Pew Research Center, which conducts not just domestic but also international polls, released their newest findings with regards to President Obama and how the world sees him (more specifically, their confidence in him that he will do the right thing).Not surprisingly, it turns out that most of the world loves our president and has the utmost confidence in him. Take that, Republicans who call him weak in the eyes of the world.After gathering information from 40 states across six continents, a median of 65 percent say they have confidence in Obama to do the right thing and 27 percent do not.These are the top 10 countries that have the highest rating for President Obama:The president s approval rating has also skyrocketed in India, from a dismal 48 percent in 2014 to 74 percent now. The lowest approval rating Obama has in Africa is 65 percent, but it is important to remember African citizens loved President Bush as well.When President Bush left the White House in January 2009, western European confidence in America s president reached an all-time low, with some countries giving W. less than 10 percent approval. Today, western Europe remains inspired by our nation s president (unless you count Russia, where only 11 percent approve of him).Although the president has seen a slightly lower approval rating recently than when he entered the presidency in 2009, it should be noted that besides his sharp decline with Russia, he also has drastically declined in Israel. Just last year, his approval rating was a soaring 71 percent (Republicans ignored this while accusing him of hating Israel), and this year his approval rating has fallen to 49 percent.So Israel isn t too thrilled with him and Russia absolutely despises him. Other than that, the world loves him. In the U.S., the poll found that 58 percent of Americans feel he can do the right thing and have confidence in his ability to do so. Not too shabby considering (yet again), Republicans say the people hate him. The only other countries that seem to have no confidence in him are Jordan, Pakistan, Venezuela, the Palestinian Territory, and Argentina.If the world loves President Obama, I can only imagine how much they ll love Bernie or Hillary.America, let s not wreck our standing internationally for God s sake, we don t need President Trump coming in and making the world hate us (again). Featured image by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images


Colombian police have arrested the local director of operations for Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins on charges of corruption, the company said on Thursday, adding it had reported the executive to the authorities itself. Jeronimo Martins, which is the largest food retailer in Poland and the second largest in Portugal, has been expanding in Colombia for the past four years. Jeronimo Martins Colombia has recently reported to the Colombian authorities the existence of a potential case of private corruption, for personal benefit and harmful to the company, which had been detected by our internal systems, a company spokeswoman said. The director of operations of ARA has been detained following joint actions with the Colombian authorities, she said, declining to provide further details. Jeronimo Martins entered the Colombian market in 2013 and has opened more than 200 stores since under the ARA brand.


President Trump loves to set the day's narrative at dawn, but the deeper story of his White House is best told at night. Aides confer in the dark because they cannot figure out how to operate the light switches in the cabinet room. Visitors conclude their meetings and then wander around, testing doorknobs until finding one that leads to an exit. In a darkened, mostly empty West Wing, Mr. Trump's provocative chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, finishes another day planning new lines of attack. Usually around 6:30 p. m. or sometimes later, Mr. Trump retires upstairs to the residence to recharge, vent and intermittently use Twitter. With his wife, Melania, and young son, Barron, staying in New York, he is almost always by himself, sometimes in the protective presence of his imposing longtime aide and former security chief, Keith Schiller. When Mr. Trump is not watching television in his bathrobe or on his phone reaching out to old campaign hands and advisers, he will sometimes set off to explore the unfamiliar surroundings of his new home. During his first two dizzying weeks in office, Mr. Trump, an outsider president working with a surprisingly small crew of no more than a empowered aides with virtually no familiarity with the workings of the White House or federal government, sent shock waves at home and overseas with a succession of executive orders designed to fulfill campaign promises and taunt foreign leaders. "We are moving big and we are moving fast," Mr. Bannon said, when asked about the upheaval of the first two weeks. "We didn't come here to do small things. " But one thing has become apparent to both his allies and his opponents: When it comes to governing, speed does not always guarantee success. The bungled rollout of his executive order barring immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, a flurry of other miscues and embarrassments, and an approval rating lower than that of any comparable president in the history of polling have Mr. Trump and his top staff rethinking an improvisational approach to governing that mirrors his chaotic presidential campaign, administration officials and Trump insiders said. This account of the early days of the Trump White House is based on interviews with dozens of government officials, congressional aides, former staff members and other observers of the new administration, many of whom requested anonymity. At the center of the story, according to these sources, is a president determined to go big but increasingly frustrated by the efforts of his small team to contain the backlash. "What are we going to do about this?" Mr. Trump pointedly asked an aide last week, a period of turmoil briefly interrupted by the successful rollout of his Supreme Court selection, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch. Chris Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and an old friend of the president's, said: "I think, in his mind, the success of this is going to be the poll numbers. If they continue to be weak or go lower, then somebody's going to have to bear some responsibility for that. " "I personally think that they're missing the big picture here," Mr. Ruddy said of Mr. Trump's staff. "Now he's so caught up, the administration is so caught up in turmoil, perceived chaos, that the Democrats smell blood, the protesters, the media smell blood. " One former staff member likened the aggressive approach of the first two weeks to but said the president's team had stormed the beaches without any plan for a longer war. Clashes among staff are common in the opening days of every administration, but they have seldom been so public and so pronounced this early. "This is a president who came to Washington vowing to shake up the establishment, and this is what it looks like. It's going to be a little sloppy, there are going to be conflicts," said Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush's first press secretary. All this is happening as Mr. Trump, a man of flexible ideology but fixed habits, adjusts to a new job, life and city. Cloistered in the White House, he now has little access to his fans and supporters — an important source of feedback and validation — and feels increasingly pinched by the pressures of the job and the constant presence of protests, one of the reasons he was forced to scrap a planned trip to Milwaukee last week. For a sense of what is happening outside, he watches cable, both at night and during the day — too much in the eyes of some aides — often offering a bitter of critics like CNN's Don Lemon. Until the past few days, Mr. Trump was telling his friends and advisers that he believed the opening stages of his presidency were going well. "Did you hear that, this guy thinks it's been terrible!" Mr. Trump said mockingly to other aides when one dissenting view was voiced last week during a West Wing meeting. But his opinion has begun to change with a relentless parade of bad headlines. Mr. Trump got away from the White House this weekend for the first time since his inauguration, spending it in Palm Beach, Fla. at his private club, posting Twitter messages angrily — and in personal terms — about the federal judge who put a nationwide halt on the travel ban. Mr. Bannon and Reince Priebus, the two clashing power centers, traveled with him. By then, the president, for whom chains of command and policy minutiae rarely meant much, was demanding that Mr. Priebus begin to put in effect a much more conventional White House protocol that had been taken for granted in previous administrations: From now on, Mr. Trump would be looped in on the drafting of executive orders much earlier in the process. Another change will be a new set of checks on the previously unfettered power enjoyed by Mr. Bannon and the White House policy director, Stephen Miller, who oversees the implementation of the orders and who received the brunt of the internal and public criticism for the rollout of the travel ban. Mr. Priebus has told Mr. Trump and Mr. Bannon that the administration needs to rethink its policy and communications operation in the wake of embarrassing revelations that key details of the orders were withheld from agencies, White House staff and Republican congressional leaders like Speaker Paul D. Ryan. Mr. Priebus has also created a checklist for the release of any new initiatives that includes signoff from the communications department and the White House staff secretary, Robert Porter, according to several aides familiar with the process. Mr. Priebus bristles at the perception that he occupies a diminished perch in the West Wing pecking order compared with previous chiefs. But for the moment, Mr. Bannon remains the president's dominant adviser, despite Mr. Trump's anger that he was not fully briefed on details of the executive order he signed giving his chief strategist a seat on the National Security Council, a greater source of frustration to the president than the fallout from the travel ban. It is partly because he is seen as having a clear vision on policy. But it is also because others who had been expected to fill major roles have been less confident in asserting their power. Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's occupies a central role in the administration and has been present at most major decisions and photo ops, but he is a father of young children who has taken to life in Washington, and, along with his wife, Ivanka Trump, has already been spotted at events around town. Mr. Bannon has rushed into the vacuum, telling allies that he and Mr. Miller have a brief window in which to push through their vision of Mr. Trump's economic nationalism. Mr. Bannon, whose website, Breitbart, was a magnet for white nationalists and xenophobic speech, has also tried to reassure official Washington. He has been careful to build bridges with the Republican establishment, especially Mr. Ryan — whom he once described as "the enemy" and vowed to force out. He now talks regularly with Mr. Ryan to coordinate strategy or plot their planned overhaul of the tax code. Before he was ousted in November as transition chief, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, the Trump adviser with the most government experience, helped prepare a detailed staffing and implementation plan in line with the kickoff strategies of previous Republican presidents. It was discarded — a senior Trump aide made a show of tossing it into a garbage can — for a strategy that prioritized the daily release of dramatic executive orders to put opponents on the defensive. Mr. Christie, who agrees in principle with the broad strokes of Mr. Trump's immigration policy, says the president has been let down by his staff. "The president deserves better than the rollout he got on the immigration executive order," Mr. Christie said. "The fact is that he's put forward a policy that, in my opinion, is significantly more effective than what he had proposed during the campaign, yet because of the botched implementation, they allowed his opponents to attack him by calling it a Muslim ban. " In the past few days, Mr. Trump's team has stressed its cohesion and the challenges of an administration that few outside its group ever thought would exist. "This team spent months in the foxhole together during the campaign," said Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary. "We moved into the White House as a unified team committed to enacting the president's agenda. " As part of Mr. Trump's Oval Office renovation, he ordered that four hardback chairs be placed in a semicircle around his Resolute Desk now heaped, in Trump Tower fashion, with memos and newspapers. They are an emblem of Mr. Trump's management style, but also a reminder that in the White House, the seats always outlast the people seated in them. But finding enough skilled players to fill key slots has not been easy: Mr. Spicer is serving double duty as communications director, a key planning position, in addition to engaging in combat with the news media. Mr. Trump, several aides said, is used to quarterbacking his own media strategy, and did not see the value of hiring an outsider. An early plan was to give the communications job to Kellyanne Conway, his former campaign manager and top TV surrogate, but the demands of the job would have conflicted with Ms. Conway's other duties as a adviser to Mr. Trump with Oval Office privileges, according to one aide. Mr. Trump remains intensely focused on his brand, but the demands of the job mean he spends less time monitoring the news media — although he recently upgraded the TV in his private dining room so he can watch the news while eating lunch. He often has to wait until the end of the workday before grinding through news clips with Mr. Spicer, marking the ones he does not like with a big arrow in black Sharpie — though he almost always makes time to monitor Mr. Spicer's performance at the daily briefings, summoning him to offer praise or criticism, a West Wing aide said. Visitors to the Oval Office say Mr. Trump is obsessed with the décor — it is both a totem of a victory that validates him as a serious person and an backdrop — so he has told his staff to schedule as many televised events in the room as possible. To pass the time between meetings, Mr. Trump gives quick tours to visitors, highlighting little tweaks he has made after initially expecting he would have to pay for them himself. Flanking his desk are portraits of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. He will linger on the opulence of the newly hung golden drapes, which he told a recent visitor were once used by Franklin D. Roosevelt but in fact were patterned for Bill Clinton. For a man who sometimes has trouble concentrating on policy memos, Mr. Trump was delighted to page through a book that offered him 17 window covering options. Ultimately, this is very much the White House that Mr. Trump wanted to build. But while the world reckons with the effect he is having on the presidency, he is adjusting to the effect of the presidency on him. He is now a public employee. And the only boss Mr. Trump ever had in his life was his father, a developer the president still treats with deep reverence. With most of his belongings in New York, the only family picture on the shelf behind Mr. Trump's desk is a small photograph of that boss, Frederick Christ Trump.


After a brief and almost meaningless visit to Texas, during which Donald Trump didn t meet with a single victim of Hurricane Harvey, the president s cavalcade moved on to Missouri, where he returned to what he really cares about: More money for wealthy people.He s first, of course. His tweets from Wednesday morning prove unequivocally that the only victim he cares about is himself. He sent out a placating message about horror and devastation (which he didn t ask even one Harvey refugee about) just 25 minutes after a tweet about North Korea, and only 15 minutes before he went back into Martyr Mode :After reading the false reporting and even ferocious anger in some dying magazines, it makes me wonder, WHY? All I want to do is #MAGA! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2017With that much obsession on his own well-being, why wouldn t the next logical step be another campaign-style stop to try and convince people to support his awful tax plan? Did I say campaign-style? What I mean is, this was not a White House event. This was straight-up partisan. If Donald Trump operated under the rule of law, the RNC would have to reimburse taxpayers for his Missouri speech, in which he explicitly called for the ouster of a Democratic senator, Claire McCaskill. Speaking to a crowd in Springfield, Trump said,We must lower our taxes and your senator, Claire McCaskill, she must do this for you, and if she doesn t, you have to vote her out of office.That s campaigning, not laying out policy. But he doesn t have much policy yet to reveal: The GOP has yet to agree on much of what will go into their tax reform package. Trump himself would like to see the business tax rate lowered to 15%, a number so low that it would cripple the government without slashing spending on the poor. But even most Republicans oppose so low a rate, and his plans for tax relief for the middle class and repatriating offshore profits are, so far, still out in the ether somewhere.The bottom line is, now that he s got that awful trip to Texas out of the way, Trump is on the warpath, and his only focus is now on winning. He even warned the members of his party not to disappoint him on taxes, the way they did on Trumpcare:I am fully committed to working with Congress to get this job done, and I don t want to be disappointed by Congress. Do you understand me?Oh, we understand, Donnie. You were embarrassed by Mitch McConnell and humiliated by John McCain, so now you want a McVictory to soothe your fiery case of butthurt. Americans see through your tax reforms, though. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It s the Republican Way!


If there's one message the Republican presidential candidates not named Donald Trump aimed to get across at the final debate before Iowa's caucuses, it was this: 50 states still have to vote, and a lot could change when they do. "We're just starting. The first vote hasn't been counted. Why don't we let the process work?" Jeb Bush said in Des Moines. The GOP contenders are barnstorming the Hawkeye State Friday on the heels of the Fox News/Google debate, where Trump's absence put a spotlight on candidates like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio – but also gave the race's underdogs a chance to engage on the issues, and even capture airtime that eluded them when the front-runner was onstage. Bush and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, in particular, were getting high marks Friday from analysts. The former Florida governor was seen as having one of his best debate performances of the campaign -- including pointed criticism of his former protégé Rubio -- perhaps benefiting from not having to worry about Trump belittling his every comment. And Paul, after missing the cut in the last debate, returned to the main stage with a firm critique of his rivals' alleged inconsistencies on immigration, surveillance and more. In Iowa, those candidates may simply be too far behind in the polls for a strong debate showing to make much difference. But the night helped show that few candidates are conceding anything to front-runner Trump, or the other two top-polling candidates, Cruz and Rubio. Asked Friday if he changed any minds at the debate, Bush said, "I hope so." New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, too, played the role Thursday of disenchanted Washington outsider, scolding the Florida and Texas senators after an immigration spat and quipping that he needed a Washington "dictionary" to decipher what they were saying. "This is why you need to send someone outside of Washington to Washington," Christie said. "Stop the Washington bull and let's get things done." With Trump out of the picture – boycotting the debate over complaints about Fox News, instead hosting a veterans event nearby – Cruz absorbed much of the criticism from the other GOP candidates. He and Rubio tangled the most, as Rubio tries to make up ground against Cruz in both Iowa and New Hampshire. In their most heated exchange, Rubio accused Cruz of falsely describing himself as the most conservative candidate, and changing his position on immigration. "This is the lie that Ted's campaign is built on," the Florida senator said. "Throughout this campaign, you've been willing to say and do anything in order to get votes." He said Cruz used to talk about bringing immigrants out of the shadows, and, "now, you want to trump Trump on immigration." The Texas senator flipped the allegation, saying it is Rubio who vowed to fight against "amnesty" and then reversed course for political expediency. "I like Marco, he's very charming, he's very smooth," Cruz said, before accusing him of siding with donors in the immigration debate. Bush later sparred as well with Rubio on immigration. Bush said Rubio sponsored the "gang of eight" bill that allowed for legalization, but "then he cut and run" because it wasn't popular with conservatives. The debate marked a particular opportunity for Paul – who did not qualify for the recent Fox Business Network debate but returned to the prime-time stage Thursday after making the cut this time. "It's great to be back," Paul said Thursday. Paul, despite struggling with low poll numbers, seemed to have plenty of supporters in the audience, as his responses drew applause from the crowd several times. He also took shots at both Cruz and Rubio on their records. Echoing Cruz' criticism, he said Rubio made a deal with Democrats on immigration and suggested he was weak on border security. At the same time, Paul suggested Cruz was being disingenuous by claiming he was never for "amnesty." He said Cruz has an "authenticity problem." The debate Thursday, with 12.5 million viewers, was the second-highest rated telecast in Fox News' history. Also on stage Thursday night were retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Carson's standout moment seemed to come at the end of the debate, when he used his closing statement to recite the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. "Please think of our founding fathers as you listen," Carson asked. After reading aloud the Preamble -- including its call for a "more perfect union" – he said, "Folks, it's not too late. Enough said." The polls in the Hawkeye State show essentially a two-man race for first between Trump and Cruz in the final stretch. Rubio has been holding steady in third position, while Carson's numbers have been on a downward course in recent weeks. After Iowa, the candidates head to New Hampshire, where Trump also leads but several other candidates are jockeying for position behind him.


Why do we allow stories like these to be buried? It s so important for Americans to know the truth about how easy it is for terrorists to slip through our porous borders. Why do mainstream media sources in the U.S. not report stories like these? When this radical Imam was caught trying to sneak into the U.S. in 2011, the UK Daily Mail was the only publication to cover this story. Why? Jan., 2011 -U.S. border guards got a surprise when they searched a Mexican BMW and found a hardline Muslim cleric banned from France and Canada curled up in the boot.Said Jaziri, who called for the death of a Danish cartoonist that drew pictures of the prophet Mohammed, was being smuggled into California when he was arrested, along with his driver Kenneth Robert Lawler.The 43-year-old was deported from Canada to his homeland Tunisia in 2007 after it emerged he had lied on his refugee application about having served jail time in France.His fire and brimstone sermons and rabble-rousing antics catapulted him into the public eye during his short tenure as imam at a Montreal mosque.He branded homosexuality a disease and led protests over cartoonist Kurt Westergaard s illustrations poked fun at Islam and were published in a Danish newspaper in 2006.He also caused anger when he campaigned for a bigger mosque to accommodate Montreal s burgeoning Muslim population.But after his deportation he complained that he had been physically and mentally tortured during the 13-hour flight repatriating him to Tunisia, a claim Canadian authorities deny.He was being held as a material witness in the criminal case against Mr Lawler, who has been charged with immigrant smuggling.Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard sparked controversy when his drawings of Mohammed appeared in a newspaper in 2006Jaziri had allegedly paid a Tijuana-based smuggling cartel $5,000 to take him across the border near Tecate, saying he wanted to be taken to a safe place anywhere in the U.S. According to the court documents, a Mexican guide led Jaziri and a Mexican immigrant over the border fence near Tecate.They then trekked across the rugged terrain under cover of darkness to a spot popular for drivers who pick up immigrants for smuggling runs into San Diego.He allegedly told officials he had flown from Africa to Europe, then to Central America and Chetumal, Mexico, on the Mexico-Belize border, where he took a bus to Tijuana. I think he was deported because people hated his ideas. His case drew support from the Muslim community as well as Amnesty International after he claimed he would be tortured if sent back to Tunisia.As a disclaimer, a couple of websites are attempting to pass this off as a current story. This story actually took place in 2011. We want everyone to know this is NOT a current story, but it serves as a reminder of how serious our porous borders were then and how they are even more porous today, thanks to Obama forcing our Border Agents to stand down.


(Want to get this briefing by email? Here's the .) Good evening. Here's the latest. 1. Major G. O. P. donors are warning the Republican National Committee to cut off Donald Trump or risk lasting damage to the party's image. In the House, some Republicans are gauging how Mr. Trump's problems could affect them. Our election podcast The goes behind the story of the two women who told us that Mr. Trump touched them inappropriately. Mr. Trump calls his accusers liars. President Obama campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Ohio. On Thursday night, Mr. Obama called the Republican situation a "swamp of crazy. " ____ 2. Cholera is stalking Haiti's southern peninsula in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. The disease has killed 10, 000 people since 2010, when scientists say it was introduced by U. N. peacekeepers after the earthquake. Now it is ravaging remote areas where clean water was already hard to find before the storm. ____ 3. The Justice Department announced it would track the use of force by the police across the U. S. It's an effort to fill what officials say is a huge void in official data. (The most comprehensive records on police shootings have come from databases built by news organizations.) ____ 4. President Obama issued a sweeping directive on Cuba and loosened many trade restrictions. The move formalizes the changes announced two years ago — and sidesteps Congress, where Mr. Obama's call to lift the embargo faced opposition. Among the changes? You can now bring unlimited Cuban rum and cigars back to the U. S. for personal consumption. ____ 5. Rates for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act are going up. That's because not enough young, healthy people have signed up for the insurance markets it created. The Obama administration is planning greater outreach to younger Americans during the next enrollment period, which starts on Nov. 1. ____ 6. In Aleppo, Syria, a drone video reveals destruction so complete that our architecture critic says it obliterates even a sense of time. "At a glance," he writes, "the video could show Berlin in 1945 or Grozny, 2000. Mass death erases all distinctions. " ____ 7. Bob Dylan, the latest Nobel Prize winner, spent his formative years as a performer in New York, a city he had a complicated, fertile romance with. We conjure what his life in Greenwich Village was like after he arrived in 1961 as a cherubic but determined . And if you want to learn more, a Harvard professor is teaching a whole class on Mr. Dylan. ____ 8. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was a flop when it was first released in 1975, but went on to become a cult hit at midnight showings. And 41 years later, Laverne Cox is starring in a coming remake as Dr. the pansexual alien scientist. ____ 9. For your weekend planning: "Kevin Hart: What Now?" is in theaters, and our critic said most of it was funny, while also acknowledging that the comedian is basically " . " Our experts recommend the comedian Kyle Kinane, the British show "The Durrells in Corfu" and the movie "Carol," above, which is streaming on Showtime. ____ 10. Finally, Part II of our discussion about eating fish. On Thursday we noted that eating fish is good for you. But a reader asked about the levels of mercury. Good point. Mercury can be harmful for pregnant women and small children, but experts say fish remains preferable to red meat. And you can avoid mercury by skipping varieties that accumulate high levels of it: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Have a carefree weekend. Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don't miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here's last night's briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com.


LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — Donnie Gaddis picked the wrong county to sell 15 oxycodone pills to an undercover officer. If Mr. Gaddis had been caught 20 miles to the east, in Cincinnati, he would have received a maximum of six months in prison, court records show. In San Francisco or Brooklyn, he would probably have received drug treatment or probation, lawyers say. But Mr. Gaddis lived in Dearborn County, Ind. which sends more people to prison per capita than nearly any other county in the United States. After agreeing to a plea deal, he was sentenced to serve 12 years in prison. "Years? Holy Toledo — I've settled murders for a lot less than that," said Philip Stephens, a public defender in Cincinnati. Dearborn County represents the new boom in American prisons: mostly white, rural and politically conservative. A bipartisan campaign to reduce mass incarceration has led to enormous declines in new inmates from big cities, cutting America's prison population for the first time since the 1970s. From 2006 to 2014, annual prison admissions dropped 36 percent in Indianapolis 37 percent in Brooklyn 69 percent in Los Angeles County and 93 percent in San Francisco. But large parts of rural and suburban America — overwhelmed by the heroin epidemic and concerned about the safety of diverting people from prison — have gone the opposite direction. Prison admissions in counties with fewer than 100, 000 people have risen even as crime has fallen, according to a New York Times analysis, which offers a newly detailed look at the geography of American incarceration. Just a decade ago, people in rural, suburban and urban areas were all about equally likely to go to prison. But now people in small counties are about 50 percent more likely to go to prison than people in populous counties. The stark disparities in how counties punish crime show the limits of recent state and federal changes to reduce the number of inmates. Far from Washington and state capitals, county prosecutors and judges continue to wield great power over who goes to prison and for how long. And many of them have no interest in reducing the prison population. "I am proud of the fact that we send more people to jail than other counties," Aaron Negangard, the elected prosecutor in Dearborn County, said last year. "That's how we keep it safe here. " He added in an interview: "My constituents are the people who decide whether I keep doing my job. The governor can't make me. The legislature can't make me. " But many criminal justice experts say that the size of the disparities undercuts the basic promise of equal protection under the law. "Letting local prosecutors enforce state laws differently throws all notions of equality under the law out the window," said Peter Wagner, executive director of the Prison Policy Initiative, which advocates reducing incarceration rates. "This data puts governors and legislative leaders on notice that if they want to put criminal justice reforms into effect, they need to look at how prosecutors use and abuse their discretion. " The analysis is based on previously unpublished data from the Department of Justice on state prisons, which hold the vast majority of American inmates sentenced to a year or more. The divide does not appear to be driven by changes in crime, which fell in rural and urban areas at roughly equal rates, according to the F. B. I. Instead, it reflects growing disagreement about how harshly crime should be punished, especially drivers of the criminal justice system like theft, drugs, weapons and drunken driving. Cities have adopted a more lenient approach to drug offenses in particular, diverting many drug offenders to probation or treatment rather than to jail. Those choices have started to reverse — if only modestly — longstanding racial disparities in American prisons, where blacks and Hispanics are incarcerated at drastically higher rates than whites. The annual number of new black prison inmates fell by about 25 percent from 2006 to 2013, and the number of Hispanic inmates fell by about 30 percent, while the number of new white inmates fell by only about 8 percent, according to the most complete federal data. The number of black prisoners is still "shockingly high," said Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project. "Nonetheless, these numbers are encouraging. It suggests that this is not necessarily an intractable problem. " But rural, mostly white and politically conservative counties have continued to send more drug offenders to prison, reflecting the changing geography of addiction. While crack cocaine addiction was centered in cities, opioid and meth addiction are ravaging small communities like those in Dearborn County, where 97 percent of the population is white. A collection of small, quiet towns near the Ohio River, Dearborn County does not look like a prison capital. Violent crime is rare. There are few empty storefronts. And local officials, flush with money brought in by a popular local casino, have built a convention center and a high school football field fit for a movie set. But the extraordinarily high incarceration rate here — about one in 10 adults is in prison, jail or probation — is driven less by crime and poverty than by a powerful prosecutor, judges and a growing heroin epidemic. Opioid addiction spread early here. Mr. Negangard, the prosecutor, has fought the heroin crisis by aggressively going after drug crimes. "If you're not prosecuting, then you're de facto legalizing it," Mr. Negangard said. Mr. Negangard has faced few obstacles to getting more convictions. He supervises his own police force, an unusual arrangement that allows him to investigate and prosecute most of the county's serious crime. The police go after even minor drug cases, often offering to dismiss drug possession charges in exchange for information on friends or family members who sell drugs. Probation officials are just as strict. Offenders released on probation are tested for drugs frequently, and hundreds of people who violate the terms of their probation have been sent to state prison in the past few years. By 2014, Dearborn County sentenced more people to prison than San Francisco or Westchester County, N. Y. which each have at least 13 times as many people. "It's government run amok," said Douglas A. Garner, a local criminal defense attorney. Lawmakers in Indiana, concerned about the rising cost of incarceration, enacted a law that reduced criminal penalties starting in 2014 — one of at least 40 states to approve measures to reduce incarceration in the past few years. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence, now the Republican nominee. But the new rules, which Mr. Negangard fought, have done little to curb incarceration rates in Dearborn County. Mr. Negangard said the long sentences here are the envy of police officers in Cincinnati. If a suspect is willing to sell drugs in Dearborn County, the Cincinnati police will help steer the case here, where greater punishment is almost assured, he said. One Cincinnati man, Scott Huy, drove from Cincinnati to Dearborn County in 2013, enticed by a heroin deal set up by a police informer. Mr. Huy had already been convicted of drug trafficking twice in Ohio, for which he had served a total of five years in prison. After Mr. Huy sold seven grams of heroin to an undercover officer, he was sentenced to serve 35 years. Lawyers here have a term for when defendants like Mr. Huy realize the geographic disparity: "sticker shock. " Defense lawyers outside Dearborn County respond with disbelief as well. "That is so far out of line with the crime itself and any common notion of decency," Jeff Adachi, San Francisco's public defender, said of Mr. Huy's sentence. The rural resistance to lighter penalties goes beyond Indiana. Prosecutors in New York City have sharply cut incarceration rates in part by diverting drug offenders from prison after state changes encouraged paths to treatment. But in the rest of the state, prosecutors and judges continue to put drug offenders in prison at a steady flow. In Texas, a series of changes intended to cut the prison population led to large reductions in new prisoners from Houston and Austin. But the rest of the state has had only modest declines. Court systems and jails in many populated areas are overcrowded, putting pressure on judges to offer probation. A federal court ordered California to reduce chronic prison overcrowding in 2009, leading to the largest declines in admissions in the country. offenders are now released on probation or diverted to local jails. At the same time, cities tend to have more resources to fight addiction outside of jail and prison. In Cincinnati, most people who are caught with small quantities of drugs are charged with a crime but are diverted to drug court, where they are placed in an outpatient treatment program, said Mr. Stephens, the public defender. If the offender completes the program, the charge is dismissed. "People are trying to work with it here in Cincinnati so it doesn't overwhelm the justice system," Mr. Stephens said. In smaller counties, prisons are often the only response to a range of social ills, including drug abuse and mental illness. To handle the expanded caseload, Dearborn County officials spent $11. 5 million to double the size of the local jail and approved $11 million more to expand the county courthouse. But money for drug treatment is scarce. At least 225 of the 250 inmates in the Dearborn County jail have a drug addiction, estimated Jonathan L. Cleary, a county judge. But drug treatment programs can serve only about 40 of them. Mr. Negangard said he wished the county could find more money for drug treatment. But he said about half of all addicts in prison had a criminal and would keep committing crimes whether they got clean or not. "We can't just let the bad guys go," he said.


Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has immediately declared an apparently deliberate attack on pedestrians outside Finsbury Park Mosque terrorism — unlike the Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, and London Bridge attacks, which she called "incidents". [Taking to Twitter after news broke that a man had crashed a van into a crowd of people leaving a Mosque in Finsbury the Labour was quick to label it a "shocking terror attack". Shocking terror attack outside Finsbury Park mosque. Thoughts prayers with friends families of the victims #FinsburyPark, — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) June 19, 2017, Abbott reiterated her description of the attack as terrorism, calling on police to "urgently review security for all mosques" minutes later, and retweeted a message from Shomrim London which also referred to the crash as a "horrific terrorist attack". Terror attack outside #FinsburyPark mosque. Police must urgently review security for all mosques #StandTogether, — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) June 19, 2017, Abbott's rush to judgement on this occasion stands in sharp contrast to her pronouncements following the Islamist terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, and London Bridge. The Westminster Bridge attack, in which Muslim convert Khalid Masood ran down several pedestrians before leaping from his car and stabbing a police constable to death on March 22nd, was not acknowledged as a terror attack until the following day in a tweet which pointed followers in the direction of a Guardian article emphasising the fact that the migrant was " ". The following day, she released a statement in which she claimed it was "too early now to debate the cause or motivation for this attack". She warned against "wild assertions about this attack by people claiming to know what the police can't yet know, why this happened and who precisely was involved". She added: "We should reject any false or lazy assertions and wait for the police to do their work. " Westminster terror attack triggers rhetoric. But the attacker was actually British born https: . — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) March 23, 2017, Following the Manchester Arena suicide bombing on May 22nd, in which the son an Islamist refugee murdered and maimed dozens of men, women, and children at a concert, Abbott would only go as far describing the attack as a "horrific incident". My thoughts go out to all those affected by the horrific incident in Manchester. Our emergency services have acted swiftly and bravely. — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) May 23, 2017, Abbott used similar language following the terror attack on London Bridge and Borough Market on June 3rd, in which former child refugee Khuram Butt, bogus asylum seeker Rachid Redouane, and EU national Youssef Zaghba ran down and stabbed dozens of people in London. The Jeremy Corbyn ally was careful to refer to the terror attacks as "incidents" in two separate tweets. My thoughts are with all those affected by the incidents in London tonight, — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) June 3, 2017, Emerging news of frightening incidents tonight: London Bridge, Borough Market Vauxhall. Once again we owe so much to emergency services pic. twitter. — Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) June 3, 2017, Breitbart London has described all the attacks, including last night's outside Finsbury Park Mosque, as terrorist attacks.


Donald Trump was right. Countless others were wrong. The pundits and pollsters who said the former reality TV star could not win the U.S. presidency, the Republicans who shunned him, the business leaders who denounced him and the Democrats who dismissed him failed to fully understand the depth of his support. In a stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump stuck to a plan that worked to perfection in the Republican primary, a campaign built around his blunt-talking celebrity persona, his command of social media, and his anti-establishment message of change. "Ours was not a campaign, but an incredible and great movement," Trump said in his victory speech on Wednesday. It was a movement driven by discontent. The Reuters/Ipsos Election Day poll found that most Americans who came to the polls were clearly angry with the direction of the country. Six out of 10 people said they felt the country is on the wrong track. Some 58 percent said "more and more I don't identify with what America has become" and 75 percent said "America needs a strong leader to take the country back" from the wealthy. Those who felt the country was on the wrong track were three times as likely to vote for Trump as Clinton. In a bitter and divisive campaign, Trump cleared a series of obstacles that would doom any other candidate: An audio tape in which he talked of groping women; a refusal to release his tax returns; violence at his rallies; his mockery of a disabled reporter; and his attacks on the heritage of a federal judge and the Muslim family of a U.S. soldier. "He was an imperfect candidate with a near-perfect message," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist who has long backed Trump. "I don't think a lot of people understood that." In a year when voters in the United States and abroad showed their antipathy toward the political establishment, the globalized economy, and corporate welfare, Trump guessed correctly he could ride that wave of discontent to the White House. He exploited a growing divide in the country between whites and minorities, urbanites and rural residents, the college-educated and the working class. Trump beat Clinton among white men without a college degree by 31 points and white women without a degree by 27 points, according to the Reuters/Ipsos polling. He also benefited from an opponent with her own flaws. Clinton was continually dragged down by questions over her use of a private email server while secretary of state and the activities of her family foundation, while her corporate-friendly background left some Democrats skeptical and unenthusiastic. That appeared to cost her support among women, young voters and minorities – three groups that are critical for Democrats to win big. Clinton won each of these groups, but by smaller margins than President Barack Obama held when he defeated Republican candidate Mitt Romney in 2012. Some 49 percent of women supported Clinton, the first woman nominee of a major party, while 47 percent supported Trump. Among women between the ages of 18 and 34, about 55 percent supported Clinton, while 38 percent supported Trump. In 2012, 62 percent of young women supported Obama, while 36 percent supported Romney. White voters, especially men in rural areas, flocked to Trump in record numbers. Trump appealed to voters unhappy with the hollowing out of the country's manufacturing sector and fearful of the country's changing demographics, campaigning on a harsh anti-immigration message. Trump won 56 percent of the white vote, while Clinton won just 39 percent. He dominated to an even greater degree in rural areas, where he beat Clinton by 27 points. Trump promised big things: that he would bring jobs back and punish outsourcing corporations, that he would restore the country to some unspecified early time of prosperity and security - even as unemployment tumbled below 5 percent. Specifics were never Trump's strength. Instead, he used an "us versus them" message to build voter enthusiasm in places where most Republican candidates never ventured, rural areas with voters who felt ignored by Washington. Matt Borges, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said Trump, unlike Romney, made voters feel like they mattered. Before Trump, he said, "we weren't listening to what voters actually care about." Trump thumbed his nose at the extensive get-out-the-vote operation and data-rich organization that are seen as essential to a modern winning campaign. His campaign relied instead on more unofficial networks of rabid supporters to get the word out. His advisers argued that he would bring scores of neglected white voters back into the political process, including blue-collar Democrats in places such as Pennsylvania. Until Trump, Republicans had not won Pennsylvania since 1988. Craig Robinson, a veteran of Iowa Republican politics, said pundits underestimated how Trump's strength in the primaries would carry over to the general election. "In an election where the conventional wisdom was proven wrong time and time again, they convinced themselves that conventional wisdom would prevail in the general election," Robinson said. "The voters saw through it."


Leaders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel s conservative party agreed on Sunday to pursue a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) to break the political deadlock in Europe s biggest economy. Merkel, whose fourth term was plunged into doubt a week ago when three-way coalition talks with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens collapsed, was handed a political lifeline by the SPD on Friday. Under intense pressure to preserve stability and avoid new elections, the SPD reversed its position and agreed to talk to Merkel, raising the prospect of a new grand coalition, which has ruled for the past four years, or a minority government. We have the firm intention of having an effective government, Daniel Guenther, conservative premier of the state of Schleswig Holstein, told reporters after a four-hour meeting of leading members of Merkel s Christian Democrats (CDU). We firmly believe that this is not a minority government but that it is an alliance with a parliamentary majority. That is a grand coalition, he said. The meeting came after the conservative state premier of Bavaria threw his weight behind a new right-left tie-up. An alliance of the conservatives and SPD is the best option for Germany - better anyway than a coalition with the Free Democrats and Greens, new elections or a minority government, Horst Seehofer, head of the Bavarian CSU, told Bild am Sonntag. An Emnid poll also showed on Sunday that 52 percent of Germans backed a grand coalition. Several European leaders have emphasised the importance of getting a stable German government in place quickly so the bloc can discuss its future, including proposals by French President Emmanuel Macron on euro zone reforms and Brexit. Merkel, who made clear on Saturday she would pursue a grand coalition, says that an acting government under her leadership can do business until a new coalition is formed. The youth wing of Merkel s conservatives raised pressure on the parties to get a deal done by Christmas, saying if there was no deal, the conservatives should opt for a minority government. In an indication, however, that the process will take time, the CDU agreed on Sunday evening to delay a conference in mid-December that had been due to vote on the three-way coalition. The SPD premier of the state of Lower Saxony said he feared there was no way a decision would be reached this year. It is a long path for the SPD, said Stephan Weil on ARD television. Merkel is against going down the route of a minority government because of its inherent instability, but pundits have said one possibility is for the conservatives and Greens to form a minority government with informal SPD support. The Greens have said they are open to a minority government. Even before any talks get under way, the two blocs have started to spar over policy priorities. Merkel, whose conservatives won most parliamentary seats in a Sept. 24 vote but bled support to the far right, has said she wants to maintain sound finances in Germany, cut some taxes and invest in digital infrastructure. She has to keep Bavaria s CSU on board by sticking to a tougher migrant policy that may also help win back conservatives who switched to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The SPD needs a platform for its policies after its poorest election showing since 1933. Leading SPD figures have outlined conditions including investment in education and homes, changes in health insurance and no cap on asylum seekers. Most experts believe the SPD has the stronger hand and several prominent economists said they expected the SPD to wield significant influence in a new grand coalition. If there is a grand coalition or even if there is toleration (of a minority government) I would expect more emphasis on the SPD s programme, Clemens Fuest, president of the Ifo institute, told business newspaper Handelsblatt. That would mean higher state spending and smaller tax cuts than would have been agreed with other potential partners. The SPD is divided, with some members arguing that a grand coalition has had its day. The SPD premier of the state of Rhineland Palatinate, Malu Dreyer, said she preferred the idea of the SPD tolerating a minority government over a grand coalition, making clear that the party would not agree to a deal at any price.


Just a few blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House sits the Trump International Hotel, one of the newest luxury additions to Donald J. Trump's real estate empire, and perhaps the most visible symbol of the ethical quandary he now confronts. The Trump International operates out of the Old Post Office Building, which the federal government owns. That means Mr. Trump will be appointing the head of the General Services Administration, which manages the property, while his children will be running a hotel that has tens of millions of dollars in ties with the agency. He also will oversee the National Labor Relations Board while it decides union disputes involving any of his hotels. A week before the election, the board ruled against Mr. Trump's hotel in a case in Las Vegas. The layers of potential conflicts he faces are in many ways as complex as his business empire, adding a heightened degree of difficulty for Mr. Trump — one of the wealthiest men to ever occupy the White House — in separating his official duties from his private business affairs. Further complicating matters are Mr. Trump's decision to name his children to his transition team, and what is likely to be their informal advisory role in his administration. His daughter Ivanka Trump joined an official transition meeting on Thursday, the day before Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey was removed from his post leading the effort. Mr. Trump has said he will eliminate ethical concerns by turning the management of his company over to his children, an arrangement he has referred to as a blind trust. But ethics lawyers — both Republicans and Democrats — say it is far from blind because he would have knowledge of the assets in the trust and be in contact with the people running it, making it unlike a conventional blind trust controlled entirely by an independent party. "To say that his children running his businesses is the equivalent of a blind trust — there is simply no credibility in that claim," said Matthew T. Sanderson, a Washington lawyer and Republican who has worked on the presidential campaigns of John McCain, Rand Paul and Rick Perry. "Yes, the American public elected him knowing he has these assets, but unless he deals with this properly there will just be a steady trickle of these stories, and it could be a drag on his presidency. " Mr. Trump, as part of his bid for the White House, released information about his financial holdings, which include more than a dozen hotels and golf courses commercial real estate space, including Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street in New York and marketing deals in the United States and abroad. But it is unclear how much information was not disclosed, in part because he declined to release even a summary of his tax returns — becoming the first presidential candidate not to do so in 40 years. Rudolph W. Giuliani, a close adviser to Mr. Trump, said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that excluding Mr. Trump's family from a role in his businesses "would basically put his children out of work. " The public, Mr. Giuliani said, needs to trust Mr. Trump. "You have to have some confidence in the integrity of the president," Mr. Giuliani said. "The man is an enormously wealthy man. I don't think there's any real fear or suspicion that he's seeking to enrich himself by being president. If he wanted to enrich himself, he wouldn't have run for president. " Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for the transition, declined to respond to questions about possible conflicts of interest Mr. Trump might face as president. "The Trump Organization will respond accordingly," she said. A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump's company said in a statement that the Trump Organization was already working to address possible conflicts. "We are in the process of vetting various structures with the goal of the immediate transfer of management of the Trump Organization and its portfolio of businesses to Donald Jr. Ivanka and Eric Trump along with a team of highly skilled executives," the statement said. "This is a top priority at the organization, and the structure that is ultimately selected will comply with all applicable rules and regulations. " Previous presidents have encountered questions about their financial holdings. Lyndon B. Johnson, through his wife, continued to have ownership of television stations while he was president. George Washington enlisted the Treasury Department to help find a runaway slave. But presidents have often taken steps to prevent ethical questions. George Bush put his stock holdings into a blind trust after he was elected vice president, and Jimmy Carter turned his peanut farm over to a blind trust after he was elected. As president, Mr. Trump will be exempt from a federal ethics rule that prohibits government employees and members of Congress from taking actions that could benefit their financial interests. But the president still must comply with a law that requires annual financial disclosures of his assets. The first will not be due until May 2018, although President Obama filed one voluntarily during his first year in office. Experts said that even if Mr. Trump was exempt from some federal ethics rules, the public will expect him to not use his office to benefit his personal finances. "He has campaigned on a platform of getting rid of corruption and that Washington is broken and we need new, refreshing change," said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, a nonprofit that pushes for accountability in government. "As president, the American public expects that Mr. Trump will be held to a higher standard. " In a statement on Monday, the General Services Administration said that the agency realized it must examine its Old Post Office lease with Mr. Trump's business "to allow a path to be put in place to identify and address any potential conflict of interest. " Also on Monday, Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland and the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called for an inquiry into how Mr. Trump will handle these potential conflicts. "The American people have the right to know — they ought to know — exactly whether decisions are possibly being made that would benefit him, his family and his associates directly," Mr. Cummings said in an interview. The labor dispute in Nevada represents another potential complication. The president appoints all five members of the National Labor Relations Board. But over the past year, the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas has been in a battle with the culinary workers union, at first challenging an effort by hotel employees to unionize. The labor board ruled against him in July. Then the hotel, which Mr. Trump refused to begin negotiations with the new union, and the labor board again ruled against it, in November. Other labor disputes with employees are pending. "Will he as president of the United States of America use the power he has to interfere — given that he has a financial interest in the outcome of these matters?" said Bethany Khan, a spokeswoman for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 of Nevada. Perhaps most troubling for Mr. Trump, several ethics lawyers said, is a relatively obscure provision of the Constitution, called the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits any government official from taking payments or gifts from a foreign government, or even from sharing in profits in a company that has financial ties to a foreign government. Mr. Trump has had business deals with foreign governments or individuals with apparent ties to foreign governments, including real estate arrangements in Azerbaijan and Uruguay. His children have frequently traveled abroad to promote the Trump brand, making trips to Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Scotland. Closer to home, the Bank of China is a tenant in Trump Tower and is a lender for another building in Midtown Manhattan where Mr. Trump has a significant partnership interest. "Doing business with a foreign corporation, be it in Azerbaijan, Turkey or Russia, if is it owned in part or controlled by a foreign government — any benefit that would accrue to Mr. Trump could well be a violation of the Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution," said Kenneth A. Gross, a political ethics and compliance lawyer in Washington. There are also more general issues that could prove troubling. For instance, Mr. Trump will nominate the Treasury secretary, yet he owes hundreds of millions of dollars to banks, and he benefits from low interest rates set by the Federal Reserve, an institution he has criticized as political. The head of the Internal Revenue Service is also appointed by the president, and the agency is currently auditing Mr. Trump's taxes and sets tax policy that directly affects his businesses. But it is Mr. Trump's real estate and financial holdings that represent the most sensitive ethical areas, the ethics lawyer said. Mr. Trump's children are already deeply involved in the daily operations of the Trump Organization. Ivanka is executive vice president for development and acquisitions, and is in charge of domestic and global expansion of the company's real estate interests. Ms. Trump also has her own clothing, jewelry and footwear lines. Even this week, Ms. Trump turned her appearance on Sunday on "60 Minutes" — with her father — into a marketing opportunity for her line of jewelry, with one of her employees urging reporters to write about the $10, 800 gold bangle bracelet she wore during the interview. Donald Jr. is also an executive vice president in the Trump Organization, and the company's website says he directs new project acquisition and development in regions "from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia, the Middle East to South America, mainland China to the United States. " Eric is in charge of the Trump Organization's golf course collection. "We'll be in New York and we'll take care of the business," Eric Trump said in an interview with "60 Minutes" that was broadcast on Sunday. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun doing it. And we're going to make him very proud. "


The chances of Donald Trump becoming the Republican nominee for president have gone from impossible to probable, while Hillary Clinton's chances of being the Democrat have moved from likely to virtually certain. So, barring more surprises, it's probably going to be Hillary vs. The Donald in the fall. There is no mystery about Clinton. Those who support her as well as those who oppose her have little trouble explaining why. Trump is another matter. No one I know would even consider voting for Trump. So who are all these millions who support him? Why, they are working-class white men, we are told, who feel betrayed by the failure of both parties to deal with stagnant incomes, growing debts and shrinking possibilities for their retirements and their childrens' futures. It's a plausible theory. And it may help to explain Bernie Sanders. But no one has ever associated Trump with these blue-collar issues. How has he become the tribune of the people in this election? Is he just the one who got there first? The explanation is not so difficult. In the opening paragraph of his novel "Ravelstein," Saul Bellow writes, "Anyone who wants to govern the country has to entertain it." Clinton has been called many things, but "entertaining" is not one of them. This is not the case with Trump, who is an authentic American character like something out of Mark Twain. All the other candidates except Sanders had the character squeezed out of them when they decided they wanted to be president. Trump's a phony of course (not to mention a racist), but his phoniness is authentic. He's self-made — not in the financial sense, but characterologically. And what a character! You always want to know what he will say or do next. To be sure, it's not really the president's job to keep the citizenry entertained, although voting on the basis of entertainment value is not entirely irrational, given that entertainment is the main benefit you're likely to get from our political system. Anyway, not knowing what he'll do next does have its charms, and they go beyond entertainment. During the nuclear standoff of the 1960s and 1970s, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger took advantage of a doctrine out of the branch of economics known as game theory, which holds that sometimes it pays to be — or at least to be perceived to be — crazy. No rational person would ever start a nuclear war. So the one who can get the other side to back down in any future nuclear standoff is the one who convinces the world that he or she is more irrational. Vladimir Putin has done a pretty good job here, you have to admit. Imagine Putin and any of the American presidential candidates facing each other across the nuclear divide, each threatening to push the button unless their demands are met. Which of the Americans is crazy enough to actually do it? When Barack Obama proposes something, you know it's been analyzed and balanced and weighed against the alternatives, tested in the laboratory and found to be a reasonable solution given the limitations and under the circumstances. When Trump faces some similar challenge, you don't know what he's going to say or do. And if he says he's going to do something crazy, like get the Mexicans to pay for a wall across their own country to keep themselves out of ours, you can't be sure he won't actually try to do it. It's clear now that the title of Trump's book "The Art of the Deal " actually reflects a philosophy of life: Trump believes that everything in life is a negotiation, a deal, and he believes that making deals uses skills that he has and his rivals lack. This is why he may even have been sincere in his puzzlement about why the media has been so insistent that he reveal his tax returns. Paying taxes, like so much else in life, is a negotiation — at least at Trump's level. And why would you give your opponent a major document, whether it reveals misbehavior or not? What is misbehavior, for that matter? It's all up for negotiation. People (read: liberals) are afraid of what Trump might do as president. All this silly talk about moving to Canada. But the thing to really worry about in a Trump presidency is what happens a couple of years from now, when people who have invested their hopes in Trump and his magic tricks discover that he is not the Wizard of Oz but rather the man behind the curtain.


The gunshots that ripped through a congressional Republican team practice early Wednesday on a Virginia baseball field not only shook the U.S. Capitol but also upended what many Americans consider a symbol of fair play and summer fun. Before he was killed, a gunman shot and wounded a senior Republican House leader and several others getting ready on an Alexandria, Virginia, field for a charity game between Republicans and Democrats on Thursday in nearby Washington, D.C. The annual Congressional Baseball Game charity event, where Senate and House members from both parties face off together, has raised $600,000 for the Boys and Girls Club, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and the Washington Literacy Center, according to several lawmakers and event organizers. The game at Nationals Park may be one of the last vestiges of cooperation between the two sides in the nation's capital, where some believe partisan politics is at an all-time high. "There's such a hatefulness in what we see in American politics and policy discussions right now ... this has got to stop," Representative Rodney Davis, a Republican team member, told CNN in an interview while still wearing his baseball cleats and practice clothes. Davis said the congressional game was a great demonstration that Democrats and Republicans could still get along. "We have fun," said a visibly upset Davis. "I never thought I'd play a baseball game for charity, got to practice at 6:30 in the morning and have to dodge bullets." The gun violence early on Wednesday scarred what is for many almost sacred American ground - the baseball field. Considered America's so-called national pastime, the game dates back to the 1800s even as it now competes heavily with other popular sports including football and basketball. "I've always felt safe on a baseball field, and now I don't know if I'll ever feel safe on a baseball field again," Representative Chuck Fleischmann, also at the shooting scene, told CNN. The grassy field once known for roasted peanuts and hot dogs now instead conjures images of a battlefield, fellow Republican Brad Wenstrup, an Army Reserve officer, said on Twitter. "You never expect a baseball field in America to feel like being back in a combat zone in Iraq, but this morning it did," wrote Wenstrup, a congressman from Ohio. When congressional members were told in a bipartisan briefing that Thursday's baseball game would still be held despite the shooting, they leapt to their feet in a standing ovation, Republican Representative Martha McSally told Reuters. "Tomorrow we'll go out on the field, we'll root for our team," U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi later told lawmakers from the chamber floor. "We will use this occasion as one that brings us together and not one that separates us further."


Turkey issued arrest warrants for 63 people, including former National Intelligence Agency (MIT) personnel, over alleged links to the U.S.-based cleric accused of orchestrating last year s attempted coup, Anadolu agency reported on Tuesday. The police operation was launched in 21 provinces across Turkey, the state-run news agency reported. Ankara says cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in the United States since 1999, was behind the abortive putsch in July 2016. Gulen has denied involvement. More than 50,000 people have been jailed pending trial for alleged ties to Gulen s movement and some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from jobs in the public and private sectors for the same reason. Some of Turkey s Western allies and rights groups have expressed concern about the crackdown and suspect the government has used the coup as a pretext to quash dissent. The government says the purges are necessary due to the gravity of the threats it has faced since the failed putsch, in which more than 240 people were killed.


The Sunni Islamic State ( ) has boasted that key U. S. Middle East ally Saudi Arabia is the top provider of terrorists for the jihadist group in Iraq, reports Fox News, citing Iraqi military sources. [Sunni Saudi Arabia shares an estimated border with Iraq. Nevertheless, Fox News reports that the Saudi jihadists crossed into Iraq over the border the country shares with both Turkey and Syria. The news outlet learned from unnamed Iraqi intelligence sources that jihadist from the Saudi kingdom comprise nearly (up to 30 percent) of all ISIS terrorists in Iraq, adding that "Saudis comprise the largest single contingent of ISIS fighters, with Russian Chechens making up the contingent. " Speaking to the news outlet on condition of anonymity, a Iraqi intelligence officer said, "The Saudi presence in ISIS is very large. What we have left are mainly Iraqis and Saudis. " "The Saudis make up a large number of suicide bombers, as they already have the ground work of radicalization installed in their minds from radical sheikhs in Saudi [Arabia]. And we've caught important ISIS commanders," he added. Fox News points out that it has seen various photographs and documents showing identification and credit cards of Saudi terrorists. The report comes nearly a month after an article by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed that President Donald Trump's administration is considering forming a military alliance with major Middle East allies, including the Sunni Saudi kingdom, to combat Shiite Iran. President Trump's coalition would bring together Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. The Sharia kingdom Saudi Arabia is regarded as a hotbed and top global exporter of radical Islamic thought, namely the Sunni extremist ideology of Wahhabism, adhered to by ISIS and various other jihadists groups. Saudi Arabia imposes extremely strict Islamic laws on its citizens. "Wahhabism was born in Saudi Arabia. Saudi is leading those extremist organizations like ISIS," an anonymous Iraqi official told Fox News. "They have officials and fighters among their ranks. Saudi is nothing without U. S. protection it is only a bite for Iran to eat. " Sunni Saudi Arabia considers Shiite Iran its regional rival. Iran exerts tremendous influence over the government of Iraq where militias backed by the Islamic Republic are fighting ISIS. Saudi Arabia is part of the U. S. coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Sunni kingdom, which has cracked down on the jihadist group within its borders, has also suffered attacks carried out by ISIS.


Two U.S. House Democrats on Monday asked the Federal Communications Commission inspector general to probe whether FCC Chairman Ajit Pai was biased in favor of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which is seeking approval of a $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media Co. Representatives Frank Pallone and Elijah Cummings cited FCC decisions that benefited Sinclair, the largest U.S. television broadcast group, and a media report last year that the election campaign of President Donald Trump struck a deal with Sinclair for favorable coverage. "All of these actions – when taken in context with reported meetings between the Trump administration, Sinclair, and Chairman Pai's office – have raised serious concerns about whether Chairman Pai's actions comply with the FCC's mandate to be independent," the pair wrote. Advocacy group Free Press said in an FCC filing in August that Sinclair forces its stations to "air pro-Trump propaganda and then seeks favors from the Trump administration." A spokeswoman for Pai said the "request appears to be part of many Democrats' attempt to target one particular company because of its perceived political views ... Any claim that Chairman Pai is modifying the rules now to benefit one particular company is completely baseless." Politico, citing unnamed sources, reported in December that Trump's campaign made a deal with Sinclair to get favorable coverage in exchange for more access to Trump. Sinclair did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, told a congressional committee last month, "All of our media policy decisions seem to be custom-built for this one company." Sinclair announced plans in May to acquire Tribune's 42 TV stations in 33 markets as well as cable network WGN America, extending its reach to 72 percent of American households. The FCC is set to vote Thursday on Pai's plan to eliminate the ban on cross-ownership of a newspaper and TV station in a major market and make it easier for media companies to buy additional TV stations in the same market. Approval would make it easier for Sinclair to acquire more TV stations. The FCC will also vote Thursday on Pai's proposal to allow broadcasters to use new technology to improve picture quality and allow better reception on mobile phones, but it could force consumers to eventually buy new equipment. Sinclair holds some patents for the TV technology and Rosenworcel said Sinclair and others could profit.


The threat level facing Britain remains at critical, interior minister Amber Rudd said on Saturday, as she praised the police for making a very significant arrest following a London train bombing which injured 30 people a day earlier. Police arrested an 18-year-old man earlier on Saturday following the attack in west London. The threat level remains at critical and there will be further investigations and part of the operation later today, Rudd told reporters. This is a very significant arrest. The police have made very good progress. She added that it was too soon to know whether the culprits behind the attack were known to the authorities.


The ethics probe into U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold, who is already under a cloud for alleged sexual misconduct, is being expanded to look into whether he mixed his political campaign with congressional work and lied to the House Ethics Committee, the panel said on Thursday. Last week, Farenthold said he would not seek re-election next year after accounts surfaced that he created a hostile work environment. The Texas Republican denied allegations of sexual harassment but admitted allowing an unprofessional culture in his Capitol Hill office. On Thursday the ethics committee voted unanimously to investigate whether Farenthold used his congressional staff and other resources of the House of Representatives to further his political campaign, and if he had made false statements or omissions to the committee. The panel was already looking into whether he committed sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation against a former staff member and if he made inappropriate statements to other members of his staff. The committee said the announcement should not be read as an indication that it had found any rule violations. Farenthold's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Congress strictly divides lawmakers' work on Capitol Hill and their runs for re-election so that taxpayers do not end up subsidizing political campaigns. In August, the committee went so far as to warn Representatives, who face elections every two years, they should not even send texts or forward emails related to their campaigns while in House buildings. Congress is reviewing its workplace policies on sexual harassment after a number of lawmakers have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks amid a wave of such allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House said on Thursday intends to introduce legislation in January reforming a 20-year-old law that covers sexual harassment in Congress, which it hopes will pass soon after.


Obama spoke to a LGTB group a few days ago where he expressed his genuine concerns regarding religious institutions but that gay rights come before religious freedom. It s obvious Obama s taking a swipe at the Kim Davis case. The Pope met with Kim Davis and gave her encouragement but did the Pope discuss religious freedom and gay rights with Obama? As soon as the Pope took off for Rome, Obama lets it rip on gay rights. Demonizing those who are religious and those who choose not to support the gay community is typical Obama he ll forever be remembered as THE GREAT DIVIDER who really doesn t want to find common ground. I guess that s what old radicals are REALLY good at! We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions, he insisted during a dramatic speech at a LGTB fundraiser in New York City on Sunday night, praising the progress made on gay rights under his administration. But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights. The fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee was specifically billed as an LGBT gala held in New York City in coordination with Obama s trip to the United Nations Assembly.During his speech, Obama asserted that his administration was respecting what he described as genuine concerns of religious institutions but suggested that Republicans were using the issue just to earn more votes, as they did in 2004. America has left the leaders of the Republican Party behind, he declared proudly.He ridiculed Ben Carson for suggesting that prison turns you gay and added that another Republican candidate had boasted of his introduction of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, likely referring to Sen. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)96%.Alluding to Gov. Mike Huckabee, Obama mocked a candidate who said that Americans should just disobey the Supreme Court s ruling entirely. I m sure he loves the Constitution except for Article III, Obama said mockingly. And maybe the Equal Protection Amendment. And 14th Amendment, generally. Debbie Wasserman Shultz was in attendance at the fundraiser, and Star Trek s George Takei also was expected to attend.Obama proudly told the audience that he would not back down in his efforts to make progress for the LGBT community, and called for all of them to remain vigilant to hold the line on important legal gains in the country. What makes America special is, is that though sometimes we zig and zag, eventually hope wins out, he said. But it only wins out because folks like you put your shoulder behind the wheel and push it in that direction.


Jagmeet Singh, an Ontario provincial lawmaker and practicing Sikh, was elected on Sunday as leader of Canada s left-leaning New Democrats, becoming the first non-white politician to head a major Canadian political party. The 38-year-old lawyer, whose penchant for colorful turbans and tailor-made three-piece suits made him a social media star, was elected on the first ballot to lead the New Democratic Party into the 2019 federal election against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s Liberals. Thank you, New Democrats. The run for Prime Minister begins now, Singh tweeted. Singh secured 54 percent of the vote, defeating three rivals to become the new head of the NDP, succeeding Thomas Mulcair. The results of the vote, conducted online and by mail, were announced at a party meeting in Toronto. The Toronto-area politician, who led in fundraising since joining the race last May, had been touted by supporters as someone who could bring new life to the party, which has struggled since the death of charismatic former leader Jack Layton in 2011. Singh s profile was boosted in early September after a video went viral showing him calmly responding with words of love to a heckler who interrupted a campaign event to accuse him of wanting to impose Islamic Shariah law in Canada. His skill, in being able to diffuse the situation, it understandably appealed to a lot of people who ended up supporting him, said Christopher Cochrane, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto. Cochrane added that Singh s ability to connect both with young people and ethnic minorities would make him a force to reckon with when competing against Trudeau in 2019. Trudeau congratulated his new political rival on Twitter on Sunday, saying: I look forward to speaking soon and working together for Canadians. The NDP is the third largest party in the federal Parliament, with 44 of 338 seats. The party lags well behind the centrist Liberals and right-leaning Conservatives in political fundraising this year, according to Elections Canada data. Singh will now focus on rallying supporters and targeting center-left voters who helped propel Trudeau s Liberals to a decisive victory in 2015. There are hurdles ahead. Singh does not have a seat in the federal parliament and will have to win one in a special election. He also needs to persuade voters that his party can form a government, although it has never held power federally. There are also questions over whether he will have success in Quebec, Canada s mainly French-speaking province, where overt signs of faith are frowned upon.


Donald Trump s tax return: we ve heard about little else over the last few days. Voters are asking for them. Mitt Romney is asking for them. Trump initially told us that he wouldn t provide his taxes because the IRS is auditing them. Well, the IRS weighed in on that issue a couple of months ago, and they didn t mince words.IRS Chief John Koskinen explained in an interview with C-SPAN, The taxpayer controls his returns. There s nothing in an IRS audit process generally that would keep you from sharing that information generally, any way you wanted to. Koskinen further stated, It would be rare for someone to be audited every year, and that someone would not undergo another audit for a few years, two or three at least, after IRS audit the previous year. It would be rare, Koskinen stated.Source: Greenville GazetteHere s the video:Even that hasn t stopped Trump from sticking to his audit story.In interview I told @AP that my taxes are under routine audit and I would release my tax returns when audit is complete, not after election! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2016On Friday, though, his words were harsher, telling George Stephanopolous that it s none of (his) business. Aside from his supporters, few people are buying the audit story. Some are speculating that he might be a lot less wealthy than he says. Romney speculates that there might be something a lot more nefarious, like mob connections.There s also another possibility, and frankly, it could be a combination of everything: Trump is simply pandering to his voters. Angry white men hate the IRS. The love paved roads and wars and many other things our tax money gives us, but they resent the fact that a percentage of their paychecks are going to the common good. As a matter of fact, Trump was one of the only candidates who didn t say he wanted to abolish the IRS altogether.There s a good reason for that kind of rhetoric. Polls show that among Republicans, especially Tea Party Republicans, only 15 percent view the IRS in a favorable light, while 62 percent of Democrats do. What could possibly be a better tactic than turning yourself into a victim of the evil feds? For Trump voters, nothing.Featured image by Scott Olson at Getty Images.


A shipment of Kalashnikov rifles, popularly known as was destined for the United States when it was stopped and quickly rerouted to Venezuela. Washington had just slapped Moscow with sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, and the Russian gun maker Kalashnikov Kontsern suddenly found one of its biggest markets off limits. Without access to the ready buyers among American weapons enthusiasts, Kalashnikov had to change its strategy, an increasingly common challenge for Russian companies after the imposition of sanctions. In the two years that followed, Kalashnikov diversified into new product lines, slashed jobs and made over its brand. And the rifle — long the weapon of choice for militaries and militant groups and the world's most widely used firearm — was pitched instead to hobbyists and hunters in Russia. That new strategy appears to be yielding results. As Kalashnikov steps into the void left by American competitors in its home market, it is on track to turn a profit this year, bolstered in part by a weaker currency. "They started paying attention to clients," said Dmitry S. Balyasov, a lawyer and shooting enthusiast who was patronizing a firing range outside of Moscow. "They have a contemporary style for selling a product," Mr. Balyasov said, clutching a legal, civilian version of the weapon. For the company behind the weapon, the shift from serving conflict to serving consumers has been stark. The company owns the original license to rifles, colloquially known as — a name derived from the Russian word for automatic and the surname of the inventor, Lt. Gen. Mikhail T. Kalashnikov, as well as the year the prototype appeared. In the Soviet era, Kalashnikov's main rifle factory, called the Izhevsk Machine Works, was a military enterprise that stamped out guns in tremendous quantities with sales an afterthought. rifles are ubiquitous in conflict zones. More than 100 million have been sold, including the countless knockoffs the rifle has inspired from China and elsewhere. The chunky guns, with their oversize banana clips, are legendarily rugged, and can remain in armories for decades, limiting sales of new weapons. With the military market largely saturated, Kalashnikov became increasingly dependent on civilian weapons sales. The civilian versions shoot only once with each trigger squeeze, with no option to switch to full automatic as in the military rifle. Before the sanctions, Kalashnikov's plan for expansion focused on the United States, where gun ownership laws are more lenient than in many other countries. Though Russian weapons make up a tiny piece of the United States market, sales of its civilian rifles and shotguns branded as Saiga and Baikal increased at a faster pace than the overall market. By 2013, the United States accounted for about 40 percent of the company's total gun sales, roughly equivalent to the volume bought by the Russian military, where every soldier is equipped with one. American sanctions slammed the door on the expansion plan. The sanctions in mid 2014 took direct aim at Rostec, the military industrial conglomerate that holds a 51 percent stake in Kalashnikov. They forced the gun maker to take a hard look at its business. "We are moving from iron to intellect," said Vasily Brovko, the director of strategy and communications for Rostec. It thinned its ranks of middle managers at the Izhevsk factory in 2015, and diversified this year by buying companies that make motorboats and surveillance drones. While Kalashnikov does not break out sales receipts from its various divisions, it intends for firearms and clothing to make up about 80 percent of earnings by 2020, with motorboat and drone sales accounting for the rest. A clothing line is being unveiled in September, and the company plans to open 60 retail stores in Russia by the end of the year, selling clothes and rifles. It also introduced a marketing campaign, with a new logo — a stylized letter K, with a curved ammunition magazine as one of the arms — and a slogan, "Kalashnikov: Real. Reliable. " "Kalashnikov is a global brand," Vladimir Dmitriev, the company's chief of marketing, said, likening Kalashnikov to Ferrari or Caterpillar, companies that sell clothing as a sideline to capitalize on brand recognition. "We are certainly justified in thinking that clothes and souvenirs with our symbols will be in demand, as much as our primary products. " In Russia, Kalashnikov must navigate a different environment than in the United States. Russian consumers can buy a firearm only with a police permit. Potential buyers must have no criminal record, a diploma from a gun safety course and a medical certificate that clears them of any mental illness. With few exceptions, civilians are not allowed to own pistols. Kalashnikov is playing to patriotic ideals. As part of a marketing effort, the company erected a stand festooned with balloons promoting the rifle in Moscow's Gorky Park on May 9, Victory Day, the holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The type of display — one associating itself with the Russian government and army — is a contrast to the United States, where antigovernment sentiment is strong among the public. The company is showing signs of improvement. It says it expects to report a profit of 2. 1 billion rubles, or about $33 million, when 2015 results are published this month, compared with a loss of 340 million rubles in 2014. It now sells fewer guns, but makes more money on each. But the biggest boost for Kalashnikov comes from factors beyond its control. Russia is a major oil exporter, and weak crude prices coupled with the sanctions helped cut the value of its currency. With most of its costs priced in rubles, Kalashnikov products became far more competitive with imported firearms. "We are talking about the reversal of the Dutch disease, which Russia has been suffering," Vladimir Osakovsky, chief economist for Russia at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said. Dutch disease refers to the impact energy prices tend to have on an country's currency, pushing it higher and hurting domestic companies by making their exports look comparatively expensive. Whether the growth is sustainable or the product of favorable currency winds will depend on Kalashnikov's ground campaign. As part its broad new marketing effort, the company now sends representatives to gun stores across Russia to promote its products. At the Hunting Club gun shop in Moscow's suburbs, Kalashnikov has provided two window displays exclusively for its rifles, and racks and shelves to sell branded and shoulder patches. "The idea is to surround the customer with the brand, so he is not tempted to spend money anywhere else," Mr. Brovko, the Rostec strategist, said. With the help of the currency tailwinds, demand for Kalashnikov's shotguns and rifles at the shop has outpaced that for guns made by its rivals, like Beretta of Italy, Sauer of Germany and Winchester of the United States, according to Aleksei V. Lapshin, the owner of the Hunting Club. Customers have also been pleased with the range of special options, including different materials for the rifle exterior, he said. "It's a very modern approach," he said. "Some people want black plastic, some people want beechwood, some people want walnut. " "No two comrades have the same taste. "


Republicans in the House of Representatives are preparing legal action in case President Barack Obama tries to transfer detainees at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay to the United States, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday. Ryan told reporters it would be against the law for Obama to bring detainees from the prison in Cuba to the United States, because it would violate a ban on such transfers passed by Congress in 2015. He was speaking a day after the president, seeking to make good on a pledge he made in 2008 before he was first elected to the White House, launched a final push to persuade Congress to close the military prison for foreign terrorism suspects. The Pentagon-authored plan proposes 13 potential sites on U.S. soil to hold some 30 to 60 detainees in maximum-security prisons. Obama is also considering taking executive action to close Guantanamo, situated at a U.S. naval station in southeast Cuba, if Congress does not drop its opposition. "Our law is really clear," Ryan told reporters after a meeting of House Republicans. "These detainees cannot come to American soil." "We are making legal preparations if the president tries to break the law," Ryan said. "And what boggles my mind is that the president is contemplating directing the military to knowingly break the law." The speaker said that Obama is trying to extend the president's executive authority beyond its limits of the U.S. Constitution. Ryan added that not only Republicans but also many in Obama's own Democratic Party oppose detainee transfers to U.S. soil. Democrats accused House Republicans of wasting taxpayer dollars on litigation. In recent years the House Republican majority has spent nearly $3 million in this way, said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. House Republicans have spent $189,498 since November 2014 on litigation challenging the administration's Obamacare healthcare program, and recently agreed to spend up to $150,000 on legal advice on the possible Guantanamo litigation, Pelosi's office said. A spokesman for Ryan, Brendan Buck, defended the spending, saying "we wouldn't have to spend so much money if the president wasn't overreaching." Pelosi's office said that under former House Speaker John Boehner, House Republicans spent $2.5 million defending a law that denied federal benefits to same-sex couples, before the language was struck down by the Supreme Court.


Donald Trump isn t enjoying his time as President. In a series of interviews marking the first 100 days of his presidency, he s done an awful lot of whining and complaining, including saying that the job is much harder than he thought.One of the reasons the job is so hard for him is that he s not a dictator, as much as he d like to be one. His powers are limited by a document called the Constitution and that frustrates the hell out of him, even though he has an entirely Republican federal government.In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump appeared to have learned a new word, and he used it four times in reference to the Constitution. That word was archaic, and in his context, it was particularly disconcerting because it signaled his desire to completely do away with the constraints of the Constitution and with our system of checks and balances.Remember when White nationalist House stooge and millennial most likely to be punched Steven Miller said that that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned? A collective chill went up the spines of thinking Americans. Be prepared to feel that chill again. Here s what Trump said on Friday.In an interview with Fox News to mark the 100-day mark, he declared himself disappointed with congressional Republicans, despite his many great relationships with them.He blamed the constitutional checks and balances built in to US governance. It s a very rough system, he said. It s an archaic system It s really a bad thing for the country. Here s the video:Mostly, Trump wants to get rid of the filibuster. He has no authority whatsoever over the rules of the Senate, and while the Senate leadership could change the rules, in theory, it would be quite short-sighted because it would mean that the next time Democrats have even a slim majority, Republicans would be powerless to get anything accomplished or to stop a Democratic agenda.When President Obama wasn t able to get past the filibuster, Donald Trump called him weak and ineffectual. Now that the loafer is on Trump s foot, it s the Constitution s fault. Do you have chills yet?


on November 14, 2016 11:36 pm ·  In reaction to Donald Trump's victory, The Simpsons decided to update their 2000 prediction of a Trump presidency.  In 2000, the show showed a glimpse into the future where President Lisa Simpson inherited an economic mess from "President Trump." Well, now that fictional story line has become a horrifying reality.  Here is The Simpsons new opening with Bart Simpson writing on the chalkboard, "BEING RIGHT SUCKS": The Simpsons updates its 2000 prediction of a Trump Presidency… #TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/Myf5rYb9Dj  — The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) November 14, 2016  Hopefully, the financial despair the fictional President Trump never becomes a reality, but seeing as he has no experience, is a businessman who's not as good as he says he is, and The Simpsons have been right thus far, the future's looking pretty bleak.  Here's the original clip of President Lisa Simpson calling out a Donald Trump presidency for his fiscal fallout and bad economy:  Early on into Trump's campaign, The Simpsons satirized the reality TV host turned president-elect by having Homer Simpson somehow at the campaign rollout and falling into Trump's hair. If we could only go back to that moment and enjoy the comedy over reality.  Now we have to reap what we've sown, or rather what the less than half of voting Americans have sown considering Trump only won with the Electoral College and lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in his own words, big league.  Most of us with The Simpsons were very wrong with the prediction as well.