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World leaders' personal chefs sample Indian market fare Wed Oct 26, 2016 4:38PM News Bulletin The chefs to various heads of state pose for a photograph as they visit the spice market in the old quarters of New Delhi on October 25, 2016. (AFP) The world’s most high-profile chefs are in India to explore one of the most gastronomic societies on earth. Members of the exclusive cooking society "Le Club des Chefs des Chefs" have gathered up in New Delhi to sample India’s spicy and aromatic cuisine. The culinary delegate comprising personal chefs to the world’s leaders decided to hold a meeting in India after being invited by the country’s president. They got the chance to explore the crowded alleys of Old Delhi’s pungent spice market and get a taste of the country’s authentic ingredients. The top chefs get together every year for a general assembly. The meeting is supposed to provide a platform for the gourmands to exchange recipes. The elite chefs also discuss ways to use food diplomacy to connect communities. The club also seeks to promote local food and healthy eating habits.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Seattle partially blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s newest restrictions on refugee admissions on Saturday, the latest legal defeat for his efforts to curtail immigration and travel to the United States. The decision by U.S. District Judge James Robart is the first judicial curb on rules the Trump administration put into place in late October that have contributed significantly to a precipitous drop in the number of refugees being admitted into the country. Refugees and groups that assist them argued in court that the administration’s policies violated the Constitution and federal rulemaking procedures, among other claims. Department of Justice attorneys argued in part that U.S. law grants the executive branch the authority to limit refugee admissions in the way that it had done so. On Oct. 24, the Trump administration effectively paused refugee admissions from 11 countries mostly in the Middle East and Africa, pending a 90-day security review, which was set to expire in late January. The countries subject to the review are Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. For each of the last three years, refugees from the 11 countries made up more than 40 percent of U.S. admissions. A Reuters review of State Department data showed that as the review went into effect, refugee admissions from the 11 countries plummeted. Robart ruled that the administration could carry out the security review, but that it could not stop processing or admitting refugees from the 11 countries in the meantime, as long as those refugees have a “bona fide” connection to the United States. As part of its new restrictions, the Trump administration had also paused a program that allowed for family reunification for refugees, pending further security screening procedures being put into place. Robart ordered the government to re-start the program, known as “follow-to-join”. Approximately 2,000 refugees were admitted into the United States in fiscal year 2015 under the program, according to Department of Homeland Security data. Refugee advocacy groups praised Robart’s decision. “This ruling brings relief to thousands of refugees in precarious situations in the Middle East and East Africa, as well as to refugees already in the U.S. who are trying to reunite with their spouses and children,” said Mariko Hirose, litigation director for the International Refugee Assistance Project, one of the plaintiffs in the case. A Justice Department spokeswoman, Lauren Ehrsam, said the department disagrees with Robart’s ruling and is “currently evaluating the next steps”. Robart, who was appointed to the bench by Republican former President George W. Bush, emerged from relative obscurity in February, when he issued a temporary order to lift the first version of Trump’s travel ban. On Twitter, Trump called him a “so-called judge” whose “ridiculous” opinion “essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country”. Robart’s ruling represented the second legal defeat in two days for the Trump administration. On Friday, a U.S. appeals court said Trump’s travel ban targeting six Muslim-majority countries should not be applied to people with strong U.S. ties, but said its ruling would be put on hold pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

MUMBAI, India — It was a bold and risky gamble by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India that quickly seemed to backfire. The announcement of a ban on the largest currency bills circulating in India, which came into full effect at midnight Friday, the last day for depositing the old notes at banks, set off cash shortages that have hit the country’s most vulnerable people hard and prompted worries about the economy. But despite those concerns, as well as doubts about whether the currency ban will reduce corruption as it is designed to do, for the moment, at least, Mr. Modi’s bet appears to be paying off in the public arena. Even as the poorest Indians have struggled, many have continued to voice support for the prime minister’s initiative to target the vast amounts of untaxed money, known as “black money,” flowing through the country’s economy, in hopes that it will combat an endemic culture of corruption. Mr. Modi, analysts say, has successfully tapped into deep frustration with the corruption that pervades almost every public interface with government. “Even though the cash ban has produced enormous hardship for me and my family, I support what Mr. Modi is doing for our country,” said Hem Raj Chechi, 39, a taxi driver in New Delhi, the capital, who said business had been down 50 percent since the ban was announced. Mr. Chechi has not been able to pay his children’s school fees or send money back to his village to support them for nearly two months. But, he said, “We need to fight black money, even though it is hurting little people like me. ” Mr. Modi came to power as a disruptive force pledging to overturn the status quo in New Delhi, bring jobs and fight corruption. Indians have repeatedly taken to the streets in recent years to demand an end to corruption, widely seen as being most detrimental to the poor and powerless. Declaring war on corruption, Mr. Modi announced on Nov. 8 that 500 and 1, 000 rupee bills, worth about $8 and $15, would be banned the next morning. With the currency ban, Mr. Modi has managed to convince many disaffected Indians that he is on their side. He has also used his powerful skills as a communicator to persuade people like Mr. Chechi that the pain stemming from the ban is for the good. That frustration with a political and business elite viewed by many as corrupt is what drove many Americans to vote for Donald J. Trump last year, said Eswar S. Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell University who is a native of India. “Trump made the case that only he could effect change by blowing up the system,” Mr. Prasad said in an interview. “Modi, in the same way, did have a persuasive narrative that small changes at the margins can’t tackle problems like corruption. We needed big and painful changes, really disruptive ones. ” Mr. Modi appeared on television on New Year’s Eve to tell Indians he understood their pain and urge them to bear with him in the aim of creating a better nation. He compared his cash ban to the freedom struggle led by Mohandas K. Gandhi, a battle of good versus evil. “Today Mahatma Gandhi is not among us, but the path that was truth that he showed us is still most appropriate,” Mr. Modi said, using the honorific for Gandhi. “As we begin the centenary year of the Satyagraha,” he said, referring to Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance movement, “let us recall the Mahatma and resolve to follow his message of truth and goodness. ” Mr. Modi was presiding over one of the major economies in the world when he announced the ban on the rupee notes, which made up 86 percent of the money in circulation. “It’s a little bit crazy,” said Geng Xiao, a professor of finance and public policy at the University of Hong Kong. “When I first read the news, I couldn’t even figure out if it was true. ” The government said that people depositing large amounts of old currency — more than 250, 000 rupees, or about $3, 670, could be asked to prove that they had paid taxes on it. Some saw vast amounts of untaxed holdings suddenly rendered worthless. Whether Mr. Modi’s move will actually reduce corruption is a matter of debate. Some economists believe it could pave the way for other measures intended to discourage bribery or restructure the economy. But others say the currency ban is unlikely to result in a significant reduction in corruption, even as it has inconvenienced hundreds of millions of people who have struggled to get enough cash to meet their daily needs while the government tries to print enough new notes to replace the banned ones. And a country short of cash has been unable to spend it, which is likely to reduce economic growth in the short term, economists say. People living on the edge of poverty have been hit hard, their diets and livelihoods severely affected. Many in India see Mr. Modi, who has also had success persuading Parliament to clear the way for a unified tax to make it easier to ship and sell things across state lines, as living up to his promise to be a reformer of India’s ossified and bureaucratic economy. But in the process, he has placed the Indian economy and his political future at risk. Many economists believe that the Indian economy will take at least a hit because of a dire shortage of cash, and that the future impact is uncertain. If the effects are prolonged, the public support for Modi could wane. “If this move damages the economy, he’s in for a rough ride,” said Harsh Pant, the head of strategic studies at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank. Mr. Xiao said that in a system in which the informal sector is substantial, the economy could be expected to experience a shock when so much cash is suddenly taken out. “You need offsetting stimulus policies to keep the economy growing,” he said. Mr. Modi was elected by an overwhelming majority in 2014, defeating the government, led by the Indian National Congress party, that had ruled for most of the country’s life, on the promise of bringing development and jobs and reducing corruption. “In 2014, he had presented himself as the big disrupter,” Mr. Pant said. “He was the precursor to what’s happening in the West. ” Mr. Modi was then the chief minister of the state of Gujarat, where he had a reputation for tearing away the country’s red tape so businesses could set up shop and expand. But during his first two years after winning national election, Mr. Modi, whose party did not control the upper house of Parliament, struggled to achieve a significant economic overhaul. Mr. Modi changed the political narrative in 2016 as he successfully fought to get Parliament to clear the way for the simplified tax. He cast the opposition as “people who don’t want change, who don’t want reform,” Mr. Pant said, forcing them in August to support the changes. But the challenges facing Mr. Modi remain considerable. Seven weeks after the cash ban began to be put in place, the currency shortage remains acute, leading to a sharp drop in demand for services and earnings, many providers said. Nagender Tiwari, 42, a rickshaw driver in East Delhi, said he was earning only 60 percent of the 1, 000 rupees, or about $15, that he used to take home daily before the cash ban. As a result, his family, which includes two children in 11th grade, has reduced its consumption of fish and meat. They have been unable to pay the rent on their home, he said. He said he was skeptical about whether the ban was reducing corruption, noting that he continued to be stopped by traffic police officers who extorted bribes. “So if bribery is not stopped, how can black money be stopped?” he asked. Raj Kumar Bindal, 65, a paper trader in New Delhi, said sales that plummeted to nearly nothing in the days after the cash ban had returned to about half of what they were before. “We can’t shift to a cashless mode overnight,” he said. Surjit Bhalla, a New economic adviser for the Observatory Group in New York, said he believed Mr. Modi was likely to enact several other major changes in the coming months, possibly including a move to a simplified personal income tax. India needs to reduce the incentives for taxpayers to cheat, Mr. Bhalla said. In the United States, for every $100 collected in income tax, an estimated $20 owed is not paid, he added. In India, for that same $100 in taxes paid, $200 more is owed, he said. Collectively, the cash ban and other anticorruption initiatives have the potential to transform India, Mr. Pant and others said. But doing so depends on Mr. Modi’s continuing to command the political narrative of the country, as he has so successfully done since instituting the cash ban. “So far, he has taken control of the narrative and the people are with him,” Mr. Pant said. “He thinks he can continue to do it, but we really don’t know. There are so many unknowns. ”

Just one month ago, Hillary Clinton had amassed a 9-point lead over Donald Trump in national polls and had an even bigger advantage in several swing states. Her eventual victory seemed to many to be all but assured, and Democrats were so confident of winning that a landslide victory even seemed like a possibility. But it’s all been downhill for Clinton from there. Starting in mid-August, her leads in both national and swing state polls began to gradually shrink. And the events of this past weekend seem to have made her margin narrow even further, as Trump has been getting some of his best state polls of the entire general election campaign. Importantly, Clinton still appears to be narrowly ahead both nationally and in enough states to win. But the recent trends have not been good for her, and make a remarkably dramatic contrast with where the race appeared to be last month. So what’s happened? Why has this race gotten so close all of a sudden? Matt Yglesias offers the big-picture point that Clinton is simply quite unpopular. But that still leaves open the question of why things have changed so quickly. Inconveniently, a month of a campaign is a complex thing, with many different events unfolding either concurrently or one after another, which makes it difficult to test a clean theory about what’s made the difference. Some combination of all this is most likely responsible for the shift we’ve seen, due to voters changing their minds and, perhaps, differences in poll response rates — though it’s unclear which of these factors is most important. What is clear is that a race Democrats hoped would be a landslide is now looking more like a nail-biter. In the weeks following the Democratic convention in late July, Trump’s poll standing plummeted. This was probably partly because Clinton got a convention bounce, but another factor was likely Trump’s high-profile attacks on the family of the late Capt. Humayun Khan. The Kahn controversy was heavily covered in the press and earned Trump a new round of condemnations from high-profile Republicans. But around August 17, Trump decided to make a change. He installed a new campaign team. He stopped doing constant TV interviews where he’d end up putting his foot in his mouth. He started doing more traditional and message-driven campaign events, as the Wall Street Journal’s Monica Langley writes. And perhaps most importantly, Trump has managed to avoid embroiling himself in any major new, campaign-consuming controversies (well, until Thursday’s birther flap, which hasn’t yet played out in the polls). Of course, he is being graded on a curve here — as Matt Yglesias writes, even uneventful Trump interviews usually contain several untrue or offensive statements that would shock us if any other politician were involved. Trump still isn’t doing as well as we would expect a generic Republican nominee to be doing. Vox’s fundamentals-based elections forecast suggests that he should be winning 50.9 percent of the two-party vote, and he’s currently 3 points behind that. Still, Trump has generally spent the past month hammering home his critique of Clinton rather than being dogged with questions about one offensive statement or another. And that could be helping bring some reluctant Republicans back into his camp. There’s also one other big thing that’s changed for Trump in this time period: He finally started spending money on swing state campaign ads. Until mid-August, Hillary Clinton had been spending millions on the airwaves essentially unopposed in every key state, but now the Trump campaign has been investing millions in ads as well. Now, these ads are only seen by swing state voters, so we wouldn’t expect them to make a dent in national polls. And Trump has improved nationally, so they’re not at the heart of what’s going on. Still, they could be making a difference at the margins in his performance in the swing states that will decide the election. As Trump has been improving his operation, Clinton has been dogged by a series of negative news stories that could be hurting her to some extent. On September 2, the FBI released a report of its findings in its investigation into Clinton’s emails. There wasn’t really much “news” here, but it quite understandably led to a new spate of news stories with “Clinton” and “FBI” in the headlines. And considering that the last time Clinton sank this badly in the polls was in the weeks after FBI Director James Comey first announced his findings in early July, it seems that when the topic is in the news, Clinton’s poll standing suffers. Over this same late August/early September time period, a series of negative-sounding stories about the Clinton Foundation also were published. Most of these stories didn’t seem to amount to very much if you read their details closely. But the very fact that a bunch of negative-sounding stories about Clinton appeared in the news helps create an aura of “corruption” around her, particularly when Trump dubs her “crooked,” regardless of the fine details. (Most voters aren’t retaining the fine details here.) Meanwhile, Clinton kept a relatively light campaign schedule in August so she could focus on fundraising instead. The side effect, though, was that she didn’t have the opportunity to “counterprogram” those negative news stories with positive events putting her message out there. “Clinton’s decision to lay low in August … will be debated for years,” Politico’s Glenn Thrush writes. “If she wins, her summertime fundraising blitz, meant to unleash a torrent of anti-Trump advertising at campaign’s end, will be regarded as strategic genius; lose and her decision is up there with Michael Dukakis in the tank.” I find that to be a bit overheated and doubt this made that much of a difference, but, hey, when voters did see a lot of Clinton and her message during the week of the Democratic convention, they did seem to like them well enough. So the race had already gotten a good deal closer since mid-August. But then, the events of this past weekend seem to hurt Clinton even more — though it’s not clear which mattered most. First was “deplorables-gate.” At a fundraiser last Friday, Clinton disparaged “half” of Trump’s supporters at a fundraiser as belonging in “the basket of deplorables … racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.” Clinton soon gave a semi-apology, saying that “half” was too much but reiterating that Trump does indeed have many racist supporters. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and much of the media quickly portrayed her remarks as a devastating gaffe akin to Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” comments from 2012. Afterward, things got worse for Clinton, as she felt faint and had to leave a 9/11 commemoration event on Sunday, was recorded nearly collapsing while being led into her car, and belatedly admitted that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia two days earlier. All this seemed to some to vindicate rumors Trump and his allies had been trying to spread about Clinton’s health for some time, and made Clinton appear less than fully forthright. This is speculative, but, like Brendan Nyhan of the Upshot, I suspect the health news is hurting Clinton more than deplorables-gate. Yes, the Trump campaign has seized on her remark, but the Clinton team probably has better data and they now seem eager to discuss the topic (after the candidate’s initial semi-apology). Furthermore, the deplorables comment seems like the type of inside-baseball campaign story that ordinary voters won’t really care about, whereas Clinton’s health is far more striking. Search data also suggests that people are far, far more interested in Clinton’s health than in the “deplorables” controversy. Now, it’s possible that this sudden swing in the polls is affected somewhat by differential non-response rates, a phenomenon Vox’s Jeff Stein wrote about earlier this year. That is to say, the news of Clinton’s illness may have made her supporters less enthusiastic about even answering polls, so they’d naturally show up less often in the results even after demographic weighting. Similarly, Trump supporters may have been disproportionately less likely to respond to polls back in early August, when Trump was under fire for his attacks on the Khan family. That could have made Clinton’s poll leads look artificially large then, and a change in Clinton supporter response rates could be making the race look unusually tight now. As Stein wrote, Andrew Gelman and Alan Abramowitz have compiled evidence showing that what looks like big poll swings can often be explained partly by this effect. Yet if Clinton voters truly are feeling so unenthusiastic about the race that they won’t answer phone polls, that in itself indicates a major underlying enthusiasm problem her campaign needs to solve. Furthermore, finding creative reasons to dismiss poll results that may not fit with your preconceptions has generally been a bad idea this year, as Trump’s primary rise and Brexit have both shown. As for whether this is the harbinger of a new normal in the race, well, we don’t really know, of course. There are still 53 more days until Election Day, and much can happen in that time. (Everything mentioned above happened in just the past month!) Clinton’s health could get better or worse. Trump could avoid more gaffes or start backsliding like he did with birtherism on Thursday. The media could cover Trump more harshly now that it seems more likely he could win. The debates could go well or disastrously for either candidate. What is clear is that a race Democrats briefly thought they had in the bag no longer looks like such a sure thing.

During a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Friday, Donald Trump delivered a bizarre theory about the local fire marshal. Trump was very upset that the fire marshal prevented thousands of people who had come to see him speak from entering the venue, which would have created a huge fire hazard that would have put thousands of his supporters lives in danger.Trump told the audience that these are the types of regulations that are the reason Our country doesn t work. So I have to tell you this. This is why our country doesn t work. We have plenty of space here. We have thousands of people outside trying to get in. And we have a fire marshal that said, Oh we can t allow more people. Trump then went on to blast the fire marshal and the fire department claiming that they don t know how to do their jobs. The jobs that they are trained to do in order to keep people safe. As if that wasn t bad enough, Trump then offers the only reason his brain can come up with as to why the fire marshal might be enforcing regulations that were created probably long before his clown show rolled into town. The reason they won t let them in is because they don t know what the hell they re doing, Trump said. That s why, okay? Too bad. That s why our country has hey, maybe they re a Hillary person. Could that be possible? Probably. I don t think there are too many of them. I don t think there are too many of them. This is the kind of thing we have in federal government also, by the way, folks. Then you wonder why we re going to hell, Trump said, continuing his rant. That s why we re going to hell. You know what it is? It s a thought process, right. You can watch the video below.Watch Donald Trump berate & demean a Fire Marshal for doing his job and keeping people safe at Trump's event. pic.twitter.com/JxEYxBIKpn NYC EMS Website (@NYCEMSwebsite) July 30, 2016Featured image from video screenshot

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday ruled out calling a national election after Catalan separatists won a regional vote, thwarting his bid to resolve the country s biggest political crisis in decades. Rajoy had gambled on unionist parties taking control of Catalonia s regional government, which he sacked in October for illegally pursuing independence from Spain. Rajoy, speaking at a news conference, said he would make an effort to hold talks with the new Catalan government. However, he did not clarify whether he would be willing to meet deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Brussels and whose party retained its position as the largest separatist force.

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

Even if hackers don't strike on Election Day, the drumbeat of cyberattacks and leaks this campaign cycle has affected the way citizens view the electoral process. —Even if hackers don't actually try to tamper with voting Tuesday, the unprecedented amount of cyberattacks this campaign cycle – and the public warnings of possible Election Day digital fraud – has already had a profound impact on American democracy. Consider this: In the wake of widespread hacks against political organizations this summer, a survey from cybersecurity firm Carbon Black found that 38 percent of Americans are "concerned" that the election itself could be hacked, while another 18 percent are "very concerned." Just 11 percent of respondents said they were "not concerned at all." These fears of digital sabotage, apparently, led 1 out of 5 respondents to say they might not even vote. If that's representative of the entire electorate, it means that some 15 million people could stay home Tuesday – as a result of a hacking campaign the Obama administration has blamed on Russia. After an unknown group or person known as Guccifer 2.0 claimed responsibility for the hack on the Democratic National Committee this summer, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence blamed senior Russian officials for orchestrating the breach as part of a broader effort to sway American public opinion and undermine trust in the election. But the high-profile accusation didn't quash Guccifer: It resurfaced once again over the weekend to hint at more Election Day tampering: "I will monitor that the elections are held honestly. I also call on other hackers to join me, monitor the elections from inside and inform the US society about the facts of electoral fraud." While election and cybersecurity experts dismissed that claim as hyperbole, it may be a "last-ditch effort" to sway the vote or deter people from heading to the polls, Justin Fier, director for cyber intelligence and analysis with security firm Darktrace, told PCWorld. "His goal during all this time has been public influence." Warnings that voting booths might be hacked have certainly put state election officials on alert for any abnormalities Tuesday. DHS officials say they've spoken to all 50 states about providing help with scanning their systems for risks and offering other services, but wouldn’t detail the assistance specific states had received. But even if foreign hackers can't compromise actual voting systems, the internet campaign to spread fear of vote hacking and manipulation may be enough to have a major impact on public trust. Daniel Chiu, deputy director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, noted that since Republican candidate Donald Trump and others are claiming the election could be rigged, hackers don't need to actually strike on Tuesday to discredit the vote. "Merely a credible claim of doing so could compel voters to cry foul and undermine the legitimacy of the vote both at home in the US and abroad," said Mr. Chiu. To be sure, successfully compromising voting machines would be difficult, say experts. "The US election landscape is made up of approximately 9,000 different state and local jurisdictions, providing a patchwork of laws, standards, processes, and voting machines," noted Ian Gray, cyber intelligence analyst at the firm Flashpoint, in a blog post today. "This environment is a formidable challenge to any actor – nation-state or not – who seeks to substantially influence or alter the outcome of an election." But that's probably not Russia's aim, he said. "Russia can most likely achieve a more reliable outcome with fewer resources not by attacking the election infrastructure directly, but rather by organizing a disinformation campaign attacking confidence in the election itself." Some experts say that mere reports of possible Election Day hacking on social media, blogs, and in mainstream news outlets could fuel post-election challenges to the results. "If you lose faith in the process, then what? There could be appeals for months," said Ben Johnson, chief security strategist at Carbon Black. "There could be appeals for months. We need to have enough integrity and transparency in the process so people are comfortable that the election wasn't tampered with." State officials are on guard for any potential signs of tampering. "There's a heightened awareness and a heightened concern," said Karen Jackson, Virginia Secretary of Technology. "If you're paying attention to cybersecurity, then election systems are just one of the systems you're paying attention to anyway." The idea of nameless, faceless hackers or foreign spies disrupting the election, clearly, is a major concern on Tuesday. But it's not just a cyberattack that could have an impact, she notes. "Somebody could pull a fire alarm. All of those things have the power to disrupt the voting process."

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on France’s presidential campaign (all times local):[3:40 p. m. Waving French flags in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, thousands have gathered to show support for conservative Francois Fillon’s troubled presidential candidacy. The Paris rally could be Fillon’s last stand, amid growing pressure on him to quit the race because of corruption allegations. Dozens of buses brought supporters from around France, while riot police stood guard around the Place de Trocadero. Retirees Luc and Marie Houllier braved rainy, blustery weather to denounce what they see as a investigation of jobs for Fillon’s family. Luc said that “he is the only one who can raise France up again. ” Fillon’s chances for the election have fallen since the corruption allegations emerged. Older people, who make up Fillon’s most loyal voter base, constituted a large part of Sunday’s crowd, along with parents of young children. are also being held. — 11:00 a. m. France’s presidential campaign is facing a potential turning point as conservative candidate Francois Fillon, facing corruption charges, holds a rally that could determine whether he stays in the race. Sunday’s rally across from the Eiffel Tower is meant to gauge Fillon’s remaining support after numerous defections by allies. They’re disillusioned by how he has handled the investigation into allegations he arranged parliamentary jobs for his wife and children that they never performed. Fillon’s wife Penelope urged her husband to stay in the race in a newspaper interview published Sunday. They deny wrongdoing. If Fillon quits, many conservatives want Alain Juppe to run in his place for the vote. Fillon was once the but polls now favor centrist Emmanuel Macron and leader Marine Le Pen.

At Planned Parenthood’s centennial gala this week, Hillary Clinton cited feminist novel The Handmaid’s Tale to urge supporters of the abortion chain not to relinquish the right to abortion, but — as it turns out — the Democrat Party has succumbed and abandoned many of its principles to become the “handmaid” of the abortion industry. [Planned Parenthood awarded the former Democratic Party presidential nominee its “champion of the century” award in New York City Tuesday evening as the organization held yet another celebration of its centennial anniversary. The Hollywood Reporter noted that, in her remarks at the event, Clinton cited Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian feminist novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. A new television production of the novel — about a totalitarian theocracy that forces women to procreate — can be seen courtesy of Hulu. “To paraphrase Margaret Atwood, ‘We can never let them grind us down,’” Clinton said. “In The Handmaid’s Tale, women’s rights are gradually, slowly stripped away. As one character says, ‘We didn’t look up from our phones until it was too late. ’” “It is not too late for us,” Clinton added. “But we have to encourage the millions of women and men who support Planned Parenthood to keep fighting. ” Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Tom Perez also recently announced that his party’s commitment to abortion is “not negotiable,” and that the Democrat Party would exclude candidates for office. Perez’s autocratic remarks came after abortion lobbying group NARAL America slammed the DNC for its embrace of Heath Mello, an Omaha mayoral Democratic candidate who had previously voted as a state lawmaker with his conscience. “The actions today by the DNC to embrace and support a candidate for office who will strip women — one of the most critical constituencies for the party — of our basic rights and freedom is not only disappointing, it is politically stupid,” fumed NARAL’s president, Ilyse Hogue. In the wake of Perez’s comments, many Democrats have attempted to correct the optic of their party’s subservience to the abortion industry. While the party has attempted to portray itself as built upon morally upright virtues — such as diversity and inclusiveness — Perez’s statement clearly indicates the opposite. Democrats are now “newly divided … as they attempt to decide who they will welcome, and who they will exclude, amid soul searching over how the party should rebuild after its 2016 loss,” observes Clare Foran at the Atlantic, who interviewed Democrats such as Sens. Claire McCaskill (MO) and Joe Donnelly (IN) who objected to Perez’s exclusion of candidates. In a column at Jesuit magazine America, Robert David Sullivan also observed, “Abortion is proving that the Democratic Party can outdo Republicans in . ” The author continued: Abortion is now the single issue defining the Democrats, and Ilyse Hogue, the president of NARAL America, is the de facto head of the party. This gives the Republicans a major advantage in holding off electoral losses if the Trump administration continues to founder. Realizing the potential threat of a divide in a party that is already struggling, individuals such as Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards are attempting to smooth over the perhaps harsh reality that the abortion industry is running the Democratic Party. Richards appeared with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace this week, reports Newsbusters’ Katie Yoder. “Is it difficult right now to be a Democrat?” Wallace asked Richards. “Do you guys make it difficult?” “Oh, I don’t think so,” she replied. “Abortion is one of these issues that it is — I think shouldn’t be politicized. ” Yoder notes, of course, that Planned Parenthood donated $38 million to Clinton’s campaign. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — known for simultaneously touting her Catholic faith and her views — also tried to soften Perez’s dictum that all Democrats must promote abortion. “This is the Democratic Party. This is not a party,” she told the Washington Post, in response to a question about Perez’s exclusive statement. Pelosi, however, also acknowledged her doubt whether, at this point in time, a true candidate could ever win a Democratic presidential primary. She suggested, in fact, Democrats lost in the 2016 election races because their positions on social issues did not appeal to average Americans who ended up voting for Donald Trump. “You know what? That’s why Donald Trump is president of the United States — the evangelicals and the Catholics, equality, . That’s how he got to be president,” she said. “Everything was trumped, literally and figuratively by that. ” The Post’s Karen Tumulty, however, reports Pelosi’s comment again drew the wrath of NARAL’s Hogue. “Encouraging and supporting candidates leads to bad policy outcomes that violate women’s rights and endanger our economic security,” Hogue reportedly said in an email. Stephanie Schriock, the president of Democrat super PAC EMILY’s List, also reasserted the importance of abortion as a major issue for Democrats at her abortion lobbying group’s gala event this week. “They want us arguing about whether we’re a party focused on elevating diverse voices or a party focused on appealing to the white working class,” Schriock said, reports Roll Call. “And, from what I can tell, a lot of people in the Democratic Party are happy to have that argument. Well, I’m not one of them. ” “I don’t buy the argument that Democrats have to decide whether we’re a party of white men in rural America or a party of women in the big cities, a party of immigrants or a party of feminists,” Schriock said. “Democrats should be the party of working people. But we shouldn’t make the mistake of equating ‘working people’ with ‘white men. ’” At the Planned Parenthood event, Clinton — using the common euphemism “reproductive health care” — said about abortion, “[A]nyone who wants to lead should also understand that fundamentally, this is an issue of morality. ” The abortion industry appears to have succeeded at turning its “handmaid,” the former party of the “working class,” into one whose most cherished goal is ensuring women can end their pregnancies as they demand. Neither Perez nor the DNC responded to Breitbart News’s request for comment.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police ordered the immediate evacuation of part of southern Berlin and imposed temporary road, rail and metro closures after building workers unearthed a unexploded World War Two bomb on the site of a former railway siding. Bomb disposal experts were due to move into place once the area, a radius of 500 meters around the 250kg bomb in the southern borough of Schoeneberg, had been evacuated, Berlin police said in a tweet. Large parts of Berlin were all but leveled in the final days of the war when British and U.S. bombers pounded the city to ease the path of the encircling Russian armies that brought an end to Adolf Hitler s Nazi regime. Some 60,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Frankfurt earlier this year after a massive bomb, dropped by Britain s Royal Air Force, was unearthed. More than 2,000 tonnes of live bombs and munitions are discovered each year in Germany, more than 70 years after the end of the 1939-1945 war. British and American warplanes pummeled the country with 1.5 million tonnes of bombs that killed 600,000 people. Officials estimate that 15 percent of the bombs failed to explode, some burrowing six meters (20 feet) deep. Three police explosives experts in Goettingen were killed in 2010 while preparing to defuse a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb.

The night of Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants attacked eight places in and around Paris, killing 130 people and wounding nearly 500. It was the most lethal attack in France since World War II. Confusion gripped the city as two teams of attackers struck nearly simultaneously. One struck at the Stade de France, just outside Paris, while the other shot up cafes and bars in the hip 10th and 11th Arrondissements. About 20 minutes later, a third team of attackers entered the Bataclan concert hall in the same neighborhood, taking hostages and killing scores. The New York Times interviewed 27 people who witnessed parts of those events and asked them to recount what they experienced: suicide bombs, gunfire, the terror of near death. Two of the people interviewed, the Paris fire chief and the brigade’s chief medical doctor, had a uniquely comprehensive view as they helped oversee the response, shuttling back and forth between the attack sites and their headquarters. The chronology here is taken from an official report on the attacks that was published by a French parliamentary inquiry. These accounts have been edited and condensed. This is the story of the attacks by those who lived through them. A soccer game between the national teams of France and Germany begins at 9 p. m. It is televised and watched by millions. Some 75, 000 people are at the stadium, including President François Hollande, several government ministers and a German delegation. The first bomber explodes his vest outside the stadium at 9:19 p. m. Gen. Philippe Boutinaud, 54 The commander of the Paris Fire Brigade. He had worked at NATO and the European Union in Brussels and had been on missions in Afghanistan and the Balkans. On Nov. 13, he had been invited to watch the game and was not there in an official capacity, but he soon went to work. I was at the Stade de France when the first explosion took place. The thing that stopped me from imagining that this was an attack was that there was no blast. It was like a firecracker. I immediately asked my driver, who was outside, to see what was happening. He had also heard the explosion, he got close, and he told me he believed it was a firecracker. He told me that there was a person wounded in the leg, but at first glance it didn’t seem very serious. There was no one nearby. The first suicide bomber who blew himself up, we don’t know why, but he blew himself up in the middle of nothing. Salim Toorabally, 43 A security guard at the Stade de France. Before the game, he stopped a man trying to force his way into the stadium. Five days later, he learned from the police that the man was one of the suicide bombers. I heard the first explosion. At that point I thought to myself that this wasn’t a smoke bomb and it wasn’t firecrackers. It was much more than that. I looked behind me, toward the interior of the stadium. The president was present, the players, a fair number of important people. And I thought to myself, I hoped that I was wrong. Noël Le Graët, 74 The president of the French Football Federation. He was in the stand along with Mr. Hollande. The president was warned by his services very, very quickly. There was a whole security system around our stand, with a video camera on each gate, so the president was told discreetly to come upstairs to see what was happening. And someone came to tell me: “Don’t move, no need to show panic, but you’re going to meet the president in two minutes, but very calmly, leave with your hands in your pockets so you don’t show any sign of panic. ” 9:22 p. m. A second suicide bomber explodes his vest outside the stadium. Mr. Toorabally The second explosion was much more violent. I shook, the ground vibrated. I told everybody who was working on the exterior perimeter, my colleagues: “Guys, we are facing an attack. You need to get inside. You need to take shelter. ” Then I saw three people who were wounded, who were being carried by someone. I took the first victim, I put him on the ground. I didn’t have any gloves. He was hurting a lot. I saw a piece of flesh on his pants. I didn’t think that we were being attacked by suicide bombers. I would never have thought that we were going to see this type of attack in France. 9:24 p. m. Within five minutes, General Boutinaud is called by one of his deputies, Tourtier, the chief doctor for the Paris Fire Brigade, who has received a call himself from the operational headquarters that there were explosions at the Stade de France, as well shootings in central Paris. General Boutinaud The second explosion had just happened, and I still did not have the sense that these were attacks. I exit, because something strange is going on. But when I leave the Stade de France, I stumble on the leg of a suicide bomber. I came across his mangled body, in the middle of nothing. I see the other leg on the other side of the street, and I see the rest of the body to the left and it’s completely twisted. The second striking image was the stuffing from the anorak [one of the bombers was wearing]. The second suicide bomber had blown himself up about 30 or 40 meters to my right, and there was a lot of stuffing from the anorak’s inner lining, a kind of white cotton that the wind was blowing. For me, there are no ifs or buts, it is obvious that these were suicide bombers. Because it was one of the scenarios that we had been working on for many months. Mr. Le Graët The president asked me to speak to our players and not to tell anyone. And the game must go on because the [Interior] Ministry wanted to secure all exits. My mission was to go down to the locker rooms, make sure there was no television, nothing, not warn anyone. 9:53 p. m. A third explosion occurs near the stadium in front of a McDonald’s. A decision is made not to tell the crowd. The game is allowed to continue and ends about an hour later. Franck Bargine, 47 The announcer at the Stade de France and a radio personality known as Max. He addressed the crowd as it left. In light of external events — we keep the vocabulary soft — people can leave the stadium and a few exits are closed, and one or two parking lots are not accessible, but for the rest we’re safe, the stadium and the area around is safe. As people are evacuating the stadium, firecrackers go off nearby, and suddenly many in the crowd, aware from text messages and rumors that Paris appears to be under attack, turn and rush back into the stadium, pouring onto the field. General Boutinaud [The Stade de France] is clearly the center of gravity of the terrorist attacks. You don’t send three suicide bombers to blow themselves up in the middle of a crowd if it’s a secondary target. It was the primary objective. We asked that the stadium not be evacuated and that the match continue. It is this decision that avoided a massacre. The third terrorist, he walked around for half an hour, and then he found a target of opportunity, which was a McDonald’s, and, pardon me, but I think he chose a McDonald’s because it embodies America. But what he was waiting for during that was for us to give the order to evacuate the stadium to blow himself up. I am personally convinced of it. At the Stade de France, sadly, there was one dead and 54 wounded. As a main target for the terrorists, it was a complete failure. 9:24 p. m. The cafe attacks began at Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge restaurant when a team of three attackers opened fire with assault weapons, killing 15 people. By coincidence, General Boutinaud, Dr. Tourtier and other Paris authorities had conducted a drill for a terrorist attack just that morning involving the use of assault weapons in 13 locations. Dr. Tourtier, 48 The chief doctor for the Paris Fire Brigade. He was home with his wife and children when the attacks started. I get a phone call telling me there are explosions at the Stade de France, and almost in the same moment, I get a call telling me there is shooting in Paris, and I immediately understand that we are dealing with a complex terror attack. I make two calls. The first one is to General Boutinaud, but he was already aware of the situation. The second call I made is to Professor [Pierre] Carli, the head of the emergency services. I tell him: “Pierre, something peculiar is happening. Prepare yourself to mount a response. ” Some of the hospitals we contacted, at first, said, “So is this a to the drill we did this morning?” So we had to tell them that ‘no’ this was definitely real. 9:26 p. m. The three attackers quickly drive on and shoot at the terraces of the Casa Nostra pizzeria and of the Café Bonne Bière in the 11th Arrondissement, killing five more. Triomphe, 58 A former civil servant in the Labor Ministry. He went to the Café Bonne Bière because he thought it would be a quiet place for a drink with a friend, and was wounded there. When I got to the cafe, the waiter asked me if I wanted to be on the terrace outside or inside, and since it was a mild night, I said at first the terrace, and I don’t know why, but at the moment when I sat down I said, “No, actually, I prefer inside. ” Each time I say to myself, that saved my life. The people who died at La Bonne Bière were those who were on the terrace. Me, I was just by the window. About 9:30 p. m. General Boutinaud leaves the Stade de France to go to the Fire Department’s operational headquarters, which answered 580 calls in the first after the attacks began. Trailing in the wake of the attackers, his deputy, Dr. Tourtier, arrives at Rue Bichat, the crossroads where the carnage took place at Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge. Dr. Tourtier I find a sight close to one that I could have seen as a military doctor with a combat company under fire in Afghanistan or the Sahel with this small difference, which is that the public is not protected. So some wounds are extremely serious. We were walking on bullet cartridges from Kalashnikovs. There are already many dead, and we had to organize the chaos to do the best job possible. Mr. Triomphe The former civil servant, who was wounded at La Bonne Bière. I remember I was lying down, and I saw someone in white. For that reason, I thought it was an angel. [It was an Italian doctor.] She put on tourniquets to stop the bleeding, because I was still losing blood. She used napkins. She was the only doctor there, and she was very busy. The three attackers continue driving south through the 11th Arrondissement to another cafe, La Belle Équipe. Mandy Palmucci, 34 An American internet technology consultant. She had been in Nice to run a marathon, and then spent a couple of nights in Paris with her two best friends and the sister of one of her friends. At about 8:30, we went to a restaurant on the Rue de Charonne, Clamato, to put our names in. At about 8:45, 9:00, they told us they would call us in about 30 minutes when they had a table ready. And so we wandered down to the Belle Équipe to have a drink. Someone happened to notice a table on the patio, basically right next to the entry into the restaurant. It had three chairs, so we sat down. Myself and one of my friends shared a chair. At 9:35, the phone rang, and it was the restaurant saying our table was ready. 9:36 p. m. The shooters arrive. The carnage at La Belle Équipe is the worst of any at bars and cafes that night, leaving 19 dead. Ms. Palmucci I did not see anybody because my back was to the street, but we heard a bunch of popping noises. I glanced to my right and began to see flashes. It was the gunfire. I apparently screamed, “Get down!” and the four of us dropped to the ground. I remember linking my arm with one of my friend’s arms and one with the other one. And every time somebody shot, feeling them shake, and I must have been shaking, too. I thought they were being hit with bullets because their bodies were jerking. They shot at us for 90 seconds, and there was a pause and then they resumed shooting. In that pause, people were screaming. Just — I still remember the screams — and I remember thinking: Stop screaming or they’re going to keep shooting because they are going to know people are still alive on this patio. But they shot for another 60 seconds, and the screaming had decreased at that point. Listen to the owner of La Belle Équipe, Grégory Reibenberg, whose wife was killed, talk about returning to the bar after the attacks in a 360 video. François Vauglin, 46 The mayor of the 11th Arrondissement. It was an elected colleague, who lives above La Belle Équipe, who called me. “Listen, François, this is very serious: There are gunshots in the street. The people are wailing. It’s very serious. ” I called the commissioner of police, and I said: “I am going to go there. Apparently, there’s gunfire. ” The commissioner said to me: “No, no, no. Above all, don’t go to that place. The situation has not been stabilized. “Come to the Police Headquarters. ” General Boutinaud directs the emergency response from the Fire Department’s headquarters, receiving constant updates from fire companies on the scene. The gunmen flee, but one goes into the nearby Comptoir Voltaire, a cafe. General Boutinaud One of them blew himself up at the Comptoir Voltaire. We started to give him a heart massage. We hadn’t understood that he was a terrorist. The explosives had not completely blown up. His leg had been ripped off. When our guys opened his jacket to start the heart massage, they saw the electrical wiring. That’s when they understood that he was a suicide bomber. 9:40 p. m. The final set of three attackers arrive at the Bataclan, where an American band, the Eagles of Death Metal, took the stage around 8:45 p. m. before a crowd of about 1, 500 people. One attacker was killed by police officers who arrived within 15 minutes of when they opened fire on the crowd. Two attackers retreated upstairs with hostages. In all, 90 people were killed. Audrey Guiny, 25 A stretcher carrier for ambulances. She went to the concert with two friends. She was wounded so badly that she has been unable to return to work. I don’t remember anymore what the first songs were, but they were just super great. The atmosphere was very good, very joyous. I had my telephone in my hands to take photos, and I was receiving notifications from Le Parisien [a newspaper] that told me that there was shooting not far away. I said to my friend who was on one side of me, “Ah, there’s gunfire not far from here,” and she said to me: “We’re not at risk. We’re in a concert hall. ” Aurelia Gilbert, 43 A worker for a Swedish security company. She has two daughters, ages 13 and 15. She went to the concert with a friend. At around 9:40 at the end of the sixth song, “Kiss the Devil,” during the guitar solo we heard what sounded like a firecracker. But I knew it was not a firecracker. I knew right away it was a gunshot. Then I heard screaming coming from behind me, more gunshots and people screaming. The guys from the band froze, and the lead guitarist and singer disappeared. Julian Dorio, 34 The drummer for Eagles of Death Metal. This tour was the first time he had played with them. I heard and felt the gunfire at first. I didn’t see it initially. We were near the end of playing a song when the rounds of gunfire began, but at the time we weren’t sure what it was. One thing that will always stand out was how powerful it was. As a loud rock ’n’ roll band, there’s not much that’s louder than us. I’ll never forget how small we felt. It dwarfed the band. I was surprised I wasn’t hit, because as a drummer on a riser I’m a sitting duck. Ms. Guiny I heard noise behind me, I realized that this was gunfire. My reaction was to pull my two friends to the floor. I turned my head to be aware of what was going on. I clearly saw the terrorist with his gun. Ms. Gilbert The main entrance to the Bataclan was at our backs and I turned around, and I saw some white flashes and heard the noise of machine guns, and dived to the floor. I told my friend and his daughter to get down. My friend said, “It must be a firecracker. ” I yelled: “No! Get down on the floor! Now!” Then we heard more screaming and the sound of gun shots. I was lying on the floor and people were lying alongside me. I turned my head and saw one of them reloading his gun. I saw him clearly and was able to later identify him at the police station. We couldn’t go backward toward the main entrance and the street because the gunmen came from there. We couldn’t go toward the concert pit. So we began to crawl toward a nearby door that led to the beginning of a staircase and several staff rooms. The stairs led to the balcony. I thought to myself: I am going to die today. But if I was going to die, I preferred to die moving than to die on the floor. Ms. Guiny They shot the first magazine, and then they reloaded. For us, it went on for an eternity: It was five or 10 minutes. We saw people next to us dying. We heard the sounds. We knew everything. I knew that right next to us there was death. He was reloading. It was now or never. Except it was based just on the terrorist that was aiming in our direction. Mr. Dorio I moved off the drum riser to my left so I could take cover behind some of the guitar amps. I’ll never forget looking up and seeing the first half of the audience coming towards the stage, and the back half I couldn’t see at all. In a matter of seconds, those people had hit the floor or they are running and trampling each other. It was awful. It’s at this point I can see the shooters firing aimlessly into the crowd. I looked out, and I saw some stuff that you can’t unsee. I saw the most unpleasant things I’d ever seen in my life. Daniel Psenny, 59 A journalist who writes about television for Le Monde and lives on the opposite side of the small street, the Passage that runs alongside the Bataclan. It’s 35 years that I’ve lived here. At the end of the concerts, the artists leave by the emergency exit, and often the spectators, the fans, come to the artists’ exit. There is a bit of a scrum. I heard gunfire. I understood that it was gunfire and not fireworks. I was curious. I called the newspaper and said: “I want to alert you that there is something very serious happening at the Bataclan. People are dead. ” By reflex, I told myself I am going to film what’s happening. Listen to Mr. Psenny talk about the night of the attack in a 360 video outside the Bataclan. Ms. Guiny There were many of us, and we got up, but just then, we took fire from the other side. A person who was behind me fell on top of me, and I found myself back on the floor. I fell with him to the ground, because at that moment I was wounded and he was wounded, too. It was my left foot. Mr. Dorio I just started to crawl. I was flat on my stomach with my chin on the stage as low as I could get behind the drum riser. As I got across the stage, I was close enough to the stage door to hop up while the shooters were reloading. I made some wrong turns, but eventually I found an exterior metal door — the only way out — and braced myself even in that billionth of a second for there to be shooters outside. I didn’t hesitate — that wasn’t an option. Once I pushed open the door, there’s a side alley, and it was chaos. You can hear the gunfire. They are trying to hit people that are exiting. I remember people turning to help and asking, “Are you O. K.?” “Let’s go” and “Run. ” You see how kind and compassionate everyone is even though we’re all at risk. 9:57 p. m. Police officers, armed only with handguns, kill one of the terrorists. Mr. Psenny I was making the video from my window, trying to understand what was happening. The people would come out of the Bataclan, fall down. There was gunfire, cries. There was a father calling for his son: “Oscar, Oscar. ” There were neighbors helping the wounded. It was a war, really, not a fight. I went downstairs very carefully. I looked to see what was happening. It was a desolate landscape with many bodies lying there, some people who cried still, who were wounded. Just to the right of the entry hall, I see a man who is close. Afterward, I will know to call him Matthew and that he is American. Was he dead? Is he still living? I didn’t know. I touched him. I sense he’s alive. He speaks to me. He says something I don’t understand. A man wearing black helps me drag him into the entry hall of my building. In closing the door, I lean out a little bit to see what’s going on. It was then that I took a bullet. Afterward, I realized it was a bullet, but at the time, it burned me. It was like a firecracker had exploded on my arm. Ms. Gilbert Trying to reach an exit from the orchestra pit. When they stopped a second time to reload, someone said: “Go! Go! Go! We have to go! They are coming upstairs!” I saw two of them climbing the main stairs. People around me were dropping as they shot. There was a wounded guy on his back, and I tried to grab him. I screamed. It was 15 meters to the door, but it felt like it took hours to get there. There were 20 of us moving at that moment and 50 people on the [side] stairs when we finally arrived. A security guard told us there was no exit. When we looked back, we saw people lying on the floor. I remember yelling: “You have to move. You have to come join us. ” But they didn’t move. Before I shut the door, I saw two of the gunmen, and they were targeting individuals and shooting them. When I finally shut the door, I had the first feeling of security. 11:30 p. m. General Boutinaud, Dr. Tourtier and other members of the emergency services arrive at the Bataclan. Ms. Gilbert At 11:30 p. m. we heard a lot of people moaning and crying and crying for help. We waited. Dr. Matthieu Langlois, 46 The chief doctor for the special police unit, known by its French initials, RAID, that responds to terrorist attacks and hostage situations. He had been at a jazz concert with his wife when he got the call for duty. We enter the Bataclan with the RAID assault team. We are at the back of the column. I immediately see victims everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. In the lobby of the Bataclan, the entrance is strewn with victims, but my job is not to stop at the first victims but to have a comprehensive idea of what is going on. General Boutinaud When I entered the Bataclan, we found 78 bodies, when I went in the first time. But these were people who, the vast majority, were wounded with immediately deadly injuries. I am not a forensic doctor — but these were bullets to the head, in the lungs, with massive hemorrhages. Things that you can’t stop with a tourniquet. Dr. Langlois I am told that there are two terrorists and that they have an explosive. I tell my commander that I want to evacuate the [orchestra] pit, and they give me the authorization and tell me it’s secure and that in any case they’ll cover me. So they put shooters at the four corners of the pit. We were applying tourniquets and compressive bandages and treating collapsed lungs. There was also the human aspect where we were talking to the victims to explain to them what we were doing. Saying, “I’m a doctor, my name is Matthieu, we’re going to get you out of here. ” I remember the looks in their eyes, the words of some of the victims. One of the first things I did when I got to the pit was to shout — I have a loud voice that carries — “All the victims who can move on their own, please stand up and come over here. ” Unfortunately, all those who could move had either already fled or had hidden. Ms. Gilbert At around midnight, people heard the cops knocking at the door. People were asking, “Should we open the door?” The terrorists had gone to the bathroom where people were hiding and pretended to be special forces. So it was not obvious what to do. They opened the door, and we left to go through the exit near the stage. I saw the cops, and one was young and he looked so scared. I took one girl with me and told her to put her hands on her eyes. I walked through the central area near the stage, and it was war. Young people had been dancing two hours earlier, but now there was blood everywhere. It was horrible. Mr. Vauglin The mayor. I arrived [at Police Headquarters] to see televisions screens with images of the video protection [security cameras] of Paris that are connected to the police and that have of what was happening in different places. Then there was this whiteboard, and it had all the sites listed on it and then columns for absolute emergency, relative emergency and dead. It seemed surreal to me. There were perhaps more people in the column “deceased,” at least at the beginning, than the other columns. General Boutinaud Inside the Bataclan. I will always live with the fact that I saw ringing cellphones that said “Papa,” “Maman,” on the dead. But the parents, they will have to live with the lasting loss of their loved ones. 12:18 a. m. The French police start their assault on the two attackers who had retreated upstairs with hostages. Both are killed, all the hostages are freed, and a police officer is seriously wounded when one of the assailants detonates his explosive vest. Antoine Leiris, 35 A father who lost his wife, Hélène during the Bataclan attack, leaving him alone to raise their son, Melvil. France is still recovering. There is a real threat and a legitimate fear. Everyone feels it. This fear is there, and it is rational. These are isolated acts, but we know that behind them there are also more attacks being prepared. It is a reality. But we seldom say how remarkable it is that people are going on with their lives, and overcoming that fear. Taking the Metro, going to cafes to drink a beer, to concerts or shows — because Paris is still full of life. I don’t think we say enough how courageous this is.

Tech leaders across Silicon Valley have attacked President Trump for his recent decision to pull the U. S. out of the Paris Climate Accord. [Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of social media giant Facebook, was one of many tech elites to speak out against President Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Climate Accord. “Withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement is bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and it puts our children’s future at risk. ” wrote the billionaire CEO in a public post on Facebook. “For our part, we’ve committed that every new data center we build will be powered by 100% renewable energy,” he stated adding, “Stopping climate change is something we can only do as a global community, and we have to act together before it’s too late. ” Google CEO Sundar Pichai also tweeted his disapproval of Trump’s decision saying, “Disappointed with today’s decision. Google will keep working hard for a cleaner, more prosperous future for all. ” Brad Smith, the President and Chief Legal Officer at Microsoft took to LinkedIn to write a lengthy disapproval of the U. S. leaving the Paris Climate Accord saying, “We are disappointed with today’s decision by the White House to withdraw the United States from the landmark, globally supported Paris Agreement on climate change,” Smith writes. “We believe that continued U. S. participation benefits U. S. businesses and the economy in important and multiple ways. A global framework strengthens competitiveness for American businesses. It creates new markets for innovative clean technologies, from green power to smart grids to solutions. And by strengthening global action over time, the Agreement reduces future climate damage to people and organizations around the world. ” Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote an internal letter to Apple staff where he too expressed his concerns and disapproval. The full letter, as reported by TechCrunch, reads, Team, I know many of you share my disappointment with the White House’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. I spoke with President Trump on Tuesday and tried to persuade him to keep the U. S. in the agreement. But it wasn’t enough. Climate change is real and we all share a responsibility to fight it. I want to reassure you that today’s developments will have no impact on Apple’s efforts to protect the environment. We power nearly all of our operations with renewable energy, which we believe is an example of something that’s good for our planet and makes good business sense as well. We will keep working toward the ambitious goals of a supply chain, and to eventually stop mining new materials altogether. Of course, we’re going to keep working with our suppliers to help them do more to power their businesses with clean energy. And we will keep challenging ourselves to do even more. Knowing the good work that we and countless others around the world are doing, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about our planet’s future. Our mission has always been to leave the world better than we found it. We will never waver, because we know that future generations depend on us. Your work is as important today as it has ever been. Thank you for your commitment to making a difference every single day. Tim, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also tweeted that he would be removing himself from all future presidential councils, Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017, and was quickly shut down by former Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz, In support of Paris, CA billionaires pledge to never again fly private, will only fly commercial. — will quit symbolic councils instead. https: . — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 2, 2017, Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart. com

A California farmer fined $2.8 million for plowing through vernal pools protected by the Clean Water Act without a permit is appealing to the Trump administration for help, according to California s Record Spotlight.John Duarte has sent letters to Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions seeking clarification on the federal government s case against him, the Record Spotlight reports.While the Clean Water Act protects waters of the U.S., it does contain exemptions for farmers.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fined Duarte Nursery, owned by Duarte, in 2012 for failing to get a permit before plowing through vernal pools located on a recently purchased 450 acre plot of land. The vernal pools, temporary bodies of water that house certain species of plants and animals, are protected as waters of the United States by the Clean Water Act of 1972. We expected the Trump administration to provide regulatory relief from Obama-era overreach, and we haven t seen it yet, Duarte said according to the Record Spotlight. We re hoping to see the administration engage this issue, to look at it again. House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conway and House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte sided with Duarte, sending a letter to Sessions May 26 questioning the merit of the Duarte case.Read more: DC

House Republican Steve King received a lesson on what the Constitution says during an interview with Tamron Hall.The MSNBC host and Iowa Rep. were discussing the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and whether or not President Obama is allowed to nominate someone to fill his vacant seat on the Supreme Court.Hall noted that Republican Senator Chuck Grassley also opposes President Obama picking the next Supreme Court Justice, but pointed out that Grassley s past statement on the subject of nominating and confirming judges in the final months of a presidency is going viral.During the final months of the Bush Administration, Grassley said that the Senate has never stopped confirming judicial nominees during the last few months of a president s term. In addition, Hall informed King that most confirmations only last on average under 80 days in the Senate and there are still over 300 days left in Obama s final year. Hall wanted King to explain why Republicans are running away from their previous position when it comes to doing their constitutional duty and King tried to spin what Grassley said as if the Supreme Court is not part of the judicial branch. You ll find Chuck Schumer in his own words, and others also that contradict themselves, and you re going to see, if people have been in that senate long enough, that they have been on the opposite side of this equation, there will be arguments that are made on both sides of this. But if I heard Chuck Grassley s words right, he said judicial nominees, he didn t say Supreme Court justices. And that s when Hall absolutely embarrassed King by asking him to actually read what the Constitution says. And others would say please see the words correctly in the Constitution, it clearly states the role of the President, and that of the Senate. Hall then ended the interview before King could spill any more bullshit out of his mouth.Here s the video via YouTube.Republicans are always bragging about how much they love the Constitution, but just like the Bible, they apparently have never read it.If Steve King needs a refresher on what the Constitution says, I suggest he read Article II Section 2 which reads:[The President] shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. Featured image from video screen capture

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill that many lawmakers hoped would send a message to President Donald Trump to keep a strong line against Russia hit a new snag in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, as Republicans proposed combining it with sanctions on North Korea. The Russia sanctions bill passed the Senate on June 15 by 98-2, but it has not come up for a vote in the House. The chamber’s Republican leaders initially said there was a technical problem with how the bill was written, but after the Senate altered the bill to fix it, the measure still did not move. On Friday, Republicans suggested reworking the legislation to add new sanctions on North Korea. The Russia sanctions measure passed by the Senate is part of a broader bill that also includes new sanctions on Iran. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he wanted the North Korea sanctions added to the bill. “It would be a very strong statement for all of America to get that sanction bill completed and done, and to the president’s desk,” the Republican lawmaker said in the House as it wrapped up its activity for the week. Democrats rejected the suggestion as another tactic by Republicans supporting White House objections to the bill. “This isn’t a serious proposal. It’s the latest delay tactic,” said Representative Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The House passed a new package of sanctions on North Korea in May by 419-1, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, a Republican, said on Thursday his committee would be taking it up soon. On Friday, Corker said he would be “more than glad” to consider adding North Korea to the legislation if the House chose to do so. Engel said there was no point in passing North Korea legislation again. The Trump administration objects to a provision in the Russia bill that sets up a process for Congress to approve any effort by the president to ease sanctions on Moscow. Seeking a greater influence in foreign policy, Congress has included provisions in a few recent major bills, starting with Corker’s 2015 legislation forcing congressional review of President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Lawmakers and aides have been negotiating for weeks to try to craft a compromise that would allow the Russia-Iran bill to move forward. On Thursday, they said they thought it could advance soon but on Friday said the North Korea issue made that less likely. [L1N1K42BV]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California neuroscientist vying to unseat Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher stepped up his criticism of the conservative on Tuesday, demanding he return a $1,000 contribution from indicted Trump adviser Paul Manafort. The Orange County seat held by Rohrabacher is key to Democrats’ hopes to increase their numbers in the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s elections. Neuroscientist Hans Keirstead, a stem cell researcher and entrepreneur from Laguna Beach, is one of seven Democrats aiming to beat him, according to the Federal Election Commission. “We’ve got a Russian-tainted Congressman taking Russian-tainted money from Manafort,” Keirstead said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “Something has to be put straight here.” Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election on Monday charged Manafort, a lobbyist and former Trump campaign manager, with money laundering. Rohrabacher, a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, has frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and was considered for a role in U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet. His Southern California base in Orange County was for decades a Republican stronghold and a center of support for Ronald Reagan. Reliably conservative voters there have sent Rohrabacher to the House for nearly 30 years. But the 48th Congressional district has undergone profound demographic shifts in recent years, and it is now one of nine Republican districts in California that Democrats have targeted. Hillary Clinton beat Trump in the district in 2016, winning 152,000 votes compared to his 146,600. “These are people who care about the environment, care about social issues,” said Drew Godinich, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in California. “Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s Republican Party are no longer a good match for them.” Democrats’ success in the district, however, is far from assured. Despite a tilt toward Clinton for the presidency, voters there chose Rohrabacher over Democrat Suzanne Savary by more than six percentage points in 2016. Through a spokesman, Rohrabacher indicated that he was not at this time prepared to reject Manafort - or the $1,000 donation the political operative made to his 2014 campaign. “The Congressman advises his political opponents and the media to observe the presumption of innocence, still an American principle,” spokesman Ken Grubbs said in an email.

Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room starting at 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along with Andy Nowicki host of The Nameless Podcast and Stewart Howe for the 92nd episode of BOILER ROOM. Water the plants, put the kids to bed and get your favorite snuggy out so you can drop deep into the Boiler Room with the ACR brain-trust.Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved!Listen to Boiler Room EP #92 The (Hollywood) Hills Have Eyes on Spreaker.Reference Links:

By Whitney Webb at trueactivist.com Cyndy Coppola was arrested for standing on her own property as she tried to block Dakota Access Pipeline construction equipment from crossing her land. Once again, the repression of those against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is heating up, with 127 activists arrested in North Dakota over the weekend. However, North Dakota isn’t the only place where protests over the Dakota Access pipeline are coming to a head. In Iowa, farmers have had their land seized by the company behind the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, through the use of eminent domain. Eminent domain has been legal in the US since 1888, thanks to the passage of the Condemnation Act . The law authorizes the federal government to take private property for public use. However, in 1906, the law was amended to allow for the seizure of private property even if it only benefited private parties (e.g., corporations), not the public. The argument for this was that corporate seizure of private land “helps” the public through economic development. Yet, what the law essentially means is that even your own land doesn’t belong to you if the government or government-supported corporations want it. A sad, yet accurate example of eminent domain gone wrong took place last week in Calhoun County, Iowa. Cyndy Coppola was arrested over the weekend on her own property for trying to block access to DAPL trucks from hauling pipeline construction materials through her land. DAPL first received access to Coppola’s farm through the use of eminent domain, which granted Energy Transfer Partners easements to her property. Coppola remarked that watching the morally wrong seizure of the farm she worked so hard for was difficult to handle.

As numerous surveys have revealed, Fox News may be the “most-watched” cable news channel, but its viewers are older than those of its competitors (though, to be fair, the competition’s viewers are pretty old, too), and its most devoted ones are consistently conservative.  Rutenberg’s piece raised the possibility that Kelly might be able to attract younger and more ideologically diverse viewers, especially “independents” who watch Fox from time to time but are not regulars. The magazine’s cover went so far as to suggest that Kelly’s style and departures from conservative orthodoxy might even make her appealing to … readers of the New York Times! (That appeal, such as it is, seems likely to have been undercut in recent weeks by Kelly’s bafflingly out of touch interview of the Duggars and her resort to the tired, racially coded “not exactly a saint” to describe the teenage girl knocked down by a cop in McKinney, Texas.) These departures from orthodoxy have become legendary among close followers of the media and have earned her praise from a variety of figures outside the conservative movement.  Rutenberg calls them “Megyn moments”: occasions when she asks a conservative guest, nearly always an older white man, a sharp question that doesn’t necessarily fit within the conservative worldview. Rutenberg’s argument struck me as dubious. While conducting research for my book on the history of TV news, I watched lots and lots of old segments and programs, including many from Fox News.  I’m pretty familiar with Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Shepard Smith and the rest of the Fox crew, including its regular pundits. But I hadn’t seen that much of Kelly.  Could Ailes really be moving away from his successful formula of pandering to Fox’s conservative base?  By watching Kelly’s program, could I learn about important subjects unreported by the Times and the other “mainstream media” that I follow?  Or perhaps acquire new and useful perspectives on things that I thought I understood? To find out, I watched “The Kelly File” nearly day every from early March through the first week of May.  I saw her report on everything from the negotiations with Iran over its nuclear weapons program to the controversy over Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account, and watched her interviews with Republican presidential aspirants and her coverage of the riots in Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death. But, in the end, I wasn’t impressed — and not because Kelly is a conservative and her program trumpets conservative points of view.  The problem is that she is a conventional Fox News television anchor, and Fox News isn’t about nuance or complexity, the things I look for in news reporting and analysis. It’s true that she is less doctrinaire than Hannity.  And she can occasionally ask good questions — though, mostly, it’s her prosecutorial style, rather than the question itself, that it is noteworthy.  Watching her regularly, however, made me realize that she’s merely a slightly different version of O’Reilly — she’s a smart, engaging television personality whose “reports” reaffirm the conservative ideology of most of her viewers. Kelly’s biggest attribute is her personality.  She’s intelligent, down-to-earth and can poke fun at herself as well as at her guests.  And, no doubt much to Ailes’s delight, she has developed a very effective broadcasting style.  Her husky voice, quick wit and experience as a lawyer give her an admirable air of authority.  In the peculiar style favored by FNC producers, she evokes a still glamorous ex-cheerleader.  She is also a superb performer, never losing her cool or command of her program.  She’s well-suited for television journalism, and in another era, would likely have been a big star for the networks. Sadly, however, she works for Fox News, a purveyor of a kind of television journalism that has become the norm for cable news, even among channels that eschew its conservatism.  That means covering only a few stories, usually the ones most likely to appeal to their target audience, and following them very closely over the course of the broadcast day, sometimes through live reports from the field, but mostly by allowing assorted guests to opine and pontificate about them.  At Fox News and MSNBC, anchors routinely join in the pontificating, and these breaks with old-school journalistic practice are part of their appeal.  It makes them seem “real,” and as Ailes recognized long ago, most viewers of TV news prefer this to the detachment displayed by journalists at the major networks and CNN.  And Fox at least has the ratings to prove it. Kelly is most certainly “real,” and she opines and pontificates no less than O’Reilly and Hannity.  This is why she is popular with Fox News viewers, who expect this from their prime-time anchors in particular.  But I doubt it will appeal to very many real independents (as opposed to people with largely conservative beliefs who like to think they are independents) or readers of the Times.  And this isn’t just because “The Kelly File” covers so few stories or because Kelly expresses her opinions about so many things.  The same can be said about Rachel Maddow. It’s because Kelly’s program isn’t very informative, even when she devotes attention to stories given short shrift by other news outlets.  With a handful of exceptions — usually compelling breaking news stories like the tragic Germanwings airline crash — every story Kelly and her producers select is predictable.  And, rather than exploring their complexity, Kelly and her guests dumb them down so that everything fits neatly into their viewers’ worldview. I was shocked at how few subjects, sources and points of view “The Kelly File” presents, and by her almost ritualistic recourse to the same old conservative clichés and talking points during discussion and analysis, even when more interesting and complicated angles virtually begged to be examined.  As on “The O’Reilly Factor,” the role played by liberal guests is to be flayed by the host and her allies.  Often this is easy because such guests are academics or policy wonks unaccustomed to talking in sound bites; sometimes their statements are so out of touch with reality that they almost invite ridicule.  Even those famous “Megyn moments” are too few for my liking.  And they always are followed by gracious and supportive remarks that demonstrate to viewers that Kelly is on the side of the “good guys.” Watching Kelly reminded me of what I learned while researching my book — that Fox News, particularly during prime time, really isn’t in the news business.  It’s in the entertainment business.  To a certain degree, this is true of most all television news.  But in FNC’s case, there is a difference.  Fox News’ core audience is more than just a particular slice of the larger consumer marketplace.  It’s a group of people with firm convictions and a coherent ideological worldview — not unlike orthodox Marxists back in the early 1900s.  And part of what Fox does is make this worldview seem even more coherent — and impervious to information that might undermine or contradict it.  That’s actually what its viewers want, and, from the start, Ailes and FNC have eagerly given it to them. I’m sure Ailes would like to expand FNC’s audience and win over viewers whose views are less doctrinaire.  This would be good business, and Ailes is a brilliant businessman.  But I can’t see this happening without him alienating his most loyal viewers, who prefer every story and virtually every fact filtered through the lens of ideology.  At least in present form, “The Kelly File” isn’t going to do this, despite Kelly’s undeniable appeal as a broadcaster.

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - With Cambodia s opposition warning of the imminent death of its democracy, the historic rival who once beat Prime Minister Hun Sen in an election said there was no option but to work with the strongman. Seventy three year-old Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Hun Sen s opponent in U.N.-supervised elections in 1993, has horrified Cambodia s main opposition party with a call for it to be dissolved after its leader was charged with treason. Ranariddh s career exemplifies not only the swings in Cambodian politics, but also the way Hun Sen, 65, has used force and cunning to neutralize enemies since defecting from the genocidal Khmer Rouge in the 1970s to help drive it from power. Samdech Hun Sen, you want or you don t want, you like him or you don t like him, he brings about this national unity, Ranariddh said, using the prime minister s formal title. According to the law you are not allowed to harm national unity, the white haired Ranariddh told Reuters on Saturday. Beside him, four aides nodded and pressed together their palms in deferential emphasis. Ranariddh s royalist Funcinpec party won no parliamentary seats in 2013 elections, but would be allocated most of those held by the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) if it is dissolved after the arrest of leader Kem Sokha last month. Alongside the government, Funcinpec has sought a ban on the CNRP because of the arrest. Kem Sokha and his party dismiss the charges against him as bogus and an attempt to extend Hun Sen s 32-year rule at the head of the Cambodian People s Party (CPP) amid the biggest crackdown on critics of the prime minister in years. The prince failed his people when he had the mandate to bring real peace, said Mu Sochua, a deputy to Kem Sokha who recently fled to exile in fear of arrest. Now, he is robbing his people of their right to choose the leader of their choice by collaborating with the CPP in the dissolution of the CNRP. Ranariddh was summoned to politics from his post as a French law lecturer by his wily father, the late King Norodom Sihanouk. With royalist sentiment strong, Ranariddh beat Hun Sen in the 1993 election organized by the United Nations. But when Hun Sen threatened a return to war, Sihanouk did a deal that sidelined his son as a co-prime minister. Ranariddh was driven into exile in 1997 after his forces were defeated by those of Hun Sen in bloody clashes in Phnom Penh. After international pressure, Ranariddh was allowed to contest elections a year after, but never again came close to winning and entered on and off alliances with Hun Sen. Splits in the party followed and after a spell overseas following accusations of financial scandal, Ranariddh returned in 2015. As he speaks, he switches between English and Khmer with a peppering of French. We are not puppets, Ranariddh said beside a huge portrait of his father. We are definitely not an opposition party but we don t always, always, always say yes, yes, yes, yes, yes . We can say no . Although the United States and other Western countries helped secure Ranariddh s return to Cambodia in the 1990s, he dismissed their criticism of Kem Sokha s arrest and calls on the government to stop moves to ban the CNRP. I, Norodom Ranariddh, would like them to leave us free to decide, he said.

One of the many targets of the opposition research firm Fusion GPS is accusing them of assisting the Kremlin in its effort to have him imprisoned and killed. The strong allegation comes from Bill Browder, a London-based banker who spearheaded the Magnitsky Act, a sanctions law vehemently opposed by the Russian government.Browder made the allegation in response to the recent revelation that Fusion GPS and its founder Glenn Simpson compiled what he says is false information about him that was given to Yuri Chaika, Russia s prosecutor general, and to Donald Trump Jr. during the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting. If it is true that Glenn Simpson was supplying information about me to the Russian government, it s far more serious than smear campaigning or Foreign Agents Registration Act violations, said Browder, the head of Hermitage Capital. It would mean that Simpson was assisting the Putin regime in their plot to get me back to Russia to have me imprisoned and killed.It was previously known that the Washington, D.C-based Fusion GPS s investigation of Browder was beneficial to the Russian government and its effort to reverse the Magnitsky Act. But it was revealed only last week that information Fusion collected on Browder was shared directly with Chaika, whose position is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. attorney general.Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian attorney who attended the Trump Tower meeting, is who provided both Chaika and Trump Jr. with the Fusion-generated information on Browder. She took a four-page report into the June 9, 2016 Trump Tower meeting, which was attended by Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.Veselnitskaya worked with Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, on the anti-Browder project. Reuters reported on Thursday that Simpson compiled the research for the Trump Tower memo. And NBC News reported on Friday that similar research put together by Simpson was given by Veselnitskaya to Chaika in Oct. 2015.Browder, who was born in Chicago but is a British citizen, is a target of the Kremlin s ire because of his role in pushing through the Magnitsky Act, which passed Congress in 2012. The Russian government recently issued an Interpol arrest in an attempt to apprehend Browder. Vladimir Putin reportedly approved the move against the 53-year-old money manager, who wrote a book about his travails called Red Notice, a reference to the term used for Interpol warrants.Fusion GPS, which is based in Washington, D.C., became involved in the Browder matter after being hired by BakerHostetler, a law firm representing Denis Katsyv, a Russian businessman who faced penalties because of the Magnitsky Act.Simpson worked closely on the investigation with the Moscow-based Veselnitskaya, who represents Katsyv and his firm, Prevezon Holdings.Veselnitskaya s affiliation with Simpson is one of the stranger story lines arising from both the Trump Tower meeting and the dossier, which was funded by the Clinton campaign and DNC.Theories have circulated that Fusion GPS arranged the Trump Tower meeting in order to compromise the Trump campaign or that Simpson relayed details of the meeting provided by Veselnitskaya to Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the dossier.Fusion was being paid for its dossier work at the same time it was being paid by BakerHostetler to investigate Browder.Adding even more fuel to those theories was a report this week that Simpson and Veselnitskaya met just before and just after she attended the Trump Tower session:BUSTED! MEETING BETWEEN FUSION GPS AND RUSSIAN LAWYER BEFORE AND AFTER:The co-founder of Fusion GPS, the firm behind the unverified Trump dossier, met with a Russian lawyer before and after a key meeting she had last year with Trump Jr. The contacts shed new light on how closely tied the firm was to Russian interests, at a time when it was financing research to discredit then-candidate Donald Trump.The opposition research firm has faced renewed scrutiny after litigation revealed that the DNC and Hillary Clinton s campaign paid for that research. Congressional Republicans have since questioned whether that politically financed research contributed to the FBI s investigation of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign making Fusion s 2016 contacts with Russian interests all the more relevant.DNC MONEY FUNNELED THROUGH LAW FIRM TO FUSION GPS?The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya occurred during a critical period. Bank records show Fusion GPS was paid by a law firm for work on behalf of a Kremlin-linked oligarch while paying a former British spy Christopher Steele to dig up dirt on Trump through his Russian contacts.But hours before the Trump Tower meeting on June 9, 2016, Fusion co-founder and ex-Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn Simpson was with Veselnitskaya in a Manhattan federal courtroom. Court records show email correspondence and published reports corroborate the pair s presence together. They also were together after the Trump Tower meeting.Read more: Fox NewsRead more: Daily Caller

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton had a four-percentage point advantage in support over Republican Donald Trump ahead of their first U.S. presidential debate, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll released on Friday. The Sept. 16-22 opinion poll showed that 41 percent of likely voters supported Clinton, while 37 percent supported Trump. Clinton has mostly led Trump in the poll during the 2016 campaign, though her advantage has narrowed since the end of the Democratic and Republican national conventions in July. With just six weeks before the Nov. 8 election, Monday’s debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York will be the first of three between the White House rivals. It presents a major opportunity for them to appeal to voters who have yet to commit to a candidate after a mostly negative race in which Clinton and Trump have sought to brand each other as untrustworthy and dangerous for the country. The live, televised matchup is expected to draw a Super Bowl-sized television audience of 100 million Americans, according to some commentators. Among those watching will be people who so far remain on the fence. This could be a sizable group: Some 22 percent of likely voters said in the latest poll that they do not support either major-party candidate. That was more than twice the proportion of uncommitted voters at the same point in the 2012 election between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. These uncommitted voters appear to be leaning more toward Trump than Clinton, according to the latest poll, though they have not been convinced enough to say they will vote for him in November. It was also possible that some of these voters would pick an alternative-party candidate like Libertarian Gary Johnson or the Green Party’s Jill Stein. Clinton led a separate four-way poll that included Trump, Johnson and Stein. Among likely voters, 39 percent supported Clinton, 37 percent favored Trump, 7 percent picked Johnson and 2 percent supported Stein. The Reuters/Ipsos poll is conducted online in English in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. It included 1,559 respondents who were considered to be likely voters given their voting history, registration status and stated intention to show up on Election Day. It has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points, meaning results could vary by that much either way. National polls have produced varying measurements of support for Clinton and Trump during the 2016 campaign. The differences are partly due to the fact that some polls, like Reuters/Ipsos, try to include only likely voters, while others include all registered voters. The Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll gathers responses every day and reports results twice a week, so it often detects trends in sentiment before most other polls. Polling aggregators, which calculate averages of major polls, have shown that Clinton’s lead over Trump has been shrinking this month. The most recent individual polls put her advantage at 3 percentage points.

This is very curious! The AP is reporting a story from a Senior U.S. Official on Russia s involvement in the Syria gas attack. This official is saying that the we have evidence that Russia knew about the chemical weapon attack before it happened. This Associated Press report is interesting for a couple of reasons. Is the release of this information by a Senior U.S. Official an effort to embarrass Rex Tillerson or cause trouble for his trip to Russia?Tillerson will be in Russia in 36 hours so this will only add to the tension. Could this actually be the strategy of the Trump administration to give the upper hand to the U.S.?WASHINGTON (AP) A senior U.S. official says the United States has concluded that Russia knew in advance of Syria s chemical weapons attack last week.The official says a Russian-operated drone flew over a hospital in Syria as victims of the attack were rushing to get treatment.Hours after the drone left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital in what American officials believe was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons.Until Monday, U.S. officials had said they weren t sure if the drone was operated by Russia or Syria. The senior official said it still wasn t clear who was flying the jet that bombed the hospital.The official said the presence of the drone couldn t have been a coincidence, and that Russia must have known the chemical weapons attack was coming and that victims were seeking treatment.The official wasn t authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity. Read more: AP

When people ask me about my current position fighting in the culture war, years after starting my writing career with “Bang” books, I simply say, “I just wanted to get laid.” From these hedonistic beginnings opened a path that I find myself in today. A reviewer of my new book Free Speech Isn’t Free also noticed this transformation: I’ve been following the ‘Red Pill’ community for a a few years now. The members therein have been engaging in some of the most relevant conversations anywhere on the net. Roosh is one I’ve only recently become familiar with as I tend to appreciate and relate more to the more traditionalist members like Vox Day, Dalrock, and Roissy. What is so fascinating about guys like Roosh is how their journey to acquire more sex and attention from highly attractive women has led them stumbling across uncomfortable truths about the world that we men of the West find ourselves living in. This book is a very straightforward account of an encounter that an iconic Red Pill pillar had with the traditional media community that exposes a truly shocking level of laziness and corruption on the part of an institution that we are supposed to respect for some reason. I remember watching from a social media distance as these events went down and I had no idea just how bad it was. I really admire the stones on this kid and I hope he stays motivated and encourages more people to be bold with the truth (which is always unPC). I’m not a fan of lotharios but I appreciate intellectual honesty and bravery. I hope Roosh’s Neomasculinity gets legs. I really do. How did game serve as the gateway drug? Simple: I kept asking why, as if I was an annoying 8-year-old child. Why are woman attracted to me when I dance and act like an entertaining clown ? Why did my father not have to act like a clown to attract my mom? Why has society changed to encourage women to pursue exciting “bad boys” and clowns over good men? Why are institutions like the media and universities pushing women into behaviors which harm them and the family unit? Why is there a concealed group of elites who seem to control politicians and the most important institutions? Why are those institutions attacking me for speaking the truth? There wasn’t only one step from having fun into the nightclub to fighting back against social justice warriors and the media, but several steps that had to take place over the past 15 years. My path weaved through sex and gender relations, but there are other paths as well, which I describe in The 5 Paths To Realizing Truth . For example, minimalism is another point of entry: When you live below your means, you begin to see that most people are unnecessarily living above theirs. That leads to the conclusion that they were trained to live a life of excess by corporations with the complicit help of a government that wants to keep society in a neverending state of indebtedness and distraction so they ignore everyday injustices while losing any will or desire to fight the establishment. The easiest stepping stone out of The Truman Show is to realize that consumer lifestyles are not the path to happiness, and those those who chase material possessions are misguided. Many other men have also had a similar path as myself, whereby promiscuous sex was a device for understanding the world and deciding on behaviors that are more sustainable to the male soul. While not every man gains wisdom during the stage of his life where he wants to sow his royal oats, many do, and they use that wisdom to devise solutions that can solve our modern problems. I do not at all regret engaging in shallow sex with many dozens of women throughout the world, because it has developed my thinking into what you read now, even though the sex itself wasn’t especially memorable and didn’t give me much except momentary pleasure. From my current vantage point, it really does feel like it was all pre-determined, as if I was supposed to participate in shallow intimacy in order to arrive at true understanding, but that would imply some sort of divine providence. Whatever the mechanism, it’s clear to me that many of the behaviors and ideas we hold now could be mere way-stations for a grander, more universal truth. Whatever individual journey you’re a part of, I hope we’ll find out soon enough. To see the whole story of how the media attacked me with an incredible attack of 1,600+ media articles , along with my analysis of the establishment’s master plan, check out my new book Free Speech Isn’t Free . It has a balanced mix of narrative and ideology that will also give you actionable advice to help defend yourself against establishment attacks. Click here to learn more about the book or order it now on Amazon . Read More: 7 Game Principles I Personally Verified During My Trip To The Ukraine

If Donald Trump becomes president, you better prepare for World War III, because if Republicans have their way, their presumptive nominee will have unprecedented power to wage war across the globe without restrictions from Congress.Throughout his campaign for the presidency, Donald Trump has bragged that he wants to have a much stronger military so strong that nobody is going to mess with us. Of course, that means increased military spending that is completely unnecessary because we already have the top military in the world and we spend more on our military than China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, England, India, and Germany combined. In fact, we could slash our military spending in half and would still spend more than any other nation.Graph courtesy of Peter G. Peterson FoundationBut Republicans are gunning to keep military spending at monstrous levels and they are willing to give Trump unprecedented and unlimited war power.Earlier this year, Senate Republicans introduced a new Authorization for Use of Military Force that would authorize presidents to wage war anywhere anytime without having to ask Congress for a declaration of war as the Constitution requires.According to Huffington Post:[The AUMF] would give the president new authority to take action against the militant group also known as ISIS or ISIL. It wouldn t put any limits on the duration, geography or use of U.S. ground combat troops in the war, or on the means by which the U.S. military could act. It also would keep in place a broad AUMF from 2001 that never expired and that allows the president to take military action against anyone, anywhere, connected to the terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks.In other words, Donald Trump would have complete power to go to war whenever he wants against whomever he wants and Republican lawmakers are just fine with that because they don t want the responsibility of making war decisions. I don t like the idea of telling a commander-in-chief they can t go where ISIL goes, they re limited by time, geography and means, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said. If I don t like the time, geography or means, I can cut off funding. Alabama GOP Rep. Mike Rogers thinks Donald Trump would be an improvement over President Obama, who has used diplomacy effectively in his foreign policy agenda while limiting his own war strategy to air strikes and predator drone strikes rather than sending thousands of American troops to war.South Carolina GOP Rep. Joe Wilson thinks we need to finish what we started, and he is totally okay with Donald Trump controlling the military because he suggested Trump will also try to work with the terrorists, too.Senator Chuck Grassley said he would comfortable with Trump as long as he has a plan, and Arizona GOP Rep. Trent Franks wants Trump to advocate the maintenance and strength of a military capable of dealing with the growing threats to freedom this world faces and dismiss the practice of Mr. Obama of emboldening our enemies and disheartening our friends. That s basically code meaning that Trump should rip up the nuclear deal with Iran to reduce their nuclear material and attack them instead even though the deal is working.Trump has already declared his disapproval of the deal. He also said in 2011 that America should use any and all means necessary to stop Iran s nuclear program, which includes military force.Republicans are already itching for a war against Iran. A President Trump could give them one unilaterally.Trump has also suggested in his book The America We Deserve that he would use force against North Korea, which would guarantee a new Korean War.[In a Trump presidency], North Korea would suddenly discover that its worthless promises of civilized behavior would cut no ice. I would let Pyongyang know in no uncertain terms that it can either get out of the nuclear arms race or expect a rebuke similar to the one Ronald Reagan delivered to Ghadhafi in 1986. I don t think anybody is going to accuse me of tiptoeing through the issues or tap-dancing around them either. Who else in public life has called for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea?Trump has also not been secretive about the fact that he wants to bring back the use of torture and commit war crimes against civilian populations in the effort to defeat terrorists.That s scary enough, but consider this.As president, Donald Trump would also have control over the nation s nuclear arsenal. And he has already refused to rule out using nuclear weapons in Europe and the Middle East.In short, a President Trump could usher in a nuclear Armageddon and Congress has absolutely no problem with this.If Trump somehow defeats Hillary Clinton in November and Republicans retain control of the Senate and the House, we could see World War III as the thin-skinned businessman in the White House responds to the smallest of slights or Republican prodding with military strikes that could spill the blood of thousands of American soldiers and put the country further into debt.That is what is at stake in this election so let s hope people start taking this seriously.Featured image via Flickr

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian opposition figure Mikheil Saakashvili was freed from detention on Monday, after a Ukrainian judge turned down the prosecutors request to place him under house arrest - the latest twist in his dramatic standoff with the authorities. President of his native Georgia for nine years until 2013, Saakashvili moved to Ukraine after a popular uprising there and served under Poroshenko as a regional governor from 2015-2016, before falling out with the Ukrainian leader. The 49-year-old accuses the Ukrainian authorities of widespread corruption. Prosecutors wanted him placed under house arrest while investigators look into accusations he assisted a criminal organization, charges he says were trumped up to undermine his campaign to unseat Poroshenko. The prosecutors petition ... is dismissed, Judge Larysa Tsokol told the court. A crowd of several hundred supporters, who had remained outside the courthouse throughout the eight-hour hearing, cheered the judge s decision. The judge is good. She did everything correctly and in accordance with the law, Saakashvili said. It means not everything is lost in Ukraine. The case against him remains open. Speaking after the ruling, which was attended by several prominent opposition lawmakers, including former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Saakashvili said he planned to continue his political work. Together with other opposition politicians he will prepare for a peaceful but very important and necessary change in leadership in Ukraine , he said. Saakashvili, who launched a hunger strike to protest against his detention, sang the Ukrainian national anthem at the beginning of the hearing. The courtroom was so packed with journalists and Saakashvili s supporters that his lawyer asked the judge to move the session to a larger room. The investigation provoked violent clashes between protesters and riot police last week, while on Sunday several thousand people attended a peaceful rally in central Kiev to support Saakashvili and call for Poroshenko s impeachment. While the protest does not represent a significant risk to government stability at the moment, it will likely attract the attention of Ukraine s international supporters and donors, London-based research firm Teneo Intelligence said in a note. Saakashvili is also facing the threat of possible extradition to Georgia, where he is wanted on criminal charges. Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko told Reuters the extradition request was being considered but no final decision had yet been made. He denied the case was politically motivated. Every person who lives in Ukraine must respect the basic laws, he said. Unfortunately so far we only see things that are unworthy behavior of such a person.

One of the three London schoolgirls who made headlines last year when they fled their homes to join the Islamic State extremist group in Syria is believed to have been killed by a Russian airstrike, a British television channel reported on Thursday. The ITV News channel also said that the girl, Kadiza Sultana, 17, had become “disillusioned with life in the medieval terror state” and had been planning to return to Britain. Kadiza is believed to have been in a residential building in Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital in northeast Syria, when it was hit in May by a bomb thought to have been dropped by a Russian warplane, ITV said in an article on its website. ITV said its report was based on communications with her relatives in London, with unidentified contacts in Raqqa and with a lawyer for her family, Tasnime Akunjee, who the report said had been working on an escape plan for her. The report said her family had been “informed of Kadiza’s reported death by other people in Raqqa and confirmed details in a statement to ITV News. ” It quoted her sister, Halima, as saying: “We were expecting this, in a way. But at least we know she is in a better place. ” Kadiza’s relatives could not immediately be reached for comment. Mr. Akunjee, in a telephone interview, confirmed the substance of the ITV account but said he did not know with certainty whether she had been killed. “This did not come from any official sources,” he said. “I can’t tell you where the information came from. I suspect it’s true. But I don’t know for a fact that it’s true. Nobody knows for sure anything, because it’s a war zone. ” Kadiza and her companions, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum, who were both 15 when they joined the Islamic State in February 2015, became symbols of the organization’s ability to lure foreign women to its militant jihadist cause. Prohibited from engaging in combat, the women support the group’s goal of building a caliphate by becoming wives, mothers, recruiters and online cheerleaders of its violent acts. According to a May 2015 report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a research group that studies extremism, the Islamic State had recruited an estimated 4, 000 Western foreign fighters and migrants, including more than 550 women. The disappearance of the girls, students who had kept secret their desire to join the Islamic State, took their families by surprise and stunned the nation. The three became known as the Bethnal Green schoolgirls, after the east London neighborhood where they grew up. Their relatives made desperate public pleas for help, and some traveled to Istanbul. They hoped to follow their trail for more information after it had become clear that the girls had flown to Turkey and caught a bus to the border with Syria, where they were smuggled into territory held by the Islamic State. ITV said it was believed all three had wed foreign recruits, not Syrian members. It said Kadiza’s husband was thought to have been an American citizen of Somali descent who died late in 2015.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The government is offering to help states protect the Nov. 8 U.S. election from hacking or other tampering, in the face of allegations by Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump that the system is open to fraud. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told state officials in a phone call on Monday that federal cyber security experts could scan for vulnerabilities in voting systems and provide other resources to help protect against infiltration, his office said in a statement. Trump has questioned the integrity of U.S. election systems in recent weeks, but his allegations have been vague and unsubstantiated. The attempts to sow doubts about the 2016 election results coincided with Trump’s slide in opinion polls against Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and missteps in his campaign. His complaints have focused on fears of voter fraud - that people will vote more than once - rather than election rigging. “I mean people are going to walk in, they’re going to vote 10 times maybe. Who knows? They’re going to vote 10 times. So I am very concerned and I hope the Republicans are going to be very watchful,” Trump said in an Aug. 3 interview. President Barack Obama dismissed the claims as “ridiculous.” “Of course the elections will not be rigged. What does that mean?” Obama said at a news conference the next day. In his phone call, Johnson encouraged the state officials to comply with federal cyber recommendations, such as making sure electronic voting machines are not connected to the internet while voting is taking place, the department said. Concerns in both parties about manipulation of electronic electoral systems are not new. Hackers can wreak havoc in myriad ways, from hijacking a candidate’s website to hacking voting machines or deleting or changing election records. An Electronic Privacy Information Center report this week said 32 of the 50 states would allow voting by insecure email, fax and internet portals in this election cycle.

Trump swept to victory by fans of poor quality 80s action films 09-11-16 MEN who love the films of Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal are responsible for Trump’s election victory, it has emerged. An unusually high voter turnout among people whose favourite films are Missing in Action , Death Wish 2 or Lone Wolf McQuade is believed to have sealed America’s fate. Trump voter Wayne Hayes said: “I believe masculine 80s action films, featuring a foreign baddie and one sex scene shot in silhouette, are the pinnacle of cinema and a template for how to live. “I particularly like it if they have a paranoid theme, like Invasion USA . I’ve even written a script called Blood Hunter II: Midnight Revenge Attack about a former POW killing gang members with his metal hand. “He has a dog called Maverick that wears an eye patch.” He added: “They should show Under Siege in schools, because if you’re a chef on a big boat and it’s attacked by terrorists, you need to be able to save the sexy woman.” Share:

Ever since last month, the US media and the left wing politicians have been up in arm about alleged rise of Nazism in America. By now, the coverage has been incessant and beyond hysterical, as pundits and antifascist activists claim that a viable white supremacist movement is threatening to take over the country which is a media-driven alternative reality. What America s mainstream media establishment will not mention is the US government s own role, particularly that of the Obama Administration and Hillary Clinton s State Department (and funded by her campaign financier George Soros) in helping to fuel the scourge of Nazism in eastern Europe, in the Ukraine. Likewise, Republicans and so-called conservatives will not want to mention party luminary Senator John McCain s own personal role in promoting Ukraine s Far Right parties and helping shoe-horn them into power in 2014 after a successful US-backed coup d etat and putsch, and the disastrous junta which has followed.The following open letter was posted by Aleksandr Gontar from Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, skillfully articulates the current farce in the United States and the feigned righteous indignation from the progressive left over the recent staged political altercation in Charlottesville, Virginia I always considered myself as a person with left-wing views, but looking at what is happening in the US I can t escape the thought that the American left, in its majority, is the dumbest and most useless comrade on the planet. As a minimum, to profess liberal views and at the same time to call oneself leftist is a bit silly.The desperate fight of American comrades against Nazis in general is comical. They are shocked by a torchlight procession in Charlottesville, while regular torch processions in the capital of Ukraine, which they so fervently support in its fight for democracy , don t shock them. I speak as well about simple red-blue rainbow plankton, as well as about the famous fighters against oppression a la Tom Morello (whom I respect as a musician) and other celebrities, cosplaying Che Guevara with a red star on the cap. A nightmare, Nazis are in America! They hoisted the colors of the confederates and shaved their heads! OH MY GOD . American Nazis are the same clowns as American anti- fascists , by the way.Kids, come into The Ukraine, we will show you Nazis. Real ones. Who kill people kill massively, proceeding from the racial theory. They kill in savage ways like the SS did in the 40 s. We will show you a whole State that erects monuments to the ideologists and performers of the Holocaust, of Jewish riots, of the genocide of Poles. Who sweep away monuments to the liberators of mankind from Nazism. A State with a Nazi Ministry of Truth, repressions against dissent, promotion of racial hatred in schools, on TV, in children s books. A State in which the Ministry of Internal Affairs supervises a website that incites the committing of murder of unreliable citizens, openly publishing all their personal information as well as members of their families.So, when you will have such things in America, we will talk. When you have, instead of a car crashing into a crowd of anti-fascists, these anti-fascists like cattle are herded into the local House of Trade Unions and will be burned with Molotov cocktails (finishing off with steel poles those who try to escape), when the FBI creates a website on which it will publish the addresses of those who criticize Trump and the White Race, and the organized alt-right will start to go to these addresses, who, after your murder, will be called patriots and will be released, so then we will believe in your whining about Nazis.And for now, suck on it, Mr American anti-fascists.This letter was originally published at Stalker Zone, translated by Ollie Richardson and Angelina Siard.READ MORE ALT RIGHT NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire ALT RIGHT FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

RAQQA, Syria (Reuters) - Raqqa s hospital, a big complex pocked with bullets holes, whose capture will signal the end of Islamic State s crumbling Syrian capital, lies just 200 yards from a front-line base of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Beyond it, a roundabout where the jihadists once displayed the heads of their enemies, crucified people and held military parades at the height of their expansion is another strategic prize sought by the U.S.-backed militia alliance. Commanders directing the battle on the ground say seizing these and a nearby stadium, Islamic State s last strongholds in the city, could take as little as a week once a final assault begins against just a few hundred remaining militants. But the ultra-hardline group is holding civilian hostages in the hospital and stadium and using sniper fire, booby traps and tunnels that emerge behind SDF lines to slow the battle. The SDF faces a tough final showdown with IS which commanders say will end at the hospital, now almost completely surrounded. There are many civilians being held. We can t use heavy weaponry or air strikes around the hospital or stadium, so we ll encircle them as we advance, commander Haval Gabar said at the front-line base, a home that SDF units captured last week. The hospital will be the last point (in Raqqa) to be freed, he said on Saturday, as bullets coming from the sprawling medical complex whizzed over the base. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias dominated by the Kurdish YPG, has been fighting since June to drive Islamic State from Raqqa city, backed by air strikes and special forces from a U.S.-led coalition. The assault, which YPG officials initially predicted would take weeks, has dragged on as Islamic State bogs down forces with tactics used in other bastions such as Iraq s Mosul. Senior Kurdish commanders recently said Raqqa would fall by the end of October. Right now there s no advancing, Gabar, 25, said. There have been many attacks from behind us with militants launching surprise raids from a network of tunnels they dug after marauding through swathes of Syria and Iraq and capturing Raqqa in 2014, he said. When that happens we divert forces from front-line assaults to deal with the infiltration. But it doesn t take long, maybe half an hour to deal with each attack. The home the SDF was using as a base had an IS tunnel emerging into its living room - now blocked up with furniture. Commander Zilzal Tarhams said militants emerged from a second nearby tunnel two days before and fired a rocket into a house occupied by the SDF. If we find tunnels we usually cave them in with explosives. There are so many, he said. The commanders were confident of total victory soon, however, with Islamic State surrounded in a small portion of the city which houses the remaining strategic sites. Gabar, who directs fighting on the western front, said forces were waiting for the order for a final push, after which the roundabout, stadium and hospital would quickly fall. When we begin it will be quick, maybe 10 days or so, he said. Tarhams predicted a week. It s really because of the civilians presence that it s taking us some time, Gabar said. There were thousands of residents still trapped in the city, including an unknown number at the stadium and hospital, he said. Air strikes that have been used heavily in other parts of the city are not as frequent around the remaining sites, although missiles still slam into buildings in the city center. Gabar and Tarhams did not say how the SDF planned to capture the stadium and hospital, both of which provide high vantage points over the city center, while avoiding the deaths of residents held there. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi commanded his militants not to negotiate or surrender in an audio message released recently. Raqqa s complete capture will end the group s sway in the city from where it plotted deadly attacks abroad, and projected its power in 2014 parading through streets flying black flags on military vehicles. The two SDF commanders estimated there were no more than 350 militants left in Raqqa and said these were not the elite of the group. Many leaders are believed to have fled to Deir al-Zor where the SDF and Syrian government forces are pressing competing offensives against IS. Other tactics the jihadists were using to slow SDF advances include laying booby traps, Tarhams said. They put mines under rugs in homes and use motion sensors to set off bombs. It s a huge obstacle. Battle weary, the commanders were keen to capture the last strategic sites as soon as possible. We want to finish before winter - bad weather makes it harder to advance, Gabar said. We ll need months to fully clear the explosives afterwards - that s going to be an even bigger job.

(This Sept 8 story corrects headline, clarifies timing of request in paragraph 3.) By Fanny Potkin and Michael Martina LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Britain s Cambridge University Press has rejected a request from its Chinese state-owned importer to block online access in China to scholarly articles from the American Political Science Review. A request was indeed made by the Chinese importer, but was not acted upon by Cambridge University Press, so no content was blocked, a spokeswoman for CUP said in an emailed statement. CUP later clarified that the request had been made early last month. China s State Council Information Office told Reuters on Friday that importers of foreign publications must verify that the products are legal. In August, CUP, the publishing arm of the elite Cambridge University, reversed a decision to block online access in China to several hundred articles and book reviews in the China Quarterly, a leading academic journal on Chinese affairs that has been published since the 1960s. It said it had blocked the articles, which covered sensitive topics including the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests, the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution and Tibet, in order to keep its other academic and educational materials available in China. Academics called the decision an affront to academic freedom. The State Council Information Office, responding by fax two weeks after a Reuters request for comment, said that publishers choose for themselves to import materials based on market demand and the law. All publications imported into China s market must adhere to Chinese laws and regulations. Publication importers are responsible for checking the content of their imported publications, it said, without mentioning CUP.

Dr. Christopher Driscoll, an Africana Studies program affiliate, is a perfect example of how academia uses religion to divide students along racial lines, which ironically only promotes division and hate A hip hop symposium recently inspired a professor at Lehigh University to develop a list of Cracka Commandments intended to help white people accommodate the imminent black spring. Christopher Driscoll, a visiting assistant professor of religious studies at the private university in Bethlehem, Penn., posted the list of commandments last Friday following a lecture on the white appropriation of rap.According to Driscoll, his lecture led to a discussion about how white people fit into the #BlackLivesMatter movement and prompted a collaboration between himself, Lehigh Theater Professor Kashi Johnson, and hip hop artist Asheru. Together, we came up with these, the ten cracka commandments for 2015, Driscoll wrote on his personal blog, Shades of White.Driscoll says the first commandment is: that all lives won t matter until #BlackLivesMatter which he describes as both a litmus test and the greatest commandment. The nine other commandments read as follows:1. Always remember that white privilege is real, even if you do not understand it. Use it to convince other people that black lives, including black women s lives, matter.2. Show up for protests, write letters to representatives, and start discussions with other white people about black lives mattering.3. Always remember that ignorance is real, and is a product of privilege. Treat the ignorant with compassion, but hold them accountable. 4. Never think that the critique does not apply to you. Just because you were at Barack s inauguration and your dad was a freedom rider, or because you are the head of your local chapter of GLADD, that does not mean you do not have more work to do on yourself, your family, and your community. 5. Always remember that it is never a question of if violence, but whose violence are you going to defend. Unjust state-sanctioned and racist violence, or justified resistance; the choice is yours, the choice is ours. 6. Never tolerate racism from your friends or family. Whether it is coming from your eighteen-year-old friend, your thirty-one-year-old cousin, or your eighty-year-old grandmother, confront it always. Confronting racism does not mean you will lose your friend or family. It means you will help to make them act and think in less racist ways. 7. You cannot love cultural products without also loving the people who make those products. If you like black art or athletics, that appreciation is an entryway into recognizing that black lives matter. 8. Never quote black leaders like Dr. King in order to criticize protesters and activists. 9. Always embrace uncertainty. Life is uncertain; death is certain. Uncertainty promotes life; certainty produces death and destruction. 10. Never put white fragility ahead of justice. If you are more concerned to argue that you aren t racist than you are with racism or with people dying, you re priorities are skewed. Do you want justice or comfort? In addition to teaching, Driscoll recently penned the book White Lies: Race and Uncertainty in the Twilight of American Religion, which addresses the instabilities central to a white religion . Driscoll describes his personal website as designated for the progressive anti-racist ally and curious and frustrated, alike. Shades of White is a space for whites to clumsily, openly, and actively wrestle with a host of social issues that impact us, Driscoll states, adding that it is about time white folks come to terms with a problematic social arrangement that has seen them disproportionately advantaged for far too long. According to Driscoll, left-wing blogs do a good job of criticizing white folks on our failings albeit without offering concrete responses to meet the civic and social demands of everyone else. At the same time, Driscoll says right-wing blogs feel good, make us proud to be an American, but are often actively racist and sexist and sometimes, downright dumb. WATCH VIDEO FEATURING DR. CHRISTOPHER DRISCOLL S VIEWS ON RACISM HERE: Dr. Christopher Driscoll from Lehigh IMRC on Vimeo.In an email to Campus Reform, Lehigh s Director of Media Relations, Jordan Reese, said the university is committed to strongly supporting faculty academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas, theories and philosophies on campus. Lehigh believes diversity of thought fuels a healthy exchange of ideas, discussion and debate, contributing to a vibrant intellectual environment in which our students can grow and learn, Reese said.Via: Campus Reform

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday the situation on the Korean Peninsula is critical and that a peace agreement is the “only right choice” in the nuclear dispute with North Korea. “Peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and negotiations represents the only right choice that is practical and viable,” Wang told reporters at the United Nations before a ministerial meeting of the 15-member Security Council.

MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia s leader Carles Puigdemont on Thursday said he would not hold a new regional election to break the deadlock between Madrid and separatists wanting to split from Spain, sharpening a political crisis that could turn into direct confrontation. Puigdemont had been expected to announce an election to head off moves by Madrid to take direct control of the autonomous region in the next few days. But, speaking in the courtyard of the regional government headquarters in Barcelona, Puigdemont said the central government had not provided sufficient guarantees that holding an election would prevent the imposition of direct rule. I was ready to call an election if guarantees were given. There is no guarantee that justifies calling an election today, Puigdemont said. He said it was now up to the Catalan parliament to move forward with a mandate to break from Spain following an independence referendum that took place on Oct. 1 - a vote which Madrid had declared illegal and tried to stop. Some independence supporters are pushing him to unilaterally declare independence. Late on Thursday, the regional government s business head resigned over his opposition to a unilateral declaration, a sign of growing division in the separatist movement. Puigdemont s stand sets the stage for the Spanish Senate on Friday to approve the take-over of Catalonia s institutions and police, and give the government in Madrid the power to remove the Catalan president. But this could spark confrontation on the streets as some independence supporters have promised to mount a campaign of civil disobedience. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, speaking in a Senate committee, said: The independence leaders have shown their true face - they have promised a dream but are performing tricks. The aim of Article 155 the constitutional trigger for direct rule was to permit any election to take place in a normal and neutral situation, she said. The Spanish government has said it would call such a vote within six months of taking over Catalonia. The political crisis, the gravest since Spain s return to democracy four decades ago, has divided Catalonia itself and caused deep resentment in other parts of the country. It has also prompted a flight of business from the wealthy region and worried other European leaders who see it as fanning separatist sentiment elsewhere on the continent. It was not clear whether Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would immediately enforce direct rule or simply seek the Senate s authorization to do so without making it effective on the ground. Exactly how the central government would enforce it in practical terms, and how Catalan civil service and regional police would react, is also uncertain. National police used heavy-handed tactics to try to prevent the Oct. 1 referendum from taking place, drawing accusations that they were resorting to the repressive behavior of the 1939-1975 Franco dictatorship. However, in a fast-moving battle of wills that has seen both sides stake out hard positions and try to keep each other guessing, it was not impossible that a sudden breakthrough could be made in the next 24 hours. Spain's IBEX .IBEX closed up 1.9 percent as hopes of such a breakthrough fueled optimism among investors. Catalonia contributes a fifth of Spain's economy, the fourth-largest in the euro zone. Most Spanish blue-chips posted substantial gains, notably Banco Sabadell (SABE.MC) and Banco Santander (SAN.MC), both up 3.2 percent. CRACKS IN PRO-INDEPENDENCE CAMP According to Spanish media, Puigdemont is ready to call an election if the government drops Article 155, releases two senior secessionist leaders who are in jail and removes national police from Catalonia. Even if the Senate voted for direct rule on Friday, Puigdemont would not be stripped of his powers until Saturday when the law is published in Spain s official state gazette. Ander Gil Garcia, a spokesman for the Socialist group in the Senate, said: We are in the last hours of the penultimate day in which we can avoid what nobody wants. He appealed to Puigdemont to call a regional election and avoid a disaster from which Catalonia and Spain would take a long time to recover. A regional election could either strengthen Puigdemont s mandate if pro-independence parties won or allow him a graceful exit if they did not. Cracks though are beginning to appear in an increasingly-frustrated Catalan independence movement. The Catalan government s business head, Santi Vila, who has opposed a unilateral declaration of independence, said on Thursday he had resigned and said his attempts at dialogue had failed. Earlier on Thursday, when it was thought Puigdemont would announce an election, he was denounced by some angry independence supporters as a traitor. Several hundred gathered outside the regional government headquarters in protest. Some pro-secession lawmakers and mayors announced they would step down. Catalonia s pro-independence party ERC would leave the regional government if Puigdemont called a snap election, a party source said. And far-left party CUP, which supports Puigdemont s minority government, said it would oppose a vote. Albert Ribas, a 37-year-old hotel director listening to a radio in Barcelona s Sant Jaume Square, said it had been a hard day. We have lost our dignity. But I suppose we had to show the outside world that we re still making the effort to talk to the Spanish government. But again we see we have hit a wall.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland s minister for social protection said she expects the government and main opposition party to avoid a snap election that a dispute between the two has left them 24 hours away from triggering. I think we all know an election is coming but it just isn t right for the country to have that election right now and I do expect us to come back from the brink, Regina Doherty told the Newstalk radio station on Monday.

WARSAW (Reuters) - A bill sponsored by Poland s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party will undermine the fairness of elections, opposition deputies said in parliament on Thursday. The proposal would introduce live web feeds from polling stations, but also replace all current members of the State Electoral Commission, a body responsible for conducting and overseeing elections, as well as all election commissioners, giving political parties more say in naming new ones. The PiS has said its bill would make voting more transparent, but critics said the real aim is to boost the electoral prospects of the party, which has been accused by the European Commission of eroding democratic standards. This bill is a thuggish project. This is a mine placed under elections in Poland, the head of opposition PSL party, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in parliament. The socially conservative PiS, in power since late 2015, is already at loggerheads with fellow members of the European Union over its push to bring the courts and state media under more direct government control, as well as over migration. According to the 72-page long amendment that did not undergo any public consultations, seven of the nine members of the State Electoral Commission would be chosen by parliament for 9-year terms, with PiS set to directly appoint three members and the remaining parties four. The remaining two members would be judges chosen by the head of the Constitutional Tribunal and the Supreme Administrative court. PiS deputies have already appointed the head of the Tribunal following changes in the law that opposition parties said violated the constitution, a charge PiS denies. The changes proposed in the bill will destabilize the election system and are a serious threat to the effective carrying out of the local elections in 2018, the State Election Commission said in a statement last week. Head of the Commission Wojciech Hermelinski said on Thursday the amendment would also give an advantage to political parties at the expense of independent candidates. The bill would require the newly-chosen Commission to appoint nearly 400 election commissioners within 60 days of the bill coming into force, removing the requirement for the commissioners to be independent from political parties. Lawmakers are expected to initially vote on the bill early on Friday. If finally passed by the PiS-dominated parliament, the bill would still have to be signed into law by President Andrzej Duda, who could potentially veto it.

Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireWatching this week s Senate cabinet confirmation hearings was one of the most uncomfortable sights I have ever witnessed in politics. One self aggrandizing US Senator after another, each spouting out half-truths and speaking in innuendo and supposition as if it were historical fact. The level of ignorance about world events was breathtaking. Key foreign policy cabinet nominees were Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State, General James Mattis for Defense Secretary, and Mike Pompeo for CIA director. All three men were grilled by a pride of chickenhawks and self-styled foreign policy experts like Senator Roger Wick (R), Marco Rubio (R), Bob Menendez (D) and of course, by Washington s twin neoconservative ventriloquists, John McCain (R) and Lindsey Graham (R).Particularly disturbing was the chicken-hawkish bullying by Marco Rubio of Tillerson, where the Florida Senator demanded that a future Secretary of State adopt the bellicose language of the war-monger when describing the Russian President. YOU MUST COMPLY: Nominee Rex Tillerson is trolled by Senator Marco Rubio.Regarding events in Syria that Rubio believes are war crimes, but of which there is zero evidence, Rubio asked, Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal? Tillerson replied, I would not use that term. Rubio went on to list things he s seen on the internet and CNN about Putin s attacks on civilians and accused the Russian leader of killing political opposition leaders and journalists.Tillerson replied saying, I would want to have much more information before reaching a conclusion, and he called Rubio s accusations, very serious charges. That would be the mature answer. But Rubio wanted Tillerson to comply. I find it discouraging your inability to cite that, which I think is globally accepted, Rubio replied.It was a disgusting display of arrogance and propaganda laundering by Rubio, like the other trolling Senators demanding that Russia must be our enemy and we must retaliate to a election hack which never happened. In this new environment of irrationality and avarice, if you resist, and if you choose diplomacy and base your views on facts, then you are un-American. This seems to be the current culture in Washington and the mainstream media: compliance to group think and these Senate hearings showed just how far US officials are willing to go to enforce compliance on all major issues complying on Israel, on Putin, and on the supremacy of the intelligence community. One of the only voices brave enough to speak up about the sordid scene in the Senate was California Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R), who said during a recent radio interview that warmongers like Rubio are sabotaging potential future relations with Russia by calling Putin a war criminal. All of this follows the other regressive trend the crypto-fascist talking point that has been advanced in recent weeks by the likes of Wolf Blitzer and other mainstream news anchors, all of whom have insinuated that if Trump or anyone else does not swallow the entire DNI Intelligence Assessment on the Russian Hack then they are somehow disrespecting the institution of the CIA or any other so-called intelligence body, or even worse, that they are unpatriotic. Why won t the President-Elect accept the findings of the intelligence community?! crowed CNN s Blitzer and other practically brow-beating guests who appeared on the network. It s as if the only acceptable answer was total submission. For those who are old enough to remember, this is a repeat of the Iraq War deception in 2003. Low and behold, the same media operatives and political demons have been deployed to police a similar group-think regime in 2016. That should be a clue to anyone pay attention, that we are witnessing another scam.The following commentary may seem a bit far-fetched on the surface, but when you consider everything that has already gone down over the last 4 months in US politics, then the probability of another black swan event doesn t seem so far-flung. It s important to put this into historical context, and do a comparative analysis with John F Kennedy s Bay of Pigs defeat a seminal event in US geopolitics and a major set-back for the Deep State at the time, and one that was blamed on JFK s inability to facilitate a CIA win in Cuba. A number of prominent historians and researchers have credited that defeat, along with Kennedy s desire to break-up the CIA as a primary motive for JFK s assassination. When you consider this against the present day back-drop of President Obama s 5 year failure of a proxy war to overthrow the Syrian government a war which Hillary Clinton herself instituted, there are a number a striking parallels between then and now. More striking yet, is Donald Trump s public calls to reorganise the intelligence agencies a move which threatens the very fabric of the contemporary Deep State which runs Washington and the Atlanticist alliance.In so many ways, Trump might be viewed as a moral enemy of the Deep State that has been allowed to reign unhindered by any real oversight, and accountable only to itself.The danger seems palatable, so much so that some establishment journalists are breaking ranks by talking openly about the Deep State a topic previously reserved for the fringes of political and geopolitical commentary and certainly not acceptable for debate on a mainstream broadcast TV network. The Intercept s Glenn Greenwald has recently written a piece which outlines this very scenario where the Deep State has declared war on Donald Trump, and if Trump continues to push back against these institutions, the consequences could be dire. Greenwald focused on the recent fake Trump-Russia dossier which he stated was the work of the Intelligence Community. Looking at these last two weeks, it is clear that such a progression of events has been advanced already: The serious dangers posed by a Trump presidency are numerous and manifest. There is a wide array of legitimate and effective tactics for combating those threats: from bipartisan congressional coalitions and constitutional legal challenges to citizen uprisings and sustained and aggressive civil disobedience. All of those strategies have periodically proven themselves effective in times of political crisis or authoritarian overreach. But cheering for the CIA and its shadowy allies to unilaterally subvert the U.S. election and impose its own policy dictates on the elected president is both warped and self-destructive. Empowering the very entities that have produced the most shameful atrocities and systemic deceit over the last six decades is desperation of the worst kind. Demanding that evidence-free, anonymous assertions be instantly venerated as Truth despite emanating from the very precincts designed to propagandize and lie is an assault on journalism, democracy, and basic human rationality. And casually branding domestic adversaries who refuse to go along as traitors and disloyal foreign operatives is morally bankrupt and certain to backfire on those doing it. By demonizing Russia, and then tying Donald Trump to that country, the establishment has accomplished its mission in ruining the so-called peaceful transition of power. Interestingly, this bizarre phrase was really only introduced by US media operatives this past fall, and for a reason. Now we can see why.Consider what we are seeing to play-out right now a political free-for-all, where the level of hate and irrational vitriol which has been intentionally built-up over, and is unprecedented in modern history.Based on the events we have seen over the past two months the Democrat-organized street protests and call to abolish the Electoral College, Democrat intimidation of electors, the pseudo recount by the Democratic Party and their willing agent Jill Stein, the evidence-free DNI Report on the alleged Russian Hack, and the fake Trump-Russia Blackmail dossier, as well as radical left-wing plans to shut down next week s inauguration and block the transfer of power in Washington you can be absolutely certain that the losing party will not give up and have yet to unveil some more audacious plans designed to disrupt and possibly unseat the new 45th President of the United States, Donald J Trump. The campaign to delegitimize this incoming President has been carefully coordinated through multiple actors; the corporate media (led by CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Washington Post and The Guardian), the Hillary Clinton campaign, the Democratic Party, Soros-funded NGOs like MoveOn.org, the McCain-Graham faction, and quietly helped along by the White House. Theoretically speaking, and taken into context with the previous paragraph the level of Anti-Trump public hate is so over-the-top and intense right now that (heaven forbid) should some untimely incident, either accidental or intentional, befall the new President then the American left and its cadre of stakeholders are certain to celebrate openly and gleefully. Such an incident would invariably be followed by the proverbial, Oh well, he had it coming. This is a high stakes game much bigger in fact than any one man, or political party. Everything is at stake: NATO, the military industrial complex, the CIA, and the existence and primacy of a globalist Deep State that has ruled the US and the world since WWII. In short, the World Order, as seen by those who control the transatlantic system of international geopolitics, trade and commerce.This should be viewed as a very sensitive matter. It goes without saying that such an incident and its predictable, engineered left-wing reaction would inevitably trigger the beginnings of bona fide civil war in the United States.Will Trump be able to hang a wonderful new sign in the window at Pennsylvania Ave which reads, Change of Management ? Not if Congress and the Deep State prefers the old management.The following analysis by Zero Hedge, featuring a segment with Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald expands on this possibility, and provides a number evidence points which mark what could be seen as a progression of events leading to a dystopic conclusion . Zero Point NowJournalist Glenn Greenwald, who is not a fan of President-elect Trump, appeared on Tucker Carlson tonight to discuss the dangerous ongoing effort among powerful anti-Trump factions within the US Government s Deep State, who have collaborated with members of the Democratic Party and the traditionally liberal media to inflict maximum damage on the incoming President. Recall Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer s ominous six ways from Sunday comment from 10 days ago.Greenwald, an accomplished litigator, journalist, and author, does a masterful job illustrating the players, motives, and potential fallout from this dangerous effort within the US Government s intelligence apparatus. Greenwald goes deep, discussing how Trump s election ruined the plan for regime change in Syria, specifically mentioning, among other things, that the deep state was waiting for Obama to leave office before executing their plan: The number one foreign policy priority of the CIA over the last four to five years has been the proxy war they re waging in Syria to remove Bashar Al Assad and Hillary Clinton was quite critical of Obama for constraining them. She wanted to escalate that war to unleash the CIA, to impose a no-fly zone in Syria to confront Russia, whereas Trump took the exact opposite position. He said we have no business in Syria trying to change the government, we ought to let the Russia and Assad go free and killing ISIS and Al Qaeda and whoever else they want to kill. He [Trump] was a threat to the CIA s primary institutional priority of regime change in Syria. Beyond that, Clinton wanted a much more confrontational and belligerent posture towards Moscow, which the CIA has been acrimonious with for decades, whereas Trump wanted better relations. They viewed Trump as a threat to their institutional pre-eminence to their ability to get their agenda imposed on Washington. What you re seeing is actually quite dangerous. There really is at this point obvious open warfare between this un-elected, but very powerful faction that resides in Washington and sees Presidents come and go on the one hand, and the person that the American democracy elected to be elected on the other. There s clearly extreme conflict and subversion taking place. This really is a must-watch, and goes hand-in-hand with Tucker s interview with Dr. Stephen Cohen this week: .This is overt, and Schindler also just more or less outed Washington Post s David Ignatius as a CIA mouthpiece (along the same vein as Deep Throat, perhaps we can refer to Ignatius s source as Golden Shower?).READ MORE RUSSIAN HACK NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Russian Hack FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER@ 21WIRE.TV

Former House of Representatives member and Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Jason Chaffetz (UT-R) was a guest on the Judge Jeanine show last night. Judge Jeanine started out her segment with Chaffetz talking about how Hillary Clinton and friends keep lying and obfuscating the law. She asked Chaffetz what he could tell her about what s being done, and asked Chaffetz, What can you do? Chaffetz replied to Judge Jeanine: Yeah, it s been more than a year now, and the State Department is holding tens of thousands of documents on a case that they claim is closed! And when I met with Attorney General Sessions much like Ron DeSantis did, I basically got a stiff arm. I got an Attorney General that said he would not comply, he wasn t going to do any sort of prosecutions and it s, it s such a huge difference. When he was a Senator he would have never put up with that. But the deep state is very real. They re pushing back, and we need to do an investigation on this. Judge Jeanine asked if Attorney General Jeff Sessions was afraid of them? She then went on to ask Chaffetz, What does a president have to do to get Sessions to do his job? Judge Jeanine also asked Chaffetz, Should Jeff Sessions should be out? Chaffetz replied, Well, I don t know what the case is to keep him in this place, if he s not going to look at the obvious conflicts of interest. Watch:

Even the Democrats don’t trust Hillary. The stats are amazing and it goes to show that this election is not even close. The details are in the following video. P lease Donate to The Common Sense Show PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND DON’T FORGET TO “LIKE” US This is the absolute best in food storage. Dave Hodges is a satisfied customer. Don’t wait until it is too late. Click Here for more information.

In a harsh reminder of just how differently reporters treated the Obama Administration compared to the current administration. Mika couldn t contain her excitement at getting to talk to Jarrett even begging the former advisor repeatedly to get herself, Michelle or Barack involved in politics again, to save the party. She began the sympathetic interview by empathizing how rough election night was for Democrats. She cooed to Jarrett, There were some rough I mean, election night, what was that like for you?After Jarrett answered that it was gut-wrenching but work still had to be done so they needed to move on, the MSNBC host harped on the election night devastation again: I still, though, wonder like, is there any flash in time, election night or in the days after, God, I saw some brutal pictures of some really devastated faces, could you ever have imagined and was there a moment when you realized the next president is going to be the man who rose to power on the birther movement, of all things?Though there s no denying Trump did help spread birther conspiracies prior to his campaign, so did Hillary Clinton. Her campaign was actually the first to raise these conspiracy theories during the 2008 election when she was running against then Senator Obama.Mika then asked Jarrett what she wish she d known before her first days in the White House. Jarrett responded with a scathing rebuke of partisan Republicans who had obstructed Obama from day one and were terrified at giving the power back to the hands of the American people. NewsbustersThe best part of the interview comes near the end when Mika implores Jarrett to ask Barack Obama to come back: Could he come back and save the party? Tell them what to do? Laughter What dingbat leftist Mika clearly doesn t understand is that community organizer Barack Obama is still running the party from DC and doesn t have any plans to go away Watch: You know, elections have consequences, Jarrett told Mika. It s part of why President Obama worked so hard during the campaign. And so when people show you who they are you can t be surprised when they actually then continue to fulfill what they said they were going to do. Here is the entire video:

Local artist Rico Lavelle was given the distinct honor and privilege of singing the national anthem on the Ford Field at the start of the Lions football game on Sunday. Singing the national anthem has always been about honoring our flag and the brave women and men it represents who have given their lives for our nation. The seriousness of what happened near the end of Lavelle s performance cannot be understated. Rico Lavelle used his privilege to honor our flag and our military to instead, take a stand against our current President, to support a divisive, Black Lives Matter, anti-cop movement, and to salute the violent Black Panthers on a national stage.The video in and of itself is very disturbing as it shows a total and utter lack of respect for the honor bestowed upon Lavelle, but if you watch closely, you ll see 3 or 4 young black boys who also had the privilege of taking part of the national anthem on the field. Sadly, the young boys appear to be confused about what the local artist Rico Lavelle, aka Midwest Rico, is doing when he kneels and raises his fist. Perpetuating the lie that America is more racially divided now than ever before, or that all police officers are bad people is (hopefully) not why the Lions asked Lavelle to honor our flag with his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner .Watch:Rico Lavelle sang the anthem AND took a knee pic.twitter.com/mgno4HCzZQ Jasmine (@JasmineLWatkins) September 24, 2017Lavelle s performance didn t end on the field, he immediately took to Twitter to criticize President Trump for being Un-American .How can the "leader" of the free world be so UN-American? rico lavelle (@midwestrico) September 24, 2017Later on Twitter, Lavelle retweeted a message of encouragement from the Boston Globe Deputy Washington Bureau Chief and CNN contributor, Matt Visor:Here is the tweet of encouragement from the NOT very objective Washington bureau chief of the Boston Globe and #VeryFakeNewsCNN political analyst Matt Viser:While hitting the last note of the national anthem in Detroit, singer Rico LaVelle took a knee as young black boys looked on pic.twitter.com/lVkQvKV7Sk Matt Viser (@mviser) September 24, 2017To which Lavelle responded by calling himself an example :Be the example https://t.co/UavKROgfl6 rico lavelle (@midwestrico) September 24, 2017As a side note, FBI released data yesterday showing Detroit as the winner (again) as the nation s most violent big city.At 84.3%, Detroit has the highest percentage of black residents.Perhaps the players and owners of NFL teams would be better served to try and find ways to save black youths from killing each other, rather than manufacturing racial issues or putting targets on the backs of our brave law enforcement officers. The stunning chart below from the Brookings Institute provides a pretty strong argument that racism and law enforcement is not what s harming the black community:

Amateur president Donald Trump loves Trumpcare, the GOP replacement for Obamacare even though everyone hates it. Conservative groups, liberals and hospitals are all opposed to Trumpcare. It benefits the wealthy while omitting the elderly and sick and if a health care plan doesn t help those who are not feeling well then what good is it? Well, if it helps to keep Republicans in power, then there s a chance that the sh*tty replacement plan will pass anyway. While most of Americans were sleeping, the House committee scored an initial triumph in their effort to scuttle former President Barack Obama s health care overhaul, using a pre-dawn vote, and while that took place, Congress members were literally giggling. That happened at 2:00 a.m.Meanwhile, Trump has warned Republicans that there will be an electoral bloodbath in 2018 if the bill isn t passed. Trump is so proud of the crappy health care plan that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway doesn t want Trump s name attached to it. They know it s that bad but eradicating former President Barack Obama s legacy is more important than the welfare of American citizens.Trump s newest move is to throw more rallies, just as one does after winning an election (wink wink). After the election, Trump went on a thank you tour, then instead of getting to work, the 70-year-old Twitter addicted ragey screamy guy held another rally in Florida.Jim Acosta, CNN s White House correspondent, tweeted, Trump confident health care will pass House but for Senate he plans football stadium rallies in red states to prod vulnerable Dems. Trump confident health care will pass House but for Senate he plans "football stadium rallies" in red states to prod vulnerable Dems. https://t.co/xr6Xvagf0k Jim Acosta (@Acosta) March 9, 2017And if that doesn t work, just blame Democrats.Trump told Tea Party groups at WH if GOP health care plan dies, he will let Obamacare fail and let Dems take the blame, I'm told. Jim Acosta (@Acosta) March 9, 2017We don t think Trump has thought this out even though OBVIOUSLY what this country needs is never-ending rallies to feed his massive ego. It s not just Democrats opposing the bill, it s Republicans, too. Trump, you cannot threaten us with more rallies. We think the dwindling number of supporters at his rallies is hysterical. Trump supporters stand to be affected more if and when Obamacare is dismantled.Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the House of Representatives’ tax-writing committee said on Sunday he would not accept elimination of a federal deduction for state and local taxes, opposing a proposal from Senate Republicans that would hike taxes for some middle class Americans. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said he guaranteed the deduction would not be entirely scrapped in a final tax bill that emerges from dueling plans already unveiled by Republicans in the House and the Senate. Asked on “Fox News Sunday” if House Republicans would reject a bid by Senate Republicans to do away with the deduction entirely, Brady said: “That’s what I’m saying.” The deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT, has been one of the most hotly contested issues as Republicans seek to achieve a significant overhaul of the U.S. tax code and hand President Donald Trump his first major legislative victory. It is a chief concern for a group of House Republicans who face re-election battles next year in high-tax, typically Democratic-leaning states such as California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Other sticking points include a proposal by the Senate to delay implementation of a cut in the corporate tax rate and a House plan to eliminate the estate tax on inheritances. Republicans control both the House and the Senate. Lawmakers will debate their respective plans this week before heading home for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Republicans hope to resolve their differences in time to reach their goal of enacting the legislation by the end of the year. The Senate tax blueprint introduced on Thursday would repeal the SALT deduction entirely. The House bill would repeal it only for state and local income and sales taxes, but preserve it for property tax up to $10,000 a year. Brady said there were many similarities in the rival tax proposals. “I know that everyone’s stressing the differences - there are some - but there’s far more common ground,” he said. Both the House and Senate plans would add $1.5 trillion over 10 years to the budget deficit and national debt, an increase that has worried some fiscally conservative Republicans. Both plans also call for deep tax cuts for high-earners and businesses and would reshape how the United States taxes multinational corporations. They are both widely seen as a boon for business. Congressional Democrats have criticized the Republican plans as lopsided, favoring wealthy Americans and corporate interests. “Both the House and the Senate bills would raise taxes on millions of middle-class families, particularly in the suburbs, while providing a huge giveaway to corporations and the wealthy,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. “Republicans should go back to the drawing board and fully restore the SALT deduction,” he said in a statement. Some analyses show that some Americans would see a tax increase under both plans. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin acknowledged that on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, although he said most middle-class families would be better off. “For most people - and, again, it may not be 100 percent, but by far the majority - both the House and Senate version provide middle-income tax relief,” he said. White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said both plans adhere to Trump’s two main objectives in overhauling the tax code: a tax cut for middle-income Americans and a deep reduction in the corporate tax rate to make U.S. businesses competitive. “That’s how we’re going to grow the economy. That’s how we’re going to pay for the tax bill,” Cohn said on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” A report by Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation estimated earlier this month that the House bill could raise taxes on as many as 38 million people who earn between $20,000 and $40,000 per year, beginning in 2023. Republican Representative Peter King has fiercely opposed the elimination of the SALT deduction, saying many in his home state of New York earning $300,000 a year were hardworking, two-income families facing a very high cost of living. “They’re not hedge fund people,” King said on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “These are hardworking people and they’re going to get screwed by this bill.”

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil s new Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge said on Tuesday she is committed to continuing the sprawling Car Wash corruption investigation that has implicated dozens of Brazilian politicians, including President Michel Temer. In her first news conference since taking office on Sept. 18, Dodge declined to comment on charges filed against Temer by her predecessor Rodrigo Janot, but she said she could not withdraw them. Janot charged Temer with obstruction of justice and being a member of a criminal organization days before leaving office based on plea bargain testimony by the owners of meatpacker JBS SA. Janot had to revoke that plea deal after evidence emerged of crimes committed by the witnesses. Dodge, however, told reporters that the revoking of a plea deal did not erase the evidence provided. The lower house of Congress, which has the authority to decide whether a president should stand trial, began to discuss the new charges on Tuesday and is expected to block them as it did last month with an earlier graft charge brought against Temer for allegedly accepting bribes paid by JBS. Dodge said the Supreme Court must decide whether the Federal Police can also negotiate plea bargains with criminals, an authority currently limited to prosecutors who have opposed sharing the function with the police. Plea bargains have been instrumental for prosecutors in the uncovering of a massive network of bribes and political kickbacks in Brazil s largest corruption scandal. I am sure that the Supreme Court will hand down a ruling that will turn this into an valuable tool, she said.

In his nearly-incoherent ravings about his Muslim ban getting shut down, Donald Trump said something that will haunt him until the end of his disaster of a presidency. Big increase in traffic into our country from certain areas, while our people are far more vulnerable, Trump said, adding the good part: as we wait for what should be EASY D! Big increase in traffic into our country from certain areas, while our people are far more vulnerable, as we wait for what should be EASY D! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017We can probably assume that Trump meant easy defense, but phrasing, man! Twitter immediately lit up with people razzing him for his hilariously unintentional search for a big, all-caps, EASY D and the jokes kind of just wrote themselves from that point.@realDonaldTrump @realDonaldTrump I heard you can get "EASY D" by answering Craigslist Casual Encounters ads. pic.twitter.com/MwSvaVZkco Kristina Wong (@mskristinawong) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Is "EASY D" what you give President Bannon and Daddy Putin every night for dessert? #easyD pic.twitter.com/XzQfS7mnqi Kristina Wong (@mskristinawong) February 8, 2017.@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/kY1sYZy8bS Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 8, 2017"I'm told that D is abundant and of low value, period. Next question." pic.twitter.com/CB1soGXh0X Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 8, 2017@MikeTScribe @bessbell I think it's going to be the average grades of our schools with DeVos in, and Trump must think a D is just great! Appalachian Tarheel (@appalachianheel) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Please give us your easy D!Also, you lost the popular vote by a lot. Evan Dashevsky (@haldash) February 8, 2017@scottbix that was my nickname in college David Wyllie (@journodave) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Easy D? That a euphemism for something Steve Bannon-related? Eric Walkuski (@ericwalkuski) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Scare me daddy. pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) February 8, 2017. @realDonaldTrump Mmm I want some Easy D DansGaming (@Dansgaming) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Nicknaming DeVos "EASY D" is disgusting! Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) February 8, 2017All @realDonaldTrump is asking for is some #EasyD Mike Denison (@mikd33) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump you like that easy D don't you lucas matney (@Lucas_Matney) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump "Easy D" is what you'd like to give your daughter. Jon Bershad (@JonBershad) February 8, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Eazy D! pic.twitter.com/M3QjrZ38Xp Kristopher Tapley (@kristapley) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump easy D is meaningless without real love tho Michael Foss (@Fossphate) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump Tell us more about getting the "Easy D" from Putin pic.twitter.com/AAaaapkFhK Kaj-Erik Eriksen (@KajEriksen) February 8, 2017@realDonaldTrump dude, if you want some easy D, just stroll down the beach after midnight. Curtis unNormalized (@cebsilver) February 8, 2017He even got trolled by one of the leading websites where one can find some easy D (in video form):. @realDonaldTrump Who doesn't love waiting for some EASY D? Pornhub ARIA (@Pornhub) February 8, 2017 .and by an adult toy maker, who offers some of the easiest D in existence since it comes straight to your door:The folks at gay dating app Grindr just seemed confused that Trump thinks he has to wait to get some D :? https://t.co/6s674G6h6i Grindr (@Grindr) February 8, 2017Being President can be hard (just ask Steve Bannon), and easy D can be hard to find (unless you re on Craigslist when the RNC comes to town), but no matter what kind of D Trump wants, there are better ways to get it than banning Muslims from entering the country.The only way any of us are going to get easy D is if we get Trump out of the White House so we can begin to rebuild our relationships with everyone. F*cking everyone.Featured image via Getty Images (Pool)/screengrab

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump does not like the “border adjustment” tax cooked up by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans in the House of Representatives. At least, he does not like the term. “I don’t like the word ‘adjustment’, because our country gets taken advantage of, to use a nice term, by every other country in the world,” Trump told Fox Business News in an interview that aired on Wednesday. “Adjustment means we lose. We lose.” “Let’s call it an import tax. Let’s call it a reciprocal tax,” he added. “Nobody gets angry when you say reciprocal tax.” Trump was talking about a provision in Ryan’s House Republican tax blueprint that has polarized the tax reform debate, as the White House tries to score a much-needed legislative victory by overhauling the U.S. tax code for the first time since the Reagan era. The proposal would exempt U.S. corporate export revenues from federal taxes, while requiring U.S. companies to shoulder the same flat 20 percent tax rate on supplies and other purchased products, whether produced overseas or domestically. But the president appeared to favor an import tax that could be adjusted to reflect the country of origin’s tax rate for U.S. products. He said such an approach could take the form of trade policy rather than tax policy. “There has to be a certain reciprocal nature to it,” the president said. “The other countries, if they’re charging you a 50 percent tax, you say: ‘O.K., whatever you charge, we’re charging’.” The House border adjustment tax, or BAT, would help Trump keep his campaign pledge to create manufacturing jobs, advocates say, by exempting U.S. export revenue from tax while subjecting imports to the same 20 percent corporate tax imposed on domestic products. But the measure has been angrily denounced by import-dependent industries and rejected by enough Senate Republicans to call its political viability into question. In his Fox interview, Trump lamented the inequalities of the international tax system, saying U.S. products face high tax rates overseas while foreign-made goods enter the U.S. market tax free. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin floated the idea of a “reciprocal” tax in February, but administration officials have offered few details and lobbyists have suggested that it could strongly resemble the House BAT proposal. “I love the idea of reciprocal,” Trump said. “You can call it a reciprocal or a matching tax or a mirror tax. There are numerous terms. But the reciprocal tax is very important.”

Where is the outrage? The investigation into the culpability of the VA took one year before they finally came to this conclusion! # VetsLivesMatter but not enough for Obama and his regime to act with the same amount of enthusiasm and sense of urgency they showed in determining the cause of thug Michael Brown s death. Is the life of a US Marine killed by the very government entity assigned to care for him not as important as a common neighborhood thug? It took Obama s DOJ only 7 months after the death of thug Michael Brown to determine the entire Ferguson Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments of the ConstitutionAn inspector general s report faults a Wisconsin Veterans Affairs hospital for the accidental overdose death of a Marine Corps veteran that sparked outrage and legislation aimed at strengthening guidelines for prescribing painkillers.The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General found that Jason Simcakoski s death at a Tomah, Wis., VA center in August 2014 was tied to a toxic mix of prescribed drugs and also faulted VA staff for botching resuscitation efforts once he was found. The Tomah VA has been dubbed Candyland for what some say was wanton overprescription of opiates.Simcakoski, 35, served in the Marines from 1998-2002 and suffered a head injury. He sought care for anxiety attacks at the Tomah VA, where his family said he struggled for years with no improvement despite a long list of medications. He was found unresponsive Aug. 30, and the report found that the two psychiatrists who prescribed drugs to Simcakoski did not talk to him or his family about risks associated with the drugs.The report also criticized hospital staff for a chaotic resuscitation response and failing to have the proper drugs on hand to counteract Simcakoski s overdose.In response to the report, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who requested the investigation, released a statement saying the sacred trust we have with those who faithfully serve our country has been broken and it needs to be fixed. This report confirms that the Tomah VA physicians entrusted with Jason s care failed to keep their promise to a Wisconsin Marine and his family, Baldwin said in a released statement. I have all the evidence I need to conclude that the VA prescribed Jason a deadly mix of drugs that led to his death and that those responsible for this tragic failure should never again serve our veterans and their families. The Tomah VA said in a statement that it s saddened by Simcakoski s avoidable death and is committed to learning from it and improving care for veterans, according to the Associated Press.Earlier in the year, the oft-criticized VA Office of Inspector General had defended closing an earlier investigation into alleged overprescription of opiates at the Tomah VA without finding problems in a tersely worded press release that began with this John Adams quote: Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. Some lawmakers jumped on that report at the time to criticize then-acting VA Inspector General Richard Griffin for what they perceived as his failure to point out problems within the scandal-plagued VA. Griffin resigned under pressure in June.On Friday, the Inspector General s office defended the earlier Tomah report. We continue to stand by our earlier Tomah report on opioid prescription practices, VA Inspector General spokeswoman Joanne Moffett said in an email. Yesterday s report notes the patient was not at the time dependent on opioids and that according to VA outpatient prescription records, no VA provider prescribed oxycodone or other Schedule II opioid analgesics. The IG s report notes that one of the drugs that likely contributed to Simcakoski s death was buprenorphine, an opioid derivative, and that he had struggled with opioid dependency in the past.The report on Simcakoski s death recommends local VA officials determine whether anyone should be punished and that the facility director review their medical emergency procedures.Via: Stars And Stripes

SEOUL (Reuters) - Take the dregs left from making soy bean oil, which usually go to feed the pigs. Press and roll them into a sandy-colored paste. Stuff with rice, and top with chilli sauce. The dish s name, injogogi, means man-made meat. In North Korea for years it was a recipe for survival. Today it is a popular street food, traded alongside other goods and services on informal markets, known as jangmadang. Defectors say there are hundreds of these markets. The creation and informal trade of injogogi and other foods offers a window into a barter economy that has kept North Korea afloat despite years of isolation, abuse and sanctions. Back in the day, people had injogogi to fill themselves up as a substitute for meat, said Cho Ui-sung, a North Korean who defected to the South in 2014. Now people eat it for its taste. North Korea was set up with backing from the Soviet Union as a socialist state. The Soviet collapse in 1991 crippled the North Korean economy and brought down its centralized food distribution system. As many as three million people died. Those who survived were forced to forage, barter and invent meals from whatever they found. Since people started to use their own initiative, studies indicate, person-to-person dealings have become the way millions of North Koreans procure basic necessities such as food and clothing. But the prevalence of informal markets also makes it hard to understand the exact state of the North Korean economy. And this makes it hard to measure how badly sanctions, which do not apply to North Korean food imports, are hurting ordinary people. Pyongyang has said the curbs threaten the survival of its children. Defectors say a poor corn harvest this year has made it hard for people in rural areas to feed themselves. The agencies who want to help find all this hard to measure. Pyongyang says 70 percent of North Koreans still use the state s central distribution system as their main source of food, the same number of people that the U.N. estimates are food insecure. The system consistently provides lower food rations than the government s daily target, according to U.N. food agency the World Food Programme (WFP). The U.N. uses this information to call on member states to provide food aid for North Korea - $76 million for nutrition support alone at its last request - of which it has received $42 million. But surveys and anecdotal evidence from defectors suggest private markets are the main source of supply for most North Koreans. It becomes sort of ridiculous to analyze food distribution in North Korea by focusing on an archaic system that s lost so much of its significance over the past couple of decades, said Benjamin Silberstein, an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who researches the North Korean economy. The WFP and the U.N. s other main food aid agency, the Food and Agricultural Organization, said the U.N. relies on all available information and inputs, including official statistics. The agencies have a permanent office in Pyongyang and make regular visits to Public Distribution Centers, farms and occasionally markets in North Korea. We recognize that the data and their sources are limited but it s the best we have available at present, said the U.N. agencies in a joint statement, referring to the official North Korean government data. The agencies said they have seen no sign that more food than needed is delivered to North Koreans. The main issue ... is a monotonous diet mainly rice/maize, kimchi and bean paste lacking in essential fats and protein, the statement said. The North Korean diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to questions about how international sanctions might be harming food availability and whether U.N. aid agencies had access to markets in North Korea to assess the products on offer. Last year, North Korea s economy grew by 3.9 percent - its fastest in 17 years and faster than many developed economies, according to South Korea s central bank. It was helped largely by mining, market reforms, and dealings with China, its neighbor and now the world s largest economy. Reporters saw signs of chronic hunger in North Korea as recently as 2013, but people who have defected say the food supply has improved in recent years. Eight defectors told Reuters they ate much the same thing as people in the South. Asked about the contents of their food cupboards, most said they were stocked with privately grown vegetables, locally made snacks and rice, or if they were poor, corn, which is a cheaper staple. Younger and wealthier defectors say they had plenty of meat, although it was often seasonal because electric power is too erratic to power fridges. Pork is common, but defectors also talked of eating dog meat, rabbit, and badger. Even so, on average North Koreans are less well nourished than their Southern neighbors. The WFP says around one in four children have grown less tall than their South Korean counterparts. A study from 2009 said pre-school children in the North were up to 13 cm (5 inches) shorter and up to 7 kg (15 pounds) lighter than those brought up in the South. The North s Public Distribution System (PDS) stipulates that 70 percent of people receive ration coupons to spend at state distribution shops. The other 30 percent are farmers who are not eligible for rations because they grow their own vegetables in private plots. According to the WFP, the PDS had been reinstated by 2006. Defectors say Kim Jong Un, who came to power in 2011, also quietly loosened the rules on private trade. Some markets, known as grasshopper markets for the speed with which traders set up and take down the stalls, are still illegal. But there are also officially sanctioned markets, where traders are free to buy and sell provided they pay stall fees to the state. Inventions like injogogi are among foods traded on these stalls. It is low in calories but rich in protein and fiber, to help muscle growth and keep hunger at bay, said Lee Ae-ran, a chef from the North Korean town of Hyesan who took a doctorate in nutrition in Seoul. Because it contains so much protein, it s also very chewy, Lee said. The sauce can be delicious, said Cho. People who lived by the sea put shredded anchovies in the sauce; people living in the countryside used spicy peppers. I lived close by shore so I used shredded sand eels. The jangmadang are remotely monitored by a website called Daily NK, a Seoul-based operation staffed by North Korean defector journalists. It said in a report released this August that there are 387 officially sanctioned markets in the country, encompassing more than half a million stalls. Over 5 million people are either directly or indirectly reliant on the markets, solidifying their place in North Korean society as an integral and irreversible means of survival, the report said. In 2015, a survey of 1,017 defectors by Seoul University professor Byung-yeon Kim found that official channels such as the PDS accounted for just 23.5 percent of people s food intake. Around 61 percent of respondents said private markets were their most important source of food, and the remaining 15.5 percent came from self-cultivated crops. So the official system may mean little to many North Koreans. WFP has consistently been asking (the North Korean government) to carry out a more detailed study on market activity and the role of markets in achieving household food security, a spokeswoman said. As in other countries, North Korea s wealthy have choice. Residents of the capital can order up a pizza in one of Pyongyang s hundreds of restaurants, say regular visitors. Many of the eateries are operated by state-owned enterprises. Some used to cater only to tourists. Increasingly they now also collect dollars and euros from locals. At a place people know as the Italian on Kwangbok Street, for example, moneyed locals and western tourists alike can pick vongole pasta for $3.50, or pepperoni pizzas for $10, the menu says. This compares with $0.30 for a kilo of corn or $0.50 for a portion of injogogi in the markets. Reuters was unable to determine how the restaurant sources its ingredients such as pepperoni, although North Korea imports processed meats and cheeses from European countries and Southeast Asia - such imports are legal. Calls to the phone numbers on the menu failed and an operator for the Pyongyang switchboard said the numbers could not be connected to international lines. As the economy in North Korea has changed, so have the tastes of a moneyed middle class keen to try new foods. Kim Jong Un has called for more domestically produced goods, according to state media, and there are more locally made sweets, snacks and candies. The country does not publish detailed import data but China s exports of sugar to North Korea in January to September this year ballooned to 44,725 tonnes, Chinese data shows. That is about half of all China s global sugar exports and compares with 1,236 tonnes in 2016 and 2,843 in 2015. North Korea does not produce sugar. According to the International Sugar Organization, the North s sugar consumption is fairly steady at around 89,000-90,000 tonnes a year a very modest amount per head. Each South Korean consumes about nine times more than that. At the other end of the social scale, Chinese data shows corn exports to North Korea also jumped in the first nine months of this year, to nearly 50,000 tonnes, compared with just over 3,000 tonnes in the whole of 2016. Daily NK reporters say they call secret sources in North Korea several times a week to get the market price of rice, corn, pork, fuels and the won currency - which is traded at around 8,100 to the dollar, as opposed to the official rate of around 100 to the dollar. So far, their reports suggest, petrol and diesel prices have doubled since the most recent round of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The market price of rice and corn has increased less sharply. Reuters was not able to independently confirm their reports. And there are other ways North Koreans can supplement their diets. My dad often received bribes, said one 28-year-old defector who asked to be identified only by her surname, Kang, because when she moved out in late 2010 she left her father behind. He was a high-ranking public official. The bribes he received included goat meat, dog meat and deer meat, she said. (For a graphic on 'Rising costs, falling aid' click tmsnrt.rs/2h95QBL)

Isn t it unbelievable that these so-called experts get to spout off their hatred towards President Trump on a regular basis via MSNBC? This village idiot connects Mosque burnings to Trump when anyone with half a brain knows the Muslims are vandalizing their own Mosques (see below)! They don t even know who burned the Minnesota Mosque!The blame has been put on President Trump but could it be that the Muslims set fire to these Mosques to produce a backlash? some of the arson cases have not been solved so why is Buzzfeed blaming the attacks on anti-Muslim arsonists?BUZZFEED MAKES FALSE CLAIMS:In the past seven weeks, four mosques across the country have caught fire, according to BuzzFeed News. Three of those fires have been ruled arson, authorities stated.On Jan. 7, the Islamic Center of Lake Travis in Austin, which had been under construction, caught on fire. A week later, on Jan. 14, the Islamic Center of Eastside in Bellevue, Washington, burned.Two weeks after that, on Jan. 28, several hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, a fire destroyed the Islamic Center of Victoria in Texas.According to BuzzFeed News, the Daarus Salaam Mosque near Tampa, Florida, caught on fire this past Friday, marking the fourth mosque in to go up in flames in fewer than two months. Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said he s never seen anything like this, calling them part of a series of dramatic attacks against Muslims.WHAT THEY DON T REPORT ON: MUSLIMS TORCHING THEIR OWN MOSQUE!Police in Iowa arrested a 22-year-old woman suspected of starting a small fire at an Iowa mosque Thursday morning.Security cameras in the mosque showed a woman, later identified as Aisha Ismail, pouring lighter fluid on the carpet and then starting the fire, said Des Moines police spokesmanTHE TEXAS CASE:HOUSTON, Texas The Muslim charged with arson of his own mosque on Christmas Day 2015 has pleaded guilty to felony arson in a Harris County (Houston) district court and was sentenced to prison. The charging instrument stated that Gary Nathaniel Moore started a fire with the intent to destroy and damage a place of worship the Savoy Masjid Mosque in Houston. Moore said he attended the mosque every day up to five times a day for five years. The Houston Fire Department (HFD) responded to the fire about 2:47 p.m. on Christmas Day.THE MOST DISTURBING CASE IS A FAKE HATE CRIME CASE:Have you heard about the Texas case where the Muslim community pushed for a hate crime charge and got it. The lawyer for the defendant, Mr. Di Carlo, contested the basic premise of the hate crime charge: This was not a mosque, this was an Islamic learning center and there was a mosque therein, he said. Read more: NYT

Twitter s pitch deck for RT?21st Century Wire says In what appears to be a coordinated attack on RT and Sputnik, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey (@jack) has declared all advertising purchased by the two media outlets unfit for the online news and social networking service.Off-boarding advertising from all accounts owned by Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik.We re donating all projected earnings ($1.9mm) to support external research into the use of Twitter in elections, including use of malicious automation and misinformation. https://t.co/zIxfqqXCZr jack (@jack) October 26, 2017The move comes just days before Twitter and other Silicon Valley companies go to Washington to testify on Capitol Hill regarding alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. Election.In the company s official announcement, it states the decision is based on the U.S. intelligence community s conclusion that both RT and Sputnik attempted to interfere with the election on behalf of the Russian government. To be fair, there was no conclusion. The DNI report was only an assessment of high confidence by a group of hand-picked analysts from the CIA, FBI and NSA.What s both ironic and embarrassing about the Twitter bird s ad blockade of the Russian-owned media outlets is their recent ad pitch to RT, specifically, during the election cycle:Hope @jack won t forget to tell @congressdotgov how @Twitter pitched @RT_com to spend big $$s on US elex ad campaign. pic.twitter.com/7GqoEoSaY8 (@M_Simonyan) October 26, 2017That s a tweet on Thursday by RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan.It s quite clear that Twitter, along with other Silicon Valley properties like Google and Facebook, saw the 2016 U.S. Election as a lucrative ad sales pipeline and decided to cash-in like any other media outlet would do.Now, ahead of their upcoming testimony on election meddling , Twitter just put itself squarely in the crosshairs of the government to curry favor to, and to be push even further as Russiamania pushes forward.More from The Duran READ MORE RUSSIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire RUSSIA FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV

Trump warned his supporters that the US Postal Service is trying to steal the election for Hillary Clinton in Colorado. Video: At a rally in Golden, CO, Trump said: I have real problems with ballots being sent. Does that make sense? Like people saying, “Oh, here’s a ballot. Here’s another ballot. Throw it away. Oh, here’s one I like. We’ll keep that one.” I have real problems, so get your ballots in. Trump also accused election officials of throwing away ballots, as his rally was a mixture of claims of voter fraud and baseless speculation about Hillary Clinton’s emails. Donald Trump appears to be losing his mind. He also seems to think that accusing the US Postal Service and election officials of stealing the election for Hillary Clinton is going to motivate Republicans to vote. Consider the contradiction in Trump’s message. The Republican nominee tells his supporters that the US Postal Service is throwing away ballots, while at the same time he is urging them to mail in their ballots. If their ballots are going to be thrown away by USPS, why should Republicans bother mailing their ballots in? It is this sort of incoherent gibberish that makes no sense. Trump’s inability to stay disciplined and on message is also one of the biggest reasons why Republicans on pace to lose this election. Donald Trump’s descent into paranoid senior citizen continues to play out in front of the entire nation, as the Republican nominee for president believes that his letter carrier is out to get him,

Even the women of Fox News refuse to buy Trump s bullshit claim that he is a feminist.That why when Fox Business contributor Bernard McGuirk referred to the Republican nominee as the ultimate feminist on Tuesday all four women of Outnumbered immediately lit him up for it.Fox host Sandra Smith asked if Senator Susan Collins refusal to endorse Donald Trump will hurt him even more among women, a demographic Trump is struggling to gain support from because he has repeatedly attacked them throughout his campaign and has generally treated them like shit his entire life.Indeed, Trump thinks that women are objects who are nothing more than sexual conquests and incubators.Nevertheless, McGuirk still had the gall to declare that Trump is a feminist because he attacks men and women equally, which drew the ire of the four female hosts around him. If a woman attacks Donald Trump, he ll attack her back just like he would with a man! McGuirk continued. He doesn t look at her as a delicate little flower. We can t you let you get away with that, Smith said before Meghan McCain gave McGuirk a piece of her mind, informing McGuirk that Trump desperately needs women right now more than he needs white men. Facts are a stubborn thing. He s doing very poorly with women, specifically college educated women, which is a demographic that normally just easy for Republicans to scoop up. He s got you, Bernard, he needs me. He needs Sandra. I like you, I respect you. In all fairness, it s directed at us! It s not directed at you. He s already got white men. McCain and her fellow hosst were particularly outraged by McGuirk s claim because Trump has relentlessly attacked New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte for criticizing his attacks on a Gold Star family who lost their American soldier son when he sacrificed his life to save his fellow brothers-in-arms. I don t know Kelly Ayotte, Trump said. I know she s given me no support zero support and yet I m leading her in the polls. I m doing very well in New Hampshire. We need loyal people in this country. We need fighters in this country. We don t need weak people. We have enough of them. Clearly, Trump attacked a woman for rightly standing up to him rather than admit he was wrong.One Fox host concluded that Trump may be an equal opportunity attacker but that doesn t make him a feminist.Here s the video via YouTube.And women overwhelmingly agree, which is why over 70 percent of women view Trump unfavorably and why Hillary Clinton is poised to win the women vote by an even larger margin than President Obama did in 2012.Featured Image: Screenshot

The Republican National Committee seems to be crumbling before His Royal Censorness, Donald Trump, even when it comes to barring unfriendly media outlets from the GOP convention. Open Secrets, a non-profit outlet that scrutinizes lobbyists, federal agencies, politicians of all stripes and more, can t get into the GOP convention this year, despite having gone every year for the past 20 years.They tweeted about it, asking if other non-profit outlets had experienced this problem and shining a nice, bright spotlight on the whole thing:We ve been denied press creds. by RNC, though we ve had them every convention back to 96. Any other nonprofit news orgs in the same boat? OpenSecrets.org (@OpenSecretsDC) July 1, 2016Welcome to Donald Trump s world.Trumplestiltskin has banned at least nine media outlets from covering his rallies, including major ones like the Washington Post, The Huffington Post and Politico. He s also banned individual reporters from his rallies who work for a much larger range of outlets. They all seem to have a bad habit of making him look bad and, well, King Trump just can t have that.Trump is so sensitive to anyone that doesn t bow and scrape before his dirty little feet that he promised to open up libel laws so it s easier to sue the press and win lots of money. In other words, censorship. It s a wonder that Tea Partiers, who allegedly want a return to running the country according to the letter of the Constitution, actually support him given how he s openly threatened to tear up the First Amendment (and others, too).Trump also has a history of filing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, which is suing someone for exercising their First Amendment rights. It s ridiculously clear that he uses lawsuits as a weapon and a negotiating tool, and he also makes a point of suing anyone he doesn t like. As the GOP s standard-bearer, it s patently obvious that they re kowtowing to him.Open Secrets was allegedly barred because of space constraints. Viveca Novak, the editor of Open Secrets money-in-politics blog, said that there was no process for appeal, and they re now stuck trying to cancel travel plans without losing too much money. FactCheck.org was initially denied credentials as well, but they got an appeal and succeeded, so what the hell?RNC communications director Kevin Spicer said that the credentialing process goes through the House and Senate press galleries. However, because Open Secrets is a non-profit, they re considered special press and must go through the RNC s special press director. Which is it, space or problems with the credentialing process? They can t get their story straight, and Novak poked them for it: Doesn t seem like it s for lack of space. https://t.co/y6PHJNlCZ6 https://t.co/pf4WvahOO2 Viveca Novak (@vjn) July 1, 2016The Hill has a story listing some of the prominent Republicans who aren t going to the convention this year because of Drumpf, and because of what he stands for. Bush the Greater, Bush the Lesser, and Bush the Least aren t going. John McCain isn t going. Mitt Romney likely isn t going either, even though it s traditional for past nominees to attend. Both John Kasich and Ted Cruz turned down opportunities to speak. And there s a whole host of delegates who won t be in attendance either.Of course, there is a very slim chance that the RNC is telling the truth about space and credentialing and Trump actually had nothing to do with this.Pathetically slim.So slim that it s virtually nonexistent.It s just way too coincidental that they d do this to an outlet that s attended their convention every year since 1996 while preparing to crown the very man that has openly said he wants to censor the press. They also don t have their story straight. Open Secrets will be allowed at the Democratic convention, though, so that s something. Just not the Republican one. Welcome to life under King Trump.Featured image by By WisPolitics.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, Commons

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday defended a social media post he made two days earlier that included an image depicting Democratic rival Hillary Clinton against a backdrop of cash and a Star of David, while Clinton called the image anti-Semitic. In a tweet on Monday, Trump said he had not meant the six-pointed star to refer to the Star of David, which is a symbol of Judaism. Rather, he said, the star could have referred to a sheriff’s badge, which is shaped similarly except for small circles at the ends of each of its six points, or a “plain star.” The presumptive Republican nominee later released a statement saying Clinton’s criticism of the image was an attempt to distract the public from “the dishonest behavior of herself and her husband.” He was referring to a heavily criticized private meeting last week between former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch as an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state nears a conclusion. His tweet came after Mic News reported on Sunday that the image attacking Clinton - which included the words: “History made” and, inside the star, “most corrupt candidate ever!” - had been shared on a neo-Nazi web forum called /pol/. Reuters confirmed the image was posted there on June 22 by viewing a link to an archived version of a /pol/ page, although the page has since been updated and the image removed. “Donald Trump’s use of a blatantly anti-Semitic image from racist websites to promote his campaign would be disturbing enough, but the fact that it’s a part of a pattern should give voters major cause for concern,” Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said in a statement emailed to reporters on Monday. The Nazis forced Jews to wear a Star of David on their clothing to identify themselves during the Holocaust. Trump posted and deleted the tweet on Saturday, then tweeted a similar image in which the star was replaced by a circle. On Monday, he lashed out at journalists for continuing to report on the original tweet. “Dishonest media is trying their absolute best to depict a star in a tweet as the Star of David rather than a Sheriff’s Star, or plain star!” Trump wrote on Twitter. Saturday’s incident was the latest departure by Trump from a recent effort to appease Republicans worried about his brash public persona by trying to appear more restrained. The Republican convention, where Trump is expected to be named the party’s nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election, is two weeks away. In June, Trump fired his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and began using a teleprompter to make speeches, hoping to show his campaign could be more inclusive after he aroused controversy by referring to some Mexicans crossing the U.S. border illegally as “rapists,” and his mocking of a disabled reporter, which Clinton has begun using in attack ads against him. Ed Brookover, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in an interview on CNN on Monday that the campaign felt it had “corrected” the issue about the star by deleting Trump’s original tweet. Brookover said the image’s earlier appearance on the neo-Nazi forum was irrelevant. “These images get posted and reposted and reposted on social media on many forums,” he said. “There was never any intention of anti-Semitism.”

In another humiliating defeat that will have major ramifications for Republicans going forward, all 8 Justices on the Supreme Court upheld a lower court s ruling that Texas Republicans could not redraw voting districts to suppress the growing Latino vote.The one person, one vote case was designed by conservatives to exclude non-voting populations when drawing the electoral map for the state. The immediate effect would be that districts with large numbers of non-eligible voters (like, for instance, Latino immigrants and children), would be lumped together, giving much more power to rural, mostly white and older, districts.I m sure you ll be shocked to know that older white people tend to vote Republican. But that surely wasn t the intent behind this move to consolidate power increase the fairness of elections for white people everyone.If this all sounds a bit confusing (and it should), what Republicans were trying to say is that people who can t vote, children, immigrants, convicted felons, etc. do not deserve the same kind of representation in their local government. Because they re not really people or something. But really, this was just the latest GOP attempt at rigging elections.Right now, the populations of large racially diverse cities mean that those cities have several (or more) voting districts and they tend to be far more liberal than rural, mostly white districts. That means that in a state like Texas, the cities are threatening to overpower the rural areas in terms of electoral power and turn the state purple and eventually blue. The goal of this court case was to reverse that trend and greatly reduce the number of city districts, thus, making the rural (and conservative) districts more powerful.But apparently this was a voter suppression tactic too far for even the conservatives on the Court:Six justices signed on to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg s decision, and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas the most conservative members of the court concurred in the judgment. Total-population apportionment meets the equal protection demand, by rendering each representative alert to the interests and constituent-service requests of all who dwell in the representative s district, Ginsburg said.Even if Scalia had still been alive, it looks like he might have been the only dissent. And maybe Thomas after Scalia had told him what to think.The conservative Justices were not opposed to the basic premise of the plan (stripping large cities of their voting power), just this particular method. Once Republicans come up with a new avenue of attack (and they will), they ll try it again and if Republicans control the White House and put another Scalia on the bench, they might get away with it next time.See why voting blue is important?Featured image via wikipedia

(CNN) The ironclad commitment each Republican presidential candidate gave to support the party's nominee -- no matter who that may be -- is no more. Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates."Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey." Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid. "I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University. Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid. "I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP's establishment. He announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23."These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant." Businessman Donald Trump announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House."So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement. Here are six takeaways from the town hall, which aired on CNN and was moderated by Anderson Cooper: Backing away from the pledge Initially designed to stymie the threat of a Trump independent run, the real-estate mogul's Republican foes have been hamstrung by the signed pledge they all gave to the Republican National Committee in September to back the winner of the party's nominating contest for months. "I'm not in the habit of supporting someone who attacked my wife and attacked my family. I think that is going beyond the line," he said. "I'm not an easy person to tick off, but when you go after my wife, when you go after my daughters, that does it." Cruz, however, didn't explicitly say he would oppose Trump's nomination. So Trump let him off the hook. He said Cruz looked "tormented" trying to answer Cooper's "very simple question." "I don't want his support. I don't need his support. I want him to be comfortable," Trump said. Kasich, too, backed off his pledge -- saying he shouldn't have raised his hand when the entire Republican field was asked at the first debate last year whether they'd back the eventual nominee. "Probably shouldn't have even answered that question, but it was the first debate, and what the heck," he said. He said he's been "disturbed by some of the things I have seen," without placing blame on any candidate by name. "If the nominee is somebody that I think is really hurting the country and dividing the country, I can't stand behind them," Kasich said. Asked whether Trump fit the bill as someone who is hurting the country, Kasich said that's up to voters, and wouldn't answer for himself. "That's too much below the belt," he said. He came prepared for questions. In his pocket, he carried print-outs of Fields' initial description. She'd said Lewandowski "grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down. I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance." He mocked Fields' description, saying Lewandowski had really just brushed past her and that she didn't come anywhere close to stumbling to the ground. "She says, 'Ohh, look at my arm,'" Trump said. Trump said Fields had grabbed his arm, as well, in an effort to get his attention and ask a question after his news conference had already ended. Asked if he'd press charges against her, Trump said: "I don't know. Maybe I should, right? Cause you know what, she was grabbing me." Each time he defended Lewandowski -- saying he wouldn't fire his campaign manager -- Trump also pivoted to a theme: Loyalty. "I'm a loyal person. I'm going to be loyal for the country. I'm going to be loyal for Wisconsin," Trump said. Trump also refused to back down from a fight when Cooper asked him about the fight with Cruz that involves both of their wives. "No it's not," Trump responded. "Exactly that thinking is the problem of this country. I didn't start this." For that, Trump blamed Cruz. On Twitter, he warned Cruz to "be careful" or he'd "spill the beans" on his wife. Then, Trump retweeted an unflattering image of Heidi Cruz, alongside a more flattering photo of Melania Trump. There's no evidence the super PAC, headed by Republican strategist Liz Mair, coordinated with Cruz. Doing so would have been illegal. But Trump said the two were in cahoots all the same, saying that he "would be willing to bet" Cruz wrote the ad. So Trump had to respond in kind. "I don't let things go so easily," Trump said. All eyes were on Kasich heading into the town hall to see whether he would go after Cruz. Kasich's top strategist, John Weaver, had hit back hard on Twitter, saying: "Cruz -- with 0 friends, 0 record, 0 vision, 0 chance -- decides to lie about @johnkasich. Desperate? Trump right on 1 thing: 'lying Ted.'" But when Kasich got on the debate stage, his typical easygoing demeanor was on display. In contrast to Trump's performance earlier in the night, Kasich didn't hesitate to criticize his staff's hardball tactics. Of Weaver's tweet, he said: "Sometimes, he gets a little tweet-happy, and I don't like that, OK? And I will have a word with him about it." As for the criticism from Cruz, Kasich said, "That's OK, I can take it." In a moment that got one of the loudest cheers from the audience all night, Kasich argued that the campaign's bitter, personal moments have set a bad example for children. "If name-calling, bringing in spouses, ripping each other below the belt and wrestling in the mud is the new politics, we all need to stand against it. Our children are watching. This is America," he said. "I'm not going to go down there. ... I could screw up, but I hope not." Cruz's go-to option to win over women: his mother. "I have grown up surrounded by strong women. My mom is someone that I admire immensely," he said when a questioner asked what he was going to do to convince women to support him. It was a rare, revealing personal moment for a candidate who focuses more on demonstrating his rock-ribbed conservatism and policy prowess. He said his mother's father "was a drunk, and he didn't think women should be educated." Nonetheless, she made her way to Rice University and worked for Shell -- on the way, refusing to learn how to type so that she wouldn't have "some man stop her and say, 'Sweetheart, would you type this for me?'" He said she wanted to be able to answer with a clean conscience: "Look, I would love to help you out, but I don't know how to type. I guess you're going to have to use me as a computer programmer, instead." Cruz also pointed to his wife, Heidi, a Goldman Sachs executive, and said he's been surrounded by strong women his entire life, and that he believes "every issue is a women's issue." The Texas senator wrapped up his answer by pointing to his two daughters. "I want to make sure that they have a world that they can live in where they have the opportunity to do anything," he said. It took Trump some time to answer when he was asked about the last time he apologized for anything. "Oh, wow," he said, as the audience laughed. He finally came up with a response: "I apologized to my mother years ago for using foul language. I apologize to my wife for not being presidential on occasion. She's always saying, 'Darling, be more presidential.'" Trump joked about the constant controversies surrounding his decisions to amplify the remarks of his supporters. Dismissing the Cruz remark, he said that "it was just a repeat, but that didn't work out too well." "My biggest problems are repeats and retweets. I don't get in a problem with what I say -- it's when I repeat something. I think I'm gonna be careful," he said. Cooper suggested that Trump could "learn from behavior and not retweet things." Laughing, Trump said, "I know. That I agree. That I agree."

21st Century Wire says This is a new geopolitical war, taking place between the United States and China.The rise of the so-called BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, along with countless other emerging economies, means that global power relations are gradually tipping away from the Anglo-American Axis, and towards Eurasia.The Anglo-American corporate confab will not allow this tectonic shift threaten their interests. Collectively, what the TPP, TTIP and TISA really are is a new global governance super structure that overrides individual sovereign nations and their laws, and even the rights of their individual citizens.Under this new secretive regime, all are subservient to the transnational corporate hive WATCH: WikiLeaks The US strategy to create a new global legal and economic system: TPP, TTIP, TISA:

Email For Republican politicians like Ohio Governor John Kasich who refused to get behind Donald J. Trump…it turns out Trump was right…he didn’t need you. In spite of the massive media force who came out against him, and the ‘never Trumpers’ from his own party who worked very hard to defeat him, if Obama was running against Donald J. Trump today, Trump would have beaten him… It’s easy to glance at Tuesday’s popular vote — which, with 92 percent of all precincts reporting, shows Hillary Clinton with six million fewer votes than Barack Obama won in 2012 – and reach the conclusion that Clinton lost the White House because she failed to turn out the Democratic base. But the truth is much more complicated. While she underperformed relative to Obama’s 2012 totals in several Midwestern states — Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin — Clinton ran virtually even with Obama in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Nevada, and New Hampshire. What’s more, she far surpassed Obama’s 2012 vote total in Florida, the country’s biggest swing state. Yet somehow, while Obama carried Florida, Clinton lost it. Which brings us to an important question: Was Donald Trump just good enough to beat a bad Democratic opponent on Tuesday, or does he deserve far more credit? Could he, for instance, have competed with the vaunted Obama machine? The answer, somewhat shockingly, is yes. A review of vote totals in the past two elections reveals that Trump 2016 would have defeated Obama 2012 in the electoral college. (Disclaimer: This obviously is an apples-to-oranges exercise because no two elections are the same, nor are any two electorates. Still, unlike debating whether the 2016 Cubs would defeat the 1927 Yankees, this is not an entirely abstract argument; a comparison of their respective performances in the country’s most competitive states shows Trump edging Obama in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.) The math might seem impossible. After all, Obama won nearly 66 million votes in 2012; Trump is currently at 59.5 million and should finish around 60 million, which will actually be one million fewer votes than Mitt Romney won. How, then, could Trump have topped Obama in the electoral college? The answer: Republican turnout lagged in certain parts of the country but shot through the roof in the nation’s most critical battleground states. Let’s look at them individually, in descending order by population, and do the electoral-vote math. The 2016 totals aren’t yet final because not all precincts have reported. FLORIDA — 29 EVs — 98 percent reporting Obama 2012: 4,235,270 Clinton 2016: 4,485,745 TRENDING ON 100% Fed Up

Ken Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of state and domestic adviser to Trump’s transition team, joined Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam on Thursday to discuss his recent on the media’s attacks on Senator Jeff Sessions after Donald Trump nominated Sessions for attorney general in his incoming administration. [“The Washington Post and L. A. Times spent more than a month working on stories that were exclusively about Senator Sessions and race. Their attempt to define him not by his last twenty years in the Senate, but by the notion that he was white, conservative, evangelical, and from the South meant, in their view, that he could not escape the label of being a racist,” said Blackwell. “They don’t use facts,” he added. “They don’t use measurable, observable behavior and activity. They, in fact, create this false image of a guy who they would like to bring down because they see him as the tip of the spear of moving us back to a system that respects the rule of law … that respects the Constitution. ” Blackwell said, “This is an political attack. This is an effort to misdefine Jeff Sessions in a way that they can destroy him. ” “This is,” he added, “pure and simple, the borking of Jeff Sessions. They did it to Judge Bork in the eighties, and they’re trying to do it now to Jeff Sessions. ” Blackwell predicted the effort will fail and Sessions will be confirmed. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a. m. to 9:00 a. m. Eastern.

During her Senate tirade against the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Senator Elizabeth Warren ( ) criticized the former Alabama senator because his office suggested in a press release that a wealthy American corporation should hire Americans. [One would think Warren, who has been mocked as “Pocahontas” or “Fauxcahontas” for misrepresenting herself as a Native American to obtain preferential treatment, would be less cavalier toward Americans with serious questions about their own career prospects. While there has been much media consternation over the populist direction of the Republican Party under President Donald Trump, there hasn’t been much discussion of the Democratic Party’s brand of populism, which finds its most vocal proponents in figures like Elizabeth Warren and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Indeed, many of the Democrat policies over the past generation could be critiqued as populist — what better term for promises of “free” college tuition or health care? The worst brand of populism attempts to manipulate the public by creating devil figures to play on its fears. About 35 hours into Warren’s tirade against Sessions on the Senate floor, she played that game with White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, who formerly served as communications director for Senator Jeff Sessions of Arkansas. (It’s actually 35 minutes into the clip below. It only feels like 35 hours.) Warren quoted extensively from a Daily Beast article, which sought to link Sessions to President Trump’s executive order for a temporary pause in visas and refugee applications from certain countries — incorrectly labeled a “refugee ban,” of course, because the media has demonstrated a comprehensive inability to discuss the executive order honestly. The idea behind the article was to cite the voluminous press releases Miller emailed when he was working for Sessions and suggest that Miller remained a puppet of Sessions even after he left to work for the Trump White House. (Or maybe Sessions is supposed to be a puppet of Miller. In any event, the gist of the argument Warren borrowed for her theatrical meltdown is that Sessions and Miller are excessively worried about terrorism — an argument that worked fantastically well with voters in 2016, propelling Hillary Clinton into the White House.) Among the ostensibly outrageous emails Miller sent when he worked for Sessions was “a link to a Facebook stock page on Google Finance with the subject line: ‘Does this mean Facebook has enough money now to hire Americans? ’” This seems like an odd digression for a Warren hit that was supposed to be about Jeff Sessions’ alleged paranoid hostility to immigration. (She read the Daily Beast article right after reading the letter from Coretta Scott King condemning Sessions.) But since she brought it up: why doesn’t she care about corporations claiming they need more immigrant labor to remain profitable? All that Democrat posturing about their concern for the Little Guy goes right out the window when it’s time to push for immigration, serve the needs of their donors, or score cheap political points against a Republican. Democrats resolutely refuse to engage with the effect of madcap immigration policies on American unemployment and wages. It’s one of the big reasons Trump did so well with the “forgotten men” (and women!) who resent their status as designated losers under Democrat central planning. Warren and her party have nothing to say when American workers, wearing both blue collars and white, question the wisdom of importing huge numbers of people for the express purpose of driving down U. S. wages, and the implied purpose of covering for the failure of our education system. Whose fault is it, exactly, when employers claim they need imported labor to handle jobs Americans can’t or won’t do? The whole thing was a bizarre waste of time during a deliberation about whether Senator Sessions was fit to serve as Attorney General. Apparently Democrats still labor under the grave misapprehension that American voters think disagreement with Democratic orthodoxy is some sort of crime. Democrats know they can’t stop Trump’s Cabinet nominees — the American people made damn sure of that — so they’ve used confirmation hearings to perform character assassinations, lay the groundwork for future assaults on Trump administration officials, whip up their demoralized voters, and (in Warren’s case) stage publicity stunts for their new books. None of that has anything to do with advice and consent for Cabinet nominees. Maybe Warren can take a break from reading other people’s writing into the Senate record and explain exactly why Stephen Miller was out of line for wondering if soaring corporate profits should translate into more American jobs. Her rings hollow to people who see a difference between asking serious questions of Big Business and picking the pockets of random rich people to partially finance Democrat “free stuff” fantasies.

Jared Kushner, senior White House adviser and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller s office at the beginning of November, according to a source familiar with the process. As part of an interview that lasted approximately 90 minutes, Kushner was quizzed mainly on his interactions, meetings, and any general contact he had with former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as well as his son, in regards to Flynn s private business dealings with his firm, Flynn Intel Group. Mr. Kushner has voluntarily cooperated with all relevant inquiries and will continue to do so, Kushner s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement given to NBC News.The news of Kushner s interview first came to light when grand jury testimony related to Flynn s private business dealings was postponed by prosecutors working for Mueller, the reason for which is still unclear. This postponement came just a week after Flynn s attorneys alerted President Trump s legal team that information related to the case could no longer be shared between the two parties, nor are they allowed to publicly comment on the matter. It is not uncommon for defense teams to share information, but the practice is considered unethical once a conflict of interest arises, not that Donald Trump has ever been particularly concerned with matters as trivial as ethics. The fact that Flynn s attorneys are no longer sharing information with Trump s legal team is in no way proof that Flynn is cooperating with the special counsel, but it is a decent sign that he is working with them, but Trump s team has been expecting this for quite some time. It is probably a plea deal, Jay Sekulow, a member of President Trump s legal team, told CBS News earlier in the month. That is the assumption. And if it is a plea that doesn t necessarily mean it has anything to do with the president. The Manafort indictment didn t have anything to do with the campaign or Trump. Michael Flynn served as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency until he was fired from the position in 2014 by former President Barack Obama, however, he still retained a security clearance, even during Trump s presidential campaign and transition into the White House until Flynn s role was terminated 23 days into Trump s presidency. Any possible cooperation Flynn has with the prosecution could give Mueller s counsel insight into the Trump campaign s operations and potential dealings with Russia, as well as the first few weeks of his presidency.The FBI is already looking into both Flynn s Trump lobbying and Flynn Intel Group s research work for an unfinished film for which the firm was paid $530,000 by a Turkish businessman. Employees of Sphere Consulting, who did public relations work on the film, have been turning over documents requested by Mueller s investigators and sitting for voluntary interviews for several months.Featured image via Olivier Douliery Pool/Getty Images

On one hand, it is yet another example of how Rubio, despite poll numbers touted as shiny, is running a pretty lousy overall campaign. For months, stories have percolated about its cheapness, which Rubio’s advisers have bragged about. Lay out the cash to rent campaign offices? Pfffft. Who needs an office when the team can do everything from their laptops in Starbucks, nursing $4 lattes for several hours while poaching the free Wi-Fi? It’s edgy and hip, to people who still think of Starbucks as hip. Rubio’s team instead has spent their money, as NR points out, more on TV ads and “digital outreach.” The theory seems to be that in this interconnected modern world where you can take Harvard classes or get your melanoma diagnosed online, the candidate can be less engaged in old-fashioned retail politics while selling himself on a national level to Republican voters across the country. Which might not be a bad strategy, if voting for all the primaries happened on the same day. But in places like Iowa and New Hampshire, voters still value the candidate who makes the effort to come to their state and schmooze for their vote. In fact, the modest-at-best success of this strategy so far highlights just how much of Rubio’s status as one of the top contenders for the GOP nomination is an artificial creation of the Republican establishment and the mainstream media. For a Republican Party that needs more young voters, the Florida senator must seem like a godsend. He’s the perfect synthesis of youthful energy and revanchist policies, a dudebro who can exhort his love of football to people under 30, reeling them in before explaining why abortion should be outlawed with no exceptions and the United States should reinstate the embargo against Cuba. On the other hand, the complaints of people in Iowa and New Hampshire that a candidate is failing to pay proper fealty to them in exchange for their votes highlights the absurdity of the primary process in this modern, multi-cultural America. The two states are among the smallest in population, with a total population of just under 4.5 million. They are also two of the least diverse states, both ethnically and economically. Yet any campaign that doesn’t at least make a strong showing in one or both states’ primaries gets tagged as “struggling,” saddled with bad press and a campaign death watch, and sends donors fleeing to candidates who made stronger showings. But anyone who questions the states’ place in line gets shouted down and disappeared faster than a communist apparatchik mildly criticizing a five-year plan. Republican strategist Liz Mair got a hard lesson in this dynamic last March. Hired by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker to work on his now-defunct campaign, Mair was forced to resign after one day when someone uncovered tweets she had posted mocking Iowa’s place at the forefront of the primary process. Or recall the firestorm that erupted before the 2008 primaries, when Michigan and Florida tried to jump the line and move their own primaries forward. This resulted in lots of shouting, finger-pointing, complaints about a lack of respect for tradition, and Iowa almost moving its caucuses into 2007 so it could still be the state where the primary voting started. The Democratic National Committee came very close to stripping Michigan and Florida of their delegates as punishment. In 2012, the Republican National Committee did strip Florida of its delegates when the state once again tried to flout the rules to move its primary forward. Rubio’s strategy might be easier to understand if there was some indication that the campaign is hoarding resources for later. But that does not appear to be the case, and it might cost him down the road, when he will need more than hype from the establishment and the press to keep his campaign aloft. On the flip side, he’s highlighting an absurdity of the primaries and pissing off a bunch of self-important Republicans in the process. For liberals, it’s a win-win.

WASHINGTON — For a while now, Senator Mark R. Warner has taken to thinking like a Russian. The Virginia Democrat is losing himself in a book about the Romanovs, eager to absorb the country’s theories of war, teasing staff members for insufficient knowledge of Tolstoy and Nabokov. He has been sending messages over the encrypted app Signal, just to be safe. Then there was the ruckus outside Mr. Warner’s window late one recent afternoon, a curious thud against the building beside a giant American flag. “That may just be the F. S. B. ,” Mr. Warner said flatly, referring to Russia’s primary intelligence and security agency. He appeared to be kidding. Probably. Such is the head space of Capitol Hill’s top Democrat investigating ties between President Trump’s orbit and Russian intelligence — a former rising star in the party, frozen in the ascent for years now. As Republicans resist calls for a select committee or special prosecutor to oversee the matter, the Democrats’ best hope for acquiring answers most likely remains an investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, where Mr. Warner is vice chairman. The result, at the height of fervor and Wall progressivism in the Democratic Party’s base, is a spotlight trained brightly on a centrist with a net worth, a itch to be president and, until recently, according to friends and former aides, a healthy disdain for the institution he serves. “I’ve never seen him seized by a responsibility as much as he is now,” said Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, who has known Mr. Warner since law school and succeeded him as the state’s governor in 2006. “He’s a man on a mission. ” Mr. Warner, 62, has another phrase for it: “probably the most important thing I’ve done in public life. ” Yet the competition for this distinction is not as fierce as Mr. Warner once imagined. Rangy and with a Harvard law degree, a telecommunications fortune and a stately suburban home in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Va. Mr. Warner reached the governor’s mansion in 2002 as a Democrat who found unlikely success with the kinds of rural voters who last year elevated Mr. Trump. He sponsored a local Nascar team, dabbled in turkey hunting and added a bluegrass campaign theme song. “Get ready to shout it from the coal mines to the stills,” the lyrics went. “Here comes Mark Warner, the hero of the hills. ” After a popular term as governor, a possible 2008 presidential run was aborted before it began, punctured by some halting moments on the precampaign circuit. (If a cellphone went off in the crowd while he was speaking, Mr. Warner, a of the company that became Nextel, would joke that all he heard was “ . ”) Since then, after a landslide Senate victory in 2008, he has slogged through life in the Senate with few signature achievements, never quite finding his moment. Persistent speculation amounted to little, with Mr. Kaine instead getting the most recent call to round out a Democratic ticket. By the time Mr. Warner came up for to the Senate in 2014, he eked out a victory by less than a point. Months before the vote, he was asked at a county fair how he was doing. His response: “You know where I work. ” Now given a task befitting his ambitions, Mr. Warner is plainly relishing the role, suggesting his profile as a moderate — Mr. Warner once had an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association — was at last serving a political purpose on the national stage. “There have been some times when I’ve been put in kind of ‘timeout’ for being too bipartisan,” he said during a interview last week in his Senate office, sipping pomegranate Vitaminwater from a plastic cup. “Man alive, you cannot make this partisan. ” The minefields are many, politically and procedurally, as Mr. Warner strains to hold the committee together and maintain his own credibility with peers in both parties. He is working to assuage the concerns of Democrats who suspect that Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina and the committee’s chairman, is not especially interested in a thorough investigation. But he has taken care not to alienate Mr. Burr, a vocal Trump supporter during the campaign. These dueling impulses collided last month when Mr. Warner publicly scolded his Republican colleague after The Washington Post reported that Mr. Burr had spoken with the White House and engaged with news organizations to dispute reports that associates of Mr. Trump had consistent contact with Russian intelligence operatives. In the interview, Mr. Warner called Mr. Burr a friend and declined to detail their private conversations. Other Democrats have been less muted. “As deep as our skepticism runs when it comes to Senator Burr, it is exceeded by the confidence we have in Senator Warner,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader. The responsibility seems to have seeped into most aspects of Mr. Warner’s professional life. He has taken to deploying phrases like “personal cyberhygiene” in conversation and discusses Russian incursions into French politics with a fluency once reserved for Virginia budget skirmishes. Reading materials lately have focused on the Gerasimov Doctrine of Russian warfare, named for a general and appointee of President Vladimir V. Putin, which holds that the boundary between war and peace has blurred and that covert tactics will increase in “nonlinear war. ” Last week, a meeting with the German ambassador — ostensibly to discuss trade and economic policy — turned immediately to Russia, and scarcely returned to the intended topic. “I’ve got to get this Russia right,” Mr. Warner said at one point in the interview, seemingly too preoccupied to supply a missing noun. His obsessive approach, friends and former staff members say, follows years of frustration over the pace of progress in Washington, including occasional clashes with the former Democratic leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. One past prominent assignment, as a member of a “Gang of Six” debt reduction group in 2011, fizzled despite a frantic blitz from Mr. Warner, who hosted negotiation sessions at his own home. “My primary responsibility in the group was to make sure that Mark had taken his Ritalin,” said Saxby Chambliss, the former Republican senator from Georgia and a frequent dining and drinking partner of Mr. Warner, who prefers white wine. Luke Albee, Mr. Warner’s former chief of staff, said there was perhaps no lawmaker “less psychologically wired for the Senate. ” “He was always looking for doors to open and things to join,” Mr. Albee said. “I think that this is one where the game has come to him. ” For now, Mr. Warner has suggested, he does not aspire to anything more. In November, he told The Wall Street Journal that his presidential window “is probably shut. ” But that was months ago. Asked last week if he retained any desire to be president or vice president, Mr. Warner demurred. “I’ve got one job to do,” he said. “And doing this job well is going to take 100 percent of my time. ” He was told this was not the hardest “no” one could imagine. The senator smiled, shrugging slightly and staying silent. It was not yet time, it seemed, to meddle in the 2020 election.

Mums the word on Christian persecution in the White House. Just let them get a whiff of possible injustice against a Muslim in America and Obama s radicalized DOJ is on it, like a dog on a bone In its latest effort to protect Muslim rights in the United States the Obama Justice Department is suing an Illinois town for denying a rezoning application to convert an office building into an Islamic temple. Failing to approve plans for the Islamic worship center violates a 2000 law known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed this week in federal court. The accused are lawmakers in Des Plaines, a Chicago suburb with a population of about 60,000. In 2013 the Des Plaines City Council voted 5-3 to reject a rezoning request made by the American Islamic Center (AIC) to make a vacant office building in a manufacturing zone to an institutional zone that would allow a worship center.The plan called for 3,661 square feet of worship space that would be used for prayer services on Fridays and Sundays as well as nightly prayers during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast and commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. The new temple would also be used for youth group events and other gatherings, according the rezoning application.In nixing the plan, Des Plaines aldermen expressed concern about the loss of tax revenue since religious institutions are nonprofits that don t pay taxes. They also cited traffic and safety issues for voting against the project.In its lawsuit the DOJ dismisses those issues and claims that the city s treatment and denial of AICs rezoning requests constitutes the imposition or implementation of a land use regulation that imposes a substantial burden on AICs religious exercise. Denying a city zoning change to accommodate a Muslim temple also discriminates against the Islamic group on the basis of religion, according to the feds. Attorney General Loretta Lynch wants the court to issue an order forcing Des Plaines to let AIC construct its worship center in the city. The ability to establish a place for collective worship is a fundamental protection of the First Amendment and our civil rights laws, said Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ s bloated civil rights division, in a statement announcing the lawsuit. The Justice Department will remain vigilant in its mission to ensure that all religious groups enjoy the right to practice their faiths freely. The federal prosecutor handling the case in Illinois said the freedom to practice the religion of one s choosing is a precious right in our country and the DOJ will continue to enforce the laws that protect this important right. The DOJ s enthusiasm for protecting Muslim rights is in a class of its own, however. Back in 2010 Obama s first Attorney General, Eric Holder, personally reassured Muslims of DOJ protection during an address at a San Francisco-based organization (Muslim Advocates) that urges members not to cooperate in federal terrorism investigations. It was a first for the nation s top federal prosecutor to publicly condone illegal behavior. A few years later the DOJ warned against using social media to spread information considered inflammatory against Muslims and threatened that it could constitute a violation of civil rights.One of the biggest and most unbelievable moves by the DOJ came in 2012 when it issued a broad order changing the way the U.S. government trains federal agents to combat terrorism and violent extremism by eliminating all materials that shed a negative light on Muslims. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) actually destroyed instructional material that characterized Muslims as prone to violence or terrorism and hundreds of pages from the 9/11 attacks were purged because they were considered offensive to Muslims under the new initiative.In 2013 Judicial Watch published an in-depth report documenting and analyzing Islamist active measures and influence operations targeting anti-terrorism training in the U.S.Via: Family Security Matters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh from Democratic presidential primary wins over the weekend in three U.S. states, Bernie Sanders said on Sunday he had political momentum that could help him win the backing of Democratic power brokers in his race against Hillary Clinton. Sanders easily won nominating contests in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii on Saturday. His latest remarks reflect his plan to chip away at Clinton’s commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to win the party’s nomination for the November election. Interviewed on Sunday by U.S. broadcasters, Sanders said Democratic “super-delegates,” who can change their allegiance, might face pressure to rally behind him because most polls suggest he has a better chance than Clinton of beating a Republican candidate. “Momentum is with us,” Sanders, a senator from Vermont, said on CNN’S State of the Union news program. “A lot of these super-delegates may rethink their position with Hillary Clinton.” Sanders also criticized Clinton’s reliance on wealthy donors to fund her campaign. He cited a fundraising dinner being hosted next month by actor George Clooney, where supporters will have to donate at least $33,400 to attend, or $353,400, nearly seven times the annual median income, if they want “premium” seating. “It is obscene that Secretary Clinton keeps going to big money people to fund her campaign,” Sanders told CNN. “Our events, we charge $15 or $50 for people to come. So, it’s not a criticism of Clooney. It’s a criticism of a corrupt finance system.” About 85 percent of the votes at the July 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where a party nominee will be chosen to face the Republicans in the Nov. 8 election, are being determined by state nominating contests. The other 15 percent is held by party power brokers who are free to vote as they like, meaning they could hold the key in a tight contest. Super-delegates include party leaders and elected senators, members of the U.S. Congress and governors. After Saturday’s contests, the former secretary of state led Sanders by just under 300 pledged delegates in the race for the 2,382 needed to be nominated. Adding in the support of super-delegates, which the party created in the early 1980s to give leaders more control over the nominating process, Clinton had 1,712 delegates to 1,004 for Sanders, according to a tally by RealClearPolitics.com. The U.S. senator from Vermont needs to win up to two-thirds of the remaining delegates to catch Clinton, who will keep piling up delegates even when she loses under a Democratic Party system that awards them proportionally in all states. Sanders is turning his attention to his native New York, where Democratic voters will divide up 247 delegates on April 19th. His campaign manager on Sunday wrote a letter to Clinton’s manager insisting that a planned televised debate between the candidates in April be held in the state, which Clinton represented as a U.S. senator for eight years. Jeff Weaver said in the letter that the Clinton campaign had resisted holding the debate in New York. “Is the Secretary concerned about debating before the people who twice elected her to the U.S. Senate?” Weaver wrote. Spokesmen for Clinton did not respond to requests for comment.

NEW YORK CITY — The annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade has fallen into turmoil as sponsors and fire and police representatives drop their sponsorship over the parade committee’s decision to use the event to honor Oscar López Rivera — a convicted terrorist whose sentence President Barack Obama commuted, and who was released this month. [The New York Yankees, JetBlue, and ATT all pulled out of the June 11 parade this week in the wake of the parade committee’s decision to award López Rivera, an activist who enabled acts of terrorism in the name of Puerto Rican independence, the title of “national freedom hero. ” Goya pulled out of the parade last week, yanking $200, 000 of patronage, according to local lawmakers. In addition to sponsors, representatives of the city’s fire and police departments have also rescinded their support. The New York Police Department confirmed to Breitbart News that Commissioner James P. O’Neill will not attend the event over the decision to honor López Rivera, while the NYPD and FDNY’s Hispanic societies have both withdrawn from the parade. The union representing New York’s firefighters also withdrew its support. The controversy centers around López Rivera’s role as a key member of the radical Marxist Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) which conducted more than 100 bombings in the United States in the seventies and eighties, killing five people, injuring dozens, and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. López Rivera was convicted on charges of transporting guns and bombs and was released this month after serving 35 years. Obama commuted his sentence in January. When he was released, López Rivera denied being a terrorist and thanked the governments of Venezuela and Cuba for their support, while reiterating the right for “colonized people” to use force. “Let me say this: We are a colonized people, and according to international law, that says all colonized people have a right to struggle for its independence using all methods within reach, including force,” López Rivera said, according to the New York Times. “That is a right. ” In a statement this month, the parade organizers stood by their decision to honor López Rivera, whom they conceded was “a controversial figure” who does not represent all Puerto Ricans. “Some people call him a terrorist while others think of him as a freedom fighter, as was the case with Nelson Mandela,” the statement said. The organizers said the intention was to honor those who worked to have his sentence commuted and to raise “awareness about Oscar López Rivera’s story, the grave colonial situation in Puerto Rico and the identity questions that continue to arise, even today. ” “Nevertheless, Oscar’s participation is not an endorsement of the history that led to his arrest, nor any form of violence. But rather a recognition of a man and a nation’s struggle for sovereignty,” the statement said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he still intends to march in the parade. “The parade committee made a choice this year on someone to honor,” de Blasio said, according to the Times. “That does not change the basic nature of the parade. Whether you agree with that choice or not, it’s still the Puerto Rican parade and my point is, I will be there to honor the Puerto Rican people. I intend on marching. It’s as simple as that. ” Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran will treat a British-Iranian aid worker as an Iranian citizen and she will serve her sentence as determined by the judiciary, Iran s foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson discussed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe s case with Iranian officials after flying to Tehran over the weekend to try to seek her release. One of the issues that Johnson brought up in Tehran was the issue of Ms. Zaghari, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi was quoted by state media as saying. With regard to her dual nationality, from our point of view of course she is Iranian and she has been sentenced by the judiciary and she will serve the period of her sentence. Britain says Zaghari-Ratcliffe was visiting family on holiday in April 2016 when she was jailed by Iran for attempting to overthrow the government. Johnson said he urged the release of dual nationals. I urged their release, on humanitarian grounds, where there is cause to do so, Johnson told the British parliament. These are complex cases involving individuals considered by Iran to be their own citizens, and I do not wish to raise false hopes. But my meetings in Tehran were worthwhile, he said. It is too early to be confident about the outcome. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but her case has taken on political significance in Britain after Johnson said last month that she had been teaching journalists in Iran, which her employer denies. Johnson later apologized. Opponents have called for him to resign if his comments lead to her serving longer in prison. Qassemi said the Iranian foreign ministry would follow up on Zaghari-Ratcliffe s case but said that it was ultimately a matter for the judiciary. A project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She denies the charges. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. It says Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been on holiday and had not been teaching journalism in Iran. Johnson also said he raised with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif what he called the official harassment of journalists working for BBC Persian and their families inside Iran. The BBC has called on Iran to reverse a court order which it said effectively froze the non-liquid assets of 152 staff, former staff and contributors in Iran.

A new study offers important information to men who are facing difficult decisions about how to treat prostate cancer in its early stages, or whether to treat it at all. Researchers followed patients for 10 years and found no difference in death rates between men who were picked at random to have surgery or radiation, or to rely on “active monitoring” of the cancer, with treatment only if it progressed. Death rates from the cancer were low over all: only about 1 percent of patients 10 years after diagnosis. But the disease was more likely to progress and spread in the men who opted for monitoring rather than for early treatment. And about half the patients in the study who had started out being monitored wound up having surgery or radiation. The patients are still being followed, which should reveal whether the death rate will eventually increase for the men assigned to monitoring. Doctors say the findings should help reassure men that surgery and radiation are equally reasonable choices in the early stages of the disease. “I can counsel patients better now,” Dr. Freddie C. Hamdy, a leader of the study from the University of Oxford, in England, said in an interview. “I can tell them very precisely, ‘Look, your risk of dying from cancer is very, very small. If you receive treatment you will get some benefit. It will reduce the disease from growing outside your prostate, but these are exactly the side effects you might expect. ’” Active monitoring involves regular clinic visits with physical exams of the prostate, periodic biopsies and blood tests for antigen, or PSA, a substance that may indicate the disease is worsening. Between 40 and 50 percent of men with early prostate cancer in the United States now choose active monitoring. The study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, was the first to include detailed information from patients about the side effects of treatment. Men who had surgery to remove the prostate were the most likely to have lingering impotence and urinary incontinence. Those given radiation reported bowel problems after six months of treatment (usually with gradual improvement) but not urinary incontinence. Sexual function also diminished after radiation, but recovered somewhat. But there were no differences among the three groups in anxiety, depression or their feelings about how their health affected their quality of life. Dr. Peter T. Scardino, a prostate surgeon and chairman of the department of surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York who was not involved in the study, said the research was important because there was little previous data comparing surgery, radiation and careful monitoring in men with early prostate cancer. Dr. Scardino said the findings helped confirm that active monitoring is a valuable approach for many men. He said that it was appropriate for a third to a half of men with early prostate cancers, and that only a third of those patients would need treatment within 10 years. But Dr. Scardino emphasized that the monitoring must be done regularly and with great care, for the rest of a patient’s life. He added that an important message from the study is that early prostate cancer is not an emergency, and men have time to decide what to do about it. Worldwide, there were 1. 1 million cases of prostate cancer and 307, 000 deaths from it in 2012, the latest year data were collected by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In the United States, about 181, 000 cases and 26, 000 deaths are expected in 2016. The average age at diagnosis is 66 in the United States, and the disease rarely occurs in men under 40. Most men who have prostate cancer do not die from it, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease often grows very slowly — but not always. Some cases are potentially deadly, but tests cannot always tell which ones. The uncertainty leaves many men in a quandary, particularly because of the bowel, bladder and sexual problems from treatment. In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts picked by the government, recommended against routine screening for prostate cancer with the PSA test. The group said screening finds many tumors that may never have harmed the patient, and leads too many men into unneeded surgery or radiation, with their troubling side effects. Dr. Hamdy’s team set out to address the quandary. They studied 1, 643 patients in Britain ages 50 to 69 who had early prostate cancers, found with routine PSA testing and then a biopsy if the PSA was abnormal. All the cancers were localized, meaning they were confined to the prostate and had not spread to nearby tissue outside the gland, or to distant organs. The patients had PSA measurements of 3 or higher, and about three quarters had a Gleason score of 6 the rest had higher Gleason scores. Gleason scores are a measure of aggressiveness and range from 6 to 10 in cancers, with higher scores being worse. The patients were then assigned at random to one of three groups: A third had surgery, a third had radiation, and a third had active monitoring. Though death rates from the cancer did not differ, more men on active monitoring had progression. The disease spread to distant parts of the body in 33 men on monitoring, 13 who had surgery and 16 who had radiation. The differences were statistically significant. Other progression, to nearby tissue outside the prostate, was also more common with monitoring: 112 cases, compared with 46 each in the surgery and radiation groups. As time went on, more and more of the monitored patients wound up having treatment. Dr. Hamdy said not all those who left monitoring actually needed treatment. “We know that 80 percent of them had not shown signs of progression,” he said, adding that anxiety on the part of the patients or their doctors, or some suspicion of progression, may have pushed them into treatment. Robert Boulton, 76, a retired maker of rubber gloves, was initially assigned to active monitoring but switched to radiation treatment after four years, when his PSA went up. In an interview, he said two doctors recommended the treatment and one opposed it, so he went with the majority advice. He said his only side effect was what he called “man boobs,” swelling in the breast area from the hormonal treatment that is given along with radiation. “I’m feeling fine now,” he added. “No problems. ” Another patient, Douglas Collett, 73, was also assigned to active monitoring in 2008 and has stayed with it. When he was first told he had cancer, he wanted to get rid of it immediately, he said. But when he learned more about the disease and the side effects of treatment, waiting made more sense, and he actually felt relieved when he was picked for the monitoring arm of the study. He realizes the disease could progress, he said, and if it does he will probably have radiation to treat it. In the meantime, he said, “I’m fit as a flea. ”

The co-founders of Ben & Jerry s Ice Cream, Ben Cohen, and Jerry Greenfield, were two of the 1200+ arrested in the past week at the U.S. Capitol to protest the influence big money has in politics as part of the Democracy Spring movement. According to the U.S. Capitol Police, those arrested were charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding, which is unlawful demonstration activity. Both Cohen and Greenfield were processed and released on scene.Ben Cohen also runs a non-profit, Stamp Stampede, which literally stamps money out of politics. The stamps stamp money with slogans such as Not to be used for bribing politicians. No matter what issue you are most passionate about environment, healthcare, soaring prescription drug costs the root cause is always linked to corporations giving so-called donations in large sums to politicians, in a process Senator John McCain has called legalized bribery, Ben Cohen told me in an interview for the New York Observer in December 2015. A few hundred really wealthy people put in the majority of early contributions to our country s presidential candidates, he said. In the context of congress, our representatives get gobs of money from corporations through lobbyists for either passing or not passing legislation, essentially transforming our democracy into an oligarchy. We can t tackle the rest of the problems until we tackle this basic one. It s difficult to address because it requires an amendment to overturn a Supreme Court decision, but that s what Americans have done throughout history we have worked to overturn egregious decisions, which is why we have the constitutional amendment process. The non-profit s website, StampStampede.org, has photos of stamped money posing with Senator Elizabeth Warren and other advocates for getting money out of politics. As long as corporate and wealthy influences can undermine democracy through campaign contributions, the gridlock in congress will persist and most likely worsen. Big money doesn t want meaningful progressive reforms, they want to influence legislation to insulate themselves from the rigors of a competitive market while exploiting tax loopholes and government subsidies to maximize their profits at the expense of the working and middle classes in America.Featured Image Courtesy of Flickr

The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer (NY), claimed Sunday that President Trump is in trouble, a stern warning that came a day after the commander-in-tweet claimed President Obama wiretapped him.Citing President Obama s denial that he ordered a wiretap of Trump, Schumer said, Either way the president s in trouble. If he falsely spread this kind of misinformation, that is so wrong. It s beneath the dignity of the presidency. It is something that really hurts people s view of government, he said.Yeah, because making the embarrassing, race-baiter-for-hire Al Sharpton a regular visitor at the White House is somehow not beneath the dignity of the presidency? You mean like taking selfies during the funeral of one of the greatest civil rights leaders in the world? Or traveling to Cuba to hang out at a baseball game with Raul Castro, who along with his brother are some of the most brutal dictators in the world?Were Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein shamed for making government look bad when they uncovered the wire-tapping done by President Nixon? He deserved it? Really Chuck? Because he was running against Hillary Clinton or because he was simply on the wrong team? If he were a Democrat, would have have deserved it? On the other hand, if it s true, it s even worse for the president. Because that means that a federal judge, independently elected, has found probable cause that the president, or people on his staff, have probable cause to have broken the law or to have interacted with a foreign agent, New York s senior senator claimed. NYP

New released video shows Santa Clara County sheriff s deputy Benjamin Lee in a standoff with fellow police officers, after he pulled a gun on employees of a fast food restaurant in January.Cop Block reports that the video was recorded by an Uber driver who was waiting to pick up his drive thru order at a Jack In the Box restaurant at the same time that Lee was there. The line was backed up, with at least a dozen cars waiting for orders. Lee was reportedly several cars ahead of the uber driver.According to the driver, the manager of the restaurant came out to inform the drive-thru customers that the cook was having some kind of breakdown and did not want to cook anymore. The unidentified uber driver says he decided to leave and go to another restaurant.The drunken police officer reportedly became enraged at the manager, saying I want my food. When the manager was unable to deliver, Lee pulled out a gun. He reportedly held both the restaurant manager and the drive-thru worker at gunpoint. The worker later told witnesses that he thought he was being robbed.Someone inside the restaurant called the police. When officers arrived on the scene, Lee refused to exit his vehicle or follow commands given by police. The video shows Lee engaging in a long standoff with the officers, who are attempting to get the drunken cop to surrender.Watch the video below, courtesy of FreeFresno on YouTube. If this had been anyone other than a drunk, armed off-duty cop, it s likely the person would have been shot the minute the police rolled up.Lee was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.In a public statement regarding the incident, Roger Winslow of the Deputy Sheriff s Association of Santa Clara told KGO: Mr. Lee has a good reputation with the sheriff s office. He s a hard worker and respected by his peers. Members of the a newly-created community task force expressed their frustration with the way the police department polices its own.Retired Santa Clara County Sheriff s Captain Kevin Jensen summed it up by saying: This is too much. It s overwhelming evidence that there is a cultural problem at the top, as well as many problems at the bottom. Image credit: video screen capture KGO-TV

Trump campaign manager and spin doctor, Kellyanne Conway, was directly confronted by Clinton staffers with the underhanded racial tactics the Trump campaign used in the 2016 election, and it didn t go well.Appearing at a joint post-election event at Harvard s Kennedy School of Government, Clinton s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, was blunt and to the point about what Trump had done, telling the Trump camp, I would rather lose than win the way you guys did! How exactly did we win, Jenn? How exactly? Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway fired back, noting that I have a smile on my face at all times. Palmieri proceeded to bash the Trump campaign and its chief executive (and Breitbart News honcho), Stephen K. Bannon, as a vehicle and emboldening power for America s white supremacists and white nationalists. Are you gonna look me in the face and say I ran a campaign that was a platform for white supremacists? Conway angrily responded.Palmieri told her, plainly, yes.Trump ran the most explicitly racist presidential campaign in nearly 60 years. He constantly attacked ethnic groups, launching his campaign in his New York City building by calling Mexicans rapists. He later called for a ban on Muslim entry to the United States, as well as a system to track Muslims as they moved through the country.Trump also courted white supremacists, giving them press credentials both for campaign events and the Republican National Convention. Former KKK leader, David Duke, endorsed Trump s run and adopted his campaign slogan. During one interview, Trump s response was to refuse to condemn Duke s support three different times.White supremacists also paid for pro-Trump robocalls via a super-PAC, saying they were attracted to his message of excluding non-whites from positions of influence in American life.Black people were alienated by Trump s approach as well, rejecting his characterization of black life as an existence solely in poverty, and under constant threat from gun violence.Featured image via Flickr

Of course Obama the putz blames too little government for the poisoned water crisis in Flint OBAMA TO CONGRESS ON FLINT AID: #DOYOURJOBOn a trip focused on letting Flint residents know they have not been forgotten, President Barack Obama put pressure on Congress to move a bill that would bring aid to Flint, Mich. and other communities at risk of lead contamination in their water systems.As Pro s Annie Snider reports, both houses are out of session until next week, but the Senate could, in theory, take up a water infrastructure bill that includes assistance to Flint and other cities with lead-pipe distribution systems. The bill easily passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee 19-1. Obama would like to see that bill move sooner rather than later. Congress, led by your congressional delegation, needs to act in a bipartisan fashion, do their job, make sure Flint has the necessary resources, Obama said Wednesday in a speech in Flint.President puns it like ME, calls small-government philosophy corrosive : The president used the speech to broadly attack the conservative philosophy of less-government-is-good-government, saying an anti-government attitude was at the root of the problems in Flint. I do think that part of what contributed to this crisis was a broader mindset, a bigger attitude, a corrosive attitude, that exists in our politics and exists in too many levels of our government, he said. It s a mindset that believes that less government is the highest good, no matter what. Boos for Snyder, but not from Obama: Gov. Rick Snyder also spoke at the event amid boos from the crowd of over 1,000 people. But Obama held off from attacking the governor, even trying to quiet the boobirds. No, no, Obama said. We re doing some business here. Via: PoliticoHow very big of you Barry...h/t WZ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer started work on Monday, vowing to help reverse a “dangerous trajectory” of U.S. trade and making plans to meet with lawmakers over the NAFTA trade deal and attend a Pacific trade ministers conference in Vietnam. Lighthizer, a veteran trade lawyer and deputy USTR during the Reagan administration, was sworn into office by Vice President Mike Pence, capping months of delays and filling the last open seat in President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Lighthizer will be one of three key leaders on trade policy, working alongside Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and White House trade and industrial policy adviser Peter Navarro. All three have vowed to help shrink chronic U.S. trade deficits through stronger enforcement of U.S. trade laws and to negotiate deals that boost U.S. exports without leading to jobs and factories migrating overseas. “When my grandchildren, who are here today, talk to their grandchildren, they will say that President Trump permanently reversed the dangerous trajectory of American trade, put America first and made our farmers, ranchers and workers richer and the country safer,” Lighthizer said. “I hope I can make some small contribution to that accomplishment.” Lighthizer, 69, will be the principal U.S. negotiator in talks expected to start later this year to revamp the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. On Tuesday, he will start two days of meetings with members of key trade-related panels in Congress, a spokeswoman for the Senate Finance Committee said. The meetings are required before USTR can formally launch the formal renegotiating process with a 90-day consultation period. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also said Lighthizer will attend the May 20-21 meeting of trade ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries in Hanoi, Vietnam. At that meeting, Lighthizer will face many counterparts who were signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-country free trade agreement from which Trump withdrew in January. Some countries, including Japan, have been exploring options to revive TPP without the United States. China, the largest U.S. trading partner, also is a member of APEC, allowing Lighthizer an opportunity to meet his Chinese counterparts as the Trump administration seeks to build on agreements to shrink the U.S. trade deficit with China. Last week, Commerce’s Ross said the United States and China had agreed to take action by mid-July to increase access to Chinese markets for U.S. beef, financial services and liquefied natural gas.

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait s elderly ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday for medical checks after suffering from a cold, the state news agency KUNA reported. It cited the Emiri Court Affairs Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah as saying that the 88-year-old Sheikh Sabah would undergo a normal medical checkup after going through a cold. The agency gave no further details. A veteran diplomat, Sheikh Sabah has been recently led mediation efforts to heal a bitter rift between some Arab countries, including regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and Qatar over allegations that Doha supported terrorism, a charge Qatar denies. Born in Kuwait on June 16, 1929, Sheikh Sabah is known as the dean of Arab diplomacy for his work as foreign minister to restore relations with Arab states which backed Baghdad during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, when Kuwait was occupied by Iraqi forces. He was nominated ruler of the key U.S. regional ally and OPEC oil exporter in 2006, after Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah died and his successor, Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, was appointed only to be unanimously voted out of office by parliament due to illness.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday the repeal of the Obamacare individual healthcare mandate was not a bargaining chip in negotiations over the Senate tax legislation. “This is all about getting this passed in the Senate. This isn’t a bargaining chip, the president thinks we should get rid of it and I think we should get rid of it,” Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday. “It’s an unfair tax on poor people.”

Uh oh, folks: that evil FAKE NEWS is after Donald Trump again, this time distorting his perfectly awesome visit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Sure, Trump ignored Merkel when she asked him if he wanted to shake hands a clear example of his lack of respect for women and of course he accused a German reporter of FAKE NEWS when he was asked about his ridiculous lie that President Obama tapped his wires at Trump Tower but Trump says the visit went great no matter what the FAKE NEWS says. Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump tweeted Saturday morning. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes .. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017 vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2017Naturally, the folks on Twitter had something to say about Trump s latest Saturday morning meltdown:@realDonaldTrump well the world saw you denying that handshake you serve your country not your ego ! respect other leaders already ? Lars Steinh fel (@LarsSteinhoefel) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump It certainly looks like Chancellor Merkel enjoyed the meeting with you as well pic.twitter.com/uqY7Or8DAG Rob Szczerba (@RJSzczerba) March 18, 2017.@realDonaldTrump @oppstn We watched it happen live. She looked at you like you're a crazy person. Jordan Uhl (@JordanUhl) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump Was your hand too tiny to shake her hand? Austin Braun (@AustinOnSocial) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump When you act like an ass on TV, the news media has nothing to do with Americans' perception of your embarrassing meeting. MatthewDicks (@MatthewDicks) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump We didn't hear it, The World saw you act like a child. pic.twitter.com/R9pDgYKMVx Wale Gates ???? (@walegates) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/ykoUdp3dVe Joel Pavelski (@joelcifer) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump More Trump hypocrisy. pic.twitter.com/Xc2ne9IFe2 The Socialist Party (@OfficialSPGB) March 18, 2017@realDonaldTrump Fake news? You refused to shake her hand. We SAW IT. ON VIDEO. You acted like a petulant child instead of a statesman. MatthewDicks (@MatthewDicks) March 18, 2017If there was any doubt before this meeting with Merkel, there isn t anymore: Our President* is nothing but a petulant child one who cares nothing about facts, our reputation, or American citizens in general.Featued image via Twitter

(Reuters) - Florida s insurance and reinsurance market is well equipped to handle hurricane losses, but Irma could strain the state s coverage market depending on the extent it makes landfall in Florida, according to rating agencies. Irma, the second major hurricane to approach the United States in two weeks, is expected to make landfall in south Florida on Sunday morning. Fitch said if the storm were to produce insured losses greater than $75 billion, some Florida insurers and reinsurers could experience notable financial strain . Irma hit the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Friday, heading for Cuba and the Bahamas. The projected path and severity of Irma creates the potential for economic and insured losses to significantly exceed those experienced in Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Fitch said. Strong capitalization of the insurance and reinsurance sector will help mitigate the impact of Irma, S&P Global Ratings said.

18 SHARE The Amish in America have committed their vote to Donald Trump guaranteeing him the Presidency. (AP Photo / Dennis System) COLUMBUS, OH (AP) — History was made today in Columbus, Ohio when more than 3 million Amish poured into the city to see the American Amish Brotherhood (AAB), an organization which acts as an informal governing body for the Amish community, endorse Donald Trump for president. That number represents a significant portion of the total Amish population, which the United States Census Bureau says numbers more than 20 million men and women nationwide all pledging their vote to Trump for President. With the full force of the Amish community behind him, Donald Trump is now mathematically guaranteed to win the presidency in November. The organization typically meets once a year and the meetings usually consist of about 300 Amish leaders who meet to discuss the challenges, such as urban sprawl, that face the community. This year, however, the organization wanted as many people in attendance as possible so they can effectively instruct all Amish men and women of legal voting age to cast their vote for the flamboyant Republican nominee. The Amish, who are direct descendants of the protestant reformation sect known as the Anabaptists, have typically stayed out of politics in the past. As a general rule, they don’t vote, serve in the military, or engage in any other displays of patriotism. This year, however, the AAB has said that it is imperative that they get involved in the democratic process. “Over the past eight years, the Democratic Party has launched a systematic assault on biblical virtues,” said AAB chairman Menno Simons. “We have seen more and more Christians being persecuted for their faith; we have seen the state defile the institution of marriage. Now, they want to put a woman in the nation’s highest leadership role in direct violation of 1 Timothy 2:12. We need to stop this assault and take a stand for biblical principles. Donald Trump has shown in both action and deed that he is committed to restoring this country to the Lord’s way.” According to statistician Nate Silver of the website fivethirtyeight.com, there are no possible scenarios in which Hillary Clinton can win with Donald Trump carrying the Amish vote. “The Amish have their highest numbers in perennial swing states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa,” Silver noted. “They also have strong numbers in reliably Democratic states like Michigan, Illinois, and New York, meaning that Hillary will lose those states as well. There is also a sizeable community in Florida which, while not as large as it is in the Midwest, is still large enough to turn Florida for Trump. Over the next two weeks, you can expect Hillary to enter into a state of freefall in all of my predictive models.” The Clinton campaign issued a written statement to the AAB asking them to reconsider their decision. “I don’t believe that Donald Trump is the person who best represents your interests,” Clinton wrote to the AAB. “As a career real estate developer, he represents a clear threat to your simple way of life. As former first lady of Arkansas, I understand the concerns of rural Americans more than any candidate in this election. I implore you to consider all of the facts before voting for my opponent.” Most pundits believe that Mrs. Clinton’s plea is too little too late. During a press conference in Manhattan, Trump thanked the AAB for their support and promised to put the Amish to work maintaining government buildings, which he said would save taxpayers millions because “the Amish do great work for a very low price.” Though Clinton has pledged to stay in the race until the very end, many of her campaign workers have already resigned. According to the Associated Press, it is expected that the Clinton campaign will lose 50% of its staff over the next two weeks. There is a general mood of hopelessness and despair in the Clinton camp, and many simply want to cut their losses. “It looked like she was going to win this election easily,” said Paul Horner, a campaign worker in Ohio, “But this is what happens when you wake a sleeping giant. Cleary, Mrs. Clinton took far too much for granted in this race, and we are all now paying the price. It’s really sad to see the campaign end this way.” If you are interested in learning more about the Amish community and the AAB, you can contact the Pennsylvania Amish Heritage Museum at (785) 273-0325. TAGS

JERUSALEM — In an effort to appeal to Palestinians ahead of hotly contested elections, the party of President Mahmoud Abbas listed one of its main achievements as having “killed 11, 000 Israelis. ” The party, Fatah, made the incendiary claim on Tuesday in an post on one of its official Facebook pages. “For the argumentative … the ignorant … And for those who do not know history,” begins the Facebook post, “The Fatah movement killed 11, 000 Israelis. ” Fatah also claimed to have “offered 170, 000 martyrs,” and hundreds of its followers, it said, were in “Israeli occupation jails. ” By Thursday the post had been shared 30 times and liked 163 times. The post garnered additional attention after it was translated into English by Palestinian Media Watch, an organization that monitors and statements in the Arab news media. The website noted that it was the second time Fatah had made the inaccurate claim. The first was in August 2014. Israelis and Palestinians have long accused each other of incitement to violence. But in Israeli eyes, Palestinian leaders starting with Yasir Arafat, the father of Palestinian nationalism who helped found Fatah in 1959, have had a habit of saying one thing in Arabic and another in English. In the early 2000s, at the height of the second Palestinian uprising, Mr. Arafat led crowds in the West Bank city of Ramallah in a chant of “To Jerusalem, we are going, martyrs in the millions!” days after writing an article in The New York Times about the Palestinian vision of peace. Mr. Abbas, who succeeded Mr. Arafat, has repeatedly said he supports nonviolent resistance against the Israeli occupation. But Fatah has historically championed armed resistance as a central tenet of its doctrine for the liberation of the Palestinian people. Fatah is now a large and unwieldy movement, and its activists often make statements that do not reflect Mr. Abbas’s position. “President Abbas’s party boasts about committing mass murder and yet it is called ‘moderate’ by many,” said David Keyes, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. “Imagine if Palestinian leaders spent their time praising coexistence instead of terror. ” Husam Zomlot, the strategic affairs adviser to Mr. Abbas, first questioned whether the Facebook page was official, and then said it was probably the work of some “ youths. ” Mr. Zomlot said that Israeli officials frequently wrote incendiary Facebook posts, and that Fatah’s concerns were elsewhere. “I’m from Fatah and one of its leaders,” he said. “We present a complete political platform, and the most important thing is to end the Israeli occupation. ” The comments on the official Fatah Facebook page came in the context of coming local and municipal elections that are expected to be held on Oct. 8. The prospect of the elections is already whipping up strong emotions. They will be the first to be held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a decade since Fatah, the mainstream, secularist party that has long dominated the Palestine Liberation Organization, suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Hamas, the Islamist militant group, in legislative elections in 2006. A year later Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, routing Fatah’s forces there and confining Mr. Abbas’s influence — and that of his Palestinian Authority, which is largely staffed by Fatah loyalists — to parts of the West Bank. The West Bank and Gaza have since been divided by a bitter schism. Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist and has battled Israel several times in recent years. The coming elections are seen as an important barometer of public sentiment in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Fatah activists appear particularly nervous about the elections, because Hamas is widely seen by Palestinians as the less corrupt and more efficient party.

Newt Gingrich was promoting his new book Understanding Trump on The View today. The leftist hacks of the The View took advantage of his appearance to play gotcha, as they attempted to find ways to coerce a confession out of Newt that President Trump is a liar. Newt wasn t falling for it however. While many of us would have preferred to see Gingrich take off the gloves with the hosts of The View, he chose instead to sit back and sling a few arrows on an as needed basis.The not-funny comedian Joy Behar attempted to paint Trump as a serial liar and was surprised when Gingrich shot back with, You mean like you can keep your doctor, you can keep your insurance ? You want to talk about lies by a president? Behar responded by attempting to convince Gingrich that Barack Obama didn t lie when he told one of his most famous lies to the American people, and that it was simply a misjudgment on his part.Near the end of the interview, Whoopi Goldberg went through a list of questions she used to vet Gingrich and prove how credible he was based on his answers. When the subject of the popularity of President Trump came up in the discussion, Gingrich confessed that he was shocked at how well Trump was doing considering a recent Harvard study that showed 93% of the post-election coverage of President Trump was negative coverage. Whoopi appeared to be close to needing medical attention after Gingrich rightfully pointed out the disgusting lopsided negative coverage that President Trump s received since he was elected. Since Goldberg had no honest rebuttal to offer, she made up a whopper of a lie, telling Gingrich and her viewers that prior to the election, 98% of candidate Trump s media coverage was positive and went on to suggest that was the reason he won.Sorry Whoopi but here are the actual facts about the percentage of negative coverage Trump received from the mainstream media prior to the election:From the liberal Politico: A whopping 91 percent of news coverage about Donald Trump on the three broadcast nightly newscasts over the past 12 weeks has been hostile , a new study finds.The study, conducted by the conservative Media Research Center, found that not only has Trump received significantly more broadcast network news coverage than his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, but nearly all of that coverage (91%) has been hostile, according to the study.Watch the interview here:In addition, the networks spent far more airtime focusing on the personal controversies involving Trump, such as his treatment of women, than controversies surrounding Clinton, such as her email practices or the Clinton Foundation.For the study, MRC analyzed all 588 evening news stories that either discussed or mentioned the presidential campaign on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts from July 29 through October 20 (including weekends). Of the total newscasts, the networks devoted 29 percent of their time to the campaign. The study did not include comments from the campaigns or candidates themselves, instead focusing on what the correspondents, anchors, expert commentators, and voters on the street said in order to try and hone in on any sort of slant from the networks.Though neither candidate was necessarily celebrated, Clinton largely just stayed out of the line of fire. Even when they were critical of Hillary Clinton for concealing her pneumonia, for example, or mischaracterizing the FBI investigation of her e-mail server network reporters always maintained a respectful tone in their coverage, the study found. This was not the case with Trump, who was slammed as embodying the politics of fear, or a dangerous and vulgar misogynistic bully who had insulted vast swaths of the American electorate. 98% Of Pre-Election Trump Coverage Was Positive Actual Percentage Of Positive Trump Coverage Is SHOCKING!

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group of black pastors boycotted Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s annual Martin Luther King breakfast on Friday, over his handling of police killings, and one pastor attended the event but interrupted it with protest chants before being escorted out. A handful of religious leaders joined protesters who blocked one entrance to the Hyatt Hotel where the breakfast was being held, chanting demands that Emanuel step down. But hundreds of Chicago’s African-American leaders did attend the breakfast - started in the 1980s by the city’s first black mayor, Harold Washington - and the event to honor civil rights leader King. “This boycott is not in opposition to Harold Washington nor Martin Luther King Jr. This boycott stands for the very cause that they stood for, it was through protesting that achievement was made. To sit by and do nothing is to endorse what is going on,” said Bishop Edgar Mullins, pastor of Grace Family Worship Center church, one of the boycotters. Local media showed footage of Rev. Matthew Ross interrupting the breakfast and chanting “16 shots and a cover-up,” in reference to the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, before security guards escorted him from the conference room. Police killings, mostly of men of color, have led to protests around the United States in the past year and a half. A wave of protests over police killings in Chicago, mostly of young black men, has forced Emanuel to fire his police chief and accept a federal probe of the police department. The city has also reversed its previous policy not to release video footage of police killings. On Thursday officials made public the images from surveillance cameras that show police killing Cedric Chatman, 17, in January 2013. Lawyers for his family say the video contradicts police statements that Chatman, a carjacking suspect, had a dark object that he pointed at them. Alderman Anthony Beale of the city’s ninth ward was among black leaders who attended the breakfast on Friday. He said he was there to honor King’s legacy, which made protests possible. “Either you’re part of the problem or part of the solution. I choose to be part of the solution ... Now is a golden opportunity for us to put real change in this city,” he said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI report scolding Democrat Hillary Clinton over her email practices as secretary of state plays into a chief vulnerability that her rival, Republican Donald Trump, hopes to exploit – wariness among U.S. voters about her trustworthiness. Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s recommendation against criminal charges for Clinton means the email matter “is now resolved.” Yet even as he removed the threat of charges against the Democratic candidate, FBI Director James Comey described Clinton’s handling of classified information as “extremely careless.” Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, seized on that comment. “We’re talking about serious stuff,” he told a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. “The laws are very explicit.” The New York businessman has been struggling to unify the party around his candidacy, and Republicans say Trump could use the issue to heal some of the rifts within his party while motivating conservatives to go to the polls in the Nov. 8 election. Indeed, a main element of Trump’s strategy for winning over Republicans who are lukewarm on his candidacy is to emphasize the importance of keeping Clinton out of the White House. “Clinton won the ‘Comey primary’ but Trump has the opportunity to drive home the lack of trust theme,” said Republican strategist Scott Reed. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from May 1-11 found that a majority of American adults do not think Clinton is an honest person. This included 89 percent of Republicans, 72 percent of independents and 36 percent of Democrats. More than a quarter, 27 percent, of Clinton’s own supporters did not think she is an honest person, according to the poll. Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf said Clinton needs to move quickly to get past the email episode and talk about issues central to her campaign. He predicted the issue will be short-lived as voters focus on the candidates’ vice presidential running mates, the nominating conventions and fall debates. “She made a mistake here, there’s no question about it,” said Bob Shrum, a Democratic strategist who was chief strategist for 2004 nominee John Kerry, the current secretary of state. “But there’s also justice in what she says, that for 24 years the Republicans have relentlessly gone after Bill and Hillary Clinton. That has its impact and that impact you can see in her trust numbers. But this decision, despite how anybody spins, it not only helps her but in my view was indispensable to her,” Shrum said. Hours after Comey’s announcement, Trump’s campaign sent an email soliciting money based on the Clinton email controversy. The big question for Republicans is whether their presumptive presidential nominee will be able to prosecute the case effectively against Clinton since he is still at war with fellow Republicans and has little in the way of campaign funds to pay for TV ads against her. “I don’t think there’s a way that Clinton can use this to raise anger at Republicans,” said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. “But the Republicans can certainly use this to raise anger at Clinton and the Democrats. Anger is a great motivator to get people out to vote.” Trump’s initial response showed why Republicans continue to have concerns about him. Interviewed by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, Trump spent as much time criticizing Comey as he did Clinton. Comey is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike. “I have such respect for the FBI that I just don’t understand what happened here,” Trump said. “Everybody knows she’s extremely guilty. And they really said she was guilty today and then they said we’re not going to prosecute.” Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist and former spokesman for 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, called the FBI report a “disqualifying event” for Clinton. “Trump’s singular focus should be that she acted inappropriately. But Trump has a knack for distracting from Hillary Clinton’s scandals with his gaffes and missteps,” he said. Trump has been fighting allegations of anti-Semitism in recent days over his campaign’s use of a Jewish star in a tweet attacking Clinton as corrupt.

Texas Democrat Rep. Al Green announced on Wednesday he would draw up articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. This is the second time he s done this he s obviously got Trump Derangement Syndrome!Two delusional Democrats can t let this go Trump derangement syndrome!Now There Are Two: Rep. Brad Sherman Joins Rep. Al Green in Call to Impeach Trump https://t.co/GoebRqz8zO pic.twitter.com/BhXq7LDpUq Mediaite (@Mediaite) June 7, 2017OUR PAST REPORT ON AL GREEN S CALL FOR IMPEACHMENT: Spewing falsehoods has become the favorite pastime of Democrats It s really pitiful to watch Last night, following the release of the Washington Post fake news on Trump and Russia, several videos immediately came out repeating the same fake news. It s uncanny that the media could be so coordinated in their reports on President Trump Of course, we believe there s something to that.Two Congresscritters have come out to call for the impeachment of President Trump .With ZERO evidence of ANY wrongdoing, it s laughable One of our favorites is Maxine Waters but this next Congressman runs a close second. Al Green claims Trump was hobnobbing with the Russians Haha!Congressman Al Green just released a statement on why he believes President Trump should be impeached. This statement is laughable. Was Al Green elected because of his name? Voters can be that way, ya know This guy is the definition of clueless! Who elects these brainiacs?Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has suggested impeachment during TV interviews, but Green is the first member of Congress to formally call for impeachment hearings.Green said Trump s own public statements showed he fired Comey over the Russia investigation, which he said was grounds for impeachment:Waters and Green are a total joke! These are just two of the jokers running Washington. This is truly scary.

Nothing says tolerance like putting a loaded gun to a strangers head because you disagree with the flag they re holding A family was threatened at gunpoint for waving the Confederate flag on their own private property in another illustration of how controversy surrounding the flag is only driving more animosity.The incident occurred on Monday night in Moseley, Virginia while the family was expressing their First Amendment right by waving the flag in their own driveway next to a busy highway. A man driving an SUV pulled into the driveway, took out his gun, chambered a round, pointed it at the family and started yelling. He slammed on the brakes and when he got right beside me, he pulled out a gun, chambered a round and told me my cause wasn t worth anything now, Mark Wilson told CBS 6. He got out of the car and took three steps towards me and the gun was maybe six inches off my head. Wilson said he was concerned that the gunman would shoot his children. 46-year-old James Baker was later arrested by police for brandishing a weapon. Baker dubiously claimed that the family had threatened his life. This is a busy highway and he is in a vehicle going 70 miles per hour, how are we threatening him by walking across? said Wilson, who called for Baker to be sent to jail. The police went and investigated it and they let him go, he admitted everything and they just let him go, added Wilson.Baker is in court on September 3 facing a class one misdemeanor charge.Wilson asserted that his decision to fly the flag is founded on a desire to express pride in his southern heritage and has nothing to do with racism. I m not gonna be scared away from people that are acting ignorant and trying to act violent when it s not a violent thing. This shouldn t be a race thing, it should be a heritage thing, Wilson told NBC 12.The nature of the confrontation clearly illustrates how the gunman had a political gripe with the family displaying the Confederate flag, which has become a target for irate leftists in the aftermath of the Charleston shooting.On Monday we reported on the new viral Twitter craze called #NoFlaggingChallenge which Black Lives Matter supporters are using to encourage Americans to violate people s private property rights and steal Confederate flags being displayed on privately owned homes and vehicles.Given that the flags are predominantly displayed in southern states where private ownership of firearms is common, many on social media are warning that the stunt could end up with people being shot dead.Via: Infowars

Hillary, the first female, black, flat-broke southern President Of course, its not the first time Mrs. Bill Clinton channeled her husband s southern roots. Here s a great montage of Hillary s accent flip-flops:And this viral video showing Hillary s ridiculous attempt at playing to a black crowd in the South:

X Dear Reader! VDARE.com isn’t just a website. We are the voice of the Historic American Nation . Our goal is nothing less than to develop a full spectrum media network to speak up for our people during this difficult time for our country. Part of that means building institutions which are offline and in the real world. There’s something about a paper journal that suggests permanence, which inclines people to take it more seriously. And because the news cycle is so fast, some of the most important, substantial, and potentially influential writings fall through the cracks and don’t get the attention they deserve. For that reason, we’re proud to announce the creation of VDARE QUARTERLY, a print journal featuring the best material from our webzine. This will replace our yearly anthologies and ensure that the information and analysis you really don't want to miss will get in front of you as quickly as possible. However, we need your help. For us to unveil this exciting new product we need 600 magazines ordered to cover the print expenses. Fill out the form below to instantly receive a digital copy of VDARE QUARTERLY, and when we have the number of necessary subscribers it will go to print and your exclusive paper copy will ship directly to you! Depending on the package you choose, you will receive multiple paper copies (provided enough readers support the community effort). We encourage you to pass these around – they serve as an excellent gift for friends and family, while at the same time helping to build our community. VDARE QUARTERLY is aesthetically pleasing as well as ideologically powerful. But this isn’t just a service we are providing. VDARE QUARTERLY is a tangible manifestation of your investment in us, and in our country. A subscription is one of the most effective ways you can help us build our media network, expand our influence, and build the kind of movement we will need to take back our country and ensure our children have a recognizable America. We count on your support! Yours sincerely, Peter Brimelow, Editor of VDARE.com VDARE QUARTERLY countdown: 167 already ordered, 433 still to go

Are these protesters at the Trump rally in Fresno, CA illegal aliens? If they re not illegal aliens, why are the people who are most angry about the potential of a Trump presidency so loyal to the Mexican flag?Secret Service agents directing the motorcade carrying presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump apparently took evasive action after objects were thrown at the SUV carrying Trump as he departed the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on Friday. Video and online reporting posted by a local TV station shows the Trump motorcade barreling through a police barricade at such a high rate of speed that a shocked reporter said hundreds could have been killed or injured by the maneuver.Video by ABC30 reporter Veronica Miracle shows objects being thrown by protesters hitting the Trump motorcade as the convoy departs Selland Arena.Moments later fellow ABC30 reporter Jessica Peres posted her shocked reaction to Twitter as Trump s motorcade apparently took evasive action: Insane! Trump s vehicles RAM through police barricade at high speed and speed out of downtown @ABC30 #TrumpFresno #ABC30Insider Really Jessica Peres? Did you miss the objects that were being LAUNCHED at the Trump motorcade by protesters? Are you aware that the Secret Service has an obligation to protect Trump from harm by these pathetic basement dwellers? How is the Secret Service supposed to determine if the flying objects being lobbed at the motorcade are Starbucks cups from the anti-capitalists punk protestors molotov cocktails? Here is the video footage of Trump s motorcade barreling through the police barricade:It appears there was a security failure by allowing a horde of anti-Trump protesters with a history of violence across the state and nation to gather en masse within feet of Trump s departing motorcade at a vulnerable point as it crept out of the service entrance for the arena and had to make a hard turn off a driveway exit ramp. The apparent high-speed detour through the police line moments later seems to have been a corrective action.Via: Gateway Pundit

Beyonce is one of the most sought-after performers in the world, and she knows how to deliver an electrifying performance. She did exactly that during Super Bowl 50. In addition to her amazing lyrics and dancing, Beyonce also had an important message for the country, putting the Black Lives Matter Movement at center stage in front of hundreds of millions of people.Beyonce is no stranger to political activism. Appearing with Bruno Mars and Coldplay, she introduced her first song in more than a year entitled Formation. But, Formation is not just any song: it also happens to be an ode to the Black Lives Matter Movement, as evidenced by the song s newly-released music video.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5BPfRHX1SE]Beyonce begins the video by standing on top of a submerged car in a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Then a small child in a black hoodie appears in front of a line of police officers only to be covered by the words Stop shooting us. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCHz1gwzTo]Beyonce and her husbamd Jay-Z are known to be politically active, and it s not surprising that she would embrace and take on such an important issue. She and Jay-Z spent tens of thousands of dollars last year to bail out protesters in Baltimore.It s very important that the Black Lives Matter movement is known as well as embraced by the entire country. Beyonce s use of the Super Bowl as a platform has potentially reached hundreds of millions of people. Featured image via video screen capture

This article contains spoilersThe District Attorney responsible for the questionable 2005 convictions of Steven Avery and his 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach has found a new and sickening way to profit from his actions: He is going to write a book.Ken Kratz became infamous after the release of Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. Produced over 10 years by film makers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, the 10-part series details the harrowing plight of Steven Avery and his young nephew.First, Avery is falsely convicted of the rape of a woman and spends 18 years in jail before new DNA evidence clears him of the crime.Then, just two years after his release, and when he is on the verge of a $36 million settlement with the Manitowoc Sheriff s Department for their role in the false conviction and the failure of subsequent appeals, he is arrested for another murder. 25-year old Auto-Trader photographer Teresa Halbach disappears after an appointment at Avery s salvage yard, weeks later her car, and burned remains are found on Steven Avery s property.Despite the overwhelming physical evidence, questions linger in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Is the Sheriff s department framing him again? As the defense team start examining the evidence, it becomes clear that all is not right with this evidence .But just as the prosecution s case is beginning to unravel, they obtain a confession from Avery s 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey. Katz holds a press conference which he opens like the title sequence of The Twilight Zone, warning viewers under 15 years of age to leave the room. He launches into a harrowing and explicit description of Teresa Halbach s murder.It later emerges that teenager s confession was obtained after hours of interrogation, during which he had no attorney or legal guardian present. Much of the testimony appears to be fed to him by the investigating officers, and it is clear that Dassey (with an IQ of just 70) has very little idea of what is happening. Essentially, a false confession wrangled out of a mentally-disabled teenager.Regardless, Kratz milked the (later retracted) confession for all it was worth, holding no fewer than seven pre-trial press conferences in which he implicated Dassey and Avery in the crime.Legal experts have blasted Kratz for these tactics, which effectively ruled out any possibility of a fair trial for Avery and Dassey. Ben Kempinen, University of Wisconsin Law School clinical professor of law and director of the Prosecution Project, told the Post Crescent: To me, those press conferences would suggest a colorable violation of the (bar association) trial publicity rule. The risks of prejudice are magnified in smaller communities because of the pervasive nature of the publicity and the likelihood that virtually the entire community will have strong feelings about the case. The Avery case appeared to have captured the attention of the Fox Valley market and you cannot un-ring that bell. Avery s lawyers filed a motion on this basis, asking the Judge to dismiss the charges against their client due to inflammatory and highly prejudicial pre-trial publicity. However, Manitowoc County Circuit Judge Patrick Willis rejected the motion, ruling there was no legal precedent for such drastic action.Both Avery and Dassey were convicted in 2005, and have remained in jail ever since. It is hoped that the popular outrage mobilized by the doc-series will add new weight to their appeals process.Meanwhile, Ken Kratz was later caught up in a scandal of his own making. In 2009, married 55-year old Kratz was prosecuting a domestic abuse case on behalf of 26-year-old victim Stephanie Van Groll. However, Van Groll was forced to turn to police after receiving more than 30 sexually explicit texts from Kratz during the course of the prosecution. According to Radar, Kratz began with sexually suggestive messages: I know this is wrong. I am such an honest guy, and straight shooter but I have to know more about you Are you the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA the riskier the better? However, when Van Groll refused to engage with his fantasies, he turned nasty, fast. Below are three of the many texts he sent her after she ignored his advances. Hey..Miss Communication, what s the sticking point? Your low-self esteem and you fear you can t play in my big sandbox?[sic] You may look good at first glance, but women that are blonde, 6ft tall, legs and great bodies don t like to be shown off or to please their men! [sic] he wrote on Oct. 21. I m the atty. I have the $350,000 house. I have the 6-figure career. You may be the tall, young, hot nymph, but I am the prize Van Groll told police she was terrified. Kratz hinted he would throw her entire case out of court if she continued to refuse his advances, leaving her at the mercy of her violent partner.A year later, Kratz was divorced, and forced out of office over the scandal. Van Groll later filed a case of sexual harassment which was settled out of court in 2013.Now, Kratz is seeking to weasel his way out of the shadows with a book about the case, telling Action 2 news that he is Finally grateful to tell the whole story. Given Kratz s track record, we expect he is more grateful for the opportunity to cash in on the global attention generated by the success of the docu-series.If new evidence cannot be found, Steven Avery will remain in jail for the rest of his life, and Brendan Dassey is not eligible for parole until the year 2048. The fact that Kratz is still looking for ways to milk this injustice confirms what we suspected this is a man without shame.Featured Image via Netflix/Post Crescent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean. Obama will visit the protected area on Sept. 1 to draw attention to the threat that climate change poses to oceans, traveling to Midway Atoll - a remote coral reef that was the site of a pivotal World War Two battle and is now known for its sea turtles, monk seals, and millions of seabirds. Obama, who was born in Hawaii and spent most of his childhood there, made curbing climate change a central part of his time in the White House, which draws to a close on Jan. 20. Some of his efforts have been blocked by Congress or held up in court challenges. But preserving public space from development has been something Obama can do using his own power, and he had moved to permanently protect more than 265 million acres of land and water even before the expansion in Hawaii. Obama has also sought to use the star power of his office to raise public concern about climate issues. Trailed by camera crews, he has hiked on an Alaska glacier and walked through the Florida Everglades. His journey to Midway Atoll, a former naval base that is now a rarely visited refuge, is aimed at sending a hopeful message. “The best science shows that the ocean can recover, if you allow it to,” said Senator Brian Schatz, who worked with scientists, environmental groups and native Hawaiians to urge Obama to expand the monument. “As daunting as the problem of climate change is, and as troubling as the situation is with respect to our oceans, they show remarkable resilience, if you give them a chance,” Schatz told Reuters. The monument was first established 10 years ago by former Republican President George W. Bush, who created the world’s largest marine reserve at the time, protecting close to 140,000 sq miles of ocean around the Hawaiian archipelago and inspiring a series of similar projects around the world. The four-fold boost in territory will cover an area with more than 7,000 marine species, including a coral that is the world’s oldest-known living organism at 4,265 years old. “We think of Papahānaumokuākea’s original designation as a catalyst, and we’re hoping it will be again,” said Seth Horstmeyer, a director with Pew’s Global Ocean Legacy project. Only about 3 percent of the world’s oceans have similar protections, according to Pew. Obama is set on Wednesday to address leaders of Pacific islands and a global conference of conservation officials and environmental groups in Honolulu. “We would like the other nations to follow suit,” said Sol Kaho’ohalahala, a seventh-generation native Hawaiian. In an interview, Kaho’ohalahala explained that Papahānaumokuākea, considered a sacred place, figures large in the creation myths of his people. “We are part of this place, we’re not the beginning of this place,” he said. “Our responsibility is really as a people now how to care for this place.” Some Hawaiians had argued against the expansion. Longline commercial fishermen, who have been praised for sustainable fishing, have counted on the area for an estimated 3 to 13 percent of their annual catch of tuna, which is limited under quotas and governed by extensive conservation measures. “Excluding American citizens from American waters and forcing in this case fishermen onto the high seas to do their business - something just doesn’t quite sit right,” said Sean Martin, president of the Hawaii Longline Association, explaining the expansion could raise his costs. But Hawaiian Senator Schatz, who worked on a compromise plan to accommodate certain types of fishing and more Native Hawaiian involvement in managing the preserve, said there would be plenty of fish left for longline fishermen in other areas. “They will have very little difficulty fishing up to the limit under the tuna treaty, even with the new boundaries,” Schatz said.

October 27, 2016 Solar winds triggered a giant geomagnetic storm this week, raising fears that they could cripple power supplies. The charged particles are coming from a coronal hole on the sun that is currently facing Earth. If Earth’s magnetic field was hit by charged particles the effects could also include radar and satellite interference, causing problems phone and internet networks and navigation services. Power grid operators in the US were put on alert yesterday following concerning space weather forecasts. But the impact could be felt all over the world. Warnings were issued by the operator of the biggest power grid in the US, PJM Interconnection LLC, as well as by Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages high-voltage power lines across North America, reports Bloomberg . These were the result of US Space Weather Prediction Center raising a ‘serious’ G3 level storm alert, though the alert was later downgraded to a less severe G2 storm. ‘Voltage corrections may be required, false alarms triggered on some protection devices’, said the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center. ‘Drag may increase on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections may be needed for orientation problems’. The ‘moderate’ G2 warning remains in affect today. The solar storms could potentially affect telecommunications and power infrastructures all over the globe. The UK’s Met Office space weather forecast for today said: ‘Elevated solar winds are expected throughout the period, with G1-G2 minor to moderate geomagnetic storms forecast.’

VIDEO : Epic Loser Weiner Says He Downloaded ALL OF HUMA’S EMAILS By “ACCIDENT” VIDEO : Epic Loser Weiner Says He Downloaded ALL OF HUMA’S EMAILS By “ACCIDENT” Breaking News By TruthFeedNews November 1, 2016 HOLY SMOKES! So ALL of Huma’s emails from her smartphone are now in possession of the DOJ and FBI. Anthony Weiner says it was “by accident.” Perhaps so, either way he is an epic disgraced loser. You have to believe that with DOJ and the FBI having all of Huma’s emails, MANY will contain threads with Hillary and there will be enough damning information to convict her without any reasonable doubt. The question is, are there people in the DOJ and FBI with enough pull to have the courage to tell the truth, or will their efforts be stonewalled by the likes of Hillary shill Loretta Lynch and Peter Kadzik. Watch the video: Support the Trump Movement and help us fight Liberal Media Bias. Please LIKE and SHARE this story on Facebook or Twitter.

What Is Causing The Strange Trumpet Sounds In The Sky All Over The World? May 21st, 2015 All over the globe, people are recording extremely loud sounds coming from the sky. In many instances, these ominous noises sound like someone is blowing a trumpet. So what are we supposed to make of these “apocalyptic” sounds? Should we be concerned? Well, what we do know is that this is truly a global phenomenon. In addition to being heard at locations all over the United States and Canada, these sounds have also been recorded in Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, England, Costa Rica, Ukraine and France. If you go to YouTube and type in “strange sounds”, you will literally get hundreds of results from all over the planet. Of course there are many scientists that insist that there must be a “rational explanation” for these strange sounds. Some theories have suggested fracking, “rock bursts”, venting of high-pressure gas, atmospheric pressure or the natural “background noise” of our planet as the causes of these sounds, but so far none of those theories have been proven. But two things seem certain – these noises sure are creepy, and they just keep on happening. And this phenomenon is now really starting to get a whole lot of attention. Just within the last month, there have been headlines about it in major new sources all over the planet. For instance, the following is a brief excerpt about this phenomenon from an article in the New York Post … Video clips from around the world have captured an evil-sounding ‘trumpet’ noise coming from the sky — but no one can explain exactly what it is. A number of people have filmed the bizarre sound over the past 10 years with the latest coming from Germany. Video of this most recent incident that happened in Germany is posted below. What do you think could possibly be making this noise? … As I discussed above, similar sounds have been recorded all over the globe in recent years. Very quickly, let me share four examples with you that were recently included in an article by Melissa Dykes . This first one comes from British Columbia, Canada … This next one was recorded in Allen, Texas … Similar sounds have also been heard all the way on the other side of the planet. This example comes from Queensland, Australia … Lastly, this next remarkable video comes from Melbourne, Australia … Personally, I have no idea what is causing these sounds. But so many people around the world are experiencing them that it seems to rule out a hoax. So how can we explain them? The following theories were put forward by the Daily Mail … Tectonic plates grinding – Tectonic plates are pieces of the Earth’s crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere. The plates are around 100 km (62 mi) thick and consist of two principal types of material: oceanic crust (also called sima from silicon and magnesium) and continental crust (sial from silicon and aluminium). Atmospheric pressure – Atmospheric pressure is defined as the force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of the air above that surface. Trains shunting – Self explanatory – noise comes from trains in reaction to the track and overhead wires. Construction – Building works, especially if going on at the same time across a specific area, can led to similar sounds. Aliens – Can this be an alien lifeform in the sky, perhaps scouring out Earth? HAARP weapon – Rumours persist that the U.S. government uses secret weapons in the sky for defence and weather modifying, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). This wouldn’t explain the sounds in other countries however… The Apocalypse and the Seven Trumpets of Heaven – Seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, to cue apocalyptic events that were seen in the vision of the Revelation of Christ Jesus, by John of Patmos. Somewhat more worrying as it would signal the end of the world… The scientists at NASA have a different explanation. What they think is being heard is simply the natural background noise that our planet is constantly producing… According to NASA, it could be the earth’s ‘background noise’. A statement from the agency said: ‘If humans had radio antennas instead of ears, we would hear a remarkable symphony of strange noises coming from our own planet. Scientists call them “tweeks,” “whistlers” and “sferics.” ‘They sound like background music from a flamboyant science fiction film, but this is not science fiction. Earth’s natural radio emissions are real and, although we’re mostly unaware of them, they are around us all the time.’ To me, that explanation by NASA doesn’t really ring true, but I don’t have a really good explanation either. So what do you think? Do you believe that you know what is causing these strange sounds? Please feel free to share your thoughts by posting a comment below… Effing creepy at that. Just Truth The article that said that HAARP can be ruled out isn’t correct. It says: “This wouldn’t explain the sounds in other countries however…” HAARP was developed to advance nonlethal weapons in other countries, and works by bouncing frequencies off the ionosphere, thus being able to direct them to any part of the globe. naked swimmer Also all the millions of other energies going into the air could be causing noises. Just think of all the antennas going up every year & satellites being launched !! In the book Toxic Electricity 2nd ed. it says that one thing that could be causing colony collapse disorder is wireless energy. Visible light is way less than 1% of the spectrum. Toxic Electricity & Dirty Electricity are interesting books. People don’t realize how much impact electricity & wireless is having on the environment. kfilly I believe this is a sign of the end times. There are too many things that seem to be lining up with the book of Revelations (global government, wars/rumors of wars, disease, famine, and the proposed digital currency by Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase). The bible was written way before this, and events are mirroring what has been predicted a very, very long time ago. jaxon64 All of creation cries out in longing…… Crawford Tillinghast More like your reality is fracturing and no matter what you believe in, it cannot protect you from what lays Beyond. CarriedbyGrace We who have Christ have perfect peace and no fear. These are extremely exciting times and we look forward to what is turning out to be a spectacular and supernatural time in our lives. Elaine Perkins The number one sign is Israel becoming a nation again in 1948, after years of being dispersed all over the World, the Jews are gradually returning home; And they are speaking their Hebrew language again after 2,000 years. One major sign that this is the last days is that the World is turning against Israel and what for: Because they will not give up that little tiny speck of real estate that you have to get a magnifying glass to see it on the Middle East map, that is IF you can find a Middle East map with Israel listed on it anymore. I have posted the land owners in the Middle East many times for ALL to see; But the Anti-Israel Haters will not admit the TRUTH when it is before them. I am posting it one more time below: Square land 0.6 of 1.0% 8,059 Million Arabia’s 756,981 29.2 Million Iraq’s Iran’s land 636,374 76 Million There has never been a Palestinian people. This is something that the Romans did when they conquered Jerusalem from the Jews. These so called Palestinians are Arabs; They are not Jews and do not belong in Israel or Jerusalem. They belong with their own people. folgers22 This story is spooky, but when I listen to the sounds on the videos, they don’t really sound like trumpets to me. I would love to hear majestic music from the skies, because I know what that would mean, but what I hear sounds more like industrial equipment or slow-moving trains and other man-made noises.– I wouldn’t want to stampede to an assumption on this one. Did anyone see that movie, Red State, where a group of Christians stops dead in their tracks when they hear a booming trumpet from the skies and assume it’s the end of the world, not realizing some college kids down the road are fooling around with an iPod full of trumpet mp3s and a firestation siren horn? (There’s a lot more to the plot, but that twist at the end seems oddly apropos here.)– My town is a nexus point for several different railroad lines and several switching yards and a commuter rail line. I hear a lot of trains during the day and night. Some of these sounds remind me of the sounds I hear when they’re shunting trains back and forth and moving the big heavy cargo trains through slowly, especially at night when there aren’t as many competing sounds.– I am not an expert on the atmosphere and what it might be able to do with sound, but I do know it can have an effect on sound. For instance, I’ve always heard you can hear noises easier across open water than through the woods.– It also has an effect on radio waves. Folks who know radio know the layers of the atmosphere can do strange things with radio waves. For instance, when the weather is right, you can pick up an AM radio station transmitting hundreds or thousands of miles away when the signal bounces off the troposphere down to you somewhere over the horizon.– Last year, I read an article explaining how changes in temperature at different altitudes can warp visible light. The article explained the Titanic might have sunk within visual range of the Carpathia, but due to the effects of cold and warm layers of air, witnesses saw something totally different from the largest cruiseship in the world sinking 5 miles away.– So I wonder if sound can react the same way; originating from one point, bouncing around from one temperature layer to another, then coming down elsewhere distorted and unrecognizable as these sounds? Sandbagger You have the best explanation I’ve heard. Trumpets from God it’s not. Do I believe God when he says he will use trumpets? Yes. But I believe what another poster said…there will be NO DOUBT as to them BEING TRUMPETS. The wild-eyed proclamations that these sounds are THOSE final trumpets only serve to make Christians look nutty. Perhaps that is one interpretation of the scripture: Ephesians 4:14 (KJV) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; folgers22 Thank you! I feel exactly the same way-if it really happens, it will be incontrovertible, unarguable, definite 100% honest-to-goodness trumpets. If this were truly the work of God, why would it be spread out over the course of years in different places and why would it sound so mundane?– You would think an omnipotent omniscient being would be able to sound real trumpets simultaneously everywhere worldwide and ensure not one of us would be able to miss it.– I wouldn’t be surprised if/when the day comes that you even hear the trumpets inside, even over your iPod. I don’t think He would let a single one of us escape the message.– I think if you go with Occam’s Razor and look for the most likely explanation, peculiar atmospherics+terrestrial sound makes the most sense. HumbleAmerican Until something actually happens, they’re just noises. Was looking for Jesus in the clouds, but he didn’t return, again! In current news, a major oil spill in California, 9 miles of a beach covered. So we’ll see if gas prices go up. It’s about time for a gas spike. Mike Well, if you read the book of Revelation, you’ll see that Jesus comes back at the end in an event called the Day of Lord or the Second Coming. Before Jesus returns you will see the rise of the Antichrist and a one world government. And when all nations go to attack Jerusalem under the antichrist’s rule, Jesus will return. No pretribulation rapture is coming. We’re all going to go through it (Christian and Non-Christian) if indeed we are in the last of the last days. HumbleAmerican As I stated below, I apologize for bringing Jesus in to the conversation. It has nothing to do with the article, and was wrong of me. I would agree. We are all in this sh** storm together. Hold on tight, endure to the end and PRAY! uisconfruzed So Mike, it appears you’re a post tribber. Are you reformed as well? I thought I was the only one by reading these comments. CarriedbyGrace This topic is so touchy but my husband and I were just discussing this earlier this evening so here goes. My husband contends that if one of the major goals of the anti-christ is to kill Jews and Christians, how is it possible for the catching up to happen before the anti-christ comes on the scene, who would he kill if we were all gone? Why are there so many warnings and signs described in the Bible if there were no Christians left here to heed them? Is our catching up in the clouds going to happen simultaneously to Christ’s coming to defeat anti-christ or prior to that time. Sheesh, I have been studying the bible for almost 40 years and I still can’t definitively say anything other than Pre-Wrath rapture. algol2000 There isn’t going to be any rapture. He who endures to the end shall be saved. Joe Woolf I agree….. We’re all going at the 7th trump together. ( that’s the last trump ) It’s a touchy topic around many Christians but, I don’t believe there will be any “rapture” happening before the last trump. David You know, for having the Screen name ‘HumbleAmerican’ you could sure use some humbling. What I mean by that is, if all you’re worried about is gas prices than you need a major wake-up call, brother! Just look around what’s going on in the world today, and you’ll see that there are Volcanoes erupting, along with Earthquakes and diseases, wars AND rumors of more wars to come. I also heard the sound, what I believe is a Trumpet blasting off. It was the 19th of April, and I was discussing with my daughter about how so many people aren’t considering the facts that are being presented right in front of them; ignoring what may be to ensure their own happiness, and self-security. We may soon be at Civil or Foreign or BOTH in this country! Soon after I had gotten done telling it to her, the trumpet sound was coming from outside. She walked to the door and opened it up more, and said silently, “It sounds like there’s a war going on right now.” That’s when I got up and walked to the door to hear it sounding off. It’s just a shame in the sense that it was raining outside! I’d be able to hear it better, but then again, if you believe that it’s a trumpet declaring the End of Days is nigh, than you know that you’ll get another chance to hear it again. “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:10-13; NIV. HumbleAmerican I’m very humble, I boast about nothing, because I have nothing. Gas prices affect everyone, in one way or another. As for what’s going on in the world, natural disasters have been happening for thousands of years. Wars and rumors of wars have happened for thousands of years. Diseases have been around since man arrived on earth. I do apologize for bringing Jesus in to the conversation. It has nothing to do with the article, and was wrong of me. It’s up to nine miles now? They said it was only four. And it’s not making much mainstream news. But have u seen the pictures? Heart breaking. uisconfruzed

MANILA Reuters) - In a teeming prison for undertrials in the Philippines capital Manila, Rody Lacanilao, an inmate for 18 months, says he prays for clear weather at night. A downpour, he says, will prevent him and hundreds of fellow prisoners in the Quezon City jail from sleeping on plywood mats in an outdoor hallway. The cells themselves are overflowing with an influx of detainees from President Rodrigo Duterte s year-long war on drugs. Thousands of people have been killed in Duterte s campaign, mainly drug users and small-time peddlers. Tens of thousands of others have been thrown into jail, and both prisons and courts in the Southeast Asian nation are creaking under the pressure. Since the war on drugs started, it became harder to sleep, Lacanilao told a Reuters team allowed access to the Quezon City jail. We have no place to go to when it rains. The 37-year-old is facing trial on a drugs charge. The prison was initially built for 262 inmates, but now has 2,975, three-quarters of them jailed for drug-related offences. At night, its basketball court, chapel, classrooms and walkways become sleeping areas for detainees. Inmates who spoke to Reuters said living conditions were unbearable, made worse by the prospect that it could be years before their trials are decided. Many of them are not eligible for bail or cannot afford to pay the bond. Prisoners came in one after the other. If you have money, you can buy a spot in the sleeping quarters, said Junjun Vallecer, who says he has been in the jail for four years for possession of drugs but is still being tried. He says he has to wait four to six months between court appearances. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) put the prison population in the country, including undertrials and convicts, at 137,417 as of the end of June, up 22 percent since Duterte took office at the end of June last year. Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested 96,703 suspected pushers, users and chemists from July last year until earlier this month, according to police data. A staggering 94 percent of people jailed for drug offences are still undertrials, according to BJMP. Police in Manila arrest nearly 100 drug suspects each day, says Oscar Albayalde, the capital s police chief. Whether they are minor charges or not, we have to arrest these people, Albayalde told Reuters. We make these arrests that contribute to the over-congestion of the detention cells ... but what can we do? Including a backlog, the BJMP says 303,534 narcotics cases were at trial or being processed as of June. Most of the cases are defended by the Public Attorney s Office (PAO), a legal aid agency attached to the Department of Justice. At the end of 2016, the agency had a backlog of 303,000 drugs cases, compared to about 82,000 at the end of June 2016, just before Duterte unleashed his fierce anti-drugs campaign. The agency says it has 1,665 lawyers to handle a total of 709,128 criminal cases currently pending, meaning an average of 426 cases for each of them. We have tons of work, said public defender Karen Jay Sabugo, eating a meal of instant noodles at her desk. There are times when I return to the office so exhausted that I can t speak with colleagues anymore. The 30-year-old, in her first year as a trial lawyer, told Reuters she attends more than a dozen court hearings a day. In the morning, we attend court hearings and in the afternoon, we prepare pleadings and meet clients. I go to jails to prepare our defense. Boxloads of documents are piled up inside the PAO s office in Quezon City. Most are related to cases, but some are applications for about 750 new positions the government has agreed to create in the agency in the next two years to handle the overflow of cases. Typically, trials in the Philippines begin some years after arrest, said Maria Socorro Diokno, executive director of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), an organization of human rights lawyers. Trial last two to three years on average in regional courts, and another two or three years are taken up by appeals. Even before Duterte s anti-drugs crackdown, the Philippines had the third-most-congested prison system in the world after Haiti and El Salvador, according to the London-based Institute for Criminal Policy Research. An average of six inmates occupy a space of 4.7 square meters, the space intended for one prisoner, data from the BJMP showed. One Philippine prison officer watches over 63 prisoners on average, far from the stipulated one-to-seven ratio, and there are insufficient numbers of guards to escort suspects to court hearings, the data showed. The ratios are really wild, said Martin Perfecto, deputy director of the Philippines Bureau of Corrections. FLAG lawyer Alex Padilla says judicial reform is not a priority in the Philippines because there is scant sympathy for those accused of crimes. Duterte is extremely popular because people are fed up with crime and many support the killings in his campaign, he said. Judicial reform is the last reform because it s dirty, Padilla said. These are criminals ... they are the garbage of the society. (GRAPHIC: Lawyers, jails inundated by Duterte's war on drugs - tmsnrt.rs/2vNCFW4)

The keepers of the written word in America are so abhorred by the prospect of Donald Trump becoming president that they penned a letter to the country declaring their opposition.Hundreds of writers and authors, many of whom are world renowned, wrote and signed a letter listing the many reasons why they refuse to support the presumptive Republican nominee.Among those who signed the letter include horror author Stephen King, author of The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan, and novelist Daniel Handler, better known to audiences as Lemony Snicket.The letter condemns Trump for abusing language to advocate for violence, bigotry, sexism, and division all in the pursuit of power, which the authors point out has created many a dictatorship. They also declare that wealth and celebrity do not qualify anyone to speak for all Americans, much less lead the military.And in a final flourish, the writers declare that they unequivocally oppose Trump s candidacy as a matter of conscience. Here s the full letter via Lit Hub.Because, as writers, we are particularly aware of the many ways that language can be abused in the name of power;Because we believe that any democracy worthy of the name rests on pluralism, welcomes principled disagreement, and achieves consensus through reasoned debate;Because American history, despite periods of nativism and bigotry, has from the first been a grand experiment in bringing people of different backgrounds together, not pitting them against one another;Because the history of dictatorship is the history of manipulation and division, demagoguery and lies;Because the search for justice is predicated on a respect for the truth;Because we believe that knowledge, experience, flexibility, and historical awareness are indispensable in a leader;Because neither wealth nor celebrity qualifies anyone to speak for the United States, to lead its military, to maintain its alliances, or to represent its people;Because the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response;For all these reasons, we, the undersigned, as a matter of conscience, oppose, unequivocally, the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Presidency of the United States.450 writers and authors signed the letter. And a petition has been included so that other Americans can their own names in opposition to Trump.You can add your name by clicking here.What began as a joke has grown to become a threat to our nation and our democratic values. Donald Trump is a disgrace who never should have been allowed to get this far. But he has by appealing to the worst that the conservative base has to offer, including racist white supremacists, misogynists, and gullible evangelicals who think Trump is the new Jesus.As the authors wrote, this is not the time to stay at home while the rest of the country votes. This is the time for an immediate and forceful response that makes it clear that any political party who puts the country in this kind of danger will be deprived of capturing political power. That means we all need to use our right to vote while we still have it and overwhelmingly reject Trump and Republicans in November.Featured Image: Getty/Isaac Brekken