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Trump Supporter Disgustingly Tells Black People To ‘Go Back To Africa’ (VIDEO)

Donald Trump has brought every racist out of the closet and given them a megaphone as well as the courage to openly be as awful as humanly possible. His campaign events might as well be called white pride rallies. They are disgusting, deplorable, and outright un-American.In yet another example of the utter racism coming out of the Trump campaign and those who follow him, a Trump supporter started shouting at those protesting that if they consider themselves African-America then they should go back to Africa. Go back to Africa, suggests camo-clad Trump supporter. Video: pic.twitter.com/apQ1hD14D5 tonydokoupil (@tonydokoupil) March 12, 2016If Trump doesn t start condemning this sort of speech, he himself should be condemned by every American who stands up for justice and equality. However, it s doubtful that Trump will condemn this sort of speech considering he is asking for protesters to be thrown the hell out or says that if he had the chance he d punch them himself and that he misses the good old days where people were taken out on stretchers.If Trump is allowed to openly continue his hate-filled rhetoric, we will undoubtedly see more and more of this behavior from the grotesque people who support him. He needs to be held accountable for his encouragement of hate and violence.Featured image via video screen capture

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Going Home to Falluja, a City Slipping Back Into Turmoil - The New York Times

Times journalists are in Iraq’s Sunni heartland to evaluate rebuilding efforts after battles with the Islamic State. FALLUJA, Iraq — Iraqi forces had taken Falluja from the Islamic State months before, and Sabah Rashid was more than ready to return home. But the police warned him not to go. Fleeing Islamic State fighters had rigged bombs all through his south Falluja neighborhood, and these had still not been cleared, they told him. Insurgent corpses were said to lay unrecovered. Mr. Rashid, 30, a determined sort, moved back into his ransacked house anyway — he and his family fled the Islamic State three years ago and did not want to wait. Last week, they were camped out in their sagging house with no heat, electricity or running water. They boiled water on a wood fire. And they waited with mounting frustration for promised government aid. Nearly eight months after the recapture of Falluja showed that Iraq’s government could wrest one of the Islamic State’s major support bases away from it, the victory now seems at risk. The national government has not yet demonstrated that it can secure and rebuild this shattered Sunni city, soothe sectarian grievances or provide for 250, 000 returning residents. Iraqi and American security officials now fear that if the Sunnis of Falluja are given no reason to trust the government, they may once again embrace the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. Local officials say Islamic State sleeper cells remain active, and many residents continue to aid the insurgents. Guerrilla attacks have resumed in one of the most recent episodes, a suicide car bomb on Jan. 28 killed two police officers. The seeds of an incomplete victory were there from the start. Falluja had long been disaffected from the government, and it was the first Iraqi city to fall under Islamic State control. Even with the group mostly driven out, the government faced a widespread lack of trust. Further, the battle relied heavily on Shiite militia forces, many of which are backed by Iran, and reports of sectarian abuses of the Sunni population started almost immediately. In one case, the governor of surrounding Anbar Province said that militia fighters and some of their allies in the security forces had summarily executed 49 Sunnis from Falluja and tortured others. The government tried to keep the militias out of Falluja to avoid antagonizing Sunni residents. But many entered the city dressed as policemen, Sunni lawmakers said. Local officials said Shiite militiamen were now confined to checkpoints on Falluja’s outskirts, about 40 miles west of Baghdad. “Of course, violations occurred in some places,” by Shiite militiamen, said Salam Ajmi, a Falluja municipal councilman. But now, he said, some Sunni residents were cooperating with security forces to help root out Islamic State sleeper cells. A visit to Falluja by Times journalists showed that last summer’s battle had left some sections of the city relatively unscathed, but had reduced others to rubble. Many streets were littered with crumpled buildings, collapsed roofs and cars, all coated with gray dust. The skeleton of a crushed Humvee lay near Mr. Rashid’s home. For Mr. Rashid, the satisfaction of returning home was dimmed by resentment toward local Sunni officials charged with rebuilding the city. “We get nothing from them but promises — we are on our own,” he said as his two young sons fed dry grass to the campfire. The family members survive on food purchased at a newly opened market in a nearby district. Their own Al Alamin neighborhood offered only a bleak panorama of homes and deserted streets. “Falluja has had some hard lessons — we hope this will be our last hard lesson,” said Sheikh Talib the head of Falluja’s local council, who has promised returnees that help is on the way. Mr. Efan spoke in a cold, darkened room, within a building he said had been used as an Islamic State headquarters and was now the council’s makeshift office. The electricity sputtered on and off. Mr. Efan is a returnee himself. His three homes — one for each wife — were destroyed during the Islamic State occupation, he said. He has lived at a friend’s house since returning in August. “People have to expect delays,” he said. “They need to be patient. ” The United Nations Development Program said it had made stopgap repairs to the city’s main teaching hospital and to five schools and health centers. The agency has restored rudimentary electricity and water in many areas, cleared debris and hired 300 locals to clean streets. Lise Grande, the United Nations deputy special representative in Iraq, said the agency’s stabilization work was to help patch up Falluja until more permanent repairs could be made. The agency has spent $8. 6 million of $18. 5 million allocated — a small fraction of the amount needed to rebuild the city. Mr. Ajmi, the councilman, said the council had little funding. Depressed oil prices have kept Iraq’s economy floundering. Life is precarious everywhere, he said, not just in Falluja. Hussein Ahmed, 53, who lived in a camp for three years, said he had lost patience with the council. He returned to Falluja to find his house wrecked — the third he has lost. Two previous homes were destroyed during battles against fighters for Al Qaeda in Iraq, he said. “We were hurt badly by Daesh,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “And now we’re being hurt by our own government. ” Mr. Ahmed pointed to an expanse of toppled buildings: “This area was liberated in June, and it still looks the same now. ” Other returning residents nodded as Mr. Ahmed added, “I speak for thousands of people when I say the government has forgotten us. ” Falluja has endured tragedy on an epic scale since 2003. The city was pounded during repeated battles — first between the United States and Saddam Hussein’s forces in 2003, then between American Marines and Al Qaeda fighters. Most insurgents were eventually evicted with the help of Sunni tribal fighters. But the insurgency was reborn as the Islamic State. It overran Falluja in December 2013, and the city became an important base for the group’s operations. One reason the government assaulted the city last May, even before turning to the critical campaign for Mosul, to the north, was to curb a devastating car bomb campaign against Baghdad that was being operated from Falluja. Now, the United States military is working with Iraqi forces to prevent Islamic State fighters from rising up in Falluja again, said a spokesman, Col. John L. Dorrian. “They have proved very resilient,” he said. Falluja is hardly the government’s only worry in a nation with 3. 1 million internally displaced people. The government is pouring resources into the Mosul battle while also trying to rebuild Falluja and Ramadi, in Anbar Province, and to repair the city of Tikrit, farther north. Of the 320, 000 people who fled Falluja for aid camps, about 250, 000 have returned since the United Nations said. They are desperate to live at home again, whatever the risk. In south Falluja, First Lt. Walid Mohammed of the police shook his head as Mr. Rashid and his children tended their campfire. “We told them the risk is all theirs,” he said. “They are responsible if anything happens, not us. ” Elisabeth Koek, of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Iraq, said about letting residents return to dangerous areas deprived of public services: “This is incredibly worrying. ” Mr. Rashid said he returned even after a killed a returnee in a supposedly cleared area nearby. After Mr. Rashid moved in, a woman was killed by an explosion on Jan. 31 as she was repairing her home in the same area, police said. Mr. Rashid said he was accustomed to danger. He lifted his shirt to reveal jagged, crimson scars on his belly from an Islamic State bomb that he said blew up the family car in late 2013. The blackened front seat lay in the front yard. A tall, man suddenly appeared: Mohammed Saeed, 49, a neighbor whom Mr. Rashid had not seen since 2013. Mr. Saed had returned that morning, three years after fleeing. His home was dirty and bereft of electricity or water. But he was moving in. Mr. Saed kissed Mr. Rashid on both cheeks. “I’m so happy,” he told him. “It’s a dangerous, terrible place, but we are home. ”

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ROLLING STONES DEMAND TRUMP Stop Using Their Music: “Can you imagine a President Trump?…The worst nightmare”

As a side note, the last major appearance by the geriatric Rolling Stones band, was a free concert in Havana, Cuba. The aging band appeared there only days after our Commie Sympathizer In Chief made a high profile visit to Cuba and was followed around by his friends in the mainstream media capturing his historic trip to the ballpark with the brutal dictator, Raul Castro.Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was warned Wednesday to stop playing Rolling Stones music on the campaign trail. The Rolling Stones have never given permission to the Trump campaign to use their songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately, a spokesperson for the band said in a statement, according to Time.Donald Trump delivered a fiery speech to celebrate an impressive primary victory Tuesday in Indiana. While the real estate mogul and his entourage existed the stage, supporters were treated to the Rolling Stones song, Start Me Up. Other Trump events have featured the group s popular song You Can t Always Get What You Want. Several other artists have previously asked the Trump campaign not to use their music at official events.Last June, rocker Neil Young requested that then-newly-announced GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump not play his song Rockin in the Free World at campaign events. Young, a devout liberal, did, however, give socialist Democrat White House hopeful Bernie Sanders permission to play his songs.Five months later, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler threatened to sue Trump if he did not stop playing the rock band s song Dream On on the campaign trail.Trump, a longtime Rolling Stones fan, is not held in high esteem among members of the British rock band. Can you imagine a President Trump? Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards told Vanity Fair in March. The worst nightmare. But we can t say that, because it could happen. This is one of the wonders of this country. Who would ve thought Ronald Reagan could be president? Via: Breitbart News

1real

AWESOME! President Trump Gives Fatherly Advice About ‘The Road of Life’ to UCLA Basketball Players

You ve gotta love this president and his ability to send personal messages via twitter He just gave some fatherly advice to the three UCLA basketball players in deep trouble for shoplifting while in China President Donald Trump on Thursday encouraged the three UCLA basketball freshmen who he helped get out of China after being arrested for shoplifting to thank President Xi Jinping for his help as well.LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley, and Jalen Hill were arrested during a team trip trip to China on Nov. 8 after being accused of stealing designer sunglasses in Hangzhou. Trump learned of the incident while traveling in Asia and asked his Chinese counterpart to intercede.Ball, Riley and Hill gave remorseful statements on Wednesday and thanked Trump and the U.S. government for their help Trump had tweeted earlier in the day wondering if he would receive gratitude from the players for his intercession.On Thursday, he also dispensed a little life advice. To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You re welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made your release possible, and HAVE A GREAT LIFE! he wrote.To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You're welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made .. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2017 Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life! he added. .your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2017While they got out of trouble in China, the three freshmen have been indefinitely suspended from their team by head coach Steve Alford. Read more: WFB

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Trump in the White House : Information

Trump in the White House By Noam Chomsky November 14, CJ Polychroniou : Noam, the unthinkable has happened: in contrast to all forecasts, Donald Trump scored a decisive victory over Hillary Clinton and the man that Michael Moore described as “wretched, ignorant, dangerous part-time clown and full-time sociopath” is the next president of the United States. In your view, what were the deciding factors that led American voters produce the biggest upset in the history of US politics? Noam Chomsky : Before turning to this question, I think it is important to spend a few moments pondering just what happened on November 8, a date that might turn out to be one of the most important in human history, depending on how we react. No exaggeration. The most important news of November 8 was barely noted, a fact of some significance in itself. On November 8, the World Meteorological Organization delivered a report at the international conference on climate change in Morocco, COP22, which was called in order to carry forward the Paris agreements of COP21. The WMO reported that the past five years were the hottest on record. It reported rising sea levels, soon to increase as a result of the unexpectedly rapid melting of polar ice, most ominously the huge Antarctic glaciers. Already Arctic sea ice over the past five years is 28 percent below the average of the previous 29 years, not only raising sea levels but also reducing the cooling effect of polar ice reflection of solar rays, thereby accelerating the grim effects of global warming. The WMO reported further that temperatures are approaching dangerously close to the goal established by COP21, along with other dire reports and forecasts. Another event took place on November 8, which also may turn out to be of unusual historical significance for reasons that, once again, were barely noted. On November 8, the most powerful country in world history, which will set its stamp on what comes next, had an election. The outcome placed total control of the government – the executive, Congress, the Supreme Court – in the hands of the Republican Party, the most dangerous organization in world history. Apart from the last phrase, all of this is uncontroversial. The last phrase may seem outlandish, even outrageous. But is it? The facts suggest otherwise. The Party is dedicated to racing as rapidly as possible to destruction of organized human life. There is no historical precedent for such a stand. Is this an exaggeration? Consider what we have just been witnessing. During the Republican primaries, every candidate denied that what is happening is happening – with the exception of the sensible moderates, like Jeb Bush, who said it’s all uncertain but we don’t have to do anything because we’re producing more natural gas, thanks to fracking. Or John Kasich, who agreed that global warming is taking place but added that “we are going to burn [coal] in Ohio and we are not going to apologize for it.” The winning candidate, now the President-elect, calls for rapid increase in use of fossil fuels, including coal; dismantling of regulations; rejection of help to developing countries that are seeking to move to sustainable energy; and in general racing to the cliff as fast as possible. Trump has already taken steps to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency by placing in charge of the EPA transition a notorious (and proud) climate change denier, Myron Ebell. Trump’s top adviser on energy, billionaire oil executive Harold Hamm, announced his expectations, which were predictable: dismantling regulations, tax cuts for the industry (and the wealthy and corporate sector generally), more fossil fuel production, lifting Obama’s temporary block on the Dakota Access pipeline. The market reacted quickly. Shares in energy corporations boomed, including the world’s largest coal miner, Peabody Energy, which had filed for bankruptcy, but after Trump’s victory registered a 50% gain. The effects of Republican denialism had already been felt. There had been hopes that the COP21 Paris agreement would lead to a verifiable treaty, but any such thoughts were abandoned because the Republican Congress would not accept any binding commitments, so what emerged was a voluntary agreement, evidently much weaker. Effects may soon become even more vividly apparent than they already are. In Bangladesh alone, tens of millions are expected to have to flee from low-lying plains in coming years because of sea level rise and more severe weather, creating a migrant crisis that will make today’s pale into insignificance. With considerable justice, Bangladesh’s leading climate scientist says that “These migrants should have the right to move to the countries from which all these greenhouse gases are coming. Millions should be able to go to the United States.” And to the other rich countries that have grown wealthy while bringing about a new geological era, the Anthropocene, marked by radical human transformation of the environment. These catastrophic consequences can only increase, not just in Bangladesh but in all of South Asia as temperatures, already intolerable for the poor, inexorably rise and the Himalayan glaciers melt, threatening the entire water supply. Already in India some 300 million people are reported to lack drinking water. And the effects will reach far beyond. It is hard to find words to capture the fact that humans are facing the most important question in their history – whether organized human life will survive in anything like the form we know – and are answering it by accelerating the race to disaster. Similar observations hold for the other huge issue concerning human survival, the threat of nuclear destruction that has been looming over our heads for 70 years, and is now increasing. It is no less difficult to find words to capture the utterly astonishing fact that in all of the massive coverage of the electoral extravaganza, none of this receives more than passing mention. At least I am at a loss to find appropriate words. Turning finally to the question raised, to be precise it appears that Clinton received a slight majority of the vote. The apparent decisive victory has to do with curious features of American politics: among other factors, the electoral college residue of the founding of the country as an alliance of separate states; the winner-take-all system in each state; arrangement of congressional districts (sometimes by gerrymandering) to provide greater weight to rural votes (in past elections, probably this one too, Democrats have had a comfortable margin of victory in popular vote for the House but hold a minority of seats); the very high rate of abstention (usually close to half in presidential elections, this one too). Of some significance for the future is the fact that in the 18-25 range, Clinton won handily, and Sanders had an even higher level of support. How much this matters depends on what kind of future humanity will face. According to current information, Trump broke all records in the support he received from white voters, working class and lower middle class, particularly in the $50,000 to $90,000 income range, rural and suburban, primarily those without college education. These groups share the anger throughout the West at the centrist establishment, revealed as well in the unanticipated Brexit vote and the collapse of centrist parties in continental Europe. The angry and disaffected are victims of the neoliberal policies of the past generation, the policies described in congressional testimony by Fed chair Alan Greenspan – St. Alan as he was called reverentially by the economics profession and other admirers until the miraculous economy he was supervising crashed in 2007-8, threatening to bring the whole world economy down with it. As Greenspan explained during his glory days, his successes in economic management were based substantially on “growing worker insecurity.” Intimidated working people would not ask for higher wages, benefits, and security but would be satisfied with the stagnating wages and reduced benefits that signal a healthy economy by neoliberal standards. Working people who have been the subjects of these experiments in economic theory are, oddly, not particularly happy about the outcome. They are not, for example, overjoyed at the fact that in 2007, at the peak of the neoliberal miracle, real wages for non-supervisory workers were lower than they had been years earlier, or that real wages for male workers are about at 1960s levels while spectacular gains have gone to the pockets of a very few at the top, disproportionately a fraction of 1%. Not the result of market forces, achievement, or merit, but rather of definite policy decisions, matters reviewed carefully by economist Dean Baker in recently published work. The fate of the minimum wage illustrates what has been happening. Through the periods of high and egalitarian growth in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the minimum wage – which sets a floor for other wages – tracked productivity. That ended with the onset of neoliberal doctrine. Since then the minimum wage has stagnated (in real value). Had it continued as before, it would probably be close to $20 per hour. Today it is considered a political revolution to raise it to $15. With all the talk of near-full employment today, labor force participation remains below the earlier norm. And for a working man, there is a great difference between a steady job in manufacturing with union wages and benefits, as in earlier years, and a temporary job with little security in some service profession. Apart from wages, benefits, and security, there is a loss of dignity, of hope for the future, of a sense that this is a world in which I belong and play a worthwhile role. The impact is captured well in Arlie Hochschild’s sensitive and illuminating portrayal of a Trump stronghold in Louisiana, where she lived and worked for many years. She uses the image of a line in which these people are standing, expecting to move forward steadily as they work hard and keep to all the conventional values. But their position in the line has stalled. Ahead of them, they see people leaping forward, but that does not cause much distress, because it is “the American way” for (alleged) merit to be rewarded. What does cause real distress is what is happening behind them. Undeserving people who do not follow the rules are being moved in front of them by federal government programs designed to benefit African-Americans, immigrants, and others they often regard with contempt. All of this is exacerbated by Reagan’s racist fabrications about strapping young bucks and welfare queens (by implication Black) stealing your hard-earned money, and other fantasies — which are sometimes tinged with shreds of reality, as is usually the case with ugly and dangerous concoctions designed to deflect attention from the real agents of distress to easy scapegoats. Sometimes failure to explain, itself a form of contempt, plays a role. I once met a house painter in Boston who had turned bitterly against the evil government after a Washington bureaucrat who knew nothing about painting organized a meeting of painting contractors to inform them that they could no longer use lead paint, the only kind that works, as they all knew but the suit didn’t understand. That destroyed his small business, compelling him to paint houses on his own with substandard stuff forced on him by government elites. Sometimes there are also some reasons. Hochschild describes a man whose family and friends are suffering bitterly from the lethal effects of chemical pollution but who despises the government, and the “liberal elites,” because for him, the EPA means some ignorant guy who tells him he can’t fish but does nothing about the chemical plants. These are just samples of the real lives of Trump supporters, who are deluded to believe that Trump will do something to remedy their plight, though the merest look at his fiscal and other proposals demonstrates the opposite – posing a task for activists who hope to fend off the worst and to advance desperately needed changes. Exit polls reveal that the passionate support for Trump was inspired primarily by the belief that he represented change, while Clinton was perceived as the candidate who would perpetuate their distress. The “change” that Trump is likely to bring will be harmful or worse, but it is understandable that the consequences are not clear to isolated people in an atomized society lacking the kinds of associations (like unions) that can educate and organize. That is a crucial difference between today’s despair and the generally hopeful attitudes of many working people under much greater duress during the great depression of the 1930s. There are other factors in Trump’s success. Comparative studies show that doctrines of White Supremacy have had an even more powerful grip on American culture than in South Africa, and it’s no secret that the white population is declining. In a decade or two whites are projected to be a minority of the work force, and not too much later a minority of the population. The traditional conservative culture is also perceived as under attack by the successes of “identity politics,” regarded as the province of elites who have only contempt for hard-working patriotic church-going Americans with real family values whose country is disappearing before their eyes. It is worth remembering that before World War II, though it had long been the richest country in the world, the US was not a major player in global affairs and was also something of a cultural backwater. Someone who wanted to study physics would go to Germany. An aspiring writer or artist would go to Paris. That changed radically with World War II, for obvious reasons, but only for part of the population. Much remained culturally traditional. To mention one example of great significance, one of the difficulties in raising public concern over the very severe threats of global warming is that 40% of the population do not see why it is a problem, since Christ is returning in a few decades. About the same percentage believe that the world was created a few thousand years ago. If science conflicts with the Bible, so much the worse for science. It would be hard to find an analogue in other societies. The Democratic party abandoned any real concern for working people by the 1970s, and they have therefore been drawn to the ranks of their bitter class enemies, who at least pretend to speak their language – Reagan’s folksy style with little jokes while eating jelly beans, W. Bush’s carefully cultivated image of a regular guy you could meet in a bar who loved to cut brush on the ranch in 100 degree heat and his probably faked mispronunciations (it’s unlikely that he talked like that at Yale), and now Trump, who gives voice to people with legitimate grievances who have lost not just jobs but also a sense of personal self-worth; and who rails against the government that they perceive as having undermined their lives (not without reason). One of the great achievements of the doctrinal system has been to divert anger from the corporate sector to the government that implements the programs it designs, such as the highly protectionist corporate/investor rights agreements that are uniformly mis-described as “free trade agreements” in the media and commentary. With all its flaws, the government is to some extent under popular influence and control, unlike the corporate sector. It is highly advantageous for the business world to foster hatred for pointy-headed government bureaucrats and to drive out of people’s minds the subversive idea that the government might become an instrument of popular will, a government of, by, and for the people. Is Trump representing a new movement in American politics, or was the outcome of this election primarily a rejection of Hillary Clinton by voters who hate the Clintons and are fed-up with “politics as usual?” It’s by no means new. Both political parties have moved to the right during the neoliberal period. Today’s New Democrats are pretty much what used to be called “moderate Republicans.” The “political revolution” that Bernie Sanders called for, rightly, would not have greatly surprised Dwight Eisenhower. The Republicans have moved so far to dedication to the wealthy and the corporate sector that they cannot hope to get votes on their actual programs, and have turned to mobilizing sectors of the population that have always been there but not as an organized political force: evangelicals, nativists, racists, and the victims of the forms of globalization designed to set working people around the world in competition with one another while protecting the privileged and undermining the legal and other measures that provided working people with some protection and with ways to influence decision-making in the closely linked public and private sectors, notably with effective labor unions. The consequences have been evident in recent Republican primaries. Every candidate that has emerged from the base – Bachmann, Cain, Santorum, — has been so extreme that the Republican establishment had to use its ample resources to beat them down. The difference in 2016 is that the establishment failed, much to its chagrin, as we have seen. Deservedly or not, Clinton represented the policies that were feared and hated while Trump was seen as the symbol of “change” – change of what kind requires a careful look at his actual proposals, something largely missing in what reached the public. The campaign itself was remarkable in its avoidance of issues, and media commentary generally complied, keeping to the concept that true objectivity means reporting accurately what is “within the beltway” but not venturing beyond. Trump said following the outcome of the election that he “will represent all Americans.” How is be going to do that when the nation is so divided and he has already expressed deep hatred for many groups in the United States, including women and minorities? Do you see any resemblance between Brexit and Donald Trump’s victory? There are definite similarities to Brexit, and also to the rise of the ultranationalist far-right parties in Europe – whose leaders were quick to congratulate Trump on his victory, perceiving him as one of their own: Farrage, Le Pen, Orban, and others like them. And these developments are quite frightening. A look at the polls in Austria and Germany – Austria and Germany – cannot fail to evoke unpleasant memories for those familiar with the 1930s, even more so for those who watched directly, as I did as a child. I can still recall listening to Hitler’s speeches, not understanding the words though the tone and audience reaction were chilling enough. The first article that I remember writing was in February 1939, after the fall of Barcelona, on the seemingly inexorable spread of the fascist plague. And by strange coincidence, it was in Barcelona that my wife and I watched Tuesday’s events. As to how Trump will handle what he has brought forth – not created, but brought forth – we cannot say. Perhaps his most striking characteristic is unpredictability. A lot will depend on the reactions of those appalled by his performance and the visions he has projected, such as they are. Trump has no identifiable political ideology guiding his stance on economic, social, and political issues, yet there are clear authoritarian tendencies in his behavior. Therefore, do you find any validity behind the claims that Trump may represent the emergence of “fascism with a friendly face?” in the United States? For many years I have been writing and speaking about the danger of the rise of an honest and charismatic ideologue in the United States, someone who could exploit the fear and anger that has long been boiling in much of the society, and who could direct it away from the actual agents of malaise to vulnerable targets. That could indeed lead to what sociologist Bertram Gross called “friendly fascism” in a perceptive study 35 years ago. But that requires an honest ideologue, a Hitler type, not someone whose only detectable ideology is Me. The dangers however have been real for many years, perhaps even more so in the light of the forces that Trump has unleashed. With the Republicans in the White House, but also controlling both houses and the future shape of the Supreme Court, what will America look like for at least the next four years? A good deal depends on his appointments and circle of advisers. Early indications are unattractive, to put it mildly. The Supreme Court will be in the hands of reactionaries for many years, with predictable consequences. If Trump follows through on his Paul Ryan-style fiscal programs, there will be huge benefits for the very rich – estimated by the Tax Policy Center as a tax cut of over 14% for the top 0.1% and a substantial cut more generally at the upper end of the income scale, but with virtually no tax relief for others, who will also face major new burdens. The respected economics correspondent of the Financial Times, Martin Wolf, writes that “The tax proposals would shower huge benefits on already rich Americans such as Mr Trump,” while leaving others in the lurch, including of course his popular constituency. The immediate reaction of the business world reveals that big pharma, Wall Street, military industry, energy industries, and other such wonderful institutions expect a very bright future. One positive development might be the infrastructure program that Trump has promised while (along with much reporting and commentary) concealing the fact that it is essentially the Obama stimulus program that would have been of great benefit to the economy and to the society generally, but was killed by the Republican Congress on the pretext that it would explode the deficit. While that charge was spurious at the time, given the very low interest rates, it holds in spades for Trump’s program, now accompanied by radical tax cuts for the rich and corporate sector and increased Pentagon spending. There is, however, an escape, provided by Dick Cheney when he explained to Bush’s Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill that “Reagan proved that deficits don’t matter” – meaning deficits that we Republicans create in order to gain popular support, leaving it to someone else, preferably Democrats, to somehow clean up the mess. The technique might work, for a while at least. There are also many questions about foreign policy consequences, mostly unanswered. There is mutual admiration between Trump and Putin. How likely is it therefore that we may see a new era in US-Russia relations? One hopeful prospect is that there might be reduction of the very dangerous and mounting tensions at the Russian border: note “the Russian border,” not the Mexican border. Thereby lies a tale that we cannot go into here. It is also possible that Europe might distance itself from Trump’s America, as already suggested by Chancellor Merkel and other European leaders – and from the British voice of American power, after Brexit. That might possibly lead to European efforts to defuse the tensions, and perhaps even efforts to move towards something like Mikhail Gorbachev’s vision of an integrated Eurasian security system without military alliances, rejected by the US in favor of NATO expansion, a vision revived recently by Putin, whether seriously or not we do not know since the gesture was dismissed. Is US foreign policy under a Trump administration likely to be more or less militaristic than what we have seen under the Obama or even the G.W. Bush administrations? I don’t think one can answer with any confidence. Trump is too unpredictable. There are too many open questions. What we can say is that popular mobilization and activism, properly organized and conducted, can make a large difference. And we should bear in mind that the stakes are very large, as I remarked at the outset.

1real

Trump Catches What Sick Reporter Snuck In Interview, Has Priceless Response

Trump Catches What Sick Reporter Snuck In Interview, Has Priceless Response Posted on October 27, 2016 by Amanda Shea in Politics Share This CNN’s Dana Bash (left), Bash Interviewing Donald Trump (right) Donald Trump stopped campaigning for just an hour-and-half to work in a brief appearance at the opening of his new hotel, where reporters awaited his arrival — one of which had a nasty surprise hidden up her sleeve. When the Republican candidate caught it mid-interview on live television, he had a priceless response that the CNN crank won’t soon forget. Liberal news host Dana Bash is evidently no fan of Donald Trump, which she’s not afraid to show in her biased reporting. Her arrogance backfired when she was in front of him at the grand opening of his hotel, thinking she could get away with a public attempt to insult him, but she got rightfully put in her place by the blunt candidate. Trump’s schedule is jam packed with as many campaign stops as he can cram into these final weeks of the election, taking advantage of every waking moment to earn Americans’ votes. Somehow in the middle of his traveling to every corner of the country, he managed to squeeze in a stop at his hotel’s grand opening where he created countless jobs and a structure he should be proud of. However, Bash didn’t see it this way in her attempt to slam him for this 90-minute “time off” he was taking from campaigning. During her live interview at the opening, the nasty CNN reporter had the audacity to sneak in this question: “For people who say you’re taking time out of swing states to go do this, you say?” She painted this pit stop as an irresponsible thing to do while Hillary Clinton is working hard. Trump shuts down Dana Bash after questioning him for "taking time off" to attend his hotel's grand opening. 😁 pic.twitter.com/LtLAu1jkbQ — Deplorable AJ (@asamjulian) October 26, 2016 Trump wasn’t going to allow her to get away with asking such a disgusting thing, given the vast difference in effort between him and his opponent and didn’t mince a single word in his priceless answer. “I say the following. You have been covering me for the last, long time. I did yesterday 8 stops and 3 major speeches. And I’ve been doing this for weeks straight. I left for here for an hour-and-a-half. I’m leaving here and going to North Carolina, then I’m going to Florida, then I’m going up to New Hampshire. For you to ask me that question is actually very insulting because Hillary Clinton does one stop and then goes home and sleeps. And yet you ask me that question. I think it’s a very rude question .” Bash didn’t see that coming, and Trump proved once again why America needs an unapologetic leader like him. He tells it how it is and backs up what he says with real action, unlike his competition who puts in a couple of days of campaigning and calls it good since it’s all for show anyway. Trump is putting in ten times the effort with genuine work ethic on his own dime to honestly earn the votes, and if he wants to take a couple of minutes to make an appearance at an opening, he’s more than entitled to do it. It pales in comparison to the weeks Hillary has had off relaxing and recovering. Trump’s creating jobs as he’s campaigning, but Hillary’s just napping.

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Trump: Don't Follow the Bush-Obama Foreign Policy Legacy

Written by Jacob G. Hornberger Eight years ago, President Obama had a chance to change the warmongering direction that outgoing President Bush and the U.S. national-security establishment had led America for the previous eight years. Obama could have said, “Enough is enough. America has done enough killing and dying. I’m going to lead our country in a different direction — toward peace, prosperity, and harmony with the people of the world.” He could have ordered all U.S. troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan to return home. He could have ended U.S. involvement in the endless wars that Bush, the Pentagon, and the CIA spawned in that part of the world. He could have led America in a new direction.Instead, Obama decided to stay Bush’s course, no doubt believing that he, unlike Bush, could win the endless wars that Bush had started. It was not to be. He chose to keep the national-security establishment embroiled in Afghanistan and Iraq. Death and destruction are Obama’s legacy, just as they were Bush’s.Obama hoped that Hillary Clinton would protect and continue his (and Bush’s) legacy of foreign death and destruction. Yesterday, a majority of American voters dashed that hope.Will Trump change directions and bring U.S. troops home? Possibly not, especially given he is an interventionist, just as his Clinton, Bush, and Obama are. But there is always that possibility, especially since Trump, unlike Clinton, owes no allegiance to the U.S. military-industrial complex, whose survival and prosperity depends on endless wars and perpetual crises.If Clinton had been elected, there was never any doubt about continued U.S. interventionism in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Not only is she a died-in-the-wool interventionist, she would have been owned by the national-security establishment. She would have done whatever the Pentagon, CIA, and NSA wanted, which would have automatically meant endless warfare — and permanent destruction of the liberty and prosperity of the American people.It’s obvious that Americans want a new direction when it comes to foreign policy. That’s partly what Trump’s election is all about. Americans are sick and tired of the never-ending wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere. That includes military families, especially the many who supported Trump, Gary Johnson, or Jill Stein. Americans are also tired of the out of control spending and debt that come with these wars. By electing Trump, it is obvious that Americans are demanding a change on foreign policy.Imagine the benefits to American society if Trump were to change directions on foreign policy. No more anti-American terrorist blowback, which would mean no more war on terrorism. That means the restoration of a sense of normality to American lives. No more TSA checkpoints at airports. No more mass surveillance schemes to “keep us safe.” No more color coded warnings. No more totalitarian power to round up Americans, put them into concentration camps or military dungeons, and torture them. No more power to assassinate people, including Americans. In other words, the restoration of American civil liberties and privacy.The Middle East is embroiled in civil wars — wars that have been engendered or magnified by U.S. interventionism. Continued interventionism in an attempt to fix the problems only pours gasoline on the fires. The U.S. government has done enough damage to Afghanistan and the Middle East. It has already killed enough people, including those in wedding parties, hospitals, and neighborhoods. Enough is enough.Will Trump be bad on immigration and trade? Undoubtedly, but Clinton would have been bad in those areas too. Don’t forget, after all, that Obama has become America’s greatest deporter-in-chief, deporting more illegal immigrants than any U.S. president in history. Clinton would have followed in his footsteps, especially in the hope of protecting his legacy. Moreover, while Trump will undoubtedly begin trade wars, Clinton would have been imposing sanctions on people all over the world whose government failed to obey the commands of the U.S. government. A distinction without a difference.Another area for hope under a Trump presidency is with respect to the drug war, one of the most failed, destructive, and expensive government programs in history. Clinton would have followed in Bush’s and Obama’s footsteps by keeping it in existence, if for no other reason than to cater to the army of DEA agents, federal and state judges, federal and state prosecutors, court clerks, and police departments whose existence depends on the drug war.While Trump is a drug warrior himself, he doesn’t have the same allegiance to the vast drug-war bureaucracy that Clinton has. If we get close to pushing this government program off the cliff — and I am convinced that it is on the precipice — there is a good chance that Trump will not put much effort into fighting its demise. Clinton would have fought for the drug war with every fiber of her being.There is another possible upside to Trump’s election: The likelihood that Cold War II will come to a sudden end. With Clinton, the continuation of the new Cold War against Russia was a certainty. In fact, Clinton’s Cold War might well have gotten hot very quickly, given her intent to establish a no-fly zone over Syria where she could show how tough she is by ordering U.S. warplanes to shoot down Russian warplanes. There is no telling where that would have led, but it very well might have led to all-out nuclear war, something that the U.S. national-security establishment wanted with the Soviet Union back in the 1960s under President Kennedy.The danger of war with Russia obviously diminishes under a President Trump, who has said that he favors friendly relations with Russia, just as Kennedy favored friendly relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba in the months before he was assassinated.Indeed, given Trump’s negative comments about NATO, there is even the possibility of a dismantling of that old Cold War dinosaur that gave us the crisis in Ukraine with Russia. How about it, President-Elect Trump? While you’re mulling over your new Berlin Wall on the Southern (and maybe Northern) border and your coming trade wars with China, how about refusing to follow the 16 years of Bush-Obama when it comes to U.S. foreign interventionism? Bring the troops home. Lead America in a different direction, at least insofar as foreign policy is concerned — away from death, destruction, spending, debt, loss of liberty and privacy, and economic impoverishment and toward freedom, peace, prosperity, and harmony. Reprinted with permission from the Future of Freedom Foundation . Related

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‘Penis Seat’ Causes Double Takes on Mexico City Subway - The New York Times

A seat in a subway car in Mexico City’s metro system caused a stir earlier this year. There were awkward glances. Visible discomfort. Baffled looks. Some laughs. And of course, the inevitable pictures from passengers’ camera phones. It was meant to be provocative, and it was. A seat was changed to look like the lower half of a male’s body, including the penis, part of a campaign by UN Women and the Mexico City government to raise awareness about sexual harassment on subways. On the floor beneath the seat, there was a sign reading, “It is annoying to travel this way, but not compared to the sexual violence women suffer in their daily commutes. ” The campaign has now released a video titled ”Experimento Asiento” — “an experiment with a seat” — that has had more than 800, 000 views on YouTube since March 20. It shows people reacting with a mixture of discomfort and shock throughout. One man even tried to cover the seat with a coat to sit on it. It didn’t work. He abandoned the seat, as did others who tried to sit in it during the experiment in January. UN Women and the Mexican government collaborated on a second video as well, which has also begun picking up traffic. It is called “Experimento Pantallas” — or “experiment screens. ” That experiment involved installing cameras that would take tight shots of male buttocks and display them on screens for all to see. In the video, a number of men are shown expressing disgust and embarrassment. “We wanted to do something different,” said a Yeliz Osman, a program coordinator with the Mexican UN Women office. “We wanted to target men because on a global level, the majority of programs talking about sexual violence or sexual harassment always target women and girls. We wanted to change that because we don’t think that women are the problem. ” The campaign is called #NoEsDeHombres (a rough translation would be “this isn’t manly”) and it is aimed at men, both with the video ads and with newly unveiled print ones that show guys giving lascivious looks with slogans like “this is how your mother gets looked at every day. ” These particular ads came about after UN Women and the Mexican government took open submissions for ideas on a campaign to target a male audience. Around 40 agencies submitted pitches and J. Walter Thompson won. “We need to make clear that this is violent, not flattering, and incentivize men to intervene if they witness it” said Ana Güemez, director of the Mexican UN Women office, during the presentation of the campaign this Thursday. According to a national survey done in 2016 by the Mexican Institute of Women, Inmujeres, nine out of 10 women or girls who use public transportation feel unsafe while doing it. A Reuters survey done in 2014 also showed that the Mexico City transport system is the dangerous for women overall out of 15 world capitals. However, Mexico City was squarely in first place for specific questions like “have your been verbally harassed?” or “have you been groped?“ “In order to generate change, you need to create empathy,” Ms. Osman said. “The idea is that men can get a sense of what it is all like. By creating empathy, we hope that this might change their behavior. ” The Mexico City government has begun to take action: It is now possible to file an administrative complaint if you get catcalled (the perpetrator either pays a fine or spends a night in jail) and last year it started handing out rape whistles on the subway so that women could “warn of possible crimes” (a plan that was not without its critics). The issue has gained prominence in the past few weeks after a blogger, Tamara de Anda, was publicly criticized for talking about filing a complaint against a taxi driver who accosted her verbally while she was walking down the street. Insults on social media ranged from telling her she wasn’t attractive enough to be offended by the driver’s catcall to issuing death threats. Ms. De Anda was one of several Mexican public figures who participated in the presentation of the #NoEsDeHombres campaign, alongside the wrestler El Hijo del Santo and the actor Alfonso Herrera, familiar to United States audiences from Netflix’s show, “Sense8. ”

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Illinois gets June 20 deadline to boost Medicaid funding

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois must increase payments to Medicaid providers despite an ongoing budget impasse, after a U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday ruled the minimal payments made by the state do not comply with federal consent decrees. Judge Joan Lefkow ordered renewed negotiations between Illinois and health care advocates for the poor, setting a June 20 deadline to be in “substantial compliance” with the decrees. Lawyers representing the state’s 3 million Medicaid recipients had asked the judge to give precedence to payments to managed care organizations participating in the state and federal health care program for the poor and disabled over the state fully funding other priorities, including debt service on bonds and pensions. Lefkow said Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who pays the state’s bills, has not offered a “lawful basis” for not paying the Medicaid providers the $2 billion they are owed. “Although the court means no disrespect to the comptroller, who faces an unenviable situation, it finds that minimally funding the obligations of the decrees while fully funding other obligations fails to comply not only with the consent decrees, but also with this court’s previous orders,” the judge’s latest order stated. Illinois is limping toward the June 30 end of a second-straight fiscal year without a complete spending plan due to a political stalemate between its Republican governor and Democrats who control the legislature. Lawmakers ended their spring session on May 31 without a fiscal 2018 budget deal, triggering downgrades that pushed Illinois’ credit ratings from S&P and Moody’s Investors Service to a step above junk. As a result of the stalemate, Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills reached $14.9 billion this week. Mendoza said the real solution is enacting a budget. “The lack of a budget for the last two years has created a situation in which we now have more court-ordered and state-mandated payments than we have revenues to cover them,” she said in a statement. Tom Yates, executive director of the Legal Council for Health Justice, who is representing Medicaid recipients in court, said more money is being sought at this time to ensure access to medical care, not an immediate payment in full. “I think the talks will have little different tenor now because the judge makes it pretty clear she expects more money to flow to Medicaid providers,” he said. The consent decrees, which require the state to continue to make Medicaid payments despite its budget problems, stem from two 1992 cases.

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Major Russian Geopolitical Moves Going Unnoticed in Wake of US Election | The Vineyard of the Saker

424 Views November 17, 2016 No Comments Guest Posts The Saker by Oleg Maslov It’s official, Russia has decided to grab the bull by the horns. Just one week after the shocking vote in the US presidential election resulted in a Trump victory, Russia has decided to pull all the stops and take care of some long lingering business while Obama’s administration is working overtime to manage a transition that no one expected would happen and Obama himself is out of the office, making what might be his very last visit to Europe, calming the closest of American allies in a time of serious questions about the future of the American relationship with NATO. Obama has just two months before Trump will be sworn in and much of the time and energy of his staff will be consumed by briefing Trump and his cabinet, which is not yet fully formed, on their duties and on the situation in the world in general. Perhaps Obama’s own transition team will try to convince the Teflon Don and his staff to pursue a similar policy on many issues, not the least of which include Obamacare and the Paris agreement on climate change. Trump himself has already received a call from Putin shortly after the election, one of Trump’s most publicized calls with world leaders after news of his victory broke, putting even more pressure on Obama’s transition team to get their points across quickly. In the meantime, Obama is making his last expected tour of Europe before Trump’s inauguration. It is not certain exactly why Obama chose to visit Greece first, but it is certainly significant that he was greeted with tens of thousands of protesters, in the least because it shows the current zeitgeist. Obama has to perform his duties of Salesman in Chief as he goes around to NATO allies and reassures them of budget commitments to American forces stationed abroad. I can only imagine the brain-tingling questions that Obama will have to field from the German and French defense ministers. The main source of all the sweating European bureaucrats is Trump’s apparent friendliness with Russia and criticism of NATO, which could mean that Brussels will have to have some existential discussions on many long standing policies, including the sanctions against Russia. In fact, if Trump were to recognize Crimea as a legal part of Russia, as he has suggested that he is willing to do, Europe may either have to follow suit and bring down the house of cards commonly referred to as the Ukrainian Crisis or declare an open break with Washington’s foreign policy, a veritable checkmate. If the current batch of Eurocrats were to keep their jobs (which is looking questionable), they would most probably try to avoid an open break with Washington or, ironically, risk losing their jobs. An open break with Washington would set the European Union into open waters of foreign policy sovereignty, a move that would meet with great resistance from many sources. Either way, an incredible shake-up is coming to Ukraine soon as they are about to have much less friends in the ‘international community’. However, all of these major theatrical dramas and loud, painful snowflake whines are actually working wonderfully to divert attention from the real news. This last Monday night, Russia did several noteworthy things on a globally relevant geopolitical level that will surely resonate with the global movers and shakers. Russia launched an all-out air assault onto ‘Syrian rebels’ operating in the Homs, Idlib, and Latakia provinces of Syria. Monday night’s military campaign coincided with the biggest corruption bust in the history of modern Russia – the Russian Economy Minister Ulyukaev was taken into custody by the FSB after being caught demanding and accepting a $2 million bribe. Lastly, and perhaps less significantly but just as suddenly and symbolically, Russia has announced that it will no longer participate in the International Criminal Court. However, in the humble opinion of this author, the most important fact to note connecting these three events is that they represent huge milestones in the modern history of Russia. One event is on the domestic political and economic level, connecting staff thought to be within the inner circle of the Kremlin specifically with financial corruption. The second is purely military in nature and works to show off the power projection capabilities of the modern Russian military. Thirdly, Russia’s decision to leave the ICC is a huge signal to Russia’s positions in the context of international bodies, up to and including the UN. I would like to highlight this point just one more time to make sure that the meaning doesn’t slide by anyone. The government of Russia has just performed the biggest government shake up since the fall of the Soviet Union, with the FSB arresting the ‘untouchable’ Economy Minister from his post and placing him on a very public trial for extorting a very large bribe. Russia have also launched the biggest attack on an enemy military at least since the Second Chechen conflict, which was the major event of the first few years of Putin’s presidency over 17 years ago, and, at most, since Soviet forces left Afghanistan in 1989, 27 years ago. And lastly, Russia has made a very major and unexpected decision to abandon the jurisdictions of the ICC, long known for its adherence to justice and fair verdicts (sarcasm). AT NEARLY EXACTLY THE SAME TIME! Is it just me, or does it seem like the planets are aligning here? Let’s analyze the first event. Alexei Ulyukaev was accused of extorting a bribe from state-owned oil company Rosneft to tune of $2 million, cold hard cash, and was arrested by investigators (mostly three letter agencies) at night. To top it all off, one official said under condition of anonymity that Ulyukaev’s arrest was the final act in a yearlong investigation by the FSB. Ulyukaev, a member of the Russian government since the break-up of the Soviet Union, has been considered as member of Russia’s liberal, Western-leaning politicians. Of particular interest is Ulyukaev’s CV. Ulyukaev has held some critical positions in the modern Russian government, including serving under Gaidar and managing the shock privatizations of Soviet assets (as well as the shock hyperinflation) from 1991-1994. He was a deputy to Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin from 2000-2004 before taking a job as the first vice-chairman of the Russian Central Bank, a position that he held from April 2004 to June 2013. When he was arrested, again, in the middle of the night, he was the acting Economy Minister. Ulyukaev was certainly high on the list of those considered to be untouchable. Along with Ulyukaev, the vice-governor of Saint Petersburg and some high-ranking officials in the regional government of the Kemerovo region have also been arrested for corruption after investigations by the FSB. Various commentary has already surfaced claiming that Putin has turned to the age old Russian tradition of the Purge. Opinion leaders in the community are writing that no ‘chinovnik’ or oligarch could feel that ‘untouchable’ anymore after Ulyukaev’s arrest and that corrupt officials better behave or face the ax. Still others are claiming that Putin is consolidating his power and is preparing to become a dictator in the classic sense. No matter which explanation you prefer, the fact remains that the Russian government is powerfully expressing its political and economic sovereignty and is publicly making a loud statement against corruption. The second incident was a comprehensive and simultaneous assault on rebel targets all over Syria in a very short time frame. Targets were struck with a bevy of missiles launched both from sea and by land. One of the most surprising features of this massive campaign is the sheer size and diversity of it. The Bastion system, highlighted as a defensive surface-to-surface missile system, showed off its potent attack power, engaging targets up to 300 miles away. IHS Janes reports on the news that Russia is “not known to have previously claimed” that the Bastion, which is originally an anti-ship missile, “has a land attack capability”. It turns out that missile ‘defense’ systems designed to engage land targets, such as the United States Missile Defense systems in Poland and Romania, can easily be used to engage in attacks on land targets. Surprise, surprise. However, the brunt of the missile strikes done by Kalibr missiles launched from the Mediterranean Sea, most notably from Russia’s new and improved frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich. In fact, the Russian naval group, led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, made ‘waves’ in Europe as the group was headed to their final destination, the Syrian coast, from which they launched volley after volley of high precision cruise missiles at targets from what is most likely a confusing medley of rebel groups. It is highly likely that, among the rebel groups which met the explosive end of a Russian cruise missile, some were directly funded by American allies, and less likely that the Russians even targeted groups directly trained or supplied by the CIA. This major military move actually kills two birds with one stone. First, it provides Russia’s allies and ‘partners’ in the area with a bit of information about how far and in what quantity the Russian military can project its power. Further, it reveals that the Russians are most likely purposefully understating the power and capabilities of many of their newest technologies (although this should come as a surprise to no one). Also to this point, the Russian government did not ask permission of any international body when it passed through international waters and made its way to Syria, despite the ‘uncomfort’ felt in London. The second stone is that Russia has engaged in one of the most effective and convincing advertising campaigns for their newest export model military products. With loud fanfare, the Russians showed the world that Russian arms still give great bang for the buck. The last major move, but, in the view of this author, not nearly as significant as the other two, is Russia’s decision to withdraw its signature from the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court. This move was sudden and symbolic, coming after the ICC ruled Russia’s ‘annexation’ Crimea illegal and called the current situation an ‘occupation’, but will lead to no noticeable change in real terms, since Russia never actually ratified the Rome Statute, meaning that it never submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the ICC to begin with. One can write more on the nature and meaning of the withdrawal of Russia from the ICC, but the readers are welcome to find their own facts and form their own opinions. I will also stop short of giving my opinion on this strange set of geopolitical ‘coincidences’, and finish only with a invitation for speculation on what these facts could mean for the future of Russia, Russia’s relationship with Europe and the world, and the global security structure as a whole. The Essential Saker: from the trenches of the emerging multipolar world $27.95

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Trump’s Brexit Response Is A DISASTER, And Hillary Just Nailed Him For It (VIDEO)

Donald Trump had a prime opportunity to take advantage of Britain s decision to leave the European Union in the so-called Brexit. Appearing at his golf course in Scotland, Trump held a press conference a few hours after the outcome of the British referendum was clear.Instead, the presumptive Republican nominee completely botched the media availability. Instead of talking up his sympathies with the right-wing movement that got the referendum passed, Trump instead babbled on about his golf course, the views from the course, and so forth. When he was asked about the Brexit, Trump continued to bumble. He could only talk about the tumbling global markets from the perspective of how his golf course would make money, instead ignoring the pensions being wiped out in the U.K. and the effect it could have on the American economy, including retirees with their money in the market.In response, Hillary Clinton s presidential campaign released a devastating web video that laid out the seriousness of the moment and Trump s utter failure to present any sort of leadership.Hours after the #BrexitVote, Donald Trump was in the U.K.Talking about how he, personally, would benefit.https://t.co/YEt5LozDpt Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 24, 2016The video also makes it clear how lost Trump is without his teleprompter. After the media fell over itself to praise him for reading properly earlier in the week, it s also clear that Trump actually has the problem the right has accused President Obama of having for so long.When off teleprompter, Trump makes a fool of himself. He can t back up what he s saying, and more often than not he is obviously, blatantly, comically, making things up. The only time Trump can appear remotely competent is when his words are written down for him.Unfortunately for him, he has to focus so much on keeping it in check on prompter that he loses all the enthusiasm and rabble-rousing that has made him so popular with nativist supporters during the campaign. They don t want to see Trump acting presidential, but rather they want the loudmouth who bashes immigrants and calls for minorities to be beat up.Featured image via Twitter

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Obama passes baton to Clinton, stirs up '3rd term' charges

President Obama invoked his “Yes we can” 2008 campaign slogan Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, leaving little doubt that his declaration that Hillary Clinton was “fit” and “ready” to be commander-in-chief was a baton-passing of his eight years in office — a legacy that Republican nominee Donald Trump immediately attacked as “Owning the 3rd Term.” Capping another night of Trump bashing — briefly interrupted by the official nomination of Tim Kaine to be Clinton’s vice presidential running mate — Obama declared, “There has never been a man or a woman – not me, not Bill, nobody – more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America,” at the same time accusing Trump of peddling "fear" and a pessimistic vision of the country. ‎Republicans immediately fired back, with party Chairman Reince Priebus issuing a statement saying, “Tonight reinforced that the Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine ticket is nothing more than two career DC insiders who want nothing more than to continue the failed Democrat status quo.” He pointed to what he called the president’s “failed legacy in the Middle East” and said, “Our country cannot afford four more years like the last eight, which have left us less prosperous, less safe, and less free.” Without question, the sitting president depends on his former secretary of state to help preserve his legacy, and fend off recurring Republican attempts to repeal ObamaCare, upend environmental regulations and more. But Republicans point to the other side of the picture – a debt nearing $20 trillion, tensions growing in America’s cities and an Islamic State threat that even top security officials suggest is growing in its reach and unpredictability. “Our country does not feel 'great already' to the millions of wonderful people living in poverty, violence and despair,” Trump tweeted Wednesday night. Obama, though, tried to frame the election as a choice between pessimism and optimism, as he set the stage for Clinton to accept the nomination Thursday night. “America is already great. America is already strong,” Obama said. “And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.” Clinton surprised the crowd by showing up onstage with Obama at the end of his speech, the two of them hugging and waving to delegates who were holding up "thank you" signs. Obama’s address was delivered shortly after delegates finalized the party’s 2016 ticket. In an overwhelming voice vote, they nominated Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine for vice president. Kaine himself, after starting off talking family and faith, shifted gears in the second half and shelved his nice-guy persona to deliver a broadside against Trump, as he accepted the VP nomination from his party. “Hillary has a passion for kids and families. … Donald Trump has a passion too: It's himself,” Kaine said. The senator was merciless after that. He went on to mock Trump, imitating his Queens accent when he says, “Believe me.” “We're gonna destroy ISIS so fast -- believe me! There's nothing suspicious in my tax returns -- believe me!” Kaine bellowed, as the crowd roared with laughter. “Here's the thing. Most people, when they run for president, they don't just say ‘believe me.’ They respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done. … You cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth.” While he was speaking, the Trump campaign was firing out press releases ripping Kaine as a “job killer” and part of the Washington establishment. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had considered an independent presidential run before ruling it out, made a late appearance Wednesday – with an endorsement that could help Clinton reach out to vital independents whom Trump also is courting, and a bagful of zingers aimed squarely at his fellow billionaire. “Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s run his business. God help us!” Bloomberg said, calling him a “dangerous demagogue” and claiming it’s “imperative” to elect Clinton. The focus of the third convention night was heavy on gun control, global warming and even national security, an issue largely absent from the first two nights. Together, the speakers Wednesday set the stage for Clinton to deliver her nomination acceptance speech and close out the convention Thursday night, after becoming Tuesday the first woman in U.S. history nominated for president by a major party.

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DEAD BROKE HILLARY Buys Million Dollar “Mother/Daughter” Home For Chelsea…After Busted Giving Only 5.7% Of Clinton Foundation Money to Charity

The 2014 IRS filings for the Clinton Foundation were recently released and the numbers were absolutely sickening. Out of $91.3 million spent in 2014, the organization s IRS filings show that only $5.2 million of that went to actual charity. That s because the candidate who says she represents the everyday American can t be bothered with helping the poor she needs to focus on providing a lifestyle for her and her lovely daughter Chelsea that only 1% of Americans can enjoy. The Clinton s have mastered the art of getting rich in politics It s not quite the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, but Bill and Hillary Clinton are expanding their Westchester spread by buying the house next door, The Post has learned.The Clintons shelled out $1.16 million for the three-bedroom, 3,631-square-foot, ranch-style home set on 1.51 leafy acres on Old House Lane in Chappaqua.Westchester County land records and tax records from the town of New Castle where Chappaqua is located list William and Hillary Clinton as owners of the property.A source said the home could be used as a weekend retreat for their daughter, Chelsea, her hubby, Marc Mezvinsky, and their children, Charlotte and Aidan. Rumor has it that the Clintons plan to use this as a mother/daughter house for Chelsea and her kids to visit on the weekends when they want to escape the city and their Flatiron digs since the Chappaqua house has a nice pool and plenty of rolling green lawn for kids to play on, the source said. NYP

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(VIDEO) OBAMA THROWS AMERICA UNDER THE BUS…AGAIN

I am a student of history so I tend to actually be familiar with many of these episodes that have been mentioned. I am the first one to acknowledge that America s application to concern around human rights has not always been consistent. And, I m certainly mindful that there are dark chapters in our own history in which we have not always observed the principles and ideals upon which the country was founded. Just a few weeks ago I was in Selma, Alabama celebrating the 50th anniversary of a march across a bridge that resulted in horrific violence and the reason I was there and the reason it was a celebration is because it was a triumph of human spirit in which ordinary people without resort to violence were able to overcome systematic segregation. There voices were heard and our country changed. America never makes a claim about being perfect, we do make a claim about being open to change.

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As French Election Nears, Le Pen Targets Voters Her Party Once Repelled - The New York Times

France — The National Front’s leafleteers are no longer spat upon. Its local candidate’s headquarters sit defiantly in a fraying Muslim neighborhood. And last week, Marine Le Pen, the party’s leader, packed thousands into a steamy meeting hall nearby for a pugnacious speech mocking “the system” and vowing victory in this spring’s French presidential election. “There’s been a real evolution,” Philippe the retired head of a small manufacturing company, said as he handed out National Front leaflets in the market on a recent day. “A few years ago, they would insult us. It’s changed. ” It has long been accepted wisdom that Ms. Le Pen and her party can make it through the first round of the presidential voting on April 23, when she and four other major candidates will be on the ballot, but that she will never capture the majority needed to win in a runoff in May. But a visit to this southeastern National Front stronghold suggests that Ms. Le Pen may be succeeding in broadening her appeal to the point where a victory is more plausible, even if the odds are still stacked against her. With a month to go, the signs are mixed. Many voters, particularly affluent ones, at markets here and farther up the coast betray a traditional distaste for the party. Yet others once repelled by a party with a heritage rooted in France’s darkest political traditions — xenophobia and a penchant for the fist — are considering it. “I’ve said several times I would do it, but I’ve never had the courage,” Christian Pignol, a vendor of plants and vegetables at the Bandol market, said about voting for the National Front. “This time may be the good one. ” “It’s the fear of the unknown,” he continued, as several fellow vendors nodded. “People would like to try it, but they are afraid. But maybe it’s the solution. We’ve tried everything for 30, 40 years. We’d like to try it, but we’re also afraid. ” French politics are particularly volatile this election season. Traditional power centers — the governing Socialists and the Republicans — are in turmoil. Ms. Le Pen’s chief rival, Emmanuel Macron, is a youthful and untested politician running at the head of a new party. Those uncertainties — and a nagging sense that mainstream parties have failed to offer solutions to France’s economic anemia — have left the National Front better positioned than at any time in its history. But if it is to win nationally, the party must do much better than even the 49 percent support it won in this conservative Var department, home to three National Front mayors, in elections in 2015. More critically, it must turn areas of the country in Ms. Le Pen’s favor and attract new kinds of voters — professionals and the upper and middle classes. Political analysts are skeptical. Frédéric Boccaletti, the party’s leader in the Var, knows exactly what needs to be done. Last week, he and his fellow National Front activists gathered for an evening planning session in La a port town devastated by the closing of naval shipyards nearly 20 years ago. Mr. Boccaletti, who is running for Parliament, keeps his headquarters here. “I’m telling you, you’ve got to go to the difficult neighborhoods — it’s not what you think,” Mr. Boccaletti told them, laughing slyly. “Our work has got to be in the areas that have resisted us most” — meaning the coast’s more affluent areas. It is not unlike the strategy that President Trump applied in the United States by campaigning in Democratic strongholds in Ohio. No one thought he stood a chance there. Yet he won. “Now, we’ve got doctors, lawyers, the liberal professions with us,” Mr. Boccaletti said. “Since the election of Marine” to the party’s presidency in 2011, “it’s all changed. ” Yes and no. Since then, to broaden the party’s appeal, Ms. Le Pen has worked to buff the National Front’s image and distance it from its founder, Le Pen, her disavowed father, even kicking him out of the party in 2015. That strategy has helped make the National Front potentially palatable to some voters who had hesitated before. In the early days, four decades ago, winning 10 percent of the vote was considered a triumph for the party. This year, some polls predict Ms. Le Pen will get as much as 45 percent of the vote. of her own edge toward the mainstream, Ms. Le Pen now buries her most incendiary proclamations. At a rally in nearby last week, she pledged to cut taxes and “drastically” reduce immigration — well inside generic political formulations. Also last week, the party dismissed an official in the region for Holocaust denial. Still, Ms. Le Pen often emits the dog whistles easily recognized by her cheering crowds, as in a recent speech at Nantes, where she denounced in quick succession “the Rothschild bank,” and the media and telecom magnate Patrick Drahi, a businessman with French and Israeli citizenship. Ms. Le Pen and her party still show little compunction over using tried and true National Front strategies that stoke racial fears. A wall at Mr. Boccaletti’s tiny party headquarters here is adorned with a poster showing a hand tearing down a star and crescent, a symbol of Islam, with the slogan “Here, We Are in France. ” Another poster showed a veiled Muslim woman accompanied by the words “No to Islamism. ” When the beaming Ms. Le Pen clambers onstage at her rallies, menacing chords give way to triumphant brassy blasts. At the more elaborate rallies, Wagnerian electric flame throwers dramatically cap her closing vows to “renew the ties of national solidarity. ” In it was Ms. Le Pen’s thrusts against the “mass immigration” and its supposed link to France’s mass unemployment that drew the loudest roars. “This is our country!” the crowd chanted. “She’s going to send home the immigrants,” said Jean Simon, a grizzled construction worker from Nice, who attended. “There’s way too much unemployment. ” Lashing the two issues together is a ploy straight from a playbook that dates to the National Front’s original doctrine in 1972. It is part of legacy that continues to give a good many French people pause. Some 58 percent of them still consider the Front a “danger” for democracy, according to a poll published in Le Monde this month, 11 percentage points more than in 2013. Yet there is enough uncertainty over whether Ms. Pen has sufficiently softened up traditional resistance that, for the first time, the candidate of a party still considered extremist by many has become the person to beat. The mainstream media is in near hysteria. Last week’s cover headline in the Journal du Dimanche warned of the “Le Pen Menace. ” The cover of this week’s L’Obs predicted in bold type: “If Le Pen is elected: The Black Scenario. ” In L’Express it was “Why Le Pen is advancing — again. ” Ms. Le Pen is in the unusual position of seeming like a winner and a loser at the same time. She is a winner because every French poll predicts she will come out on top in the first round. Four major candidates will be competing against her that day — two on the left, one in the center and one on the right. None, alone, can beat her. But she is a loser because those same polls all say she will be defeated by a hefty margin in the second round of voting on May 7, whoever her opponent is. “I don’t think she will be elected president,” said Joël Gombin of the University of Picardy Jules Verne, one of France’s leading experts on the Front. “But it’s not impossible any longer. “And even if she’s not elected, there’s a strong possibility that French political life will be turned upside down, and the National Front will play a larger role,” he added. The ambiguous status of winner and loser gives her whole campaign — the tone of her voters, her activists, her top lieutenants and even Ms. Le Pen herself — an uncertain feel, as if all are floating a few feet above reality. Muriel Fiol, a local doctor who was helping Mr. Boccaletti run the meeting, predicted that the “glass ceiling was going to explode. ” “People don’t want this political class any more,” she said. But Mr. Boccaletti urged prudence. There was still some way to go, as attitudes of many locals showed. Even if buoyed by the feeling that Ms. Le Pen is a player for the first time, volunteers conceded that the going was “difficult,” as was sometimes shown by the reception at the colorful market in this fishing port of pastel houses on the Mediterranean. Certainly, not all were convinced that Ms. Le Pen had outrun the long shadow of her party’s ugly reputation. “Sure, I took their leaflet,” Bernard Cornet, a retired teacher, said, broadly grinning. “Only so that I could throw it into the trash straight away. ”

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South Korea says delay in military drills aimed only at ensuring peaceful Olympics

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean officials said on Wednesday a proposed delay in military drills with the United States was aimed at ensuring a peaceful 2018 Winter Olympics, not ending the North Korean missile crisis, as relations with China suffered new setbacks. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking to soothe relations with North Korea, which is pursuing nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and with China, the North s lone major ally, before the Games begin in South Korea in February. China, which hosted years of on-again-off-again six-party talks to try to end the North Korea standoff, resumed some blocks on group tours to South Korea, industry sources said, and rebuked Seoul for firing warning shots at Chinese fishing boats On Tuesday, Moon, who visited China last week, said he had proposed postponing major military drills with the United States until after the Games, a move his office said was designed to reassure athletes and spectators. This is confined to our efforts to host a peaceful Olympics, an official from the presidential Blue House said. We are only talking about the exercises which are supposed to take place during the Olympics and Paralympics. North Korea sees the regular joint exercises as preparation for war, while China is still angry about the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, commonly known as THAAD, by South Korea, whose powerful radar it fears could see deep inside its territory. The South argues it needs THAAD to guard against the threat posed by North Korea, which regularly threatens to destroy South Korea, Japan and the United States. For a graphic on North Korea's missile launches, click tmsnrt.rs/2j2S5T3 The proposed delay in drills was discussed during a summit last week between Moon and Chinese President Xi Jinping, after the proposal had already been submitted to the Americans, the Blue House official said. China and Russia have proposed a freeze for freeze arrangement under which North Korea would stop its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises. However, the official denied the proposed delay had anything to do with the freeze idea. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Ottawa on Tuesday he was unaware of any plans to alter longstanding and scheduled and regular military exercises . North Korea has stepped up its missile and nuclear tests at an unprecedented rate this year, and any new provocation from the North would inevitably have an impact on the exercises, the Blue House official said. It is a display of the president s strong message that North Korea must not conduct any provocation (during the Olympics), the official told reporters. (For a graphic on North Korea's missile and nuclear tests, click tmsnrt.rs/2vXbj0S) Japan s Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing an unidentified person connected to South Korean intelligence, that North Korea was conducting biological experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Asahi report said the U.S. government was aware of the tests, which were meant to ascertain whether the anthrax bacteria could survive the high temperatures that occur during warheads re-entry from space. Reuters was unable to verify the report independently. In a statement released by state media, North Korea s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called reports it was developing biological weapons nonsense designed to provoke nuclear war. The United States has given China a draft resolution for tougher U.N. sanctions on North Korea and is hoping for a quick vote on it by the U.N. Security Council, a Western diplomat said on Tuesday, however Beijing has yet to sign on. When asked about the U.S. resolution at a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying would only say that China always takes a responsible and constructive attitude towards Security Council talks on North Korea. The United States has also called on the Security Council to blacklist 10 ships for circumventing sanctions on North Korea. Hua said China had received the proposal from the United States. China has resumed at least some restrictions on group tours into the South, South Korea s inbound travel agency said. The restrictions were first in place last year as part of China s retaliation over THAAD deployment. I was told from my boss this morning that our Chinese partners (based in Beijing and Shandong) said they won t send group tourists to South Korea as of January, the official from Naeil Tour Agency told Reuters by phone. One source in China said the reason for reinstating the ban was to rein in overly aggressive tour operators who had been rolling out package deals to South Korea too quickly in the eyes of authorities. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua told reporters she had not heard of a tourism ban, but she reiterated that Moon s visit to Beijing was successful and that China has an open attitude towards exchanges and cooperation in all areas. Beijing has never officially confirmed restrictions on tourism. Three representatives at Beijing travel agencies told Reuters that they were not currently organising group tours to South Korea. One confirmed that the tourism administration had issued the notice, while a third said: At the moment we have no group trips to South Korea. A travel agency in the northern province of Shandong also said it could not organise group trips. Three others said they could, but with restrictions such as on the number of people. South Korea s coast guard said on Wednesday it had fired around 250 warning shots on Tuesday to chase away a fleet of 44 Chinese boats fortified with iron bars and steel mesh that were fishing illegally in South Korean waters. The Chinese fishing boats sought to swarm around and collide with our patrol ship, ignoring the broadcast warnings, the coast guard said in a statement. China, which has in the past lodged diplomatic protests to South Korea over the use of force by its coast guard, expressed serious concern about the latest clash. (For a graphic on rocket science, click tmsnrt.rs/2t6WEPL)

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BREAKING DALLAS: DPD Chief Confirms 10 Officers SHOT, 3 DEAD, Two In Surgery, 3 In CRITICAL CONDITION…SHOT By “2 SNIPERS” Reportedly Wearing Body Armor During Dallas Black Lives Matter Protest [VIDEOS]…Shooter On Loose

UPDATE 12:09: 1 Suspect in custody. 1 suspect pinned down.Dallas Update! 1suspect in custody & 1suspect pinned down!!Both suspects wearing masks !! #KelyFile #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/KiIox2YAqd STOCK MONSTER (@StockMonsterUSA) July 8, 2016Dallas Police Department Chief confirms 10 officers have been shot. Three officers were KILLED, three are in critical condition and two are in surgery.Reports are now stating that two snipers were involved and that the shooting occurred from a rooftop/s above the scene. Shots can be heard being fired in this video:https://twitter.com/allisongriz/status/751234755882995713UPDATE 11:46:.@DPDChief states 2 snipers responsible for shooting 10 Dallas officers tonight, three of whom are deceased. No suspects in custody. FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 8, 2016A cameraman covering the protest in #Dallas came upon this horrific site. [Warning: Graphic Content] pic.twitter.com/06xGEt9ilu CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) July 8, 2016UPDATE 11:35 pm:NEW: @DPDChief confirms 10 officers shot, three dead, two in surgery, three in critical condition. No suspects in custody. FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 8, 2016From @shaunrabbfox4 "There are several officers gravely injured. This is going to be an horrific night for the Dallas Police Department." Mike Doocy (@MikeDoocyFox4) July 8, 2016A Facebook post by Michael Kevin Bautista shows the horrendous situation cops were faced with tonight in Dallas during a Black Lives Matter protest:WATCH HERE:BREAKING UPDATE:BREAKING: Multiple sources say about 3 6 officers were shot during tonight's protest.https://t.co/pBdHa8nFqM pic.twitter.com/sDRV7PiiNy FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 8, 2016Here are some of the comments on Michael Kevin Bautista s page under the video above: #breaking Crowd on the run downtown Dallas. Reports of an officer shot at the protest march. pic.twitter.com/zstZnDIRlm Doug Dunbar (@cbs11doug) July 8, 2016People can be seen running from the scene here:Video shows police responding after shots fired in Dallas during protest of recent killings https://t.co/00c6j7cAPUhttps://t.co/P2K9Z0vziF ABC News (@ABC) July 8, 2016https://twitter.com/Nero/status/751247603455647744Black conservative Melissa tweets a little reminder for the Black Lives Matter rioters:https://twitter.com/Sweetatertot/status/751246223991013377#BREAKING: Our cameras captured several shots ring out during a protest in Downtown Dallas pic.twitter.com/OWOBOOI8Jg FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 8, 2016DALLAS BE CAREFUL. Reports of a sniper and 2 officers down 30 mins ago at Dallas protest pic.twitter.com/Zk3jvPUfMk Chocolate Metaphor (@ChocoMetaphor) July 8, 2016Shots have subsided. Shooter is reportedly still on the loose https://twitter.com/DianaZogaFox4/status/751244944136892416Crime scene tape up at Baylor, multiple police units here @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/zV6NgUDbDb Lynnanne Nguyen (@LynnanneFOX4) July 8, 2016

1real

If Catcalls Were Politically Correct…

By wmw_admin on September 16, 2008 The ‘dots’ you are not supposed to connect… Affidavit of Richard Tomlinson By wmw_admin on February 14, 2008 “I firmly believe that there exist documents held by the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) that would yield important new evidence into the cause and circumstances leading to the death of the Princess of Wales.” They Live By wmw_admin on August 19, 2012 Considered by some as prophetic, many will find eerie echoes of present day concerns in John Carpenters 24-year-old ‘They Live’. View the cult classic here The Anglo-Saxon Mission Part I By wmw_admin on March 1, 2010 Bill Ryan talks to a former City of London insider who participated in a meeting where the elite’s plans for depopulation were discussed. The meeting, which took place in 2005, also discussed a planned financial collapse Who Really Murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman? By wmw_admin on February 28, 2015 Revelations that a US soldier was the killer would have jeopardised public support for the “War on Terror”. Hence a frame-up was required. A Joe Vialls classic recovered. Back to the Future!!! Part 1 By wmw_admin on May 21, 2007 Geological evidence points to an cataclysmic event that almost defies comprehension. The problem is that it may just happen again … and soon too. The Oklahoma City Bombing: 30 Unanswered Questions By wmw_admin on July 11, 2003 Timothy McVeigh may have been tried and executed, but there are still too many unanswered questions about the Oklahoma City Bombing

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Clinton, Sanders Democratic debate draws 5.6 million viewers: CNN

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The latest 2016 presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders drew an audience of some 5.6 million TV viewers, CNN said on Friday, below other recent Democratic debates. Thursday’s debate, aired live from Brooklyn, saw front-runner Clinton and Bernie Sanders challenged each other’s judgment and experience ahead of Tuesday’s crucial nominating contest in New York. Clinton and Sanders attacked each other over Wall Street, gun control and other issues on Thursday in a series of exchanges that laid bare the mounting pressures on them both but seemed unlikely to change the dynamics of the race. CNN said Thursday’s debate ranked 7th among Democratic debates this presidential cycle. Audiences for Republican debates have generally been twice as high as those for the Democratic contenders.

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Monica Lewinsky Wrote An Obituary For Roger Ailes And It Was BRUTAL

Last week, disgraced former Fox News chief, Roger Ailes, died. I know you re supposed to speak reverentially about the dead, but Ailes was toxic. He was a misogynist, a racist and he turned low information voters into a key demographic. Without Roger Ailes, we would likely not have had two illegal wars and we wouldn t have BLOTUS Trump.For some, though, their toxic relationship with Ailes was far more personal. One notable example of a life he ruined was Monica Lewinsky, who, to this day, is best known as the woman who gave Bill Clinton a blow job. Lewinsky penned her own obituary for Ailes, and there was no reverence. There was resentment and a whole lot of truth. This is not another obituary for Roger Ailes, Lewinsky wrote, who died last week 10 months after being ousted at Fox News. It is, I hope, instead an obituary for the culture he purveyed a culture that affected me profoundly and personally. Hard to deny that. Thanks to Fox News, a consensual affair suddenly became the scandal of the decade it was the story that was supposed to undo a presidency. Without Lewinsky, Fox News might not be Fox News today.Some experts have noted that viewers found Fox for the first time because of the crisis. John Moody, a Fox executive editor, reflected on that period: The Lewinsky saga put us on the news map. As he put it in another interview: Monica was a news channel s dream come true. But amid that, Fox created the culture of mean. They somehow managed to portray Bill Clinton as a predator (ironic given the culture at Fox News) while portraying Lewinsky as unworthy of a powerful man s attentions.Their dream was my nightmare. My character, my looks and my life were picked apart mercilessly. Truth and fiction mixed at random in the service of higher ratings. My family and I huddled at home, worried about my going to jail I was the original target of Ken Starr s investigation, threatened with 27 years for having been accused of signing a false affidavit, obstructing justice, suborning perjury and other crimes or worse, me taking my own life. Meantime, Mr. Ailes huddled with his employees at Fox News, dictating a lineup of talking heads to best exploit this personal and national tragedy.Lewinsky lamented the fact that it wasn t only Fox, and that Fox changed the media landscape. Even MSNBC was committed to almost non-stop coverage of the scandal that shouldn t have been. The internet, though, made it much, much worse.Just as television news was devolving into a modern coliseum, the internet came along and compounded this culture of shame and vitriol. Remember: The story of my affair was not broken by The Washington Post, The New York Times or the networks, but online by the Drudge Report. The comments on television and online were excruciating. I ceased being a three-dimensional person. Instead I became a whore, a bimbo, a slut and worse. Just days after the story broke, Fox asked its viewers to vote on this pressing question: Is Monica Lewinsky an average girl or a young tramp looking for thrills ?Lewinsky isn t cheering for Fox News to be cancelled. In fact, she praised them for firing Ailes and Bill O Reilly, both of whom were accused of being serial sexual harassers. She also said she believes that credible conservative voices should be heard, that it s an important part of a healthy democracy. However, Ailes helped create the current cruel and toxic political environment, and for that, he won t be missed.Featured image of Monica Lewinsky via Bryan Bedder/Getty Images | Featured image of Roger Ailes via Handout/Getty Images.

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Which GOP Candidate Is The Least Worst? Bill Maher Drinks Bleach And HILARIOUSLY Decides (VIDEO)

Are you having a hard time figuring out whether Donald Trump or Ted Cruz is the least awful GOP candidate in the presidential race? Bill Maher has you covered.During his New Rules segment, the Real Time host mentioned that Republicans come up to him all the time even in the bathroom and ask him for a hand.So Maher decided to settle the question of which Republican candidate is the least worst once and for all.First, he went over the differences between the two. Comparing them is apples and orange, Maher quipped. Donald Trump is like Ebola. He ll violently kill you right away. Cruz is more like the Zika virus. We won t see the damage until future generations.Donald Trump wants to build a wall to keep out creepy foreigners. Ted Cruz is proof we need it.Ted Cruz has a daughter who doesn t want him to touch her, whereas Donald Trump s daughter is fine with it. Maher went on to say that while Trump is thin-skinned and reacts to every bad thing said about him, Ted Cruz is immune to insult because he is used to be hated by everyone all the time. Republicans, I feel your pain, Maher declared. You re stuck between a rock and a gross place. The House of A*shole or the House of Douchebag. Team Werewolf or Team Vampire. Verizon or AT&T. But we have to accept that being a grown-up means hard choices between disgusting options. And with that being said, Maher dramatically picked Ted Cruz as the least worst choice for the Republican nominee and washed his mouth out with bleach.Maher explained his choice by pointing out that Donald Trump is a lunatic who might disappear people like him. The President signs off on a kill list every day and sends out the drones and I like going outside, Maher said before reluctantly putting on a hat that says Better Ted Than Dead. Here s the hilarious video via YouTube:

1real

Bernie Sanders Just Opened Up About Something That Will Make Conservatives’ Heads Explode

In a recent candid interview with the Washington Post, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders opened up about his religious faith in a way that many will probably find refreshing. Christian conservatives, on the other hand, might want to have a seat.Speaking with reporters Frances Stead Sellers and John Wagner, Sanders made it clear that not only is he not going to try to get votes by playing the religion card, he would rather politicians keep their faith out of politics altogether. As for himself, he freely admits he isn t interested in organized religion. I am not actively involved with organized religion, Sanders said in a recent interview.Sanders said he believes in God, though not necessarily in a traditional manner. I think everyone believes in God in their own ways, he said. To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together. In other words, Sanders is describing himself as a humanist.In an earlier interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Sanders spoke about how his fellow man, and not a holy book, make him want to be a positive force in the world. Well, you know, I am who I am. And what I believe in and what my spirituality is about is that we re all in this together. That I think it is not a good thing to believe that, as human beings, we can turn our backs on the suffering of other people In classic Sanders fashion, he went on to pivot from spiritual musings to railing against wealth inequality. Once again, we were reminded that when Sanders claims he would rather talk about the issues that face the country rather than his faith or lack thereof, he means it.This is a radical deviation from how most American politicians approach voters. For many, particularly on the right, religious pandering is front-and-center to their campaign strategy. For proof of that, one need only to look at how many Republican candidates have held rallies at Christian universities. Several even launched their campaigns at one.How singularly focused on religion are Republican politicians? Consider this: Trump, a man whose history of divorces, intolerance, and greed would make even Jesus strain to turn the other cheek, has managed to score a key religious ally by grovelling: Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. He couldn t wait to brag about it.Great honor- Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr. of Liberty University, one of the most respected religious leaders in our nation, has just endorsed me! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2016Eager to compete, Ted Cruz found his own religious leader to endorse him, Pastor Mike Bickle. Unfortunately, the man turned out to be a raging anti-Semite who claimed Hitler was sent from heaven to kill Jews. The Lord says, I m going to give all 20 million of them the chance to respond to the fishermen. And I give them grace. And he says, And if they don t respond to grace, I m going to raise up the hunters. And the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolf Hitler. Oops.Ironically, Sanders commitment to avoiding religion in the public square falls more in line with what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they laid out the Constitution that Republicans claim to adore. While many but not all of the founders were religious, they were deeply skeptical of letting religion dictate secular society and vice versa. Religion was a private matter; politics, a public one. Mixing the two diminished both.Politics aside, it s clear that Bernie Sanders is defying every rule that Christian conservatives insisted a politician must have. Far from being hurt by his openness about his lack of organized religion, Sanders is doing just fine by sticking with the issues. It seems that a genuine drive to make things better for people really does matter more than being able to say you pray really hard. On the flipside, politicians who are deeply religious, don t seem to have a better track record. Famously, George W. Bush said he spoke to God about the invasion of Iraq either God has a sick sense of humor or the voice in his head was, in fact, Dick Cheney s.Feature image via Flickr

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Dealmakers say a Trump presidency would be bad for M&A

(Reuters) - A Donald Trump presidency would be bad for corporate dealmaking, according to a global survey of people who advise companies on mergers and acquisitions, or M&A. Nearly two-thirds of 1,500 respondents - including investment bankers, lawyers and people who work for private equity firms - said a Trump presidency would create uncertainty that would deter executives from launching bids. The survey was conducted in April by Intralinks Holdings Inc IL.N, which provides confidential meeting rooms used by companies when they allow would-be bidders to look through their accounts. “The real story is that dealmakers crave less disruption, and Trump has been a polarizing figure on a global scale,” Matt Porzio, vice president of strategy at Intralinks, said in a phone interview on Wednesday. Trump is the front-runner for the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election. His unpredictable style and fiery rhetoric have some investors worried that as president he could trigger trade wars, hurt the economy and add a lot of volatility to financial markets. The New York real estate developer prides himself on his ability to make good deals, and M&A professionals in the United States were less concerned about his impact on business than their peers elsewhere. According to the survey, 46 percent of U.S. dealmakers said they believed Trump would have a negative impact on M&A activity, compared with 83 percent of dealmakers in Latin America. Trump has sparked controversy with his call for building a wall along the Mexican border and for deporting 11 million illegal immigrants from the United States. Some 71 percent of dealmakers based in Europe and 75 percent in Asia thought Trump would be bad for business. Globally, only 45 percent of respondents thought that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-described socialist who is competing with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, would be bad for M&A activity. But the same proportion - 45 percent - thought Clinton would have a positive impact on mergers and acquisitions, making her the candidate viewed to have the highest positive impact on corporate tie-ups.

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ATLANTA: PANDEMONIUM As World’s Largest Airport Goes DARK…Airport Evacuated…1,161 Flights Canceled [VIDEO]

There has to something more to this story than what we re being told. If there isn t more to this story, then Atlanta Airport officials and Georgia Power are going to have some explaining to do A complete power outage at the nation s busiest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, grounded flights Sunday afternoon, threatening to cause a holiday travel nightmare for fliers across the country just over a week before Christmas.Thousands of passengers were stranded and flights were grounded or delayed as a power outage crippled Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport the world's busiest airport pic.twitter.com/WpWQLGu5GD EAGLE WINGS (@NIVIsa4031) December 17, 2017Georgia Power said that repairs are well underway at the airport and power is expected to be restored around midnight on Sunday, and the airport tweeted that Power on Concourse F is back ON! Washington Examiner s Byron York tweeted only two hours ago, that no one seems to know why the power outage happened.The Atlanta airport story is huge. By far the nation's largest airport, it just goes dark, operations shut down. Thousands stranded, in very difficult situations. And nobody seems to know why. Byron York (@ByronYork) December 17, 2017 We are working with great urgency w/ @Georgia Power to restore power through rest of airport, the tweet read.According to FlightAware.com, 1,161 flights have been canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson as of 8:20 p.m. ET.Delta passengers were not happy with how things were being handled, especially the passengers who were stuck on the tarmac for several hours, unable to disembark from the planes:Oh. My. God. Just left ATL airport last night at midnight after 15 hours of travel. If I had been stuck against my will in my plane on tarmac..Gives me anxiety just thinking about it. That s A LOT of ppl in tight space. SidNey (@OhGoSquid) December 18, 2017Fox News reported on the outage:Power outage at Atlanta airport causes 'pandemonium,' grounds flights https://t.co/Och4XslbLi pic.twitter.com/VX5lnpZMFQ Fox News (@FoxNews) December 17, 2017Georgia Power said in a statement Sunday evening that the issue may have involved a fire which caused extensive damage in a Georgia Power underground electrical facility. The airport said power had been restored to one of its six concourses around 7:30 p.m., about seven hours after the initial outage, and Georgia Power said it expects to have power fully restored to the airport by midnight.CNBC News reporter Ethan Kraft reports that Chick-fil-A s CEO Dan Cathy will coordinate meals for thousands of stranded passengers at the airport:Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says he spoke with Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy to coordinate meals for thousands of stranded passengers at #ATLairport, who have been in the dark since 2p ET Ethan Kraft (@ethan_kraft) December 18, 2017Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire and had begun assessing damage and beginning repairs, but they had not yet been able to ascertain the cause of the blaze, the utility said. FOX NewsNBC News Airport officials said a large portion of the facility had been affected and that repair teams had been working to address the situation since around 1:30 p.m. ET.Not everyone is buying the fire story however. This Twitter user believes that terror threat is the cause for the evacuation:The #atlairport has been evacuated, passangers are standing outside on the tarmac, no one is allowed to leave. I think a high level #Hivite was trying to get away, or they've disrupted a major terror attack. It's not being reported by @CNN (headquarters in Atlanta) #MediaBlackOut Sarah Ruth Ashcraft (@SaRaAshcraft) December 17, 2017Many citizens are questioning the story they are being told about a simple power outage, and wondering why, in the largest airport in the world, there isn t any back up power?https://twitter.com/tonyabonya/status/942576639887663104Officials with the Atlanta Police Department told WSB-TV the airport is evacuating travelers inside.A spokesperson told The Associated Press that no areas outside the airport were affected by the outage. However, flights at Chicago airports O Hare International and Midway both have canceled flights but it s not yet clear if they were canceled due to Atlanta s outage. Dealing with the power outage at the Atlanta airport was actually insane and I'll post other scary videos later. But the staff was having to slide down the escalators to help people and it was amusing. Finally in the car headed home. #atlantaairport #atl #atlantaA post shared by sarahmanleyy (@sarahmanleyy) on Dec 17, 2017 at 2:54pm PSTDelta Airlines, which is headquartered in Atlanta, said it had canceled approximately 900 mainline and Delta Connection flights. Passengers should check the status of their flights, the airline said. Pending full resumption of power, Delta anticipates a near-full schedule Monday in Atlanta, though some delays and cancellations can be expected, the airline said on its website.The airline said it would issue a waiver to those who were traveling through Atlanta with the airline on Dec. 17 or 18. The airline also said it would give travelers a refund if they would like to cancel their trip because their flight was canceled or delayed more than 90 minutes.Those arriving for their flights were met with long lines and a pitch dark airport. No escalators, elevators or information screens were operational.Brian Moote, 36, the morning host of an Atlanta radio show, said he was returning home on a flight from Dallas when the power went out in the airport. Moote said he and his fellow passengers had been stuck in their plane on the tarmac for nearly six hours, beginning at around 12:30 p.m. ET.

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What you need to know about the New Hampshire primary

Voting started in the wee hours of Tuesday in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary. In Dixville Notch, residents did their traditional first voting just after midnight, bringing smiles to the faces of Bernie Sanders and John Kasich. Sanders swept Hillary Clinton in Dixville Notch, 4-0, while Kasich topped Donald Trump, 3 votes to 2. In nearby Millsfield, Ted Cruz won the Republican vote over Trump, 9-3. Several other candidates got one vote apiece. Clinton beat Sanders, 2 votes to 1. In Hart’s Location, population 43, Kasich bested Trump again, 5 votes to 4, with Chris Christie gathering 2 votes. Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, and Marco Rubio got one vote each. Sanders edged Clinton, 12 votes to 7. Mark Stewart Greenstein, who calls himself a “liberty-leaning Democrat,” got 2 votes, the Union Leader reported. But the real deal starts as polls across the state open later Tuesday morning, and New Hampshire has a record of making history in its primaries. Here's what to watch for: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have both been leading in the New Hampshire polls by double-digit margins for months. They both crushed it in a statewide poll of 11,000 K-12 students in the state last week. If either one of them loses the New Hampshire primary, it will be the equivalent of a political earthquake. So the real eyes are on the second-place finishers, and in the Republican race, perhaps third. On the Democratic side, if Hillary Clinton can get Sanders' margin of victory down below 10%, she can claim some success in challenging Sanders on his home turf (he's from neighboring Vermont). On the Republican side, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Jeb Bush have all averaged between 10% and 15% in the polls. If one of them can break away from the pack and finish more than 5% (or so) ahead of the rest of the field, it will give them the opportunity to claim to be the standard-bearer for the "Not Trump" lane of the party. If Sanders and Trump do not win by large margins, prepare for a bunch of hand-wringing from pollsters, who are already under fire for unanimously failing to predict Ted Cruz's Iowa victory last week. There are a lot of good reasons to be skeptical of the polls — there are a lot of candidates in the GOP field so it is hard to narrow down the level of support among them; New Hampshire voters notoriously make their decisions late in the race; and it can be very difficult to predict turnout for non-traditional candidates like Trump and Sanders. (Here's a good podcast by pollsters Margie Omero and Kristen Anderson breaking down the Iowa polls.)  Still, for months polls have been the only real measure of who is up and who is down in the presidential race; those of us who cover politics for a living would feel better if the polls turned out to be right. There are more registered independent voters in New Hampshire (390,000) than Democrats (231,000) and Republicans (262,000), and under state law any voter can walk into a polling pace and choose a primary ballot for any party. So independent voters will have a dramatic impact on the outcome, and watching how these voters align in New Hampshire might provide an interesting signal for which candidates could reach independents in November's general election. The New Hampshire secretary of state is predicting more than 550,000 people will vote in the primaries Tuesday, which would be historically high and good news for "outsider" candidates Trump and Sanders who draw a lot of support from new voters. Keep in mind that new Hampshire allows out-of-state college students to declare residency in the state and vote there, which is also good news for Sanders, who is doing very well among young voters. Weather should not be a significant factor: It snowed in much of the state Monday and more snow is forecast for Tuesday, but not enough to keep these hearty New Englanders at home. Most polls close in New Hampshire at 7 p.m. Eastern; the Iowa caucuses did not begin until 8 p.m. Eastern. So we should have meaningful results before the 11 p.m. news. Results were not yet compete in Iowa before the first candidate — former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee — dropped out of the Republican race, followed quickly former senator Rick Santorum and Sen. Rand Paul, and, on the Democratic side, former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley. Elections have results, and candidates who did poorly in Iowa like Kasich, Bush, Chris Christie, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina will have a hard time continuing their campaigns if New Hampshire gives them a second weak result.

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Trump urges Congress to pass short-term spending bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Republican Congress to pass a short-term government spending bill later on Thursday to avoid a shutdown when current funding expires at midnight on Friday. Republicans in the House of Representatives have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that would allow the government to stay open at current funding levels. “Pass the C.R. (continuing resolution) TODAY and keep our Government OPEN!” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.

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Republican debate draws 13.5 million viewers for CBS: network

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saturday night’s Republican debate on CBS was the most-watched of any in 2016, drawing 13.5 million viewers, the network said on Sunday. The CBS News debate was the most watched of the year so far and the highest rated debate among adults aged 25-54 since January, the network said. In August, the Republican candidates’ prime-time debate on Fox News Channel drew 24 million viewers, more than double the prior record for a presidential primary debate and the highest non-sports telecast in cable TV history, according to Nielsen. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage.

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Gerry Adams to step down in end of an era for Irish nationalism

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Sinn Fein s Gerry Adams, a pivotal figure in the political life of Ireland for almost 50 years, said on Saturday he will step down as party leader and complete a generational shift in the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Reviled by many as the face of the IRA during its campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland, Adams reinvented himself as a peacemaker in the troubled region and then as a populist opposition parliamentarian in the Irish Republic. Adams said he would be replaced as party president, a position he has held since 1983, at a party conference next year. He would also not stand for reelection to the Irish parliament. Republicanism has never been stronger... But leadership means knowing when it is time for change. That time is now, Adams said in an emotional speech to a packed party conference. I have complete confidence in the next generation of leaders, he said. Adams stayed on stage as the 2,500-strong crowd, some in tears, gave him a standing ovation and sang a traditional Irish song about the road home, followed by the national anthem. Adams will almost certainly hand over to a successor with no direct involvement in the decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, a prospect that would make Sinn Fein a more palatable coalition partner in the Irish Republic where it has never been in power. Deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald, an English literature graduate from Trinity College Dublin who has been at the forefront of a new breed of Sinn Fein politicians transforming the party s image, is the clear favourite to take over. That would mean the left-wing party being led on both sides of the Irish border by women in their 40s after Michelle O Neill succeeded Martin McGuinness as leader in Northern Ireland shortly before the former IRA commander s death in March. Adams, who will turn 70 next October, has always denied membership of the IRA but accusations from former IRA fighters that he was involved in its campaign of killings have dogged him throughout his career. Adams was a key figure in the nationalist movement throughout the three decades of violence between Catholic militants seeking a united Ireland, mainly Protestant militants who wanted to maintain Northern Ireland s position as a part of Britain, and the British army. 3,600 died in the conflict, many at the hands of the IRA. As head of the political wing of the IRA during its bombing campaigns in 1980s Britain, Adams was a pariah and banned from speaking on British airwaves, forcing television stations to dub his voice with that of an actor. He and his party emerged from the political cold in October 1997 when he shook hands with Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair at their first meeting. A year later, he helped win sceptical elements in the IRA to the Good Friday peace deal, which largely ended the violence. Since the peace deal Adams and McGuinness turned Sinn Fein from a fringe party into the dominant Irish nationalist party in Northern Ireland and the third largest party in south of the border. While its anti-austerity platform led to a six-fold increase in its number of seats in the Republic - 23 out of 158 - suspicion of Sinn Fein s role in the Northern Ireland troubles still runs deep and the far larger ruling Fine Gael and or main opposition Fianna Fail have ruled out governing alongside them. Analysts say a change of leader could help open the way to Sinn Fein entering government in Dublin for the first time. Under a new Sinn Fein leader I think anything is possible, said David Farrell, politics professor at University College Dublin. A new Sinn Fein leader will also take over responsibility for rescuing power-sharing devolved government in Northern Ireland and avoid a return to full direct rule from London for the first time in decade. Power-sharing collapsed after Sinn Fein withdrew in January saying the Democratic Unionist Party was not treating it as an equal partner and a series of talks have failed to break the impasse.

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If you think our media is racist, wait till you meet my grandfather, Prince Harry tells Meghan Markle

Radio Tuesday 8 November 2016 by Spacey If you think our media is racist, wait till you meet my grandfather, Prince Harry tells Meghan Markle After calling out media ‘racism’ over coverage of his girlfriend, Prince Harry has warned Meghan Markle to brace herself for a meeting with Prince Philip. The prince released a statement in which he said reporting of his relationship with the American actress had ‘crossed a line’ that was similar to suggesting you’ll get slitty eyes if you spend too long in China. He went on to add that he understands there is curiosity about his private life, but he’s developed a tough skin that’s capable of dealing with an elderly gentleman asking if you work in a strip club. The statement also raised concerns about Ms Markle’s safety after receiving anonymous warnings that some foreigners ‘still throw spears at each other’. Prince Philip has revealed that he is looking forward to meeting his grandson’s new girlfriend. “I’m not bothered where she’s from, as long as she can cook,” he said. Get the best NewsThump stories in your mailbox every Friday, for FREE! There are currently

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MUSLIM REFUGEES BUSTED Going Back to the Countries They Claim to Have Fled for VACATION [Video]

The scene below is from the movie KILLING EUROPE :Terrorist attacks, riots, and gang rapes are striking at the very foundations of Europe. This is the story of a Danish expatriate and his quest to uncover the growing issues within the European society he left 15 years ago, challenging the viewer with a vision of a Europe undergoing drastic and far reaching changes.Michael Hansen, a.k.a. The Missing Dane , came to America fifteen years ago from Denmark. He recently returned to Europe to make a documentary about the changes that have occurred since he left. The result is a 90-minute film called Killing Europe, which takes a hard look at all the cultural enrichment that has produced Modern Multicultural Europe.From the notes for the trailer:Terrorist attacks, riots, and gang rapes are striking at the very foundations of Europe. This is the story of a Danish expatriate and his quest to uncover the growing issues within the European society he left fifteen years ago, challenging the viewer with a vision of a Europe undergoing drastic and far reaching changes.Vlad Tepes interviewed the Missing Dane a few days ago about his documentary:THIS GUY IS AMAZING!

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Iowa’s Des Moines Register endorses Clinton, Rubio

Killing Obama administration rules, dismantling Obamacare and pushing through tax reform are on the early to-do list.

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Muslim ‘Refugee’ Locks Wife in Bedroom, Sets House on Fire, Watches Her Burn – MEDIA SILENCE

Muslim ‘Refugee’ Locks Wife in Bedroom, Sets House on Fire, Watches Her Burn – MEDIA SILENCE Oct 29, 2016 Previous post A 43-year-old Muslim migrant named Abdul Barati has been accused by police, neighbors and witnesses of locking his wife in the bedroom of their home, setting the house on fire, and standing idly by as she screamed and begged for her life. That’s according to the Daily Mail , reporting from the neigborhood of Guilford in Sydney. “Neigbours looked on in horror as Ms. Barati, 30, screamed in vain and banged on the bedroom window.” She died, after trying to extinguish flames using sink water. More from the Daily Mail : “According to reports, Barati attempted to put out the blaze using water from a tap and told neighbours to call fire crews. “Emergency services found Barati and the couple’s two sons, aged six and nine, on the front lawn outside the property, which was well alight when they responded to numerous triple zero calls about 3:35 a.m. “Ms Barati’s body was FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK LINK

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SpaceX: Explosion Rocks Launchpad at Firm’s Cape Canaveral Facility in Florida

21st Century Wire says The privatization of space, and what were formally state-run NASA space agency projects in the United States, has had its share of high profile controversy in recent years. Today s incident will only punctuate some of those concerns.Early this morning, we re told that an explosion took place at the Launch Complex 40 site in Florida managed by SpaceX, a private space contractor firm founded by billionaire Elon Musk.It s not clear what the exact cause of this accident was, but it s certain that it s directly related to the Falcon 9 rocket which SpaceX was set to deploy as part of a test launch this weekend, leading to the final launch of a new commercial satellite. Watch:Washington PostAn explosion at a SpaceX launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida occurred shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday, Brevard County authorities said.A SpaceX rocket blew up during a test fire, the county s emergency operations center said in a tweet. There is NO threat to general public from catastrophic abort during static test fire at SpaceX launchpad at CCAFS this morning, it said.Bryan Purtell, a spokesman for the Air Force 45th Space Wing, confirmed that there was an explosion and said that emergency crews were responding. Right now we re trying to determine the extent of the damage, the exact location, possible cause and checking to make sure no one is injured, he said.The Associated Press reported that the explosion shook buildings several miles away. Plumes of smoke could seen rising into the air an hour after the accident. And images on social media showed a fireball shooting into the sky Continue this story at the Washington PostREAD MORE SCI-TECH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Sci-Tech Files

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WATCH: Conservative Group BRAINLESSLY Ran These Ads Cheering Trumpcare AFTER It Died

Trump and the House GOP suffered a stunning defeat on legislation they promised would deliver better healthcare to millions, despite that promise being a lie. They pulled the Trumpcare bill from the floor early Friday afternoon, before getting a vote, because they knew it wouldn t pass. And that was absolutely humiliating for them.But what may be more humiliating is what the American Action Network a conservative PAC did on Friday night the exact same day the bill failed. During Friday night basketball games, they ran television ads about the triumph of Trumpcare over Obamacare, saying the following: Republicans are keeping their promise with a new plan for better hrealthcare, More choices and lower costs, putting doctors and patients in charge again. No more big government penalties or job killing mandates. They go on to explain that the tax credits contained within Trumpcare would make healthcare more affordable, and that protections for people with pre-existing conditions would remain in place (which wasn t necessarily true).And then they do something truly amazing, given that these ads ran long after all the drama from the bill s death had quieted down. Watch one of these ads below:Why didn t they have these pulled? That just makes them look completely moronic.Featured image via screen capture from embedded video

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Fitton: Eric Holder and the California-DC Corruption Connection - Breitbart

I’ve often observed that, when it comes to public policy, the Obama Justice Department has been a locus of evil. And therefore it was concerning to see that the man who ran that Obama agency for years, the disgraced Eric Holder, has gotten himself a new, gig. [On January 4 liberal California legislative leaders announced that they are using tax dollars to hire former Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm to assist them in anticipated federal challenges to several state policies such as climate change and immigration. Leftists controlling the Democratic Party are especially concerned that a new Trump administration might actually start enforcing the rule of law against California’s dangerous and unlawful sanctuary policies. Evidently, Eric Holder will waste taxpayer funds defending this lawlessness. In a statement, Kevin de Leon, California Senate President Pro Tempore, said, “With the upcoming change in administrations, we expect that there will be extraordinary challenges for California in the uncertain times ahead. ” The California Attorney General, who represents the State’s interest in court, already has a budget of $190 million. In response, we have filed a records request with the California Legislature Joint Rules Committee seeking to examine legislative records regarding the state’s employment of former Obama U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr.: All contracts between the California Legislature and former U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. or Covington and Burling. All communications between the California Legislature and former U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. or Covington and Burling about the Legislature’s retention of Holder Covington and Burling. Holder was one of Obama’s and most controversial Cabinet members. On June 28, 2012, he became the first U. S. Attorney General to be held in contempt of Congress on both civil and criminal grounds. The contempt charge came in connection with Holder’s refusal to turn over documents about his agency’s lies on Operation Fast and Furious, the Obama administration’s scandal. JW exposed numerous outrages associated with this scandal. Under Holder the Justice Department dismissed its voting rights case against the New Black Panther Party. The Justice Department originally filed its lawsuit against the New Black Panther Party following an incident that took place outside of a Philadelphia polling station on November 4, 2008. According to multiple witnesses, members of the New Black Panthers blocked access to polling stations, harassed voters and hurled racial epithets. A video of the incident, showing a member of the New Black Panther Party brandishing a baton weapon, was widely distributed on the Internet. JW exposed a number of Obama DOJ lies regarding the Black Panthers, which a federal judge validated in Judicial Watch v. United States Department of Justice (No. 1: ). In 2013, the Obama Justice Department was caught spying on The Associated Press by collecting months’ worth of phone records of reporters and editors. Fox News’ James Rosen was among those targeted by Holder’s Justice Department. Thanks in part to JW’s success in exposing his corruption, Holder was forced to resign from the Justice Department in 2015 and rejoin his old law firm of Covington Burling. Our records request is designed to expose how California state legislators are wasting tax dollars to take care of another corrupt politician — Eric Holder — with the intention of deliberately resisting the rule of law on immigration and other matters. His record at the Clinton and Obama Justice Departments demonstrates a willingness to bend the law in order to protect his political patrons.

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U.N. Human Rights Office Has ’Concern’ over Burundi Youth Militia ’Rape Song’ - Breitbart

The United Nations Human Rights Commission has expressed concerns about a video that captures members of a youth militia in Burundi singing about raping their adversaries. [“Impregnate those opponents, so that they give birth to Imbonerakure,” says the troubling verse in the song. The Imbonerakure are the youth wing of President Pierre Nkurunziza’s party (“youth” defined as “any party member age 35 or younger,” according to an NPR report on the group). Their name means “those who see far” in the Kurundi language. The opposition in Burundi has accused the Imbonerakure of militant violence, including dressing up as policemen to attack opposition demonstrators. Some of this violence has resulted in fatalities, as the militia has been known to use machetes and grenades in its attacks. The military has allegedly provided guns and explosives to the Imbonerakure. In rural Burundi, they are said to have more power than the military or police. Nkurunziza’s party denies the most damaging allegations against the Imbonerakure or distances itself from the youth militia when it becomes politically inconvenient. The latter course seems to have been pursued here. At first, the claimed the video showing the “rape song” was a fake filmed outside Burundi, but later it admitted the footage was authentic and said the song “does not conform to the morals or ideology” of the party. A spokesman for the U. N. High Commissioner for Human Rights told Voice of America the Imbonerakure are waging a campaign of terror across Burundi that includes “horrendous” acts of torture such as “people being burnt with hot knives, acid being poured over parts of their body, teeth broken with rifle butts,” and “attacks on sexual organs. ” “These grotesque rape chants by the young men of the Imbonerakure across several provinces across Burundi are deeply alarming — particularly because they confirm what we have been hearing from those who have fled Burundi about a campaign of fear and terror by this organized militia,” said spokesman Rupert Colville. He added that his office has received reports of at least eight large rallies that included songs and slogans promoting rape and violence, and that senior government officials were present at some of them. Burundi has been teetering on the edge of civil war for years. The previous civil war ended in 2005, after killing some 300, 000 people, with a peace plan that limited Nkurunziza to two terms in office. However, he ran for and won a third term, claiming that his first term in office was ordained by parliament instead of the popular vote, so it should not count against the constitutional term limit. Burundi’s constitutional court accepted this argument, but many citizens did not. His government has become increasingly repressive, especially after a failed coup attempt against him in 2015. Burundi is one of those nations where “insulting the president” is a crime punishable by jail time, even if the perpetrators are high school children. Much of the political violence in Burundi has an ethnic component, as the is a party of the Hutu tribe, while many victims of oppression are members of the Tutsi minority, the same tribal conflict that turned Rwanda into a bloodbath. The U. N. High Commission for Human Rights chronicles numerous complaints of violence and the incitement to violence by officials and the Imbonerakure militia, noting that “coded language” about raping adversaries or making them disappear is all too easy to decode in a nation only a few years removed from bloody civil war. “The Government needs to stop pretending that the Imbonerakure are nothing but a community development group,” said High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad . “Such blatant and brazen hate speech and incitement to violence must not be tolerated, nor encouraged. In a region which has suffered so many massive outbreaks of violence and atrocities, this type of organized incitement rings very loud alarm bells. ”

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New Batman Comic Features Batman Saving Black Man From Evil Cops

Full frontal Leftist propaganda As a side note, writer and artist Frank Miller is also a Hillary supporter Last week anarchists, socialists and Black Lives Matter terrorists joined together to protest against white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, who was already charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.The following day, DC Comics released the much-anticipated first issue of its latest Batman installment, Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Half of the comic is dedicated to scenes of police brutality, depicting a potentially fatal course of events halted by the caped superhero s interventions.The occasion of the issue s release heralded not only Batman s reemergence in Gotham City, but also the return of original Dark Knight Returns writer and artist Frank Miller. Nearly 30 years after he first penned the iconic comic series, the 58-year-old is breathing new life into his most influential work.A known provocateur, Miller has been described by turns as reactionary, overly conservative and radical. In a recent Vulture interview, he described himself as a libertarian who supports Democrat Hillary Clinton.Miller s politics have always been complicated, making his newest Batman s explicit stance against police brutality a noteworthy change of pace.This isn t the first time a comic book author has used their influence to indoctrinate young minds with a leftist narrative. We recently reported about about Disney s effort to turn popular opinion in favor of amnesty by making the villain in their latest Captain America comic book an evil conservative:DISNEY Introduces New Marvel Comic Books: Captain America (Captain Socialist) Beats Up Conservative Terrorists Defending U.S. Borders And More [VIDEO]The opening sequence of Dark Knight III: The Master Race is narrated through text messages between a young black man in a hoodie and his friend, presumably rehashing recent past events. The man, named Squid, is shown running from a police car with a cracked windshield and blood on its dashboard.As Comic Book Resources points out, colorist Brad Anderson uses only police reds and blues in this scene to illustrate the closeness of the cop car.Two police officers emerge from the car with their guns pointed at him. Aghast, Squid responds by showing them his open palms. Getting arrested, reads a text bubble from Squid. 4? his friend asks. The man dont need no reason [sic], Squid responds in a panel showing the barrel of a gun. I was waitin for the shot, he continues in his recollection, BANG last sound id ever hear. Instead i heard a snap and i turned to it. Enter the superhero of the hour, a dark caped figure who swoops in and immediately shatters one of the police car s front windows. He starts beating the officers who had their guns aimed at Squid.At first, it seems like this is game over. The artwork pans to TV pundits comic doppelgangers of Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, Jon Stewart, Al Sharpton and Bill O Reilly debating the morality of Batman s actions. There s talk about how the video footage of the confrontation went viral.Then Miller moves to a different setting in the jungle with Wonder Woman, and the police encounter is briefly forgotten, only to be thrown back into sharp relief at the end.With their overt metaphors and symbolic characters, comics have a long history of steering their readers toward certain moral conclusions and inciting fury over perceived social injustices.The issue s final scenes show Batman taking the place once occupied by Squid, except this time he s far outnumbered as he runs from a parade of at least four police cars. His attempts to evade the officers seeking vengeance for their beaten colleagues are unsuccessful, as Batman runs between trucks and climbs a fire escape before committing himself to a brawl.https://twitter.com/restlessbit/status/670836492026163200Completely surrounded, Batman falls to the ground after a police officer shoots the side of his head. A horizontal panel shows 10 cops approaching him with batons in the air.The large sound effect lettering leaves little room for interpretation. WHACK. WHACK. WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK. He is bludgeoned seemingly endlessly. Had enough? one of the officers asks as the troupe encircles a fallen Batman lying face-down in his own blood.This being a superhero comic, however, Batman emerges seriously injured but not defeated. With a sudden burst of energy, he punches the cop closest to him, causing them all to scatter.(The final pane reveals a significant twist to Batman s identity, but we ll leave that out because it s irrelevant to the police scene.)Via: The Washington Post

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WOW! VIDEO CAPTURES Angry St. Louis Protesters Turning On Media…TV Reporter Calls Unprovoked Attack: “The Scariest Moment Of My Career”

KTVI Fox 2, the TV station that appears to be sympathetic of the Black Lives Matter riots in St. Louis, found themselves on the wrong side of angry protesters today, after the innocent verdict for St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley came down today in the murder trial of Anthony Lamar Smith. KTVI Fox 2 News showed their solidarity with the BLM movement when they retweeted a couple of tweets by one of the leaders of the BLM terror group, Deray McKesson. Both of McKesson s tweets were intended to mock the decision made by Judge Timothy Wilson to exonerate Stockley.#JasonStockley is a murderer. #AnthonyLamarSmith should be alive today. pic.twitter.com/UmJmaEpeHJ deray mckesson (@deray) September 15, 2017Here is the second McKesson retweet by KTVI Fox News:And this, from the judge in the case of Officer #JasonStockley who killed #AnthonyLamarSmith. pic.twitter.com/1wIvZBZ2hL deray mckesson (@deray) September 15, 2017KTVI Fox News also pointed out in a seperate tweet that St. Louis police officers were using mace to control the crowd:Police use mace in confrontation with protesters in downtown St. Louis https://t.co/mUGAaVhLtb pic.twitter.com/gdjIBM9NfK FOX2now (@FOX2now) September 15, 2017KTVI Fox 2 News got a surprise however when they attempted to infiltrate the protesters and found themselves in the middle of a situation that could have very easily ended very badly:Scariest moment in my career. Protesters upset about not guilty verdict for an officer accused of killing a suspect, turn on me and media. pic.twitter.com/iZyvg3gX0p Dan Gray KTVI Fox 2 (@DanGrayTV) September 15, 2017

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Donald Trump Has Long Benefited From Trade Practices He Now Scorns - The New York Times

Donald J. Trump vowed on Tuesday that as president, he would put an end to policies that send American jobs overseas, threatening to impose tariffs on Chinese imports and promising to punish companies that relocate their manufacturing to countries with cheaper labor. “It will be American hands that remake this country,” said Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, standing before a hunk of aluminum at a recycling plant in western Pennsylvania. But such declarations are at odds with Mr. Trump’s long history as a businessman, in which he has been heavily — and proudly — reliant on foreign labor in the name of putting profits, rather than America, first. From cheap neckties to television sets, Mr. Trump has benefited from some of the trade practices he now scorns. Besides construction, Mr. Trump is big in the clothing business. But most of his line of suits, ties and cuff links bear a “Made in China” label. Some also come from factories in Bangladesh, Mexico and Vietnam. He has blamed China’s currency manipulation to argue that it is almost impossible to find garments that are made domestically these days, or that they are prohibitively expensive. “The answer is very simple,” Mr. Trump told ABC News when asked about his merchandise in 2011. “Because of the fact that China so manipulates their currency, it makes it almost impossible for American companies to compete. ” Despite that claim, some companies such as Brooks Brothers continue to make clothes in the United States. In 2013, Mr. Trump teamed with Dorya, a Turkish maker of luxury furniture, for his Trump Home brand. In a news release at the time, the Trump Organization promoted the craftsmanship of the pieces, which furnish some of Mr. Trump’s hotels. “The entire production process, from the moment the raw wood is cut until the product is finished or upholstered occurs in Dorya’s Izmir, Turkey, production facility,” the release said. Mr. Trump also invested in a line of crystal bearing his name to go with his Trump Home line. The collection was produced in Slovenia, the home of his wife, Melania. Mr. Trump told The New York Times in 2010 that the production facilities were first class. “I’ve seen factories over there their glass and crystal works are unbelievable,” he said. Mr. Trump has not held back when it comes to his concern that undocumented immigrants are taking jobs from American workers, but he has used them on occasion. In 1980, a contractor hired by Mr. Trump to demolish the Bonwit Teller building in New York and make way for Trump Tower used undocumented Polish immigrants who reportedly worked and even slept at the site. Mr. Trump said that he did not know they were undocumented and later settled a lawsuit over the matter. Last summer, The Washington Post found that Mr. Trump was using undocumented immigrants for the construction of his Trump International Hotel at the site of the Old Post Office Pavilion in Washington. And The Times reported this year that Mr. Trump had employed hundreds of foreign guest workers from Romania and other countries at his resort in Florida. Mr. Trump said that he found it difficult to find qualified local people to work there during the high season. While Mr. Trump has for years railed against trade and currency policies that he says are unfair, he has not always been opposed to outsourcing. Writing on the Trump University blog in 2005, Mr. Trump acknowledged that foreign labor was sometimes needed to keep American companies from going out of business. “If a company’s only means of survival is by farming jobs outside its walls, then sometimes it’s a necessary step,” Mr. Trump wrote. “The other option might be to close its doors for good. ” Mr. Trump usually makes the case that foreign labor is necessary to keep production costs down, but in an interview with David Letterman in 2012 he also offered a humanitarian argument for outsourcing. Teased for selling dress shirts that were made in Bangladesh, Mr. Trump expressed pride that he was creating jobs around the world. “That’s good, we employ people in Bangladesh,” Mr. Trump said. “They have to work, too. ”

0fake

Ayers your right. Jail first for all the corrupt sleezes then exported

1real

Trump vows tax plan to boost economy; poll cites views on wealthy

HARRISBURG, Pa./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday told workers that they would win under his tax plan, saying it would help the middle class and boost the economy, though critics say it would mainly benefit corporations and the rich. Speaking in an airplane hangar at a Pennsylvania Air National Guard base in Harrisburg with a trailer truck behind him, Trump reiterated the basic points of the nine-page tax cut “framework” he unveiled two weeks ago. “It’s a middle-class bill. That’s what we’re thinking of. That’s what I want,” Trump said. “I’ve had rich friends of mine come up to me, and say, ‘Donald, you’re doing this tax plan — we don’t want anything. ... Don’t give it to us. Give it to the middle class.’ And that’s what we’re trying so hard to do,” he said. His remarks came as new Reuters/Ipsos polling showed that more than three-quarters of Americans say the wealthiest Americans should pay more in taxes. The poll found 53 percent of adults “strongly agree” and 23 percent “somewhat agree” that the wealthiest Americans should pay higher tax rates. The Sept. 29-Oct. 5 poll of 1,504 people has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of plus or minus 6 percentage points. Financial markets have rallied strongly since Trump’s November 2016 election victory, driven partly by expectations that he would cut taxes for businesses, although policy analysts have been skeptical that he would do so. Trump on Wednesday boasted about the rally in markets. “The stock market is soaring to record levels, boosting pensions and retirement accounts for hard-working Americans. Their values are going up every single day,” he said. Earlier on Wednesday, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams said he was a “little bit discouraged” about the prospects for federal tax reform. Given the difficulties Congress has had in passing laws this year, Williams, in comments following a speech in Salt Lake City, said he is “losing confidence” that any tax reform will be passed in the next six months or so. Trump said his plan for cutting corporate taxes could boost wage growth and mean a $4,000 pay raise for the average household, citing research from a White House economic council. Democrats, who oppose Trump’s plan, dispute such claims. “I have not seen any evidence that even comes remotely close to that,” Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, said of the $4,000 calculation at a forum on Wednesday in Washington. Independent analysts have said Trump’s blueprint would provide uneven tax relief, add significantly to the federal budget deficit, and in some cases, benefit the very wealthy. For instance, taxpayers in the highest 1 percent of incomes, making more than $730,000 annually, would get about half of the total benefit from Trump’s plan, with after-tax incomes rising an average of 8.5 percent, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington-based nonprofit tax think tank. Trump on Wednesday said his framework would provide a $500 tax credit to “those who care for an adult dependent or elderly loved one” and that it would substantially increase the child tax credit. No details on those items have been made public. Congressional tax writers in the House and Senate are working to fill in the details of Trump’s framework. Republican leaders hope to pass a bill by January, delivering what would be Trump’s first legislative victory a year into his presidency. Before that can happen, the Senate and House must open a procedural path for tax legislation by passing a budget resolution. Lawmakers have hoped to do that this month. CORPORATE, PASS-THROUGH CUTS The tax framework, developed in secret by a select group of senior Republicans known as the Big Six, calls for cutting the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent and creating a new category for pass-through income earned by partners and sole proprietors, which would be taxed at 25 percent, instead of the 39.6 percent top individual rate currently paid by some. It proposes cutting the top individual rate to 35 percent, but congressional tax writers may opt to create an additional, higher rate for the highest earners. The plan also proposes eliminating the 40 percent tax on inherited estate assets worth more than $5.5 million, or $11 million for a married couple. A highly placed Republican operative who used to work with senior leadership on Capitol Hill said he did not expect the estate tax repeal to be included in a final package, because the proposal would greatly benefit Trump himself and his family, which would leave the tax reform effort and Trump open to Democratic attack. He said many Republicans do not see estate tax repeal as crucial, but Republicans have promised wealthy supporters for years that the tax, which they call the “death tax,” will end. Trump on Wednesday offered a different view. Republicans will end “the crushing, horrible, and unfair estate tax,” he said. For graphic on top power brokers, click: here

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Apple’s New MacBook Pro: Fast and Light, but Not for Everyone - The New York Times

When Apple unveiled its new MacBook Pro laptops at a media event last month, Adam Leventhal, a software engineer, was eager to learn about them. Yet by the time he finished watching a live stream of the event, Mr. Leventhal, who has owned only Mac computers for the last 30 years, was turned off. “With this one I was really disappointed,” he said. For a new laptop, the MacBook Pro has been divisive. That may partly be because the model, which has long been used by creative professionals and coders, has stayed largely the same since 2012. So this time, when Apple introduced some fairly radical changes, emotions among some longtime Mac customers ran high. In their latest incarnation, MacBook Pros have only one type of connection port, as opposed to the several types they had before. That will require people to buy adapters to plug in devices that use different types of connectors. On the keyboard, Apple also replaced the top row of physical keys, including the Escape key, with a virtual touch strip called the Touch Bar. The benefits? The new laptops are faster, much thinner and lighter than the previous generation, and they have about 10 hours of battery life. The Touch Bar’s virtual buttons transform depending on the app you are using, unlocking the potential for software makers to create custom shortcuts. I tested the new MacBook Pros — which cost $1, 500 to $2, 800, depending on the model — while gathering reactions to the new computers from engineers and information technology professionals over two weeks. I concluded that while the new laptops are capable enough for many professionals, there is no need to rush to buy one. Here are the highlights and lowlights of the new MacBook Pros: With the new laptops, Apple has gone all in on the USB port. This small, connection is expected to replace the bulkier, rectangular port known as on many computing devices and accessories in the next few years. In my tests, having only on the MacBook Pros was the biggest change. The previous MacBook Pros included and some other types of ports, including HDMI, for connecting devices like printers and monitors. Now the ports will be the only way to hook up just about everything, including power chargers, external screens and readers, to the laptop. The MacBook Pro has two ports, and the models include four. What this means in the near term is that you may have to buy adapters to plug in devices with different connectors. Annoyingly, that includes the iPhone power cable, which has a connector. So to charge an iPhone on a new MacBook Pro, for example, you have to hook up the cable to a dongle that connects and devices. The transition to might be a headache, but it is easily resolved by picking up some inexpensive adapters. I bought mine from Monoprice. In the long run, Apple’s shift to will help set an industry standard, said Brian Denslow, a technician for TechCollective, an information technology consulting company in San Francisco. The goal is to reach a point where all peripheral devices are made with a connector. So eventually you won’t need adapters. “We’re going to cut ties with the past and go with the new standard, finally,” Mr. Denslow said. With the Touch Bar, Apple intended to replace some outdated keys with a versatile strip that adapts to the apps you are using. Apple also built a fingerprint sensor into the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar is a breeze to get the hang of, but I didn’t find it helpful in streamlining tasks. If you open the Photos app, for example, the Touch Bar displays thumbnails of photos in your library, and you can tap one to select a photo to edit. That’s neat, but why not just select the photo on your laptop screen? When using the Safari browser, you can use the Touch Bar to select a different browser tab — but using keyboard shortcuts (Command+1 to choose the first tab, for instance) is quicker. The Escape key also exists as a virtual button on the Touch Bar. I didn’t mind that because I rarely use this key, but the design decision made Mr. Leventhal, the software engineer, wince. He said the physical Escape key was crucial for coders, and not being able to press it seemed crippling. The jury is still out on whether the Touch Bar will be a . When switching back to a laptop with a normal keyboard, I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything. But much like the iPhone on Day 1, the Touch Bar is essentially a blank slate, and the onus is on app developers to make it more compelling. Many Apple loyalists have fixated on the memory constraints and underwhelming performance of the new MacBook Pros. The new models have a maximum of 16 gigabytes of RAM — the same limit as the previous MacBook Pro — and roughly the same processor speed as the last professional notebooks. But that’s not the full story. The new notebooks are much faster in some ways than older models, while other parts are only slightly faster. In speed tests run with the app Geekbench 4, the MacBook Pro’s computer processor was only 10 percent to 17 percent faster than the model released in 2012. Yet the graphics processor, which is crucial for heavy computing tasks, in the new MacBook Pro is about twice as fast as the one in the older model, and the storage drives are much faster, too. The RAM limit might irk users who need power. The more RAM you have, the more applications you can open and the more quickly your computer can juggle them. The problem, in theory, is that in a few years if your future apps hog more memory, you won’t be able to add more memory to MacBook Pros because the most they can hold is 16 gigabytes. Professional Mac users are too divided on the MacBook Pro for me to make a blanket recommendation. One thing is sure: For casual users or anyone buying their first laptop, who may just want a computer for web browsing and lightweight apps, the MacBook Pro is overkill. A Chromebook, like the $430 Chromebook 13 from Dell, or the $1, 000 MacBook Air, Apple’s least expensive notebook computer, are slower and have screens, but they are powerful enough for your needs. The new MacBook Pros are probably powerful enough for most professionals. But if you consider yourself a power user and are skeptical about the MacBook Pro, you might wait to see whether the initial concerns are borne out after early adopters start using their machines. Plenty have already bought them: Apple said early orders for the new MacBook Pro have been stronger than for past professional notebooks. On the plus side, these notebooks are fast, with screens and responsive keyboards. But the Touch Bar so far feels gimmicky, and not many devices or accessories come with connectors yet. The MacBook Pros are also expensive, and some users may end up spending thousands of dollars above the retail price for like extra storage. So if you aren’t ready to make the jump to and you don’t want to spend a big chunk of your savings, it’s reasonable to wait for the new Apple notebooks to realize their potential or drop in price. Mr. Leventhal says he is exploring other options such as a Hackintosh — a generic PC that is modified to run the Mac operating system. “It’s a dark place where you’re doing something that is basically illegal and spending a ton of time to even make it feasible, but I have no good options,” he said.

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KELLYANNE CONWAY Calls Out Classless CNN Anchor For “Sexist” Move [Video]

Anderson Cooper decided it would be a good idea to roll his eyes numerous times during his interview with Kellyanne Conway Not smart!The cameras caught his eye rolls Classless move! Conway responded by calling his move sexist . We have to agree because you know he wouldn t pull this move with anyone else. Conway has been just one more person the left has targeted with their slings and arrows. It s not professional critique but nasty and very sophomoric comments about anything from the way Conway dresses to her physical appearance. It s been brutal but she s such a strong woman that she just keeps bringing great commentary. We say BRAVO!The disrespect is unbelievable!

1real

G.O.P. Hurries to Slash Oil and Gas Rules, Ending Industries’ 8-Year Wait - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The document carried the title “A Roadmap to Repeal,” a concise list of Obama administration environmental regulations that a Koch group was pressing President Trump and Congress to quickly reverse after Inauguration Day. It was a tally of rules that energy industry executives and lobbyists had waged a futile fight against for eight years, donating millions of dollars to lawmakers who vowed to help block them, filing lawsuits to try to overturn them and hiring experts to generate reports that questioned the need for them. But in a flurry of activity this past week, Congress did what Charles G. and David H. Koch — who own a conglomerate that sells hundreds of products, including gasoline, jet fuel and coal — and other industry leaders had been asking for. Using a rarely invoked law, the Congress nullified a measure intended to curb the venting of gas wells on federal lands, and began the process of rolling back other regulations, including one enacted to limit damage that coal mines cause to streams — each items on the “Roadmap to Repeal. ” On Friday, with his own executive orders, Mr. Trump took up two more items on the list, including a call to rewrite major provisions of the Act, legislation crafted by the Obama administration and passed by Congress in response to the 2008 financial meltdown. Not since the Reagan administration has Washington moved so quickly to roll back or nullify so many federal regulations, one of the clearest signs of an abrupt shift of power in a government now under control that has flipped the script of winners and losers. “It is a big, fat victory, after all this time,” said Luke Popovich, a vice president at the National Mining Association, an industry trade group. A alliance has now been formed among Congress, the Trump administration and industries that struggled to reverse what they saw as an rush to regulate by the Obama administration. This new alignment of power is causing alarm among not only environmental groups but also other — mostly liberal — advocates who have spent much of the past eight years pushing for new rules to cover Wall Street banks, broadband providers, teacher preparation requirements, prepaid credit cards and even companies that sell foods in vending machines. All of these measures, and many others, now stand a chance of being reversed, watered down or blocked. “For the last several years, whenever Congress would concoct some way to roll back a rule protecting clean air or clean water or undermine the fight against climate change, we always felt confident as we had an adult in charge at the White House,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, an environmental group. “Now, what used to be a wish list of the oil and coal and gas industry has become the list for Congress and the White House. ” For Republicans, these first moves are the easy part, made possible by a law that gives Congress the power to reverse regulations within 60 legislative days with a simple majority vote in the House and Senate. Other Republican efforts to exploit this law — which until this week had been used only once to nullify a new rule — were thwarted five times with vetoes by President Obama since 2015. Once the window expires, Republicans will have a harder time reversing Mr. Obama’s regulations, but will still have tools at their disposal, including cutting financing for the enforcement of rules, issuing new rules that are weaker, or negotiating with Democrats to pass new legislation. They have bold ambitions, including rescinding a rule enacted by the Obama administration that could close dozens of coal burning power plants, and another that would extend overtime pay eligibility to an estimated four million Americans. At a private meeting on Thursday hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers, a trade group, a senior White House adviser provided a plan on how the administration would handle efforts to curtail environmental regulations beyond the initial rush now underway to nullify recently adopted rules, said an energy industry executive who participated in the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity because details were confidential. Industry advocates and their allies in Congress said the moves toward deregulation was good for consumers and the economy, as they simply wanted to eliminate measures that they believed cost jobs and drove up prices. Among the regulations being targeted: the methane rule, an Interior Department measure meant to reduce flaring, when gas leaking from wells is burned off like a giant blow torch. “Even on the way out the door, the former administration’s regulatory onslaught continued as they pushed through more midnight regulations,” the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said on Wednesday, as he urged his colleagues to reverse the coal mining regulation, known as the Stream Buffer Rule. “Fortunately, with a new president, we now have the opportunity to give the American people relief and our economy a boost. ” Lobbyists for the extraction industry — oil, gas, coal and other mining operations — said they were as surprised as anyone else by the outcome of the November election, which gave them new clout in Washington. “A lot of us folks just did not anticipate we were going to be doing this,” said Stephen Brown, a lobbyist at Tesoro, an oil refining and marketing company based in San Antonio. “It was like the dog that caught up with the UPS truck. ” Within days of the election, conference calls and meetings between industry lobbyists, members of Mr. Trump’s transition teams and key Republican staff members on Capitol Hill were taking place. Those who took part began to plot out which regulations they wanted to go after first, participants in the process said. Energy rules quickly ended up at the top of the list. Mr. Obama was unusually aggressive in using his regulatory powers to expand the reach of the federal government over the energy industry, after failing to win the support he needed in Congress to pass legislation to take similar steps. But the energy industry spends about $300 million a year lobbying Congress, deploying an army of three lobbyists for each member. It also contributed more than $160 million during the most recent election cycle to federal candidates, with 80 percent of that going to Republicans, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit group. And the industry now wanted congressional leaders like Mr. McConnell, who is from one of the country’s top states, to nullify the Obama administration’s new rules. “This has been a press to block these rules, from a legal standpoint, a policy standpoint and a political standpoint,” said Bret Sumner, an oil and gas industry lawyer, who serves on the board of the Western Energy Alliance, a trade group that has aggressively lobbied Congress to block Obama administration regulations governing drilling on federal lands. Mr. Sumner’s group, along with the American Petroleum Institute and other major industry trade associations and individual companies and the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, all pressed congressional leaders to immediately repeal the methane rule, which the Interior Department finalized in November. The measure, according to the department, would force companies to prevent the release of gas via flaring or leaks, eliminating an estimated 180, 000 tons a year of methane gas, a contributing factor in climate change, while also increasing federal revenue by as much as $10 million a year, as the energy companies pay royalties only on fuel they contain and then sell. For its part, the coal industry pushed Congress to reverse the Stream Buffer Rule, also drafted by the Interior Department, that prevented mining companies from cutting off mountaintops in search of coal and other commodities, then dumping the remaining debris into nearby valleys. The department predicted the rule would protect 6, 000 miles of streams and an estimated 52, 000 acres of forests over the coming two decades. “It did not take a big pitch,” said Hal Quinn, president of the National Mining Association, of his group’s lobbying effort targeting congressional leaders to get its measure on the repeal list. “We clearly reinforced the fact this is ripe and due for Congress to reassert its power. ” A third rule targeted for quick repeal was one adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission that required oil, gas and mining companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments for development rights — a provision intended to prevent corruption in places like Africa and Latin America. Billions of dollars from such payments have disappeared over the past several decades, at times siphoned by government officials for their personal use, instead of being used to improve the standard of living in these often impoverished nations. Exxon Mobil, whose former chief executive, Rex Tillerson, just became secretary of state, was one of the provision’s primary opponents. He argued that the rule would force the company to disclose “commercially sensitive information” and make it harder to compete against certain foreign oil companies that do not need to comply. By Friday, both the House and Senate had approved the first two of these repeals — on the stream rule and the foreign government payments — and final action by the Senate approving the repeal of the methane gas rule is expected soon. Mr. Trump has already put out a memo welcoming the rule reversals by Congress. “The administration strongly supports the actions taken by the House to begin to nullify unnecessary regulations imposed on America’s businesses,” said a statement issued by the White House on Wednesday. The push to repeal these rules has created moments of obvious frustration for Democrats on the floor of the House and Senate chambers. As the blitz began this past week, Democratic lawmakers used various props — like photographs of fish harmed by mining industry practices — to try to make their points. Senator Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, arrived on the chamber floor with a mock “Wheel of Fortune” board, with slivers marked “coal,” “mining” and “even more oil” indicating the available prizes that Congress was offering. “Let’s consult our wheel to see who is the big winner of the G. O. P. giveaway this week,” Mr. Markey said, essentially conceding that Senate Democrats were all but certain to lose many of these fights. But for Freedom Partners — the secretive club of hugely wealthy political donors led and organized by the Koch brothers — it was a week to celebrate, as there had been a great deal of progress on their “Roadmap to Repeal” list. James Davis, an executive vice president at the group, sent a message late on Friday declaring “these repeal bills will soon be on their way to President Trump for his signature. ”

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A Song for Bill de Blasio Sounds a Sour Note for Watchdogs - The New York Times

Mayor Bill de Blasio posted a video on his City Hall Twitter account on Tuesday that featured two Broadway actors singing his praises and promoting his accomplishments, drawing criticism from government watchdog groups who said that it was an inappropriate use of public money and was too much like a campaign ad. The video, which tries to poke fun at itself even as it promotes the mayor, was posted on the official City Hall Twitter account, @NYCMayor, and features Mr. de Blasio in an awkward thespian effort. It also includes his wife, Chirlane McCray a senior adviser, Andrea Hagelgans and two Broadway stars, Jenna Ushkowitz and James Monroe Iglehart. Ms. Ushkowitz starred in the television show “Glee” and has appeared in Broadway musicals, including “Waitress” and “Spring Awakening. ” Mr. Iglehart won a Tony Award in 2014 for his role as the Genie in “Aladdin. ” The video shows Mr. de Blasio, who is running for in the coming year, sitting in the back of what appears to be one of the mayoral sport utility vehicles, talking with Ms. McCray on his cellphone. “Hey honey, I really like this song idea,” he says. “I really think it’s the perfect way to wrap up all the great things we’ve done this year. ” Ms. McCray, Ms. Hagelgans and the actors are shown in a room at Gracie Mansion. Ms. McCray puts the mayor on speaker phone so he can listen as the two actors sing, accompanied by a piano player. “In case the folks are unaware, we’ve got some facts we’d like to share,” they sing. They go on to plug mayoral programs like protections for renters, the construction and preservation of affordable housing, and a mental health initiative. “Who’s bringing cops and community close?” Ms. Ushkowitz sings as the beat goes . “Who’s got incarceration and crime rates sinking to a record low?” The performance closes with a rousing reference to Mr. de Blasio. “No matter what will be, we’ve got Billy D. B. !” Ms. Ushkowitz belts out. The mayor starts out nodding happily to all the praise but then whispers to an aide, “This is kind of over the top. ” In the end, he delivers his review of the performance: “Maybe the song’s a little too elaborate,” he says. “Maybe we should just do a couple of tweets and a Facebook post instead. ” Dick Dadey, the executive director of Citizens Union, a government watchdog organization, questioned whether creating the video was a justifiable use of public resources and said it raised questions because it came right before next year’s campaign. “This is a virtual campaign ad that is meant to be a announcement but goes beyond that in serving to promote the mayor,” Mr. Dadey said. The video is part of a broader effort by City Hall to increase its use of the internet and social media to reach out to New Yorkers directly, bypassing traditional news media. It also comes as Mr. de Blasio controls his interactions with the press, frequently avoiding questions and limiting the news conferences at which he will take questions on any topic to once a week. Eric Phillips, Mr. de Blasio’s press secretary, said that the video was produced by City Hall staff and that the actors volunteered their time. Mr. Phillips said that City Hall spent a total of $700 to pay the piano player and a composer. He said it cost an additional $170 to have the piano tuned and $30 to rent a rehearsal room. Although the mayor is running for next year, Mr. Phillips said in a written statement that the video “doesn’t have anything to do with his campaign. ” He added, “We think New Yorkers have a right to know what their government does, and it’s our job to communicate that work in a modern way. ” The immediate effect of the video was not exactly the stuff of Broadway hit material. In the first seven hours after the video was posted on Twitter, it had received 218 likes on the mayor’s account and 88 retweets.

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UK says world will stand together against North Korea after missile launch

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday the world would stand together against North Korea after the country fired a missile that flew over Japan into the Pacific Ocean, ratcheting up tensions after Pyongyang s test of a powerful nuclear bomb. Yet another illegal missile launch by North Korea, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted. UK and international community will stand together in the face of these provocations.

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Trump and spy chief differ on what was said in call on Russia dossier

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. spy chief James Clapper and President-elect Donald Trump gave different accounts of a phone conversation they had about a dossier of unverified, salacious claims linking Russia to Trump, who is locked in a war of words with the intelligence agencies he will command in eight days. A newcomer to politics, businessman Trump has been at odds with U.S. spy agencies for months, disputing their conclusions that Russia used hacking and other tactics to try to tilt the 2016 presidential election in his favor. On Wednesday, he acknowledged the point but opened a new battlefront, responding to media reports of unsubstantiated claims that he was caught in a compromising position in Russia by accusing intelligence agencies of practices reminiscent of Nazi Germany. In a Wednesday night statement Clapper, director of national intelligence, said that in a call with Trump he expressed his dismay over media leaks. Clapper added that he did not believe the leaks came from U.S. intelligence agencies. Clapper said he emphasized to Trump that the report was not produced by U.S. intelligence agencies and that they had not judged whether the information was reliable. He did not say the document was false. By contrast, Trump suggested in a tweet on Thursday that Clapper agreed that the report was untrue. “James Clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated. Made up, phony facts. Too bad!” Trump wrote. Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, an opponent of the Republican Trump, was asked by CNN on Thursday morning about Trump’s characterization of Clapper’s statement that the document was false. “Sadly, you cannot rely on the president-elect’s tweets or statements about what he’s receiving in intelligence briefings. And that’s a real problem,” said Schiff, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. “If people really want to know what Director Clapper had to say to Donald Trump, do not rely on Donald Trump’s tweets, rely on Director Clapper’s statement.” At a news conference before speaking to Clapper, Trump accused U.S. intelligence agencies of leaking the document to the media. Two U.S. officials said the allegations about Trump, which one called “unsubstantiated,” were contained in a two-page memo appended to a report on Russian interference in the 2016 election given to Trump and President Barack Obama. CNN reported on Tuesday about the existence of the memo. BuzzFeed published a fuller 35-page document produced by a former British foreign intelligence official that outlined the allegations of compromising behavior by Trump and his purported ties with people in Russia. The claims were included in reports about Trump known as opposition research reports prepared for political rivals of Trump during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

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U.S. judge orders unsealing of Clinton email probe search warrant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ordered the unsealing of the application used to obtain a search warrant that allowed the FBI to gain access to emails related to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private server before the Nov. 8 election. U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan directed the release by Tuesday of redacted materials used to obtain a search warrant after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey informed Congress of newly discovered emails on Oct. 28. Comey’s letter drew new attention to a damaging issue for Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, and roiled the campaign 11 days before the Nov. 8 election, won by Republican Donald Trump. The search warrant materials’ release sought by Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, who in court papers said transparency was crucial given the potential influence the probe had on the election’s outcome. Sources close to the investigation have said the emails were discovered during an unrelated probe into former Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. In his order, Castel said he would allow the redaction of the identities of two unnamed individuals, one of whom is subject to an “ongoing criminal investigation.” But he said the “strong presumption of access attached to the search warrant and related materials is not overcome by any remaining privacy interest of Secretary Clinton.” Lawyers for Clinton and Abedin did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did the U.S. Justice Department. A lawyer for Weiner had no immediate comment. Clinton used the server while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. In July, Comey recommended no criminal charges be brought over Clinton’s handing of classified information in the emails, although he said she and her colleagues were “extremely careless” in handling such information. In his Oct. 28 letter to Congress, Comey said emails potentially related to the Clinton server probe had been discovered in an “unrelated case.” Sources close to the investigation have said the emails were discovered during an unrelated probe into Weiner following a media report that he engaged in sexually explicit cellphone and online messaging with a 15-year-old girl. Federal investigators got a warrant to examine the emails to see if they were related to the probe into Clinton’s private server. Only two days before the election, Comey disclosed that the emails did nothing to change his earlier recommendation.

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Trump says he could make cabinet announcements before convention: Fox News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Wednesday he could make some cabinet announcements before the party’s July convention in Cleveland, Fox News Channel reported on Wednesday. “I like the idea of doing some of this before we go into Cleveland. Yes, I could do that and I think it would be well-received,” it quoted Trump as saying in an interview.

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New Zealand held in suspense as kingmaker weighs coalition options

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealanders will likely need to wait several more days to find out who will form the new government in the South Pacific island nation, the small nationalist party holding the balance of power said on Thursday. The New Zealand First Party was holding a fifth day of talks with both the ruling National and the opposition Labour Party to form a coalition government, almost three weeks after an inconclusive general election. Prime Minister Bill English s ruling National Party won 56 seats in the Sept. 23 election, while a Labour-Green bloc have 54 seats, leaving both needing New Zealand First s nine seats to meet the 61 seats needed for a majority in parliament. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said that he was pretty confident that those talks with the main parties would conclude on Thursday evening, but said the NZ First board would not meet to discuss its options until the weekend at the earliest. It depends upon the logistical availability of the board which will be Saturday, Sunday or Monday, Peters told reporters. I ll know that before too long. Asked whether the public would know who the government is by the end of next week, Peters said yes,the Stuff.co.nz media website reported. The political limbo has pushed the New Zealand dollar, the world s 11th most traded currency, down by around 3.3 percent since the vote. The Kiwi was trading at $0.7103 mid-afternoon on Thursday after hitting a four-month low earlier this week. Two recent independent surveys have suggested the uncertainty is curbing business sentiment, although official data released on Thursday indicated that consumer confidence remained robust. There are also concerns that a government including the nationalist NZ First would lead to more interventionist economic policies. Peters fueled those fears earlier this week when he said that exporters should welcome the recent fall in the local currency. NZ First also wants to restrict foreign investment, curb immigration and renegotiate certain trade deals. Strong immigration has been blamed for the country s hot housing market and unaffordable prices. Data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand released on Thursday showed that the number of properties sold in September was the lowest for that month for six years, as the market awaited an election result. Peters lost his own seat in the election to a National candidate but remains the lead negotiator and eligible for a ministerial post as leader of NZ First. He said talks so far had focused on policy, with no discussions yet on ministerial portfolios or offices. Peters said he was aiming for a serious consensus from the NZ First board on which party to support, but he declined to identify or number those board members.

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The Word From the Trenches – October 28, 2016

You can listen on our player . To listen on a smart phone, just click this link: http://listen.spacial.com/api/listen/?sid=9826&method=sc It will ask if you want to download or execute. Click “Execute”. Then on the next screen, Complete action using, click “Google Play Music”. Get together in our chat room: The Pub.

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A Great Indian Novel Reaches American Shores - The New York Times

Troubles — like ants — seldom walk alone. In GHACHAR GHOCHAR (Penguin, $15, paper) a new novella by the Indian writer Vivek Shanbhag, translated from Kannada by Srinath Perur, a family is besieged by both and develops a taste for responding with imaginative cruelty. Sudden wealth only makes them more ruthless. “It’s true what they say — it’s not we who control money, it’s the money that controls us,” the nameless narrator realizes, a little late in the day. “When there’s only a little, it behaves meekly when it grows, it becomes brash and has its way with us. Money had swept us up and flung us in the midst of a whirlwind. ” This spiny, scary story of moral decline, crisply plotted and no thicker than my thumb, has been heralded as the finest Indian novel in a decade, notable for a book in bhasha, one of India’s vernacular languages. The Great Indian Novel has almost always referred to a particular kind of book: big, baggy, polyphonic and, crucially, written in English — “Midnight’s Children,” say, or “The God of Small Things. ” Admirers of this austere little tale, who include Suketu Mehta and Katherine Boo, have compared Shanbhag to Chekhov. Folded into the compressed, densely psychological portrait of this family is a whole universe: a parable of rising India, an indictment of domestic violence, a taxonomy of ants and a sly commentary on translation itself. The title is a nonsense phrase, meaning tangled beyond repair. Our narrator (who, with his excellent intentions and total lack of initiative, recalls Nick Carraway) hears it for the first time on his honeymoon. He has pounced on his new wife, Anita, in their hotel room, but can’t untie the drawstring of her sari’s petticoat. It’s all knotted up — ghachar ghochar, she says, reaching for a word from her childhood, a word invented by her little brother to describe a snarled kite string. The narrator is thrilled by this intimacy, to be welcomed into her secret language. In the morning, he gestures at the disheveled bedsheets, their entwined legs: ghachar ghochar. All families are their own countries, with their own idioms, rites and taboos. Anita is not the only character who has grown up within the borders of a particular culture, yet when the narrator tries to share something of his own world, as new lovers will, Anita is understandably less charmed. To survive years of privation, his peculiar family has learned to move as one. The narrator can scarcely extricate himself in his own mind: “What can I say of myself that is only about me and not tied up with the others? Wherever I try to start, I quickly run into one of three women . ’u2008. ’u2008. each more fearsome than the other. ” Everyone has a specific role. His uncle runs the family business, a spice packaging company. His fearsome mother and sister fight the family’s battles and keep his father, a of the business, appeased until he makes a will. The narrator’s job is to stay out of the way, mainly, “killing time with great dedication. ” Anita is repulsed by her new husband’s passivity and the family’s brutal, bullying tactics. “She would need to have lived through those earlier days with us,” the narrator laments. “When the whole family stuck together, walking like a single body across the tightrope of our circumstances. Without that reality behind her, it’s all a matter of empty principle. ” Shanbhag is excellent on the inner logic of families, and of language, how even the most innocent phrases come freighted with history. In the book’s funniest set piece, the narrator’s mother tells him she’s cooking him a special breakfast. He recognizes her announcement for what it is — a declaration of war — and flees the house. His mother has chosen to make this particular dish because the smell of it nauseates Anita. Anita takes the bait, the narrator’s sister is drawn into the quarrel, then his father. The powder keg explodes. “Ghachar Ghochar” is one of the first books written in Kannada — a language with around 40 million speakers — to be published in America. And much about its provenance and its passage into English is distinct — it’s the product of a true collaboration between Shanbhag and Perur, a translator whose interest in this kind of work came not from his closeness to the language but his distance. He felt divorced from his mother tongue, he told me, and hoped translation would help him find his way back. For 18 months, author and translator worked on the book, taking it apart in Kannada and putting it back together in English — lightly editing it here and there, even adding a scene or two. The actual translation wasn’t the tricky part, even though Kannada is a very different language — looser, more permissive about repetition. In fact, the translation brought certain elements into sharper focus. To establish the past tense in Kannada requires some elaborate grammatical framing. But English is efficient and allows the action of the book to move as a mind moves, to leap between present and past. If anything, translating the book from Kannada into Indian English (for a version published in India last year) proved less complicated than the subsequent jump from Indian to American English small turns of phrase evocative to the Indian reader — “washing vessels” for washing dishes, “iron box” for iron — had to be tweaked. Perur did retain one lovely local detail. The family is accused of using umbrellas to shelter them from moonlight. In the village, where no one can afford umbrellas or knows what they are, the nouveau riche put them to absurd uses. The real work of translation is always in carrying over the unsaid — never more important than in a book like “Ghachar Ghochar,” where the characters are impelled by forces within themselves, their families and their communities that feel so furtive, even unspeakable. For Perur it was a matter of establishing a voice that could be convincingly savvy and blind. He wrote and rewrote the early pages until he settled on a tone he believed could carry the novel. The book in our hands is elegant, lean, balletic — but how can we know if the essence of the original has been communicated? When this question has been put to Vivek Shanbhag, who has himself also worked as a translator, he has recalled one particular passage from the novel. It is, notably, one of the scenes he added specifically for the translation. The narrator’s wife has gone out of town and he is idly rifling through her closet, touching her clothes, her jewelry. He catches scent of her suddenly. He presses his face into her saris to smell more, but the closer he gets, the more the smell retreats. “Whatever fragrance the whole wardrobe had was missing in the individual clothes it held. The more keenly I sought it, the further it receded. A strange mixture of feelings I could not quite grasp — love, fear, entitlement, desire, frustration — flooded through me until it seemed like I would break. ” The essence of a novel, Shanbhag seems to imply, floats like fragrance through the book. It is the emanation of the sum of its parts and cannot be isolated. And perhaps any attempt to single it out is beside the point. Translation isn’t merely an act of transportation, after all, of carrying something over. It’s asymptotic (“the more keenly I sought it, the further it receded”) a kind of contented yearning and act of ardor every bit as mysterious as the narrator’s efforts to find his beloved among her belongings.

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Watch: Pentagon Released Explosion Footage for ’Mother of All Bombs’ Dropped on Afghanistan - Breitbart

New video of massive bomb hitting ISIS https: . CNN aired footage Friday of the or “Massive Ordnance Air Blast,” dropped Thursday on the Islamic State in Afghanistan. The bomb, also known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” reportedly killed 36 ISIS militants while targeting the terror group’s complex network of tunnels and caves. is the U. S.’s largest bomb ever used in combat. Thursday marks the first time it has ever been used outside of testing. Follow Breitbart. tv on Twitter @BreitbartVideo

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Trump Considering ’Explosive’ Executive Order on Unfair Trade

The Trump administration is working on an executive order that could be much broader than the dumping measures reported earlier, according to Axios. [Last week, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump would sign an executive order targeting Chinese dumping into the U. S. soon after the conclusion of China President Xi Jinping state visit in Florida. Under the Obama administration, a preliminary study by the Commerce Department found that China was dumping steel into the U. S. at below market prices. Back in September, the U. S. International Trade Commission affirmed a decision to impose and duties on certain steel imports from Australia, Brazil, Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea and Turkey. The Trump administration recently launched a investigation into the massive and persistent trade deficits the U. S. runs with “trading partnets” and the unfair trading policies that may be causing them. Axios describes the potential for an executive order with broader trade sanctions as “explosive,” although it reports that while the plans are “very fluid” and there are internal disagreements about how aggressive the order will be, it likely won’t be confined to steel. Axios report Jonathan Swan says White House sources have told him: A White House official told Breitbart News that it is likely any executive order to emerge prior to the investigation into trade deficits is completed would be narrowly tailored to commodities and metals such as steel and aluminum and wouldn’t include broader manufactured goods such as appliances.

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Trump praises Chinese efforts on North Korea 'menace,' Pyongyang warns of strike

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump praised Chinese efforts to rein in “the menace of North Korea” on Thursday, after North Korean state media warned the United States of a “super-mighty preemptive strike.” Trump told a news conference “some very unusual moves have been made over the last two or three hours,” and that he was confident Chinese President Xi Jinping would “try very hard” to pressure Beijing’s ally and neighbor North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. While Trump gave no indication of what the moves might be, U.S. officials told Reuters that the United States was aware of a higher-than-usual level of activity by Chinese bombers, signaling a possible heightened state of readiness. The officials played down concerns and left open a range of possible reasons. * COMMENTARY: The next super weapon could be biological reut.rs/2oVooHc * COMMENTARY: The worrying lessons of the Syria chemical attack reut.rs/2o6r55r Those possibilities included defensive exercises or Chinese concerns over North Korea. None of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested alarm or signaled that they knew the precise reason for such Chinese activity. U.S. officials have been saying for weeks that North Korea could soon stage another nuclear bomb test, something both the United States and China have both warned against. Trump has taken a hard line with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has proceeded with nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Tensions have risen sharply in recent months after North Korea conducted two nuclear weapons tests last year and carried out a steady stream of ballistic missile tests. Trump, who took office in January, has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the United States with a nuclear missile. Trump has focused his efforts on North Korea on trying to persuade China to put more pressure on its ally and could view any unusual Chinese military movements as supportive of this. He told a news conference with the visiting prime minister of Italy on Thursday that the United States was “in very good shape” on North Korea and that China’s Xi, whom he met this month for a summit in Florida, was working hard to help. “We don’t know whether or not they’re able to do that, but I have absolute confidence that he will be trying very very hard.” Trump repeated a past comment that he had told Xi in Florida that China would make much better deal on trade with the United States “if you get rid of this menace or do something about this menace of North Korea.” ‘SUPER-MIGHTY PREEMPTIVE STRIKE’ The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, struck an aggressive tone earlier on Thursday. “In the case of our super-mighty preemptive strike being launched, it will completely and immediately wipe out not only U.S. imperialists’ invasion forces in South Korea and its surrounding areas but the U.S. mainland and reduce them to ashes,” it said. Reclusive North Korea regularly threatens to destroy Japan, South Korea and the United States and has shown no let-up in its belligerence after a failed missile test on Sunday, which followed a huge display of missiles at a parade in Pyongyang. South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted an unnamed South Korean government source as saying that the U.S. Air Force had dispatched a nuclear sniffer aircraft on Thursday to the east of the Korean Peninsula in anticipation of a possible nuclear test. The U.S. Defense Department does not comment on deployments of the WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft used to collect samples from the atmosphere to detect and analyze nuclear explosions. The U.N. Security Council on Thursday condemned North Korea’s latest failed missile test and demanded it not conduct any more nuclear tests. South Korea’s acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, at a meeting with top officials on Thursday, repeatedly called for the military and security ministries to maintain vigilance. The South Korean defense ministry said U.S. and South Korean air forces were conducting an annual training exercise, codenamed Max Thunder, until April 28. North Korea routinely labels such exercises preparations for invasion. “We are conducting a practical and more intensive exercise than ever,” South Korean pilot Colonel Lee Bum-chul told reporters. “Through this exercise, I am sure we can deter war and remove our enemy’s intention to provoke us.” William Perry, who served as U.S. defense secretary from 1994 to 1997 and negotiated with North Korea, said he did not believe Pyongyang was planning a surprise attack, despite the fiery rhetoric. But he warned: “They are doing a lot of bluster and a lot of threats, and they might misplay that hand and blunder into a war.” GRAPHIC: Carl Vinson strike group - tmsnrt.rs/2p1yGTQ GRAPHIC: North Korea's nuclear program - tmsnrt.rs/2lE5yjF

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U.S. Court Rules Infringement Suit by Trader Joe’s Can Proceed Against Pirate Joe’s - The New York Times

A federal appeals court said Friday that Washington State has the authority to hear a trademark lawsuit by Trader Joe’s against a Canadian store called Pirate Joe’s that resold the grocery chain’s products. The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a decision by a district court to dismiss the trademark case against Pirate Joe’s and its owner, Michael Hallatt. The district court had said that the violations occurred in Canada, where Trader Joe’s has no stores, and that the company failed to prove that Pirate Joe’s affected business in the United States. In its ruling, the appeals courts said the lawsuit could proceed because Mr. Hallatt’s actions — setting up a facsimile storefront in Vancouver, British Columbia, with knockoff branding and online merchandising — could devalue the trademark. The case will return to a federal district court in Washington State. “We’re here to see it through, and that means doing this for the people who want this stuff,” Nathan Alexander, Mr. Hallatt’s lawyer, told The Associated Press. The decision reopens a case that began in October 2011 when workers at a Trader Joe’s in Bellingham, Wash. noticed Mr. Hallatt buying products in excess. He often returned several times every week. Mr. Hallatt acknowledged he was buying the products to distribute them in Canada through his store, then called Transilvania Trading, according to court documents. He later changed the name to Pirate Joe’s. Sometimes donning disguises to avoid detection, Mr. Hallatt conducted shopping runs and occasionally hired other people to buy goods on his behalf. An advertisement Mr. Hallat placed on Craigslist called for a “ for undercover work” with a “ international grocery smuggling operation. ” Court documents said Mr. Hallatt, who holds dual citizenship, had spent more than $350, 000 on goods from Trader Joe’s, which he resold in Canada at a markup. In 2013, the company filed a lawsuit in Washington against Mr. Hallatt for trademark infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin and false advertising. It added that Pirate Joe’s was not an approved reseller. Responding to the lawsuit, Mr. Hallat said he never claimed an affiliation with the American company.

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The Democratic Debacle – The Day After

2016 presidential campaign by BAR executive editor Glen Ford The GOP won at the polls, but Black, brown and working class Democrats have been taking a beating from their own party for decades. “The Democratic Party has failed to deliver even small net increments of social justice to its base constituencies, always giving away more than it gained, and at times taking the lead in savaging the people.” Hillary Clinton hoped to lead a Government of Ruling Class Consensus – a victory only for the One Percent. The Democratic Debacle – The Day After by BAR executive editor Glen Ford “The net economic loss to the people -- especially the masses of Black folks, who have been stripped of much of the gains of the Sixties and Seventies, and nearly all of their household wealth – has been staggering and unrelenting.” The White Nationalists won and Hillary Clinton’s Big Tent, the bastion of the ruling class that Blacks and browns were led to believe was their sanctuary, has ignominiously folded. The media echo chamber smothered the deep, rumbling sounds of the impending quake, allowing only the corporate consensus to be heard outside the precincts of the Deplorables. But Deplorables want good jobs, too, and a future secure from the predations of Mad Capital, if only for their own “kind.” Whites in the “Rust Belt” joined with Confederates to choose their own brand of “lesser evil” – evils being the only items on the duopoly menu. Social democrats – a broad group that includes the vast bulk of Black America, according to political scientist Michael Dawson -- huddled around the latrine of Hillary’s Big Tent, trying desperately to perfume the stench. Except for a few percentage points worth of Green voters, they opted, once again, for a fraudulent “incrementalism” – a foolishness dressed up as “pragmatism” and even masquerading as high “strategy” -- which has led “progressives” straight down a road to disaster in the neoliberal era. (My excessive use of quotation marks is intended to convey that even the language of much leftish discourse is crafted for the purpose of surrender to Power.) “Whites in the ‘Rust Belt’ joined with Confederates to choose their own brand of ‘lesser evil’ – evils being the only items on the duopoly menu.” Rather than gradually strengthening the political hand of the working and oppressed classes, bit by bit, year by year -- which is the purported justification for incrementalism -- progressive slavishness to the Democratic Party has facilitated the deepening dictatorship of capital. The net economic loss to the people -- especially the masses of Black folks, who have been stripped of much of the gains of the Sixties and Seventies, and nearly all of their household wealth – has been staggering and unrelenting. For the past 40 years and more, Democrats have been perfect partners in the Dance of the Duopolists. It’s a simple two-step. The basic move is: the Democrats hug as closely as possible to the left flank of the Republican Party, thus staying within dog-whistle range of the White Man’s Party’s core base, rooted in white supremacy, while claiming everything to the left of Robert E. Lee as Democratic turf, including the huge, heavily Black social democratic electorate whose progressive agenda the Democrats have no intention of substantively addressing. The Clintons turned this two-step into a disciplined tango with their GOP partners. In 1994, the Republicans threatened to launch a social justice Armageddon through their Contract with America -- legislation they were incapable of fully enacting, however, without some level of Democratic consent. The Clintons vowed to defend Black, brown and poor people from the GOP barbarians at the gate – and wound up ramming through Congress corporate-crafted measures that the Republicans could not have passed on their own. Bill and Hillary cut a rug to that tune for eight years in the White House, stomping out welfare as we knew it, eviscerating Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal banking regulations, presiding over the largest surge in mass Black incarceration in modern history, and delivering the broadcast spectrum to monopoly media, all the while pretending to defend a “progressive agenda.” “Islamic jihadists were enlisted en mass as U.S. imperialism’s hellish foreign legion in the Muslim world.” On the foreign policy side, the Clintons pioneered Washington’s “humanitarian” military intervention doctrine, later refined by Barack Obama and his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bill Clinton set in motion the worst genocide since World War Two, a holocaust that has killed at least six million people under three US. administrations, and still counting. Humanitarian intervention, or Responsibility to Protect (R2P), became Obama’s favored instrument of aggression, a more domestically palatable alternative to George Bush’s massive boots-on-the-ground fiasco in Iraq. Islamic jihadists were enlisted en mass as U.S. imperialism’s hellish foreign legion in the Muslim world. Together, “New” Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton turned Syria and Libya into maelstroms of slaughter and moved towards nuclear war with Russia. Obama’s domestic aggressions on behalf of Big Capital were equally bold. With both houses of Congress in Democratic hands and the GOP on the ropes in 2009, he rushed to put Social Security, Medicare and “all entitlements” “on the table” for cutting. Now dancing by himself, not even bothering to triangulate in the Clinton style, Obama tried to forge a “Grand Bargain” with the GOP by pulverizing the remnants of the social safety net. Only the Republicans' institutional imperative to defeat, rather than collaborate with, -- its white supremacist DNA -- prevented consummation of the Grand Bargain, Obama’s Holy Grail. From Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama, the Democratic Party has failed to deliver even small net increments of social justice to its base constituencies, always giving away more than it gained, and at times taking the lead in savaging the people. There is no historical basis in the neoliberal era for the claim that the Democratic Party provides net incremental benefits to Black and working people, or that the party can be seized from its corporate masters and transformed into a machine that fights for the people. It fights for Capital – tooth and nail, as Bernie Sanders’ followers discovered. “The First Black President rushed to put Social Security, Medicare and ‘all entitlements’ ‘on the table’ for cutting.” Hillary Clinton seized the opportunity presented by the Trump-generated split in the GOP to create a ruling class consensus and headquarters in her own campaign tent. It was the ultimate betrayal, the incubator of a thoroughly corporatized Democratic Party – an undertaker of social democracy. Instead, the White Deplorables derailed her, as they had earlier derailed the Republican corporate establishment. Thus, the crisis of legitimacy in U.S. ruling institutions deepens. It now appears, in the early hours of President Elect Donald Trump, that the new administration will be a conventional rightwing Republican regime, with a cast of villains including Newt “Contract with America” Gingrich, and a Vice President Mike Pence in the role of Dick “The Real President” Cheney. Maybe Trump will insist on giving peace with Russia and China a chance, maybe not. The Trans Pacific Partnership is probably dead, unless it can somehow be resurrected in the lame duck session of Congress that begins next week, but there is no way Republicans or Democrats will slap 35 percent tariffs on U.S. corporations’ foreign-produced goods. That’s rhetorical theater a la Trump. The Trump regime has no fix for the ills of late stage capitalism that have immiserated both the triumphant Deplorables and the darker folks they scapegoat, and whom they can be counted on to harass, repress and deport. Neither does the Democratic Party, whose next administration, had it not been still-born, would have served the interests of the One Percent even more dependably than did Obama. Leave Hillary’s nasty tent in the dirt, where it lies. The people need vibrant social movements that will produce new leadership in struggle and shape the parties of the future. BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted

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U.S. needs up to 18 more Russian rocket engines: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will need to buy up to 18 more Russian-built RD-180 engines to power rockets carrying U.S. military satellites into space over the next six years or so, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said in an interview on Friday. Congress banned use of the Russian RD-180 rocket engines for military use after 2019, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014. But U.S. lawmakers eased the ban late last year, worried that it could drive United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, out of business and leave only privately held SpaceX to lift satellites into space. Work said the United States needed to ensure there were at least “two affordable and reliable means into space.” He added the RD-180 would be needed only during what he described as a transition period of new domestic rocket engine development. “We just don’t see any way you can get a new engine in anything less than six years,” Work said. “And so, therefore, in the transition period, we believe strongly that we need RD-180 space engines. No more than 18 but, you know, that’s our position.” Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is pushing to end U.S. dependence on Russian engines used by United Launch Alliance to power its Atlas 5 rockets. McCain said last month that two Russians placed on the U.S. sanctions list because of events in Ukraine were leaders of Russian space agency Roscosmos, which he said was the parent of the company that makes the RD-180 rocket. ULA has said it was moving forward with two companies developing their own U.S. engines, Blue Origin and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, but such development programs were difficult and took years to complete.

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AUSTRIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM Gives Teen With Homemade Nazi Tattoo Same Sentence As “Refugee” Convicted Of Anal Rape Of 72 Year Old

Before we get too far into this story, it needs to be pointed out that the 18 year old teen who was just sentenced by a judge for having a homemade Nazi tattoo, was only 15 years old at the time, and has since admitted he made a mistake. The Afghan rapefugee on the other hand, was 17 years old when he brutally raped a 72 year old woman. So basically, we re comparing a 15 year old who was utilizing his freedom of expression (whether we agree with him or not is irrelevant) with a violent 17 year old rapist.An 18-year-old Afghan refugee was sentenced to 20 months in prison for the anal rape of a 72-year-old woman. Now the Austrian justice system has once again shown us its quality. A 20-year-old, who was 15 at the time, the offence was committed, has just been sentenced to 19 months in prison for giving a home-made swastika tattoo.Three young people have been found guilty of engaging in Nazi activities after they drew Nazi tattoos and posted photos of them online.A 20-year-old, who was found to have a German war flag used by the Nazis and portraits of Nazi Socialists in his room, was sentenced by a youth court in Salzburg to 19 months in prison, three months unconditional.He and a 19-year-old accomplice were found guilty of using a pin and eyeliner to tattoo a hand-sized swastika onto someone s chest and then posting the photos online.In addition to the tattooing, the 20-year-old was also accused of shouting Nazi slogans out of his window and singing the song Polaken-Tango by the banned neo-Nazi rock group Landser in front of his brother and his brother s girlfriend.He was arrested after his brother called the police, who found him in his room wrapped in the war flag and surrounded by photos of prominent Nazis.He told the court that he regretted his actions, which took place in August 2011 when he was 15-years-old, and that he had now changed.Pleading guilty, he said: I now know that this is nonsense. He was charged separately for his Facebook account, where he also posted pictures of himself making Nazi salutes, which he told judge Bettina Maxones-Kurkowski he had done to show others that he belongs here . Via: The LocalOn Wednesday at the State Court in Vienna s Neustadt an 18-year-old Afghan was sentenced to 20 months in prison without parole for rape. He also has to pay 5000 euros compensation to the 72-year-old woman, who has been very marked by the attack.The incident on 1 September last year created a sensation: the penioner was walking her old dog in the Schwechat meadow near Traiskirchen in Lower Austria, when she encountered two young asylum seekers swimming in the river. According to an acquaintance of the victim in the witness stand, the boys were also very nice at first, they even helped the woman over an embankment. But then one them fell upon her from behind. However, DNA traces confirmed that the pensioner was anally raped. The then 17-year-old Afghan was quickly caught. He does not dispute the crime, but says he was drunk. His friend says he wasn t aware of the rape.Her daughter Sylvia a committed refugee helper believes and hopes that her mother was unconscious during the crime. What does Christine F. feel for her tormentor? Despite all of the torment, she even feels some sympathy.

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Christie accuses Paul, Lee of siding with ‘criminal’ Snowden on NSA

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lashed out at Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., on “Fox and Friends” Wednesday, over their efforts to block the renewal of the Patriot Act. Christie, a fellow Republican and likely presidential candidate who backs the Patriot Act, accused Lee and Paul of "siding with" NSA leaker Edward Snowden. “He’s a criminal, he’s a criminal and he’s hiding in Russia, and he’s lecturing to us about the evils of authoritarian government, while he lives under the protective umbrella of Vladimir Putin,” Christie said. “That’s who Mike Lee and Rand Paul are siding with – with Edward Snowden? Come on.” The beef between the senators and Christie has been growing for some time. Christie had told supporters in New Hampshire that “you can’t enjoy our civil liberties if you’re in a coffin.” Lee later told CNN he found the remark “really disappointing” and it reflected “governing by fear and governing by false choice.” He also said Christie should be ashamed of himself. The feud with Lee and Paul, a declared presidential candidate, comes as Congress is stuck on what to do about expiring NSA surveillance programs. Lee backs an alternative to the Patriot Act called the USA Freedom Act. The House-passed bill aims to limit bulk collection of metadata on American citizens. But neither that, nor a straight, short-term extension of the Patriot Act, was able to advance in the Senate before lawmakers left on the holiday break. The data collection program is set to expire at the end of the month. During his interview on Fox News, Christie also blasted President Obama’s strategy in the Middle East – citing the Islamic State’s growing influence, as well as Syrian President Bashar Assad's. “If a President Christie had drawn a red line in Syria,” the United Sates would have gone after Assad as promised, he said. Christie also criticized Obama for not being aggressive enough bringing together allies in the Middle East. “They need American support and American leadership and American strategic vision, this president hasn’t put it out there, this is the guy who called them the JV,” Christie said. “Now, all of a sudden. He’s got a strategy that’s successful? It’s been disappointing to watch it.”

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Just Weeks After Obama’s Executive Order on Catastrophic Space Weather Events, a Coronal Mass Ejection Is Set to Hit on Election Day?

By Melissa Dykes This has already been the craziest election in the history of the country, with the most overt corruption and fraud the American...

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State Department misses deadline to manage email records electronically

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department, which was criticized for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, said on Wednesday it failed to meet an end-of-2016 deadline to manage all its email records electronically. The department, and other U.S. government agencies, had more than four years to meet the deadline under an Aug. 24, 2012, directive that aimed to eliminate the use of paper records as much as possible in favor of electronic record-keeping. That directive was part of an Obama administration effort to update government record-keeping for the digital age and promote accountability for official decisions by ensuring they are properly documented and preserved for future generations. In a report posted by the National Archives on Wednesday, the State Department checked the “No” box in response to a question on whether it had met the goal of managing all its email records in an electronic format by Dec. 31, 2016. In the report, the State Department said it had met the goal on its main, centralized email systems accounting for the “overwhelming majority” of its emails. “However, the Department does have additional email systems that require further evaluation before we will certify that all email records are managed in an electronic format,” it said, saying it was working hard to “fully meet” the goal. The State Department had no immediate comment on the matter. The department’s record-keeping and email archiving practices attracted scrutiny during the 2016 presidential campaign when the New York Times reported that Clinton had used a private email server as secretary of state. The Democrat’s use of the server to conduct official business throughout her 2009-2013 State Department tenure was criticized by Republican Donald Trump, who defeated her for the presidency in last November’s election. An internal government watchdog issued a report last year that found Clinton broke government rules by using the private email server for her work as America’s top diplomat without approval. The State Department’s Office of the Inspector General said it found no evidence Clinton sought permission to use a server at her Chappaqua, New York, home to handle her work emails and it quoted officials as saying they would have rejected her doing so if they had been asked. The report also found problems in department record-keeping practices before Clinton’s tenure, and it documented how slowly the department had moved to bring record-keeping into the age of electronic communications.

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Prize for ‘Winning’ Frat Bros' Game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' Was Allegedly Getting to Rape a Teen

In November 2014, a horrific gang rape allegedly took place at a New Jersey college. The supposed victim: a 19-year-old woman who claims she was lured into a fraternity “date party” by members of Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE). She's continuing to fight for justice after what allegedly happened to her two years ago, by filing a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court last week against Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey. Ex-student sues NJ college over alleged 'brutal' gang rape at frat house, dorm https://t.co/84VQ1uKHZY — New Jersey 101.5 (@nj1015) October 25, 2016 According to northjersey.com , the victim was greeted at her dorm door by a fraternity member in a tuxedo, who was reportedly “assigned” to get girls to come to the party. Once the victim was there, court documents reveal she became drunk to the point of unconsciousness and woke up after attending the party, felt she had been sexually assaulted, and went to Hackensack University Medical Center. Officials there found lacerations “consistent with non-consensual sex.” The teen, who goes by “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit, claims she was gang raped by tuxedo-wearing Christopher A. Lopez and another student, Nakeem Gardner, who are now 26 and 22 years old. The New York Daily News reports Lopez and Gardner even played the game “rock, paper, scissors” to decide who would have sex with the female student first. And the abuse allegedly didn't end there. NJ.com reports: After the initial sexual assault, the teen was involuntarily moved “without her shoes, underwear and jacket” across campus to Mackin Hall, where she was raped by others, the lawsuit claims. The suit alleges some of the male students “were falling-down laughing hysterically while also videotaping the sexual assault” on a cell phone. Three other students — Christopher Rainone, 20, Jordyn Massood, 20, and Justin Sommers, 20 — were also charged in connection to the alleged assault. Lopez and Gardner were charged with second degree sexual assault for allegedly gang raping the victim. Rainone, Massod and Sommers were charged with failing to aid the victim and for videotaping her while she was naked. All five former students have been indicted in connection with the alleged attacks, but pleaded not guilty in July 2016, and were offered a plea deal as a result. Image Credit: Bergen County Prosecutor's Office The lawsuit holds Ramapo College and/or PIKE Fraternity and Chapter accountable for what allegedly happened. Here are just a few of the suits ' claims: “College and PIKE Fraternity representatives were aware of the events leading up to the assaults, but did nothing to intervene or stop them from unfolding.” “This includes public safety and security employees and representatives, including outside Campus Security staff on patrol and present in security booths and checkpoints, well as the individual responsible for entry and exit at Mackin Hall.” “The school failed to enforce their own alcohol policies and failed to deter underage drinking on campus.” “Ramapo College was negligent, had deliberate indifference and failed to render assistance to a victim and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” The lawsuit goes on to argue that the victim has suffered permanent physical, psychological and emotional injuries as a result. Incidentally, this same college made headlines in 2014, when a school-led session on “understanding sexual assault” included advice that females should be aware of how their facial expressions could be misinterpreted by members of the opposite sex. Vice president at Ramapo, Cathy Davey, told northjersey.com the college hadn't yet been served with the lawsuit as of Tuesday, and that PIKE Fraternity was “no longer on campus.”

1real

The Daily 202: Why blocking Obama’s pick to replace Scalia could cost Republicans their Senate majority

Mitch McConnell has decided to wager the Republican majority in the Senate on blocking Barack Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court. It’s a bold and understandable gambit designed to prevent a leftward lurch in jurisprudence after Antonin Scalia’s unexpected death this weekend, but it could backfire badly. Assuming the president picks a Hispanic, African American or Asian American – bonus points if she’s a woman – this could be exactly what Democrats need to re-activate the Obama coalition that fueled his victories in 2008 and 2012. Even if he does not go with a minority candidate, the cases on the docket will galvanize voters who are traditionally less likely to turn out. [Get your campaign fix delivered directly to your email inbox with The Daily 202] Last night in Las Vegas, for example, Hillary Clinton said it would be nakedly partisan and unconscionable if Republicans don’t give a hearing to the president’s nominee. And she emphasized the immigration case that the justices recently agreed to hear. “Because of his passing, there will be most likely a tie, four to four, on important issues that affect so many people in our country,” the Democratic front-runner said. “And the most important is the decision about President Obama’s actions under DACA and DAPA. If there is no new justice appointed, then as with other cases before the court, the decision that was decided will stay in place. And that was a bad decision.” Keep in mind that a quarter of Nevada’s population is Hispanic. Beyond being a battleground in the presidential race, there is also an open Senate race to succeed Harry Reid. Democrats will nominate a Latina and Republicans will nominate a white guy who is already in Congress. Or take abortion rights. Marco Rubio is against abortion even in cases of rape and incest. For women, the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned just became much more real. “When I’m president of the United States, I’ll nominate someone like Justice Scalia,” the Florida senator declared on the Sunday shows. And environmentalists just this month saw the court put a stay on Obama’s Clean Power Plan. The next justice will be the swing vote who determines the future of coal in the United States. Though these sorts of cases mean that business interests will pour more money than ever into 2016 races, it could also help Democrats attract crucial suburban women who might lean to the right but worry about global warming. More broadly, this could also undermine efforts by Senate Republicans to show that they are capable of governing and not just “the party of no.” Make no mistake: The upper chamber will grind to a standstill if the GOP follows through on this threat. Democrats who are inclined to work with them promise to stop doing so if Republicans play hardball. -- Ultimately, though, there is not really anything Democrats can do procedurally to force Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to hold a hearing on Obama’s nominee. The only lever they have is public pressure. The most potent pressure points are the seven GOP incumbents who are up for reelection this year in states Obama carried in 2012. New Hampshire’s Kelly Ayotte and Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson publicly came out in favor of obstruction yesterday. The others are holding their cards close to the vest for right now: Ohio’s Rob Portman praised Scalia but would not address the core issue. Spokesmen for Pennsylvania’s Pat Toomey declined to comment and Illinois’ Mark Kirk ignored inquiries, per CNN. Pay particularly close attention to Portman, who is already vulnerable and could be wiped out if African Americans make up the same percentage of the electorate in 2016 as they did in 2012. They are likelier to vote if they believe he is disrespecting the first black president. “I intend to continue to talk about this until the polls close,” former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, the Democratic candidate against Portman, told my colleague Paul Kane yesterday. “Senator Portman, who has your allegiance, your country or your party leaders? … The people have spoken, on two occasions,” he added, referring to Obama’s 2008 and 2012 victories. -- Conventional wisdom is that whichever party wins the White House in November will control the Senate. That’s obviously the primary factor, but we’re not convinced it will be determinative. Democrats need to pick up four seats to win the Senate, and it’s conceivable they could get those from states that Clinton would probably carry even if she loses the Electoral College. In 2014, it’s worth recalling, Democrats lost each of the seven seats they had to defend in states Mitt Romney had carried two years earlier. And remember that this won’t be happening in a vacuum: If Obama knows for sure that his pick is not going to get formally considered, he can go with someone who gives his party maximum political leverage to bludgeon these Republican incumbents. Monica Márquez is the first Latina and first openly gay justice on the Supreme Court in Colorado, which will again be a crucial swing state. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is an African American woman. Lucy Koh is the first Asian American district judge in the Northern District of California. He could also go with someone who was previously confirmed unanimously by the Senate to give additional rhetorical heft to his attacks that Republicans are being hypocrites. -- What’s the Republican political calculus? Blocking judges historically motivates their base – including donors and the U.S. Chamber – more than it does liberals. And they don’t think independents will really care all that much. It will just sound like more Washington noise. McConnell, not a favorite of the grassroots, also needs to keep his own base ginned up. Amidst a presidential primary, it is untenable for Republicans to look like rubber stamps for Obama. Chris Christie offers a cautionary tale for GOP members. His bubble in New Hampshire was punctured when opponents began attacking him for offering support of Sonia Sotomayor while he was running for governor of New Jersey in 2008. Christie denied making comments he had made. Allies and rivals agree that the Sotomayor hit was a turning point for his campaign. Republicans who fear primary challenges, such as Alabama’s Richard Shelby, are never going to back any Obama nominee. Most smart Republicans in D.C. still believe either Trump or Cruz would lose a general election. Their hope is that a Supreme Court vacancy might help galvanize conservative volunteers to go do work for endangered Senate incumbents. -- To be sure, not every Democrat has a clean nose on this: Harry Reid shortsightedly invoked the nuclear option in 2013, which allows non-Supreme court judges to be approved by a simple majority. This incensed Republicans and only accelerated the upper chamber’s decline to be more like the unruly House. Lindsey Graham, one of just two current GOP senators who voted to confirm Elena Kagan during Obama’s first term, tells The Post that Reid poisoned the well by going nuclear. “I voted for every Supreme Court justice nominated by Bush and Obama. I believe the Senate should be deferential to qualified picks,” the South Carolina senator said. “But I did tell Harry Reid and the president that the consequence of changing the rules in the Senate to pack the court will come back to haunt them.” George F. Will also zeroes in on Reid’s use of the nuclear option in his column today, which he describes as “institutional vandalism.” He frames the battle this way: “Scalia’s death will enkindle a debate missing from this year’s presidential campaign, a debate discomfiting for some conservatives: Do they want a passive court that is deferential to legislative majorities and to presidents who claim untrammeled powers deriving from national majorities? Or do they want a court actively engaged in defending liberty’s borders against unjustified encroachments by majorities?” -- The big question right now: Will there even be a confirmation hearing? McConnell’s Saturday night statement declaring that the vacancy should be filled by the next president did not rule out the possibility of a confirmation hearing or floor time to consider whoever the president picks. That might be the more politically astute play, since Republicans could slow walk the vetting, trickle out negative revelations about the nominee to right-wing media outlets and then ultimately vote to reject the nominee. Having hearings could give some cover to purple state Republicans to say they are doing their jobs. “If the Republican leadership refuses to even hold a hearing, I think that is going to guarantee they're going to lose control of the Senate," said Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. Plus, even if Obama’s pick gets past the Judiciary Committee, they will be hard pressed to get confirmed by the full Senate. Fourteen Republicans would need to come out against Cruz’s promised filibuster. During Obama’s first term, when Democrats held a near super-majority, only nine Republicans voted for Sotomayor and five voted for Kagan. Given that the Senate is on a President’s Day recess, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Obama will not rush out an announcement this week. This gives both sides a few days to poll and focus group their options. A former top adviser to the president says the GOP could have been savvier: -- Another wildcard: How will the press cover this? One of the mainstream media’s problems is a really short attention span. What is unknowable today is whether this vacancy is a two-week story, a two-month story or a 10-month story? Also, is the narrative that Republicans are creating an unprecedented Constitutional crisis? Or is it played as a boring he-said, he-said storyline? Democrats note that Obama still has the bully pulpit, so he can come up with creative ways to drive news coverage about the GOP’s failure to bring his nominee up for a vote. The party can also use paid media to target the vulnerable Republican incumbents. -- For both sides, it really is difficult to overstate the stakes: Scalia left an indelible mark on both the court and our country for nearly three decades, and his replacement could do the same. Ironically, if Clinton wins and Democrats retake the Senate after McConnell spends the year taking heat, she will have a mandate to put the most progressive justice imaginable on the bench. And Republicans will have no real grounds to oppose her. For McConnell, right now, that’s a risk worth taking. THE BUZZ AT THE CAPITOL: “Some hopeful Democrats now see the nomination of a sitting senator as the best chance Obama has to seat another justice on the Supreme Court before leaving office,” Juliet Eilperin and Paul Kane report. “There are several Senate Democrats who fit that description, including Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Christopher A. Coons (Del.) and Richard J. Durbin (Ill.). But individuals who have spoken with the White House about the nomination process … said the president is interested in a candidate who is young enough to serve an extended period of time. Only two of those senators — Klobuchar, at 55, and Coons, at 52 — are younger than 60, the age Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was when she was nominated.” … But we hear that POTUS is more likely to go with someone who has already been confirmed and vetted. “Although Obama has installed fewer federal appellate judges than either Presidents Clinton or George W. Bush, he has put enough nominees on the bench that Democratic appointees are in the majority on nine of the nation’s 13 circuit courts,” Juliet and Paul note. “In that group, the 9th Circuit’s Paul J. Watford, a 48-year-old African American, and Sri Srinivasan, a 48-year-old judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit who would be the first South-Asian American on the Supreme Court, would be the leading contenders. Others include the D.C. Circuit’s Patricia Ann Millett, 52, and Jane L. Kelly, 51, a judge on the 8th Circuit who was confirmed 96 to 0” with the support of Grassley. -- What does the loss of Scalia mean for cases currently on the docket? “In the short term, conservatives could still prevail on many of the cases before the court this term. But the wins could come in the form of tie votes that preserve the status quo rather than provide precedents that will shape the future,” writes Robert Barnes, our Supreme Court correspondent. A big break for public employee unions: “At oral arguments, the court seemed prepared to hand a significant defeat to organized labor and side with a group of California teachers who claim that their free-speech rights are violated when they are forced to pay dues to the state’s teachers union. The court’s conservatives — Scalia included — appeared ready to junk a 40-year-old precedent that allows unions to collect an ‘agency fee’ from nonmembers to support collective-bargaining activities for members and nonmembers alike. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, citing that precedent, had ruled for the union. And with the Supreme Court’s liberals seemingly united in upholding the precedent, a 4-to-4 vote would mean the union victory would stand.” The law could be interpreted differently in different regions: “For instance, a Texas law that imposes new restrictions on abortion providers was found constitutional by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. A 4-to-4 tie would uphold that finding. But a similar law in Wisconsin was struck down and would be unaffected by the court’s tie in the Texas case.” Barnes adds that, if Republican leaders hold firm, it will also affect which cases the justices choose to take up when the next term starts in October. (Read a breakdown of how four cases will likely be impacted here.) -- Chaos, confusion and conflicting reports in the hours after Scalia’s death, which happened during a blue quail hunting trip. From Lana Straub, Eva Ruth Moravec, Sari Horwitz and Jerry Markon: After his body was discovered, it took hours for authorities in remote West Texas to find a justice of the peace. “When they did, she pronounced Scalia dead of natural causes without seeing the body and decided not to order an autopsy. A second justice of the peace, who was called but couldn’t get to Scalia’s body in time, said she would have ordered an autopsy. ‘If it had been me . . . I would want to know,’ Juanita Bishop, a justice of the peace in Presidio, Tex., told The Washington Post in an interview Sunday.” Some details of his final hours at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury compound less than an hour from the Mexican border, remain opaque: “As late as Sunday afternoon, there were conflicting reports about whether an autopsy would be performed, though officials later said Scalia’s body was being embalmed and there would be no autopsy. One report, by WFAA-TV in Dallas, said the death certificate would show the cause of the death was a heart attack.” -- South Carolina is Ground Zero for the Republican race— Ratings: 13.5 million watched the CBS debate on Saturday, surpassing the 13.3 million who watched last weekend’s debate on ABC and the 8 million who watched the Democratic debate in Milwaukee on PBS/CNN. (CNN Money) Driving the day: Laura and George W. Bush headline a rally for Jeb in North Charleston tonight. “It tacks away from Bush’s months-long insistence that he’s running as ‘my own man,’ but could be a perfect fit for South Carolina,” the Associated Press notes in a curtain-raiser. “George H.W. Bush won twice here. In 2000, George W. Bush beat John McCain. Now it’s his brother’s turn.” Kasich’s super PAC circulated a CNN clip from when Jeb said in New Hampshire last May, “I think that in Washington during my brother's time Republicans spent too much money. He could have used the veto power. He didn't have line item veto power, but he could have brought budget discipline to Washington, D.C." Republican leaders are predicting record turnout in Saturday’s primary: “The electorate here will be about twice as big as Iowa and New Hampshire combined,” said state GOP Chairman Matt Moore. “A third are very conservative, a third are somewhat; a third are moderate.” He’s quoted in a Charleston Post and Courier story about efforts to “restore South Carolina’s credibility in picking the eventual nominee.” From the piece: “GOP voters here chose correctly in all the party races since 1980 until the turnabout in 2012. ‘South Carolinians kind of blew it last time voting for Gingrich,’ said Clemson professor David Woodard, who thinks the state is Trump’s to lose. ‘They’re taking their ‘first-in-the-South primary’ and ‘we pick presidents’ to heart. There is a seriousness here that’s on display this time.’” On the Sunday shows, Trump focused on Cruz. "Justice John Roberts gave us Obamacare twice," Trump said on ABC. "He could have ended Obamacare twice. He got there because Ted Cruz pushed him like wild. ... Cruz shouldn't be talking because that was among the worst appointments I've ever seen. We have Obamacare because of Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and George Bush." Trump also emphasized Cruz's personality: "No endorsements, no support — he's a lone wolf. He's going to get nothing done, he's not a leader, he's never employed anybody, never created a job. He's a nasty guy, no matter how you figure it.” … And Cruz focused on Trump: "If Donald Trump becomes president, the Second Amendment will be written out of the Constitution because it is abundantly clear that Donald Trump is not a conservative. He will not invest the capital to confirm a conservative, so the result will be the same whether it’s Hillary, Bernie or Donald," Cruz said. "The Second Amendment will go away." (Elise Viebeck) Trump changed his explanation for why no one can find proof that he opposed the invasion of Iraq before 2003: “I wasn’t a politician so people didn’t write everything I said,” he said on “Meet the Press.” In September, he said there was ample documentation: “I’ll give you 25 different stories.” BuzzFeed notes that an August 2004 interview with Esquire is the first known instance of his public opposition. Both candidates courted the African American vote at the same Baptist church in Las Vegas. John Wagner relays an incredibly awkward scene: “Clinton and her motorcade already had arrived the Victory Missionary Baptist Church, located in an economically struggling neighborhood west of the Vegas Strip, when Sanders’s entourage pulled in with a police escort. Clinton was seated in the first row, on the left side. Sanders took a seat in the first row, on the right side. The candidates did not shake hands or talk.” Later, Clinton stepped up her attacks on Sanders over health care in a Vegas suburb: "We both share the goal of universal health-care coverage, but he wants to start all over again," she said at a rally after church. "And he wants to have a new system that would be quite challenging because you would have to give up the insurance you have now, and it would cost a lot of money. The goal is a good goal -- I absolutely agree with that -- but the last thing our country needs now is to be thrown into another contentious debate about health care." (David Weigel) The Review-Journal reports that Sanders has spent twice as much on TV ads in Nevada as Clinton, $2.93 million to $1.46 million. Trolling HRC, the conservative super PAC American Crossroads launched a $42,000 digital buy to highlight hardline comments she’s made about illegal immigration during previous races. Watch here. -- “Debate rips open GOP wounds, and party risks tearing itself apart,” by Robert Costa and Philip Rucker: “The GOP is at risk of tearing itself apart over its past as it heads into the thick of the primary season. A day after a debate marked by personal, petty exchanges, Republicans were grappling with their core beliefs, as well as the image they were broadcasting to the country … The increasingly harsh discussions of these and other issues amount to an existential crisis within the Republican Party and reflect the growing influence of non-ideological, populist voters. Contenders are making their most concerted effort yet to stop Trump [in South Carolina], even though previous attempts to take him down have attained little. The escalating quarreling may increase the likelihood of a long, expensive and potentially futile effort … As the candidates returned to the campaign trail, the mess they left behind on the stage of Greenville’s Peace Center had some party strategists wondering whether the damage may be politically irreparable.” -- “What made the friendship between Scalia and Ginsburg work,” by Irin Carmon: “Nino and RBG, the court’s most famous odd couple friendship stood as an example of warmth and professionalism across traditional divides … The reserved Clinton appointee and the bombastic Reagan pick had vastly different views on the constitution and the role of the court. And yet. One former clerk told us Scalia was Ginsburg’s favored souvenir shopping buddy when they traveled together. On a trip to India, they famously rode an elephant, with Scalia sitting up front. They shared New Year’s Eves with their families and friends. In 2010, when Chief Justice Roberts announced [Ginsburg’s husband] Marty’s death from the bench, Scalia wiped tears from his eyes … Whether or not it was how Scalia saw it, for Ginsburg their public friendship also made a statement about the court as an institution: that it was strengthened by respectful debate, that it could work no matter how polarized its members were.” -- “A mini world war rages in the fields of Aleppo,” by Liz Sly: “Across the olive groves and wheat fields of the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, a battle with global dimensions risks erupting into a wider war. Russian warplanes are bombing from the sky. Iraqi and Lebanese militias aided by Iranian advisers are advancing on the ground. An assortment of Syrian rebels backed by the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are fighting to hold them back. Kurdish forces are taking advantage of the chaos, [while] the Islamic State has snatched a couple of small villages … Syria’s civil war long ago mutated into a proxy conflict, with competing world powers backing the rival Syrian factions almost since the earliest days of the armed rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad. But perhaps never before have the dangers — or the complications — of what amounts to a mini world war been so apparent as in the battle underway for control of Aleppo.” -- Doug Sosnik’s take on the road ahead: The Democratic strategist, who served as a close adviser to Bill Clinton during his presidency, is known in Washington for insightful memos that diagnose the national mood. We got the latest one. Three nuggets jumped out— Independents will see the 2016 election as a choice between the lesser of two evils: “This year’s Republican primary is the most rightward leaning since 1964, while Democrats have not been this far to the left since the 1972 campaign. As the parties have become increasingly ideological, Americans have drifted away from both of them. Self-identified independents are at near historic levels. … In this period of profound alienation, with both parties engaging in harsh ideological primaries, the public is likely to view the entire political process as a race to the bottom. They will be inclined to view their choice for president through the prism of which candidate is the least flawed and poses the least threat to their future well-being.” Obama’s approval rating is remarkably durable: “Since the summer of 2009, when these divisions began to intensify, Obama’s positive job approval ratings have remained flat, never going below 40% or above 53%. A closer look at these numbers shows the impact that age, race and income have had on his ratings. The narrow band reflects little movement from Obama’s core supporters, as well as steadfast opposition from his detractors.” The Democratic primary in New York will matter: “In the period between the March primaries and the middle of April, fewer than 400 delegates will be selected. With the exception of the Wisconsin primary on April 5th, most of the attention will be focused on the New York (Wall Street) primary on April 19th. The last two key dates during the primary will be April 26th, when five northeastern states will select 384 delegates, and June 7th when California and five other states west of the Mississippi will hold elections.” Read Sosnik’s 5-page memo here. See his 25-slide PowerPoint deck here. Hillary and Bernie were in Las Vegas: Congressional Democrats spent all day ripping Republicans over the upcoming Supreme Court fight: Comedian Mindy Kaling jokingly wished a happy Valentine's Day to one of the judges who could be on Obama's short list: Donald Trump attacked the RNC for the donors at the debate: Along with the Obamas: Along with plenty of lawmakers: Others joked about a presidential race that seems like it will never end: -- “REVENGE OF THE POPULISTS” is the headline on the front page of The State to describe the success of Trump and Sanders. The Columbia, S.C., newspaper searches for historical antecedents: “Trump rails against immigrants, echoing the nativist, mid-1800s Know Nothing Party that grew out of fears that an influx of Catholic immigrants was threatening the American way of life. Sanders’ outcry against banks and corporations has its roots in the populist movement of the late 1800s, formed by a coalition of laborers and farmers, suffering, they said, under high loan and railroad rates that lined the elite’s pockets.” The article emphasizes similarities in their messaging and supporters: “Angst over the economy — as in populist movements of the past — has led to similar lines of attack from Trump and Sanders. ‘This is not a rising-tide-that-lifts-all-boats recovery,’ said Danielle Vinson, a Furman University political scientist. … Both Trump and Sanders, for instance, denounce trade deals … Both have taken more isolationist stances in foreign policy … Both also have cast Washington politicians as shills for corporate interests.” -- The State also looks at the 12 percent of South Carolina voters who say they are undecided: “Retired oncologist Tripp Jones say his choice presents a dilemma in Saturday’s Republican presidential primary. None of the six candidates left in the GOP field fits the bill for Jones, a longtime Republican who ‘wants somebody who is going to take America to the next level but has common sense.’ Jones is among the 1-in-8 Republicans who are undecided as Saturday’s primary looms. Political ads do little for him. ‘I’ve got to settle on one, but I don’t have a clue yet who it will be,’ he said. Other voters plan to wait until the end. ‘I’m going to let it all play out,’ said Irmo Town Councilwoman Kathy Condom, who plans to vote Republican. ‘I’ll figure it out on the 19th (of February).’” Who they are --> Politico, “The Whale That Nearly Drowned The Donald,” by Michael Crowley: “Akio Kashiwagi was a mysterious figure reputed to have underworld connections. He was one of the world’s top five gamblers, a ‘whale’ in casino parlance, willing to wager $10 million in a single gaming bender. After his murder, one unnamed executive told the paper that Kashiwagi had owed the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino $4 million … The story of Kashiwagi, drawn from Trump’s memoirs and news accounts from the day, offers a revealing window into Trump’s instincts. It shows that Trump isn’t just a one-time casino owner—he’s also a gambler, prone to impulsive, even reckless action. Trump is obsessed with winning, a topic he usually brings up in the context of his merciless deal-making style. But a crucial question about any would-be president who may be confronted with questions of war and peace is his attitude toward risk. Some presidents are highly averse to it … Others roll the dice.” -- The Atlantic, “The 'New Look' of the Post-Obama Electorate,” by Theodore R. Johnson: “In 2008, when then-Senator Barack Obama rode the highest black voter turnout in U.S. history to the White House, black voters felt The Look had been exchanged … African American voters felt that a black president could give them special attention and understand black America’s grievances better than any other. It wasn’t favoritism African Americans sought; they simply wanted an acknowledgement that structural racism is real and some executive resolve to address it from the first president to have experienced it firsthand. But things haven’t gone quite as they had hoped. The welled-up hope that racism would be a presidential priority and undergo an incremental process of amelioration began to slowly dissipate in the face of politics as usual … And frustration has given rise to a new generation of black voters and activists, a generation who uses more overt and dynamic techniques to influence the political agenda.” --The New Yorker, “Can Cruz Beat Trump on Conservative Principles?,” by Ryan Lizza: “Ted Cruz is the best political tactician in the Republican race. But for all of Cruz’s tactical successes so far, he made one enormous mistake: he misunderstood the threat posed by Trump. By repeatedly praising Trump throughout 2015, Cruz did more than any other Republican to validate the reality-TV star as a true conservative … Cruz, the most well-funded conservative, stuck to his hug-Trump strategy until just a few days before the Iowa caucuses. At the CBS debate, [he] tried desperately to undo that damage, and his attempt to unmask Trump as a closet liberal led to the most fiery exchange of the evening. And now there is a new accelerant to the Cruz–Bush campaign to turn Trump into a liberal: Antonin Scalia’s death. For many ideological conservatives, the makeup of the Supreme Court is the most important issue in America … [and] the success of Cruz’s campaign may depend on that fight.” -- New York Times, “A Leisurely Return for the New York State Legislature,” by Jesse McKinley: “Last week, [New York’s] 213 elected lawmakers — or as many who were able to attend — gathered for a couple of hours, passed a few minor bills and some well-meaning resolutions, and then formally adjourned for a 14-day winter break, officially ending their workweek. The time was 1:32 p.m. On a Tuesday. Two months after the corruption convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean G. Skelos, the former leaders of the State Assembly and Senate … that sense of urgency has seemingly dissipated, unable to penetrate the intractable culture of Albany: The 2016 Legislature has yet to offer any new bills related to ethics reform, and the leaders have been noncommittal on a raft of proposals made by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The state’s lawmakers have responded with a leisurely return to well-established habits, marked by two-day weeks in the capital, six-minute floor sessions and a collection of one-house bills with little or no chance of becoming law.” -- At the White House: President Obama is still in California, where he'll meet with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Rancho Mirage throughout the day. -- On the campaign trail: Bernie Sanders is in Ypsilanti and Dearborn, Mich., while John Kasich stops in Allendale, East Lansing and Utica. Hillary Clinton is in Elko and Reno, Nevada. The rest of the field is in South Carolina. Here's the rundown: NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.: -- I guess this is what they call a “wintry mix”? “After an overnight burst, snow may be slow to get going early on, but should pick up by mid-morning,” the Capital Weather Gang forecasts. “During the course of the afternoon, snow likely changes to sleet and freezing rain from south to north. Temperatures remain below freezing keeping those untreated surfaces very slick. Highs range from 25-30.” INTRIGUE: Vince Gray is running against the woman he anointed to succeed him on the D.C. Council. “His former protege insists she is not retreating,” Paul Schwartzman reports. “Yvette Alexander, in an interview, accused Gray of challenging her as a first step toward a 2018 mayoral bid that would avenge his loss to Muriel E. Bowser in the 2014 Democratic primary. ‘He’s just trying to get his foot in the door,’ Alexander said. ‘If Vince Gray is honest about it, he would tell the truth and say, ‘I want to run for mayor. I want to get revenge.’ That’s who he is, and Ward 7 knows it.’" She also suggested that he didn’t get indicted because he “had a very good attorney.” Gray spokesman Chuck Thies fired back: “Vince doesn’t feel that she has grown in the job. When you’ve been there for eight years and you’re not an influential council member, it’s time for you to go. At this point, Yvette is just taking up space. That’s not Vince’s fault.” -- A year-long study of Alexandria's historic buildings revealed that many need immediate – and expensive-- renovations that could cost the city hundreds of millions. (Patricia Sullivan) -- Prince William County supervisors have given up on their efforts to reduce concealed-carry permit fees after the measure failed in a recent vote. (Jonathan Hunley) -- Parents in Southeast Washington have begun interviewing teachers for a new charter school, Rocketship, which is set to open next year in Ward 8. The D.C. Public Charter School Board voted in 2013 to allow the California-based charter operator to open as many as eight schools in the District. (Perry Stein) Bill Clinton seemed to downplay Obama's status as the first black president, saying "we're all mixed race people": In an old clip, Elena Kagan talks about hunting with Scalia: Campaign chairman John Podesta called this voter-generated video about Hillary "awesome": Watch a polar bear at the Toronto Zoo see snow for the first time!

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After F.B.I.’s Inquiry Into Omar Mateen, a Focus on What Else Could Be Done - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Every day, in F. B. I. offices around the country, agents leaf through classified counterterrorism documents on American citizens one last time. They reread informant reports and review surveillance logs. And then they close the case and walk away. It is a weighty decision, one that supervisors closely review. But with up to 10, 000 F. B. I. terrorism investigations open at any given time, there is little time for . The nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. in which a gunman killed 49 people, has brought unusual attention to a seemingly mundane process. For 10 months, F. B. I. agents investigated the gunman, Omar Mateen, but closed the investigation after following a standard checklist. F. B. I. supervisors approved the decision. Managers in Washington, who can reverse any decision to close a case, were notified. Officials said there was nothing particularly remarkable about the decision — until Sunday’s predawn shooting. On Tuesday, the F. B. I. was scrutinizing Mr. Mateen’s computer use, trying to learn how much his wife knew before the attack. Attorney General Loretta Lynch pledged a thorough investigation that would also address “if there are lessons we can learn to prevent another tragedy. ” But perhaps the biggest question raised by this episode — as it was after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 and the shooting in Garland, Tex. last year — is why the perpetrator’s behavior was alarming enough to attract the F. B. I. ’s attention, but could not be stopped. The answer is in part a reflection of American vigilance in the era of “see something, say something. ” Tens of thousands of counterterrorism tips flow to the F. B. I. each year. Some are legitimate. Others come from vengeful or people casting suspicion on . Thousands of investigations are opened and closed. Right now, law enforcement officials say, the F. B. I. is investigating 1, 000 potential “homegrown violent extremists,” the majority of whom are most likely tied to or inspired by the Islamic State. Fifty to 100 are considered the highest priority. The flood of leads is so relentless that, years ago, counterterrorism agents hung an section of fire hose outside their office suite in Northern Virginia as a symbol of their mission. Intelligence agencies in Europe and the Middle East face similar challenges, particularly with the rise of the Islamic State. But in the United States, Americans enjoy the unique protections of the First and Second Amendments. Criticizing, or even hating, the American government is not a crime. Neither is declaring support for the Islamic State or buying a gun. The number of agents working on terrorism cases is classified and changes with the threat, but across the country it amounts to several thousand, along with countless analysts. Sorting out angry Americans talking tough from terrorists is among their biggest challenges. In Mr. Mateen’s case, said in 2013 that he had boasted of ties to the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Al Qaeda. The remarks prompted the local sheriff to request his removal from the St. Lucie County Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla. where he worked as a security guard. The security contractor transferred him to work at a residential golfing community, and the sheriff alerted the F. B. I. Government officials said his claim had been dubious from the beginning. Hezbollah is a Shiite group Al Qaeda is Sunni. But agents opened what is known as a preliminary investigation. They secretly followed him and monitored his movements. They interviewed him twice, and dispatched an informant to get close to him in an investigation that spanned nearly a year. “I think the F. B. I. has an incredibly hard job, because this guy seems like a lone wolf,” said Caroline Fredrickson, the president of the American Constitution Society, a frequent critic of the agency. “He was an American citizen born in the United States. Law enforcement has been working its butt off to figure out what else could be done. ” This dilemma is not new, but it has become more acute in recent years. For years after the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the F. B. I. used Al Qaeda’s rigid hierarchy against the terrorist group. Government experts knew how plots were hatched and who approved them. They knew the terrorism pedigree of the key figures, and monitored travel to watch for people training in camps. Today, the Islamic State encourages anyone to take up arms in its name. Travel and training are unnecessary. Veteran counterterrorism agents ruefully note that the difference between America’s latest school shooting and its latest terrorist attack is whether the gunman praised the Islamic State — regardless of whether he had any actual ties to the group. Preventing those attacks is a fundamentally different mission, said James W. McJunkin, a former senior F. B. I. official who oversaw terrorism cases for years during Al Qaeda’s heyday. “It’s the counterterrorism equivalent of ‘How do you prevent someone from robbing a liquor store? ’” he said. After receiving a briefing Tuesday from investigators, Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, said Mr. Mateen appeared to have been motivated by a mixture of violent radicalization and hatred for gays and lesbians. “The picture is filling in, though there are still a lot of unanswered questions,” he said. Among those questions is whether Mr. Mateen’s wife knew about his plans. His wife, Noor Zahi Salman, told the F. B. I. that she had driven him to the Pulse nightclub at some point before the attack and that she had been with him when he bought ammunition, a senior law enforcement official said. She said she had tried to talk him out of waging an attack, the official said. Her statements were first reported by NBC News. “There’s an indication that she was with him in certain parts of the process, and we’re sorting through it,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is at an early stage. “We don’t know what’s true and what’s not. ” Ms. Salman is not in custody, the official said. While a person who withholds knowledge of a crime could face criminal charges, she is not facing imminent arrest, and no decisions have been made on whether she might be prosecuted, the official said. Neighbors of Ms. Salman’s parents in Rodeo, Calif, who are of Palestinian descent, said she had grown up in a Muslim household. She and her sisters were not allowed to drive, they said. They said they understood Mr. Mateen to be a controlling husband who frequently forbade his wife to visit her family. As the F. B. I. pieces together details of Mr. Mateen’s life, lawmakers and lobbyists are already questioning whether the authorities missed any leads. Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Obama administration officials demanding information about Mr. Mateen, his family and the dates he was on a terrorism watch list. James B. Comey, the F. B. I. director, has said Mr. Mateen was on a watch list during his investigation. Once it was closed, he was removed from the list, as is required. “We don’t keep people under investigation indefinitely,” he said. Even if Mr. Mateen had remained on the watch list, it would not have stopped him from buying a gun. Congress blocked an attempt last year to give the F. B. I. the power to block gun sales to people on terrorism watch lists. Had he been on a watch list, however, agents would have been alerted to the gun sale. “Certainly in retrospect in this case we would have liked to have known about it,” Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates said. She said the Justice Department would consider a new policy in which the F. B. I. is alerted on gun sales to people who were previously under investigation for terrorism. The National Rifle Association moved quickly to quash discussion of new gun policies. In a piece for USA Today, Chris W. Cox, the group’s executive director, blamed the federal authorities for not doing more to stop Mr. Mateen. “His former reported violent and racist comments,” Mr. Cox wrote. “Unfortunately, the Obama administration’s political correctness prevented anything from being done about it. ”

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HOLLYWOOD LIBS CREATE INSANE PROPAGANDA VIDEO FOR OBAMA: Warning Iran Will Bomb Us With Nukes If Congress Blocks Obama’s Deal,”Like a really dark unpleasant death toast”

Hmmm .If we didn t know better, we d almost think Obama and Valerie Jarrett had a hand in writing this whacked out script. Don t let some hot-headed member of Congress screw this up. ???This propaganda piece was clearly created for the low information voter A group of celebrities and public figures have come together in a new video to get behind the Obama administration s nuclear deal with Iran, urging the public not to let Congress sabotage the agreement.Actors Morgan Freeman and Jack Black joined forces with Queen Noor of Jordan and former US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Pickering to suggest that the result of the Iran deal falling through would have dangerous consequences.The video was produced by Global Zero, a non-profit organization with the stated mission of the elimination of all nuclear weapons. It would be like a really dark unpleasant cloud of death, Black says, referring to the possibility of a nuclear attack on the United States in a tongue-in-cheek manner.Queen Noor makes it clear that paranoia about Armageddon isn t what they are selling, though. We re not actually worried about Iran dropping a nuclear weapon on the United States, she says. It is true that if Congress sabotages this deal, there would be nothing stopping Iran from getting the bomb, Pickering adds. That would likely spark an arms race throughout the region. Ultimately, we could be forced into a war with Iran, another dangerous, drawn-out and expensive conflict in the Middle East with many lives lost, says Freeman.Meanwhile, Natasha Lyonne from the popular Orange is the New Black TV show chimes in with: Don t let some hot-headed member of Congress screw this up. Via: RT Since they were nice enough to give you Congress phone number, we re going to do the same: 877-630-4032. We re going to ask that you make the call and DEMAND Congress STOPS Obama from making a reckless deal with Iran, a country who is still chanting Death to America! There s a reason we don t negotiate with terrorists and it s not because we don t want peace it s because we understand that a peaceful resolution can never be reached with people who only want to see your country wiped off the map

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The Breakaway Civilisation

by Mohsin Siddiqui for the Oceania Saker Blog The US elections much like the rest of our usual daily consumption of Mass Media are more about stage managed theatre with bucket loads of Americanism, a seasoning of hyperbole and most certainly reality-free. The constant barrage of infotainment from the indispensable nation, the exceptional nation and the benign super power tells us of a distinct desire to consume information reality-free. This informational GMO has permeated every facet of our existence and has infected the minds of billions around the world. It can be ridiculed, seen as inferior or even unsustainable. But do understand that it is the food for the liberal soul and it is a formidable force to be reckoned with. Human beings drive the vast bulk of their understanding of the world through information either delivered directly via consumable media or indirectly via peer impressions, religion, anecdotes, fables and cultural norms. All of it ultimately centres on the flow of information which is a commodity that has been designed, refined, repackaged and is continually ‘improved’. Most of us underestimate the true awesome power of mass media, we read the statistics, the concentration of power and observe the echo chamber yet we still need to let it all sink in to truly grasp what it means. Mass media is the encapsulation of the spectrum of information; From magazine to sports to history to business to politics, it is driven by a seamless thread of a philosophy guiding the ego & soul towards an atomised individualistic view of the world. It is an echo chamber that has not seen its parallel before on this planet, an organ to shape reality for the billions. A human being is a hodge-podge of history, culture, religion, philosophy, geography, epigenetics and a host of many more layers of information. Mass Media is the flute that organises this cacophony into a melody, and just like that a marionette of the modern man is born. Resistance to the pied piper is possible but requires one to leave that womb of comfort that the information matrix provides with its legions of followers; That feeling of belonging, of being understood, of being ‘right’ and of being good. The strength can only come from reality but in our upside down world many are malnourished on the diet of GM information and it is not a problem for only Americans – who are severely affected – but instead it is a global phenomenon. Successful entrepreneurs, businessmen, academics, financial experts, journalists, neighbours, friends, brothers, sisters and parents can all be entangled in the web of the information matrix. Many of us have been at pains to explain the conflicts in Syria, Libya, Iraq, Ukraine and Yemen to our colleagues and friends but it is as if the words fall on deaf ears. The cognitive dissonance is heavy and the Teflon like value-matrix – a product of pre-packaged popularly accepted globalised values- lets all facts, figures and evidence that we present slip off. It is about the first woman president elect and not her war crimes, it is about the opposing camp saying that a racist, misogynist bigot is worse than a psychopathic mass murderer. It is inverted reality. It is full on dystopia. Where do you begin to explain that elections are for the most part mere stage managed theatre? That the USA is an Empire of 1,000 military bases and not a country? That Obama the peace maker has incinerated civilians in 7 countries with impunity? That Hillary’s black lives did not matter for whole black Libyan towns that were extinguished? That President Asad’s Syria is LGBTQ friendly and the “Syrian revolution” that never was is the opposite? Or that it simply is not about personality politics, gay rights and black lives but is about a class struggle? Moreover, how do you abstract further and talk about Imperialism with a populace that thinks that protesting with Soros funds -to the benefit of the imperial war machine- is inline with being a Communist/Marxist movement? How do you explain Imperialism when King Leopold II has his bust on display with a higher tally than that of Hitler? A chasm in time it is and it is widening. I have been speaking to friends of the past 20 years trying to give my view of what I feel is missing in the discourse; Class struggle, how mass media works, what colour revolutions are, what imperialism is and how we ought to abandon personality politics. Our biggest obstacle is personality politics, and we are seen through that lens as arrogant bastards trying to educate Ivy League graduates, hedge fund managers, educated graduates and Silicon Valley success stories. How can we, the deplorable, know anything anyway? After a recent exchange, a Rhodes Scholar quipped: “To put it succinctly, you are saying Trump is good for Russia. I think we kind of get that”. I did not know what to say, the Teflon value matrix had won again. Plato’s democratic man guards the citadel of his soul with vengeance. Another highly educated and decorated researcher at a prestigious Ivy League university said “… under Obama our economy bounced back, unemployment went down, we didn’t start any major new wars” and ended his raving review by stating “Obama did a great job.” The painful part is coming to terms with a colonized mind; These educated men and women are the crème de la crème of their imperialism ravaged countries, the ones who proverbially “made it”. Their world makes sense to them, the Mass Media might have shamed itself in our eyes and the veil might have been lifted for us. But for them their convictions have only strengthened and they have been wronged by the basket of deplorables. Mohsin Siddiqui

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Jenna Bush Hager and Michael Keaton Flub Movie Title at Golden Globes - The New York Times

Let’s just be very clear about this: There is no movie called “Hidden Fences. ” But you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise after watching the Golden Globes, after the nonexistent movie was mentioned twice. The first time was definitely a mistake. The second time is not so clear. First, NBC’s Jenna Bush Hager, taking her first turn at Golden Globes reporting, presumably meant to ask Pharrell Williams about his best original score nomination for “Hidden Figures,” a movie about three black women who would play crucial roles in the American space program. Surely she didn’t mean to ask him about “Fences,” a similarly renowned film starring Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. Mr. Williams had no involvement in that. But: Mr. Williams’s reaction, in which he appeared to be doing his best to hold back whatever he badly wished to say, was impressive in its restraint. Unsurprisingly, the immediate reaction on Twitter was less restrained. “So Jenna Bush is just merging all of the black movies tonight at the #GoldenGlobes, huh?” one user asked. “Pharrell’s face just held hundreds of years of whitewashing resolve,” another said. Others had fun in similarly inventing new movie titles. That seemed to be the end of things, but for some reason, Michael Keaton also referred to “Hidden Fences” when listing the nominees for best supporting actress in a motion picture. Since the camera was focused on the actresses, it’s unclear if Mr. Keaton said it with a wink and a nod.

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NBC PUTS VIEWERS Out Of Their Misery…Cancels Disastrous MEGYN KELLY Show

The initial run of Megyn Kelly s Sunday newsmagazine show will reportedly be taken off the air at least two episodes earlier than scheduled because of her disastrous ratings. Last week, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly set another viewership low with just 2.71 million total viewers. In the last three weeks, her show has failed to beat the years-old Dateline rerun the network ran in her show s time slot when Kelly took a week off during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.According to the New York Post, Kelly s ratings-challenged Sunday show was announced as a limited run that would return after the football season. The network was reportedly angling for at least ten episodes but apparently decided to end Kelly s misery after eight episodes as Kelly s downward spiral in the ratings did not stop.An NBC spinmeister claimed that Kelly s show was going off the air after this week s show because she needs to be freed up to focus on her morning show. Translation: Kelly needs to do all she can to not ruin NBC s crown jewel Today franchise. Network executives, who reportedly have been freaking out about Kelly s poor ratings, are probably praying that Kelly simply does no more harm than she has already done in her short time at the network. Breitbart News

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Cuban dissidents in electoral challenge as Castro era nears end

HAVANA (Reuters) - Opponents of the Cuban government are putting forward an unprecedented number of candidates for municipal elections in late October, the first step in a process to select a new president after nearly 60 years of the Castro brothers rule. The electoral cycle comes at a tricky time for the Caribbean nation as the Castros revolutionary generation dies off, an economic reform program appears stalled, aid from key ally Venezuela shrinks, and the Trump administration threatens. The municipal vote, the only part of the electoral process with direct participation by ordinary Cubans, is expected to attract 35,000 candidates for the island s 168 municipal assemblies. It will be followed by provincial and national assembly elections in which candidates are selected from slates by commissions. The new national assembly will in late February select a successor to President Raul Castro, 86, who has announced he will step aside after two terms. Raul, younger brother and successor to Fidel Castro who died in November, will retain a grip on power as head of the Communist Party, the only legal party in Cuba. The elections are being cast in state-run media as a show of support for the Castros 1959 revolution rather than an opportunity to debate the pressing issues. Campaigning is prohibited and candidates for the 12,515 ward delegate positions are nominated at neighborhood meetings based on their personal merits, not policy positions. They need not belong to the Communist Party and many candidates are independents but only few government opponents have ever competed. During the last election, the three dissidents nominated lost at the polls. This year, however, one coalition of opposition groups, Otro18 (Other18), says it is running more than 160 candidates in the municipal elections, demanding electoral reform and government transparency. This is unheard of, said Boris Gonzalez, 41, one of the aspiring Otro18 candidates, explaining they wanted to challenge the Communist Party from within the system. Otro18 spokesman Manuel Cuesta Morua said in an interview that its candidates had faced harassment and threats by state security forces for months and had been warned not to participate. The government has not responded to these accusations. The Communist Party says it does not intervene in the elections, but a video circulating on social media of First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Raul Castro s probable successor, suggested otherwise. There are six initiatives for the 2018 elections that seek to propose counter-revolutionaries as candidates, Diaz-Canel told Communist Party cadres in the video. We are taking steps to discredit all that. In this battle, which we are already fighting, we are going to be involved in this whole process in the second half of the year, he said. The government has not commented on the video. Cuba brands all dissenters as mercenaries funded by foreign governments and exiles, out to topple the government. Even if a few dissident candidates beat the odds and are elected to municipal assemblies, they have little chance of getting any further. The candidates for the provincial and national assemblies are nominated by commissions composed of representatives of Communist Party-controlled organizations such as the trade union federation and Committees in Defense of the Revolution. The slates have had the same number of names as seats in previous elections. Up to 50 percent of those names must be ward delegates. After the general election, the assemblies elect their respective executives and on Feb. 24 the new National Assembly is scheduled to name a new president and other members of the Council of State. I have never voted for anyone important, not even our president, said retired air force mechanic and staunch Castro-supporter Eduardo, who requested his last name not be used. I can only vote for my neighborhood representative and they never go anywhere, he said, but I still think it s a better system than one based on money and lies.

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WOW! LEGAL HISPANIC AMERICAN IMMIGRANT Unloads On Racist Hillary Supporters: “Liberals Are Desperate Because They Know They’re Gonna Lose” [VIDEO]

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Cruz & Kasich Quit: Trump Crushes Elite Establishment, #DropOutHillary Now Trending

21st Century Wire says The field is now clear for Trump to become the GOP presidential nominee.Watch a video of this report here:Ted Cruz and John Kasich have both now bowed out of the presidential race, leaving Donald Trump as the last Republican candidate standing.The two failing candidates made their decision after Trump swept to victory in Indiana last night.Dr. Inderjeet Parmar, Head of the Department of International Politics at City University London, says that, it has exposed a deeply divided Republican party whose leadership has lost all credibility and whose conservative philosophy, which it has held dear since 1980, is in tatters. It is, indeed, the elite leadership of both political parties that appears to have provoked this realignment in US politics towards outsiders and those not embroiled in what many see as a corrupt and broken system.Bernie Sanders, the Democratic outsider, also shocked the world with a victory over Hillary Clinton last night.Just two weeks ago Cruz and Kasich were publicising that they had made a deal to stop Trump, yet even their combined efforts were useless.Yesterday, a Rasmussen poll emerged showing that Donald Trump can indeed beat Hillary Clinton at the general election, and that scenario is looking ever more likely with the political establishment in such dramatic retreat.It is possible that Bernie voters will not support Hillary in the general election, and in many ways their anti-establishment position gels much better with the politics of Trump than it does with Wall Street insider Clinton.Immediately after Kasich s announcement today, #DropOutHillary began trending on Twitter. At the time of writing it is the number two trending hashtag in the US with 102,000 tweets.With such an immediate response taking aim at another establishment figure, the chances of Trump, or perhaps even Sanders, taking the presidency seem higher than ever.GET THE FULL STORY ON THE ELECTION: 21st Century Wire 2016 Election Files

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Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield is Shielding What? | New Eastern Outlook

Country: Syria Turkey, in a bid to legitimize its uninvited, illegal incursion into northern Syria, has created several media platforms specifically reporting on what it calls “Operation Euphrates Shield.” Operation Euphrates Shield, according to official Turkish government statements, aims at “securing” a buffer zone in northern Syria spanning from the Euphrates river in the east and extending all the way to Azaz in the west. This is also coincidentally the exact same buffer zone US policy think tanks have called for since at least 2012 – specifically seeking Turkey to implement it. The Brookings Institution – a corporate-funded policy think-tank whose policymakers have helped craft upper-level strategy for the Iraqi, Afghan, Libyan, and now Syrian conflicts as well as plans laid for future confrontations with Iran and beyond – has been explicit regarding the true nature of these “buffer zones.” In a 2015 paper titled, “ Deconstructing Syria: A new strategy for America’s most hopeless war ,” it states: …the idea would be to help moderate elements establish reliable safe zones within Syria once they were able. American, as well as Saudi and Turkish and British and Jordanian and other Arab forces would act in support, not only from the air but eventually on the ground via special forces. The paper goes on by explaining (emphasis added) : The end-game for these zones would not have to be determined in advance. The interim goal might be a confederal Syria, with several highly autonomous zones and a modest (eventual) national government. The confederation would likely require support from an international peacekeeping force, if this arrangement could ever be formalized by accord. But in the short term, the ambitions would be lower—to make these zones defensible and governable, to help provide relief for populations within them, and to train and equip more recruits so that the zones could be stabilized and then gradually expanded. Despite claims that Turkey’s actions are necessary to “stop” the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” (ISIS) and help end the deadly conflict raging in Syria, it is clear that instead, Turkey is carving out territory specifically to shelter militants fighting the Syrian government in an attempt to perpetuate, even expand the violence for as long and as extensively as possible. Joint operations between Washington and Ankara in Manbji, a well-known waypoint for Islamic State fighters, weapons and equipment coming from Turkey bound for Raqqa, would effectively open “a second front” in the ongoing fight to drive the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, from Syria’s borders, [Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu] said. It was Turkey’s own foreign minister who was quoted by the Washington Times in an article written just before Turkey embarked on its invasion titled, “ Turkey offers joint ops with U.S. forces in Syria, wants Kurds cut out ,” admitting that ISIS was being supplied and reinforced specifically from within Turkish territory. The article stated (emphasis added): It is thus abundantly clear that ISIS sprung into being and has since sustained itself through extensive state sponsorship – sponsorship that has flowed freely over Syria’s borders with Turkey and Jordan. Any genuine attempt to cripple the source of ISIS’ fighting capacity would require securing the Turkish and Jordanian borders with Syria, not invading Syria itself. As ISIS Disappears, Militants Magically Multiply Operation Euphrates Shield can be followed on popular social media platforms, including Twitter. Turkish officials regularly post self-incriminating updates regarding their activities within Syrian territory. On October 21, the operation’s official Twitter account claimed : Turkish Army-backed FSA has tripled number of its soldiers thanks to its achievements against terrorist organizations. However, this claim is highly problematic. The process of crossing a battlefield successfully alone does not “increase” the number of soldiers fighting in one’s army unless militants an army is engaged against are recruited into the advancing force. “Liberated” civilians would not be able to simply “join” Turkish-backed militant groups. A responsible military commander knows that incorporating untrained civilians into a military force without at least 1-3 months of basic training creates more disadvantages and dangers than any benefits gained from “tripling” the size of one’s force. Additionally, men of fighting age found on the battlefield in areas Turkish-backed troops are advancing through must be vetted to ensure they have no ties to terrorist organizations including ISIS – yet Turkey’s government has not given any details on how these “new fighters” are being either vetted or trained. In other words, it simply seems as if Turkey is attempting to explain why – within the buffer zone it is creating – numbers of militants are swelling without admitting that the entire purpose of the buffer zone in the first place is and always was to provide a sanctuary for Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other extremist forces inside Syria just as Turkey has provided them sanctuary in Turkey for the last 5 years. Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield is indeed a shield wielded by Turkey and its US partners. But it is a shield lifted up not in defense of the Syrian people or the Turkish state itself, but instead brought to face those forces decisively defeating Al Qaeda and ISIS deeper within Syria and poised to push remaining militants out of Syria, permanently. With the establishment of a Turkish occupied buffer zone – as imagined by US policy makers who crafted this operation for Turkey long ago – it will now be exceedingly difficult to eradicate remaining militants at the edge of Syrian territory after they are defeated and driven out of the nation’s interior. Indeed Turkey is shielding a region west of the Euphrates, not from terrorists, but to protect them. Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook” . Popular Articles

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Geoengineering Watch Global Alert News, November 12, 2016 » Geoengineering Watch Global Alert News, November 12, 2016 | Geoengineering Watch

My 138th email to my contact list, titled: 'Dramatic Global Sea Ice Collapse'. 1. Is my E Year of 2024 (suggested just 2 weeks ago) a tad optimistic?: a. Dramatic drop in Global Sea Ice Area: https://sites.google.com/site/arctischepinguin/home/sea-ice-extent-area/grf/nsidc_global_area_byyear_b.png The data has been checked and seems to be fairly accurate/representative. The Global Sea Ice Extent graph is very similar. b. The Arctic Ocean heatwave continues to worsen next week with huge areas having surface air temperatures at or above 0ºC. The apparent increase in Arctic sea ice area is offset by the melting of the underwater ice by warm sea water. Salt sea water freezes naturally at minus 1.8ºC. c. There appears to be scheduled a massive effort next week to atmospherically spray the Siberian area to endothermically cool the air. Perhaps the methane emission from permafrost are causing concern – recent methane peaks reported @ 2633pbb at @ 20,000ft. d. Torstein Viddal's Nov 10 graph of Arctic Sea Ice Annual Average Extent states that, if sustained, the first ice free 365 days would commence in May 2023. e. The first Arctic "Blue Ocean Event" (of more than just a few days) will highly likely happen in 2017…then what?… well, listen several times to Schneller Als Gedacht (Faster Than Expected): http://xwer.de/en/sag-008-blue-ocean-event Why is Arctic Ice and methane so important? Arctic sea water is heating @ 4 times faster than the rest of the world's sea water and the northern hemisphere is currently heating faster than the southern hemisphere; 90% of the world's population and food production is in the northern hemisphere. f. Watch Paul Beckwith's informative "Arctic Sea Ice Regrowth is Eff'ed" parts 1 and 2: https://paulbeckwith.net When I first heard 'In the Year 2525' by Zager and Evans in 1969, I used to say "At least I won't be around when all that happens": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQB2-Kmiic I now think I will be, and that we have already reached their year 9595…schneller als gedacht! 2. A glimpse into some of the foreign militants in Syria: http://www.globalresearch.ca/erdogans-al-qaeda-mercenary-army-of-uyyghur-chinese-jihadists-dispatched-to-syria/5555297 Erdogan is playing a very dangerous game with Russia/Syria/Iran/China and US/NATO/Saudi, and is now threatening to allow 3 million refugees into Europe if he/Turkey does not receive further EU payments (which Turkey has not actually joined yet). 3. "…The earth has received the embrace of the sun, and soon we shall see the results of that love. Every seed is awakened and so has all animal life. It is through this mysterious power that we too have our being, and we therefore yield to our neighbours, even our animal neighbours the same right as ourselves – to inhabit this land" Sitting Bull. "Humans have the power to make earth a place of peace, humanity and fraternity. It simply depends on everyone" Anon. "Waste no more time talking about great souls and how they should be. Become one yourself." Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180). I thought Dane Wigington of http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org and a few others would like that one..!

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OBAMA DANCES At Last-Ever White House Gig To Drake’s “Hotline Bling” [Video]

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Irish PM says progress being made in Brexit border talks

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Progress is being made in talks between Britain and the EU on how to avoid setting up a physical infrastructure on Northern Ireland s border after the United Kingdom leaves the EU in 2019, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday. I think it is fair to say that progress is being made but not that is sufficient at this stage, Varadkar told parliament. We are not at a decision point at the moment. Things are changing on a daily basis and are rapidly evolving, he said. The EU has named the border as one of three issues on which sufficient progress must be made in order to allow progress to talks on a future trade agreement with Britain, crucial for British businesses.

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TREY GOWDY ON SPYING ON AMERICAN CITIZENS…Like President Trump! [Video]

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Senate intel panel to seek testimony from Trump Jr.: Senate source

(Reuters) - The U.S. Senate’s intelligence committee is seeking documents from Donald Trump Jr. and intends to call on him to testify before lawmakers, a Senate source told Reuters on Tuesday after Trump Jr. released an email chain citing Russian support for his father before last year’s U.S. election. The source said there is no date set yet to hear testimony from U.S. President Donald Trump’s eldest son, and that the committee is in the process of sending Trump Jr. its request for information.

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The White House Sets Palin Straight — Her Bad Parenting Isn’t Obama’s Fault (VIDEO)

Sarah Palin is an idiot. While this has been commonly accepted ever since she slinked out of her slime pit and emerged on the political scene, Palin recently managed to be so utterly stupid that it prompted an official White House response. After Palin s son Track drunkenly beat his girlfriend and made threats with a semiautomatic weapon, Caribou Barbie did the only thing she knows how to do: she blamed that socialist Communist Muslim atheist fascist dictator Barack Obama.Sure, the half-term, half-wit former Governor of Alaska could have had a moment of self-reflection, questioning her role as a parent and what she did wrong in failing to instill proper values in her precious little snowflake. She could have spoken out against domestic violence in general, and pointed out that it is an issue that faces many families, including hers. She could have said nothing at all. Instead, she told a crowd at a Donald Trump rally that Obama gave her son PTSD when he served in Iraq for a single year under Bush, and blamed Track s violent tendencies the President s blatant attempt to deprive veterans of medical and psychological treatment (failing to mention that it was actually Republicans who slashed the budget for veterans care): I can talk personally about this, I guess it s kind of the elephant in the room. My son like so many others, they come back a bit different, they come back hardened, they come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airmen and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country. And that starts from the top. It s a shame that our military personnel even have to wonder, if they have to question, if they re respected anymore. It starts from the top. The question though that comes from our own president where they have to look at him and wonder, do you know what we go through? Do you know what we re trying to do to secure America and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us? I can certainly relate with other families who kind of feel these ramifications of some PTSD and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with, Palin said. And it makes me realize more than ever it is now or never for the sake of Americas finest that we have that commander in chief that will respect them and honor them. Earnest said that while it s easy to mock Palin really easy the topics she discussed are not a joke: The reaction of some people I think is to make light of some of the rhetoric that we see on the campaign trail, particularly from Gov. Palin. But the fact is domestic violence is not a joke. Gun violence is not a joke. Problems with addiction are not a joke. The consequences, or I should say, the sacrifices that many of our men and women in uniform make for our safety and security are not a joke. We take [those issues] very seriously and there are many communities and families that are dealing with these very difficult challenges in a way that is sometimes difficult to talk about publicly, he said.Classy something one would never expect from someone who would fling herself on top of a dogpile in a drunken brawl her family started at someone s birthday party.Watch Earnest eloquently destroy her below:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHuDTaEGJ2s&w=560&h=315]Featured image via screengrab (1,2)

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Senior Republican proposes more oversight of foreign lobbying

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, proposed a bill on Tuesday to overhaul disclosure rules regarding anyone working on behalf of a foreign government, a law that has received renewed attention after Paul Manafort was indicted for violating it. The proposed legislation, called the Disclosing Foreign Influence Act, would close loopholes in the Foreign Agents Registration Act and require the Department of Justice to develop a strategy for enforcing the law, the Republican senator said in a statement. Manafort, a longtime Republican operative who briefly served as Donald Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, and his business associate Rick Gates, pleaded not guilty on Monday to a 12-count indictment that contained charges ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine’s former pro-Russian government. The current law, known as FARA, requires persons acting on behalf of a foreign government or political party to disclose to the Department of Justice their work as well as public communications taken on behalf of that client. Critics have argued the reporting requirements for FARA are unclear and contains loopholes that allow American lobbyists to avoid disclosure of their foreign clients. “Congress passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act to prevent inappropriate influence in domestic policy, but my oversight work has uncovered rampant disregard by foreign agents and lackluster enforcement by federal authorities,” Grassley said in a statement. The proposed law would clarify who is required to register, improve investigative tools, including granting authority for the Justice Department to pursue civil charges, and create new reporting requirements. FARA was first passed in 1938 in the lead up to World War II in an effort to combat German propaganda efforts and was later amended in 1966 to include lobbyists, according to the Department of Justice. As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley is empowered to see that the bill quickly receives a hearing and a vote.

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OBAMA INVITES David Letterman, Will Ferrell And Other Leftist Celebrities To Extravagant Nordic State Dinner For Purpose Of Sending “Strong Message” To Putin

In typical Obama fashion, the extravagant tax-payer funded Nordic state dinner looked more like an after-party for the Academy Awards than a state function. How is anyone supposed to take this ass-clown seriously when he has turned our White House into a playground for the who s who in the Hollywood Communist party? But then again, nothing Obama does is for the good of our country, it always has been, and will continue to be, all about him until he and his sorry excuse for a family exit the White House. I m sure the sight of pop singer Demi Lovato and comedian Aziz Ansar with Nordic leaders at the White House left Putin shaking in his boots President Obama and the First Lady have welcomed five Nordic leaders to the White House for a lavish state dinner after earlier putting on a show of unity against Vladimir Putin s recent military aggression in the Baltics.The Obamas first welcomed Icelandic Prime Minister Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson who has only been in charge of his country for a month and his wife Ingibjorg Elsa Ingjaldsdottir as they arrived at the North Portico of the White House.They were swiftly followed by the prime ministers of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, who were also invited to the unusual if a little crowded meeting.The dinner will send a strong statement to Russia, who the five heads of state earlier slammed for its military buildup including the buzzing of a U.S. warship near Kaliningrad as they called for economic sanctions against Moscow to be maintained.Here s a peak into the Academy Awards after party Nordic State dinner. True to our divisive President s nature, there wasn t a single Republican invited to the affair.More than 300 guests including actor Will Ferrell, David Letterman and former NBA star Alonzo Mourning were invited to the dinner.Ferrell, who attended the dinner with his Swedish wife, Vivica Paulin, said it was his first time at the White House. I hope we don t do anything wrong, he joked.Also expected are Girls actress Allison Williams, Scandal star Bellamy Young, singer Janelle Monae and former Victoria s Secret model Miranda Kerr, as well as a smattering of Nordic celebrities. Several Democratic lawmakers were on the guest list, but no Republicans a possible sign that Obama s efforts to win over his political rivals are waning as the end of his presidency nears.Via: Daily Mail

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Peaceful, sincerely, with grace: Paris attacks commemorated with floating lanterns

‘I today.’ ‘I wrote in Arabic –‘The republic will never be down’. COURTESY: RT’s RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE – FOR LICENSING, PLEASE, CONTACT http://ruptly.tv RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RussiaToday Like Share the joy

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Trump Demands Queen Of Britain Pick Him Up In Gold-Plated Carriage, Organize Parade During Visit

Trump ran on fiscal responsibility, but has since made it clear that it doesn t apply to him.In yet another intentional embarrassment, details have leaked regarding Trump s demands for his upcoming state visit to England. They are petty and childish, and have infuriated much of England.Trump is said to have asked the Queen of England to pick him up in a gold-plated horse-drawn carriage and be given a parade as he makes his way to Buckingham Palace for an official visit.Donald Trump waving from the Queen s royal carriage is not a scenario many would have foreseen a year ago, but it has become a very real prospect, forcing security services to plan an unprecedented lockdown.The White House has made clear it regards the carriage procession down the Mall as an essential element of the itinerary for the visit currently planned for the second week of October, according to officials.This may be another petty attempt by Trump to appear better than his predecessor, President Obama. The former president had repeatedly told the English government that it was not expected to drive him around in a gold chariot, citing cost and security.Trump, who views appearances as everything, has a different perspective. Who would have thought?Their living room Trump tower. Gold leaf walls-that's normal pic.twitter.com/uZqPKRXg4Q Debra Kamin (@ubucky) July 30, 2016For the English government, Trump s request is said to be a financial, security and logistical nightmare. The Times again:One source said that Mr Trump s decision to opt for the carriage, rather than the bullet and bomb-proof car that was used by his predecessor presented a range of fresh headaches.The source said: The vehicle which carries the president of the United States is a spectacular vehicle. It is designed to withstand a massive attack like a low-level rocket grenade. If he s in that vehicle he is incredibly well protected and on top of that it can travel at enormous speed. If he is in a golden coach being dragged up the Mall by a couple of horses, the risk factor is dramatically increased. The result is that London will go into lockdown mode not seen since the Olympics. The crushing financial burden will, of course, be footed by the English taxpayer. Trump, who makes his Secret Service detail rent their own golf courses when he plays golf at his own course, is not expected to chip in any money.Trump s expectations to be treated as nobility is a further insult to the British people, 1.8 million of whom recently signed a petition asking that Trump be banned from the country entirely. At several times, Parliament has debated whether to forbid Trump from entering England due to his history of racism and sexism. During the fiesty debate, two British PMs got into a heated exchange which culminated in this epic zinger:Carmichael: Having offered a state visit [to Trump] this time, what will we offer the next time we want to get a favorable response? Salmond: The crown jewels. Sadly, watching Trump prance around London in gold, the joke doesn t seem like much of a joke any longer.Featured image via Stefan Wermuth WPA Pool/Getty Images

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History Professor Shuts Down Ted Cruz’s Lies About Supreme Court History With Facts

Ted Cruz is having a rough week, and now he just received a failing grade from a history professor.Ever since Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away on Saturday, Cruz has peddled the same lie over and over that it has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don t do this in an election year. It s an obvious attempt by Cruz and Republicans to keep President Obama from nominating a qualified individual that Senate Republicans would have to consider in confirmation hearings.As a former clerk for the Supreme Court, you would think that Ted Cruz would know the history of the high court, but he clearly doesn t make the grade.And history professor Mark Byrnes at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina agrees.In an article written for History News Network, Byrnes mercilessly fact-checked Cruz claim suggesting that it s an American tradition that the Senate does not confirm judicial nominees during an election year.Since Ted Cruz is always singing the praises of the Founding Fathers, Byrnes began by revealing that John Adams and George Washington both nominated Supreme Court Justices during their final months in office.According to Byrnes,In the final year of his presidency, George Washington had two nominations to the Supreme Court approved by the Senate. It was an election year and he was not running for reelection. It doesn t get more original intent than that.Adams case is even more relevant because he nominated John Marshall for Chief Justice in January 1801 after being defeated in the 1800 Election by Thomas Jefferson mere months before leaving office. Adams was a lame duck in the truest sense of the term he was serving out the remainder of his term after being repudiated by the voters. Yet he did not hesitate to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court, and Marshall was confirmed by a lame duck Senate, Byrnes wrote.Adams could easily have left the Supreme Court vacancy for Jefferson who had already been elected, after all, and would take office in a matter of weeks and didn t. That seems as clear as it could be. The founders saw no impediment to a president in the final year or even in the final weeks of the presidency successfully appointing new justices to the Supreme Court.Byrnes then tacked Cruz s claim about the last 80 years, and of course, Cruz fails history again as Byrnes absolutely laid waste the alternative history in the Texas Senator s head.The facts are pretty simple. In the last 80 years there has only been one instance in which a president was in a position to nominate a justice in an election year and did not have the nominee confirmed. In 1968, LBJ s nomination of Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice to succeed Earl Warren (and of Homer Thornberry to take the seat held by Fortas) was blocked in the Senate, but not because of some alleged tradition. Certainly there were Senators who wanted the next president to name a new justice. But the opposition to Fortas had everything to do with the specific nominee and specific objections to him (particularly charges of cronyism and inappropriate financial dealings). To the best of my knowledge, no one cited Cruz s tradition to say it was not appropriate for Johnson to nominate someone, or that it would have been inappropriate to confirm anyone.A second instance took place 28 years earlier. In 1940, FDR nominated Frank Murphy in January of that election year and he was confirmed that same month. There was no tradition blocking that election-year appointment. (This also shows that Cruz got the math wrong this happened 76 years ago, not 80.)So, there were two instances similar to the current situation in the last 80 years. In one case the nomination was rejected and in the other it wasn t. To Ted Cruz, this constitutes a long tradition that you don t do this. In conclusion, Byrnes blasted Republicans for being cowards by hiding behind this phony tradition, and rightfully so. President Obama is still the commander-in-chief no matter how much Republicans pretend that he isn t. And they have a constitutional duty to give any Obama nominee an up or down vote. Because anything less would betray everything the Founding Fathers stood for. Featured image: Flickr

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Crack in Earth’s magnetic shield detected

Crack in Earth’s magnetic shield detected 11/04/2016 DNA INDIA The world’s largest and most sensitive cosmic ray monitor, located in India, has recorded a burst of galactic cosmic rays that indicates a crack in the Earth’s magnetic shield, according to scientists. The burst occurred when a giant cloud of plasma ejected from the solar corona struck Earth at a very high speed causing massive compression of the Earth’s magnetosphere and triggering a severe geomagnetic storm. The GRAPES-3 muon telescope located at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research’s Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ooty in Tamil Nadu recorded a burst of galactic cosmic rays of about 20 GeV last year lasting for two hours. The burst occurred when a giant cloud of plasma ejected from the solar corona, and moving with a speed of about 2.5 million kilometres per hour struck our planet, causing a severe compression of Earth’s magnetosphere from 11 to 4 times the radius of Earth. It triggered a severe geomagnetic storm that generated aurora borealis and radio signal blackouts in many high latitude countries, according to the study published in the journal Physical Review Letters this week. Earth’s magnetosphere extends over a radius of a million kilometres, which acts as the first line of defence, shielding us from the continuous flow of solar and galactic cosmic rays, thus protecting life on our planet from these high intensity energetic radiations. Numerical simulations performed by the GRAPES-3 researchers, including Pravata K Mohanty, indicate that the Earth’s magnetic shield temporarily cracked due to the occurrence of magnetic reconnection, allowing the lower energy galactic cosmic ray particles to enter our atmosphere. Earth’s magnetic field bent these particles about 180 degree, from the day-side to the night-side of the Earth where it was detected as a burst by the GRAPES-3 muon telescope around mid-night on 22 June 2015. The data was analysed and interpreted through extensive simulation over several weeks by using the 1280-core computing farm that was built in-house by the GRAPES-3 team of physicists and engineers at the Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ooty. Solar storms can cause major disruption to human civilisation by crippling large electrical power grids, global positioning systems (GPS), satellite operations and communications.

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New York Road Runners to Extend Doping Tests to Lower-Tier Races - The New York Times

One of the nation’s largest road racing organizations plans to expand its testing for drugs to include the top runners in its local races, not just those in its events. For more than a decade, the organization, New York Road Runners, has tested elite runners in the New York City Marathon, its largest and race, and its other professional events. Runners found to have cheated are disqualified, and their prize money is withheld. Runners who previously tested positive for drugs are ineligible to run. The new effort, scheduled to begin in the spring of 2017, will test the top local and club runners — the tier below the level of professionals. It is part of the organization’s efforts to ensure a level playing field at more of its races while increasing awareness of the dangers of using drugs. “It’s meant for guys running up front in the local races,” said Peter Ciaccia, the president of events at New York Road Runners and the race director of the marathon, the largest in the country. “The idea is to just throw out a wider net. ” New York Road Runners already spends $100, 000 a year testing its professional runners. That money covers the cost of setting up secure areas to obtain samples and shipping them to laboratories to be analyzed, a process that takes about six weeks. The organization’s officials also monitor race results to see if any runners run noticeably faster over a short time. The group will spend another $100, 000 or so in the first year to expand its testing program. As it does with its professional runners, the organization will pay the United States Agency to randomly select a small group of top local runners to be tested at races. Road Runners awards about $130, 000 a year in prize money to members and club runners in its local races. Any runners in that category who test positive will forfeit their prize money. When they register for races, runners must sign waivers in which they agree to be tested, if chosen. Runners can appeal a positive test result. They can also apply for a exemption if they take medicine that may contain banned ingredients. Ciaccia said the decision to expand testing had not been driven by a specific instance of a runner’s being caught taking a banned substance. Instead, he said, his organization wants to alert runners of all ages to the dangers of drugs. “It’s not just about the brand integrity, but also the educational component so young kids understand what they might get themselves into,” he said. Antidoping experts applauded the effort. “It’s always worth extending the testing experience, that’s for sure,” said Dr. Don Catlin, the former director of the U. C. L. A. Olympic Analytical Laboratory. “There’s a limited number of tests done for events, so it’s always best to increase the numbers and get runners tested more. ” In a statement, Travis T. Tygart, the chief executive of Usada, said he hoped more sports organizations would follow the club’s lead. “It’s fantastic and shows great commitment and leadership to ensuring a level playing field, where clean athletes can compete clean and win,” he said. Club runners in the New York area said that the hassle of extra testing was a small price to pay to weed out potential cheaters, no matter how few there were and how little the prize money. “I very much think drug testing has to be part of the sport at almost every level,” said John Roberts, the president of the Central Park Track Club, who was briefed on New York Road Runners’ plans. “It’s unfortunate that that’s where things have gotten. But I can’t think of any reason not to do it, except inconvenience. ” The extra time spent analyzing the test results, though, is likely to increase the time it takes to distribute prize money, something that concerns runners who already wait for months to receive checks from the club. “It takes months for them to pay out $500 in prize money, so it will now take longer,” said William du Pont Staab Jr. the president of the West Side Runners Club. “Our runners, they can use their money for their rent. ”

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She is a total Idiot. How did she ever get that Job. Oh, I forgot who she was working for.

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How Big Banks Are Putting Rain Forests in Peril - The New York Times

In early 2015, scientists monitoring satellite images at Global Forest Watch raised the alarm about the destruction of rain forests in Indonesia. Environmental groups raced to the scene in West Kalimantan province, on the island of Borneo, to find a charred wasteland: smoldering fires, orangutans driven from their nests, and signs of an extensive release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. “There was pretty much no forest left,” said Karmele Llano Sánchez, director of the nonprofit International Animal Rescue’s orangutan rescue group, which set out to save the endangered primates. “All the forest had burned. ” Fingers pointed to the Rajawali Group, a sprawling local conglomerate known for its ties to powerful politicians like Malaysia’s prime minister. But lesser known is how some of the world’s largest banks have helped Rajawali — and other global agricultural powerhouses — expand their plantation empires. The year before the clearing of trees in West Kalimantan, Rajawali’s plantation arm secured $235 million in loans — funds that the Indonesian company used to buy out a partner and bolster its landholdings — from banks including Credit Suisse and Bank of America, according to an examination of lending data by The New York Times. The deal forms part of at least $43 billion in loans and underwriting to companies linked to deforestation and forest burning in Southeast Asia alone, according to a tally compiled by the Rainforest Action Network, the Dutch consultancy Profundo and the Indonesian nongovernmental organization TuK Indonesia. More than a third of that sum comes from American, European and Japanese banks, many of which have sustainability pledges that specifically mention deforestation. That figure is almost certainly incomplete because not all financing is made public. It also excludes loans made by the same banks to forestry projects outside Southeast Asia, or financing provided to other, more global players. And it contrasts with efforts by companies like Nestlé and Procter Gamble to distance themselves from suppliers linked to deforestation. And while there has been a growing movement among endowments and pension funds to divest from the industry — and banks have started to back away from financing coal projects — any move away from deforestation has been slower to catch on, experts say. The role of banks has come under the spotlight in recent weeks after environmentalists called out banks like Bank of America and Goldman Sachs for financing the contentious Dakota Access oil pipeline project. The money is aiding a process that scientists say destroys ecosystems, displaces indigenous communities and covers the region each year in a thick, suffocating smog that stretches from Jakarta to Hong Kong. Deforestation — and the fires that frequently accompany it — also generates of total global warming emissions, making forestry loss one of the biggest single contributors to global warming, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Destroying the world’s forests makes fighting climate change almost impossible,” said Andrew W. Mitchell, executive director of the Global Canopy Programme, a forestry think tank. “The finance sector is really lagging behind in realizing that. ” In funding Rajawali’s palm oil plantations, the banks appear to have violated their own sustainability policies. In its forestry and agribusiness policy, adopted in 2008, Credit Suisse says it will not finance or advise companies with operations in “primary tropical moist forests” like those of West Kalimantan. Bank of America says in a banking policy, adopted in 2004, that it will not finance commercial projects that result in the clearing of primary tropical moist forests. The 2014 deal financed Rajawali’s expansion into palm oil by helping the conglomerate buy out a former partner, invest in new palm oil mills and increase its landholdings. Demand for palm oil is surging worldwide, driven by rising incomes in markets like China and India and a switch away from trans fats by Americans and Europeans. Rajawali’s plantations have been accused by environmental and labor groups of deforestation and illegal burning. Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest palm oil producers, and forestry loss there and elsewhere ranks as one of the biggest single contributors to global warming. Sebastian Sharp, a spokesman for Rajawali’s plantation arm, acknowledged that the burning and clearing on its West Kalimantan forest sites might be illegal but said local communities encroaching on its properties and starting the fires were to blame. He said the company did not engage in illegal burning or clearing. Credit Suisse declined to comment on its Rajawali deal or to say whether the deal violated its sustainability policies. A Bank of America spokesman, Bill Halldin, said that the most serious accusations against Rajawali came after the 2014 loan, in which the bank played “a very small role. ” “Today, we would certainly consider more information before making any decision on any client,” he said. Brigitte Seegers, a spokeswoman for ABN Amro, declined to comment. Climate concerns have been brought into sharp relief by the impending presidency of Donald J. Trump, who has called climate change a hoax. Mr. Trump has said he will pull the United States out of the Paris accord, a commitment by 195 countries to take concrete measures to reduce carbon emissions. Daily emissions from Indonesia’s forest fires last year at times exceeded emissions produced by all economic activity in the United States. A recent Harvard and Columbia study estimated that the fires caused at least 100, 000 premature deaths across Southeast Asia. The World Bank estimates that the fires cost Indonesia’s economy $16 billion. Although deforestation has slowed in many parts of the world, notably in the Brazilian Amazon, forest clearing is on the rise in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, in particular, suffers the world’s highest rates of forest loss, an average of almost 2. 1 million acres a year, a study published in 2014 found. About 15 percent of the world’s historical forest cover remains intact, according to the World Resources Institute. The rest has been cleared or degraded or is in fragments. Rajawali originally operated its palm plantation business, Green Eagle Holdings, as a joint venture with the French conglomerate Louis Dreyfus. But starting in 2014, Rajawali took the first step to consolidate the palm oil business under its control, and invest in new infrastructure. Its loans from Western banks were crucial. In January 2014, Green Eagle attracted a $120 million loan from a group of lenders led by ABN Amro. In July of that year, it scored an even bigger loan of $235 million from a syndicate led by Credit Suisse. Bank of America also took part in that loan. The financing allowed Green Eagle to buy out Louis Dreyfus to invest in new palm oil mills and increase its landholdings. In November 2014, Green Eagle merged with another plantation operator, BW Plantation Rajawali is majority shareholder of the resulting company, Eagle High Plantations. The banks issued those loans as Rajawali was being accused of extensive forest and peatland destruction, illegal burning, use of child labor and the use of force against workers at plantations under its control. mapping by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and satellite imagery from Global Forest Watch, show forest loss at two sites in West Kalimantan from 2011 to 2013 and again in 2015, with much of the forest gone by the end of the year. Those sites included around 11, 000 hectares of peat, which, when set alight, can smolder for months underground. Zamzami, who goes by one name, a Greenpeace staff member in Indonesia who visited a Rajawali plantation in West Kalimantan in September 2015, said the burning continued. “It was difficult to breathe because of the smoke,” he said in field notes. “Far away, on the horizon, I could see the forest wall. ” Eagle High is now one of Indonesia’s largest palm oil plantation operators, with more than a million acres in land rights under its control, according to an investors’ presentation dated September 2014. Human rights organizations have reported that children as young as 6 work to support their parents in another plantation in the Papua province. That plantation has promised to support the abolition of child labor by ensuring that there are no children on plantation sites. In December 2015, a worker was shot dead at the plantation by state security forces. It was unclear why state forces were on private property. Mr. Sharp, the Eagle High spokesman, blamed local villagers for the forest clearing and burning on its sites. “It’s being done by local communities, and we have no control over that,” he said. Environmental groups argue that plantation companies are responsible for protecting their sites. Mr. Sharp said that there were instances in which workers brought their children to plantations but that the company was “trying to brainstorm ways in which we can stop them from doing that. ” He also questioned the wisdom of Indonesian labor law. “Why can’t we hire children at 15? Families need income,” he said. Under the country’s law, the minimum age for hazardous work, including jobs on plantations, is 18. The worker who was killed, Marvel Doga, was “drunk and violent, poured petrol everywhere and threatened to set fire, and he had with him a bow and arrow” when nearby state security forces tried to incapacitate him, leading to his death, Mr. Sharp said. He said Eagle High paid “thousands of dollars” to his family in compensation. Credit Suisse and ABN Amro declined to discuss specific deals. Bank of America declined to comment on the accusations. But in a February 2015 research note, Credit Suisse deemed Rajawali’s palm oil push a success. Eagle High’s increased landholdings and land rights signaled “significant headroom for expansion” of palm oil production, Priscilla Tjitra, an equity analyst for the bank, said in a report to clients. “The allocation of finance is so influential in our economy and to our environment,” said Tom Picken of the Rainforest Action Network. “But there’s little way we can hold financial sectors to account. ” The orangutan rescues continue. The world has lost 60 percent of its population of Bornean orangutans since 1950, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In July, the Bornean orangutan was listed as critically endangered. International Animal Rescue, which runs a temporary shelter for about 100 orangutans in West Kalimantan, said its staff had rescued roughly 50 of the primates during the 2015 burning season, twice the number the organization rescues in an average year. “They were all starving, all skinny,” said Ms. Sánchez, the orangutan rescue group’s director. So far this year, about 25 orangutans have been rehabilitated. “The problem is that every time an area is destroyed and orangutans are under real threat, we have to look for areas to release them, and that’s challenging,” she said. “We’re running out of places where we can release these orangutans. ” In September, Rajawali’s plantation arm secured a $192 million loan from Bank Negara Indonesia, a state bank, to refinance the debt held by its plantation subsidiaries and to double the capacity of palm oil refineries in Papua and West Kalimantan. Bank Negara Indonesia’s sustainability policies say that its clients must adopt “minimum environmental, social and governance standards. ” The bank did not respond to requests for comment.

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SAN JUAN MAYOR On Video Disrespecting Our Constitution…But She Takes Our Money [Video]

With Puerto Rico teetering on financial oblivion and asking for financial help from the U.S., it s pretty shocking to see the anti-American attitude of the San Juan Mayor in the video below. In case you haven t heard, Puerto Rico is $74 billion in debt after decades of poor management and government corruption. They re angling for a bailout from us but check out the disrespect given during the swearing in of the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico: Is it time to cut Puerto Rico off?San Juan Mayor Carmen Yul n Cruz has scored political points among the sort of liberals who bring us the news by indulging in hysterical hyperbole after Hurricane Maria, and more importantly, by sparring with Trump. This ought to make her even more of a rock star among liberals:When taking the oath of office, Cruz delayed repeating the words that she would uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, turning her back to the woman administering the oath for a long moment. After turning her back and pausing, Cruz does swear to defend the Constitution, and then enthusiastically repeats to uphold the Puerto Rican Constitution.Her approval rating was as low as 24% earlier this year. She manages to prop it up by pandering to anti-American sentiment, much like the regimes in Cuba and Venezuela. Read more: moonbattery:

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HILLARY FINALLY Makes Statement On Sexual Predator and Mega-Democrat Donor Harvey Weinstein…Gets DESTROYED By Bill Clinton Rape Accuser

After several days of silence, Hillary Clinton finally made a statement on the disgraced billionaire Hollywood movie producer and mega-Democrat donor, Harvey Weinstein. Well, actually Hillary really didn t come out and make a statement, true to form, Hillary hid behind her former State Department communications director, Nick Merrill, as he posted a response on behalf of Hillary about the monster predator, and one of her top donors to her presidential campaign, the virulently anti-Trump, Harvey Weinstein.Perhaps the delay in the statement was due to the pressure from Americans for Democrats to return or donate campaign contributions from the disgraced scumbag Hollywood kingpin.From Deadline: Something in the neighborhood of $1.8 million was raised at Harvey Weinstein s star-packed fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in New York City Monday night, sources tell Deadline. The event for 50 or so Clinton supporters at Weinstein s Manhattan home drew some major Hollywood names, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Candice Bergen, Bethenny Frankel and designers Vera Wang and Tory Burch.Don t hold your breath waiting for Hillary to return the $1.8 million that Weinstein and his co-hosts Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and Leonardo DiCaprio raised for Crooked Hillary s presidential campaign.Here is the statement that Merrill released on behalf of the hiding Hillary:Statement from Secretary Clinton on Harvey Weinstein: pic.twitter.com/L1l2wl9l0I Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) October 10, 2017Funny, Hillary was not only silent about the rape Juanita Broaddrick claims her husband Bill committed, according to Broaddrick, Hillary went out of her way to silence her.I was 35 years old when Bill Clinton, Ark. Attorney General raped me and Hillary tried to silence me. I am now 73 .it never goes away. Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) January 6, 2016Broaddrick tweeted about Hillary s silence on the sexual assault charges against Weinstein. Broaddrick suggested that perhaps Harvey Weinstein could now spill about his pervert buddy, Bill Clinton. Hillary won't talk about Weinstein kinda makes you wonder what HW could spill about his pervert buddy, Bill Clinton pic.twitter.com/OZY8bUPIYS Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) October 10, 2017Broaddrick didn t just go after Hillary for her silence over serial sexual offender Bill Clinton, she DESTROYED Meryl Streep for supporting the enabler of a rapist husband. Maybe now, Meryl, you can understand how wrong you were to support an enabler of a rapist husband. Wake up Hollywood! https://t.co/ZgRx7hIUN0 Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) October 9, 2017

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The Dark Art of Political Intimidation

The Dark Art of Political Intimidation

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Kenya vote delayed to October 28 in four counties: commission

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya s election commission said polling stations had opened in the much of the country on Thursday but voting had been hampered by security challenges in a number of places where voting would be delayed until Oct. 28. Wafula Chebukati, head of the election commission, said areas where voting would be delayed included Homa Hay, Kisumu, Migori and Siaya - all in the opposition stronghold of western Kenya.

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Project Veritas: Money from Belize | Opinion - Conservative

(Before It's News) What the video is about (emphasis added) In the effort to prove the credibility of the undercover donor featured in the videos and to keep the investigation going, Project Veritas Action made the decision to donate twenty thousand dollars to Robert Creamer’s effort. Project Veritas Action had determined that the benefit of this investigation outweighed […]

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White House official says North Korea is test for U.S.-China relations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss how to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week in what a senior White House official said on Tuesday would be a test for the U.S.-Chinese relationship. Trump and Xi are to meet on Thursday and Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago retreat on the Atlantic coast in Palm Beach, Florida. It will be their first face-to-face meeting since Trump took office on Jan. 20, and trade and security issues are to figure prominently in their talks. “We would like to work on North Korea together,” the official said in a briefing for reporters. “This is a test for the relationship.” Trump wants China to do more to exert its economic influence over unpredictable Pyongyang to restrain its nuclear and missile programs, while Beijing has said it does not have that kind of influence. In an interview with the Financial Times last weekend, Trump held out the possibility of using trade as a lever to secure Chinese cooperation. In the same interview, Trump was quoted as telling the FT that Washington was ready to address the North Korean threat alone, if need be. The White House official — speaking just as North Korea fired a projectile believed by South Korea’s military to be a ballistic missile into the sea — said the situation had become more urgent. “The clock is very, very quickly running out,” the official said. “All options are on the table for us.” Trump does not plan to give in to Chinese pressure for the United States to withdraw its THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, which Beijing considers destabilizing. Trump has said he expects the meeting to be a difficult one given his belief that China has taken advantage of U.S. trade policies to help its economy and hurt U.S. job creation. He plans to discuss with Xi a new “elevated” and streamlined framework for a U.S.-Chinese dialogue with “clear deadlines for achieving results,” the senior White House official said. He will discuss significant trade and economic concerns with Xi in what the official called a “candid and productive manner.”

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Mexico says upcoming U.S. execution of national is 'illegal'

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Senior Mexican diplomats on Monday condemned the upcoming execution of a Mexican inmate on death row in Texas, calling his sentence illegal and vowing to exhaust all possible efforts to prevent him from being killed later this week. In a news conference in Mexico City, Carlos Sada, Mexico s deputy foreign minister for North America, told reporters that Texas prosecutors did not follow due process in the case of Ruben Cardenas, who was sentenced to death for raping and killing his 15-year-old cousin in 1997. From the start, there has been a failure, and from our perspective, this is an illegal act, Sada said. The planned execution comes as relations between Mexico and the United States are at a low, hurt by U.S. President Donald Trump s vows to build a wall along the Mexican border, and his threats to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Cardenas, who is due to die on Wednesday, was not given the chance to speak with consular officials in contravention of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Sada said. He added Mexico would look to stay the execution by seeking to overturn how Cardenas confession was obtained, while also looking to exonerate him with up-to-date DNA testing. There are currently two separate appeals under way and Mexico is willing to take Cardenas case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary, Sada added. Mexico does not have the death penalty and opposes it, regularly clashing with the United States when Mexican nationals are set to be executed on U.S. soil. Sada said 54 Mexicans were currently facing U.S. death sentences. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled in 2004 that the United States had violated international law by failing to inform 51 Mexicans now on death row of their right to consular assistance, and said the cases should be reviewed. Alejandro Alday, a legal advisor to the Mexican government, said Cardenas was one of the 51 covered by the ICJ ruling, and accused Texas of breaching the Vienna convention in failing to advise Cardenas of his right to consular assistance.

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Khamenei says Iran will 'shred' nuclear deal if U.S. quits it

ANKARA (Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran would stick to its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers as long as the other signatories respected it, but would shred the deal if Washington pulled out, state TV reported. Khamenei spoke five days after U.S. President Donald Trump adopted a harsh new approach to Iran by refusing to certify its compliance with the deal, reached under Trump s predecessor Barack Obama, and saying he might ultimately terminate it. I don t want to waste my time on answering the rants and whoppers of the brute (U.S.) president, Khamenei said in a speech to students in Tehran quoted by state television. Trump s stupidity should not distract us from America s deceitfulness ... If the U.S. tears up the deal, we will shred it ... Everyone should know that once again America will receive a slap in its mouth and will be defeated by Iranians. Trump s move put Washington at odds with other parties to the accord - Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union - who say Washington cannot unilaterally cancel an international accord enshrined by a U.N. resolution. Khamenei, who has the final say on Iran s state matters, welcomed European support but said it was not sufficient. European states stressed their backing for the deal and condemned Trump ... We welcomed this, but it is not enough to ask Trump not to rip up the agreement. Europe needs to stand against practical measures (taken) by America. Under the deal, Iran agreed to curb its disputed uranium enrichment program in return for relief from international sanctions that crippled its economy, and U.N. nuclear inspectors have repeatedly certified Tehran s compliance with the terms. Trump accuses Iran of supporting terrorism and says the 2015 deal does not do enough to block its path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran says it does not seek nuclear arms and in turn blames the growth of militant groups such as Islamic State on the policies of the United States and its regional allies. In decertifying the nuclear deal last week, Trump gave the U.S. Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the pact. In a major shift in U.S. policy, Trump also said Washington will take a more confrontational approach to Iran over its ballistic missile program and its support for extremist groups in the Middle East. Tehran has repeatedly pledged to continue what it calls a defensive missile capability in defiance of Western criticism. The United States has said Iran s stance violates the 2015 deal in spirit as missiles could be tipped with nuclear weapons. Tehran has said it seeks only civilian nuclear energy from its enrichment of uranium, and that the program has nothing to do with missile development efforts. EU foreign ministers on Monday urged U.S. lawmakers not to reimpose sanctions on Tehran but also discussed Iran s missile program, which they want to see dismantled. They must avoid interfering in our defense program ... We do not accept that Europe sings along with America s bullying and its unreasonable demands, Khamenei said. They (Europeans) ask why does Iran have missiles? Why do you have missiles yourselves? Why do you have nuclear weapons? The Trump administration has imposed new unilateral sanctions targeting Iran s missile activity. It has called on Tehran not to develop missiles capable of delivering nuclear bombs. Iran says it has no such plans. Iran has one of the biggest ballistic missile programs in the Middle East, viewing it as an essential precautionary defense against the United States and other adversaries, primarily Gulf Arab states and Israel. Americans are angry because the Islamic Republic of Iran has managed to thwart their plots in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries in the region, Khamenei said. Supporters of the deal fear Trump s decision to decertify the deal could eventually unravel it, causing more tension in the crisis-hit Middle East, where Shi ite Iran is involved in a decades long proxy war with U.S. ally Sunni Saudi Arabia. If the deal falls apart, Iran s anti-Western hardliners will gain authority in a backlash against pragmatic President Hassan Rouhani, who engineered the accord to help end Iran s political and economic isolation, analysts and insiders say.

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Myanmar says U.S. sanctions against general based on 'unreliable accusations'

(Reuters) - Myanmar feels sad over a U.S. decision to sanction a military general, a government spokesman said, after Washington linked the commander last week to abuses against the Rohingya Muslim minority. This targeted sanction is based on unreliable accusations without evidence, as we have repeatedly said, so we feel sad for that, Zaw Htay, spokesman for Myanmar s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, told Reuters by phone late on Tuesday. The Trump administration announced on Dec. 21 that it was sanctioning Major General Maung Maung Soe, who was in charge of a crackdown on the Rohingya minority in the western state of Rakhine. The United States, as well as the United Nations, have called the crackdown ethnic cleansing . About 655,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state and sought shelter over the border in Bangladesh, according to the United Nations. The United States said American officials had examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soe s activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages . The military and the civilian government of Suu Kyi have denied allegations of widespread abuse in Rakhine. The testimonies of Rohingya refugees were only talking stories , Zaw Htay said, adding that Myanmar would act if it received reliable and strong evidence that its troops committed crimes. We have told international governments and human rights groups including the U.N. that the current government is committed to protecting and promoting human rights, said Zaw Htay. The U.S. Treasury said Maung Maung Soe, former chief of the army s Western Command, would have his U.S. assets frozen and Americans could no longer deal with him. Reuters was unable to determine if Maung Maung Soe had business interests in Myanmar or elsewhere. Maung Maung Soe was transferred from his post in Rakhine and put in reserve , an army spokesman told Reuters on Nov. 13. No reason was given, but the military said the same day action would be taken against officials who were weak in acquiring information and who allowed the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) to spread through Muslim villages in Rakhine. Reuters was unable to contact Maung Maung Soe. Major General Tun Tun Nyi of the military s public relations division, the True News Information Unit, said he had no comment on the sanctions and declined to answer questions on Maung Maung Soe. As well as dominating the country s politics for decades, Myanmar s army - known as the Tatmadaw or Royal Force - has gained notoriety for brutal counter-insurgency tactics employed against rebels seeking autonomy in the borderlands since independence from Britain in 1948, according to historians and human rights monitors. But since it began ceding power in 2011 - albeit under a constitution that keeps soldiers in key posts - the army has sought to burnish its image as a modern fighting force. It has defended its actions in Rakhine, with military investigators concluding that troops adhered to rules of engagement and sought to minimize civilian casualties while responding to terrorist provocations. But the spiraling Rohingya crisis has dashed hopes of expanding engagement with Western armies, Andrew Selth, an academic who has researched Myanmar s armed forces, wrote in September. This is a significant loss for the Tatmadaw, which is keen to learn about foreign military policies and practices, Selth wrote on the website of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute. Such contacts would have also helped its officers learn about international norms of behavior and the role of armed forces in democracies. Myanmar s military does not provide detailed biographies of senior officers. In February last year, a state media report said Maung Maung Soe was a brigadier general in the far south of the country, near the border with Thailand. He was referred to as a major general in charge of the military s Western Command in October, 2016, shortly after ARSA attacked three border posts there, killing nine guards. In the weeks after the attacks, Rohingya villagers told Reuters of gang rapes by soldiers and extrajudicial killings. Two military sources told Reuters that Maung Maung Soe oversaw battalions Nos. 352, 551, 564 and 345, which led the so-called clearance operations , and he reported directly to a Bureau of Special Operations in the capital Naypyitaw. His forces were again in combat following more widespread ARSA attacks on Aug. 25 this year, although troops from elite units that report straight to Naypyitaw were airlifted into Rakhine ahead of those attacks. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in October that Battalion 564 was identified by villagers as taking part in an alleged massacre of scores of people in the village of Maung Nu, close to the unit s base in the Buthidaung area. The day Maung Maung Soe s replacement as the commander in Rakhine was announced, the military released a report saying its own internal investigation had exonerated security forces of all accusations of atrocities, including in Buthidaung.

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Pennsylvania Attorney General Quits on Heels of Perjury Conviction - The New York Times

Even by Pennsylvania’s unbuttoned standards, it was a scandal of exhausting length and tawdriness, a seemingly endless parade of pornography, personal and political vendettas, smear tactics, barely veiled threats, conspiracy and . So when the state’s attorney general, Kathleen G. Kane, announced on Tuesday that she was resigning, one day after her conviction for perjury and conspiracy, among other charges, even her supporters might have been excused for welcoming a sense of closure. Except that the scandal is not closed, not yet. More than two years after it began, the Kane affair may have a few more shoes to drop from its closet of improprieties. Ms. Kane, who had weathered indictment, the loss of her law license, threats of State House impeachment and Senate removal and a plea to resign from her fellow Democrat, Gov. Tom Wolf, said she would leave office on Wednesday, less than three months before voters will choose her successor. The announcement followed a jury’s decision to convict her on nine criminal charges, saying she had leaked secret grand jury information to a newspaper to discredit a rival prosecutor, Frank Fina, and then lied about it under oath. The first deputy attorney general, Bruce Castor, who has in effect run Ms. Kane’s office the last few months, said Tuesday that investigators were still working on the most lurid aspect of the scandal: a trove of lewd pictures and sexist and racist comments that Ms. Kane discovered when she exhumed emails of her Republican predecessor’s staff. He said that a law firm that Ms. Kane had hired to sift through the emails was flummoxed by the sheer number of them — 13 million, later winnowed to seven million by tossing out the correspondence of officials. The emails, which did not come up at Ms. Kane’s trial but some of which have trickled out of her office, have led to the resignation of two State Supreme Court justices and a bevy of other officials, with the prospect of more embarrassment to come. Douglas P. Gansler, the lawyer hired to lead the investigation, said Tuesday that he expected to release a report on the inquiry “in the next few weeks. ” The chairman of the state Democratic Party, Marcel Groen, said Tuesday that he believed the most salacious correspondence had already become public — and then, in an indication of just how dire the scandal has been, suggested that the emails were the lesser of the problems. “There’s a difference between inappropriate behavior by elected officials and illegal behavior,” he said. “I think the emails are inappropriate, and they’re wrong, but I don’t think they’re illegal, per se. ” They nevertheless played a starring role in the affair. And they may turn out to be Ms. Kane’s last word in a scandal that began with her desire to ruin a competitor, and wound up destroying her own career. Ms. Kane, 50, was hailed at the state’s most promising politician when she became the first Democrat to be elected attorney general in 2012. But she antagonized her Republican predecessor by opening an investigation into his office’s handling of the scandal at Penn State. After an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer suggested that she had improperly shut down a sting operation that had documented payments accepted by several Democrats, Ms. Kane concluded that Mr. Fina, who was deeply involved in the Penn State case, had smeared her. She struck back, giving The Philadelphia Daily News grand jury documents that left the impression Mr. Fina had mishandled a 2009 inquiry into grants given another politician. Mr. Fina demanded a criminal investigation of the grand jury leak, and that led to Ms. Kane’s indictment, followed by an extraordinary defense in which she claimed to have been framed by an “old boys’ group” that was involved in the email imbroglio — and wanted to stop more emails from surfacing. The scandal plumbed the depths of skulduggery in a state whose record of corruption is not proud. In one instance, an aide to Ms. Kane was convicted of intercepting email traffic from the grand jury investigating her. In another, Mr. Fina was found to have secured a court order barring Ms. Kane from releasing any “personal” emails. At another low point, the state’s chief justice was accused of trying to rig an inquiry into another justice’s receipt of lewd emails. Over it all hung Ms. Kane’s implicit threat that more damning emails were in the wings. Whether citizens will regain respect for law enforcement and Pennsylvania politics at this point is a tough call. The Senate majority leader, Jake Corman, said he was looking for the bright side. “I often joke, ‘Thank God for Illinois,’” he said, referring to a state with its own corruption superlatives.

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Grassley and Feinstein: The Pair Who Will Lead Gorsuch’s Senate Hearings - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — She is a female trailblazer in a Senate where women remain a minority, a formal and wealthy institutionalist from one of the nation’s most liberal states whose partisanship is at times eclipsed by propriety. He is a Midwesterner who has long prided himself on his with officials from both parties in Washington and a compulsive availability to voters back home, with a reputation for thrift perhaps best validated by his habit of cutting the engine on his car as he rolls it into the Senate garage, just to save on gas. What neither Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, nor Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, has is a law degree. Yet as the Democrat and the chairman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, they will preside over the hearings on Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, that begin on Monday. Ms. Feinstein and Mr. Grassley, both 83, will face tremendous pressure from their respective parties to deliver a vindication of their views not just of Judge Gorsuch’s worthiness to serve on the court but also of the process leading him there. Liberal activists remain bitter about Mr. Grassley’s role in preventing even a beginning to the confirmation process of Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia more than a year ago. Many are looking to Ms. Feinstein — the first woman to serve on the committee and the Senate’s most senior woman — to shoulder the weight of that political burden, and to rigorously challenge Judge Gorsuch on his constitutional views. “This is an important process that needs to be carried out with the kind of dignity and perseverance that it warrants,” Ms. Feinstein said. “Because this is so pivotal, as the decisive vote on the court, this is a huge responsibility. This is complicated by what came before, which was the Republican treatment of Merrick Garland, which I found very disagreeable and unprecedented. ” Mr. Grassley’s role is strategically and procedurally easier: It is up to him to make Judge Gorsuch’s week on Capitol Hill painless even in the face of tough questioning from Democrats on the committee. “His approach to the hearing will likely mirror what we have seen in recent weeks back here,” Matt Strawn, a former chairman of Iowa’s Republican Party, said of Mr. Grassley. “He has given Iowans every opportunity to weigh in on town hall meetings. There is a reason he is our public servant here because he listens and is respectful even if he disagrees with someone. ” Mr. Grassley has been a strong defender of the most conservative of the 13 nominees he has voted for, but he also helped approve Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg under President Bill Clinton. Ms. Feinstein has never voted for a Republican nominee. Mr. Grassley’s reputation for independence took a hit when he instantly went along with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to block Judge Garland from even a single hearing last year. “I’m not sensitive talking about it,” Mr. Grassley said. “I had to defend my position — I had to defend it up to my election. ” He added that he believed it was appropriate to wait for a new president to approve a new Supreme Court nominee, saying, “I would do the same thing in 2020. ” But both senators, who express respect for each other, have a reputation for a seriousness that transcends party politics, an increasingly rare trait in the modern Congress. They are the leaders of a caucus dedicated to combating the narcotics trade. “These days there are immense party pressures that will push Chuck, that will push Dianne,” said former Senator Max Baucus, a Democrat of Montana who served as a chairman with Mr. Grassley on the Senate Finance Committee. “But they will both try to do the right thing. ” Mr. Grassley, who was first elected to the Senate in 1980, has served on the Judiciary Committee for his entire tenure. He has concerned himself principally with victims’ rights, civil asset forfeiture and justice for older people. Long an opponent of criminal justice reform, he has evolved toward modest changes in recent years. He is a fierce advocate for all things Iowa and tends to bring that sensibility to policy debates, rushing home on weekends to spend time with voters. His Twitter account (search for “assume deer dead”) is among the most followed on Capitol Hill for its folksy charm. He is a tireless worker — beginning most days with a predawn jog — and a mentor to younger members. Mr. Baucus said they would meet weekly when they served on the Finance Committee together, promoting a sense of bipartisanship. Mr. McConnell said of Mr. Grassley, “This a man who commands respect from both Democrats and Republicans. ” He added, “We’ll see that on display next week. ” Ms. Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992, in the wake of the Clarence Thomas hearings, which underscored the maleness of the Judiciary Committee. Joseph R. Biden Jr. then a senator, asked Ms. Feinstein and Senator Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois to be barrier breakers on the panel. “I took that to be a very big honor,” Ms. Feinstein said. Ms. Feinstein’s particular place among senior female senators can be viewed at times through the prism of the issues she champions. During a debate over language concerning abortion in a 2015 human trafficking bill, Ms. Feinstein took to the Senate floor to extemporaneously and passionately explain her position. Saying that women had experienced “loss after loss” on abortion rights, she said, “I am old enough to have seen the way it was before, to have sentenced women who committed illegal abortions with coat hangers. ” Her position can also be seen when she feels the sting of condescension. In 2013, during a hearing on gun control, she famously sparred with Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, as he lectured her about the Constitution. “I’m not a sixth grader, senator,” she told Mr. Cruz, then a Senate newcomer. “I’ve been on this committee for 20 years. ” Former Representative Ellen Tauscher, Democrat of California and a longtime friend of Ms. Feinstein’s, said, “I do think that women do quickly calibrate where we are going to find a navigation problem. ” She added, “She is now the senior woman senator, and she takes that very seriously. ” Mr. Grassley sees his role similarly and does not consider the absence of a law degree an inherent liability. “I don’t know the nuances of everything that lawyers talk about,” he said. “But I do think you pick up an appreciation for the law and how to approach the law and some vague understanding of constitutional law. ” He added, “I’d probably feel more comfortable if I were a lawyer, but I am telling you, as a farmer, I feel comfortable. ” Ms. Feinstein has been spending weekends poring over thick binders of Judge Gorsuch’s decisions, discussing them with her daughter, a retired Superior Court judge. “I think I have a good sense of him,” the senator said. Mr. Grassley said he had relied more on staff briefings and secondary sources about Judge Gorsuch’s record. “The guy is so precise,” he said. “I suppose because he’s an intellect and partly because it’s legal and me not being a lawyer, I found looking at some of his cases kind of difficult to get through. ” Ms. Feinstein said she appreciated Mr. Grassley’s candor. “He tells you exactly what he thinks,” she said. “Some people are full of artifice, and you never get to what they think. Also, he is a very good man. ”

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Condell: America’s Moment Of Truth

Truth Revolt October 26, 2016 As usual, Pat Condell nails it in this video commentary about the differences between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, about immigration, about Brexit, and more. Check out the video above — probably the best 8 minutes you’ll spend today. Condell helpfully provides related links below: Hillary Clinton embraces George Soros’ vision of an open border world

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