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Flap in Congress over gender identity sinks spending bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rancorous political debate over sexual identity unexpectedly prompted the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to reject an energy and water spending bill on Thursday after Democrats attached an amendment to protect the rights of transgender people. The legislation, which would provide funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Energy in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, failed on a 112-305 vote, with 130 Republicans and 175 Democrats opposing the legislation. The outcome was such a surprise that the House Appropriations Committee initially announced the bill had passed and was forced to retract the statement. Democrats blamed Republicans for opposing a Democratic amendment to bar federal contractors from government work if they discriminate against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Democrats failed to attach the same measure to a separate House spending bill last week. “In turning against a far-reaching funding bill simply because it affirms protections for LGBT Americans, Republicans have once again lain bare the depths of their bigotry,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. But Republicans accused Democrats of working to sabotage the House appropriations process by voting 6-175 against the bill after they had succeeded in amending it. House Speaker Paul Ryan said his own decision not to keep legislation under tight control had created conditions for “more amendments from both sides of the aisle ... and, yes, more unpredictability.” “That’s what happened here today. It’s unfortunate, because this is a very good bill,” Ryan said. He vowed to continue pushing the energy and water bill, along with other appropriations measures. Democrats said they opposed two Republican amendments. One would prevent Washington from witholding federal funds from North Carolina over its law on LGBT bathroom use. The other would have stopped the Democrats’ LGBT amendment from affecting religious workplace exemptions. The White House had already threatened to veto the legislation over other provisions that Democrats said would undermine the Clean Water Act.

Title: Flap in Congress over gender identity sinks spending bill. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rancorous political debate over sexual identity unexpectedly prompted the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to reject an energy and water spending bill on Thursday after Democrats attached an amendment to protect the rights of transgender people. The legislation, which would provide funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Energy in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, failed on a 112-305 vote, with 130 Republicans and 175 Democrats opposing the legislation. The outcome was such a surprise that the House Appropriations Committee initially announced the bill had passed and was forced to retract the statement. Democrats blamed Republicans for opposing a Democratic amendment to bar federal contractors from government work if they discriminate against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Democrats failed to attach the same measure to a separate House spending bill last week. “In turning against a far-reaching funding bill simply because it affirms protections for LGBT Americans, Republicans have once again lain bare the depths of their bigotry,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. But Republicans accused Democrats of working to sabotage the House appropriations process by voting 6-175 against the bill after they had succeeded in amending it. House Speaker Paul Ryan said his own decision not to keep legislation under tight control had created conditions for “more amendments from both sides of the aisle ... and, yes, more unpredictability.” “That’s what happened here today. It’s unfortunate, because this is a very good bill,” Ryan said. He vowed to continue pushing the energy and water bill, along with other appropriations measures. Democrats said they opposed two Republican amendments. One would prevent Washington from witholding federal funds from North Carolina over its law on LGBT bathroom use. The other would have stopped the Democrats’ LGBT amendment from affecting religious workplace exemptions. The White House had already threatened to veto the legislation over other provisions that Democrats said would undermine the Clean Water Act.

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sparks fly as bikers for trump meet protesters

umfrage ceta würde enorm an zustimmung gewinnen wenn eu kanadische cannabisstandards übernehmen müsste brüssel dpo das könnte die wende im streit um ceta bedeuten einer neuen umfrage zufolge würde die zustimmung der eubevölkerung für das freihandelsabkommen mit einem schlag auf bisher unerreichte werte steigen wenn der vertrag die europäische union dazu zwingen würde beim umgang mit cannabis kanadische standards zu übernehmen denn was viele cetakritiker hierzulande nicht bedenken die kanadische regierung unter premierminister justin trudeau bereitet zurzeit eine vollkommene freigabe von marihuana und anderen berauschenden hanfprodukten vor schon jetzt wird der besitz und konsum dieser rauschmittel in der praxis nicht verfolgt kommt das gebt das hanf freihandelsabkommen sollte ceta zur folge haben dass auch die eu cannabis legalisieren müsste wäre plötzlich ein großteil der europäischen bevölkerung für das zustandekommen des abkommens rund prozent aller europäer würden dann dafür plädieren ceta unter dieser voraussetzung so schnell wie möglich zu unterzeichnen sagte dr martin heumann von der universität wien der die umfrage unter mehr als eubürgern koordinierte und zwar am besten noch diese woche bevor die letzten brösel aufgebraucht sind und sie sich um völlig überteuerten nachschub auf dem schwarzmarkt kümmern müssen einzige ausnahme während die zustimmung für ceta unter dieser voraussetzung überall sonst sprunghaft anstieg ließ sich bei umfrageteilnehmern aus den niederlanden kein messbarer unterschied feststellen ersten schätzungen zufolge dürfte das handelsvolumen an cannabisprodukten zwischen der eu und kanada innerhalb kürzester zeit um etwa prozent steigen aktuell euro monatlich weil sandro keller aus dörmagen sein haschisch aus unerfindlichen gründen aus quebec bezieht belaufen derzeit werde geprüft wieviel gramm marihuana auf ein containerschiff dieser klasse passen letztlich hätte eine legalisierung wohl auch für brüssel entscheidende vorteile heumann sobald die neue drogenpolitik greift werden die bürger auch die negativen folgen von ceta zufrieden grinsend ertragen das kann jedem eupolitiker nur genehm sein pfg ssi dan foto m shutterstock artikel teilen

Title: sparks fly as bikers for trump meet protesters. Text: umfrage ceta würde enorm an zustimmung gewinnen wenn eu kanadische cannabisstandards übernehmen müsste brüssel dpo das könnte die wende im streit um ceta bedeuten einer neuen umfrage zufolge würde die zustimmung der eubevölkerung für das freihandelsabkommen mit einem schlag auf bisher unerreichte werte steigen wenn der vertrag die europäische union dazu zwingen würde beim umgang mit cannabis kanadische standards zu übernehmen denn was viele cetakritiker hierzulande nicht bedenken die kanadische regierung unter premierminister justin trudeau bereitet zurzeit eine vollkommene freigabe von marihuana und anderen berauschenden hanfprodukten vor schon jetzt wird der besitz und konsum dieser rauschmittel in der praxis nicht verfolgt kommt das gebt das hanf freihandelsabkommen sollte ceta zur folge haben dass auch die eu cannabis legalisieren müsste wäre plötzlich ein großteil der europäischen bevölkerung für das zustandekommen des abkommens rund prozent aller europäer würden dann dafür plädieren ceta unter dieser voraussetzung so schnell wie möglich zu unterzeichnen sagte dr martin heumann von der universität wien der die umfrage unter mehr als eubürgern koordinierte und zwar am besten noch diese woche bevor die letzten brösel aufgebraucht sind und sie sich um völlig überteuerten nachschub auf dem schwarzmarkt kümmern müssen einzige ausnahme während die zustimmung für ceta unter dieser voraussetzung überall sonst sprunghaft anstieg ließ sich bei umfrageteilnehmern aus den niederlanden kein messbarer unterschied feststellen ersten schätzungen zufolge dürfte das handelsvolumen an cannabisprodukten zwischen der eu und kanada innerhalb kürzester zeit um etwa prozent steigen aktuell euro monatlich weil sandro keller aus dörmagen sein haschisch aus unerfindlichen gründen aus quebec bezieht belaufen derzeit werde geprüft wieviel gramm marihuana auf ein containerschiff dieser klasse passen letztlich hätte eine legalisierung wohl auch für brüssel entscheidende vorteile heumann sobald die neue drogenpolitik greift werden die bürger auch die negativen folgen von ceta zufrieden grinsend ertragen das kann jedem eupolitiker nur genehm sein pfg ssi dan foto m shutterstock artikel teilen

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WHAT FBI’S COMEY JUST REVEALED Should Disqualify Hillary Clinton For Any Public Office! [Video]

FBI Director James Comey was literally destroyed today in his testimony on the Hill. What s even more damaging is the information about Hillary Clinton and her staff that Comey simply let go with no punishment at all. During the series of questions, Comey took heat from Gowdy, Jordan and other Republican Congressman. Out of all the testimony, the one comment that stuck out was the one regarding classified information. Comey commented that he felt like Clinton wasn t sophisticated with classified information. In other words, she had no idea what the letter C was on a classified document! Are these government employees not trained on how to handle sensitive information? PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW THIS WOMAN COULD ASK FOR YOUR VOTE YET ISN T SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT S CLASSIFIED? She wants the American people to TRUST her with our safety and security? No, Never! If this woman is unable to handle this then she s a danger to us!

Title: WHAT FBI’S COMEY JUST REVEALED Should Disqualify Hillary Clinton For Any Public Office! [Video]. Text: FBI Director James Comey was literally destroyed today in his testimony on the Hill. What s even more damaging is the information about Hillary Clinton and her staff that Comey simply let go with no punishment at all. During the series of questions, Comey took heat from Gowdy, Jordan and other Republican Congressman. Out of all the testimony, the one comment that stuck out was the one regarding classified information. Comey commented that he felt like Clinton wasn t sophisticated with classified information. In other words, she had no idea what the letter C was on a classified document! Are these government employees not trained on how to handle sensitive information? PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW THIS WOMAN COULD ASK FOR YOUR VOTE YET ISN T SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT S CLASSIFIED? She wants the American people to TRUST her with our safety and security? No, Never! If this woman is unable to handle this then she s a danger to us!

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IT’S OFFICIAL! This State Puts Donald Trump Over The Top To Win GOP Nomination [Video]

Michigan passed to let New York state be the state to put Trump over the top Donald Trump, Jr. s floor speech casting the final votes for his father:Donald Trump Jr. s floor speech casting deciding votes for his father. #RNCinCLEpic.twitter.com/KMpgj2KPdL Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) July 20, 2016

Title: IT’S OFFICIAL! This State Puts Donald Trump Over The Top To Win GOP Nomination [Video]. Text: Michigan passed to let New York state be the state to put Trump over the top Donald Trump, Jr. s floor speech casting the final votes for his father:Donald Trump Jr. s floor speech casting deciding votes for his father. #RNCinCLEpic.twitter.com/KMpgj2KPdL Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) July 20, 2016

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Obama says U.S. cannot wall itself off from economic globalization

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday that globalization is a fact that “we’re not going to be able to build a wall around” but that it was important to work to shape the process so that it benefits not just big companies but small firms as well. The U.S. leader, speaking at a news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, said the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal currently being worked on has taken into account some of the weaknesses and criticisms of the North American Free Trade Agreement and sought to address those.

Title: Obama says U.S. cannot wall itself off from economic globalization. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday that globalization is a fact that “we’re not going to be able to build a wall around” but that it was important to work to shape the process so that it benefits not just big companies but small firms as well. The U.S. leader, speaking at a news conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, said the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal currently being worked on has taken into account some of the weaknesses and criticisms of the North American Free Trade Agreement and sought to address those.

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BREAKING: WIKILEAKS EMAILS SUGGEST Supreme Court Justice Scalia May Have Been Murdered

Here s what we ve got with the new e-mails and it s a doozy:The internet is blowing up over a document regarding Supreme Court Justice Scalia.A new theory has emerged that Hillary Clinton and her lackeys are linked to Justice Scalia s death.TMN Today reported:The theory comes from a WikiLeaks email from Hillary s Chairman John Podesta to DC lobbyist Steve Elmendorf. Elmendorf was also the former chief of staff to Democratic leader Dick Gephardt.Podesta writes, Didn t think wet works meant pool parties at the Vineyard. Elmendrof responds, I am all in Sounds like it will be a bad nite , we all need to buckle up and double down The theory goes that Podesta s use of wet work implies an assassination. And the references to pool and Vineyard refer to the Cibolo Creek Ranch where Scalia s body was found. The Ranch does have a pool and it is believed that a vineyard is just down the road. The email was also written just four days before Scalia was found dead on February 13, 2016.Via: GP

Title: BREAKING: WIKILEAKS EMAILS SUGGEST Supreme Court Justice Scalia May Have Been Murdered. Text: Here s what we ve got with the new e-mails and it s a doozy:The internet is blowing up over a document regarding Supreme Court Justice Scalia.A new theory has emerged that Hillary Clinton and her lackeys are linked to Justice Scalia s death.TMN Today reported:The theory comes from a WikiLeaks email from Hillary s Chairman John Podesta to DC lobbyist Steve Elmendorf. Elmendorf was also the former chief of staff to Democratic leader Dick Gephardt.Podesta writes, Didn t think wet works meant pool parties at the Vineyard. Elmendrof responds, I am all in Sounds like it will be a bad nite , we all need to buckle up and double down The theory goes that Podesta s use of wet work implies an assassination. And the references to pool and Vineyard refer to the Cibolo Creek Ranch where Scalia s body was found. The Ranch does have a pool and it is believed that a vineyard is just down the road. The email was also written just four days before Scalia was found dead on February 13, 2016.Via: GP

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video beautiful listen to these doctors talk about the first time they learned about stomachs

email ever wonder whats on the mind of todays most notable people well dont miss our unbelievable roundup of the best and most talked about quotes of the day my friends have somehow gotten it into their heads that im attracted to ghosts so every day ill get texts saying i just met a great handsome ghost i want to set you up with for marriage i want to lay this rumor to rest i think ghosts are as ugly as rats mindy kaling on ghosts the second my successor swears in im going to start chasing my secret service members and they know it barack obama on what hell be doing on january at pm i just remembered another fact about jaws the sharks mouth is called jaws not the shark itself steven spielberg

Title: video beautiful listen to these doctors talk about the first time they learned about stomachs. Text: email ever wonder whats on the mind of todays most notable people well dont miss our unbelievable roundup of the best and most talked about quotes of the day my friends have somehow gotten it into their heads that im attracted to ghosts so every day ill get texts saying i just met a great handsome ghost i want to set you up with for marriage i want to lay this rumor to rest i think ghosts are as ugly as rats mindy kaling on ghosts the second my successor swears in im going to start chasing my secret service members and they know it barack obama on what hell be doing on january at pm i just remembered another fact about jaws the sharks mouth is called jaws not the shark itself steven spielberg

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U.S. high court action leaves transgender students in legal limbo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transgender students at U.S. public schools were left in legal limbo on Monday about whether a federal anti-discrimination law enables them to use the bathroom of their choice after the Supreme Court sidestepped a major ruling on the issue. In canceling planned arguments in a bathroom access lawsuit brought by a Virginia transgender high school student, the justices declined to resolve whether transgender students are protected by a law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, that bars discrimination on the basis of sex in education. Bathroom access has become a key issue in the intensifying battle over transgender rights. North Carolina last year became the first state to require people to use bathrooms matching their gender at birth in public schools and government buildings. About a dozen other states are considering similar measures. President Donald Trump’s administration last month rescinded guidance given to public schools last year by former President Barack Obama’s administration to permit transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. “We had emphasized this is an urgent situation for transgender students,” said Joshua Block, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents Gavin Grimm, the student who brought the case that the Supreme Court dodged. Block said the justices’ action, which threw out a lower court ruling favoring Grimm and instructed that court to reconsider the matter in light of the Trump administration’s stance, was “justice delayed not justice denied.” In the meantime, the question of whether Title IX protects transgender students will continue to be litigated in lower courts and mostly likely will be decided by the Supreme Court in the coming years, perhaps as early as 2018. A handful of cases are pending in federal courts, including Grimm’s, all of which could reach the Supreme Court. Courts are also set to decide the related legal question of whether school policies that limit access to bathrooms violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection guarantee. In Grimm’s case, the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will now take a second shot. Its earlier ruling had been based on the Obama administration’s interpretation, now reversed by Trump, that Title IX protects transgender students. The 4th Circuit separately is due to hear arguments in May in a challenge brought to the North Carolina law, which still may be repealed following a public outcry against it. In the most recent ruling, a federal district judge in Pennsylvania on Feb. 27 decided in favor of three transgender students who attend Pine-Richland High School in the Pittsburgh suburbs. The court ruled that the school’s refusal to allow the students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity violated their constitutional rights. Other cases are pending in Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin. “We expect and urge all schools to meet their moral and legal responsibility to fully respect and include their transgender students, as thousands of schools around the country have already been doing for years,” Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality advocacy group, said after the high court’s action. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council Christian conservative advocacy group, said the Supreme Court’s action “provided good news to parents and students concerned about privacy and safety in school showers, locker rooms and bathrooms.” “State and local officials working together with parents are best equipped to design policies that respect the dignity, privacy, and safety concerns of all students,” Perkins said. By the time the transgender bathroom issue returns, the Supreme Court, which has been down one justice for nearly 13 months, likely will have its full complement of nine justices. If Trump’s high court nominee, conservative appellate judge Neil Gorsuch, is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the court would once again have a conservative majority. Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing is due to start on March 20. Transgender rights advocates remain hopeful that conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court’s regular swing vote who ruled in favor of gay marriage in 2015, will side with the court’s liberals on upholding transgender rights.

Title: U.S. high court action leaves transgender students in legal limbo. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transgender students at U.S. public schools were left in legal limbo on Monday about whether a federal anti-discrimination law enables them to use the bathroom of their choice after the Supreme Court sidestepped a major ruling on the issue. In canceling planned arguments in a bathroom access lawsuit brought by a Virginia transgender high school student, the justices declined to resolve whether transgender students are protected by a law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, that bars discrimination on the basis of sex in education. Bathroom access has become a key issue in the intensifying battle over transgender rights. North Carolina last year became the first state to require people to use bathrooms matching their gender at birth in public schools and government buildings. About a dozen other states are considering similar measures. President Donald Trump’s administration last month rescinded guidance given to public schools last year by former President Barack Obama’s administration to permit transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. “We had emphasized this is an urgent situation for transgender students,” said Joshua Block, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents Gavin Grimm, the student who brought the case that the Supreme Court dodged. Block said the justices’ action, which threw out a lower court ruling favoring Grimm and instructed that court to reconsider the matter in light of the Trump administration’s stance, was “justice delayed not justice denied.” In the meantime, the question of whether Title IX protects transgender students will continue to be litigated in lower courts and mostly likely will be decided by the Supreme Court in the coming years, perhaps as early as 2018. A handful of cases are pending in federal courts, including Grimm’s, all of which could reach the Supreme Court. Courts are also set to decide the related legal question of whether school policies that limit access to bathrooms violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection guarantee. In Grimm’s case, the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will now take a second shot. Its earlier ruling had been based on the Obama administration’s interpretation, now reversed by Trump, that Title IX protects transgender students. The 4th Circuit separately is due to hear arguments in May in a challenge brought to the North Carolina law, which still may be repealed following a public outcry against it. In the most recent ruling, a federal district judge in Pennsylvania on Feb. 27 decided in favor of three transgender students who attend Pine-Richland High School in the Pittsburgh suburbs. The court ruled that the school’s refusal to allow the students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity violated their constitutional rights. Other cases are pending in Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin. “We expect and urge all schools to meet their moral and legal responsibility to fully respect and include their transgender students, as thousands of schools around the country have already been doing for years,” Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality advocacy group, said after the high court’s action. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council Christian conservative advocacy group, said the Supreme Court’s action “provided good news to parents and students concerned about privacy and safety in school showers, locker rooms and bathrooms.” “State and local officials working together with parents are best equipped to design policies that respect the dignity, privacy, and safety concerns of all students,” Perkins said. By the time the transgender bathroom issue returns, the Supreme Court, which has been down one justice for nearly 13 months, likely will have its full complement of nine justices. If Trump’s high court nominee, conservative appellate judge Neil Gorsuch, is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the court would once again have a conservative majority. Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing is due to start on March 20. Transgender rights advocates remain hopeful that conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court’s regular swing vote who ruled in favor of gay marriage in 2015, will side with the court’s liberals on upholding transgender rights.

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UK police arrest suspected knifeman near Birmingham train station: paper

LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested a suspected knifeman near Birmingham New Street Station, the Birmingham Mail newspaper reported on its website on Friday. Police did not immediately comment.

Title: UK police arrest suspected knifeman near Birmingham train station: paper. Text: LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested a suspected knifeman near Birmingham New Street Station, the Birmingham Mail newspaper reported on its website on Friday. Police did not immediately comment.

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Trump Accuses Qatar Of Funding Terrorism, Sells Them $12 Billion Worth Of Weapons

It was only last week that Donald Trump was calling on Qatar to stop funding terrorism, even taking credit for Gulf nations blacklisting the country, despite U.S. Cabinet officials claiming the move was impeding their campaign against ISIS. Obviously, Trump s first move was to take to Twitter:So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017 extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017 The nation of Qatar has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level, Trump later said in the Rose Garden. I decided, along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, our great generals, and military people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding, they have to end that funding and its extremist ideology. But that was last week. People change, feelings change, and why would the master deal-maker let some silly little thing like the War on Terror or people s safety get in the way of making some serious cash? That s why Trump authorized Qatar to purchase over $21 billion worth of weapons from the US, with the first part of the deal, worth $12 billion, being signed when Qatar s Defense Minister met with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday. We are pleased to announce today the signing of the letter of offer and acceptance for the purchase of the F-15QA fighter jets, with an initial cost of $12 billion dollars, the Qatari Defense Minister wrote in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. We believe that this agreement will propel Qatar s ability to provide for its own security while also reducing the burden placed upon the United States military in conducting operations against violent extremism. The State Department doesn t see a conflict in interests with the deal, rationalizing it by pointing out it will take several years to build the 36 American-made F15s in order to fill the sale We are confident that Qatar can address its remaining issues within this timeframe, prior to delivery, a State Department official said.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images

Title: Trump Accuses Qatar Of Funding Terrorism, Sells Them $12 Billion Worth Of Weapons. Text: It was only last week that Donald Trump was calling on Qatar to stop funding terrorism, even taking credit for Gulf nations blacklisting the country, despite U.S. Cabinet officials claiming the move was impeding their campaign against ISIS. Obviously, Trump s first move was to take to Twitter:So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017 extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017 The nation of Qatar has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level, Trump later said in the Rose Garden. I decided, along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, our great generals, and military people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding, they have to end that funding and its extremist ideology. But that was last week. People change, feelings change, and why would the master deal-maker let some silly little thing like the War on Terror or people s safety get in the way of making some serious cash? That s why Trump authorized Qatar to purchase over $21 billion worth of weapons from the US, with the first part of the deal, worth $12 billion, being signed when Qatar s Defense Minister met with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday. We are pleased to announce today the signing of the letter of offer and acceptance for the purchase of the F-15QA fighter jets, with an initial cost of $12 billion dollars, the Qatari Defense Minister wrote in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. We believe that this agreement will propel Qatar s ability to provide for its own security while also reducing the burden placed upon the United States military in conducting operations against violent extremism. The State Department doesn t see a conflict in interests with the deal, rationalizing it by pointing out it will take several years to build the 36 American-made F15s in order to fill the sale We are confident that Qatar can address its remaining issues within this timeframe, prior to delivery, a State Department official said.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images

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Czech government resigns, making way for election winner Babis

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech center-left government of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka stepped down on Wednesday, making way for billionaire Andrej Babis, who won an election last month, to take power in time for an EU summit in December. The government approved its resignation, the resignation will be delivered to the president today, Sobotka told reporters after a regular government session. Sobotka s coalition government was the first in 15 years to complete a full four-year term and presided over robust economic growth that helped cut unemployment to the lowest level in the EU and push up wages at the fastest pace in a decade. However, voters tired of politics as usual opted for anti-establishment candidates, punishing traditional parties at the polls. Babis s ANO party, with pledges to fight political corruption and run the state with a business touch, was the biggest benefactor of this shift despite being part of the outgoing cabinet with Sobotka s Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats. ANO has failed to convince any of the other eight parliamentary parties to join a coalition. Babis has instead sought a minority cabinet, expected to be appointed by President Milos Zeman on Dec. 13 and take power immediately. This would enable Babis to attend the summit of EU leaders on Dec. 14-15, where the main topic will be progress in negotiations with Britain over its departure from the EU. Parties have shunned Babis, a businessman worth $4 billion and ranked by Forbes as the second richest Czech, because of police charges he illegally received a 2 million euro EU subsidy a decade ago for a farm and convention center by hiding ownership. He denies any wrongdoing. As a lawmaker, he has immunity from prosecution, which the outgoing parliament voted to suspend but which comes into effect again with the new parliament. Some lawmakers who voted to allow him to face prosecution in the past have hinted they will uphold his immunity, suspending proceedings for this parliamentary term. Only the small Communist party has said so far that it could consider tolerating Babis s minority government, but its 15 votes are not enough to secure victory in a confidence vote in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, where ANO holds 78 seats. Initial votes in the new parliament have shown ANO voting along with the Communists as well as the far-right, anti-EU and anti-NATO SPD party, but the latter has so far said it would not give backing or tolerance to Babis in a confidence vote. Once appointed prime minister, Babis would remain in the position even if he loses a confidence vote, pending talks on an alternative solution.

Title: Czech government resigns, making way for election winner Babis. Text: PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech center-left government of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka stepped down on Wednesday, making way for billionaire Andrej Babis, who won an election last month, to take power in time for an EU summit in December. The government approved its resignation, the resignation will be delivered to the president today, Sobotka told reporters after a regular government session. Sobotka s coalition government was the first in 15 years to complete a full four-year term and presided over robust economic growth that helped cut unemployment to the lowest level in the EU and push up wages at the fastest pace in a decade. However, voters tired of politics as usual opted for anti-establishment candidates, punishing traditional parties at the polls. Babis s ANO party, with pledges to fight political corruption and run the state with a business touch, was the biggest benefactor of this shift despite being part of the outgoing cabinet with Sobotka s Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats. ANO has failed to convince any of the other eight parliamentary parties to join a coalition. Babis has instead sought a minority cabinet, expected to be appointed by President Milos Zeman on Dec. 13 and take power immediately. This would enable Babis to attend the summit of EU leaders on Dec. 14-15, where the main topic will be progress in negotiations with Britain over its departure from the EU. Parties have shunned Babis, a businessman worth $4 billion and ranked by Forbes as the second richest Czech, because of police charges he illegally received a 2 million euro EU subsidy a decade ago for a farm and convention center by hiding ownership. He denies any wrongdoing. As a lawmaker, he has immunity from prosecution, which the outgoing parliament voted to suspend but which comes into effect again with the new parliament. Some lawmakers who voted to allow him to face prosecution in the past have hinted they will uphold his immunity, suspending proceedings for this parliamentary term. Only the small Communist party has said so far that it could consider tolerating Babis s minority government, but its 15 votes are not enough to secure victory in a confidence vote in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, where ANO holds 78 seats. Initial votes in the new parliament have shown ANO voting along with the Communists as well as the far-right, anti-EU and anti-NATO SPD party, but the latter has so far said it would not give backing or tolerance to Babis in a confidence vote. Once appointed prime minister, Babis would remain in the position even if he loses a confidence vote, pending talks on an alternative solution.

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wikileaks fends off cyber attack

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

Title: wikileaks fends off cyber attack. Text: 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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Slain Officer Had Just Written These Emotional Words On Being A Black Cop In America

Horror struck once again on Sunday as police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were gunned down on in the line of duty. Just days before his tragic death, one of the slain officers wrote these emotional words on Facebook about living his life as both a cop and a black man in America.Montrell Jackson, 32, wrote his post on the social media site on July 8, following the killing of five police officers in Dallas, Texas and the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. I swear to God I love this city, but I wonder if this city loves me, wrote the 10-year veteran of the police force. He then spoke of the troubling dichotomy he faced as an officer of the law and an African-American man living in America. In uniform, I get nasty hateful looks, and out of uniform some consider me a threat. I ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core. According to local newspaper reports, Jackson was injured in 2007 while trying to rescue a toddler from a burning building. His own son had just been born. I ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core. When people you know begin to question your integrity you realize they don t really know you at all all. Look at my actions they speak LOUD and CLEAR, he said.Friends and family describe him as a gentle giant and a protector. Darnell Murdock, a friend of Jackson s, said his whole goal as an officer of the law was to make you have a better day. He was humble, kind and sweet, said Murdock. He wasn t on there to write tickets. I don t understand how this could happen to someone like him. In his post, he begged his friends not to succumb to the hate taking over the nation and dividing us.This city MUST and WILL get better, he wrote. I m working in these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer. I got you. You can read his emotional post in its entirety here:Heartbreaking Facebook post from Montrell Jackson, one of the cops killed today. (via @ChristeeAtwood) #BatonRouge pic.twitter.com/GgW5LdCct4 justin kanew (@justin_kanew) July 17, 2016Featured image via Twitter

Title: Slain Officer Had Just Written These Emotional Words On Being A Black Cop In America. Text: Horror struck once again on Sunday as police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were gunned down on in the line of duty. Just days before his tragic death, one of the slain officers wrote these emotional words on Facebook about living his life as both a cop and a black man in America.Montrell Jackson, 32, wrote his post on the social media site on July 8, following the killing of five police officers in Dallas, Texas and the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. I swear to God I love this city, but I wonder if this city loves me, wrote the 10-year veteran of the police force. He then spoke of the troubling dichotomy he faced as an officer of the law and an African-American man living in America. In uniform, I get nasty hateful looks, and out of uniform some consider me a threat. I ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core. According to local newspaper reports, Jackson was injured in 2007 while trying to rescue a toddler from a burning building. His own son had just been born. I ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core. When people you know begin to question your integrity you realize they don t really know you at all all. Look at my actions they speak LOUD and CLEAR, he said.Friends and family describe him as a gentle giant and a protector. Darnell Murdock, a friend of Jackson s, said his whole goal as an officer of the law was to make you have a better day. He was humble, kind and sweet, said Murdock. He wasn t on there to write tickets. I don t understand how this could happen to someone like him. In his post, he begged his friends not to succumb to the hate taking over the nation and dividing us.This city MUST and WILL get better, he wrote. I m working in these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer. I got you. You can read his emotional post in its entirety here:Heartbreaking Facebook post from Montrell Jackson, one of the cops killed today. (via @ChristeeAtwood) #BatonRouge pic.twitter.com/GgW5LdCct4 justin kanew (@justin_kanew) July 17, 2016Featured image via Twitter

not fake

JUST IN: WASHINGTON POST Gets DESTROYED When Reporter Admits Truth About How They Cover President Trump In New Undercover Videos

James O Keefe of Project Veritas has used his incredible talents to go undercover and expose crooked organizations like ACORN and Planned Parenthood. During the 2016 election, O Keefe was able to expose the corrupt underbelly of the Democrat Party who used paid plants to incite violence at Trump rallies. O Keefe was also able to tie Barack Obama directly to their chief organizer. Of course, every major #FakeNews outlet completely ignored these horrific coordinated acts of violence against innocent Americans.Over the past several months, O Keefe has been releasing undercover videos he s used to expose the bias and unprofessional tactics used by news publications like the New York Times and now, the Washington Post.Today, the Washington Post attempted to embarrass O Keefe for allegedly setting a trap for them with a woman posing as a Roy Moore sexual assault accuser.After seeing the woman entering Project Veritas, The Post made the unusual decision to report her previous off-the-record comments. https://t.co/W05qDKlhl8 pic.twitter.com/Q0uJ9iaBoo Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 27, 2017Here s a video the Washington Post released on Twitter, of reporters from WaPo ambushing O Keefe at his Project Veritas office.The @washingtonpost attempts to ambush @Project_Veritas anticipating an imminent video release pic.twitter.com/6UV2tOeiAS James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017Many Twitter users wondered if the Washington Post was trying to cover up a bombshell that O Keefe was about to drop on the publication owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos?O Keefe tweeted a response to the Washington Post s videotaped ambush, warning everyone to fasten their seatbelts. Hitting export on hidden camera footage into Washington Post shortly. Project Veritas vs Bezos 100mm monopoly. Fasten your seatbelts. Hitting export on hidden camera footage into Washington Post shortly. Project Veritas vs Bezos 100mm monopoly. Fasten your seatbelts. James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017Josh Caplan suggests that WaPo reporters who hounded O Keefe were panicked. Was the ambush on O Keefe by WaPo reporters over his alleged use of a plant disguised as a Roy Moore accuser , simply a way to discredit O Keefe in advance of his expose on them?Panicked Reporters Stalk Project Veritas HQ As Rumors Swirl @JamesOKeefeIII Is Set To Expose Washington Posthttps://t.co/BV66enlqbq Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) November 27, 2017BREAKING: Undercover video inside @washingtonpost shows National Security Correspondent @danlamothe and Director of Product @josephjames discussing WaPo's hidden agenda #AmericanPravda #ProjectVeritas Full: https://t.co/2002erd3ub pic.twitter.com/o4qi8DQyAz James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017This video allegedly shows Amazon founder Jeff Bezos direct influence in the Washington Post s newsroom:.@josephjames, who works closely with the Jeff Bezos at the Post, sheds light on Bezos's influence in the newsroom. pic.twitter.com/KJcUSCqO5F James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 28, 2017Washington Post s Dan LaMonthe calls out the New York Times and CNN for their bias in this video:Looks like @DanLamothe is a fan of our #AmericanPravda series. Here he is attacking #CNN and #NYT for their extreme bias against @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/PHv7HPFhkQ @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/p79fzIOc1T Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) November 28, 2017Here s another Dan LaMonthe video where he explains how the Washington Post works together to take down Trump following his tweets:WATCH: @washingtonpost reporter: "I can't tell you how many times we get an email at work: 'Oh did you see what (Trump) just tweeted? What are we gonna do about it?" Full video: https://t.co/2002erd3ub pic.twitter.com/OOOjE3kOx5 James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 28, 2017Finally, Grant J. Kidney claims that Project Veritas just vindicated President Trump and his attack on the Amazon Washington Post. Project Veritas just vindicated President Trump in his calling of the Washington Post, the Amazon Washington Post . pic.twitter.com/FNNhNFNaRg GRANT J. KIDNEY (@GrantJKidney) November 28, 2017

Title: JUST IN: WASHINGTON POST Gets DESTROYED When Reporter Admits Truth About How They Cover President Trump In New Undercover Videos. Text: James O Keefe of Project Veritas has used his incredible talents to go undercover and expose crooked organizations like ACORN and Planned Parenthood. During the 2016 election, O Keefe was able to expose the corrupt underbelly of the Democrat Party who used paid plants to incite violence at Trump rallies. O Keefe was also able to tie Barack Obama directly to their chief organizer. Of course, every major #FakeNews outlet completely ignored these horrific coordinated acts of violence against innocent Americans.Over the past several months, O Keefe has been releasing undercover videos he s used to expose the bias and unprofessional tactics used by news publications like the New York Times and now, the Washington Post.Today, the Washington Post attempted to embarrass O Keefe for allegedly setting a trap for them with a woman posing as a Roy Moore sexual assault accuser.After seeing the woman entering Project Veritas, The Post made the unusual decision to report her previous off-the-record comments. https://t.co/W05qDKlhl8 pic.twitter.com/Q0uJ9iaBoo Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 27, 2017Here s a video the Washington Post released on Twitter, of reporters from WaPo ambushing O Keefe at his Project Veritas office.The @washingtonpost attempts to ambush @Project_Veritas anticipating an imminent video release pic.twitter.com/6UV2tOeiAS James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017Many Twitter users wondered if the Washington Post was trying to cover up a bombshell that O Keefe was about to drop on the publication owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos?O Keefe tweeted a response to the Washington Post s videotaped ambush, warning everyone to fasten their seatbelts. Hitting export on hidden camera footage into Washington Post shortly. Project Veritas vs Bezos 100mm monopoly. Fasten your seatbelts. Hitting export on hidden camera footage into Washington Post shortly. Project Veritas vs Bezos 100mm monopoly. Fasten your seatbelts. James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017Josh Caplan suggests that WaPo reporters who hounded O Keefe were panicked. Was the ambush on O Keefe by WaPo reporters over his alleged use of a plant disguised as a Roy Moore accuser , simply a way to discredit O Keefe in advance of his expose on them?Panicked Reporters Stalk Project Veritas HQ As Rumors Swirl @JamesOKeefeIII Is Set To Expose Washington Posthttps://t.co/BV66enlqbq Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) November 27, 2017BREAKING: Undercover video inside @washingtonpost shows National Security Correspondent @danlamothe and Director of Product @josephjames discussing WaPo's hidden agenda #AmericanPravda #ProjectVeritas Full: https://t.co/2002erd3ub pic.twitter.com/o4qi8DQyAz James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 27, 2017This video allegedly shows Amazon founder Jeff Bezos direct influence in the Washington Post s newsroom:.@josephjames, who works closely with the Jeff Bezos at the Post, sheds light on Bezos's influence in the newsroom. pic.twitter.com/KJcUSCqO5F James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 28, 2017Washington Post s Dan LaMonthe calls out the New York Times and CNN for their bias in this video:Looks like @DanLamothe is a fan of our #AmericanPravda series. Here he is attacking #CNN and #NYT for their extreme bias against @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/PHv7HPFhkQ @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/p79fzIOc1T Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) November 28, 2017Here s another Dan LaMonthe video where he explains how the Washington Post works together to take down Trump following his tweets:WATCH: @washingtonpost reporter: "I can't tell you how many times we get an email at work: 'Oh did you see what (Trump) just tweeted? What are we gonna do about it?" Full video: https://t.co/2002erd3ub pic.twitter.com/OOOjE3kOx5 James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 28, 2017Finally, Grant J. Kidney claims that Project Veritas just vindicated President Trump and his attack on the Amazon Washington Post. Project Veritas just vindicated President Trump in his calling of the Washington Post, the Amazon Washington Post . pic.twitter.com/FNNhNFNaRg GRANT J. KIDNEY (@GrantJKidney) November 28, 2017

not fake

After Florida shooting, Trump hardens stance on Muslims

MANCHESTER, N.H./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump on Monday placed responsibility for a mass shooting in Florida squarely at the feet of radical Muslims, who he said were entering the country amidst a flood of refugees and “trying to take over our children.” The presumptive Republican presidential nominee drew on the country’s deadliest mass shooting to sharpen his vow to ban Muslim immigrants, proposing that the United States suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is “a proven history of terrorism.” In his national security speech, Trump said it was time to “tell the truth about radical Islam,” the day after 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a gunman, likely self-radicalized, who had sworn allegiance to the rebel group Islamic State. His comments contrasted sharply to those of Hillary Clinton, the wealthy businessman’s likely Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, who urged increased intelligence gathering and more airstrikes on Islamic State territory, and cautioned against “demonizing” American Muslims. “If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans - women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people - then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam and we need to do it now,” Trump told the crowd in New Hampshire. He went on to lambaste Clinton’s policies, saying they would allow “hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East” to enter the United States without adequate security measures. There would be “no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalization of... their children,” he said. “Not only their children, by the way. They’re trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful ISIS is and how wonderful Islam is, and we don’t know what’s happening.” Trump said that, if elected, he would use the executive authority of the presidency to impose stronger controls on immigration to protect Americans from attacks, fine-tuning his earlier campaign promise to temporarily ban the entry of foreign Muslims to shore up national security. “When I’m elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats,” he said. He noted that the parents of the Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, were born in Afghanistan. Pointing to specific incidents such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Trump said threats were posed by people with roots in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The immigration ban, he said would last until “we are in a position to properly screen these people coming into our country. They’re pouring in, and we don’t know what we’re doing.” Trump’s hard-line proposals on immigration have helped fuel his surge in popularity among some conservative voters. But they have also triggered heavy condemnation from minority and human rights activists, and his political opponents - many of whom have called his rhetoric racist. Trump has rejected the criticism, and has said he is often misunderstood by the media and his opponents. ‘ANTI-WOMAN, ANTI-GAY’ In her response to the Florida massacre, Clinton, warned against demonizing Muslim Americans and called for increased efforts to remove Islamic State propaganda from the internet, more air strikes in areas held by the group and better coordination with allies in the region. “The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very strong, and we must attack it,” she said in a speech in Cleveland. She specifically criticized three U.S. allies - Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait - for allowing its citizens to fund mosques and schools that train jihadists. She also proposed stricter gun control laws, reiterating previous calls to prohibit people on terrorism watch lists from buying firearms. She pointed out that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of Mateen as a possible threat, he was still able to purchase a gun legally. “It’s important that we stop the terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks, and that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino,” California, Clinton said, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. Trump challenged Clinton to explain why she favored letting Syrian civil war refugees into the United States. He said his policies would better protect American women, gays and lesbians, Jews and Christians. Trump’s support among women and gay voters lags far behind that of Clinton. “Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American,” said Trump. He accused her of having ties to Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays,” he said in a Facebook post. “Hillary must return all money from such countries!”

Title: After Florida shooting, Trump hardens stance on Muslims. Text: MANCHESTER, N.H./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump on Monday placed responsibility for a mass shooting in Florida squarely at the feet of radical Muslims, who he said were entering the country amidst a flood of refugees and “trying to take over our children.” The presumptive Republican presidential nominee drew on the country’s deadliest mass shooting to sharpen his vow to ban Muslim immigrants, proposing that the United States suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is “a proven history of terrorism.” In his national security speech, Trump said it was time to “tell the truth about radical Islam,” the day after 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a gunman, likely self-radicalized, who had sworn allegiance to the rebel group Islamic State. His comments contrasted sharply to those of Hillary Clinton, the wealthy businessman’s likely Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, who urged increased intelligence gathering and more airstrikes on Islamic State territory, and cautioned against “demonizing” American Muslims. “If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans - women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people - then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam and we need to do it now,” Trump told the crowd in New Hampshire. He went on to lambaste Clinton’s policies, saying they would allow “hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East” to enter the United States without adequate security measures. There would be “no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalization of... their children,” he said. “Not only their children, by the way. They’re trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful ISIS is and how wonderful Islam is, and we don’t know what’s happening.” Trump said that, if elected, he would use the executive authority of the presidency to impose stronger controls on immigration to protect Americans from attacks, fine-tuning his earlier campaign promise to temporarily ban the entry of foreign Muslims to shore up national security. “When I’m elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats,” he said. He noted that the parents of the Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, were born in Afghanistan. Pointing to specific incidents such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Trump said threats were posed by people with roots in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The immigration ban, he said would last until “we are in a position to properly screen these people coming into our country. They’re pouring in, and we don’t know what we’re doing.” Trump’s hard-line proposals on immigration have helped fuel his surge in popularity among some conservative voters. But they have also triggered heavy condemnation from minority and human rights activists, and his political opponents - many of whom have called his rhetoric racist. Trump has rejected the criticism, and has said he is often misunderstood by the media and his opponents. ‘ANTI-WOMAN, ANTI-GAY’ In her response to the Florida massacre, Clinton, warned against demonizing Muslim Americans and called for increased efforts to remove Islamic State propaganda from the internet, more air strikes in areas held by the group and better coordination with allies in the region. “The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very strong, and we must attack it,” she said in a speech in Cleveland. She specifically criticized three U.S. allies - Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait - for allowing its citizens to fund mosques and schools that train jihadists. She also proposed stricter gun control laws, reiterating previous calls to prohibit people on terrorism watch lists from buying firearms. She pointed out that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of Mateen as a possible threat, he was still able to purchase a gun legally. “It’s important that we stop the terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks, and that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino,” California, Clinton said, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. Trump challenged Clinton to explain why she favored letting Syrian civil war refugees into the United States. He said his policies would better protect American women, gays and lesbians, Jews and Christians. Trump’s support among women and gay voters lags far behind that of Clinton. “Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American,” said Trump. He accused her of having ties to Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays,” he said in a Facebook post. “Hillary must return all money from such countries!”

fake

Yahoo under scrutiny after latest hack, Verizon seeks new deal terms

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc YHOO.O came under renewed scrutiny by federal investigators and lawmakers on Thursday after disclosing the largest known data breach in history, prompting Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) to demand better terms for its planned purchase of Yahoo’s internet business. Shares of the Sunnyvale, California-based internet pioneer fell more than 6 percent after it announced the breach of data belonging to more than 1 billion users late on Wednesday, following another large hack reported in September. Verizon, which agreed to buy Yahoo’s core internet business in July for $4.8 billion, is now trying to persuade Yahoo to amend the terms of the acquisition agreement to reflect the economic damage from the two hacks, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. No. 1 wireless carrier still expects to go through with the deal, but is looking for “major concessions” in light of the most recent breach, according to another person familiar with the situation. Asked about the status of the deal, a Yahoo spokesperson said: “We are confident in Yahoo’s value and we continue to work towards integration with Verizon.” Verizon had already said in October it was reviewing the deal after September’s breach disclosure. Late on Wednesday, it said it would “review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions” about whether to proceed. The company declined to comment beyond that statement on Thursday. Verizon has threatened to go to court to get out of the deal if it is not repriced, citing a material adverse effect, said the people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. No court in Delaware, where Yahoo is incorporated, has ever found that a material adverse effect has occurred that would allow companies to terminate a merger agreement. Nevertheless, the threat of a court case on the issue has been successfully used by companies to renegotiate deals, and experts said that some concessions from Yahoo are likely, given the magnitude of the cyber security breaches. Renegotiating the deal’s price tag would be the simplest but also least likely scenario because the impact of the data breaches will not be apparent for some time, according to Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. A more likely concession would be for Yahoo to agree to compensate Verizon after the close of the deal, based on the liabilities that occur. The two companies may also agree to extend the close of the deal to allow for more time for information to come in on the impact of the breaches, Gordon suggested. Verizon shares rose 0.4 percent to close at $51.81, in line with the S&P 500 Index .SPX. Yahoo closed down 6.1 percent at $38.41. Yahoo said late on Wednesday that it had uncovered a 2013 cyber attack that compromised data of more than 1 billion user accounts, the largest known breach on record. It said the data stolen may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers. The company added that some of its partners were affected. One such partner, Europe’s Sky Plc (SKYB.L), said Yahoo provides email services to its 2.1 million Sky.com email account holders, but it was unclear how many of those accounts were affected. The announcement followed Yahoo’s disclosure in September of a separate breach that affected over 500 million accounts, which the company said it believed was launched by different hackers. The White House said on Thursday the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was probing the breach. Several lawsuits seeking class-action status on behalf of Yahoo shareholders have been filed, or are in the works. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said he was looking into Yahoo’s cyber security practices. “This most-recent revelation warrants a separate follow-up and I plan to press the company on why its cyber defenses have been so weak as to have compromised over a billion users,” he said in a statement. Warner, who will become the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee next year, described the hacks as “deeply troubling.” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urged anyone with a Yahoo account to change their passwords and security questions and said he is examining the breach’s circumstances and the company’s disclosures to law enforcement. Germany’s cyber security authority, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), advised German consumers to consider switching to safer alternatives for email, and criticized Yahoo for failing to adopt modern encryption techniques to protect users’ personal data. “Considering the repeated cases of data theft, users should look more closely at which services they want to use in the future and security should play a part in that decision,” BSI President Arne Schoenbohm said in a statement. The latest breach drew widespread criticism from security experts, several advising consumers to close their Yahoo accounts. “Yahoo has fallen down on security in so many ways I have to recommend that if you have an active Yahoo email account, either direct with Yahoo of via a partner like AT&T, get rid of it,” Stu Sjouwerman, chief executive of cyber security firm KnowBe4 Inc, said in a broadly distributed email. A Yahoo spokesperson, in response to criticism of the company’s security measures, said on Thursday: “We’re committed to keeping our users secure, both by continuously striving to stay ahead of ever-evolving online threats and to keep our users and platforms secure.”

Title: Yahoo under scrutiny after latest hack, Verizon seeks new deal terms. Text: NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc YHOO.O came under renewed scrutiny by federal investigators and lawmakers on Thursday after disclosing the largest known data breach in history, prompting Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) to demand better terms for its planned purchase of Yahoo’s internet business. Shares of the Sunnyvale, California-based internet pioneer fell more than 6 percent after it announced the breach of data belonging to more than 1 billion users late on Wednesday, following another large hack reported in September. Verizon, which agreed to buy Yahoo’s core internet business in July for $4.8 billion, is now trying to persuade Yahoo to amend the terms of the acquisition agreement to reflect the economic damage from the two hacks, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. No. 1 wireless carrier still expects to go through with the deal, but is looking for “major concessions” in light of the most recent breach, according to another person familiar with the situation. Asked about the status of the deal, a Yahoo spokesperson said: “We are confident in Yahoo’s value and we continue to work towards integration with Verizon.” Verizon had already said in October it was reviewing the deal after September’s breach disclosure. Late on Wednesday, it said it would “review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions” about whether to proceed. The company declined to comment beyond that statement on Thursday. Verizon has threatened to go to court to get out of the deal if it is not repriced, citing a material adverse effect, said the people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. No court in Delaware, where Yahoo is incorporated, has ever found that a material adverse effect has occurred that would allow companies to terminate a merger agreement. Nevertheless, the threat of a court case on the issue has been successfully used by companies to renegotiate deals, and experts said that some concessions from Yahoo are likely, given the magnitude of the cyber security breaches. Renegotiating the deal’s price tag would be the simplest but also least likely scenario because the impact of the data breaches will not be apparent for some time, according to Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. A more likely concession would be for Yahoo to agree to compensate Verizon after the close of the deal, based on the liabilities that occur. The two companies may also agree to extend the close of the deal to allow for more time for information to come in on the impact of the breaches, Gordon suggested. Verizon shares rose 0.4 percent to close at $51.81, in line with the S&P 500 Index .SPX. Yahoo closed down 6.1 percent at $38.41. Yahoo said late on Wednesday that it had uncovered a 2013 cyber attack that compromised data of more than 1 billion user accounts, the largest known breach on record. It said the data stolen may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers. The company added that some of its partners were affected. One such partner, Europe’s Sky Plc (SKYB.L), said Yahoo provides email services to its 2.1 million Sky.com email account holders, but it was unclear how many of those accounts were affected. The announcement followed Yahoo’s disclosure in September of a separate breach that affected over 500 million accounts, which the company said it believed was launched by different hackers. The White House said on Thursday the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was probing the breach. Several lawsuits seeking class-action status on behalf of Yahoo shareholders have been filed, or are in the works. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said he was looking into Yahoo’s cyber security practices. “This most-recent revelation warrants a separate follow-up and I plan to press the company on why its cyber defenses have been so weak as to have compromised over a billion users,” he said in a statement. Warner, who will become the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee next year, described the hacks as “deeply troubling.” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urged anyone with a Yahoo account to change their passwords and security questions and said he is examining the breach’s circumstances and the company’s disclosures to law enforcement. Germany’s cyber security authority, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), advised German consumers to consider switching to safer alternatives for email, and criticized Yahoo for failing to adopt modern encryption techniques to protect users’ personal data. “Considering the repeated cases of data theft, users should look more closely at which services they want to use in the future and security should play a part in that decision,” BSI President Arne Schoenbohm said in a statement. The latest breach drew widespread criticism from security experts, several advising consumers to close their Yahoo accounts. “Yahoo has fallen down on security in so many ways I have to recommend that if you have an active Yahoo email account, either direct with Yahoo of via a partner like AT&T, get rid of it,” Stu Sjouwerman, chief executive of cyber security firm KnowBe4 Inc, said in a broadly distributed email. A Yahoo spokesperson, in response to criticism of the company’s security measures, said on Thursday: “We’re committed to keeping our users secure, both by continuously striving to stay ahead of ever-evolving online threats and to keep our users and platforms secure.”

fake

Trump's Jerusalem decision could help militants: UAE's Sheikh Mohammed

DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S President Donald Trump s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital could provide a lifeline to militants after the setbacks they suffered this year, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan also said that the UAE hopes that Washington would reconsider its decision. Trump s announcement has sparked widespread opposition across the Middle East, with many warning it could affect Washington s role as a Middle East peace broker. The U.S. move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the region, said Sheikh Mohammed, speaking to a delegation from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The comments were carried in a report on state news agency WAM published late on Saturday. Iraq on Saturday declared final victory over Islamic State after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, while the group is on the back foot in neighboring Syria, where an offensive backed by Russia has driven the group out of most of its strongholds. Palestinians want Arab East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, to be the capital of a state they hope would be emerge from peace talks with Israel. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and regards the area as part of its capital. Sheikh Mohammed said Trump s unilateral decision violates U.N. resolutions, and urged Washington to reconsider its move and work basically in an effective and neutral manner to draft true principles for peace that serve all and realize development and stability in the region , according to WAM. Turning to Yemen, Sheikh Mohammed said the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which includes the UAE, remained committed to a political solution to end the war that began in 2015 when the Iran-aligned Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee into exile. But he said that any solution will also not be at the expense of enabling a military militia that operates outside the state authority and posing a direct threat to the security and stability of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region at large.

Title: Trump's Jerusalem decision could help militants: UAE's Sheikh Mohammed. Text: DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S President Donald Trump s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital could provide a lifeline to militants after the setbacks they suffered this year, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan also said that the UAE hopes that Washington would reconsider its decision. Trump s announcement has sparked widespread opposition across the Middle East, with many warning it could affect Washington s role as a Middle East peace broker. The U.S. move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the region, said Sheikh Mohammed, speaking to a delegation from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The comments were carried in a report on state news agency WAM published late on Saturday. Iraq on Saturday declared final victory over Islamic State after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, while the group is on the back foot in neighboring Syria, where an offensive backed by Russia has driven the group out of most of its strongholds. Palestinians want Arab East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, to be the capital of a state they hope would be emerge from peace talks with Israel. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and regards the area as part of its capital. Sheikh Mohammed said Trump s unilateral decision violates U.N. resolutions, and urged Washington to reconsider its move and work basically in an effective and neutral manner to draft true principles for peace that serve all and realize development and stability in the region , according to WAM. Turning to Yemen, Sheikh Mohammed said the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which includes the UAE, remained committed to a political solution to end the war that began in 2015 when the Iran-aligned Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee into exile. But he said that any solution will also not be at the expense of enabling a military militia that operates outside the state authority and posing a direct threat to the security and stability of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region at large.

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GRAMMYS Nominate All-Black Artists…SNUB Country Music, White Musicians Over “White Supremacy” Concerns…#BoycottGrammys

On Tuesday, the Grammys announced their nominations for the 2018 awards shows, and there are some notable additions and snubs that make it look like the Recording Academy is getting into the business of identity politics.For the first time in 14 years, no country music acts were nominated for the top awards: record of the year, song of the year, and album of the year. Instead, the Grammys took a sharp turn towards honoring hip-hop, R&B, and funk for the top awards.According to Buzzfeed: The night s biggest category, Album of the Year, not only has majority black nominees, but also has no white male nominees for the first time in 19 years.This is also the first year the Record of the Year category is only people of color (with the exception of Justin Bieber, who is featured on Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee s Despacito ).The Best New Artist category is also majority black this year with SZA, Khalid, and Lil Uzi Vert all gaining nominations. SZA is also this year s most Grammy-nominated woman.Rapper Jay-Z and pop singer Bruno Mars got nods in all three top categories, while rapper/singer Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover), rapper Kendrick Lamar, and the coupling of Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee got nods in two of the top three categories. Meanwhile, rapper Logic got nominated for his anti-suicide song 1-800-273-8255 for song of the year.Objectively speaking, Jay-Z, Mars, Gambino, Lamar, Fonsi, and Yankee put out some great product this past year, and with any awards show, there are going to be some snubs. However, it appeared that Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, and Miranda Lambert were all looked over from the top categories because of concerns about white supremacy. Instead, Lorde, the 20-year-old New Zealand singer, and Julia Michaels, the 24-year-old singer from Iowa, were the only pop acts to be nominated for the top categories. Washington ExaminerSince rap seems to have surpassed country in popularity (well, at least according to the Grammys), in an effort to address White supremacy , perhaps it s worth taking a look at the black rapper, Snoop Dogg, who shamelessly promotes killing our President and violence against his supporters. Paul Joseph Watson made a brilliant video that exposes how gangster rap increases racism in America. racist 45-year-old rapper Snoop Dogg (**Language warning**):

Title: GRAMMYS Nominate All-Black Artists…SNUB Country Music, White Musicians Over “White Supremacy” Concerns…#BoycottGrammys. Text: On Tuesday, the Grammys announced their nominations for the 2018 awards shows, and there are some notable additions and snubs that make it look like the Recording Academy is getting into the business of identity politics.For the first time in 14 years, no country music acts were nominated for the top awards: record of the year, song of the year, and album of the year. Instead, the Grammys took a sharp turn towards honoring hip-hop, R&B, and funk for the top awards.According to Buzzfeed: The night s biggest category, Album of the Year, not only has majority black nominees, but also has no white male nominees for the first time in 19 years.This is also the first year the Record of the Year category is only people of color (with the exception of Justin Bieber, who is featured on Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee s Despacito ).The Best New Artist category is also majority black this year with SZA, Khalid, and Lil Uzi Vert all gaining nominations. SZA is also this year s most Grammy-nominated woman.Rapper Jay-Z and pop singer Bruno Mars got nods in all three top categories, while rapper/singer Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover), rapper Kendrick Lamar, and the coupling of Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee got nods in two of the top three categories. Meanwhile, rapper Logic got nominated for his anti-suicide song 1-800-273-8255 for song of the year.Objectively speaking, Jay-Z, Mars, Gambino, Lamar, Fonsi, and Yankee put out some great product this past year, and with any awards show, there are going to be some snubs. However, it appeared that Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, and Miranda Lambert were all looked over from the top categories because of concerns about white supremacy. Instead, Lorde, the 20-year-old New Zealand singer, and Julia Michaels, the 24-year-old singer from Iowa, were the only pop acts to be nominated for the top categories. Washington ExaminerSince rap seems to have surpassed country in popularity (well, at least according to the Grammys), in an effort to address White supremacy , perhaps it s worth taking a look at the black rapper, Snoop Dogg, who shamelessly promotes killing our President and violence against his supporters. Paul Joseph Watson made a brilliant video that exposes how gangster rap increases racism in America. racist 45-year-old rapper Snoop Dogg (**Language warning**):

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Senate tax plan includes full repeal of federal SALT deductions: Senator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans’ tax proposal will include a full repeal of federal deductions for both state and local taxes on income, property and sales, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy told reporters on Thursday.

Title: Senate tax plan includes full repeal of federal SALT deductions: Senator. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans’ tax proposal will include a full repeal of federal deductions for both state and local taxes on income, property and sales, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy told reporters on Thursday.

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U.S. extends some Iran sanctions relief under nuclear deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday extended some sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal but said it has yet to decide whether to preserve the deal itself, the State Department said. President Donald Trump, who must make a decision by mid-October that could undermine the agreement, said Iran is violating the spirit of the 2015 deal under which Iran got sanctions relief in return for curbing its nuclear program. In a sign of Trump s desire to put pressure on Iran, which denies violating the deal, the U.S. Treasury announced new cyber-related and other sanctions on seven Iranian individuals, two Iranian entities and two Ukraine-based entities. We are not going to stand for what they are doing, Trump told reporters on Air Force One. But he stopped short of saying whether he will refuse to recertify the agreement. Trump must decide in October whether to certify that Iran is complying with the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). If he does not, Congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal. The prospect of Washington reneging on the agreement has worried some of the key U.S. allies that helped negotiate the deal, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis, North Korea s nuclear and ballistic missile development. Republican Senator Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and wrote the law giving Congress the right to review the Iran deal, said he and the White House were preparing in case of a change in policy. He also said he recognized the need to work with allies. I think it s important that ... we take steps that, to the extent we can, we keep all of our allies together, Corker told Reuters. What you don t want to do is self-create a crisis for no reason. You want to make sure that you have an outcome here that is a good outcome for the United States and our interest. Asked if it made sense to abandon the Iran nuclear deal given concerns about North Korea, Corker said, I don t think you should prejudge what they re (the administration) going to do. Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued that the United States must consider the full threat it says Iran poses to the Middle East when formulating its new policy toward Tehran, saying Iran had breached the spirit of the deal. We have to consider the totality of Iran s activities and not let our view be defined solely by the nuclear agreement, he told a news conference in London. Citing the preface to the 2015 agreement, Tillerson said in our view, Iran is clearly in default of these expectations. He cited Iranian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its development of ballistic missiles and cyber activities. The deal s preface does not oblige Iran to promote global peace. Rather, it says the nations involved anticipate that full implementation of this JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters the administration had approved waivers of some sanctions on Iran to maintain some flexibility as it develops its Iran policy. She did not specify which sanctions were waived. Earlier, sources said the United States will renew a waiver of the most punitive sanctions on Iran. Tucked into Section 1245 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, Washington threatened to sanction the banks of Iran s main oil customers if they did not significantly cut their purchases of Iranian crude. Under the law, these sanctions can be waived for a maximum of 120 days, forcing the U.S. government to revisit the issue every four months. Even as the administration waived the oil-related sanctions, the Treasury Department announced it had sanctioned 11 entities and individuals for engaging in support of designated Iranian actors or malicious cyber-enabled activity. Of the 11, seven were Iranian individuals, two were Iranian entities and two were entities based in Ukraine. The Treasury alleged they either supported Iran s ballistic missile program or its Quds Force, or engaged in cyber attacks against the U.S. financial system. The action freezes any assets they may hold in the United States and generally prohibits U.S. individuals from doing business with them.

Title: U.S. extends some Iran sanctions relief under nuclear deal. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday extended some sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal but said it has yet to decide whether to preserve the deal itself, the State Department said. President Donald Trump, who must make a decision by mid-October that could undermine the agreement, said Iran is violating the spirit of the 2015 deal under which Iran got sanctions relief in return for curbing its nuclear program. In a sign of Trump s desire to put pressure on Iran, which denies violating the deal, the U.S. Treasury announced new cyber-related and other sanctions on seven Iranian individuals, two Iranian entities and two Ukraine-based entities. We are not going to stand for what they are doing, Trump told reporters on Air Force One. But he stopped short of saying whether he will refuse to recertify the agreement. Trump must decide in October whether to certify that Iran is complying with the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). If he does not, Congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal. The prospect of Washington reneging on the agreement has worried some of the key U.S. allies that helped negotiate the deal, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis, North Korea s nuclear and ballistic missile development. Republican Senator Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and wrote the law giving Congress the right to review the Iran deal, said he and the White House were preparing in case of a change in policy. He also said he recognized the need to work with allies. I think it s important that ... we take steps that, to the extent we can, we keep all of our allies together, Corker told Reuters. What you don t want to do is self-create a crisis for no reason. You want to make sure that you have an outcome here that is a good outcome for the United States and our interest. Asked if it made sense to abandon the Iran nuclear deal given concerns about North Korea, Corker said, I don t think you should prejudge what they re (the administration) going to do. Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson argued that the United States must consider the full threat it says Iran poses to the Middle East when formulating its new policy toward Tehran, saying Iran had breached the spirit of the deal. We have to consider the totality of Iran s activities and not let our view be defined solely by the nuclear agreement, he told a news conference in London. Citing the preface to the 2015 agreement, Tillerson said in our view, Iran is clearly in default of these expectations. He cited Iranian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its development of ballistic missiles and cyber activities. The deal s preface does not oblige Iran to promote global peace. Rather, it says the nations involved anticipate that full implementation of this JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters the administration had approved waivers of some sanctions on Iran to maintain some flexibility as it develops its Iran policy. She did not specify which sanctions were waived. Earlier, sources said the United States will renew a waiver of the most punitive sanctions on Iran. Tucked into Section 1245 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, Washington threatened to sanction the banks of Iran s main oil customers if they did not significantly cut their purchases of Iranian crude. Under the law, these sanctions can be waived for a maximum of 120 days, forcing the U.S. government to revisit the issue every four months. Even as the administration waived the oil-related sanctions, the Treasury Department announced it had sanctioned 11 entities and individuals for engaging in support of designated Iranian actors or malicious cyber-enabled activity. Of the 11, seven were Iranian individuals, two were Iranian entities and two were entities based in Ukraine. The Treasury alleged they either supported Iran s ballistic missile program or its Quds Force, or engaged in cyber attacks against the U.S. financial system. The action freezes any assets they may hold in the United States and generally prohibits U.S. individuals from doing business with them.

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Peruvians take Glencore to court over police abuse allegations

(Reuters) - Peruvian villagers suing miner Glencore will argue in London s High Court next week that the company should be held liable over their allegations they were abused by Peruvian police, the law firm representing them said on Tuesday. The allegations, to be presented in a 10-day hearing that starts on Monday, illustrates potential legal risks for mining companies that sign pacts with Peruvian police for the provision of security services at their operations. The lawsuit by 22 Peruvians said that Xstrata, acquired by Glencore in 2013, failed to take reasonable steps to prevent abuses by police in deadly protests at the Tintaya copper mine in 2012, said London law firm Leigh Day. Xstrata paid, fed and provided lodging for police and knew or should have known that Peru s police tend to use excessive force, Leigh Day said. Glencore said Xstrata was not responsible for actions taken by the Peruvian National Police (PNP) in policing the protests and noted that the lawsuit does not allege that Xstrata or the mine s private security force harmed anyone. Xstrata appealed to the PNP to respect the human rights of protesters before and during the protest, Glencore said in a statement. Like many mining companies in Peru, Xstrata had signed an agreement with Peru s national police for the provision of security services at Tintaya, which stopped operating in 2013. The agreements, which usually include payment for police, have long been criticized by activists who say it creates a police force loyal to companies instead of the broader public. Defenders of the agreements say that they allow companies to pay for their policing needs in poor, remote regions where they tend to operate alongside villages that lack basic services. Leigh Day law firm said that a Peruvian villager believed to have been shot by police in the 2012 unrest will attend the hearing. The case will be determined under Peruvian law, the firm said.

Title: Peruvians take Glencore to court over police abuse allegations. Text: (Reuters) - Peruvian villagers suing miner Glencore will argue in London s High Court next week that the company should be held liable over their allegations they were abused by Peruvian police, the law firm representing them said on Tuesday. The allegations, to be presented in a 10-day hearing that starts on Monday, illustrates potential legal risks for mining companies that sign pacts with Peruvian police for the provision of security services at their operations. The lawsuit by 22 Peruvians said that Xstrata, acquired by Glencore in 2013, failed to take reasonable steps to prevent abuses by police in deadly protests at the Tintaya copper mine in 2012, said London law firm Leigh Day. Xstrata paid, fed and provided lodging for police and knew or should have known that Peru s police tend to use excessive force, Leigh Day said. Glencore said Xstrata was not responsible for actions taken by the Peruvian National Police (PNP) in policing the protests and noted that the lawsuit does not allege that Xstrata or the mine s private security force harmed anyone. Xstrata appealed to the PNP to respect the human rights of protesters before and during the protest, Glencore said in a statement. Like many mining companies in Peru, Xstrata had signed an agreement with Peru s national police for the provision of security services at Tintaya, which stopped operating in 2013. The agreements, which usually include payment for police, have long been criticized by activists who say it creates a police force loyal to companies instead of the broader public. Defenders of the agreements say that they allow companies to pay for their policing needs in poor, remote regions where they tend to operate alongside villages that lack basic services. Leigh Day law firm said that a Peruvian villager believed to have been shot by police in the 2012 unrest will attend the hearing. The case will be determined under Peruvian law, the firm said.

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House Speaker Ryan expects more emergency relief for hurricanes: Fox

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that he expects to hear from the Trump administration about getting more relief to help Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We re expecting to hear from the administration as early as tomorrow perhaps, maybe Thursday, for more relief for hurricanes for Puerto Rico, for Florida, for Texas, Ryan said. These hurricanes were exceptional and that means we re going to have to have more response to fill the FEMA accounts and some other accounts.

Title: House Speaker Ryan expects more emergency relief for hurricanes: Fox. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that he expects to hear from the Trump administration about getting more relief to help Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We re expecting to hear from the administration as early as tomorrow perhaps, maybe Thursday, for more relief for hurricanes for Puerto Rico, for Florida, for Texas, Ryan said. These hurricanes were exceptional and that means we re going to have to have more response to fill the FEMA accounts and some other accounts.

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California voters turn down drug pricing initiative

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California voters turned down a ballot initiative aimed at reining in rising prices for prescription drugs after pharmaceutical companies spent more than $100 million to fight it. The California Drug Price Relief Act, also known as Proposition 61, sought to limit state health programs from paying more for medications than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which receives the steepest discounts in the country. As of Wednesday morning, with more than 99 percent of precincts partially reporting from Tuesday’s election, the vote was 46 percent in favor of the measure and 54 percent opposed, according to California’s Secretary of State. “The pharmaceutical companies spent a lot to defeat this,” said Stuart Schweitzer, professor of health policy and management at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health. “They wanted to draw a line in the sand.” The measure’s defeat “reaffirms the power of the biopharma lobby,” Jefferies analyst Brian Abrahams said in a note to investors on Wednesday. The rising cost of prescription drugs came under attack during the U.S. presidential campaign. Both President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton called for cost-trimming measures including allowing Medicare, the federal health plan for seniors, to negotiate prices with drugmakers. Shares in pharmaceutical and biotechnology shares, under pressure in recent weeks, soared on Wednesday as market fears of a win by Clinton and Democrats gaining power in Congress receded. The Nasdaq Biotechnology index .NBI advanced 7 percent and was on track for its biggest single-day gain in about five years. Proposition 61’s opponents, led by global drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc and Amgen Inc, spent around $106 million. They argued that it would benefit only 12 percent of Californians, while putting the other 88 percent, and veterans across the country, at risk of higher drug costs. Supporters, led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and AARP, which advocates for seniors, said only drug companies themselves can raise prices for veterans or other consumers. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders also campaigned in support of Proposition 61, calling on voters to “stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry.” Proponents, who raised $17 million to support the initiative, estimated it could save California taxpayers up to $5.7 billion over 10 years, although a state legislative analysis said the financial impact is not clear. UCLA’s Schweitzer said the measure would have had only a modest impact on state drug costs. There were also questions about how Proposition 61 would be implemented. The VA’s mandated prices are listed publicly, but its steepest negotiated price discounts are required by law to be confidential. The VA spends some $6.1 billion a year on medicines for 6 million veterans. Proposition 61 would have extended those discounts to around 4.5 million Californians, including certain members of the state’s low-income Medicaid plan, state employees and retirees, university teachers and prisoners. A similar proposition has been approved for Ohio’s 2017 November ballot.

Title: California voters turn down drug pricing initiative. Text: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California voters turned down a ballot initiative aimed at reining in rising prices for prescription drugs after pharmaceutical companies spent more than $100 million to fight it. The California Drug Price Relief Act, also known as Proposition 61, sought to limit state health programs from paying more for medications than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which receives the steepest discounts in the country. As of Wednesday morning, with more than 99 percent of precincts partially reporting from Tuesday’s election, the vote was 46 percent in favor of the measure and 54 percent opposed, according to California’s Secretary of State. “The pharmaceutical companies spent a lot to defeat this,” said Stuart Schweitzer, professor of health policy and management at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health. “They wanted to draw a line in the sand.” The measure’s defeat “reaffirms the power of the biopharma lobby,” Jefferies analyst Brian Abrahams said in a note to investors on Wednesday. The rising cost of prescription drugs came under attack during the U.S. presidential campaign. Both President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton called for cost-trimming measures including allowing Medicare, the federal health plan for seniors, to negotiate prices with drugmakers. Shares in pharmaceutical and biotechnology shares, under pressure in recent weeks, soared on Wednesday as market fears of a win by Clinton and Democrats gaining power in Congress receded. The Nasdaq Biotechnology index .NBI advanced 7 percent and was on track for its biggest single-day gain in about five years. Proposition 61’s opponents, led by global drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc and Amgen Inc, spent around $106 million. They argued that it would benefit only 12 percent of Californians, while putting the other 88 percent, and veterans across the country, at risk of higher drug costs. Supporters, led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and AARP, which advocates for seniors, said only drug companies themselves can raise prices for veterans or other consumers. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders also campaigned in support of Proposition 61, calling on voters to “stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry.” Proponents, who raised $17 million to support the initiative, estimated it could save California taxpayers up to $5.7 billion over 10 years, although a state legislative analysis said the financial impact is not clear. UCLA’s Schweitzer said the measure would have had only a modest impact on state drug costs. There were also questions about how Proposition 61 would be implemented. The VA’s mandated prices are listed publicly, but its steepest negotiated price discounts are required by law to be confidential. The VA spends some $6.1 billion a year on medicines for 6 million veterans. Proposition 61 would have extended those discounts to around 4.5 million Californians, including certain members of the state’s low-income Medicaid plan, state employees and retirees, university teachers and prisoners. A similar proposition has been approved for Ohio’s 2017 November ballot.

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OBAMA INSPIRED COP HATE UPDATE: TX Restaurant Manager Writes “FCK U” On Sheriff’s Receipt

A Schlotsky s Assistant Manager in Seguin, Texas, gave a Texas Deputy a receipt that said FCK U. According to the Texas Sheriff s Deputies Facebook page, on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, Texas Deputy Sheriff Caddell, who was in full uniform, ordered lunch at the drive-through at the Schlotsky s in Seguin, Texas. After the Deputy received the order, he looked at the receipt and noticed that it had been modified. A photo of the receipt was posted on the Texas Sheriff s Deputies page, and the top part, showed in bold type, was DRIVE THRU FCK U. The remaining part of the receipt that is visible in the photo lists the date as 12/20/2016, 1:47 p.m., host and employee numbers, and the modified message again: DRIVE THRU FCK U.The Texas Deputy, whose agency has not been identified and whose name has not been confirmed, called the restaurant and discovered that it was the Assistant Manager who had modified the receipt. The Texas Deputy then called the Schlotsky s corporate office, who posted a response to the incident. In the response, it was noted that each franchise is independently owned and operated, and that the Seguin franchise owner had contacted the Texas Deputy to apologize and to let him know that this is being taken seriously, that they respect and value police officers and all first responders. The corporate response also noted that this was an isolated incident, that the employee received appropriate action, and that he had reached out to the Sheriff s Office to apologize. The company s response reminded Sheriff s Office employees that they are always welcome at the Sequin location, where each officer in uniform is offered a discount in appreciation for their service. Blue Lives Matter

Title: OBAMA INSPIRED COP HATE UPDATE: TX Restaurant Manager Writes “FCK U” On Sheriff’s Receipt. Text: A Schlotsky s Assistant Manager in Seguin, Texas, gave a Texas Deputy a receipt that said FCK U. According to the Texas Sheriff s Deputies Facebook page, on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, Texas Deputy Sheriff Caddell, who was in full uniform, ordered lunch at the drive-through at the Schlotsky s in Seguin, Texas. After the Deputy received the order, he looked at the receipt and noticed that it had been modified. A photo of the receipt was posted on the Texas Sheriff s Deputies page, and the top part, showed in bold type, was DRIVE THRU FCK U. The remaining part of the receipt that is visible in the photo lists the date as 12/20/2016, 1:47 p.m., host and employee numbers, and the modified message again: DRIVE THRU FCK U.The Texas Deputy, whose agency has not been identified and whose name has not been confirmed, called the restaurant and discovered that it was the Assistant Manager who had modified the receipt. The Texas Deputy then called the Schlotsky s corporate office, who posted a response to the incident. In the response, it was noted that each franchise is independently owned and operated, and that the Seguin franchise owner had contacted the Texas Deputy to apologize and to let him know that this is being taken seriously, that they respect and value police officers and all first responders. The corporate response also noted that this was an isolated incident, that the employee received appropriate action, and that he had reached out to the Sheriff s Office to apologize. The company s response reminded Sheriff s Office employees that they are always welcome at the Sequin location, where each officer in uniform is offered a discount in appreciation for their service. Blue Lives Matter

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Trump on Hurricane Irma: 'This is some big monster'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump called Hurricane Irma some big monster as it battered the Florida coast, saying he wanted to go to the state very soon and praising emergency officials for their efforts to protect people. The bad news is that this is some big monster, Trump told reporters at the White House, saying damage from the storm would be very costly. Right now, we are worried about lives, not cost, Trump said after returning from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where he monitored the storm and met with his Cabinet. The path of the storm, tracking the west coast of Florida, meant it might be less destructive than it would otherwise have been, Trump said, noting the next five or six hours would be critical. I hope there aren t too many people in the path, he said. You don t want to be in that path. The U.S. House of Representatives canceled votes scheduled for Monday because of the hurricane. Trump said the U.S. Coast Guard had been heroic and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was doing a good job to help coordinate the response with states. He added, however: I think the hard part is now beginning. Trump has offered the full resources of the federal government to Florida and the affected states, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters during a visit to FEMA s Washington headquarters on Sunday. Wherever Hurricane Irma goes, we ll be there first, Pence said. We ll be there with resources and support, both to save lives and to help to recover and rebuild these states and these communities. On Sunday, Trump also issued a disaster declaration for the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, and expanded federal funds available to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Irma, the White House said. Trump owns a resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has often traveled during his presidency, as well as three golf courses in the state. He told reporters he hoped to travel to the state soon. We re going to Florida very soon, Trump said.

Title: Trump on Hurricane Irma: 'This is some big monster'. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump called Hurricane Irma some big monster as it battered the Florida coast, saying he wanted to go to the state very soon and praising emergency officials for their efforts to protect people. The bad news is that this is some big monster, Trump told reporters at the White House, saying damage from the storm would be very costly. Right now, we are worried about lives, not cost, Trump said after returning from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where he monitored the storm and met with his Cabinet. The path of the storm, tracking the west coast of Florida, meant it might be less destructive than it would otherwise have been, Trump said, noting the next five or six hours would be critical. I hope there aren t too many people in the path, he said. You don t want to be in that path. The U.S. House of Representatives canceled votes scheduled for Monday because of the hurricane. Trump said the U.S. Coast Guard had been heroic and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was doing a good job to help coordinate the response with states. He added, however: I think the hard part is now beginning. Trump has offered the full resources of the federal government to Florida and the affected states, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters during a visit to FEMA s Washington headquarters on Sunday. Wherever Hurricane Irma goes, we ll be there first, Pence said. We ll be there with resources and support, both to save lives and to help to recover and rebuild these states and these communities. On Sunday, Trump also issued a disaster declaration for the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, and expanded federal funds available to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Irma, the White House said. Trump owns a resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has often traveled during his presidency, as well as three golf courses in the state. He told reporters he hoped to travel to the state soon. We re going to Florida very soon, Trump said.

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Deputy attorney general seeks meeting with top senators: Politico

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has asked to meet with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, Politico reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Politico said Rosenstein was seen in the vicinity of the panel, which was holding a separate meeting on security issues. Rosenstein’s reported request comes days after President Donald Trump fired FBI director James Comey in a move that the White House has said followed a memo from Rosenstein.

Title: Deputy attorney general seeks meeting with top senators: Politico. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has asked to meet with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, Politico reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Politico said Rosenstein was seen in the vicinity of the panel, which was holding a separate meeting on security issues. Rosenstein’s reported request comes days after President Donald Trump fired FBI director James Comey in a move that the White House has said followed a memo from Rosenstein.

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Syrian president says Jerusalem to be Palestinian capital

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Palestinian cause will stay alive among Arabs until the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the Syrian president s office said on Wednesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump s Jerusalem decision. The future of Jerusalem is not determined by a state or a president but is determined by its history and by the will and determination in the Palestinian cause, President Bashar al-Assad s office said on an official social media feed.

Title: Syrian president says Jerusalem to be Palestinian capital. Text: BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Palestinian cause will stay alive among Arabs until the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the Syrian president s office said on Wednesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump s Jerusalem decision. The future of Jerusalem is not determined by a state or a president but is determined by its history and by the will and determination in the Palestinian cause, President Bashar al-Assad s office said on an official social media feed.

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HOT MIC: Hillary Clinton Caught Ridiculing Trump And His Lackey Chris Christie (AUDIO)

Hillary Clinton s recent appearance with Chris Matthews for a town hall special turned out to offer far more entertainment than progressives who frequent the station on their dial could have possibly hoped for. While the town hall itself was riveting, with Clinton answering tough questions about Iraq, Libya and other matters of foreign policy and national security, one particular commercial break offered some candid moments the former senator and secretary of state didn t expect to be public.Alas, the mic was hot, so we get to enjoy a bit of the Hillary we don t see on the campaign trail often enough. Clinton tries to take the high road when the lights are on and the cameras are rolling, declining to comment in-depth on the Republican race in an insulting or derogatory way in most instances. Sure, she gets her digs, but this was a special moment we have the privilege of enjoying.They chatted about Trump and the media circus surrounding him. Clinton commented that you guys sure do like to cover him. Matthews acknowledged that there is a lot of coverage of the fodder that is the Trump campaign, but that most of his network s audience are progressives, to which Clinton added, They like to laugh at him. That is so true. Those of us who spend our days sharing the world of politics with our readers can t help but cover the buffoonery of Donald Trump because the alternative is to create more uneducated voters who believe a career in reality TV qualifies a giant orange Cheeto to be president.The conversation also included some solid jabs at Chris Christie. Secretary Clinton, seemingly unsure as to why Christie would even consider backing Donald Trump, asking Wallace if he had heard anything about a debt he may have owed. It s a perfectly logical assumption that Wallace dismissed with a more obvious answer: he wants a seat in the Trump administration.Listen to the audio below, courtesy of The Washington Post: Featured image from screen capture

Title: HOT MIC: Hillary Clinton Caught Ridiculing Trump And His Lackey Chris Christie (AUDIO). Text: Hillary Clinton s recent appearance with Chris Matthews for a town hall special turned out to offer far more entertainment than progressives who frequent the station on their dial could have possibly hoped for. While the town hall itself was riveting, with Clinton answering tough questions about Iraq, Libya and other matters of foreign policy and national security, one particular commercial break offered some candid moments the former senator and secretary of state didn t expect to be public.Alas, the mic was hot, so we get to enjoy a bit of the Hillary we don t see on the campaign trail often enough. Clinton tries to take the high road when the lights are on and the cameras are rolling, declining to comment in-depth on the Republican race in an insulting or derogatory way in most instances. Sure, she gets her digs, but this was a special moment we have the privilege of enjoying.They chatted about Trump and the media circus surrounding him. Clinton commented that you guys sure do like to cover him. Matthews acknowledged that there is a lot of coverage of the fodder that is the Trump campaign, but that most of his network s audience are progressives, to which Clinton added, They like to laugh at him. That is so true. Those of us who spend our days sharing the world of politics with our readers can t help but cover the buffoonery of Donald Trump because the alternative is to create more uneducated voters who believe a career in reality TV qualifies a giant orange Cheeto to be president.The conversation also included some solid jabs at Chris Christie. Secretary Clinton, seemingly unsure as to why Christie would even consider backing Donald Trump, asking Wallace if he had heard anything about a debt he may have owed. It s a perfectly logical assumption that Wallace dismissed with a more obvious answer: he wants a seat in the Trump administration.Listen to the audio below, courtesy of The Washington Post: Featured image from screen capture

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Netanyahu orders redraft of law seen as protecting him

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a draft bill that sets limits on police investigators should be revised so it does not apply to criminal probes in which he is a suspect. The proposed legislation, which has sparked protests in Israel, would prohibit the police from publicizing whether they have found sufficient grounds to charge a suspect. Critics say the bill is an attempt to protect Netanyahu and keep the public in the dark regarding ongoing investigations in which he is a suspect, but its supporters said it is intended to protect suspects legal rights and reputations. Some 20,000 Israelis demonstrated against the bill in Tel Aviv on Saturday and, as public pressure mounted, support among coalition members for the bill began to wane on Sunday, a day before parliament was expected to ratify it. For the debate on the bill to be topical and not be used for political propaganda, I have asked ... that (it) be worded so that it does not cover the ongoing investigations in my matters, Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page. With ratification of the legislation delayed, he said he had told the bill s proponent, David Amsalem, a lawmaker from his own right-wing Likud party, that it had become a political battering ram against the government. But in justifying the legislation, Netanyahu said: The bill is intended to prevent publication of police recommendations which would leave a cloud over innocent people, something that happens every day. Netanyahu is a suspect in two cases. In one, he is alleged to have meddled in the media industry and the other concerns gifts he received from wealthy businessmen. He denies any wrongdoing. But, if charged, he would come under heavy pressure to resign or he could call an election to test whether he still has a mandate to govern. Netanyahu has in the past said he had no interest in promoting personal legislation but he also did not order the bill s sponsors, Amsalem, and David Bitan, another Likud confidant, to withdraw it. Netanyahu has described himself as a victim of a political witch hunt and said he will be cleared. There will be nothing because there is nothing, he has said repeatedly. (This story removes extraneous text from first paragraph)

Title: Netanyahu orders redraft of law seen as protecting him. Text: JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a draft bill that sets limits on police investigators should be revised so it does not apply to criminal probes in which he is a suspect. The proposed legislation, which has sparked protests in Israel, would prohibit the police from publicizing whether they have found sufficient grounds to charge a suspect. Critics say the bill is an attempt to protect Netanyahu and keep the public in the dark regarding ongoing investigations in which he is a suspect, but its supporters said it is intended to protect suspects legal rights and reputations. Some 20,000 Israelis demonstrated against the bill in Tel Aviv on Saturday and, as public pressure mounted, support among coalition members for the bill began to wane on Sunday, a day before parliament was expected to ratify it. For the debate on the bill to be topical and not be used for political propaganda, I have asked ... that (it) be worded so that it does not cover the ongoing investigations in my matters, Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page. With ratification of the legislation delayed, he said he had told the bill s proponent, David Amsalem, a lawmaker from his own right-wing Likud party, that it had become a political battering ram against the government. But in justifying the legislation, Netanyahu said: The bill is intended to prevent publication of police recommendations which would leave a cloud over innocent people, something that happens every day. Netanyahu is a suspect in two cases. In one, he is alleged to have meddled in the media industry and the other concerns gifts he received from wealthy businessmen. He denies any wrongdoing. But, if charged, he would come under heavy pressure to resign or he could call an election to test whether he still has a mandate to govern. Netanyahu has in the past said he had no interest in promoting personal legislation but he also did not order the bill s sponsors, Amsalem, and David Bitan, another Likud confidant, to withdraw it. Netanyahu has described himself as a victim of a political witch hunt and said he will be cleared. There will be nothing because there is nothing, he has said repeatedly. (This story removes extraneous text from first paragraph)

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Mnuchin expects US tax bill to be in congressional committees later this month

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday he expects President Donald Trump’s tax plan to be considered by congressional committees later this month. “We have a plan. The plan’s being socialized with members,” Mnuchin told reporters on Air Force One after Trump touted tax reform in a speech in North Dakota. “Our expectation is it will be in the committees later this month,” Mnuchin said.

Title: Mnuchin expects US tax bill to be in congressional committees later this month. Text: ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday he expects President Donald Trump’s tax plan to be considered by congressional committees later this month. “We have a plan. The plan’s being socialized with members,” Mnuchin told reporters on Air Force One after Trump touted tax reform in a speech in North Dakota. “Our expectation is it will be in the committees later this month,” Mnuchin said.

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In Brussels, Tillerson offers EU strong U.S. support

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday said the United States remains committed to Europe, offering a public statement of support for European allies worried about foreign policy under President Donald Trump. The partnership between America and the European Union... is based upon shared values, shared objectives for security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic and we remain committed to that, Tillerson said before a lunch with 28 EU foreign ministers. Tillerson, in brief statements with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini after which the two took no questions, said his visit showed the strong commitment the U.S. has to the European alliance, the important role that the European alliance plays in our shared security objectives.

Title: In Brussels, Tillerson offers EU strong U.S. support. Text: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday said the United States remains committed to Europe, offering a public statement of support for European allies worried about foreign policy under President Donald Trump. The partnership between America and the European Union... is based upon shared values, shared objectives for security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic and we remain committed to that, Tillerson said before a lunch with 28 EU foreign ministers. Tillerson, in brief statements with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini after which the two took no questions, said his visit showed the strong commitment the U.S. has to the European alliance, the important role that the European alliance plays in our shared security objectives.

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Black Caucus Just Broke It Down For Paul Ryan: Time To Get Rid Of Nunes As Intel Committee Chair

The Congressional Black Caucus just broke it down for House Speaker Paul Ryan, explaining to him in no uncertain terms that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) obviously can t be trusted and needs to be removed as chairman of the Intelligence Committee. This action is necessary in order to meet the public s expectation that Congress conducts an impartial investigation into a matter that threatens the core of our democracy, the CBC wrote in a statement issued Wednesday. Congressman Nunes recent actions have caused him to lose the confidence of members of his committee, and, more importantly, the American people, and he can no longer be trusted with the information that the committee receives. Some lawmakers are calling for Nunes to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Others, like the CBC, are calling on Ryan to remove him as intel chair altogether. The caucus is also demanding that a special bipartisan commission be formed to handle the probe into Russia s election meddling and Trump s possible collusion. Congress must create an independent, bipartisan commission to expose the full truth about any and all Trump-Russia connections and collusion, the statement reads. The American people want and deserve to know if their government has been compromised by the Kremlin. The Black Caucus is not alone. Democrats have been calling on Nunes to recuse himself from the investigation into Russia s interference in the presidential election. He landed himself in hot water last week when he decided it would be a great idea to announce that intelligence on Donald Trump had been gathered accidentally while monitoring other people of interest, such as the Russian ambassador, without bothering to mention it to the committee first.All hell broke loose when Nunes then decided he should brief Trump on the matter. To make matters worse, it later came out that he secretly visited the White House the night before the announcement was made, leading some to question where his information came from in the first place.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Title: Black Caucus Just Broke It Down For Paul Ryan: Time To Get Rid Of Nunes As Intel Committee Chair. Text: The Congressional Black Caucus just broke it down for House Speaker Paul Ryan, explaining to him in no uncertain terms that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) obviously can t be trusted and needs to be removed as chairman of the Intelligence Committee. This action is necessary in order to meet the public s expectation that Congress conducts an impartial investigation into a matter that threatens the core of our democracy, the CBC wrote in a statement issued Wednesday. Congressman Nunes recent actions have caused him to lose the confidence of members of his committee, and, more importantly, the American people, and he can no longer be trusted with the information that the committee receives. Some lawmakers are calling for Nunes to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Others, like the CBC, are calling on Ryan to remove him as intel chair altogether. The caucus is also demanding that a special bipartisan commission be formed to handle the probe into Russia s election meddling and Trump s possible collusion. Congress must create an independent, bipartisan commission to expose the full truth about any and all Trump-Russia connections and collusion, the statement reads. The American people want and deserve to know if their government has been compromised by the Kremlin. The Black Caucus is not alone. Democrats have been calling on Nunes to recuse himself from the investigation into Russia s interference in the presidential election. He landed himself in hot water last week when he decided it would be a great idea to announce that intelligence on Donald Trump had been gathered accidentally while monitoring other people of interest, such as the Russian ambassador, without bothering to mention it to the committee first.All hell broke loose when Nunes then decided he should brief Trump on the matter. To make matters worse, it later came out that he secretly visited the White House the night before the announcement was made, leading some to question where his information came from in the first place.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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life now its mustards time to shine

email in an election season full of anger and divisiveness its easy to lose sight of just how important and meaningful our democratic process is thankfully as millions have cast their ballots today theres been no shortage of heartwarming stories involving americans exercising their right to vote one of those stories centers around lifelong mississippi resident helen karnes who although not quite old enough to have been born before women won the right to vote is still pretty goddam old wow what a special woman while karnes cant claim that she was alive during a time when women were still politically disenfranchised it just takes one look at her to tell that shes fucking old no she might not have the inspiring thematically satisfying story of a yearold but you get the sense that shes definitely lived through some shit she was certainly around in wwii times and she mightve even been there for the depression too who knows this is no spring chicken were talking about here though admittedly karnes story would be a bit cooler if shed been alive before you still have to applaud her for being old on this historic election day also her mom and her aunts were definitely alive before womens suffrage so you know shes probably got some good secondhand stories that she heard from them maybe one of them was even an important figure in the womens rights movement or something statistically speaking thats probably not the case but you never know its unclear if karnes voted today for americas first female presidential nominee or if she even voted at all but what matters is that shes brittle stoopedover and ancient there are probably lots of dusty ol bats out there who are older than karnes and who have more of a substantial foothold in us womens history but this lady is still more or less a living skeleton and thats something that should make us all proud to be americans

Title: life now its mustards time to shine. Text: email in an election season full of anger and divisiveness its easy to lose sight of just how important and meaningful our democratic process is thankfully as millions have cast their ballots today theres been no shortage of heartwarming stories involving americans exercising their right to vote one of those stories centers around lifelong mississippi resident helen karnes who although not quite old enough to have been born before women won the right to vote is still pretty goddam old wow what a special woman while karnes cant claim that she was alive during a time when women were still politically disenfranchised it just takes one look at her to tell that shes fucking old no she might not have the inspiring thematically satisfying story of a yearold but you get the sense that shes definitely lived through some shit she was certainly around in wwii times and she mightve even been there for the depression too who knows this is no spring chicken were talking about here though admittedly karnes story would be a bit cooler if shed been alive before you still have to applaud her for being old on this historic election day also her mom and her aunts were definitely alive before womens suffrage so you know shes probably got some good secondhand stories that she heard from them maybe one of them was even an important figure in the womens rights movement or something statistically speaking thats probably not the case but you never know its unclear if karnes voted today for americas first female presidential nominee or if she even voted at all but what matters is that shes brittle stoopedover and ancient there are probably lots of dusty ol bats out there who are older than karnes and who have more of a substantial foothold in us womens history but this lady is still more or less a living skeleton and thats something that should make us all proud to be americans

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Alaska governor urges budget compromise to avoid state shutdown

(Reuters) - Alaska Governor Bill Walker urged state legislatures on Tuesday to compromise on a budget in order to avoid an unprecedented government shutdown next month. The state has a multibillion dollar deficit that must be sorted before July 1, the start of Alaska’ new fiscal year, in order to avoid shuttering government offices and services. Last week, Alaska warned thousands of state workers about potential layoffs unless legislators can agree on a fix to the fiscal crisis. The legislature has been convening through a special session, but Walker described the negotiations as in “a stalemate.” On Monday, Walker proposed a compromise package that would reduce the state’s deficit from at least $3.7 billion last year to a $300 million shortfall. “I’m not wild about the compromise,” said Walker, an independent, during a news conference on Tuesday. “But we’re running out of time.” Pete Kelly, a Republican representing Fairbanks and the Republican-led Senate president, told reporters on Tuesday evening that the governor’s message was “well received but that doesn’t mean we’ll agree to everything.” The Senate was evaluating the package, but a reduced budget was “still the priority,” Kelly said. Leaders of the Democratic-controlled House declined to comment. Since 2013, Alaska has struggled with substantial consecutive budget deficits, in part caused by the state’s large reliance on oil revenues and the continued low prices of oil. The state has balanced its budget over the last few years by drawing $10 billion from its savings without adding new revenues. The state’s budget has been slashed from $7.8 billion in 2013 to $4.3 billion proposed for 2018. “I know some people say, ‘We need to do some cuts.’ We’ve been doing that,” Walker said on Tuesday. “We have done that significantly.” Almost 2,300 state positions were eliminated in recent years, along with 70 state programs, and over 40 state facilities, such as prisons, youth detention, and motor vehicle sites, have been closed, Walker said.

Title: Alaska governor urges budget compromise to avoid state shutdown. Text: (Reuters) - Alaska Governor Bill Walker urged state legislatures on Tuesday to compromise on a budget in order to avoid an unprecedented government shutdown next month. The state has a multibillion dollar deficit that must be sorted before July 1, the start of Alaska’ new fiscal year, in order to avoid shuttering government offices and services. Last week, Alaska warned thousands of state workers about potential layoffs unless legislators can agree on a fix to the fiscal crisis. The legislature has been convening through a special session, but Walker described the negotiations as in “a stalemate.” On Monday, Walker proposed a compromise package that would reduce the state’s deficit from at least $3.7 billion last year to a $300 million shortfall. “I’m not wild about the compromise,” said Walker, an independent, during a news conference on Tuesday. “But we’re running out of time.” Pete Kelly, a Republican representing Fairbanks and the Republican-led Senate president, told reporters on Tuesday evening that the governor’s message was “well received but that doesn’t mean we’ll agree to everything.” The Senate was evaluating the package, but a reduced budget was “still the priority,” Kelly said. Leaders of the Democratic-controlled House declined to comment. Since 2013, Alaska has struggled with substantial consecutive budget deficits, in part caused by the state’s large reliance on oil revenues and the continued low prices of oil. The state has balanced its budget over the last few years by drawing $10 billion from its savings without adding new revenues. The state’s budget has been slashed from $7.8 billion in 2013 to $4.3 billion proposed for 2018. “I know some people say, ‘We need to do some cuts.’ We’ve been doing that,” Walker said on Tuesday. “We have done that significantly.” Almost 2,300 state positions were eliminated in recent years, along with 70 state programs, and over 40 state facilities, such as prisons, youth detention, and motor vehicle sites, have been closed, Walker said.

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Aftershocks likely from September test detected from North Korea nuclear site: USGS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two minor tremors were detected on Saturday from near North Korea s nuclear test site and were probably aftershocks from the country s massive nuclear test in early September, a U.S. Geological Survey official said. The aftershocks, of magnitude 2.9 and 2.4, were detected at 0613 and 0640 GMT (1:13 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. EST) respectively, said the USGS and Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. A tweet from Zerbo said analysts had confirmed that the activity was tectonic in origin. The USGS official said the tremors had been in the vicinity of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on Sept. 3. They re probably relaxation events from the sixth nuclear test, the official said. When you have a large nuclear test, it moves the earth s crust around the area, and it takes a while for it to fully subside. We ve had a few of them since the sixth nuclear test. Pyongyang said the September test was of an H-bomb, and experts have estimated it was 10 times more powerful than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. A series of quakes since then has prompted experts and observers to suspect the test might have damaged the mountainous location of its site in the northwest tip of North Korea, where all of the country s nuclear tests have been conducted. South Korea s spy agency told South Korean lawmakers in October that North Korea might be readying two more tunnels at the site. North Korea hinted its next nuclear test could be above ground after U.S. President Donald Trump warned in September that the United States would totally destroy North Korea if it threatened America. Another possible obstacle to North Korea s use of Punggye-ri for tests is the nearby active volcano of Mount Paektu, which North Koreans consider a sacred site. Its last eruption was in 1903, and experts have debated whether nuclear testing could trigger another. North Korea s official media reported on Saturday that national leader Kim Jong Un had scaled Mount Paektu with senior military officials to emphasize his military vision after completion of the country s nuclear force. Kim declared the nuclear force complete after the test of North Korea s largest ever intercontinental ballistic missile last month, which experts said puts all of America within range.

Title: Aftershocks likely from September test detected from North Korea nuclear site: USGS. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two minor tremors were detected on Saturday from near North Korea s nuclear test site and were probably aftershocks from the country s massive nuclear test in early September, a U.S. Geological Survey official said. The aftershocks, of magnitude 2.9 and 2.4, were detected at 0613 and 0640 GMT (1:13 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. EST) respectively, said the USGS and Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. A tweet from Zerbo said analysts had confirmed that the activity was tectonic in origin. The USGS official said the tremors had been in the vicinity of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on Sept. 3. They re probably relaxation events from the sixth nuclear test, the official said. When you have a large nuclear test, it moves the earth s crust around the area, and it takes a while for it to fully subside. We ve had a few of them since the sixth nuclear test. Pyongyang said the September test was of an H-bomb, and experts have estimated it was 10 times more powerful than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. A series of quakes since then has prompted experts and observers to suspect the test might have damaged the mountainous location of its site in the northwest tip of North Korea, where all of the country s nuclear tests have been conducted. South Korea s spy agency told South Korean lawmakers in October that North Korea might be readying two more tunnels at the site. North Korea hinted its next nuclear test could be above ground after U.S. President Donald Trump warned in September that the United States would totally destroy North Korea if it threatened America. Another possible obstacle to North Korea s use of Punggye-ri for tests is the nearby active volcano of Mount Paektu, which North Koreans consider a sacred site. Its last eruption was in 1903, and experts have debated whether nuclear testing could trigger another. North Korea s official media reported on Saturday that national leader Kim Jong Un had scaled Mount Paektu with senior military officials to emphasize his military vision after completion of the country s nuclear force. Kim declared the nuclear force complete after the test of North Korea s largest ever intercontinental ballistic missile last month, which experts said puts all of America within range.

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Actress Salma Hayek Perfectly BURNS Trump For Confusing 9/11 With 7- Eleven (TWEET)

A tweet by actress Salma Hayek clearly demonstrates how ridiculous the Republican Party is for supporting Donald Trump.During a rally in Buffalo on Monday, the Republican front-runner didn t even notice a major slip of his tongue when he confused to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to the convenience store known as 7-Eleven. I wrote this out, and it s very close to my heart, Trump claimed. Because I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down. And I saw the greatest people I ve ever seen in action. Yeah, it s so close to his heart that he couldn t even be bothered to get the date of the attacks right. And he was in New York when he made the unforced error.Trump would end up being crucified on social media for the screw-up, but Salma Hayek won the Internet with her own hilarious reaction. I am a dyslexic Mexican and English is my second language, however even I do not confuse 7/11 with 9/11, she wrote.Here s the post via Twitter.I am a dyslexic Mexican and English is my second language, however even I do not confuse 7/11 with 9/11. #DonaldTrump Salma Hayek (@salmahayek) April 19, 2016Hayek has only been on Twitter for just a year now but it looks like she has mastered the art of the Twitter burn.This has to be a totally embarrassing moment for Trump. In fact, it s probably the most embarrassing gaffe he has made throughout his hateful campaign. The man lives and works in New York for his entire life and yet he can t correctly state the date of the worst terrorist attack on American soil which happened in his own backyard and claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.Donald Trump is a disgrace and Salma Hayek just put him in his place with a single tweet.Featured Image: Gage Skidmore

Title: Actress Salma Hayek Perfectly BURNS Trump For Confusing 9/11 With 7- Eleven (TWEET). Text: A tweet by actress Salma Hayek clearly demonstrates how ridiculous the Republican Party is for supporting Donald Trump.During a rally in Buffalo on Monday, the Republican front-runner didn t even notice a major slip of his tongue when he confused to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to the convenience store known as 7-Eleven. I wrote this out, and it s very close to my heart, Trump claimed. Because I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down. And I saw the greatest people I ve ever seen in action. Yeah, it s so close to his heart that he couldn t even be bothered to get the date of the attacks right. And he was in New York when he made the unforced error.Trump would end up being crucified on social media for the screw-up, but Salma Hayek won the Internet with her own hilarious reaction. I am a dyslexic Mexican and English is my second language, however even I do not confuse 7/11 with 9/11, she wrote.Here s the post via Twitter.I am a dyslexic Mexican and English is my second language, however even I do not confuse 7/11 with 9/11. #DonaldTrump Salma Hayek (@salmahayek) April 19, 2016Hayek has only been on Twitter for just a year now but it looks like she has mastered the art of the Twitter burn.This has to be a totally embarrassing moment for Trump. In fact, it s probably the most embarrassing gaffe he has made throughout his hateful campaign. The man lives and works in New York for his entire life and yet he can t correctly state the date of the worst terrorist attack on American soil which happened in his own backyard and claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.Donald Trump is a disgrace and Salma Hayek just put him in his place with a single tweet.Featured Image: Gage Skidmore

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Many treatment options, most experimental, available to John McCain

NEW YORK (Reuters) - There is at least one approved device and scores of experimental treatments being tested that could improve the odds of longer-term survival for patients with the type of extremely aggressive brain cancer afflicting U.S. Senator John McCain. While the 80-year-old Arizona Republican, who was re-elected to a sixth Senate term in November, recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot found to be associated with the cancer, he and his medical team will explore treatment options. “That (recovery) usually takes about 10 to 14 days before starting therapy,” said Dr. Maciej Lesniak, chair of neurological surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain cancer with very poor prognosis that took the life of former U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy in 2009. Surgery is performed to remove as much of the tumor as possible, but cancer cells are left behind that infiltrate the brain and quickly grow. The survival rate with standard treatment is generally about 15 months, with only about 25 percent of patients alive after two years. Standard treatment is a combination of 30 doses of radiation administered over six weeks along with the oral chemotherapy Temodar (temozolomide) sold by Merck & Co (MRK.N). After a three-to-four week break, additional four-week cycles of Temodar are given. McCain has vowed to return to his Senate duties soon. Experts said he may well be able to do so. The treatment is usually very well tolerated, Lesniak said. “Generally, people can maintain normal quality of life during therapy including their work in the majority of cases.” Doctors interviewed who are not involved in McCain’s care said further combination therapies were likely needed to sharply improve patient outcomes. Debates over when to begin such therapies are ongoing. “Many people feel we need to push the envelope and look at combination therapy as early as possible in addition to the standard of care,” Lesniak said. There are about 150 clinical trials for glioblastoma under way, most at very early stages, and the majority for patients for whom initial therapy has stopped working. McCain could be a candidate for a trial in newly diagnosed patients. Current immunotherapies that have shown great promise against melanoma, lung cancer and other cancers are unlikely by themselves to work in glioblastoma because the tumors tend not to present the proper target for those drugs. “Glioblastoma tumor cells are incredibly heterogeneous. No two tumor cells are alike,” said Dr. John de Groot, professor of neuro-oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, adding that a multi-pronged approach was likely needed. One promising approach being tested in early stage clinical trials by various institutions and companies involve injecting viruses into the tumor to destroy cancer cells and spur an immune system attack. Duke University generated publicity last year with reports of early success using the polio virus against brain cancer. MD Anderson developed a viral therapy that it outlicensed to a company called DNAtrix for further development, de Groot said. A trial at Northwestern is using neural stem cells to help improve the performance of a cancer-fighting virus. “Stem cells when loaded with the virus can travel to areas we can’t resect to deliver the virus throughout the tumor mass in a more uniform fashion,” Lesniak said. In a study published in May in the journal Nature, Duke researchers reported early success with a vaccine that delivers high doses of Temodar to the tumor. Among 11 patients in that study, the median survival was 41.1 months, versus 14.6 months for the standard treatment. Dr. Roger Stupp, co-director of the Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute, who is credited with pioneering the radiation/Temodar combination therapy for glioblastoma, said patients like McCain might be helped by a now-approved device shown to extend survival. Called Optune and sold by Novocure Ltd (NVCR.O), it delivers an electromagnetic field that interferes with cancer cells’ ability to divide and survive, said Stupp, who led trials of the device. It involves electrodes placed on the scalp operated by a small battery pack. With Optune worn nearly 24 hours a day, the two-year survival rate in the trial that led to its approval jumped to 43 percent, with some patients living four years or more. “My recommendation is to use it early in the disease course,” Stupp said.

Title: Many treatment options, most experimental, available to John McCain. Text: NEW YORK (Reuters) - There is at least one approved device and scores of experimental treatments being tested that could improve the odds of longer-term survival for patients with the type of extremely aggressive brain cancer afflicting U.S. Senator John McCain. While the 80-year-old Arizona Republican, who was re-elected to a sixth Senate term in November, recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot found to be associated with the cancer, he and his medical team will explore treatment options. “That (recovery) usually takes about 10 to 14 days before starting therapy,” said Dr. Maciej Lesniak, chair of neurological surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain cancer with very poor prognosis that took the life of former U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy in 2009. Surgery is performed to remove as much of the tumor as possible, but cancer cells are left behind that infiltrate the brain and quickly grow. The survival rate with standard treatment is generally about 15 months, with only about 25 percent of patients alive after two years. Standard treatment is a combination of 30 doses of radiation administered over six weeks along with the oral chemotherapy Temodar (temozolomide) sold by Merck & Co (MRK.N). After a three-to-four week break, additional four-week cycles of Temodar are given. McCain has vowed to return to his Senate duties soon. Experts said he may well be able to do so. The treatment is usually very well tolerated, Lesniak said. “Generally, people can maintain normal quality of life during therapy including their work in the majority of cases.” Doctors interviewed who are not involved in McCain’s care said further combination therapies were likely needed to sharply improve patient outcomes. Debates over when to begin such therapies are ongoing. “Many people feel we need to push the envelope and look at combination therapy as early as possible in addition to the standard of care,” Lesniak said. There are about 150 clinical trials for glioblastoma under way, most at very early stages, and the majority for patients for whom initial therapy has stopped working. McCain could be a candidate for a trial in newly diagnosed patients. Current immunotherapies that have shown great promise against melanoma, lung cancer and other cancers are unlikely by themselves to work in glioblastoma because the tumors tend not to present the proper target for those drugs. “Glioblastoma tumor cells are incredibly heterogeneous. No two tumor cells are alike,” said Dr. John de Groot, professor of neuro-oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, adding that a multi-pronged approach was likely needed. One promising approach being tested in early stage clinical trials by various institutions and companies involve injecting viruses into the tumor to destroy cancer cells and spur an immune system attack. Duke University generated publicity last year with reports of early success using the polio virus against brain cancer. MD Anderson developed a viral therapy that it outlicensed to a company called DNAtrix for further development, de Groot said. A trial at Northwestern is using neural stem cells to help improve the performance of a cancer-fighting virus. “Stem cells when loaded with the virus can travel to areas we can’t resect to deliver the virus throughout the tumor mass in a more uniform fashion,” Lesniak said. In a study published in May in the journal Nature, Duke researchers reported early success with a vaccine that delivers high doses of Temodar to the tumor. Among 11 patients in that study, the median survival was 41.1 months, versus 14.6 months for the standard treatment. Dr. Roger Stupp, co-director of the Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute, who is credited with pioneering the radiation/Temodar combination therapy for glioblastoma, said patients like McCain might be helped by a now-approved device shown to extend survival. Called Optune and sold by Novocure Ltd (NVCR.O), it delivers an electromagnetic field that interferes with cancer cells’ ability to divide and survive, said Stupp, who led trials of the device. It involves electrodes placed on the scalp operated by a small battery pack. With Optune worn nearly 24 hours a day, the two-year survival rate in the trial that led to its approval jumped to 43 percent, with some patients living four years or more. “My recommendation is to use it early in the disease course,” Stupp said.

fake

Not-At-All-Racist Sheriff Amazingly Compares The NAACP To The KKK

In a display of Olympic-level mental gymnastics, a South Carolina Sheriff said, and actually meant, that the NAACP is pretty much just like the KKK. His reasoning? They promote and support African Americans.During the talk, Wright addressed several topics. The sheriff, who is known for being outspoken, said, among other things, I think the most racist people in America right now sometimes are minorities, small group minorities. I ve got a chaplain who works for me. He s an African-American, he is my brother and I love him more than anything.. He doesn t buy into that mess. A bunch of his friends don t either. They don t do the NAACP because I feel like that is a racist group as well as the KKK. I don t care about them either. I don t want to be a part of no group that s got something to do just because of your color. I don t think they re right.In case you missed it, yes, he played the I have a black friend card.There s an argument to be made that black people can t be racists because they re not in positions of power to systematically oppress white people. But semantics aside, Sheriff Redneck is right that SOME black people don t like white people. In fact, they re downright bigoted! I suppose that if I were black and white people constantly treated me like a criminal or mentally inferior, I might start to resent the hell out of white people. Maybe I d even learn to hate them. This doesn t excuse bigotry but it puts it into perspective.On the other hand, the KKK hates black people just for being black. It s a not subtle difference. Bigoted black people are, by and large, responding to how they re treated. The KKK thinks blacks are innately inferior, if not, in fact, sub-human.But even putting aside of all that, the NAACP exists to help the black community stand on equal footing with white people. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It s right there in the name. Black people have been systemically kept from getting the same educational and economic opportunities as white people. The law treats them differently on every level and always for the worse. Our popular media has spent decades (centuries?) depicting black people as lazy, criminally inclined and stupid. So, yes, Sheriff Good Ol Boy, the NAACP has got to do with skin color because America keeps treating that skin color poorly.Meanwhile, the KKK exists to maintain white supremacy, using violence and terrorism to keep the black community from freeing itself from the legacy of American slavery. But, you know, that s just like what the NAACP does because Sheriff Inbred s black friend told him so.And just to top it all off? Sheriff Boss Hog feels persecuted (because of course he does): This is a political bashing, that s all it is, to try to stir up controversy to draw some attention, Wright said.Yes, why would anyone want to draw attention to the fact that the sheriff thinks black people are just as racist as the KKK? I just can t figure it out Featured image via The Houston Chronicle

Title: Not-At-All-Racist Sheriff Amazingly Compares The NAACP To The KKK. Text: In a display of Olympic-level mental gymnastics, a South Carolina Sheriff said, and actually meant, that the NAACP is pretty much just like the KKK. His reasoning? They promote and support African Americans.During the talk, Wright addressed several topics. The sheriff, who is known for being outspoken, said, among other things, I think the most racist people in America right now sometimes are minorities, small group minorities. I ve got a chaplain who works for me. He s an African-American, he is my brother and I love him more than anything.. He doesn t buy into that mess. A bunch of his friends don t either. They don t do the NAACP because I feel like that is a racist group as well as the KKK. I don t care about them either. I don t want to be a part of no group that s got something to do just because of your color. I don t think they re right.In case you missed it, yes, he played the I have a black friend card.There s an argument to be made that black people can t be racists because they re not in positions of power to systematically oppress white people. But semantics aside, Sheriff Redneck is right that SOME black people don t like white people. In fact, they re downright bigoted! I suppose that if I were black and white people constantly treated me like a criminal or mentally inferior, I might start to resent the hell out of white people. Maybe I d even learn to hate them. This doesn t excuse bigotry but it puts it into perspective.On the other hand, the KKK hates black people just for being black. It s a not subtle difference. Bigoted black people are, by and large, responding to how they re treated. The KKK thinks blacks are innately inferior, if not, in fact, sub-human.But even putting aside of all that, the NAACP exists to help the black community stand on equal footing with white people. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It s right there in the name. Black people have been systemically kept from getting the same educational and economic opportunities as white people. The law treats them differently on every level and always for the worse. Our popular media has spent decades (centuries?) depicting black people as lazy, criminally inclined and stupid. So, yes, Sheriff Good Ol Boy, the NAACP has got to do with skin color because America keeps treating that skin color poorly.Meanwhile, the KKK exists to maintain white supremacy, using violence and terrorism to keep the black community from freeing itself from the legacy of American slavery. But, you know, that s just like what the NAACP does because Sheriff Inbred s black friend told him so.And just to top it all off? Sheriff Boss Hog feels persecuted (because of course he does): This is a political bashing, that s all it is, to try to stir up controversy to draw some attention, Wright said.Yes, why would anyone want to draw attention to the fact that the sheriff thinks black people are just as racist as the KKK? I just can t figure it out Featured image via The Houston Chronicle

not fake

Boiler Room #93 – The Outgoing Head of Hydra

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along with Patrick Henningsen host of the Sunday Wire, Andy Nowicki host of The Nameless Podcast, Jay Dyer Jay s Analysis, Stewart Howe and ACR regulars FunkS0ul, InfidelPharaoh & MilesOfTruth for the 93rd episode of BOILER ROOM. Water the kids, put the plants to bed and get your favorite mead horn ready so you can drop deep into the Boiler Room with the ACR brain-trust.Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved!Listen to Boiler Room #93 The Outgoing Head of Hydra on Spreaker.Reference Links:

Title: Boiler Room #93 – The Outgoing Head of Hydra. Text: Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along with Patrick Henningsen host of the Sunday Wire, Andy Nowicki host of The Nameless Podcast, Jay Dyer Jay s Analysis, Stewart Howe and ACR regulars FunkS0ul, InfidelPharaoh & MilesOfTruth for the 93rd episode of BOILER ROOM. Water the kids, put the plants to bed and get your favorite mead horn ready so you can drop deep into the Boiler Room with the ACR brain-trust.Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved!Listen to Boiler Room #93 The Outgoing Head of Hydra on Spreaker.Reference Links:

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Yahoo shares fall after latest security breach

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc’s shares fell as much as 3.8 percent on Thursday, a day after the company said that more than 1 billion user accounts were compromised in a security breach in August 2013. The number of users affected by the breach, the largest in history, was double the number implicated in a prior 2014 breach that Yahoo had disclosed in September. Verizon, which has agreed to buy Yahoo’s core Internet business for $4.83 billion, had said at the time that it might withdraw from the deal. The No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier said on Wednesday that it would review the impact of the latest development. “The prior breaches were not seen to have an effect on the Verizon deal, so I would say that this is not going to have an effect either because its just something that is understood, it has to be addressed,” Tigress Financial Partner analyst Ivan Feinseth said. Up to Wednesday’s close, Yahoo’s stock had fallen more than 7 percent since the first breach was announced in September.

Title: Yahoo shares fall after latest security breach. Text: (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc’s shares fell as much as 3.8 percent on Thursday, a day after the company said that more than 1 billion user accounts were compromised in a security breach in August 2013. The number of users affected by the breach, the largest in history, was double the number implicated in a prior 2014 breach that Yahoo had disclosed in September. Verizon, which has agreed to buy Yahoo’s core Internet business for $4.83 billion, had said at the time that it might withdraw from the deal. The No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier said on Wednesday that it would review the impact of the latest development. “The prior breaches were not seen to have an effect on the Verizon deal, so I would say that this is not going to have an effect either because its just something that is understood, it has to be addressed,” Tigress Financial Partner analyst Ivan Feinseth said. Up to Wednesday’s close, Yahoo’s stock had fallen more than 7 percent since the first breach was announced in September.

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TRUMP-HATING, Anti-Gun “COMEDIAN” And Author Of “A Child’s First Book Of Trump” Credits His Kids For Inspiring All of His “BABY RAPE Jokes

Rabid, Trump-hating, anti-gun, comedian, and so-called author , Michael Ian Black took to Twitter to answer a question about how having children has changed his comedy . His answer is not what most American would expect. The comedian, who is consumed with hate for President Trump and his followers responded: They inspired all my baby rape jokes. Here is how Michael Ian Black s tweet read:Here is the actual tweet:Question I keep getting in interviews is whether having kids changed my comedy. Yes. They inspired all my baby rape jokes. Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) October 7, 2011It s not the first time Black made a joke about molesting kids. When Subway s spokesman Jared Fogel was convicted of possessing child pornography and crossing state lines to have sex with children, Black responded to a tweet about Fogel by saying (jokingly?): We used to molest kids together Black also believes the NRA is a terrorist group In light of the House passing today s gun bill, a friendly reminder that the NRA is a terrorist organization. Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) December 6, 2017Black is the author of a disgusting anti-Trump book called A Child s First Book Of Trump . If you want to check out (or review) Michael Ian Black s book, you can find it for purchase on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website. Here is the Barnes and Noble Overview of Black s book from their website:OverviewA Child s First Book of Trump by Michael Ian Black, Marc Rosenthal A New York Times bestseller!What do you do when you spot a wild Trump in the election season? New York Times bestselling author and comedian Michael Ian Black has some sage advice for children (and all the rest of us who are scratching our heads in disbelief) in this perfectly timely parody picture book intended for adults that would be hysterical if it wasn t so true.The beasty is called an American Trump. Its skin is bright orange, its figure is plump. Its fur so complex you might get enveloped. Its hands though are, sadly, underdeveloped.The Trump is a curious creature, very often spotted in the wild, but confounding to our youngest citizens. A business mogul, reality TV host, and now political candidate? Kids (and let s be honest many adults) might have difficulty discerning just what this thing that s been dominating news coverage this election cycle is. Could he actually be real? Are those words coming out of his mouth? Why are his hands so tiny? And perhaps most importantly, what on earth do you do when you encounter an American Trump?With his signature wit and a classic picture book style, comedian Michael Ian Black introduces those unfamiliar with the Americus Trumpus to his distinguishing features and his mystifying campaign for world domination sorry President of the United States.Michael Ian Black is scheduled to appear in Boston at the Laugh House Nov. 9 11th. You can contact the Laugh House at this number and let them know how you feel about them supporting Black at their venue: (617) 725-2844Black can also be found acting with an entire cast of rabid Trump-hating liberal actors on Netflix movie: Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, and previously in Wet Hot American Summer.

Title: TRUMP-HATING, Anti-Gun “COMEDIAN” And Author Of “A Child’s First Book Of Trump” Credits His Kids For Inspiring All of His “BABY RAPE Jokes. Text: Rabid, Trump-hating, anti-gun, comedian, and so-called author , Michael Ian Black took to Twitter to answer a question about how having children has changed his comedy . His answer is not what most American would expect. The comedian, who is consumed with hate for President Trump and his followers responded: They inspired all my baby rape jokes. Here is how Michael Ian Black s tweet read:Here is the actual tweet:Question I keep getting in interviews is whether having kids changed my comedy. Yes. They inspired all my baby rape jokes. Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) October 7, 2011It s not the first time Black made a joke about molesting kids. When Subway s spokesman Jared Fogel was convicted of possessing child pornography and crossing state lines to have sex with children, Black responded to a tweet about Fogel by saying (jokingly?): We used to molest kids together Black also believes the NRA is a terrorist group In light of the House passing today s gun bill, a friendly reminder that the NRA is a terrorist organization. Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) December 6, 2017Black is the author of a disgusting anti-Trump book called A Child s First Book Of Trump . If you want to check out (or review) Michael Ian Black s book, you can find it for purchase on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website. Here is the Barnes and Noble Overview of Black s book from their website:OverviewA Child s First Book of Trump by Michael Ian Black, Marc Rosenthal A New York Times bestseller!What do you do when you spot a wild Trump in the election season? New York Times bestselling author and comedian Michael Ian Black has some sage advice for children (and all the rest of us who are scratching our heads in disbelief) in this perfectly timely parody picture book intended for adults that would be hysterical if it wasn t so true.The beasty is called an American Trump. Its skin is bright orange, its figure is plump. Its fur so complex you might get enveloped. Its hands though are, sadly, underdeveloped.The Trump is a curious creature, very often spotted in the wild, but confounding to our youngest citizens. A business mogul, reality TV host, and now political candidate? Kids (and let s be honest many adults) might have difficulty discerning just what this thing that s been dominating news coverage this election cycle is. Could he actually be real? Are those words coming out of his mouth? Why are his hands so tiny? And perhaps most importantly, what on earth do you do when you encounter an American Trump?With his signature wit and a classic picture book style, comedian Michael Ian Black introduces those unfamiliar with the Americus Trumpus to his distinguishing features and his mystifying campaign for world domination sorry President of the United States.Michael Ian Black is scheduled to appear in Boston at the Laugh House Nov. 9 11th. You can contact the Laugh House at this number and let them know how you feel about them supporting Black at their venue: (617) 725-2844Black can also be found acting with an entire cast of rabid Trump-hating liberal actors on Netflix movie: Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, and previously in Wet Hot American Summer.

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U.S. Republicans want to slash Obama's security council

(This version of the May 11 story, corrects figure in second paragraph to 100.) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. Republican filed legislation on Wednesday seeking to rein in the White House’s National Security Council, saying it has grown too large and seeks to play too big a role in foreign policy. Representative Mac Thornberry said his measure would increase oversight of the NSC, capping it at 100 people or allowing it to be larger but subjecting the National Security adviser to confirmation by the Senate. Thornberry estimated the NSC currently has 400 staff. “All of President (Barack) Obama’s former Defense Secretaries have complained about micromanagement by the NSC,” Thornberry, chairman of the powerful House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I have personally heard from troops on the frontlines who have received intimidating calls from junior White House staffers. “Now we hear reports of NSC staffers running misinformation campaigns targeted at Congress and the press,” Thornberry said. He was referring to a recent New York Times profile in which a deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, discussed ways the administration had communicated about last year’s Iran nuclear deal to the Washington press corps. Administration officials have dismissed proposals like Thornberry’s as political ploys. Ned Price, a spokesman for the NSC, commented that the White House has already taken steps to trim staff and streamline procedures. Thornberry introduced his legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a must-pass annual defense bill. To become law, a version of the NDAA including Thornberry’s amendment would have to pass both the House and Senate and be signed into law by Obama.

Title: U.S. Republicans want to slash Obama's security council. Text: (This version of the May 11 story, corrects figure in second paragraph to 100.) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. Republican filed legislation on Wednesday seeking to rein in the White House’s National Security Council, saying it has grown too large and seeks to play too big a role in foreign policy. Representative Mac Thornberry said his measure would increase oversight of the NSC, capping it at 100 people or allowing it to be larger but subjecting the National Security adviser to confirmation by the Senate. Thornberry estimated the NSC currently has 400 staff. “All of President (Barack) Obama’s former Defense Secretaries have complained about micromanagement by the NSC,” Thornberry, chairman of the powerful House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I have personally heard from troops on the frontlines who have received intimidating calls from junior White House staffers. “Now we hear reports of NSC staffers running misinformation campaigns targeted at Congress and the press,” Thornberry said. He was referring to a recent New York Times profile in which a deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, discussed ways the administration had communicated about last year’s Iran nuclear deal to the Washington press corps. Administration officials have dismissed proposals like Thornberry’s as political ploys. Ned Price, a spokesman for the NSC, commented that the White House has already taken steps to trim staff and streamline procedures. Thornberry introduced his legislation as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a must-pass annual defense bill. To become law, a version of the NDAA including Thornberry’s amendment would have to pass both the House and Senate and be signed into law by Obama.

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Pakistani top court rejects bid to bar opposition leader Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan s Supreme Court cleared opposition leader Imran Khan on Friday of accusations of failing to declare assets, but barred his party s secretary general from parliament. The top court dismissed a petition to disqualify the cricket hero as an MP, months after his rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was removed from parliament by the court on similar charges. No dishonesty or omission can be attributed to (Khan). This petition has no merits and is hereby dismissed, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar told the court. The ruling on Khan was hailed as a vindication by his opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which will face off against Sharif s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in elections next year. Khan had led the legal drive that led to Sharif being disqualified in July over unreported income and the opening of a criminal corruption case against the former prime minister. A lawmaker from Sharif s ruling party filed a separate complaint late last year alleging Khan and PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen owned offshore companies and had not disclosed their assets. The Supreme Court disqualified Tareen. The respondent is declared not to be an honest person. He ceased to be member of the parliament. The respondent is disqualified, Nisar said of Tareen. PTI spokesman Naeem Ul Haq said the party was disappointed with that judgment. Tareen himself was not immediately available for comment. I gave 60 documents to the Supreme Court ... Nawaz Sharif, took 300 billion rupees out of this country which he has to answer for ... and for that he produced only one document, Khan said at a press briefing after the verdict was announced. A senior PML-N leader, Miftah Ismial, told Reuters the party questioned details of the court s ruling, but accepted it as final.

Title: Pakistani top court rejects bid to bar opposition leader Imran Khan. Text: ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan s Supreme Court cleared opposition leader Imran Khan on Friday of accusations of failing to declare assets, but barred his party s secretary general from parliament. The top court dismissed a petition to disqualify the cricket hero as an MP, months after his rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was removed from parliament by the court on similar charges. No dishonesty or omission can be attributed to (Khan). This petition has no merits and is hereby dismissed, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar told the court. The ruling on Khan was hailed as a vindication by his opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which will face off against Sharif s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in elections next year. Khan had led the legal drive that led to Sharif being disqualified in July over unreported income and the opening of a criminal corruption case against the former prime minister. A lawmaker from Sharif s ruling party filed a separate complaint late last year alleging Khan and PTI secretary general Jahangir Tareen owned offshore companies and had not disclosed their assets. The Supreme Court disqualified Tareen. The respondent is declared not to be an honest person. He ceased to be member of the parliament. The respondent is disqualified, Nisar said of Tareen. PTI spokesman Naeem Ul Haq said the party was disappointed with that judgment. Tareen himself was not immediately available for comment. I gave 60 documents to the Supreme Court ... Nawaz Sharif, took 300 billion rupees out of this country which he has to answer for ... and for that he produced only one document, Khan said at a press briefing after the verdict was announced. A senior PML-N leader, Miftah Ismial, told Reuters the party questioned details of the court s ruling, but accepted it as final.

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As Trump becomes presumptive nominee, China urges objectivity

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Wednesday urged people in the United States to take a rational and objective view of the relationship between the two countries, after Republican front-runner Donald Trump became the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Trump has proposed that tariffs on imported Chinese goods be increased to up to 45 percent and asserted that China had waged “economic war” against the United States, taking American jobs. On Sunday, he compared the U.S. trade deficit with China to rape. China is the United States’ largest trading partner. Asked whether China was worried at the prospect of a Trump presidency, after his commanding win in Indiana and as top rival Ted Cruz bowed out of the race, Foreign Ministry spokesman said the election was as internal affair he could not comment on. “What needs to be pointed out is that the essence of Sino-US trade and business cooperation is mutually beneficial and win-win, and accords with the interests of both sides,” Hong told a daily news briefing. “We hope people in all fields can rationally and objectively view this relationship,” he added, without elaborating. Chinese officials have generally avoided criticizing Trump directly, though they have made indirect criticism of his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States and indirectly rebuffed his assertion that China is stealing U.S. jobs. However, last month Finance Minister Lou Jiwei criticized Trump, calling him “an irrational type” due to his tariffs proposal on imported Chinese goods. The United States reported a $366-billion trade deficit with China in 2015, up from $343 billion in 2014 - the largest U.S. trade imbalance with any nation. China’s tightly controlled state media has largely stuck to reporting the facts about Trump, with some notable exceptions. In March, influential tabloid the Global Times accused Trump of being a racist, warning that other extremists, such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, had both been voted into power. Reacting to Trump’s triumph on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency noted he could beat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if he toned down his “explosive rhetoric”. “Despite being a celebrity outside the United States, Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state, simply neither excites nor galvanizes her base,” it said in an English-language piece. In a separate report, Xinhua said Trump “gets them wrong, from trade balance to basic economics”, citing Western media and academics dismissing his criticisms of trade with China. “Trump attacks China to woo voters,” it said.

Title: As Trump becomes presumptive nominee, China urges objectivity. Text: BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Wednesday urged people in the United States to take a rational and objective view of the relationship between the two countries, after Republican front-runner Donald Trump became the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Trump has proposed that tariffs on imported Chinese goods be increased to up to 45 percent and asserted that China had waged “economic war” against the United States, taking American jobs. On Sunday, he compared the U.S. trade deficit with China to rape. China is the United States’ largest trading partner. Asked whether China was worried at the prospect of a Trump presidency, after his commanding win in Indiana and as top rival Ted Cruz bowed out of the race, Foreign Ministry spokesman said the election was as internal affair he could not comment on. “What needs to be pointed out is that the essence of Sino-US trade and business cooperation is mutually beneficial and win-win, and accords with the interests of both sides,” Hong told a daily news briefing. “We hope people in all fields can rationally and objectively view this relationship,” he added, without elaborating. Chinese officials have generally avoided criticizing Trump directly, though they have made indirect criticism of his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States and indirectly rebuffed his assertion that China is stealing U.S. jobs. However, last month Finance Minister Lou Jiwei criticized Trump, calling him “an irrational type” due to his tariffs proposal on imported Chinese goods. The United States reported a $366-billion trade deficit with China in 2015, up from $343 billion in 2014 - the largest U.S. trade imbalance with any nation. China’s tightly controlled state media has largely stuck to reporting the facts about Trump, with some notable exceptions. In March, influential tabloid the Global Times accused Trump of being a racist, warning that other extremists, such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, had both been voted into power. Reacting to Trump’s triumph on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency noted he could beat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if he toned down his “explosive rhetoric”. “Despite being a celebrity outside the United States, Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of state, simply neither excites nor galvanizes her base,” it said in an English-language piece. In a separate report, Xinhua said Trump “gets them wrong, from trade balance to basic economics”, citing Western media and academics dismissing his criticisms of trade with China. “Trump attacks China to woo voters,” it said.

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China's Xi fetes Trump on first day of Beijing trip

BEIJING (Reuters) - With lavish pageantry and an uncharacteristic personal flourish, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday rolled out a red carpet welcome for U.S President Donald Trump at the Forbidden City, the ancient home of China’s emperors. While North Korea and trade are set to dominate the formal part of the visit, which ends on Friday, China has been keen to show the importance it puts on Trump’s visit, the first by a foreign leader since the end of a key Communist Party congress last month where Xi cemented his power. Trump and his wife Melania were whisked from Beijing airport - where they were met by China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi, a key player in the outreach to Trump since he won election a year ago - straight to the Forbidden City. Chatting over cups of tea, Trump showed Xi a video of his granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing in Mandarin and reciting classical Chinese poetry, prompting Xi to compliment her performance as worthy of an “A+”, Chinese state media said. Xi said he hoped Arabella would visit China soon, noting that she was already a “child star” in China, the official Xinhua news agency said. A video of Arabella reciting a Chinese poem went viral on Chinese social media shortly after Trump’s election last year. In another break from precedent, Xi himself gave the Trumps a tour of the imperial treasures of the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage site cleared of tourists for the day, before the two first couples watched Chinese opera and an acrobatic display. “That’s something!” Trump said after the show, as he and Xi walked away. “We’re having a great time.” China had widely been expected to pull out all the stops for Trump, who has pressed it to do more to control its neighbor North Korea, and resolve a yawning trade gap with the United States. The ceremony on Trump’s arrival at Beijing’s airport on Wednesday was also more elaborate than usual, with the Trumps met by a marching band and soldiers standing at attention. Smartly dressed children waving miniature Chinese and American flags jumped up and down as Trump’s motorcade passed. In another rare, if not unprecedented step, Trump’s official ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday will be broadcast live on national television, state broadcaster CCTV said. While the sprawling palace complex in the center of Beijing is a regular stop for visiting dignitaries, it is rare for a Chinese leader to provide a personal escort, confirmation of the “state visit-plus” treatment that China had promised for Trump.

Title: China's Xi fetes Trump on first day of Beijing trip. Text: BEIJING (Reuters) - With lavish pageantry and an uncharacteristic personal flourish, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday rolled out a red carpet welcome for U.S President Donald Trump at the Forbidden City, the ancient home of China’s emperors. While North Korea and trade are set to dominate the formal part of the visit, which ends on Friday, China has been keen to show the importance it puts on Trump’s visit, the first by a foreign leader since the end of a key Communist Party congress last month where Xi cemented his power. Trump and his wife Melania were whisked from Beijing airport - where they were met by China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi, a key player in the outreach to Trump since he won election a year ago - straight to the Forbidden City. Chatting over cups of tea, Trump showed Xi a video of his granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing in Mandarin and reciting classical Chinese poetry, prompting Xi to compliment her performance as worthy of an “A+”, Chinese state media said. Xi said he hoped Arabella would visit China soon, noting that she was already a “child star” in China, the official Xinhua news agency said. A video of Arabella reciting a Chinese poem went viral on Chinese social media shortly after Trump’s election last year. In another break from precedent, Xi himself gave the Trumps a tour of the imperial treasures of the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage site cleared of tourists for the day, before the two first couples watched Chinese opera and an acrobatic display. “That’s something!” Trump said after the show, as he and Xi walked away. “We’re having a great time.” China had widely been expected to pull out all the stops for Trump, who has pressed it to do more to control its neighbor North Korea, and resolve a yawning trade gap with the United States. The ceremony on Trump’s arrival at Beijing’s airport on Wednesday was also more elaborate than usual, with the Trumps met by a marching band and soldiers standing at attention. Smartly dressed children waving miniature Chinese and American flags jumped up and down as Trump’s motorcade passed. In another rare, if not unprecedented step, Trump’s official ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday will be broadcast live on national television, state broadcaster CCTV said. While the sprawling palace complex in the center of Beijing is a regular stop for visiting dignitaries, it is rare for a Chinese leader to provide a personal escort, confirmation of the “state visit-plus” treatment that China had promised for Trump.

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EPA inspector general to investigate agency chief's travels to Oklahoma

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The frequent travels of the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, to Oklahoma will be investigated following congressional requests, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said on Monday. Pruitt’s many travels to his home state have fueled speculation that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. “Administrator Pruitt is traveling the country to hear directly from the people impacted by EPA’s regulations outside of the Washington bubble,” said Amy Graham, an EPA spokeswoman. “This is nothing more than a distraction from the Administrator’s significant environmental accomplishments.” The Office of Inspector General said it would look into the “frequency, cost and extent” of Pruitt’s travels to Oklahoma through July 31, and whether travel policies and procedures were followed. It said the investigation will also aim to determine “whether EPA policies and procedures are sufficiently designed to prevent fraud, waste and abuse with the Administrator’s travel that included trips to Oklahoma.” Pruitt was in Oklahoma on at least 43 of the 92 days of March, April and May, according to copies of his travel records obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project watchdog group and reviewed by Reuters last month. The travel records show Pruitt’s schedule this spring often took him to cities in the U.S. heartland where he held meetings, often with oil and gas industry representatives, made speeches and attended events before flying to Tulsa for extended weekends. The records showed Pruitt paid for some legs of the trips directly related to his visits home, although it was not clear he paid for all such legs. Pruitt has riled environmentalists by raising doubts about climate change and by vowing to sweep away scores of Obama-era regulations to help business. “Pruitt seems to be using these visits to launch his political career,” said Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has been deeply critical of Pruitt. “Perhaps he should use polluter money to fund these trips if he’s going to continue doing their bidding.” Before becoming head of the EPA under Republican President Donald Trump in February, he was Oklahoma’s attorney general and repeatedly sued the agency he now runs to block federal environmental rules.

Title: EPA inspector general to investigate agency chief's travels to Oklahoma. Text: WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The frequent travels of the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, to Oklahoma will be investigated following congressional requests, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said on Monday. Pruitt’s many travels to his home state have fueled speculation that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. “Administrator Pruitt is traveling the country to hear directly from the people impacted by EPA’s regulations outside of the Washington bubble,” said Amy Graham, an EPA spokeswoman. “This is nothing more than a distraction from the Administrator’s significant environmental accomplishments.” The Office of Inspector General said it would look into the “frequency, cost and extent” of Pruitt’s travels to Oklahoma through July 31, and whether travel policies and procedures were followed. It said the investigation will also aim to determine “whether EPA policies and procedures are sufficiently designed to prevent fraud, waste and abuse with the Administrator’s travel that included trips to Oklahoma.” Pruitt was in Oklahoma on at least 43 of the 92 days of March, April and May, according to copies of his travel records obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project watchdog group and reviewed by Reuters last month. The travel records show Pruitt’s schedule this spring often took him to cities in the U.S. heartland where he held meetings, often with oil and gas industry representatives, made speeches and attended events before flying to Tulsa for extended weekends. The records showed Pruitt paid for some legs of the trips directly related to his visits home, although it was not clear he paid for all such legs. Pruitt has riled environmentalists by raising doubts about climate change and by vowing to sweep away scores of Obama-era regulations to help business. “Pruitt seems to be using these visits to launch his political career,” said Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has been deeply critical of Pruitt. “Perhaps he should use polluter money to fund these trips if he’s going to continue doing their bidding.” Before becoming head of the EPA under Republican President Donald Trump in February, he was Oklahoma’s attorney general and repeatedly sued the agency he now runs to block federal environmental rules.

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NAILS IT! This List Describes Perfectly The Damage The Democrats Have Done To America

This one meme tells you everything you need to know about the damage the Democrats have done to America:

Title: NAILS IT! This List Describes Perfectly The Damage The Democrats Have Done To America. Text: This one meme tells you everything you need to know about the damage the Democrats have done to America:

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no title

ayers your right jail first for all the corrupt sleezes then exported

Title: no title. Text: ayers your right jail first for all the corrupt sleezes then exported

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All Hell Breaks Loose At First Charlottesville City Council Meeting Since Nazi Rally

All hell broke loose on Monday when the city of Charlottesville held their first city council meeting since torch-wielding white supremacists took over the small Virginia town, leaving a counter-protester dead in their wake. Residents were more than ready to let the city council know just how they felt about the city allowing Nazis to march through their streets. You had multiple opportunities to intervene and you did not intervene one time. We told you exactly what you needed to do and you did nothing, one man told the city council members at the meeting.Two protesters who were holding a sign that read Blood on your hands climbed up on top of the dais, at which point several members of the city council got scared and ran away. Police eventually removed several people from the meeting and arrested at least three of them, which prompted the crowd to chant Shame and Shut it down. Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy, was the only official who had the guts to stay and try to negotiate with the protesters, who have every right to be pissed off that Nazis were given a permit to spread their hate and violence throughout Charlottesville. The protesters called for Mayor Mike Signer to resign from his position, chanting Signer must go! After making it abundantly clear that they do not appreciate the city council inviting white supremacists to town, they also demanded the removal of Confederate monuments from Charlottesville. The city agreed to begin the removal process and a motion was approved by the council that will commemorate the victims of the Nazi rally by draping black fabric over the statues.Watch more on the mayhem here, via WVIR: NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and WeatherFeatured image via video screen capture

Title: All Hell Breaks Loose At First Charlottesville City Council Meeting Since Nazi Rally. Text: All hell broke loose on Monday when the city of Charlottesville held their first city council meeting since torch-wielding white supremacists took over the small Virginia town, leaving a counter-protester dead in their wake. Residents were more than ready to let the city council know just how they felt about the city allowing Nazis to march through their streets. You had multiple opportunities to intervene and you did not intervene one time. We told you exactly what you needed to do and you did nothing, one man told the city council members at the meeting.Two protesters who were holding a sign that read Blood on your hands climbed up on top of the dais, at which point several members of the city council got scared and ran away. Police eventually removed several people from the meeting and arrested at least three of them, which prompted the crowd to chant Shame and Shut it down. Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy, was the only official who had the guts to stay and try to negotiate with the protesters, who have every right to be pissed off that Nazis were given a permit to spread their hate and violence throughout Charlottesville. The protesters called for Mayor Mike Signer to resign from his position, chanting Signer must go! After making it abundantly clear that they do not appreciate the city council inviting white supremacists to town, they also demanded the removal of Confederate monuments from Charlottesville. The city agreed to begin the removal process and a motion was approved by the council that will commemorate the victims of the Nazi rally by draping black fabric over the statues.Watch more on the mayhem here, via WVIR: NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and WeatherFeatured image via video screen capture

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NRA Tried To Attack Hillary, Accidentally Proves We Need Better Background Checks (VIDEO)

The National Rifle Association recently made a pathetic attempt to attack Hillary Clinton and it backfired horribly.The NRA thought it had released a clever video bashing Clinton s record of approving arms exports when she served as Secretary of State, but instead they validated what gun control advocates have been asking for all along: better background checks.In the video, Conservative host Dana Loesch accuses Clinton of letting the decision about whether or not to export arms to foreign nations be based on what countries had made donations to the Clinton Foundation. These were, of course, false accusations but the NRA still tried to shame Clinton for something she didn t do. In actuality, the U.S. has the highest standards in the world for deciding whether to approve gun sales to foreign nations. But the NRA was apparently so focused on bashing the Democratic front runner, that the right-wing organization completely missed the fact that they d made a great case for background checks when Loesch said:Brilliant. The video also makes another important point that countries approved for export permits are at least investigated to ensure that countries receiving guns from the United States will be using them to promote our national security interests and foreign policy objectives. But in America, that s a different story. Guns are not only available to our military, but to nearly anyone who can clear just a few legal/safety requirements.And it gets better. Loesch continued to spew nonsense, once again unintentionally making a case for women in other countries and completely ignoring the fact that America has a huge issue with guns and domestic violence: When Hillary Clinton isn t trying to disarm women and prevent us from the equal opportunity exercise of our pro-choice right to self-defense, she is approving billion-dollar arms sales to countries with horrendous human rights records. Countries where women have little to no rights, countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and others. According to gun reform group Everytown Research, domestic violence and gun deaths are very closely linked, but the NRA is choosing to be ignorant. Domestic violence in America is to a significant degree a problem of gun violence. Over the past 25 years, more intimate partner homicides in the U.S. have been committed with guns than with all other weapons combined. And people with a history of committing domestic violence are five times more likely to subsequently murder an intimate partner when a firearm is in the house. This attack ad implies that women in other countries could and should be kept safe with strong background checks and rigid gun ownership laws. And by making no mention of protecting American women in the same way, the NRA s video suggests that women in this country should suffer the consequences that come with more relaxed gun laws. We could make the argument that in America, we need gun control the most the United States leads other developed countries in gun violence by a landslide.Clinton, on the other hand, is passionate about reducing gun violence so while the NRA tried to soil Clinton s record, they instead revealed a huge hypocrisy in their own argument. You can watch the video below:Featured image via Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Title: NRA Tried To Attack Hillary, Accidentally Proves We Need Better Background Checks (VIDEO). Text: The National Rifle Association recently made a pathetic attempt to attack Hillary Clinton and it backfired horribly.The NRA thought it had released a clever video bashing Clinton s record of approving arms exports when she served as Secretary of State, but instead they validated what gun control advocates have been asking for all along: better background checks.In the video, Conservative host Dana Loesch accuses Clinton of letting the decision about whether or not to export arms to foreign nations be based on what countries had made donations to the Clinton Foundation. These were, of course, false accusations but the NRA still tried to shame Clinton for something she didn t do. In actuality, the U.S. has the highest standards in the world for deciding whether to approve gun sales to foreign nations. But the NRA was apparently so focused on bashing the Democratic front runner, that the right-wing organization completely missed the fact that they d made a great case for background checks when Loesch said:Brilliant. The video also makes another important point that countries approved for export permits are at least investigated to ensure that countries receiving guns from the United States will be using them to promote our national security interests and foreign policy objectives. But in America, that s a different story. Guns are not only available to our military, but to nearly anyone who can clear just a few legal/safety requirements.And it gets better. Loesch continued to spew nonsense, once again unintentionally making a case for women in other countries and completely ignoring the fact that America has a huge issue with guns and domestic violence: When Hillary Clinton isn t trying to disarm women and prevent us from the equal opportunity exercise of our pro-choice right to self-defense, she is approving billion-dollar arms sales to countries with horrendous human rights records. Countries where women have little to no rights, countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and others. According to gun reform group Everytown Research, domestic violence and gun deaths are very closely linked, but the NRA is choosing to be ignorant. Domestic violence in America is to a significant degree a problem of gun violence. Over the past 25 years, more intimate partner homicides in the U.S. have been committed with guns than with all other weapons combined. And people with a history of committing domestic violence are five times more likely to subsequently murder an intimate partner when a firearm is in the house. This attack ad implies that women in other countries could and should be kept safe with strong background checks and rigid gun ownership laws. And by making no mention of protecting American women in the same way, the NRA s video suggests that women in this country should suffer the consequences that come with more relaxed gun laws. We could make the argument that in America, we need gun control the most the United States leads other developed countries in gun violence by a landslide.Clinton, on the other hand, is passionate about reducing gun violence so while the NRA tried to soil Clinton s record, they instead revealed a huge hypocrisy in their own argument. You can watch the video below:Featured image via Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

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UN Physically Removes Independent Media From NYC HQ For Exposing Institutional Corruption

21st Century Wire says For years, the United Nations seems to have been embroiled in an endless string of scandals and cover-ups, and yet rarely, if ever, has anyone ever actually been held to account. This has led a number of pundits to accuse the institution of being above the law and riddled with institutional corruption.This latest story only reaffirms these accusations Independent journalist Matthew Russell Lee (photo, left) founded Bronx-based Inner City Press in 2005 and received official press accreditation to cover the United Nations in New York City. He was the first-ever independent, non-affiliated blogger to be given access to the UN s inner sanctum. Since then Inner City Press has broken stories on a number of controversial stories: peacekeeper rapes in Africa, UN cholera in Haiti, war crimes in Sri Lanka and Burundi, the Sudans, SEMG and Yemen (see a leaked letter here), as well as corruption within UN Headquarters (cocaine shipments through its mail room and the current bribery scandals).Apparently, it was all too much for diplomatic luminaries at the UN. Last month, Lee was forcibly ejected from the UN headquarters.The DC-based Government Accountability Project, which defends UN and other whistleblowers, believes that the ouster of Inner City Press from the UN s press office is retaliatory in response to independent, critical journalism. UN Restricts of Free PressOn the afternoon of February 19th, Inner City Press questioned UN inaction in South Sudan and Burundi and financial irregularities, and was handed a letter from Ban Ki-moon s Under Secretary General for Public Information Cristina Gallach ordering Inner City Press to surrender its Resident Correspondent accreditation of eight years and be removed from the UN by 5 pm. In a letter that gave Inner City Press only two hours notice, Gallach told Inner City Press to surrender the key to its long-time shared office. Read the UN letter here. Later, while Inner City Press was writing up a UN Security Council meeting on Syria that went into the evening, a total of eight UN Security guards under Deputy Chief Michael McNulty tore off Inner City Press UN ID badge and grabbed Inner City Press laptop and camera, before throwing them on the sidewalk on First Avenue as well as physically throwing journalist Matthew Lee on the street in freezing weather, without a coat. Audio here; video as UN Security turns off Inner City Press Periscope livestream here: Ban Ki-moon, whose victory tour of blood-soaked northern Sri Lanka Inner City Press covered and was never forgiven for by Ban s UN, was the target of a demonstration in Jaffa for the ouster of Inner City Press. Tamils in Jaffna protest the cancellation of the resident correspondent s press accreditation of Inner City Press from the UN Building in New York City: Supporters of Inner City Press launched a petition to restore Lee and Inner City Press to its former office space.READ MORE UN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire UN Files

Title: UN Physically Removes Independent Media From NYC HQ For Exposing Institutional Corruption. Text: 21st Century Wire says For years, the United Nations seems to have been embroiled in an endless string of scandals and cover-ups, and yet rarely, if ever, has anyone ever actually been held to account. This has led a number of pundits to accuse the institution of being above the law and riddled with institutional corruption.This latest story only reaffirms these accusations Independent journalist Matthew Russell Lee (photo, left) founded Bronx-based Inner City Press in 2005 and received official press accreditation to cover the United Nations in New York City. He was the first-ever independent, non-affiliated blogger to be given access to the UN s inner sanctum. Since then Inner City Press has broken stories on a number of controversial stories: peacekeeper rapes in Africa, UN cholera in Haiti, war crimes in Sri Lanka and Burundi, the Sudans, SEMG and Yemen (see a leaked letter here), as well as corruption within UN Headquarters (cocaine shipments through its mail room and the current bribery scandals).Apparently, it was all too much for diplomatic luminaries at the UN. Last month, Lee was forcibly ejected from the UN headquarters.The DC-based Government Accountability Project, which defends UN and other whistleblowers, believes that the ouster of Inner City Press from the UN s press office is retaliatory in response to independent, critical journalism. UN Restricts of Free PressOn the afternoon of February 19th, Inner City Press questioned UN inaction in South Sudan and Burundi and financial irregularities, and was handed a letter from Ban Ki-moon s Under Secretary General for Public Information Cristina Gallach ordering Inner City Press to surrender its Resident Correspondent accreditation of eight years and be removed from the UN by 5 pm. In a letter that gave Inner City Press only two hours notice, Gallach told Inner City Press to surrender the key to its long-time shared office. Read the UN letter here. Later, while Inner City Press was writing up a UN Security Council meeting on Syria that went into the evening, a total of eight UN Security guards under Deputy Chief Michael McNulty tore off Inner City Press UN ID badge and grabbed Inner City Press laptop and camera, before throwing them on the sidewalk on First Avenue as well as physically throwing journalist Matthew Lee on the street in freezing weather, without a coat. Audio here; video as UN Security turns off Inner City Press Periscope livestream here: Ban Ki-moon, whose victory tour of blood-soaked northern Sri Lanka Inner City Press covered and was never forgiven for by Ban s UN, was the target of a demonstration in Jaffa for the ouster of Inner City Press. Tamils in Jaffna protest the cancellation of the resident correspondent s press accreditation of Inner City Press from the UN Building in New York City: Supporters of Inner City Press launched a petition to restore Lee and Inner City Press to its former office space.READ MORE UN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire UN Files

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Factbox: Contenders for key jobs in Trump's administration

(Reuters) - Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. Trump has already tapped a number of people for other top jobs in his administration. For a list of posts already filled, see. * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * David Petraeus, retired general and former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information that he shared with his biographer, with whom he was having an affair * Jon Huntsman, former Republican Utah governor and ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, ran for Republican presidential nomination in 2012 * James Stavridis, retired Navy admiral * John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, foreign policy adviser to 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney * Rex Tillerson, president and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil * Joe Manchin, Democratic U.S. senator for West Virginia * Dana Rohrabacher, Republican U.S. representative of California and senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs * Michael McCaul, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee * David Clarke, Milwaukee County sheriff and vocal Trump supporter * Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, former leader of the military’s Southern Command * Joe Arpaio, who lost his bid for re-election as Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff, and has campaigned for Trump * Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state * Frances Townsend, who was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush * Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Leslie Rutledge, Republican Arkansas attorney general * Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management * Scott Pruitt, Republican Oklahoma attorney general * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Joe Manchin, Democratic U.S. senator from West Virginia * Gary Cohn, president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, CEO of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, Republican former Texas governor * Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in Gryphon * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative from Washington state and House Republican Conference chair * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jan Brewer, former Republican Arizona governor * Mary Fallin, Republican Oklahoma governor * Ray Washburne, CEO of investment company Charter Holdings * Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, Republican former U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor * Debra Wong Yang, former U.S. attorney for California’s Central District, appointed by former President George W. Bush * Ralph Ferrara, a securities attorney at Proskauer * Paul Atkins, Republican former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins who is heading Trump’s transition team for independent financial regulatory agencies, including the SEC * Daniel Gallagher, Republican former SEC commissioner * John Allison, a former CEO of regional bank BB&T and former CEO of the Cato Institute * Paul Atkins, former SEC commissioner * Thomas Hoenig, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp vice chairman * Dan DiMicco, former CEO of steel producer Nucor Corp * Robert Lighthizer, a Washington trade attorney and former deputy U.S. trade representative during the Republican Reagan administration * Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants * Lou Barletta, Republican U.S. representative from Pennsylvania * Victoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration * Gary Cohn, Goldman Sachs Group Inc president * Mick Mulvaney, Republican U.S. representative from South Carolina * David Malpass, former chief economist with investment bank Bear Stearns and a senior Trump adviser who also served in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush presidential administrations * Scott Brown, former Republican U.S. senator from Massachusetts * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor * Jeff Miller, former Republican U.S. representative from Florida who was chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee The Trump transition team confirmed the president-elect would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Title: Factbox: Contenders for key jobs in Trump's administration. Text: (Reuters) - Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. Trump has already tapped a number of people for other top jobs in his administration. For a list of posts already filled, see. * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * David Petraeus, retired general and former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information that he shared with his biographer, with whom he was having an affair * Jon Huntsman, former Republican Utah governor and ambassador to China under President Barack Obama, ran for Republican presidential nomination in 2012 * James Stavridis, retired Navy admiral * John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, foreign policy adviser to 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney * Rex Tillerson, president and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil * Joe Manchin, Democratic U.S. senator for West Virginia * Dana Rohrabacher, Republican U.S. representative of California and senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs * Michael McCaul, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee * David Clarke, Milwaukee County sheriff and vocal Trump supporter * Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, former leader of the military’s Southern Command * Joe Arpaio, who lost his bid for re-election as Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff, and has campaigned for Trump * Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state * Frances Townsend, who was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush * Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Leslie Rutledge, Republican Arkansas attorney general * Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management * Scott Pruitt, Republican Oklahoma attorney general * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Joe Manchin, Democratic U.S. senator from West Virginia * Gary Cohn, president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, CEO of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, Republican former Texas governor * Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in Gryphon * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative from Washington state and House Republican Conference chair * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jan Brewer, former Republican Arizona governor * Mary Fallin, Republican Oklahoma governor * Ray Washburne, CEO of investment company Charter Holdings * Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, Republican former U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor * Debra Wong Yang, former U.S. attorney for California’s Central District, appointed by former President George W. Bush * Ralph Ferrara, a securities attorney at Proskauer * Paul Atkins, Republican former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins who is heading Trump’s transition team for independent financial regulatory agencies, including the SEC * Daniel Gallagher, Republican former SEC commissioner * John Allison, a former CEO of regional bank BB&T and former CEO of the Cato Institute * Paul Atkins, former SEC commissioner * Thomas Hoenig, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp vice chairman * Dan DiMicco, former CEO of steel producer Nucor Corp * Robert Lighthizer, a Washington trade attorney and former deputy U.S. trade representative during the Republican Reagan administration * Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants * Lou Barletta, Republican U.S. representative from Pennsylvania * Victoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration * Gary Cohn, Goldman Sachs Group Inc president * Mick Mulvaney, Republican U.S. representative from South Carolina * David Malpass, former chief economist with investment bank Bear Stearns and a senior Trump adviser who also served in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush presidential administrations * Scott Brown, former Republican U.S. senator from Massachusetts * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor * Jeff Miller, former Republican U.S. representative from Florida who was chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee The Trump transition team confirmed the president-elect would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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CTBTO looking at "unusual seismic activity" in North Korea

ZURICH (Reuters) - Nuclear proliferation watchdog CTBTO is examining unusual seismic activity in North Korea that took place around 50 km (31 miles) from previous nuclear testing in the isolated country, it said on Saturday. Analysts looking at unusual #seismic activity of a much smaller magnitude in the #DPRK, CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo said in a Twitter post. Korean Peninsula unusual #seismic activity: LAT=41.36 LON=129.76 mb=3.5 About 50km from prior tests. #CTBT Analysts investigating, he said in a subsequent post. China s earthquake administration said it had detected a magnitude 3.4 quake in North Korea that was a suspected explosion , raising fears that Pyongyang might have conducted another nuclear bomb test. A CTBTO spokeswoman said Zerbo s remark about a smaller magnitude referred to its monitoring of an event in North Korea on Sept. 3 which the agency described as consistent with a man-made explosion but stopped short of calling a nuclear blast, pending testing for airborne radioactivity. North Korea has described the Sept. 3 incident as a test of an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile, marking a dramatic escalation of the regime s stand-off with the United States and its allies. The CTBTO (Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization) was founded in 1996 to monitor compliance with an accord negotiated in the 1990s that bans nuclear explosions. The treaty has not come into effect because eight countries with nuclear technology have yet to sign it.

Title: CTBTO looking at "unusual seismic activity" in North Korea. Text: ZURICH (Reuters) - Nuclear proliferation watchdog CTBTO is examining unusual seismic activity in North Korea that took place around 50 km (31 miles) from previous nuclear testing in the isolated country, it said on Saturday. Analysts looking at unusual #seismic activity of a much smaller magnitude in the #DPRK, CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo said in a Twitter post. Korean Peninsula unusual #seismic activity: LAT=41.36 LON=129.76 mb=3.5 About 50km from prior tests. #CTBT Analysts investigating, he said in a subsequent post. China s earthquake administration said it had detected a magnitude 3.4 quake in North Korea that was a suspected explosion , raising fears that Pyongyang might have conducted another nuclear bomb test. A CTBTO spokeswoman said Zerbo s remark about a smaller magnitude referred to its monitoring of an event in North Korea on Sept. 3 which the agency described as consistent with a man-made explosion but stopped short of calling a nuclear blast, pending testing for airborne radioactivity. North Korea has described the Sept. 3 incident as a test of an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile, marking a dramatic escalation of the regime s stand-off with the United States and its allies. The CTBTO (Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization) was founded in 1996 to monitor compliance with an accord negotiated in the 1990s that bans nuclear explosions. The treaty has not come into effect because eight countries with nuclear technology have yet to sign it.

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SATANISTS ENDORSE A Candidate For President And It’s A Perfect Fit!

Nope, it s not Hillary Yes, Communist agitator Bernie Sanders is the pick for satanists. Bern Like Hell In a highly popular pro-Sanders meme group created on Facebook, a post with an image stating, Satanists for Bernie 2016, has received over 1,100 likes and more than 200 shares.While the image s creator is unknown, it is discussed in the comments that the Church of Satan, a central hub of satanic worship, has not officially endorsed any candidate for president.Another group entitled the Satanic Communist Party, boasting over 2,000 members, also appears to lean pro-Bernie.While supporters attempt to distance Sanders brand of socialism from Communism, revolutionaries instrumental in shaping the ideology, in particular Vladimir Lenin, have openly admitted, The goal of socialism is Communism. In a 1986 book entitled Marx & Satan, author Richard Wumbrand, who was imprisoned for 14 years by the Communist government of Romania for espousing Christian beliefs, demonstrates through direct quotes that the man credited as the father of Communism crafted the ideology with inspiration from the powers of darkness and with the intent to destroy religion.Via: infowars

Title: SATANISTS ENDORSE A Candidate For President And It’s A Perfect Fit!. Text: Nope, it s not Hillary Yes, Communist agitator Bernie Sanders is the pick for satanists. Bern Like Hell In a highly popular pro-Sanders meme group created on Facebook, a post with an image stating, Satanists for Bernie 2016, has received over 1,100 likes and more than 200 shares.While the image s creator is unknown, it is discussed in the comments that the Church of Satan, a central hub of satanic worship, has not officially endorsed any candidate for president.Another group entitled the Satanic Communist Party, boasting over 2,000 members, also appears to lean pro-Bernie.While supporters attempt to distance Sanders brand of socialism from Communism, revolutionaries instrumental in shaping the ideology, in particular Vladimir Lenin, have openly admitted, The goal of socialism is Communism. In a 1986 book entitled Marx & Satan, author Richard Wumbrand, who was imprisoned for 14 years by the Communist government of Romania for espousing Christian beliefs, demonstrates through direct quotes that the man credited as the father of Communism crafted the ideology with inspiration from the powers of darkness and with the intent to destroy religion.Via: infowars

not fake

economists sign letter urging america not to vote for donald trump

egypt the file photo shows mohammed badie a senior figure of egypts now outlawed muslim brotherhood egypts appeals court has upheld a draconian life sentence that was handed down to mohammed badie the spiritual leader of the now outlawed muslim brotherhood the court ruled on wednesday that badie along with others who served as ministers in the government led by the countrys first democratically elected president mohamed morsi who was supported by the brotherhood between and deserved life behind bars for inciting violence and murder badie has been viewed as a key element in the muslim brotherhood a party which operated under numerous restrictions during the era of the countrys former dictator hosni mubarak the senior brotherhood figure played a major role in the popular uprising that led to the ouster of mubarak in january during the wednesday session the court also upheld the death sentences for other individuals who had been tried in absentia a criminal court in tried defendants who include former youth and supplies ministers for charges of murder attempted murder resisting authorities assaulting policemen sabotage and blocking a main road in the nile delta city of qalyubia the general legal procedure against the muslim brotherhood began in july when morsi was ousted in a military coup the head of the egyptian armed forces abdel fattah elsisi came to power afterward sisi is believed to have orchestrated the coup as well as the ensuing crackdown on the brotherhood estimates provided by human rights campaigners show that people have been killed and have been arrested in relation to the crackdown on the members and supporters of the muslim brotherhood morsi himself has been sentenced to years in jail for escaping prison in the appeals court endorsed the sentence last week rejecting his appeal loading

Title: economists sign letter urging america not to vote for donald trump. Text: egypt the file photo shows mohammed badie a senior figure of egypts now outlawed muslim brotherhood egypts appeals court has upheld a draconian life sentence that was handed down to mohammed badie the spiritual leader of the now outlawed muslim brotherhood the court ruled on wednesday that badie along with others who served as ministers in the government led by the countrys first democratically elected president mohamed morsi who was supported by the brotherhood between and deserved life behind bars for inciting violence and murder badie has been viewed as a key element in the muslim brotherhood a party which operated under numerous restrictions during the era of the countrys former dictator hosni mubarak the senior brotherhood figure played a major role in the popular uprising that led to the ouster of mubarak in january during the wednesday session the court also upheld the death sentences for other individuals who had been tried in absentia a criminal court in tried defendants who include former youth and supplies ministers for charges of murder attempted murder resisting authorities assaulting policemen sabotage and blocking a main road in the nile delta city of qalyubia the general legal procedure against the muslim brotherhood began in july when morsi was ousted in a military coup the head of the egyptian armed forces abdel fattah elsisi came to power afterward sisi is believed to have orchestrated the coup as well as the ensuing crackdown on the brotherhood estimates provided by human rights campaigners show that people have been killed and have been arrested in relation to the crackdown on the members and supporters of the muslim brotherhood morsi himself has been sentenced to years in jail for escaping prison in the appeals court endorsed the sentence last week rejecting his appeal loading

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did everyone see where a construciton worker took out his drill and damaged mr trumps star on hollywood walk of fame boy what a bunch evil doers and you can bet they are hillary and obama thugs wonder how much she paid for that balloney obama just visited california yesterday what a coindence such poor losers

Title: no title. Text: did everyone see where a construciton worker took out his drill and damaged mr trumps star on hollywood walk of fame boy what a bunch evil doers and you can bet they are hillary and obama thugs wonder how much she paid for that balloney obama just visited california yesterday what a coindence such poor losers

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In shakeup, Trump to set up 'war room' to repel attacks over Russia probe

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Once U.S. President Donald Trump returns from his overseas trip, the White House plans to launch its most aggressive effort yet to push back against allegations involving Russia and his presidential campaign, tackling head-on a scandal that has threatened to consume his young presidency. Trump’s advisers are planning to establish a “war room” to combat mounting questions about communication between Russia and his presidential campaign before and after November’s presidential election, while bringing new aides into the White House, administration officials and persons close to Trump told Reuters. The strategic shake-up comes as Republicans in Washington increasingly have fretted that the probe, continued chaos in the West Wing and Trump’s steady slide in opinion polls will derail the president’s drive to reform healthcare, cut taxes and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. Upon Trump’s return, the administration will add experienced political professionals, including Trump’s former campaign manager, and possibly more lawyers to handle the Russia probe, which has gained new urgency since the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to head the investigation, the sources said. Beyond pushing back at suggestions that Moscow is unduly influencing Trump’s administration, the messaging effort will also focus on advancing Trump’s stalled policy agenda and likely involve more trips out of Washington that will feature the kind of raucous rallies that were the hallmark of Trump’s campaign. A person in regular touch with the White House said it needed a different structure to focus on the “new reality” that there would be continued leaks to the media from the law enforcement and intelligence communities, leaks that have increased in frequency since Trump fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on May 9. “Since the firing of Comey, that really exposed the fact that the White House in its current structure ... is not prepared for really a one-front war, let alone a two-front war,” the person said. “They need to have a structure in place that allows them to stay focused” while “also truly fighting back on these attacks and these leaks.” The White House declined to comment on plans for a “war room” but said Trump will be looking to expand on momentum it believes it has built up during the president’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Europe. A White House official confirmed plans to hold more rallies. Trump returns to Washington on Saturday from his first trip abroad as president. “The president has had an incredibly successful trip overseas and the White House looks forward to continuing an aggressive messaging strategy to highlight his agenda when we return to D.C.,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, will be involved in the new strategic messaging operation, as will Steve Bannon, another top adviser who specializes in managing Trump’s populist appeal and shaping his political image, the sources said. Bannon and Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, have been laying the groundwork for the plan this week, they added. On Thursday, NBC News and the Washington Post reported that Kushner, who held several meetings with Russian officials following the election, is a focus of the probe, making him the first current White House official to be caught up in it, although Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, is also expected to be part of the effort. Lewandowski, who has been seen in the White House recently, could join the administration as early as next week, a source close to him said. Lewandowski was fired by Trump in June 2016 over concerns that he was not experienced enough to oversee the general election fight against Democrat Hillary Clinton, but has remained a trusted adviser to Trump and a steadfast defender of the president on news programs. This month, the Justice Department named Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, as an independent special counsel in the probe. Trump has been frustrated of late that his communications team hasn’t done a more effective job at making the case that he isn’t implicated in the Russia probe and highlighting his administration’s successes, sources close to the president said. The White House declined to comment on the president’s frustrations. Another Republican close to the White House said the new team is taking a page out of former President Bill Clinton’s playbook. When Clinton faced impeachment in the late 1990s, he assembled a crisis-management operation that dealt with fallout from his affair with Monica Lewinsky while allowing the rest of the White House to deal with day-to-day policy matters. “The goal of the White House is to try and contain the crisis and media coverage of the special counsel,” the Republican said. Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media and a Trump friend, said he expects the president will travel more when he returns from overseas and encouraged the White House to focus on issues that pump up his base voters. “From my perspective, I think the president should be doing the stuff that he does best, which is talking about his agenda: jobs, trade and security,” Ruddy said. Trump has scheduled a political rally for next week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The White House said other similar events are in the planning stages. Republicans in Congress are aching for Trump to leave the distraction of the Russia probe aside and focus on legislation and nominating officials to fill the hundreds of vacant slots across the administration. “What we really want to be able to do is tend to our business,” Mike Rounds, a Republican Senator from South Dakota, told Reuters. “We’ve got a healthcare bill we’re working on. We’ve got tax reform that we think is important.” Some of Trump’s donors, too, say they are concerned. Stanley Hubbard, a billionaire radio mogul from Minnesota, said he worries that the White House continues to be distracted by the Russia scandal, but laid some of the blame on Trump himself. “He talks when he shouldn’t,” he said. Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said this week that Trump’s time in office has been a “complete disaster” aside from foreign affairs. Boehner, a fellow Republican, told an energy conference he supported efforts to “get to the bottom” of any potential interactions between Trump associates and the Russian government but described any calls to impeach Trump as the purview of “the crazy left-wing Democratic colleagues of mine.”

Title: In shakeup, Trump to set up 'war room' to repel attacks over Russia probe. Text: BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Once U.S. President Donald Trump returns from his overseas trip, the White House plans to launch its most aggressive effort yet to push back against allegations involving Russia and his presidential campaign, tackling head-on a scandal that has threatened to consume his young presidency. Trump’s advisers are planning to establish a “war room” to combat mounting questions about communication between Russia and his presidential campaign before and after November’s presidential election, while bringing new aides into the White House, administration officials and persons close to Trump told Reuters. The strategic shake-up comes as Republicans in Washington increasingly have fretted that the probe, continued chaos in the West Wing and Trump’s steady slide in opinion polls will derail the president’s drive to reform healthcare, cut taxes and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. Upon Trump’s return, the administration will add experienced political professionals, including Trump’s former campaign manager, and possibly more lawyers to handle the Russia probe, which has gained new urgency since the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to head the investigation, the sources said. Beyond pushing back at suggestions that Moscow is unduly influencing Trump’s administration, the messaging effort will also focus on advancing Trump’s stalled policy agenda and likely involve more trips out of Washington that will feature the kind of raucous rallies that were the hallmark of Trump’s campaign. A person in regular touch with the White House said it needed a different structure to focus on the “new reality” that there would be continued leaks to the media from the law enforcement and intelligence communities, leaks that have increased in frequency since Trump fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on May 9. “Since the firing of Comey, that really exposed the fact that the White House in its current structure ... is not prepared for really a one-front war, let alone a two-front war,” the person said. “They need to have a structure in place that allows them to stay focused” while “also truly fighting back on these attacks and these leaks.” The White House declined to comment on plans for a “war room” but said Trump will be looking to expand on momentum it believes it has built up during the president’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Europe. A White House official confirmed plans to hold more rallies. Trump returns to Washington on Saturday from his first trip abroad as president. “The president has had an incredibly successful trip overseas and the White House looks forward to continuing an aggressive messaging strategy to highlight his agenda when we return to D.C.,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, will be involved in the new strategic messaging operation, as will Steve Bannon, another top adviser who specializes in managing Trump’s populist appeal and shaping his political image, the sources said. Bannon and Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, have been laying the groundwork for the plan this week, they added. On Thursday, NBC News and the Washington Post reported that Kushner, who held several meetings with Russian officials following the election, is a focus of the probe, making him the first current White House official to be caught up in it, although Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, is also expected to be part of the effort. Lewandowski, who has been seen in the White House recently, could join the administration as early as next week, a source close to him said. Lewandowski was fired by Trump in June 2016 over concerns that he was not experienced enough to oversee the general election fight against Democrat Hillary Clinton, but has remained a trusted adviser to Trump and a steadfast defender of the president on news programs. This month, the Justice Department named Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, as an independent special counsel in the probe. Trump has been frustrated of late that his communications team hasn’t done a more effective job at making the case that he isn’t implicated in the Russia probe and highlighting his administration’s successes, sources close to the president said. The White House declined to comment on the president’s frustrations. Another Republican close to the White House said the new team is taking a page out of former President Bill Clinton’s playbook. When Clinton faced impeachment in the late 1990s, he assembled a crisis-management operation that dealt with fallout from his affair with Monica Lewinsky while allowing the rest of the White House to deal with day-to-day policy matters. “The goal of the White House is to try and contain the crisis and media coverage of the special counsel,” the Republican said. Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media and a Trump friend, said he expects the president will travel more when he returns from overseas and encouraged the White House to focus on issues that pump up his base voters. “From my perspective, I think the president should be doing the stuff that he does best, which is talking about his agenda: jobs, trade and security,” Ruddy said. Trump has scheduled a political rally for next week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The White House said other similar events are in the planning stages. Republicans in Congress are aching for Trump to leave the distraction of the Russia probe aside and focus on legislation and nominating officials to fill the hundreds of vacant slots across the administration. “What we really want to be able to do is tend to our business,” Mike Rounds, a Republican Senator from South Dakota, told Reuters. “We’ve got a healthcare bill we’re working on. We’ve got tax reform that we think is important.” Some of Trump’s donors, too, say they are concerned. Stanley Hubbard, a billionaire radio mogul from Minnesota, said he worries that the White House continues to be distracted by the Russia scandal, but laid some of the blame on Trump himself. “He talks when he shouldn’t,” he said. Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said this week that Trump’s time in office has been a “complete disaster” aside from foreign affairs. Boehner, a fellow Republican, told an energy conference he supported efforts to “get to the bottom” of any potential interactions between Trump associates and the Russian government but described any calls to impeach Trump as the purview of “the crazy left-wing Democratic colleagues of mine.”

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Under China anthem cloud, rare interest in Hong Kong vs Bahrain soccer friendly

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Some activists in Hong Kong say they plan to defy a Chinese law against disrespecting the national anthem, by jeering it at international soccer fixtures against Bahrain and Lebanon in the next few days. The controversy is another instance of recent tensions in the former British colony between pro-democracy advocates and China s Communist Party leaders, who have been criticized for tightening their grip on Hong Kong s affairs. Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems arrangement that guarantees a high degree of autonomy, including an independent judiciary and the freedom of expression. In recent years, some Hong Kong fans have booed the national anthem at soccer matches, with some parallels to protests in the United States where American football players have knelt during the national anthem, a protest denounced by U.S. President Donald Trump. China s parliament on Saturday passed an amendment to its criminal law that extends punishments for publicly desecrating the national flag and emblem to disrespecting the national anthem. Offenders can be jailed for up to three years, Xinhua reported. Hong Kong, as part of China, is now obliged to put its own set of laws related to the national anthem to the local legislature, but details including jail terms and the scope of enforcement have yet to be set. For now, though, some fans say they won t change their behavior when Hong Kong play Bahrain in a friendly match on Thursday and Lebanon in an Asian Cup qualifier next Tuesday. It s something we ve always done, said one fan who has attended games for the past few years, including two World Cup qualifiers between Hong Kong and China in 2015 that drew jeers from the crowd. It s a kind of resentment toward China that comes through ... There are several hundred of us and it s become a tradition now. We ll keep doing it. The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) was warned by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently over the conduct of fans who booed the Chinese anthem, and said a repeat violation may result in more severe punishment . Asked for comment, the AFC didn t specifically address a question on whether they d been pressed by China to punish Hong Kong, but said a review of video evidence found fans guilty of improper conduct under the AFC s disciplinary and ethics code. Hong Kong s leader, Carrie Lam, has suggested the law would be enacted in the current legislative year, and not be applied retrospectively - which would mean fans who jeer before it becomes law locally shouldn t face prosecution. People should not excessively worry about unwittingly committing an offense. These worries are unnecessary, Lam told reporters. I don t see this as having any connection to ... freedom of expression. But this has highlighted a recent trend in Hong Kong that whenever there is anything related to Hong Kong and Chinese affairs ... some people cause panic and unnecessary fear.

Title: Under China anthem cloud, rare interest in Hong Kong vs Bahrain soccer friendly. Text: HONG KONG (Reuters) - Some activists in Hong Kong say they plan to defy a Chinese law against disrespecting the national anthem, by jeering it at international soccer fixtures against Bahrain and Lebanon in the next few days. The controversy is another instance of recent tensions in the former British colony between pro-democracy advocates and China s Communist Party leaders, who have been criticized for tightening their grip on Hong Kong s affairs. Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems arrangement that guarantees a high degree of autonomy, including an independent judiciary and the freedom of expression. In recent years, some Hong Kong fans have booed the national anthem at soccer matches, with some parallels to protests in the United States where American football players have knelt during the national anthem, a protest denounced by U.S. President Donald Trump. China s parliament on Saturday passed an amendment to its criminal law that extends punishments for publicly desecrating the national flag and emblem to disrespecting the national anthem. Offenders can be jailed for up to three years, Xinhua reported. Hong Kong, as part of China, is now obliged to put its own set of laws related to the national anthem to the local legislature, but details including jail terms and the scope of enforcement have yet to be set. For now, though, some fans say they won t change their behavior when Hong Kong play Bahrain in a friendly match on Thursday and Lebanon in an Asian Cup qualifier next Tuesday. It s something we ve always done, said one fan who has attended games for the past few years, including two World Cup qualifiers between Hong Kong and China in 2015 that drew jeers from the crowd. It s a kind of resentment toward China that comes through ... There are several hundred of us and it s become a tradition now. We ll keep doing it. The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) was warned by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently over the conduct of fans who booed the Chinese anthem, and said a repeat violation may result in more severe punishment . Asked for comment, the AFC didn t specifically address a question on whether they d been pressed by China to punish Hong Kong, but said a review of video evidence found fans guilty of improper conduct under the AFC s disciplinary and ethics code. Hong Kong s leader, Carrie Lam, has suggested the law would be enacted in the current legislative year, and not be applied retrospectively - which would mean fans who jeer before it becomes law locally shouldn t face prosecution. People should not excessively worry about unwittingly committing an offense. These worries are unnecessary, Lam told reporters. I don t see this as having any connection to ... freedom of expression. But this has highlighted a recent trend in Hong Kong that whenever there is anything related to Hong Kong and Chinese affairs ... some people cause panic and unnecessary fear.

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‘Small Government’ GOP Rep. Wants A Law To Dictate Exotic Dancers’ Max Weight

Bill 468, something that the Louisiana state legislature has been working on, deals with strip clubs and will maintain the state s current laws that regulate those clubs. It does, however, add a new regulation: All dancers must be at least 21 years of age if the club serves alcohol. Makes sense.One lawmaker, however, saw that and just had to stick his own amendment in there that would also regulate the dancers weight. According to Rep. Kenny Havard (R), dancers between 21 and 28 should also weigh no more than 160 pounds.Right, because regulating women s weight is totally okay in a world where women are judged more on their appearance than on anything else. It s also totally okay coming from a guy who claims he s making a point about government overreach. Sure.Havard claims he did this as a joke, much like the proposals in other states that would regulate how men get things like Viagra in protest of laws restricting access to birth control for women. After all, regulating any business, even strip clubs, is massive government overreach with the tiny-government crowd. Dear Kenny here made a very bad joke.He also failed miserably to make his point the bill itself passed 96-0, meaning it had broad, bipartisan support, and that Havard himself voted for it after pulling his own little protest amendment out of the bill. If he could vote for it without that amendment that was supposed to make a point, then he must actually not see it as government overreach.The whole purpose of Havard s amendment is this: Havard, who immediately pulled the amendment, [said] he doesn t regret the joke and called it satire not sexism. He said he meant for the amendment to point out that the bill teeters on overregulation. Supporters of the bill say that they are trying to protect teens from human trafficking. It has won bipartisan support through the legislative process. Okay, so it s sexist satire and a sexist joke. It doesn t matter what Havard claims, he clearly doesn t understand sexism at all. There is nothing non-sexist about suggesting that we should regulate women s weight, even as a joke. Fortunately (or unfortunately for him) he brought the wrath of all his colleagues down onto himself, which is what caused him to pull the amendment. Can t have everyone mad at you for being a raving, sexist hypocrite after all.Exotic dancers actually further the sexual objectification of women, and for a man to say that these dancers, especially if they re young, should be svelte and slender under law sounds more like he wants to enshrine in law that the only women who fit his ideal of sexy and beautiful are the ones who get to be exotic dancers. A joke, a piece of satire, can still be horribly sexist. That s what Havard is and has done. He s outed himself as a sexist pig.Image By Jeffrey Schwartz. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons

Title: ‘Small Government’ GOP Rep. Wants A Law To Dictate Exotic Dancers’ Max Weight. Text: Bill 468, something that the Louisiana state legislature has been working on, deals with strip clubs and will maintain the state s current laws that regulate those clubs. It does, however, add a new regulation: All dancers must be at least 21 years of age if the club serves alcohol. Makes sense.One lawmaker, however, saw that and just had to stick his own amendment in there that would also regulate the dancers weight. According to Rep. Kenny Havard (R), dancers between 21 and 28 should also weigh no more than 160 pounds.Right, because regulating women s weight is totally okay in a world where women are judged more on their appearance than on anything else. It s also totally okay coming from a guy who claims he s making a point about government overreach. Sure.Havard claims he did this as a joke, much like the proposals in other states that would regulate how men get things like Viagra in protest of laws restricting access to birth control for women. After all, regulating any business, even strip clubs, is massive government overreach with the tiny-government crowd. Dear Kenny here made a very bad joke.He also failed miserably to make his point the bill itself passed 96-0, meaning it had broad, bipartisan support, and that Havard himself voted for it after pulling his own little protest amendment out of the bill. If he could vote for it without that amendment that was supposed to make a point, then he must actually not see it as government overreach.The whole purpose of Havard s amendment is this: Havard, who immediately pulled the amendment, [said] he doesn t regret the joke and called it satire not sexism. He said he meant for the amendment to point out that the bill teeters on overregulation. Supporters of the bill say that they are trying to protect teens from human trafficking. It has won bipartisan support through the legislative process. Okay, so it s sexist satire and a sexist joke. It doesn t matter what Havard claims, he clearly doesn t understand sexism at all. There is nothing non-sexist about suggesting that we should regulate women s weight, even as a joke. Fortunately (or unfortunately for him) he brought the wrath of all his colleagues down onto himself, which is what caused him to pull the amendment. Can t have everyone mad at you for being a raving, sexist hypocrite after all.Exotic dancers actually further the sexual objectification of women, and for a man to say that these dancers, especially if they re young, should be svelte and slender under law sounds more like he wants to enshrine in law that the only women who fit his ideal of sexy and beautiful are the ones who get to be exotic dancers. A joke, a piece of satire, can still be horribly sexist. That s what Havard is and has done. He s outed himself as a sexist pig.Image By Jeffrey Schwartz. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons

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Trump’s Taking Credit For Inaugural Singer’s Album Sales In PATHETIC, Ego-Fueled Tweet

With the inauguration fast approaching, Donald Trump is trying to prove to himself that he is actually liked by the American people. And after pretty much every singer or performer of high recognition and notoriety wants absolutely nothing to do with him, he now has a singer from the 2010 s reality TV show America s Got Talent.Not to knock the singer, however. Jackie Evancho is extremely talented. However, no one really knows who she is. Yet, she did decide to do the inauguration. So, for whatever reasons the 16-year-old decided to perform, more power to her.Putting the talent of Evancho aside, Trump seems to be taking credit for her success, because, well, that s what he does.Trump tweeted: Jackie Evancho s album sales have skyrocketed after announcing her Inauguration performance.Some people just don t understand the Movement Jackie Evancho's album sales have skyrocketed after announcing her Inauguration performance.Some people just don't understand the "Movement" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017Sure, Trump supporters everywhere probably have been buying her album, and since no one really was before, it likely did quadruple her sales. And good for her.However, this tweet isn t about Evancho at all. It s about the fact that Trump is trying to stick it to every performer who turned him down. He s basically trying to say, look what you could have had! Which, by the way, I doubt Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, etc. are really blinking an eye at.Trump can t handle people not liking him, so he says things that try to make it appear that this is what you could have if you liked him. But guess what? He said he didn t need those performers when Hillary Clinton had them. So why, after all that, would he be surprised that people want nothing to do with him?Trump is just a thin-skinned man with an extraordinarily fragile ego who tries to overcompensate wherever and whenever he can. Sad!Featured image via Scott Olson/Getty Images

Title: Trump’s Taking Credit For Inaugural Singer’s Album Sales In PATHETIC, Ego-Fueled Tweet. Text: With the inauguration fast approaching, Donald Trump is trying to prove to himself that he is actually liked by the American people. And after pretty much every singer or performer of high recognition and notoriety wants absolutely nothing to do with him, he now has a singer from the 2010 s reality TV show America s Got Talent.Not to knock the singer, however. Jackie Evancho is extremely talented. However, no one really knows who she is. Yet, she did decide to do the inauguration. So, for whatever reasons the 16-year-old decided to perform, more power to her.Putting the talent of Evancho aside, Trump seems to be taking credit for her success, because, well, that s what he does.Trump tweeted: Jackie Evancho s album sales have skyrocketed after announcing her Inauguration performance.Some people just don t understand the Movement Jackie Evancho's album sales have skyrocketed after announcing her Inauguration performance.Some people just don't understand the "Movement" Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017Sure, Trump supporters everywhere probably have been buying her album, and since no one really was before, it likely did quadruple her sales. And good for her.However, this tweet isn t about Evancho at all. It s about the fact that Trump is trying to stick it to every performer who turned him down. He s basically trying to say, look what you could have had! Which, by the way, I doubt Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, etc. are really blinking an eye at.Trump can t handle people not liking him, so he says things that try to make it appear that this is what you could have if you liked him. But guess what? He said he didn t need those performers when Hillary Clinton had them. So why, after all that, would he be surprised that people want nothing to do with him?Trump is just a thin-skinned man with an extraordinarily fragile ego who tries to overcompensate wherever and whenever he can. Sad!Featured image via Scott Olson/Getty Images

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Trump Just Proved He Has The Foreign Diplomacy Skills Of A Whiny Child

Donald Trump has so many feuds going on at the moment it can be hard to keep track of them all. One of the most potentially damaging feuds, though, is with the United Kingdom s Prime Minister David Cameron. Now, that feud continues with Trump s latest comments directed towards Cameron.Cameron has made his opinion of the guaranteed Republican presidential nomination very clear. Back in December, Cameron publicly stated that he thinks Trump s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States is stupid, divisive and wrong. Cameron s statement couldn t be more accurate, as Trump s proposal goes against the very basic principles of the United States and would be logistically impossible to enforce.During an interview with Piers Morgan, Trump spoke out against Cameron s comments, offering a sad attempt at an olive branch towards Cameron, where he insisted that he is not stupid and is a unifier. It looks like we re not going to have a very good relationship. Who knows! I hope to have a good relationship with him but it sounds like he s not willing to address the problem either, Trump said in the interview, according to the Jerusalem Post. Well, number one I m not stupid, Okay. I can tell you that, right now just the opposite. Number two, in terms of divisive: I don t think I m a divisive person. I m a unifier, unlike our president now, I m a unifier, he Trump concluded.As bizarre as it is to hear a grown man insist to another that he is in fact not stupid, Cameron never actually called Trump himself stupid. He called his policy stupid because it is. It s also nothing more than an incredibly xenophobic, racist, and ridiculous bit of fear mongering. It s one of the first policy proposals that Trump introduced. It sounded the alarm bells that Trump is more than just a buffoon looking for attention, it showed the world that he could actually be a very dangerous threat to the United States and the world if given the opportunity to seize actual political power.Featured image from (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Title: Trump Just Proved He Has The Foreign Diplomacy Skills Of A Whiny Child. Text: Donald Trump has so many feuds going on at the moment it can be hard to keep track of them all. One of the most potentially damaging feuds, though, is with the United Kingdom s Prime Minister David Cameron. Now, that feud continues with Trump s latest comments directed towards Cameron.Cameron has made his opinion of the guaranteed Republican presidential nomination very clear. Back in December, Cameron publicly stated that he thinks Trump s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States is stupid, divisive and wrong. Cameron s statement couldn t be more accurate, as Trump s proposal goes against the very basic principles of the United States and would be logistically impossible to enforce.During an interview with Piers Morgan, Trump spoke out against Cameron s comments, offering a sad attempt at an olive branch towards Cameron, where he insisted that he is not stupid and is a unifier. It looks like we re not going to have a very good relationship. Who knows! I hope to have a good relationship with him but it sounds like he s not willing to address the problem either, Trump said in the interview, according to the Jerusalem Post. Well, number one I m not stupid, Okay. I can tell you that, right now just the opposite. Number two, in terms of divisive: I don t think I m a divisive person. I m a unifier, unlike our president now, I m a unifier, he Trump concluded.As bizarre as it is to hear a grown man insist to another that he is in fact not stupid, Cameron never actually called Trump himself stupid. He called his policy stupid because it is. It s also nothing more than an incredibly xenophobic, racist, and ridiculous bit of fear mongering. It s one of the first policy proposals that Trump introduced. It sounded the alarm bells that Trump is more than just a buffoon looking for attention, it showed the world that he could actually be a very dangerous threat to the United States and the world if given the opportunity to seize actual political power.Featured image from (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

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Ted Cruz Tells His Fanatics To Put On Their ‘Armor Of God’ To Prepare To Fight For Him

In an effort to prepare his supporters for the upcoming Republican primary, Ted Cruz urged them to put on their armor of God and not believe any bad things people say about him. I want to tell everyone to get ready, strap on the full armor of God, get ready for the attacks that are coming, Cruz said according to the Washington Post.Cruz leads in some Iowa polls over Donald Trump and has seen a rise in national polls despite the fact that his religious zealotry is a huge threat to our democracy and Constitution.And that s why he is telling his fanatics to cover their ears and refuse to believe or even consider any attacks made against him, even if they might be true. Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks in politics who are not constrained by what they view as quaint notions of the truth, Cruz continued. They believe particularly as you get close to an election day, that they can just toss out any lie, any attack and the attack will do its damage before anyone discovers that it s not true. So I want everyone here to get ready, because that is coming, and it s coming with a ferocity none of us has ever seen. Cruz claims that establishment Republicans are trying to sabotage his campaign by telling lies about him. In reality, the only lies being told are the ones coming from Cruz s own mouth.Like when he was caught in a lie last month on live television during an appearance on Fox News while claiming that he didn t want an immigration bill to pass in the Senate, which didn t match up with previous statements he has made.Or how about when Cruz was outed as a complete hypocrite on CNN when Dana Bash pointed out that he wouldn t be running for president today had the United States not granted asylum to his father. In fact, he may not have ever existed since Cruz s father would have likely been killed in Cuba if the United States government had succumbed to fears over Communism being spread by immigrants.And then there s the time Cruz claimed that Christians do not commit acts of terrorism, conveniently ignoring the KKK, anti-abortion lunatics, Timothy McVeigh and multiple mass shootings that have occurred in recent years.Ted Cruz is basically treating his supporters like a cult leaders treat their followers. He is telling them to ignore what is said outside the campaign and is using religious rhetoric to gin them up into a frenzy. He wants them to believe that he is a divine leader sent by God to rule the country like a king, which is literally what an Iowa Republican actually does believe.Facts and truth do not matter to Ted Cruz. He only wants people to believe what he tells them to believe. And if he does win, theocracy will replace our democracy as the Bible replaces our Constitution.Featured Image: YouTube/ Wikimedia

Title: Ted Cruz Tells His Fanatics To Put On Their ‘Armor Of God’ To Prepare To Fight For Him. Text: In an effort to prepare his supporters for the upcoming Republican primary, Ted Cruz urged them to put on their armor of God and not believe any bad things people say about him. I want to tell everyone to get ready, strap on the full armor of God, get ready for the attacks that are coming, Cruz said according to the Washington Post.Cruz leads in some Iowa polls over Donald Trump and has seen a rise in national polls despite the fact that his religious zealotry is a huge threat to our democracy and Constitution.And that s why he is telling his fanatics to cover their ears and refuse to believe or even consider any attacks made against him, even if they might be true. Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks in politics who are not constrained by what they view as quaint notions of the truth, Cruz continued. They believe particularly as you get close to an election day, that they can just toss out any lie, any attack and the attack will do its damage before anyone discovers that it s not true. So I want everyone here to get ready, because that is coming, and it s coming with a ferocity none of us has ever seen. Cruz claims that establishment Republicans are trying to sabotage his campaign by telling lies about him. In reality, the only lies being told are the ones coming from Cruz s own mouth.Like when he was caught in a lie last month on live television during an appearance on Fox News while claiming that he didn t want an immigration bill to pass in the Senate, which didn t match up with previous statements he has made.Or how about when Cruz was outed as a complete hypocrite on CNN when Dana Bash pointed out that he wouldn t be running for president today had the United States not granted asylum to his father. In fact, he may not have ever existed since Cruz s father would have likely been killed in Cuba if the United States government had succumbed to fears over Communism being spread by immigrants.And then there s the time Cruz claimed that Christians do not commit acts of terrorism, conveniently ignoring the KKK, anti-abortion lunatics, Timothy McVeigh and multiple mass shootings that have occurred in recent years.Ted Cruz is basically treating his supporters like a cult leaders treat their followers. He is telling them to ignore what is said outside the campaign and is using religious rhetoric to gin them up into a frenzy. He wants them to believe that he is a divine leader sent by God to rule the country like a king, which is literally what an Iowa Republican actually does believe.Facts and truth do not matter to Ted Cruz. He only wants people to believe what he tells them to believe. And if he does win, theocracy will replace our democracy as the Bible replaces our Constitution.Featured Image: YouTube/ Wikimedia

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Austria will stay pro-European, election victor tells Brussels

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Austria s likely next chancellor assured European Union leaders on Thursday of his support for the EU, allaying concerns that his country would become a dissonant voice in the bloc with the far right expected to enter its government. Sebastian Kurz of the mainstream conservative OVP party won a parliamentary election on Sunday after campaigning on an anti-immigration platform, and a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) is widely anticipated. Arriving at a meeting of conservative EU leaders, the 31-year-old Kurz said he would speak to all parties in the Austrian parliament before deciding on a governing partner. Any government I form will be a pro-European one, Kurz, who has been the Alpine republic s foreign minister since 2013, told reporters. I m not just glad we have this European Union, but I also see it as the responsibility of my younger generation to actively engage and shape the EU in a positive way. Kurz, who will not represent Austria at regular EU summits until he forms a government, also met European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, hailed Kurz on Twitter as a truly pro-European winner of the Austrian elections . Austria became a member of the European Union in 1995 after a two-thirds majority voted to join the bloc. Recent opinion polls show three-quarters of Austrians want the affluent country to remain a member of the EU. The FPO, which won over a quarter of Austria s vote to the conservatives nearly 32 percent, gained from public unease over a large influx of mostly Muslim migrants into Europe in 2015. Once anti-EU, the FPO now professes to be pro-Europe but wants Brussels to hand back more powers to member states.

Title: Austria will stay pro-European, election victor tells Brussels. Text: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Austria s likely next chancellor assured European Union leaders on Thursday of his support for the EU, allaying concerns that his country would become a dissonant voice in the bloc with the far right expected to enter its government. Sebastian Kurz of the mainstream conservative OVP party won a parliamentary election on Sunday after campaigning on an anti-immigration platform, and a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) is widely anticipated. Arriving at a meeting of conservative EU leaders, the 31-year-old Kurz said he would speak to all parties in the Austrian parliament before deciding on a governing partner. Any government I form will be a pro-European one, Kurz, who has been the Alpine republic s foreign minister since 2013, told reporters. I m not just glad we have this European Union, but I also see it as the responsibility of my younger generation to actively engage and shape the EU in a positive way. Kurz, who will not represent Austria at regular EU summits until he forms a government, also met European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, hailed Kurz on Twitter as a truly pro-European winner of the Austrian elections . Austria became a member of the European Union in 1995 after a two-thirds majority voted to join the bloc. Recent opinion polls show three-quarters of Austrians want the affluent country to remain a member of the EU. The FPO, which won over a quarter of Austria s vote to the conservatives nearly 32 percent, gained from public unease over a large influx of mostly Muslim migrants into Europe in 2015. Once anti-EU, the FPO now professes to be pro-Europe but wants Brussels to hand back more powers to member states.

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Supreme Court denies stay request in North Carolina redistricting case

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay a ruling that two North Carolina congressional districts be redrawn over racial gerrymandering in a 2011 redistricting, forcing congressional primaries to be rescheduled for June 7. A lower court panel of federal judges this month barred elections in the majority black districts, the 1st and the 12th, until new maps are approved, calling the current maps unconstitutional. The Supreme Court gave no explanation for its decision in a one-sentence order issued late on Friday night. The ruling said race had been the main factor when the Republican-controlled legislature redrew the boundaries and state lawmakers were not justified in using that benchmark. Three voters filed suit in 2013 to invalidate the districts. Both are represented by Democrats, with G.K. Butterfield in the 1st, and Alma Adams in the 12th. The primaries for the state’s 13 U.S. House seats will be held on June 7 rather than March 15 after North Carolina lawmakers agreed to move the date on Thursday if the Supreme Court rejected the stay request. The state’s presidential and gubernatorial primaries will still be held on March 15. Broadcaster WRAL reported that while state lawmakers hoped for a stay, legislators in the state’s House on Friday moved ahead and gave final approval to newly-drafted congressional maps ahead of the Court’s decision to reject the stay request. Politico reported that Justice Antonin Scalia had been expected to vote in favor of staying the ruling before his death last Saturday, though it was not immediately clear how his death affected the court’s decision.

Title: Supreme Court denies stay request in North Carolina redistricting case. Text: (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay a ruling that two North Carolina congressional districts be redrawn over racial gerrymandering in a 2011 redistricting, forcing congressional primaries to be rescheduled for June 7. A lower court panel of federal judges this month barred elections in the majority black districts, the 1st and the 12th, until new maps are approved, calling the current maps unconstitutional. The Supreme Court gave no explanation for its decision in a one-sentence order issued late on Friday night. The ruling said race had been the main factor when the Republican-controlled legislature redrew the boundaries and state lawmakers were not justified in using that benchmark. Three voters filed suit in 2013 to invalidate the districts. Both are represented by Democrats, with G.K. Butterfield in the 1st, and Alma Adams in the 12th. The primaries for the state’s 13 U.S. House seats will be held on June 7 rather than March 15 after North Carolina lawmakers agreed to move the date on Thursday if the Supreme Court rejected the stay request. The state’s presidential and gubernatorial primaries will still be held on March 15. Broadcaster WRAL reported that while state lawmakers hoped for a stay, legislators in the state’s House on Friday moved ahead and gave final approval to newly-drafted congressional maps ahead of the Court’s decision to reject the stay request. Politico reported that Justice Antonin Scalia had been expected to vote in favor of staying the ruling before his death last Saturday, though it was not immediately clear how his death affected the court’s decision.

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Trump campaign chairman helped pro-Russians in Ukraine move money to U.S. firms: AP

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, helped a Ukrainian political party with close ties to Russia secretly move at least $2.2 million to two major Washington lobbying firms, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The AP, citing sources with direct knowledge of the effort, said the transfers were set up in ways to obscure the Ukrainian party’s attempts to sway U.S. policies, using a nonprofit organization to distance funds from Ukrainian politicians. U.S. law requires American lobbyists to register and report in detail any ties to foreign political parties or leaders to the U.S. Justice Department. The heads of both firms - Podesta Group Inc and Mercury LLC - told the AP they had concluded their work did not merit disclosure to the department, according to the report. Representatives for Trump and Mercury did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Podesta Group Chief Executive Officer Kimberley Fritts said its lawyers worked with those at Mercury to determine that registering under the Foreign Agent Registration Act was unnecessary. It also obtained a statement from the nonprofit in question saying it was not directly or indirectly involved with a foreign entity, she said in an emailed statement. The Podesta Group was founded in 1987 by Tony Podesta and his brother John, who now is campaign chairman for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. John Podesta has not been with the firm for several years, but his brother is its chairman. The AP report comes less than three months before the Nov. 8 election and as polls show Trump slipping behind Clinton. Trump’s campaign on Wednesday announced a staff shake-up replacing Manafort as campaign manager after just two months. He will remain chairman and chief strategist. The New York Times this week reported Manafort’s name was found on secret ledgers showing cash payments designated to him of more than $12 million from a Ukrainian party with Russian ties. Manafort has denied any impropriety. Ukrainian officials confirmed Manafort’s name appeared on a ledger and that more than $12 million had been allocated as an expenditure but said the presence of his name did not mean he received the funds. Clinton’s campaign has said Manafort’s associations are a troubling sign of ties between Trump’s campaign team and pro-Kremlin elements in Ukraine. According to the AP, in 2012 Manafort and associate Rick Gates worked on behalf of Ukraine’s then-president, Viktor Yanukovych, and helped steer the efforts of European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, an advocacy group that once included members of Yanukovych’s party. The group paid at least $2.2 million to the Washington firms to push positions favorable to the party from 2012 until 2014, when Yanukovych was ousted and fled to Russia, the AP said, citing sources. That work included efforts to counter a potential congressional resolution pressuring Yanukovych to release a political rival from prison, the AP reported. Gates, who also works for the Trump campaign, told the AP his actions were lawful. He said he and Manafort had introduced the advocacy group to the firms and sometimes consulted with the firms on Ukrainian politics, the report said. Podesta’s Fritts said her firm was unaware that Gates was a consultant to the Ukrainian party when he introduced the advocacy group: “Our assumption was that he was working for the Centre, as we were hired to do.”

Title: Trump campaign chairman helped pro-Russians in Ukraine move money to U.S. firms: AP. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, helped a Ukrainian political party with close ties to Russia secretly move at least $2.2 million to two major Washington lobbying firms, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The AP, citing sources with direct knowledge of the effort, said the transfers were set up in ways to obscure the Ukrainian party’s attempts to sway U.S. policies, using a nonprofit organization to distance funds from Ukrainian politicians. U.S. law requires American lobbyists to register and report in detail any ties to foreign political parties or leaders to the U.S. Justice Department. The heads of both firms - Podesta Group Inc and Mercury LLC - told the AP they had concluded their work did not merit disclosure to the department, according to the report. Representatives for Trump and Mercury did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Podesta Group Chief Executive Officer Kimberley Fritts said its lawyers worked with those at Mercury to determine that registering under the Foreign Agent Registration Act was unnecessary. It also obtained a statement from the nonprofit in question saying it was not directly or indirectly involved with a foreign entity, she said in an emailed statement. The Podesta Group was founded in 1987 by Tony Podesta and his brother John, who now is campaign chairman for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. John Podesta has not been with the firm for several years, but his brother is its chairman. The AP report comes less than three months before the Nov. 8 election and as polls show Trump slipping behind Clinton. Trump’s campaign on Wednesday announced a staff shake-up replacing Manafort as campaign manager after just two months. He will remain chairman and chief strategist. The New York Times this week reported Manafort’s name was found on secret ledgers showing cash payments designated to him of more than $12 million from a Ukrainian party with Russian ties. Manafort has denied any impropriety. Ukrainian officials confirmed Manafort’s name appeared on a ledger and that more than $12 million had been allocated as an expenditure but said the presence of his name did not mean he received the funds. Clinton’s campaign has said Manafort’s associations are a troubling sign of ties between Trump’s campaign team and pro-Kremlin elements in Ukraine. According to the AP, in 2012 Manafort and associate Rick Gates worked on behalf of Ukraine’s then-president, Viktor Yanukovych, and helped steer the efforts of European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, an advocacy group that once included members of Yanukovych’s party. The group paid at least $2.2 million to the Washington firms to push positions favorable to the party from 2012 until 2014, when Yanukovych was ousted and fled to Russia, the AP said, citing sources. That work included efforts to counter a potential congressional resolution pressuring Yanukovych to release a political rival from prison, the AP reported. Gates, who also works for the Trump campaign, told the AP his actions were lawful. He said he and Manafort had introduced the advocacy group to the firms and sometimes consulted with the firms on Ukrainian politics, the report said. Podesta’s Fritts said her firm was unaware that Gates was a consultant to the Ukrainian party when he introduced the advocacy group: “Our assumption was that he was working for the Centre, as we were hired to do.”

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BURN! SEBASTIAN GORKA HUMILIATES MSNBC On Use of ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ [Video]

It s probably not the wisest decision to argue with Dr. Sebastian Gorka about the use of the phrase radical Islamic terrorism especially if you have absolutely no idea what you re talking about in the first place.Dr. Sebastian Gorka defended the Trump administration s use of the phrase radical Islamic terrorism in an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday. We will call it radical Islamic terrorism. We will target the ideology, and we will call them out for being evil, Gorka stated. MSNBC s Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle then tried to criticize Gorka s use of the phrase.Velshi asked Gorka how it would help stop terror attacks if the White House called the problem radical Islamic terrorism. Gorka then engaged a clever metaphor to help them understand. Gorka argued, If you, God forbid, caught cancer, and the hospital was forbidden from calling it cancer and said, You have the flu. Go home and hydrate and take some aspirins, would you actually have the right treatment?.' Ruhle responded, smugly, that there s still no cure for cancer and that it doesn t matter what you call it if it will still kill you.Velshi then accused Gorka of not having a good answer. Gorka fired back by saying that if you misdiagnose anything, whether it s a serious disease or a serious international geopolitical threat, you will never solve it. The White House Adviser then criticized the Obama administration for blaming this geopolitical issue on economic conditions and societal disenfranchisement It is about people having an ideology that is evil, and it has to be destroyed. Read more: The Gateway Pundit

Title: BURN! SEBASTIAN GORKA HUMILIATES MSNBC On Use of ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ [Video]. Text: It s probably not the wisest decision to argue with Dr. Sebastian Gorka about the use of the phrase radical Islamic terrorism especially if you have absolutely no idea what you re talking about in the first place.Dr. Sebastian Gorka defended the Trump administration s use of the phrase radical Islamic terrorism in an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday. We will call it radical Islamic terrorism. We will target the ideology, and we will call them out for being evil, Gorka stated. MSNBC s Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle then tried to criticize Gorka s use of the phrase.Velshi asked Gorka how it would help stop terror attacks if the White House called the problem radical Islamic terrorism. Gorka then engaged a clever metaphor to help them understand. Gorka argued, If you, God forbid, caught cancer, and the hospital was forbidden from calling it cancer and said, You have the flu. Go home and hydrate and take some aspirins, would you actually have the right treatment?.' Ruhle responded, smugly, that there s still no cure for cancer and that it doesn t matter what you call it if it will still kill you.Velshi then accused Gorka of not having a good answer. Gorka fired back by saying that if you misdiagnose anything, whether it s a serious disease or a serious international geopolitical threat, you will never solve it. The White House Adviser then criticized the Obama administration for blaming this geopolitical issue on economic conditions and societal disenfranchisement It is about people having an ideology that is evil, and it has to be destroyed. Read more: The Gateway Pundit

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WHO WORE IT BETTER…Michelle Or The Christmas Tree? Mooch Makes FINAL Appearance As First Lady At Glitzy NYC Event

Barack Obama and first lady, Michelle, attended their final Kennedy Center Honors gala on Saturday night.There s something very satisfying about reading the Obama s and final in the same sentence. Anytime the Obama s attend an event for the last time as our President and First Lady, I find myself counting our blessings. But seriously what was Michelle wearing?On Saturday night, Obama was joined by First Lady Michelle to honor actor Al Pacino, gospel singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, members of rock band the Eagles, singer-songwriter James Taylor, and pianist Martha Argerich.Stephen Colbert hosted the star-studded gala in Washington DC, and Secretary of State John Kerry doled out the medallions for one of the country s most prestigious awards for performing artists.Before the gala kicked off, Barry struck an arrogant pose during our national anthem. (Perhaps we should just be grateful the Obama s didn t take a knee.)Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter said Obama and Kerry have enthusiastically welcomed the honorees every year, and the honorees have been eager to spend time with them as well.Kerry in particular went out of his way this year, flying from Rome to Washington on Saturday to attend the honors dinner before a scheduled trip to Berlin on Sunday. DMHow wonderful that Kerry was able to fly back to Washington on the taxpayers dime from Rome and then back to Berlin, just so he could rub shoulders with the honorees and other invited celebrities.Rutter noted that Obama has a very personal relationship with quite a number of artists . (donors)Remember when Mooch s designer announced she would refuse to design clothes for First Lady-elect Melania Trump? Based on some of the get-ups Michelle has worn to public events in the official capacity as our First Lady, perhaps a thank you note is in order

Title: WHO WORE IT BETTER…Michelle Or The Christmas Tree? Mooch Makes FINAL Appearance As First Lady At Glitzy NYC Event. Text: Barack Obama and first lady, Michelle, attended their final Kennedy Center Honors gala on Saturday night.There s something very satisfying about reading the Obama s and final in the same sentence. Anytime the Obama s attend an event for the last time as our President and First Lady, I find myself counting our blessings. But seriously what was Michelle wearing?On Saturday night, Obama was joined by First Lady Michelle to honor actor Al Pacino, gospel singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, members of rock band the Eagles, singer-songwriter James Taylor, and pianist Martha Argerich.Stephen Colbert hosted the star-studded gala in Washington DC, and Secretary of State John Kerry doled out the medallions for one of the country s most prestigious awards for performing artists.Before the gala kicked off, Barry struck an arrogant pose during our national anthem. (Perhaps we should just be grateful the Obama s didn t take a knee.)Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter said Obama and Kerry have enthusiastically welcomed the honorees every year, and the honorees have been eager to spend time with them as well.Kerry in particular went out of his way this year, flying from Rome to Washington on Saturday to attend the honors dinner before a scheduled trip to Berlin on Sunday. DMHow wonderful that Kerry was able to fly back to Washington on the taxpayers dime from Rome and then back to Berlin, just so he could rub shoulders with the honorees and other invited celebrities.Rutter noted that Obama has a very personal relationship with quite a number of artists . (donors)Remember when Mooch s designer announced she would refuse to design clothes for First Lady-elect Melania Trump? Based on some of the get-ups Michelle has worn to public events in the official capacity as our First Lady, perhaps a thank you note is in order

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OH BOY! TARGET CUSTOMERS RESPOND TO THE NEW GENDER NEUTRAL TOY LABELING

Oh boy! Target customers are hot under the collar on this pc move to give toys gender neutrality. Angry customers are ditching Target and have been very vocal about their displeasure on social media: @thehill so now being PC is more important than helping customers. No more Target shopping for me Target is bringing Americans one step closer to a gender-neutral society. The department store chain announced what it called something exciting Friday. After some customers complained about certain toys being designated as appropriate for girls, it is doing away with signs denoting gender classifications. Over the past year, guests have raised important questions about a handful of signs in our stores that offer product suggestions based on gender, according to Target s online publication, A Bullseye View. Toys no longer will be labeled according to sex and displayed on either pink or blue shelving. Gender-neutral signage also will appear in the children s bedding section. The only place gender labels will remain is in the children s clothing department.The gender-labeling brouhaha began last June when Target customer and Ohio mother Abi Bechtel snapped a photo of Target signage indicating Building Sets and Girls Building Sets and tweeted it to the chain along with a stern message. It stood out to me as a good example of the way our culture tends to view boys and men as the default, normal option, and girls and women as the specialized option, Bechtel told CNN.Maybe that particular sign was a bit ridiculous, but it certainly didn t require eliminating all gender classifications to correct it.Oddly, Target said that we use signs and displays specially designed to help guests get through the store efficiently, and signs that sort by brand, age or gender help them get ideas and find things faster. So, the answer is to remove signs that help customers get through the store efficiently ?Read more: BIZ PAC REVIEW

Title: OH BOY! TARGET CUSTOMERS RESPOND TO THE NEW GENDER NEUTRAL TOY LABELING. Text: Oh boy! Target customers are hot under the collar on this pc move to give toys gender neutrality. Angry customers are ditching Target and have been very vocal about their displeasure on social media: @thehill so now being PC is more important than helping customers. No more Target shopping for me Target is bringing Americans one step closer to a gender-neutral society. The department store chain announced what it called something exciting Friday. After some customers complained about certain toys being designated as appropriate for girls, it is doing away with signs denoting gender classifications. Over the past year, guests have raised important questions about a handful of signs in our stores that offer product suggestions based on gender, according to Target s online publication, A Bullseye View. Toys no longer will be labeled according to sex and displayed on either pink or blue shelving. Gender-neutral signage also will appear in the children s bedding section. The only place gender labels will remain is in the children s clothing department.The gender-labeling brouhaha began last June when Target customer and Ohio mother Abi Bechtel snapped a photo of Target signage indicating Building Sets and Girls Building Sets and tweeted it to the chain along with a stern message. It stood out to me as a good example of the way our culture tends to view boys and men as the default, normal option, and girls and women as the specialized option, Bechtel told CNN.Maybe that particular sign was a bit ridiculous, but it certainly didn t require eliminating all gender classifications to correct it.Oddly, Target said that we use signs and displays specially designed to help guests get through the store efficiently, and signs that sort by brand, age or gender help them get ideas and find things faster. So, the answer is to remove signs that help customers get through the store efficiently ?Read more: BIZ PAC REVIEW

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Poland's PM designate says will continue fighting tax evasion

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will continue fighting tax evasion, allowing the government to keep public debt in check and finance its public spending agenda, Prime Minister-designate Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday. He also told the Catholic Trwam television that value added tax revenue would most likely increase by 30 billion zlotys ($8.41 billion) this year and the nominal increase in public debt in 2017 would be lowest in more than two decades. We are taking money away from mafias and tax criminals and giving it to the people, Morawiecki said.

Title: Poland's PM designate says will continue fighting tax evasion. Text: WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will continue fighting tax evasion, allowing the government to keep public debt in check and finance its public spending agenda, Prime Minister-designate Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday. He also told the Catholic Trwam television that value added tax revenue would most likely increase by 30 billion zlotys ($8.41 billion) this year and the nominal increase in public debt in 2017 would be lowest in more than two decades. We are taking money away from mafias and tax criminals and giving it to the people, Morawiecki said.

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(VIDEO) JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND FBI CLASH ON WHETHER TO CALL CHARLESTON MURDERS TERRORISM OR A HATE CRIME

The FBI defines terrorism as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. FBI Director says this will be investigated as a hate crime and not terrorism:

Title: (VIDEO) JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND FBI CLASH ON WHETHER TO CALL CHARLESTON MURDERS TERRORISM OR A HATE CRIME. Text: The FBI defines terrorism as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. FBI Director says this will be investigated as a hate crime and not terrorism:

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Forbidden in China, but Trump skirts 'Great Firewall' to tweet about Beijing trip

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump went around and over the Great Firewall of China in a late-night tweet in Beijing as he thanked his hosts for a rare tour of the Forbidden City and a private dinner at the sprawling, centuries-old palace complex. Many Western social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are banned in China. A sophisticated system has been built to deny online users within China access to blocked content. That was not an issue for Trump, known for tweeting to his 42.3 million followers at any hour of the day, on Wednesday, the day he arrived in Beijing. On behalf of @FLOTUS Melania and I, THANK YOU for an unforgettable afternoon and evening at the Forbidden City in Beijing, President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan. We are looking forward to rejoining you tomorrow morning! Trump even changed his Twitter banner, uploading a photograph of himself and Melania with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during a Chinese opera performance at the Forbidden City. The Twitter banner upload did not go unnoticed by Chinese state media, with state broadcaster CCTV flashing screenshots of the photograph on Thursday. Trump s visit was also the third-most talked-about topic on Chinese social media platform Weibo over the last 24 hours, trailing only the birthday of a singer in a Chinese boy band and a weekly Asian pop song chart. Many people wondered how Trump managed to evade China s tough internet controls. I guess he must have done it via wifi on a satellite network, said a user on Weibo. Many foreigners log on to virtual private networks (VPNs) to access content hosted outside of China. Another option is to sign up for a data-roaming service before leaving one s home country. The president will tweet whatever he wants. That s his way of communicating directly with the American people. Why not? a White House official said ahead of Trump s arrival in Beijing on Wednesday. When asked whether China considers Trump s use of Twitter to be in breach of Chinese law, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said there were many means of communication with the outside world . In China, people have many channels to communicate, it s just that they communicate in different ways, Hua said at a regular ministry briefing. For example, some people use WeChat, some people use Weibo. Some people use Apple phones, some people use Huawei phones. Trump tweeted again on Thursday afternoon, posting an ABC News video montage of the incredible welcome parade at the Great Hall of the People, where he was greeted by a military band and jumping, flag-waving children. In his tweet, Trump embedded a link to a photograph of his Beijing visit on Instagram - also forbidden in China. Not all of Trump s tweets in China were bright and cheerful. NoKo has interpreted America s past restraint as weakness, he tweeted about reclusive North Korea s nuclear and missile threats. This would be a fatal miscalculation. Do not underestimate us. AND DO NOT TRY US.

Title: Forbidden in China, but Trump skirts 'Great Firewall' to tweet about Beijing trip. Text: BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump went around and over the Great Firewall of China in a late-night tweet in Beijing as he thanked his hosts for a rare tour of the Forbidden City and a private dinner at the sprawling, centuries-old palace complex. Many Western social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are banned in China. A sophisticated system has been built to deny online users within China access to blocked content. That was not an issue for Trump, known for tweeting to his 42.3 million followers at any hour of the day, on Wednesday, the day he arrived in Beijing. On behalf of @FLOTUS Melania and I, THANK YOU for an unforgettable afternoon and evening at the Forbidden City in Beijing, President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan. We are looking forward to rejoining you tomorrow morning! Trump even changed his Twitter banner, uploading a photograph of himself and Melania with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during a Chinese opera performance at the Forbidden City. The Twitter banner upload did not go unnoticed by Chinese state media, with state broadcaster CCTV flashing screenshots of the photograph on Thursday. Trump s visit was also the third-most talked-about topic on Chinese social media platform Weibo over the last 24 hours, trailing only the birthday of a singer in a Chinese boy band and a weekly Asian pop song chart. Many people wondered how Trump managed to evade China s tough internet controls. I guess he must have done it via wifi on a satellite network, said a user on Weibo. Many foreigners log on to virtual private networks (VPNs) to access content hosted outside of China. Another option is to sign up for a data-roaming service before leaving one s home country. The president will tweet whatever he wants. That s his way of communicating directly with the American people. Why not? a White House official said ahead of Trump s arrival in Beijing on Wednesday. When asked whether China considers Trump s use of Twitter to be in breach of Chinese law, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said there were many means of communication with the outside world . In China, people have many channels to communicate, it s just that they communicate in different ways, Hua said at a regular ministry briefing. For example, some people use WeChat, some people use Weibo. Some people use Apple phones, some people use Huawei phones. Trump tweeted again on Thursday afternoon, posting an ABC News video montage of the incredible welcome parade at the Great Hall of the People, where he was greeted by a military band and jumping, flag-waving children. In his tweet, Trump embedded a link to a photograph of his Beijing visit on Instagram - also forbidden in China. Not all of Trump s tweets in China were bright and cheerful. NoKo has interpreted America s past restraint as weakness, he tweeted about reclusive North Korea s nuclear and missile threats. This would be a fatal miscalculation. Do not underestimate us. AND DO NOT TRY US.

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EU envoys start discussion on ties with London after Brexit

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union nations except Britain began preparing on Wednesday for a transition period in relations with London and for their future ties after Brexit, with meetings over the next month aimed at drawing up guidelines for EU leaders in December. Brussels envoys from the 27 EU states that will remain in the bloc after Britain exits on March 29, 2019, met for the first time since EU leaders last week decided not enough progress had been made in talks on the terms of the divorce with Britain to start discussions about future relations yet. To encourage stronger efforts, EU leaders said they would start preparing now for talks on a transition period so they are ready if enough progress is made by the next summit in December. The process will start now, in the sense that we will meet successively... over the coming month, one EU official involved in the talks said, adding there was likely to be discussion on the subject also during a ministerial meeting on Nov 20. We will prepare our thinking on the transition, the future relationship, and the possible additional guidelines for the December European Council, the official said. The outcome of the work would likely be presented in the December summit conclusions if leaders decide that enough progress was made on the divorce terms, officials said. Britain wants an outline agreement with the European Union in place by the end of March 2018 on the transitional arrangements that will apply temporarily after it leaves the bloc, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday. EU officials said that was a very tough goal, but one that could be achieved if London showed enough willingness. It s not so much if we can do it by the first quarter, but if we can get the UK to engage in a way that makes that possible, the official said. Both sides expect a transition period of around two years. The EU s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Tuesday said that would mean preserving the status quo as Britain would stay subject to EU laws and courts during that time. In an interview with Belgium s L Echo newspaper, Barnier said the only difference between full EU membership now and the transition period would be that the British would no longer take part in decisions on European legislation . EU officials said the extra two years of transition would buy time for talks about a future free trade agreement, but poured cold water on the idea of extending the exit negotiations beyond that period with a view to keeping Britain within the EU. I don t think anyone foresees an extension of the existing negotiation period, the EU official said. We ve already danced around with the UK for so long. First with Cameron. Then their referendum. Now this. It needs to end at some point, the official said. Businesses in Britain and in Europe are very concerned by the slow progress in Brexit talks. Not knowing what the future trade agreement between Britain and its biggest trading partner, the EU, will be, some have already started moving staff and operations out of Britain to hedge their bets. More could follow should no more clarity be given by the two negotiating sides by the end of the year. Barnier said that Britain could not count on a bespoke trade deal after Brexit and that since it has ruled out following the example of Norway s relations with the EU it would probably have to model its ties on an arrangement the EU has with Canada. Non-EU Norway currently pays for access to the bloc s single market of 500 million people, though it is not part of the same customs union. In exchange, it is also obliged to allow the free movement of people in and out of the EU. Britain wants to leave both the EU s internal market and the customs union, meaning a Canada + scenario is more likely. The European bloc s trade deal with Canada, its most ambitious arrangement yet, has just taken effect. Under the deal Canada can still pursue its own bilateral trade agreements elsewhere in the world.

Title: EU envoys start discussion on ties with London after Brexit. Text: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union nations except Britain began preparing on Wednesday for a transition period in relations with London and for their future ties after Brexit, with meetings over the next month aimed at drawing up guidelines for EU leaders in December. Brussels envoys from the 27 EU states that will remain in the bloc after Britain exits on March 29, 2019, met for the first time since EU leaders last week decided not enough progress had been made in talks on the terms of the divorce with Britain to start discussions about future relations yet. To encourage stronger efforts, EU leaders said they would start preparing now for talks on a transition period so they are ready if enough progress is made by the next summit in December. The process will start now, in the sense that we will meet successively... over the coming month, one EU official involved in the talks said, adding there was likely to be discussion on the subject also during a ministerial meeting on Nov 20. We will prepare our thinking on the transition, the future relationship, and the possible additional guidelines for the December European Council, the official said. The outcome of the work would likely be presented in the December summit conclusions if leaders decide that enough progress was made on the divorce terms, officials said. Britain wants an outline agreement with the European Union in place by the end of March 2018 on the transitional arrangements that will apply temporarily after it leaves the bloc, Brexit minister David Davis said on Wednesday. EU officials said that was a very tough goal, but one that could be achieved if London showed enough willingness. It s not so much if we can do it by the first quarter, but if we can get the UK to engage in a way that makes that possible, the official said. Both sides expect a transition period of around two years. The EU s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Tuesday said that would mean preserving the status quo as Britain would stay subject to EU laws and courts during that time. In an interview with Belgium s L Echo newspaper, Barnier said the only difference between full EU membership now and the transition period would be that the British would no longer take part in decisions on European legislation . EU officials said the extra two years of transition would buy time for talks about a future free trade agreement, but poured cold water on the idea of extending the exit negotiations beyond that period with a view to keeping Britain within the EU. I don t think anyone foresees an extension of the existing negotiation period, the EU official said. We ve already danced around with the UK for so long. First with Cameron. Then their referendum. Now this. It needs to end at some point, the official said. Businesses in Britain and in Europe are very concerned by the slow progress in Brexit talks. Not knowing what the future trade agreement between Britain and its biggest trading partner, the EU, will be, some have already started moving staff and operations out of Britain to hedge their bets. More could follow should no more clarity be given by the two negotiating sides by the end of the year. Barnier said that Britain could not count on a bespoke trade deal after Brexit and that since it has ruled out following the example of Norway s relations with the EU it would probably have to model its ties on an arrangement the EU has with Canada. Non-EU Norway currently pays for access to the bloc s single market of 500 million people, though it is not part of the same customs union. In exchange, it is also obliged to allow the free movement of people in and out of the EU. Britain wants to leave both the EU s internal market and the customs union, meaning a Canada + scenario is more likely. The European bloc s trade deal with Canada, its most ambitious arrangement yet, has just taken effect. Under the deal Canada can still pursue its own bilateral trade agreements elsewhere in the world.

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Kremlin: U.S. accusations of Russian cyber attacks are 'nonsense' - Ifax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday U.S. accusations that Russia was responsible for cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations were “nonsense”, Interfax news agency reported. “This is again some kind of nonsense. (Our) website experiences tens of thousands of attacks by hackers every day,” Interfax quoted Peskov as saying.

Title: Kremlin: U.S. accusations of Russian cyber attacks are 'nonsense' - Ifax. Text: MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday U.S. accusations that Russia was responsible for cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations were “nonsense”, Interfax news agency reported. “This is again some kind of nonsense. (Our) website experiences tens of thousands of attacks by hackers every day,” Interfax quoted Peskov as saying.

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BEN AFFLECK BUSTED! After Making Statement of Shock Over Harvey Weinstein Charges…Rape Accuser Calls Him Out…“YOU LIE!”…Claims Affleck KNEW

Ben Affleck posted a statement expressing his sadness and anger over billionaire producer and Hollywood kingpin, Harvey Weinstein. Actress Rose McGowan immediately went after Affleck on Twitter, claiming he knew all about Harvey Weinstein s antics, despite his statement of fake outrage and disgust.Affleck s Facebook statement about his recent discovery about Weinstein charges read: I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades, Affleck said in a statement about Weinstein Tuesday. The additional allegations of assault that I read this morning made me sick. Rose McGowan wasted no time calling Ben Affleck out on Twitter, even going so far as to call him a liar:You want to play let's play #ROSEARMY pic.twitter.com/uqd26Z78gc rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017Rose then went on to call all of the Hollywood A-list Golden Boys, LIARS and warned them, We have just begun. It almost feels like this fierce little Rose , who s using the hashtag #RoseArmy, might be getting ready to rip the mask off some of the sanctimonious and phony male celebrities who ve been mocking Trump over a ridiculous taped private conversation with another male for almost a year now, while hiding the sins of serial sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein.All of you Hollywood A-list golden boys are LIARS. We have just begun. #ROSEARMY pic.twitter.com/r5yPL2A3bC rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017Rose called out Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for funding Weinstein s shows:Now it s time to look at who funds and airs his shows. What s up @jeffbezos rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017The new voice of the #WeinsteinResistance isn t kidding around:Dear most of Hollywood, this is happening. You cannot sweep this under the rug. Support vocally or you will forever have an * in history. pic.twitter.com/o8dBZ59WFf rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

Title: BEN AFFLECK BUSTED! After Making Statement of Shock Over Harvey Weinstein Charges…Rape Accuser Calls Him Out…“YOU LIE!”…Claims Affleck KNEW. Text: Ben Affleck posted a statement expressing his sadness and anger over billionaire producer and Hollywood kingpin, Harvey Weinstein. Actress Rose McGowan immediately went after Affleck on Twitter, claiming he knew all about Harvey Weinstein s antics, despite his statement of fake outrage and disgust.Affleck s Facebook statement about his recent discovery about Weinstein charges read: I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades, Affleck said in a statement about Weinstein Tuesday. The additional allegations of assault that I read this morning made me sick. Rose McGowan wasted no time calling Ben Affleck out on Twitter, even going so far as to call him a liar:You want to play let's play #ROSEARMY pic.twitter.com/uqd26Z78gc rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017Rose then went on to call all of the Hollywood A-list Golden Boys, LIARS and warned them, We have just begun. It almost feels like this fierce little Rose , who s using the hashtag #RoseArmy, might be getting ready to rip the mask off some of the sanctimonious and phony male celebrities who ve been mocking Trump over a ridiculous taped private conversation with another male for almost a year now, while hiding the sins of serial sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein.All of you Hollywood A-list golden boys are LIARS. We have just begun. #ROSEARMY pic.twitter.com/r5yPL2A3bC rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017Rose called out Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for funding Weinstein s shows:Now it s time to look at who funds and airs his shows. What s up @jeffbezos rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017The new voice of the #WeinsteinResistance isn t kidding around:Dear most of Hollywood, this is happening. You cannot sweep this under the rug. Support vocally or you will forever have an * in history. pic.twitter.com/o8dBZ59WFf rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

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Alabama governor could face charges after ethics panel ruling

(Reuters) - Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said on Thursday he would not resign after the state’s ethics commission found probable cause that he violated ethics and campaign finance laws, a ruling that could result in criminal charges. The second-term Republican governor faces a hearing in separate proceedings on Monday that could lead to his eventual impeachment and ouster. The probable cause findings by the Alabama Ethics Commission prompted Republican Del Marsh, the leader of the state Senate, to call on Bentley to step down, local media reported. Marsh said the governor was not able to lead effectively. Bentley faces escalating political fallout over his relationship with a former senior adviser and has been dogged for the past year by questions concerning his potentially inappropriate use of state resources. Asked for a response to Marsh’s comments, Bentley said in a statement: “I have no intentions of resigning and I am looking forward to continuing to work on important issues facing the state.” The Alabama House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee will begin the impeachment process on Monday, said its chairman, Representative Mike Jones. “It’s time to put this in front of us, let’s address it, and let’s get it behind us,” Jones said on the floor of the House on Thursday. The committee will make a recommendation to the full House on whether to impeach Bentley. The judiciary committee has been conducting its own investigation apart from the ethics commission and plans to issue a report on Friday. Bentley denies any legal wrongdoing. “We think there is not a basis that the governor violated any law,” his lawyer, Bill Athanas, told reporters Wednesday night. “So the battle goes on.” After allegations of a scandal broke last year, Bentley apologized for making inappropriate remarks to married staffer Rebekah Mason, while denying allegations of a physical affair. Mason resigned as questions about the pair’s relationship began to dominate Alabama politics. Bentley’s wife filed for divorce in August 2015 after 50 years of marriage, citing unspecified problems. Local media said the ethics commission found probable cause that Bentley violated state campaign regulations by accepting a contribution and making a loan to his campaign outside the time frame permitted by law and using campaign funds to pay Mason’s legal fees. He also may have violated ethics law by using public resources for his personal interest. If charged with breaking Alabama’s ethics or campaign finance laws, Bentley could 20 years in prison per violation, the commission said.

Title: Alabama governor could face charges after ethics panel ruling. Text: (Reuters) - Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said on Thursday he would not resign after the state’s ethics commission found probable cause that he violated ethics and campaign finance laws, a ruling that could result in criminal charges. The second-term Republican governor faces a hearing in separate proceedings on Monday that could lead to his eventual impeachment and ouster. The probable cause findings by the Alabama Ethics Commission prompted Republican Del Marsh, the leader of the state Senate, to call on Bentley to step down, local media reported. Marsh said the governor was not able to lead effectively. Bentley faces escalating political fallout over his relationship with a former senior adviser and has been dogged for the past year by questions concerning his potentially inappropriate use of state resources. Asked for a response to Marsh’s comments, Bentley said in a statement: “I have no intentions of resigning and I am looking forward to continuing to work on important issues facing the state.” The Alabama House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee will begin the impeachment process on Monday, said its chairman, Representative Mike Jones. “It’s time to put this in front of us, let’s address it, and let’s get it behind us,” Jones said on the floor of the House on Thursday. The committee will make a recommendation to the full House on whether to impeach Bentley. The judiciary committee has been conducting its own investigation apart from the ethics commission and plans to issue a report on Friday. Bentley denies any legal wrongdoing. “We think there is not a basis that the governor violated any law,” his lawyer, Bill Athanas, told reporters Wednesday night. “So the battle goes on.” After allegations of a scandal broke last year, Bentley apologized for making inappropriate remarks to married staffer Rebekah Mason, while denying allegations of a physical affair. Mason resigned as questions about the pair’s relationship began to dominate Alabama politics. Bentley’s wife filed for divorce in August 2015 after 50 years of marriage, citing unspecified problems. Local media said the ethics commission found probable cause that Bentley violated state campaign regulations by accepting a contribution and making a loan to his campaign outside the time frame permitted by law and using campaign funds to pay Mason’s legal fees. He also may have violated ethics law by using public resources for his personal interest. If charged with breaking Alabama’s ethics or campaign finance laws, Bentley could 20 years in prison per violation, the commission said.

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Trump moves ahead with wall, puts stamp on U.S. immigration, security policy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered construction of a U.S.-Mexican border wall and punishment for cities shielding illegal immigrants while mulling restoring a CIA secret detention program as he launched broad but divisive plans to reshape U.S. immigration and national security policy. A draft executive order seen by Reuters that Trump is expected to sign in the coming days would block the entry of refugees from war-torn Syria and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen while permanent rules are studied. Less than a week into his presidency, Trump has moved aggressively to put his stamp on a range of policies, including steps to gut the healthcare system devised by his predecessor, and make clear that as president he is not turning toward more moderate positions than he took as a candidate. His directives on Wednesday signaled a tough action toward the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States, most from Latin America, whom he already has threatened to deport. In a move critics called a slight to the integrity of American democracy, Trump also said on Wednesday he would seek a “major investigation” into what he believes was voter fraud in the November election, despite overwhelming consensus among state officials, election experts and politicians that it is rare in the United States. “We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States,” Trump told an audience that included relatives of people killed by illegal immigrants at the Department of Homeland Security after signing two executive orders. The directives ordered the construction of a multibillion-dollar wall along the roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico border, moved to strip federal funding from “sanctuary” states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants, and expanded the force of American immigration agents. His plans prompted an outcry from immigrant advocates and Democratic lawmakers who said Trump was jeopardizing the rights and freedoms of millions of people while treating Mexico as an enemy, not an ally, and soiling America’s historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants of all stripes. “The border wall is about political theater at the expense of civil liberties,” said Christian Ramirez, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition immigrant advocacy group. “It is not national security policy. Border communities are among the safest in the nation, and patrolling them with tens of thousands of heavily armed, poorly trained, unaccountable agents puts lives at risks. This will turn these communities into de facto military zones,” Ramirez said. The White House said the wall would stem the flow of drugs, crime and illegal immigration into the United States. “We are in the middle of a crisis on our southern border: The unprecedented surge of illegal migrants from Central America is harming both Mexico and the United States,” Trump said, adding: “A nation without borders is not a nation.” The immigration crackdown has sparked fear among so-called “dreamers,” whose parents brought them to the United States illegally and who received temporary deportation relief and work permits from President Barack Obama. Trump said the dreamers should not fear deportation. “They shouldn’t be very worried,” Trump told ABC News in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.. “Where you have great people that are here that have done a good job, they should be far less worried,” he said, adding: “We’ll be coming out with policy on that over the next period of four weeks.” House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan also said the “dreamers” should not be worried. “We’re focused on physical security of the border, we’re focused on those who are coming to do us harm from terrorist states and things like that,” he told MSNBC. Trump is also expected to order a review that could lead to bringing back a CIA program for holding terrorism suspects in secret overseas “black site” prisons where interrogation techniques often condemned as torture were used during former Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, two U.S. officials said. Trump’s actions could further test relations with Mexico. The wall plan has infuriated Mexicans. Trump’s policies, including his demand that the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada be renegotiated or scrapped, have put Mexico’s government on the defensive. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto are due to meet next week. Pena Nieto said on Wednesday night that he “regrets and disapproves” of the push by Trump to build a new wall along the border. Officials in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Washington, San Francisco and Seattle offer some forms of protection to illegal immigrants. Billions of dollars in federal aid to those cities, often governed by Democrats, could be at risk under Trump’s move. In the ABC News interview, Trump said construction on the wall would start within months, with planning starting immediately, and that Mexico would pay back to the United States “100 percent” of the costs. Mexican officials have said they will not pay for the wall. The White House said Trump’s goal was to get the wall started as quickly as possible using existing government funds and then work with the Republican-led Congress on further appropriations. Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration a key element of his presidential campaign, with supporters at his rallies often chanting: “Build the wall.” The cost, nature and extent of the wall remain unclear. Trump last year put the cost at “probably $8 billion,” although other estimates are higher, and he said the wall would span 1,000 miles (1,600 km) because of the terrain of the border. Trump’s directives would end the practice known by critics as “catch and release” in which authorities apprehend illegal immigrants on U.S. territory but do not immediately detain or deport them. The directives also include hiring 5,000 more U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents used to apprehend people seeking to slip across the border and tripling the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used to arrest and deport immigrants living in the United States illegally. They also create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier to detain and deport them. The intent of the proposals regarding refugees and immigrants from the seven Muslim-majority nations is to head off Islamist violence in the United States. The draft directive on immigration also suspends the U.S. refugee program for four months while determining whether permanent changes to the system are needed.

Title: Trump moves ahead with wall, puts stamp on U.S. immigration, security policy. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered construction of a U.S.-Mexican border wall and punishment for cities shielding illegal immigrants while mulling restoring a CIA secret detention program as he launched broad but divisive plans to reshape U.S. immigration and national security policy. A draft executive order seen by Reuters that Trump is expected to sign in the coming days would block the entry of refugees from war-torn Syria and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen while permanent rules are studied. Less than a week into his presidency, Trump has moved aggressively to put his stamp on a range of policies, including steps to gut the healthcare system devised by his predecessor, and make clear that as president he is not turning toward more moderate positions than he took as a candidate. His directives on Wednesday signaled a tough action toward the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States, most from Latin America, whom he already has threatened to deport. In a move critics called a slight to the integrity of American democracy, Trump also said on Wednesday he would seek a “major investigation” into what he believes was voter fraud in the November election, despite overwhelming consensus among state officials, election experts and politicians that it is rare in the United States. “We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States,” Trump told an audience that included relatives of people killed by illegal immigrants at the Department of Homeland Security after signing two executive orders. The directives ordered the construction of a multibillion-dollar wall along the roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico border, moved to strip federal funding from “sanctuary” states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants, and expanded the force of American immigration agents. His plans prompted an outcry from immigrant advocates and Democratic lawmakers who said Trump was jeopardizing the rights and freedoms of millions of people while treating Mexico as an enemy, not an ally, and soiling America’s historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants of all stripes. “The border wall is about political theater at the expense of civil liberties,” said Christian Ramirez, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition immigrant advocacy group. “It is not national security policy. Border communities are among the safest in the nation, and patrolling them with tens of thousands of heavily armed, poorly trained, unaccountable agents puts lives at risks. This will turn these communities into de facto military zones,” Ramirez said. The White House said the wall would stem the flow of drugs, crime and illegal immigration into the United States. “We are in the middle of a crisis on our southern border: The unprecedented surge of illegal migrants from Central America is harming both Mexico and the United States,” Trump said, adding: “A nation without borders is not a nation.” The immigration crackdown has sparked fear among so-called “dreamers,” whose parents brought them to the United States illegally and who received temporary deportation relief and work permits from President Barack Obama. Trump said the dreamers should not fear deportation. “They shouldn’t be very worried,” Trump told ABC News in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.. “Where you have great people that are here that have done a good job, they should be far less worried,” he said, adding: “We’ll be coming out with policy on that over the next period of four weeks.” House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan also said the “dreamers” should not be worried. “We’re focused on physical security of the border, we’re focused on those who are coming to do us harm from terrorist states and things like that,” he told MSNBC. Trump is also expected to order a review that could lead to bringing back a CIA program for holding terrorism suspects in secret overseas “black site” prisons where interrogation techniques often condemned as torture were used during former Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, two U.S. officials said. Trump’s actions could further test relations with Mexico. The wall plan has infuriated Mexicans. Trump’s policies, including his demand that the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada be renegotiated or scrapped, have put Mexico’s government on the defensive. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto are due to meet next week. Pena Nieto said on Wednesday night that he “regrets and disapproves” of the push by Trump to build a new wall along the border. Officials in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Washington, San Francisco and Seattle offer some forms of protection to illegal immigrants. Billions of dollars in federal aid to those cities, often governed by Democrats, could be at risk under Trump’s move. In the ABC News interview, Trump said construction on the wall would start within months, with planning starting immediately, and that Mexico would pay back to the United States “100 percent” of the costs. Mexican officials have said they will not pay for the wall. The White House said Trump’s goal was to get the wall started as quickly as possible using existing government funds and then work with the Republican-led Congress on further appropriations. Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration a key element of his presidential campaign, with supporters at his rallies often chanting: “Build the wall.” The cost, nature and extent of the wall remain unclear. Trump last year put the cost at “probably $8 billion,” although other estimates are higher, and he said the wall would span 1,000 miles (1,600 km) because of the terrain of the border. Trump’s directives would end the practice known by critics as “catch and release” in which authorities apprehend illegal immigrants on U.S. territory but do not immediately detain or deport them. The directives also include hiring 5,000 more U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents used to apprehend people seeking to slip across the border and tripling the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used to arrest and deport immigrants living in the United States illegally. They also create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier to detain and deport them. The intent of the proposals regarding refugees and immigrants from the seven Muslim-majority nations is to head off Islamist violence in the United States. The draft directive on immigration also suspends the U.S. refugee program for four months while determining whether permanent changes to the system are needed.

fake

Pence to preside over Senate tax bill vote, his office confirms

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the Senate’s vote on sweeping tax legislation, his office confirmed on Tuesday. “The @VP will preside over the historic vote,” Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for Pence, said on Twitter. Republicans may need Pence’s vote in favor of the legislation to break a tie.

Title: Pence to preside over Senate tax bill vote, his office confirms. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the Senate’s vote on sweeping tax legislation, his office confirmed on Tuesday. “The @VP will preside over the historic vote,” Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for Pence, said on Twitter. Republicans may need Pence’s vote in favor of the legislation to break a tie.

fake

Trump says Cuba 'did some bad things' aimed at U.S. diplomats

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed outrage on Friday at the injuries of diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Cuba. He spoke to reporters on the White House South Lawn after the State Department announced a sharp drawdown of U.S. personnel at the embassy. “They did some bad things in Cuba,” Trump said.

Title: Trump says Cuba 'did some bad things' aimed at U.S. diplomats. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed outrage on Friday at the injuries of diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Cuba. He spoke to reporters on the White House South Lawn after the State Department announced a sharp drawdown of U.S. personnel at the embassy. “They did some bad things in Cuba,” Trump said.

fake

WATCH Tina Fey’s Triumphant Return To SNL As Crazy Sarah Palin Endorsing Trump

Tina Fey once again took on Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, and as always, it was a gutbuster.Fey opened the January 23 edition of the comedy show with the cold open, appearing as Palin next to Darrell Hammond s always-on-point rendition of Donald Trump. The two were re-enacting Palin s bizarre endorsement of Trump from earlier in the week.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfDKKe04sBQIntroducing her, Trump said, I hope nobody s allergic to nuts, because we got a big one here. Palin then launched into a monologue eerily reminiscent of the real thing, freestyle rhyming about the Americans she supposedly is representing as part of the Trump trainwreck.Palin explained, I belong in [Trump s] cabinet. Cause I m full of spice, and I ve got a great rack. In a moment made for social media, Fey/Palin also spoke in tongues, shooting off her finger guns:Speaking for most of America, Trump noted, She s crazy, isn t she? Fey of course also appeared in a version of Palin s blinding blouse from the event, and many observers on social media pointed out that in addition to the shocking visual similarity between the two women, Fey had once again nailed Palin s accent and bizarre language.In 2008, Fey s impression of Palin set the comedy world on fire and SNL s ratings skyrocketed. The failed vice presidential candidate and half-term governor was repeatedly a source of material for the premiere satirical program in America, with her assertion that she read all of the media, and that Alaska provided a vantage point for oversight of Russia s Vladimir Putin.Palin recently tried to return the favor, appearing as Fey in a sketch for a conservative website, but despite the visual similarities, the skit mostly fell flat. Instead of going for the joke, as Fey has on SNL, Palin chose to promote a political message about political correctness and safe spaces. Featured image via Twitter

Title: WATCH Tina Fey’s Triumphant Return To SNL As Crazy Sarah Palin Endorsing Trump. Text: Tina Fey once again took on Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, and as always, it was a gutbuster.Fey opened the January 23 edition of the comedy show with the cold open, appearing as Palin next to Darrell Hammond s always-on-point rendition of Donald Trump. The two were re-enacting Palin s bizarre endorsement of Trump from earlier in the week.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfDKKe04sBQIntroducing her, Trump said, I hope nobody s allergic to nuts, because we got a big one here. Palin then launched into a monologue eerily reminiscent of the real thing, freestyle rhyming about the Americans she supposedly is representing as part of the Trump trainwreck.Palin explained, I belong in [Trump s] cabinet. Cause I m full of spice, and I ve got a great rack. In a moment made for social media, Fey/Palin also spoke in tongues, shooting off her finger guns:Speaking for most of America, Trump noted, She s crazy, isn t she? Fey of course also appeared in a version of Palin s blinding blouse from the event, and many observers on social media pointed out that in addition to the shocking visual similarity between the two women, Fey had once again nailed Palin s accent and bizarre language.In 2008, Fey s impression of Palin set the comedy world on fire and SNL s ratings skyrocketed. The failed vice presidential candidate and half-term governor was repeatedly a source of material for the premiere satirical program in America, with her assertion that she read all of the media, and that Alaska provided a vantage point for oversight of Russia s Vladimir Putin.Palin recently tried to return the favor, appearing as Fey in a sketch for a conservative website, but despite the visual similarities, the skit mostly fell flat. Instead of going for the joke, as Fey has on SNL, Palin chose to promote a political message about political correctness and safe spaces. Featured image via Twitter

not fake

Factbox: In U.S. Senate, Democrats represent highest-tax states

(Reuters) - Proposals from U.S. Republicans to repeal or restrict a popular deduction on federal income tax for state and local tax (SALT) payments would hit Americans in high-tax states. The 10 states with the highest taxes are represented in the Senate by Democrats, and by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, an independent who votes with Democrats. A Senate tax plan about to be unveiled on Thursday was expected to propose ending the SALT deduction entirely. An earlier House plan would sharply curtail the deduction. If left unchanged, the Senate plan’s SALT provision would make it harder to attract what could be necessary support for the tax bill from Democratic senators, as it would disproportionately hurt their constituents. Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the chamber, meaning they can afford to lose only two Republican votes and so could be looking for some Democratic support for passage. Here are the U.S. states with the highest annual combined state and local income taxes and property taxes, measured as an average per capita, as calculated by the Tax Foundation, a pro-business Washington think tank. 1. New York: $5,208; Chuck Schumer (D), Kirsten Gillibrand (D) 2. Connecticut: $4,935; Richard Blumenthal (D), Chris Murphy (D) 3. New Jersey: $4,404; Cory Booker (D), Bob Menendez (D) 4. Massachusetts: $4,141; Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D) 5. Maryland: $3,558; Chris Van Hollen (D), Ben Cardin (D) 6. Vermont: $3,416; Bernie Sanders (I), Patrick Leahy (D) 7. Rhode Island: $3,338; Sheldon Whitehouse (D), Jack Reed (D) 8. Minnesota: $3,186; Al Franken (D), Amy Klobuchar (D) 9. California: $3,137; Kamala Harris (D), Dianne Feinstein (D) 10. Oregon $3,024; Ron Wyden (D), Jeff Merkley (D)

Title: Factbox: In U.S. Senate, Democrats represent highest-tax states. Text: (Reuters) - Proposals from U.S. Republicans to repeal or restrict a popular deduction on federal income tax for state and local tax (SALT) payments would hit Americans in high-tax states. The 10 states with the highest taxes are represented in the Senate by Democrats, and by Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, an independent who votes with Democrats. A Senate tax plan about to be unveiled on Thursday was expected to propose ending the SALT deduction entirely. An earlier House plan would sharply curtail the deduction. If left unchanged, the Senate plan’s SALT provision would make it harder to attract what could be necessary support for the tax bill from Democratic senators, as it would disproportionately hurt their constituents. Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the chamber, meaning they can afford to lose only two Republican votes and so could be looking for some Democratic support for passage. Here are the U.S. states with the highest annual combined state and local income taxes and property taxes, measured as an average per capita, as calculated by the Tax Foundation, a pro-business Washington think tank. 1. New York: $5,208; Chuck Schumer (D), Kirsten Gillibrand (D) 2. Connecticut: $4,935; Richard Blumenthal (D), Chris Murphy (D) 3. New Jersey: $4,404; Cory Booker (D), Bob Menendez (D) 4. Massachusetts: $4,141; Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D) 5. Maryland: $3,558; Chris Van Hollen (D), Ben Cardin (D) 6. Vermont: $3,416; Bernie Sanders (I), Patrick Leahy (D) 7. Rhode Island: $3,338; Sheldon Whitehouse (D), Jack Reed (D) 8. Minnesota: $3,186; Al Franken (D), Amy Klobuchar (D) 9. California: $3,137; Kamala Harris (D), Dianne Feinstein (D) 10. Oregon $3,024; Ron Wyden (D), Jeff Merkley (D)

fake

FBI Director Comey at cyber conference: 'You're stuck with me'

BOSTON (Reuters) - FBI Director James Comey said he has no plans to step down anytime soon in a speech on Wednesday, days after he reportedly pushed back against President Donald Trump’s allegations that the Obama administration had tapped phones at Trump Tower. “You’re stuck with me for another 6-1/2 years,” Comey said at a Boston College cyber security conference, indicating he expects to serve the remainder of his 10-year term. Comey did not speak with reporters during public appearances in Boston on Tuesday and Wednesday, ignoring questions about the wiretapping accusation that Trump made on Saturday without offering any evidence to support it. Comey, who was appointed FBI director by Barack Obama in 2013, had urged Justice Department officials to refute Trump’s claims because it falsely insinuated the Federal Bureau of Investigation broke the law, U.S. officials have said. The department has not acted on his request. The White House said on Monday that Trump still has confidence in Comey despite his assertiveness in challenging Trump’s claim. Comey also reiterated a plea for technology companies to enable authorities to access encrypted data on mobile devices and in messaging apps. He said strong encryption had become more popular in recent years, particularly after former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations about U.S. spying programs. The use of the technology for scrambling data has made it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to investigate crimes, even when authorities have court orders giving them permission to access data, he said. As evidence, he said that FBI technicians were unable to access data in about 1,200 of some 2,800 devices that state and local agency asked the bureau to help open from October to December, hampering progress in criminal investigations.

Title: FBI Director Comey at cyber conference: 'You're stuck with me'. Text: BOSTON (Reuters) - FBI Director James Comey said he has no plans to step down anytime soon in a speech on Wednesday, days after he reportedly pushed back against President Donald Trump’s allegations that the Obama administration had tapped phones at Trump Tower. “You’re stuck with me for another 6-1/2 years,” Comey said at a Boston College cyber security conference, indicating he expects to serve the remainder of his 10-year term. Comey did not speak with reporters during public appearances in Boston on Tuesday and Wednesday, ignoring questions about the wiretapping accusation that Trump made on Saturday without offering any evidence to support it. Comey, who was appointed FBI director by Barack Obama in 2013, had urged Justice Department officials to refute Trump’s claims because it falsely insinuated the Federal Bureau of Investigation broke the law, U.S. officials have said. The department has not acted on his request. The White House said on Monday that Trump still has confidence in Comey despite his assertiveness in challenging Trump’s claim. Comey also reiterated a plea for technology companies to enable authorities to access encrypted data on mobile devices and in messaging apps. He said strong encryption had become more popular in recent years, particularly after former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations about U.S. spying programs. The use of the technology for scrambling data has made it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to investigate crimes, even when authorities have court orders giving them permission to access data, he said. As evidence, he said that FBI technicians were unable to access data in about 1,200 of some 2,800 devices that state and local agency asked the bureau to help open from October to December, hampering progress in criminal investigations.

fake

Donald Trump Was Tweeting Again Last Night; He’s Furious About The Russian Leaks

Donald Trump was away for a bit over a week, which seemed to take his mind off the American media. He returned, however, to find a media firestorm over a story that is only getting worse; his son-in-law Jared Kushner is a person of interest in the FBI s investigation into Russian collusion, and the only defense, according to Trump, is that the media is fake. It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017Whenever you see the words sources say in the fake news media, and they don t mention names . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017Whenever you see the words sources say in the fake news media, and they don t mention names . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017 .it is very possible that those sources don t exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017The response is to a story that surfaced on Friday night saying that Kushner may have tried to set up a private channel between Russia and the Trump administration, before Trump took office.The White House was trying to figure out how to respond to reports that Mr. Kushner had spoken in December with Russia s ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, about establishing a secret channel between his father-in-law s transition team and Moscow to discuss the war in Syria and other issues. The Washington Post first reported on the suggestion on Friday, and three people informed about it confirmed it to The New York Times.Source: New York TimesRather than deny the validity of the story, though, Trump, like always attacked the messenger. Yes, the story does attribute anonymous sources, but if you recall, Richard Nixon was taken down by an anonymous source.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Title: Donald Trump Was Tweeting Again Last Night; He’s Furious About The Russian Leaks. Text: Donald Trump was away for a bit over a week, which seemed to take his mind off the American media. He returned, however, to find a media firestorm over a story that is only getting worse; his son-in-law Jared Kushner is a person of interest in the FBI s investigation into Russian collusion, and the only defense, according to Trump, is that the media is fake. It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017Whenever you see the words sources say in the fake news media, and they don t mention names . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017Whenever you see the words sources say in the fake news media, and they don t mention names . Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017 .it is very possible that those sources don t exist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2017The response is to a story that surfaced on Friday night saying that Kushner may have tried to set up a private channel between Russia and the Trump administration, before Trump took office.The White House was trying to figure out how to respond to reports that Mr. Kushner had spoken in December with Russia s ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, about establishing a secret channel between his father-in-law s transition team and Moscow to discuss the war in Syria and other issues. The Washington Post first reported on the suggestion on Friday, and three people informed about it confirmed it to The New York Times.Source: New York TimesRather than deny the validity of the story, though, Trump, like always attacked the messenger. Yes, the story does attribute anonymous sources, but if you recall, Richard Nixon was taken down by an anonymous source.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

not fake

Senate Republican tax chief wants dividend deduction in tax reform

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate’s top Republican on tax policy said on Tuesday that allowing U.S. corporations to deduct dividend payments to shareholders from federal income tax could overcome problems facing Republican efforts to overhaul the U.S. tax code. In a statement at the outset of a tax reform hearing, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said he sees the proposal known as “corporate integration” as a way to end the perceived double taxation of U.S. companies through tax legislation that would also reduce the statutory U.S. corporate income tax rate, which now stands at 35 percent. “This idea – whether it applies fully or in some other limited way – can help address a number of the problems we’re trying to solve with comprehensive tax reform,” said Hatch, a member of the “Big Six” tax policy makers from the Trump administration and Congress who are expected to issue a tax reform blueprint next week.  

Title: Senate Republican tax chief wants dividend deduction in tax reform. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate’s top Republican on tax policy said on Tuesday that allowing U.S. corporations to deduct dividend payments to shareholders from federal income tax could overcome problems facing Republican efforts to overhaul the U.S. tax code. In a statement at the outset of a tax reform hearing, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said he sees the proposal known as “corporate integration” as a way to end the perceived double taxation of U.S. companies through tax legislation that would also reduce the statutory U.S. corporate income tax rate, which now stands at 35 percent. “This idea – whether it applies fully or in some other limited way – can help address a number of the problems we’re trying to solve with comprehensive tax reform,” said Hatch, a member of the “Big Six” tax policy makers from the Trump administration and Congress who are expected to issue a tax reform blueprint next week.  

fake

Top Senate Democrat says has 'serious concerns' about court nominee Gorsuch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate’s top Democrat on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick of avoiding answering questions “like the plague” and dodging efforts to gauge his judicial independence during a meeting that deepened his concerns about the nominee. Neil Gorsuch, the federal appeals court judge from Colorado who the Republican president nominated last week to a lifetime job on the high court, met privately with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York as he continues to try to build support for his confirmation by the Senate. “I thought there was a deliberate strategy to duck the hard questions. And he has an obligation to answer them, not simply to the Senate but to the American people,” Schumer told reporters afterward, referring to Gorsuch. Schumer said Gorsuch declined to answer questions such as whether a ban on Muslim immigration would be constitutional or comment on what is known as the Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution that bars officeholders from accepting money from foreign powers. Supreme Court nominees routinely avoid weighing in on pending legal disputes they could end up casting a vote on if confirmed to the job. But Schumer said he was seeking Gorsuch’s views on broader principles, rather than specific cases, that he believed a nominee should be able to answer. “The judge today avoided answers like the plague,” Schumer told reporters. Schumer said Trump is testing the fundamental underpinnings of U.S. democracy and its institutions. “These times deserve answers, and Judge Gorsuch did not provide them. I have serious concerns about this nominee,” said Schumer, who added that he had not yet made up his mind on whether or not to support Gorsuch. The shorthanded Supreme Court currently has four liberals and four conservatives, meaning Gorsuch’s confirmation would reinstate a conservative majority. Trump’s fellow Republicans control the Senate 52-48 but Schumer insisted that Gorsuch would need to win 60 votes, rather than a simple majority, to move toward confirmation. Democrats can seek to use a procedural maneuver to block a confirmation vote if Gorsuch’s supporters cannot muster 60 votes, although Republicans could change the Senate rules. Schumer’s questions to Gorsuch followed Trump’s directive to temporarily ban people from seven Muslim-majority countries and any refugees from entering the United States. The ban, which Trump said was needed to protect the United States from Islamist militants, was suspended by a federal judge, pending an appeal by the Trump administration. His questions about the Emoluments Clause come in light of a lawsuit filed by ethics lawyers accusing Trump of allowing his businesses to accept payments from foreign governments, which is prohibited under that constitutional provision. Democrats argued that it is more important than ever for a Supreme Court nominee to demonstrate judicial independence, citing Trump’s harsh criticism of federal judges who have issued rulings against him. But Republicans belittled Democratic efforts to discredit Gorsuch. “If they keep working to paint Judge Gorsuch as a mouth-breathing bald eagle hunter, they’ll embarrass themselves,” said Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who also met with Gorsuch on Tuesday. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah told Reuters the Democratic questioning of the nominee’s potential independence “flies in the face of everything I know about Judge Gorsuch.” Lee described Gorsuch is “fair, decent, impartial.”

Title: Top Senate Democrat says has 'serious concerns' about court nominee Gorsuch. Text: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate’s top Democrat on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick of avoiding answering questions “like the plague” and dodging efforts to gauge his judicial independence during a meeting that deepened his concerns about the nominee. Neil Gorsuch, the federal appeals court judge from Colorado who the Republican president nominated last week to a lifetime job on the high court, met privately with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York as he continues to try to build support for his confirmation by the Senate. “I thought there was a deliberate strategy to duck the hard questions. And he has an obligation to answer them, not simply to the Senate but to the American people,” Schumer told reporters afterward, referring to Gorsuch. Schumer said Gorsuch declined to answer questions such as whether a ban on Muslim immigration would be constitutional or comment on what is known as the Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution that bars officeholders from accepting money from foreign powers. Supreme Court nominees routinely avoid weighing in on pending legal disputes they could end up casting a vote on if confirmed to the job. But Schumer said he was seeking Gorsuch’s views on broader principles, rather than specific cases, that he believed a nominee should be able to answer. “The judge today avoided answers like the plague,” Schumer told reporters. Schumer said Trump is testing the fundamental underpinnings of U.S. democracy and its institutions. “These times deserve answers, and Judge Gorsuch did not provide them. I have serious concerns about this nominee,” said Schumer, who added that he had not yet made up his mind on whether or not to support Gorsuch. The shorthanded Supreme Court currently has four liberals and four conservatives, meaning Gorsuch’s confirmation would reinstate a conservative majority. Trump’s fellow Republicans control the Senate 52-48 but Schumer insisted that Gorsuch would need to win 60 votes, rather than a simple majority, to move toward confirmation. Democrats can seek to use a procedural maneuver to block a confirmation vote if Gorsuch’s supporters cannot muster 60 votes, although Republicans could change the Senate rules. Schumer’s questions to Gorsuch followed Trump’s directive to temporarily ban people from seven Muslim-majority countries and any refugees from entering the United States. The ban, which Trump said was needed to protect the United States from Islamist militants, was suspended by a federal judge, pending an appeal by the Trump administration. His questions about the Emoluments Clause come in light of a lawsuit filed by ethics lawyers accusing Trump of allowing his businesses to accept payments from foreign governments, which is prohibited under that constitutional provision. Democrats argued that it is more important than ever for a Supreme Court nominee to demonstrate judicial independence, citing Trump’s harsh criticism of federal judges who have issued rulings against him. But Republicans belittled Democratic efforts to discredit Gorsuch. “If they keep working to paint Judge Gorsuch as a mouth-breathing bald eagle hunter, they’ll embarrass themselves,” said Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who also met with Gorsuch on Tuesday. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah told Reuters the Democratic questioning of the nominee’s potential independence “flies in the face of everything I know about Judge Gorsuch.” Lee described Gorsuch is “fair, decent, impartial.”

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Former Secretary Of Defense Has Some SCATHING Words For “Unqualified And Unfit” Trump (TWEET)

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has judged both Republican and Democratic residential candidates for their ideas on foreign policy, but it s clear that he only believes that there s one nominee that is beyond repair Donald Trump.Gates, who has served under George W. Bush as well as Barack Obama, recently published a brutal op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that examines both Trump and Hillary Clinton for their plans on handling America s challenging relations with nations like Russia, China and the Middle East.Although Clinton was nowhere near exempt from criticism, Gates saved his harshest words for her GOP rival. Gates noted that the former Secretary of State has much-discussed credibility issues apart from national security, but these also influence foreign perceptions of reliability and trust. However, Trump is in a league of his own when it comes to credibility.Gates reminded Americans that Trump openly supports and shines praise on leaders like Vladimir Putin and Saddam Hussein, and is all for unethical torture practices and the killing of terrorist s families. Gates also mentioned the fact that Trump likes the idea of Japan and South Korea developing nuclear weapons. Gates said: At least on national security, I believe Mr. Trump is beyond repair. He is stubbornly uninformed about the world and how to lead our country and government, and temperamentally unsuited to lead our men and women in uniform. He is unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief. As soon as Gates op-ed was discovered by Trump, the business mogul predictably went on Twitter to throw one of his infamous man-baby temper tantrums:TwitterTo challenge Trump s tweet, NPR Morning Edition reporter Steve Inskeep invited Trump to an interview about foreign policy on his show, which the Trump campaign had said they d do about 250 days ago.TwitterAs expected, the Trump campaign has now fallen silent on the subject.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla and Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Title: Former Secretary Of Defense Has Some SCATHING Words For “Unqualified And Unfit” Trump (TWEET). Text: Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has judged both Republican and Democratic residential candidates for their ideas on foreign policy, but it s clear that he only believes that there s one nominee that is beyond repair Donald Trump.Gates, who has served under George W. Bush as well as Barack Obama, recently published a brutal op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that examines both Trump and Hillary Clinton for their plans on handling America s challenging relations with nations like Russia, China and the Middle East.Although Clinton was nowhere near exempt from criticism, Gates saved his harshest words for her GOP rival. Gates noted that the former Secretary of State has much-discussed credibility issues apart from national security, but these also influence foreign perceptions of reliability and trust. However, Trump is in a league of his own when it comes to credibility.Gates reminded Americans that Trump openly supports and shines praise on leaders like Vladimir Putin and Saddam Hussein, and is all for unethical torture practices and the killing of terrorist s families. Gates also mentioned the fact that Trump likes the idea of Japan and South Korea developing nuclear weapons. Gates said: At least on national security, I believe Mr. Trump is beyond repair. He is stubbornly uninformed about the world and how to lead our country and government, and temperamentally unsuited to lead our men and women in uniform. He is unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief. As soon as Gates op-ed was discovered by Trump, the business mogul predictably went on Twitter to throw one of his infamous man-baby temper tantrums:TwitterTo challenge Trump s tweet, NPR Morning Edition reporter Steve Inskeep invited Trump to an interview about foreign policy on his show, which the Trump campaign had said they d do about 250 days ago.TwitterAs expected, the Trump campaign has now fallen silent on the subject.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla and Spencer Platt / Getty Images

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Catalan foreign affairs chief says not planning regional snap elections

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Catalonia s regional government is not planning to hold a snap election following a disputed independence referendum, the region s foreign affairs chief said. Elections are not on the table now, Raul Romeva told a new conference in Brussels on Wednesday.

Title: Catalan foreign affairs chief says not planning regional snap elections. Text: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Catalonia s regional government is not planning to hold a snap election following a disputed independence referendum, the region s foreign affairs chief said. Elections are not on the table now, Raul Romeva told a new conference in Brussels on Wednesday.

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Obama discriminated against coal, nuclear: U.S. energy secretary

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The United States discriminated against the nuclear and coal industries under the administration of former President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said on Wednesday. “Nuclear and coal ... Those two industries were discriminated against over the course of the last administration,” Perry told reporters at an oil conference in Cape Town, when asked about a U.S. government directive to support ageing coal and nuclear plants. The directive would reward certain nuclear and coal-fired plants that store 90 days of fuel on site for contributing to the reliability of the national grid. U.S. industries that rarely agree, including gas drillers and renewable energy producers, oppose it on the grounds that it props up “uneconomic generation.” Asked about threats to U.S. energy supplies, Perry, a former governor of the oil hub of Texas, cited cyber security as the main concern followed by natural disasters such as hurricanes.

Title: Obama discriminated against coal, nuclear: U.S. energy secretary. Text: CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - The United States discriminated against the nuclear and coal industries under the administration of former President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said on Wednesday. “Nuclear and coal ... Those two industries were discriminated against over the course of the last administration,” Perry told reporters at an oil conference in Cape Town, when asked about a U.S. government directive to support ageing coal and nuclear plants. The directive would reward certain nuclear and coal-fired plants that store 90 days of fuel on site for contributing to the reliability of the national grid. U.S. industries that rarely agree, including gas drillers and renewable energy producers, oppose it on the grounds that it props up “uneconomic generation.” Asked about threats to U.S. energy supplies, Perry, a former governor of the oil hub of Texas, cited cyber security as the main concern followed by natural disasters such as hurricanes.

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Scotland, Wales and London want special Brexit deal if Northern Ireland gets one

EDINBURGH/LONDON (Reuters) - Scotland, Wales and London should all benefit from any special deal given to Northern Ireland to smooth access to European Union markets after Brexit, the three regions most senior politicians said on Monday. Most Scots and Londoners voted to stay in the EU in June 2016 s referendum, unlike their compatriots in the rest of the United Kingdom. Politicians in Scotland, Wales and the British capital have campaigned for Britain as a whole to stay in the EU s single market to smooth trade relations. Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled that out so far, saying Britain needed the freedom to make its own rules and trade deals. But the three regions rallied to the cause again after Irish government sources said on Monday that the British government had agreed to maintain EU regulatory alignment for Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK but shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state. May said there had been no overall agreement on Monday. Keeping regulations in Northern Ireland similar to those in the rest of the EU make it less likely that the bloc would insist on border checks after Brexit. But making an exception of Northern Ireland could make it difficult for May to argue that others cannot have the same. So far, she has argued that Brexit should follow a one-size-fits-all pattern for the whole of the United Kingdom. If one part of the United Kingdom can retain regulatory alignment with the European Union and effectively stay in the single market ... there is surely no good practical reason why others can t, Nicola Sturgeon, the head of Scotland s devolved pro-independence government, said on Twitter. Sturgeon welcomed the outline of a deal that meant no return to a hard border in Ireland, but argued that such an agreement meant something similar for Scotland was even more vital. For Scotland to find itself outside the single market, while Northern Ireland effectively stays in would place us at a double disadvantage when it comes to jobs and investment. A large majority of voters in Scotland, one of the UK s four nations with around 5 million people, voted to stay in the EU, as did Northern Ireland. Wales and England, the most populous nation, voted to leave, straining the structure of the UK and complicating negotiations to unwind four decades of political and trading links with the EU. Huge ramifications for London if Theresa May has conceded that it s possible for part of the UK to remain within the single market and customs union after Brexit, Sadiq Khan, London s mayor, said on Twitter. Britain s capital, with a population of 8.8 million, voted by a margin of 59.9 percent to remain within the EU. Turnout was high by local standards at nearly 70 percent and Khan, from Britain s main opposition Labour Party, campaigned to stay in the EU. Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones called for Wales to be allowed to continue to participate in the single market if other parts of the UK could. May s government has up to now ruled out any special deal for Scotland, although the Scottish government published a year ago a plan for the northernmost part of the UK to remain in the single market even if Britain as a whole leaves. Its plan was, however, rejected as unworkable by the UK government.

Title: Scotland, Wales and London want special Brexit deal if Northern Ireland gets one. Text: EDINBURGH/LONDON (Reuters) - Scotland, Wales and London should all benefit from any special deal given to Northern Ireland to smooth access to European Union markets after Brexit, the three regions most senior politicians said on Monday. Most Scots and Londoners voted to stay in the EU in June 2016 s referendum, unlike their compatriots in the rest of the United Kingdom. Politicians in Scotland, Wales and the British capital have campaigned for Britain as a whole to stay in the EU s single market to smooth trade relations. Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled that out so far, saying Britain needed the freedom to make its own rules and trade deals. But the three regions rallied to the cause again after Irish government sources said on Monday that the British government had agreed to maintain EU regulatory alignment for Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK but shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state. May said there had been no overall agreement on Monday. Keeping regulations in Northern Ireland similar to those in the rest of the EU make it less likely that the bloc would insist on border checks after Brexit. But making an exception of Northern Ireland could make it difficult for May to argue that others cannot have the same. So far, she has argued that Brexit should follow a one-size-fits-all pattern for the whole of the United Kingdom. If one part of the United Kingdom can retain regulatory alignment with the European Union and effectively stay in the single market ... there is surely no good practical reason why others can t, Nicola Sturgeon, the head of Scotland s devolved pro-independence government, said on Twitter. Sturgeon welcomed the outline of a deal that meant no return to a hard border in Ireland, but argued that such an agreement meant something similar for Scotland was even more vital. For Scotland to find itself outside the single market, while Northern Ireland effectively stays in would place us at a double disadvantage when it comes to jobs and investment. A large majority of voters in Scotland, one of the UK s four nations with around 5 million people, voted to stay in the EU, as did Northern Ireland. Wales and England, the most populous nation, voted to leave, straining the structure of the UK and complicating negotiations to unwind four decades of political and trading links with the EU. Huge ramifications for London if Theresa May has conceded that it s possible for part of the UK to remain within the single market and customs union after Brexit, Sadiq Khan, London s mayor, said on Twitter. Britain s capital, with a population of 8.8 million, voted by a margin of 59.9 percent to remain within the EU. Turnout was high by local standards at nearly 70 percent and Khan, from Britain s main opposition Labour Party, campaigned to stay in the EU. Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones called for Wales to be allowed to continue to participate in the single market if other parts of the UK could. May s government has up to now ruled out any special deal for Scotland, although the Scottish government published a year ago a plan for the northernmost part of the UK to remain in the single market even if Britain as a whole leaves. Its plan was, however, rejected as unworkable by the UK government.

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California moves presidential primary for bigger say in candidate choice

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California will move its presidential primary from June to March under a bill signed on Wednesday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, a change aimed at giving the liberal-leaning state more influence in choosing candidates from either national party. The most populous U.S. state, which voted heavily for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November’s presidential election, has traditionally held its primary so late that Democratic and Republican voters in other states had essentially already chosen their parties’ candidates. “The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat who backed the change, in a statement. “Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.” The bill was passed mostly along party lines in the majority-Democrat legislature. The new date will leave the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in place as the first and second contests of the presidential election cycle, during which voters in each state choose the candidate they would like their party to nominate for president. Because California’s primary has been in June while others were held earlier, candidates have largely ignored the state, spending less on outreach than elsewhere, making fewer visits, and failing to prioritize California voters’ concerns in their campaigns, supporters said. In 2016, California Democrats chose Clinton and Republicans opted for Donald Trump, the populist businessman who ultimately won the presidency. Backers in the legislature said the early primary would lead to less divisive choices by members of both major parties in the 2020 election cycle, and establish California as a leading voice in the choice of candidates. Progressive Democrats also believe that moving the primary up could result in their party’s selection of more liberal candidates. “California is the beating heart of the national resistance to Trump, and California Democrats are defining the progressive agenda for America,” state Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman said in a press release. “When it comes to deciding the Democratic nominee, our voices need to be heard early in the process.”

Title: California moves presidential primary for bigger say in candidate choice. Text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California will move its presidential primary from June to March under a bill signed on Wednesday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, a change aimed at giving the liberal-leaning state more influence in choosing candidates from either national party. The most populous U.S. state, which voted heavily for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November’s presidential election, has traditionally held its primary so late that Democratic and Republican voters in other states had essentially already chosen their parties’ candidates. “The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat who backed the change, in a statement. “Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.” The bill was passed mostly along party lines in the majority-Democrat legislature. The new date will leave the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in place as the first and second contests of the presidential election cycle, during which voters in each state choose the candidate they would like their party to nominate for president. Because California’s primary has been in June while others were held earlier, candidates have largely ignored the state, spending less on outreach than elsewhere, making fewer visits, and failing to prioritize California voters’ concerns in their campaigns, supporters said. In 2016, California Democrats chose Clinton and Republicans opted for Donald Trump, the populist businessman who ultimately won the presidency. Backers in the legislature said the early primary would lead to less divisive choices by members of both major parties in the 2020 election cycle, and establish California as a leading voice in the choice of candidates. Progressive Democrats also believe that moving the primary up could result in their party’s selection of more liberal candidates. “California is the beating heart of the national resistance to Trump, and California Democrats are defining the progressive agenda for America,” state Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman said in a press release. “When it comes to deciding the Democratic nominee, our voices need to be heard early in the process.”

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Senate Democrats united on debt restructuring for Puerto Rico: letter

SAN JUAN (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats, in a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Wednesday called for congressional action on Puerto Rico, demanding that legislation to resolve the island’s financial crisis include tools to restructure debt. “Restructuring legislation would not cost the federal government a single penny and would instead save U.S. taxpayers from the growing cost of inaction,” said the letter to the Senate’s Republican leader, signed by all 46 Democrats and independents. The letter is a challenge to Republicans who largely oppose letting the U.S. commonwealth restructure debt. Republican Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Chuck Grassley of Iowa last month introduced a bill to bring Puerto Rico’s finances under federal oversight without providing for debt restructuring. Democrats have argued that federal oversight should be conditional on allowing Puerto Rico to be governed by federal bankruptcy or debt restructuring laws. Hatch, Murkowski and Grassley are cc’d on the letter. “Puerto Rico was included in Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code until 1984, when Congress inexplicably excluded it from the nationwide approach to resolving municipal insolvency,” said the letter, a draft of which was first reported by Reuters last week. The letter’s broad support is key because, with 44 Democrats and two independents on board, Democrats could block bills that do not include a restructuring mechanism. Still, that is no guarantee that Republicans, who control Congress, will draft a bill that includes one. A restructuring option would be a coup for the island’s governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who has long said Puerto Rico needs to cut its $70 billion in debt to grow its economy, a stance that has faced resistance from creditors. Aside from its debt load, Puerto Rico faces widespread economic strain, including a 45 percent poverty rate and a shrinking tax base, as a growing number of citizens jump to the U.S. mainland. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, said Congress must do more than hold hearings or create a task force on Puerto Rico, stressing that the island needs “to be treated as other American citizens and be able to file bankruptcy.” The letter comes weeks after House Speaker Paul Ryan demanded legislation by the end of March to address Puerto Rico. “We urge you to match his commitment to act ... by the end of the first quarter,” said the letter to McConnell.

Title: Senate Democrats united on debt restructuring for Puerto Rico: letter. Text: SAN JUAN (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats, in a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Wednesday called for congressional action on Puerto Rico, demanding that legislation to resolve the island’s financial crisis include tools to restructure debt. “Restructuring legislation would not cost the federal government a single penny and would instead save U.S. taxpayers from the growing cost of inaction,” said the letter to the Senate’s Republican leader, signed by all 46 Democrats and independents. The letter is a challenge to Republicans who largely oppose letting the U.S. commonwealth restructure debt. Republican Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Chuck Grassley of Iowa last month introduced a bill to bring Puerto Rico’s finances under federal oversight without providing for debt restructuring. Democrats have argued that federal oversight should be conditional on allowing Puerto Rico to be governed by federal bankruptcy or debt restructuring laws. Hatch, Murkowski and Grassley are cc’d on the letter. “Puerto Rico was included in Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code until 1984, when Congress inexplicably excluded it from the nationwide approach to resolving municipal insolvency,” said the letter, a draft of which was first reported by Reuters last week. The letter’s broad support is key because, with 44 Democrats and two independents on board, Democrats could block bills that do not include a restructuring mechanism. Still, that is no guarantee that Republicans, who control Congress, will draft a bill that includes one. A restructuring option would be a coup for the island’s governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who has long said Puerto Rico needs to cut its $70 billion in debt to grow its economy, a stance that has faced resistance from creditors. Aside from its debt load, Puerto Rico faces widespread economic strain, including a 45 percent poverty rate and a shrinking tax base, as a growing number of citizens jump to the U.S. mainland. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday, said Congress must do more than hold hearings or create a task force on Puerto Rico, stressing that the island needs “to be treated as other American citizens and be able to file bankruptcy.” The letter comes weeks after House Speaker Paul Ryan demanded legislation by the end of March to address Puerto Rico. “We urge you to match his commitment to act ... by the end of the first quarter,” said the letter to McConnell.

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State Dept. Releases 7,000 Clinton E-mails But The White House Refuses To Release The Most Important Ones

The State Department released 7,000 Clinton e-mails today and plans to release a total of 55,000 but Mr. Transparency didn t! The most important communications from Benghazi are being kept from the American people until Obama s out of office in 2017. FLASHBACK VIDEO: Obama: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency. Via: FOX

Title: State Dept. Releases 7,000 Clinton E-mails But The White House Refuses To Release The Most Important Ones. Text: The State Department released 7,000 Clinton e-mails today and plans to release a total of 55,000 but Mr. Transparency didn t! The most important communications from Benghazi are being kept from the American people until Obama s out of office in 2017. FLASHBACK VIDEO: Obama: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency. Via: FOX

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Zimbabwe military chief's China trip was normal visit, Beijing says

BEIJING (Reuters) - A trip to Beijing last week by Zimbabwe s military chief was a normal military exchange , China s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, after the military in the southern African nation seized power. Zimbabwe s military took control targeting criminals around President Robert Mugabe but gave assurances on national television that the 93-year-old leader and his family were safe and sound . General Constantino Chiwenga met Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan in Beijing on Friday, where Chang expressed a willingness to promote relations with Zimbabwe, China s Defence Ministry said in a short statement last week. The ministry showed a picture of the two men, both wearing military uniform, shaking hands, and another one of officers from both countries sitting opposite each other holding a meeting at the People s Liberation Army headquarters in Beijing. Asked whether Chiwenga had briefed China on plans to seize power, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Defence Ministry had already released information about his trip and that he didn t have an understanding about the specifics of his reception in China. I can only tell you that his visit to China this time was a normal military exchange mutually agreed upon by China and Zimbabwe, Geng said, referring other questions to the Defence Ministry, which has yet to respond to a request for comment. As a country that is friendly with Zimbabwe, we are paying close attention to developments of the situation in Zimbabwe, Geng added. Maintaining peaceful and stable development accords with the fundamental interests of Zimbabwe and regional countries, and is the common desire of the international community. We hope the relevant parties in Zimbabwe appropriately handle their internal matters. In contrast to his elevated status on the continent, Mugabe is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa s most promising states. China and Zimbabwe have a close diplomatic and economic relationship and Beijing has stood with Mugabe s government in the face of Western economic sanctions. In August, Zimbabwe s government said a Chinese company planned to invest up to $2 billion to revive operations at Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO), which ceased production in 2008 at the height of Zimbabwe s economic meltdown. That same year, China vetoed a proposed Western-backed U.N. resolution which would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and financial and travel restrictions on Mugabe and 13 other officials, saying it would complicate , rather than ease, conflict.

Title: Zimbabwe military chief's China trip was normal visit, Beijing says. Text: BEIJING (Reuters) - A trip to Beijing last week by Zimbabwe s military chief was a normal military exchange , China s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, after the military in the southern African nation seized power. Zimbabwe s military took control targeting criminals around President Robert Mugabe but gave assurances on national television that the 93-year-old leader and his family were safe and sound . General Constantino Chiwenga met Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan in Beijing on Friday, where Chang expressed a willingness to promote relations with Zimbabwe, China s Defence Ministry said in a short statement last week. The ministry showed a picture of the two men, both wearing military uniform, shaking hands, and another one of officers from both countries sitting opposite each other holding a meeting at the People s Liberation Army headquarters in Beijing. Asked whether Chiwenga had briefed China on plans to seize power, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Defence Ministry had already released information about his trip and that he didn t have an understanding about the specifics of his reception in China. I can only tell you that his visit to China this time was a normal military exchange mutually agreed upon by China and Zimbabwe, Geng said, referring other questions to the Defence Ministry, which has yet to respond to a request for comment. As a country that is friendly with Zimbabwe, we are paying close attention to developments of the situation in Zimbabwe, Geng added. Maintaining peaceful and stable development accords with the fundamental interests of Zimbabwe and regional countries, and is the common desire of the international community. We hope the relevant parties in Zimbabwe appropriately handle their internal matters. In contrast to his elevated status on the continent, Mugabe is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa s most promising states. China and Zimbabwe have a close diplomatic and economic relationship and Beijing has stood with Mugabe s government in the face of Western economic sanctions. In August, Zimbabwe s government said a Chinese company planned to invest up to $2 billion to revive operations at Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO), which ceased production in 2008 at the height of Zimbabwe s economic meltdown. That same year, China vetoed a proposed Western-backed U.N. resolution which would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and financial and travel restrictions on Mugabe and 13 other officials, saying it would complicate , rather than ease, conflict.

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More than 60 years on, Japan's mercury-poison victims fight to be heard

MINAMATA, Japan (Reuters) - Shinobu Sakamoto was just 15 when she left her home in the southern Japanese fishing village of Minamata to go to Stockholm and tell the world of the horrors of mercury poisoning. Forty-five years on, she is traveling again, this time to Geneva, to attend from Sunday a gathering of signatories to the first global pact to rein in mercury pollution. Sakamoto is one of a shrinking group of survivors from a 1950s industrial disaster in which tens of thousands of people were poisoned after waste water from a chemical plant seeped into the Minamata bay. (Graphic link reut.rs/2jIdmUS) The waste contained a toxic organic compound, methylmercury, which can cause severe damage to the brain and nervous system, leading to a condition called Minamata disease. It gives its name to the U.N.-backed treaty that took effect last month. Symptoms worsen with age, leaving some victims grappling with the question of who will care for them after the death of siblings and parents, while others face legal disputes. If I don t say something, no one will know about Minamata disease, said Sakamoto, who is one of the few born with the disease who is still able to talk. There are still so many problems, and I want people to know. Just 528 people survive from among the 3,000 certified victims of Minamata disease, environment ministry data shows. More than 20,000 people have sought to be designated victims, hoping for legal compensation. We need to take seriously the fact that there are still many people raising their hands, said ministry official Koji Sasaki, referring to victims efforts to win recognition. Born in a family of shipbuilders whose home overlooks the Minamata bay, Jitsuko Tanaka, 64, used to play on the beach with her older sister, picking and eating shellfish, unaware it was contaminated with mercury. She was almost three, and her sister five, when they lost the ability to move their hands freely and walk properly, becoming the first to be identified as disease sufferers. Tanaka s older sister died at age eight. Tanaka survived, but the poisoning left her too weak to walk without support. A few years ago, her family says, even that became impossible. As she lay motionless in bed, her brother-in-law, a fellow sufferer, said he worried about the patients left behind when family members die. After I die, who will take care of her? asked Yoshio Shimoda, 69. Sixty-one years since Minamata disease was identified in 1956, the grim struggles have eased for only a few. Before the government named methylmercury as its cause in 1968, disease sufferers faced discrimination over fears it was contagious, which deterred many from seeking legal recognition. People still send in decades-old umbilical cords to be checked for contamination, hoping for evidence to support their claims to be designated as victims, said Hirokatsu Akagi, director of Minamata s International Mercury Laboratory. Sakamoto, poisoned while still in the womb, considers it her duty to tell the world about the dangers of mercury. Minamata disease isn t over; it s not a thing of the past.

Title: More than 60 years on, Japan's mercury-poison victims fight to be heard. Text: MINAMATA, Japan (Reuters) - Shinobu Sakamoto was just 15 when she left her home in the southern Japanese fishing village of Minamata to go to Stockholm and tell the world of the horrors of mercury poisoning. Forty-five years on, she is traveling again, this time to Geneva, to attend from Sunday a gathering of signatories to the first global pact to rein in mercury pollution. Sakamoto is one of a shrinking group of survivors from a 1950s industrial disaster in which tens of thousands of people were poisoned after waste water from a chemical plant seeped into the Minamata bay. (Graphic link reut.rs/2jIdmUS) The waste contained a toxic organic compound, methylmercury, which can cause severe damage to the brain and nervous system, leading to a condition called Minamata disease. It gives its name to the U.N.-backed treaty that took effect last month. Symptoms worsen with age, leaving some victims grappling with the question of who will care for them after the death of siblings and parents, while others face legal disputes. If I don t say something, no one will know about Minamata disease, said Sakamoto, who is one of the few born with the disease who is still able to talk. There are still so many problems, and I want people to know. Just 528 people survive from among the 3,000 certified victims of Minamata disease, environment ministry data shows. More than 20,000 people have sought to be designated victims, hoping for legal compensation. We need to take seriously the fact that there are still many people raising their hands, said ministry official Koji Sasaki, referring to victims efforts to win recognition. Born in a family of shipbuilders whose home overlooks the Minamata bay, Jitsuko Tanaka, 64, used to play on the beach with her older sister, picking and eating shellfish, unaware it was contaminated with mercury. She was almost three, and her sister five, when they lost the ability to move their hands freely and walk properly, becoming the first to be identified as disease sufferers. Tanaka s older sister died at age eight. Tanaka survived, but the poisoning left her too weak to walk without support. A few years ago, her family says, even that became impossible. As she lay motionless in bed, her brother-in-law, a fellow sufferer, said he worried about the patients left behind when family members die. After I die, who will take care of her? asked Yoshio Shimoda, 69. Sixty-one years since Minamata disease was identified in 1956, the grim struggles have eased for only a few. Before the government named methylmercury as its cause in 1968, disease sufferers faced discrimination over fears it was contagious, which deterred many from seeking legal recognition. People still send in decades-old umbilical cords to be checked for contamination, hoping for evidence to support their claims to be designated as victims, said Hirokatsu Akagi, director of Minamata s International Mercury Laboratory. Sakamoto, poisoned while still in the womb, considers it her duty to tell the world about the dangers of mercury. Minamata disease isn t over; it s not a thing of the past.

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Thousands protest in London against Trump's refugee ban

LONDON (Reuters) - Several thousand people demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy in London on Saturday against President Donald Trump and his temporary ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Protesters held black banners with blood stains bearing slogans such as “No to Trump. No to War” and “Trump: Special Relationship? Just say no.” at the demonstration against the ban and Trump’s foreign policy. Trump signed an order just over a week ago putting a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the U.S. and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries. On Friday, a Seattle judge blocked the order but many in Britain are angry about the measure, which they see as discriminatory, and the time it took for Prime Minister Theresa May’s government to criticize it.

Title: Thousands protest in London against Trump's refugee ban. Text: LONDON (Reuters) - Several thousand people demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy in London on Saturday against President Donald Trump and his temporary ban on refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Protesters held black banners with blood stains bearing slogans such as “No to Trump. No to War” and “Trump: Special Relationship? Just say no.” at the demonstration against the ban and Trump’s foreign policy. Trump signed an order just over a week ago putting a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the U.S. and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries. On Friday, a Seattle judge blocked the order but many in Britain are angry about the measure, which they see as discriminatory, and the time it took for Prime Minister Theresa May’s government to criticize it.

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OOPS! NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS WOMAN Who Accused Roy Moore of Sexual Misconduct Worked For Hillary Campaign…Supported His Democrat Opponent On Facebook

Infowars uncovered a bombshell when they discovered the Facebook page of one of Judge Roy Moore s accusers, Debbie Gibson, who came out in a Washington Post article to accuse him of sexual misconduct that allegedly took place 36 years ago.Debbie Wesson Gibson says that she was 17 in the spring of 1981 when Moore spoke to her Etowah High School civics class about serving as the assistant district attorney. She says that when he asked her out, she asked her mother what she would say if she wanted to date a 34-year-old man. Gibson says her mother asked her who the man was, and when Gibson said Roy Moore, her mother said, I d say you were the luckiest girl in the world. Among locals in Gadsden, a town of about 47,000 back then, Moore had this godlike, almost deity status he was a hometown boy made good, Gibson says, West Point and so forth. Gibson says that they dated for two to three months, and that he took her to his house, read her poetry and played his guitar. She says he kissed her once in his bedroom and once by the pool at a local country club. Looking back, I m glad nothing bad happened, says Gibson, who now lives in Florida. As a mother of daughters, I realize that our age difference at that time made our dating inappropriate. Debbie Gibson hates Donald Trump, but that s not all, she s pretty fond of Judge Roy Moore s opponent, Doug Ross for US Senate In Alabama as well Here are a few anti-Trump posts that were found on Gibson s Facebook page: One of senatorial candidate Roy Moore s accusers is apparently a fervent Democrat who has worked for the DNC as a sign language interpreter for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, a revelation which the Washington Post never included in its original report.The accuser, Debbie Gibson, had also publically supported Moore s opponent Doug Jones before the accusations came to light.Gibson openly bragged about signing for Hillary during a campaign appearance. On a side note, we re not sure who she s signing for. The crowd behind Hillary, that is usually packed with the Democrats hand-picked diverse crowd, appears to be pretty thin.Here s a post from Gibson s page proving that she s supporting Judge Roy Moore s Democrat opponent for US Senate:She even posted a video of Moore s opponent, Doug Jones to promote him to her friends on Facebook. The screenshot below shows the post on her page. Interestingly, when attacking Moore ally Steve Bannon for suggesting the Washington Post was politically motivated in its reporting, the newspaper implied that Gibson wasn t down with Democratic propaganda, a statement which seemingly conflicts with Gibson s political activism:That s not what the photos say The Washington Post reported: According to campaign reports, none of the women has donated to or worked for Moore s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, or his rivals in the Republican primary But notice the precise wording; it s lawyer-speak. It might very well be true that Gibson didn t donate or work for Doug Jones, but according to her Facebook profile, she did actively campaign for him, which doesn t help her credibility and it should have been reported yet the Washington Post conveniently left it out.

Title: OOPS! NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS WOMAN Who Accused Roy Moore of Sexual Misconduct Worked For Hillary Campaign…Supported His Democrat Opponent On Facebook. Text: Infowars uncovered a bombshell when they discovered the Facebook page of one of Judge Roy Moore s accusers, Debbie Gibson, who came out in a Washington Post article to accuse him of sexual misconduct that allegedly took place 36 years ago.Debbie Wesson Gibson says that she was 17 in the spring of 1981 when Moore spoke to her Etowah High School civics class about serving as the assistant district attorney. She says that when he asked her out, she asked her mother what she would say if she wanted to date a 34-year-old man. Gibson says her mother asked her who the man was, and when Gibson said Roy Moore, her mother said, I d say you were the luckiest girl in the world. Among locals in Gadsden, a town of about 47,000 back then, Moore had this godlike, almost deity status he was a hometown boy made good, Gibson says, West Point and so forth. Gibson says that they dated for two to three months, and that he took her to his house, read her poetry and played his guitar. She says he kissed her once in his bedroom and once by the pool at a local country club. Looking back, I m glad nothing bad happened, says Gibson, who now lives in Florida. As a mother of daughters, I realize that our age difference at that time made our dating inappropriate. Debbie Gibson hates Donald Trump, but that s not all, she s pretty fond of Judge Roy Moore s opponent, Doug Ross for US Senate In Alabama as well Here are a few anti-Trump posts that were found on Gibson s Facebook page: One of senatorial candidate Roy Moore s accusers is apparently a fervent Democrat who has worked for the DNC as a sign language interpreter for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, a revelation which the Washington Post never included in its original report.The accuser, Debbie Gibson, had also publically supported Moore s opponent Doug Jones before the accusations came to light.Gibson openly bragged about signing for Hillary during a campaign appearance. On a side note, we re not sure who she s signing for. The crowd behind Hillary, that is usually packed with the Democrats hand-picked diverse crowd, appears to be pretty thin.Here s a post from Gibson s page proving that she s supporting Judge Roy Moore s Democrat opponent for US Senate:She even posted a video of Moore s opponent, Doug Jones to promote him to her friends on Facebook. The screenshot below shows the post on her page. Interestingly, when attacking Moore ally Steve Bannon for suggesting the Washington Post was politically motivated in its reporting, the newspaper implied that Gibson wasn t down with Democratic propaganda, a statement which seemingly conflicts with Gibson s political activism:That s not what the photos say The Washington Post reported: According to campaign reports, none of the women has donated to or worked for Moore s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, or his rivals in the Republican primary But notice the precise wording; it s lawyer-speak. It might very well be true that Gibson didn t donate or work for Doug Jones, but according to her Facebook profile, she did actively campaign for him, which doesn t help her credibility and it should have been reported yet the Washington Post conveniently left it out.

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comey letter hurts gop as hillary clinton raised million online in hours

news bulletin liverpools english striker daniel sturridge c applauds supporters at the final whistle during the efl english football league cup fourth round match between liverpool and tottenham hotspur at anfield in liverpool north west england on october afp liverpool have progressed into the quarterfinals of the efl cup by defeating tottenham at anfield with the help of a double by daniel sturridge the reds just couldnt have asked for a better start on tuesday as they grabbed the lead just minutes into the match through daniel sturridge the yearold striker then doubled liverpools advantage after the break by converting a oneonone opportunity in the th minute spurs however managed to pull one back in the th minute when vincent janssen converted a penalty but that was as close as they got as liverpool made it to the last eight and stayed on course to lift the trophy for a th time in their history

Title: comey letter hurts gop as hillary clinton raised million online in hours. Text: news bulletin liverpools english striker daniel sturridge c applauds supporters at the final whistle during the efl english football league cup fourth round match between liverpool and tottenham hotspur at anfield in liverpool north west england on october afp liverpool have progressed into the quarterfinals of the efl cup by defeating tottenham at anfield with the help of a double by daniel sturridge the reds just couldnt have asked for a better start on tuesday as they grabbed the lead just minutes into the match through daniel sturridge the yearold striker then doubled liverpools advantage after the break by converting a oneonone opportunity in the th minute spurs however managed to pull one back in the th minute when vincent janssen converted a penalty but that was as close as they got as liverpool made it to the last eight and stayed on course to lift the trophy for a th time in their history

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Italy police arrest woman mafia boss, 24 others in Palermo dragnet

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Police in the Sicilian capital of Palermo scooped up 25 suspected mobsters on an array of charges on Tuesday, including a woman accused of filling in as boss for her imprisoned husband. More than 200 police, two helicopters and five canine units took part in the early morning roundup of the suspects. They are accused of extortion, handling stolen goods, vandalism and being mafia members, according to the arrest warrant seen by Reuters. With extensive use of wiretaps and ambient recordings, police reconstructed territorial divisions in the city and the internal power struggle that made Maria Angela Di Trapani, 49, a powerful figure inside one of the city s historic clans. Her husband, Salvatore Salvino eyes of ice Madonia, who is in jail for murder. Police said she carried messages from her husband to clan members and organized monthly payments to the families of imprisoned mobsters. She also designated who should be running the mob family s business, or who should be acting boss , on behalf of her husband. In one wiretap, an accused clan member refers to her as the mistress of the house , and the police statement on the arrests said she was the real boss of the Resuttana neighborhood. For all intents and purposes, she acts like a real man, a turncoat told investigators, according to the court documents. The Sicilian mafia, or Cosa Nostra, has been hurt by a series of arrests in recent years, weakening the crime network, especially compared to the Calabrian Ndrangheta. With many bosses in jail, their wives have begun to play larger roles. While Cosa Nostra has been much weakened by the result of judicial investigations, this case shows the continuing ability to use violence, intimidation, and the mafia code to force business and shop owners to pay extortion, the warrant reads. During the two-year investigation, police documented 33 separate crimes and 22 attempts, many successful, to extort shops and businesses, police said.

Title: Italy police arrest woman mafia boss, 24 others in Palermo dragnet. Text: PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Police in the Sicilian capital of Palermo scooped up 25 suspected mobsters on an array of charges on Tuesday, including a woman accused of filling in as boss for her imprisoned husband. More than 200 police, two helicopters and five canine units took part in the early morning roundup of the suspects. They are accused of extortion, handling stolen goods, vandalism and being mafia members, according to the arrest warrant seen by Reuters. With extensive use of wiretaps and ambient recordings, police reconstructed territorial divisions in the city and the internal power struggle that made Maria Angela Di Trapani, 49, a powerful figure inside one of the city s historic clans. Her husband, Salvatore Salvino eyes of ice Madonia, who is in jail for murder. Police said she carried messages from her husband to clan members and organized monthly payments to the families of imprisoned mobsters. She also designated who should be running the mob family s business, or who should be acting boss , on behalf of her husband. In one wiretap, an accused clan member refers to her as the mistress of the house , and the police statement on the arrests said she was the real boss of the Resuttana neighborhood. For all intents and purposes, she acts like a real man, a turncoat told investigators, according to the court documents. The Sicilian mafia, or Cosa Nostra, has been hurt by a series of arrests in recent years, weakening the crime network, especially compared to the Calabrian Ndrangheta. With many bosses in jail, their wives have begun to play larger roles. While Cosa Nostra has been much weakened by the result of judicial investigations, this case shows the continuing ability to use violence, intimidation, and the mafia code to force business and shop owners to pay extortion, the warrant reads. During the two-year investigation, police documented 33 separate crimes and 22 attempts, many successful, to extort shops and businesses, police said.

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Chile left-wing candidates could form alliance, threatening market rally

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile s stock market has priced in a victory of conservative presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera, even though progressive candidates could form an alliance in a December runoff, traders and analysts said. The IPSA stock market index has surged 27 percent this year and is on track for its best year since 2010, spurred by a rebound in prices of top-export copper and polls that have shown Pinera ahead in the race. Pinera, a wealthy businessman and supporter of free-market policies, is expected to come in first by a wide margin in November s first-round vote, but he is unlikely to win an absolute majority. That would result in a close runoff against the leading progressive candidate. The majority is left of center, said Kenneth Bunker, a political scientist at Universidad Central de Chile. A Pinera victory depends on division within the left. The most recent GfK Adimark poll shows Pinera, who has consolidated the support of the country s political right, leading at 34 percent of the vote. Center-left Senator Alejandro Guillier is second with 16 percent, well ahead of several candidates promising to continue President Michelle Bachelet s socially progressive policies. Hard-left candidate Beatriz Sanchez, who has proposed billions of dollars in new taxes on mining companies, was third at 15 percent. As campaigning officially began last week, Guillier appealed for unity, saying in a radio interview that he would share his policy platform with rivals on the left to try to align their positions. No one doubts that in the second round we will all be together, Guillier said at a rally. While Chile remains one of Latin America s most business-friendly countries, public debt has grown as falling copper prices hit government revenue, and Bachelet critics say she has not prioritized growth. Last month, her top economic officials resigned in part over the government s rejection of a $2.5 billion copper and iron project on environmental grounds. Investors are particularly attentive to candidates proposals related to mining, Chile s most important industry. Guillier and Pinera have both pledged to streamline the mine permitting process, though Guillier has suggested modifying free-trade accords to promote domestic mineral processing. In a banner year for emerging markets, the IPSA has outpaced most regional peers. Brazil s Bovespa Index has surged 24 percent, Peru s leading index is up 20 percent, and Colombia s COLCAP index is up 9 percent. Only Argentina s Merval, up 49 percent, has surged more. The industrial and raw materials sectors have led Chile s market gains, surging 55 and 41 percent year to date, respectively. Lithium miner Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA has risen 77 percent in the past 9 months, while shipping firm Compania Sud Americana de Vapores SA is up 97 percent. In recent client notes, Credit Suisse and J.P. Morgan have said the so-called Pinera effect has passed and that now might be the time for traders to take profits or wait for election results. Hugo Rubio, president of brokerage BTG Pactual Chile, said a Pinera loss would cause a double-digit drop in the stock market, though the full extent would depend on the candidate. It s a risk the markets don t seem to be alive to at this stage, said Edward Glossop, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics in London. The risks are to the downside.

Title: Chile left-wing candidates could form alliance, threatening market rally. Text: SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile s stock market has priced in a victory of conservative presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera, even though progressive candidates could form an alliance in a December runoff, traders and analysts said. The IPSA stock market index has surged 27 percent this year and is on track for its best year since 2010, spurred by a rebound in prices of top-export copper and polls that have shown Pinera ahead in the race. Pinera, a wealthy businessman and supporter of free-market policies, is expected to come in first by a wide margin in November s first-round vote, but he is unlikely to win an absolute majority. That would result in a close runoff against the leading progressive candidate. The majority is left of center, said Kenneth Bunker, a political scientist at Universidad Central de Chile. A Pinera victory depends on division within the left. The most recent GfK Adimark poll shows Pinera, who has consolidated the support of the country s political right, leading at 34 percent of the vote. Center-left Senator Alejandro Guillier is second with 16 percent, well ahead of several candidates promising to continue President Michelle Bachelet s socially progressive policies. Hard-left candidate Beatriz Sanchez, who has proposed billions of dollars in new taxes on mining companies, was third at 15 percent. As campaigning officially began last week, Guillier appealed for unity, saying in a radio interview that he would share his policy platform with rivals on the left to try to align their positions. No one doubts that in the second round we will all be together, Guillier said at a rally. While Chile remains one of Latin America s most business-friendly countries, public debt has grown as falling copper prices hit government revenue, and Bachelet critics say she has not prioritized growth. Last month, her top economic officials resigned in part over the government s rejection of a $2.5 billion copper and iron project on environmental grounds. Investors are particularly attentive to candidates proposals related to mining, Chile s most important industry. Guillier and Pinera have both pledged to streamline the mine permitting process, though Guillier has suggested modifying free-trade accords to promote domestic mineral processing. In a banner year for emerging markets, the IPSA has outpaced most regional peers. Brazil s Bovespa Index has surged 24 percent, Peru s leading index is up 20 percent, and Colombia s COLCAP index is up 9 percent. Only Argentina s Merval, up 49 percent, has surged more. The industrial and raw materials sectors have led Chile s market gains, surging 55 and 41 percent year to date, respectively. Lithium miner Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA has risen 77 percent in the past 9 months, while shipping firm Compania Sud Americana de Vapores SA is up 97 percent. In recent client notes, Credit Suisse and J.P. Morgan have said the so-called Pinera effect has passed and that now might be the time for traders to take profits or wait for election results. Hugo Rubio, president of brokerage BTG Pactual Chile, said a Pinera loss would cause a double-digit drop in the stock market, though the full extent would depend on the candidate. It s a risk the markets don t seem to be alive to at this stage, said Edward Glossop, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics in London. The risks are to the downside.

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WATCH: GOP Senator Yawns As Disabled Healthcare Protesters Are Being Dragged Away By Cops

Republicans are desperately trying to repeal Obamacare in order to substitute it with a sh*t sandwich. The Graham-Cassidy bill is so bad that experts, including hospitals, doctors, and AARP have all warned against the dangerous proposal which will leave millions uninsured. During the hearings in the Senate today, Democrat Ron Wyden asked Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy for a yes or no answer over whether the bill protects people with pre-existing conditions. Wyden didn t get an answer to that question.Disabled protesters with ADAPT which stands for Americans Disabled Attendant Programs Today chanted No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty! Those protesters will be the forgotten Americans in the GOP s travesty of a bill.Sen. Orrin Hatch told the crowd that, if you can t remain quiet, then get the heck out. Orrin Hatch gavels back in and tells the crowd that, if you can't remain quiet, "then get the heck out." Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017 If the hearing is going to devolve into a sideshow or a forum for simply putting partisan points on the board, there s absolutely no reason for us to be here, Hatch added.The disturbing visual of disabled Americans being arrested was what you d call bad optics.Some Senators have stayed to watch the ongoing arrests. pic.twitter.com/bBuPskNFcE Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017Bill Cassidy just sat there with no f*cks to give over disabled Americans being dragged out and arrested.Bill Cassidy doesn't seem to be phased. pic.twitter.com/3Ioi7aa2ZH Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017More bad optics.Wow. pic.twitter.com/VOlQHBksPy Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017And here is Bill Cassidy literally yawning while people are fighting for their lives.Bill Cassidy is literally yawning as protestors are carried away. pic.twitter.com/TqINKjrLx6 Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017A majority of Americans said in a recent poll that they disapprove of Republican legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, while less than 10 percent said they believed the GOP proposal would help them, according to Politico. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) came out on Friday in opposition to the bill. Sen. Rand Paul isn t too keen on the bill either, and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) haven t taken a position on the bill, but the former is expected to vote against it.Hopefully, today s bad optics will help them to decide because there s a long line of people outside of the hearings being arrested and processed.Image via screen capture.

Title: WATCH: GOP Senator Yawns As Disabled Healthcare Protesters Are Being Dragged Away By Cops. Text: Republicans are desperately trying to repeal Obamacare in order to substitute it with a sh*t sandwich. The Graham-Cassidy bill is so bad that experts, including hospitals, doctors, and AARP have all warned against the dangerous proposal which will leave millions uninsured. During the hearings in the Senate today, Democrat Ron Wyden asked Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy for a yes or no answer over whether the bill protects people with pre-existing conditions. Wyden didn t get an answer to that question.Disabled protesters with ADAPT which stands for Americans Disabled Attendant Programs Today chanted No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty! Those protesters will be the forgotten Americans in the GOP s travesty of a bill.Sen. Orrin Hatch told the crowd that, if you can t remain quiet, then get the heck out. Orrin Hatch gavels back in and tells the crowd that, if you can't remain quiet, "then get the heck out." Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017 If the hearing is going to devolve into a sideshow or a forum for simply putting partisan points on the board, there s absolutely no reason for us to be here, Hatch added.The disturbing visual of disabled Americans being arrested was what you d call bad optics.Some Senators have stayed to watch the ongoing arrests. pic.twitter.com/bBuPskNFcE Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017Bill Cassidy just sat there with no f*cks to give over disabled Americans being dragged out and arrested.Bill Cassidy doesn't seem to be phased. pic.twitter.com/3Ioi7aa2ZH Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017More bad optics.Wow. pic.twitter.com/VOlQHBksPy Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017And here is Bill Cassidy literally yawning while people are fighting for their lives.Bill Cassidy is literally yawning as protestors are carried away. pic.twitter.com/TqINKjrLx6 Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017A majority of Americans said in a recent poll that they disapprove of Republican legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, while less than 10 percent said they believed the GOP proposal would help them, according to Politico. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) came out on Friday in opposition to the bill. Sen. Rand Paul isn t too keen on the bill either, and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) haven t taken a position on the bill, but the former is expected to vote against it.Hopefully, today s bad optics will help them to decide because there s a long line of people outside of the hearings being arrested and processed.Image via screen capture.

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Muslim Woman Who Turned In Paris Terrorist Shares Important Thought With The World

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the planner of the terrorist attacks that hit Paris on November 13, 2015, was killed after a raid led by French authorities who stormed an apartment in the town of Saint-Denis. It has now been revealed that police found Abaaoud in part thanks to information given to them by a Muslim woman.She has now revealed her faith because she wants the world to know the following:But until now, the public has been unaware that the critical tip in the hunt for Abaaoud came from a Muslim one of millions who now face a backlash in Europe fueled by anger over the attacks in Paris and Brussels, as well as fear and resentment of a rising tide of refugees. It s important the world knows that I am Muslim myself, the woman said, citing that as a reason for being willing to speak to The Post. It s important to me that people know what Abaaoud and the others did is not what Islam is teaching. Too often after terrorist incidents, people particularly conservatives act as if Islam is the only faith that extremists use as justification for mass murder, ignoring the history of other faiths (including Christianity) being perverted.When terrorists have hit America the hardest, their attacks did not discriminate by faith. In fact, one estimate says that 32 Muslims were killed in the 9/11 attacks.Ironically, even though his administration declared war on Iraq, it was President George W. Bush who often went to great lengths to point out there was a distinction between those who practice peaceful Islam, and the terrorist hijackers. And that sentiment has continued with President Obama, who pointed out that when discussing Americans and those with Islamic faith, it s not them or us, it s just us. This woman s example shows that blanket condemnations of Muslims, as agitators like Donald Trump have engaged in, are backwards and just flat-out incorrect.Featured image via YouTube

Title: Muslim Woman Who Turned In Paris Terrorist Shares Important Thought With The World. Text: Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the planner of the terrorist attacks that hit Paris on November 13, 2015, was killed after a raid led by French authorities who stormed an apartment in the town of Saint-Denis. It has now been revealed that police found Abaaoud in part thanks to information given to them by a Muslim woman.She has now revealed her faith because she wants the world to know the following:But until now, the public has been unaware that the critical tip in the hunt for Abaaoud came from a Muslim one of millions who now face a backlash in Europe fueled by anger over the attacks in Paris and Brussels, as well as fear and resentment of a rising tide of refugees. It s important the world knows that I am Muslim myself, the woman said, citing that as a reason for being willing to speak to The Post. It s important to me that people know what Abaaoud and the others did is not what Islam is teaching. Too often after terrorist incidents, people particularly conservatives act as if Islam is the only faith that extremists use as justification for mass murder, ignoring the history of other faiths (including Christianity) being perverted.When terrorists have hit America the hardest, their attacks did not discriminate by faith. In fact, one estimate says that 32 Muslims were killed in the 9/11 attacks.Ironically, even though his administration declared war on Iraq, it was President George W. Bush who often went to great lengths to point out there was a distinction between those who practice peaceful Islam, and the terrorist hijackers. And that sentiment has continued with President Obama, who pointed out that when discussing Americans and those with Islamic faith, it s not them or us, it s just us. This woman s example shows that blanket condemnations of Muslims, as agitators like Donald Trump have engaged in, are backwards and just flat-out incorrect.Featured image via YouTube

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