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Jose Alvarez has trouble sleeping. It is the pain from his back injury. It is the stress of paying the bills. It is the worry that his daughter will never live a normal life. Mr. Alvarez’s life changed in 2005, when a car backed into him on 24th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in Manhattan. Mr. Alvarez, now 63, was working as a boiler mechanic and welder at a few buildings on the street. Since the injury, he has been unable to work, because of herniated disks in his back. A quick jerk or movement sends Mr. Alvarez into excruciating pain. Without a job, he relies on his mechanical worker’s pension and Social Security disability benefits. “I don’t feel like a man anymore,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of movement, and the doctor says I should not pick up any more than 12 pounds. ” His limited mobility has proved especially difficult because his daughter, Kenerly, has Down syndrome. Kenerly was born in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. When Mr. Alvarez and his wife, Yuny, found out that she had Down syndrome, they were shocked and devastated. “I cried,” Ms. Alvarez, 41, said. “I knew something was wrong when they didn’t bring me the baby right away. ” The parents knew they would need to move to New York, where they would have access to better health care for Kenerly. The problem was getting into the country. For years, Mr. Alvarez, who had initially moved to New York to work and send money back to his family, tried to gain entry for his wife, whom he had met during one of his trips home. But immigration authorities questioned the legitimacy of their marriage, until January 2014, when the couple was able to move to New York, Mr. Alvarez said. Leaving their entire support system behind in the Dominican Republic, Ms. Alvarez and Kenerly moved into Mr. Alvarez’s home, which was the back half of a apartment in Washington Heights, in Upper Manhattan. The family owns the back bedroom and living room but shares a kitchen with neighbors. For the first few years of his daughter’s life, Mr. Alvarez was Kenerly’s primary caretaker during the day because his wife works as a home attendant. With Mr. Alvarez injured and Kenerly struggling to walk and climb stairs, father and daughter had to stay inside until Ms. Alvarez returned home. Everyday tasks, such as changing her diaper and feeding Kenerly, are a struggle. She is not fully and still uses diapers. It is difficult for Mr. Alvarez to lift her onto the toilet, and for a while she would use the bathtub instead. “I do things even though it’s hard,” he said. Unable to lift her into a highchair, Mr. Alvarez had to improvise. “It was hard for me to pick her up,” he said. “So I had to teach her how to get up there by herself. ” But Mr. Alvarez had help teaching his daughter to climb into the chair. In September last year, the family found Kennedy Child Study Center, an agency affiliated with the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. Kenerly, who receives physical and occupational therapy through the center, which helps children with developmental delays, is learning to climb stairs and can now use a spoon to feed herself. “It takes a lot of pressure off me having the school and feeling like I’m not the only person who can take care of my child,” Mr. Alvarez said. But with the added costs of Kenerly’s diapers and food, he still worries about paying the bills and even the rent. The couple receives about $2, 500 a month total in benefits and in Ms. Alvarez’s pay. “Sometimes we have to be late on the rent,” Mr. Alvarez said. “It’s hard, but we have to do it. ” Catholic Charities, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times’s Neediest Cases Fund, used $297 to pay for diapers, wipes and clothes for Kenerly. Kenerly, sporting her new Minnie Mouse sweatshirt, showed off her newfound skills by unzipping the jacket, something she was unable to do until she started going to Kennedy Child Study Center. She then went straight into the bedroom and emerged with her mother’s makeup. She climbed up on the reclining chair and began to apply it to her face. “She’s a very special child,” Ms. Alvarez said. “She has a lot of personality. ” But Mr. Alvarez still worries about Kenerly as she grows up. “Will she be able to work? Make money? I often can’t sleep thinking about this,” he said. “Will she ever get married? Have children?” Kenerly is drawn to her father. It is as though being stuck in their apartment all that time allowed them to form a particularly close bond. She often climbs out of her crib near her parents’ bed and over her mother and snuggles up next to her father. “I love her so much,” Mr. Alvarez said, holding back tears. “You can’t imagine how much I love her. I have her in my heart and soul. ”

Ever since same-sex marriage became the law of the land, Bible Belt states have been pushing back on it. Of course, we all remember the Kim Davis fiasco, where the Rowan County, Kentucky County Clerk went to jail rather than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Now, we have something similar happening in Arkansas, where the state was refusing to put the names of same-sex parents on their children s birth certificates. However, the Supreme Court handed down a decision forcing the state of Arkansas to treat same-sex couples just like they treat opposite-sex couples.The decision that was handed down was 6-3, with Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissenting. This comes as no surprise, since those are the three most conservative justices on the court. Further, it gives us just a taste of what we are in for with Trump s new justice, and it isn t good. The case reached the highest court in the land as the result of two women who filed a suit against the state when they insisted that it was not a right to have both parents listed on their infant s certificate of birth. First, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state, so the case went to the Supreme Court, where it was struck down.Luckily, this is a 6-3 ruling, so it s not on a razor s edge, like some rulings in favor of equality have been including Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that legalized marriage equality nationwide. With talk of the potential retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is usually the swing vote on the Court, there could be a lot of anti-equality rulings if Trump puts another right-wing asshole up for consideration. The last great hope is that the Democrats are able to take the Senate back in 2018, and Justice Kennedy will wait until then to retire. For now, we can be happy that the Court did the right thing in this case.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images

First Lady Michelle Obama brought the house down at the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, using her section of the prime time broadcast to directly take on Republican nominee Donald Trump.In her final convention appearance as the sitting First Lady, Mrs. Obama said: Don t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now, is the greatest country on earth. That was, of course, a direct swipe at Donald Trump s slogan where he has promised to make America great again. .@FLOTUS: "Don't let anybody ever tell you this country isn't great" https://t.co/DD977hsyqQ #DemsinPhilly https://t.co/MTU1qI5p6A ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 26, 2016She also pointed out that American voters deserve a President who understands that complex issues can t be boiled down to 140 characters, a reference to Donald Trump s reliance (addiction?) to Twitter, his chosen way of communicating.The statement was followed by a full-throated endorsement of Hillary Clinton, as Mrs. Obama told the audience to get to work because we need to knock on every door in order to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as President of the United States of America. The First Lady also echoed one of the slogans associated with Clinton s campaign, noting that I m with her in the upcoming election.She also pointed out to the audience in the stadium and watching at home, that her own life was an example of the American ideal. I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, Mrs. Obama said, also adding that her daughters as black women were a part of the amazing American story.During her time as First Lady, Mrs. Obama has remained a very popular figure even as the President has gone up and down in approval. Along with Hillary Clinton, she was ranked among the ten most admired women in the world by the Gallup poll in its most recent survey on the topic in late 2015.Featured image via Twitter

The political climate of the current U.S. election has changed dramatically in the past year, and the biggest evidence of this is the horrifying language that many Trump supporters use to express...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Harsh rhetoric about Muslims by Republican candidates in the U.S. presidential election campaign is undermining national security efforts, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Tuesday. Asked about comments by Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, Johnson told MSNBC in an interview that singling out a specific community hampers government efforts to build the connections needed to thwart possible attacks. “Inflammatory comments about patrolling and securing Muslim neighbors or barring Muslims from entering this country, having an immigration policy based on religion, is counterproductive to our homeland security and national security interests,” he said. Johnson’s remarks come in the wake of attacks last week in Belgium claimed by Islamic State militants that have stoked security fears across Europe and the West. U.S. officials have said there is no immediate known threat to the United States and have vowed to work with European authorities following those attacks, which targeted the Brussels airport and a subway station and killed at least 35 people. Heightened concern over security has rippled through the nomination race for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, called for police to patrol American Muslim neighborhoods following the Brussels bombings. Billionaire businessman Trump has continued his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. The rhetoric has polarized the U.S. electorate and prompted criticism, particularly from Democrats, including President Barack Obama. Ohio Governor John Kasich, who is running a distant third in the Republican race for the nomination, on Tuesday blasted both of his rivals’ comments on security and said there should be more of a focus on intelligence-gathering and global cooperation, especially with help from Muslim communities. “It’s so absurd,” Kasich said at a campaign event. Johnson said officials have worked hard to connect with American Muslim communities to garner their assistance with U.S. national security efforts.”In this phase, it is critical that we build bridges to American-Muslim communities, not vilify them, not drive them into the shadows, and encourage them to work with us,” he said. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state, has urged the United States and Europe to do more to defeat Islamic State and has slammed Cruz and Trump’s rhetoric toward Muslims. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination, has also said he opposes surveillance of Muslim communities but backs stronger intelligence-sharing and monitoring of social media in the fight against Islamist militants.

This is a story about the swing voter. The voter who, days before the election, doesn’t know if she wants to vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton — or, hell, maybe Jill Stein or Gary Johnson. You're going to hear a lot about these mythical middle-ground people in the runup to the election. You can just search "swing voter" to see how common this narrative is: This is because many pundits think swing voters decide elections. They think swing voters — or "floating voters" — are large in number and just sitting in the middle, waiting to be convinced by one party or the other to vote for them. So this is the picture in their heads: But increasingly, this picture is wrong. As the parties polarize, it’s becoming much easier to for Americans to choose sides, even if they don’t identify as Republican or Democrat. So when they go to vote, they act like partisans. Back when there were more voters who might change their minds, campaigns were based on persuasion, and persuasion pulls you toward the middle. But when everyone’s mind is already made up, that means the way to win an election is to rile up people on your own team. A few years ago, Smidt, who works at Michigan State University, was trying to reconcile two things. One was that there were more and more people identifying as independents, rather than Democrats or Republicans. That should've meant that there were a huge number of people who were willing to change their minds, since they weren't partisan. But Smidt also noticed that over this time period, the presidential election maps didn't change much. It was “much more rigid." One way to reconcile these two things was to believe that independents were no longer participating, which means there were fewer nonpartisan voters. But Smidt had another question: Are these self-labeled nonpartisans actually willing to vote for Republicans one election and Democrats in another? So he decided to study historical surveys that asks Americans about how they voted. He came up with four groups for the respondents: He did this for every year going back 50 years. What he found was simple, though shocking: Even though more and more people don’t align with a party, they still consistently behave like reliable partisans and repeatedly vote for the same party. In other words, swing voters are dying. Most voters look at where the parties stand on the issues, and then they pick one that best reflects their own views. But if you don’t pay enough attention to tell the parties apart, then you won’t know which party you agree with. That makes you more likely to swing between parties. So if we redraw the picture at the top, it would look like this. Notice how similar the two sides look to her: And it used to be common for people with less political knowledge to switch the party they supported from election to election — whether or not they voted. But over time, this party switching has become far less common: This is because now even low-information voters can tell the two parties apart: In 1960, both partisans and nonpartisans were much less likely to say there was a big difference between Republicans and Democrats. Now almost all strong partisans would say yes — and even half of nonpartisans would say yes. In short, voters are more confident that they know exactly what they’re voting for when they look at the “D” or the “R” next to a candidate’s name — no matter how partisan they are. And it's not just about partisanship. A modern-day person with low political awareness can tell the parties apart just as well as someone who had high awareness in 1968: It's not that the people have changed. Rather, it's the parties. Let's go back to the drawing at the top of the story. Here's where we were in the 1950s, where a low-information voter would look at the parties and not be able to tell the difference. But over the past 50 years, the two parties have evolved very distinct platforms. In the 1968 election, neither Republican Richard Nixon nor Democrat Hubert Humphrey articulated clear views on what he would in Vietnam. "This ambivalence and deliberate obfuscating can create opportunity to win voters over," Smidt said. Before Ronald Reagan, the Republican Party didn't have an anti-abortion position. At the 1996 State of the Union, Bill Clinton said, "The era of big government is over." It was a lot harder to pin down each party to specific issues, especially for those who weren't paying close attention. But now the party lines are clear on abortion, taxes, climate change, health care, same-sex marriage — the list goes on. That's why when we look at how much Republicans and Democrats agree in the House and Senate, we see more and more polarization: You could argue that voters clearly knowing which side they’re on is a good thing. But in the 1954 study "Voting: A Study of Opinion Formation in a Presidential Campaign," political scientists argued that what we need from an electorate is diversity — in other words, we can't just have rigid voters with ideal views, but also detached voters with rational views. Those are the people who allow our political system to more efficiently get things done. As Smidt writes, "Even the 'least admirable' voters enrich our democratic political system by providing it with the flexibility and indifference that it needs." If more and more voters are either on your side or the opponent’s side, that means winning elections is simple: You have to get your people more excited, and get the other side less excited. This means that candidates have little incentive to talk to people in the middle — people who don't make consistent partisan decisions in the voting booth. Just think about the 2016 election in this framework: Voters in Utah, who are traditionally Republican, don't like Donald Trump. But because the party positions are so polarized, it's too far a jump for them to support a Democrat like Hillary Clinton. So as Smidt points out, many would rather jump to a third party candidate. Trump was supposed to be the most nontraditional candidate in modern American politics — someone who was shaking up the electorate. But on November 8, when you look at the election map, it'll probably look a lot like past election maps. Maybe a few states will switch over, but most of America will likely have voted the same way. The president-elect will have won on the backs of riled up partisans, and people would be swing voters — except they’re not because they picked a side long ago. Clarification: I initially called Smidt’s research an experiment, but it’s more so a study of historical data, which I’ve clarified in the piece.

Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday won the annual CPAC presidential straw poll, a gauge of where conservative voters stand. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in second and billionaire businessman Donald Trump came in third. Cruz got 40 percent of the informal vote, followed by Rubio with 30 percent, Trump with 15 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 8 percent. Trump at the last minute cancelled his appearance at the four-day CPAC event. Cruz and Rubio spoke at the event. Last year, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul won the informal poll with 25.7 of the vote, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Cruz, Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rubio and Trump. In 2012, the last CPAC straw poll in a presidential year, the winner was Mitt Romney, the eventual GOP nominee. He was followed by Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is evaluating the situation surrounding U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn and is speaking to Vice President Mike Pence about it, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday. Spicer’s statement, read to reporters, left Flynn’s status in doubt. Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway had said an hour earlier that Flynn had the full confidence of the president.

Video: UK security agencies unlawfully collected data for 17 years, court rules By admin legal eagle Big deal. Anyone going to jail like if it was a private citizen committing the crime ? No? then shut up. News to your inbox Stay ahead of the curve. Yes! Send me daily news! You have Successfully Subscribed!

It looks as though there are still men who think forcing themselves on women should be perfectly acceptable. There are clearly also still men who feel the need to defend men who force themselves on other women, and speak out against programs that require consent.Yes, folks. This is the United States of America in the year 2016.On Thursday, Fox News Business host Stuart Varney had fellow Fox flunky Andrew Napolitano on to discuss the yes means yes movement and Harvard s secret society of all-male clubs who stated that women can t be involved because men can keep it in their pants. I m sorry, because the men may be falsely accused of sexual assault. And because men may go after women, it s best to just continue the tradition of keeping women as second-rate and exclude them from the clubs.And of course, Varney completely agreed with Harvard: They are faced with the possibility of admitting women or are forced to admit women then they are therefore increasing the likelihood of a lawsuit. Because if a man in this day in age holds the hand of a woman on a date without first asking permission, that is an assault. In come the lawyers. Yeah, making light of rape is always a wise thing to do. For f*cks sake.Varney apparently thinks, the real story here now is, the law is now controlling intimate relationships between men and women. Lawyers [and] the law should not be in the middle of an intimate dating relationship between the sexes. Yes, women, stay quiet and let men have their way with you. Stupid lawyers and their wanting to uphold the law, keeping women safe and holding abusers accountable.Varney then goes on to complain about how no means no has turned into yes means yes because clearly getting consent in the affirmative is an overwhelming concept for him.Then Napolitano agrees with him, saying that the whole thing is insane, and thinks that not every un-consented to touching is any of the business of the government. Adding: I can t imagine that the failure to say yes is a criminal assault. Actually, Andrew that s exactly what it is.The fact that these men are sitting here and defending unconsented touch is not only deplorable, but horrific. If they want to be able to force themselves on women, they should at least be forced out of a job. What say you, Fox News?Featured image via video screen capture/ HT: Raw Story

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield for digging up this bombshell of a fact: Carter did what Trump just announced he d like to do. This reminds us all (I hope) that we ve been doing this Muslim terrorism thing for waaay too long! It s been decades of dealing with this barbaric behavior and hate. If you ve never seen ARGO , please make time to watch it! It s a really great flashback of terrorism in the 70 s but we re STILL dealing with this evil remember Benghazi? Here s a trailer from the movie about the hostage crisis in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter: So who s the Hitler now? The name calling has been so over the top against Trump that it s almost embarrassing. The RINO Republicans (Lindsey Graham) and liberal press (Shepard Smith) were absolutely ridiculous! Take the emotion out of this and look at the facts!During the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter issued a number of orders to put pressure on Iran. Among these, Iranians were banned from entering the United States unless they oppose the Shiite Islamist regime or had a medical emergency.Here s Jimmy Hitler Carter saying it back in 1980.Fourth, the Secretary of Treasury [State] and the Attorney General will invalidate all visas issued to Iranian citizens for future entry into the United States, effective today. We will not reissue visas, nor will we issue new visas, except for compelling and proven humanitarian reasons or where the national interest of our own country requires. This directive will be interpreted very strictly.Apparently barring people from a terrorist country is not against our values after all. It may even be who we are . Either that or Carter was a racist monster just like Trump.Meanwhile here s how the Iranian students in the US were treated.Carter orders 50,000 Iranian students in US to report to immigration office with view to deporting those in violation of their visas. On 27 December 1979, US appeals court allows deportation of Iranian students found in violation.In November 1979, the Attorney General had given all Iranian students one month to report to the local immigration office. Around 7,000 were found in violation of their visas. Around 15,000 Iranians were forced to leave the US.Meanwhile any Iranians entering the US were forced to undergo secondary screening.Interestingly enough, Carter did this by invoking the Nationality Act of 1952. A law originally opposed by Democrats for its attempt to restrict Communist immigration to the United States. If this oasis of the world should be overrun, perverted, contaminated, or destroyed, then the last flickering light of humanity will be extinguished, Senator McCarran said of the law. He was a Democrat.Now unlike Muslims, Iranians were not necessarily supportive of Islamic terrorism. Many were and are opponents of it. Khomeini didn t represent Iran as a country, but his Islamist allies. So Trump s proposal is far more legitimate than Carter s action. Carter targeted people by nationality. Trump s proposal does so by ideology.Read more: FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE

It s probably just a big misunderstanding. Bill likely misspoke kinda like, I did not have sexual relations with that woman.

Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday the House will vote on whether to impeach Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen, and he indicated members won t be pressured to vote one way or the other.The entire House Republican conference is to meet behind closed doors next week to discuss the issue, but conservatives led by Representative John Fleming of Louisiana say the process of introducing a privileged resolution to force the vote will begin before that.Ryan, who has previously hedged on whether the House should take such action, said on Wednesday that he won t stop it. The House hasn t impeached a cabinet official since the mid-1870s and has never impeached an executive branch official, such as Koskinen, who doesn t hold cabinet rank. Any House action would be largely symbolic, because the effort is expected to be blocked in the Senate if it passes the House. Read more: Newsmax.com The IRS is refusing to recant the targeting criteria it used to single out tea party groups for intrusive scrutiny, according to court filings made public Wednesday that show the tax agency still struggling with the fallout from the scandal.At least three tea party groups are still awaiting approval from the IRS more than three years after agents publicly admitted they d asked inappropriate questions and put the groups through unreasonable delays in obtaining tax-exempt status. Last month the IRS told both Congress and a federal judge that it would start processing the outstanding applications but the agency has refused to say how or when, leaving the groups themselves struggling to make sense of things. Making matters ever more difficult, the IRS specifically refused in court papers to reject further use of the criteria it used to single out tea party and conservative groups in the first place. Despite all the representations made by the IRS about having changed its ways, it still asserts that the viewpoint-based Targeting Criteria are relevant for making a determination of tax-exempt status, Edward Greim, the lawyer representing tea party groups in a class-action lawsuit, told the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.Read more: WT

The Breakfast Club interview started out when one of the hosts, Charlemagne Tha god told his audience, Let the record show, when she [Hillary] walked in, I gave her a handshake and she did it the right way. She bought it in, cuffed it and everything. Cackling ensued One of the tough questions Hillary got during her interview was, Do you believe in ghosts? She was also asked if her pants suits are inspired by game show host Steve Harvey. Instead of admitting that she might lose half of her voting base if they were to see her in a dress, she carries on forever about the ease of a pants suit. Between coughing fits, Hillary was able to sneak in another ridiculous lie.Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Monday said that she always keeps a bottle of hot sauce handy in her bag. Hot sauce, she said when asked what she constantly carries in her bag.The comments, first reported by TMZ, came during an appearance on Power 105.1 FM s The Breakfast Club. Really? Are you getting in that Formation right now? host Charlamagne Tha God asked before quoting Beyonce s song Formation. Hot sauce in my bag, swag? Clinton said that she was indeed serious, leading the host to joke that Clinton is angling for African American voters with a Beyonce reference.Here is the Refrain from Beyonc s anti-cop, racist Formation song: Y all haters corny with that lluminati mess Paparazzi, catch my fly, and my cocky fresh I m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin ) I m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bama I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils Earned all this money but they never take the country out me I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag I want you to know that people are going to see this and say, she s pandering to black people again, he told Clinton. OK is it working? the Democratic presidential front-runner quipped. Seriously I ve been eating a lot of hot sauce and raw peppers. Via: The HillThe hot sauce comment can be seen at the 25 minute mark: Excuse me, she said coughing, after speaking for about 20 minutes on the air. Allergy season, she said, as she continued coughing, reaching for her drink. You all right? Any mouth to mouth CPR? one of the hosts joked, trying to lighten the mood. Senator, you coughing like you have something medicinal, another host said. Yeah, I need some, she replied as the hosts laughed. My voice is failing here, she said as she continued speaking in a faltering tone. The interview went on for about three additional minutes before staffers ended it.Clinton has had multiple coughing episodes during her campaign for president, awkwardly interrupting speeches or interviews as she struggles to regain her voice. She also had a coughing episode during her testimony during the Congressional Benghazi hearings. Via: Breitbart News

(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held additional meetings in New York on Tuesday as he worked to fill administration positions ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20. Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles. See end of list for posts already filled. * Steven Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Trump’s campaign finance chairman * Jeb Hensarling, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee * Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase & Co chief executive officer * Tom Barrack, founder and chairman of Colony Capital Inc * Jonathan Gray, global head of real estate at the Blackstone Group * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor * Rudy Giuliani, former Republican mayor of New York City * Nikki Haley, Republican governor of South Carolina * John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Republican President George W. Bush * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq * James Mattis, retired Marine general * David Petraeus, former CIA director and retired Army general * Tom Cotton, Republican U.S. senator from Arkansas * Jon Kyl, former Republican U.S. senator from Arizona * Duncan Hunter, Republican U.S. representative from California and early Trump supporter, member of the House Armed Services Committee * Jim Talent, former Republican U.S. senator from Missouri who was on the Senate Armed Services Committee * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Stephen Hadley, former national security adviser under President George W. Bush * Tom Price, Republican U.S. representative from Georgia who is an orthopedic surgeon * Rich Bagger, former pharmaceutical executive and former top aide to Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie * Bobby Jindal, former Republican Louisiana governor * Michael McCaul, Republican U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee * David Clarke, Milwaukee county sheriff and vocal Trump supporter * Joe Arpaio, outgoing Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who campaigned for Trump * Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state * Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Leslie Rutledge, Republican Arkansas attorney general * Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management * Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. Representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee * Jan Brewer, former Republican Arizona governor * Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil * Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Mary Fallin, Republican Oklahoma governor * Ray Washburne, chief executive of investment company Charter Holdings * Cathy McMorris Rodgers, U.S. representative from Washington state and Republican Conference chair * Wilbur Ross, billionaire investor, chairman of Invesco Ltd subsidiary WL Ross & Co * Linda McMahon, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and two-time Republican Senate candidate * Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, former Republican U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, former Republican mayor of New York City * Richard Grenell, former spokesman for the United States at the United Nations * Peter King, Republican U.S. representative from New York * Tulsi Gabbard, a war veteran and Democratic U.S. representative from Hawaii * Dan DiMicco, former chief executive of steel producer Nucor Corp * Andrew Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants * Victoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission commissioner and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration * Elaine Chao, former labor secretary and deputy transportation secretary under Republican Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, respectively. Chao is wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell * Dr. Ben Carson, former 2016 Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon The Trump transition team confirmed he would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah, and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. * Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus * Steve Bannon, former head of the conservative website Breitbart News * Jeff Sessions, Republican U.S. senator from Alabama and senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee (subject to Senate confirmation) * Republican U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo from Kansas (subject to Senate confirmation) * Michael Flynn, retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency

Antonin Scalia was a conservative giant on the Supreme Court. His death will affect this Supreme Court term, the future balance of the court, and the 2016 election. Why Trump says he wants to ditch plans for new Air Force One An American flag flies at half-staff in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington Sunday morning in honor of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died this weekend. The passing of Justice Antonin Scalia substantially undercuts the ability of the United States Supreme Court to decide some of the most contentious national issues currently pending at the high court. In addition, it thrusts the nation’s highest court into a glaring spotlight in this year’s presidential election, and it sets the stage for a year-long confrontation between President Obama and Sentate Republicans over not just who should fill the vacant high court seat but how fast the nomination and confirmation process should proceed. On a human level, Justice Scalia’s sudden death Saturday while on a hunting trip in Texas casts a pall over the institution he loved and served for nearly three decades. He is being remembered by friends and colleagues as one of the most influential justices in a generation, and perhaps in high court history. They are praising his intellect, his wit, and a combative style from the bench that had a capacity to endear and enrage. He was a gifted writer and, at times, an uncompromising critic of judges and fellow justices with whom he disagreed. “His brilliance and wit not only lit up a pen; they lit up a room,” said Amy Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor and former Scalia law clerk, in a statement. “He was larger than life, and it is difficult to imagine life without him in it.” Scalia’s most enduring contribution to American jurisprudence may ultimately be his self-professed fidelity to originalism and his rejection of the concept that the US Constitution is a living document that should be liberally reinterpreted by the courts. Instead, Scalia preached the virtues of remaining faithful to the text – the actual words – in the Constitution or in a statute. To Scalia, and the growing number of conservative scholars and judges who follow his approach, originalism is a safeguard against judges using their lifetime appointments to amend the Constitution or statutes to reflect their personal policy preferences. He believed that it was for lawmakers to make laws and that it was for judges to confine themselves to giving no greater or lesser force to the resulting measure. In a statement to the nation on Saturday night, President Obama praised Scalia as a “brilliant legal mind with an energetic style, incisive wit, and colorful opinions.” Obama ordered flags across the country to be flown at half-staff in honor of Scalia. But the president also made clear that he planned to move forward with a nomination to fill the vacant seat at the high court. He called on the Senate to give his nominee a “fair hearing and a timely vote.” The vacant high court seat is significant because the Supreme Court had been divided with five justices nominated by Republican presidents and four nominated by Democratic presidents. Now, with Scalia’s passing, the divide is four to four. If Scalia’s seat is filled by a more liberal-leaning Democratic nominee it could substantially shift the balance of power on the high court in a liberal direction in the full range of hot button issues. It is for that reason that Democrats are already pushing hard for a relatively quick nomination by Obama and a Senate vote this year on that nominee. For the same reason, Republicans, who currently hold a majority of Senate seats, are insisting that the nomination and any vote be delayed until after the November presidential election. Senator Chuck Grassley, (R) of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that standard-practice for 80 years has been that Supreme Court nominations and confirmations should not proceed during a presidential election year. “Given the huge divide in the country, and the fact that this president, above all others, has made no bones about his goal to use the courts to circumvent Congress and push through his own agenda, it only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Supreme Court justice,” Senator Grassley said. As for the ongoing work at the Supreme Court itself, what had looked to become one of the most momentous Supreme Court terms in years suddenly looks a lot less so. In the next three months, the justices are set to hear cases examining abortion restrictions in Texas, the contraception mandate in Obamacare, and whether President Obama acted constitutionally in his executive action on immigration. Now, with one less vote in the court’s conservative wing, the court appears split four to four between liberals and conservatives. That doesn’t mean there won’t be significant decisions. For example, if Justice Anthony Kennedy joins his liberal colleagues in the Texas abortion case, as some analysts expect, that could lead to a 5-to-3 decision striking down all or part of the Texas abortion restrictions. That decision could be a landmark and Scalia’s absence would be felt only in the loss of what would likely be a fiery dissenting opinion. But in the contraceptive mandate case and the Obama immigration cases, the loss of Scalia’s vote could result in a 4-to-4 tie that would leave the lower court decisions in place. Such an outcome would resolve those cases, but set no national precedent. Legal experts note that decisions in cases that have already been heard in oral argument by the court but not yet publicly announced may change with the loss of Scalia’s vote. Those cases include a dispute testing whether unions representing public employees can require nonmembers to pay fair share fees to a union for collective bargaining. Analysts anticipated that the court might rule 5 to 4 against the unions. That outcome is now unlikely. In addition, the court was preparing a decision in a case raising a fundamental question about the meaning of “one person, one vote,” and how voting districts are drawn in Texas. The outcome of that case is now also in doubt. The high court is also considering a potential landmark case examining the use of race in an affirmative action plan at the University of Texas at Austin. But the loss of Scalia’s vote may not undercut a final decision in that case because Justice Elena Kagan is not participating in the dispute. So a 4-to-3 vote is possible.

ReadyNutrition Guys and Gals, as you know we’re down to the wire just before the U.S. presidential election: an election that will shape the face of the country for a long time. But will we make it there? And if so, will we make it through it, and the transition period? With the contrived “Russian Cyber threat,” along with the very real threat of nuclear war, an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack, a true Cyberattack, an economic and societal collapse, or a grid down scenario, we have enough things to look out for. When things of this nature make the mainstream news media, it may be time to start preparing if you have not done so. It’s time to prepare for the worst-case scenario with this best-selling preparedness manual People are Planning for Unrest Following the Election Emergency food sales and preparedness related supplies have soared due to the upcoming election. Here are excerpts from this article: “What’s feeding this new urgency? Survivalist consumers say they’re preparing for post-election unrest that could involve everything from massive riots, to power grid outages, to the total collapse of the financial system where a can of food becomes currency. Nor is it limited to just rural areas. Frederick Reddie, a 41-year-old ‘urban prepper’ from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is stocking upon staples like rice and peanut butter and working on expanding his 6-month supply of emergency food to two years. He has to use a pseudonym to protect his supply from any future hungry neighbors, he told NBC News.” Well, it seems as if “Freddie Reddie” may have read my article about neighbors and “The Shelter” episode of the Twilight Zone. In any event, he has the right idea. Certainly, if you can afford it and wish to invest, then by all means (and by your choice), indulge as best fits into your budget and storage plans. The aforementioned article reported that several companies that sell freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in Mylar that are packed in buckets are being bought akin to a wildfire. Telephone orders are through the roof, and the companies reported they have needed extra staff to take care of the purchases. Why Canned Goods are a Good SHTF Investment I personally like the canned goods. They’re within my budget (no, JJ is not a millionaire or even close), and they are the basis for my logistical needs. I don’t normally eat a lot of canned goods, and for a survival situation, I’m not overly concerned with the food being organic, or any “ leaching ” that may occur out of the can liners. My focus is on complete nutrition : protein, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins. Canned foods have been time-tested with me: I have had cans of vegetables and meats that I had in New Orleans during Katrina that (after ten years) were still just fine when tested. Indeed, they found canned meat from Arctic and Antarctic missions such as Scott’s and Amundsen’s that had been almost a hundred years old with the contents still edible. Canned goods can take tremendous changes in temperature and still be perfectly edible. Canned goods are also pretty affordable and can even be found at dollar stores . Everyone has undoubtedly concentrated on the basics, as follows: Soups, prepared dinners (pasta dishes, chili), stews, canned meat (chicken and fish), canned beans and vegetables. Be Careful of Tricky Manufacturers You have to watch out: they’re starting to shrink not only portion size but portion content. I just picked up the last case of ready-made mini beef ravioli with meatballs. My sneaky grocers kept the same label on the cans but removed the “with meatballs” from the label…and (as you may have guessed) the meatballs, as well. The can with the meatballs has a protein content of 22 grams (g), or 11 g per serving. The one without the meatballs only has 16 g per can (8 g per serving), and they “phased” out the ones with the meatballs, but left the same price…79 cents per can. Doesn’t sound as if it’s much, but when you buy 20 cans, that’s 120 grams of protein less in the variety sans meatballs. Same for peanut butter, where they conveniently shrank the portion size but kept the same sized jar. In addition to the canned goods, you can still find some case lot sales on dry goods, such as pasta, rice, peanut butter, crackers, and so forth. With canned goods, don’t write off canned mackerel or sardines from your preps. They’re high in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. We’re getting close to “crunch time” with all of these things happening. Now is the time for you to stretch your dollars and prepare according to the many tips and articles you’ve read and researched here on ReadyNutrition. Use those Gatorade and 2-liter soda bottles to build up as much of a bottled water supply as you can. For your canned goods, if you can put them in bins, all the better. If not, try out some cardboard boxes, and be sure to label them or mark them on the outside with a magic marker for what the general contents are. Staying Organized Inventory sheets (as I’ve mentioned in articles past) go a long way in rotating your supplies and also for keeping track of their contents. For canned vegetables, concentrate on the ones you can get the most for your money with. Examples would be canned, whole potatoes, spinach, kale, beans (such as baked or black…not the green beans that are almost devoid of nutrition), sauerkraut (excellent vitamin C source), canned fruit high in vitamin C (grapefruit, mandarin oranges, etc.). Other prepared foods in cans are macaroni and cheese that you can add meat to if you wish. They last a long time, come precooked (therefore can be eaten right out of the can), and they can take a beating. Let’s not also forget canned juices, such as fruit juices and vegetable juices (tomato, V-8, etc.) Stick with the non-carbonated stuff, as it’s better for you and will be less prone to burst on a fall or impact. Here is a good list to follow . In a nutshell, these canned goods and dry goods can help you boost up your supplies, or provide you with a base if you have not been preparing. All of the advice in the world will not help you unless you put it to use with actions. As things occur both in the U.S. and the world, now is the time to take advantage and do all that you can, and the canned goods can be found within your budget that fulfills your basic needs. Keep in that good fight, and fight it all the way! JJ out! Related Material: 11 Emergency Foods That Last Forever The Prepper’s Cookbook How to Stock a Prepper’s Pantry Five Family Friendly Food Pantry Organizing Tips Anyone Can Do Prepping With Wheat Allergies 5 Ways to Stretch Your Meals SHTF Style Food Pantry: Take Care of Your Basic Needs 72 Hours Without This Will Kill You: Survival Water Fundamentals Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne). Mr. Johnson was a Special Forces Medic, EMT and ACLS-certified, with comprehensive training in wilderness survival, rescue, and patient-extraction. He is a Certified Master Herbalist and a graduate of the Global College of Natural Medicine of Santa Ana, CA. A graduate of the U.S. Army’s survival course of SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape), Mr. Johnson also successfully completed the Montana Master Food Preserver Course for home-canning, smoking, and dehydrating foods. Mr. Johnson dries and tinctures a wide variety of medicinal herbs taken by wild crafting and cultivation, in addition to preserving and canning his own food. An expert in land navigation, survival, mountaineering, and parachuting as trained by the United States Army, Mr. Johnson is an ardent advocate for preparedness, self-sufficiency, and long-term disaster sustainability for families. He and his wife survived Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Cross-trained as a Special Forces Engineer, he is an expert in supply, logistics, transport, and long-term storage of perishable materials, having incorporated many of these techniques plus some unique innovations in his own homestead. Mr. Johnson brings practical, tested experience firmly rooted in formal education to his writings and to our team. He and his wife live in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with their three cats. This information has been made available by Ready Nutrition Originally published November 7th, 2016 Ask Tess: Do I need to rotate my canned vegetables and… 15 Items to Start Your Food Prep Off Right Frugal Prepping: 30 Survival Items You Can Get at the Dollar Oven Canning for Long Term Storage How to Stock a Prepper Pantry

President Trump s Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos spoke today at George Mason University s Virginia campus. DeVos ignited a firestorm when she announced the end of yet another case of an unlawful overreach by Barack Obama, that affected every college student by stripping them of their right to due process in sexual assault cases.DeVos explained her reasoning for reversing an unfair and impractical solution to sexual assault on campuses: Survivors, victims of a lack of due process, and campus administrators, have all told me that the current approach does a disservice to everyone involved. A student says he or she was sexually assaulted by another student on campus. If he or she isn t urged to keep quiet, or discouraged from reporting it to local law enforcement, the case goes to a school administrator, who will act as the judge and jury. The accused may or may not be told of the allegations before a decision is rendered. If there is a hearing, both the survivor and the accused, may or may not be allowed legal representation. Whatever evidence is presented may or may not be shown to all parties. The notion that a school must diminish due process rights to better serve the victim only creates more victims. A better way also means we shouldn t demand anyone become something they are not.Students, families, school administrators are generally not lawyers, and they re not judges. We shouldn t force them to be so for justice to be served.The era of rule by letter is over. Through intimidation and coercion, the failed system has clearly pushed schools to overreach. With the heavy hand of Washington tipping the balance of her scale, the sad reality is that Lady Justice is not blind on campuses today. Watch:Liberals immediately attempted to twist the facts in this decision to uphold the law by allowing every American the right to due process, into Trump adminstration supports rape on college campuses. Liberals are so used to a president and an administration who flagrantly disregards the law, they can t even comprehend why due process is one of our most sacred rights.Twitter user, Makada does a great job of explaining to the leftsits who are criticizing DeVos and Presdient Trump that men should be entitled to the same rights as women, and that it is NOT okay to determine that they are guilty of sexual assault without a fair trial in a court of law:Leftists are tweeting #StopBetsy because she wants men to be innocent until proven guilty. I guess liberals don't believe in due process. Makada (@_Makada_) September 7, 2017Here are a few of the uninformed responses to DeVos statement today:Let s start with dingbat of the year, Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi s reaction to DeVos announcement:.@BetsyDeVosED's remarks are another salvo in Admin's attacks on women & survivors by destroying robust Title IX enforcement. #StopBetsy Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) September 7, 2017When a leftist uses a quote by Joe Biden, you know her argument is very likely baseless:What could DeVos and Trump possibly have to gain by taking away Title IX protections for college women? #StopBetsy pic.twitter.com/TAdjA1gp0K Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) September 7, 2017Apparently, according to Amy Siskind, restoring the rule of law is, just the next step on our path to authoritarianism. Liberal logic 101 LOL!DeVos wiping away Title IX protections for college sexual assault is just the next step on our path to authoritarianism. #StopBetsy1/ Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) September 7, 2017You wouldn t be true to your leftist ideology if you didn t throw race and sexual orientation into your argument that has absolutely nothing to do with either one. LOL!Betsy DeVos won't protect lgbtq and non white students from discrimination or sexual assault victims. Who does she protect? #StopBetsy britt (@bmorgan16) September 7, 2017And then there were a few people on Twitter who reminded the left about cases where the alleged victim was found to be lying about her rape (after she destroyed the accused rapist s life of course):#StopBetsy: Remember Your Hero Mattress Girl? She Lied About Being Raped & Destroyed A Young Mans Life. #TitleIX Allowed That To Happen pic.twitter.com/Vf6PjzWfsS Deplorable R z rbak (@MediaJuggernaut) September 7, 2017Paul Joseph Watson provided a very telling video that dispels the misconception of out-of-control rape on college campuses that needs to be protected by the left:Are 1 in 5 Women Raped at College?Hint: No.#StopBetsyhttps://t.co/pPpENyoBh4 Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) September 7, 2017

The 2016 Values Voter Summit is underway, and of course this yearly gathering of homophobes, misogynists, science deniers, and other assorted right-wing nuts is especially feverish since this is an election year. At the top of the list of priorities for such people, is, of course, abortion.These people hate the idea of a woman being able to control her own body. They think that a bunch of men in the government should have that authority, not a woman and her doctor. However, one GOP Senator who spoke at this horrible event really had the most absurd argument ever to make the case that he is somehow more qualified than anyone else to legislate on abortion: because he ran a small business before he was a member of Congress.South Carolina Senator Tim Scott said, with the air of a father finding out that his teen daughter has come home pregnant, that an employee told him that she was pregnant. So what did Sen. Scott do with this woman? Why, what any manipulative Christian who wants to control the lives of others would do: took her to a crisis pregnancy center.Crisis pregnancy centers are nothing but right-wing Christian organizations that lie about a woman s choices when it comes to dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. They manipulate young girls and women into believing that abortion is absolutely not an option, for any reason. And, of course, these are the same people who are opposed to any sorts of help for the mothers and children once they are born.Senator Scott said of the conclusion of his decision to help this woman in this way, and how it makes him especially qualified to opine and legislate on this matter: As an elected official, when I have the responsibility and the opportunity, the privilege to protect life, I do so having been in the private sector, realizing the importance that we should place on life and the choice of life. Senator Scott, you aren t protecting anything. You re just trying to control the bodies of women around the nation who you don t even know. Plus, you ll likely, like all GOPers, abandon these fetuses the second they are out of the womb. You people and your sick obsession with controlling women need to be voted out. As a South Carolinian, I plan to do just that.Watch Tim Scott s crazy unfold below:Featured image via Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Danish authorities mounted a nationwide manhunt Saturday for a gunman who opened fire on a free speech seminar at a Copenhagen cafe in an apparent attempt to kill a Swedish artist who had published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed eight years ago. Hours later, the Associated Press reported that three people, including two police officers, were shot in a second incident in the Danish city, although it is unclear if it is connected to the first attack. One person is dead and two were injured in the later attack, which occurred near a synagogue in downtown Copenhagen. The shooter fled on foot, police told the AP. Police in Denmark shot and killed a man they had under surveillance in connection with Saturday's shootings. Police will hold a press briefing at 10 am local time. Police said the gunman in the first attack, who fled in a stolen car, killed one person and injured three police officers in the attack at the Krudttoenden cafe, which was hosting an "Art, blasphemy and the freedom of expression" event. Police released a grainy photo of a man in a dark ski jacket and cap who may be linked to the attack. It was taken by a surveillance camera near the site where the gunman abandoned the dark-colored Volkswagen Polo that he had carjacked. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called the shooting "a cynical act of violence" and an "act of terrorism." The United States condemned the "deplorable shooting" and offered condolences to the loved ones of the deceased victim, according to a statement from National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. U.S. officials have been in touch with Danish authorities and are ready to help with the investigation. Danish authorities called on Germany and Sweden to be on the lookout for the suspect at their borders with Denmark. Authorities initially thought two people were involved in the shooting. Police said the apparent target of the shooting was Lars Vilks, 68, who has endured several attempted attacks and death threats since he depicted the founder of Islam as a dog in 2007. Vilks escaped unharmed after a bodyguard shoved him into the cafe kitchen when the gunfire erupted around 4 p.m. "What other motive could there be? It's possible it was inspired by Charlie Hebdo," he said, referring to the Jan. 7 attack by Islamic extremists on the French newspaper. "At first there was panic. People crawled down under tables," Vilks said. "My bodyguards quickly pulled me away." "I heard someone firing with an automatic weapon and someone shouting. Police returned the fire and I hid behind the bar. I felt surreal, like in a movie," Niels Ivar Larsen, one of the speakers at the event, told the TV2 channel. The dead victim was identified by police only as a 40-year-old civilian. Francois Zimeray, the French ambassador to Denmark, was in the cafe at the time but was not hurt. "Bullets went through the doors and everyone threw themselves to the floor," he told the AFP news agency. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service described the gunman, who was carrying a black machine gun, as tall, with an athletic build. It said he had an "Arabic appearance, but with lighter skin than normal and black straight hair." He wore a black or dark blue ski jacket and matching pants, possibly with gloves, the security service said. The gunman did not get into the main room where the event was being held, but fired into it, according to several media accounts. Police later found the getaway car abandoned near a metro station and promptly shut down the transit line between two stations to search for the suspect. Danish TV2 reported that about 30 bullet holes hit the window of the cafe and that at least two people were taken away on stretchers, including a uniformed police officer. Helle Merete Brix, one of the organizers of the event, told TV2 that Vilks ran to the nearby kitchen when the shots rang out. "He was very cool," she said. "We stood and told each other bad jokes. His bodyguards did a tremendous job." She told the TV station the attack was a "clear assassination attempt" of Vilks, who receives police protection when he is in Denmark. Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, said he was "deeply horrified" by the shootings which appeared to be a "violent crackdown on freedom of expression." "Unfortunately, there are people who react with violence when their entrenched mindset meets with the free debate and freedom of speech," Jensen wrote on his Facebook page. "We must stand firm on the values our society is built on, and never give in to fear." Last year, a Pennsylvania woman received a 10-year prison term for a plot to kill Vilks. In 2010, two brothers tried to burn down his house in southern Sweden and were imprisoned for attempted arson. After Islamist militants attacked the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris last month, killing 12 people, Vilks told the AP that even fewer organizations were inviting him to give lectures over increased security concerns. Vilks said he thought Sweden's SAPO security service, which deploys bodyguards to protect him, would step up the security around him. "This will create fear among people on a whole different level than we're used to," he said. "Charlie Hebdo was a small oasis. Not many dared do what they did."

Black Female Trump Executive Publishes Personal Email Address As Olive Branch to Disenchanted HRC Supporters Black Female Trump Executive Publishes Personal Email Address As Olive Branch to Disenchanted HRC Supporters Breaking News By Amy Moreno November 12, 2016 There’s a false narrative floating around on the internet about Donald Trump being anti-gay and racist. This could not be further from the truth. Lynne Patton, a strong, bold black female executive at Trump Organization and Vice President of The Eric Trump Foundation became a power player in the election when she wrote an amazing open letter about her experience working for the Trump family. The letter, which was turned into a video, went viral. Please watch: After the election, Lynne wrote a compelling and powerful Facebook message to her dear friends and family who supported Hillary. Her heartfelt words speak to the TRUE character of Mr. Trump – not the lying, false narrative spread by our dishonest, North Korea-style, government-run propaganda media that existed solely to help Hillary Clinton get elected. I agree with Lynne . Donald Trump’s America First agenda is an all-inclusive movement for every American – all races, colors, genders, and sexual preference. Mr. Trump is a “big tent” type of man – the more the merrier! He’s the first candidate to appeal to such a wide variety of people from so many differing walks of life. Donald Trump is the first Republican to invite an openly gay man, Peter Theil, the co-founder of Paypal, to be a keynote speaker at the GOP convention. In addition, Mr. Theil is also an intricate part of President-elect Trump’s transition team. Of course, the media portrays Trump’s movement as racist, and bigoted – a basket of deplorable mean people – but that’s not true . We are a melting pot of differing views and cultures who have come together to take our country back from establishment globalists who, for decades, have destroyed the country. Mr. Trump understands that we are a country divided. The people protesting the election right now are hurt. It’s understandable – their candidate lost. However, what we hope, as we move forward, is that these folks will keep an open mind and an open heart to the positive ideas and exciting changes that Mr. Trump has in store for the country – stimulating the economy, bringing back jobs, providing everyone a safer and more secure country, and much more! I don’t work for the Trump family, but as someone who is deeply involved with the Trump “Online Army,” I can tell you that Donald Trump’s LGBT support is real and it’s powerful. — Scott Presler (@ScottPresler) June 13, 2016 ….and with good reason. Mr. Trump is a loving man who is looking out for the well-being of the gay community when he strongly condemned Hillary Clinton for taking money from, and supporting countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who routinely persecute, abuse, and execute gays. Mr. Trump challenged Hillary to return the money to these abusive countries as a symbol of support for the LGBT community. And what did Hillary do? She laughed. This is a man who vowed to halt Muslim refugees hailing from parts of the world that are terror hotbeds and foster anti-gay cultures. Mr. Trump is not perfect – no one is – but he truly wants to be everyone’s President . So, to the protesters and the folks who feel apprehensive – it’s ok and understandable to feel angry and sad, and express yourself lawfully- but when you’re done, please give America First a chance – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how great it will be. Amy Moreno is a Published Author , Pug Lover & Game of Thrones Nerd. You can follow her on Twitter here and Facebook here . Support the Trump Presidency and help us fight Liberal Media Bias. Please LIKE and SHARE this story on Facebook or Twitter.

Shawn Helton 21st Century WireEarlier this week Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly rejected an unprecedented US Federal Court order that would force the company to decrypt an iPhone linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters a move that would have vast implications PRIVACY & PROTECTION: Apple CEO Tim Cook challenges FBI court order to unlock private data of users (Image Source: Iphoneitalia)Breaching Public Privacy In a published open letter entitled, A Message to Our Customers, Apple CEO Tim Cook strikingly opposed a recent federal court ruling that would unlock a phone that s been connected to the San Bernardino Mass Shooting case.The FBI ruling stipulates that Apple must provide access for one time only. However, cyber security experts and technology companies insist this is a virtual impossibility and a guarantee that cannot be made.In theory, the decryption of the phone would be opened via a newly created operating system that would give the FBI a backdoor into the device. But according to many skeptics, this type of backdoor feature could set a very dangerous precedent, while possibly making it much easier for invaders (either government, or hacker) mining for data well into the future.In addition, the new iOS (not yet in existence) proposed in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting would give US law enforcement agencies broader access to consumer communications and other private information according to many in the tech industry. This reality was confirmed by Apple s chief executive Cook, who outlined the staggering privacy implications this past Tuesday: The FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software which does not exist today would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone s physical possession. In essence, the FBI s court order demand appears to bypass basic privacy rights, and when seen in a bigger picture outside of the San Bernardino case, it could be viewed as a violation of the public s 4th Amendment.Challenging The RulingOver the past 48 hours, there s been a social media frenzy, as Facebook, Twitter and Google have all expressed their support for Apple s court battle with federal authorities. This has also included the often entertaining if not perplexing, self-proclaimed cybersecurity legend John McAfee of McAfee Inc., who wrote an op-ed published with Business Insider, that dissects the potential fallout of the federal court ruling in similar fashion to that of Cook.Here s some of what the controversial cyber guru turned libertarian presidential hopeful had to say about the dire security circumstances facing Apple and the world at large: Using an obscure law, written in 1789 the All Writs Act the US government has ordered Apple to place a back door into its iOS software so the FBI can decrypt information on an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. It has finally come to this. After years of arguments by virtually every industry specialist that back doors will be a bigger boon to hackers and to our nation s enemies than publishing our nuclear codes and giving the keys to all of our military weapons to the Russians and the Chinese, our government has chosen, once again, not to listen to the minds that have created the glue that holds this world together. Continuing, cyber expert McAfee, offered up a glimpse what could transpire in the event of a blackmail scenario if such a digital backdoor were to exist: In spite of the FBI s claim that it would protect the back door, we all know that s impossible. There are bad apples everywhere, and there only needs to be in the US government. Then a few million dollars, some beautiful women (or men), and a yacht trip to the Caribbean might be all it takes for our enemies to have full access to our secrets. ANTIVIRUS PIONEER John McAfee, well-known American computer programmer. (Photo businessinsider) McAfee then summarized his op-ed with a ready-made-solution to the FBI s demands by offering his services, I will, free of charge, decrypt the information on the San Bernardino phone, with my team, over a three-week period.On the surface, a sensational gauntlet has been thrown down, calling for the court of public opinion to weigh in on a very important topic concerning privacy rights. But there s much more to it This latest privacy crisis might be viewed through a more cynical lens, should readers choose to view this drama as a story featuring controlled opposition especially when considering the pedigree of those supposedly opposed to the FBI s recent court order.Is it possible that Apple and others have staged opposition to this court decree as a way to bolster their public image, before eventually allowing the rights of private citizens to be abused? Both Cook and McAfee have direct links to companies plagued with security baggage such as Lockheed Martin and IBM, both of which have had their ethics put to question over the years.While there is nothing conclusive here, the public should consider this other side to the story and eliminate inconvenient possibilities in an effort to find the reality of the present circumstances, even if high profile tech leaders may appear to be saying the right things in public, purportedly in the interest of the general population.In an article featured here at 21WIRE from January of 2015, we learned of another privacy threat that should concern the public regarding biometric IDs as facial and emotional recognition software has already been rolled out without public consent: More Orwellian technology is being rolled out, not just to make you into more of a commodity than you already are, but also to profile your emotions. With no regulation on this issue, corporations are basically writing the privacy rules as they go along. Do you trust them? Where is this really heading? In realty, they have no control over how third parties using their software might use images of people s faces and digital signatures of your emotions , storing, sharing and selling that data across macro platforms. Sure, it s just another new wing of Big Data. Even social media data trawlers like Facebook has already begun moving into facial recognition of their users. So while it is compelling, and quite welcome to hear tech giants calling out the FBI s overreach, it appears that many in the technology sector have already pledged support for a growing police state apparatus by virtue of developing privacy invading software. For the moment though, it appears technology innovators Cook and McAfee, along with other social media companies, seem to be working on behalf of the public s interest, even though it could be out of concern for marketability rather than true worry about where the field of technology has been heading.Apple s iPhone and tablets introduced a biometric ID system with its thumb print login scan in 2013 a system which will store millions of biometric identifiers on Apple cloud servers. It wasn t long after the system was launched before hackers cracked the security for this biometric entry point, exposing another unspeakable privacy breach.If nothing else, it has caused a sharp debate over this pressing subject. DIGITAL DANGER The battle for consumer privacy hangs in the balance over the recent FBI court order. (Photo vibratingupdate)Problem, Reaction, SolutionAccording to the Guardian: For months, the FBI searched for a compelling case that would force Apple to weaken iPhone security and then the San Bernardino shooting happened. This carefully planned legal battle has been months in the making, US officials and tech executives told the Guardian, as the government and Apple try to settle whether national security can dictate how Silicon Valley writes computer code. This past December, those of us at 21WIRE, pointed out a number of inconsistencies relating the heavily dramatized San Bernardino shooting attack. In fact, the media driven shooting attack said to have taken place at the Inland Regional Center had a laundry list of details that didn t add up.After a week of whitewashed reports regarding the shooting, a media scripted ransacking of the alleged shooters home (tampering with a potential crime scene) and eyewitness accounts that directly contradicted the official narrative from law enforcement, we learned that in the very room where 14 people were reportedly killed (along with 21 injured) at the Inland Regional Center, there was an active-shooter training drill/rehearsal, involving some of the victims almost a year before December s attack to place.Incredibly, a critical component that should be mentioned in the encryption battle involving Apple and the FBI, is that there were multiple eye-witness accounts that directly contradicted the terror-tale blamed solely on Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. In other words, we have an event largely hinged on a barrage of convoluted and conflicting accounts concerning the San Bernardino attack.The eye-witness accounts near the scene of the shooting, never mentioned anything about seeing a female shooter, which 21WIRE also noted this past December: In fact, authorities did apprehend a third suspect but that aspect of the case, has seemingly gone down the memory hole, as has the very detailed eye-witness testimony from Sally Abdelmageed, (an Inland Regional Center employee) in a CBS interview with Scott Pelley, which clearly states that there were three white men in tactical gear dressed in black involved in the shooting event. Abdelmageed s account, echoed that of Juan Hernandez, who was interviewed shortly after the shooting incident by a local NBC affiliate, where it was described that three white men in military fatigues, had fled the scene in black Chevy Impala or SUV. Despite all of this, CNN, ABC, FOX and all other media outlets on the scene all pivoted, in unison, to validate authorities (the FBI) revised official Jihadi Bonnie & Clyde story of only 2 shooters a husband and wife . Additionally, a close colleague from Inland Regional Center, Chris Nwadike, stated that Farook had been acting normal and that he was quiet, and that he had not had a disagreement with anyone at the center the day of the shooting. Furthermore, the FBI themselves revealed that both Malik and Farook had not posted radical messages on social media which had previously been reported by authorities (and dutifully repeated across the mainstream media).Even though the media eventually admitted that there were no radical posts , the idea of social media postings became a central story line suggesting that Malik had somehow influenced Farook into participating in the attack. Regardless of what really happened, it seems that the FBI had the opening it needed to try to force open direct access into personal devices.Is it also possible the security agency wants access to the encrypted phone so they can plant an additional back story to a shooting case that never made any sense?Food for thought to chew on in today s digital age As the privacy vs. security battle moves forward, Reuters news agency reports: The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion on Friday seeking to compel Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to comply with a judge s order to unlock the encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, portraying the tech giant s refusal as a marketing strategy. The future of privacy hangs by a thread, as more and more divide and rule policies are being implemented at the expense of public freedoms.More to come on this story here at 21WIRE READ MORE SCI-TECH NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Sci-Tech FilesREAD MORE DAILY SHOOTER NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Daily Shooter Files

Wilbur Ross spoke with WaPo about true tax reform He did a great job explaining his position on simplifying and cutting taxes. He said the W2 should be a one pager . He believes it takes entirely too long for the average employee to do taxes We say Amen to that!If Congress doesn t get in the way, tax cuts and simplification are a possibility. Ross is such a great pick for President Trump. he s another one who doesn t need this job at all but is doing it for America. Pretty awesome!MORE ON WILBUR ROSS:WILBUR ROSS ON NEIL CAVUTO: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is one smart man when it comes to making an economic argument against the Paris Accord. He appeared on Neil Cavuto right before President Trump spoke and brilliantly discussed why we need to get out of this boondoggle that will drain America of trillions of dollars. We re so lucky he s our Commerce Secretary! He s apolitical and strictly looking at what s best for America financially.WILBUR ROSS TAKES ON MATT LAUER: Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce, tells that President Trump s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord does not mean that the U.S. will do nothing to combat climate change. He says that President Trump is an environmentalist and that the decision will do nothing to damage America s national security. Yes, you can be an environmentalist and care about the planet BUT not be for this boondoggle!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A revised Republican bill to dismantle Obamacare moving through the U.S. House of Representatives would lead to the same number of Americans losing health insurance as under the initial plan, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday. The CBO said the revised bill would raise the number of uninsured in 2026 by 24 million, compared to current law. In an analysis of the initial bill, it had also said 24 million more Americans would end up uninsured. (bit.ly/2mVMHA9)

Is It Time To Reconsider Lifetime Appointments To The Supreme Court? The unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia and the looming face-off between the White House and the Senate over his replacement have revived proposals that would limit the tenure of U.S. Supreme Court justices. Legal scholars from both political parties renewed a call Tuesday to reconsider how much time justices spend on the high court. Many of them cited, with disapproval, a bruising and protracted clash building between President Obama and the GOP-controlled Senate over when and how to fill Scalia's vacancy. "The point of life tenure is to keep justices insulated from politics," said George Washington University law professor Orin Kerr. "That didn't quite pan out." For years now, lawyers have been floating proposals that future high-court justices spend no more than 18 years at a time on the Supreme Court bench. The plan would space out appointments, so presidents would make appointments every two years, supporters said. That would bring regular turnover and fresh thinking to the court — and align with the longer life spans of Americans since the nation's founding, they argue. "It just sounds undemocratic," said Gabe Roth, executive director of an advocacy group called Fix the Court, about the lifetime court appointments. "There's definitely concern about the justices being out of touch. There have been a number of cases with modern technology, whether it be smartphones or bulk data collection or different types of ways of getting TV over the airwaves or over the Internet." Thomas Merrill, a law professor at Columbia University and a former deputy U.S. solicitor general (1987-1990), said he's been "a little bit skeptical" of the idea of term limits for Supreme Court justices. But, Merrill said, his thinking has evolved. "My current cautious endorsement of this is based on the perception that the whole issue of appointments to the Supreme Court has become incredibly contentious, partisan, political, almost to the point where the political system freezes up, as we're witnessing right now with the Scalia death," Merrill said. "It would be a good thing not to have the type of Armageddon it looks like we're about to have." Term-limit supporters point to a 2015 poll by Reuters/Ipsos, after high-profile rulings on Obama's health care legislation and same-sex marriage, that suggested two-thirds of respondents would support a 10-year limit on tenure on the Supreme Court. But actually changing the system could be remarkably difficult for a political system that's already near paralysis. Some lawyers said the change could be made by lawmakers, but others have concluded it would require amending the Constitution. To do that, the House and Senate would need to vote their support, and then three-quarters of the states would have to approve. Another path would be for two-thirds of the states to call for a Constitutional Convention. "Not likely, but possible," Kerr of George Washington University said. "We'll see how this year goes. It may become unbearable with the president and the Senate duking it out every day."

MUNICH (Reuters) - BMW (BMWG.DE) will stick to plans to open a Mexican plant in 2019 despite warnings by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to slap a border tax on the German brand’s vehicles made in Mexico and destined for the United States, an executive said. In an interview with German newspaper Bild published on Sunday, Trump said BMW should build its new car factory in the United States because this would be “much better” for the firm. But BMW will stick to its plans and open the factory in San Luis Potosi in 2019, executive Peter Schwarzenbauer told reporters at a conference in Munich on Monday. The new Mexican plant would build the BMW 3 Series starting from 2019, with the output intended for the world market. The factory would be an addition to existing 3 Series production facilities in Germany and China.

If you haven t yet discovered The Remembrance Project, please do so! The Remembrance Project was started by families of relatives whose loved one was killed by an illegal alien. It s heartbreaking to think that these deaths could have been prevented if we had a border. A day after the Obama administration argues for an extension of amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants before the Supreme Court, the mothers of victims murdered by illegal immigrants will appear before a House panel to call for tougher immigration enforcement.Tuesday, Michelle Root, the mother of Sarah Root a recent college graduate who was killed by an illegal immigrant (now on Immigration and Customs Enforcement s Most Wanted List) and Laura Wilkerson, the mother of Josh Wilkerson who was tortured and killed by an illegal immigrant will testify before the House Judiciary Committee s Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee. Not everyone is a DREAMer or a valedictorian there are criminals motivated by malice and a conscious disrespect for the law, Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC)86% said in a statement announcing the hearing. But these losses are preventable, and it should not take the tragic death of another innocent life for this administration to begin enforcing our laws. The Obama administration has come under fire in recent years for what Republicans and immigration hawks say is a significant dilution of immigration law and enforcement. According to the committee, for example, from October 2011 to December 2014, ICE released criminal aliens from detention over 105,000 times, despite committing assault, sexual assaults, homicide-related offenses, and kidnapping prior to their release.Root and Wilkerson s prepared testimony, posted in advance of the hearing by the committee, offer a glimpse into the heart-wrenching testimony lawmakers will hear Tuesday. Edwin Mejia spent four days in jail and is believed to have fled the area and possibly the country after posting $5,000 bail, Root s prepared testimony reads. Less than the amount it cost to bury my baby. Mejia is charged with killing 21-year-old Sarah Root while street-racing drunk. He absconded after posting bail, and ICE declined to hold him. Because of the lack of controls, the police, immigration, U.S. Marshals and law enforcement have little or no information on his whereabouts on him, his family and acquaintances. He and those who protect and hide him are cowards, her testimony continues.Wilkerson s prepared testimony delves into the torture and murder her teenage son underwent at the hands of Hermilo Vildo Moralez, an illegal immigrant.At trial, the killer testified on his behalf and gave exact testimony on how he systematically killed Josh. First a punch in the face, so his vision was off. Next a knee to Josh s abdomen so that he would go to the ground. Josh went to the ground as his spleen was sliced in half. This killer was aggravated that it was not over, he grew tired of watching bloody bubbles coming from Josh s nose as he was trying to breathe. Next he took a closet rod and beat Josh over the head again and again until the rod broke in 4 pieces. Joshua still breathing. Next he strangled him, let him go to see if it was over, nope, so he continued until there were no more bubbles. He waited and watched him die. He tied Josh s body up, stuffed him in the backseat of our truck, bought gas, dumped Josh in a field and set his body on fire. The killer went home took a shower and went to see a movie.Read more: Breitbart

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said on Saturday that Japan and South Korea agreed to expand an emergency communication system between their defense ministries, including adding a new direct line between defense ministers. Tensions have been high in the region since early January when North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test. It has followed that with a satellite launch and tests of various missiles, most recently a failed launch on Tuesday. “What it means is that we will make use of phones for emergency communication, when security-related emergencies such as a missile launch occur, and communication and coordination between the defense authorities of the two countries are needed,” Nakatani told reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security forum in Singapore. He said such emergency phone lines would be expanded to include a new direct link between the two countries’ defense ministers. Nakatani said talks would continue on sharing and safeguarding sensitive information on Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs. Under the framework, South Korea would pass relevant information to the United States, with which Seoul already has a legally-binding pact to share and safeguard intelligence called General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The United States would then pass the information on to Japan. It would work similarly the other way around since the United States has also signed a GSOMIA with Japan. Some South Koreans have voiced concerns about signing a security pact with Japan, their one-time colonial ruler. Besides historical issues stemming from Japan’s annexation of the Korean peninsula that ended in 1945, ties have been chilled by a long-running territorial dispute over a group of tiny islets.

TORONTO — At the heart of “The Magnificent Seven,” John Sturges’s classic 1960 western, is a group of flawed men (including Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn) who have never worked as a team, but who come together to defeat a nefarious bandit (Eli Wallach). That dynamic, adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai,” endures in the director Antoine Fuqua’s update of “The Magnificent Seven,” in which Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt and others are the mismatched gunslingers Peter Sarsgaard is the ruthless industrialist they are set against. If its story remains fundamentally the same, Mr. Fuqua’s film, which Columbia Pictures and MGM will release on Sept. 23, features a more diverse cast, like an Asian assassin (played by Lee) a Native American warrior (Martin Sensmeier) and a Mexican outlaw (Manuel ) in addition to Mr. Washington as the warrant officer leading the squad. Of course, Mr. Fuqua, Mr. Hawke and Mr. Washington are not strangers to one another: They worked together on “Training Day,” the brutal 2001 crime drama for which Mr. Washington won an Academy Award. (Mr. Fuqua has also directed Mr. Hawke in “Brooklyn’s Finest” and Mr. Washington in “The Equalizer. ”) Before the premiere of “The Magnificent Seven” at the Toronto International Film Festival this month, these three collaborators came together to talk about the creation of their western remake to reflect on the making of “Training Day” and to discuss problems of diversity that persist in Hollywood. These are edited excerpts from that conversation. Were westerns part of your cultural upbringings? DENZEL WASHINGTON I grew up with “Bonanza. ” I didn’t see anybody that looked like me. I was vibing on Hop Sing for some reason. Why don’t we see Hop Sing more? ETHAN HAWKE When I was growing up, my father would sleep all day Sunday. And on Channel 11, they would play “The Big Valley,” “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza. ” Then a Howard Hawks movie and then the Clint Eastwood TV shows. ANTOINE FUQUA My grandmother was a huge western fan. She’d have me watch with her. “Shane,” “Bonanza,” “Duel in the Sun,” I saw them all with her. I used to watch them until the TV turned to snow. Did you take on this project because you were specifically interested in remaking “The Magnificent Seven”? FUQUA MGM called me. I figured I’d never get a chance to do a western. Then they said it was “The Magnificent Seven,” and you hesitate a little bit. “Seven Samurai” was amazing, and Kurosawa was the master. That decision wasn’t easy. Remakes have been done forever. People talk about “Scarface” and don’t even know it was a remake. HAWKE I have attachments to [the first “Magnificent Seven”]. You fall in love with all those guys. But there’s something about a story of male friendships we could build on. But you were never chained down by the title. You made the movie you wanted to. FUQUA If I was chained down to anything, it was — — WASHINGTON The music? [Starts to sing.] Dun, . FUQUA I wanted to make sure we stayed true to what Kurosawa was saying. “Seven Samurai” was all about men giving the ultimate sacrifice for others. To do something where you’d give your life for the right reason. As long as we stayed on that path, that’s the right path. Did the actors go through any special training for “The Magnificent Seven”? WASHINGTON You get a horse, you get a gun. Figure it out. No point in getting a plane. And get them boots on, quick as you can. Them boots is serious. I found a couple of pairs that were biting — I’m like, O. K. these aren’t going to work. FUQUA They’re on their feet all day, in the dirt and the sand. When it rains, it sinks in. It’s painful. There’s some details they don’t put in the outdoor adventure manual. Was it important to you that your film have a black lead? FUQUA I didn’t think about it as a black lead. WASHINGTON What does that mean, a black lead? I’ve never been one. People make movies and write about what they know, and what they’ve experienced. I’m sure Scorsese could’ve done “Schindler’s List,” and Spielberg maybe could’ve done “Goodfellas. ” But there’s a culture. These are . HAWKE He cast Denzel because he likes Denzel’s acting. To white America, I think that will have some power. The western is an iconography that the Dick Cheneys of the world feel is theirs. And the world is changing, and it’s wonderful to see. But that doesn’t affect us playing it or doing it. If we think like that, we’re a bunch of chumps. This is a year when audiences have become particularly aware of issues of diversity in Hollywood. Do you feel like you’re seeing progress being made on this front? WASHINGTON It’s not like everybody sits down and has committee meetings every six months to see how we’re doing as a group. There’s no Black Hollywood. People are making movies, and there are more opportunities now than ever before because there are more outlets than ever before. FUQUA We can always improve everything. Hollywood has to improve it. It will. WASHINGTON Listen, it’s called show business. This ain’t philanthropy. If I give you $25 million, and you go make a movie, I don’t want to hear about what the experience was for you. I want my money back, with profit. Or you’re not getting $25 million from me next time. Now is that because I’m black and you’re white? No, it’s because this is business. I gave you $25 million. “Yeah, D, we blew everything. But the culture is — ” Yeah, O. K. Bye, partner. You remember you said that when you come asking me for some money. HAWKE Everybody’s going to be when it makes a ton of money. Denzel, you have a film adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences,” which you’re starring in and directing, coming later this year. Was there anything from “The Magnificent Seven” you could bring to that experience? WASHINGTON I stole from a real filmmaker [indicates Mr. Fuqua]. He had five cameras — I had two. FUQUA It’s frustrating, right? He’s editing now. He’s deep in it again. WASHINGTON I should go back and apologize to every director I’ve ever worked with. Because I had no idea how hard it is. Now I’ve got 200 people waiting on me: “What do you want, D?” Huh? You’d better act like you can direct. Antoine, had you been looking for an opportunity to get these actors back together since “Training Day”? FUQUA It’s always on my mind. On “Training Day,” I used to sit on an apple box and just watch these guys. It was like being at a play. WASHINGTON When you were casting Ethan, you had to believe that this was a guy who could walk down that empty street by himself and those people back there respect him. I won’t talk about some other folk who didn’t have the weight. [Laughter.] HAWKE It was fascinating to see you [Mr. Washington] work at that high a level, in a studio movie. You can see people working like that, in church basements, with confidence and creativity. But when big money comes around and pressure comes around, people shrink. It was an exciting moment to see that that didn’t have to be. Can you assume that the camaraderie from that previous film will carry over? WASHINGTON It’s so different. I mean, we’re on horses. The older I get, the more I appreciate each opportunity. You start to go, You’ve probably made more movies, D, than you’re going to make the rest of your days. If you don’t want to go, don’t go. When you do go, and it’s a great ride, then you want to give your all. Some days, not getting along is what helps. Some days it’s 107 degrees. You just don’t feel like it. “I know I’m supposed to shoot him, but I’m going to shoot him. ” [Laughter.] Are the three of you looking to make another movie together? HAWKE Somebody asked John Lennon why he wasn’t going to sing with Paul McCartney anymore, and, supposedly, he said, “Sing what?” Clearly we like working together. So what? Is it for the right reason? WASHINGTON Otherwise it’s called lunch. [Laughter.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced who he has selected to take on crafting the Senate version of the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA), but Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is having none of it and blasted McConnell for not putting any of the female senators in the group.Feinstein expressed her extreme displeasure with the decision to exclude women from this important panel on Meet the Press. She told Andrea Mitchell, I don t know what the 13 white men, when you have five Republican women who are excluded from that, that these 13 men are supposed to sit down and put something together. One main problem with leaving women off of this key panel is that as passed by the House, the ACHA drastically changed the way pre-existing conditions are treated. Under the Affordable Care Act, premiums could not be raised nor could coverage be denied to people with pre-existing health issues. While many of these problems can affect men and women, such as depression and acne, some only apply to women. For example, pregnancy and problems with menstruation can be considered pre-existing conditions under the House bill.Feinstein noted that women s health care has to be considered when they draft the Senate bill. As for responses to the House bill, The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and the National Physicians Alliance have all come out against the ACHA. Feinstein added, Women s health is a big part of this, and women are a majority of the population and their health interests deserve to be contemplated in any reform. I m really very worried that in the rush to judgment, we create a major healthcare problem for people. And we lose a lot of jobs in so doing and we create a whole atmosphere of unpredictability. For an idea of what they may now consider pre-existing conditions, this is just the short list of what might force someone to pay more under Trump s plan, as passed by the House. By making it legal to charge people more for having these problems, they may not be officially barring them from getting insurance but they will make it too expensive for people to afford it.This list is not complete, but you get the gist. Barring women from any discussions relating to this new draft for the Senate is absolutely absurd and it s just one more reason why we have to keep resisting they can t be allowed to pass this bill without every voice being heard. Call your senators now before it s too late!Featured image via Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, head of a group of five countries in Africa s Sahel region, has asked the United States to remove a travel ban on Chadian nationals, saying that a failure to do so could affect Chad s security commitments. Security analysts expressed surprise when Chad, a key U.S. security partner since the Cold War, was named last week alongside North Korea and Venezuela as part of an eight-country the travel ban. Chad s army acts as a bulwark against local and regional armed movements and played a critical role in pushing back troops from jihadist group Boko Haram when they made a bid to expand beyond northeastern Nigeria in 2015. Its troops continue to hold front-line positions in unstable north Mali where jihadists ousted government authorities five years ago. As recently as February, Chad, also a key French ally, hosted a U.S. military training exercise for special forces as part of a broader strategy to empower regional troops such as the G5 Sahel security bloc consisting of Chad, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. The president of the G5 thinks this decision could affect the commitment of Chad, which has until now shown itself to be a key partner in the fight against terrorism in the G5 Sahel and beyond, said Keita in a statement sent to journalists late on Wednesday. The president...calls on the authorities to favorably re-examine the matter by lifting the sanctions against Chad, he added. Chadian officials expressed surprised at the decision earlier this week, calling it incomprehensible . The new U.S. measures, which have no end-date, help fulfill a campaign promise President Donald Trump made to tighten U.S. immigration procedures and align with his America First foreign policy vision. The White House says the restrictions are the consequences for countries not meeting new requirements for vetting immigrants and issuing visas.

Reaching an almost all-time low even by their own standards, Trump supporters have taken to Twitter to bash John McCain in the wake of the Republican Arizona Senator s announcement that he has a brain tumor.The 80-year-old senator s office made the announcement on Wednesday after doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed an aggressive tumor called a glioblastoma following surgery to remove a blood clot above McCain s left eye last week. McCain has been away from the Senate this week as he recovers from the surgery and it is still unclear if or when he will return as he and his family weigh up treatment options, including chemotherapy and radiation.Former President Barack Obama took to Twitter earlier to send a powerful and heartfelt message to his opponent in the 2008 presidential election, despite the fact that McCain was a relentless critic of Obama s. Even President Trump came across as humble and respectful in his tweet regarding the Senator s health:Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family. Get well soon. https://t.co/fONWVlmYyz Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2017Trump has been critical of McCain since his 2008 election defeat at the hands of Obama, stating I never liked him after that, because I don t like losers. He also brought into question McCain s status as a war hero. He s not a war hero, Trump said. He s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren t captured. Today, however, President Trump finally took the high road and put all of that behind him, but that doesn t mean that his very own supporters took the same approach to the unfortunate news of McCain s latest health setback. Instead, they flocked to Twitter to both celebrate and undermine anybody wishing the Senator well with some even referring to the story as fake news : destination hell pic.twitter.com/XaYtRqouZd West is under siege (@ZKondos) July 20, 2017Have a good day of work tomorrow, and mccain the TRAITOR, can go straight to hell! FACT!!! JT (@OSS1940) July 20, 2017But what if the person with brain cancer is a monster? WilliamShat (@WillaimShat) July 20, 2017I have NO pity on a man that MURDERED Our Soldiers during Vietnam War, I have NO pity on a man that supporting euthanizing the elderly,etc Hannah ChalkerMAGA (@chalkermaga) July 20, 2017Yo @Thomas1774Paine, fake brain tumor story and fake NYT Trump interview story both within an hour of each other. You better get cracking MakeUSA_Great (@MakeUSA_Great) July 20, 2017FUCK senjohnmccain!!! HE'S NO HERO. LET ME TELL YA A STORY. 1st look up the USS FORRESTAL. 2nd https://t.co/BLhpEMMb9m conservative???? (@Rng17582) July 20, 2017#NoPrayersFromMe I hope he finally resigns this is God's work I been praying for this exact punishment for many Rhinos don't fret over karma Sharon Chavez (@sharonDay5) July 20, 2017John McCain got cancer in an organ I didn't know he possessed. I think a lot of people are shocked today. Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) July 20, 2017The fact that so many Liberals are praising John McCain now that he's thankfully dying of cancer shows you how horrible of a person he was Chicago Joe (@adudeinaplace2) July 20, 2017Fox says McCain has brain cancer. Can only hope this is not fake news West is under siege (@ZKondos) July 20, 2017.@SenJohnMcCain is a detestable man. Better he were never born at all. We can take some pleasure in the thought of him dying painfully. Richard ?Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) July 20, 2017And that is just scratching the surface. Disliking and not agreeing with a person or their policies is one thing, but reveling in the news that that person faces an excruciatingly painful demise is just a special kind of awful.Featured imaged via Win McNamee/Getty Images

A research division of the World Health Organization announced Monday that bacon, sausage and other processed meats cause cancer and that red meat probably does, too. The report by the influential group stakes out one of the most aggressive stances against meat taken by a major health organization, and it is expected to face stiff criticism in the United States. The WHO findings were drafted by a panel of 22 international experts who reviewed decades of research on the link between red meat, processed meats and cancer. The panel reviewed animal experiments, studies of human diet and health, and cell processes that could explain how red meat might cause cancer. But the panel’s decision was not unanimous, and by raising lethal concerns about a food that anchors countless American meals, it will be controversial. The $95 billion U.S. beef industry has been preparing for months to mount a response, and some scientists, including some unaffiliated with the meat industry, have questioned whether the evidence is substantial enough to draw the strong conclusions that the WHO panel did. In reaching its conclusion, the panel sought to quantify the risks, and compared to carcinogens such as cigarettes, the magnitude of the danger appears small, experts said. The WHO panel cited studies suggesting that an additional 3.5 ounces of red meat everyday raises the risk of colorectal cancer by 17 percent; eating an additional 1.8 ounces of processed meat daily raises the risk by 18 percent, according to the research cited. “For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” says Kurt Straif, an official with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which produced the report. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.” About 34,000 cancer deaths a year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meats, according to figures cited by the panel. [WHO says hot dogs, bacon cause cancer. Does this mean we should all become vegetarians?] The research into a possible link between eating red meat and cancer has been the subject of scientific debate for decades, with colorectal cancer being a long-standing area of concern. But by concluding that processed meat causes cancer, and that red meat “probably” causes cancer, the WHO findings go well beyond the tentative associations that some other groups have reported. The American Cancer Society, for example, notes that many studies have found “a link” between eating red meat and heightened risks of colorectal cancer. But it stops short of telling people that the meats cause cancer. Some diets that have lots of vegetables and fruits and lesser amounts of red and processed meats have been associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, the American Cancer Society says, but “it’s not exactly clear” which factors of that diet are important. Likewise, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the U.S. government’s advice compendium, encourage the consumption of protein-containing foods such as lean meats as part of a healthy diet. Regarding processed meats, though, the Dietary Guidelines offer a tentative warning: “Moderate evidence suggests an association between the increased intake of processed meats (e.g., franks, sausage, and bacon) and increased risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease.” The Dietary Guidelines do not assert that processed meats cause cancer. Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, which is updating the Dietary Guidelines with the USDA, have not yet reviewed the WHO report, a spokesperson said. [95 percent of the world's people may be wrong about salt] For consumers, the WHO announcement offers scant practical advice even while casting aspersions over a wide array of foods. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton and goat. Processed meat includes hot dogs, ham, sausages, corned beef and beef jerky — or any other meat that has been cured, smoked, salted or otherwise changed to enhance flavor or improve preservation. How much of those is it safe to eat? The group doesn’t offer much guidance: “The data available for evaluation did not permit a conclusion about whether a safe level exists.” Should we be vegetarians? Again, the group does not hazard an answer. And how exactly does red meat and processed meat cause cancer? The group names a handful of chemicals involved in cooking and processing meat, most of them nearly unpronounceable, and some believed to be carcinogenic. “But despite the knowledge it is not yet fully understood how cancer risk is increased by red meat or processed meat,” the group wrote. Despite the voids in the science, the WHO findings might cast a pall over diners and those who serve them. At The Pig Restaurant on 14th Street NW in Washington, where the menu includes an array of pork products - kielbasa, prosciutto, pork cheek, etc - a worker sweeping the tables outside encouraged a reporter to look elsewhere for comments about cancer and red meat. Around the corner, outside the Whole Foods grocery, shoppers evinced a weary of fatalism regarding authoritative diet advice. “It makes some sense,” said Nassrin Farzaneh, a development consultant, carrying a bag out of the store, said of the WHO finding on processed meat. “But they say one thing and then two or three years later they something that contradicts it. It goes on and on.” “Everything causes cancer,” said Caroline Rourke, an energy policy analyst, also on her way out of the grocery. “Life causes cancer. Who cares what food does? Life is terminal, isn’t it?" [Another food to worry about? Honey not as healthy as we think.] In recent years, meat consumption has been the target of multi-faceted social criticism, with debates erupting not just over its role on human health, but the impact of feedlots on the environment and on animal welfare. The public debate over the WHO’s findings will probably play out with political lobbying and in marketing messages for consumers. An industry group, the North American Meat Institute, called the WHO report “dramatic and alarmist overreach,” and it mocked the panel’s previous work for approving a substance found in yoga pants and treating coffee, sunlight and wine as potential cancer hazards. The WHO panel “says you can enjoy your yoga class, but don’t breathe air (Class I carcinogen), sit near a sun-filled window (Class I), apply aloe vera (Class 2B) if you get a sunburn, drink wine or coffee (Class I and Class 2B), or eat grilled food (Class 2A),” said Betsy Booren, vice president of scientific affairs for the group. “We simply don’t think the evidence supports any causal link between any red meat and any type of cancer,” said Shalene McNeill, executive director of human nutrition at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. But at its core, the issue revolves around science, and in particular the difficulty that arises whenever scientists try to link any food to a chronic disease. Experiments to test whether a food causes cancer pose a massive logistical challenge: they require controlling the diets of thousands of test subjects over a course of many years. For example, one group might be assigned to eat lots of meat and another less, or none. But for a variety of reasons involving cost and finding test subjects, such experiments are rarely conducted, and scientists instead often use other less direct methods, known as epidemiological or observational studies, to draw their conclusions. “I understand that people may be skeptical about this report on meat because the experimental data is not terribly strong,” said Paolo Boffetta, a professor of Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who has served on similar WHO panels. “But in this case the epidemiological evidence is very strong.” [Why the Bureau of Prisons stripped pork from the menu for federal inmates] Some scientists, however, have criticized the epidemiological studies for too often reaching “false positives,” that is, concluding that something causes cancer when it doesn’t. “Is everything we eat associated with cancer?” asked a much noted 2012 paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That paper reviewed the academic studies conducted on common cookbook ingredients. Of the 50 ingredients considered, 40 had been studied for their relation to cancer. Individually, most of those studies found that consumption of the food was correlated with cancer. But when the research on any given ingredient was considered collectively, those effects typically shrank or disappeared. “Many single studies highlight implausibly large effects, even though evidence is weak,” the authors concluded. Although epidemiological studies were critical in proving the dangers of cigarettes, the magnitude of the reported meat risk is much smaller, and it is hard for scientists to rule out statistical confounding as the cause of the apparent danger. Moreover, some skeptics noted that two experiments that tested diets with reduced meat consumption, the Polyp Prevention Trial and the Women’s Health Initiative, found that people who reduced their meat intake did not appear to have a lower cancer risk. It is possible, though, that the reductions in animal flesh were too small to have an effect. “It might be a good idea not to be an excessive consumer of meat,” said Jonathan Schoenfeld, the co-author of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article and an assistant professor in radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School. “But the effects of eating meat may be minimal, if anything.” Was it wrong that the government steered people away from whole milk for decades? How Coca-Cola has tricked everyone into drinking so much of it What Americans do with fish is shocking Why Americans are falling out of love with one of their favorite fruits Whole milk, butter and eggs are now okay to eat. What's next?

In 2016, celebrities came together to create an emotional video that minimized crimes committed or incidents that led to the death of black men and women, both young and old, across America. One of those celebrities was U2 s lead singer, Bono.For many, Bono s part in the video was even more controversial because he attempted to link the death of 9 black church members in South Carolina, who died while conducting a bible study at the hands of a young racist man, Dylann Roof, (who has since been sentenced to death for his heinous crime) with white cops who have killed blacks and have been found not guilty of intentional murder.The video doesn t just shine a light on injustices by white police officers, it promotes an atmosphere of hate and distrust for white people in America.It seems rather unusual that after U2 s Bono would cancel his concert in St. Louis that was scheduled for tonight, following a night of violent protests that led to the breaking of windows in the St. Louis Mayor s home (who supports BLM) and the shutting down of traffic for safety reasons. Isn t this the same group he stood by when he participated in the controversial video above? Why would Black Lives Matter protesters harm anyone who came to see an entertainer who stood by them in such a powerful and emotional video?Why not host the concert? Let your fans know you support the people rioting in the streets. Give everyone a chance to sing kumbaya Here s U2 s announcement on Twitter that they are canceling their concert out of concern for their fans safety . The hypocritical tweet reads: Tonight s St. Louis Show Cancelled We cannot risk fans safety. Tonight's St. Louis Show Cancelled'We cannot risk fans' safety.' Live Nation statement. https://t.co/0xDnUGfb7p pic.twitter.com/r3lF5TsxKF U2 (@U2) September 16, 2017Here s a screen shot of their statement:

It s been two months since the 2016 Election took place but Donald Trump refuses to stop whining about the results.Trump posted on Twitter claiming that the media is saying that he thought he was going to lose as Election Day approached. And it certainly looked like he was going to lose as just about every poll had Trump trailing Hillary Clinton. But as we all know, Russia and the FBI intervened and battleground states flipped to Trump.Rather than ignore the media analysis about something that has been over with for awhile, Trump chose to lash out on Twitter instead and brag about his electoral victory.Various media outlets and pundits say that I thought I was going to lose the election. Wrong, it all came together in the last week and .. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017I thought and felt I would win big, easily over the fabled 270 (306). When they cancelled fireworks, they knew, and so did I. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017Seriously, Trump is incapable of just letting things go. And he got ripped apart on Twitter for being so petty and thin-skinned.@realDonaldTrump U R SO TRANSPARENT! The more you insist on repeating this, the clearer it is that you STOLE THE ELECTION W/ PUTIN #treason Stefanie Iris Weiss (@EcoSexuality) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump election is sooo 2016 Troy Osinoff (@yo) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump put the phone down Donald. Tom Knight (@TJ_Knight) January 2, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Pillow talk with you must be so sad! Ben Berkon (@BenBerkon) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump let it go you won. Govern. Lead. Yashar (@yashar) January 2, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Honey enough. We need to be strong and brave and drop this and move forward and President. Bess Kalb (@bessbell) January 2, 2017@bessbell @realDonaldTrump seriously I voted for him and now I m regretting it. John (@john111211) January 2, 2017.@realDonaldTrump I m sure there is a very talented therapist who would be happy to help you work through all of these feelings Sara Schaefer (@saraschaefer1) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump the election is over, time to govern. You serve us, not the other way around. Jonathan Boucher (@jonbouch) January 2, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Donald, the more you go on about this the less convincing it is. A big President doesn t go on and on about his feelings. Bess Kalb (@bessbell) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump You didn t win. You lost by 2%. Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/nAay1FNWMr Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump The year is 2021, Donald continues and another thing about when I won the election ?Brett Druck? (@BrettDruck) January 2, 2017@realDonaldTrump I keep getting You lost we won, get over it in my mentions. Tell Donald, he needs to hear it the most. ?Brett Druck? (@BrettDruck) January 2, 2017Also, it should be pointed out that Trump s electoral victory is one of the smallest in American history, like his hands.With 18 days left before the inauguration, this is what Donald Trump is focusing on. He has to be watching the news constantly in order to catch things like this and then he wastes more time by tweeting about it. At this rate, Trump is going to remain the least prepared president-elect in history if he continues to focus more on what people say about him than the job he is about take over.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images

Many Popular Tea Bags Contain Alarming Amounts of Deadly Pesticides (avoid these brands like the plague) Most conventional tea brands such as Lipton, Allegro, Celestial Seasonings, Tazo, Teavana, Bigelow, Republic of Tea, Twinings, Yogi, Tea Forte, Mighty Leaf, Trader Joe’s, Tetley contain really high levels of toxic substances such as fluoride and pesticides. We are not talking about calcium fluoride which is a natural element, but about the synthetic fluoride which is a toxic by product. These levels are dangerously high to the point of being considered unsafe. So drinking cheap tea can be as bad as eating junk food. Cheap Tea Contains Fluoride and Pesticides Most teas are not washed before being dried, thus non-organic teas contain pesticide residues. Some tea brands ( even those claimed organic or pesticide free! ) have recently been found to contain pesticides that are known carcinogens – in quantities above the US and EU limits! A new study published in the journal of, Food Research International , found that cheaper blends contain enough fluoride to put people under the risk of many illnesses such as bone tooth, kidney problems and even cancer. In fact, some brands of cheap tea contain nearly 7 parts per million (ppm) and the allowed level of fluoride is 4 ppm. This is quite scary since fluoride gets into your bones and accumulates in your body. It stays there for years. So how did fluoride get into tea? The tea plant accumulates fluoride as it grows. This means that old leaves contain the most fluoride. Cheaper quality teas are often made from old leaves that contain more fluoride than young tea leaves (here is an example) . Additionally, these cheaper brands use smaller leaves which contain more fluoride. And what about decaffeinated tea? Well, decaffeinated tea showed higher fluoride levels than caffeinated tea. So what is the solution? Should you stop drinking tea all together? Of course not! First of all, make sure to buy loose leaf tea and brew your tea from scratch. Bagged tea which might seem convenient and ready to go, is often made from low quality leaves which surely contain more fluoride. Stick to white tea (here) . It has the least amount of fluoride. Buy organic tea because the methods for cultivation are more sophisticated and conscious. They might even use purified water for the soil. We’ve just scratched the surface here, please check out Food Babe’s full report for more detailed information and a chart of which teas came out with their reputations intact – and please share with your tea-loving friends!

The planned right-wing extremist event Paul Revere 2016 Final March to Restore America hit a snag on Monday when one of the organizers was shot dead. No, the socialist Communist Muslim atheist fascist tyrant Obama didn t have him killed, and he certainly wasn t taken out because he threatens the New World Order s agenda to use chemtrails and HAARP to kill Christians Charles Carter died at the hands of a fellow conservative in an argument over (shockingly) a gun.Authorities have not released details of the shooting, which occurred in Grayson County, Texas, but the Paul Revere event page announced Carter s death in an emotional plea to God to give the poster understanding of the incident.Apparently, God responded, as the event page s current administrator, an organizer of the failure that was the 2 Million bikers 2 DC rally, Bill Williamson, had many more details later in the day. I am behooved as to what has happened with Charles Carter and Vincent Smith from the Paul Revere event, the admin complained. The event that sky rocketed in a week has gone to hell and a handbasket in less then 24 hours Charles is dead, shot in the fore head by Vincent Smith. The administrator explained that Carter attacked fellow organizer Smith in a drunken argument over a gun (though Smith was allegedly sober):I was in chat with Charles Carter most of the morning and I could see in his post that shit was not right within him. Shortly after Vincent shot Charles then I was on the phone with him and he explained what happened, Vincent was attacked by Charles that was liquored up and enraged. Charles attacked Vincent, snatched his side arm from him and was going to shoot Vincent. Vincent had a spare gun on him and was SOBER and faster then Charles Carter. Vincent Smith I Pray for You Brother as I am Praying for Charles Carter. I Pray that you both find peace. The Texas Marshal has ruled this a self defense, and from talking to Vincent IN DEPTH I Bill Williamson BELIEVE HIM! the administrator wrote. If I am wrong them so be it. Right-wing online radio host Keith Williams also shared his sorrow over the unnecessary example of responsible gun ownership. Williams says that Carter was killed by a fellow patriot who was suppose to be his brother in arms and friend. One of their fellow patriots says Carter was shot between the eyes. Recently, the state of Texas made it completely legal to open carry handguns. While it is a felony in the state to carry any firearm while intoxicated, conservatives have traditionally opposed any and all firearms safety laws, viewing them as some sort of plot to grab guns from patriots like them. Unfortunately, we can expect to see responsible gun owners and good guys with guns (as the NRA calls every (white) person carrying a weapon until, of course, they commit a crime) shooting their friends family members, and enemies alike until we reform our firearms laws.Watch a video of Carter ironically begging conservatives to stop fighting with each other below:(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Stop behaving like childrenPAUL REVERE 2016 FINAL MARCH TO RESTORE AMERICA ( PAGE )WAKE UP AMERICA ( PAGE )Posted by Charles Carter on Saturday, January 9, 2016Featured image via screengrab

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Monday that a probe on whether to launch an investigation into China’s intellectual property practices will be one of his office’s “highest priorities.” Lighthizer said in a statement that China’s industrial policies and other practices “reportedly” have forced the transfer of vital U.S. technology to Chinese companies. “We will engage in a thorough investigation and, if needed, take action to preserve the future of U.S. industry,” Lighthizer said. “Thousands of jobs are at stake for our workers and for future generations.”

Brigitte Macron is 24 years older than her husband. She is 64-years old and is in great shape for a woman of her age. As a female, who is younger than Mrs. Macron, I would be thrilled if the most powerful man in the world shook my hand and offered me a sincere compliment about what great shape I was in. Mrs. Macron didn t likely wake up one morning and decide she wanted to be a stunning 64-year old woman. She likely had to work at it. Being a 64-year old woman who is married to a charismatic 39-year old man, who is also the newly elected leader of France is probably not that easy. She likely has a rigorous workout schedule, and if she is like most women, she appreciates it when someone notices how hard she works to stay in great shape. It is possible that Macron has simply been gifted with great genes and does nothing at all to stay in great shape , but either way, a compliment about her appearance was likely appreciated by the 64-year old stunner. The Daily Mail ran a wildly popular article in May about Brigitte Macron titled:How DOES Macron s wife defy her age? Experts claim hair extensions, veneers, designer style and some very subtle cosmetic surgery keep Brigitte Trogneux, 64, looking so youthfulHmmm We don t remember the outrage from the media over the Daily Mail article that explored every possibility that could explain Macron s age-defying look, that ran just prior to France s election. There will, of course, always be critics. After all, the compliment didn t just come from any man, it came from the man who was not supposed to defeat the media s candidate, Hillary Clinton.Many on social media have criticized the Macron couple s difference in age. Macron s campaign was very aware that the age difference could be a turn off to some voters, as the media was quick to dispel any thoughts that Brigitte was some sort of pedophile or cougar. They shared the Macron s unusual story of how Emmanuel Macron fell in love with his wife Brigitte while she was his high school drama teacher. They talked about how he pledged his love to her early on, promising he would come back some day and marry her. (How quickly everyone forgets the criticism Donald Trump got on social media for marrying the much younger Melania.)In case the world hasn t noticed, President Trump doesn t play the same game as other politicians. He s genuine and honest. He says what he feels and most importantly, he says what s in his heart. He s not a career politician, and for that, most of us are grateful. When President Trump greeted Brigitte Macron for the first time, he shook her hand, looked her straight in the eye, and complimented her on how great she looked. Trump simply told her, You re in such great shape and then followed it up by telling her she was beautiful . The media and those on the left went nuts. It wasn t just individuals on social media and leftist journalists who attacked Donald Trump. One major athletic apparel and accessory company took to Twitter to mock our sitting President.For some reason, someone at Reebok thought it would be a good idea to tweet a chart to President Trump to let him know whether or not he should compliment the 64-year old Macron. When did Reebok become the arbiter of free-speech? Who, at Reebok decided it would be a good idea to mock our President on social media? Is Reebok really such a powerful athletic wear company that they can afford to lose half of their customer base over a stupid tweet? In case you were wondering when it IS appropriate to say, "You're in such good shape beautiful," THIS: pic.twitter.com/Z1cnnRD8Ut Reebok (@Reebok) July 14, 2017Note to Reebok: We don t care that President Trump offended French liberals and leftist American journalists. We don t care that he offended Democrat lawmakers, who are constantly looking for a reason to discredit our president. We care that President Trump loves America, and that he wakes up every day thinking about how he ll continue to bring more jobs back to Americans. We admire him for his commitment to putting America first and for his dedication to keeping our nation safe. We don t give a damn if you re offended over President Trump s compliments to Brigitte Macron.The Macron s spent several hours with the Trump s, after President Trump offered his sincere compliments to Brigitte. Many of the photos taken after the first meeting with the Macron s and Trump s defy what the media would like you to believe about Trump s relationship with the French president and his wife. In fact, quite to the contrary, Mr. and Mrs. Macron appeared to be enjoying their visit with America s first couple quite a bit.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May has reaffirmed Britain s commitment to a 2015 Iran nuclear deal in a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of a key U.S. decision on whether Tehran has stuck to the terms of the pact. Trump has cast doubt on the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which sought to curb Iran s nuclear program in return for lifting most Western economic sanctions. A senior U.S. administration official said last week that Trump - who has criticized the pact as an embarrassment and the worst deal ever negotiated, - was expected to decertify Iran s compliance ahead of an Oct. 15 deadline. The (prime minister) reaffirmed the UK s strong commitment to the deal alongside our European partners, saying it was vitally important for regional security, said a statement from May s office following the call on Tuesday evening. (The prime minister) stressed that it was important that the deal was carefully monitored and properly enforced. In contrast, a White House statement on the phone call said Trump underscored the need to work together to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its malign and destabilizing activities, especially its sponsorship of terrorism and its development of threatening missiles. In a separate statement, Britain s Foreign Office said Iran had upheld its nuclear commitments, adding to international pressure on Trump not to jeopardize security in the region. The nuclear deal was a crucial agreement that neutralized Iran s nuclear threat, foreign minister Boris Johnson said. It was the culmination of 13 years of painstaking diplomacy and has increased security, both in the region and in the UK. It is these security implications that we continue to encourage the US to consider. Johnson spoke by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Tuesday and will on Wednesday meet the head of Iran s nuclear agency in London to press for continued compliance with the deal. May and Trump also discussed the need for Britain, the United States and others to work together to counter destabilizing Iranian activity in the region, May s office said. Britain and the United States are two of eight signatories to the deal, along with Iran, China, France, Russia, Germany and the European Union. China, Russia and the European states have already expressed their continued support for the deal, while Iran has said Trump would not be able to undermine the pact. If Trump declines to certify Iran s compliance, U.S. congressional leaders would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the agreement. Earlier, the White House said Trump would make an announcement later this week on an overall Iran strategy , including whether to decertify the nuclear deal. May s office said she agreed with Trump that their teams should remain in contact ahead of the decision on recertification.

HONOLULU (Reuters) - One of three federal appeals court judges who last month upheld a ruling that blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s first try at a travel ban said on Thursday it was “corrosive to the justice system” when litigants attack judges for their decisions. Judge Richard Clifton of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals became the latest in a series of judges to draw criticism from Trump after Clifton and two colleagues refused to reinstate an executive order temporarily barring entry by people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Shortly after the Feb. 9 ruling, Trump tweeted: “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” He also told reporters that the ruling was “political.” “It’s easy to blame the referee when you don’t like the result,” Clifton said in a speech to the Conference of Western Attorneys General, which is meeting in Honolulu. “It is corrosive to the system when a disappointing result, or result disappointing to you, is responded to by blaming the referee,” said Clifton, who did not mention Trump by name. He urged the state attorneys general not to blame judges, saying it could lead to a “breakdown in law and order.” Clifton, appointed to the court by former Republican President George W. Bush, was discussing the executive order case, but did not comment on any substantive issues about the travel ban. The White House had no immediate comment on his speech. Trump has frequently attacked judges who rule against him. Last month, he called a Seattle federal judge who ruled against the first travel ban a “so-called judge.” During last year’s presidential campaign, he said a San Diego federal judge overseeing a fraud lawsuit against Trump University was biased because of his Mexican heritage.

As if Donald Trump isn t paranoid and delusional enough on his own, one of the people who carries a lot of influence with 45 is one of the most certifiably insane (in my amateur opinion) people to ever hit the airwaves, rabid right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Jones is now advising Trump to use violence against those who oppose him, and the frightening thing is, Trump could listen.On his YouTube channel show on Monday, Jones fed into Trump s ridiculous conspiracy theory that his offices were wiretapped by President Obama.And I feel so sorry for people that can t see it, that have been caught by this weird demon spirit of the age, to just go along with evil and corruption and just thank god, Mr. President, that we re not the scumbag Obama, the loser of eight years, the failure. Now who thinks he can be the big community organizer down the street from you, who brags it s his plan to bring you down. Then The New York Times acts like it s not true. Codify the data each day, go after them with their own words. Hold up where they admit they were wiretapping your Trump Tower and then show The New York Times saying they re not doing it, just like you have been doing it, and they will fall.There were even more paranoid rantings, but the bottom line was that Trump should kill all his enemies before they take him down:They re going to destroy you, they re going to destroy Barron, they re going to destroy Eric, they re going to destroy Donald Jr., they re going destroy me, they re going to destroy Matt Drudge, they re going to destroy Ron Paul, they re going to destroy anybody like [White House senior adviser] Stephen Bannon that actually stood up for the little people, because that example can t be allowed. Because if you let one ant stand up, they might all stand up, and those little ants outnumber the parasites 1000 to one. If they want a war, let s let them have it. Now they re getting their ass kicked in the economy, your approval ratings are going up. Sir, they don t care. They re going to intimidate and pay off and roll people in your second-level operation to try to burn you. You must go on the offense. This is war. You think George Washington kicked the Redcoats ass just with information? No.Source: Media MattersThen, with no irony at all, he accused Trump s opponents of being funded by the Russians.Here s the audio:Most people would just dismiss Jones s words as the rantings of a lunatic, which they are, but Trump loves Jones. Along with Breitbart (where Trump got the wiretap story to begin with) and other assorted right-wing sources, Jones is one of the people Trump relies upon to get information.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images

Just imagine how many brilliant young American minds could benefit from their education if their teachers and professors put as much effort into actually teaching their students as they do indoctrinating them with their liberal web of mistruths and distortions An email encouraging extra credit for student participation at a liberal protest has prompted a conservative backlash at the University of Pittsburgh and an explanation from school officials.The email, sent out by a Student Services Specialist with the university s School of Social Work, was first made public by the university s Pitt Maverick newspaper on Thursday.Watch:The University of Pittsburgh is giving extra credit to students who attend an anti-trump protest! pic.twitter.com/Cyz2ZPn5Sa FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) November 23, 2016In the email, the administrator urges students and faculty to sign up for A People s Agenda for Change: National Day of Action rally slated for downtown Pittsburgh on Nov. 29. The email incorrectly contained the suggestion that extra credit be offered for attendance, Miksch wrote. The school does not allow this practice. That language was to have been removed from the communication before it was sent, but was not. The controversy comes at a politically sensitive time for the University of Pittsburgh and academic institutions across the nation. This as protests, arrests and even accusations of hate crimes continue to roil campuses on the heels of president-elect Donald Trump s victory.On Thursday, 2 were arrested when a Pitt protest aimed at Trump and other social issues saw clashes between the demonstrators and police. PennLive

White House officials are now saying Trump won t make a trip to England this summer after a hurried, secret plan to sneak the president into the country was leaked to the English press causing widespread outrage.Trump s unpopularity in the United Kingdom is legendary, and his aversion to protesters has caused him to refuse to visit the nation until they can guarantee there won t be mass protests. But his staff apparently came up with a gamble that would allow him to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May while avoiding the backlash. Unfortunately for him, it fell through almost immediately.Trump wanted to visit his golf course in Scotland (because, of course) while he was in Europe for the G20 meeting and the plan was to have him quietly pop over to London so he could meet with May. To avoid any chance of protests, Trump s staff is said to have warned British officials that the president would only be giving 24-hour notice before dropping by. This way, they reasoned, protesters wouldn t even know he was in the country before he was leaving again.Whitehall sources confirmed the government had been warned that the president could visit Turnberry, one of his two golf resorts in Scotland, during his trip to Europe, between attending the G20 summit in Hamburg and joining celebrations for Bastille Day in France on 14 July.Trump would be expected to come to Downing Street to meet the prime minister for informal talks as part of any such visit, though final confirmation would be likely to be given with just 24 hours notice to minimise the risk of disruption.But like everything with Trump s flailing administration, the plan leaked to the press and protesters vowed to be ready, even at short notice.So the White House is back to saying he won t be visiting our ally after all. At least not this summer.A spokeswoman for the US president said on Monday that no trip was imminent, amid mounting speculation that Trump was planning to make an unofficial visit to the UK on his way to or from the G20 summit in Hamburg this week. While we look forward to visiting the UK, it will not happen in the next two weeks, the spokeswoman said.It s doubtful that the White House s denials are going to make any would-be protesters put their guard down. The Trump administration has such a deep reputation of lying, that a denial from them means absolutely nothing. It s likely that angry English citizens will gather at Trump s Scottish golf course while Trump is in Europe juussstttt in case. And Trump has a notoriously hard time resisting a game of golf.Meanwhile, Trump is getting ready to meet his on-again, off-again friend Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit. His advisers told CNN that the president is not planning to bring up the fact that Russia hacked the U.S. elections. Nevertheless, it will certainly be the elephant in the room.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images

posted by Eddie At an Italian port in the Bay of Naples, construction on a wider dock is underway. But as workers build on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, they begin to discover something incredible buried beneath the waves… The first evidence of a lost underwater city off the western coast of Italy emerged in the 1920s. Fishermen from Naples began discovering strange, ancient artifacts caught up in their fishing nets. They alerted archaeologists to their finds. Later, workers widening docks at nearby Porto Venero discovered a haul of treasures languishing on the seabed. Statues, architectural remains and mechanisms featuring imperial insignias were all recovered. During the 1940s, pilot Raimondo Baucher snapped some aerial photographs of the region. The images revealed extensive archaeological ruins submerged beneath the surface. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that researchers began properly investigating the site. Surveys revealed that the ruins and artifacts belonged to what once would’ve been a grand and extensive city. A paved road was discovered with buildings either side, and cement jetties were seen to stretch out into the sea. A few years later, in 1969, a scuba diver made a startling discovery. Some 1,500 feet from the spot that had been previously identified as the sunken city’s center, a Roman sculpture was pulled from the water. Experts deduced it was part of the decor for a grand villa. Over the years, many more objects, such as marble statues and household items, have been recovered from the site. One by one, they’ve allowed archaeologists to construct a vivid picture of what life was like in the city, before it disappeared beneath the waves. Back in the days of the Roman Republic, Baiae was a lively, popular seaside resort. Its main draw was its bathhouses filled with warm mineral water from underground springs. The Romans believed the water had therapeutic powers, and many physicians would advise their patients to visit the area. Apparently, Baiae served a similar role in Roman society as Las Vegas does today. Brimming with glitzy facilities like casinos and swimming pools, it became known as a hedonistic hideaway for the Republic’s elite. In Baiae, wine-fuelled beach parties and loose sexual morals were considered the norm. Apparently, Roman dictator Julius Caesar once owned a villa in the city. Several celebrities of the day – Nero and Cicero, for example – were believed to make visits, too. The city also played an important role in some of the most celebrated events in Roman history. When the astrologer Thrasyllus predicted that Caligula had as much chance of becoming emperor as he did of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae, Caligula is said to have ordered the building of a three-mile bridge across the water here. He then proceeded to cross it on his favorite horse, proving the astrologer wrong. For centuries Baiae remained the resort of choice among the upper echelons of Roman society. Then, in the first millennia AD, its fortunes began to change. The widespread migration known to Romans as the Barbarian Invasions had begun, and the city was attacked and looted for the first time. Later, in the 8th century, Saracen invaders wreaked further havoc on the streets of Baiae. Then, in 1500, the city’s remaining inhabitants abandoned it after malaria became prevalent in the region. Finally, later that century, the very geological features that had made Baiae such a hit led to its ultimate demise. The volcanic activity that had fed Baiae’s popular bathhouses with warm water eventually caused a seismic shift in the land. The result? It sent the city and all of its buildings straight into the Mediterranean Sea. By the time the dust had settled, the coastline had receded by up to 200 feet. Now under around 16 feet of water, Baiae seemed destined to be forever lost to the annals of history. However, all that changed in the 20th century, when one by one the city started to give up its treasures to the outside world. In 1980 the first official dig took place in the sea. Underwater archaeologists were able to identify a nymphaeum – a type of shrine dedicated to the nymphs or nature spirits – believed to belong to Emperor Claudius. Archaeologists were also able to build a clear picture of the city’s imperial palace, a vast structure filled with many statues and works of art. Some of the artifacts, including the nymphaeum, were brought to shore and displayed in the Phlegraean Fields Archaeological Museum in modern-day Baia, Italy. In the year 2000, a ferry ran aground and seriously damaged the underwater ruins. Because of this, all commercial ships were barred from sailing in the area. Then, two years later, the Baia Archaeological Park was formed. Designated a protected marine area, the park exists to preserve the ruined city for future generations to enjoy. Today, those keen to catch a glimpse of this lost underwater civilization are in luck. A company called BaiaSommersa runs regular sightseeing trips from Naples aboard a glass-bottomed boat. Braver souls can also don scuba diving gear and explore the ruins at their own pace. Source:

Wikileaks Warns It Is Launching "Phase Three" Of Its Election Coverage Source: Zero Hedge On Sunday night, Wikileaks enigmatically tweeted that it would launch “ phase 3 of [its] US election coverage" in the coming week. The site put politicians on notice Sunday evening in a tweet that also included a plea for donations. “We commence phase 3 of our US election coverage next week. You can contribute: https://shop.wikileaks.org/donate @WLTaskForce" the whistleblower website announced moments ago. We commence phase 3 of our US election coverage next week. You can contribute: https://t.co/MsNZhrTzTL @WLTaskForce pic.twitter.com/XferJnMGux — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 30, 2016 As the Hill noted , Wiki did not provide information about what the third phase entails or if there are still more revelations to come. As a reminder, Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange currently finds himself in the Ecuador embassy where his internet access has been revoked for the duration of the presidential campaign to avoid the appearance of intervention. Wikileaks supporters, now including a number of disgruntled GOP nominee Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders supporters, promptly replied with tweets expressing hope that phase three would ultimately damage Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign. User “CorruptMedia” responded with a Photoshopped estimating what CNN coverage of Clinton being escorted to jail would look like. A new archive of Clinton-related documents would further irk a campaign still reeling from FBI director James Comey's announcement on Friday that new emails related to the Clinton server probe had been discovered. But there is at least some reason to believe Wikileaks could release material that is not solely Clinton related. Julian Assange, the head of Wikileaks, has stated that he would publish information from Trump if the site were sent any. Wikileaks has already posted hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chief John Podesta: the former led to the resignation of former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz after it was revealed that the DNC was actively scheming to prevent Bernie Sanders' nomination; the former has led to a series of dramatic revelations into the strategic operations of the Clinton campaign, with the most damaging emails exposing the Clinton Foundation and WJC's consulting outfit Teneo as an "influence-peddling" pay-to-play organization as noted most recently in " Doug Band To John Podesta: "If This Story Gets Out, We Are Screwed" "

(Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said Walter “Jay” Clayton, an attorney who advises clients on major Wall Street deals, was his choice to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Below is a list of Republican Trump’s selections for top jobs in his administration. Senate confirmation is required for all the posts except national security adviser and White House posts. Tillerson, 64, has spent his entire career at Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), where he rose to chairman and chief executive officer in 2006. A civil engineer by training, the Texan joined the world’s largest energy company in 1975 and led several of its operations in the United States as well as in Yemen, Thailand and Russia. As Exxon’s chief executive, he maintained close ties with Moscow and opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Crimea. Mnuchin, 54, is a successful private equity investor, hedge fund manager and Hollywood financier who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) before leaving in 2002. He assembled an investor group to buy a failed California mortgage lender in 2009, rebranded it as OneWest Bank and built it into Southern California’s largest bank. Housing advocacy groups criticized the bank for its foreclosure practices, accusing it of being too quick to foreclose on struggling homeowners. Mattis is a retired Marine general known for his tough talk, distrust of Iran and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mattis, 66, is known by many U.S. forces by his nickname “Mad Dog.” He was rebuked in 2005 for saying: “It’s fun to shoot some people.” Sessions, 70, was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump’s presidential bid and has been a close ally since. Son of a country store owner, the senator from Alabama and former federal prosecutor has long taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, opposing any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Zinke, 55, a first-term Republican representative from Montana and a member of the House subcommittee on natural resources, has voted for legislation that would weaken environmental safeguards on public lands. He has taken stances favoring coal, which suffered during the Obama administration. The League of Conservation Voters, which ranks lawmakers on their environmental record, gave Zinke an extremely low lifetime score of 3 percent. Ross, 79, heads the private equity firm W.L. Ross & Co, and Forbes has pegged his net worth at about $2.9 billion. A staunch supporter of Trump, Ross helped shape the Trump campaign’s views on trade policy. He blames massive U.S. factory job losses on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico, which went into force in 1994, and the 2001 entry of China into the World Trade Organization. Lighthizer served as deputy U.S. trade representative during the Reagan administration in the 1980s and has since spent nearly three decades as a lawyer representing U.S. companies in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases, currently with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. A harsh critic of China’s trade practices, Lighthizer in 2010 told Congress that U.S. policymakers should take a more aggressive approach in dealing with the Asian country. Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc [APOLOT.UL], which runs the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s fast-food chains, has been a vociferous critic of government regulation of the workplace and the National Labor Relations Board. Puzder, 66, has argued that higher minimum wages would hurt workers by forcing restaurants to close and praises the benefits of automation, so his appointment is likely to antagonize organized labor. U.S. Representative Price, 62, is an orthopedic surgeon who heads the House Budget Committee. A representative from Georgia since 2005, Price has criticized Obamacare and has championed a plan of tax credits, expanded health savings accounts and lawsuit reforms to replace it. He is opposed to abortion. Carson, 65, is a retired neurosurgeon who dropped out of the Republican presidential nominating race in March and threw his support to Trump. A popular writer and speaker in conservative circles, Carson had been reluctant to take a position in the incoming administration because of his lack of experience in the federal government. He is the first African-American picked for a Cabinet spot by Trump. Chao, 63, was labor secretary under President George W. Bush for eight years and the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet position. She is a director at Ingersoll Rand Plc (IR.N), News Corp (NWSA.O) and Vulcan Materials Co (VMC.N). She is married to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky. Perry, 66, adds to the list of oil drilling advocates skeptical about climate change who have been picked for senior positions in Trump’s Cabinet. The selections have worried environmentalists but cheered an oil and gas industry eager for expansion. Perry, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and briefly ran for president in 2016, would be responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversee the nation’s nuclear weapons program. DeVos, 58, is a billionaire Republican donor, a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and an advocate for the privatization of education. As chair of the American Federation for Children, she has pushed at the state level for vouchers that families can use to send their children to private schools and for expansion of charter schools. The final leadership role of Kelly’s 45-year military career was head of the U.S. Southern Command, responsible for U.S. military activities and relationships in Latin America and the Caribbean. The 66-year-old retired Marine general differed with Democratic President Barack Obama on key issues and has warned of vulnerabilities along the United States’ southern border with Mexico. Priebus recently was re-elected to serve as Republican National Committee chairman but will give up the job to join Trump in the White House, where the low-key Washington operative could help forge ties with Congress to advance Trump’s agenda. Priebus, 44, was a steadfast supporter of Trump during the presidential campaign even as the party fractured amid the choice. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: SCOTT PRUITT An ardent opponent of Obama’s measures to stem climate change, Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt, 48, has enraged environmental activists. But he fits with the president-elect’s promise to cut the agency back and eliminate regulation that he says is stifling oil and gas drilling. Pruitt became the top state prosecutor for Oklahoma, which has extensive oil reserves, in 2011 and has challenged the EPA multiple times since. U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney, 49, a South Carolina Republican, is a fiscal conservative. He was an outspoken critic of former House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, who resigned in 2015 amid opposition from fellow Republicans who were members of the House Freedom Caucus. Mulvaney was first elected to Congress in 2010. Haley, 44, has been the Republican governor of South Carolina since 2011 and has little experience in foreign policy or the federal government. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she led a successful push last year to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston by a white gunman. McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former chief executive of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. She ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012 and was an early supporter of Trump’s presidential campaign. U.S. Representative Pompeo, 53, is a third-term congressman from Kansas who serves on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which oversees the CIA, National Security Agency and cyber security. A retired Army officer and Harvard Law School graduate, Pompeo supports the U.S. government’s sweeping collection of Americans’ communications data and wants to scrap the nuclear deal with Iran. Walter “Jay” Clayton is a New York-based attorney who advises clients on major Wall Street deals, specializing in public and private mergers and acquisitions and capital-raising efforts. His past clients have included Alibaba Group Holding Company (BABA.N), Oaktree Capital Group (OAK.N) and big banks. Retired Lieutenant General Flynn was an early Trump supporter and serves as vice chairman on his transition team. He began his Army career in 1981 and was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Flynn became head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 under Obama but retired a year earlier than expected, according to media reports, and became a fierce critic of Obama’s foreign policy. Tom Bossert, 41, who worked as deputy homeland security adviser to former Republican President George W. Bush, will serve as the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. He currently runs a risk management consulting firm and has a cyber risk fellowship with the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. Cohn, 56, president and chief operating officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), had widely been considered heir apparent to Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of the Wall Street firm. Trump hammered Goldman and Blankfein during the presidential campaign, releasing a television ad that called Blankfein part of a “global power structure” that had robbed America’s working class. Navarro, 67, has suggested a stepped-up engagement with Taiwan, including assistance with a submarine development program. A professor at University of California, Irvine, who advised Trump during the campaign, Navarro argued that Washington should stop referring to the “one China” policy, but stopped short of suggesting it should recognize Taipei: “There is no need to unnecessarily poke the Panda.” Viola, 60, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate and a U.S. Army veteran who served in the famed 101st Airborne Division. He founded high-frequency trading firm Virtu Financial Inc (VIRT.O) and served as chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange, where he began his financial services career. After the Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, Viola helped found the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. He is an owner of the Florida Panthers ice hockey team. CHIEF WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST, SENIOR COUNSELOR: STEVE BANNON The former head of the conservative website Breitbart News came aboard as Trump’s campaign chairman in August. A rabble-rousing conservative media figure, he helped shift Breitbart into a forum for the alt-right, a loose confederation of those who reject mainstream politics and includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. His hiring signals Trump’s dedication to operating outside the norms of Washington. As White House chief of staff, Bannon, 63, will serve as Trump’s gatekeeper and agenda-setter.

WEST HARRISON, N.Y. (Reuters) - Looking to lay the groundwork for her presidency if she wins the White House in November, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton named several veterans of President Barack Obama’s administration for her transition team on Tuesday. Ken Salazar, a former interior secretary and U.S. Senator from Colorado, will lead a team of four co-chairs including one-time national security adviser Tom Donilon and Neera Tanden, a former Obama aide who now leads the progressive Center for American Progress think-tank, the Clinton campaign said. The other co-chairs are former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Maggie Williams, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics, the campaign said in a statement. The announcement came as Clinton has gained momentum in the opinion polls against Republican rival Donald Trump, whose campaign has struggled after he made a string of controversial remarks since formally winning his party’s nomination last month. Clinton leads Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election by more than 5 percentage points in a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll released on Friday. The current RealClearPolitics average of polls shows her 6.7 points ahead. Clinton has been a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady and her transition team includes old names from her long tenure in Washington, some of whom have also served Obama. Tanden, who played a key role in shaping Obama’s health care overhaul, is a longtime friend and adviser to Clinton who worked on her Senate campaign. Williams was the 1992 transition director for Clinton when she became first lady, and then her chief of staff in the White House when Bill Clinton was president. Two policy advisers on the campaign, Ed Meier and Ann O’Leary, will also move full time to the transition team. Heather Boushey, the executive director of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, will be the chief economist, the campaign said in a statement. Boushey has advised the campaign on economic policy. Transition teams oversee personnel appointments and help develop an administrative framework during the period between the November election and the inauguration in January, to make it easier for a new president to begin implementing policy agendas. Trump, a New York businessman who has never held elected office, picked New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to head his own transition team in May. More establishment Republicans, alarmed by Trump’s inability or unwillingness to rein in his provocative remarks, have distanced themselves from the candidate in recent weeks. The Wall Street Journal, a leading conservative voice, said in an editorial on Monday that he should fix his campaign in the next three weeks or hand over to his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Trump drew heavy criticism after engaging in a prolonged spat with the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq. Last week, he suggested gun rights activists could take action against Clinton, a statement critics found alarming but which he later said was aimed at rallying votes against her. Trump also called Obama and Clinton the “co-founders” of Islamic State, a false claim he later said was sarcastic but did not wholly abandon. Despite Clinton’s lead in polls, Obama warned Democrats against over confidence, telling a fundraising gathering on Monday in Massachusetts, “If we are not running scared until the day after the election, we are going to be making a grave mistake.”

Germany: Students Forced to Chant ‘Allahu Akbar,’ Punished for Refusing Trip to Mosque Intolerance will not be tolerated! Chris Menahan | Information Liberation - October 28, 2016 Comments Islamic indoctrination is now mandatory in German schools. From The Daily Express : PUPILS at a primary school were forced to chant “Allahu Akhbar” and “there is no God but Allah”, an appalled father has claimed. The father of the pupil at the girl’s primary school in German ski resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen discovered that his daughter had been forced to learn the Islamic prayer when he discovered a handout she had been given. He claimed she had been “forced” by teachers to memorise the Islamic chants and forwarded the handout to Austrian news service unsertirol24. The handout read: “Oh Allah, how perfect you are and praise be to you. Blessed is your name, and exalted is your majesty. There is no God but you.” It had been given to the girl during a lesson in “ethics” at the Bavarian school. What are they going to teach, the ethics of conquest and slavery? Here’s another story from yesterday in RT : Parents of a German teenager may face a trial and fine for “truancy” after refusing to allow their son to go to a local mosque on a school field trip out of fear that it would lead to his “indoctrination” by Islamic radicals. The story broke in mid-June, when parents of a 13-year-old student opposed the idea of their son visiting a mosque in the northern German town of Rendsburg, reportedly organized as part of a geography class. In a letter to the class teacher quoted by the NDR, the teen’s father argued that his son would be “indoctrinated” in the mosque. He went on to say that “for years we have been hearing reports about religiously-motivated violence connected with Islamic people.” A local education authority subsequently fined the couple a total of €300 ($328), referring to school regulations and regional laws which include penalties for truancy. — Alexandra Witt (@AlexiaStellar) October 23, 2016 When the parents opposed the fine, their case was forwarded to Peter Mueller-Rakow, a local prosecutor, who will decide whether or not to proceed with a court trial, Spiegel reported on Wednesday. The parents’ lawyer, Alexander Heumann, argues that they refused the school trip out of fear for their son’s “bodily safety.” Denying any faith-based motives, he emphasized that the couple do not belong to any religious group, and are of the opinion that “nobody shall be forced into a sacred place against his good will.” …School principal Renate Fritzsche … told NDR that the field trip to the mosque was meant to promote tolerance and diversity. “We also have Muslim children with us and Muslim parents also know that there are no exceptions,” she said, adding that swimming lessons and sex education are compulsory for Muslim children as well. “It is not the responsibility of the parents to say: ‘My child will attend such or such class,’” Fritzsche asserted. Intolerance will not be tolerated! Now get back to your damn prayer rugs and start praying to Mecca! NEWSLETTER SIGN UP Get the latest breaking news & specials from Alex Jones and the Infowars Crew. Related Articles

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico s Congress on Friday approved a law that enshrines the use of the army in the country s long war against drug cartels, overriding protests from the United Nations rights body and activists who fear it will encourage abuses by the military. The ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party and some members of the center-right opposition National Action Party backed the bill, which now will head to President Enrique Pena Nieto s desk to be signed into law. Known as the Law of Internal Security, the bill establishes rules for the military s role in battling drug gangs, a conflict that has claimed well over 100,000 lives in the last decade. The military has been mired in several human rights scandals, including extra-judicial killings of suspected gang members and the 2014 disappearance of 43 students near an army base. Supporters of the legislation say it will set out clear rules that limit the use of soldiers to fight crime. Rights groups are not convinced, saying the bill empowers security forces instead of improving the police and could usher in greater abuses and impunity. The United Nations, Amnesty International and Mexican human rights organizations all lobbied lawmakers not to pass the bill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump opened a “listening session” on Wednesday for Black History Month by lashing out at one of his favorite targets for derision - the news media - complaining to a group of his supporters that most reporters who cover him are a “disgrace.” Trump rehashed his grievances over a report that erroneously said a bust of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. had been removed from the White House Oval Office - a mistake that was quickly corrected but caused a stir on social media. “It was never even touched. So I think it was a disgrace, but that’s the way the press is,” Trump said, calling the report “fake news.” Trump returned to the theme a couple of times during the portion of the event that was open to media. He slammed CNN, also calling it “fake news,” but praised Fox News, and took one more whack as reporters were led out of the Roosevelt Room. “A lot of the media is actually the opposition party. They’re so biased. It’s a disgrace,” he said. Trump has said he has a “running war” with the media, blaming it for underestimating his chances during the presidential campaign and accusing it of favoring his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. He has kept up the attacks since his Jan. 20 inauguration. The listening session at the White House was attended by African-American supporters of Trump and other officials to celebrate the start of Black History Month and discuss issues affecting the black community. Trump pledged during his campaign to improve the lives of black residents of inner cities and crack down on crime and violence in urban areas, especially in Chicago, where murders have spiked. Last month, Trump threatened to “send in the Feds” if Chicago did not get its murder rate under control. One of the attendees, Cleveland-based pastor Darrell Scott, said Trump would take a “proactive” approach to dealing with violence in Chicago that did not simply involve locking people up. “We’re not just going to send in Feds and start arresting black people,” Scott told reporters. Scott told Trump that some “gang” members from Chicago had reached out to him about having a meeting to reduce the violence, which Trump said he encouraged. “If they’re not going to solve the problem – and what you’re doing is the right thing – then we’re going to solve the problem for them,” Trump told Scott while reporters were still in the room. “Because we’re going to have to do something about Chicago.” Pastor Corey Brooks from New Beginnings Church of Chicago, who did not attend the session, said in a phone interview he had spoken with a White House official about a possible meeting with the gang leaders but that details were unclear. Other religious leaders in Chicago were skeptical about such a meeting, saying the city’s splintered gangs no longer had clear leaders.

Glenn Beck has just proven once again, (to anyone who still gives a darn about what he has to say) how little he cares about shaking things up in DC and in doing so, has proven how irrelevant he really is to conservatives who used to believe in him. From Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit, who was also a close friend of Andrew Breitbart: It s only a matter of days now before Glenn Beck announces his allegiance to the Democrat Party, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.He has allowed his hatred and pride to consume him.And now that Donald Trump won the election he is doing all he can to make sure Trump fails. Wow.On Monday Glenn Beck said Steve Bannon has ties to white nationalists. This is a complete lie. Check out this Dec. 12, 2011 interview with Andrew Breitbart where he exposes Glenn Beck as a race-baiter, a liar and a coward :Andrew Breitbart exposed USDA S Shirley Sherrod after she made extremely racist comments, bragging about how she used her power as a government official to discriminate against a white farmer in a room packed with blacks. The controversy was real, but the mainstream media and Glenn Beck, who we believe has always been jealous of Andrew Breitbart s ability to with connect with conservatives and more specifically, the Tea Party tried to destroy Andrew over this video. Watch:Watch Andrew Breitbart destroy Glenn Beck here:

EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - The Somali immigrant charged with attempted murder in connection with a weekend vehicle and knife attack in Edmonton, Alberta, was detained in the United States pending deportation before claiming refugee status in Canada, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, 30, is accused of running down a police officer with his car on Saturday night and then stabbing him repeatedly. Police said he fled before driving a U-Haul truck into four pedestrians during an attempt to evade capture. Sharif was in custody in the United States for about four months in the summer and autumn of 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeswoman Lauren Mack said in a statement. He was ordered deported to Somalia but released on an order of supervision on Nov. 23, 2011. Sharif did not appear for a scheduled meeting in January 2012, and efforts to locate him were not successful, the statement said. Sharif had no known criminal history at the time of his encounters with ICE, the ICE statement added. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Sharif made a refugee claim at a Canadian border crossing in 2012 and obtained refugee status later that year. In 2015, a complaint led police to probe Sharif s alleged extremist ideology, but officers found no grounds for criminal charges after what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police described as an exhaustive investigation. Goodale said on Monday it would be wrong to blame the attack on any shortcomings in Canada s immigration and refugee vetting system. Sharif, who faces 11 charges including five counts of attempted murder, appeared via video in an Edmonton court on Tuesday wearing an orange jail uniform. He had a Somali interpreter, although he did not speak. He occasionally looked down or clasped his hands in front of him and still bore facial bruises that police say he sustained while evading capture. A community leader, Mahamad Accord, who did not speak to Sharif but learned about him from the local Somali community, said Sharif was from a Somali ethnic minority and little known in the community. Edmonton police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sharif s lawyer, Chady Moustarah, said he had stepped in on short notice to help someone without representation but that the accused would have to find another lawyer going forward. Sharif remains in custody until his next court appearance, scheduled for Nov. 14.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A plan to raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 passed both houses of the state legislature on Thursday, putting the state on track to become the first in the nation to commit to such a large pay hike for the working poor. The measure, incorporating a deal Governor Jerry Brown reached with labor leaders and progressive Democrats in the Legislature, was approved in the state Senate Thursday afternoon after winning approval earlier in the day in the Assembly, and now goes to Brown for his signature. “If you work full time, your family shouldn’t live in poverty,” Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Southern California Democrat, said in support of the bill to raise the state’s minimum wage from its current level of $10 per hour. Lawmakers from the state’s poorer regions said the measure could harm small businesses that are barely hanging on amid double-digit unemployment, ultimately leading to job losses. If enacted, the bill would put California, home to one of the world’s biggest economies, among a growing number of U.S. states and cities that have moved in recent years to surpass the federal minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 an hour since 2009. A proposal to raise the minimum wage in parts of New York state to $15 was announced Thursday by Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders. The California measure would gradually raise the state’s hourly minimum wage to $15 by 2022 for large businesses and by 2023 for smaller firms. The measure would also head off two competing ballot initiatives lacking a provision to allow the governor to suspend increases in hard economic times, a deal breaker for Brown. The proposal sped through the legislative process after the governor’s office reached a deal last week with labor unions pushing a similar minimum wage hike in the form of two ballot initiatives. With polls showing strong support for those measures at the ballot box, Brown emphasized that a version passed through the legislature would allow lawmakers to amend it if needed over time instead of going back to voters to request amendments in expensive and uncertain campaigns. Moreover, the deal allows the state to opt out of minimum wage increases if the economy is doing poorly, a provision not in either of the union-backed ballot initiatives. Even so, several moderate Democrats and most Republicans complained that it was being rushed through, and would disproportionately harm businesses in poorer parts of the state, where the cost of living is not high enough to warrant such a dramatic wage hike. The deal reached in New York would raise wages in costly New York City to $15 in three years, but would stagger increases in other parts of the state, some to just $12.50 per hour unless further approval is granted. It still must pass the legislature, where negotiations on the details are ongoing.

A London council has become the first nationwide to allow its schools to opt out of providing Christian assemblies.[ schools are required by law to offer a daily act of worship which must be “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character” unless granted special dispensation by the local authority. But Brent Council in London has used that loophole to offer all its schools an encouraging them to take up the option and replace Christian worship with assemblies, the Mirror has reported. Its approach has been lauded by the Accord Coalition, an alliance of religious groups, humanists, trade unions, and human rights campaigners who lobby against faith schools, which has recognised Brent Council in its Inclusivity Awards 2017. Chair of the judging panel, Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain MBE, said: ”Society may be but is with many also of no and so uniform worship should no longer be compulsory for our educational system. “The current worship laws are unpopular and prevent schools from providing an inspiring programme of assemblies that are truly inclusive of all staff and children. “Some schools find the laws so unworkable that they have stopped providing assemblies altogether. “As society does not have a shared faith, we cannot worship together. Brent Council’s ground breaking approach rescues an opportunity for pupils to communally explore and forge shared values, in a way that is workable and respectful. “We hope all other local authorities will take inspiration from Brent Council’s approach, which we highly commend. ” Christian campaigners, however, have expressed dismay, arguing that a shared understanding of Christianity underpins social cohesion within the country. Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern told LBC radio that the measure marked a step backwards. Explaining that the was intended for faith schools, he said: “I’m not sure this is the right approach. “The Rabbi mentioned social cohesion — I think social cohesion is very important, and what has provided the social cohesion for this country for many centuries up [un]til now is Christianity — as a basis for our moral foundation and our spiritual foundation, and the basis for many of our laws and culture. ”

CAIRO (Reuters) - Former Egyptian premier Ahmed Shafik said on Sunday he was still considering his presidential bid and exploring the idea further now that he is in Egypt, according to a televised interview on Sunday in which he denied authorities had kidnapped him. Today I am here in the country, so I think I am free to deliberate further on the issue, to explore and go down and talk to people in the street ... so there s a chance now to investigate more and see exactly what is needed ... to feel out if this is the logical choice, Shafik said. The interview on private Dream TV channel was Shafik s first public appearance since leaving the United Arab Emirates on Saturday for Cairo. His family said he was kidnapped and sources said he had been picked up by Egyptian officials at Cairo airport.

The whole world is talking about Donald Trump, over which he is no doubt preening because any attention is good attention as long as it s focused entirely on him. But besides the obvious problems with this, there s one tradition that s very important among international leaders and diplomats. Trump is getting dangerously close to destroying it.The tradition is this: You don t trash-talk a foreign country s political candidates.That might seem silly. It might seem trivial. It s not. This is a very old tradition that was actually turned into policy at the 1961 Vienna Convention. While different countries interpret Thou shalt not interfere in foreign countries elections differently, most are careful to keep their mouths shut, at least publicly. Even in 2004, when the whole world hated George W. Bush for the fiasco that was Iraq, foreign diplomats and leaders mostly kept quiet.Not so now. Trump is testing everyone s patience, and many find that they just can t keep it to themselves: If you represent one of these countries that has been insulted or attacked, you tend to react. We are very passionate, and our blood is pretty hot. But we have to play it cool and understand that this is a campaign, and an election, and that we are diplomats. This week, thousands of foreign diplomats are gathering in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly. Trump has insulted a great many of them in one way or another. What the Latin-American diplomat said to Politico is true around the world: Adding to the complications is that U.S. elections are increasingly followed intensely by people overseas, whether it s via Facebook or CNN International. So when a U.S. presidential candidate slams a foreign country as Trump has so often (with Mexico, Japan, China, members of NATO, and on and on) representatives of those countries feel unusual domestic pressure to respond. Wars of words could easily escalate into more serious wars with Trump. He s proven that with his threats against both Ted Cruz and John Kasich for the 2018 midterms he can t let a slight go.As another example of how he goes after everyone who pisses him off: He s busy trash-talking a Scottish whiskey company for daring to give an award to a neighbor of his who criticizes his golf course. In retaliation, he s banned every brand of whiskey from William Grant & Sons for that affront, because really, how dare they?He should have more important things to worry about than petty personal slights, but they re actually the centerpiece of his whole existence. When foreign leaders won t play ball his way, and go on record with nothing but what he thinks are insults, what s he going to do? Two guesses what he ll do, but you ll only need one.He hasn t even been elected yet and foreign leaders and diplomats are openly attacking him. Some of these people probably held their tongues when George W. was running for re-election, however hard that might have been. This would be hilarious if it wasn t so frightening.Featured image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she would permit a delay to Britain s departure from the European Union in exceptional circumstances, bowing to criticism from her own party over the government s plan to fix the exit date in law. The decision is a compromise with Conservative lawmakers who last week rebelled in parliament and inflicted an embarrassing defeat on May during a debate on the legislation that will end Britain s EU membership. The legislation, formally titled the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, later won approval to move to the next stage of the parliamentary process, although it still faces weeks of further scrutiny before becoming law. May headed off a second rebellion by agreeing that her government s plan to define the date of Britain s EU exit as March 29, 2019, should be tempered by inserting a proviso allowing that date to be changed if necessary. If that power were to be used, it would be only in extremely exceptional circumstances and for the shortest possible time, May told lawmakers. Parliament will have to approve any new date. Junior Brexit Minister Steve Baker added that he could not envisage the date being brought forward. The passage of the bill to the next stage was overshadowed by the resignation of May s most senior ally in government, Damian Green, at May s request after an internal investigation found he had breached the government s code of conduct. The destabilising resignation adds to the political difficulties May faces as she tries to deliver Brexit against a backdrop of a divided parliament and electorate, and questions about her ability to meet an already tight timetable. She wants to negotiate a transition deal with Brussels by March to reassure businesses and then seal a long-term trade deal by October. Brussels has said a detailed trade deal is likely to take much longer, and that Britain s transition period must end by 2020. In addition, May s government has to undertake the huge legislative task of transferring the existing body of EU law into British law before it leaves in order to provide legal certainty for businesses.

Watch President Obama Full Speech on Donald Trump Win Video Obama has extended an invitation to president-elect Donald Trump to meet with him at the White House on Thursday. Speech begins at 2 minutes in

Hillary Clinton has a long history of violence and abusing and men, women and security officers.Of course, you ll never see any of these quotes from the condescending former First Witch in the mainstream media, but that doesn t mean they didn t happen. Hillary has a reputation for having a vulgar potty mouth and a nasty disposition. Wouldn t it be nice if the GOP leaders cared as much about her negatives as an 11 year old Trump story.Here are a few of her more memorable lines: Where is the G-damn f**king flag? I want the G-damn f**king flag up every f**king morning at f**king sunrise. (From the book Inside The White House by Ronald Kessler, p. 244 Hillary to the staff at the Arkansas Governor s mansion on Labor Day, 1991) You sold out, you mother f**ker! You sold out! From the book Inside by Joseph Califano, p. 213 Hillary yelling at Democrat lawyer. Son of a b*tch! (From the book American Evita by Christopher Anderson, p. 259 Hillary s opinion of President George W. Bush when she found out he secretly visited Iraq on Thanksgiving just days before her highly publicized trip.)F**k off! It s enough that I have to see you shit-kickers every day, I m not going to talk to you too!! Just do your G*damn job and keep your mouth shut. (From the book American Evita by Christopher Anderson, p. 90 Hillary to her State Trooper bodyguards after one of them greeted her with Good morning. You f**king idiot. (From the book Crossfire p. 84 Hillary to a State Trooper who was driving her to an event.) If you want to remain on this detail, get your f**king ass over here and grab those bags! (From the book The First Partner p. 259 Hillary to a Secret Service Agent who was reluctant to carry her luggage because he wanted to keep his hands free in case of an incident.) Get f**ked! Get the f**k out of my way!!! Get out of my face!!! (From the book Hillary s Scheme p. 89 Hillary s various comments to her Secret Service detail agents.) Stay the f**k back, stay the f**k away from me! Don t come within ten yards of me, or else! Just f**king do as I s ay, Okay!!!? (From the book Unlimited Access , by Clinton FBI Agent in Charge, Gary Aldrige, p. 139 Hillary screaming at her Secret Service detail.) Why do I have to keep proving to people that I am not a liar?! (From the book The Survivor, by John Harris, p. 382 Hillary in her 2000 Senate campaign) Where s the miserable c*ck sucker? (From the book The Truth About Hillary by Edward Klein, p. 5 Hillary shouting at a Secret Service officer) Put this on the ground! I left my sunglasses in the limo. I need those sunglasses. We need to go back! (From the book Dereliction of Duty p. 71-72 Hillary to Marine One helicopter pilot to turn back while en route to Air Force One.) Come on Bill, put your dick up! You can t f**k her here!! (From the book Inside The White House by Ronald Kessler, p. 243 Hillary to Gov. Clinton when she spots him talking with an attractive female at an Arkansas political rally) You know, I m going to start thanking the woman who cleans the restroom in the building I work in. I m going to start thinking of her as a human being -Hillary Clinton (From the book The Case Against Hillary Clinton by Peggy Noonan, p. 55) The only way to make a difference is to acquire power (From the book I ve Always Been A Yankee Fan by Thomas D. Kuiper, p 68 Hillary to a friend before starting law school.)Trump talks smack with men. Hillary Clinton abuses people.Via: Gateway Pundit

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - Images released by North Korea on Thursday appeared to show it has succeeded in developing a missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon anywhere in the United States and it could be only two or three tests away from being declared combat ready, U.S.-based experts said on Thursday. North Korea released dozens of photos and a video after Wednesday s launch of the new Hwasong-15 missile, and leader Kim Jong Un declared the country had finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force . U.S.-based experts, some of whom have been skeptical about past North Korean claims to have put all of the United States in range, said data from the latest test and the photos appeared to confirm North Korea has a missile of sufficient power to deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in America. Experts and U.S. officials say questions remain about whether it has a re-entry vehicle capable of protecting a nuclear warhead as it speeds toward its target and about the accuracy of its guidance systems. In an analysis for the Washington-based 38 North think tank, missile expert Michael Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said the North Korean photos showed a missile considerably larger than its predecessor. Initial calculations indicate the new missile could deliver a moderately sized nuclear weapon to any city on the U.S. mainland, Elleman said. Elleman said the missile was large and powerful enough to carry simple decoys or other countermeasures to challenge U.S. missile defenses. A handful of additional flight tests are needed to validate the Hwasong-15 s performance and reliability, and likely establish the efficacy of a protection system needed to ensure the warhead survives the rigors of atmospheric re-entry, Elleman wrote. Only two or three more tests might be needed if North Korea could accept low confidence in the missile s reliability. Another missile expert, whose employer does not allow him to speak publicly to the media, agreed with Elleman s assessment. If North Korea does not make high demands on the reliability or accuracy of the missile ... two or three more tests would suffice. So long as North Korea can hit U.S. cities with thermonuclear warheads, they probably don t need the ability hit every city they target or target specific aim points within those cities to convince the U.S. leadership that war with North Korea would be too expensive to contemplate. In a call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the missile was North Korea s most advanced so far. But it was unclear if Pyongyang had the technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead, and it still needed to prove other things, including re-entry technology. U.S. based experts said North Korea had almost certainly developed a warhead light enough to be carried by the Hwasong- 15, which Elleman said should be capable of delivering a 1,000 kg payload. Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of Strategic Studies said on Twitter the Hwasong-15 was so big that the warhead wouldn t need to be miniaturized. On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis acknowledged the missile went higher than any previous test and was part of a North Korean effort to continue building ballistic missiles that can threaten everywhere in the world, basically. North Korea said the missile soared to an altitude of about 4,475 km (2,780 miles), more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station, and flew 950 km (590 miles) during its 53-minute flight before landing in the sea near Japan. The missile s large size was immediately apparent in the photos, which analysts said allowed for a more powerful propulsion system. This is a very big missile, said Michael Duitsman, a research associate at the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies. And I don t mean big for North Korea. Only a few countries can produce missiles of this size, and North Korea just joined the club. U.S. experts and officials said the missile still appeared to be powered by liquid fuel, something that made it vulnerable as it could take to up to two hours to fuel on-site before launching. Earlier, one U.S. official told Reuters the missile could have been powered by solid fuel, but experts said North Korea could still be a few years away from being able to field a more versatile solid-fueled ICBM. The photos appeared to show the missile with at least two large nozzles on its first stage, instead of the one large and several smaller nozzles on the Hwasong-14. The first stage seems to use essentially the same case (as the Hwasong-14) but has two engines, said David Wright, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a U.S.-based nonprofit science advocacy group. The second stage looks like it can carry more than twice as much propellant. The combination of those two things means it really is a new, more capable missile. While the photos show a mobile erector vehicle being used to position the missile upright, it is not seen in photos of the launch itself. U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that the test missile was fired from a fixed position, not a mobile launcher, three U.S. officials said. The massive vehicle was 100 percent a domestic product of North Korea, state media quoted Kim Jong Un as saying. Western analysts said it is more likely the truck was one of about half a dozen vehicles obtained years ago from China, which North Korea has modified since then. (For a graphic on Rocket science click tmsnrt.rs/2j2S5T3) (For a graphic on North Korea's missile and nuclear tests click tmsnrt.rs/2vXbj0S)

RIYADH (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition accused Yemen s Houthi militia of a dangerous escalation on Sunday after Saudi air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh. Saudi Arabia also announced financial rewards for information leading to the arrest of 40 leaders it said were responsible for planning, implementing and supporting the Houthi terrorist group s various terrorist activities . The bounties topped out at $30 million for the armed group s leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the state news agency reported. The missile was brought down on Saturday evening near King Khaled International Airport on the northern outskirts of the capital and did not cause any casualties. The Houthis dangerous escalation came because of Iranian support, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said in a televised news conference. Rocket launch vehicles used to fire the missile were made in Iran, he added. Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse arch-foe Iran of supplying missiles and other weapons to the Houthis, saying the arms were not present in Yemen before the conflict began in 2015. Iran denies the charges and blames the conflict on Riyadh. Yemen s civil war pits the internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, against the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The war has already killed more than 10,000 and displaced millions, with around 500,000 cholera cases reported in the country since the worst outbreak in decades started in April. The Saudi-led coalition s statement on Sunday echoed accusations by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the missile as a shot just taken by Iran against Saudi Arabia. The head of Iran s Revolutionary Guard Corps dismissed Trump s comments as slander. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday the missile launch by Houthi rebels showed there was a danger of ballistic proliferation across the region. Saudi Arabia has signaled its intention to buy separate air defense systems from the United States and Russia.

Sebastian Gorka does a mic drop on CNN anchor Alison Camerota when he tells her more people watch Nick at Nite and cartoons than they watch CNN:WATCH AND LAUGH: Sebastian Gorka tells CNN that more people watch Nick-at-Nite and cartoons then them. #Trump #CNNBlackmail pic.twitter.com/uwEKMoCqrR Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) July 12, 2017Sebastian Gorka, President Trump s deputy assistant, mocked CNN s ratings on its morning program New Day on Tuesday, stating in a contentious interview with co-anchor Alisyn Camerota that more people watch Nick at Nite cartoons than CNN today. This interview between Gorka and Camerota went from cordial to personal really quickly! Alison Camerota asked about Iraqi forces defeating ISIS to win back the city of Mosul. But Camerota couldn t help herself so she pivoted to the Trump-Russia fake news topic:Camerota goes partisan: Is it possible that your team is obsessed with the Clintons? Gorka starts to get into with Camerota: No. We d like you to actually do your job. You aren t in the news business anymore. You used to be. You are in the attacking President Trump business. And it s sad. It s really sad. Camerota: It s interesting. Look, I know you have to go, and I didn t even want to go down this rabbit hole with you. When you take shots at us and at journalism, at CNN, Gorka interrupted with this zinger: Not journalism. CNN. Camerota said Gorka was the one who asked to appear on the network.Camerota responded: OK. When you take shots at CNN, I do feel that I must respond and just point out that you called us yesterday to come on here. Gorka shot back: That s what we do. The amount of time you spend in desperation on a topic that has plummeted you to 13th place in viewership ranking across America, more people watch Nick at Nite cartoons than CNN today. Camerota shot back: Our ratings are doing just fine. If you want to go there, our ratings are doing just fine. Gorka s mic drop moment came here: Nick at Nite is in 11th place. More people are interested in cartoons!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump will not revive his predecessor’s stalled Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal in any form, but will quickly pursue bilateral trade agreements, a Trump transition policy adviser said. “TPP is dead. I cannot stress that more strongly,” said the adviser, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly for the administration that takes office on Jan. 20. “TPP, or a multilateral agreement that looks like TPP but is called something else, is emphatically dead.” On Wednesday, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said he was not opposed to President Barack Obama’s 12-country Pacific Rim trade deal but shared some of Trump’s views “on whether the agreement that was negotiated serves all of America’s interests at best.” Speaking by phone late on Thursday, the Trump adviser said Tillerson was expressing some personal views on free trade theory. The adviser said the administration was not going to pursue multilateral trade deals. “You will be shocked by the speed at which bilateral agreements begin to materialize,” the adviser said. Britain has expressed strong interest in a bilateral trade deal with the United States once it exits the European Union. Official spokespeople for the Trump transition team did not respond to Reuters’ requests for further comment. The adviser said he would not rule out declaring China a currency manipulator or levying tariffs on Chinese goods as a means of reducing massive U.S. trade deficits with China. He declined to speculate how quickly a currency designation could come, adding that the issue needed further review. The Trump policy adviser said the new administration is determined to reverse years of Chinese trade practices that have “hollowed out” the U.S. manufacturing base. “You have to understand the view of this administration that China is essentially perpetrating an economic war, they’re already engaged in a trade war against us,” the adviser said.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Britain s talks on exiting the European Union cannot progress, as London wishes, to trade relations until it give more clarity on what will happen at its border with Ireland, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Friday. The border with Northern Ireland, which will be the UK s only land frontier with the EU after its departure, is one of three issues Brussels wants broadly solved before talks on trade can start in December at the earliest. On the border issue, I m sorry but we need more clarity than we have right now. We cannot move ahead to phase two on the back of a promise that we don t see any delivery mechanism to make a reality, Coveney told a conference. We don t need all the answers but we certainly need to have more assurance than we have today and we need some understanding that if the trade negotiations collapse, which could happen, that the Irish issues will still be resolved and prioritized. With close trading links to Britain, Ireland is considered the EU member most at risk when its neighbor leaves the bloc. That means it needs to plan for all eventualities and is already doing so, Coveney said. Ireland has called for Britain and the EU to reach a bespoke customs union partnership to eliminate the risk of a hard border returning between it and Northern Ireland, which until a 1998 peace deal was separated by military checkpoints because of 30 years of sectarian violence in the province. However, Dublin wants Britain to commit to a fallback option, including potential special arrangements for Northern Ireland, to avoid a customs border should Britain s plan of maintaining the closest possible ties with the EU fall through. If those assurances are forthcoming, Dublin will probably be Britain s closest friend in the trade talks but if London maintains its current position, some sort of customs border on the island of Ireland cannot be avoided, Coveney said. Ireland s Central Bank has told Irish firms to do more to prepare for an abrupt British departure and speaking at the same conference, Allied Irish Banks chairman said Ireland must be ready for a car crash Brexit. We must plan for the worst possible car-crash Brexit if the ultra-Brexiteers, the head-bangers, are prepared to blow up the British economy in the name of taking back control, Richard Pym said.

First of all, poor Melania. She was just trying to do her part and get the hell out of there. She deviated not a word from the teleprompter, except when thrown by unfamiliar words—like when “adversaries” came out as “advisories.” Hey, they’re similar. Second of all, how the hell does this even happen? Watch the video of Melania and Michelle Obama superimposed upon each other, and you get a sense of how audacious the theft was and how perfect-for-TV this brouhaha is. If someone wrote the speech for Melania, how did that person get hired? And if Melania wrote it herself, who let that happen? (Rule for first gentlemen and first ladies: do not pick your own words.) In case you missed it, I’m referring to the Melania-Michelle plagiarism flap—that Melania lifted some paragraphs out of Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech. It is a major embarrassment to the Trump campaign and, without doubt, to Melania. That said, let’s not exaggerate its importance. Writing in The New Republic, Brian Beutler called it “incredibly damaging”—which seems over the top. It’s devouring the oxygen right now. In 24 hours, it won’t be. Every scandal has a half-life. The worst scandals brand you forever and keep unfolding forever. The least serious get forgotten fast and run out of gas in a day. I think Melania’s is of the latter sort. To brand you forever, a scandal needs to reveal something hugely distasteful. This wasn’t that big a deal. She’s Donald’s wife, not Donald. To keep unfolding forever, a scandal needs to have an interesting mystery. This isn’t that interesting or mysterious. The question of how this blunder happened is worth a story, but not a lot of stories. Contrast this with the scandal of erstwhile Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly yanked a female reporter’s arm in a boorish manner. That kept going and going because the allegations were very distasteful (assault!) and the mystery was interesting (did he really do it as claimed?). Every couple of days or so, it seemed, a new video emerged. It was an excellent dumb scandal. Plagiarism is one of those sins that doom journalists but not politicians or their wives. In 1987, when running for president, Joe Biden plagiarized vast passages from Labour Party politician Neil Kinnock, which made for humiliating coverage. In 2008, Barack Obama lifted passages from Massachusetts then-governor Deval Patrick, a misstep that Obama smoothly batted away by saying Patrick had suggested the lines because of the two men’s shared philosophy. Both men did okay in the long run. So this will damage Trump a little but not much. The pearl-clutching is taking place in newsrooms, not in America’s living rooms. It’s embarrassing, but it plays into no popularly accepted narrative. (That Trump’s campaign is bumbling and chaotic in its operations is known to political buffs but not the broader public.) Tomorrow, we’ll be arguing about some other snafu. And, the way things are going, we’ll have more than a few to choose from.

AUSTIN, Ind. — On the evening of March 24, 2015, Sheriff Dan McClain got an unexpected voice mail: “This is Gov. Mike Pence calling. I would welcome the opportunity to get your counsel on what’s going on in Scott County. ” What was going on was unprecedented in Indiana and rare in the United States: H. I. V. was spreading with terrifying speed among intravenous drug users in this rural community near the Kentucky border. Local, state and federal health officials were urging the governor to allow clean needles to be distributed to slow the outbreak. But Indiana law made it illegal to possess a syringe without a prescription. And Mr. Pence, a steadfast conservative, was morally opposed to needle exchanges on the grounds that they supported drug abuse. As Sheriff McClain called the governor back, the pressure was mounting. The number of new H. I. V. cases in the county was nearing 90. “Don’t give me any political views I want to know your opinion,” the sheriff recalled Mr. Pence saying. Sheriff McClain, who was not a fan of needle exchanges, was quick to reply: “I believe the only thing we can do to stop or slow this thing is to get clean needles out there. ” As the Republican candidate, Mr. Pence brings a long record of social and fiscal conservatism that serves as a counterweight to Donald J. Trump’s frequently shifting views. But rarely have the governor’s principles been tested like they were during Indiana’s worst public health crisis in years. Much as Tim Kaine, the Democratic candidate, had to wrestle with his deeply felt opposition to capital punishment in a death penalty state, allowing 11 executions when he was Virginia’s governor, the H. I. V. outbreak forced Mr. Pence to balance strong beliefs against reality: an epidemic that was growing more dire by the day. In recent interviews, local, state and federal health officials said Mr. Pence initially held firm. So as they struggled to contain the spread of H. I. V. the officials embarked on a effort over several weeks to persuade him to change his mind, using political pressure, research and pleas for help from this remote, poor community. On March 23, more than two months after the outbreak was detected, Mr. Pence said he was going to go home and pray on it. He spoke to the sheriff the next night. Two days later, he issued an executive order allowing syringes to be distributed in Scott County. Tens of thousands of them were handed out over the following months. And the program, along with drug therapy and aggressive outreach, slowed the flood of new H. I. V. cases to a trickle. State Representative Ed Clere, a Republican who was among those pushing the governor to approve the needle exchange, said he was relieved when Mr. Pence finally did so. He also wished it had been done sooner. “It was disappointing that it took so much effort to bring the governor on board,” Mr. Clere said. But Dr. Jerome Adams, Mr. Pence’s health commissioner, said the governor needed certainty that he was doing the right thing. “The governor wanted to make sure if we went this route it was absolutely necessary,” Dr. Adams said. “I believe he was praying on it up until the final decision. ” The debate over needle exchanges, in which clean syringes are given to drug abusers when they turn in a used one, has raged since 1988, when Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina, persuaded Congress to ban the use of federal money for such efforts. Mr. Pence, who declined to be interviewed for this article, supported the ban during his six terms in the House. And Indiana was among nearly two dozen states to criminalize the distribution or possession of syringes without a prescription. Even when the H. I. V. outbreak hit, it was hard for Mr. Pence and other Indiana officials to consider lifting the prohibition. “There are people who have real moral and ethical concerns about passing out needles to people with substance abuse problems,” Dr. Adams said. “To be honest, I shared that sentiment. ” Brittany Combs, the public health nurse in Scott County, had the same initial reaction. “Even I, as a public health person, was like, ‘Aren’t we just enabling people? ’” But the H. I. V. crisis in Scott County was swift, severe and extremely troubling to those who glimpsed it. High rates of poverty and painkiller prescriptions had ushered in a wave of opiate addiction. When the makers of the drug Opana, a narcotic, reformulated their pills to make them harder to crush and snort, abusers of the drug began injecting it. “Three or four of us would be using the same needle,” said Melissa Sword, 30, who lives in a neighborhood of sagging homes here known as the North Side. “Someone would pull a needle out of their arm, and I’d take it to the sink, wash it and use it. ” Five people tested positive for H. I. V. in the last seven weeks of 2014 in Scott County, which rarely saw a single new case in an entire year. Then in one week in 2015, eight people tested positive. “Everyone we grew up with got H. I. V. in a matter of months,” Ms. Sword said. Her boyfriend was one of them. Health officials quickly traced its spread through networks of IV drug users and began steering those who had been exposed — either through shared needles or sexual encounters — into testing and treatment. Mr. Clere, a Republican known for bucking party leaders, began drafting an amendment to allow the distribution of clean syringes in Indiana. Studies have shown that needle exchanges do not result in increased drug use among participants or in higher recruitment of drug users, but they do substantially reduce the risk of infection of H. I. V. and other diseases. However, Mr. Clere could not engage Mr. Pence’s staff members on the topic. “They made it clear that he was categorically opposed to syringe exchange, period,” Mr. Clere said. On March 4, county and state health officials got on a conference call with the New York State Department of Health. The agency explained how the spread of H. I. V. among drug users in New York City had been dramatically reduced years earlier. “The first thing they said? ‘You need to have a clean needle exchange program,’” Ms. Combs, the county nurse, recalled. But when the topic came up at a community meeting in Scott County the next week, Dr. Jennifer Walthall, the deputy state health commissioner, made it sound like an intervention of that kind was not possible, Ms. Combs said. “She said, ‘Let’s focus on the mountains we can climb,’” Ms. Combs said. On March 23, Mr. Pence was forced to address the topic at a meeting in the governor’s office with state health officials and doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The governor looked to me and he looked to the C. D. C. and said, ‘What do we need to do to respond to this outbreak? ’” Dr. Adams said. He, for one, was no longer resistant. “The C. D. C. felt strongly, and I agreed, that providing syringes was the appropriate response, that this is an extraordinary situation that requires extraordinary measures. ” Mr. Pence found the science convincing, Dr. Adams said. But as the meeting concluded, no one was sure what the governor was going to do. Dr. Adams recalled the governor, who is an evangelical Christian, saying, “I’m going to go home and pray on it. ” The next evening, Mr. Pence and Sheriff McClain talked for nearly half an hour. “The governor didn’t really give his opinion,” the sheriff said. “He just wanted to listen. ” On March 25, Mr. Pence traveled to Scott County to hear from other residents, and many of them echoed Sheriff McClain’s belief that a needle exchange was needed. While the governor was downstate, Mr. Clere was applying pressure in Indianapolis, the capital, holding a hearing with experts who testified about the value of distributing clean needles. Some legislators were confused as to why the governor was not supporting legislation that would allow for a syringe exchange in Indiana, with one Republican lawmaker asking, “He doesn’t recognize this as a crisis?” Dr. Walthall, the deputy health commissioner, testified that Mr. Pence was considering declaring a public health emergency for Scott County and allowing a temporary needle exchange program limited to that jurisdiction. “This is a heroic moment,” she said. “The quickest way to stop H. I. V. spread through needles is to get rid of dirty needles. The only way to do that quickly and effectively is through an emergency needle exchange program. ” The next day, the order came. “I will tell you, I do not support needle exchange as antidrug policy, but this is a public health emergency,” Mr. Pence said at a news conference announcing the order. Ms. Combs was soon traveling the streets of Austin, in Scott County, in an S. U. V. distributing needles to those who did not feel comfortable coming in to get them. At first, the drug users were skeptical. Then, one day, she and a colleague pulled up in front of a house, and a girl rose from her seat on the front porch and walked down to accept a clean syringe. “When we looked up, there were people coming from every house on the street,” Ms. Combs said. “They swarmed the van. ” Since April 2015, more than 270 people have enrolled in the program, and more than 97, 000 syringes have been distributed and returned. Today, the needle exchange program is seen as playing a major role in halting the outbreak. From November 2014 through the next August, 181 people who lived in or used drugs in Scott County tested positive for H. I. V. according to a study of the outbreak published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine. In September and October, not a single person tested positive. Mr. Pence signed legislation in May 2015 that allows for needle exchanges in other counties that can prove they are experiencing an epidemic of H. I. V. or hepatitis C. And this year, Congress lifted most of the ban on federal funding for needle exchanges. Public health experts in Indiana were relieved by the governor’s change of heart, but some wished he had acted faster and done more. No state funding was made available for needle exchange programs. “He made it an uphill battle,” said Beth Meyerson, a health science professor at Indiana University and of the school’s Rural Center for Prevention. But for those who saw the issue as Mr. Pence did, it was a wrenching decision not to be handled lightly. “Before this, I never would have considered needle exchange,” Sheriff McClain said. “But once this outbreak happened, it became clear it was one of the main ways to stop the spread. ”

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is more than just a radical activist, he s also a devout Muslim U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison abruptly left Washington earlier this month to fly back to Minneapolis and emerged at the center of explosive confrontations between black activists and police outside the Fourth Precinct station.In those first, uncertain days after a fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in north Minneapolis, Ellison displayed credibility among different factions of the black community, and also had stature in the mayor s office and could help broker a sit-down meeting between Gov. Mark Dayton and the family of the shooting victim, Jamar Clark.The unrest has elevated Ellison s profile, but it has also become his biggest test yet as a political leader trying to negotiate a truce in the latest flare-up of long-running tensions between police and the local black community. People have successfully gotten the attention of political leadership, Ellison said from the protest site, less than a mile from his home. We just have to make sure we do not waste it, and we make sure we gather it up and turn it into some tangible benefits for the people here. Striking a tone that was conciliatory but also challenging, he added: There s absolutely no doubt that we have to get established, responsive government. The unrest hit uncomfortably close to home for the fifth-term Democrat just a few days after the shooting. During a particularly fraught night, his son, Jeremiah, was photographed with his hands up as police in riot gear pointed a gun toward him and other protesters. Ellison later shared the photo on his Twitter account, calling it agonizing. It was retweeted nearly 4,000 times.Behind the scenes, Ellison, 52, has been navigating several constituencies, including the governor s office, city officials, progressive allies and black activists who themselves are split over how to best accomplish their goals. Some black community members say they hope the shooting will finally get the attention of state leaders, whom they say have allowed Minnesota s racial disparities to fester for decades.Those connected to Ellison say his latest role is one that he has honed after years of deep involvement in divisive racial issues around Minneapolis. They say he radiates a cool confidence in person, and is enormously skilled at connecting with people in the midst of conflicts. People who don t know him, especially from outside of Minneapolis, see a firebrand out in the streets, playing that one really important role he plays, rallying the community to be empowered, former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said. The other role that most people don t see, that I have the benefit of, is a very savvy adviser who would never moderate his views but would bring a sophisticated understanding of how government worked. For entire story: Star TribuneSo who exactly is Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and why do Muslim lawmakers like hime and Andre Carson (D-IN) in America matter?Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is perhaps the most well known Muslim in the U.S. Congress but he s not the only one. The other is Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN). While speaking at the ICNA-MAS convention, Carson told those in attendance that America s schools should be modeled after madrassas (Islamic schools).Incidentally, the ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America) was identified in a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document as one of 29 like minded organizations. The goal of these organizations? According to the document itself: their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands so that God s religion [Islam] is made victorious over all other religions. MAS (Muslim American Society) was formed in 1992, one year after the date of the document, which might explain why they weren t one of the 29. Bolstering that case further is the fact that MAS has identified two groups who are on the list of the notorious 29 Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) as being like-minded.So, as DHS is more concerned with rightwing extremism than it is with Jihad, a sitting U.S. Congressman is a featured speaker at a convention filled with those who want to destroy Western civilization (America) from within. Watch Muslim Congressman Andre Carson bemoan the lack of Muslims in lawmaking roles. He also expresses his concern about anti-Sharia legislation being passed in many states:Via: Shoebat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former FBI Director James Comey will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8 as part of its probe into alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election and possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign, the committee said on Thursday. It said Comey would testify in an open session at 10 a.m., followed by a closed session. The former FBI chief, who was fired by Trump on May 9, is expected to testify on conversations he had with Trump in which the president reportedly asked him to drop an investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The union-backed “Fight for $15” movement protested at Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s restaurants on Thursday in a bid to stop the chains’ head, a vocal opponent of minimum wage increases and “overregulation,” from becoming U.S. labor secretary. Senate leadership has pushed back the confirmation hearing of Andrew Puzder to February from a tentative date of Jan. 17. Puzder, 66, leads CKE Restaurants Inc. For years, he has said Obama administration policies have saddled industry with higher costs and contributed to a “government-mandated restaurant recession.” An enthusiastic supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, Puzder has spoken against efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 and is widely expected to roll back policies such as those aimed at curbing unpaid overtime and improving worker safety. The four-year-old “Fight for $15” movement has helped win big minimum wage hikes in California and New York. It also seeks to unionize restaurant workers. The restaurant industry is the biggest U.S. employer of minimum wage workers, and CKE’s restaurants, like many others, have been cited or sued for violating wage and safety rules. “If Puzder is confirmed as labor secretary, it will mean the Trump years will be about low pay ... instead of making lives better for working Americans like me,” said Terrance Dixon, 32, who makes $9 per hour at a St. Louis Hardee’s. Puzder was unavailable for comment. He recently resigned from the International Franchise Association’s board. That industry group represents companies like CKE and McDonald’s Corp and has urged its 15,000 members to lobby on Puzder’s behalf. “These protests distract from the real issues at hand for our nation’s leaders – how to create economic growth at all levels, which is the only real solution to income inequality in America,” said Matt Haller, IFA’s senior vice president of public affairs. Senate Democrats including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts held a hearing on Tuesday after Republican rivals rebuffed their request to bring witnesses to Puzder’s upcoming confirmation hearing. The protestor-packed event included testimony from Laura McDonald, 51, who was a general manager at a CKE-owned Carl’s Jr restaurant in California from 1988 until 2012. She has joined two potential California class-action wage and hour lawsuits against CKE, which during her tenure switched general managers from salaried to hourly workers. In 2004, CKE paid $9 million to settle California lawsuits claiming unpaid overtime for general managers. “When CKE made general managers into hourly employees, it set our wages so low that we had to work 47-1/2 hours a week just to earn the same money we’ve been being paid as a salary,” McDonald said. A transition official accused Democrats of running a smear campaign and lauded Puzder as a successful businessman. Puzder opponents face stiff odds when it comes to derailing his confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate. The last six incoming presidents made 109 Cabinet-level appointments and just six picks did not go on to win Senate approval, according to an analysis by the website FiveThirtyEight.

MIAMI (Reuters) - The man answering a volunteer’s knock on the door in the Kendall section of Miami-Dade County on Saturday was emphatic: Not only would he vote but “esperamos que la presidenta gane” - Spanish for “we hope Madam President wins.” Volunteers across Florida made a last-minute push to get voters to the polls this weekend with early voting ending on Sunday ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton, or “la presidenta,” as the man at the door called her. Latino voters like the man in Kendall and elsewhere could have an outsized influence in Tuesday’s election. Early voting data may portend a jump in the number of Hispanic voters this year, especially in the key swing states of Nevada and Florida, and Clinton would likely be the biggest beneficiary. Clinton has polled much stronger among Latino voters nationwide: a Washington Post/Univision poll released last week gave her 67 percent of the Hispanic vote to Trump’s 19 percent. Trump has fared poorly with America’s largest minority voting group, having repeatedly angered Hispanics with disparaging comments about their communities. A recent poll conducted by the firms The Tarrance Group and Bendixen and Amandi found that Hispanic registered voters in Florida favor Clinton 60 percent to 30 percent. In Nevada the gap was even wider - 72 percent for Clinton and 19 percent for Trump. In Florida, the Clinton campaign estimates early Latino voting is up 139 percent, or more than twice as much, compared to 2012, according to a field report dated Wednesday. Democratic strategist Steve Schale, a Florida expert, estimated that 170,000 more Hispanics had voted early or by mail as of Wednesday than had voted early or by mail in the entire 2012 election, according to a post on his blog. “And keep in mind, because Hispanic is a self-identifying marker, studies have found that the real Hispanic vote is larger than the registration. So while Hispanics might make up 14.2 percent of the voters who have voted so far, in reality, the number is larger,” he wrote. Despite the surge in early voting, there is no certainty about which candidate people chose for president. There is also no guarantee that the higher Latino turnout rate will continue on Election Day and that they and other minority voters will make enough of a difference to swing Florida and other states. Trump kicked off his maverick campaign last year by describing Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals, and made a tough stance on immigration a signature part of his vision for America. He called for a wall to be built on the border and said an American-born federal judge could not do his job because of his Mexican heritage. That rhetoric might be hurting him in an increasingly diverse Florida, where many election watchers believe Trump must win to have a chance to secure the minimum 270 votes in the Electoral College needed to claim the White House. Daniel Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida who also does voting research, said Democrats have a strong lead among Hispanics who have voted early in Florida. “From my perspective this is Hispanics in Florida reacting viscerally to Donald Trump,” said Smith. “His scorched earth campaign against immigrants and especially Hispanics is coming home to roost in Florida.” The state of Nevada does not note race or ethnicity on its voter registration but other data there suggest Latinos also are turning out in force. For one thing, Clark County has seen a surge in early voting. Between in-person and absentee voting, registered Democrats have now returned over 72,000 more ballots than registered Republicans there. Those figures do not indicate which candidate voters picked, only the party with which the voters are registered. Friday alone saw 57,172 votes in person in Clark County. Photos making the rounds on social media showed especially long lines at a Cardenas market voting site, which stayed open late to accommodate the surge of voters. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, has a large Latino population – 30.6 percent, compared to 28.1 percent for Nevada as a whole, according to the U.S. Census. Even more Republican votes elsewhere in the state are so far not enough to counterbalance that Democratic lead in Clark County. Overall, the Democrats have cast around 46,000 more ballots in Nevada than Republicans. That’s not an accident, said Artie Blanco, the Nevada state coordinator for the progressive group For Our Future. Her organization and others banded together in a major get-out-the-vote push, especially among voters of color, and the coalition’s data suggest that the effort paid off. Twenty-two percent of Democrats who voted on Friday had a conversation with someone from that progressive coalition at some point after Oct. 15, Blanco said. Among Latino voters on the last three voting days, the coalition had conversations with 14 percent of them after Oct. 15, according to the group’s data. Trump on Saturday took a jab at the early voting turnout in Nevada. “They didn’t get the kind of vote that they needed to stop us on Tuesday,” Trump said in Reno. “Tuesday is our day in this state.” He said Reno and northern Nevada could “carry us all the way to Washington.” But Blanco said the votes were instead the result of major work to bring out voters, especially people of color and that progressive organizations were not done yet. “We have all these voters that we need to now go back and say, ‘You’ve got one day,’” she said of those who had not yet cast ballots.

THE US PROVIDES 22% OF THE BUDGET FOR THE UNITED NATIONS!Donald Trump is preparing executive orders that would dramatically reduce US funding of the United Nations, as well as other international organizations that do not meet certain criteria.The executive order plans to repeal certain multilateral treaties too, officials told the New York Times, which would likely include treaties on climate change.The first order, called Auditing and Reducing US Funding of International Organizations , will take away funding for any United Nations agency or international body that meets criteria, including: organisations that give full membership to the Palestinian Authority or Palestine Liberation Organisation; support abortion and any group that circumvents sanctions on Iran or North Korea.Funding will be taken away from any organization that is controlled or substantially influenced by any state that sponsors terrorism or is behind the persecution of marginalised groups or systematic violation of human rights.The order has singled out peacekeeping, the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Population Fund. The UNPFA targets violence against women, fights to keeps childbirth and abortion, where it is legal, safe, and was a key presence in safeguarding women in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew.The order demands decreasing US funding towards international organizations by at least 40 per cent.Earlier reports revealed that Congress was planning legislation to stop funding the UN after it voted to condemn Israeli settlement building in the Occupied Territories.Read more: The Independent

While most of America can see right through to the flaws of Donald Trump s policies, it s always a special moment when someone from Fox News recognizes it.Earlier today, Fox host Shep Smith tore Trump s latest executive order apart, noting that it could actually ruin America s economy instead of help it. Smith, who has been a vocal critic on Trump before, expertly pointed out that Trump s announcement of a Buy American and Hire American order will actually cause the cost of goods in America to skyrocket.Trump s new plan will review the H-1B visa program for foreign workers; a program that many massive companies use. Pointing out that the program serves a purpose, Smith explained: Tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Google, and others all hire thousands and thousand of using it. Even automakers, including Ford and GM, use this program to find engineers. Executives for those companies argue they can t always find enough American workers with the skills needed for the specific jobs. They also claim the program encourages students to stay in the United States after school. Then, Smith went after Trump by pointing out that even the POTUS himself doesn t buy or hire American when it comes to his own businesses: But the White House says the companies take advantage of those visas, that they bring in large numbers of foreign workers pay them less, and drive down wages. President Trump himself has gone back and forth over this program. And as for the president s push to buy American, opponents point out the obvious, that some of the president s own products were made from workers from about a dozen other companies. And besides the price of everything at your Walmart and your local store and everywhere else goes way up for you. Smith is exactly right and brilliant for exposing Trump s own hypocrisy, and for explaining to conservatives that the man they elected is not going to help America like they thought he would.You can watch Smith take down Trump below:Featured image via Scott Olson/Getty Images

Amid the tumult of the 2016 presidential campaign, John Podesta is best known as Hillary Clinton s campaign chairman and the individual from whose private account WikiLeaks is presently publishing some 50,000 hacked emails.Released in daily batches, these documents have laid bare the inner workings and tensions of the Clinton campaign in an unprecedented way, while also offering insights into the operations of the Clinton Foundation and the State Department in the years when Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee, served as secretary of state.At that time, when Clinton was traveling to a record number of foreign countries, Podesta, a former White House chief of staff under President Clinton, held dual titles at the State Department: as a senior advisor entitled to an annual salary of $130,000 never paid him, the department maintains and as a member of a prestigious foreign policy advisory board Secretary Clinton created. Records obtained from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management show Podesta s tenure at State extended from Sept. 25, 2011 to Jan. 4, 2014.For several months in 2012, Clinton s final year as secretary of state, Raytheon, the leading defense contractor, hired Podesta s sister-in-law, Heather Podesta, as a lobbyist, federal records show.Raytheon was looking to enlarge its share of foreign military sales transfers of advanced weapons systems to other countries that are reviewed and approved by the Department of State, then implemented by the Department of Defense and was beefing up its lobbying operation to accomplish that goal before Secretary Clinton left office.On the LD-2 lobbying disclosure form completed by her company, Heather Podesta + Partners, LLC, in July 2012, the veteran lawyer and Democratic fundraiser listed in the space provided for a description of her lobbying activities, Engaged the Executive Branch on the economic benefits of foreign military sales. In the space requesting the specific locales of her lobbying, Ms. Podesta listed the White House and the State Department.At the same time, Raytheon retained two other lobbyists, John Merrigan and Matt Bernstein, both associated with the powerhouse D.C. law firm DLA Piper. All three of these lobbyists, including Ms. Podesta, were major donors or bundlers to Hillary Clinton s 2008 and 2016 campaigns. Federal records show they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Clinton s campaigns and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying her State Department.In the final three quarters of 2012, DLA Piper earned some $360,000 in lobbying fees from Raytheon, courting the State Department and other agencies, while Ms. Podesta, within that same time frame, received $100,000 from Raytheon for the same purpose.The gambit appears to have worked: Records maintained by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the arm of the Defense Department that coordinates the transfers of weapons systems once they have received State s approval, show Raytheon as a prime contractor in at least seventeen foreign military sales in 2012, worth an estimated total of $26 billion. Of those contracts, three with the Gulf nation of Qatar for missile defense, Apache attack helicopters and other materiel accounted for $19 billion.READ MORE: FOX NEWS

Our favorite conservative street artist Sabo crashed an anti-Trump art exhibition in Los Angeles Saturday night, displaying a work of art of his own to the astonished crowd:VIDEO: SABO HOISTS THE MAGA JOLLY ROGER AT SHEPARD FAIREY'S ART EVENT "DAMAGED." https://t.co/g4QbtnMqWh unsavoryagents (@unsavoryagents) November 13, 2017If you re not familiar with Sabo, he is a fearless artist whose edgy artwork gets the point across in a BIG way! The sign below reads: THE DEPLORABLES MAGA 2020Remember the artist, Shepard Fairey, whose optimistic Hope poster of Barack Obama went viral in 2008? There s no denying that the Fairey poster raised Obama s cool factor a few notches with the artsy LA crowd and the urban hipsters. We guess you can say that this artist is a little responsible for the HOPELESS 8 YEAR TERM OF OBAMA SABO CRASHES OBAMA ARTIST S NEW EXHIBITION:Well, he was debuting his new exhibition, Damaged, Saturday night in L.A. According to HuffPost, the show is his largest to date and features printmaking, sculpture, painting, mixed media, collage, and more.For a guy who preaches against capitalism, this Obama artist sure is making lots of dough Sabo even called him out on it in a series of tweets below. Fairey is milking his Obama-fame for every last drop he can get from the liberal elitists in Hollywood.Fairey reportedly created his We the People series specifically to protest President Trump: The state of our society is damaged, Fairey stated at a press preview of the exhibition on Friday. I know it sounds pretty dire, but acknowledging that we need to do better is the first step. Sabo, for one, believes Fairey needs to do better . MINE WAS THE ONLY REAL PUNK ART THERE, the street artist proclaimed on Twitter Sunday. He added that his MAGA flag was taken down after about 30 minutes. SABO SAD, he said. MAGA MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! Sabo also tweeted: THERE WERE SO MANY D***** BAGS AT THE SHEPARD FAIREY SHOW LAST NIGHT. IF YOU HAD DROPPED A BOMB ON THE SHOW 3/4 OF THE YOUNG D***** BAGS IN LA WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. Fairey, a critic of the underpinnings of the capitalist machine, admitted to capitalizing off of his art. I critique capitalism yes, I am selling prints, but yes I am also giving some away, he said at a press event Friday.Via: PJMedia

Federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch, the U.S. Supreme Court pick of President Donald Trump, is a conservative intellectual known for backing religious rights and seen as very much in the mold of Antonin Scalia, the justice he was chosen to replace. Gorsuch, who has not shied away from needling liberals on occasion, is 49 and could influence the high court for decades to come in the lifetime post, if confirmed by the Republican-led Senate. He is the youngest Supreme Court nominee since Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1991 picked Clarence Thomas, who was 43 at the time. DON’T MISS For hardline West Bank settlers, Jared Kushner's their man He currently serves as a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, the city where he was born. He was appointed to that post in 2006 by Republican President George W. Bush. Gorsuch, who is white, adds little diversity to the court compared with the justices appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, both of whom were women, one becoming the first Latina justice. But he offers geographical diversity to a court dominated by justices from the east and west coasts. As an Episcopalian, he would be the only Protestant on the court, which has three Jewish justices and five Catholics. EXCLUSIVE Poll: A third of Americans think travel ban will make them safer Gorsuch is seen by analysts as a jurist similar to Scalia, who died on Feb. 13, 2016. Scalia, praised by Gorsuch as “a lion of the law,” was known not only for his hard-line conservatism but for interpreting the U.S. Constitution based on what he considered its original meaning, and laws as written by legislators. Like Scalia, Gorsuch is known for sharp writing skills. “It is the role of judges to apply, not alter, the work of the people’s representatives,” Gorsuch said on Tuesday at the White House event announcing the nomination in remarks that echoed Scalia’s views. Trump, a Republican, had the chance to nominate Gorsuch because the Republican-led U.S. Senate last year refused to consider Obama’s nominee, appeals court judge Merrick Garland. Democrats, angered by the treatment of Garland, and opposing Gorsuch’s conservative views, may seek to block his nomination. Trump may have favored Gorsuch for the job in hopes of a smoother confirmation process than for other potential candidates such as appeals court judge William Pryor, who has called the 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion “the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history.” The federal government is familiar territory for Gorsuch, who is the son of Anne Burford, the first woman to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She served as Republican President Ronald Reagan’s top environmental official but resigned in 1983, just 22 months into the job, amid a fight with Congress over documents on the EPA’s use of a fund created to clean up toxic waste dumps nationwide. She was criticized by environmentalists for cutting the agency’s enforcement efforts against polluters and slowing payments for cleaning up toxic waste. The high court is also familiar ground for Gorsuch, who served as a clerk for two justices including a current member of the court, Anthony Kennedy, a conservative who often casts a deciding vote in close decisions. If confirmed, he would become the first clerk to join a former boss on the Supreme Court. Gorsuch also served as a clerk for Justice Byron White, a John F. Kennedy appointee, who retired from the court in 1993. Gorsuch has strong, Ivy League academic qualifications: attending Columbia University and, like several of the other justices on the court, Harvard Law School, graduating the same year as Obama. He completed a doctorate in legal philosophy at Oxford University, spent several years in private practice and worked in George W. Bush’s Justice Department. In a 2005 article in the conservative National Review magazine, Gorsuch criticized American liberals’ “overweening addiction to the courtroom” to implement a social agenda “on everything from gay marriage to assisted suicide.” In his Senate confirmation hearing for his appellate court judgeship, he said the point of the article could be applied to groups across the political spectrum. In 2013, Gorsuch played a role in a high-profile ruling involving arts-and-crafts retailer Hobby Lobby, allowing owners of private companies to object on religious grounds to an Obamacare provision requiring employers to provide health insurance covering birth control for women. The decision, later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, said the provision violated a federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In a concurrence, Gorsuch expressed sympathy for the choice faced by the evangelical Christian owners of the company “between exercising their faith or saving their business.” Gorsuch also criticized an important legal doctrine that directs courts to defer to federal agencies’ interpretation of statutes. Last August, in a case over immigration rules, Gorsuch called the doctrine the “elephant in the room” that concentrates federal power “in a way that seems more than a little difficult to square with the Constitution.” He has written extensively on the topic of assisted suicide and euthanasia, arguing against legalization. In written questions related to his Senate confirmation hearings, he was asked whether his writings would make him biased in any case on the matter before him. He said his personal views would play no role in his decisions as a judge. Gorsuch is married with two teenage daughters, and lives outside of Boulder, Colorado. Friends and former clerks said he was a lover of the outdoors, describing him as an excellent skier, a fly fisherman and a runner. “We used to joke that he should be the face of Colorado tourism,” former Gorsuch clerk Jane Nitze said.

(Reuters) - New York’s attorney general is looking into a report that the Eric Trump Foundation funneled more than $1 million from charity golf tournaments into President Donald Trump’s business, a spokesman for the attorney general said on Friday. Forbes magazine reported this week that the charity run by Eric Trump, the president’s second-oldest son, paid the Trump Organization to use its properties for charity events in recent years even though Eric Trump had told donors that the golf course and other assets were being used for free, so that just about all the money donated would help sick children. Forbes reported that based on filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, more than $1.2 million “has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization.” Eric Soufer, a spokesman for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, said in an email that his office was looking into issues raised by the Forbes story. Soufer did not immediately respond to a later request for details about the examination. The Democratic attorney general’s office already is investigating allegations of self-dealing at the Donald J. Trump Foundation, the Republican president’s charity. Trump, a New York real estate developer, said in December that he would dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation, but Schneiderman’s office has said it could not be wound down while the investigation was ongoing. Forbes also reported that although donors to the Eric Trump Foundation were told all its money was going to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, fight pediatric cancer, more than $500,000 was re-donated to other charities. Many of those charities “were connected to Trump family members or interests, including at least four groups that subsequently paid to hold golf tournaments at Trump courses,” Forbes said. Amanda Miller, who works for the Trump Organization and who identified herself in an emailed response to a Reuters query as a “spokesperson for Eric Trump,” said the Eric Trump Foundation would cooperate fully with Schneiderman’s office. Eric Trump is executive vice president of development and acquisition for the Trump Organization. “During the past decade, the Eric Trump Foundation has raised over $16.3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including more than $3.6 million to St. Jude and other worthwhile causes just in 2016 alone,” Miller said in the email. Eric Trump said in a tweet on Thursday that he had raised the money for St. Jude with an expense ratio of less than 12.3 percent. “Let’s not politicize pediatric cancer,” he said. On his foundation’s website, Eric Trump said he had ceased direct fundraising efforts at the end of 2016 “in order to avoid the appearance or assertion of any impropriety and/or a conflict of interest.”

Did Target really believe that 99.8% of Americans were going to be silent in the face of a decision that puts the safety of our women and children in jeopardy in order to satisfy the desire of a percentage of the .2% of Americans who consider themselves to be transgender? I cancelled my debit card with Target and lodged a complaint with their headquarters in Minneapolis. I would urge anyone who reads this to do the same. Here is the number to their corporate office: I called 612-304-6073 to cancel my #Target debit card.Stand up to companies who put political ideology before customers #targetmissedthemark 100% FED UP! (@100PercFEDUP) April 25, 2016More than 1,000,000 people have signed the boycott pledge against Target, following the secretive decision by executives to open all of their stores bathrooms and changing rooms to people of both sexes. That s a million families who are going to spread the word about Target, so they may not get those customers back, or their money, said Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, which has hosted the boycott.Here is the link to sign the AFA petition to Boycott Target: https://www.afa.net/action-alerts/sign-the-boycott-target-pledge/Just reached 1 million signatures! #BoycottTarget pic.twitter.com/V8SZc0hTtR American Family Assc (@AmericanFamAssc) April 29, 2016Target s management is just going to have step up here [and] say We re selling hammers and hats, we re not into social engineering, he said.The boycott was announced April 20 by the association, one day after Target revealed its decision to favor its few transgender customers and staff over the rest of the population. A study of the 2010 census data suggests that only about 1 in 2,400 adults change their names to match names used by the other sex.#BoycottTarget who discriminates against 99.8% of non-transgender Americans who want safe restrooms 4 women & girls. pic.twitter.com/UKwuVtfCZJ 100% FED UP! (@100PercFEDUP) April 29, 2016Wildmon s association wants to affirm people s privacy in bathrooms and changing rooms, but also to block the progressives multi-front push to stigmatize and outlaw any recognition of the average differences between women and men, and between boys and girls. The LGBT agenda is being rammed down people s throats, and people are losing their jobs because of it, and it is becoming so that you can t think differently from these people or you re [called] a hater or a bigot, he said.Since the decision was announced, numerous comments, articles, and videos protesting the store s one-sided decision have gone viral. Public opinion has moved and hardened in opposition to the previously bizarre notion of dual-sex bathrooms and changing rooms, and Target s brand as a family friendly store has taken a hit, as the online conversation shifted from its claim of cheap chic to worries of privacy, sexual predators, and the anger at the company s disregard for the reasoned judgement of its middle-class customers.Target, however, is not responding to customers opposition. We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions. As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work and our guests an inclusive place to shop we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target, company spokeswoman Molly Snyder said April 25.Amid the turmoil, the company s stock edged down from $83.98 per share on April 19 to roughly $81.33 in April 28.That s a loss of $2.65 per share, which chops the company s stock market value by $1.5 billion, down to $48.8 billion.For entire story: Breitbart News

Donald Trump was once a Democrat, but that s no more. Donald Trump was once pro-choice, but not now. Donald Trump didn t used to hate LGBT people but that was before he ran as a Republican. There is one enduring trait that has remained consistent for as long as America has known Donald Trump, though: he is a narcissist. When his ego and his vanity are threatened, he does something about it.Despite this, on Saturday, Trump promoted senior advisor, former Breitbart head and neo-nazi, Steve Bannan to head the National Security Council, making him arguably the most powerful man in Washington. Many are now calling Bannon the de facto president and the actual president:But a new executive order, politicizing the process for national security decisions, suggests Mr. Bannon is positioning himself not merely as a Svengali but as the de facto president.In that new order, issued on Saturday, Mr. Trump took the unprecedented step of naming Mr. Bannon to the National Security Council, along with the secretaries of state and defense and certain other top officials. President George W. Bush s last chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, was so concerned about separating politics from national security that he barred Mr. Rove, Mr. Bush s political adviser, from N.S.C. meetings. To the annoyance of experienced foreign policy aides, David Axelrod, President Barack Obama s political adviser, sat in on some N.S.C. meetings, but he was not a permanent member of the council.Source: New York TimesThe New York Times wasn t the only paper saying that Steve Bannon was now the most powerful man in the country:GQ magazine carried an article that states, In Case It Wasn t Clear Yet, Steve Bannon Is Our President. Politico ran with The man behind Trump? Still Steve Bannon. And Foreign Policy writes about President Bannon s Hugely Destructive First Week in Office. This is a good thing. Trump wears his Achilles heel on his poorly tailored sleeve. It s hard to imagine that he s the great deal maker he claims when it s so clear that he can be led by no more than his ego. You stroke Trump s ego, you re solid, you threaten it, you re the enemy. He s fired people who disagree with him. He hung up on the Prime Minister of Australia Australia. Since the election, Trump has bragged about his electoral victory, calling it a landslide. It wasn t. He s battled back and forth over the obvious fact that his inauguration was an attendance disaster.If we want to get rid of the neo-nazi that s secretly running the White House, it s actually pretty easy. We need to keep writing and sharing articles like this. Our biggest weapon against Trump is to appeal to his ego. Trump can t even resist obsessing about an unflattering Saturday Night Live parody something that every president since Gerald Ford has had to endure. There s no way in hell he will put up with being demoted to second in charge in Washington, so we need to keep telling him that that s exactly what he is. Bannon will be gone within a month.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images

By BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley T he resistance to a Hillary Clinton presidency has already begun. Activists gathered in Chicago “to strategize the fight against police violence, neoliberalism and imperialism,” all of which promise to be hallmarks of her administration. The Black Misleadership Class plays its usual, toadying role. “The liars who said they would hold Obama’s feet to the fire are repeating their empty words and hoping no one pays attention.” “All forms of mass action must be used to deprive Clinton of support or claim of a mandate.” The Hillary Clinton administration, Slick Willie part II, will bring catastrophe unless there is constant agitation waged against it. The same woman who bragged that her party platform was progressive now brags that Republicans endorse her. The situation is urgent but there is no need to despair or to reinvent the wheel. There are groups across the country engaging in protest and they show a clear path for a liberation movement. This columnist joined with 200 activists in Chicago for the Right to Exist, Right to Resist [3] conference organized by the International League of Peoples’ Struggles (ILPS USA). The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Police Oppression, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice, Peoples Organization for Progress, Bayan USA, Chicago Teachers Union, US Palestinian Community Network, Committee to Stop FBI Repression and others met to strategize the fight against police violence, neoliberalism and imperialism. If it is true that no person is an island then no struggle should be waged in isolation. The people of Ferguson, Missouri received support from Palestine during their rebellion against police occupation. The neoliberal onslaught that privatizes education and closes schools also deprives Flint, Michigan of clean water and its democratic rights. American imperialism threatens all life on this planet with its constant provocations against Russia and China which risk world war. “The black “misleaders” are silenced yet again by a prospective Democratic presidency.” Moore: A former Bernie Sanders supporter and recent 100% convert to Hillary—in the name of what? Good proof that liberals are forever blind to much of the world’s realities. This presidential election repeated the sleight of hand which presents the Democrats as the party which defends us from the barbarians. Donald Trump is the foil used to fool millions of people into believing that the errand boys and girls of neoliberalism can also be the guarantors of human rights. Hillary Clinton’s administration will be disastrous for black Americans in particular. The black “misleaders” are silenced yet again by a prospective Democratic presidency. They will not speak up against Hillary Clinton any more than they did against her husband or Barack Obama. They said nothing when Bill Clinton ended the 60-year long entitlement to government benefits. They said nothing when he used the war on drugs as an excuse to lock up thousands of black people with draconian prison sentences. They said nothing when Obama wouldn’t allow those people to request their freedom or when he declined to prosecute even one killer cop. They say nothing when American presidents wage wars of aggression all over the world. We can expect more going along to get along when “two for the price of one” becomes a reality. WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO THREAD FOOLS RUSH IN . This presidential election repeated the sleight of hand which presents the Democrats as the party which defends us from the barbarians. Donald Trump is the foil used to fool millions of people into believing that the errand boys and girls of neoliberalism can also be the guarantors of human rights . Not only must activists do their utmost to fight back against the real life Lady MacBeth but they must call out those who falsely claim to be in their camp. The liars who said they would hold Obama’s feet to the fire are repeating their empty words and hoping no one pays attention. They must be exposed right now and again after election day because they will surely make good on their history of appeasement. The Right to Exist, Right to Resist conference took place on the second anniversary of Laquan McDonald’s murder at the hands of Chicago police. McDonald was only 17 years of age, a child according to American law. His death, the existence of the Homan Square secret prison and other instances of torture and brutality resulted in demands for community control of the police. “She may bring the mothers of police murder victims on to the stage but she has said nothing about ending the death toll.” Chicagoans are struggling to establish an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council [4] (CPAC). Black community control of the police is a mobilizing issue all across the country. The demands began under Obama and must continue after Hillary Clinton takes office. She may bring the mothers of police murder victims on to the stage but she has said nothing about ending the death toll. That task is left for activists who know better than to expect any justice from her. Millions of Americans struggle financially and are displaced by gentrification or fear the police or want to keep their public schools open. But in 2016 they have been led astray by one of the most cynical presidential campaigns of all time. Hillary Clinton preferred Donald Trump as her rival because she was likely to lose to any other Republican. She then used the man she wanted to run against to rally otherwise skeptical voters to her side. The ego maniacal Trump performed as expected and is driving all but dead-ender right wingers to Hillary’s side. There must be no celebrating when her victory is announced. That is the moment when the fights must begin in earnest. All forms of mass action must be used to deprive her of support or claim of a mandate. The champion of the ruling classes cannot be allowed to claim the progressive mantle. That title belongs to the people who met in Chicago and marched in memory of Laquan McDonald. Frederick Douglass’ advice to “Agitate, agitate, agitate,” must still be followed. If not Hillary Clinton will privatize Social Security and find a rationale to start one last disastrous war. She will be stopped only if we assert our right to exist and right to resist. Source URL: http://blackagendareport.com/organizing_in_age_of_hillary

Are we the mutation nation now? Is this person the most qualified for the job or does he/she just fit the agenda to diversify the White House?President Obama has made equality for the LGBT community a priority of his administration, and advocates praised the president for diversifying his White House. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, who formerly served as a policy advisor at the National Center for Transgender Equality, has been hired as an outreach and recruitment director in the White House Office of Personnel. I am elated that Raffi Freedman-Gurspan will become the first openly transgender staff member at the White House. President Obama has long said he wants his Administration to look like the American people. I have understood this to include transgender Americans, said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. A transgender person was inevitably going to work in the White House. That the first transgender appointee is a transgender woman of color is itself significant. And that the first White House transgender appointee is of a friend is inspiring to me and to countless others who have been touched by Raffi s advocacy.

These conservative Christians are sick.Throughout the 2016 campaign, conservative Christians worshiped Donald Trump as the new Jesus and sold out their so-called Christian values to support a bigoted sexist blowhard narcissist for president.Now right-wing pastor and con artist televangelist Rick Joyner is literally comparing Trump to Jesus disciples.But first, he kissed Trump s ass by claiming that he s a totally different person from the one seen on the campaign trail.Joyner said that Trump is a kinder man than the media portrayed him as, even though Trump was consistently nasty throughout the campaign. He hurled insults and repeatedly used offensive hateful language to divide the country. He is nothing more than a bully.Joyner also called Trump tough as nails, but this is plainly ignoring how thin-skinned Trump has been every time he is criticized.Joyner even claimed that tough as nails Trump was near tears when they discussed his plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants out of the country. I saw the tears well up in his eyes, Joyner said. He was about to bust out crying. But this isn t the Trump we saw all year long. Trump never cared about these people and he never will. He never showed a single ounce of compassion for any of them and their families. So excuse us if we don t take Joyner s word for it that Trump actually has human feeling beyond pettiness and hate.But that s not all. Joyner also had the gall to call Trump one of the most honest people he s ever known. And now we definitely know Joyner is full of shit.As Raw Story points out, Fact-checking website Politifact, who fact-checked at least 337 of Trump s statements on the campaign trail and since his election victory, noted that 19 percent of his claims were mostly false, 34 percent were false, and 18 percent were pants on fire.' In short, Trump is a serial liar and anyone who says otherwise has their head up his ass.But what Joyner said next is something that Christians in particular, should find extremely offensive. I think if you look at the disciples that Jesus chose, they were all Donald Trump. Every one of them were Donald Trumps. Joyner literally just claimed that Jesus chose a bunch of thin-skinned bigoted sexist liars as his disciples. Seriously.Here s the video via YouTube.Conservatives are truly delusional if they actually think Donald Trump is like Jesus or his disciples. In fact, they should stop calling themselves Christians altogether.Featured image via Wikimedia

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court said on Monday it would hold a hearing in May over a Hawaii federal judge’s order that blocked President Donald Trump’s revised travel restrictions on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously upheld a Seattle judge’s block of Trump’s first travel order. The appeals court did not say on Monday which three judges would preside over the latest appeal. Trump signed the revised ban last month, in a bid to overcome legal problems with his January executive order that caused chaos at airports and sparked mass protests before its enforcement was halted in February. Trump has said the travel ban is needed for national security. The state of Hawaii challenged the revised travel directive as unconstitutional religious discrimination. Hawaii and other opponents of the ban claim it is based on Trump’s election campaign promise of “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” The Justice Department has also appealed a ruling from a Maryland judge against Trump’s revised executive order. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia scheduled a hearing in that case for May 8.

LONDON — In a surprise upset, a candidate of the centrist and Liberal Democrats defeated a prominent supporter of British withdrawal from the European Union in a parliamentary on Thursday. The victory, by Sarah Olney, delivered a badly needed lift to the Liberal Democrats, who were in danger of becoming extinct after disastrous losses in last year’s national elections, and it highlighted some of the deep divisions in Britain over its looming departure from the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit. In the election in the Richmond Park and North Kingston constituency in southwest London, Ms. Olney had 20, 510 votes, to 18, 638 for Zac Goldsmith, according to results announced early Friday. Mr. Goldsmith won the same seat for the governing Conservative Party only last year, and by more than 23, 000 votes. He resigned from Parliament in protest over government plans to expand Heathrow Airport — a project that is unpopular locally. In the latest contest, Mr. Goldsmith stood as an independent but was not opposed by the Tories, who did not field a candidate. Ms. Olney, who also opposed the expansion of Heathrow, campaigned on the issue of Europe, in an affluent constituency where a large majority voted in the June 23 Brexit referendum to remain in the bloc. That move appeared to have paid dividends, helping Ms. Olney achieve one of the most striking triumphs of recent years. “Today we have said ‘no’,” Ms. Olney said in her victory speech after the result was declared, “We will defend the Britain we love we will stand up for the open, tolerant, united, Britain we believe in. ” “The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have sent a shock wave through this Conservative Brexit government, and our message is clear: We do not want a hard Brexit,” she added, making a reference to the clean break with the European Union desired by some supporters of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. Ms. Olney’s campaign probably benefited from several days of headlines suggesting that the government of Prime Minister Theresa May has so far failed to develop a coherent Brexit strategy. Other factors may have contributed, too. Though known locally as an assiduous member of Parliament, Mr. Goldsmith attracted criticism during his campaign for mayor of London earlier this year when he accused his Labour Party rival, Sadiq Khan, of having given tacit support to extremists in the past. That tactic apparently backfired Mr. Khan won the election and became London’s first Muslim mayor. Nevertheless, Europe seems to have been a key factor in Richmond Park and North Kingston, following the Brexit referendum in which Britons voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to quit the bloc. Not only was Mr. Goldsmith a supporter of Brexit, but his father, the financier Sir James Goldsmith, was a prominent critic of the European Union in the 1990s. Zac Goldsmith’s defeat gives only a snapshot of current opinion, however, and took place in one of the most parts of country. So far there is little evidence that Brexit supporters are changing their minds in significant numbers. Still, this win will encourage the Liberal Democrats who before last year’s electoral rout had spent several years as junior partners in a coalition government led by the Conservative prime minister, David Cameron. Mr. Cameron resigned after the Brexit vote, then gave up his parliamentary seat in Witney. In the contest to succeed him in October, the Conservatives held Witney, but with a majority reduced by more than 20, 000 votes. The Liberal Democrats finishing second. The Labour Party, the main opposition party, campaigned to remain in the European Union, but its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is a lifelong critic of the bloc. class voters, who have often supported Labour, voted for Brexit. That has allowed the Liberal Democrats to present themselves as the voice of the 48 percent who wished to remain in union.

Monday, 14 November 2016 Neo-Nazi Immigration Minister denies all association with Nazi Party It appears as though international communications to Australia from the US is broken. Today Australian PM announces deal to dump all refugees from Nauru onto America . Commentators are completely befuddled, after the most anti-immigration US election in history the rather slow on the uptake intellectually constipated politicians think this is a great time to shove their problem onto the US? They asked Neo-Nazi Morrison which part of the US election did you miss? he smugly replied they could "slip this one under the door using a bit of flaccid Aussie spin". Reporters pointed out that he was simply trying to avoid the UN which had recently indicted him for crimes against humanity for the utterly barbaric conditions refugees are being held in Nauru with some commentators calling it the Australian Guantanamo Bay. The most honourable esteemed minister gruffly replied, "well everyone knows ALL refugees are terrorists, anyway Trumphole is pretty stupid so we should be able to sneak this one in the backdoor while Obama is still there". When told the repartitions logistics alone would defeat their pubescent opaque scheme and how did they intend to get them past the Mexican wall they replied with the same old surreal spin, "it is our policy to not discuss policy or the details of any operation that may or may not be ongoing at this time, we will not expose any current investigations as when the public find out, terrorists everywhere win and innocent lives are put at risk, and further they were unable to confirm or deny that boat refugees were throwing their democracy overboard, but it sure seemed that way". When the Trumphole immigration spinner heard the story he had to be assisted back to his chair after he fell off it and rolled on the floor in laughter and quoted a McEnroe "you can't be serious, that sounded like infantile dumb spin for domestic consumption, though he did note it seemed to work down-under". Make Jung in the Jungle's day - give this story five thumbs-up (there's no need to register , the thumbs are just down there!)

Former United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Joe diGenova suggested Friday James Comey’s reopening of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails was the product of a “revolt” inside the FBI. While speaking with WMAL’s Larry O’Connor , diGenova was asked what Comey meant by saying newly discovered Clinton emails from Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin’s devices “appear to be pertinent” to the FBI’s prior investigation. “It tells me that the original investigation was not thorough, and that it was an incompetent investigation,” diGenova said, “otherwise they would have discovered this — and I’ll tell you why.” “These were found on the phone that was used by Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin,” he said. “Why was that phone not looked at originally?” “There could be one explanation: Huma Abedin may have denied that any other phone existed, and if she did, she committed a felony. She lied to the FBI just like General Cartwright, and if she did, she’s dead meat, and Comey knows it, and there’s nothing he can do about it.” diGenova continued: “And why this letter was sent today was very simple: the agents came to Comey yesterday, they told him about the evidence, and he said oh ‘S’, and realized that his goose was cooked, that this would prove conclusively that his original investigation was incompetent, and he knew that the agents running the Weiner case would leak it if he did not send this letter to congress.” “And I’ve also been told something very significant, it’s been reported that those laptops [belonging to Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson] were destroyed, they were not, and the reason is the FBI agents refused to do it.” diGenova went on to say he believes “there is a quiet but serious revolt against the director right now.” “He sent those letters today because he is in deep trouble inside the bureau,” he said. “Comey sent this letter today because he had to. He has no moral authority inside the agency right now, he’s a joke, he’s a laughingstock of the agency, and among former FBI agents, he has become an anathema.” Listen to the full interview courtesy of WMAL: Courtesy of Information Liberation Don't forget to follow the D.C. Clothesline on Facebook and Twitter. PLEASE help spread the word by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks. Share this:

PHOENIX (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Tuesday that he would issue a pardon for Joe Arpaio, a controversial former sheriff convicted last month of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case. Trump, who had already held out the possibility of a pardon for Arpaio, decided against announcing it at a major rally in Arizona on Tuesday night but suggested that he would step in at some point. “I’ll make a prediction. I think he’s going to be just fine, okay? But I won’t do it tonight because I don’t want to cause any controversy. But Sheriff Joe can feel good,” he said. Arpaio, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, was the sheriff of Maricopa County in Phoenix before he lost a re-election bid in 2016. Last month a judge found him guilty of contempt for intentionally defying a 2011 court order that barred his officers from stopping and detaining Latino motorists solely on suspicion that they were in the United States illegally. The judge in the underlying lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and others in 2007, held that such traffic stops were a violation of the motorists’ constitutional rights. Arpaio, who was in office for 24 years, gained national prominence for his treatment of jail inmates and crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Arpaio’s situation resonated with the crowd of Trump supporters. “Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe?” Trump asked, sparking loud applause and a chant of “Pardon Joe!” “Was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job?” Trump said. His mention of Arpaio seemed to contradict comments by White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, who told reporters earlier in the day that the subject would not come up. “There will be no discussion of that today at any point and no action will be taken on that front at any point today,” she told reporters traveling on Air Force One.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has decided to put off a planned vote on a healthcare bill to repeal Obamacare until after the Senate’s July 4 recess, CNN reported on Tuesday. McConnell and other Republican leaders have been pressing to round up enough support for the healthcare legislation, but still appeared to be several votes short.

Bubba Bill Clinton celebrated his election 25 years ago at very liberal Georgetown University. He made the usual slams against President Trump that we expect nowadays and then turned to gun violence in America He bemoaned the state of gun violence and then he pivoted to made this very baffling claim about Muslims and native-born Americans:President Clinton also said: In spite of the horrible killings in San Bernardino and Fort Hood, and what happened in New York City just a few days ago, the aggregate murder rate of Muslims is one third that of the native-born. How many people know that? If all your neighbours knew it, would it make a difference? How nice except it s NOT TRUE!(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.11'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Bill Clinton: 'Good news is important to make good decisions' The aggregate murder rate of Muslims is one third that of the native born. How many people know that?"Bill Clinton gives his view that when talking about immigration "good news is important to make good decisions .Posted by Channel 4 News on Tuesday, November 7, 2017It s an eye-catching statistic. But we can t find any evidence that it s true.channel4 reported:President Clinton appears to be blurring two different concepts when he talks about a murder rate of Muslims compared to the native-born . He is confusing religion with immigration status here, and the two groups are not mutually exclusive. Clearly, you can be a native-born American Muslim. So it s not absolutely clear what he means, but we can only presume from the context that he is saying Muslims perhaps Muslim immigrants specifically are less likely to murder people than others.There are two official sources of national homicide statistics in the US: the FBI and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Neither of these organisations records the religion of the offender. So it s not possible to construct a murder rate of Muslims from official figures.So did Clinton just read this and deduce what he wanted to or did some low level staffer offer this as fact? we ll probably never know but this calls attention to the blithering BS that the Clinton grifters dole out on a regular basis. Another recent gem was on a late-night talk show where he claimed that we must fill America with more third world refugees so we can truly feel sufficiently diverse as a nation What is he smoking? Our State Department has issued over 30,000 foreign visas to people from terror-sponsored nations since 2007. Yes, we re covered up in Muslim refugees We get it: The goal is to change America s demographic which will change elections so more democrats will win Correct? It s that fundamental change Obama was working on for 8 years open borders, refugees, diversity lottery We get it and that s why we voted for Donald Trump .JUST LISTEN TO THIS GLOBALIST ELITIST CONTINUE THE NARRATIVE THAT MASS MIGRATION IS GREAT:Does he really believe this? We don t know if he does but we do know that he wants YOU to believe it so the Dems will have more votes and cheap labor. Yes, those Democrats they really have your back, don t they?Read more: channel4

REPORT: Megyn Trashes Trump, Newt… Then Murdoch Announces Replacements Are Available “Amazing how many addresses you get from Google. Going again until Saturday and all next week. BAAHAA BAAHAA.” He then tagged someone else — it’s unclear if that was just to alert them to the post or to let them know that he voted for them. After his posts where he laughed and boasted about committing voter fraud, Dougherty apologized on Facebook: “I apologize for the insensitive post. Lesson learned about my stupidity.” It’s difficult to say whether Dougherty apologized because he didn’t do it and had made a stupid joke or if he was simply trying to avoid being prosecuted. Although we can’t tell for sure right now what’s true here, Dougherty’s comments at the very least are a reminder of how important voter ID laws are. If everyone were required to present identification to vote, Dougherty wouldn’t have made his “joke” about how easy it was to commit voter fraud — and if he actually tried to do what he boasted about on Facebook, voter ID laws would stop such a thing. For all we know, Dougherty may not even be a Clinton supporter; he could have been trying to make a point about voter fraud and the dirty tricks committed by Democrats. Doubtful, but who knows? No matter what his party affiliation or whether or not he actually did what he boasted about, he intentionally or not made the case for strong voter ID laws. Share this post on Facebook and Twitter so people can see how this man showed the importance of voter ID laws. What do you think about Dougherty's Facebook posts? Scroll down to comment below! Advertisement Popular Right Now

WASHINGTON - Republican Donald Trump said on Thursday that if elected president Nov. 8 he would be open to drawing NATO forces into the fight against Islamic State militants in a new mission for an alliance he has called obsolete. Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has for months raised questions about the money the United States pours into NATO, which he says needs to be reconfigured to take account of today’s threats. “I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbors that aren’t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,” Trump said. Under President Barack Obama, the United States has relied heavily on U.S. airstrikes to attack Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Republicans have criticized this policy as not enough to stop the militants. Trump said the idea of using the Cold War-era alliance would be to ease the load on American forces. “I don’t want to get too much of ours involved. I want NATO to be involved,” Trump said. “We spend a tremendous amount of money on NATO. We take care of countries that frankly should be taking care of themselves in terms of economically.” Trump’s comments came amid an uproar over a meeting between former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch at a time when Clinton’s wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is under federal investigation. The private meeting took place on Lynch’s plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night and Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally he held for his wife earlier that day. Hillary Clinton is under an FBI investigation for her use of a private email server when she was President Barack Obama’s first-term secretary of state. Trump told conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher that the meeting was proof of his charge that the U.S. political system is “rigged” in favor of political elites. “It’s unheard of,” Trump told ABC News. “You have this massive investigation on emails and they’d have a meeting like this.” Lynch, appointed to her position by Obama more than a year ago, said she did not discuss the email investigation or other pending matters before the Justice Department with Bill Clinton.     “When I was landing at the airport, I did see President Clinton at the Phoenix airport as I was leaving and he spoke to myself and my husband on the plane,” Lynch told reporters.     “Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren. It was primarily social and about our travels. He mentioned the golf he played in Phoenix and he mentioned travels he had to West Virginia...But there was no discussion of any matter pending for the department or any matter pending before any other body,” Lynch said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Hillary Clinton about her email use and has already interviewed some of her aides. The investigation into whether laws were broken as a result of the server kept in her New York home has overshadowed Clinton’s campaign. Obama is preparing to campaign with Hillary Clinton for the first time in her 2016 White House bid. They are to appear together in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Clinton 11 points ahead of the billionaire businessman At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest made clear that Obama believes an impartial investigation is crucial and noted that Lynch had said the conversation was benign.    “I think the bottom line is simply that both the president and the attorney general understand how important it is for the Department of Justice to conduct investigations that are free of political interference,” Earnest told reporters. U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, cited the incident in renewing his call for an independent counsel to take over the Clinton probe from the FBI.

Politico reports on internal clashes within the Trump administration between Trump Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon. [From Politico: In recent weeks, Jared Kushner, Trump’s and senior adviser, has asked searching questions — sometimes for hours — of inside and outside advisers about the White House’s performance and complained about Bannon in particular, according to people who have spoken with Kushner. Kushner, a onetime New York Democrat, and Bannon, a nationalist, have clashed as Kushner has told people that Bannon’s desire to deconstruct the government, is hurting the president. One person familiar with Kushner’s thinking says Kushner believes Bannon is more of a problem than Reince Priebus, the chief of staff. “Big fight is between nationalists and the ‘West Wing Democrats,” one senior administration official said. Read the rest here.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A backlash against “bump stock” gun accessories, which enable rifles to be turned into rapid-fire guns, grew in the U.S. Congress on Thursday as House Speaker Paul Ryan opened the door to possible debate on controlling the devices. “Clearly that’s something we need to look into,” Ryan told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, referring to the accessories. He added that many lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Congress had not been aware until now that such devices existed. An excerpt from the interview aired on MSNBC. The National Rifle Association, a powerful opponent of most gun control initiatives, so far has been silent on whether it would support or oppose efforts in Congress to ban or control bump stocks. A shooting rampage on Sunday night in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and wounded nearly 500, the most deadly mass shooting in modern U.S. history, has reignited debate around regulation of firearms. Officials said 12 of the rifles authorities recovered from a hotel suite in Las Vegas used by gunman Stephen Paddock were fitted with bump stocks, allowing the guns to fire almost as though they were automatic weapons. “I didn’t even know what they were until this week,” Ryan said, referring to bump stocks. “I think we’re quickly coming up to speed with what this is.” Ryan and other leading Republicans have not embraced specific legislation, however. The House speaker’s remarks followed a call on Wednesday by the U.S. Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn, for lawmakers to investigate bump stocks, as Democrats pushed for a ban on the devices. On Thursday, Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte also said the matter should be looked into. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said at a weekly press conference that Congress should promptly pass legislation toughening background checks on gun buyers. She also touted Democratic legislation stopping bump stocks. “Hopefully we can bring that to the floor and at least pass a bill that bans, something that enables a shooter to spray murderous automatic fire on innocent people,” Pelosi said. Republican Representative Carlos Curbelo was preparing his own measure to ban the ownership, manufacture and transport of the devices. While he said there was growing bipartisan consensus, he cautioned against assuming that a legislative win was certain. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We hope that there will be a breakthrough,” Curbelo told reporters, adding, “But I think this is just such a blatant exploitation of the law, a circumvention of the law.” Indeed, Republican Senator Dean Heller, who could face a tough re-election fight next year, told Fox News, “We’re going to have this conversation, but let me be clear, I’m not interested in watering down the Second Amendment.” Republicans, and some Democrats, are generally reluctant to push for tighter controls on firearms ownership, which is protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Automatic weapons have been largely illegal for decades, but bump stock devices offer a way around that. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein has called for bump stocks to be banned. Representative David Cicilline, also a Democrat, has proposed a ban too, with a House bill that he said has 148 co-sponsors. None are Republicans, he told CNN, although he is talking with about five or six conservatives to seek their support. In the interview with Ryan aired by MSNBC, the top House Republican gave no other details about what action the Republican-controlled House might take toward bump stock devices, or what the timeline would be for any legislative steps. Republicans also control the Senate and the White House.

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said U.S. President Donald Trump s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital and decision to move the U.S. embassy to the city was a flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people . In a speech in Washington, Trump said his announcement marked the beginning of a new approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, urged Arabs and Muslims to undermine the U.S. interests in the region and to shun Israel.

Remember when Pelosi said it s AFFORDABLE :

He s created nothing except chaos Delusional Nancy Pelosi

MAXINE GOT A MAKEOVER and is hopping mad about speculation she s running for POTUS in 2020. It can t help that Tucker Carlson is mocking her just about every night.Waters was in a foul mood during an interview with her favorite news anchor Joy Reid. Reid is a foot soldier for Waters. These two get together every other day to bash Trump. Pitiful!The funny thing is that no one was criticizing Waters. They were merely speculating if she is considering a presidential run, something she has admitted to if she had the support of millennials. Right?Waters told Reid: Just because I m going to New Hampshire to be at a Democratic Party event for one of my colleagues, they made this story up. , or to make people uncomfortable with me, all of that. So you re gonna be hearing a lot more from them these people who are all, you know, aligned around trying to discredit Maxine Waters because she has stayed on Trump s case so much. And so you re going to hear a lot more from them. Don t believe anything they re saying.

A Breitbart News editor tried to use a song Ringo Starr covered in order to make claims appear to be false that controversial Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore engaged in sexual misconduct with teenage girls when he was in his thirties. On Monday, Breitbart editor Joel Pollak told host Chris Cuomo on CNN s New Day that Starr released You re Sixteen (You re Beautiful, You re Mine), a cover of a song that was actually written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman and performed by Johnny Burnette. The song was also featured in American Graffiti. He was 30-something at the time singing about a 16-year-old, Pollak said. You want to take away Ringo Starr s achievement? You can t be serious, Cuomo shot back. I m dead serious. You think that Ringo Starr s song is supposed to be a nod toward allowing 30-year-olds to prey on teenagers? You don t believe that, Joel. You re a parent. You don t believe that. Watch:Breitbart senior editor defends Judge Roy Moore citing Ringo Starr's hit cover of the song "You're Sixteen You're Beautiful (And You're Mine)" https://t.co/tmwxLROJCk New Day (@NewDay) November 27, 2017Pollack previously claimed that Moore creeping up on high school girls was perfectly legitimate because the age of consent is 16-years-old in Alabama. He said it wasn t accurate to claim that the teenage girls were teenagers because one of them was 16 and the other was 18, both of which would be considered wait for it teenage years.Moore, by the way, has been accused of pursuing relationships with girls as young as 14-years-old when he was in his 30s. Moore was also banned from the Gadsden Mall and the YMCA for perving on teenage girls. A police officer was assigned to the job of making sure Moore stayed away from high school ballgames to be sure he didn t bother the cheerleaders.Someone should check Pollak s browsing history. Just a thought. In fact, check Donald Trump s, too, since he s come out strong in support of Roy Moore.Image via screen capture.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. Republicans distanced themselves on Sunday from Donald Trump’s comments about a Mexican-American judge, saying they were worried that the tone of his presidential campaign could enrage Latinos, who are a growing U.S. voting bloc. Trump has accused U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of harboring a bias against him in lawsuits involving fraud allegations against Trump University, the New York business man’s now-defunct real estate school. The presumptive Republican nominee has suggested Curiel’s Mexican-American heritage had influenced the judge’s opinion because of Trump’s campaign pledge to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he “couldn’t disagree more” with Trump’s comments about the judge. “I am concerned about the Hispanic vote, America is changing,” McConnell told “Meet The Press”. “I think it’s a big mistake for our party to write off Latino Americans. I am concerned about that and I hope he will change his direction on that.” Democrats have accused Trump of racially tinged rhetoric about Latinos, including his description of Mexican immigrants as “criminals and rapists” in the speech he gave a year ago launching his campaign. Such rhetoric has exacerbated friction between Trump and Republican party leaders such as McConnell and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. For the past few years, the party has been trying to broaden its appeal with Latino voters and senior Republicans are concerned that Trump’s comments could cost the party votes, not only in the presidential race but in congressional races as well. Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate to Trump, called Trump’s comments about the judge “inexcusable.” “This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made,” Gingrich told Fox News. Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican-immigrant parents. “He is a member of a club or society very strongly pro Mexican, which is all fine. But I say he’s got bias. I want to build a wall,” Trump said in an interview on Sunday on “Face the Nation”. Asked if he believed a Muslim judge would be biased against him based on Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, Trump replied, “It’s possible. Yes.” McConnell said America is a nation full of immigrants — pointing out that his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, came to the United States when she was eight and didn’t speak English. “All of us came here from somewhere else,” McConnell said. Senator Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on “ABC’s This Week” that he did not “condone the comments” that Trump made about Curiel. Legal scholars on the right and the left have criticized Trump for attacking the judge, saying it could harm judicial independence should he become president. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is of Mexican descent, was one of the few Republicans to defend Trump. Gonzales argued in a column in The Washington Post that Trump should be allowed to question a judge’s fairness, saying that questioning a judge is crucial to ensuring public trust in the courts. But when asked about the racial element in an interview on Sunday on Fox News, Gonzales criticized Trump. “I certainly would have taken a different approach,” he said. “Whenever you say something about a judge’s nationality, I think it demeans the office and hurts the judiciary as a whole.”