the DNC. You can read the full message below:John Lewis hitting Donald Trump back in fundraising email: I ve been beaten bloody, tear-gassed We refuse to stop now. We re not done pic.twitter.com/wVyPfY1h09 Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) January 14, 2017And Americans are using their money to tell Trump to sit the hell down. Along with the increase of donations to Lewis fund, Trump s disgusting tweets also caused a massive surge in book sales for Lewis. After Trump insulted Lewis, America responded by moving his 1999 biography, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement from the No. 15,918 spot to No. 15 on Amazon s bestsellers list. Sales spiked by nearly 106,020 percent! That move alone showed Trump how wrong he was. You don t go after a civil rights legend like Lewis and expect to get away with it.TwitterFeatured image via Zach Gibson and Alex Wong / Getty Images

Trump says tax conference will go well, 'pretty quickly'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he expected the conference committee hammering out tax legislation in Congress will work well and get the job done fast. “I think something’s going to be coming out of conference pretty quickly,” Trump told reporters at the White House before meeting with Senate Republicans. “We’re all on the same page. There’s a great spirit in the Republican party like I’ve never seen before, like a lot of people have said they have never seen before. They’re never seen anything like this, the unity.”

TEXAS CHURCH SHOOTER: Years Before ‘Soft Target’ Attack, Gunman Tried to Carry Out Death Threats on CIA Linked Air Force Base

Shawn Helton 21st Century Wire The gunman named in a mass shooting that was said to have killed 26 people at a small church outside of San Antonio was convicted by the military several years before the tragic attack in 2012. This past week new information concerning the apparent First Baptist Church gunman 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley, revealed that the previously convicted Air Force airman was already well-known to authorities via his bad conduct discharge from the military in 2012. The recent acknowledgement in Kelley s case history, coupled with his unusually relaxed plea bargain deal, has only prompted more questions from those concerned about the most recent high-profile mass shooting in America.According to officials, the Sutherland Springs shooting at the First Baptist Church may have been caused by a domestic dispute involving Kelley and his ex-mother-in-law Michelle Shields. However, it turns out that Shields was not present at church services on the morning of the mass shooting, although her mother was named as one of the victims.A more precise motive in the deadly Sutherland Springs massacre has yet to be uncovered by authorities TEXAS CHURCH SHOOTING 8 years after the Fort Hood mass shooting, the First Baptist Church attack raises big questions. Its also worth noting, the recent church shooting echoes a scene in the 2015 Hollywood film Kingsman: The Secret Service. (Photo Illustration 21WIRE s Shawn Helton)The Texas Church ShooterWhile many in media have focused on the military s inability to log Devin Patrick Kelley s domestic violence court-martial case into a federal database, a police report from 2012 revealed that the gunman named in the First Baptist Church shooting had been previously caught attempting to sneak firearms onto a CIA linked military base in New Mexico where he was stationed. The El Paso police report concluded that after Kelley escaped the mental health facility believed to be Peak Behavioral Health Services Center in Santa Teresa, he sought to carry out death threats against his superiors at New Mexico s Holloman Air Force base.A CBS Affiliate from Dallas further explained the church shooter s lengthy criminal background: The information was contained in a police incident report after Devin Patrick Kelley briefly escaped in June, 2012 from a mental health facility in New Mexico where he had been committed. KPRC television in Houston first reported about the escape. Police in El Paso, Texas, where Kelley was caught after the escape, said in the report that an official of the mental health facility told them that Kelley was a danger to himself and others. The report says that Kelley had already been caught sneaking firearms onto Holloman Air Force base. It also says that he was attempting to carry out death threats that (Kelley) had made on his military chain of command. Moreover, a FOX News report just days ago revealed additional information concerning Kelley s violent threats at Holloman Air Force base: Former Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessika Edwards told The New York Times that Kelley would shake with rage and vow to kill his superiors when he was assigned menial tasks as punishment for poor performance. At one point, Edwards told the Times, she warned others in the squadron to go easy on Kelley, believing he was likely to come back and shoot up the place. Rather strangely, former Air Force Staff Sgt. Edwards still kept in close contact with the criminally convicted and discharged logistical readiness airman, stating that he asked her to be a job reference in 2015. Shortly there after, Kelley allegedly became obsessed with the polarizing case involving Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof. CHURCH SHOOTER What is the real motive in the First Baptist Church shooting? (Image Source: nbcwashington)The shocking claims of death threats prior to the Sutherland Springs church shooting taking place raises questions not only about the criminally convicted shooter Kelley, who was accused of a slew of abusive behavior but also the military s handling of the gunman s well-known history of violence from a prosecutorial standpoint.QUESTION: How did Kelley manage to get such a relaxed sentence considering he had several other major charges dropped including an additional incident where he allegedly pointed a loaded firearm at his wife?Furthermore, as the public and media are still bewildered over Kelley s ability to legally purchase guns following his 2012 military conviction due to his prior violent abuse, information concerning his alleged plot to kill military superiors has been completely underreported and by the looks of it, may have even gone unpunished.According to official reports, Kelley was sentenced to a year s confinement, reducing rank from an airman first-class (A1C) to airman basic. Additionally, after being convicted of crimes by a military court in 2012, he received a bad conduct discharge following an apparent plea deal.The NY Times added the following details regarding the military court case: Prosecutors withdrew several other charges as part of their plea agreement with Mr. Kelley, including allegations that he repeatedly pointed a loaded gun at his wife.He was ultimately sentenced in November that year to 12 months confinement and reduction to the lowest possible rank. His final duty title was prisoner. QUESTION: Did Kelley s plea agreement also include the exclusion of charges concerning his alleged death threat plot against military superiors at the CIA linked Holloman Air Force base?Moreover, if that wasn t a part of the plea, how was Kelley not dishonorably discharged due to the severity of charges he faced from military superiors?Although we ve been told this latest soft target shooting spree on American soil was carried out by yet another lone gunman, there have also been questions raised concerning a shooter allegedly firing from the roof top down on to church parishioners below.Watch and listen to shooting survivor Rosanne Solis, as she recounts what she witnessed during the First Baptist Church shooting . QUESTION: Is it also possible that Solis saw multiple shooters at the First Baptist Church? If not, how did Kelley swiftly move from the roof top location to ground level in a matter of a few minutes, assuming the account told by Solis is true?The Sutherland Springs mass shooting, along with other high-profile active shooter incidents this year and year s past have once again predictably sparked socio-political hot button issues concerning gun reform, background checks, mental illness and SSRI prescription drugs. This is something that has prompted critics to consider that there might be even more to the story.Below is a CNN video report discussing the lengthy criminal background of the First Baptist Church gunman. Note the strong emphasis in this report regarding Kelley s access to weaponry rather than a deeper analysis over how he received such a relaxed military conviction Drills, Dupes & Informants?A day after the suspicious San Bernardino shooting in 2015, San Antonio s nonprofit Alamo Community Group began practicing active shooter scenarios with employees. San Antonio is only 35 miles from where the Sutherland Springs mass shooting took place and a city that has been rigorously training for mass casualty scenarios for the last five years, holding active shooter drills with approximately one hundred officers a week over at least the last couple of years. Here s a passage from an ABC affiliate in San Antonio on the matter: Though it [the training] is simulated for active shooting scenarios, the training could easily be applied to many other mass casualty situations as well. In past two years, about 4,000 people have been involved in San Antonio s new rescue task force training program. As 21 WIRE has documented over the years, many so-called shooting/terror/attacks involve individuals being monitored by security services prior to an alleged act taking place. A place where a lone wolf graduates into the ranks of a known wolf. Although the military wasn t officially keeping Kelley under watch, his case profile does exhibit potential signs of a possible informant status due to the litany of charges he managed to avoid through a cushy plea deal with the military. Historically, government operators have often made use of low-life criminals, and mentally disturbed individuals to fulfill various roles in entrapment stings or sometimes as bona fide solo actors in an actual attacks. Links between security agencies, military facilities and alleged attackers with a criminal history should arouse suspicion if they become connected to any future crimes.In January of 2015, a strategic security service think-tank known as The Soufan Group, reported that a larger national security threat resides with those who ve had a lengthy criminal background with known ties to security agencies: The Soufan Group, a New York think tank, said a better term for lone wolves would be known wolves , given how many are already known to Western intelligence agencies before they strike. These individuals, acting alone or in small groups have been on the radar of various agencies and organisations, highlighting the difficulty of effectively monitoring and managing people at the nexus of criminality and terrorism, it said in a report this week Domestically in America, it has been well documented that the FBI created a counter-intelligence program known as COINTELPRO (similar in scope to the CIA s Operation CHAOS), not only as a way to influence, but also a way to disrupt and coerce both left and right-wing political factions from the inside out. The FBI program infiltrated countless groups and movements across the political spectrum.Over the past several years, the FBI has been routinely caught foiling their very own terror plots. Following one of America s most deadly mass shootings at the Orlando Pulse nightclub, reports revealed that the FBI had a close relationship with the suspected attacker through the use of a well-known confidential informant. Similarly, recent reports state that FBI, court filings have revealed how the agency allowed an alleged home grown ISIS attack to take place in Garland, Texas. 21WIRE had previously uncovered the suspicious nature of the cartoon/shooting event in Garland when it occurred.In 2015, another strange informant case/FBI sting attempted to persuade a group into attacking the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Milwaukee.QUESTION: Is it possible the FBI or any or intelligence agency played some part in the Sutherland Springs church shooting whether inadvertently or otherwise?FBI informants have reportedly played a central role in over 50% of all domestic terror cases in the United States since 2009. According to reports, informants might earn up to $100,000 per case, as they are meant to build relationships with persons of interest. While the Sutherland Springs shooting is not considered a terror case, it does fit the profile of possible soft target scenarios outlined by the FBI.Here at 21WIRE, we ve kept a running report on many known wolf actors and other suspicious intelligence informant cases:Tamerlan Tsarnaev (see his story here) Buford Rogers (see his story here) Jerad Miller (see his story here) Naji Mansour (see his story here) Quazi Mohammad Nafis (see his story here) Mohamed Osman Mohamud (see his story here) Timothy McVeigh (see his story here) Salim Benghalem (see his story here) Michael Adebolajo (see his story here) Daba Deng (see his story here) Elton Simpson (see his story here) Man Haron Monis (see his story here) Abu Hamza (see his story here) Haroon Rashid Aswat (see his story here) Mark Vicars (see his story here) Glen Rodgers (see his story here) Omar Mateen (see his story here) Samy Mohamed Hamzeh (see his story here) Tashfeen Malik (see her story here) Djamel Beghal (see his story here) Anjem Choudary (see his story here) Cherif Kouachi (see his story here) Said Kouachi (see his story here) Amedy Coulibaly (see his story here) Hayat Boumeddiene (see her story here) Salah Abdeslam (see his story here) Michael Zehaf-Bibeau (see his story here) Nidal Malik Hassan (see his story here) Abdelhakim Dekhar (see his story here) Abdelhamid Abaaoud (see his story here) Samy Amimour (see his story here) Isma l Omar Mostefa (see his story here) Mohamed Lahouij Bouhlel (see his story here) Anis Amri (see his story here) Esteban Santiago-Ruiz (see his story here) Abdulkadir Masharipov (see his story here) Khalid Masood (see his story here) Khuram Butt (see his story here) Youssef Zaghba (see his story here) Sayfullo Saipov (see his story here)According to pastor Frank Pomeroy, who was out-of-town at the time of the shooting with his wife Sherri, the hundred member First Baptist Church, is slated to be demolished sometime soon. However, prior to the demolition, the site will become a temporary memorial and the building will be scrubbed down and whitewashed, as white chairs will be placed inside to remember those who died.There are still a number of questions following the Sutherland Springs mass shooting tragedy *** 21WIRE associate editor Shawn Helton is a researcher and writer, specializing in forensic analysis of high-profile crime scene and counter terrorism investigations, and the deconstruction and analysis of the mass-media coverage surrounding those cases. He has compiled an extensive body of work covering a number of high-profile events since 2012.READ MORE DAILY SHOOTER NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Daily Shooter FilesSupport our work by Subscribing and become a Member @21WIRE.TV

New Senate Obamacare repeal bill due Monday: senator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new Republican bill to replace Obamacare will be unveiled in the U.S. Senate on Monday with backing from President Donald Trump, according to one of two Republican senators who have crafted the legislation. The lawmaker, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, told reporters he was optimistic the legislation could pass before a Sept. 30 deadline, if it can attract the bare minimum of 50 votes needed to succeed in the Republican-led Senate with tie-breaking support from Vice President Mike Pence. The bill, which Cassidy is sponsoring with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, could revive Republican hopes of overturning the Affordable Care Act weeks after their last attempt on July 28 came up one vote short in a humiliating defeat for Trump and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. The new measure, which would give more healthcare powers to the states, is a revamped version of legislation that did not gain enough support during the summer healthcare debate. “Mitch has said that if we get 50 votes, he’ll hold a vote. I can tell you that the president’s all about it,” said Cassidy, noting the bill had also drawn some favorable comment from a key July ‘no’ vote, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona. Some Senate Republicans doubt there will be a successful last-ditch effort this year to replace former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. “It is not easy to get 50-plus-one (votes). Everybody’s kind of got another idea. But I’m open to it,” said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican. Cassidy said the legislation has had fulsome support from White House officials including Pence, who he said had sought to rally the support of state governors. Graham and former Republican Senator Rick Santorum have held discussions with the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which played a key role in getting an Obamacare repeal bill through the House of Representatives earlier this year. If approved in the Senate, the bill would need to be reconciled with the House legislation. Both chambers would then need to vote a second time. Since Democrats oppose repealing Obamacare, Republicans need to use a parliamentary procedure known as reconciliation to move healthcare legislation on a simple majority through the Senate, which they control by a 52-48 margin. The tool that allows reconciliation is contained in a 2017 budget resolution that will expire with the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

BREAKING BOMBSHELL: Obama’s Foreign Policy Guru Admits To SHOCKING LIES Obama Told To Sell Americans On IRAN Deal

As if this news, in and of itself, is not horrific enough Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes also reveals that Obama began negotiations with Iran as early as 2008, while radical Muslim hardliner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was still in power! The Obama administration cooked up a phony story to sell Americans on the Iranian nuke deal, lying that US officials were dealing with moderates in the Islamic theocracy who could be trusted to keep their word, it was reported Thursday.In a revealing article posted on the New York Times website, President Obama s foreign-policy guru Ben Rhodes bragged about how he helped create the false narrative because the public would not have accepted the deal had it known that Iranian hard-liners were still calling the shots.The White House line which Rhodes says he created was that Obama started negotiations after the supposedly moderate Hassan Rouhani was elected president in 2013.But Obama had set his sights on working out a deal with the mad mullahs as early as 2008, and negotiations actually began when strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was still president.Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, concedes in the article that the so-called moderate regime is not moderate at all. We re not betting on it, he said.Despite having little foreign-policy experience, Rhodes, 38, a former aspiring novelist who grew up on the Upper East Side, was in charge of a massive White House messaging effort that fed the bogus line to journalists. We created an echo chamber. They were saying things that validated what we had given them to say, he admitted in the Times interview when asked about the plethora of experts praising the deal in the press.The Times article, which will appear in the paper s Sunday magazine, notes Rhodes, who has a writing degree from NYU, was skilled as a storyteller. He is adept at constructing overarching plotlines with heroes and villains, their conflicts supported by flurries of carefully chosen adjectives, quotations and leaks from named and unnamed senior officials, reporter David Samuels writes. He is the master shaper and retailer of Obama s foreign-policy narratives. Asked about his misleading version of the deal, Rhodes said, In the absence of rational discourse, we are going to discourse the [expletive] out of this. We had test drives to know who was going to be able to carry our message effectively, and how to use outside groups like [the anti-nuke group] Ploughshares, the Iran Project and whomever else. So we knew the tactics that worked. We drove them crazy, he said of Republicans and others who opposed the deal, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Obama, the article says, misled the public with the idea that negotiations began because of the moderate faction s rise in 2013. Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States, together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not, Obama said last July when announcing the deal.Leon Panetta, then secretary of defense, confirmed in the article that the hard-line regime, and its military arm, was still in charge. There was not much question that the Quds Force and the supreme leader ran that country with a strong arm, and there was not much question that this kind of opposing view could somehow gain any traction, he said. I think the whole legacy that he [Obama] was working on was, I m the guy who s going to bring these [Mideast] wars to an end, and the last goddamn thing I need is to start another war. Without naming him, Panetta suggested Rhodes was one of several on Obama s staff who told the president only what he wanted to hear, the article says.Rhodes bashed the media for not properly reporting on foreign affairs and revealed how he fed information to reporters such as Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, a respected Beltway insider, as the Times called him. All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus, he said. Now they don t. They call us to explain to them what s happening in Moscow and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That s a sea change. They literally know nothing. Rhodes assistant, Ned Price, gave an example of how they would shape the news by feeding a narrative to their compadres in the press corps and letting it echo across social media.For entire story: NYP

GRIFTER BILL CLINTON MADE BIG BUCKS OFF OF CHARITY SPEAKING FEES

GETTING RICH OFF OF THE MISERY OF OTHERS VERY DISTASTEFUL!To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Petra Nemcova, a Czech model who survived the disaster by clinging to a palm tree, decided to pull out all the stops for the annual fund-raiser of her school-building charity, the Happy Hearts Fund.She booked Cipriani 42nd Street, which greeted guests with Bellini cocktails on silver trays. She flew in Sheryl Crow with her band and crew for a 20-minute set. She special-ordered heart-shaped floral centerpieces, heart-shaped chocolate parfaits, heart-shaped tiramis and, because orange is the charity s color, an orange carpet rather than a red one. She imported a Swiss auctioneer and handed out orange rulers to serve as auction paddles, playfully threatening to use hers to spank the highest bidder for an Ibiza vacation.The gala cost $363,413. But the real splurge? Bill Clinton.The former president of the United States agreed to accept a lifetime achievement award at the June 2014 event after Ms. Nemcova offered a $500,000 contribution to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. The donation, made late last year after the foundation sent the charity an invoice, amounted to almost a quarter of the evening s net proceeds enough to build 10 preschools in Indonesia.Read more: NYT

China's cyber watchdog imposes top fines on tech firms over censorship

BEIJING (Reuters) - China s cyber watchdog has handed down maximum penalties to several of the country s top tech firms, including Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK), Baidu Inc (BIDU.O) and Weibo Corp (WB.O), for failing to properly censor online content. The rebuke comes as China is stepping up censorship and security efforts ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party, a major leadership conference held once every five years. Notices posted by the Cyberspace Administration of China on Monday said the firms would receive the maximum penalty for failing to remove fake news and pornography as well as content that incites ethic tension and threatens social order . It is the first time that the CAC has levied the maximum fines against tech firms under a new law introduced in June, as it seeks to tighten its grip on the internet. The internet does not operate outside of the law... the CAC will seriously implement the new cybersecurity law and other regulations to increase territorial supervision and enforcement efforts regarding the internet, said the CAC. The notices did not detail the exact sum of the penalties, but under the rules cited in the notice individuals in charge of the platforms and others directly involved face a maximum penalty of 100,000 yuan ($15,110) each. The law also stipulates that offending platforms can have their licenses revoked and their services suspended for failing to comply. The measures are the result of an investigation launched last month by the CAC, and target the country s most popular social media services, including Tencent s WeChat and Weibo s microblogging service, whose combined registered users exceed 1 billion. Earlier this month the cyber watchdog also introduced new regulations that require messaging apps to create credit scores that can be lowered to punish and restrict users who post offensive content. The rules, which take effect on October 8, also make users legally liable for content deemed illegal. In a recent notice the CAC said illegal content includes articles that misinterpret government policy , twist the history of the Chinese Communist Party and flaunt excessive wealth. According to Monday s notices the firms will be required to undertake immediate rectifications to remove illegal content and accounts as well as increase content auditing measures.

There WAS A Terror Attack In Sweden Recently, But Trump Won’t Like Who The Terrorists Were

Trump drew international attention again by claiming there was a terror attack in Sweden on the night of Feb. 17. To cover his gross lie, he tweeted today that his remarks were in reference to something Fox News reported, which is either just another lie, or a gross misunderstanding of a documentary Fox News aired. But it seems that there really was a terror attack in Sweden recently, in a city called Gothenburg.The suspected terrorists in this attack were Neo-Nazis, and they attacked a refugee center in Gothenburg with a homemade bomb last month. One person was seriously injured in the attack.Swedish intelligence said that the attack was linked to two others in Gothenburg, and appeared to be politically motivated, which isn t shocking if the terrorists were white Neo-Nazis, and members of a white supremacist group known as the Nordic Resistance Movement. They openly preach anti-Semitism and racism, and they oppose non-white immigration into Sweden.Hmmm. That sounds an awful lot like all the white supremacists here in the U.S. who support Trump.Sweden has taken in more refugees per capita than anyone else in Europe in 2016, despite imposing border controls in the middle of the year. What we have now, however, are white supremacists attacking a refugee center. Trump wants to blame refugees for terror attacks all across Europe, but that doesn t work when the terrorists are white Neo-Nazis.This is how this administration operates, though. Tell a lie, make a wild accusation, or say or do something equally outrageous, watch it get debunked or solidly smacked down, and then double down on it by either blaming it on faulty information or sticking by it anyway. And they won t acknowledge terror attacks that don t fit their anti-Muslim narrative.Featured image by Olivier Douliery via Getty Images

White House chides Congress for failing to fund Zika

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House spokesman Josh Earnest, on Tuesday, chided Republicans for failing to push forward with the president’s request for funding to combat the Zika virus and address an urgent public health crisis. “They need that money right now,” Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing, referring to U.S. agencies that he said are on the frontlines of battling the virus, especially in the U.S. South. Senate Democrats earlier on Tuesday blocked a Republican funding proposal that they said was inadequate.

THE LIST OF WHO’S WHO TAKING ADVANTAGE OF FAILED EU AUSTERITY EXPERIMENT IN GREECE

Like a spoiled child on a spending spree with no parental guidance, Greece is forced to sell some of the most beautiful real estate in the world on the cheap Wealthy foreign investors are expected to buy up Greek islands in coming months as Monday s bailout will likely force hard-hit rich Greek moguls to dump their piece of paradise. This fire sale of private Greek islands to bargain hunters is expected to take place over the next few years, according to property agent Knight Frank.Greece imposed the first-ever real estate tax last year to raise cash for creditors, making property ownership prohibitively expensive, according to Knight Frank s Island Report.Foreign investors are taking advantage of the falling property prices, which have plunged by 30 percent over the last five years thanks to Greece s debt crisis. Here are some island hunters who hoped to profit from Greece s woes:Russian billionaire s daughter buys Skorpios for ~$150 million Ekaterina Rybolovleva, the daughter of Russian billionaire and former owner of Russia s largest potassium fertilizer producer Dmitry Rybolovlev, reportedly bought the island for $150 million in 2013. Skorpios was owned since 1962 by shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and served as the location of his wedding to Jackie Kennedy. His daughter eventually sold it to Rybolovleva, although it was reported that Madonna and Bill Gates had expressed interest in scooping it up.Qatari Emir buys six Greek islands for $9.4 million If you can t afford Skorpios, buy a half a dozen other islands. That s what Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani did in 2013 when Rybolovleva reportedly wouldn t lower her asking price for Skorpios. Al Thani planned to use the islands exclusively for his 24 children and three wives, The Guardian reported.Brangelina looking at $4.7 million island Gaia Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie wanted their six children to run around in peace without the paparazzi, news outlets reported in June. The 43-acre island secured planning permission for six villas back in June, The Washington Post reported.Chinese construction magnate buys island for $770,000 In a bidding war of 48 Chinese investors in March, a Greek island up for auction on Taobao (China s eBay) was nabbed by a construction tycoon from China s Yunnan province, International Business Times reported. The same man also reportedly bought a Canadian island for 1.7 million yuan, or $273,985.Dozens of other Greek islands are listed on Private Islands Online, with more expected to crop up as once-wealthy owners are forced to liquidate their assets. A 54-acre Stroggilo Island, with a perfect 110 meters beach that can easily transform to a heaven on earth place for vacations, is available for the paltry sum of $4.5 million.Via: VocativGreece could exist outside the euroAdmittedly, it would mean yet more hardship and austerity, but maybe one day they would be able to use the freedom having their own currency would give them to rebuild a more competitive economy. It worked for Britain. That said, their euro currency debt would immediately rise in real-terms value against any New Drachma, and would make the debt burden even worse. Default would be inevitable; as it may be anyway.Even if they got their debts entirely written off, it would all start over again before longThis is the fundamental point. Greece was living beyond her means after the euro was introduced; taking advantage of the cheap interest rates on the euro bestowed by its status as a strong currency backed by Germany. They had a great big party, buying all those nice German cars and the consumer digital wonders of the noughties; and now the hangover is still taking time to work through. There is no reason to believe that such reforms as there have been in Greece will be enough to enable Greeks to live comfortably within their means. The debts will pile up and the crisis will return. Syriza has no policies to make Greece competitive with say the Slovaks or Poles, let alone Korea and China. Via: The Independent UK

'Bobby Three Sticks' Mueller to probe Russia-Trump imbroglio

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former FBI director and prosecutor Robert Mueller, known for his independence in high-profile government investigations, is taking on a new challenge in the midst of a crisis that threatens the presidency of the United States. Mueller, 72, was named on Wednesday by the Justice Department to probe alleged Russian efforts to sway November’s presidential election in favor of Donald Trump and to investigate whether there was any collusion between Trump’s campaign team and Moscow. President Trump said in a statement there was no collusion between his campaign and “any foreign entity.” Mueller is known by some as “Bobby Three Sticks” because of his full name - Robert Mueller III - a moniker that belies the formal bearing and no-nonsense style of the former Marine Corps officer who was decorated during the Vietnam War. Democrats and Republicans alike praised his appointment and hailed his integrity and reputation. Mueller was named to the post by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. His investigation will run in parallel to those being carried out by the FBI and the U.S. Congress. It would be difficult to fire Mueller, and past special counsel appointments have shown that the job comes with independence and autonomy. Chicago federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed during the George W. Bush administration in 2003 to a similar role to investigate the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA officer whose husband had criticized Bush administration policies. Fitzgerald indicted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. Bush granted Libby clemency from a prison sentence before he left office. Robert Luskin, a Washington lawyer who defended Bush political adviser Karl Rove during Fitzgerald’s investigation, praised the choice of Mueller. “I think it’s good across the board,” Luskin told Reuters. He described Mueller as “credible” and “independent” and said his appointment would be “good for the Department of Justice.” Mueller, known for avoiding political controversy, took a stand in 2004 when he and then-deputy attorney general James Comey threatened to resign when the Bush White House sought to reauthorize a domestic wiretapping program that the Justice Department had deemed unconstitutional. In his new role as special counsel, Mueller will have wide latitude to take the investigation wherever he thinks it should go and can use the full range of Justice Department investigative tools, said Jack Sharman, an attorney who served as special counsel during a probe into the Whitewater real-estate investments of President Bill Clinton in 1995. Mueller was appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by George W. Bush a week before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. He was credited with transforming the FBI after Congress and an independent government commission established that the agency and the CIA had failed to share information before the attacks that could have helped thwart them. At the FBI, Mueller put more resources into counterterrorism investigations and improving its cooperation with other federal agencies. Mueller was chief of the Justice Department’s criminal division before becoming FBI director. Among his most famous cases was the fraud and racketeering indictment of individuals associated with a politically connected Luxembourg bank run out of London and led by bankers from Pakistan and Abu Dhabi. He also oversaw the investigation into the Pan Am airline bombing over Scotland and the drug case against former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Mueller served 10 years as FBI chief under Bush and his Democratic successor Barack Obama, who then signed legislation to extend Mueller’s FBI term for another two years. He was succeeded as FBI director by Comey, who was fired by Trump last week. In the wake of his firing, there have been media reports that Trump had asked Comey in February to end an FBI investigation into the president’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. The reports cited a memo said to have been written by Comey documenting Trump’s request. There have been calls for months for a special counsel to oversee the investigation into any ties between Trump’s campaign team and Moscow. Most recently, Mueller had worked at a major Washington law firm, Wilmer Hale, which presents a possible wrinkle for his new assignment. The firm represents Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have taken on White House jobs. It also represents Paul Manafort, a former campaign chairman who had ties to Russia. Mueller left Wilmer Hale this week but faces a Justice Department ethics requirement that could bar him for a year from investigating anyone represented by his former firm. Mueller may be able to obtain a waiver from the Justice Department’s ethics officers or recuse himself from investigating certain individuals, leaving those inquiries to a deputy. Richard Painter, an ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration who has been a vocal critic of Trump, said Mueller has good grounds to receive such a waiver.

Tony Perkins: Christians Are Living In ‘Spiritual Ghettos’ Under Left-Wing Rule (VIDEO)

The Family Research Council s hater-in-chief Tony Perkins is joining his fellow deranged right-wing Christians in insisting that left-wingers are slowly but surely about to outlaw Christianity. He appeared on D. James Kennedy Ministries Truths That Transform show with the Ministry s president, Frank Wright, and ranted on about how the inability of Christians to force their crazy beliefs on the rest of us somehow means they are being persecuted. Perkins told Wright: We are not disqualified from engaging in the public square simple because we re Christian. And that s where we re at today, where people want us to check our Christian faith at the door of even public service; not just holding public office, but if you re a fireman, a policeman, a teacher, a football coach, you re supposed to leave your faith at home or within the confines of the church. [That is] totally contrary to what the founders envisioned and, I would argue, Frank, totally contrary to what God has called us to do. The thing is, though, the idea that you cannot bring your religious beliefs into doing jobs in public office and other parts of the public sector is NOT persecution, Mr. Perkins. It simply means that you cannot force your beliefs on others in the workplace or in the public sector. That s it. Nothing more or less. Further, it is quite ironic that this man is crying foul on this one, considering that his organization s entire purpose is to strip basic civil rights from anyone and everyone who isn t a right-wing Christian, particularly LGBT people. Hypocrite much?Wright, of course, being just as much of a loon as Perkins, took things a step further, suggesting that any day now, the government would be outlawing the practice of Christianity altogether. Of course, Perkins latched on to this one, and said: We see this administration, we see the left creating these spiritual ghettos where we are forced into, confined to these areas, trying to quarantine faith so it s more easily controllable. Get real, you morons. President Obama isn t trying to get rid of religion; he himself is a Christian. He s just smart enough to know that America was never meant to be a theocracy, that theocracies don t work, and that our Constitution forbids religion in lawmaking.Then again, when deluded individuals such as these two men speak on such matters, facts fly out the window and are replaced with utter lunacy.Get serious help, STAT, both of you.Watch the video of this insanity below, via Right Wing Watch:Featured image via video screen capture

Actress Makes HUGE Donation That Will Drive Trump Nuts

Actress Amber Heard is donating $350,000 to the ACLU just as the historic civil rights organization is gearing up to go toe-to-toe with the incoming Donald Trump administration.Heard s money is coming from her settlement as a result of her divorce from actor Johnny Depp, in which domestic violence allegations were made.From TMZ:We ve now received an email from the ACLU, in which an ACLU rep acknowledged Amber made a $350k payment on August 19th. A source connected with Amber tells TMZ, she advanced the money, relying on Johnny paying her the settlement. We re told she took steps to send Children s Hospital money but didn t send it because she and Johnny began squabbling over the settlement deal.As we reported, Amber s lawyer, Pierce O Donnell, says he s confident the settlement will be signed this week.During the campaign, the ACLU described Trump as a one-man Constitutional crisis, and warned that his statements and policy proposals would blatantly violate the inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The ACLU was one of the first organizations out with a strong statement against Trump after he won the 2016 election:President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression.These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor.Ms. Heard s money, along with thousands of others, will help the ACLU keep their promise. Trump will have a persistent thorn in his side.Featured image via Flickr

UK aid minister to resign rather than be sacked: BBC cites source

LONDON (Reuters) - British aid minister Priti Patel will resign rather than be sacked by Prime Minister Theresa May, the BBC s political editor quoted an unnamed source as saying on Wednesday. Patel was meeting May on Wednesday to answer questions over undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials.

Illinois budget uncertainty extends into new fiscal year

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A rare sign of bipartisanship in the Illinois House on Friday fueled hopes of movement toward a spending deal, but a consensus failed to emerge in time to stop the state from heading into a third-straight fiscal year without a budget. The record stalemate between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature has put the third-most populous U.S. state’s credit rating in peril of dropping to junk. House Republicans on Friday helped advance a Democratic-drafted $36.5 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins on Saturday, but the deal stalled with negotiations continuing over a revenue package and an assortment of non-budgetary matters sought by Rauner. After a 90-25 test vote on the spending bill, House Speaker Michael Madigan said his legislative chamber will return to session on Saturday, and he sent letters to major bond-rating agencies imploring them not to downgrade the state’s credit ratings to junk as budget talks continue. The impasse has ballooned the unpaid bill pile to nearly $15 billion as the state operated on spending mandated by state law and courts. Illinois, already the lowest-rated state, risked becoming the first U.S. state to have its credit downgraded to junk. Ted Hampton, an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, which rates Illinois one notch above junk at Baa3 with a negative outlook, said the rating agency “won’t refrain from changing a rating no matter the reason when it’s appropriate to take action.” S&P, which also rates Illinois one step above junk at BBB-minus, and Fitch Ratings, which has the state at BBB, declined to comment on Madigan’s letter. Ahead of the House vote, Republican leader Jim Durkin said he and others in his caucus would support the budget bill amendment as a gesture of “good faith” while talks continue on new taxes and non-budgetary reforms. “We are close,” he said on the House floor. “We are so close I can taste it.” House budget votes require Republican support to meet a three-fifths majority needed for passage. “I think it’s a good step forward, a step we can build upon. There’s much work yet to be done,” Madigan said following the vote. A final affirmative vote by the House on the spending plan would send it back to the Senate for concurrence. The House must still take up a revenue bill increasing personal and corporate income tax rates to raise more money for the cash-strapped state.

Pugnacious New Yorkers hit back at presidential candidate Cruz

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ted Cruz - be careful who you mess with. Never shy in defense of their city, New Yorkers came out swinging - via social and traditional media - on Friday after the Texas Republican’s comments about “New York values” during a presidential debate. Cruz’s remarks, aimed as a put-down of campaign rival Donald Trump during Thursday evening’s sour-toned Republican debate, sparked a backlash from city and upstate dwellers, politicians and ordinary citizens alike. James Smith, husband of Moira Smith, a New York police officer who was killed on 9/11, wrote in a Facebook post: “I invite you to come to the National 9-11 Memorial and Museum and see for yourself, and perhaps learn something about, the values of New Yorkers and the Heroes who defended American values on September 11th, 2001.” One theme emerged in particular as New Yorkers piled in: the idea that the senator may be less fastidious when it comes to financing his campaign to be his party’s nominee for the November presidential election. “I’m sure Ted Cruz was very negative about New York money,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan, calling on Cruz to apologize to all New Yorkers. “I’m sure he’s not going to accept any money from any New Yorker. I’m sure if he has, he’s going to return all of those contributions,” said Cuomo, a Democrat. Cruz, top challenger to front-runner Trump in the Republican race, has lately been denouncing “New York values” to try to connect the real estate mogul to the city’s liberalism and to reinforce his own standing as a conservative. During Thursday evening’s debate, Cruz said on the values issue, “And listen, there are many, many wonderful, wonderful working men and women in the state of New York. But everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal or pro-abortion or pro-gay-marriage, focus around money and the media.” Trump responded with an emotional tribute to the resilience his home city showed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. According to Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) data, that exchange between Cruz and Trump was the second-most tweeted moment during the debate. Among tweets shared on Friday was the cover of the New York Daily News, which curtly told Cruz: “Drop Dead, Ted.” Michael Bruno (@MikeJBruno) tweeted on Friday: “@tedcruz you, sir, wouldn’t last 2 minutes in New York. We don’t take kindly to people like you. And that’s our #NewYorkValues.” Nicholas Dyer (@NicholasDDyer), who identifies himself as a Comedy Central producer on Twitter, said: “@tedcruz is the kind of guy who takes his family to the Times Square Applebee’s for dinner. #NewYorkValues.” He was referring scathingly to a chain restaurant that is normally filled with tourists from out of town. “My #NewYorkValues: Tolerance, eccentricity, sleaze, pizza, bagels, dancing, not making eye contact,” tweeted Lindsay Goldwert (@lindsaygoldwert). Many on Twitter perceived Cruz as having targeted the city’s Jewish and gay communities. Zack Ford (@ZackFord), the LGBT editor at the progressive blog Think Progress, tweeted, “So...#NewYorkValues...Do you just pick a state you know you probably won’t win and belittle everyone from it?” He added, “Cruz knows Trump’s not Jewish, right?” Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) said, “As a Jewish conservative born in Brooklyn, I proudly have #NewYorkValues. Some local businesses piggybacked the theme to advertise. Drama Book Shop, a theater book store in midtown Manhattan, tweeted: “The #DramaBookShop is proud to have had #NewYorkValues for 99 years.” Others sought to distinguish the politics of the city, which is liberal and overwhelmingly votes Democratic in presidential elections, from the rest of the state. Josephine (@notmyname02) said on Twitter, “Unshackle Upstate New York. We have nothing to do with New York City values. We have mid-West values. #NewYorkValues.” To be sure, some thought the backlash against Cruz was not warranted. Wesley23 (@50th_President) tweeted: “I still think people are overreacting to #TedCruz and his #NewYorkValues line. He clearly meant it was a blue (Democratic) state (and) not very conservative.” It appeared that neither Cruz nor Trump may have benefited from the exchange. Overall, conversations about the Republican candidates during the debate were negative on social media, according to analytics firm Zoomph. (Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Dan Burns, Frances Kerry and Andrew Hay) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.

Mark Kirk Becomes First Republican To Un-Endorse Donald Trump (VIDEO)

Facing a tough reelection against Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, vulnerable GOP Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois announced today that he is un-endorsing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In a Tweet, Kirk said his military experience helped lead him to make the decision:Given my military experience, Donald Trump does not have the temperament to command our military or our nuclear arsenal. Mark Kirk (@MarkKirk) June 7, 2016Then, in a statement, Kirk told reporters: As the presidential campaign progressed, I was hoping the rhetoric would tone down and reflect a campaign that was inclusive, thoughtful and principled. While I oppose the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump s latest statements, in context to past attacks on Hispanics, women, and the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party s nominee for President regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party. And like that, Kirk became the first Republican to un-endorse Donald Trump. Benn Sasse and Lindsey Graham, Republican Senators from Nebraska and South Carolina, have pledged not to support Trump either, and Trump s former rivals, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are still on the fence.Other Republican Senators, such as Kelly Ayotte, Bob Corker, Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, and Jeff Flake, have all expressed condemnation for Trump s comments about the judge presiding over the University case, but have pledged continued support.Kirk s announcement, coincidentally, comes just one day after his challenger, Duckworth, said Kirk s refusal silence equals betrayal to the people.Watch Kirk explain to reporters his un-endorsement: JUST IN: @SenatorKirk talks exclusively to @nbcnews @HallieJackson RE: him not supporting Trump: pic.twitter.com/OsxSmkwDt0 Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) June 7, 2016Featured image via Gabriella Demczuk

WATCH: GOP Congressman Goes Full RACIST On First Night Of Convention

Republican congressman Steve King (IA) launched into the first night of the Republican National Convention with a racist tirade on MSNBC. He made the argument that white people have contributed the most to civilization, and downplayed what other races have done.King told the members of a panel on the network in response to a comment about how much older and whiter the convention audience is than most of America: I d ask you to go back to your history and figure out where these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you re talking about. Where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization? King went on to praise western civilization itself as solely the product of whites, citing western Europe and the United States as the product of white ingeniuity.The congressman failed to note the myriad of contributions made by blacks, Latinos, Asians, and other races, or that many of the white contributions he cited were made at the expense of slave labor using blacks, especially in the United States.King, who has been ranked one of the least effective members of Congress, has a history of controversial and off-the-wall comments. King defended candidate Todd Akin after he said a woman with a legitimate rape would have her body shut down to prevent pregnancy.When he opposed immigration reform, King notoriously said: For every one who s a valedictorian, there s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Opposing President Obama in 2008, King said: I will tell you that, if he is elected president, then the radical Islamists, the al-Qaida, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11. Slamming affirmative action, King said,: There s been legislation that s been brought through this House that sets aside benefits for women and minorities. The only people that it excludes are white men Pretty soon, white men are going to notice they are the ones being excluded. So these racist comments, in the context of one of the most explicitly racist campaigns from either party, are nothing new in Steve King s resume.Featured image via screen capture

Forever Bitter Michelle Obama Tries To Shame Women Who Voted For Trump [Video]

Michelle Obama just can t stop digging at President Trump but she s now going after female voters for voting for him in the 2016 election! Video below is of Michelle Obama on finding your voice , Hillary Clinton, and women who voted for Trump from INBOUND17 HATE TO TELL THESE WOMEN BUT WE VE ALREADY FOUND OUR VOICE-ELECTION 2016!Vid of Michelle Obama on finding your voice, Hillary Clinton, and women who voted for Trump #INBOUND17 pic.twitter.com/GBnzbAufxo Allyanna Anglim (@AllyannaAnglim) September 27, 2017 OBAMA S STATEMENT REEKS OF BITTERNESS: Any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice, she said at the Inbound 2017 conference in Boston, according to video from inside the event. What does it mean for us as women that we look at those two candidates, as women, and many of us said, that guy, he s better for me, his voice is more true to me, Obama said. Well, to me that just says you don t like your voice. You like the thing you re told to like. ANOTHER VIDEO FROM INBOUND17 MichelleObama s message to women: Find & use your voice. Your words don t need to be perfect. Don t be silenced. WHO IS TRYING TO SILENCE WOMEN? THE ANSWER IS NO ONE!!!#INBOUND17 @MichelleObama's message to women: Find & use your voice. Your words don't need to be perfect. Don't be silenced. #wow #yes pic.twitter.com/V5a1WeIT3t Amanda (@MandyGasse) September 27, 2017 Michelle is the eternal victim who always speaks of the shtruggle The problem is there is no struggle! She lives in America where there are great opportunities for EVERYONE!It s interesting that Michelle Obama criticized Hillary Clinton yet she s now flip flopping on how she feels. Hillary also tried to shame women who voted for Trump: When I see women, and look, it s predominantly white women, let s just be clear about that. I won women, I lost white women although I got more white women s votes than president Obama did in 2012 so this is an ongoing challenge, Hillary said. But when I see women doing that, I think why are they publicly disrespecting themselves? , Hillary continued.Note to Hillary and Michelle: WOMEN CAN THINK FOR THEMSELVES! WE DON T BLINDLY FOLLOW A CANDIDATE JUST BECAUSE SHE S A WOMAN!

House Speaker Ryan says U.S. government shutdown unnecessary

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday that the government shutdown threatened by President Donald Trump is unnecessary and not wanted by lawmakers in Congress. “I don’t think anyone is interested in having a shutdown. I don’t think it is in our interests to do so,” Ryan told a news conference in Oregon.

Trevor Noah Compares Texans Excited About Open Carry Law To Gay Pride Parade Celebrators (VIDEO)

Trevor Noah compared the excitement of the people of Texas over the new open-carry law to men celebrating their homosexuality at a gay pride parade. Texans already could carry hand guns but had to conceal their weapons. Now they could simply be open about it.He said: You see, gun lovers in Texas they just want to stop hiding who they really are. Although it is a little odd how as soon as people got this right they immediately went out into the streets. They were just running like yah! Ooh now I m gonna bring my gun everywhere! We re in the streets! Let s go shopping and at the laundry-mat and hey I m late at my shift at the coffee shop! He then went on to compare the excitement of gun owners over the new law to a gay pride parade: You know what, a little exuberance is fine but what made this weird for me is this is almost a little bit like when gay people first realized that society was starting to accept them for being openly gay and they immediately went out and started dancing on trucks dressed as giant penises, which on the one hand, is great. But after a certain point, we get it: you love giant penises. Texas expanded its open-carry laws to include handguns. Military rifles and other long guns have been legally openly carried for years.Featured image via video screen capture

Top Senate intelligence Democrat: 'more investigating to do'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Wednesday there was “more investigating to do” after top intelligence officials declined to answer questions about whether President Donald Trump attempted to interfere in the investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election. “Our intelligence leaders could have laid allegations against (Trump) to rest. They chose not to and didn’t explain why they wouldn’t answer,” Senator Mark Warner said in a statement on Twitter after a committee hearing. “That tells me we have more investigating to do,” he wrote.

Treasury's Mnuchin concerned about alternate scoring models of Trump tax plan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told lawmakers on Thursday that he has some doubts that what are known as alternate scoring models will give enough credit to the potential for economic growth when assessing the impact of the Trump administration’s tax plan. In late April, the administration put out a one-page overview of its tax reform plans, which would cut taxes for businesses to 15 percent, as well as cutting taxes and simplifying income tax brackets for individuals. Critics questioned how the tax cuts would be offset without driving up the federal deficit. “What I have said repeatedly is that any plan we put forward we believe should be paid for with economic growth,” Mnuchin told the Senate Banking Committee. “I am concerned as to whether some of the models will attribute enough growth in dynamic scoring but when we present the details we will present how we think it should be paid for.” Mnuchin has said the April plan was deliberately vague in order to allow the White House to more effectively work with lawmakers to come up with a joint agreement that could pass Congress. How to pay for the tax cuts remains a sticking point. Fiscal conservatives in the Republican-controlled Congress would strongly prefer a revenue-neutral plan as they are against increasing deficits. Mnuchin has said the cuts would pay for themselves under a dynamic scoring model analysis, which takes into account the effect of tax changes on economic growth and revenue. At Thursday’s hearing, Mnuchin was also peppered by Democrats on the committee about details of the tax plan, including whether or not cuts would mostly benefit the wealthy. “I can assure you the president’s objective and my objective is we create a middle income tax cut and we do not raise taxes on the middle income, if anything the opposite,” Mnuchin said. He added that the plan would get rid of almost every single tax deduction, which he said were disproportionately used by the wealthy and that the aim was that 95 percent of Americans would no longer need to itemize deductions. Later on Thursday at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, the Treasury secretary insisted that tax reforms remain on track despite growing doubts among investors on the size and scope of any cuts achievable in Congress. A renewed push on a repeal of Obamacare is currently being worked on in the Senate while reports that President Donald Trump may have tried to interfere with a federal investigation has shifted focus away from the congressional agenda. “I am still very hopeful that we’ll get tax reform done this year,” Mnuchin said.

Iraq steps up retaliation against Kurdish independence vote with dollar ban

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq stopped selling dollars to leading banks in Kurdistan and banned foreign currency transfers to the autonomous region on Tuesday, stepping up its retaliation for the Kurds independence vote. The financial sanctions follow a ban on direct international air travel to the region imposed by the central government on Friday. Iraq s central bank informed the Kurdistan Regional government (KRG) that it would stop selling dollars to four major Kurdish banks and stop all foreign currency transfers to the region, banking and government sources told Reuters. Businesses in need of foreign currency and foreign workers in Kurdistan, whose pay and remittances are usually in dollars, will be the most affected by the new measures. Business people and expatriates were also the most directly hit by the ban on international flights to the Kurdish airports of Erbil and Sulaimaniya. It forces them to travel via airports in Baghdad and southern Iraq, increasing cost and adding delay. The condition for ending the dollar sale prohibition is to have the Kurdish banks under the central bank s control, said an Iraqi official. But a Kurdish official in the KRG capital Erbil said the region s banks already reported to the central bank in Baghdad, and the airports of the Kurdish region already reported to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority. Iraq s parliament on Tuesday said it had voted for financial sanctions which would preserve the interests of Kurdish citizens and target the Kurdish leadership. The Shi ite Arab-led Iraqi government has rejected an offer by the Kurdish government to discuss independence. It has demanded that it cancel the result of the Sept. 25 referendum or face continued sanctions, international isolation and possible military intervention. The U.S. administration strengthened its alliance with Iraq s Kurds during the war on Islamic State, but is taking the side of Baghdad in the crisis in refusing to recognize the referendum. Iraq s powerful neighbors Iran and Turkey are backing Baghdad, fearing the spread of separatism to their own Kurdish populations.

Key Senate committee chairman wants briefing on Flynn

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday to send the committee documents and provide a briefing on the resignation of President Donald Trump’s national security adviser. Citing reports that both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department were involved in events leading to Michael Flynn’s departure, Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein said they raised “substantial questions” about Flynn’s discussion with Russian officials.

the left in power clinton to obama

the splcs libelous new report on antimuslim extremists equating counterjihadists with jihadists robert spencer the objective of this libelous new report from the hardleft moneymaking and incitement machine the southern poverty law center splc is made plain within it before you book a spokesperson from an antimuslim extremist group or quote them in a story research their background detailed in this indepth guide to of the most visible antimuslim activists and consider the consequences of giving them a platform they wish to silence those who speak honestly about the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat blaming us for a supposed rise in islamophobia if they really want to stamp out suspicion of islam of course they will move against not us but the likes of omar mateen syed rizwan farook tashfeen malik nidal malik hasan mohammed abdulazeez dzhokhar tsarnaev and the myriad other muslims who commit violence in the name of islam and justify it by reference to islamic teachings the splc doesnt do that because its objective is not really to stop islamophobia at all but to create the illusion of a powerful and moneyed network of islamophobes who can only be stopped if you write a check to the splc thats what this is really all about in constructing this illusory edifice the splc labels me and fourteen others antimuslim extremists we are of course no more antimuslim than foes of the nazis were antigerman but note the word extremists thats the mainstream media and obama administrations term of choice for jihad terrorists in what way are we extremists has anyone on the splcs hit list and given the splcs track record of inciting violence against its targets that is exactly what it is ever blown anything or anyone up beheaded anyone boasted of our imminent conquest of any territory and the massacre of or enslavement of its people no all we have done is speak critically about jihad terror and sharia oppression the splc is trying to further the libel that we are the other side of the coin the nonmuslim bin ladens and awlakis until we commit any terror attacks or conspire with others to do so however the splcs libel is only that a libel its also passingly ironic that the splc list includes several people who are doubtless horrified to be in this company as they have endeavored for years to distinguish their message from that of those whom they themselves would smear as islamophobes but their temporizing and pandering didnt work they ended up on the index of prohibited thinkers anyway as will ultimately anyone who dares to note that islam just might have something to do with the acts of murder committed in its name and in accord with its teachings the report as a whole stands as an example of the lefts strange tendency to present true statements as if they were selfevidently false without bothering to explain why apparently the splc knows its supporters and is aware that it doesnt need to bother with troublesome things like you know facts the splcs hit list recurrently excoriates people for making true statements that it apparently regards as selfevidently false for example it says that ann corcoran of refugee resettlement watch accuses immigrantrun stores of illegally trafficking in food stamps this is a case that corcoran makes with evidence evidence that the splc doesnt bother to try disproving it says that steven emerson of the investigative project on terrorism has claimed that the obama administration extensively collaborates with the muslim brotherhood that he actually has done so doesnt seem to bother them as andrew c mccarthy has noted barack obama has spent his presidency cultivating islamists particularly from the international muslim brotherhood and its affiliates in the united states the splc also hits emerison for having asserted that europe is riddled with nogo zones regarding nogo zones here are some news articles from just the past few weeks germany police sick of citizens nogo zone fears the splc excoriates brigitte gabriel of act for america for saying that any practicing muslim who believes the word of the koran to be the word of allah who goes to mosque and prays every friday who prays five times a day this practicing muslim who believes in the teachings of the koran cannot be a loyal citizen of the united states yet it says nothing of course about the many teachings of the quran that contradict american constitutional principles the denial of the freedom of speech the death penalty for apostasy the devaluation of women and more how to reconcile these teachings with us citizenship the splc did not bother to explain the splc quotes david horowitz saying there are only a couple of degrees of separation between anybody on the left and the terrorists and that includes people in the democratic party even those who are antiterrorist here again no refutation is offered yet the lefts dalliance with palestinian jihad groups and overall antiamericanism make it impossible to dismiss horowitzs assertion frank gaffney of the center for security policy were told is gripped by paranoid fantasies about muslims destroying the west from within the splc doesnt bother to mention the explanatory memorandum on the general strategic goal for the brotherhood in north america the captured muslim brotherhood internal document that explained that brotherhood members must understand that their work in america is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and gods religion is made victorious over all other religions in attacking pamela geller of the american freedom defense initiative the splc descended to outright fabrications notes geller their claim that i insist that obama is the love child of malcolm x is patently untrue the splc also states that i have spoken to a neofascist group in germany when in fact i have never even been to germany it characterizes former fbi agent john guandolos claim that cia director john brennan was a convert to islam as an outlandish accusation when in fact a us asset assigned overseas with brennan in saudi arabia when he was station chief confirmed years ago their firsthand account that brennan was indeed the target of a saudi intelligence influence operation that led to his conversion brennan has also stated publicly that he visited mecca which is impossible for a nonmuslim to do unless he is a special guest of the saudi king even more strangely the splc targets ayaan hirsi ali a woman who grew up as a muslim in somalia suffered genital mutilated at the hands of muslims is under death threats from muslims and lives in exile from her homeland because of muslims instead of trying to discredit her the splc should be honoring her for her stand for human rights against sharia oppression but the splc has other priorities of me the splc concedes that i am a real intellectual but complains that i am entirely selftaught in the study of islam an odd objection one cannot be both selftaught and a real intellectual in any case its false i am indeed mostly selftaught in the study of islam and make no secret of or apologies for it every days headlines proves me correct nonetheless the fact is that i did first read the quran and began studying islam in earnest while at the university of north carolina my claims says the splc are provably false but then only offers a number of them that are demonstrably true without any attempt to refute them it even says that i have referred to barack obama as the first muslim president this one epitomizes the dishonesty of the splc the quote comes from an article i wrote in discussing how obama was not a muslim stating that his obvious affinity for islam and the muslim world could make him into our first muslim president the way bill clinton was called our first black president after eight years of obama id say i was proven correct in rather spectacular fashion the splc finally hits me for having even suggested that the media may be getting money to depict muslims in a positive light the facts are once again deeply unfortunate for the splc george soros funded a report on islamophobia on twitter and gave to the center for american progress for a defamatory report on alleged islamophobes he also spent for favorable coverage of the muslim migrant inundation bought favorable coverage of the iran deal and bought islamophobia propaganda after the san bernardino jihad massacre but what need does the splc have of facts it knows its readers wont check up on the veracity of its claims but will accept them at face value since the splc is of the camp of the saints the enlightened and tolerant left those who are outside that camp clearly have no rights that the splc feels bound to respect

Comey Sources Are Speaking Out; He Was Fired For Two Reasons And They Are Both Frightening (VIDEO)

Days after testifying in front of Congress and after requesting more resources for the Russian investigation, FBI Director James Comey was fired on Tuesday night, effective immediately.The Trump administration is blaming Comey s handling of the Hillary Clinton emails, which makes no sense whatsoever because Trump loved Comey s handling of the emails in October. Trump tried to make the case that he fired Comey for being mean to Hillary Clinton, but even the most rabid Trump supporters have to acknowledge that his Lock Her Up, slogan is completely incompatible with Trump s given rationale.It doesn t take a tin foil conspiracy theorist to imagine that the real reason for the Comey firing is that he was getting too close to the truth in investigating Trump s Russia connections. NPR imagines even more scenarios, like the fact that Comey was becoming too big and was stepping on poor little Donnie s ego. It s becoming more and more likely though, that there were just two reasons Comey was fired and both of them should scare the hell out of you.According to two sources that CNN is calling close to Comey, the two reasons Comey was fired were:#2 confirms everything we ve been assuming since the news broke Tuesday night. #1, though, while not at all surprising, is almost more frightening. Trump had to have approached Comey at some point, demanding his loyalty. That s third-rate Banana Republic dictator crap. It makes one wonder just how many people have had to make an oath of loyalty, not to the Constitution, but to Trump. Maybe it s just the people who might have damaging goods on the administration or maybe it s every single person in his administration, which could explain why hundreds of jobs still remain unfilled within the Executive Branch.Loyalty oaths or no loyalty oaths, the Trump administration s charade when it comes to the handling is quickly coming unraveled. It likely won t be long before Comey, and not just sources close to him, are speaking out and perhaps speaking to Congress.Featured image via Zach Gibson/Getty Images

COPYCAT DEMS Fundraise Off Of Trump Lookalike Hat

Can they not find something original? The Democrats are trying to fundraise off of Donald Trump s hat copycatsThe Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is trying to raise money for 2016 House races with its own version of Donald Trump s infamous Make America Great Again hat.The DCCC s hat comes in blue, and says Make Congress Blue Again. Unlike various outside efforts to troll Trump ( Make America Hate Again, et cetera), the DCCC s hat seems an earnest effort to appropriate a slogan that has proven the most effective of the cycle.Democrats, who need 30 seats to win the House, are ambivalent about Trump. Some boast that Trump would be the easiest general election opponent for Hillary Clinton; he is one of the only candidates with worse approval ratings.The DCCC has let it be known that it intends to tie vulnerable House Republicans to Trump. You can denounce his comments but that only means so much if you would still vote for him, a DCCC official told Roll Call recently.At the same time, Democrats are quietly worried about Trump s ability to motivate disaffected voters to come to the polls.In November, the Democratic Governors Association blamed Trump-mania for the surprise victory of Tea Party favorite Matt Bevin over Attorney General Jack Conway in the race for Kentucky governor: Unfortunately, he ran into the unexpected headwinds of Trump-mania, losing to an outsider candidate in the year of the outsider. Washington Post commentator Jonathan Capehart has warned Democrats: Trump s support is deeper than we want to admit. And if we re really being honest, we know his support doesn t just reside within the Republican Party. Thus, Trump s I really don t give a damn mien could prove dangerous to a Clinton campaign that prizes control. Via: Breitbart

JUDGE GIVES ‘LEGAL PERSONHOOD’ TO MONKEYS: SHOULD MONKEYS HAVE THE SAME LEGAL RIGHTS AS PEOPLE?

Habeas Corpus for Animals???The animal personhood movement believes dolphins, great apes, and elephants deserve to be able to sue and now it has a plaintiff.A New York judge has ordered the state to justify why two chimpanzees allegedly kept at a Long Island public university and used as research subjects shouldn t be transferred to an animal sanctuary in south Florida.The animal rights advocates representing the animals hailed the judge s decision late Monday to grant a hearing early next month as a watershed moment for their long and controversial effort to persuade courts to confer human rights on primates.It wasn t as big a victory for animal rights fanatics as initially thought:The judge, according to [a spokesman for the state court system], mistakenly labeled her order a writ of habeas corpus, saying she had only granted the hearing to discuss the legal issues raised by the Nonhuman Rights Project. Judge [Barbara] Jaffe on Tuesday amended her initial order, striking out the words habeas corpus from the document.That s how progressivism works. They push the envelope as far as they can. If people scream with laughter or in horror, they pull it back a little. Then, after the barrage of liberal propaganda we are relentlessly assailed with from every direction has had a little more time to work on us, they push the envelope forward again.For their part the animal rights kooks are not backing down:The organization isn t challenging the conditions of their confinement, but the confinement itself. In a petition last month, the group described the animals as autonomous and self-determining beings who should be protected by the common law of habeas corpus, a right granted only to legal persons. Give Obama a few more years to stack the courts with left-wing zealots. Not only will monkeys, dogs, and goldfish have habeas corpus rights, they will be entitled to vote and collect welfare or rather, their human companions will be entitled to on their behalf.Why not? According to liberal ideology, souls do not exist, and there is no moral difference between a human and an animal.

Philippine ombudsman files criminal case against ex-president Aquino

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines anti-graft body filed criminal charges against former President Benigno Aquino on Wednesday for mishandling a botched anti-militant raid that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos in 2015. The police officers deaths at the hands of an overwhelming number of rebel gunmen contributed to the stalling of peace efforts with Muslim separatists in the southern Philippines and was the biggest crisis of Aquino s 2010-2016 presidency. The Office of the Ombudsman said it had charged Aquino with usurpation of authority, as well as graft and corruption, following preliminary investigations. The agency said the former leader allowed a suspended police chief to be involved in the planning and execution of the January 2015 incident in Mamasapano in Maguindano province and kept the interior minister and police officer in charge out of the loop. Aquino s representative did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Police Special Action Force commandos killed two al Qaeda-linked militants but were ambushed and outnumbered by militants during the raid. The incident caused national outrage and Aquino s approval and trust ratings fell to record lows. A bill put to Congress by the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front to grant self-rule over the predominantly Muslim region of Mindanao island stalled, which many in the process blamed on the impact of the Mamasapano incident. The bill has since been reworked and is expected to be put to Congress again soon, with President Rodrigo Duterte determined to see it passed as a means to develop the country s most impoverished region and arrest the spread of radical sentiment and the influence of the Islamic State group.

TRUMPDOM: The Curious World of Trump’s Foreign Policy Explained

Niraj Srivastava 21st Century WireIt is barely seven weeks since Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. Perhaps too early to figure out the details of America s foreign policy during his presidency. However, some broad contours of his policies are taking shape, which may provide pointers to what he is likely to do in the next four years.These pointers are based partly on what Trump said during his election campaign and partly on what has happened since he became President. Actually, quite a lot has happened in the last seven weeks or so, including considerable turbulence in US domestic and foreign policy.Before proceeding further, it may be useful to recall that Trump s victory in the Nov. 2016 elections was unexpected. Most opinion polls and the mainstream media (MSM) predicted victory for Hillary Clinton, who was the candidate of the US Establishment and the Deep State (DS), which includes the military-industrial complex, the intelligence agencies, the MSM, Wall Street, and the Jewish Lobby.The DS is a permanent, unelected, group of institutions, lobbies, and individuals which wields enormous power from behind the scenes and continues to do so irrespective of who is the President and which party controls the US Congress. It is driven by the quest for money and power, among other things.The present DS began taking shape almost thirty-five years ago when Jimmy Carter was President. There was a DS before that too, going back to the 1950s, which came into existence after the Second World War. However, it was much less powerful and entrenched than the present one. John F. Kennedy tried to defy it but did not succeed. Some believe he paid for it with his life.The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 speeded up the consolidation of the current DS, which found that there was nobody to restrain the military power of the US. America could do what it liked. The 1990s also witnessed the emergence of a group of individuals known as the neoconservatives, or neocons, who believed in using the American military for global domination, irrespective of international laws or institutions, such as the UN.The first military adventure of the neocons was the illegal NATO bombing of the then Yugoslavia in 1999, which was carried out without UN approval. It resulted in the disintegration of the country. Russia was too weak to counter it militarily. Having gotten away with it, the US and NATO embarked upon a series of wars in the next fifteen years, aimed at regime change in countries whose leaders were not US allies.Thus, the US and its NATO allies invaded Iraq in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussain, bombed Libya and killed Qaddafi in 2011, intervened in Syria in 2011 to oust President Bashar al-Assad, effected regime change in Ukraine in 2014, and are currently involved in a very destructive war in Yemen along with Saudi Arabia.The US has therefore continuously been at war during the last fifteen years. Some of these wars are still continuing, with no end in sight. It is estimated that the US has lost more than 5000 soldiers and spent around US$ seven trillion to fight these wars. Tens of thousands of US soldiers have been injured, straining the social and economic fabric of the country.But these wars have also greatly benefited elements of the Deep State, who have made enormous amounts of money by selling weapons and other material needed to fight wars. Follow the Money is a useful dictum to identify these elements, for whom continuous warfare has become a way of life. And to sustain that, a powerful enemy is required.It is here that Russia comes in. Since Putin came to power in 1999, Russia has slowly but steadily nursed its economy and military back to health. Russia s resurgence has upset the neocons and other members of the DS, who had gotten used to unfettered use of American military to invade countries and overthrow regimes, as mentioned above.It was not a coincidence that Russia, and Putin personally, were strongly demonized by the DS during the US presidential campaign in 2016. Russia was accused of all types of subversion, including hacking the Democratic National Committee emails, hacking the elections themselves, and supporting Trump. Hillary Clinton s campaign theme was that Trump was a Russian agent.What is noteworthy is that not a shred of credible evidence was provided by Clinton or anyone else in the DS to support the above allegations. What was provided included fake news, unsubstantiated dossiers, and rumours. They failed to impress the voters, and Trump won the election by a comfortable margin.But the matter did not end there. Humiliated by the defeat of its candidate Hillary Clinton in the election, the DS has launched a campaign to undermine Trump s presidency, by promoting Russophobia and by portraying Russia and Putin as a threat to US security.It was necessary to provide the above background in order to interpret Trump s foreign policy moves since he took over as President. His policies relating to some major countries and issues will be analyzed.RussiaFirst, Trump s approach to Russia. During his election campaign, Trump had repeatedly said that he would work to normalize relations with Russia. He implied that Russia was not an enemy of the US, and could become a partner to find solutions to problems in certain countries.In particular, Trump said that the US and Russia could jointly fight the ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria. He suggested that since President Assad was also fighting the ISIS in Syria, dislodging him, or regime change, was not a priority.Trump s attitude to Moscow flew in the face of what Hillary Clinton and the DS had been saying for a long time that Russia was an enemy which had to be deterred by overwhelming military power. Trump s detractors, therefore, could not accept his Russia Policy. They had to make sure that he did not abandon their hard line towards Moscow.They did so by targeting Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump s National Security Advisor (NSA). On 9th Feb., the Washington Post carried a story claiming that Flynn had spoken on the phone to the Russian Ambassador to the US before Trump s inauguration, and discussed US sanctions against Russia with him. It was also claimed that Flynn lied about the conversation to Vice President Pence.Under intense media and Congressional pressure, Trump asked Flynn to resign, which he did on 13th Feb. The Deep State had claimed its first victim and shown Trump what it could do if he deviated from its Russia Policy. Though Flynn had not violated any US law and done nothing to compromise US security, he had to resign because Trump could not stand up to the DS and buckled under pressure.But that was not the end of the matter. On 2nd March the Washington Post carried another story stating that Trump s Attorney General Jeff Sessions had spoken twice with the Russian Ambassador in 2016 when Sessions was a Senator and failed to disclose the same during his confirmation hearings.This time Trump defended Sessions and said he had done no wrong, which was true. Trump even went on the offensive stating that the really important issue was the illegal leaking of secret information by US intelligence agencies to the media, which he asked the FBI to investigate. Trump also alleged on 4th March that President Obama had ordered wiretapping of his phones in Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 election.After the attack on Flynn, Trump had realized that the final target of the DS was Trump himself. Flynn s removal was the opening salvo, and the attack on Jeff Sessions was the second. Trump reluctantly accepted that he had to fall in line with the agenda of the DS on Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and other issues. Otherwise, the DS might try to remove him by impeachment, on charges of treason and conspiring with an enemy state.Trump s changed approach to Russia was reflected in his appointment on Feb. 20 of General H.R. McMaster as NSA, in place of Flynn. McMaster sees Russia as a hostile revisionist power, and does not support normalization of relations with that country. The appointment of McMaster has been widely seen as an attempt by Trump to placate his enemies in the Deep State; it also reflects his apprehension that if he does not do the bidding of the DS, he might end up like Flynn.Trump has also proposed an increase in the Pentagon s budget by ten percent, amounting to about US$ 54 billion. That is equal to around eighty percent of Russia s entire military budget in 2015. The US expenditure on defense is about nine times that of Russia. These figures speak for themselves in the context of Russia s purported threat to the US.It is, therefore, safe to predict that Trump will abandon his objective to normalize relations with Russia, at least in public. He will depict Russia as a threat to US security and act accordingly. Thus, in the recent past, US troops have been deployed in Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, while NATO troops have been sent to the Baltic states all on Russia s periphery. The White House has also asked Russia to hand back Crimea to Ukraine. ChinaSecond, US relations with China. Trump raised Chinese hackles by speaking on the phone to the Taiwanese President soon after he was elected. China protested vigorously, eliciting a dismissive reaction from Trump, who said there was nothing wrong in receiving a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwanese President. China saw Trump s action as undermining the US s One China policy.During his confirmation hearings, US Secretary of State Tillerson said that China s activities in the South China Sea were not acceptable to the US, which will respond if China violates international law in that area. That cannot have pleased the Chinese.However, in the recent past, Trump has climbed down by reaffirming the US s One China policy and avoided making statements that could annoy the Chinese. He seems to have grasped China s importance globally, as well as the massive US economic stakes in that country.Nevertheless, it would not be surprising if US-China relations witness turbulence during Trump s tenure in office. China is also a designated enemy of the US Deep State because that helps increase the Pentagon s budget. The more the number of US enemies, the better for the DS.MexicoThird, Mexico. Trump had repeatedly promised during his election campaign that he would build a wall along the US-Mexico border to reduce illegal immigration from that country. What s more, he had also said he would ask Mexico to pay for the wall. Another issue that he had raised was NAFTA, which, according to him, was hurting the US economy, and needed to be scrapped.After assuming power Trump continued to repeat what he had said about the US-Mexico wall. This angered the Mexican President, who cancelled a scheduled visit to the US in end-January 2017. After that, Trump sent Secretary of State Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to Mexico on 23rd Feb. for damage control and normalization of relations. It is safe to say, however, that US-Mexico relations under Trump will continue to witness turbulence because Trump is serious both about the wall as well as NAFTA.IsraelFourth, Israel. In his approach to that country, Trump is proving to be even more pro-Israel than Hillary Clinton, who was the candidate of the Jewish lobby in the US. Trump s Israel Policy seems to be driven by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew, whose wife Ivanka, Trump s daughter, converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner. During his election campaign, Trump had said that he would move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington in mid-Feb. 2017 to meet Trump. After their talks, Trump said that he would accept whatever the Israelis and the Palestinians decided between themselves either a two or a one-state solution to the Palestinian issue. This was a significant departure from the official US and UN position on the issue a two-state solution based on the land-for-peace formula.By adopting the above position, Trump effectively washed his hands off the Israeli-Palestinian issue, leaving it to the Israelis to do whatever they liked, and abandoning the Palestinians to their fate. He has also sent a team of US officials to Israel to examine the feasibility of shifting the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as promised by him.It is likely that during his presidency Trump will allow Israel to do what it wishes in the region, especially regarding the Palestinians, Syria, and Iran. That cannot be good for regional security.IranFifth, Iran. During his election campaign, Trump had repeatedly expressed his anti-Iran feelings and criticized the Iran nuclear deal engineered by Obama. On 6th March, Trump imposed a 90-day ban on travel to the US by Iranian nationals. As things stand, it would be safe to say that during his presidency, US-Iran relations will come under strain. His approach to Iran will also affect US policy in Syria.SyriaSixth, Syria. After becoming President, Trump has spoken about setting up safe zones in Syria which Obama had resisted because he did not want greater and direct US military involvement in that country. Trump has said that Syrian refugees should stay in safe zones in Syria, rather than migrating to Europe or America.If Trump insists on setting up safe zones in Syria, significant numbers of US troops will have to be deployed in the country, in addition to the hundreds of US special forces already present in seven or eight bases in northern and eastern Syria. That would also increase the chances of a deliberate or inadvertent confrontation between the US and Russian forces, who are already present in the country.European UnionSeventh, the European Union. Trump has taken steps to reassure the EU that the US commitment to NATO remains strong, though he insists that NATO members should contribute two per cent of their GDP to NATO s budget. Whether he would be able to enforce that remains to be seen. Under Trump, US relations with EU are unlikely to be as close and warm as they were during Obama s presidency. It is no secret that EU members would have been happier if Hillary Clinton were elected.ImmigrationEighth, immigration. Trump has linked his policy on immigration to the prevention of terrorism in the US. On 6th March, Trump signed an Executive Order banning travel to the US for 90 days by nationals of six Muslim-majority countries Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Ironically, the US has been responsible for launching wars and destabilizing three of these countries Libya, Syria, and Yemen. The travel ban from these countries could not be more hypocritical and unjust.International Trade and GlobalizationNinth, international trade and globalization. Trump has promised to implement an America First policy which may clash with globalization and free trade. Soon after taking over, he scrapped the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and blamed NAFTA for migration of manufacturing jobs to Mexico. Trump s top priority during his tenure would be to fulfill his promise of bringing manufacturing jobs back to America. If, in the process, free trade and globalization are undermined, so be it.IndiaFinally, US-India relations. While campaigning, Trump spoke positively about India. The Indian diaspora in the US, particularly some Hindu community groups, organized fundraisers for Trump. He was quoted as saying: I am a big fan of Hindu and India. Under the Trump administration, we are going to be even better friends. In fact, I would say we are going to be the best of friends. There won t be a relationship more important to us. Trump phoned Indian Prime Minister Modi five days after he was sworn-in as President, and described India as a true friend and partner in addressing the challenges of the world. However, Trump s protectionist approach to trade may pose some problems for India, particularly regarding the H-1B visas, which are used by Indian software companies to send technical personnel for jobs in the US. It is possible that Trump may reduce the number of the visas or impose more stringent rules to obtain them. India has conveyed her concerns to the US side through various channels, and cannot do more than wait and see what Trump finally does. But it seems clear that he will give high priority to relations with India.This is how Trump s foreign policy looks at the moment. It is still early days, and things may play out differently. Only time will tell what actually happens.***Niraj Srivastava is a former Ambassador of India who has served in several countries including Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United StatesREAD MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Trump FilesREAD MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE NOW & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

Twitter Just Banned A Major Trump Ally For Threatening Journalists (SCREENSHOTS)

Trump advisor Roger Stone says a bunch of wacky stuff on Twitter, but he managed to go too far even for a platform that seems to ban more people for condemning hate speech than anything else.After it was announced that at least one person had been indicted by a grand jury in the Russia probe, Stone went nuts on journalists who reported the information especially CNN s Don Lemon. There r no credible fact checks that clear the Clinton s on Uranium, Stone wrote in his typical uneducated manner to Lemon. Even the people at CNN say i are a buffoon behind you back. You come across on tv as a dull witted arrogant partyboi, the dull-witted Trump ally added. You lie constantly and no one who knows you thinks you r bright. Don Lemon must be confronted, humiliated, mocked, and punished, Stone said. Dumber than dog shit. Stop lying about the Clinton s and Uranium you ignorant lying covksucker !!!! Stone continued. You fake news you dumb piece of shit. Stone also told Charles Blow, U have no cried you fast talking arrogant fake news piece of shit ! It s unclear why Stone has never bothered to learn to spell at above a second-grade level or why he thinks there should be spaces before exclamation marks, but he ll have plenty of time to think about that and possibly learn to spell because he s gone from Twitter.Whoa. Roger Stone lost his shit to such a degree, Twitter suspended his account.So, why hasn't Trump been suspended? pic.twitter.com/849LYIGztl Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) October 28, 2017Maybe Stone is just worried that he might be indicted, maybe he s just furious that the chickens are coming home to roost but at least we don t have to deal with his bullsh*t anymore.Featured image via Getty Images/screengrab

WATCH: CNN DOES SEGMENT From Bunker In Hawaii, Tells Viewers Hawaii’s Been Preparing For Nuclear Strike Since Trump Took Office…CNN’s Best Survival Tip: “FIND A CAVE”

CNN host Erin Burnett started out her segment on the threat of a nuclear attack by North Korea by explaining to her (very small) audience the danger Hawaii could face if nuclear North Korea, (the same nation Obama left ignored for 8 years), decided to strike Hawaii: Guam of course, is not the only island within striking distance of North Korea. Another potential target within Kim Jong Un s range is Hawaii, which is where Sarah Sidner is live tonight. She s inside a bunker in Honolulu which houses the emergency center s state warning point. Of course, there was no mention in Burnett s dramatic warning to her viewers of how Obama ignored the the very real nuclear threat that North Korea posed to the United States, or that President Trump was left to deal with a serious issue that President Bill Clinton bragged about handling while he was in office.Sidner went on to explain the very real threat that North Korea posed to the island of Hawaii and how Hawaiian officials there have been preparing for (here s the magic number) at least seven months (which, not surprisingly is about exactly the time that President Trump was inaugurated).Sidner then went on to explain that if a nuclear attack did take place on the island that not everyone would be affected. She explained to viewers in Hawaii, that if a nuclear missile was about to strike, they should get out of their cars and move to the inside of a building or their home, or find a cave. Find a cave?Watch the exchange here: Missile launch from North Korea to Hawaii is 20 mins. To create fear, @CNN reports from an underground bunker. https://t.co/Ylr5jbnk8k A.D. WHITMAN (@AD_WHITMAN) August 9, 2017

Mexicans dismayed by rise of Trump's border wall

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump s wall is far from built but towering concrete and steel prototypes in San Diego are making Mexicans living just south of the border feel his campaign pledge has turned them into pariahs. Eight samples as high as 30 feet (9 meters) were completed last week near the Otay Mesa border crossing, the first tangible sign of Trump s vow to build a wall from California to Texas for some $21.6 billion. Opposite San Diego, residents of the Mexican city of Tijuana, where homes, companies and parks abut a corrugated steel fence on the border, dread the prospect of work on a permanent wall. People are still going to cross out of necessity even though they view us as pariahs over there, said student Paola Gomez, 21, standing outside her home as the noise of workers putting up the sections drifted across the border. That s how it looks with things like (the wall): they view us as pariahs. The worst thing is, it s being built by Latinos themselves. Trump pledged frequently during his presidential campaign to build the wall to help tackle illegal immigration and crime in the United States. He launched his bid in June 2015, accusing Mexicans of sending rapists and drug-runners into the United States, comments that caused widespread outrage south of the border. Tijuana locals said they heard Spanish-speaking workers helping to build the prototypes, driving home the irony that Latino labor was being used to deter immigration from Latin America. They need Mexicans and other undocumented people. They save lots of money with us, said Manuela Altamirano, 42, who watched from her home as the strips of wall went up. Trump constantly does things to humiliate the Mexican people ... These walls are like monsters he created, like a border Frankenstein. Around 20 protesters gathered on the Mexican side last weekend, setting a Trump-style pinata on fire and waving signs reading No to the wall and We re not enemies , said organizer Sergio Tamay of migrant shelter Angels Without Borders. Even if the plan never moves forward, the Homeland Security-funded prototypes will likely remain in place so the Border Patrol can use them to help demonstrate how the agency operates, officials at San Diego Border Patrol said. Some may serve as designs for replacements of aging sections of the 654-mile (1,052 km) fence that already extends along the almost 2,000-mile border. Later this month, tests are due to begin on the prototypes to determine how easily immigrants could climb over or dig under them, methods of entering the United States illegally that proved successful in the past. Standing around 40 meters (130 feet) from the Mexican border, the concrete rectangles created a depressing landscape, said Tijuana resident Alexis Franco, 22, who watched their construction since it began in late September. This is just going to be a nuisance for all of us who live here, Franco said outside his dirt-floor home, speaking over the noise of heavy machinery on the other side of the border. If it s not the machines, it s the constant movement of the workers, including some who speak Spanish, he added. Guadalupe Garcia, 38, who lives on an unpaved street nearby, said she felt powerless to protest even though the construction din often woke and frightened her baby. Unfortunately, we can t do anything about it, she said. It s another country, but it s affecting us.

Kenya chief justice says police 'enhanced' security after shooting

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya s chief justice said the national police chief had enhanced the security of Supreme Court judges after one of their bodyguards was shot, denying a Reuters report that a request for extra security had been turned down. The judges safety was thrust into focus last week after the shooting, which occurred on Tuesday evening. The next day, five out of seven judges failed to come to court to issue a judgment on an election petition seeking to delay the next day s presidential poll, sparking widespread speculation of intimidation. A senior judicial source told Reuters earlier this week that after the shooting the judges, who are normally allocated one bodyguard, had requested another vehicle, known as a chaser car , to follow or go ahead of them as they moved around the country. The source, who was not available to speak on Thursday, said this request was turned down. The source also said the judges were upset at the government s characterisation of the shooting as a crime rather than an attempt to intimidate judges who had recently annulled the August election victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta. The statement, issued by Chief Justice David Maraga s office late on Wednesday, said the story was wrong. To the contrary, the Inspector General of Police has in fact enhanced the security of Supreme Court judges, it said. It did not give further details. Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka said Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu had been allocated six police to guard her after the shooting of her bodyguard, who is in hospital in stable condition. He declined to comment on whether any other judges had requested extra security, but noted that both the interior minister and chief of police had promised they could have whatever they requested. He said he was not able to give details of the extra security provided because that in itself would be a breach of security protocols . Kenyatta won the repeat presidential poll on Oct. 26 with 98 percent of the vote after opposition leader Raila Odinga withdrew from the race, saying it would not be fair. The repeat election was ordered by the Supreme Court after it nullified the results of a poll on Aug. 8 due to procedural irregularities. The election board said Kenyatta won that election by 1.4 million votes.

American Airlines Crew Hits Woman With Stroller, Challenges Passenger To Fight (VIDEO)

Yet another example of our airline industry s awesomeness occurred Friday when an employee was captured on video challenging a passenger to a fight after a woman holding a baby was hit with her stroller. The video begins with the crying woman holding one of her children in her arms while begging for her stroller back.One angry witness can be heard saying he s not going to sit here and watch this before going to the front of the plane to demand the name of the employee who hit the woman. Another woman on the flight can be heard confronting the staff about their treatment of the latest victim of airline violence. Much of the staff s conversation can not be heard from the vantage point of the person filming, but the gentleman who initially confronted the thugs on the plane stands up and says you do that to me and I ll knock you flat. You stay out of this! the male flight attendant shot back. Try it. Hit me. You don t know what the story is. But the passenger knew what the story is (the part that matters, anyway):I don t care what the story is. You almost hit that baby!Q13 Fox spoke to some of the people aboard the plane, and the story is just as terrible as it seems:Olivia Morgan was standing in the doorway of the aircraft with her 8-year-old daughter waiting to board when the altercation happened. The flight attendant wrestled the stroller away from the woman, who was sobbing, holding one baby with the second baby in a car seat on the ground next to her, she said.Morgan said the flight attendant was violent when taking the metal stroller from the woman and nearly hit the baby with the stroller. He stormed by me with the stroller and I said something like, What are you doing? You almost hit that baby! And he yelled at me to stay out of it! just like he does in the video, she said.Morgan said she talked to the woman about the incident. The woman said a female flight attendant told her she could look for space to store the stroller because it folds up very small, but if there was no available space, she would need to check it at the gate. She was looking for space when the male attendant tried to take it away from her and she said she told him the other attendant had told her it was okay to look, she said.According to the American Airlines website, small strollers can be checked at the gate but there is no policy about strollers in the overhead bin. The lady and her two children were seated near the back of the plane. She was somehow able to get her stroller on board and back near her seat, said Tom Watson, who was sitting just behind the first class section when the staff went insane. She refused to let him take it and she was almost to the point of shouting. The flight attendant and the woman started making their way to the front of the plane. They were at the front of the plane near the crew area. The woman was holding on to the stroller and refusing to let go, he continued, adding that The flight attendant should not have been so aggressive and should have been more aware of the kids. He then says the woman was escorted off the plane.Fortunately, American Airlines seems to have learned from United s numerous blunders following employees assault on a doctor. Rather than attempt to blame the woman, the company released a statement announcing that the employee has been suspended (not terminated though):We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts. What we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers. We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident. We are making sure all of her family s needs are being met while she is in our care. After electing to take another flight, we are taking special care of her and her family and upgrading them to first class for the remainder of their international trip.The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care. In short, we are disappointed by these actions. The American team member has been removed from duty while we immediately investigate this incident.The woman had to take another flight, but was given upgraded accommodations.Watch video shot directly following the attack below: Featured image via screengrab

FBI Director Wray defends bureau in wake of Republican criticism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation defended his employees on Thursday against a growing chorus of accusations by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, that its agents were allowing political bias to seep into their investigations. In testimony before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Christopher Wray said he believed the reputation of the FBI was not, as Trump recently wrote on Twitter, “in tatters.” “The agents, analysts and staff of the FBI are big boys and girls. We understand we will take criticism from all corners,” Wray said. “My experience has been that our reputation is quite good.” Republicans had in recent weeks stepped up criticism of the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether Trump campaign aides had colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The move is widely seen as a tactic to undermine Mueller’s investigation, which has so far led to criminal charges against four people from Trump’s inner circle. It comes as Republicans prepare to head into a potentially challenging midterm 2018 congressional election cycle. Republicans have sought to re-litigate questions relating to the FBI’s handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, and questioned whether Justice Department officials gave her preferential treatment in their decision not to charge her with a crime. They have criticized former FBI Director James Comey for publicly announcing a decision not to refer Clinton for prosecution and asked whether the decision-making was politically tainted. Wray took over the helm of the FBI after Trump abruptly fired Comey earlier this year. Most recently, Republicans got fresh ammunition against Mueller and the FBI, after media reports said FBI agent Peter Strzok was removed from the Russia probe because he had exchanged private text messages that disparaged Trump and supported Clinton. Strzok was involved in both the Clinton email and Russia investigations. Wray acknowledged Thursday that Strzok was removed from Mueller’s investigation, but said he was reassigned, not disciplined. “We cannot afford for the FBI - which has traditionally been dubbed the premier law enforcement agency in the world - to become tainted by politicization or the perception of a lack of even-handedness,” Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said. Wray repeatedly refused to weigh in on how his predecessor handled the Clinton matter, and deferred to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who is conducting a wide-ranging review into the topic. Horowitz recently told lawmakers he expects his review to be complete by late winter or early spring. “When those findings come to me, I will take appropriate action if necessary,” Wray said. Democrats, meanwhile, urged Wray to stand up against bullying by the president. “Your job requires you to have the courage to stand up to the president, Mr. Director,” said the committee’s Ranking Democrat Jerrold Nadler. “There are real consequences for allowing the President to continue unchecked in this manner.”

WHAT A FOURSOME! Trump Plays With Golf Greats [Video]

President Trump announced he d be playing golf quickly with Jupiter Island resident Tiger Woods and PGA star Dustin Johnson .A lucky Instagram user got some great photos and video:WHAT A TREAT THE PRESIDENT AND GOLF GREATS!An Instagram user spotted the president at Trump National Golf Course on Friday morning with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson: Just your average morning! Excited my kids were able to see our President and the others were just a bonus, user hwalks wrote in her Instagram post. She posted pictures and a video of Trump, Woods, and Johnson on the golf course making their rounds. Just your average morning!! Excited my kids were able to see our President and the others were a bonus! #Tigerwoods #dustinjohnson #bradfaxon #donaldtrump #presidenttrumpA post shared by Always_7 (@hwalks) on Nov 24, 2017 at 6:53am PSTDR ERIC KAPLAN POSTED:The President with Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods , Brad Faron, at Trump Jupiter, a great Potus & host pic.twitter.com/MJ3Hr4DNj5 Dr. Eric Kaplan (@drekaplan) November 24, 2017GOLF.COM PICKED UP THE VIDEO AND PICTURES: President Trump greets his playing partners Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Brad Faxon at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter. What do you think they were talking about on the range?A post shared by Golf Magazine (@golf_com) on Nov 24, 2017 at 8:48am PSTYou will not read this in media, but Trump is such a good host to media, food galore gave the media VIP private room pic.twitter.com/8WrJZn2XgM Dr. Eric Kaplan (@drekaplan) November 24, 2017AFTER GOLF BACK TO BUSINESSPresident Trump left the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter around 1:45 p.m., and spoke with the president of Egypt over the horrific terror attack at a mosque on Friday morning.Trump tweeted that he will discuss the tragic terrorist attack , and added that we have to get tougher and smarter and need the wall, need the ban. Trump and Woods played golf last December at Trump International while Trump was president-elect. Since becoming president, Trump s golf partners have included Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, future NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and professional golfers Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee have also joined Trump on the links.

Trump to drop climate change from environmental reviews: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump is set to sign an order to greatly reduce the role climate change plays in decision making across the U.S. government, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the administration’s plan. The order, which could be signed this week, aims to reverse former Democratic President Barack Obama's broad approach for addressing climate change, the report said. (bloom.bg/2nkDvKo) The directive will urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to undo the Clean Power Plan, the Bloomberg report said. The Clean Power Plan is Obama’s centerpiece initiative to combat climate change, requiring states to slash emissions of carbon dioxide, but it was never implemented due to legal challenges launched by several Republican states. According to the report, the measure would direct U.S. regulators to rescind Obama-era regulations limiting oil industry emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The order will also involve a reconsideration of the government’s use of a metric known as the “social cost of carbon”, which weighs the potential economic damage from climate change, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Trump has long signaled his intention to reverse Obama’s climate-change initiatives, but the Republican president has vowed his planned overhaul of green regulation would not jeopardize America’s water and air quality. Reuters reported earlier this month that the White House had proposed to slash a quarter of the EPA’s budget, targeting climate-change programs and those designed to prevent air and water pollution like lead contamination. The Bloomberg report said that some of the changes could happen immediately, while others could take years to implement.

IS LAW AND ORDER SVU PANDERING To Cop Hating Millennials And Black Lives Matter Terrorists? [VIDEO]

It s hard for millennials to escape the leftist propaganda. Progressivism virtually front and center in almost every aspect of their lives. From progressive academia to a radical leftist agenda in the entertainment industry, it s really hard for our children to find a safe place where they re not being fed a leftist agenda. Millennials love Law and Order SUV because they hate cops:While SVU is lurid and addictive and GIF-ready and all the other things millennials purportedly love, I think there s another reason for our adoration. The truth is, outside the Law & Order universe, young people tend to hate the shit out of cops. The stereotype of long-haired, rebellious youths flipping off pigs of the sixties might sound time-worn, but there s clearly something to it: An annual Gallup poll shows that 18-29 year-olds consistently trail behind older adults in reporting a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police. For us, the police force exists solely as a symbol of violence and racism and corruption, and news stories about NYPD rapists and stop-and-frisk and pepper-spraying Occupy Wall Street protesters do little to indicate otherwise.From Washington Post interview:Last night s episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC aimed to weed through the messy and emotional aftermath of one of these shootings focusing on what happens after New York police officers, in desperate search for a rape suspect, shoot and kill an unarmed black college student who happens to match the description of the suspect. (It s not the first time the series, which is in its 17th season, has pulled inspiration for a story line from the headlines.)https://youtu.be/zTqTfSpPfYAWhy write an episode based around a police shooting, and why on SVU ?Something seems to be going on in the nation right now, and it seems that we re looking at, at least anecdotally, an epidemic of cops shooting unarmed people, often unarmed black men, but not exclusively black men.We ve just seen a spate of incidents in which that has been the case, and we have a police show. One of the things that is frustrating to me is that too few shows are tackling the tough issues. There are way more shows about zombies than about what s going on in our judicial system. Very few shows are allowed to get away with this right now.Our mantra is that we shed light on the darker corners of society. Police shootings of unarmed people is something that needs to be discussed. Via: Washington PostLaw and Order SVU promotes show on Twitter:https://twitter.com/nbcsvu/status/654310751759298560

saudi ambassador to the uae any contact with iran iraq syria and lebanon should be checked

email the politicomorning consult poll finds that percent of voters think widespread voter fraud could cause the gop nominee to lose the election amid trumps increased warnings about a rigged election percent of republicans think the election could be stolen from him compared to percent of democrats over the past week trump has cast doubt on the american electoral system saying he believes the results will be rigged at many polling places the election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing crooked hillary but also at many polling places sad trump wrote on twitter sunday trump has also encouraged supporters to keep an eye on voting locations to prevent fraud which some say is a ploy to intimidate voters trump is trailing democratic nominee hillary clinton in the polls following sexual assault and harassment allegations from multiple women the politicomorning consult poll showed clinton leading trump by points to percent in a realclearpolitics polling average clinton leads trump by points to percent while speaker paul ryan rwis and even trumps running mate indiana gov mike pence have tried to reassure the electorate about the reliability of the election system the poll released monday found percent of americans think it is necessary to question the accuracy of the election results the poll was conducted among registered voters oct and has a margin of error of percentage points

Glad to see Obama go, Gulf Arabs expect Trump to counter Iran

DUBAI (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states are quietly applauding the arrival in the White House of a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran, even if they suspect Donald Trump’s short temper and abrasive Tweets may at times heighten tensions in the combustible Middle East. While many countries around the world listened with concern to his protectionist inaugural address, Gulf Arab officials appear optimistic. They see in Trump a strong president who will shore up Washington’s role as their main strategic partner in a region central to U.S. security and energy interests. In Gulf Arab eyes, that involves above all checking what they see as a surge of Iranian support for paramilitary allies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and for fellow Shi’ite Muslims in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing Eastern Province. It also means overlooking for now rhetoric about uniting “the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism” in an address that critics said echoed George W. Bush’s “crusade” against terrorism, a phrase which, for Muslims, evokes barbarous campaigns by medieval Christians against Islam. Saudi Arabia in particular appears relieved at the departure of Barack Obama, who it felt considered Riyadh’s alliance with Washington less important than negotiating a deal in 2015 to neutralize Iran’s nuclear program. The relationship is a pillar of the Middle East’s security balance. But it has suffered since Riyadh took issue with what it saw as Obama’s withdrawal from the region, and a perceived inclination towards Iran since the 2011 Arab uprisings. There have been tensions over Syria, where Obama dismissed Gulf Arab urgings to give more aid to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, who has survived thanks to Iranian and Russian backing. “Perception is important: Trump does not look like the kind of guy who will bend towards Iran or anyone else,” said Abdulrahman al-Rashed, a veteran Saudi commentator. “If he behaves as he says, then we will see another Ronald Reagan, someone all the forces in the region will take seriously. That’s what we have missed in the past eight years, unfortunately.” Some worry that Trump’s Twitter habit - his rapid, unbridled messages of praise or blame - mean he is unsuited to handling the volatility of the Middle East. Faisal al-Yafai, a columnist with The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi, said that while his use of social media could be a problem, Trump was unlikely to change. “At some point down the line something will happen in the world that will require a careful response, a careful policy, and Trump will react emotionally. That is always going to be the worry. But that’s his attitude. That’s who he is. Those who like Trump like that aspect of his personality,” he said. Some Arab commentators see a political resemblance between Trump and Reagan, who also campaigned on the slogan of making America great again. Reagan was also a strong backer of the military, although in the Middle East his 1981-89 presidency was marked by extended crises involving Iran, Lebanon and Libya. While few in the Gulf expect Trump to repudiate the Iran nuclear deal despite his threats to do so, most want Tehran pressured to roll back what Gulf Arabs see as subversion in fellow Arab states by a revolutionary theocracy. “I think he is going to be very, very tough on Iran. He will be decisive,” said a Gulf Arab businessman, noting he expected the deal-maker Trump would demand something in return. Moments after his speech, the White House website said the Trump administration would make defeating “radical Islamic terror groups” its top foreign policy goal and would develop a “state of the art” missile defense system to protect against attacks from Iran and North Korea. That will be the job in particular of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, and CIA chief nominee Mike Pompeo, all well known to Saudi officials. In particular Mattis, a retired Marine general known for distrust of Iran, is a familiar figure to Gulf Arab rulers. A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mattis said in Senate confirmation hearings this month that Iran was “the biggest destabilizing force in the Middle East and its policies are contrary to our interests.” Such views play well with Gulf Arabs. “We hope Trump can correct (Obama’s) policy, and while we are not sure of that yet, his choices to run the administration all sound experienced,” said al-Rashed. On Syria, Yemen, Iran and Bahrain, arenas for a tussle for influence between Riyadh and Tehran, Obama’s preference for dialogue appeared weak to some Gulf Arabs. Trump’s own vision of “peace through strength” may change that perception of a passive Washington, and encourage Gulf Arabs to press on with a military build-up that relies heavily on U.S. and European defense companies. Any number of issues could yet disturb ties - Jerusalem, oil policy, perceived anti-Muslim prejudice, and a U.S. law allowing lawsuits against Riyadh over the Sept. 11 attacks. One of the most explosive appears to be Trump’s vow to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which would upend decades of U.S. policy, and his appointment as ambassador a lawyer who raised money for a major Jewish settlement. Israel and the Palestinians, who are seeking a state of their own, both claim Jerusalem as their capital. “It would create a lot of chaos, a new intifada maybe,” a Gulf source with knowledge of official thinking said, adding Trump would think long and hard about a move that would be “a huge burden on the peace process”. Another issue is Trump’s policy of seeking to destroy Islamic State. Gulf Arab states agree with him on the goal, but use of polarizing language seen as demonizing Muslims, and reliance solely on military force, would raise objections. Such language could also inflame militancy by hindering the hearts and minds effort needed to counter the thinking behind the violence. “The worst part about the speech is that he will target Islam as a religion in the name of fighting what he called radical Islamic terrorism, a blank label that is meaningless,” Tweeted Daham al-Qahtani, a Kuwaiti political analyst. “If he goes back to the era of Bush, and ‘you are either with us or with the terrorists’, this polarized idea, and then also the idea that military forces can solve it, then I think we will find ourselves in a very difficult situation, with a war that is going to be unwinnable,” al Yafai said. (Corrects in 22nd para to Iraq from Iran)

BREAKING: ELECTRONICS BANNED on Some U.S. Flights From Middle East…List of 9 Airlines and Airports Affected

COULD IT BE THAT EXPERT BOMB MAKER Ibrahim al-Asiri is trying to use an electronic device to take down a jet?Ibrahim al-Asiri has a long track record of bombing including trying to blow up a Detroit-bound jet using explosives in underwear. Remember that? The underwear bomber was thankfully caught but these people are constantly trying to discover new ways to terrorize people.Advanced bomb-making techniques, such as those taught by Mr Asiri, have alarmed security services in the past. In July 2014, the US requested enhanced security checks on all direct flights to the US, in response to a credible threat . Security experts say that the warning was triggered by a fear that some of al-Qaeda s sophisticated bomb-making expertise, such as that pioneered by Mr Asiri, had proliferated out of Yemen to Syria.For more information on al-Asiri: Profile: Al-Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim al-AsiriThe US has announced a ban on electronic devices from cabin baggage on flights from eight mainly Middle Eastern and North African countries.The measure will affect nine airlines operating out of 10 airports.Large electronic devices will only be allowed on board in checked baggage. Phones are exempt from the new rules.US officials said the airlines had been given 96 hours, beginning at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday, to ban devices bigger than a mobile phone or smartphone from cabins. They said the ban had no end date.The airports affected are:Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan Cairo International Airport, Egypt Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Kuwait International Airport Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco Hamad International, Doha, Qatar Dubai International, United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi International, United Arab EmiratesThe nine airlines are:Royal Jordanian Egypt Air Turkish Airlines Saudi Arabian Airlines Kuwait Airways Royal Air Maroc Qatar Airways Emirates Etihad AirwaysHomeland Security Secretary John Kelly called members of Congress over the weekend to explain the security issues behind the ban, congressional aides said.The restrictions had been under consideration for several weeks, US media said.In February 2016 an aircraft operated by the Dubai-based carrier Daallo was damaged by an explosion shortly after take-off from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.Investigators said a passenger who was sucked out of the plane had been carrying a laptop bomb. The pilot managed to land and the alleged bomber was the only fatality. Had the device gone off at cruising altitude, the plane would almost certainly have been destroyed.The Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, claimed that it was responsible. The possibility of further such attacks is apparently what is now concerning American spies .Read more: BBC

Republican Ted Cruz releases four years of tax returns

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz released four years of his and wife Heidi’s tax returns on Saturday, ranging from 2011-2014, showing $389,124 taxes paid on $1.2 million in 2014. Cruz’s filings follow a similar release of returns on Saturday by rival Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida. Both campaigns called on billionaire businessman and Republican front-runner Donald Trump to make his returns public, too. (Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Mary Milliken) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production.

PATHETIC: Saturday Night Live Jokes Make Donald Trump Throw A HUGE Temper Tantrum

Donald Trump has seen Saturday Night Live s cold open portrayal of him and it caused him to throw a hissy fit like a toddler.Alec Baldwin once again turned in a brilliant and hilarious performance as the Republican nominee during the second debate and it was so goo that Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize the actor and whine about the sketch. Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me, Trump wrote before calling for the show to end and accusing the media of rigging the election against him. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election! Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016But he wasn t done. An hour after that tweet he continued bitching about the media and complained about his poll numbers among women in an all caps meltdown repeatedly accusing them of rigging the election.Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016Then he accused the media and the Clinton campaign of working together to rig the election.Election is being rigged by the media, in a coordinated effort with the Clinton campaign, by putting stories that never happened into news! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016It s so easy to make thin-skinned Donald Trump lose his sh*t that it only took a couple minute sketch on SNL to do it.That means Trump could easily be provoked by leaders of other nations, only he would have access to the military and nuclear weapons as president, not just Twitter.Clearly, Trump does not have the temperament necessary to be a world leader.And his continued claims that the election is being rigged is dangerous because his supporters are now seriously threatening bloody rebellion and even the assassination of Hillary Clinton if she beats him on Election Day. Trump is not only proving that he is unfit for the presidency, he is openly undermining our democracy.Featured Image: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Clinton says she understands U.S. voter concerns about emails report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Thursday she was confident voters would make the “right decision” despite concerns over findings by an internal government watchdog that her use of a private email server while secretary of state broke government rules. “I know people have concerns about this, I understand that,” Clinton said in an interview broadcast on MSNBC, referring to the findings by the State Department inspector general in a report made public on Wednesday. The email controversy and a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into whether laws were broken as a result of Clinton’s use of a server kept in her New York home have overshadowed the Democratic front-runner’s campaign. The report concluded that Clinton would not have been allowed to use the server in her home had she asked the department officials in charge of information security. Clinton said voters would look at the full picture of what she had to offer and the “full threat” that Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, posed to the country. “And I have confidence that they are going to be making the right decision.” Asked whether an FBI interview with her has been scheduled, she said: “No, it’s not, but I have offered since last August and I am looking forward to see this matter wrapped up.” She said it was “up to them” whether to conduct the interview before the fall campaign for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Reiterating that the email arrangement was a mistake, Clinton said: “I think the report has been consistent with what I have been saying, that the use of personal email was a practice by other secretaries of state and the rules were not clarified until after I had left.”

BREAKING: [Video] BLACK SUPREMACY TERROR GROUP PLANNING SOMETHING BIG FOR 9-11…”Black Lives Matter Movement Wasn’t Enough…It’s Unavoidable…It’s About To Go Down…It’s Open Season On Whites And Crackers”

The anniversary of 9-11 reminds us of the danger we face when foreign terrorists commit crimes against our citizens. Unfortunately, thanks to Obama s war against America, we have a new enemy who may be just as dangerous, as these domestic terrorists driven by hate, act out their crimes in the same cowardly way as the terrorists of 9-11. Since the FBI refuses to do anything to stop domestic terrorists within the #BlackLivesMatter movement who have publicly called for open season on crackers and cops, a national movement called #OPdethrone has just launched in an effort to stop this group, before any more innocent people lose their lives.Over the past several weeks, we have watched in horror as directives from this group have been carried out, as police officers and white people across the nation have been randomly targeted and brutally executed. And now this group is planning another act of terror this coming 9/11. Although the final details of the event are shrouded in mystery, we do know that this group is planning something big on 9/11, and they are directing their followers to bring their guns and convene at Stone Mountain, where they proclaim that things are about to go down. Although the FBI has been alerted, it appears that nothing has been done to stop this terror organization. In the meantime, this group continues to gain momentum and supporters. In a last-ditch effort to warn his fellow Americans and beacon the FBI to intervene, investigator Hannibal from IllWriteIt.com has compiled a short documentary video highlighting this group s acts of terror. Hopefully this video will help put an end to the group s activities before anymore of their violent calls to action come to fruition.We are asking that everyone watch and share this video, as this is our final attempt to stop this group before they carry out their violent plans on 9/11. It is quite lengthy at over 18 minutes long, but every detail is incredibly important, and vital for telling the full story and making all the connections.Via: Universal Free Press

Bridgegate Verdict Is IN – Guilty On All Charges (DOCUMENTS)

On Friday, a jury did something that will certainly anger Donald Trump s hamburger delivery boy, Chris Christie handed down a decision against two of his top staffers in the Bridgegate case.Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie s former deupty chief-of-staff, and former senior official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Bill Baroni, found themselves facing nine counts of conspiracy and wire fraud for their roles in orchetrating a 2013 bridge closure as an attack against one of Christie s political enemies. The two were indicted Friday after David Wildstein another former Port Authority executive and the mastermind of the plan named them as he pleaded guilty to his role in the lane closures.The most serious charges in the indictment could land the two behind bars for up to 20 years according to the U.S. Attorney s office. Wildstein says his intent was to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for failing to endorse Christie for President. Public officials must use government resources for proper government purposes, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said of the indictments. The indictment alleges, and Wildstein admitted, that the three defendants used Port Authority resources to exact political retribution against a public official who would not endorse the Governor for re-election, and concocted and promoted a bogus cover story to execute their plan and to cover their tracks. Attorneys for both Kelly and Baroni call Wildstein a liar, despite his confession, and promise that they will clear their names. The charges they face include conspiracy against civil rights, deprivation of civil rights, wire fraud, conspiring to intentionally misapply property of an organization receiving federal benefits and others. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday the day before we decide if Christie s friend Trump or Hillary Clinton will become the next President.Read the court documents below:Featured image via Getty Images (Justin Sullivan)

Christine Keeler, woman at the centre of Britain's biggest sex scandal, dies

LONDON (Reuters) - Christine Keeler, the model and dancer whose liaisons with a British minister and a Soviet diplomat at the height of the Cold War shocked Britain and embroiled the government in a notorious political sex scandal, has died aged 75. Keeler s relationship with married Minister of War John Profumo, whom she met, aged 19, while swimming naked at the grand Buckinghamshire estate of his colleague William Astor, shocked socially conservative Britain in the early 1960s. Front-page revelations that she was also having an affair with a Soviet naval attache, Yevgeny Ivanov, titillated the public and shone a light on the social and sexual mores of Britain s secretive ruling establishment. Profumo was forced to resign after lying to parliament about their relationship. The political and diplomatic firestorm helped bring down the Conservative government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and the 1963 Profumo affair is still seen as a watershed moment that changed British attitudes to sex and class. Keeler s son, Seymour Platt, told The Guardian newspaper she had died on Tuesday night after suffering for months from a form of lung disease. She had led a humble lifestyle after the scandal but never escaped the notoriety it brought her. There was a lot of good around Chris s rather tragic life, because there was a family around her that loved her, Platt was quoted as saying. I think what happened to her back in the day was quite damaging. The black-and-white photograph of a naked Keeler sitting astride an Arne Jacobsen chair remains the defining image of the lurid scandal that has been retold several times on screen and stage, including as a musical. It even added an expression to the British lexicon. At the trial of Stephen Ward, the man who brought Keeler and Profumo together, a fellow showgirl was told that another establishment figure denied having sex with her. Well, he would, wouldn t he?, responded Mandy Rice-Davies. In later life, Keeler had regrets about how the scandal unfolded and said she had been a victim. I wish, that at that time, I had been older so that I would have been able to have answered or spoke up for myself and Stephen but I was only a young girl, she said.

Rosneft's Sechin to miss hearing at ex-minister corruption trial: media

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The head of Russian state oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, will not be in Moscow on Wednesday where he is meant to appear in court to testify in a major corruption trial of a former minister, according to Russian news agencies. Russian prosecutors accuse Alexei Ulyukayev of extorting a $2 million bribe from powerful political rival Sechin in exchange for approving a lucrative business deal in what turned out to be a sting operation. Ulyukayev, who was fired by President Vladimir Putin from his post as economy minister shortly after being detained, denies the charges and says Sechin framed him. Asked by reporters whether he would be in Moscow on Wednesday when the hearing is due, Sechin replied that he would be still be on a visit to western Siberia where on Tuesday he attended the opening of a new Rosneft oil field. Tomorrow I am meeting with the governor (of the Khanty-Mansiiysk region), gathering the staff, will be summing up results of the prime minister s visit, Sechin was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Sechin has already missed two hearings in Ulyukayev s trial. He has previously said he would attend as soon as his schedule allowed. Ulyukayev s arrest a year ago came moments after Sechin personally handed him the cash in a late-night meeting at the Rosneft headquarters in exchange for signing off on Rosneft s purchase of a stake in mid-sized oil producer Bashneft, according to investigators. The fate of Bashneft, one of the most lucrative state assets to be privatized in years, was the focus of a major turf war between rival Kremlin camps, sources close to the deal and in the government have said. Ulyukayev was among those who believed Bashneft should go to private investors. Both he and Sechin are deeply embedded in the tangle of allegiances and rivalries in Russian politics and business. Ulyukayev belonged to a faction of economic liberals who argued for less state control over the economy, while Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, represents the opposite view. Rosneft spokesman Mikhail Leontyev dismissed speculation over possible reasons for Sechin s likely absence at Wednesday s hearing, also citing the demands of his schedule. This is a made up problem and it was made up with only one purpose - to avoid attention from the essence of the trial, Leontyev said. This is not the first case in the human or Russian history when the court wants to hear a testimony of a man with tight schedule. Ulyukayev faces up to 15 years in jail if found guilty.

Exclusive: Trump team seeks names of officials working to counter violent extremism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has asked two Cabinet departments for the names of government officials working on programs to counter violent extremism, according to a document seen by Reuters and U.S. officials. The requests to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security involve a set of programs that seek to prevent violence by extremists of any stripe, including recruitment by militant Islamist groups within the United States and abroad. Reuters could not determine why the Trump team asked for these names. The Trump team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has frequently criticized President Barack Obama for not doing enough to battle Islamic militants and for his refusal to use the term “radical Islam” to describe Islamic State and other militant groups. Some career officials said they feared the incoming administration may be looking to undo the work that the Obama administration has done on countering violent extremism. “They’re picking a few issues to ask for people’s names,” said one government official who spoke on condition of anonymity, reflecting wider fears that those who worked on such issues could be marginalized by the new administration. Earlier this month, Trump representatives had asked the U.S. Energy Department for the names of staffers who worked on climate change policy. The White House expressed concern that it may have been an attempt to target civil servants, including scientists and lawyers. The Energy Department balked at providing names and a Trump spokesman disavowed the request. The State Department declined to comment on specific requests from the Trump transition team. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. In a Dec. 9 email seen by Reuters, Trump representatives at the State Department sought a list of positions in the counterterrorism bureau’s office of countering violent extremism. “Please indicate names of people serving in those roles and status (political or career),” the email said, referring to political appointees and career civil servants. Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a similar request had been made to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In that case, the Trump transition team asked for the names of members of an interagency task force on countering violent extremism that the Obama administration established in January, the officials said. According to a Jan. 8 DHS statement, the task force falls under the leadership of DHS and the Department of Justice, and includes officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counterterrorism Center and other government agencies. Several of Trump’s top national security advisers have cast the fight against Islamic militants as an existential conflict between civilizations, according to a review of their writings and public remarks. Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Trump’s pick for White House national security adviser, said in a post on Twitter earlier this year, “Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL.” Some counterterrorism experts say that such rhetoric can be used by militant groups to recruit, and will alienate Muslim communities whose help is needed to prevent violence. A U.S. official said their guess was that the Trump team will likely rebrand Obama’s generic fight against violent extremism into a specific battle against Islamic radicalization State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that the department would be cautious about providing names of employees associated with specific issues, but left open the possibility of providing names on an organizational basis. It was unclear whether the State Department shared the names of the officials in the office on countering violent extremism or whether Homeland Security officials provided names. “Without getting into the specifics of information either requested by the transition team or provided by the Department, I can tell you that ... I know of no requests that have been denied,” a senior State Department official said.

Conservative ‘Christians’ Get Their Asses Handed To Them For Supporting Healthcare Repeal

A former evangelical Christian is ripping conservatives for repealing the Affordable Care Act.Bruce Horst knows what it is like to have pre-existing conditions while trying to purchase health insurance. Prior to Obamacare, insurance companies refused to cover him, leaving him and his family vulnerable if a health crisis ever arose. But because of Obamacare, people with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance.Obamacare literally saved Horst and his family from the threat of bankruptcy over a medical issue.But last week during a late night vote, Republicans in the Senate and House voted to repeal the healthcare law that covers over 30 million Americans.And conservatives cheered.Well, that didn t sit well with Horst, who despite being an atheist, probably knows the Bible better than most of these so-called evangelical Christians do.So Horst took these fake Christians to the woodshed on Facebook for applauding the death sentence Republicans just handed to millions of human beings. I have the simple conviction that it is immoral to give a person medical help according to how much they can pay, Horst wrote. Or maybe it s because of what I ve read in the Bible. In 2010 I had been a Conservative Evangelical Christian for all of my adult life. I began to realize that others around me despised the thought of allowing people like me the benefit of affordable health insurance. For some reason, all of the Christians that I knew thought that offering health insurance to people like me would put them at some kind of a disadvantage that they were not willing to accept. Frankly, they had been lied to so they believed those others were going to get healthcare and make their own healthcare inadequate.As a Christian, I believed that I would be judged on the Final Judgment Day on how I took care of the least of these as described in the Bible book of Matthew, chapter 25. I came to the sober realization that Christians around me had no such convictions. If they didn t believe Jesus words as recorded in the Bible, why should I? Then one day I discovered I could no longer believe any of it.While conservatives complain that not as many people are attending church anymore, it turns out their hypocrisy and heartlessness is one of the reasons why people such as Horst have stopped believing. Stripping millions of Americans of the healthcare they need just further proved that Horst was right to leave the church when he did.Horst went on to call out Republicans in Congress and blasted how the hypocritical conservatives are when they claim to be pro-life. I understand that Congress is about to take away the healthcare coverage of about 18 million of our fellow Americans. And they are doing this at the insistence of Conservative Evangelical Christians. I have friends who are alive today because of Obamacare. Probably all of us do. To me, this proves my Christian friends are not pro-life, but instead they ve been told they are as a matter of manipulation, probably to keep them putting money in the offering plate, or voting for the right candidate. One thing is clear to me, they are not really pro-life.I don t know what Congress is going to do with healthcare in the next few days. I would love to be surprised to find that President Trump has convinced Congress to extend healthcare coverage to all, and I would be among the first to be grateful for this. While even if this does occur, if my Christian friends insist that healthcare only be given to people based on their ability to pay for such care, I would have to believe that the Jesus of the Bible would say to them, depart from me, I never knew you. Just like He did in Matthew 25.In other words, conservatives are going to hell for condemning millions of Americans to suffer. It s not what Jesus would do and any conservative who says otherwise is only pretending to be a Christian.Featured Image: i.ytimg.com

Argentina says signals detected, likely from missing submarine

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Hopes that 44 crew members of a missing Argentine navy submarine may be found alive rose after the defense ministry said the vessel likely tried to communicate via satellite on Saturday as an international search mission was underway in the stormy South Atlantic. The ministry said seven failed satellite calls that it believes came from the ARA San Juan submarine were detected in a likely sign the crew was trying to reestablish contact. The signals, in the late morning and early afternoon, lasted between four and 36 seconds, the ministry said. Argentina is working on tracing the location with an unnamed U.S. company specialized in satellite communications, the ministry said. The satellite communications were believed to have failed because of foul weather, a source in the defense ministry who was not authorized to speak publicly told Reuters. It was not immediately clear what type of calls the vessel may have tried to make but submarines that are stricken underwater can float a location beacon known as an EPIRB to the surface that can then emit emergency signals via satellite. Whipping winds and more than 20-foot waves in the South Atlantic hindered the international search for the submarine. The last confirmed location of the German-built ARA San Juan was 432 km (268 miles) off Argentina s southern Atlantic coast early on Wednesday. The U.S. Navy said it was deploying a deep-sea rescue mission to Argentina from California to support the effort, with a remotely operated vehicle and two vessels capable of rescuing people from bottomed submarines set to arrive in coming days. As nations from Chile to South Africa offered help, Argentine sea vessels and planes scoured the southern sea. But a storm pitching powerful winds and waves more than 6 meters (20 feet) high has disrupted visibility and movement in the area, navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said. The submarine s color and design, which aim to camouflage the vessel in the ocean s surface, also posed a challenge. The idea is to continue through the night and the early morning, depending on weather conditions, Balbi told reporters. The weather was expected to be somewhat improved on Sunday, he said. A search of 80 percent of the area initially targeted for the operation turned up no sign of the vessel, but the crew should have ample supplies of food and oxygen, Balbi added. The dramatic search has captivated the nation of 44 million, which recently mourned the loss of five citizens killed when a truck driver plowed through a bicycle path in New York City. In the resort and fishing city of Mar del Plata, where the submarine had been destined to arrive before vanishing, a Catholic Mass was held in honor of the crew members. Many relatives of the crew members awaited news at the city s naval base. We re hopeful this will end soon to remain only as a bad memory, Maria Morales, mother of crew member Luis Esteban Garcia, told journalists. Messages of support poured in from around the world. Pope Francis, an Argentine, was praying fervently for the crew to return home soon, his office said. The Argentine navy said an electrical outage on the diesel-electric-propelled vessel might have downed its communications. Protocol calls for submarines to surface if communication is lost. The episode could hold political implications for President Mauricio Macri. His center-right government has set an ambitious target for cutting government spending and told Reuters in March it had few funds available to replace an outdated military fleet beyond buying aircraft for training pilots. The ARA San Juan was inaugurated in 1983, making it the newest of the three submarines in the navy s fleet. Built in Germany by Nordseewerke, it underwent mid-life maintenance in 2008 in Argentina that required cutting its hull in half and sealing back it together again, according to state news agency Telam. Nordseewerke now belongs to German industrial group Thyssenkrupp AG (TKAG.DE), which could not be reached for comment outside of regular business hours. Carlos Zavalla, a navy commander, urged loved ones of crew members not to give up hope. So far, the only concrete thing is the lack of communication, Zavalla said on TV channel A24. That s all.

Christian FB Page Threatens To Ban People Who Use Rainbow Emoji, Instantly Backfires

June is LGBTQ Pride month. That means that there are pride flags celebrating LGBTQ peoples across the planet popping up everywhere. This year, they have sprung up all over Facebook in the form of pride flag reaction buttons. Between reactions and flag emojis Facebook is very colorful and very proud this year.Unfortunately, one Facebook page that belongs to a church (presumably real as they post an address on their page) called the Warriors for Christ decided to try and ruin everyone else s fun when they published a post promising to ban anyone who uses the rainbow flag emoji on their page.The original post has been taken down. Thankfully, screenshots were taken of the post by the Friendly Atheist, writing for Patheos.Screenshot found via PatheosThe post has unleashed a mass of LGBT supporters, who are now bombarding the page with pride flag reactions and pro-LGBTQ sentiments. The page admin(s) responded exactly as you might expect, with venom. The admins stupidity reached critical mass when they alluded that Satan himself had summoned LGBTQ supporters to plague them. I couldn t be more, well, proud of the internet s response to such a bigoted sentiment. Living in a post-marriage-equality world, many people may think that we are also living in a post-homophobic world as well. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, 2016 was the deadliest year on record for LGBTQ individuals. Analysts have concluded that the current political climate has influenced this uptick in violence.Now, more than ever, LGBTQ people and their allies need to stand together proudly and visibly to denounce bigotry and homophobia. As the LGBTQ rights activist, Harvey Milk once said, If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet also destroy every closet door in the country. Milk s tactic of encouraging LGBT people to come out of the closet proved to be a very effective tactic in combating prejudices. It s good to see the tactic has been carried over into the digital world, with millions of people showing everyone publicly that they stand with LGBTQ people.Featured image via Warriors for Christ Facebook page logo with rainbow filter and screenshot added

Nigerian president likens Myanmar crisis to Bosnia, Rwanda genocides

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday likened the violence in Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims to genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda, urging a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and safe return of refugees. The Myanmar crisis is very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994, Buhari told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. He added that the horrendous suffering had been caused by state-backed program of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the bases of ethnicity and religion.

Russian parliament speaker says hopes for better ties with U.S.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament said on Wednesday Moscow hoped for more constructive dialogue with the United States now that a new president had been elected, the TASS news agency reported. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said parliament would welcome any steps in these directions.

Clinton says she relied on State staff for classification decisions

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton disputed a scathing assessment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she was “extremely careless” with classified government secrets, saying on Friday she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the U.S. State Department. After maintaining for more than a year that she did not send or receive classified information through her unauthorized private email system, she acknowledged in a string of interviews on Friday she may have at least unwittingly done so, three days after the FBI concluded this happened at least 110 times. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said she “certainly did not believe” that she was handling classified information on her email system at the time, but emphasized that she followed the lead of her subordinates on whether information was classified. “I did not have a basis for second-guessing their conclusion,” Clinton said in an interview with CNN, saying she had the “highest regard” for her former colleagues. “These are experienced diplomats, they have expertise in handling classified material,” she said in a separate interview with PBS Newshour. “They were not careless and the material that they sent, they did not believe that was classified.” Clinton, who was the department’s most senior classifying authority during her four-year tenure at its helm, did not address the FBI’s conclusion that she herself sent information on topics classified as ‘top secret’, the highest level, through a private server she kept in her basement. “I have said, and I repeated, that it was a mistake to use personal email and I regret that,” she said in another interview with ABC. It is a crime to mishandle classified information, and while FBI Director James Comey said on Tuesday there was evidence Clinton or her aides may have broken these laws, there was not enough evidence of criminal intent for a prosecution. In an unusual 15-minute announcement explaining the FBI’s findings, Comey ended up dismaying both Republicans and Democrats. While Clinton’s Republican opponents have fumed at the decision not to file criminal charges, Clinton and her staff have disputed some of Comey’s criticisms that undermine her argument that she has better judgment than Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. Comey called her and her staff “extremely careless” and said that any “reasonable” government employee should have recognized that such information should not be aired in emails. Her server was so poorly secured the FBI could not eliminate the possibility it had not been hacked by the country’s enemies, Comey said. Asked if she agreed that she was “extremely careless”, Clinton told CNN she was not, adding that Comey had “clarified” his remarks. It was unclear what clarification Clinton meant. In lengthier comments before lawmakers on Thursday, Comey again spoke of Clinton’s and her staff’s carelessness and “real sloppiness”, adding that it seemed she was not “particularly sophisticated with respect to classified information.”

Kenya police shoot dead 2 protesters amid opposition demonstrations

KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyan police shot dead two people and wounded a third person on Friday when a crowd of opposition demonstrators attempted to storm a police station, a local official in Kenya s southwestern Siaya county said. County Commissioner Josephine Onunga said a group of around 20 youths had attempted to take over Bondo police station and that officers had been forced to open fire to repel them.

Russia's Lavrov says Russia committed to Iraq territorial integrity: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart that Moscow is committed to Iraq s territorial integrity, RIA news agency reported on Monday. Russia has economic ties with the Iraqi Kurds, who voted for independence from Iraq in late September.