These poor kids have probably practiced for months for this performance, only to have it cancelled by a bunch of low life terrorists:The Minnetonka West MS 8th grade choir was scheduled to sing in the rotunda of the #MOA. They cancelled their performance. #BLM protest Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) December 23, 2015As if locking 8th graders out of their Christmas concert for shoppers wasn t enough, this group of terrorists had to shut down Santa s booth as well. What a shameful group of losers Santa is closing up shop.Repeat: Santa is closing up shop. #MOA #BLM Protest https://t.co/GPFBcMzylv Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) December 23, 2015Santa & his helpers will temporarily stop working 2. Sorry shoppers, no pics till after #BlackLivesMatter demo over. pic.twitter.com/VNSRoia9qG Doualy Xaykaothao (@DoualyX) December 23, 2015The mall warned these punks they were not welcome on the premises.Announcement saying it is unlawful to protest, inside #MOA or in parking ramps. #BLM #BlackXmas2 pic.twitter.com/RqzLiD3Ktz Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) December 23, 2015So the cops came:Shoppers, workers prevented from entering on east ramp, East side of #mallofamerica. Via @MPRnews pic.twitter.com/70G3dOLspx Doualy Xaykaothao (@DoualyX) December 23, 2015Escalators were closed:Escalators have been shut down. #MOA #BLM protest #blackxmas2 pic.twitter.com/dzOpCP9lDh Mark J. Westpfahl (@MarkJWestpfahl) December 23, 2015And then there are these pathetic progressives, who according the person tweeting, are holiday travelers condoning the #BlackLivesMatterTerrorists shutting down the airport:Crowd cheering and chanting to let more protesters further into the airport #BlackXmas #Justice4Jamar pic.twitter.com/wXHgxXcBRE Brandon Long (@BLongStPaul) December 23, 2015


Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Russia was closely monitoring any signals from the team of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding its future foreign policy, RIA news agency reported. Trump is expected to name Rex Tillerson, chief executive of Exxon Mobil XOM.N, as Washington's top diplomat, a source familiar with the situation said on Saturday. The appointment would add another figure in Trump's cabinet with close ties to Russia.


Among the never ending stream of Trump administration lies, one in particular has captured the attention of Twitter. Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway pretty much lost all her credibility when she claimed, in an interview with Chris Matthews, that there was a Bowling Green massacre which was somehow the fault of President Obama. There wasn t. I bet it s brand-new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized, and they were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre. Entire twitter feeds sprung up over Conway s made up massacre. Conway s defense was that she misspoke and that the media is just being mean to her..@KellyannePolls: I misspoke one word. The corrections in the newspapers who are attacking me are 3 paragraphs long every day. pic.twitter.com/lA0wLk1my8 Fox News (@FoxNews) February 5, 2017Except, this isn t the first time she talked about the Bowling Green massacre and she had even elaborated on it in an interview with, of all sources, Cosmopolitan.(I)n an interview with Cosmopolitan.com conducted by phone days earlier, on Sunday, Jan. 29, Conway used the same phrasing, claiming that President Barack Obama called for a temporary ban on Iraqi refugees after the Bowling Green massacre. (The quotes did not appear in either of two stories recently published on Cosmopolitan.com.) He did, it s a fact, she said of Obama. Why did he do that? He did that for exactly the same reasons. He did that because two Iraqi nationals came to this country, joined ISIS, traveled back to the Middle East to get trained and refine their terrorism skills, and come back here, and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre of taking innocent soldiers lives away. In other words, Cosmo did the job that Chris Matthews failed to do.What Conway was referring to is the fact that there were two Iraqi men, Mohanad Shareef Hammadi and Waad Ramadan Alwan, who were refugees and did become radicalized (in the United States, not in Iraq), but were arrested before carrying anything out.While Conway tried to tie the massacre that wasn t to Obama s non-existent travel ban, the facts show that Obama handled the situation very well. They administered a toughing vetting process for Iraqi refugees for six months. There was no ban, and as Cosmo has shown, there was no misstatement on Conway s part.


President Donald Trump's executive order halting the importation of refugees from six countries also includes a section requiring the government to publicly release information on crimes committed by foreign nationals, including honor killings of women. [This lets the government "be more transparent with the American people and to implement more effectively policies and practices that serve the national interest," the order states. Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and U. S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions must work together to provide the public with a report on foreign nationals charged with and convicted of offenses, including those who associate with or provide support to terrorist organizations. The order also instructs the government to release information on . The government will now track cases involving individuals who commit " violence against women," or honor killings. Honor killings are a brutal practice wherein Muslim males will murder or mutilate female family members accused of bringing shame and dishonor to their families and Islam. Like female genital mutilation, it is a practice that would not exist in the U. S. without mass immigration bringing its practitioners into U. S. communities. "Cases of honor killings violence in the U. S. are often unreported because of the shame it can cause to the victim and the victim's family. Also, because victims are often young women, they may feel that reporting the crime to authorities will draw too much attention to the family committing the crime," former U. S. government analyst Farhana Qazi explained to Fox News in November 2015. The order requires the government to release its inaugural report by September 2017, close to the sixteenth anniversary of the terror attacks committed by Islamic foreign nationals admitted to the U. S. on various visas. Reports shall be issued every six months from then on. The transparency will likely increase the broad support Trump's immigration policies enjoy. Typically, the government conceals or refuses to collect statistics that reveal troubling consequences of mass immigration policies. A Feb. 8 Morning Consult poll found 55 percent of voters supported Trump's executive order, including 82 percent of Republicans. Another McLaughlin Associates poll release Feb. 8 found 57 percent support for a halt of refugee settlement to implement better screening procedures. A Rasmussen Reports poll released on Feb. 2 found 52 percent of voters favored a freeze on all refugee resettlement until the government could better screen out terrorists, including 57 percent of young voters. A 2015 report detailing honor killings can be read here.


Donald Trump called the Atlantic City casino that he is so fond of, the Taj Mahal, the eighth wonder of the world. Now, the joint is shutting down likely for good. The shutdown comes after more than 100 days of striking on the part of union workers from the luxury hotel and casino. As negotiations went from difficult to impossible, it became official: there s no going back, and the Taj Mahal is closing.This really isn t surprising, considering that Trump is the king of bankruptcy, and has declared himself bankrupt four times. Despite his own ridiculous record, Trump told the Associated Press with regards to the casino s closing that there was no reason for it to close. However, he also says it will cost too much to re-open, so it s done.However, Trump s billionaire buddy, Carl Icahn, who operated the Taj Mahal, just might be using the cold months to do some negotiating in an effort to save the place and re-open it. This is a theory that the union president, Bob McDevitt, is running on. According to McDevitt, the re-opening after renovations and other improvements is a strong possibility. The Taj Mahal s closing will cost Atlantic City 3,000 jobs, bringing to the total to 11,000 jobs lost as a result of casino closings in the last two years. However, the workers who are on strike seem optimistic, despite the loss of their jobs and many admittedly being in financial trouble with the holidays coming. Tina Condos, who served cocktails at Trump s joint, says: We stood up to a billionaire and told him we wouldn t take it. I hope it gives him pause before he tries to come in and do this to anyone else. We feel like we succeeded here. Rose Hall, who took care of the rooms at the adjoining hotel, says: I gave most of my adult life to this place. I had to pay for health care out of my own pocket, and if you don t think that s expensive, you haven t looked. I lost my fiancee to cancer just when medical insurance came off the table for us.I m angry about what s happened, but I m not sad about what we did. I m at peace with myself. The last word on the situation from the point of view of the union workers president, Bob McDevitt is that the workers were in the midst of their Popeye moment: That s all I can stands; I can t stands no more. For the first time in 30 years, workers stood up to Carl Icahn and made him throw in the towel. Well, good on these workers, and may they find other means of employment soon.


ASTON, Pa. — Donald J. Trump unveiled a menu of proposals on Tuesday to help working parents, calling for six weeks of mandatory paid maternity leave and expanded tax credits for child care. The proposals, which Mr. Trump outlined in the politically critical Philadelphia suburbs along with his daughter Ivanka, represent a new attempt to court female voters who polls show have been alienated by his bombast and history of provocative remarks about women. "Those in leadership must put themselves in the shoes of the factory worker, the family worried about security or the mom struggling to afford child care," Mr. Trump said at a rally here. Mr. Trump's decision to put forward such a plan represents a different approach from the one taken by previous Republican presidential nominees. But in selling his case, Mr. Trump stretched the truth, saying that his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has no such plan of her own and "never will. " Mrs. Clinton issued her plan more than a year ago, and it guarantees up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for a newborn or a sick relative, financed by an increase in taxes on the wealthiest Americans. On Twitter, her campaign posted a link to her plan after Mr. Trump's remark. Mr. Trump and his daughter spoke about the issue at the Republican National Convention in July, but the candidate had not mentioned it publicly until Tuesday. Mr. Trump faces a potentially gender gap with women, but pushing the proposal so close to the election risks looking slapdash on a serious topic. The campaign staved off potential complaints from social conservatives who have historically frowned on giving incentives to mothers to work outside the home, by vowing to make those caretaker roles . At the speech, Mr. Trump was joined by some female members of Congress. Noting one applauding in the audience as he spoke, Mr. Trump pointed to the crowd and said, "Makes your life a lot easier, right?" Mr. Trump first proposed the child care initiative weeks ago, but he broadened it to help working parents after facing criticism that his initial proposal would primarily help high earners rather than women and families on the lower end of the economic spectrum. "Child care is such a big problem," he said Tuesday. "And we're going to solve that problem. " Ms. Trump, who stood next to her father as he spoke in Pennsylvania, said she would make the plan's passage a priority if her father won. Affordable child care "should not be the luxury of a fortunate few," she said. The new recommendations contained a number of uncertainties, most notably how Mr. Trump would pay for them, and they still favor people with higher incomes. The candidate's aides said his goals would be achieved through a change in the tax code to help pay for child care, to be detailed in another speech, probably this week. The main thrust of Mr. Trump's plan involves a reordering of the tax code so working parents can take an income tax deduction for care of up to four children and dependents. The deduction is available for individuals earning up to $250, 000, or $500, 000 for a married couple filing jointly. There would also be child care spending rebates as high as $1, 200 a year for families on the lower end of the income scale. That is an amount that some critics called inadequate given that the cost of child care in some states is $10, 000 to $20, 000 a year. Another proposal aimed at parents is a dependent care savings account, a version of a flexible spending account usually offered by employers. Such accounts would be universal and used for or traditional child care, with a government match of $500 a year — a minuscule amount given the cost of such care, and given the difficulty that families have putting away money in such accounts. Among the open questions are whether the deductions that working parents could claim would replace the existing tax credit, whether there would be an age cap for the children involved, and what the actual scale of benefit would be for people of various incomes. The signature element of the plan, six weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers whose employers do not currently provide coverage, would be financed by eliminating fraud in unemployment insurance. Mr. Trump's aides trumpeted the proposal as unprecedented for a G. O. P. presidential nominee many Republicans oppose requiring paid maternity leave as an onerous new regulation on businesses. Earlier Tuesday, at a campaign rally in Clive, Iowa, the candidate singled out Ivanka Trump, a mother of three who has developed her own licensing and branding company, as the driving force behind the plan. Some social conservatives said they were pleasantly surprised by Mr. Trump's proposed tax benefit for mothers. "I was quite pleased with it," said Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council. He called it "innovative" in acknowledging "the contribution that parents make. " But the plan was met with criticism from the Clinton campaign and skepticism from some child care advocacy groups, which warned that the people most in need of relief would not get it. "After spending his entire career — and this entire campaign — demeaning women and dismissing the need to support working families," Maya Harris, Mrs. Clinton's senior policy adviser, said in a statement, "Donald Trump released a regressive and insufficient 'maternity leave' policy that is out of touch, and ignores the way Americans live and work today. " Vivien Labaton, a director of the nonpartisan group Make It Work Action, called Mr. Trump's plan "woefully inadequate. " She said the tax credit component meant that families in need would have to wait to receive relief just once a year, and called the $1, 200 rebate a "drop in the bucket" for families who were facing child care costs of more than $10, 000 a year. Paid leave has increasing political resonance. One of the major reasons the share of women working in the United States has fallen behind other developed countries is the lack of paid family leave, according to research by Cornell University economists. Mr. Trump's embrace of paid leave would apply only to mothers, as opposed to Mrs. Clinton's plan, which would cover both parents. Some economists say that when leave is offered only to women, it can backfire by lowering women's chances of being hired and promoted and getting raises. Ms. Labaton expressed skepticism about the proposal "coming less than 60 days before Election Day," deriding it as "a naked attempt to court women voters while not actually offering up much by way of genuine support. "


Not too long ago, the Republican Party and Donald Trump made a disgusting move to screw over millions of Americans when they tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) with the American Health Care Act (Trumpcare). The plan fortunately didn t work out and was shot down immediately, leaving the GOP stunned and upset that their disastrous bill didn t pass. They ve just been delivered another devastating blow, this time by Americans who are showing the Republican Party they haven t forgotten.Thanks to the GOP s unethical Obamacare replacement, Obamacare is now more popular than ever more popular than the Republican Party as a whole!Ezra Klein tweeted this amazing graph to illustrate:This is going to tear Trump and the GOP apart, considering how desperate they were to get rid of Obamacare. The overwhelming support that the Affordable Care Act is receiving now will surely make it harder for Republicans to get rid of it in the future, if they dare try again.This serves as a major warning to the GOP if they keep trying to get rid of Obama s legacy and policies that clearly work, their party will lose all support and soon there will be no Republican Party. If conservatives thought they would have Americans standing behind them during their attempt to repeal a health care law that provides access to more Americans than ever, they ve just learned that they were very, VERY wrong.The GOP has no idea how badly the party has been damaged under Trump. He is completely obsessed with pushing legislation through, and it has been working against the Republican Party as each attempt of his fails and the party becomes more unpopular than ever. With the introduction of Trumpcare, Republicans have basically paved the way for Democrats to get Congress back in two years, and getting Trump out of the White House.


A second terrorist took part in the subway bombing Tuesday in Brussels and authorities believe he may have survived the blast, meaning there are potentially two "mystery bombers" from the twin attacks on the run, according to reports. The development means there is an unidentified bomber in both the attack at the Maelbeek Metro station, which killed 20, and the earlier blasts at Zaventem Airport, which killed 11. Both unidentified suspects were captured by surveillance cameras with known suicide bombers. The French newspaper Le Monde and the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported that a man carrying a large bag was seen on CCTV walking with Khalid El Bakraoui, whom authorities believe blew himself up on a train at the Maelbeek station. That possible accomplice also was seen talking to El Bakraoui and did not get on the train that was bombed, police sources told AFP. What is known of the men suspected of direct involvement in Tuesday's attacks: - Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of two brothers involved, is believed to be one of two suicide bombers who died at the airport. - Najim Laachraoui, an ISIS explosives expert believed to have built the bombs used in both the Paris and Brussels attacks, was the other suicide bomber who died at the airport. He and Ibrahim El Bakraoui are believed to be the men seen in a surveillance photo pushing luggage carts and wearing solitary black gloves that may have masked detonators. - A mystery man dressed in white, wearing a dark hat and possibly a disguise who has not been identified was also seen pushing a cart in the surveillance photo. He is believed to have placed a bomb at the airport and fled the scene. Authorities are looking for him. - Khalid El Bakraoui, the brother of Ibrahim El Bakraoui, is believed to have died in a suicide blast at the Maelbeek Metro station 79 minutes after the airport attack. - A second man seen with Khalid El Bakraoui and carrying a large bag at the Metro station is believed to have been an accomplice and either died in the blast or is on the run. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks in Brussels, which have laid bare European security failings and prompted calls for better intelligence cooperation. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, in a national mourning speech Thursday, said the attacks targeted the "liberty of daily life" and "the liberty upon which the European project was built." "The cries of distress, the cries of pain, the scream of sirens, the apocalyptic images will remain engraved" on memories, he said. Security experts have told Fox News the bombers were likely targeting Americans, because the airport blast happened near the American Airlines desk, and the Metro station is near the U.S. Embassy. In Brussels, authorities were still sifting through evidence gathered in a series of raids immediately following the attacks, which came during rush hour Tuesday morning. RTBF also reported Thursday that a message found on Ibrahim El Bakraoui's computer Tuesday night does not name Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam, as had previously been suspected. According to the broadcaster, El Bakraoui referenced Mohammed Bakkali, who was arrested last November following the Paris attacks and is suspected of renting out two hideouts to the ISIS cell in Belgium. He is also accused of spying on a top Belgian nuclear official. "I don't know what to do, I'm in a hurry, people are looking for me everywhere," chief prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw quoted the message as saying. "If I give myself up I'll end up in a cell next to him." The message points to a rising sense of panic among the three suicide bombers. Police were drawn to the brothers' apartment Tuesday night thanks to a tip from a taxi driver who had unwittingly delivered them to the airport, Van Leeuw said. Inside the northeast Brussels residence they found an apparent bomb-making factory, including 33 pounds of homemade explosives and nails for use as shrapnel. Neighbors told The Associated Press they had no idea of the brothers' activities and barely saw them until the taxi collected them and their visibly heavy bags Tuesday morning. One neighbor, who was willing to give only his first name of Erdine, said he was about to drive his son to school when he saw the two men carrying their bags out of the building. "The taxi driver tried to get the luggage," he said. "And the other guy reached for it like he was saying: 'No, I'll take it.'" The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Tonight s Oscars were filled with award winners and speeches. However, there was no moment that had a larger collective impact on those watching than Lady Gaga s performance, which brought a standing ovation and tears to the eyes of many in the audience.That s because she performed her Oscar nominated song Till it happens to you, from the documentary The Hunting Ground, which explores rape on college campuses in the U.S. Here s the video:Lady Gaga was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden, who spoke about the White House s It s On Us campaign, urging everyone to get on board. After receiving a standing ovation, Biden said: Lets change the culture so that no abused woman woman or man ever feels they have to ask themselves, What do I do? They did nothing wrong. Then it was Lady Gaga s turn to deliver one of the most memorable moments in Oscar history. Gaga performed while playing the piano and was joined by a group of sexual-assault survivors on stage, drawing a standing ovation and tears from members of the audience. Earlier this week, Gaga gave her support to pop star Kesha, who is currently involved in a legal battle with Sony. Kesha tweeted her thanks to both Lady Gaga and Vice President Joe Biden:thank u @ladygaga and VP @JoeBiden for bringing attention to sexual assault at the oscars. it hit very close to my heart for obvious reasons kesha (@KeshaRose) February 29, 2016Here s Lady Gaga s tweet:I never thought anyone would ever love me because I felt like my body was ruined by my abuser. https://t.co/6K0Xgf00kz Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 29, 2016Lady Gaga s performance reached the hearts and minds of tens of millions of people around the world and there s no doubt that she and the vice president have benefited humanity by addressing this issue.


21st Century Wire says In 2008 and 2012, Ron Paul created a libertarian and paleoconservative insurency in America. The country had an opportunity to elect a real stateman and dedicated constitutionalist in Dr Paul, but unfortunately he could not overcome establishment gatekeepers within his own party, as well as in the corrupt US mainstream media.In 2016, few commentators are as well-placed to analyse the rise of the Trump insurgency as well as Paul.CrossTalk ask: With the surprise election of Donald Trump, can we expect an equally surprising foreign policy from him? During the campaign he provided us with a glimpse of his thinking. Will there be a Trump Doctrine? Watch this incredible one-on-one interview with RT s Peter Lavelle and special guest Dr Ron Paul: SUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


On April 16th, Senator Bernie Sanders, through a video message, introduced Rapper Killer Mike and his group, Run the Jewels, at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California.Senator Sanders cited his friendship with Killer Mike, who became a fervent supporter and surrogate for the Bernie Sanders campaign after the rapper started reading his tweets. Rolling Stone released a six part interview the rapper conducted with Senator Sanders in December 2015. The rapper has introduced him at several campaign events, campaigned on behalf of Bernie Sanders, and participated in several other video discussions including a forum with Dr. Cornel West, Nina Turner, and Bernie Sanders on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January 2016.After backlash in February alleging Killer Mike was sexist for remarks he made in quoting Jane Elliot, the rapper has focused more on his music career.Next week, Bernie Sanders supporters are putting on Berniechella in the same city Coachella is being held. A block party will be held in Old town Coachella on April 21st and 22nd featuring food trucks, exhibitions, and performances from Zoe Kravitz, Ozomatli, Venus and the Moon, Shepard Farley, and Moses Summey. The event is free and thousands are expected to attend. The event and Bernie Sanders introduction for Killer Mike represents the the impact Bernie Sanders campaign is having on the culture of millennials. Counter culture icons in the music and entertainment industry have embraced Bernie Sanders along with millions of millennials. No matter what the outcome of the Democratic Primaries is, Bernie Sanders has become an iconic figure for younger generations, and his campaign will have a lasting impact on American politics for years to come. https://www.facebook.com/therealrunthejewels/videos/1097514653639607/Featured Image courtesy of Flickr


atican City In a final speech to the synod, Pope Francis endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States, while taking some clear swipes at conservatives who hold up church doctrine above all else, and use it to cast judgment on others. The synod experience also made us better realize that the true defenders are not those who uphold its letter, but its spirit; not ideas but people; not formulas but free availability of Gods love and forgiveness, Pope Francis said. I see in Senator Bernard Sanders a man of great integrity and moral conviction, who understands these principles and genuinely wants whats best for all people The pope went on to criticize ultra-conservatives, saying church leaders should confront difficult issues fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand. It was the latest in a series of admonitions to bishops by the pontiff, who has stressed since his election in 2013 that the 1.2 billion-member Church should be open to change, side with the poor, and rid itself of the arrogance and unfettered narcissism that has alienated so many Catholics in recent years. Naturally, conservative Catholics are not happy with Francis for being so outspoken on social issues and American politics. The pope needs to stick to religion, and stay the hell out of politics, says Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali. Conservative Catholics are losing faith in the Church, and this falls directly on the shoulders of Pope Francis with his socialist ideology and warped political views. Conservative news outlets like Fox News have taken issue with Pope Francis on everything from climate change to income inequality. Bill OReilly has numerous times compared Pope Francis to Bernie Sanders, accusing both of being false prophets. Liberals and progressives on the other hand applaud the pope for bringing social and environmental issues to the forefront of the Catholic Church. Hes a Catholic rockstar, says Prudence Bradley, 19, from upstate New York. Pope Francis has made it cool to be a Christian again.


North Korea s leader Kim Jong Un said his nuclear weapons were a powerful deterrent that guaranteed its sovereignty, state media reported on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said only one thing will work in dealing with the isolated country. Trump did not make clear to what he was referring, but his comments seemed to be a further suggestion that military action was on his mind. In a speech to a meeting of the powerful Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party on Saturday, a day before Trump s most recent comments, state media said Kim had addressed the complicated international situation . North Korea s nuclear weapons are a powerful deterrent firmly safeguarding the peace and security in the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia, Kim said, referring to the protracted nuclear threats of the U.S. imperialists. In recent weeks, North Korea has launched two missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth nuclear test, and may be fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. North Korea is preparing to test-launch such a missile, a Russian lawmaker who had just returned from a visit to Pyongyang was quoted as saying on Friday. Donald Trump has previously said the United States would totally destroy North Korea if necessary to protect itself and its allies. The situation proved that North Korea s policy of byungjin , meaning the parallel development of nuclear weapons and the economy was absolutely right , Kim Jong Un said in the speech. The national economy has grown on their strength this year, despite the escalating sanctions, said Kim, referring to U.N. Security Council resolutions put in place to curb Pyongyang s nuclear and missile program. The meeting also handled some personnel changes inside North Korea s secretive and opaque ruling center of power, state media said. Kim Jong Un s sister, Kim Yo Jong, was made an alternate member of the politburo - the top decision-making body over which Kim Jong Un presides. Alongside Kim Jong Un himself, the promotion makes Kim Yo Jong the only other millennial member of the influential body. Her new position indicates the 28-year-old has become a replacement for Kim Jong Un s aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, who had been a key decision maker when former leader Kim Jong Il was alive. It shows that her portfolio and writ is far more substantive than previously believed and it is a further consolidation of the Kim family s power, said Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at Johns Hopkins University s 38 North website. In January, the U.S. Treasury blacklisted Kim Yo Jong along with other North Korean officials over severe human rights abuses . Kim Jong Sik and Ri Pyong Chol, two of the three men behind Kim s banned rocket program, were also promoted. State media announced that several other high ranking cadres were promoted to the Central Committee in what the South Korean unification ministry said could be an attempt by North Korea to navigate a way through its increasing isolation. The large-scale personnel reshuffle reflects that Kim Jong Un is taking the current situation seriously, and that he s looking for a breakthrough by promoting a new generation of politicians, the ministry said in a statement. North Korea s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who named Donald Trump President Evil in a bombastic speech to the U.N. General Assembly last month, was promoted to full vote-carrying member of the politburo. Ri can now be safely identified as one of North Korea s top policy makers, said Madden. Even if he has informal or off the record meetings, Ri s interlocutors can be assured that whatever proposals they proffer will be taken directly to the top, he said.


Jeb Bush was, once upon a time in a land far, far away, assumed to be the shoo-in for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Then, Donald Trump happened, and Jeb s dreams of presidential glory were crushed. In fact, Jeb s campaign is in such trouble now that he had to get his mommy to appear in a political ad reminding everyone that her son should be the GOP s annointed one, and that Trump is just a big bully.Well, it s a good thing that as Jeb s campaign circles the drain and dies, he has other dreams to fulfill. Bizarrely, it s to be a G-rated killer on the hit fictional drama about the U.S. government, Homeland.Apparently, the series The Circus caught Jeb admitting on camera that he d like nothing more than to kill people on television. The thing is, though, Trump is right about one thing. Jeb Bush is a lackluster dork who would be nothing more than a laughingstock on that series. In fact, he very presence would likely make it jump the shark. Nevertheless, it s highly entertaining to realize the revelation that acting in a television drama is the next best thing to really being POTUS in Jeb s feeble mind.Give it up, Jeb. You ll never appear on Homeland, and you ll never be POTUS. No worries, though. You have plenty of time and money. I m sure you ll find something constructive to do.Watch the video of Jeb s confession below:


Donald Trump is moving the United States closer to a war with China over some tiny islands.The relationship between the United States has been cordial and peaceful for decades now, but Trump plans to change all that. For someone who claims that our military is depleted, Trump sure has no problem putting our country on the brink of war.China is currently making claims to islands in the South China Sea, which is an international body of water. The matter could probably be settled through diplomacy, but Trump has chosen to bully China instead. And he is inviting a catastrophic war in the process.According to Reuters,The comments at a briefing from White House spokesman Sean Spicer signaled a sharp departure from years of cautious U.S. handling of China s assertive pursuit of territory claims in Asia, just days after Trump took office on Friday. The U.S. is going to make sure that we protect our interests there, Spicer said when asked if Trump agreed with comments by his Secretary of State nominee, Rex Tillerson, on Jan. 11 that China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea. It s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country, he said.Tillerson s remarks at his Senate confirmation hearing prompted Chinese state media to say the United States would need to wage war to bar China s access to the islands where it has built military-length air strips and installed weapons systems.The strong language suggests Trump is considering military action or a naval blockade to keep the islands out of Chinese hands, but even Chinese state media has warned that such action would lead to war between the two nations.And that would be a catastrophe. Not only would this be a war between two nuclear powers, it would be a war between the two largest economies in the world, which means a war between China and the United States would have serious global ramifications.But war is apparently what Trump is thinking about as he has repeatedly treated China with antagonism since before Election Day.And Americans should not expect our allies to help us either. If Trump starts a war with China, America would be on its own. Our troops would be fighting and dying because of Trump s fragile ego. The deficit and the national debt would also skyrocket, especially since Trump has promised Corporate America that he will cut their taxes in half, which would deprive the government of revenues to keep our military strong. That means Trump will get the revenues from the middle class and the poor.China s military and navy are improving rapidly, and they are the most populous nation on Earth. That means Trump would have a reinstate the military draft he himself dodged during the Vietnam War to get enough soldiers to put on the front lines. Even thinking about a military confrontation is insane.The longer Trump is allowed to remain in office, the more dangerous he becomes. This country is now on a path to a war that will cripple our nation and Trump doesn t give a damn because he thinks it makes him look tough. In reality, it just makes him look like an idiot.Featured Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images


Net migration to Britain fell by the largest amount on record in the 12 months after the Brexit vote, with more than three-quarters of the drop due to more EU citizens leaving and fewer arriving, official data showed on Thursday. Net migration tumbled by 106,000 to 230,000 people in the 12 months to June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Some 82,000 of the decline was due to EU citizens, cutting net migration from the bloc to its lowest level since June 2013. The total fall in net migration was the largest since people moving to Britain started to outnumber those leaving in the 1980s. The ONS said Brexit was likely to be one of the factors driving the fall. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she wants to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, a promise first made by the government in 2010 and designed to reassure Britons worried about the impact immigration had on public services. Net migration into Britain has exceeded 100,000 in every year since 1998, as workers from abroad were attracted by a relatively strong currency, a vibrant economy and easy hiring rules. Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics at King s College London, linked the latest fall to Britain s economic slowdown since the Brexit vote and the weakening of the pound - which means foreign workers earn less in Britain when converted to their own national currencies. It cannot be good news that the UK is a less attractive place to live and work, and that we will be poorer as a result, said Portes, who has previously argued that Brexit is likely to hurt Britain s economy. He predicted that net migration to Britain was likely to fall further to 150,000 over the next few years. Business groups reacted to the latest figures with disappointment. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said the fall in net migration was an alarm bell for Britain s economy, with many employers struggling to find skilled workers. But Steven Woolfe, an independent British lawmaker in the European Parliament who campaigned for Brexit, said long-term migration remained high. This number again highlights the greater need for Britain to have a brand new immigration system, starting on Brexit day one, he said on Twitter. Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. Larger numbers of foreign workers have helped Britain s economy to expand. The Bank of England has said almost all of its growth in the last decade stems from an increase in workers. Britain s retail, hospitality, manufacturing and agriculture sectors are particularly reliant on staff from abroad. The BoE has said a fall in migrant workers coming to Britain is likely to contribute to a new, slower speed limit for the economy, meaning it would be more prone to inflation. Opinion polls have shown immigration topping the list of concerns among people who voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum, in which 52 percent backed leaving the EU. The ONS said the scale of the drop in net migration in the most recent data partly reflected a strong run-up in migration last year, which pushed it to a record high in June 2016.


The former leader of Egypt s Muslim Brotherhood Islamist movement, Mohamed Akef, has died in a Cairo hospital after an illness, the group s lawyer said on Friday. Akef was supreme guide of the movement, as the leadership is known, until the end of 2009. He was among those detained in a crackdown after Egypt s elected president Mohamed Mursi, also of the Muslim Brotherhood, was ousted by the military in 2013. Akef s daughter announced his death on her Facebook page. The group s lawyer, Abdel Monem Abdel Maqsoud, told Reuters he had received a call from the prison service to report Akef s death in Cairo s Qasr El-Eyni hospital. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has engaged in the toughest crackdown on Islamists in Egypt s modern history since toppling Mursi when Sisi was still head of the armed forces. He was later elected president. Sisi presents himself as a bulwark against militant extremism as Egypt battles an Islamist insurgency in northern Sinai. But he has come under attack from rights groups, who say his time in power has seen the worst crackdown in their history.


By Jay Syrmopoulos Moscow, Russia – With all eyes on Russia's unveiling their latest nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which NATO has dubbed the "SATAN" missile , as tensions with the U.S. increase, Moscow's most potent "weapon" may be something drastically different. The rapidly evolving geopolitical "weapon" brandished by Russia is an ever increasing stockpile of gold, as well as Russia's native currency, the ruble. Take a look at the symbol below, as it could soon come to change the entire hierarchy of the international order – potentially ushering in a complete international paradigm shift – and much sooner than you might think. The symbol is the new designation of the Russian ruble, Russia's national currency. Similar to how the U.S. uses the dollar sign ($), the U.K. uses the pound sign (£), and the European Union uses the euro symbol (€), Russia is about to begin exporting its symbol internationally. After the failed "reset" in U.S./Russian relations by the Obama administration, and the continued deterioration of the countries relationship, Washington began targeting entire sectors of the Russian economy, as well as specific individuals, meant to impose an economic burden so severe that it would force Moscow into compliance. Instead of decimating Russia, what it precipitated was a Russian response of gradually weaning themselves off of the hegemony of the U.S. petrodollar, and working with China to create an alternative to the SWIFT payment system that isn't solely controlled by Western interests (see Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , New Development Bank). According to the Corbett Report : New reports indicate that China is ready to launch its SWIFT alternative, and for those who have their ear to the ground this is the most significant move yet in the unfolding process of de-dollarization that is seeing the BRICS-led "resistance bloc" breaking away from the financial stranglehold of the US-led "Washington Consensus." For those who don't know, SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication and is shorthand for the SWIFTNet Network that is used by over 10,500 financial institutions in 215 countries and territories to transmit financial transaction data around the world. SWIFT does not do any of the clearing or processing for these transactions itself, but instead sends the payment orders that are then settled by correspondent banks of the member institutions. Still, given the system's near universality in the financial system, it means that virtually every international transaction between banking institutions goes through the SWIFT network. This is why de-listing from the SWIFT network remains one of the primary financial weapons wielded by the US and its allies in their increasingly important financial warfare campaigns. Recently, financial guru Jim Rickards, author of the book "Currency Wars," wrote that "Russia is poised for a major comeback in its economy. Russian bonds and stocks and the Russian currency, the ruble, will all benefit." Rickards believes a "strong turnaround" is coming within Russia, and that this comeback will benefit the ruble. While still suffering from the economic warfare being waged by the U.S., Russia has realized that as long they are subservient to the petrodollar, there remains a clear and present danger of the Russian economy being devastated by the whims of Washington.  The Bank of Russia, that nation's central bank, is extremely clear about its mission, and monetary policy declaring on its website: Monetary policy constitutes an integral part of the state policy and is aimed at enhancing well-being of Russian citizens. The Bank of Russia implements monetary policy in the framework of inflation-targeting regime, and sees price stability, albeit sustainably low inflation, as its priority. Given structural peculiarities of the Russian economy, the target is to reduce inflation to 4% by 2017 and maintain it within that range in the medium run. In layman's terms, that means that monetary policy, similar to nuclear weapons and the military, are "an integral part of the state policy" in Russia. While many analysts have noted the increased build-up in Russia's military arsenal, seemingly few have highlighted the massive build-up of Russian gold reserves over the past decade. Below is a chart showing Russian gold reserves between 1994 and last year, 2015: Since 2006, there has been a year-on-year increase that reveals a significant upward trend. The chart clearly reveals that Russia's state policy of increasing state monetary assets, in the form of gold. Additionally, the Russian government has been converting state rubles into gold assets. From 2006 to 2015, Russia's state holdings of gold tripled. Within just the past year Russia has substantially increased its gold holdings According to the Business Insider : In July of this year, the central bank of Russia added 200,000 ounces of gold to its reserves. The one-month uptick in Russian gold reserves — 200,000 ounces — is approximately equal to the entire annual output of Barrick Gold's Turquoise Ridge gold mine in Nevada. At that same rate — 200,000 ounces per month — in a mere five months, Russia would add to state gold reserves the equivalent of the entire annual output of Barrick's massive Goldstrike mine in Nevada. Currently, Russian gold reserves rank seventh in the world. It's clear that there is a concerted effort by Russian authorities to build up the country's gold reserves as part of a national strategy to negate the effects of economic warfare waged by the United States. Rickards, in his 2011 book "Currency Wars," theorized that Russia and China could combine their gold reserves to form a global gold-backed currency to compete against the U.S. dollar. Currently, Russian reserves stand at roughly 1,500 tonnes, with Chinese reserves totaling over 1,800 tonnes (according to China — it's likely more), which would amount to a combined total of roughly 3,300 tonnes of gold. The U.S. is about to lose overarching control of policymaking within the International Monetary Fund (IMF), thus the U.S. lockup on global gold is about to vanish, according to Business Insider. Imagine for a moment the distinctly real possibility that Russian-Chinese alliance could exercise indirect (or even direct) control over the IMF's gold reserve of over 2,800 tonnes. Russian, Chinese and IMF gold combined would equal roughly 6,100 tonnes, and would allow for direct competition with the U.S. gold reserves, estimated at 8,100 tonnes. Russia and China have realized that the petrodollar is wielded by Washington as it's weapon of choice when opposing a well-armed state, and clearly see the writing on the wall – thus working together to create a new global financial paradigm. The reality is that the United States is $20 trillion dollars in debt, and eventually the time will come when the U.S. economy begins to implode — and all the fiat currency people are stuck holding will essentially be worth nothing more than the paper it's printed on. Hard assets, such as gold and silver, should be bought and taken custody of while there is still an opportunity to do so, as a means of hedging against the potentially disastrous results of the U.S. using the petrodollar as a "weapon." Ultimately, the United States, Russia and China are all controlled by centralized power-hungry tyrants attempting to command powerful global bureaucracies like the IMF, the World Bank, SWIFT, New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It's not Russian nuclear weapons that people should fear, as the policy of mutually assured destruction essentially voids any benefit of a state launching a first-strike nuclear attack. The true threat to America is our economic house of cards, built upon the back of a neoliberal trade policy that puts the "rights" of corporations over that of people . Source: The Free Thought Project  Related: Russia to buy 200 tons of gold in 2016 Russia becomes world's largest gold buyer Russia Adds 300,000 oz to Gold Reserves in February China, Russia and Iran planning gold backed currency Russia Bought More Than 200 Tonnes of Gold in 2015 Away From Dollar: Russia, China to Create Entirely Different Gold Market Gold Bullion Is "100% Guarantee from Legal and Political Risks" – Russia Germany joins China and Russia's flight to gold Russian Ruble: Soon to Be Backed by Gold? Is Russia Planning A Gold-Based Currency? END GAME: Putin May End Ruble Crisis by Taking Russia onto the GOLD STANDARD! Checkmate: Is Russia Selling Oil For Gold? China & Russia to Accuse U.S. of Not Having the Gold Russia is stockpiling gold bullion Currency Wars: Russia Not Declaring All Gold Reserves To IMF? Russia admits it's dumping USD and Euro for gold Russia Buys 900,000 Ounces Of Gold Worth $1.17 Billion In April Russia Raises Gold Holdings By 7.247 Tonnes To Over 1,040 Tonnes In February


The Kremlin may have spent years reviling America, but Russians hoping Donald Trump will usher in a new era of detente marked his inauguration on Friday with parties and trinkets from commemorative coins to "matryoshka" nesting dolls in his image. Washington was turned into a virtual fortress with an estimated 900,000 people — backers and protesters — descending on the capital. In London, anti-Trump activists draped a banner reading "Build Bridges Not Walls" from Tower Bridge. Protests were planned across western Europe on Friday and Saturday. But according to Gennady Gudkov, a Putin critic and former lawmaker, Russia is in the grip of "Trumpomania", with state media giving the President-elect blanket air time at the expense of more mundane and sometimes depressing domestic news stories. That, he said, was in part because the U.S. election, unlike elections in Russia, had been unpredictable. The Kremlin is hoping Trump will ease sanctions imposed over the annexation of Crimea, team up with Russia against Islamic State, and cut back NATO military activity near Russian borders. Craftsmen in the city of Zlatoust, east of Moscow, have released a limited series of silver and gold commemorative coins, engraved with "In Trump We Trust" - an allusion to the phrase on U.S. banknotes "In God We Trust". Sellers of traditional matryoshka nesting dolls have added Trump dolls to their popular line-up of items carved in the likeness of President Vladimir Putin, Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, ex-President Mikhail Gorbachev and Josef Stalin. And a shop selling Russian military kit located opposite the U.S. embassy in Moscow has unveiled a cheeky promotional campaign offering embassy employees and U.S. citizens a 10 percent discount on its wares to celebrate Trump's inauguration. Some of Trump's opponents believe the Kremlin helped him win the White House by staging a hacking campaign to hoover up embarrassing information about Hillary Clinton, his rival. The Kremlin denies that, but few here make any secret of the fact that they are pleased that Trump and not Clinton triumphed. Relations between Putin and Barack Obama had soured badly. "Trump's election has generated enormous enthusiasm in Russia because his warm words about Russia and Putin have given us hope that the USA and the West will stop their attack on Russia," Sergei Markov, a former pro-Putin lawmaker, said on social media. "We don't know for sure if there will be an improvement (in relations) or not. But we Russians are optimists ... so we are hoping for the best, while preparing for the worst." For Russian nationalists, Trump's inauguration is an excuse to mix fun with self-promotion. They are holding an all-night party at what used to be the main Soviet-era post office in Moscow where they will showcase their favorite prop, a triptych of Putin, Trump and French Front National leader Marine Le Pen. Konstantin Rykov, a former pro-Putin lawmaker and one of the event's promoters, said on social media it was right to celebrate the first phase of the "New World Order." "Washington will be ours," he quipped.


President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., will meet with the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee next week, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the agreement. Representatives for Representative Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the panel's investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion by Trump's campaign, and Representative Adam Schiff, the panel's top Democrat, said they could not comment on whether Trump's eldest son was going to appear before the committee. Schiff told reporters that he could not comment on when or if Donald Trump Jr. might appear, but described him as a key witness. The younger Trump played a central role in his father's campaign. "Obviously, when Donald Trump Jr. comes before the committee there are innumerable areas that we're going to be interested in. It's hard to find a more central figure in this," Schiff told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. Schiff also said he thought it would "very likely" be necessary to bring the president's son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, to testify again before the intelligence panel. The panel questioned Kushner behind closed doors in July. A lawyer for Donald Trump Jr., Alan Futerfas, did not respond to a request for comment. CNN said the meeting with lawmakers would be held next Wednesday. The House intelligence panel is one of the three main congressional committees, as well as Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller, investigating the issue. In September, the younger Trump spoke privately with Senate Judiciary Committee staff. The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Senator Richard Burr, has said his panel planned to interview Donald Trump Jr. in December. Trump's son, who has denied any wrongdoing, met with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in New York in June 2016. Earlier this month, he released exchanges he had with the Twitter account of WikiLeaks, which released emails stolen from Democrats, during the campaign. The House Intelligence Committee will hear on Thursday from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whose contacts with Russians during the campaign have also come under scrutiny, as well as from Erik Prince, who founded the private military contractor Blackwater and was a supporter of Trump's presidential campaign.


For those who can't wait to get this election over with, there's good news — early voting is starting. The bad news: That only applies to you if you live in one of 37 states that offer some kind of early voting (in person, absentee or by mail) without an excuse needed. More than 1 in 3 people is expected to cast a ballot early this year. On Friday, voters in Minnesota and South Dakota can start turning in absentee ballots. On Saturday, they can do so in Vermont, and ballots will go out in New Jersey. Voters have already had the chance to go to the polls in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., which started holding early in-person voting Monday. (In Wisconsin, each municipality and county sets its early voting dates.) Over the next three weeks, voters in a third of the country will already be able to vote. Early voting could account for up to 34 percent of the vote this year, according to Michael McDonald, associate professor of political science at the University of Florida and founder of the Elections Project, which tracks turnout. He predicts that voting methods such as in-person and all-mail ballots will become the future of exercising democracy. There are even states that operate without physical polling locations, relying solely on the mail during an election — Washington, Oregon and Colorado. And as Americans start to cast their tickets (some as early as September), those votes will carefully be dissected by both campaigns. "Early votes will give us a good contour of who's enthused to show up to vote," McDonald explained. When the absentee ballots begin to flow in, a campaign could spin the numbers in whatever direction it wants. But those reactions will most likely be overwrought. The Trump campaign could spin mail-in votes as an indicator of the polls being wrong (if they still show Clinton ahead), but that would likely be a false reading, McDonald said. That's because registered Republicans tend to vote by mail in bigger numbers than Democrats, and Democrats tend to use early in-person voting more often. "Romney in 2012 put out records that he was crushing it in Ohio," McDonald said. "They were saying the polls are wrong, look at how well he's doing there. Well, he lost Ohio." A point-in-time comparison is a better indicator of how well a candidate is doing in a certain state. By comparing the data and trends of early voting from previous election cycles, the campaigns will know if citizens are passionate enough about their platform to participate in voting — and if campaigns are hitting their marks. "Early voters are people who have already made up their minds," McDonald said. "Clinton and Trump supporters will vote right now, and it won't matter what happens until Election Day. They're well-educated and dedicated." This could be a component for each of the campaigns' successes or failures, especially in battleground states that allow early and no-excuse absentee ballot voting. Florida, for instance, saw almost 4 in 10 people vote early (20 percent early in-person, 19 percent absentee). Professor Paul Gronke of Reed College and founder of the Early Voting Information Center told NPR's Scott Simon that Florida could see an even bigger early vote turnout this year. Early voting could also be a factor in Ohio and North Carolina. "This is going to change the dynamics in those states, so that you will expect to see early rallies timed when the early voting period opens up," Gronke said, adding that "the candidates' travel schedule will reflect this because they want to follow up that kind of enthusiasm and get people to the polls right away." It's not clear how the feelings toward these candidates will affect early voting. Partisan divisions are at their highest levels in decades, and although both candidates hold record-low favorability ratings, Clinton and Trump supporters tend to be pretty adamant about their candidate of choice. The earliest movement for absentee voting began during the Civil War. Soldiers on both sides wanted to cast their ballots in the 1864 election. Several state legislators hashed out the details: How would the votes be cast? How would voter fraud and coercion votes be curtailed? And how would the votes be delivered? Despite these sizable challenges, 25 Union states passed some form of absentee voting for soldiers battling in the muddy and bloody trenches. "Some say Abraham Lincoln might not have been elected if they weren't allowed to vote," McDonald said. Since then, the absentee ballot has evolved to include the sick and the elderly, business people who frequently travel and others who can provide valid reasons for being out of state, like students in college in a different state. There are currently 27 states and the District of Columbia that do not require any reason to request an absentee ballot. By the 1990s, many states took up early in-person voting measures, which allowed individuals to cast their ballots at a polling location during a specific period of time before Election Day. "The only way we can lose, in my opinion — I really mean this — in Pennsylvania, is if cheating goes on," Trump said at a campaign event in Altoona, Pa. "I hope you people can sort of not just vote on the 8th, go around and look and watch other polling places, and make sure that it's 100 percent fine." But, according to McDonald, the chances of voter fraud occurring at polling locations is slim. "If we look at the weakness in the election system," McDonald said, "it's not at the polling places. There is impression fraud, but it's so rare." So rare, in fact, that there were only about 31 separate incidents of possible voter fraud since 2000, based on data collected by Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School. This includes general, primary, special and municipal elections from 2000 to 2014. To put that in perspective, there were 1 billion ballots cast in the general and primary elections during that time. That's 0.000000031 percent. Some of these incidents may not have been an attempt to actually participate in voter fraud, but could have resulted in data entry errors, a mix-up of matching different people with the same name — or someone accidentally signing in as the wrong person in a poll book. However, there is a bigger risk of voter fraud when it comes to absentee and mail-in ballots, McDonald pointed out. "Again, this is small, not a huge problem," he noted. "Local elections are the most vulnerable, not presidential elections." There were 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud from 2000 to 2012, according to an analysis by News21. If broken down, that's about 80 cases every two years. There are also checks to confirm the authenticity of these ballots. Certain states require people pick up a ballot in person with a valid ID. All absentee and mail-in ballots require a signature that is cross-verified against the voter's voter-registration signature. Any signatures that look suspicious are thrown out. While voter fraud is one issue, another is whether mail-in ballots are filled out and returned correctly. "Where most people make a mistake is through the mail," McDonald said. "They won't sign the privacy envelope. People try to save the election board money by putting two ballots in one envelope, but they have to throw that away. It's vital for people to follow the mail procedures accurately." Vote by mail: Washington state switched to an entirely vote-by-mail system in 2011. Officials noticed that by 1996, more than half of voters were casting their ballots through the mail. It didn't make economic sense for the state to keep its polling places open. The Internet: It's already being used for military members and certain citizens who live outside the country under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. In addition to the ability to return a mail-in ballot (which may be limited to military members who are serving in remote locations), electronic ballot transmission is another option. How it works, per McDonald: Voters request electronic delivery of the ballot, either by email or by a secured website where the ballot may be downloaded. The voter then prints out the ballot, completes it and signs it. Now, if the state permits electronic ballot return, the voter will scan the completed ballot and send it either by email or by uploading it to the secured website. If the state does not allow electronic ballot transmission, the voter must print out and assemble a privacy envelope to deliver the ballot, which McDonald said officials call the "origami project." When officials receive the ballot, they check the signature against the one on file with the voter's voter-registration application. This option is only available for uniformed military (stationed both abroad and domestically) and overseas citizens through the voting act. However, Alaska was the first state to extend the electronic ballot delivery and return option to everyone. "It starts in the military and goes down to the general public," McDonald said. "That's usually how this stuff happens." That seemed to be the case with absentee voting and the Civil War. "I believe more states will follow Alaska's lead to expand ballot electronic delivery and return in the future," McDonald said. But don't expect the transition to occur anytime soon. With the recent hack in Arizona and Illinois voter registration databases and the Democratic National Committee's computer system, tackling the challenges of cybersecurity will likely take precedence over convenience. When can people start voting? (In-person or absentee drop-off without an excuse) Sept. 19 – Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (town holding earliest voting in Wisconsin, where early voting is set by municipalities and counties) Sept. 24 – New Jersey (mail-in ballots sent out), Vermont (until Nov. 7) Sept. 29 – Illinois (goes until Nov. 7), Iowa, North Dakota (ballots mailed; due by Nov. 7), Wyoming (until Nov. 7) Oct. 10 – Los Angeles County, Calif. (early voting is set by counties/municipalities. LA County has earliest — until Nov. 7), Maine (until Nov. 7), Montana (absentee ballots set to be available; can be turned in in person), Nebraska (until Nov. 7) Oct. 19 – Kansas (counties can set earlier dates, goes until Nov. 7), Oregon (most voting is by mail — ballots mailed out, can be dropped off same day), Tennessee (until Nov. 3) Oct. 21 – Washington state (ballots go out that day and can be dropped off) Oct. 22 – D.C. (at Judiciary Square, until Nov. 7), Nevada, New Mexico (in person) Oct. 24 – Alaska (until Nov. 7), Arkansas (until Nov. 7), Colorado (until Nov. 7; ballots mailed out Oct. 17), Idaho (this is the last day a municipality can begin early voting; goes until Nov. 4), Massachusetts (goes until Nov. 4), North Dakota (until Nov. 7), Texas (until Nov. 4) Oct. 25 – Hawaii (until Nov. 5), Louisiana (until Nov. 1), Utah (until Nov. 4) States without no-excuse early voting: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia


A month after President Trump's executive order barring people from seven nations from entering the United States caused tumult around the country, the government's accounting of how many travelers the ban affected remains unclear. A total of 746 people were detained and processed in a period immediately after a federal judge in Brooklyn blocked part of Mr. Trump's Jan. 27 order, according to a list released by the government on Thursday. The figure was nearly seven times greater than the 109 people that Mr. Trump said in a Jan. 30 message on Twitter had been "held for questioning" and Sean M. Spicer, the White House press secretary, said had been "inconvenienced. " But, according to lawyers for some of those who were detained, 746 may be an incomplete figure. At a hearing before Judge Carol B. Amon of Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Friday, those lawyers challenged the veracity of the government's list, saying they knew of at least 10 people who had been detained who were not included in the tally. Some detainees were forced to return to the countries from which they had come, despite having valid visas. The lawyers initially asked that the government provide them with a list of names so they could help people return to the United States. Joshua Press, a Justice Department trial lawyer, said at the hearing that a vast majority of those who were held were eventually allowed to enter the country and were legal permanent residents. He said he could not provide a specific number. The Justice Department referred a request for that figure to the Customs and Border Protection agency, which declined to comment because of the continuing litigation. At the hearing, Judge Amon ordered the government to inform the plaintiffs how many of the 746 people on the government's list had been allowed to enter the country, and to investigate the cases the plaintiffs' lawyers said had been omitted. The list included only the given name and surname of those who were detained and did not mention nationalities. Judge Amon had not ordered that contact information be included. "All we're trying to do is put together a puzzle, to which the government has all the pieces," said Muneer I. Ahmad, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs. When Mr. Ahmad questioned why the people he and his colleagues cited were missing from the list, Mr. Press replied, "The government is not omniscient. " Mr. Trump's executive order was halted on Feb. 9 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, which upheld a ruling by a federal judge in Seattle. The Trump administration has said it plans to issue a revised order next week. Judge Ann M. Donnelly of Federal District Court in Brooklyn originally issued a stay of removal on Jan. 28 just before 9 p. m. At the time, she also ordered the government to provide a list of those people detained as a result of the executive order. The case was later assigned to Judge Amon. On Tuesday, she clarified in an order that a "snapshot" to measure how many people had been detained should include those held immediately after Judge Donnelly's ruling, from 9:37 p. m. on Jan. 28 until 11:59 p. m. on Jan. 29. The list provided by the government did not include refugees because they generally do not arrive on weekends, said Rebecca Heller, a lawyer with the International Refugee Assistance Project. According to documents submitted to the court by the American Civil Liberties Union, some of those detained described having their phones confiscated, their requests to talk to lawyers denied and, in some cases, being coerced into signing forms that resulted in their deportation. Sara Yarjani, an Iranian citizen who is studying for a master's degree in holistic health in California, was held for 23 hours at Los Angeles International Airport before being deported, after Judge Donnelly issued her ruling, according to court filings. Suha Amin Abdullah Abushamma, a Sudanese doctor at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio who was born in Saudi Arabia and has a valid work visa, was detained at Kennedy Airport for 10 hours and deported, according to the filings. There is an urgent need to find those on the government's list of people who were held, said Lee Gelernt, lead lawyer with the A. C. L. U. for detainees. He said he feared that those people might be forgotten once the Trump administration releases new travel restrictions. "We're going to do our best to get everybody back, and then we'll fight the new executive order," Mr. Gelernt said.


Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his Foreign Ministry to sue the U.S. government over the seizure of Russian diplomatic property in the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. Putin this week warned he would order to take legal action over alleged violations of Russia s property rights by Washington. Putin also said Moscow reserved the right to further cut the number of U.S. diplomatic staff in response to what he called Washington s boorish treatment of Russia s diplomatic mission on U.S. soil that took place last week.


Ever since the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, pretty much everyone has chimed in with an opinion of what should happen next. Republicans want President Obama to hold off on nominating anyone. They are skillfully maneuvering their language to say that the nation should wait for the next president. While everyone with common sense and a basic understanding of the Constitution understands it s the president s job to pick someone new.The next question would obviously be, who should that someone be? Well, as it turns out, Justice Scalia often voiced his opinion on this matter. As President Obama s senior adviser David Axelrod pointed out on CNN, after Justice Souter announced his retirement, Scalia knew exactly who he wanted as a replacement.Axelrod sat with Scalia during a previous White House Correspondents Dinner, and as they sat, they discussed who Scalia would like to see on the court. Scalia told him: I have no illusions that your man will nominate someone who shares my orientation. But I hope he sends us someone smart. But he wasn t done. Continuing, he said: Let me put a finer point on it. I hope he sends us Elena Kagan. Seemingly surprised by this pick, Axelrod wrote on CNN: I was surprised that a member of the court would so bluntly propose a nominee, and intrigued that it was Kagan, the former Harvard Law School dean who was appointed solicitor general by Obama to represent the government before the Supreme Court. Though she had worked on policy in the Clinton administration and had a reputation for pragmatism, Kagan plainly would be a liberal in the context of the court. And although Obama went on to pick Justice Sotomayor, later when Justice John Paul Stevens retired, Kagan got her chance, and undoubtedly Scalia was pleased.Justice Scalia was a conservative through and through on matters of everything policy. However, he was able to maintain very close friendships with those whom he worked with and was close to, even those whose leanings were far more liberal. Axelrod even pointed out: During her confirmation meetings with senators, Kagan had vowed to go hunting to allay their concerns about her cultural awareness on the issue of guns. When she joined the court, she asked her friend, Scalia, to take her. The two, who occasionally shot intellectual darts at each other on paper, became regular, if unlikely, hunting partners. Thus proving that no matter how opposite some may be on matters of policy, those on the highest court in the land were still able to hold friendships and work together despite their differences. A lesson many in Washington probably still need to learn.It s also surprising that Scalia would talk about who he wanted with the president s senior adviser. He clearly wanted Kagan as his pick. Otherwise he probably would ve kept it to himself. This definitely shines a new light on Scalia, a man whose decisions have ranged from racist to homophobic to misogynistic to sometimes outright cruel. However, he clearly favored balance in the court, and for that, he needs to be respected.Featured image: Flickr


(Before It's News) God spells out the choice we need to make in Duet 30. by Jacqueline Hawkins At UNC Greensboro, a young woman told Deeper Still and GAP volunteer Debbie Picarello that she was a Christian who believed God gave her a "choice." In her mind, God was fine with whatever she wanted to do with her own body, even if it meant destroying her baby's body. She was failing the "choice" test, the test of life and death. Debbie pulled out the ultimate life "cheat sheet," the Bible. This is pretty good: In the most important test we will ever take, the test of life and death, God gave us the answers! Debbie showed her the answers she needed to know: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful." (Psalm 139:13,14) In other words, God made us. He put us together Himself. "For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body." (1 Cor 6:20.) Our bodies are not our own; they belong to God. This is especially true for Christians purchased by the Blood of the Lamb. "Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the other hand death and evil … I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Duet 30:15;19) The choice should be clear. This was not what the young woman wanted to hear. She told Debbie she felt judged. Debbie assured her that she was not judging her, but was giving her the Word of the very God she claimed to worship. Her belief, that she could do whatever she wanted with her own body and the body of her child, was wrong. Her assertions directly contradicted the Bible. It was indeed her choice to follow the Bible or not. But it was clear how God saw our choices. There are right choices and wrong choices. As followers of Christ, our choices are intended to be conformed to His likeness so that the whole world can know him. Pro-abortion Christians aren't just dangerous for themselves and their children; they are dangerous for everyone on the planet. God gives us the answers to the test, so that we can correct our course and pass with flying colors. Understanding what Debbie was saying, the young woman shook Debbie's hand and thanked her for speaking with her. This is so important. Our most important outreach is not to the pagan world; we are taking truth to confused Christians led astray by complacent church leaders who work harder than Planned Parenthood to cover up the truth. Over and over again, your support is the difference between life and death. When you support CBR , you choose life. Jackie Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and regular FAB contributor.


Flashback to February 18. 201: In a remarkable dispute just two days before a pivotal Republican primary, Pope Francis said Donald Trump s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is un-Christian, prompting Trump to respond that it was disgraceful for the pope to question his religion. A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian, Francis told reporters Wednesday aboard the papal plane. This is not in the Gospel. The pope s comments were first made public on Thursday. They obviously got to the pope, Trump said. He doesn t know me the Pope heard only one side of the story. In response to Pope Francis comments, candidate Trump told his supporters that I am a Christian and I am proud of it, and also attacked the Mexican government for using the pope as a pawn. There can t be a good economy without good businessmen, without their capacity to create and to produce, he said, shattering his reputation as an enemy of the free market economy.The Pope recognized that the essential value of work and employment is only possible when companies are sound and successful. Moreover, only an economically healthy society can keep a democracy afloat, he suggested. The world of work is a human priority, Francis said, and it s also a priority for the pope. There s always been a friendship between the church and work, starting with Jesus, who was a worker. When work is weakened, it s democracy that enters into crisis, he said. There s a social compact. Without denouncing unemployment benefits, Francis insisted that state intervention wasn t a real solution. A monthly check from the state that allows you to keep the family afloat doesn t solve the problem. It has to be resolved with work for everyone, he said.


Pepe ESCOBAR | 30.10.2016 | OPINION American Dream, Revisited Will Trump pull a Brexit times ten? What would it take, beyond WikiLeaks, to bring the Clinton (cash) machine down? Will Hillary win and then declare WWIII against her Russia / Iran / Syria «axis of evil»? Will the Middle East totally explode? Will the pivot to Asia totally implode? Will China be ruling the world by 2025? Amidst so many frenetic fragments of geopolitical reality precariously shored against our ruins, the temptation is irresistible to hark back to the late, great, deconstructionist master Jean Baudrillard. During the post-mod 1980s it was hip to be Baudrillardian to the core; his America, originally published in France in 1986, should still be read today as the definitive metaphysical/geological/cultural Instagram of Exceptionalistan. By the late 1990s, at the end of the millennium, two years before 9/11 – that seminal «before and after» event - Baudrillard was already stressing how we live in a black market maze. Now, it's a black market paroxysm. Global multitudes are subjected to a black market of work – as in the deregulation of the official market; a black market of unemployment; a black market of financial speculation; a black market of misery and poverty; a black market of sex (as in prostitution); a black market of information (as in espionage and shadow wars); a black market of weapons; and even a black market of thinking. Way beyond the late 20 th century, in the 2010s what the West praises as «liberal democracy» – actually a neoliberal diktat - has virtually absorbed every ideological divergence, while leaving behind a heap of differences floating in some sort of trompe l'oeil effect. What's left is a widespread, noxious condition; the pre-emptive prohibition of any critical thought, which has no way to express itself other than becoming clandestine (or finding the right internet niche). Baudrillard already knew that the concept of «alter» - killed by conviviality - does not exist in the official market. So an «alter» black market also sprung up, co-opted by traffickers; that's, for instance, the realm of racism, nativism and other forms of exclusion. Baudrillard already identified how a «contraband alter», expressed by sects and every form of nationalism (nowadays, think about the spectrum between jihadism and extreme-right wing political parties) was bound to become more virulent in a society that is desperately intolerant, obsessed with regimentation, and totally homogenized. There could be so much exhilaration inbuilt in life lived in a bewildering chimera cocktail of cultures, signs, differences and «values»; but then came the coupling of thinking with its exact IT replica – artificial intelligence, playing with the line of demarcation between human and non-human in the domain of thought. The result, previewed by Baudrillard, was the secretion of a parapolitical society - with a sort of mafia controlling this secret form of generalized corruption (think the financial Masters of the Universe). Power is unable to fight this mafia - and that would be, on top of it, hypocritical, because the mafia itself emanates from power. The end result is that what really matters today, anywhere, mostly tends to happen outside all official circuits; like in a social black market. Is there any information «truth»? Baudrillard showed how political economy is a massive machine, producing value, producing signs of wealth, but not wealth itself. The whole media / information system – still ruled by America - is a massive machine producing events as signs; exchangeable value in the universal market of ideology, the star system and catastrophism. This abstraction of information works as in the economy – disgorging a coded material, deciphered in advance, and negotiable in terms of models, as much as the economy disgorges products negotiable in terms of price and value. Since all merchandise, thanks to this abstraction of value, is exchangeable, then every event (or non-event) is also exchangeable, all replacing one another in the cultural market of information. And that takes us to where we live now; Trans-History, and Trans-Politics – where events have really not happened, as they get lost in the vacuum of information (as much as the economy gets lost in the vacuum of speculation). Thus this quintessential Baudrillard insight; if we consider History as a movie – and that's what it is now – then the «truth» of information is no more than post-production synch, dubbing and subtitles. Still, as we all keep an intense desire for devouring events, there is immense disappointment as well, because the content of information is desperately inferior to the means of broadcasting them. Call it a pathetic, universal contagion; people don't know what to do about their sadness or enthusiasm – in parallel to our societies becoming theaters of the absurd where nothing has consequences. No acts, deeds, crimes (the 2008 financial crisis), political events (the WikiLeaks emails showing virtually no distinction between the «nonprofit» Clinton cash machine, what's private and what's public, the obsessive pursuit of personal wealth, and the affairs of the state) seem to have real consequences. Immunity, impunity, corruption, speculation - we veer towards a state of zero responsibility (think Goldman Sachs). So, automatically, we yearn for an event of maximum consequence, a «fatal» event to repair that scandalous non-equivalence. Like a symbolic re-equilibrium of the scales of destiny. So we dream of an amazing event – Trump winning the election? Hillary declaring WWIII? - that would free us from the tyranny of meaning and the constraint of always searching for the equivalence between effects and causes. Shadowing the world Just like Baudrillard, I got to see «deep» America in the 1980s and 1990s by driving across America. So sooner or later one develops a metaphysical relationship with that ubiquitous warning, «Objects in this mirror may be closer than they appear». But what if they may also be further than they appear? The contemporary instant event/celebrity culture deluge of images upon us; does it get us closer to a so-called «real» world that is in fact very far away from us? Or does it in fact keep the world at a distance – creating an artificial depth of field that protects us from the imminence of objects and the virtual danger they represent? In parallel, we keep slouching towards a single future language – the language of algorithms, as designed across the Wall Street / Silicon Valley axis – that would represent a real anthropological catastrophe, just like the globalist/New World Order dream of One Thought and One Culture. Languages are multiple and singular – by definition. If there were a single language, words would become univocal, regulating themselves in an autopilot of meaning. There would be no interplay – as in artificial languages there's no interplay. Language would be just the meek appendix of a unified reality – the negative destiny of a languidly unified human species. That's where the American «dream» seems to be heading. It's time to take the next exit ramp.


Saudi Arabia s foreign minister said on Friday that Lebanon had been hijacked by Hezbollah and could only flourish if the Iranian-backed group disarmed. The Shi ite Muslim militia was set up by the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in the 1980s and has grown steadily in influence, sharing power in the Beirut government and giving crucial support to President Bashar al-Assad in Syria s civil war. Its growing strength has alarmed Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim monarchy that is Shi ite Iran s arch-rival for regional influence. Lebanon will only survive or prosper if you disarm Hezbollah, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a conference in Italy. As long as you have an armed militia, you will not have peace in Lebanon. Jubeir said the situation in Lebanon was tragic and accused Iran of fomenting unrest across the Middle East. Since 1979, the Iranians have literally got away with murder in our region, and this has to stop, he said. A month ago, Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanese prime minister while he was in Saudi Arabia, triggering a political crisis in Beirut and thrusting Lebanon onto the front line of the regional rivalry. Saudi Arabia denied coercing its long-time ally to quit, and Hariri has now returned to Beirut and indicated that he might withdraw his resignation. Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia fears that Hezbollah and Iran are trying to take control of its neighbor Yemen, by supporting Houthi forces against a Riyadh-led military coalition. Hezbollah denies fighting in Yemen, sending weapons to the Houthis, or firing rockets at Saudi Arabia from Yemeni territory. Jubeir rejected this and said his country would not back down in the conflict. The Houthis cannot be allowed to take over a country, he said. Jubeir said his country only had bad relations with two nations Iran and North Korea. He said Riyadh did not have relations with Israel, which shares Saudi worries over Iran, because it was waiting for a Palestinian peace deal. He said everyone knew what a solution would look like to the decades-old conflict. It is not rocket science, he said, adding that he was waiting for the United States to put forward a new proposal. One of the most intractable problems facing negotiators is the spread of Jewish settlements across occupied territory that the Palestinians want for a future state. Jubeir said he expected an eventual deal would set the borders of a Palestinian state on the lines prevailing before the 1967 war, when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, he said adjustments could be made for settlers: Seventy percent of the settlers who are on the (1967) Green Line remain in Israel, and the other 30 percent - you offer them compensation and work out housing, and they can move to Israel.


Remember the report that came out after Hillary left her position as Secretary of State? There was missing money $6 billion couldn t be accounted for. How does $6 billion just vanish? It seems like this is the usual thing with the Clintons. The Clinton Global Foundation also was missing money. Yes, a whopping $17 million went missing! I think we have a couple of Arkansas Grifters on our hands Since Bill and Hillary Clinton left the White House in 2001, they have earned more than $230 million. But in federal filings the Clintons claim they are worth somewhere between $11 million and $53 million. After layering years of disclosures on top of annual tax returns, Forbes estimates their combined net worth at $45 million. Where did all of the money go? No one seems to know, and the Clintons aren t offering any answers.From 2001 to 2014 the power couple spent $95 million on taxes. Hillary s 2008 presidential run cost her $13 million. Their two homes cost a combined $5 million, and the Clintons have given away $22 million to charity. All of this is according to FEC filings, property records and years of tax returns. Add it up and you get $135 million. If the Clintons made $230 million, spent $135 million and have just $45 million left over, what happened to the other $50 million? That s kind of strange, says Joe Biden s accountant, Walter Deyhle. You have to report all of your assets. You have to report assets that are owned by your spouse. It seems unlikely that the Clintons could have spent all of it. Over 14 years $50 million averages out to $3.6 million in extra expenses per year, or $9,800 per day. Read the rest:Forbes explores some possible explanations for the missing money but dares not touch on one likely possibility that when you re running a criminal enterprise the size and scope of the Clinton Foundation, there are many, many people whose silence must be bought, and such folks don t come cheap.It s also possible that Bill s sexual shenanigans have resulted in out-of-court settlements in exchange for confidentiality agreements.And of course, political influence can be a two way street. While we assume that foreign entities have paid vast sums to the Clintons in exchange for favors, the Clintons themselves may have had to shell out money in exchange for access.