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DUBAI, March 12 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader hit out on Thursday at a letter by U.S. Republican senators threatening to undo any nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran, saying he was worried because the United States was known for "backstabbing," Mehr news agency reported.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei added at a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani and senior clerics that whenever negotiators made progress, the Americans became "harsher, tougher and coarser," Mehr reported.
The letter signed by 47 Republican senators warned Iran that any nuclear deal made with U.S. President Barack Obama could last only as long as he remained in office, in an unusual intervention into U.S. foreign policy-making.
Mehr quoted Khamenei as saying: "Of course I am worried, because the other side is known for opacity, deceit and backstabbing."
"Every time we reach a stage where the end of the negotiations is in sight, the tone of the other side, specifically the Americans, becomes harsher, coarser and tougher. This is the nature of their tricks and deceptions."
The negotiations, which resume in Lausanne, Switzerland, next week, are at a critical juncture as the sides try to meet an end of March target for an interim deal, with a final deal in June.
Khamenei added that U.S. accusations of Iranian involvement in terrorism were risible. Khamenei also criticized a speech to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month that warned the United States it was negotiating a bad deal with Iran that could spark a "nuclear nightmare." | 1 |
BOMBSHELL: Crooked Hillary Sent Classified Info To Chelsea Under Fake Name ‘Diane Reynolds’ But perhaps the most significant part of the email is that Clinton forwarded classified information to her daughter, who is and was a private citizen with no government role and no apparent security clearances. It is unclear when or why Clinton deleted the email. Crooked Hillary Clinton deleted a 2009 email in which she forwarded classified information to her daughter, Chelsea.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The State Department today released recovered emails from Crooked Hillary’s illegal private email server, and guess what? It contained classified and confidential information. Who did she send it to? She sent it to her daughter, who was no clearance or authorization of any kind to view or receive such communications. Now do you see why Crooked Hillary deleted those 33,000 emails so no one could see them (she thought)? And oh, by the way, Chelsea used the fake name of Diane Reynolds to receive the illegally -sent emails. Think they knew they were breaking the law? Yep.
The email was released on Friday by the State Department. It is one of thousands of emails recovered by the FBI from Clinton’s private email server.
The Dec. 20, 2009 email chain , entitled “Update,” started with a message from Michael Froman, who served as a deputy assistant to President Obama and deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs.
The email, which is redacted because it contains information classified as “Confidential,” was sent to Jake Sullivan, Clinton’s foreign policy adviser at the State Department, and several Obama aides. Sullivan sent it to Hillary Clinton who then forwarded it to Chelsea, who emailed under the pseudonym “Diane Reynolds.”
All of the text in the body portion of the classified emails is redacted because it contains foreign government information.
The State Department labeled the email a “near duplicate,” indicating that it was mostly similar to other emails that the agency has released from the trove of emails that Clinton turned over in Dec. 2014. Clinton did not delete other responses she made to others on the email thread.
“Wow — you can’t make this up — sorry to have missed all of that! Let me know if you learn anything else,” she wrote to Sullivan. The State Department released that portion of the email conversation in February. CHELSEA CLINTON USED THE PSEUDONYM OF ‘DIANE REYNOLDS’ TO RECEIVE ILLEGAL EMAILS
But perhaps the most significant part of the email is that Clinton forwarded classified information to her daughter, who is and was a private citizen with no government role and no apparent security clearances.
It is unclear when or why Clinton deleted the email. She gave the State Department around 30,000 emails she claimed were related to her State Department work. She deleted a similar number claiming they were personal and dealt with yoga routines, food recipes and Chelsea’s wedding.
FBI director James Comey said in July that investigators recovered several thousand work-related emails from Clinton’s server. The batch of emails released Friday are from that recovered trove. source
| 1 |
MUNICH (Reuters) - Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer has invited U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to visit the southern German state, possibly as soon as February for the Munich Security Conference, a source familiar with the invitation said. Seehofer, who heads the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), extended the invitation in a letter of congratulations to Trump after his victory, said the source. The Feb. 17-19 conference, a forum for debate about international security, often draws senior officials from around the world. Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. It was not immediately clear when a sitting U.S. president last participated in the event, and the security conference organizers could not immediately be reached for comment. Seehofer’s CSU and Merkel’s CDU, which form a bloc in the German parliament, have been at odds over Merkel’s migrant policy, which saw nearly 900,000 people enter Germany last year, an issue likely to play a major role in elections in September. During the U.S. election campaign Trump called Merkel’s refugee policy a “disaster” that had boosted crime rates. Statistics compiled by the German Interior Ministry showed the number of crimes reported in 2015 - excluding visa and other immigration violations - remained essentially unchanged from the previous year at 5.9 million. Seehofer told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper in an interview published on Thursday that his party would only participate in a coalition government in 2017 that agreed to its demand for an upper limit on migration. Merkel, who on Sunday announced her decision to run for a fourth term, has rejected setting an upper limit for migration. | 0 |
As Donald Trump heads into the general election with virtually no money, little support, and absolutely no dignity, he s pivoting to the group of voters who are already loyal to the Republican Party: evangelicals.Trump has had a hard time gaining traction with the influential, religious voting bloc. But when push comes to shove, they always vote Republican, and overwhelmingly so. But Trump s a special kind of candidate. Everyone seems to hate him, so he ll need all the help he can get.So that help includes another loser Michele Bachmann. The former Congresswoman and failed 2012 presidential candidate has been appointed, along with two dozen others, to a special evangelical advisory board.In announcing the formation of the board, Trump, who of course issued a gushing, pandering statement:I have such tremendous respect and admiration for this group and I look forward to continuing to talk about the issues important to Evangelicals, and all Americans, and the common sense solutions I will implement when I am President.Bachmann, who based her entire political life off a warped interpretation of God and the Bible, joins Jerry Falwell Jr., Ralph Reed, James Dobson, and a slew of mega church leaders all across the country.Bachmann, who ran as a Tea Party friend of the religious right in 2012, lost the contest in Iowa, a state with a heavy evangelical voting population. She placed a dismal sixth, while Mike Huckabee won. Bachmann is so hated by the evangelicals that even Phyllis Schlafly, a hero to the movement, wouldn t even consider Bachmann as her replacement for the ultra-conservative Eagle Forum.Having Bachmann on your advisory council for a demographic that hates her seems pretty counterintuitive, but hey, it s the Trump campaign nothing makes sense.The board, which will meet regularly, will be prepping Trump for upcoming meetings with religious leaders all across the nation. A few of the individuals, including James Dobson and Richard Land, who are both leaders of churches and religious talk shows, actively campaigned for Ted Cruz and denounced Trump.As stated before, when all is said and done, the evangelicals will come home to the Republicans. So instead of reaching out to women, Hispanic and Latinos and millenials, Trump is actively spending his time appealing to people who will vote for him no matter what.It looks like the crazy Trump train has added the crazier Michele Bachmann to the mix. Thanks, Trump, for making this election even more entertaining.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
It s amazing these leftist hacks haven t been cancelled yet. Apparently there are still women out there with nothing better to do than watch a show about women who, for the most part consider themselves victims.Donald Trump s outstanding female campaign manger handles this pack of hyenas like a pro. Joy Behar and Whoopie Goldberg are both on the verge of needing emergency medical care they are so worked up about the success of Donald Trump with America voters. It s easy to see why Trump chose Kellyanne Conway after watching her performance. After watching these vultures go after Kellyanne Conway, it s easy to see why Trump won t give them the time of day.Part II: | 0 |
Trump supporter, anti-Islam activist, and vapid, racist fool James Stachowiak is furious. Now, Stachowiak is almost perpetually enraged, but this time Shark Tank host Mark Cuban made Johnny Infidel (as the Tea Partier calls himself) furious. Recently, Cuban predicted that a Trump presidency would create a dire economic downturn.Stachowiak complained that he saw Cuban make the remarks on Fox News. He says that he has no doubt the market will tank if Trump wins the presidency, the right-wing activist whines. Well, just like every coin has two sides, I m gonna give the other side of the coin. I have no doubt that if Hillary wins, Americans will die because Americans died, Hillary lied, and Benghazi still matters, he rambles, adding that a Clinton presidency will lead to more Americans brutally sodomized, murdered, their bodies burned and dragged through the streets of more capitols across the globe like what happened in Benghazi. Boy, what a persuasive argument!Stachowiak then compares Hillary Clinton to the Soviet spies, the Rosenbergs, who were executed for treason because they actually committed treason unlike Clinton, who has not committed a single prosecutable offense. What Hillary has done makes the Rosenbergs actions pale in comparison, he explains. Hillary s actions have actually caused Americans to die. Benghazi. Then things get crazy(ier): It is my opinion, and I m probably one of the first to say it, that Hillary Clinton should be put on trial hopefully under a Trump presidency and found guilty of treason for compromising national security. She should be sentenced to death at a federal court. Hillary clinton s proper place in our country is in front of a firing squad for committing treason against our country. What should happen to Mark Cuban? Stachowiak asks rhetorically before burning a photograph of the Clinton supporter.Yeah, that s what he thinks should happen to Mark Cuban. Let s hope none of his insane fans act on it.Featured image via screengrab | 0 |
With Devin Nunes recusal from the House Intelligence Committee s Russia investigation, the committee needs a new leader, and that new leader is Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas. If that name sounds familiar, it s likely because Conaway made some waves earlier this year by saying something so stupid it should have automatically disqualified him from running this investigation.Conaway is the man who made the ridiculous comparison between Russia s meddling in our election, and Mexican celebrities performing for Hillary Clinton. Oh yes, to Conaway, they are one and the same: Harry Reid and the Democrats brought in Mexican soap opera stars, singers and entertainers who had immense influence in those communities into Las Vegas, to entertain, get out the vote and so forth. Those are foreign actors, foreign people, influencing the vote in Nevada. You don t hear the Democrats screaming and saying one word about that. When he was pressed on whether Mexican performers are really on par with Russian hackers, he said: Sure it is, it s foreign influence. If we re worried about foreign influence, let s have the whole story. Two things, idiot: First, foreign performers aren t working in secret. Second, foreign performers aren t working to obtain and release thousands of internal party documents specifically damaging to one campaign.Foreign performers are more like surrogates belonging to a certain demographic. Foreign hackers are more like spies working to sabotage something.And the man now leading the Russia probe tried to downplay it into nothing by claiming they re the same thing. It was the dumbest thing he could ever have said as next in line for the chairmanship because it proves he s both too partisan to run an investigation that should be as non-partisan as possible, and also that he s just plain too stupid to know what he s doing.Things just got very interesting here, and not in a good way. Can House Republicans offer up anybody capable of running this investigation the way it needs to be run? It s just gotten ridiculous now.Featured image by Lance Cheung, CC BY 2.0 via Flickr | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday it would respond to Iran’s ballistic missile test and other hostile actions, a day after President Donald Trump’s national security adviser put Tehran on “notice,” but it stopped short of providing any details. “We will have further updates for you on those additional actions, but clearly (national security adviser Michael Flynn) warned to make sure that Iran understood that they are on notice that this is not going unresponded to,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters. | 0 |
CARACAS, Venezuela — Colombian health officials said on Thursday that they had discovered two cases of microcephaly linked to the Zika virus, the first to be confirmed in the country since the infection began to spread there late last year. But officials said that they did not expect the birth defects to reach the scale seen in neighboring Brazil, which has had more than 1, 000 cases of microcephaly, a disorder that causes infants to be born with unusually small heads. Fernando Ruiz Gómez, Colombia’s deputy health minister, has estimated that 95 to 300 children might be born with microcephaly and that about 380 patients will contract syndrome, an autoimmune condition that has been tied to Zika cases and causes paralysis and, in some cases, death. The total number of Zika infections is projected to reach 200, 000 over the course of the outbreak, Mr. Ruiz said. Colombia recently said its Zika epidemic had peaked, and the new estimates are far below larger projections the government published earlier in the year estimating that as many as 600, 000 people would contract Zika. On Wednesday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta confirmed that Zika was the cause of severe birth defects, including microcephaly. Colombian health officials said one of the children with microcephaly had been born in the district that includes the capital, Bogotá. The second case appeared in the Norte de Santander department, whose main city, Cúcuta, borders Venezuela and has a large number of pregnant women who contracted Zika. Colombia has become a second battleground after Brazil in the fight against Zika in South America. It is also a breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the virus. In addition to Zika, the country has also been combating a wave of related infectious diseases, which include dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. | 0 |
Every tourist to the Balkans has probably heard about the dramatic remaking of Macedonia’s capital, Skopje. years after the country peacefully won independence from the former Yugoslavia, its capital is in the midst of a huge : the construction of some 40 monuments, sculptures, facades and buildings. The transformation is meant to sweep away the pall and attract tourists. I was one of them last year. Everywhere I looked, I felt small, dwarfed by shiny, new gargantuan bronze statues of Alexander the Great and his parents, Philip II of Macedon and Olympias, that lord over the main plaza. Galloping horses here and imposing Doric columns there round out various corners facades and balconies reminded me of Josef Stalin’s wedding apartments along East Berlin’s broad boulevards, which have a certain retro appeal these days but still feel overwrought. Despite the immense investment here — the current estimate of the project is $727 million, according to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network — tour operators who aren’t closely linked with the country’s tourism office are championing a different reason to visit the region: ecotourism. This nascent industry is less interested in Skopje’s overhaul and more keen to spirit travelers along the country’s hiking trails to Byzantine monasteries and caves, and arrange cycling tours and homestays with cordial Macedonians who can talk about their country’s culture and history. My guide, Slobodan (who goes by his nickname, Danko) works for one of these operators, Macedonia Experience, run by Jane Josifovski, which organizes Jeep safaris, horseback riding, caving, diving and paragliding. My visit last year came when Macedonia had been in the headlines, as hundreds of thousands of refugees had crossed the country’s southern border en route to northern Europe. And yet, Mr. Josifovski told me, overnight stays and tourism in general in Macedonia were moving at a strong clip, helped along by cheap flights into Skopje on the budget airline Wizz Air and inexpensive travel within the country. The morning after I arrived in the capital, Danko drove me to Matka Canyon, one of his favorite haunts. A former student of architecture and the son of engineers, he told me on the way that he had decided to be a mountaineer (and drummer). Most weekends, he heads into the mountains, less than an hour’s drive from Skopje, to hike or ski. From the trailhead, I followed him up narrow, leafy passes and around switchbacks while he recounted the history of the pathways we’d be exploring. The Ottomans had blazed many of Matka’s trails as they sought to build a railroad from Lake Ohrid, on the Albanian border, into Macedonia’s interior. Danko occasionally turned back to point out the view. We could see the Treska River and forested, misty ravines, as well as spiked ridges, like blades of a knife. He later led me to see the Church of St. Nikola, which was locked, but while perched at a nearby picnic table on a ledge overhanging the summit, he pointed first to hooks driven into the sides of the steep faces, and told me which he himself had scaled. He then pointed to the canyon’s depths, to the cloistered, emerald Lake Matka and to the Monastery of St. Andrew, alongside an attractive lakeside chalet resort, making for a dramatic panorama. We made our way down the mountain toward the lake and once we reached the shore, Danko hailed a small motorboat with a thatched bamboo roof to take us across to the resort. Once there, we sipped espressos and gazed out at the striated gorge while waiting for the next boat that would take us up the Treska River to Cave Vrelo. It had turned chilly, and the thought of touring a frigid cave didn’t excite me, but Danko insisted it would be worth the effort. Our boat finally appeared, and we sped onward through the cavernous passage, where I saw Robinson bungalows and tree houses on the banks and ducks with their ducklings scurrying away from our boat. Cave Vrelo is among 10 caves in the Matka Canyon, and it is also among Europe’s deepest. As we docked near its entrance, Danko pointed out murky gaps in the exterior where divers slip inside. We were taking the overland route, and as we descended the slippery stairs, I gradually saw that Danko had been right: Before me were stalactites, smooth in contour, like otherworldly wax, and one most noticeably shaped like a pine cone. Bats swerved overhead as we approached one stunning section known as the concert hall because members of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra once played there after the cave was opened to visitors. We later sat at the restaurant Mechkina Dupka, or Bear’s Cave, where I ordered the Village Chicken. It was baked, covered in a savory mushroom sauce, and came with fresh squash sautéed in garlic and olive oil, along with a hearty house white wine from Macedonia’s Tikves region. We had a long drive ahead of us, said Danko, via Tetovo and into the Mavrovo National Park, so we toasted our journey before hitting the road. When we reached Tetovo, Danko navigated heavy traffic, and I wondered if a stop there was worth our time. But as we finally pulled up alongside the Sarena Dzamija mosque, my eyes took in the vibrant painting and graceful design. This was indeed a rare find, in part because it is uncommon for a mosque’s exterior to be so adorned — Sarena Dzamija translates to “decorated mosque” — but also because two sisters, named Hurshida and Mensure, rather than sultans or pashas, had bankrolled the construction in 1438. The women are buried in the octagonal stone turbe adjacent to the mosque. By dusk, we were at Mavrovo National Park, and had checked into the inviting home of Deni and Tina Lazareski in the village of Leunovo, located in the park itself. The pair welcome tourists and had recently built an addition to their home for guests. Tina had prepared stuffed peppers in a tomato sauce for us, and we sat around the dinner table long after the meal, talking about our families, and in particular, life under Communism, all aided by Danko’s translation. Danko had hoped to guide me to the summit of Mount Medenica in the Bistra Massif the next day, but we woke to a heavy fog and he didn’t want to risk getting lost. So we chose a trail at a lower elevation that still afforded us pretty views of wild horses in the distance and shepherds with their flocks, as well as clusters of almost supernatural, cotton thistles. We departed the pastoral scene for Galicnik, a village renowned for its traditional folk dancing and weddings every July, where we met Marko Bekric, who runs a business. Over lunch at his family’s restaurant, he explained that the business had been inspired by years of cycling the Bistra mountains, scoping out new paths, and thinking that enthusiasts from abroad would thrill to the unspoiled nature, as he does. The Macedonian government evidently thought the same, granting him a rural development loan to start the venture. After lunch, he led me across the road to show me an abandoned factory he’d renovated where he stores the bikes. Someday, he added, he’d like to convert the building into a museum and offer instruction on making sheep and goat cheese. The tour, though, reached a height the next day when it shifted from ecotourism to cultural immersion in gorgeous Ohrid, one of Europe’s oldest cities at a jewel of a lake bordering both Macedonia and Albania. Our guide, Nebojsa Kamilov, led us up and down the hills of the city — whose Slavic name comes from vo rid, or “city on the hill. ” At just about every turn we took in sweeping views of the translucent water, none so sublime as those at the picturesque Church of St. Jovan at Kaneo, perched on a finger jutting out into the vast lake. A student of art and history, Nebojsa gave a fascinating overview of Ohrid’s Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman roots its scholarly legacy (the first Slavic university was established here by the Sts. Kliment and Naum) and the hundreds of other churches that once dotted the hillsides, supposedly one for every day of the year. We visited several of these ubiquitous and elegant multidomed churches, each with a covetable collection of frescoes, icons and mosaics. My favorite was the Church of St. Kliment and St. Pantelejmon, which had a mosaic mysteriously signed “Made by those whose names are only known to God. ” These, of course, were the soaring buildings of their day, structures that involved immense expenditures and likely cost overruns that would dwarf those in Skopje. But these churches, this landscape, had stood the test of time. As Macedonia’s capital remakes itself, their permanence is a reassuring reminder that while this country has changed hands more times than one can count, its beauty and its culture endure. | 0 |
October 31, 2016
At a conference on the evolution of early humans, it has been announced that everyone still sniggers, many audibly, when they see “Homo Erectus” in books or, in particular, when projected during a presentation.
A leading evolutionary anthropologist explained that; “Ever since Dubois discovered Homo Erectus fossils in the late 19th century, scientists have been trying to suppress laughter. When a paper entitled ‘Genital variation in Homo Erectus’ was presented by Doctor Seymour Cox of the University of Cockfosters the room just…I’m sorry, can you give me a couple of minutes?” 31st, 2016 by apepper apepper News In Brief 0 | 1 |
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter At one time or another most of us have met someone for the first time and experienced a feeling about that person that’s beyond causal. Somehow, this particular new person generates a reaction within us that sparks our primal instincts beyond the usual associations registered when meeting a new person. One of the most baffling encounters occurs when meeting a person for the first time and so strongly sensing you’ve known this person before. It’s an uncanny feeling that too often is dismissed as a “past-life connection” or simply being reminded of another person whom you cannot for the life of you recall. It might be an instant dislike or an affinity, even those “love at first sight” moments. Whatever the case, there’s a short-term overwhelm happening while we’re taking their measure, a subconscious reading. Personally, I’ve always been taken aback by these moments, so much so that it can prevent me from being able to react in expected social dialogue. I’m preoccupied, trying to observe what is it that’s so charging me and why. There’s a kind of knowing, a recognition taking place that’s occurring down in the subconscious — or possibly through some astral dimension. Is this experience similar to déjà vu? Cognitive science explains this sensation as a chemical reaction in the brain which floods our senses with a feeling that we’ve lived the moment before. Perhaps something similar is happening upon meeting people who cause this effect? I’m not buying it, however, and here’s why. There have been several times in my life when this sensation occurred, and it was shared mutually with the person whom I had just met. In effect, we’re both having the same feeling that we’ve known each other before, somehow, somewhere. The most vivid example I will share is from a trip to China. I was in a small village in a remote area, walking along a canal with my Chinese hosts. Approaching us was another group, all Chinese, and upon passing each other, this one Chinese gentleman stops and turns; simultaneously, I was doing the exact thing. There we were, facing each other, both of us grinning like school children, with tears forming in our eyes. He spoke no English and I no Mandarin, yet we were both speaking softly to each other. My Chinese guide returned to my side, providing translation: “This man says he knows you. Ask where have you been?” my guide said. Evolve Your Inbox & Stay Conscious Daily Inspiration and all our best content, straight to your inbox. “I feel like I know him too, somehow,” I replied, “Has he ever been to California?” “No, he says he’s never been outside of China,” my guide continued, somewhat perplexed and embarrassed by our exchange. “But I know him,” I protested. “We, we were friends, good friends, but I cannot remember where or when?” “That’s what this fellow just said about you,” my guide lamented, feeling such talk inappropriate. “I know, you didn’t have to translate. I knew what he was saying,” I answered, trying to control my emotions. “This strange person, he says, he says he misses you,” the guide stated, now officially embarrassed. “I miss you too, my old friend,” I said, staring into the man’s eyes. We exchanged business cards, and he bowed to me, and I to him. We shook hands, and then, much to the horror of my guide, this total stranger and I embraced. Somewhere in a cluttered cubbyhole I still have his card, my long lost friend who has slipped back into the ethers. Yet, what I actually want to speak to is something quite different from my warm Chinese anecdote. This is a vastly more unsettling subject — encountering someone who does not read as a human being. By that, I mean there’s something so otherly about the person that, at the visceral level, you can’t ignore your reaction. This might not be a common experience for most people, but among my spiritual colleagues, we’ve spoken of this kind of encounter, so it’s not just me. There are myriad theories as to what’s going on here, the prime one being that these are alien beings from various star systems composed as hybrids of animal, fairy, cyborg, or other essences who live within a human form and have agendas that may be beneficial for or malevolent toward the human race. There’s a plethora of literature on such things readily found in metaphysical bookstores, not to mention online. And the subject matter can range from angels and spirit guides to a complex ontological philosophy that incorporates quantum physics. Yet, the common thread to all of this is the perception that we, meaning us humans, are not alone. And this of course opens the question: What is the agenda of these others — why are they here? This is where the speculation ramps up and the wormholes open. While it can be amusing to think of certain individuals fitting such a description, it’s a serious matter for those who monitor this subject. Movies and books have employed this concept to create various storylines for their plots. I, too, in my books have used this sense that other beings, non-humans, are among us. In Call of the Forbidden Way , an alien threat to colonize our planet is at the core of the drama. But I didn’t come to this idea casually. No, I have always felt an awareness of other beings active on our planet. And I have had my share of encounters with an assortment of folk who, to me, simply didn’t register as authentically human — some far from it. So, while prevailing logic requires me to present such ideas as fiction, I write with much more than a casual what-if attitude on the subject. Perception, be it accurate or not, is how we experience the world. My own perception seems to register that we’re not alone.
The Sacred Science follows eight people from around the world, with varying physical and psychological illnesses, as they embark on a one-month healing journey into the heart of the Amazon jungle.
You can watch this documentary film FREE for 10 days by clicking here.
"If “Survivor” was actually real and had stakes worth caring about, it would be what happens here, and “The Sacred Science” hopefully is merely one in a long line of exciting endeavors from this group." - Billy Okeefe, McClatchy Tribune | 1 |
Donald Trump was briefly surrounded by Secret Service agents at an Ohio rally on Saturday morning. The event was his first since protesters shut him down in Chicago on Friday night, and a riot erupted at his rally in St. Louis earlier that day.Towards the end of Trump s bullsh*t-fest, someone shouted something and all the sudden Secret Service agents jumped on stage and surrounded the Republican front-runner. It is unclear exactly what caused the agents to move in, but the real estate mogul thanked someone in the crowd: Thank you for the warning. I was ready for em, but it s much better if the cops do it, don t we agree? Before all of that happened, Trump addressed the rally in Chicago that was shut down on Friday, saying: So, look, we had a tremendous rally in Chicago planned. We were gonna have over 25,000 people, the arena was seating about 11,000, we had registered much more than 25,000 So what happened was very interesting, these were great people like yourselves, these were people that want to make America great again. No, no those were people who wanted to make America HATE again, not great. People who want to make this country great, do not assault other people. Trump is confused, but he continued: They were pouring into the arena, good arena, everything nice and all of the sudden a planned attack just came out of nowhere fortunately we were able to tell a lot of them know, don t go, because we would ve had a problem like you wouldn t have believed They would have wiped them out and that would not have been good. And we made a decision I didn t want to see anybody get hurt, you would have had a problem like they haven t seen in a long time. So, he s admitting that his supporters are so violent that they would have hurt people who were there to protest? Just yesterday evening he was telling news anchors that he had no idea why there were conflicts at his events. It s funny how he changes his tone when he is in front of his angry mobs of supporters, isn t it?He can feign innocence all he wants, but the fact of the matter is, most of America knows that he is bad for our country. We know that he wants to divide us. We know that he incites violence. We know that he would make this country a horrible place to live and that s why Democratic candidates beat him in every single poll.The GOP needs to get it together and dump Drumpf or they are going to see they can kiss their chances of winning any election goodbye for a long, long time.Watch the rally: Featured image via screenshot | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday that he would put together a package of new sanctions to potentially cut off all trade with North Korea after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. Speaking on Fox News, Mnuchin said he would ask U.S. President Donald Trump to strongly consider cutting off all trade with new sanctions. “If countries want to do business with the United States, they obviously will be working with our allies and others to cut off North Korea economically,” he said. | 1 |
No one can know for sure what was in the mind of the person who fired the shot that killed a woman as she drove through Milwaukee on Tuesday. The shooter was 2 years old. The woman who died on State Highway 175 was Patrice Price, 26, the Milwaukee County sheriff’s office said Wednesday, and the gun was in the hands of her own toddler. The weapon, which investigators found on the floor of the back seat, was a . pistol used by Ms. Price’s boyfriend, a security guard. His gun belt and tactical vest were also in the car, the sheriff’s office said. The local news media reported that the blue Dodge sedan Ms. Price was driving belonged to the boyfriend. The sheriff’s office, which would not name the boyfriend, said in a statement that the who was not in a car seat, “retrieved a firearm that slid out from under the driver’s seat and shot through the seat, striking the driver. ” Ms. Price managed to stop the car, but by the time rescue personnel reached her, she was not breathing. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office did not say whether anyone would face criminal charges. In tales of gun violence, accidents involving curious children and weapons seem especially tragic, but they are not especially unusual. Most often, they involve guns left unsecured by the child’s parents. In the seven days that ended Tuesday, in addition to the death of Ms. Price, a in Georgia, a in Louisiana, a in Missouri and a in Indiana fatally shot themselves a in Texas shot and wounded a family member a in California killed a friend in a shooting that officials called accidental a in Texas accidentally shot and wounded a friend and a in Indiana accidentally shot and wounded herself. In an episode with striking parallels to the Milwaukee shooting, last month a mother driving in Florida was shot and wounded by her son, who was in the back seat law enforcement officials said that in that case, too, the gun had been stashed under the driver’s seat, and then slid backward. The woman, Jamie Gilt, had operated a Facebook page on which she said her children knew how to shoot, and “even my gets jacked up to target shoot the . 22. ” Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control group, says that since the start of 2015, at least 342 people in the United States have been accidentally shot by people under age 18. When Ms. Price, a mother of three, was fatally shot in Milwaukee, her mother and her child were also in the car. “Now I don’t have her no more,” her father, Andre Price, told WISN, a local television station. “I got a knot in my chest. ” | 0 |
Concerns about Trump s conflict of interest reached a new level with the announcement that the National Park Service is finalizing plans that will give one of his companies $32 million in tax subsidies for the hotel he put in D.C. s Old Post Office building. While it s true that he spent the morning tweeting about getting out of his business entirely, he will very likely get this break, which puts those millions in his pockets, before he actually divests (if he actually divests).Trump, Ivanka, and his two sons together own Trump Old Post Office, LLC., and the tax break comes from the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits program, which provides breaks to companies and investors that rehab historic properties.Ordinarily, this would be something we might mutter and mumble over, because really, does Trump need a tax credit of any kind? We might have muttered and mumbled a little louder if this had happened before he was elected, too. But now, with him actually being the president-elect, and the Park Service technically working for him even if not officially, there s a major problem.They just gave their new employer a break on his taxes.Trump s lease on the Old Post Office strictly prohibits any elected official of the Government of the United States, from participating. The General Services Administration would be wise to break their contract if Trump doesn t disappear from that hotel post-haste.A professor of government procurement at the George Washington University School of Law agrees that this is a massive conflict of interest: This is a classic or textbook example of a conflict of interest. The decision-maker here, the National Park Service, works for the party that stands to benefit from a favorable decision. Trump s announcement that he s going to divest himself of his business interests entirely does little to change this, because he s still insisting that his kids will run his empire for him. Generally, placing assets in a blind trust means turning them over to someone who has no direct involvement with you, let alone the relationship of parent and child.Divesting means getting out of them completely.Trump doesn t seem to have any intention of doing either, given that his children are top members of his transition team. He does plan to hold a news conference in two weeks where he ll supposedly give details of his divestiture. That will also give them time to actually figure out how to extricate him from all his businesses.That doesn t stop the fact that he s set to get a massive tax break very soon, possibly before he s fully divested (if that s even his plan). $32 million is not pocket change to the average American taxpayer, and it doesn t look good going into the president s own pocket.Featured image by Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images | 0 |
Watch this hilarious video from our British conservative friend Paul Joseph Watson (Twitter name:@PrisonPlanet) who does a brilliant job exposing the hypocrisy of the left: Pro-migrant French welcome more refugees! But when asked to house one, their enthusiasm suddenly disappears. https://t.co/GQMwUZZOAp pic.twitter.com/DHH4R6hyPK Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) May 5, 2017 | 1 |
Major cities need to import yet more immigrant residents to replace the Americans fleeing from those cities’ crowded, and expensive districts, according to a Bloomberg article. [The government imports 1 million new legal immigrants per year, even as 4 million young Americans turn 18, but according to Bloomberg: Immigration to the U. S. has failed to make up for the number of residents leaving New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — the nation’s top three metropolitan areas. Chicago — beset by crime, economic and budgetary woes and high taxes — is the net exodus leader among 100 metro areas tracked by Bloomberg using Census Bureau data for the year through July 1, 2016. An average 245 local residents left the Windy City each day compared with the arrival of 71 foreigners. Census doesn’t inquire about a person’s citizenship status … For the nation’s third metropolitan area, foreign immigration “is the only offset we’ve got and it would be tragic to lose,” said Diane Swonk, chief executive and founder of DS Economics in Chicago. Rising government taxes, rental and housing prices in the cities help push ambitious young Americans towards southern cities, such as Dallas, Austin, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, and Charlotte. Some other coastal cities are also gaining population from arriving Americans, principally Seattle and Portland. But immigration is so high in Miami that it is pushing out Americans, just like in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Young people are leaving the crowded cities, in part, because elite jobs and large immigrant populations combine to push up property prices and taxes, while also holding down the salaries and wages needed to start families. “In the New York metropolitan area, Manhattan prospers while old factory towns such as Paterson, New Jersey, and Waterbury, Connecticut, languish … While Los Angeles gained more than 54, 000 international migrants, it lost more than 87, 000 people due to domestic migration,” said Bloomberg. That is bad news for conservatives in those states because GOP candidates tend to sweep districts with where voters can afford to set up homes. Those trends were reflected in the 2016 election, where Trump won 26 of 27 states. As more Americans migrate southwards, they are likely to bring more voters to their new districts, which help offset the huge immigrant inflow of residents. Read the article here. Follow Neil Munro on Twitter @NeilMunroDC or email the author at NMunro@Breitbart. com, | 0 |
The difference between us and them is that we listen to them says the husband of the woman who is hell-bent on fulfilling Obama s promise to completely shut down the coal industry. Never mind that it has devastated generations of coal workers and entire communities supported by the coal industry. Bill Clinton was repeatedly interrupted by protesters during a rally for Hillary Clinton in Logan, West Virginia Sunday before the state s primary on May 10.The group booed the former president and confronted him about Hillary Clinton s promise to destroy coal jobs, a long-standing staple of West Virginia s economy.During the rally, Clinton recounted that he had asked his wife to send him to any place in America that feels left out and left behind. The protesters then began shouting at the former president, to which he reacted with disdain. This is where they start screaming because they don t want to hear this, Clinton said with his hand raised. The crowd applauded and stood up to face the protesters, who continued booing and were ushered out. The difference between us and them is that we listen to them, Clinton said.Prior to Clinton s appearance in Logan, city officials emailed Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) attempting to prevent his visit, according to WVNS-TV. Bill and Hillary Clinton are simply not welcome in our town, their email stated. Mrs. Clinton s anti-coal messages are the last thing our suffering town needs at this point. The policies that have been championed by people like Mrs. Clinton have all but devastated our fair town, and honestly, enough is enough. At the same rally, Clinton was confronted about his wife s March pledge to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. When s she going to lay us all off and wipe us all out? the protester said, interrupting Clinton s remarks.Clinton, hard of hearing, asked Manchin what the man said as the room filled with angry murmurs. He s getting laid off and wiped out, what we gonna do about that, Manchin said. Well, that s good, that s a fair question, Clinton said.In a letter to Manchin days after her promise to destroy coal jobs, Hillary Clinton admitted that she was mistaken and reiterated her commitment to bringing jobs to Appalachia. Those close to Clinton defended her remarks by saying that she did not communicate her intent clearly. WFBYeah .right Hillary just misspoke or something like that. | 1 |
Donald Trump s lawbreaking is probably about to get a lot more blatant now that he s going to be in office. After all, he just told the NYT that presidents can t have conflicts of interest and has already used the office of the presidency for personal business. And as it has just been revealed, the Trump foundation openly admits to corruption and breaking IRS rules about self-dealing.In the 2015 tax return for the Trump Foundation, the organization indicates they transferred funds to a disqualified person in the last tax year Trump, a member of his immediate family, or perhaps a business interest and also indicated they engaged in self-dealing in past years.From Mother Jones:Donald Trump s charitable foundation has admitted to violating an IRS ban self-dealing, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The rules prohibit leaders of non-profit organizations from using funds to benefit a disqualified person, which can include the president-elect himself, members of his family, or their private business interests.The news comes just days after Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle several fraud lawsuits related to Trump University.The foundation also indicated yes to a question regarding whether it had engaged in self-dealing in prior years. And yet conservatives think the Clinton Foundation was corrupt?The form doesn t give any specifics about what, exactly, the corrupt money flowing from the foundation to Trump was spent on. However, we do know that in the past it s been spent on settling personal disputes, a Tim Tebow helmet, two paintings of himself, and settlement money. It s possible that the form was referring to any of those events, but it s also possible there is still more to uncover.Many of the people who voted for Trump will be the ones hurt by his administration, which is rapidly showing itself as a corrupt, quid-pro-quo assortment of rich buddies and high-powered business connections looking to make a profit off the back of the little guy. Donald Trump doesn t care about everyday Americans one iota, and he has no intention at all of playing by the rules. He s going to use the White House to make himself richer at every opportunity.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 0 |
Putin Just Exposed US Election Rigging By Trolling The State Dept. In The Most Hilarious Way Oct 28, 2016 Previous post
Proving he does, indeed, possess both a caustic wit and sharp political acumen, Putin just shut down the raging rigged elections controversy in what could best be called an epic prank to prove the point — Russia requested, and was unsurprisingly denied, permission to monitor the U.S. presidential election.
Think about it. This somewhat tongue-in-cheek offer, although likely made with the expectation of futility, makes several critical points on the true farcical nature of the American electoral process.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner, cited by USA Today , dismissively condemned President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion as a “PR stunt,” and Meg Casper, spokeswoman for Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, noted, “We’ve allowed observers from overseas in the past from other countries, never from Russia,” adding both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security “told us not to do this.”
But the swift rebuke from the U.S. aligns more with its unprecedented since the Cold War anti-Russia propaganda campaign — a sensationalistic and proven fictitious narrative meant to inculcate Americans into believing Russia poses an imminent threat.
In fact, with the Clinton campaign thoroughly capitalizing on the laughable narrative to warn Russia might attempt to rig the elections, and Donald Trump, rightly pointing to the former secretary of state’s efforts to rig the system from within and being accused of having ties to Putin, the State Department’s rebuke seems more a hypocrisy-tinged joke.
As USA Today reports, “Toner noted that U.S. officials participated in a similar observation mission for Russia’s parliamentary elections in September.”
How the U.S. State Department expects anyone to ignore this blatant moral duplicity — It’s Perfectly Acceptable When We Do It, But Not For Someone We Don’t Like — was not made immediately clear.
Russia would, by any measurable standard, have every reason to act as an election observer, despite being “categorically rejected” — all talk of the
FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK LINK | 1 |
This election is already the nastiest one on record in American political history. The aftermath could end up being the bloodiest if Trump supporters follow through on their threats. If she s in office, I hope we can start a coup, Trump supporter Dan Bowman declared at a rally earlier this month. She should be in prison or shot. That s how I feel about it. We re going to have a revolution and take them out of office if that s what it takes. There s going to be a lot of bloodshed. But that s what it s going to take I would do whatever I can for my country. Bowman is not alone either. Many Trump supporters are simply waiting for Trump to give the word on Election Day, like this person who aimed a gun at Hillary while she was on television during the debate.This all stems from Trump s assertion that the election is rigged for Hillary Clinton and that Second Amendment people should do something to stop her.And right-wing radio hosts like Joe Walsh are only throwing gas on the fire. November 8th, I m voting for Trump, the disgraced former Tea Party lawmaker wrote on Twitter before adding, On November 9th, if Trump loses, I m grabbing my musket. You in? On November 8th, I m voting for Trump.On November 9th, if Trump loses, I m grabbing my musket.You in? Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) October 26, 2016During an interview with CNN on Friday, Walsh claimed that he was merely calling for civil disobedience. If I wanted people to take up arms, why would I recommend people take up an antique like a musket? Walsh told Chris Cuomo. I mean, seriously, in 2016 I want people to go out and find a musket, grab their musket? That s just silly. But that doesn t explain why he said everyone should grab their guns if Trump loses. A musket is, in fact, a gun and definitely implies that people should grab their guns.In fact, Walsh doesn t even care if Trump loses fair and square, he still wants people to revolt against the government with their guns. If she wins fair and square, then the anger that a lot of Americans have toward our political system and she s part of that we ve got to double down and triple down and do whatever we can to defend our freedom. That phrase, grab your musket, is a phrase I ve used probably a hundred times in the last two or three years. Cuomo didn t let Walsh get away with trying to spin his own words, however. The CNN host reminded Walsh of another tweet he posted in the wake of the killing of police officers in Dallas. Words matter, context matters, Cuomo pointed out. You say, This is now war, watch out Obama, watch out Black Lives Matter punks, real America s coming after you. You only take this one way you take it provocatively. Trump is the master of this, and you have to now argue whether that s a good thing or a bad thing. You tell me why it s good. Walsh then dropped his civil disobedience spin and went straight to talking about grabbing guns and going to war against the federal government, which would be treason. Look, when I say, grab your musket, man, and let s go to war if Hillary wins, the Republican Party s going to be in our sights. Because all these people are pissed off again at what we believe, Chris, is a corrupt political system. Here s the video via Twitter.Former Rep. Joe Walsh: When I said grab your musket if Trump loses, I meant we need to defend our freedom https://t.co/lgJho3xleM CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 28, 2016Trump supporters are dangerous threats to public safety and our democracy. This nation s government needs to be prepared for the strong possibility that right-wing nuts will attempt a bloody coup or commit acts of violence wherever they are in the country in retaliation of a Hillary victory. That means President Obama should put the military and National Guard on standby. If these idiots want a war, let s see how they do against professionals who have actually been in one.Featured Image: Screenshot | 0 |
It s no secret that CNN is very biased when it comes to politics If you ve watched much of the coverage of the Dem Convention, you know that the coverage has been VERY selective. The protesters and Bernie Sanders supporters were a HUGE presence and made lots of noise but main stream media outlets went out of their way to hide and censor angry protesters. They even went so far as to bring in white noise machines and hired phony delegates to fill seats of Bernie supporters who bailed on the convention. Working hand in hand, CNN and the DNC literally choreographed a phony convention made for TV and the low information voters. Here we have a clip of the chief political analyst for CNN and anchor Wolf Blitzer celebrating and clapping with the Dems do you think if a FOX anchor did the same thing it wouldn t be all over the place? This is modern journalism for you blatant disregard for the appearance of bias while shoving propaganda down the mouthes of low info voters sickening! Favorite moment of @CNN coverage @wolfblitzer @GloriaBorger dancing to Sweet Caroline!! #DNCinPHL #DNCPhilly pic.twitter.com/j8w0Kqgzq0 Nick Ciletti (@NickCiletti) July 29, 2016 | 0 |
You would think Charlotte is lost to the liberals There are lefty Democrats living there who don t understand that they don t get to decide who is involved in local government THE VOTERS DO! Dimple Ajmera decided to characterize President Trump as divisive but it s ironic that SHE is the one who s dividing people. After her nasty remarks about Trump, the Trump supporters filled the next City Council meeting in protest. Awesome! Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera drew the ire of the local Republican Party after she said that Republicans who support Trump should not be involved in local government:DANGEROUS RHETORIC: Republicans that are supporting Trump, they should have no place on city council whatsoever or in the mayor s race, Ajmera said on the news show Flashpoint on WCNC, which aired Sunday.Ajmera, a Democrat, was appointed to the council in January to replace John Autry, who left council to join the N.C. General Assembly. Ajmera is running for one of four at-large seats this fall.Ajmera stood by her comments Tuesday. Charlotte rejected Trump in the 2016 elections, she said. So people are upset by what he represents. He values divisiveness. We can t let that divide us as we tackle important issues like economic mobility and as we address the issues of last September. Half of those attending Monday s City Council meeting carried Trump-Pence signs, and waved small American flags.The two sides re-fought the 2016 presidential election after City Council member Dimple Ajmera said on a television show last week that Trump voters shouldn t be on City Council or in the mayor s race controversial comments that she has backed repeatedly.Her campaign manager, Dan McCorkle, attended the meeting, waving his own pro-Ajmera signs. McCorkle told Trump supporters that Hillary Clinton received more than 70 percent of the vote in the city of Charlotte.LIBERAL BUZZWORDS WE VE COME TO EXPECT:Sebastian Feculak spoke at the council s public forum. I wanted to applaud Dimple for standing up for equity and unity, he said. You are welcome here no matter what. Our politics are not for xenophopia, racism or sexism. If the Republican Party won t hold them accountable, I m glad our leaders will. VIA: CHARLOTTE OBSERVER | 1 |
Left wing extremist offences have risen considerably in the last year according to Austrian officials who say that Islamic terror is still the most pressing danger. [The new report, presented by the Austrian Federal Office for Constitutional Protection and Counterterrorism (BVT) shows that criminal offences involving left wing extremists rose 112 per cent in 2016. A total of 383 offences were recorded by police compared to 186 in 2015 whilst there were 463 criminal reports opposed to 312 in 2015, Kronen Zeitung reports. The BVT say 46. 5 per cent of the cases involved left wing activists damaging campaign posters and other material of former migration Freedom Party presidential candidate Norbert Hofer during last year’s election campaign. Other incidents have been much more violent such as the attack on the migration Identitarian youth movement Martin Sellner at a Vienna metro station by members of the “ action” group. Sellner was forced to use a pepper spray gun on his attackers who subsequently fled after punching and kicking him. Whilst the number of right wing offences, which included and incidents, numbered far greater at 1, 313, the increase was much smaller at only 13. 6 per cent. The increase in 2016 was lower than the increase in 2015, according to the report. BVT director Peter Gridling said Islamic extremism was still the biggest security threat to the country. “As we have seen many times in Europe, religiously motivated Islamic extremism and terrorism is still the greatest threat to the security of democratic Western states,” he said. “At the end of 2016, 296 people were known to us who were travelling from Austria to the Syrian or Iraqi regions, but we were able to prevent 51 from leaving the country. Ninety returned to Austria and 45 persons were killed in the fighting area. The rest are still abroad,” Gridling added. Left wing extremism has also been on the rise in Germany where in certain areas like Berlin, they frequently clash with police. A study showed that most of the extremists were young men who overwhelmingly still lived with their parents and most had no job and no girlfriends. Leipzig is another German city with a large left wing extremist scene. A report from migration organisation Einprozent claimed there had been 22 cases of left wing violence in the city in 2016. Several of the attacks were aimed at the migration Alternative for Germany party which included the torching of several cars including of the party Frauke Petry. | 0 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington, D.C.’s city council on Tuesday permanently banned the smoking of marijuana in public or in clubs, a spokeswoman for Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said, voting 7-6 for a second time to approve the prohibition. The council had passed the measure in an initial vote early this month. Two months ago, the council voted unanimously to create atask force to study the licensing of marijuana clubs and endingthe ban on public consumption of pot. A law that took effect in February 2015 allows adults topossess small amounts of marijuana, and grow and consume it athome. The District bans the sale of marijuana, but public smoking has become common as arrests have dried up. The vote council earlier this year voted to let the ban expire but then reversed course under pressure from Mayor Muriel Bowser. Besides the District of Columbia, the states of Colorado,Washington, Oregon and Alaska have made the recreational use of pot lawful. It remains illegal under federal law. | 0 |
JUBA (Reuters) - Six aid workers kidnapped by rebels in South Sudan earlier this week have been released, according to the United Nations and a spokesman for the rebels. The aid workers are from the French organization Solidarites International and had been kidnapped on Sunday while traveling on a road near the city of Raja, in the west of the country. All of them were released and they have landed safely in Wau, another city in the west of the country, a United Nations official in Juba who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters. He said one of those who had been held by the rebels was a foreigner. Rebel spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel told Reuters that the six humanitarian aid workers had been freed: All their belongings were given back to them including their vehicles. It was not clear why the rebels had taken the aid workers and their vehicles into custody. Solidarites said in a statement on Monday that it had lost contact with three members of its team on Saturday. [L8N1OI50M] It gave no indication of their fate and it was not immediately clear why it gave a different number of those involved. The spokesman for Solidarites in Paris did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the announcement of the release of its staff. The army spokesman in Juba also did not respond to request for comment. South Sudan is one of the world s most dangerous countries for aid workers. Some 28 aid workers have been killed this year, with nine shot dead in November alone, according to the United Nations. The world s youngest nation is embroiled in a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced a third of the 12 million strong population to flee their homes. | 0 |
Hillary Clinton’s Private Speech From 2015 Mentioned Palestinian Rights—Until She Actually Gave It Hillary Clinton delivering a speech at the Saban Forum in 2011. ( Flickr / CC 2.0 )
The “ Podesta emails ” being released by WikiLeaks continue to illuminate concealed aspects of Hillary Clinton’s policy positions. Recent batches of the emails, originating from the server of Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta, include segments of speeches —and a few full transcripts —made by the Democratic presidential nominee to various organizations behind closed doors.
The emails and speeches are being dumped almost daily and shine a light on many of Clinton’s positions—on the environment, foreign policy, big business, health care and more. An email released Tuesday , however, provides an interesting glimpse into the editing of one of Clinton’s many speeches and focuses on a controversial political issue: the U.S. relationship with Israel and Palestine.
The email “reveals that an extensive section on Palestinian rights was completely removed from an early draft of the speech” Clinton delivered on Dec. 6, 2015, at the Saban Forum in Washington, reporter Eli Clifton explains :
Palestinian rights and acknowledgment of their national aspirations are nearly completely lacking from the final version. The speech only made a brief reference to Israeli settlement construction, which Clinton loosely described as a “damaging action.” It also made only one passing, and indirect, acknowledgement of Palestinian suffering, saying, “Israeli children have been killed as have Palestinian children.” …
A Dec. 4, 2015, version of the speech, apparently drafted by Clinton speechwriter Dan [Schwerin], made specific references to Palestinian suffering and right to self-determination. Although holding to the position of the Democratic Party and the Clinton camp that a two-state solution cannot be imposed by outside actors like the United Nations, this earlier version of the speech explicitly mentioned settlement construction as an impediment to the peace process.
The Saban Forum “is organized by the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution” and was created and is currently chaired by billionaire Haim Saban, who has a history of pro-Israel policy . Saban is also co-owner of Univision, which recently purchased Gawker Media Group Inc.
Clifton noted that in another email , Podesta himself suggested a “cut or rework” to a section of the speech that might “evoke how people feel about how Israel is treating the Palestinians,” and Clifton added that Podesta described Saban as “not [being] with [Clinton] if she wasn’t totally committed to Israeli security.”
Podesta was probably referring to this segment of Schwerin’s draft, which was notably absent from the version Clinton ultimately delivered to the Saban Forum:
“Israelis cannot live forever in a state of siege. They must not be condemned to the constant fear that they might be stabbed in the street or attacked on a bus. Generation after generation of parents should not have to send their children off to combat. Israelis deserve security, recognition, and a peaceful, normal life. They deserve to live in a nation defined by its founding ideals—democratic, Jewish, and free.
“And Palestinians have the right to yearn for the freedom to govern themselves, in peace and dignity. For most Americans, it is hard, if not impossible, to imagine living behind checkpoints and roadblocks. Palestinians should be able to achieve their legitimate aspirations.
“So as difficult as this will be, all the parties must work to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution and create the conditions for progress by avoiding unilateral or damaging actions, whether on the ground, in settlement construction, or at the United Nations.”
Neither Clinton, Podesta or Schwerin (who is now Clinton’s director of speechwriting ) has commented on the leaked email and speech. | 0 |
GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER demands that Italy send all new illegal alien Muslim invaders back to Africa Germany’s Minister of the Interior has launched a controversial proposal to return African Muslim male invaders home rather than bringing them to Italy, in order to discourage more economic freeloaders from attempting the dangerous crossing. Even worse, Italy has been rescuing them near Libya, not even waiting until they get within spitting distance of Italy. So, where are all the women and children? @moas_eu the taxi service just outside of Libya is part of the pull factor
— The Champ (@audioexpression) November 5, 2016 Breitbart Minister Thomas de Maizière said Sunday that those “saved in the Mediterranean should be sent back to Africa” instead of taking them to Europe. According to a spokeswoman for the minister, this measure would serve a twofold purpose: discouraging new migrants from coming while also demolishing the organizations of human traffickers that organize the crossings. Germany’s interior minister Thomas de Maiziere threatened to close Italy’s border with Austria if Rome starts sending migrants north. With the migrant route through the Balkans from Greece closed, migrants are instead crossing the Mediterranean from North African countries such as Libya and arriving in Italy. De Maizière is not alone in his approach. “The prevention of illegal migration does not start at our internal borders,” said Helmut Teichmann, director of the Germany’s Federal Police. “The aim of the federal government is to stop the refugees before they reach Europe,” he said. On Saturday, 2,200 more people tried to cross the Strait of Sicily in 16 different vessels, and were rescued in a series of operations coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard who later brought them to Italy. Rescuers also recovered ten bodies of migrants who drowned during the attempt. Critics were quick to remark that part of the incentive for attempting the crossing in the first place is the knowledge that migrant rescuers are providing a free “taxi service” to Italy. Protesters have raised their voices in opposition to De Maizière’s plan, claiming it was a “scandal” that would effectively deny potential refugees the right of asylum, but the Minister did not back down. “Eliminating the prospect of reaching Europe could keep them from risking their lives in a dangerous journey.” In point of fact, this year has seen the deaths of a record number of migrants during the perilous trip. On Thursday, some 240 migrants drowned in two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, bringing the year’s death toll in the Mediterranean to 4,220, compared with 3,777 in the whole of 2015. The Minister suggested that once the migrants were returned to Tunisia, Egypt or other North African countries, they could submit their asylum applications which, if approved, would allow them to reach Europe safely.
As of 2 November, 159,496 people had reached Italy by sea so far in 2016, according to the International Organization of Migrants (IOM). | 0 |
By Beth Wallace
This past July, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) conducted a diving expedition to obtain footage of aging oil pipelines strung across one of the most sensitive locations in the Great Lakes, and possibly the world: the Straits of Mackinac . Footage of these pipelines has never been released to the public until now.
This NWF map simulates a 3, 6 and 12 hour spill from the tar sands oil pipeline based on Enbridge spill response plans, average current speeds and “worse case” discharge estimates.
The Straits of Mackinac pipelines, owned by Enbridge Energy, are 60-years-old and considered one of the greatest threats to the Great Lakes because of their age, location and the hazardous products they transport—including tar sands derived oil .
For nearly two years, NWF has been pressing pipeline regulators and Enbridge to release information about the integrity of these pipelines, including inspection videos showing how the pipelines cross the Straits of Mackinac. These requests have gone largely unanswered from both Enbridge and the Pipeline Hazards Safety Administration (PHMSA), who regulates pipeline operations. Because Enbridge hastily moved forward with plans to increase pressure on the aging pipelines, and has bypassed critical environmental permitting for changes in operation, NWF decided we needed to obtain our own:
The footage shows pipelines suspended over the lakebed, some original supports broken away—indicating the presence of corrosion—and some sections of the suspended pipelines covered in large piles of unknown debris. This visual is evidence that our decision makers need to step in and demand a release of information from Enbridge and PHMSA.
Heightening our concern around this pipeline and the company that owns it: despite having cleared our dive work with the U.S. Coast Guard, several Congressional members and Homeland Security, our staff and the dive crew had uncomfortable interactions with Enbridge representatives. As soon as our team set out on the water, we were quickly accompanied by an Enbridge crew that monitored our every move. This monitoring did not stop at the surface: Enbridge also placed a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) into the water to watch our team.
These actions and our video have raised our level of concern for the general operational behavior of this company and their overall safety culture—including the way they treat the concerned public living near their pipelines . If these aging pipelines rupture, the resulting oil slick would cause irreversible damage to fish and wildlife, drinking water, Lake Michigan beaches, Mackinac Island and our economy.
To make matters worse, the recent shutdown of our federal government has left communities and wildlife with an increased risk of oil spills and failed response because pipeline safety and responding agencies have been scaled back or closed all together. The recent oil spill in North Dakota , of approximately 800,000 gallons, is living proof.
This article was originally published on National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Promise . | 1 |
ADEN (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Wednesday it would keep the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port, vital for aid, open for a month despite a fresh missile attack against Riyadh, but it kept up air raids that killed at least nine people. The Western-backed coalition, which controls Yemen s airspace and port access, said last month it would allow humanitarian relief through Hodeidah following a nearly three-week blockade imposed because of a missile attack toward the Saudi capital s international airport. The Saudis say the Red Sea port, which is Yemen s main entry point for food and humanitarian supplies, is also a hub used by the Houthis to bring in weapons, which it accuses Iran of supplying. Tehran denies the charges. On Wednesday, the coalition confirmed it would keep access open to the port despite another missile attack at Riyadh on Tuesday by the Houthis which Saudi forces also intercepted. Keen to maintain humanitarian aid to the brotherly Yemeni people and as a result of intensified inspection measures, the coalition command announces that Hodeidah port will remain open for humanitarian and relief supplies, the coalition said in a statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA on Wednesday. The Saudi ambassador to Sanaa said the coalition would also allow the provision of four cranes to the port to boost aid deliveries to the war-damaged country. The ambassador, Mohammed al-Jaber, who was speaking in a televised news conference, did not give details on how the cranes would be delivered. Earlier this year, the United Nations said the coalition turned back four cranes the United States donated to the World Food Programme to boost aid operations at Hodeidah. The cranes would have replaced parts of the port s infrastructure destroyed by coalition air strikes in August 2015, damage that forced ships to line up offshore because they could not be unloaded. The coalition said ships bringing in fuel and food would also be allowed to enter for another 30 days while proposals made by the United Nations envoy to Yemen were implemented, it added. The agency did not elaborate on the proposals. But the coalition has been demanding that a U.N. inspection regime agreed in 2015 be further tightened to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis. SALMAN-TRUMP CALL Saudi state news agency SPA said King Salman discussed in a telephone call with U.S. President Donald Trump ways to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its hostile acts and its involvement in supplying the Houthi militia with missiles to threaten the security of the kingdom and the region . The White House later confirmed the call and said the two leaders agreed on the importance of reinvigorating a political process to end the war in Yemen and that the king briefed Trump on a Saudi plan to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict. Tuesday s missile attack took place as the Houthis marked 1,000 days since the coalition intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 to try to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after a Houthi advance on his base in Aden forced him to flee. Saudi Arabia said that since the war began the Houthis had fired 83 ballistic missiles toward the kingdom. More than 10,000 people have been killed and a humanitarian crisis unleashed in a conflict which has intensified since former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed on Dec. 4. Coalition forces, which are supported by the United States and Britain, meanwhile launched fresh air strikes overnight. Residents said at least nine members of the same family, including at least five children, were killed in one air strike which hit their home in Wadi Khair in southern Yemen s Shabwa province. Coalition aircraft have been providing air support for southern fighters and pro-government troops as part of a push to clear the Houthis from Shabwa and the family were killed in an apparently mistaken attack. Residents also reported that coalition aircraft bombed a new parliament chamber, part of a government compound being built in Sanaa, causing damage but no casualties. The coalition had no immediate comment on the report but says it does not target civilians. Similar air strikes in which civilian homes, markets and hospitals were hit are recurrent in Yemen. On Monday, eight women and two children from the same family died when war planes struck a vehicle returning from a wedding party in Marib, east of Sanaa. | 0 |
Batman fans who have been looking forward to the upcoming Batman sequel, Justice League , a Harvey Weinstein movie, that is set to be released before Christmas of 2017, have taken to social media, demanding that the studio replace the Batman actor Ben Affleck. A close friend of the now disgraced Hollywood kingpin producer and sexual predator, Harvey Weinstein, Ben Affleck, has received quite a bit of criticism after women in the industry came forward to accuse him of being complicit in Weinstein s behavior, and have even accused him of disgusting and inappropriate sexual behavior toward women in the industry.A close friend of the now disgraced Hollywood kingpin producer and sexual predator, Harvey Weinstein, Ben Affleck, has received quite a bit of criticism after women in the industry have come forward and accused him of being complicit in Weinstein s behavior and have even accused him of disgusting and inappropriate sexual behavior toward women in the industry. The video below showing Affleck treating an MTV host like a sexual object during the taping of her show quickly went viral on Twitter:[VIDEO] Ben Affleck objectifies female reporter, comments on her breasts, then makes fun of "retarded" people with cerebral palsy. #cringe pic.twitter.com/5OiBtYkkVB Austen Fletcher (@fleccas) October 12, 2017The lone female superhero, Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie, recently came out with a statement of support for fellow actresses who have been victims of sexual abuse and condemnation for their sexual harassers: Ben Affleck, who stars as Batman in the Harvey Weinstein Batman Vs. Superman movie is not the only actor who should be shunned by moviegoers and fellow actors in the accepting, liberal, Hollywood crowd. It s time for the spotlight to be shined on a few of the other actors in the Weinstein movie, including Justice League actor Jeremy Irons.Actor Jeremy Irons, who won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role in Reversal of Fortune , is set to play the role of Batman s butler, Alfred J. Pennyworthy in Weinstein s Batman sequel Justice League . Given the pass Hollywood has clearly been giving sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, and Ben Affleck, it s not too surprising that Jeremy Irons has somehow managed to escape scrutiny by the media and by his fellow Hollywood actors after disgusting remarks he made following his role as a pedophile in the controversial Lolita movie.In 1998, Jeremy Irons starred as a pedophile in the movie Lolita, that was based on a 1955 novel written by Russian American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator a middle-aged literature professor called Humbert Humbert is obsessed with the 12-year-old Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather. Lolita is his private nickname for Dolores.Telegraph The actor Jeremy Irons, who starred in the film Lolita, says the hysteria sweeping the country over pedophilia is damaging relations between adults and children.Irons, who has two sons with his wife Sinead Cusack, says it is important to uphold a rigid social morality but also vital that adults are allowed to show affection to children.Pedophilia should be treated as a disease, he says in a BBC interview to be screened next week. But it must also be recognized that children are attractive and that parental love has a sexual element. It is very difficult because children under 16 are immensely attractive, he says. Any father will tell you. I think our children have to be protected. But I don t think we need to have hysteria. In the interview, Irons says his character was not a pedophile in the strict sense, as he knew that what he was doing was wrong . Referring to his family, he describes the difficulties of judging the line between natural affection and pedophilia. I remember when my son was 12 and he was like a god. He just went through that sort of golden time for about 18 months. I don t have a daughter but they do the same. Parental love is sexual. Children practice on their parents. Girls will flirt outrageously with their fathers because they are practicing. But we should know that that is practice. Boys will flirt outrageously with their mothers in a different way. His comments were seized on by child protection charities. The NSPCC said: Such comments are ambiguous and could be interpreted by sex offenders as a justification for their behavior. Esther Rantzen, the chairman of ChildLine, said: The words immensely attractive are not the best thing to say about children under 16. Appealing or charming are more appropriate. Irons, 56, made the remarks when asked about his portrayal of Humbert Humbert, the lecturer who falls for a young girl in the film of Vladimir Nabokov s novel Lolita. When the film came out in 1998, he suggested that child abuse did not always ruin the life of the victim.In the video below, Jeremy Irons arrogantly discusses his own brilliance as he portrays a pedophile in Lolita . Go to the 7:50 mark to hear Irons tell the interviewers how devastatingly attractive many 15-year-old girls are. The greatness of the performance that Dominique Swain gives, is that she is all of our daughters. Funny, wacky, silly, attractive, because many girls of 15 are devastatingly attractive. WATCH:Irons also once posed the question about whether or not a son should be able to marry his father:NYDN -Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons said Wednesday that while he doesn t have much of a strong opinion either way on same-sex marriage, he believes it poses interesting questions, including whether allowing same-sex marriage would open the door for interfamilial relationships. Could a father not marry his son? Irons asked HuffPost Live host Josh Zepps. Irons argued that it s not incest between men because incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don t breed, and wondered whether same-sex marriage might allow fathers to pass on their estates to their sons without being taxed.Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman in in Weinstein s Justice League movie was recently attacked on social media after a video was being circulated of him making a disgusting joke during a public forum, where he bragged about the benefit of being able to play Khal Drogo on the Game of Thrones series, and how he is able to rape beautiful women and get away with it . Weinstein s Justice Leauge movie, surfaced on Twitter, where he was seen discussing as far as sci-fi and fantasy, I love that there s so many things you can do like rip someone s tongue out of their throat and get away with it and rape beautiful women. Watch video below:tw: rapea horrific clip of jason momoa saying he loved working on #gameofthrones bc he "got to rape beautiful women." men are trash. pic.twitter.com/K2RBmsWEt6 bella goth (@peeanofreek) October 12, 2017After the video of the Game of Thrones actor went viral, he apologized for his truly tasteless comment on Instagram. | 0 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said on Friday he did not know if there was enough support in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass Republicans’ healthcare bill to dismantle Obamacare. “That’s up to the House to count their own votes,” Mulvaney told ABC News in an interview. President Donald Trump has called for a Friday vote on the bill to replace Democratic President Barack Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act. | 0 |
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SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Approval for Brazilian President Michel Temer s government has plummeted, according to a poll published on Tuesday, as the scandal-plagued leader faces new corruption charges and struggles to push his economic reform agenda through Congress. Polling firm MDA said that 3.4 percent of those surveyed thought the Temer government was doing a great or good job - down from 10.3 percent in MDA s last such poll in February. Temer took over a year ago from impeached leftist Dilma Rousseff and has said he does not care about popularity and only wants to push through an austerity package before his term ends in Jan. 2019. Yet his ability to do so has been hamstrung by charges of taking bribes, racketeering and obstruction of justice. The charges against Temer are based on the plea-bargain testimony of the owners of the world s largest meatpacker, JBS SA. They accuse Temer of taking bribes in return for political favors and of conspiring to buy the silence of a witness who could implicate the leader. Temer has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The MDA poll was commissioned by the national transport lobby CNT and surveyed 2,002 people across Brazil from Sept. 13-16. The poll has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points. | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. lawmaker accused the Food and Drug Administration on Friday of failing to hand over documents that would show whether its criminal office is fulfilling the critical mission of protecting public health. “The FDA’s long-overdue response leaves key questions unanswered about the performance and effectiveness of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations,” House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden told Reuters in a statement. An FDA spokeswoman did not have an immediate comment. Walden’s comments come about four months after the congressional panel launched an examination into the criminal office and how it was managing cases involving food, drugs and devices. The review came after Reuters reported that FDA agents were concerned that managers, including former OCI Director George Karavetsos, were forcing them to pursue often toothless cases involving mislabeled foreign-imported injectable drugs, at the expense of cases with more potential to protect the public health. The agents said they had become the “Botox Police” and were spending hours chasing down doctors who purchased authentic versions of Allergan’s popular anti-wrinkle drug that were labeled for use in other countries. Those concerns came at a time when the office was seeing more than half its opened cases ultimately get closed without action, Reuters found. Reuters also reported on how the FDA permitted Karavetsos to relocate back to Florida in mid-2016 and run the OCI from its Miami office, even after the FDA had already paid more than $25,000 to move him to Maryland in 2015. The FDA did not meet the committee’s October deadline to provide written answers to questions until Jan. 19. The next day, Karavetsos departed to work for DLA Piper where he will represent drug and device industry clients. In its letter reviewed by Reuters, the FDA listed its investigative priorities and said that traditional metrics used to gauge success, such as arrests and convictions, cannot capture the impact of its public health mission. It also provided annual data on arrests, convictions, and the number of opened cases. However, it omitted preliminary-stage investigative numbers from the total number of cases opened each year, which makes the conviction rate appear higher, according to a side-by-side comparison. Walden said the FDA did not provide a performance plan, among other things. He also complained of redactions on a separate record, which according to a committee aide contained salary and compensation information for Karavetsos. | 1 |
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - An interim Brexit deal struck by Theresa May and the European Commission is not legally binding but the British prime minister has committed her government to honoring a gentlemen s agreement, an EU spokesman said on Monday. Formally speaking, the joint report is not legally binding, the European Commission s chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters when asked about suggestions from some of May s ministers that the terms of Friday s accord could change. But we see the joint report of Michel Barnier and David Davis as a deal between gentlemen and it is the clear understanding that it is fully backed and endorsed by the UK government, he added, referring to each side s negotiator. Referring to EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker, he said: President Juncker had a meeting with Prime Minister May last Friday morning to ascertain that this is precisely the case. They shook hands. | 0 |
It s a new year. For many of us, that means that we probably made a few resolutions. You know quit smoking, eat better, drink less, get more sleep all good things that could improve life. There s just one problem, though: most people don t keep those resolutions. They go right out the window before the first month of the new year is even over for most people. Well, John Oliver, host of HBO s Last Week Tonight has some advice in that arena: You re going to break these resolutions anyway, so quit being so hard on yourself.Oliver said: Every December, for some reason, we decide that next year will be the one that everything turns around and we ll finally quit drinking, or learn how to pronounce the name of these berries. He then continued: But let s be honest, we re a few days into the new year now, and if you haven t broken your New Year s resolutions yet, statistically you are about to. That can be depressing. But don t panic, all hope is not lost. Because the key thing with resolutions is not how to keep them it s how to revise them once you ve failed. The main problem with New Year s resolutions is that we set our expectations way too high. For instance, lots of people say they want to exercise more but that s hard. Exercise is like reading for your muscles. Except you can t watch a movie of someone else exercising and basically get the gist of it. He s right. Humans are set in our ways. Small changes are better than big ones, because they are easier to stick to. You re not going to change your whole life just because a new year rolls in, and that really is okay.Watch Oliver s hilarious yet completely accurate thoughts on New Year s resolutions below:Featured image via video screen capture from Raw Story | 0 |
So, if the hosts on this show are just comedians, does that mean the low information voters who follow them will stop taking these hacks so seriously? Friday on ABC s The View, Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina fought toe to toe with the co-hosts over their comments disparaging her face as demented and a Halloween Mask. After small talk, Whoopi Goldberg brought up the subject saying, How about humor? I m going the bring it up because there are going to be lots of comics saying lots of things. I wondered, because we saw some of the that you were a little upset with us about a comic comment that was made. And so, how will you steel your skin? How will you get a thicker skin to accept some of the humorous things that will be said about you? Fiorina said, Well, hey, if you meant your comment about my face being demented and a Halloween mask as humorous, so be it. I guess you misinterpreted Donald Trump s questions. I have a real thick skin. Joy Behar said, I defended you against Donald Trump s comment. He s running for president of the United States and he was making a nasty comment about your looks. I took him on. On this show, but, we are comedians here. I make fun of Hillary s pantsuits. Hillary s husband s sex life. Rep. John Boehner s tan. Who else? I don t understand why any politician is exempt from my jokes. Here s the clip from Carly s awesome interview:Fiorina answered, You know what, Joy. You know what, Joy? You can say whatever you want. You always have. You always will. I m not going to stop that. And don t worry, I have skin plenty thick enough to the take whatever people throw at me. I m making a different point. The different point is this. I think that there are real issues in this nation that we ought to be able to discuss in a fact-based, civil fashion. Michelle Collins said, I want to add that the demented comment was a poor choice of words. It was responding to something you said during the debates. That people were telling you the smile more. To me, it felt like it was not your natural state of mind. It was not on your looks, it was on your expression. It felt like you were being told to smile more. I m wondering, is that difficult for you? Do you have people coaching you to act or be a different way? Will that help you win the election? Fiorina shot back, First of all, I don t have people coaching me to act a different way or be a different way. There s a time to smile and a time to be serious. When you re talking about burying a child, it s not time to smile. There are serous issues facing the nation. Goldberg said, We had you here. I thought we were pretty respectful. I have to tell you, having watched some of the press that you have garnered based on this fake feud with The View, I m a little taken aback. Because you kind of said that that somehow liberal women are that we re made uncomfortable by conservative women. We were not uncomfortable with you. Did you think we were uncomfortable with you when you were on? Fiorina said, First of all, Whoopi. I enjoyed being on the show. The first time. and I m enjoying being on the show the second time. And I think The View garnered a lot of publicity over the feud as well. I think that s why we re on. Goldberg said, We haven t put out any ads or anything. Fiorina said, I haven t put out any ads either, Whoopi. Via: Breitbart News | 0 |
Itinerant Philosopher and Journalist Y ou say “European cultural institutions”, and what should come immediately to mind are lavish concerts, avant-garde art exhibitions, high quality language courses and benevolent scholarships for talented cash-strapped local students. PHOTO : Mozart, Bach, Beethoven—some of the Giants that gave European civilization its right to claim supremacy over others. What would they think if they could understand the gravity of the cultural and social decomposition brought about by the embrace of essentially an immoral and downright criminal system of social organization? It is all so noble, so civilized! Or, is it really? Think twice! I wrote my short novel, “Aurora” , after studying the activities of various Western ‘cultural institutions’, in virtually all the continents of the Planet. I encountered their heads; I interacted with the ‘beneficiaries’ of various funding schemes, and I managed to get ‘behind the scenes’. What I discovered was shocking: these shiny ‘temples of culture’ in the middle of so many devastated and miserable cities worldwide (devastated by Western imperialism and by its closest allies – the shameless local elites), are actually extremely closely linked to Western intelligence organizations. They are directly involved in the neo-colonialist project, which is implemented virtually on all continents of the world, by North America, Europe and Japan. ‘Culture’ is used to re-educate and to indoctrinate mainly the children of the local elites. Funding and grants are put to work where threats and killing were applied before. How does it work? It is actually all quite simple: rebellious, socially-oriented and anti-imperialist local artists and thinkers are now shamelessly bought and corrupted. Their egos are played on with great skill. Trips abroad for ‘young and talented artists’ are arranged, funding dispersed, scholarships offered. Carrots are too tasty, most would say, ‘irresistible’. Seals of approval from the Empire are ready to stamp those blank pages of the lives of still young, unrecognized but angry and sharp young artists and intellectuals from those poor, colonized countries. It is so easy to betray! It is so easy to bend. Some, very few countries are almost incorruptible, like Cuba. But Cuba is a unique country. And it is intensively demonized by Western propaganda. “La Patria no se vende!” they say there, or in translation “One does not sell the Fatherland!” But one, unfortunately, does, almost everywhere else in the world: from Indonesia to Turkey, from Kenya to India. *** “ Aurora” opens in a small cafe in an ancient city in Indonesia (which is not called Indonesia). Hans, the German head of an unnamed cultural institute is talking to his local ‘disciples’. He loves his life here: all the respect he gets, those countless women he is sexually possessing and humiliating, the lavish lifestyle he is allowed to lead. A woman enters; a beautiful woman, a proud woman, an artist, a woman who was born here but who left, many years ago, for far away Venezuela. Her name is Aurora. Her husband is Orozco, a renowned revolutionary painter. Aurora’s sister was killed in this country, because she refused to give up her revolutionary art. She was kidnapped, tortured, raped, and then murdered. Hans, the head of a European cultural organization, was involved. Aurora confronts Hans, and in reality, the entire European culture of plunder and colonialism. And that night she is joined, she is supported, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, or more precisely, by his merry ghost, who is thoroughly disgusted of being used as one of the symbols of the ‘culture’ which destroyed him personally, which destroyed the very essence of the arts, and which has been in fact destroying, for centuries, this entire Planet. *** When I recently shared the plot of “Aurora” with a local ‘independent’ filmmaker in Khartoum, Sudan, he first listened attentively, and then with horror, and in the end he made a hasty dash towards the door. He escaped, not even trying to hide his distress. Later I was told that he is fully funded by Western ‘cultural institutions’. After reading it, my African comrades, several leading anti-imperialist fighters, immediately endorsed the book, claiming that it addressed some of the essential problems their continent is facing. The cultural destruction the Empire is spreading is similar everywhere: in Africa, Asia and in Latin America.
I wrote “Aurora” as a work of art, as fiction. But I also wrote it as a J’accuse 1 – a detailed study of cultural imperialism.
My dream is that it would be read by millions of young thinkers and artists, on all continents, that it would help them to understand how the Empire operates, and how filthy and disgraceful betrayal is.
1 J’accuse is French for “I accuse,” and is generally used to mean an attack against social injustice. It references a 1898 newspaper article by Emile Zola who accused the French government of fabricating a charge of treason against a Jewish military officer, Alfred Dreyfus, because he was Jewish. Andre Vltchek Philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist, Andre Vltchek has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are revolutionary novel “Aurora” and two bestselling works of political non-fiction: “ Exposing Lies Of The Empire ” and “ Fighting Against Western Imperialism ” . View his other books here . Andre is making films for teleSUR and Al-Mayadeen. After having lived in Latin America, Africa and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter . PLEASE COMMENT AND DEBATE DIRECTLY ON OUR FACEBOOK GROUP INSTALLATION Note to Commenters Due to severe hacking attacks in the recent past that brought our site down for up to 11 days with considerable loss of circulation, we exercise extreme caution in the comments we publish, as the comment box has been one of the main arteries to inject malicious code. Because of that comments may not appear immediately, but rest assured that if you are a legitimate commenter your opinion will be published within 24 hours. If your comment fails to appear, and you wish to reach us directly, send us a mail at: [email protected]
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Judith Katherine Dunning had been waiting anxiously for California to adopt legislation that would make it legal for her to end her life. The cancer in her brain was progressing despite several rounds of treatment. At 68, she spent most of her day asleep and needed an aide to help with basic tasks. More centrally, Ms. Dunning — who, poignantly, had worked as an oral historian in Berkeley, Calif. — was losing her ability to speak. Even before the End of Life Option Act became law, in October 2015, she had recorded a video expressing her desire to hasten her death. The video, she hoped, would make her wishes clear, in case there were any doubts later on. “She felt she had completed all the important tasks of her life,” recalled her physician, Dr. Michael Rabow, director of the symptom management service at the University of California, San Francisco. “When she could no longer communicate, life was no longer worth living. ” In recent months, this option has become available to a growing number of Americans. Last June, legislation took effect in California, the most populous state. In November, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure by nearly a majority. The District of Columbia Council has passed a similar law, and the mayor quietly signed it last month. Aid in dying was already legal in Washington, Vermont, Montana and Oregon. So even if the District of Columbia’s law is blocked, as a prominent Republican representative has threatened to do, the country has arrived at a remarkable moment: Close to 20 percent of Americans live in jurisdictions where adults can legally end their lives if they are terminally ill and meet eligibility requirements. The laws, all based on the Death With Dignity Act Oregon adopted in 1997, allow physicians to write prescriptions for lethal drugs when patients qualify. The somewhat complicated procedure involves two oral requests and a written one, extensive discussions, and approval by two physicians. Patients must have the mental capacity to make medical decisions. While that process took shape in Oregon two decades ago, the cultural and political context surrounding it has changed considerably. The states recently considering the issue differ from earlier adopters, and as opposition from some longtime adversaries has softened, new obstacles have arisen. Historically, aid in dying has generated fierce resistance from the Catholic Church, from certain activists, and from others who cite religious or moral objections. Even the terminology — aid in dying? assisted suicide? death with dignity? — creates controversy. But the concept has long drawn broad support in public opinion polls. Polltakers for the General Social Survey, done by NORC at the University of Chicago have asked a representative national sample this question since 1977: “When a person has a disease that cannot be cured, do you think doctors should be allowed by law to end the patient’s life by some painless means if the patient and his family request it?” The proportion of Americans responding affirmatively, always a substantial majority, has bounced between 66 and 69 percent for 15 years. But support was not evenly distributed: Such laws initially were enacted in states with predominantly white populations like Oregon, and to date the vast majority of patients who have used them are white. “I hear people talk all the time about this being a rich white person’s issue,” said Donna Smith, legislative manager for the District of Columbia at the group Compassion and Choices, who is . “Now, we have proof on the ground that that is not true. ” Indeed, aid in dying has expanded to more diverse locales. whites represent a minority of Californians. Colorado is more than 21 percent Latino. In the District of Columbia, nearly half of whose residents are five of six black council members voted in favor of the legislation. State medical societies, once active foes of initiatives, also have begun shifting their positions, citing deep divisions among their members. The California Medical Association, the Colorado Medical Society and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia all took officially neutral stances as legislators and voters debated, depriving opponents of influential allies. So has the state medical society in Maryland, where legislators plan to reintroduce a bill (the third attempt) this month. The American Medical Association, an opponent since 1993, has asked its Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs to look at the issue and submit a report in June, though without recommending any policy. But even as the idea gains acceptance, passage of a bill or ballot measure does not always make aid in dying broadly available to those who want it. In addition to the safeguards the law requires, its practice can be balky — at least in the early stages. State provisions allow any individual or institution to decline to provide prescriptions. In California, Catholic health care systems have opted out, predictably, but so have a number of others, including Vitas, the nation’s largest hospice chain. Moreover, California hospitals and hospices can forbid their affiliated physicians to write the necessary prescriptions, even if they are acting privately. Some health systems with hundreds of doctors have done so. (Vermont, Colorado and the District of Columbia allow doctors to make individual decisions.) “The shortage of participating providers has led to a lot of patient and family frustration,” said Dr. Laura Petrillo, palliative care physician at the San Francisco V. A. Medical Center, in an email. “They had the expectation that it would be available and happen seamlessly once the law went into effect, and then find themselves needing to do a lot of legwork” to find doctors willing to prescribe lethal drugs and pharmacies to fill prescriptions, she said. Sometimes, when patients have waited until late in their illnesses, they die before they can become eligible for assisted death. Or they become too physically or mentally incapacitated to take the drugs themselves, as legally required, even if they do qualify. In areas where many providers opt out, very sick patients may have to travel long distances to use the law. And costs can also prove a barrier. Some private insurers pay for the necessary doctors’ visits and drugs. In California, most do, said Matt Whitaker, state director of Compassion and Choices, the leading advocacy group. But Congress has long prohibited the use of federal dollars for aid in dying, so Medicare and the Department of Veterans Affairs will not cover it. States like California and Oregon have agreed to cover the costs for Medicaid recipients others do not. Cost mattered less years ago, when a lethal dose of barbiturates ran a couple of hundred dollars. But in 2015, as California legislators introduced their bill, Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquired Seconal, the most commonly used drug. The company, known (and condemned) for a similar strategy with other medications, spiked the price, a move Mr. Whitaker called “ethically and morally bankrupt. ” Now, patients whose insurers will not cover aid in dying face paying $3, 000 to $4, 000 for the drug. Valeant has denied the suggestion that it was exploiting the new law. As a result, physicians are turning to alternative — and — combinations of opioids and sedatives for those who cannot afford the standard medication. Despite such obstacles and disappointments, an emboldened Compassion and Choices, with a staff that has tripled since 2008 and an annual budget that has nearly quadrupled to $16. 9 million — is eyeing its next targets. Over several years, its leaders think they can help legalize aid in dying in Maryland, Hawaii and New York. Aid in dying, it should be noted, may be a vehemently debated issue, with campaigns that can involve thousands of participants and millions of dollars — but it ultimately has affected a tiny proportion of people. The number of residents taking advantage of these laws in Oregon and Washington has climbed in the past two years. Still, after nearly 20 years in Oregon and eight in Washington, far fewer than 1 percent of annual deaths involve a lethal prescription. (Of those residents who do receive one, about a third do not use it.) It’s not the way most Americans choose to die, even when they have the legal option. Yet the end of life care most people receive needs substantial improvement. While partisans fight over aid in dying, skeptics like Dr. Rabow note, the complicated and expensive measures that could improve care for the great majority — overhauled medical education, better staffed and operated nursing homes, increased access to hospice and palliative care — go largely unaddressed. Still, Ms. Dunning was Dr. Rabow’s longtime patient. When California’s act took effect, she began the process of requesting lethal medication. Her speech had slurred further, but not yet enough to render her unintelligible. Dr. Rabow did not want to see her die, and he is no fan of the movement. But Ms. Dunning had been clear, consistent and determined. He wrote the prescription. “She was ready to have her life end, and no amount of support or medication or counseling would change the situation,” he said. In September, she invited him to her home, where she planned to swallow the fatal slurry of barbiturates. On the appointed day, Dr. Rabow arrived to find “a house full of people who didn’t want her to end her life, but were there to support her and respect her decision. ” Over the course of the day, people said their goodbyes, then withdrew to leave Ms. Dunning with her closest relatives, her hospice nurse and her doctor. Her son mixed her Seconal solution and she swallowed it, no simple task for someone with advanced cancer. She lost consciousness almost immediately and died several hours later. “I wished she could have had a natural life span,” Dr. Rabow said. “And I would have made a different choice. But I was honored to be there to watch this very dignified woman live her life the way she wanted to. ” | 0 |
21st Century Wire says The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is dropping all charges against an arms dealer whose weapons made it into the hands of radical Libya militants.Early this week a motion was filed by the DOJ to drop charges against an American arms dealer named Marc Turi, according to federal court records obtained by Politico.Also according to Politico: The deal averts a trial that threatened to cast additional scrutiny on Hillary Clinton s private emails as Secretary of State, and to expose reported Central Intelligence Agency attempts to arm rebels fighting Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi. LIBYA FALLOUT (Photo Illustration 21WIRE s Shawn Helton)In the book entitled Definitive Report by both Jack Murphy (Army Green Beret) and Brandon Webb (Navy SEAL), a close friend of Glen Doherty (one of the Americans killed during the Benghazi siege) it was revealed that Obama s former deputy NSA advisor and current CIA director, John Brennan had been directing covert black-ops in Libya as well as other parts in North Africa, prior to the siege that left four Americans dead at a compound in Benghazi.Brennan s covert operations were said to have prompted retaliation inside the compound in Libya as former CIA director David Petraeus had been blackmailed into resignation by senior CIA officials.All of this information was preceded by a massive cover-up involving mainstream media, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Susan Rice and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both of whom initially blamed the siege on a heavily propagandized YouTube film entitled, The Innocence of Muslims. This meme was spread on many major talk shows even though evidence failed to connect the film to the attack.In addition, the White House and President Barack Obama had many inconsistencies in their talking points about Benghazi, first labeling it a terror attack, then quickly shifting gears, denying that there were Al Qaeda operatives anywhere near the compound.US Ambassador Christopher Stevens was said to have helped manage a large gun-running operation from the Special Mission Compound in Benghazi, as he was also said to have helped ship guns to al-Qaeda-linked opposition to assist in the takedown of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi.In a Business Insider report from October of 2012, the Benghazi story dovetailed the growing proxy war in Syria: In March 2011 Stevens became the official U.S. liaison to the al-Qaeda-linked Libyan opposition, working directly with Abdelhakim Belhadj of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group a group that has now disbanded, with some fighters reportedly participating in the attack that took Stevens life.In November 2011 The Telegraph reported that Belhadj, acting as head of the Tripoli Military Council, met with Free Syrian Army [FSA] leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey in an effort by the new Libyan government to provide money and weapons to the growing insurgency in Syria. As 21WIRE has previously reported in 2014, It s worth noting here: like Libya s new militant governor of Tripoli, Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the Chechen terrorist group Kata ib Mohadzherin s leader Airat Vakhitov was also under US supervision for years imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba circa 2002, after being captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Both were Belhadj and Vakhitov were released by the Pentagon only to be repatriated in the field again back into fighting regions to organise al Qaeda-type Islamist groups both active in countries which the US and NATO have been actively vying for regime change in Libya and Syria, respectively. You can draw your own conclusions here about what Guantanamo is in reality, a fact which was confirmed by thePenny Lane leaks regarding the recruitment of double agents out of Gitmo. Interestingly, in a NY Times article from December of 2012 entitled, U.S.-Approved Arms for Libya Rebels Fell Into Jihadis Hands, we see an acknowledgement of an arms shipment at the behest of the Obama administration under the watchful eye of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton but the mainstream media appears to have provided cover for the White House and State Department by blaming Qatar for the weapons transfer to militants: The Obama administration secretly gave its blessing to arms shipments to Libyan rebels from Qatar last year, but American officials later grew alarmed as evidence grew that Qatar was turning some of the weapons over to Islamic militants, according to United States officials and foreign diplomats.No evidence has emerged linking the weapons provided by the Qataris during the uprising against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to the attack that killed four Americans at the United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in September.But in the months before, the Obama administration clearly was worried about the consequences of its hidden hand in helping arm Libyan militants, concerns that have not previously been reported. The weapons and money from Qatar strengthened militant groups in Libya, allowing them to become a destabilizing force since the fall of the Qaddafi government. The spectre of Benghazi looms large when connecting the Middle Eastern dots over the past five years.More from Zero Hedge below TRAIL OF BLOOD Many questions about 2012 s Benghazi terror siege remain unanswered. (Image Source: foxnews)DOJ Drops Charges Against Arms Dealer Who Threatened To Expose Hillary Arming Islamic ExtremistsZero HedgeIn what would under other circumstances likely be a major media spectacle, Politico reported that the Obama administration is moving to dismiss charges against an arms dealer whom it had accused of selling weapons destined for Libyan rebels and who had threatened to expose Hillary Clinton s talks about arming anti-Qaddafi rebels.According to a motion filed in federal court in Phoenix, the DOJ on Monday filed a motion to drop the case against the arms dealer, an American named Marc Turi. One potential reason for the surprising move is that as Politico writes, the deal averts a trial that threatened to cast additional scrutiny on Hillary Clinton s private emails as Secretary of State, and to expose reported Central Intelligence Agency attempts to arm rebels fighting Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi.Turi was indicted in 2014 on four felony counts: two of arms dealing in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and two of lying to the State Department in official applications. The charges accused Turi of claiming that the weapons involved were destined for Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, when the arms were actually intended to reach Libya. Turi s lawyers argued that the shipments were part of a U.S. government-authorized effort to arm Libyan rebels. It s unclear if any of the weapons made it to Libya, and there s no evidence linking weapons provided by the U.S. government to the Benghazi attacks.According to Politico government lawyers were facing a Wednesday deadline to produce documents to Turi s legal team, and the trial was officially set to begin on Election Day, although it likely would have been delayed by protracted disputes about classified information in the case. A Turi associate asserted that the government dropped the case because the proceedings could have embarrassed Clinton and President Barack Obama by calling attention to the reported role of their administration in supplying weapons that fell into the hands of Islamic extremist militants.Making matters worse, Turi s case had delved into emails sent to and from the controversial private account that Clinton used as Secretary of State, which the defense planned to harness at any trial. They don t want this stuff to come out because it will look really bad for Obama and Clinton just before the election, said the associate.Leery of admitting the actual truth, in the dismissal motion, prosecutors were vague saying that discovery rulings from U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell contributed to the decision to drop the case. The joint motion asks the judge to accept a confidential agreement to resolve the case through a civil settlement between the State Department and the arms broker.This story continues at Zero Hedge READ MORE ISIS NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire ISIS Files READ MORE LIBYA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Libya FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 0 |
WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio on Sunday ruled out becoming Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, but said he’d be “honored” to play some kind of a role in helping him win the White House. Rubio, who clashed bitterly with Trump in the brutal race for the Republican nomination, said his policy differences with the real estate mogul were too great for Rubio to join the ticket. “I wouldn’t be the right choice for him,” Rubio said in an extensive interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “Donald deserves to have a vice president - he’s earned the nomination - and he deserves to have a running mate that more fully embraces some of the things he stands for.” Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, ended his White House bid in March after an embarrassing loss in his home state. Trump, who has practically ensured he will emerge as the nominee from the Republican convention in July, derided Rubio as a lightweight and dubbed him “Little Marco.” Rubio called the real estate mogul a con artist and quipped about his small hands, a charge that Trump took to mean as questioning the size of his manhood. Rubio and Trump differed sharply on policy issues, with Trump eschewing the interventionist approach favored by Rubio and Rubio criticizing Trump’s call for temporarily banning the entry of Muslims into the United States. Ahead of the July 18-21 Republican convention, Trump has sought to unify the party behind him and gain the backing of other prominent party figures. Rubio said he expected to attend the convention and did not rule out a speaking role. He said he wanted to be helpful to Trump’s presidential run because he wants to see likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton defeated in the Nov. 8 U.S. election. “I don’t want Hillary Clinton to be president. If there’s something I can do to help that from happening and it’s helpful to the cause I’d most certainly be honored to be considered for that,” Rubio said. In another olive branch to Trump, Rubio said he regretted making the “small hands” remark about his former foe. “I actually told Donald at one of the debates. I forget which one - I apologized to him for that,” Rubio said. “I said ‘I’m sorry that I said that.’ It’s not who I am. And I shouldn’t have done it.” | 1 |
After former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates bravely stood up to intimidation attempts from President* Trump and testified that The Donald s administration is shady as f*ck, Donald Trump put his Twitter thumbs to work attempting to distract from his collusion from Russia with a mix of lies, untruths, and fabrications.Trump claimed that James Clapper confirmed that there is no evidence of collusion with Russia (he didn t), that Sally Yates provided nothing of value (she did), that the Trump-Russia story is a hoax (it isn t), and that the biggest story is his ridiculous claim that Obama tapped his microwave or something (it isn t).Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is "no evidence" of collusion w/ Russia and Trump. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017Sally Yates made the fake media extremely unhappy today she said nothing but old news! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017Biggest story today between Clapper & Yates is on surveillance. Why doesn't the media report on this? #FakeNews! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017In reality, Yates confirmed under oath that she warned the white House that Flynn was compromised and that Trump s former national security advisor was not fired until 18 days later despite the known national security risk. That s pretty huge, as Trump will learn in his eventual impeachment hearings.Trump is correct that surveillance is a big story in that it s interesting that pretty much every single Republican seemed more concerned with unmasking than the Trump administration s misdeeds. The FAKE NEWS will almost assuredly be reporting on that in the coming days.To be clear, Clapper did not say there was zero evidence of collusion, and this taxpayer funded charade will end when the truth comes out.Trump may be strutting and ruffling his feathers, but Americans aren t buying it:@realDonaldTrump And Sally Yates reiterated what we already knew: You've been covering for Flynn and ignoring repeated warnings. jordan ? (@JordanUhl) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Nope, not what he said. He said he wasn't even made aware of the investigation. So of course he wouldn't be made aware of the evidence. Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Wrong! He said he wasn't made aware of the investigation, so didn't know the evidence. Today was a disaster for you. Dave Hogg ? (@Stareagle) May 8, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Yea, that s not what he said. You sure like to misquote people. Fortunately, there s a thing called video. Al x Young (@AlexYoung) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump She swore under oath that you ignored repeated warnings about Flynn. jordan ? (@JordanUhl) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump We must have been watching two different hearings.#SallyYates whooped your ass.#TrumpRussia#MarchForTruth pic.twitter.com/tgTlcISfvS Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Clearly your evening dump is taking longer than anticipated, so thank you for this. Remember to wipe gently, haemorrhoids can sting. Mike P Williams (@Mike_P_Williams) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump She said you didn't vet your Nat'l Sec Advisor. That's bad! When you were told he was a spy, you protected him. That's worse! #SallyYates Heather Whaley (@HeatherWhaley) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Ha! The fact that you hired a compromised Russian spook as your National Security Advisor is now "old news." Noted. Good work Donny. John Kinnear (@askdadblog) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump This is the best you can do in response to Sally Yates testimony? It wasn t exciting enough for the media?Weak, Donald. So damn weak. MatthewDicks (@MatthewDicks) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump "When will this taxpayer funded charade end?" Donald Trump, seemingly un-ironically.#TheResistance pic.twitter.com/SwazfjuefG Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump With your resignation, hopefully Edward DeRuiter (@edwardderuiter) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump It seems that as a result of today's Senate hearings, Vegas has the odds for impeachment. ? This news may have you shitting your pants. pic.twitter.com/LAf1NCKs9l Gropey Trumpkin (@boogeywithstu40) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Funny, a "taxpayer funded charade" is what we call Trump's Presidency. Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) May 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump You seem triggered, Don. Gabe Ort z (@TUSK81) May 8, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Better question: When will the taxpayer funded charade that is your presidency end? Al x Young (@AlexYoung) May 8, 2017Trump is done. He knows he s done. It s all a matter of time now.Featured image via screengrab | 0 |
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - When Tuesday s earthquake struck Mexico, Martha Mejia watched the tin walls of her tiny shack quiver and remembered the smell of death that hung in the air of shattered apartment blocks 32 years before. I wanted to scream because I had lived this all before. I wanted to run out and scream, said the 64-year-old Mejia, whose home was destroyed in a 1985 quake that devastated Mexico City. Back then, I was strong. But this time I felt it more. The 1985 earthquake, which killed around 5,000 people, was a defining moment for the Mexican capital. Three decades on, hundreds of its victims are still living in hovel encampments across the sprawling city of 20 million, waiting for long-promised government-subsidized homes - and now the latest quake has made thousands more people homeless. Mejia s apartment building in the Santa Maria la Ribera neighborhood was shaken to the ground in 1985. Today, she lives in one of the encampments with her husband, her daughter and a granddaughter. Their 10-foot by 20-foot hovel in the Lindavista district in the north of the capital has a double bed, a bunk bed and a stove. Supposedly this place was going to be temporary, but that temporary has been my whole life, she said. A heavy rain pounded on the tin roof of the shack as Mejia watched TV coverage of this week s earthquake and wept. Tuesday s tremor - which struck on the anniversary of the 1985 quake - killed close to 300 people. The time has come for me to give up all illusions, Mejia said. Now with this other earthquake, how many people will be left homeless? They are going to make new shelters and we are going to stay in the same one. According to the leaders of the Lindavista camp, its ramshackle shacks are home to around 750 people, divided into roughly 250 families. There are almost 200 children who are the grandchildren of those originally resettled here, according to local leaders. At least six such camps exist in the capital. Mexico City s housing institute said that since 2016, they have delivered 173 homes to victims of the 1985 quake and expected to hand over 120 more before the end of next year. Data on how many homes have been delivered in total since 1985 was not immediately available. With the race for July s presidential race heating up, President Enrique Pena Nieto, the mayor of Mexico City and governors from the affected states rushed to the scene of the recent devastation, making promises to help those affected. Political parties have vied to outdo each other with offers to donate campaign funds to disaster victims. But there is deep skepticism among Mexicans that they will see enough aid. Jeanete Morales, 41, cleans offices in the city and comes home every night to the Lindavista shanty town she first moved into with her mom when she was nine years old. Their three-story apartment building was severely damaged in 1985 and they were soon forced to leave and brought to the camp. They were told they would only be there for two weeks. Now married with four children, Morales still lives at the camp. Her mother died eight years ago. She died believing she would get her house, Morales said. It makes you so mad. You feel so impotent. Morales said officials at the city s housing institute said they already gave her mother an apartment. Alfredo Villegas, one of the leaders of the camp, said Morales mother had not been given a home despite her name appearing on what he said was a government list of those who had been given homes. The list he produced could not be immediately authenticated by Reuters. The questions is: where are those apartments? Villegas said. He said it seemed that city officials were fraudulently selling homes to others. The cost of the government-subsidized homes depends on a victim s income but is often in the range of 250,000-300-000 pesos ($14,000-$17,000), Villegas said. The housing institute did not immediately respond to request for comment. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera has said the problem lies with how the institute delivers housing to the loose organizations that represent the people with a claim to the subsidized housing. At least 2,500 people are sleeping in the streets or in their cars in Mexico City after Tuesday s 7.1 magnitude tremor collapsed dozens of buildings and damaged hundreds more. Thousands of others have lost their homes in the states of Morelos, Puebla and the state of Mexico. Many more in Oaxaca and Chiapas lost their homes in the quake that hit southern Mexico on Sept. 7. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be required for reconstruction in Mexico City, according to the mayor. The home of taxi driver Emanuel Jardon, 60, was severely damaged by the collapse of a neighboring building on Tuesday. Wearing a helmet, he cursed politicians as he cleared debris from his home. It is a vile lie. Right now as the campaigns begin...they come to see us, to supervise, but the months will pass and they will forget, he said. I m sorry to be rude, but they suck. | 1 |
Her husband s overseas in the military, and she s home working in a local salon. She s the everyday American woman Hillary claims to be the champion for. There s only one problem she s doesn t believe that selfish Auntie Hillary should be anywhere the White House Hopeless Hillary Clinton s own family has turned against her and endorsed Donald Trump for president! In a bombshell world exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, the only daughter of Bill Clinton s druggie brother, Roger, revealed she s voting for Hillary s Republican rival instead of her selfish aunt!Hairstylist Macy Smit has never met Hillary. Her father the former first lady s brother-in-law was a deadbeat dad who walked out on her mom when she was pregnant. Something tells me the Clinton side of the family looks at me and my mother as not good enough, but we re hard-working! Macy, 25, said from her home in Tampa, Fla. I support Donald Trump 100 percent! I have been a Democrat my entire life, but Trump is what we need right now somebody who is going to stand up for us. I think at this point Hillary just wants it for the history books to be the first woman president for selfish reasons. Macy works 10 to 12-hour days at a salon, while husband Derrick Smit, 25, is a meteorologist with the U.S. Air Force. He s on active duty in Kuwait, where he helps coordinate air operations into Iraq. He was deployed in July and will return in January. Last year, pregnant Macy suffered heartbreaking tragedy when she lost her baby. At the time, her husband was deployed and she claims she was abandoned by the Clintons.Macy said, They re not as good as everyone thinks they are. I went through some very personal things [without their support]. The Clintons are all talk! Macy s mother Martha, 50, told Radar. Hillary says she s all about family, but she s got a niece she s never met and never acknowledged. The Clintons have never helped us out. According to Macy, she has a distant relationship with her father. Although they talk regularly, Macy said Roger, 60, constantly makes promises he doesn t keep just like Hillary! Radar Online | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday lawmakers and the Trump administration were “on a path” toward reaching a deal on a bill that would keep the government funded beyond Dec. 8. “That job will have to be done by December the eighth, and I think we’re on a path to do that,” McConnell told reporters, without providing any details. | 1 |
President Obama says he first learned from news reports that his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, used a private email account during her tenure, amid reports the White House and State Department may have known as far back as last August that Clinton did not use government email.
“The same time everybody else learned it, through news reports,” Obama told CBS’ Bill Plante, in response to a question of when the president learned of Clinton’s use of a private email account for conducting government business.
Obama, in an interview with CBS aired Sunday, continued to stand by his claims that “the policy of my administration is to encourage transparency… and that's why my emails -- the BlackBerry that I carry around -- all those records are available and archived and I'm glad that Hillary has instructed that those emails that had to do with official business need to be disclosed.”
His comments came as Politico.com reported that Clinton’s staff made the decision to keep the news of the emails quiet after the White House, State Department and Clinton’s personal office learned in August that House Republicans had been given information showing that Clinton used a private email account to conduct official government business.
During the CBS interview, Obama praised Clinton: “Let me just say that Hillary Clinton is and has been an outstanding public servant; she was a great secretary of state for me.”
The White House struggled Friday to respond to the Politico report.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that a few officials noticed Clinton wasn’t using a .gov email address. However, he did not say when they noticed and if it raised any red flags. Earnest also brought up the notion that he would not be surprised if Obama learned about it from “newspapers.”
Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarret told Bloomberg News Friday morning she never received an email from Clinton’s private address and did not know if Obama or any other official did either.
According to Politico, the White House, State Department and Clinton’s personal office knew in August that the former secretary of state had used a private email to conduct official business. The State Department became aware while the agency was preparing a batch of 15,000 emails requested by House Republicans in the Benghazi investigation.
“State Department officials noticed that some of the 15,000 pages of documents included a personal email address for Clinton, and State and White House officials conferred on how to handle the revelation,” Politico wrote. “But those involved deferred to Clinton’s aides, and they decided not to respond.
It is unclear who at the White House did the conferring. Jamal Ware, spokesman for the Republican-led Select Committee on Benghazi, confirmed that he noticed Clinton was included on messages at the address [email protected] when going through State Department documents in “late summer,” and then more on documents in February.
However, Ware told The Associated Press on Thursday that it wasn’t until Feb. 28, just days before the scandal broke, that the State Department acknowledged Clinton only used personal email while in office. After that, the committee, chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., announced it has subpoenaed all of Clinton’s emails relating to Benghazi – including any communications from her personal email and server, as well as texts, attachments and pictures.
The Associated Press earlier this week quoted an anonymous source saying the White House counsel's office was also not aware of Clinton's exclusive use of personal email during her tenure, and only found out as part of the congressional investigation.
Clinton has drawn criticism for using a private server during the four years she was a top official in Obama’s cabinet. Her use of personal emails has raised questions as to whether all important messages were secure and if they were turned over for congressional investigations and lawsuits.
She tried to dampen the growing controversy with a tweet Wednesday, saying she wanted the State Department to quickly release the emails during her time as secretary of state. But a senior State Department official told Reuters on Thursday the task would take time.
"The review is likely to take several months given the sheer volume of the document set," the official said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 0 |
GOFFSTOWN – Chris Christie kicked off a two day swing to New Hampshire with a sober prescription for tackling escalating entitlement spending.
The New Jersey governor and potential Republican presidential candidate proposed raising the retirement age for Social security to 69, means testing for Social Security, and gradually raising the eligibility age for Medicare.
Christie outlined his proposals on entitlement reform at a speech Tuesday morning at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
“In the short term, it is growing the deficit and slowly but surely taking over all of government. In the long term, it will steal our children’s future and bankrupt our nation. Meanwhile, our leaders in Washington are not telling people the truth. Washington is still not dealing with the problem,” Christie said.
“Washington is afraid to have an honest conversation about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid with the people of our country. I am not,” the governor added.
Christie said that Social Security should be retirement insurance, and he proposed what he described as “modest” means testing.
“Let’s ask ourselves an honest question: do we really believe that the wealthiest Americans need to take from younger, hardworking Americans to receive what, for most of them, is a modest monthly Social Security check? I propose a modest means test that only affects those with non-Social Security income of over $80,000 per year, and phases out Social Security payments entirely for those that have $200,000 a year of other income,” Christie said.
He added that his proposal would only affect 2 percent of all Social Security recipients.
When it comes to Medicare, Christie would increase the current sliding scare of means testing.
“We should expand the sliding scale under my proposal. Seniors with an $85,000 a year income will pay 40% of premium costs and increasing it to 90% above $196,000 a year in retirement income, Christie said.
Christie also proposed raising the retirement age for Social Security.
“I’m proposing we raise the age to 69, gradually implementing this change starting in 2022 and increasing the retirement age by two months each year until it reaches 69. I also believe we need to raise the early retirement age – people who take their retirement early -- at a similar pace, raising it by two months per year until it reaches 64 from the current level of 62,” Christie
And he also called for raising the eligibility age for Medicare at what he described as “a manageable pace of one month per year, so that by 2040, you’d be eligible for Medicare at 67 years old, and by 2064 would be 69 years old. Raising the eligibility age, slowly so that people can plan for it, has another advantage. It encourages seniors to remain in the workforce.”
Christie also trained some of his fire on President Barack Obama, saying the president “has left us a debtor nation. In his short time in office, he has almost doubled the national debt – increasing it by over $8 trillion.”
“It won’t be easy to turn around the fiscal mess that Barack Obama has left us either. He has avoided the tough decisions. Imagine that the straightforward discussion I’ve just had with you today, President Obama has been afraid to have with you for the last eight years -- from the day he declared for president in February of 2007 to this very day,” Christie added.
[How Chris Christie is plotting a comeback with town hall meetings]
Christie ended his speech by touting that he’s not afraid to tackle the difficult issues, like entitlement reform.
“Here’s what you’ll learn about me. I have been talking about the growth of entitlements as a big problem, at both the state and federal levels, for a number of years. Not because it is politically popular, but because it is true. And because it will affect everything we can do as a country to make this century the second American century. I will not pander. I will not flip flop. I’m not afraid to tell you the truth as I see it, whether you like it or not,” Christie concluded.
Prior to his address, Christie met with students at Saint Anselm College. After a conference call with conservative reporters who were unable to watch the speech, Christie was headed to a retail stop at Caesario’s Pizza on Elm Street in Manchester.
Later in the day he was scheduled to hold a meet and greet at the Stone Church Tavern in Newmarket, followed by a closed door Seacoast Roundtable hosted by Renee Plummer, one of the most influential GOP activists along the coast.
Wednesday Christie meets and greets voters at Chez Vachon, a breakfast spot in Manchester, before holding a town hall in Londonderry. He returns to New Hampshire on Friday to speak at the NHGOP’s First-in-the-Nation Leadership Summit. The two-day confab in Nashua’s attracting just about every declared candidate and probable Republican White House contender. | 0 |
[Kp note: started writing on 10-29, but posted on 10-30, so I changed the date in the title.]
Not sure what those “things” are yet, but I’m sure they’ll come.
There’s a lot of “something” going on today, at least within me. There was a period of time today when I felt I was walking around in another dimension… definitely not here , fully, at least, and more like in a “dream” or “transparent” type of shape. It actually felt very pleasant, and very much more “at home” than living upon/in this 3D-4D-whatever type physical “world” thing.
I have “stuff” to do, as I walk and move and BE upon this planet… even though I know I AM a BE ing of Light, yet I am here in the physical body, and I (apparently) have accepted that and know I have “physical type” areas in which to “work” (lots of quote marks in there).
This blog will very likely always be a secondary part of my expression here, however, as my DOing and BEing primarily centers on the “Energy work” I feel is mine to do. It is particularly significant that I am in Hawai’i, formerly known as Lemuria, and performing most of the “Energy missions” over here. Somehow the islands feel like fingers of my own hand… and that has been true ever since I first arrived.
I’m not trying to “teach” anything here. Just share the “sense” I have about all this stuff… from my viewpoint… no one else’s.
So why am I writing this particular post? Well, as always, I felt an urgent movement to do so. And I presume I’ll be following or listening to that “movement” for my entire experience here on this planet.
That is all for now.
Aloha, Kp | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy on Friday finalized a determination that the landmark fuel efficiency rules instituted by President Barack Obama should be locked in through 2025, a bid to maintain a key part of his administration’s climate legacy. Major U.S. and foreign automakers have appealed to President-elect Donald Trump, who has been critical of Obama’s climate policies, to review the rules requiring them to nearly double fleet-wide fuel efficiency by 2025, saying they impose significant costs and are out of step with consumer preferences. As part of a 2012 regulation, EPA had to decide by April 2018 whether to modify the 2022-2025 model year vehicle emission rules requiring average fleet-wide efficiency of more than 50 miles per gallon. In November, the agency moved up the timetable for proposing that automakers can meet the 2025 standards. McCarthy said in a statement her determination, a legally binding decision to maintain the fuel efficiency rules, rests on an extensive technical record. McCarthy said in her determination the rules are “feasible, practical and appropriate” and in “the best interests of the auto industry.” She told automakers the EPA could consider adopting new rules “to provide additional incentives for very clean technologies or flexibilities that could assist manufacturers with longer term planning.” In 2011, Obama announced agreement with major automakers to raise fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 miles per gallon. This, the administration said, would save motorists $1.7 trillion in fuel costs over the life of the vehicles, but cost the auto industry about $200 billion over 13 years. In July, EPA said because Americans were buying fewer cars and more SUVs and trucks, it now estimated the fleet will average 50.8 mpg to 52.6 mpg in 2025. Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade association representing General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp , Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and others, criticized the decision. “Our fundamental priority remains striking the right balance to continue fuel economy gains and carbon reduction without compromising consumer affordability and vital auto-sector jobs,” she said. Automakers hope to work with regulators and California, Bergquist said, “to see whether we can find a prudent compromise path forward that avoids an unnecessary and counterproductive regulatory collision.” Environmental groups praised the decision. Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the standards were working. “Automakers have the technologies to continue their progress in a cost-effective way. It will keep us on track to reduce oil use by 2.4 million barrels a day, cut global warming emissions and keep American-made vehicles competitive in a rapidly-changing global market,” he said. Legal experts have said it will be more difficult for the Trump administration and Congress to undo the determination than to unwind other regulatory actions issued by the Obama administration during its final months in office. The 2025 determination is not a new regulation, so the EPA, under Trump, would likely have to go through an extensive process before withdrawing the determination, and could face lawsuits from environmental groups if they took that step. Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said in a statement “a new administration is no reason to shift progress to reverse.” | 1 |
ATLANTA — The report, written on notebook paper by an elementary school student in Chattanooga, Tenn. arrived on Nov. 16. “The bus driver drives fast,” the Woodmore Elementary School student wrote. The driver of Bus No. 366, the child added, drove so that it felt “like the bus is going to flip over. ” And when a student stood in the aisle, the child wrote, the driver “stops the bus and he makes people hit their head. ” Five days later, the bus driver, Johnthony K. Walker, driving 37 children home from Woodmore, strayed from his route and crashed, leaving six children dead in one of the country’s deadliest school bus wrecks in recent years. The crash, for which Mr. Walker has been charged with vehicular homicide, is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Chattanooga police. Records released Friday night by the Hamilton County Department of Education showed that Mr. Walker’s behavior was a frequent worry this semester. In a statement, the school district acknowledged that its records contained “many emails of complaint and concern. ” Mr. Walker, 24, is not a district employee and instead worked for Durham School Services, a contractor based in Illinois that says it carries more than one million schoolchildren each day. Complaints about Mr. Walker flowed into — and from — Woodmore. In September, a parent, Jasmine Mateen, wrote to a teacher that the bus driver was cursing students and slamming on his brakes, “making them hit they heads and fall out” of their seats. “He did intentional stuff to them kids on the bus all the time,” Ms. Mateen said in an interview on Tuesday, a day after one of her daughters was killed in the wreck. Two of Ms. Mateen’s other children were injured. More than a month after Ms. Mateen’s letter, one of Woodmore’s behavioral specialists investigated when Mr. Walker complained about disrespectful students. According to the records released, the specialist, Carlis Shackelford, said that Mr. Walker “stated he did not care about the students and proceeded to tell the students he did not care about them. ” An administrator spoke with Mr. Walker soon afterward. About the time that school officials wrote emails expressing alarm about how often Mr. Walker was making referrals for behavioral issues aboard his bus, they also documented concerns about his driving. “On Tuesday, the driver, in my opinion, was driving way too fast when he pulled out of our school,” Woodmore’s principal, Brenda wrote in an email on Nov. 11. “It was not as bad as yesterday, but still not optimal. ” On Nov. 16, records show, the principal warned in an email that six students had reported that Mr. Walker “was swerving and purposely trying to cause them to fall today. ” A Chattanooga police officer, in an arrest affidavit that was released on Tuesday, said that Mr. Walker had been driving “at a high rate of speed, well above the posted speed limit of 30 m. p. h. ” on Monday afternoon. The police said Wednesday that Mr. Walker, who had been involved in a minor bus accident in September, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the Monday’s wreck. Durham has not responded to questions about its hiring practices or Mr. Walker’s tenure in his job. On Wednesday, the company’s chief executive, David A. Duke, apologized for the wreck and said Durham would “cooperate fully” with investigators. The school district said Friday that it “does not have any records of any accidents or disciplinary records pertaining to Durham employees. ” A spokeswoman for Durham, Molly Hart, said the company had no comment about the documents the school district released. | 0 |
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday to discuss political and security issues during an unannounced trip to Baghdad, state television said. The trip is the first time that Biden, the point person for the White House on Iraq, has visited the country since the United States withdrew its forces in 2011. He is the third and highest-level U.S. official to visit Iraq this month. | 1 |
On her February 19th episode of “Full Measure,” host Sharyl Attkisson investigates new concerns involving the Department of Veterans Affairs. Attkisson examines allegations in a lawsuit against a Veterans Administration contractor getting millions of taxpayer dollars while accused of cheating veterans. [Cleaning up the Department of Veterans Affairs was one of the main themes of President Trump’s 2016 campaign. Attkisson’s “Full Measure” provided Breitbart News the following excerpts of her upcoming show. Born in Iran, David Vatan attended medical school and came to live in the U. S. He got a job in California working for a VA contractor under Lockheed Martin: QTC Medical Services. Vatan’s job was to review medical files of Vietnam vets to see if they’re eligible for payments for injuries from Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide used to remove leaves from trees in jungles where the enemy hid. Vatan: By reviewing their files, I was honored and I felt that I, there is a purpose in what I do and at the end of the day every day, I felt so good if I reviewed a file and I found the evidence that could benefit our veterans. That’s the least I could do. Sharyl: So their ability to get payments or benefits hinged on the reviews that people like you were doing, of their medical files? Vatan: Absolutely. But Vatan says he quickly saw major problems at QTC: large numbers of vets denied benefits after he says their medical files weren’t properly reviewed. Sharyl: What made you think that something wasn’t right? Vatan: I noticed that some of my are reviewing claim folders a lot faster than I did, and then I realize some of them do not have the necessary background to review and understand the highly complex medical records. And, much to my surprise, some of them had only high school education. QTC got $300 to $350 per file. The faster the analysts worked, the more money QTC made. Sharyl: How many files do you think could reasonably be reviewed in a day? Vatan: Five or six based on my observation. Sharyl: But some people were doing fifty? Vatan: Fifty and sixty. QTC staff emails confirmed the files were being pushed through in what Vatan sees as impossibly fast: “We are running behind,” the staff were told. “We were 30 short. ” “We did not do well yesterday. ” “We need to make it up today. ” Vatan reported his concerns to QTC’s senior leadership and parent company, LockheedMartin. Vatan: I approached the management and I was challenged, and then I approached the Lockheed Martin ethics office. Sharyl How did you tell Lockheed Martin what you thought was wrong? Vatan: I told them I believe it’s unethical, unprofessional and as a result, based on the statistics that they have released, it’s unacceptable. Sharyl: The company was getting a huge amount of tax dollars to conduct these reviews? Vatan: Absolutely. I think it’s close to 50 million dollars. That’s your tax money. Sharyl: What would they say? Vatan: They say, “We’ll look into it,” and they conducted several interviews with me, of course the ethics office did, and they took their time and then eventually they send me an email. They said, “your allegations were unsubstantiated. ” After blowing the whistle, Vatan says he faced harassment and retaliation. QTC’s CEO admonished him for “creating a disruptive work environment. ” He was eventually fired for misconduct, which he denies. Vatan filed a whistleblower suit in federal court, alleging fraud and retaliation. The case was dismissed. He’s appealing. Vatan: I felt that not only they’re defrauding for our government, but also at the same time they’re scamming and screwing our veterans. Rep. Phil Roe, : If what he says is true, then these claims have not been properly adjudicated. Congressman Phil Congressman Phil Roe, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, is looking into the handling of Agent Orange claims and Vatan’s allegations. Rep. Roe: I think it needs to be investigated. I think we need to look at it. We certainly have asked the VA for an explanation for it here. QTC has been under scrutiny before. A 2008 audit by the Inspector General found QTC overcharged taxpayers more than $6 million for vets’ medical exams. Yet four years later, QTC got the lucrative government contract to review Agent Orange claims. Rep. Roe: I think the veterans deserve more for the money we’re spending. The VA didn’t respond to Attkisson’s interview requests. Also, QTC declined to comment “due to ongoing litigation. ” Dr. Vatan hopes his story will make the VA and its contractors more accountable, and he still sees the U. S. as among the best countries the world. Sharyl: I see you’re wearing an American pin, an American flag. Why is that? Vatan: I’m proud of this country. It’s one of the safest countries in the world and the safety and security that we all enjoy, we owe it to our veterans because they fought the wars outside of our border in the past. Though QTC and Lockheed Martin wouldn’t talk with Attkisson, their lawyers argued in court, “There is nothing inherently wrong with QTC encouraging people to work quickly. ” QTC said Vatan’s level wasn’t the final say in reviews, because files were then sent to doctors hired for that purpose. They noted that Vatan was part of the first step review, because although he has a medical degree, he did not have a license. The main “Full Measure” website is here and the February 19 show will be available here. “Full Measure” airs Sunday on Sinclair stations nationwide and is streamed live on Sundays at 9:30 a. m. ET at www. fullmeasure. news. | 0 |
Cincinnati (CNN) While Republicans rally in Cleveland this week, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, with help of the Democratic National Committee, will set up shop in the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World" to cast the Republican ticket as out-of-touch with what voters actually want.
But the Clinton campaign also plans to spend a substantial amount of time on defense this week, especially around Clinton's exclusive use of a private email server as secretary of state.
In a fact sheet written and distributed by Brian Fallon, Clinton's national press secretary, the Clinton campaign argues that while Donald Trump will focus on Clinton's emails and FBI Director James Comey's investigation and comments about the issue, most of what the presumptive Republican nominee will say will be false.
"With the Republican National Convention set to take place next week, Trump is likely to continue distorting Comey's words about Clinton's emails," Fallon wrote, adding that while some comments Comey made did provide initial fodder for Trump, his testimony on Capitol Hill earlier this month on the topic "ended up substantiating what Clinton has long said."
The prepared as defense is not just a nod to the fact that Clinton's email controversy continues to nag her, but it's also an acknowledgement to the fact that the one thing that may unite all Republicans in Cleveland this week is disdain for the idea of a Clinton presidency.
Dozens of Clinton aides, from a headquarters less than a mile from the Quicken Loans Arena, will also push their counter-convention plan -- titled "Better Than This" -- this week, trying to "amplify the idea that America is better than the divisive and dangerous rhetoric Donald Trump has offered us," said Christina Reynolds, Clinton's rapid response director.
Clinton's top dollar super PAC, Priorities USA, will also blanket the city in anti-Trump advertising, making sure anyone who gets into a cab in Cleveland gets the question, "Does Donald Trump really speak for you?"
The super PAC has paid for their ad to play in 125 cabs in Cleveland for the entirety of the Republican convention. The spot, which features women and fathers with the daughters wearing Trump shirts and reading some of his more controversial lines about women, will be played an estimated 28,000 times, said the group's spokesman, Justin Barasky.
Clinton herself will not be in Cleveland, but unlike past year when opposing candidates would stay dark most of the week, the former secretary of state has stops scheduled in Ohio, Minnesota and Nevada.
On Monday, when Republicans plan to focus on the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi at their convention, Clinton will announce a plan to register 3 million new voters by Election Day in November when she speaks at the 107th NAACP Annual Convention in Cincinnati, an aide said Sunday.
After the speech, Clinton will attend a Cincinnati voter registration rally for volunteers who have completed at least one shift for Clinton's campaign.
The aide added that voter registration will be a primary campaign focus during the week of the RNC, with the campaign and other Democratic groups hosting more than 500 registration events across the country. Multiple events will take place in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Clinton will also travel to Minneapolis on Monday to attend the American Federation of Teachers Convention and headline a fundraiser.
Clinton will then travel to Nevada on Tuesday, where she will speak at the 42nd International AFSCME Convention and headline another fundraiser.
With much of the political world focused on the Republicans in Cleveland, it is expected that Clinton will respond to Republicans at these events.
Earlier this month in Virginia, Clinton knocked the Republican convention as a great event "If you are into bigotry, bluster and bullying."
"We are going to have a great convention in Philadelphia," Clinton said. "I have no idea what is going to happen in Cleveland."
She added, "It is going to be entertaining I am sure if you are into bigotry, bluster and bullying, if you are into drawing lines between Americans, if you are into insulting groups of Americans, if you are into saying you don't want to let Muslims into the country, you want to round up and deport 11 million people with a quote deportation force, if you enjoy seeing women demeaned."
The Democrats will have an uphill battle to get attention, though. Conventions are a boon for the hosting party, in part, because of the blanket coverage they get by the press. Trump will likely lead cable and broadcast news every night, so the goal Democrats have is to muddy his message and break in at all.
Clinton's aides in Cleveland will try to break through the media's focus on the Republicans with a series of press conference, press calls and events.
"We believe the Republican convention will be a great recruiting tool -- reminding voters how important it is to help Hillary Clinton make history and ensure that Donald Trump never takes the White House," Reynolds said.
According to Reynolds, Democratic events in Cleveland will includes appearances by Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Tim Ryan and Rep. Xavier Becerra, all Democrats who have been talked about as possible vice presidential options for the former secretary of state.
Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz will also headline events, along with Rep. Marcia Fudge, Rep. Joyce Beatty, Ohio Senate candidate Ted Strickland, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Rep. Joe Crowley and Rep. Bennie Thompson. | 1 |
MONROVIA (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Liberia on Wednesday defended the credibility of last month s presidential election there, amid allegations of irregularities and fraud that have delayed a run-off poll. First-round winner George Weah, a former international football star, was initially set to face the runner-up, Vice-President Joseph Boakai, last week to determine who will replace current term-limited President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. But the third-place finisher, Charles Brumskine, contested the outcome of the first round, claiming gross irregularities had occurred and accusing NEC officials of fraud, an allegation the body denies. No accredited Liberian, regional, or international observation group suggested that the cumulative anomalies observed reflect systemic issues sufficient to undermine the fundamental integrity of the electoral process, the U.S. embassy said in a statement. Liberia s Supreme Court ordered the elections commission to fully examine Brumskine s allegations last week, a decision likely to push back the run-off date by weeks and even creates the possibility of the first round being re-run. A number of first-round candidates, including Boakai, have publicly backed Brumskine s challenge to the results and echoed his fraud allegations. The dispute led Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to state in a radio address following the Supreme Court decision that Liberia s democracy was under threat , without elaborating. Efforts by any actors to impede the expressed will of Liberia s people for personal ambition could risk goodwill and future investments in Liberia by international partners, the U.S. statement warned. Liberia, Africa s oldest modern republic, was founded by freed U.S. slaves in 1847, and maintains a special relationship with the United States. The West African timber and rubber producer is still trying to heal the wounds of one of the continent s most brutal civil wars, which ended nearly 15 years ago. A successful vote would be its first democratic transfer of power in more than seven decades. | 1 |
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel piled pressure on Monday on the Social Democrats (SPD) to rejoin a grand coalition with her conservatives, arguing that the European Union and the wider world urgently needed a stable German government in place. More than two months after its Sept. 24 national election, Europe s economic and political powerhouse is still without a government and officials say coalition talks may now properly begin only in the new year. There are European elections in 2019... so there is a big expectation that we take positions, she told reporters, referring to proposals by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and by French President Emmanuel Macron on the future governance of the EU s currency and economic union. Merkel also cited conflicts in the Middle East, tensions with Russia and relations with the United States as factors that required a Germany capable of acting . David McAllister, an executive committee member of Merkel s Christian Democrats (CDU), echoed her views in comments to Reuters, adding that Germany needed to iron out its stance on key EU issues ahead of European Parliament elections in 2019. Diligence definitely comes before speed (in forming a coalition) but the government should be formed in time for Germany to be capable of acting if decisions need to be made (in Europe) in 2018, McAllister said. The conservatives should signal willingness to compromise and avoid drawing red lines as they prepare for talks with the SPD, he said. Preliminary talks are due to begin on Thursday. While the conservatives and SPD have different opinions on Europe, they managed to work together in a 2013-2017 governing coalition and all major parties in Germany agree on fundamental issues relating to the EU, McAllister added. Merkel s initial efforts to forge a three-way coalition with the liberals and the Greens collapsed on Nov. 19, forcing her to approach the SPD, which had wanted to go into opposition after suffering its worst election result in German postwar history. SPD leader Martin Schulz, who has previously been strongly opposed to another grand coalition , said on Monday he ruled nothing out ahead of the preliminary talks. Stung by their previous experience of serving as junior partner in Merkel-led governments - in 2005-09 and again in 2013-17 - the SPD rank-and-file membership shares Schulz s reticence about joining a new coalition. Many SPD members favor a looser arrangement whereby the SPD agrees to tolerate a Merkel-led minority government, supporting or at least agreeing not to vote against certain measures. A poll for RTL and NTV television showed 48 percent of SPD members were in favor of toleration, an inherently less stable form of government, and only 36 percent in favor of a renewed grand coalition. Merkel herself has said she would prefer a fresh election to presiding over a minority government. Schulz has promised to allow SPD members a vote on any deal his party reaches with Merkel. | 1 |
DHAKA (Reuters) - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Tuesday the country is ready to ease the burden of Bangladesh in dealing with Rohingya Muslims fleeing from Myanmar, but the help is likely to be only humanitarian, not financial. We will continue to discus what sort of support Indonesia could make to ease the burden of Bangladesh government, Marsudi told a news conference after she met with the Bangladeshi PM and her counterpart in Dhaka. Myanmar has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations to stop violence against the Muslim Rohingya. At least 400 people were killed and nearly 125,000 fled to Bangladesh in the deadliest bout of violence targeting the minority group in decades. | 1 |
Donald Trump is desperate to stop the investigation into his dirty Russian escapades and even went as far as firing FBI Director James Comey, who just happened to be investigating him. Now, Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she is growing increasingly concerned that Trump might try to fire both Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the probe into Trump s possible collusion with Russia and his obstruction of justice, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.Feinstein, who is the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, laid out her concerns in a statement on Friday. The message the president is sending through his tweets is that he believes the rule of law doesn t apply to him and that anyone who thinks otherwise will be fired. That s undemocratic on its face and a blatant violation of the president s oath of office, she wrote.Citing Trump s most recent tweets regarding the Russia investigation, which he has repeatedly called a witch hunt, Feinstein said Trump has embarked on an effort to undermine anyone with the ability to bring any misdeeds to light. The Senate should not let that happen. We re a nation of laws that apply equally to everyone, a lesson the president would be wise to learn, Feinstein said.Trump doesn t have the authority to fire Mueller. However, he can order Rosenstein to fire him. When Rosenstein testified before Congress, he said that he would only consider firing Mueller if there was good cause. But if Trump wanted to, he is able to fire Rosenstein and appoint someone who, after Senate confirmation, would follow his orders blindly.But Feinstein warned that this would be a huge mistake on Trump s part and would inevitably lead to a revolt of even his staunchest supporters. If the president thinks he can fire Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and replace him with someone who will shut down the investigation, he s in for a rude awakening. Even his staunchest supporters will balk at such a blatant effort to subvert the law, she said.The similarities between Trump and Nixon just keep piling up. If he were to go the route Feinstein fears, it would be the Saturday Night Massacre all over again and would probably lead to the same outcome: impeachment.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 1 |
MARCH 1st is the day! VOTE FOR BECKY GERRITSON FOR US CONGRESS IN ALABAMA S 2ND DISTRICT!WE LOVE THIS WOMAN! Becky Gerritson embodies everything that makes America so special and unique. She is a limited government conservative who is passionate about preserving and protecting the United States of America and everything we, as a nation stand for. She is a military wife and a brave warrior, who is ready to march to Washington DC and shake things up. Becky is running for US Rep. in Alabama s 2nd District. She is up against a RINO incumbent who, has voted to continue support for Obama s reckless Refugee program. Sending Representatives like Becky to DC, who are unafraid to confront an overreaching and out of control government should be a 1st priority for every freedom loving American.Becky moved out of her comfort zone, and into the national spotlight where she bravely faced Congress while staring down the punitive director of the IRS. In her powerful, passionate (and now famous) speech, she demanded the IRS was held accountable for the Stalinist tactics that were used against her, as they attempted silence her conservative views that were in stark contrast to Barack Obama.We are committed to helping Becky Gerritson defeat her RINO incumbent in Alabama.Becky Gerritson is up against an establishment Republican (RINO) in the primary election in Alabama who voted to continue support for a reckless refugee program. Establishment Republicans are now facing serious primary challenges, such as incumbent establishment Republican Martha Roby in Alabama-2, who is being challenged by Becky Gerritson. Roby is trying desperately to run away from the Syrian refugee jihadi threat because she repeatedly voted to fund it.Conservative congressional challenger Becky Gerritson has just issued a stinging challenge on the issue of Muslim immigration to her incumbent establishment Republican opponent Rep. Martha Roby (AL-2). I promise to fight President Obama s open arms policy and oppose all legislation that invites danger into the lives of the men, women, and children of this great nation, Gerritson stated in a pledge to Alabama voters. In essence, this is Obama s Islamic Importation Plan; and we cannot risk adopting his strategy that fails to screen against importing terrorists into this country. And by giving Obama a blank check in the budget and spending bills that could have stopped the Syrian refugee madness Republicans own the Syrian refugee jihadi infiltration problem.Tea Partier, conservative, patriot, wife, mother, Christian- These are some of the words that describe Becky Gerritson, the grassroots activist who was thrown into the national spotlight during the illegal IRS probing of conservative and libertarian interest groups several years ago. During a passionate speech in front of an audience of a congressional sub committee, in which she testified on behalf of her organization- the Wetumpka TEA Party, Becky s words went viral instantly, and began to inspire and encourage activists across the country to hold their government more accountable for it s actions.In October of this year, Gerritson made the decision to shift from grassroots conservative activist, to instead take on the GOP establishment head-on by challenging current Congresswomen Martha Roby (R-AL, 2nd District) to a primary, in order to receive the Republican nomination in time for the 2016 election. Here are some questions Becky was able discuss with me in order to give voters, and Americans across the country, a better look at her candidacy, and what her campaign s presence means to the current state of the Republican Party and establishment politics as a whole:Brownell: Why have you decided now is the best time to run for office? Why congress and not a state level position?Becky: I ve never wanted to run for political office before, and I had always pushed back when others urged me to do so. However, after years of fighting for a restoration of the America I grew up in, I grew tired of seeing my representative fail to share my commitment. Our country is in desperate need of bold, courageous citizen leaders who will step forward to fight for principle. After much prayer, I knew I had to answer the call.Brownell: With the general dissatisfaction with the GOP, even with John Boehner gone, why did you decide to run as a Republican and not an Independent?Becky: I ll be the first to admit that there are many times in which I find myself frustrated with my Party. However, I believe that there is strategic significance to trying to save the Republican Party from within. In Congress, I won t go with what Party leadership over principle. I will, however, use whatever influence I have to return my Party back to conservatism.Brownell: What are some of the biggest concerns you hear from voters in you re district?Becky: Voters are concerned about the future. They see a President and an unelected Supreme Court ruling, not governing. They see their rights taken away. They see a debt rising that threatens the security and economic stability of this country. And, what s worse, many feel helpless. They vote, and then they see nothing change. I m running to be the kind of leader that the voters can know and trust will actually stand up and fight the status quo to change the direction of this country.Brownell: On your website s issues page you have a section discussing your views on the 10th Amendment- do you think that the states have the right to nullify executive orders and acts of congress?Becky: You know, I think every branch of government needs to start exercising its constitutional authority. We need to reign in the Judicial and Executive branches, and the best way to do that is by the Legislative branch and the states reasserting themselves and say no, Mr. President or no, Supreme Court, we are drawing the line here, and you cannot cross. The 10th Amendment has been totally thrown out, and we need more states standing strong in opposition to unconstitutional actions by the federal government.Brownell: As a military wife currently living in a part of Alabama with a large veterans community, do you think the VA needs to be reformed from within, or privatized?Becky: It needs to be completely overhauled, and I think all options need to be on the table. My opponent is pushing to put the solution in the hands of the same VA bureaucracy that got us in this mess. Top-down, bottom- up this system must be overhauled, every job and individual evaluated, and the very manner of doing things analyzed to make sure our veterans never have to deal with an incompetent VA again.Brownell: What is your view of possible boots on the ground in Syria?Becky: Under this president, I absolutely oppose that idea. Under a Republican president, I m still skeptical. The case needs to be made first what our interests are in getting involved. Secondly, a clear strategy for winning- not just the moment, but the long-term future of the region- must be presented. I don t know that those two criteria will ever be met. I believe very strongly in American exceptionalism and leadership in the world. I also believe that we should be very hesitant to send our soldiers into a quagmire. A very strong case would need to be made for this course of action, and I m not sure that case exists.PLEASE click HERE to see where Becky Gerritson stands on issues that affect our entire nation. | 0 |
WEST PALM BEACH (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump sowed more doubt about his position on nuclear proliferation on Friday, reportedly welcoming an arms race even as his spokesman insisted that an atomic weapons build-up was not likely to happen. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, caused alarm on Thursday on Twitter, saying the United States “must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” On Friday, he had an off-air phone conversation about the tweet with MSNBC TV host Mika Brzezinski, who said Trump told her: “Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” MSNBC did not play his comments on air. But Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said in a round of television interviews on Friday that Trump’s comments were meant to send a general message of strength to countries like Russia and China rather than indicate the United States planned to build up its nuclear capabilities. “He is going to do what it takes to protect this country and if another country or countries want to threaten our safety and sovereignty, he is going to do what it takes,” Spicer said on CNN. “If another country expands theirs (nuclear capability), the United States will act in kind ... But I do believe that it won’t happen because I think what they have seen, domestically and internationally, is this is a man of action,” Spicer said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, at his annual news conference in Moscow on Friday, said he saw nothing new or remarkable about Trump’s tweet on Thursday, and made clear he did not see the United States as a potential aggressor. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia has never initiated an arms race and never will, the RIA news agency reported. In an apparent attempt to calm any tensions about his nuclear comments, Trump said in a statement on Friday that he had received “a very nice letter” from Putin earlier this month calling for stronger relations between the two countries. A nuclear arms race is diametrically opposed to decades of Republican orthodoxy that has called for cuts in U.S. nuclear weapons since the Ronald Reagan White House. Trump’s tweet prompted analysts to question whether Trump was threatening to abrogate the 2011 New START treaty, which limits deployed warheads and delivery systems - or would begin deploying other warheads. The United States is one of five nuclear weapons states allowed to keep a nuclear arsenal under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The others are Russia, Britain, France and China. The United States is in the midst of a $1 trillion, 30-year modernization of its aging ballistic missile submarines, bombers and land-based missiles, a price tag that most experts say the U.S. cannot afford. Russia, also bound by the treaty limits, is also carrying out a modernization program but is not expanding its warhead stockpile. Twitter is Trump’s communication method of choice. But its 140-character limit does not lend itself well to talking about complex geopolitical issues like nuclear proliferation fraught with risk, analysts charged. “He must have leaders around the world trying to guess what he means,” Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, said on Thursday. Shares of uranium producers and a nuclear fuel technology company have jumped on Trump’s comments with Uranium Resources Inc, Uranium Energy Corp, Cameco Corp and Lightbridge Corp all trading higher on Friday. | 0 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has canceled a planned news conference in California on Friday to keep campaigning in New York, his campaign said on Thursday. “Mr. Trump has rescheduled his California trip and will be campaigning in New York. He looks forward to returning to California in the weeks ahead,” said Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks. Trump had planned a news conference on Friday at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes. The New York billionaire lost the Wisconsin Republican primary on Tuesday to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and needs to rebound in New York’s primary on April 19. | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A healthcare bill being unveiled by U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday is expected to roll back the Obamacare expansion of the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor and reshape subsidies to low-income people buying private insurance. Those subsidies are expected to be linked to recipients’ income, a “major improvement” from a healthcare overhaul bill passed in the House of Representatives that tied them solely to age, Republican Senator Susan Collins said on Wednesday. The Washington Post reported that the bill would also repeal most of the taxes that pay for the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, give states wider latitude to opt out of its regulations and eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a healthcare provider that offers abortion services. The healthcare bill will be released to the Republican Senate Conference on Thursday morning and posted online, senators said. A vote could come as soon as next week, several senators said. Senate Republicans have been working behind closed doors for weeks on legislation aimed at repealing and replacing major portions of Obamacare, former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. Obamacare extended insurance coverage to millions of Americans through both subsidized private insurance and an expansion of Medicaid. “There is an urgency to get this done because of the continued collapse of the Obama healthcare law,” Senator John Barrasso, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, told CNN. “People across the country are suffering pain and the pain is getting worse as insurance companies are pulling out.” Democrats accuse Republicans of sabotaging Obamacare, and say the Republican healthcare bill is aimed at cutting taxes for the wealthy. Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington said in a statement that leaked details of the bill indicated it was “every bit as devastating for families’ bank accounts and healthcare coverage as the disastrous bill that passed in the House.” President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans campaigned last year on a pledge to replace and repeal Obamacare, which they described as ineffective and government intrusion in a key sector of the economy. Some Republican senators voiced concern on Wednesday about the rush to consider the major legislation as their party’s leaders prepare to unveil it. Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said he wanted to read the bill and discuss it with constituents before he votes. “I’d find it hard to believe we’ll have enough time,” he said, adding that if he did not get enough information, “I won’t be voting yes.” Democrats hoping to block the healthcare measure in the Republican-led Senate need at least two Republicans to defect. The Democrats have criticized the behind-the-scenes meetings, and blocked Senate committees on Wednesday from meeting for over two hours in protest. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, defending the closed-door sessions, has said all Senate Republicans have had a chance to participate in meetings on the bill, and that Democrats are not interested in overhauling Obamacare. Once the plan is unveiled, Senate Republicans will face a skeptical public that thinks the House version would be harmful for low-income Americans and people with pre-existing health conditions, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. Trump told a rally in Iowa on Wednesday night that he hoped the Senate would come up with a “really good” bill. “I’ve been talking about a plan with heart,” Trump said. He had privately called the House legislation “mean,” according to congressional sources. Several weeks of negotiations over the bill have been plagued by tensions between moderates and conservatives. Much of the battle has been over how quickly to phase out the Medicaid expansion that took place under Obamacare. Moderates favored a seven-year phase-out, but the Senate leadership proposed three years starting in 2020. There was also an argument over Medicaid’s growth rate going forward, with conservatives favoring lowering the growth rate in 2025. “That’s what we’re told it might be,” said Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Cassidy said senators had also been told the legislation would continue funding cost-sharing subsidies made available to help low-income Americans under Obamacare “for a couple of years.” Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, said she wanted to read an assessment by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on its impact on cost and insurance coverage before making her decision. “The first concern is how many people will lose coverage and what do the demographics of that group look like,” she said. An estimated 23 million people could lose their healthcare under a similar plan narrowly passed last month by the Republican-controlled House, according to the CBO. | 0 |
This election is THE most important election EVER! Which way will America turn after 8 years of the fundamental transformation ? Let s face it, a large part of the blame for the 8 years of a first term Senator being elected to be the President of the United States is the main stream media s refusal to tell the truth about Obama. Hopefully, Americans have been awakened by this betrayal and will see through the spin this time around. Here s a fantastic synopsis of the latest spin from Megyn Kelly of FOX News:With America the Beautiful crying out in death throes for rescue from its undeserved Fundamental Transformation , Fox News seems intent on making the 2016 presidential election all about Fox News.Move over, Megyn Kelly, America is calling.It doesn t take a conspiracy theorist to recognize a conspiracy, and as the Kelly File proved lat night, it only takes a single television show.One night after immigration opportunist/Univision reporter Jorge Ramos broke the queue taking over the mic at Donald Trump s Dubuque, Iowa event, Megyn Kelly gave him the floor on her Kelly File the same way she gave DNC motor mouth Debbie Wasserman-Schultz rant time as her first guest after the mainly Fox-touted Great Debate .In short, Ramos who was given the bum s rush from the Iowa event, got to make a comeback on last night s Kelly File. Kelly very knowingly asked him, What is it like to be caught in the crosshairs of a billionaire presidential runner? Ramos answered, Well, you know exactly how it feels. In one fell swoop, all the attention went running back to Kelly. Kelly did acknowledge it s not unusual for reporters to do what he did, but asked Ramos why Trump would want to engage with him when he has repeatedly referred to Trump as a voice of extreme hate. (Mediaite) Ramos said it shouldn t matter if Trump is a fan of his or Univision s or not, he has an obligation as a presidential candidate to answer reporters questions. Ramos did add, though, that Trump clearly can t deal with questions that make him uncomfortable. Sure didn t take long for Kelly to get back to everything being about Megyn Kelly.What good is Fox News doing for America if the 2016 presidential race isn t all about how Obama is destroying America, and if it s all about the non-stop bickering between Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly?Peculiar, isn t it that Trump s become the Fox arch enemy all because he s trying to Make America Great Again and laying out the truth while he s at it?Time is running out on bringing America back from the brink. All other GOP contenders should be doing the same as The Donald.Americans are worried about their children and grandchildren having to grow up in an unstable fundamentally transformed America.Trump s in hot water for calling Kelly a bimbo . After last night, perhaps the word cunning would be more applicable.In his unbridled passion to Make America Great Again , Trump is bumptious, brash and bold, but a least he employs the frontal attack, leaving no room for second guessing about his intent.Tired of the Republican run-around, people are trying to press home the message to Fox News that their golden boy Jeb Bush, like Mitt Romney, just doesn t cut it and that their network regular Karl Rove is full of it.The focus should be on presidential election 2016 and prima donnas like Megyn Kelly told to leave their inflated egos at the back door.Meanwhile, the Fox News attack on The Donald is all about ratings when at least half of America is all about saving their country from fundamental transformation.A cry needs to go up across the land: Move Over, Megyn Kelly, America is calling .Via: Judi MCCleod of Canada Free Press | 0 |
This is a shocker! The very dry and serious Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry has been caught in a sexual affair with a Vegas beauty. FOX News announced he s taking some time off to sort things out . A married Fox News host is taking some time off after his mistress did a tell all revealing salacious details of their alleged affair.Natalia Lima spoke with In Touch and shared how her relationship with Fox News chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry, 44, went from innocent banter to something she claims was far more sexual over the course of the past five years. Lima, a Las Vegas hostess, also shared text messages she claims were exchanged between herself and Henry detailing sexual acts they had performed on one another and hoped to perform in the future. Fox News said in a statement shortly after details of the alleged affair were revealed in the magazine; We recently became aware of Ed s personal issues and he s taking some time off to work things out. Soon after the story about his affair was released Henry was seen smiling outside his home in his gym gear. He was then seen wearing his wedding ring as he took a walk around his neighborhood in an Under Armour shirt and Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap.Lima also said that Henry had a thing for bubble baths, and once brought over Mr. Bubble when he visited her at her condo for a hookup. He never gave me anything, but one time I was really stressed out about money so he did cover my rent, said Lima.She added that he did not withdraw the money from an ATM however as that would have been a red flag to his wife. One time he said, It s not like a crazy hookup, it s like you are my girlfriend, said Lima. He never really talked about his wife he mentioned her a couple of times but I never really asked about her, either. The relationship soured Lima claims after her Twitter account was hacked earlier this year, after which she said Henry began acting kinda weird. Henry deleted all of his tweets prior to January 23 on his Twitter account. They last met up in February and after promising to contact her the next day she did not hear from Henry again. It s like he used me. But I should ve know better, said Lima. Prior to their relationship turning sexual Henry shared photos of himself golfing or in front of Air Force One with Lima, but an October exchange is incredibly graphic between the pair. mmmmm yes bath w you, writes Henry. Lima responds with three kissing face emojis and then writes; Why are emojis so big? Lima followed that with emojis of a bathtub and a kissing couple. Henry then responded by sending his own emojis three unpeeled bananas and three pairs of female lips. Lima responds with an Lol and three female emoji lips. Henry shoots back; yummy woman, make me so, and then once again sends emojis of unpeeled bananas, this time upping the number to four.Read more: Daily Mail | 0 |
Here s yet another reason to be very suspicious of the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton:Via Free Beacon: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton struck a deal with the State Department while serving in the Obama administration that allowed her to take ownership of records she did not want made public, according to recently released reports.Clinton and her then-deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin were permitted to remove electronic and physical records under a claim they were personal materials and unclassified, non-record materials. Judicial Watch made the revelation after filing a FOIA request with the State Department and obtaining a record of the agreement:The newly released documents show the deal allowed Clinton and Abedin to remove documents related to particular calls and schedules, and the records would not be released to the general public under FOIA. Abedin, for instance, was allowed to remove electronic records and five boxes of physical files, including files labeled Muslim Engagement Documents. The released records included a list of designated materials that would not be released to the general public under FOIA and were to be released to the Secretary with this understanding. Electronic copy of daily files which are word versions of public documents and non-records: speeches/press statements/photos from the website, a non-record copy of the schedule, a non record copy of the call log, press clips, and agenda of daily activitiesElectronic copy of a log of calls the Secretary made since 2004, it is a non-record, since her official calls are logged elsewhere (official schedule and official call log)Electronic copy of the Secretary s call grid which is a running list of calls she wants to make (both personal and official)16 boxes: Personal Schedules (1993 thru 2008-prior to the Secretary s tenure at the Department of State.29 boxes: Miscellaneous Public Schedules during her tenure as FLOTUS and Senator-prior to the Secretary s tenure at the Department of State1 box: Personal Reimbursable receipts (6/25/2009 thru 1/14/2013)1 box: Personal Photos1 box: Personal schedule (2009-2013) STICKY FINGERS CLINTON:A physical file of the log of the Secretary s gifts with pictures of gifts was also handed over to Clinton. Gifts received by government employees is highly regulated, and often strictly limited. However, gifts that are motivated by a family relationship or personal friendship may be accepted without limitation. | 1 |
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States-led international coalition fighting Islamic State estimates that fewer than 3,000 fighters belonging to the hardline Sunni militant group remain in Iraq and Syria, its spokesman said on Tuesday. Islamic State s self-proclaimed caliphate has crumbled this year in Syria and Iraq, with the group losing the cities of Mosul, Raqqa and swathes of other territory. Current estimates are that there are less than 3,000 #Daesh fighters left - they still remain a threat, but we will continue to support our partner forces to defeat them, U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Dillon s tweet was part of his responses to an online question and answer session in which he also said the coalition had trained 125,000 members of Iraqi security forces, 22,000 of which were Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. When asked if the United States planned to build permanent military bases in Iraq or Syria the defeat of Islamic State, Dillon said it would not. No - the Government of #Iraq knows where and how many from Coalition are here to support operation to defeat #Daesh; all bases are #Iraqi led, he tweeted. The coalition will begin a transition from focusing on retaking territory to consolidating gains, it later said in a statement following a meeting of its leaders with Iraqi military commanders. We will continue to support our Iraqi partners in the battle against ISIS (Islamic State) with training, equipment, advice and assistance, said Major General Felix Gedney, the coalition s Deputy Commander for Strategy and Support. The next phase will focus on the provision of lasting security, while developing Iraqi sustainability and self-sufficiency, he said. The coalition was responsible for liberating more than 4.5 million Iraqis and over 52,200 square kilometres of territory, the statement said. It has come under fire, however, for the number of civilian casualties resulting from the air strikes it carries out in support of local forces. The coalition says its strikes have unintentionally killed at least 801 civilians between August 2014 and October 2017, a far lower figure than figures provided by monitoring groups. The monitoring group Airwars says at least 5,961 civilians have been killed by coalition air strikes. The coalition says it goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and that it is still assessing 695 reports of such casualties from strikes in Iraq and in Syria. | 1 |
Over the course of this year’s US presidential election, which has been nothing if not bizarre, some have repeatedly speculated that the election may not actually happen at all if an... | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has decided not to impose further punishment on David Petraeus, a former U.S. military commander and CIA director who admitted sharing classified information with his mistress, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The short letter was sent by Stephen Hedger, the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, and the decision is in line with an Army review. Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA in 2012 after it was revealed that he was having an affair with his biographer, Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell. When he pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information, a court document signed by Petraeus and prosecutors said that in 2011, Petraeus illegally gave Broadwell access to official binders. In April, the retired four-star general was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 but was spared prison time after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information. The Pentagon could have sought to further reprimand Petraeus under military law. Hedger’s letter was addressed to Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Senator John McCain and Senator Jack Reed, who had recently asked Carter not to take further action. The Pentagon declined to comment on the letter. Petraeus, a counter-insurgency expert with a Princeton University doctorate, served as the top U.S. commander in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was once considered a possible vice presidential or presidential candidate. Known as “black books,” the binders that Petraeus shared with Broadwell contained classified information including identities of covert officers, code word information, war strategy, intelligence capabilities, diplomatic talks and information from high-level White House National Security Council meetings, according to court records. Petraeus now serves as chairman of the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts’ captive economic and geopolitical think tank, the KKR Global Institute, according to its website. | 1 |
The Path to Total Dictatorship: America's Shadow Government and Its Silent Coup
By John W. Whitehead Today the path to total dictatorship in the U.S. can be laid by strictly legal means, unseen and unheard by Congress, the President, or the people . Outwardly we have a Constitutional government. We have operating within our government and political system a well-organized political-action group in this country, determined to destroy our Constitution and establish a one-party state . The important point to remember about this group is not its ideology but its organization It operates secretly, silently, continuously to transform our Government . This group is answerable neither to the President, the Congress, nor the courts. It is practically irremovable.
Senator William Jenner, 1954 speech
Unaffected by elections. Unaltered by populist movements. Beyond the reach of the law.
Say hello to Americas shadow government.
A corporatized, militarized, entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are, in essence, running the country, this shadow government represents the hidden face of a government that has no respect for the freedom of its citizenry.
No matter which candidate wins the presidential election, this shadow government is here to stay. Indeed, as recent documents by the FBI reveal, this shadow government also referred to as The 7th Floor Group may well have played a part in who will win the White House this year.
To be precise, however, the future president will actually inherit not one but two shadow governments.
The first shadow government, referred to as COG or Continuity of Government, is made up of unelected individuals who have been appointed to run the government in the event of a catastrophe. COG is a phantom menace waiting for the right circumstancesa terrorist attack, a natural disaster, an economic meltdownto bring it out of the shadows, where it operates even now. When and if COG takes over, the police state will transition to martial law.
Yet it is the second shadow government also referred to as the Deep Statethat poses the greater threat to freedom right now. Comprised of unelected government bureaucrats, corporations, contractors, paper-pushers, and button-pushers who are actually calling the shots behind the scenes, this government within a government is the real reason we the people have no real control over our government.
The Deep State, which operates according to its own compass heading regardless of who is formally in power, makes a mockery of elections and the entire concept of a representative government.
So who or what is the Deep State?
Its the militarized police, which have joined forces with state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to establish themselves as a standing army. Its the fusion centers and spy agencies that have created a surveillance state and turned all of us into suspects. Its the courthouses and prisons that have allowed corporate profits to take precedence over due process and justice. Its the military empire with its private contractors and defense industry that is bankrupting the nation. Its the private sector with its 854,000 contract personnel with top-secret clearances, a number greater than that of top-secret-cleared civilian employees of the government. Its what former congressional staffer Mike Lofgren refers to as a hybrid of national security and law enforcement agencies : the Department of Defense, the State Department, Homeland Security, the CIA, the Justice Department, the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President via the National Security Council, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a handful of vital federal trial courts, and members of the defense and intelligence committees.
Its every facet of a government that is no longer friendly to freedom and is working overtime to trample the Constitution underfoot and render the citizenry powerless in the face of the governments power grabs, corruption and abusive tactics.
These are the key players that drive the shadow government.
This is the hidden face of the American police state that will continue long past Election Day.
Just consider some of the key programs and policies advanced by the shadow government that will continue no matter who occupies the Oval Office.
Domestic surveillance.
No matter who wins the presidential popularity contest, the National Security Agency (NSA), with its $10.8 billion black ops annual budget, will continue to spy on every person in the United States who uses a computer or phone. Thus, on any given day, whether youre walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior. Local police have been outfitted with a litany of surveillance gear, from license plate readers and cell phone tracking devices to biometric data recorders. Technology now makes it possible for the police to scan passersby in order to detect the contents of their pockets, purses, briefcases, etc. Full-body scanners, which perform virtual strip-searches of Americans traveling by plane, have gone mobile, with roving police vans that peer into vehicles and buildings alikeincluding homes. Coupled with the nations growing network of real-time surveillance cameras and facial recognition software, soon there really will be nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
Global spying.
The NSAs massive surveillance network, what the Washington Post refers to as a $500 billion espionage empire , will continue to span the globe and target every single person on the planet who uses a phone or a computer. The NSAs Echelon program intercepts and analyzes virtually every phone call, fax and email message sent anywhere in the world. In addition to carrying out domestic surveillance on peaceful political groups such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace and several religious groups, Echelon has also been a keystone in the governments attempts at political and corporate espionage .
Roving TSA searches.
The American taxpayer will continue to get ripped off by government agencies in the dubious name of national security. One of the greatest culprits when it comes to swindling taxpayers has been the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), with its questionable deployment of and complete mismanagement of millions of dollars worth of airport full-body X-ray scanners, punitive patdowns by TSA agents and thefts of travelers valuables. Considered essential to national security, TSA programs will continue in airports and at transportation hubs around the country.
USA Patriot Act, NDAA.
Americas so-called war on terror, which it has relentlessly pursued since 9/11, will continue to chip away at our freedoms, unravel our Constitution and transform our nation into a battlefield, thanks in large part to such subversive legislation as the USA Patriot Act and National Defense Authorization Act. These laws completely circumvent the rule of law and the rights of American citizens. In so doing, they re-orient our legal landscape in such a way as to ensure that martial law, rather than the U.S. Constitution, is the map by which we navigate life in the United States. These laws will continue to be enforced no matter who gets elected.
Militarized police state.
Thanks to federal grant programs allowing the Pentagon to transfer surplus military supplies and weapons to local law enforcement agencies without charge, police forces will continue to be transformed from peace officers into heavily armed extensions of the military, complete with jackboots, helmets, shields, batons, pepper-spray, stun guns, assault rifles, body armor, miniature tanks and weaponized drones. Having been given the green light to probe, poke, pinch, taser, search, seize, strip and generally manhandle anyone they see fit in almost any circumstance, all with the general blessing of the courts, Americas law enforcement officials, no longer mere servants of the people entrusted with keeping the peace, will continue to keep the masses corralled, controlled, and treated like suspects and enemies rather than citizens.
SWAT team raids.
With more than 80,000 SWAT team raids carried out every year on unsuspecting Americans by local police for relatively routine police matters and federal agencies laying claim to their own law enforcement divisions, the incidence of botched raids and related casualties will continue to rise. Nationwide, SWAT teams will continue to be employed to address an astonishingly trivial array of criminal activity or mere community nuisances including angry dogs, domestic disputes, improper paperwork filed by an orchid farmer, and misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Domestic drones. The domestic use of drones will continue unabated. As mandated by Congress, there will be 30,000 drones crisscrossing the skies of America by 2020, all part of an industry that could be worth as much as $30 billion per year. These machines, which will be equipped with weapons, will be able to record all activities, using video feeds, heat sensors and radar. An Inspector General report revealed that the Dept. of Justice has already spent nearly $4 million on drones domestically, largely for use by the FBI , with grants for another $1.26 million so police departments and nonprofits can acquire their own drones.
School-to-prison pipeline.
The paradigm of abject compliance to the state will continue to be taught by example in the schools, through school lockdowns where police and drug-sniffing dogs enter the classroom, and zero tolerance policies that punish all offenses equally and result in young people being expelled for childish behavior. School districts will continue to team up with law enforcement to create a schoolhouse to jailhouse track by imposing a double dose of punishment: suspension or expulsion from school, accompanied by an arrest by the police and a trip to juvenile court.
Overcriminalization.
The government bureaucracy will continue to churn out laws, statutes, codes and regulations that reinforce its powers and value systems and those of the police state and its corporate allies, rendering the rest of us petty criminals. The average American now unknowingly commits three felonies a day, thanks to this overabundance of vague laws that render otherwise innocent activity illegal. Consequently, small farmers who dare to make unpasteurized goat cheese and share it with members of their community will continue to have their farms raided.
Privatized Prisons.
States will continue to outsource prisons to private corporations, resulting in a cash cow whereby mega-corporations imprison Americans in private prisons in order to make a profit. In exchange for corporations buying and managing public prisons across the country at a supposed savings to the states, the states have to agree to maintain a 90% occupancy rate in the privately run prisons for at least 20 years.
Endless wars.
Americas expanding military empire will continue to bleed the country dry at a rate of more than $15 billion a month (or $20 million an hour). The Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety. Yet what most Americans fail to recognize is that these ongoing wars have little to do with keeping the country safe and everything to do with enriching the military industrial complex at taxpayer expense.
Are you getting the message yet?
The next president, much like the current president and his predecessors, will be little more than a figurehead, a puppet to entertain and distract the populace from whats really going on.
As Lofgren reveals, this state within a state, concealed behind the one that is visible at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue , is a hybrid entity of public and private institutions ruling the country according to consistent patterns in season and out, connected to, but only intermittently controlled by, the visible state whose leaders we choose.
The Deep State not only holds the nations capital in thrall, but it also controls Wall Street (which supplies the cash that keeps the political machine quiescent and operating as a diversionary marionette theater) and Silicon Valley.
This is fascism in its most covert form, hiding behind public agencies and private companies to carry out its dirty deeds.
It is a marriage between government bureaucrats and corporate fat cats.
As Lofgren concludes:
[T]he Deep State is so heavily entrenched, so well protected by surveillance, firepower, money and its ability to co-opt resistance that it is almost impervious to change If there is anything the Deep State requires it is silent, uninterrupted cash flow and the confidence that things will go on as they have in the past. It is even willing to tolerate a degree of gridlock: Partisan mud wrestling over cultural issues may be a useful distraction from its agenda.
In other words, as I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People , as long as government officialselected and unelected alikeare allowed to operate beyond the reach of the Constitution, the courts and the citizenry, the threat to our freedoms remains undiminished.
So the next time you find yourselves despondent over the 2016 presidential candidates, remember that its just a puppet show intended to distract you from the silent coup being carried out by Americas shadow government.
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His new book Battlefield America: The War on the American People (SelectBooks, 2015) is available online at www.amazon.com. Whitehead can be contacted at [email protected] . Publication Guidelines / Reprint Permission: https://www.rutherford.org | 0 |
CARACAS (Reuters) - A power outage hit parts of the Venezuelan capital Caracas as well as the nearby states of Miranda and Vargas for around five hours on Monday, in what critics said was another sign of the oil-rich nation s economic meltdown. Authorities blamed the outage, which began around noon (1600 GMT), on the collapse of an important cable linking a power plant and a transmission tower. The fault affected some phone lines, parts of the Caracas metro, and the main Maiquetia airport just outside the capital. Many workers had no choice but to walk home, shops and restaurants closed, and Venezuelans grumbled that another day was disrupted by tumult. The country is already grappling with the world s fastest inflation, rising malnutrition, and disease as the state-led economic system grinds to a halt. Venezuela has fallen apart, said David Garcia, 38, as he queued for a hotdog at a stand in the wealthier Chacao neighborhood. He had spent two hours looking for an open restaurant because he could not cook at home. Venezuela has in recent years suffered frequent blackouts that critics attribute to insufficient investment following the 2007 nationalization of the electricity sector. This is a symptom of a country collapsing due to the negligence of those in power, tweeted opposition lawmaker Tom s Guanipa. The government has in some cases attributed the blackouts to sabotage or accused critics of exaggerating problems. Energy minister Luis Motta on Monday tweeted articles on a recent power outage at Atlanta airport in the U.S. state of Georgia, adding: It happens there too. He did not provide details on the magnitude and effects of Monday s blackout. Shopkeepers complained that the outage had hurt business. It s a lost day, said Armindo Gomes, 24, whose Portuguese family runs two bakeries, as he pointed at dough, cheese and meat that should have been refrigerated. | 0 |
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nearly two dozen major companies in technology and other industries are planning to launch a coalition to demand legislation that would allow young, illegal immigrants a path to permanent residency, according to documents seen by Reuters. The Coalition for the American Dream intends to ask Congress to pass bipartisan legislation this year that would allow these immigrants, often referred to as “Dreamers,” to continue working in the United States, the documents said. Alphabet Inc’s Google, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Intel Corp, Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], IBM Corp, Marriott International Inc and other top U.S. companies are listed as members, one of the documents shows. Reuters was first to report the news. Amazon, Intel, Uber and Univision Communications Inc [UVN.UL] confirmed their membership, but the other companies did not immediately comment. It is possible that plans to launch the group could change. “We’re pleased to join with other organizations in urging Congress to pass legislation to protect Dreamers,” Intel spokesman Will Moss said in a statement. Matthew Wing, a spokesman for Uber, said, “Uber joined the Coalition for the American Dream because we stand with the Dreamers. We’ve also held town halls, provided legal support and launched an online Dreamer Resource Center for any of our drivers.” The push for this legislation comes after President Donald Trump’s September decision to allow the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to expire in March. That program, established by former President Barack Obama in 2012, allows approximately 900,000 illegal immigrants to obtain work permits. Some 800 companies signed a letter to Congressional leaders after Trump’s decision, calling for legislation protecting Dreamers. That effort was spearheaded by a pro-immigration reform group Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg co-founded in 2013 called FWD.us. Many of the companies that endorsed that letter are named as joining the new coalition. The group has planned to take out ads in news publications, though this is subject to change, according to an email last week seen by Reuters. “Dreamers are part of our society, defend our country, and support our economy,” said one of the coalition documents, which is being shared by the group to recruit additional companies. A signup form for the group said 72 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA recipients. Trump campaigned for president on a pledge to toughen immigration policies and build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. He has left the fate of DACA up to Congress. Action may come in December, when Congress must pass a spending bill to keep the U.S. government open. Democrats have considered insisting on help for the Dreamers as their price for providing votes that may be required to prevent a government shutdown. “No politician wants to go home for the holidays and read stories about how this is going to be DACA recipients’ last holidays in the U.S.,” said Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, in an interview on Thursday. He declined to comment on the new coalition. “You will see this continue to escalate until the end of the year,” he said. | 1 |
The City of Oakland California has a population of over 390,000 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. 28 percent of the population is African-American, yet the top 12 lenders in the nation helped African Americans borrow to purchase a home just four times in the entire year of 2013. Hispanic borrowers received only seven home loans, according to a recent study by the Greenlining Institute and Strategies Council.Big Banks have been ridiculed for racist lending practices since the 2008 economic recession partially caused by the collapse of the housing market. Countrywide Financial, a subsidiary of Bank of America, overcharged 200,000 African-Americans and Latinos for mortgages at the height of the housing boom. Bank of America settled with the Justice Department in 2011 to pay $335 million dollars in claims against the company. In those circumstances, discrimination was profitable, wrote Jordan Weismann for the Atlantic in 2011. Greed fueled a system that created a pattern of racial bias. Post 2008 economic recession, the racial bias in mortgage lending has gone from overcharging to turning down mortgage applications of African-Americans. Racial disparities were discovered across the state of California, as African-Americans make up just 2 percent of mortgage lending originations while consisting of 6.5 percent of the state s population. As the nation recovered from the recent economic crisis, the majority of Californians were locked out of the 2013 housing market missing the most affordable time to buy a home, wrote the study authors. 44 percent of California s residents the combined African American and Hispanic populations obtained just 10.5 percent of total mortgage dollars lent by the top 12 lenders statewide. Sadly, these disparities were more pronounced in three cities where African Americans and Hispanics averaged 56 percent of the population. Racism in mortgage lending isn t a phenomenon unique to California, but rampant across the United States.In September 2015, Evans Bank settled a $825,000 lawsuit with New York State for racist lending practices. JP Morgan was sued by the City of Miami for discriminatory practices in 2014, along with Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. PNC Bank was asked by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to pay $35 million in restitution for the discriminatory practices between 2002 and 2008 of a bank they bought, National City Bank.In the City of Denver, the National Fair Housing Alliance exposed racist practices by U.S. Bank in 2014. These are just a few examples of the banks who were caught conducting discriminatory practices as these trends remain persistent among the largest and smallest banks in the country, while minority communities continue to suffer from being denied the right to purchases a home, or the exorbitant extra fees they are charged because of their race. Featured image via Flickr | 1 |
Outspoken conservative Paul Joseph Watson is, as usual, spot on with his analysis of what is happening today with the overpaid, petulant athletes in the NFL who are taking a knee during our national anthem, as a way to protest the injustices against blacks by cops. Watson points out that while they re protesting the deaths of blacks at the hands of cops in their communities, they completely ignore the rampant black on black crime and the actual high crime rates by blacks in the cities where the alleged injustices are taking place. Watson also claims the NFL players are ignoring the fact that white people are more likely to be shot dead by cops than blacks.This week, NFL players and even some coaches, turned their ire against President Donald Trump for daring to suggest that NFL owners should be taking disciplinary action against players who disrespect our flag that represents the lives sacrificed by so many brave men and women who died giving them the right to protest.Paul Joseph Watson reminds Americans how prevalent violence is with many of the thugs who play in the NFL. Watson even suggests, Maybe they all hate the police so much because the cops are the only ones stopping them from beating up their own wives and girlfriends. This new incarnation of take a knee isn t about protesting police murders of black people. There haven t even been any high-profilee cases of that for months. It isn t about patriotism. It isn t about free-speech. It s just the latest manifestation of mass hysteria of Trump-derangement-syndrome. Watch: | 1 |
ABUJA (Reuters) - A major Nigerian oil union suspended a nationwide strike on Monday, the same day it began, after a dispute resolution ended with a domestic oil and gas company recalling laid off staff, the union s president said. | 1 |
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday struck bases of the Islamic State in eastern Syria with drones, Iranian state television reported. It said vehicles, military equipment and ammunition were destroyed in the attack near the Syrian-Iraqi border. In June, Iran fired missiles into eastern Syria, targeting bases of Islamic State which had claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran which killed 18 people. The Revolutionary Guards are fighting in Syria against militant groups which oppose President Bashar al-Assad. | 0 |
As a Wellesley graduate, I was shocked and dismayed by Hillary Clinton s commencement address. Actually, that is #FakeNews. I was neither shocked nor dismayed by Mrs. Clinton s speech (but I did graduate from Wellesley with honors!) It was exactly the kind of self-pitying, leaden and all-about-me performance that I would have expected from the entitled former Democrat candidate and now sore loser.Watch a few of Hillary s greatest hits during her commencement speech at Wellesley College:Also, it revealed this: Hillary hasn t learned a thing. As her friend Mike Bloomberg recently told an audience of Harvard Business School grads Hillary lost the election because she had absolutely no message. She still doesn t.In addition, she is utterly lacking in self-awareness. She spoke at length about what she sees as a full-fledged assault on truth and reason, telling the graduating seniors that the future of America, indeed the future of the world, depends on brave, thoughtful people like you insisting on truth and integrity right now every day. This, from a woman who ran for our nation s highest office while distrusted by nearly two-thirds of the country, with good reason.As long as Mrs. Clinton and her loyalists blame James Comey, Vladimir Putin, sexism and the alt-right for her loss, Democrats will never rebuild their bridges to the working class Americans who elected Donald Trump.In her remarks, Hillary criticized people aka Trump followers, presumably on social media for sowing division at a time when we desperately need unity, and then proceeded to give a highly partisan and divisive speech.Did she ever consider that there might be families in the audience who voted for her opponent? That they might not enjoy her taking veiled potshots at President Trump, and that this was their daughters day too?Echoing the liberal media, Hillary went after President Trump through innuendo and clich s, talking about the dangers of fomenting fear and of alternative facts. Good thing there was no Q&A; someone might have wanted further clarification of how she came under sniper fire in Bosnia, or how a video caused the Benghazi attack or how the Monica Lewinsky scandal stemmed from a vast right-wing conspiracy and not Bill Clinton s unruly libido.Hillary trod dangerous pathways as she remarked, when people in power invent their own facts and attack those who question them, it can mark the beginning of the end of a free society. She is correct, of course, but a cursory review of her multiple dodges and lies about her mishandling of classified information and efforts to destroy evidence reveals a woman who fully earned her low trustworthiness ratings from Americans.The election is over, but Hillary cannot let it go. This is good news for Republicans. As long as Mrs. Clinton and her loyalists blame James Comey, Vladimir Putin, sexism and the alt-right for her loss, Democrats will never rebuild their bridges to the working class Americans who elected Donald Trump.Hillary Clinton missed an opportunity at Wellesley. She could have delivered a message of unity, and helped our anxious country begin to heal. Her followers need to see her putting country above politics; they need to see her as she briefly appeared at the inauguration, supporting the peaceful and legitimate transfer of power. Apparently, that is just too heavy a lift for Mrs. Clinton. She is happier nursing her wounds, and continuing to inflict them on the country.The former First Lady could also have talked about the dramatic changes taking place in our economy, and how women are thriving as entrepreneurs. She could have talked about the founders of Rent the Runway, or Sarah Blakely, who created Spanx, or Essie Weingarten, who bet her life s savings on a new idea and created a nail polish empire sold to L Oreal in 2010. These women are inspirational; they didn t shatter glass ceilings, they ignored them. It is true we need women in politics, and running NGOs, but we also need women making money and boosting the economy. That s where the funding for free college tuition and refugee services comes from a lesson Hillary may never have learned.The New York Times tells us that the students cheered Mrs. Clinton thunderously. Of course they did. They have been weaned on courses like Love and Intimacy in the Women s and Gender Studies department or Changing Gender Constructions in the Modern Middle East in the History Department. There s nothing wrong with those studies, unless they crowd out learning how the progressive policies of Bernie Sanders and Mrs. Clinton have failed in France, for instance, leading to a stagnant economy with few opportunities for progress. Or how capitalism has delivered billions from poverty, including in Communist China, where the growth miracle of recent decades was facilitated by policies that encouraged entrepreneurship and private enterprise.Hillary Clinton missed some history lessons too, apparently. She alluded to Nixon s presidency which would eventually end in disgrace with his impeachment for obstruction of justice. That isn t true, of course; Nixon resigned from office. It was her husband Bill who was impeached. Amazing she would get that wrong, in delivering what was sure to be a much-reviewed address. Maybe a little too much of that Chardonnay, Mrs. Clinton? FOX NewsFor more visit LizPeek.com. Follow her on Twitter@LizPeek. | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. senator on Thursday introduced legislation calling for airlines and aircraft manufacturers to disclose cyber security incidents to federal authorities, saying the aviation system lacks sufficient standards and oversight. The measure, introduced by Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts, would also require the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal agencies to identify cyber vulnerabilities within the aviation system and establish standards for addressing them. The measure also calls for a study on potential vulnerabilities posed the use of consumer wireless devices aboard flights. Cyber security has emerged as a major issue for commercial airliners and other aircraft as the U.S. aviation system evolves to technology based on wireless and internet connectivity. The industry has stepped up efforts to forge a coordinated response. But companies are not required to report attempted or successful attacks in the United States. While introducing the measure, Markey said his own informal survey of airlines and aircraft manufacturers showed that no successful cyber attack against aircraft has been confirmed. But he said hacking attempts are common and efforts to thwart them can be inconsistent and poorly overseen. The senator presented his legislation as an amendment to an FAA bill that the Senate is expected to vote on later this month. The measure was quickly endorsed by the Association of Flight Attendants labor union. But it was not clear whether lawmakers would accept the measure as part of the FAA bill. | 0 |
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It has become increasingly apparent that the Obama administration looks upon the First Amendment protections of religious liberty as meaningless — if it contradicts its liberal social agenda.
This is demonstrated in a recent mandate from the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that physicians and other healthcare workers must perform surgeries to “alter” people's gender. Objections raised on the grounds that the physician views the surgery as harmful to the patient’s mental health, or that the surgeon has religious or ethical objections, do not matter. If surgeons refuse, they can face fines or even the loss of their jobs.
The mandate includes surgeries on children.
Thousands of healthcare providers and eight states are now challenging the validity of the federal rule.
Obviously, Congress has never passed any such law, but HHS is exercising what is sometimes called “administrative law,” in which federal bureaucrats simply develop rules that implement a law — all according to the interpretation of the bureaucrats, of course. In this instance, the rule is said to apply to all private doctors, healthcare providers, and health insurance plans that accept federal funding, but it does not provide a religious exemption for medical personnel who find “sex-change operations” contrary to their religious beliefs.
It is estimated that the rule will impact almost one million physicians and most hospitals in the United States — because almost every hospital receives some federal funds. (This is yet another example of how the federal government can use the threat of withholding federal monies to force compliance.)
The transgender mandate’s legal “justification” is similar to that used in May when the Departments of Education and Justice ordered public schools and universities to allow transgender students to use the restroom and locker room they “identify” with, rather than the one that conforms to their biological sex. As in the present case, the Obama Education Department and Justice Department intend to get their way by threatening the loss of federal funds.
To accomplish the order, the Obama administration simply redefined the meaning of the word “sex.” In an HHS rule that persons cannot be discriminated against because of their “sex,” the Obama administration claims that “sex” really means “gender.” And it argues that “gender” can be male, female, neither, or some combination thereof, which may be different from an individual’s sex at birth. In other words, when the doctor tells the baby’s parents, “It’s a boy,” or “It’s a girl,” perhaps they need to add “for the time being.”
Using this reasoning, HHS is insisting that it is “sex discrimination” to refuse to perform a gender transition procedure. The healthcare professionals and states that have challenged the rule argue that the HHS regulation violates the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.
The legal motion made by those seeking to overturn the rule states, “Thus, with a single stroke of the pen, HHS has created massive new liability for thousands of doctors unless they cast aside their convictions and perform procedures that can be deeply harmful to their patients.” About four dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter in October to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell expressing their outrage about the regulation and asking her a dozen questions about the rule.
Such a procedure is particularly irresponsible when performed upon children, if two recent studies on this subject are correct. According to the studies, as much as 94 percent of children who report “gender dysphoria” grow out of that discomfort. Gender dysphoria is defined as a discomfort a person may feel in regard to his or her biological sex. This means that in almost every case, the person eventually will accept his or her biological sex; however, if surgery has already been performed, the person is left in a tragic situation, all to conform to a radical social agenda.
In Wichita Falls, Texas, federal judge Reed O'Connor issued an injunction on October 18 against the Obama administration’s transgender directive to schools. This ruling has encouraged a Christian association of more than 10,000 physicians and a Roman Catholic hospital system to ask the federal court in Wichita Falls to issue a similar injunction to block enforcement of the HHS regulation. Eight states have joined in the motion.
The motion states that the rule “forces doctors and hospitals to perform controversial and potentially harmful medical procedures that purport to permanently alter an individual’s sex — even when doing so would violate a doctor’s religious beliefs and medical judgment, and even when the government’s own programs exclude the procedures as potentially harmful.” | 1 |
This is great! The CNN anchor tries to put words in the mouth of the Louisiana governor but it totally backfires! | 0 |
Comedian Denis Leary has donated a lot of his own time and money to helping the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the first-responders who risked it all to come to their aid.It s been nearly 15 years since the World Trade Center Twin Towers fell, and Leary still attends memorials on the anniversary of the tragedy that killed nearly 3,000 people that day. And one person he has never seen at a memorial is Donald Trump, who has exploited 9/11 repeatedly for political gain throughout his bid to become the Republican Party nominee.And his effort paid off because conservatives across the country bought the bullshit Trump was selling them.As the Daily Beast points out, Trump s biggest claim about 9/11 is that thousands of American Muslims were seen celebrating and cheering as the attacks unfolded. However, that claim has been thoroughly debunked. But Trump s supporters don t care, and they still believe Trump rather than acknowledge the actual facts.Trump has also claimed that he personally witnessed people jumping to their deaths from the towers even though he was four miles away at the time. Trump did all this despite referring to the Twin Towers as not great buildings a week after 9/11, making zero donations to 9/11 charities as of 2015, and visiting the 9/11 Memorial for the very first time to curry favor on the eve of the New York presidential primary, four and a half years after it was erected, the Daily Beast reports.Trump has used fear and bigotry throughout his campaign to cast Muslims as an evil group hell-bent on destroying America and 9/11 is a central talking-point in that effort. For the most part, Trump has succeeded by appealing to the hate and racism of conservatives who have flocked to his campaign out of the belief that Muslims are a threat to the United States and that only Trump can prevent our destruction. And that makes Denis Leary sick, so he wasted no time in ripping Trump to pieces during a recent interview. I think he ll basically do anything to get the spotlight, Leary told the Daily Beast. Trump will take advantage of whatever the situation, the cause, or the event might be. Where was he before this? I ve been downtown forever and been to a lot of 9/11 Memorial events the 5th anniversary, the 10th anniversary, others and I don t remember seeing Donald Trump there once. It s all built on fear, noise, bigotry, and finger-pointing. The guy loves to tweet. But I look at all the candidates on both sides, and I m thinking, These are the people we have to choose from? What the fuck is going on? Donald Trump is the candidate in this presidential race who represents fear and hate. He also represents a right-wing that ignores facts. Trump doesn t care about anything that made this country great. He only cares about himself and power he can wield if he somehow becomes president in November. That cannot be allowed to happen. We cannot allow Trump to use the deaths of 3,000 people to propel himself to the White House. It would be a disgrace to their memory and a signal of our own decline as a nation.Featured Image: Wikimedia | 0 |
Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein has filed a lawsuit in federal court over the recount efforts in Pennsylvania. According to the complaint filed by Stein, Pennsylvania elections are a national disgrace. Voters are forced to use vulnerable, hackable, antiquated technology banned in other states, then rely on the kindness of machines, the complaint reads. There is no paper trail. Voting machines are electoral black sites: no one permits voters or candidates to examine them. Stein filed her lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit questions if votes in the Keystone State were counted accurately and alleged that electronic voting machines in the state had serious cyber security problems. In the 2016 presidential election, rife with foreign interference documented by American intelligence agencies and hacks of voter rolls in multiple states, voters deserve the truth, reads the lawsuit.Stein was forced to drop her original bid for a recount in Pennsylvania on Saturday when a judge attached a $1 million price tag after Donald Trump requested a $10 million bond. Petitioners are regular citizens of ordinary means. They cannot afford to post the $1,000,000 bond required by the court, Stein s attorney wrote in a court filing.On Sunday, Stein tweeted that she was not done yet, though.On Monday, I will escalate #Recount2016 in PA and file to demand a statewide recount on constitutional grounds. The people deserve answers. Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) December 4, 2016Recounts in Wisconsin are already underway and early Monday morning, U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith ordered recounts in Michigan to begin at noon.Trump won all three of these battleground states by narrow margins. Despite the fact that the recounts are unlikely to change the outcome of the election, Trump has fought against them vehemently, making many people wonder what the hell he is so afraid of. Trump unleashed multiple Twitter rants railing against Stein s push for recounts, and in one of these, he managed to unwittingly make the case for the recount efforts by claiming voter fraud. Sad.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 |
On Wednesday Barack Obama lashed out at CBS reporter Major Garrett after he asked him about the four Americans left behind to languish in Iranian prisons.Former Marine Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini and Vahid Salemi are being held in Iranian prisons. (Breitbart)Obama was defending his nuclear deal with Iran when Garrett asked him about the US hostages in Iran.https://youtu.be/rqdVAd25CHUObama: I got to give you credit Major for how you craft those questions. the notion that I m content as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails. Major, that s nonsense and you should know better.Of course, that is exactly what he did. The Obama administration did nothing to free American hostages during their talks with the Iranian regime.Now we know Obama released a top Iranian scientist as part of the deal but left the Americans to rot in hell in Iranian prisons. The Times of Israel reported:Mojtaba Atarodi, arrested in California for attempting to acquire equipment for Iran s military-nuclear programs, was released in April as part of back channel talks, Times of Israel told. The contacts, mediated in Oman for years by close colleague of the Sultan, have seen a series of US-Iran prisoner releases, and there may be more to come.The secret back channel of negotiations between Iran and the United States, which led to this month s interim deal in Geneva on Iran s rogue nuclear program, has also seen a series of prisoner releases by both sides, which have played a central role in bridging the distance between the two nations, the Times of Israel has been told.In the most dramatic of those releases, the US in April released a top Iranian scientist, Mojtaba Atarodi, who had been arrested in 2011 for attempting to acquire equipment that could be used for Iran s military-nuclear programs.No wonder he didn t want reporters talking about it!Via: Gateway Pundit | 1 |
Giuliani on FBI’s exoneration of Hillary: ‘We are supposed to be a country of justice’ Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani tell it like it is By Shepard Ambellas - November 7, 2016 ( INTELLIHUB ) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on Fox News’ Sean Hannity Show Sunday, to talk about how out of place the Director of the FBI James Comey’s remarks were regarding the Clinton investigation.
Giuliani said that back in July there was already “overwhelming evidence” that Hillary Clinton “violated the law.”‘Now in November we are hearing that she had her maid print out classified material routinely.’
“So if she was completely reckless back in July, the new revelation makes the situation much worse,’ Giuliani told Hannity.
To top it all off, Giuliani said that Clinton Foundation monies were supporting Chelsea Clinton “for more than a decade” and that “Chelsea’s husband, with Chelsea’s help, was going to foundation donors and raising money for his hedge fund.”
This is “racketeering,” Giuliani said.
Sean Hannity pointed out during the exchange that the FBI is operating on a dual standard and if anyone else other than Hillary was being investigated they already would have been locked up for destroying subpoenaed information.
#NoJustice
#HillaryForPrison2016 Shepard Ambellas is an opinion journalist, filmmaker , radio talk show host and the founder and editor-in-chief of Intellihub News & Politics. Established in 2013, Intellihub.com is ranked in the upper 1% traffic tier on the World Wide Web. Read more from Shep’s World . Get the Podcast . Follow Shep on Facebook and Twitter . ©2016. Intellihub.com. | 1 |
For more than a century, countries around the world who found themselves rich in crude oil have held industrialized nations dependent on it hostage. Since the first Ford factory pushed out a production automobile, forever changing the way we travel, those countries with the means to fuel the internal combustion engine have prospered.The United States has prided itself on being peacemakers since World War II, but all too often we are held captive by what would otherwise be third world nations, often ruled by religious zealots and ruthless dictators. The first Gulf War was the perfect example. Kuwait, a long-standing ally and major supplier of oil to the U.S., was toppled within days by Saddam Hussein, who wanted control of their port and their oil. The United States had no choice but to step in, calling it a humanitarian mission and sending Hussein back to Baghdad, but stopping short of toppling his regime once the oil was secured. Suddenly, it became far more important to put out oil field fires than it was to remove a ruthless murderer from power.Our government and our allies have to protect the interests of their people. In doing so we are stuck dealing with people like the Saudis, who have a Royal Family with good intentions but are ultimately ruled by fundamentalist clerics at the local level. Human rights violations far exceed what we would consider acceptable if they weren t such a large supplier of oil to NATO countries. There are examples of the same kinds of abuses from all over the oil-rich world, but the black gold tends to keep anyone from being held accountable.So how could we make it possible to rid the world of tyranny and oppression bought and paid for with crude oil? By eliminating it from the equation. Elon Musk and Tesla have just announced that we are one giant leap closer to that goal with the rollout of the model 3 , a production model fully electric car that will be available by the end of 2107 for a starting price of $35,000. With the power to go from zero to 60 in six seconds and more than 200 miles on a single charge, the Tesla model 3 could realistically change the world.Once an idea becomes a reality, the next step is to make it affordable. While $35K may seem out of reach for many, it s certainly right in line with the $33,500 average selling price of a new car in America. From there the technology should migrate to other modes of transportation. The world is a changing place, and this major step in our socioeconomic evolution is a milestone we should all be ecstatic to see.https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10154647071941509/ Featured image from Jordan Pix/Getty Images | 0 |
BAGHDAD — Militants fired mortars on a Shiite shrine north of Baghdad late on Thursday, and in the confusion that followed, three suicide bombers in military uniforms infiltrated the compound and blew themselves up, the Iraqi authorities said. At least 36 people were killed and more than 40 were wounded. The attack occurred just days after a minivan packed with explosives detonated in central Baghdad, killing at least 250 people and wounding nearly 200. Thursday’s attack occurred in Balad, about 55 miles from Baghdad, at the mausoleum of Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali a son of the 10th imam, who is revered among Shiites. Crowds of pilgrims had gathered there to celebrate Eid which ends the holy month of Ramadan. Two of the bombers detonated their explosives near the gate of the mausoleum, and a third rushed deeper into the shrine and threw hand grenades at pilgrims, the authorities said. At least 20 militants then overwhelmed the police and militia guards and seized control of the compound for about a before reinforcements arrived from the federal and local police and members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an irregular unit. Those forces then clashed with the militants outside the shrine, killing at least seven. It was unclear early Friday who was behind the attack, and no claim of responsibility had been confirmed. Gen. Imad the commander of security operations in the nearby city of Samarra, said that “a security breach took place in Balad targeting the mausoleum of Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali but our forces managed to recontrol the situation. ” Dhamin the police commander of Salahuddin Province, where Balad is, said the bombers wore “military uniforms to disguise. ” He added, “We don’t know yet what happened to the rest of the militants, but we are controlling the area again. ” The mausoleum was not believed to be seriously damaged, authorities said, though the third bomber came within several feet of the tomb of the imam. Outside, however, the bombs ignited fires in a marketplace. The weekend attack was the deadliest in Baghdad since at least 2009 and was among the worst in Iraq since the American invasion of 2003. The Islamic State took responsibility for that bombing, in the Karada district, which was teeming with revelers celebrating Ramadan, including many families with children. The Islamic State claimed that the bombing had killed a gathering of Shiite Muslims. But Karada is a mixed area where Iraqis of all identities gather, and many Sunnis were also killed. Assaults against Shiites by Sunni extremists make it difficult for Prime Minister Haider a Shiite, to achieve meaningful progress in reconciling Iraq’s majority Shiites with Sunnis, even as his armed forces have won victories against the Islamic State on the battlefield. After the attack on the mausoleum, Moktada a powerful Shiite cleric, ordered his “peace brigades” to Balad to “protect innocents’ lives. ” “This is another terrorist brutal attack against our” holy places, he said in a statement. In 2006, the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra, where Imam Ali and Imam Hassan the father and brother of Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali are said to be buried, touched off years of sectarian bloodshed. | 0 |
LOS ANGELES — The Lionsgate musical “La La Land,” about dreams and dreamers in this city of stars, twirled its way toward being an awards season juggernaut on Monday, taking seven Golden Globe nominations, including ones for best director, screenplay and lead actor and actress. But it was not a runaway. The lyrical “Moonlight,” about a young black man growing up in a poor Miami neighborhood, drew six nominations, including best drama, director and screenplay. “Manchester by the Sea,” focused on a New England plumber coping with horrific loss, was also nominated for best drama, receiving five nods total. [See the complete list of Golden Globe nominees] Joining those two films in the best drama category were “Lion,” an adoption set in India and the Weinstein Company’s lead Oscar hope Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge,” based on the true story of the World War II hero Desmond T. Doss and the CBS Films “Hell or High Water. ” Nominated alongside the Ryan Gosling and Emma “La La Land” for best comedy or musical: the raunchy superhero blockbuster “Deadpool” the musical “Sing Street” the Meryl Streep vehicle “Florence Foster Jenkins” and “20th Century Women,” a comedic period drama starring Annette Bening and set for release on Christmas Day. “As we speak, the entire ‘Deadpool’ team is engaged in a grotesque, early morning ” Ryan Reynolds, the star of that film, wrote on Twitter. The Globes are bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of mostly freelance journalists, only 85 of whom are active members. Long competitive with the more highbrow Oscars, the Globes often strive to make choices. Nominating Mr. Gibson for best director fit that bill. Mr. Gibson became a Hollywood pariah in 2006 when he was charged with drunken driving and went on an tirade. In 2011, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of battering a former girlfriend. By putting his comeback film forward in three prominent categories — Andrew Garfield was also nominated for best actor in a drama — the Globes may force Oscar voters to similarly contend with Mr. Gibson. “I’m very appreciative,” Mr. Gibson said in a statement. “This film was a labor of love for everyone involved and is also about a man who truly exemplified love and goodness. ” The press association filled out the directing category with Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”) Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Tom Ford (“Nocturnal Animals”). The inclusion of Mr. Ford may prove controversial because of Tom swag sent to voters by Focus Features, the studio behind his film. Because the combined value of the gift — bottles of cologne and perfume — exceeded the press organization’s $95 limit, the organization asked members to return part of it. To include him, Globe voters overlooked contenders like Martin Scorsese, whose “Silence” arrives in limited release on Dec. 23. Mr. Scorsese may have diminished his prospects by delivering the film late. “Silence,” an epic drama about two priests who face violence in Japan, was shut out on Monday. It was a bad morning for other Hollywood elder statesmen, with Clint Eastwood’s “Sully” uninvited to the banquet and Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply” barely alive, receiving a lone nod for Lily Collins’s performance. Also ignored was Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” a slave rebellion film once seen as a leading awards contender that collapsed at the box office after scrutiny of Mr. Parker’s past he was accused of rape in 1999 and later acquitted. The diversity on display during Hollywood’s season — or the lack thereof — has been an incendiary topic in recent years. When Oscar voters put forward an group of acting nominees at the most recent Academy Awards, there was a global outcry. The Globes are not necessarily predictive of the Oscars, but Monday’s nominations give reason to believe that a wide variety of faces will be honored. In the acting categories, Globe voters noted performers like Viola Davis and Denzel Washington, both nominated for “Fences,” an adaptation of August Wilson’s play about race and family relations. Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali received attention for their roles in “Moonlight” Dev Patel was nominated for “Lion” and Ruth Negga made the best actress cut for “Loving,” a gentle portrait of a couple whose marriage ended laws. “Hidden Figures,” about unsung black heroines in the space race of the 1960s, received attention for Octavia Spencer’s acting and a score by Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch. But the Globes are not especially prognostic of what will happen on Oscar night. Last year, “The Revenant” and “The Martian” were the Globes’ best picture winners both lost to “Spotlight” at the Oscars. The Globes ceremony has been increasingly important on the television front, largely for its acknowledgment of fledgling series like “Brooklyn . ” This time around, “This Is Us,” a new NBC drama, may have filled that quota. “This Is Us” received nominations for best drama and for two actresses (Chrissy Metz and Mandy Moore). In the best drama category, rookie shows made a of the nominations, with “The Crown,” “Stranger Things” and “Westworld” filling out the category, along with the HBO stalwart “Game of Thrones. ” Several returning shows were snubbed. “Mr. Robot,” last year’s drama winner, received only acting nominations Fox’s “Empire” got nothing. Showtime, which has had three wins in the best drama category in the past five years, fell to just one nomination: Liev Schreiber for best actor in a drama in “Ray Donovan. ” Streaming services have made inroads at the Globes, but on Monday the traditional players were back on top. HBO led the pack with 14 nominations (up from seven last year) and FX was in second place with nine. FX was propelled by “The People vs. O. J. Simpson,” which led all shows with five nominations, including best limited series. In the best comedy category, the returning winner, Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle,” is up against Amazon’s “Transparent,” HBO’s “Veep” and two shows that feature primarily black casts: ABC’s “ ” and FX’s rookie hit “Atlanta. ” The press association has labored in recent years to shed its reputation for bizarre nominations that were interpreted more as efforts to populate the banquet with stars than honor the year’s best in film and television. Monday’s list contained no outright embarrassments, but there were still some including a nod for Jonah Hill as best comedic actor in the critical dud “War Dogs. ” As previously announced, Ms. Streep, a Globes nominee and winner, will receive the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. Foreign film nominees were “Divines” (France) “Elle” (France) “Neruda” (Chile) “The Salesman” (Iran and France) and “Toni Erdmann” (Germany). Among film companies, Lionsgate was the runaway winner, with its various labels and partnerships resulting in 17 nominations. A24 was second, with nine, while Paramount and Universal each had eight. Jimmy Fallon is to host the 74th Golden Globes in all of his goofy glory, taking the reins from the acerbic British comedian Ricky Gervais. Mr. Fallon is under pressure to lift ratings. The most recent Globes telecast attracted about 18. 5 million viewers, compared with 19. 3 million the previous year, according to Nielsen. The Globes are to be broadcast live by NBC on Jan. 8. | 0 |
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Shares worth over $500 million in Thailand s Siam Commercial Bank have been transferred on behalf of King Maha Vajiralongkorn from the Crown Property Bureau, which manages palace assets, a filing with Thailand s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Friday. The filing by the Crown Property Bureau did not identify the ultimate beneficiary of the shares, nor did it indicate if any money had been paid for the shares. The transfer took place on Oct 2, the filing said. The law was changed in July to formally give the king control of the Crown Property Bureau. Details of its assets are not made public, but they are estimated to be worth more than $30 billion. The Crown Property Bureau confirmed the transaction but declined comment on how the transfer fitted with changes to the way palace finances are run since the king took the throne late last year after the death of his revered father. It is his majesty s private affair so I cannot comment further, said an official of the Crown Property Bureau who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of anything to do with Thailand s palace. The king has put an increasingly assertive stamp on the monarchy since succeeding his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who will be cremated on Oct. 26 in a ceremony that marks an end to more than a year of mourning in Thailand. Siam Commercial Bank, Thailand s third-largest bank by assets, declined to comment on the transaction in its shares. The filing said that the shares transferred amounted to 3.33 percent of the total value of the bank. After the transfer, the Crown Property Bureau still had a holding of 18.14 percent, it said. Based on the latest share price, the shares had a value of 16.9 billion baht ($505 million). At the latest dividend yield of 3.62 percent, the shares would give a payout of around $18 million a year. Shares in SCB closed 0.66 percent down on Friday compared to a 0.22 percent fall in the banking index. The Crown Property Bureau s stakes in SCB and Siam Cement PCL are together worth around $8.3 billion. According to a former official within the Crown Property Bureau, they have accounted for up to 80 percent of the agency s income in recent years. Although its real estate holdings are bigger, the returns from those are much lower. | 0 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama believes Congress will lift an embargo on Cuba under the next president, whether a Republican or a Democrat, he said in an interview with CNN Espanol that was broadcast on Monday. Obama, who will make a historic trip to Cuba next week, said there was not enough support among lawmakers to lift the embargo now, but sentiment was moving in that direction in both parties. “My strong prediction is that sometime in the next president’s administration, whether they are a Democrat or a Republican, that the embargo in fact will be removed,” he said in the interview, according to a transcript. The interview was conducted last week. “It makes sense for us to be able to sell into Cuba, to do business with Cubans, to show us business practices and how we treat workers and how we approach issues of human rights, that will help bring about the kinds of changes that are needed,” he said. Obama leaves office next January. | 1 |
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By wmw_admin on October 29, 2016 Morgan Chalfant — Washington Free Beacon Oct 28, 2016
U.S. and Russian military jets reportedly had a close encounter in Syrian airspace several days ago.
AFP, citing U.S. officials, reported Friday morning that a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. jet in airspace over eastern Syria on Oct. 17, nearly two weeks prior.
A Russian jet escorting a larger spy aircraft flew into the vicinity of the U.S. warplane, moving to “inside half a mile” from the American plane, according to Air Force Lieutenant General Jeff Harrigian. #BREAKING Russian, US jets had near miss over Syria: US officials
— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 28, 2016
“I would attribute it to not having the necessary situational awareness given all those platforms operating together,” Harrigian further stated, according to AFP.
An unnamed defense official said that the Russian aircraft “was close enough you could feel the jet wash of the plane passing by.”
The U.S. and Russia have set up a line of communication to avoid clashes in airspace over Syria. In this incident, the American pilot reportedly attempted to communicate with the Russian warplane but was unsuccessful.
Harrigian also reported an increase in close encounters between American and Russian military jets in the region in the past six weeks. He said that Russian jets have intentionally flown close to U.S. warplanes about once every 10 days.
Tensions between the United States and Russia have been exacerbated over the situation in Syria in recent weeks, following a failed ceasefire deal and suspension of communications between the two countries.
Russian and Syrian jets have bombed civilians and U.S.-backed rebels in Aleppo, drawing ire from America. Moscow has threatened to shoot down coalition jets that target Bashar al-Assad’s forces with air strikes in Syria, after reports indicated that the Obama administration would consider targeting Syrian government forces with strikes. | 0 |
TRAL, Kashmir — They hide in the forest, emerging occasionally to lure police officers into villages where they try to kill them with explosive devices. They steal weapons from the security forces. Then they disappear back among the trees. They are members of Hizbul Mujahedeen, a militant group that has emerged as the face of the independence movement in Kashmir, the Himalayan region that was subsumed into India when it shook off colonial rule in 1947 and that remains at the center of the country’s dispute with neighboring Pakistan. Relatively few in number, about 200, roughly half of them from local villages, Hizbul Mujahedeen is the larger of two militant organizations and has widespread support from a populace that has lost faith in dialogue to resolve differences with the Indian government. “They are adored,” said Sridhar Patil, the head of the regional police in Kulgam district, where crowds have burned a courthouse and a police station. “The younger generation of Kashmir is searching for a good leader, a good role model,” he said, and it has settled, for better or worse, on these young men. Daily life in Kashmir has come close to a standstill since July, when Indian security forces killed the leader of the local militancy, Burhan Muzaffar Wani, who had attracted a broad following through videos he posted on Facebook and WhatsApp. He started the trend of young, charismatic militants, dressed in military fatigues and carrying assault weapons, revealing their names and faces on social media in efforts to spread their message to a wide audience. The killing of Mr. Wani touched off four months of violence, including bombings, shootouts and attacks by youths, as well as protests by tens of thousands of people. In a lengthy interview, the young man’s father, Mohammad Muzafar Wani, said he had tried hard to influence the path of his son, a handsome youth who gelled his hair and changed his outfits twice a day, preferring to traditional kurtas. But in 2010, three weeks after Burhan and his older brother were beaten up by security forces, the brainy boy who got top grades at school dropped the original plan to train as a doctor and instead joined Hizbul Mujahedeen. “He was not a small child I couldn’t have confined him to home,” his father said. “I could have stopped him for a day or two, but not all days. ” The Kashmir police have counted 2, 400 clashes since July. Schools remain closed, more than 30 of them burned, and public transportation is almost entirely shut down. The state’s education minister was holed up in his home for days after receiving a threat. people have been killed in the violence, the police in Kashmir say, while local activists put the toll at closer to 100. At least a thousand protesters have been struck in the eyes by pellets fired by police officers, and some have been blinded. Kashmir, part of India’s only state, Jammu and Kashmir, was promised some measure of and autonomy after India was partitioned and Pakistan was formed. That promise was not fulfilled, and since then, India and Pakistan have fought two border wars over the region and have assembled nuclear arsenals. A violent secession movement arose in Kashmir in the late 1980s, as thousands of militants spilled over the border from Pakistan. India responded by moving tens of thousands of troops into the scenic Kashmir valley and slowly crushing the uprising. Still, the independence movement persisted, giving rise every few years to violence and protests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India made overtures to Pakistan early in his tenure that rekindled hopes for a resolution of Kashmir’s future. But he has made no public moves to restart discussions over the region. “Is people’s confidence in dialogue shaken? Yes, it is,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a founder of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a coalition of separatist groups. The young men who have joined the Kashmir militancy grew up in a militarized land where they were routinely stopped and searched by security forces, and at times brutally beaten, their families say. Mr. Wani’s older brother, Khalid, did not join the insurgency, even after the two were beaten by the security forces. Nevertheless, he was the first to be killed. In 2015, he was shot after delivering a meal to his brother and his comrades, his father said. The older Mr. Wani, 54, the principal of a government high school in the valley, said he was now focused on trying to keep his only surviving son, Naveed, from following his brother’s deadly path into the militancy. “My life is in him,” Mr. Wani said, looking over at the lean, bearded teenager who gave monosyllabic answers to visitors’ questions. The current rebel commander, Zakir Rashid Bhat, 22, went through many of the same experiences as his predecessor, said his father, Abdul Rashid Bhat, 56, an assistant government engineer. Mr. Bhat said his son was arrested and jailed in 2010 for pelting security forces with stones. Mr. Bhat said he had tried to broker a deal with the police to bring back his son, then 16, who was hiding in another part of the state, in return for leniency. But not only did the police throw the son in jail for several days until a court granted him bail, they also opened several criminal cases, accusing him of violence and of destroying government property, his father and the Kashmir police say. The rebel commander’s older brother, Dr. Shakir Rashid Bhat, 32, an orthopedic surgeon in the Kashmiri city of Srinagar, tried to explain why his sibling had joined the militancy. “The experience of seeing his father begging police for mercy changed him,” he said. “It was humiliating. ” In 2012 and 2013, even as Zakir attended an engineering college in another state, he had to return to Kashmir every few months for court hearings. Then, in July 2013, one month into his summer vacation, he disappeared, leaving a note saying that his parents should not look for him and that he was at peace with himself and with his God, his father said. Mr. Bhat said his son had left his iPhone, his iPad and cards for his family’s three bank accounts, taking nothing except the pants and he was wearing. In retrospect, the father said, the only clue to his son’s radicalization was an increased interest in religion in the days before he left. The youth, whose major passion had previously been his Yamaha motorcycle, suddenly began accompanying his father to the mosque each day during the holy month of Ramadan. On a recent Saturday morning, only hours after an explosive device went off a few miles from the brick house where Zakir grew up, a security officer was on the phone with his father, telling him his son was the prime suspect. Three police officers had been wounded, one critically. Mr. Bhat, a stocky man who was wearing a brown woolen cape and sitting on the floor of his living room when the call came through, sounded despondent at times as he responded again and again that he had no idea of his son’s whereabouts. “If you want to kill me, kill me,” he told the officer. “If that ensures safety to your country, do it. ” A few miles away, in another village in the Tral area, several dozen children and young men played cricket in a field adjoining the graveyard where Mr. Wani is buried. They stopped playing when visitors arrived. A boy in a blue cape, Muneeb Shah, began leading the crowd in a cheer, egged on by his father, a shawl merchant. “What do we want?” the boy shouted. “Azaadi,” the group responded, using the Urdu word for freedom. “For the sake of Burhan,” the boy called out next, going down the list of dead militants, one by one. Local people say dozens show up at the graveyard each day to pay tribute to Mr. Wani, some carrying away clumps of mud from the mound of grass covering his grave. Security officials worry that the glamorization of militant leaders might draw a larger number of young people into the fold. The police are trying to counter the appeal, in part by aggressively tracking down the leaders and the new recruits. But it is hard to make arrests because the militants operate in the forests around the villages where they grew up. When the police close in, crowds of people rush to the scene and try to stop the security forces by throwing rocks, yelling chants and generally interfering, knowing the officers will resist shooting at them. “From the front side you are fighting the militants, and from the back side you are getting hit by stones,” said Mr. Patil, the police chief. | 0 |
A little over 100 days into America s experiment in dystopian rule took a predictably sad turn: The Trump administration, apparently tired of allowing people to watch non-propaganda, have begun ordering government agencies to only allow Fox News to be played in government buildings. Fox News, of course, has operated as little more than a full-time state news agency for the Trump administration.The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), operating within the FDA, was given this message after employees asked why all of their monitors had inexplicably been changed to Fox News:I wanted to let everyone know that the reason for the change from CNN to FOX.The reason for the change is that a decision from the current administration adminstrative officials has requested that all monitors, under our control, on the White Oak Campus, display FOX news.Sorry for the inconvenience, but I am unable to change any of the monitors to any other news source at this time.Reporter Julia Reinstein confirmed the email from a source within the research center.Someone at CBER sent me the email which told staff TVs had been switched to Fox News by order of the admin pic.twitter.com/rsCzpOtdpv Julia Reinstein (@juliareinstein) May 5, 2017Reinstein got a picture confirming that the TVs within an office filled with serious scientists and researchers trying to do their jobs really were streaming Fox News.Here's Fox News on the TVs at CBER, same day an email went out to staff saying it had been switched from CNN to Fox by order of Trump admin pic.twitter.com/uVPx8jekIk Julia Reinstein (@juliareinstein) May 5, 2017Fox News has weathered its own scandals recently by doubling, then tripling down on unwavering support of Donald Trump. Its years of anti-Obama hysterics have given way to a Trump promotional operation that is breathtaking to watch. The mental gymnastics the network pulls in order to defend Trump s (largely unsuccessful) first 100 days has become the stuff of legend, including what may be one of the most unintentionally hilarious tweets ever published.Jobless rate after first 3 months: Trump vs. Obama vs. Bush vs. Clinton. pic.twitter.com/EUTEseJyTj Fox News (@FoxNews) April 29, 2017Unsurprisingly, all of this favorable coverage has pleased Trump, who is reportedly obsessed with what people are saying about him on cable news. On the same day the White House ordered CBER to start playing Fox News, Trump took time out of his schedule to praise Fox News morning show Fox and Friends for its ratings.Congratulations to @foxandfriends on its unbelievable ratings hike. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2017We are actively monitoring other governmental agencies to see if similar orders emerge. It seems highly unlikely that Trump would target just CBER with an order to watch Fox News. We ll update when we have more.Featured image via Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
Joe Biden doesn't sound like a man who's preparing for a grueling presidential campaign.
The vice president's latest remarks on a potential 2016 bid came Thursday night, questioning whether he has the "emotional energy" to run so soon after his eldest son, Beau, died from brain cancer in May.
For all the chatter and predictions of the past month that Biden was eagerly readying a run, the vice president has put forth a different face when he has spoken about a campaign. And it's one of a grieving father, a not-yet-healed family and someone who certainly doesn't sound mentally prepared for the emotional rigors of the campaign trail.
"I will be straightforward with you. The most relevant factor in my decision is whether my family and I have the emotional energy to run," Biden said in Atlanta, where he was speaking on the Iran nuclear deal. He was asked after his remarks about his intentions for a possible campaign. "Some might think that is not appropriate. But unless I can go to my party and the American people and say that I am able to devote my whole heart and my whole soul to this endeavor, it would not be appropriate."
Biden, 72, said there were other concerns, too — whether he can ramp up a competitive organization with such a late start, wooing donors and staff and building infrastructure in early states. But those weren't driving his decision.
"That's not the factor," a visibly drained Biden told the crowd in a Georgia synagogue. "The factor is: Can I do it? Can my family undertake what is an arduous commitment that we'd be proud to undertake in ordinary circumstances? The honest-to-God answer is I just don't know."
Biden is no stranger to tragedy, and he has soldiered on in the face of it before. Shortly after his election to the Senate in 1972, his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident and his two sons — Beau and Hunter — were badly injured. He had to be convinced to even take the oath of office, and he did, in the hospital beside his children.
The vice president referenced that first deep loss on Thursday night, but said he had learned "there's no way to put a timetable on" recovery from the scars.
"If I can reach that conclusion that we can do it in a fashion that would still make it viable, I would not hesitate to do it," Biden continued. "But I have to be honest with you, and everyone who's come to me, I can't look you straight in the eye and say, 'Now I know I can do that.' That's as honest as I can be."
This was an even more honest and raw assessment than Democratic insiders heard last week from Biden. On a closed conference call with the Democratic National Committee to sell the Iran deal, Biden again opened up about his presidential decision-making — and didn't sound any closer to pulling the trigger.
"If I were to announce to run," Biden said, "I have to be able to commit to all of you that I would be able to give it my whole heart and my whole soul, and right now, both are pretty well banged up. ... I've given this a lot of thought and dealing internally with the family on how we do this."
Multiple reports have said that Beau encouraged him to run before he died, and while the idea of a presidential campaign at that point may have seemed feasible, it's clear the elder Biden is still not ready — and there's no sign when he will be.
Unfortunately for the vice president, the clock is ticking. He initially said he would make an announcement by the end of the summer. The unofficial end is this Monday on Labor Day, but technically by that deadline he has until Sept. 22.
But it's actual deadlines that are important instead of symbolic ones. The first Democratic debate on Oct. 13 is on the horizon, and filing deadlines are approaching. It may be true that Hillary Clinton has stumbled, but it's insurgent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, not Biden, who's been the beneficiary of those foibles.
Only someone with the name identification and built-in political advantages like Biden's could even make such a late play, and if he did pull the trigger, he would be a formidable candidate. He's the last wild card on either side before the 2016 field is crystallized. And a superPAC backing him, Draft Biden, has staffed up in recent weeks with notable hires and close Biden allies.
Biden may give a more direct answer next week, when he will appear on one of Stephen Colbert's first Late Show episodes on CBS. The more relaxed, comedy setting may be one where Biden feels more comfortable and more free to be frank.
But Biden has already been pretty transparent already — and all signs so far point to him not getting in. | 1 |
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called the Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum illegitimate and said Russia and Turkey agreed that the territorial integrity of Iraq and neighboring Syria must be preserved. Erdogan spoke after face-to-face talks in Ankara with President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader gave no opinion of the vote, saying Moscow s position had been set out by the foreign ministry which said it respected the Kurds national striving but supported the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq. Both Turkey and Russia have strong commercial ties with the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of north Iraq but Turkey - with a large Kurdish population of its own - bitterly criticized Monday s referendum, threatening economic sanctions and a military response. The Kurdish referendum has no legitimacy in terms of the Iraqi constitution and international laws, Erdogan said in his comments at the presidential palace. No one has the right to throw our region in the fire. In this delicate period after the referendum, we have to prevent the Kurdish Regional Government from making bigger mistakes. Turkey has been battling an insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast for more than three decades and fears the vote in northern Iraq could fuel separatism within its own borders. Both Erdogan and Putin said they would continue to work together to address the conflict in Syria, where they have supported opposing sides in the struggle between President Bashar al-Assad s government and rebels who fought to overthrow him. The de facto conditions for ending the fratricidal war in Syria, the final destruction of terrorists and Syrians return to a normal life have been created, said Putin, whose support for Assad helped turn the tide of the six-year conflict in favor of the president. Putin said he and Erdogan confirmed their commitment to four de-escalation zones across Syria, including the northwestern province of Idlib, home to about 2 million people and largely controlled by former Nusra Front militants. Erdogan said last week that Turkish troops will deploy inside Idlib, which is on Turkey s southern border, while Russia would maintain security outside the province. Warplanes conducted a tenth consecutive day of air strikes on the Idlib area on Thursday, targeting insurgent-held towns, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Opposition rescue workers said on Wednesday that Russian and Syrian jets had killed at least 150 civilians in the air raids. Russia says it is only attacking jihadists. Russian media, citing the defense ministry, said 37 Nusra members including five field commanders were killed in a rocket attack in Idlib. The presidents said they wanted to see progress in two major projects, the TurkStream gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built in Turkey with Russian collaboration. We place great importance on the realization of these projects swiftly, Erdogan said. We have observed during out talks that there are some disruptions, we will fix them quickly. | 0 |
America s creditors are now thinking twice about investing in our nation because Donald Trump s policies have turned us into a bigger credit risk.On Election night, as the returns came in favoring Trump for president the stock market took a hit and the dollar dipped in value. It soon bounced back but markets around the world and in the United States are nervous about what will happen as long as Trump continues to push an economic policy that significantly lowers taxes on the rich, slashes regulations, boosts spending like never before, and antagonizes American and foreign businesses.Trump s escalation of confrontations with Iran and China, along with European fear of an invasion by Russia have also left the future of the world economy in doubt.Trump has been erratic, paranoid, and quick to whine on Twitter and has shown a willingness to attack businesses that make decisions he disagrees with.And Donald Trump s unpredictability is forcing foreign investors to stop investing in United States Treasuries.According to Bloomberg,Across the world, foreigners are pulling back from U.S. debt like never before. From Tokyo to Beijing and London, the consensus is clear: few overseas investors want to step into the $13.9 trillion U.S. Treasury market right now. Whether it s the prospect of bigger deficits and more inflation under President Donald Trump or higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve, the world s safest debt market seems less of a sure thing particularly after the upswing in yields since November. And then there is Trump s penchant for saber rattling, which has made staying home that much easier.Bloomberg goes on to point out that any consistent drop-off in foreign demand could have lasting consequences on America s ability to finance itself cheaply, which means the cost of running the federal government could skyrocket and fall upon the shoulders of struggling working class Americans who will see their taxes rise as the wealthy escape their own responsibility for providing revenues to the government.And as Trump continues to initiate trade wars against China, Japan, and other nations, it could further justify foreign investors from investing in the United States.We could be looking at an impending economic catastrophe as long as Trump continues to make America a credit risk. He wants to double down on the failed trickle-down economic policies Republicans are obsessed with and if he repeals the Affordable Care Act, that will create further chaos as the wealthy pay less in taxes and the deficit increases. Our economy is primed to implode and foreign investors see it coming. Investing in America is too risky right now, and it is only going to get worse. And Trump is to blame.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 1 |
“The U. S. global ballistic missile defense poses a deep risk to the security of the region,” declared Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday after meeting with Japanese officials in Tokyo. [The Associated Press describes Lavrov’s visit as the first “ ” meetings of foreign and defense ministers between Japan and Tokyo since Russia annexed Crimea. Japan has participated in sanctions against Russia for that action. Lavrov specifically denounced the THAAD missile system America is installing in South Korea as a “response completely out of proportion” to the North Korean threat. He said the United States was “pumping arms into the region. ” Tokyo has been thinking about asking the United States to pump a THAAD missile system into Japan, especially since the recent launch of four ballistic missiles towards the Japanese coast stoked fears that Pyongyang may be capable of “swarm attacks” or “saturation launches” that would overwhelm Japan’s missile defenses. One of the arguments against THAAD missile shield deployment is that North Korea might be able to fire a dozen or more missiles at once and overwhelm even the Terminal Area Defense System. That would make THAAD acquisition disruptive to Japanese relations with Russia and China, both of which believe the system is ultimately intended to limit their military options, without gaining any real security against North Korean aggression. Lavrov is well aware that political turmoil in South Korea gives Russia an opening to pressure Seoul into canceling THAAD deployment. Odds are that the replacement for impeached South Korean President Park will be less enthusiastic about the system than she was. “At the end of the day, if the reality unfolds in a way that South Korea’s national security and the economy were damaged because of the THAAD, not because of the North Korea issue, then it’s not really a rational situation, is it?” Choi an adviser to presidential candidate Moon said over the weekend. The economic damage Choi referred to is coming mostly from an enraged China. Sergey Lavrov’s comments in Tokyo are a warning of national security damage that will be heard clearly in Seoul. The Associated Press notes that Russia and Japan had one other lingering bit of business to discuss at the “ ” meeting: World War II isn’t over yet. It still isn’t over because no major breakthrough on the fate of the disputed Kuril island chain was announced after Lavrov’s trip to Tokyo. The disposition of these islands has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a peace treaty and formally concluding the Second World War. On the bright side, Russian media reported on Monday that Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed a willingness to make travel to the islands easier for Russian citizens, and Russia has floated similar proposals with respect to the Japanese. However, Kishida also voiced concerns about Russian military activity in the south Kuril Islands, and official conveyed those concerns to Lavrov at the meeting. Specifically, Japan is worried about Russia’s deployment of coastal missile systems. | 0 |
It s becoming fairly commonplace for public acts of violence to occur when liberals don t get exactly what they want. We used to rely on free speech at town halls to debate our differences, but we re living in a post-Obama era now, where Soros paid thugs have been committing so many acts of violence occur that we almost expect it. Sadly, wherever there is a gathering of people with opposing political views, most Americans now expect to see violence take place A man got physical with Republican North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer at a town hall meeting Thursday before being escorted out by police.The man was yelling at Rep. Cramer, Will the rich benefit from, if the health care is destroyed, do the rich get a tax break? Yes or no? He then shoved cash into the congressman s collar, saying, There you go, take it. Cramer responded, That s too far, and police escorted the man from the meeting. Another man was escorted out after he stepped in and blocked the man yelling as he was angrily approaching the congressman.CNN anchor Poppy Harlow described the scene as, This man showing his disgust with the Congressman s support of tax cuts for the wealthy, one part of the GOP plan right now. Earlier today we reported on a Tennessee woman has obviously bought into the left s playbook to act as crazy as possible when at a town hall.WEAKELY COUNTY, Tenn. A Weakely County woman was arrested after reportedly following Congressman David Kustoff and then threatening him.Police say Wendi Wright followed a car down Highway 45 Monday afternoon. Inside the car were Congressman Kustoff and aide Marianne Dunavant. Wright reportedly followed the car after it left a town hall on the UT Martin campus.THIS WOMAN LEFT THE TOWN HALL AND ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF THE CONGRESSMAN AND HIS PASSENGER! WHO DOES THAT?A police report states Kustoff and Dunavant felt they were in danger of being forced off the road. | 1 |
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Thursday called on countries to suspend providing weapons to Myanmar over violence against Rohingya Muslims until the country s military puts sufficient accountability measures in place. We cannot be afraid to call the actions of the Burmese authorities what they appear to be - a brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority, Haley told the U.N. Security Council. It should shame senior Burmese leaders who have sacrificed so much for an open democratic Burma. | 1 |
MSNBC host asks Congressman Ted Leiu, a Democrat from California about a House resolution he co-sponsored to address fake news. The idea that a member of Congress is trying to legislate what is and is not fake new is scary enough, but the congressman then went on to say that the best way to combat fake news is to watch MSNBC, because Trump fears them so they must be doing something right. Leiu then goes on to actually thank MSNBC for speaking truth to power. He probably just missed that embarrassing fiasco where serial liar Brian Williams was caught completely fabricating stories and reporting them as facts on NBC Nightly News, before being moved over to MSNBC with more like-minded fake news hosts Watch: | 0 |
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