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PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech ANO party leader Andrej Babis said on Tuesday he expected his minority cabinet to take power on Dec. 13 which would enable him to attend a European Union summit as prime minister. After meeting President Milos Zeman, Babis said he had not yet secured backing for his cabinet in the lower house of parliament, where ANO has 78 out of 200 seats and other parties have so far rejected joining or backing Babis s administration. Lacking any direct left-right ideology, Babis won the October election on pledges to cut corruption among mainstream parties, fight immigration and make government more efficient and pro-business. I convinced Mr President for an earlier date for appointing the cabinet, on Dec.13, because on Dec. 14 and 15 the European Council will take place which will obviously be very important, Babis told reporters. The progress of negotiations with Great Britain over its departure from the EU will be the main topic of the summit. Babis said Zeman would appoint him on Dec. 6 as prime minister, and his full cabinet on Dec. 13, from which date the new team will take power regardless whether it has parliamentary majority. The main sticking point for Babis, a businessman ranked by Forbes as the second richest Czech worth $4 billion, is that police want parliament to lift his immunity so he can be charged with illegal tapping of an EU subsidy a decade ago. He denies any wrongdoing but the case has made him toxic for most of the other eight parliamentary factions. A parliamentary vote on his immunity is expected in the coming weeks. Lack of mainstream partners has raised the prospect Babis may negotiate support with the anti-NATO, pro-Russian Communist party and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), which wants to quit the EU, NATO and fight what it calls EU-forced islamisation. Babis has repeatedly said he is ready to clash with EU partners over migration but also praised the EU s role as guarantor of peaceful Europe and said he was a pro-European politician. If the government loses a confidence vote prescribed within a month of its appointment, it must resign but it will stay in office until another solution is found, which can take months. | 0 |
The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - “quietly working to boost Clinton.” So where is the investigation A.G. @seanhannity [0603 EDT] - Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers! [0612 EDT] - Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife! [0621 EDT] - Big day for HealthCare. After 7 years of talking, we will soon see whether or not Republicans are willing to step up to the plate! [0627 EDT] - ObamaCare is torturing the American People.The Democrats have fooled the people long enough. Repeal or Repeal & Replace! I have pen in hand. [0638 EDT] - So great that John McCain is coming back to vote. Brave - American hero! Thank you John.[0644 EDT] - Jared Kushner did very well yesterday in proving he did not collude with the Russians. Witch Hunt. Next up, 11 year old Barron Trump! [0652 EDT] - Working on major Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. Could be very big & exciting. JOBS! The E.U. is very protectionist with the U.S. STOP![0816 EDT] - This will be a very interesting day for HealthCare.The Dems are obstructionists but the Republicans can have a great victory for the people![0819 EDT] - Will be traveling to the Great State of Ohio tonight. Big crowd expected. See you there! [0829 EDT] - It is time to end the Obamacare Nightmare![0810 EDT] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | 0 |
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe s army declared an end on Monday to the military intervention that ousted Robert Mugabe, promising to shut down their last roadblocks in the capital and hand over to police. The armed soldiers who took to the streets during last month s de facto coup had largely disappeared from the city center by Monday afternoon. Just a handful could be seen standing around with civilian police. Normalcy has now returned to our country. It is for this reason that ... we announce the end of Operation Restore Legacy today, Commander Phillip Sibanda said, referring to the name of the intervention which the army said targeted criminals in the entourage of the 93-year-old leader and his wife, Grace. Civic groups have been urging the soldiers to leave the streets since Mugabe s former deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was sworn in to replace him as president of the southern African country on Nov. 24. Defence Forces Commander General Constantino Chiwenga, who spearheaded the de facto coup, was initially billed to address reporters, but he did not turn up and no explanation was given for his absence. He is widely seen as a contender to become vice president - a post that Mnangagwa has promised to fill in the next few days. Mnangagwa made three generals members of the ruling ZANU-PF party s executive Politburo on Friday. | 1 |
(Reuters) - U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence released a letter from his doctor on Saturday declaring Donald Trump’s running mate was in “excellent” health. “You are medically able to maintain your high level of professional work and your physical activity programs without limitations,” wrote Michael Busk of the St. Vincent Health, Wellness and Preventative Care Institute in Indianapolis. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has released a note from his doctor saying that he, too, was in “excellent” health. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate in the Nov. 8 presidential election, and her running mate, Tim Kaine, also released medical information this week. The candidates moved to show their physical fitness to run for office after Clinton fell ill on Sunday at an event in New York City, prompting her campaign to disclose that she had been diagnosed with non-contagious, bacterial pneumonia. Busk said in the letter dated Thursday that he last examined Pence, who is the governor of Indiana, in July and has been his doctor since 2013. Pence exercises four days a week, mainly by biking, and takes no medications except for seasonal allergies. He had hernia repair surgery in 2015 and had basal cell carcinomas, a common form of skin cancer, removed in 2002 and 2010, the letter said. Pence’s father died of a heart attack, the letter said. But it said his father smoked cigarettes, while Pence neither smokes nor drinks alcohol. Pence’s cardiologists feel he has a “very good and strong heart,” the letter said. | 0 |
Donald Trump is still struggling to wriggle out from under his abortion blunder as evidenced by this interview on Fox News Sunday.Unable to phone it in thanks to host Chris Wallace refusing to choose ratings over holding on to the last shred of journalistic integrity Fox has left, Trump was asked point-blank if he is blowing his campaign because of offensive remarks he made last week when he said women should be punished for getting an abortion which has drawn outrage from pro-choice groups and faux outrage from anti-choice groups who only pretend that they don t want to punish women in some way for making the choice they disagree with.The outrage forced Trump to backtrack and he continued to spin his comments after telling Wallace that he thinks his campaign is still going strong despite them.Trump slammed anti-choice groups for not being conservative enough, a charge that these groups often use to justify defeating Republican incumbents in primaries, which only makes Congress more extreme resulting in the obstruction and cruel anti-women legislation we see today. Look, it was asked as a hypothetical, and talked about if it s illegal and it was hypothetically asked, Trump claimed. A very strong conservative group would have said that was the appropriate answer. I m not saying it was the appropriate answer, I say it s the doctor s fault or whoever performs the act, it s their fault. But there was a time when that would have been. After being asked why he singled out women for punishment, Trump again claimed that it was a hypothetical question. Because it was asked hypothetically, Trump said. I said the woman because it was asked hypothetically. I also corrected it, and I made it very much so that I think everybody it s acceptable now to everybody. Here s the video via YouTube.Trump has explained his remarks in other ways besides claiming that it was a hypothetical question. He has accused both MSNBC and CBS of editing his remarks and taking them out of context. He has also taken five positions on abortion in the last three days.The bottom line is abortion rights are protected by the 14th Amendment and is a legal and necessary medical procedure. So women and their doctors should not have to face any punishment at all.Anti-abortion groups can claim they don t want to punish women all they want but the fact of the matter is that just by outlawing abortion alone they would be punishing women by forcing them to seek dangerous methods to end their pregnancies in absence of a safe procedure in an equipped medical environment. Women would also be punished because conservatives would also ban many forms of contraception they wrongly believe cause abortions. Clinic closures have also left thousands of women without services such as cancer screenings and STD treatments.And let s not pretend anti-abortion groups haven t threatened, stalked, or harassed women who go to clinics to end their unwanted pregnancies. And forcing women to carry an unwanted pregnancy alone would be a punishment because many women who seek an abortion do so because they cannot afford to bring another child into the world. Basically, conservatives would be punishing women financially. And then there are women who got pregnant as a result of rape. Banning abortion would punish these women by forcing them to give birth to their rapist s baby, sentencing them to many years of having to deal with their rapist, especially in states where rapists can seek parental rights.In addition, Republicans have passed laws ranging from mandatory invasive ultrasounds to waiting periods to fetal homicide laws, which punish women every day. Some are even investigated and have been sent to jail just because of a miscarriage.So, yes, anti-abortion groups want to punish women. To believe otherwise is foolish. Donald Trump was simply repeating their real stance out loud. Featured image via Screenshot | 1 |
WASHINGTON -- Despite leading a massive independent political operation and pumping untold millions into U.S. elections, billionaire Charles Koch is irritated at his extreme lack of influence in the Republican Party presidential primary.
In a candid interview over a lunch of tilapia and pulled pork sandwiches with the Financial Times, Koch said he has presented the 12 remaining Republican candidates with a list of issues that he and his brother, David, care about -- to no avail. “[I]t doesn’t seem to faze them much,” he said. “You’d think we could have more influence.”
Koch and his political operation announced they would spend approximately $889 million over the course of the two-year 2016 election cycle. This spending would not just cover electoral, lobbying and other political expenses, but also Koch’s gifts to universities so they'll teach curriculum adhering to his libertarian economic philosophy and to like-minded nonprofit think tanks influencing and expanding policy debates.
Despite all this promised spending, both Charles and David Koch have declined to endorse a candidate in the primary -- which may be why they lack influence. Their refusal to endorse stems from a desire to save resources for the general election and avoid adding fuel to an internecine conflict within the party they most closely identify with. But, as Koch reveals in his comments to the Financial Times, he veers far from Republican orthodoxy on some basic policy questions -- notably, foreign policy.
In his own statements, Koch has always adhered to a common libertarian position of non-intervention. He criticized the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq under President George W. Bush, which was backed by congressional majorities in both parties at the time. And now, he is criticizing Republicans for their belligerence towards Muslims and a certain GOP candidate's short-sightedness for proposing to carpet-bomb land held by terrorist groups.
“We have been doing this for a dozen years,” he said. “We invaded Afghanistan. We invaded Iraq. Has that made us safer? Has that made the world safer? It seems like we’re more worried about it now than we were then, so we need to examine these strategies.” | 1 |
Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • President Obama began his final major address in Chicago by thanking the American people. “You made me a better president,” he said, “and you made me a better man. ” The White House is offering a live stream of the president’s farewell address. And here is the latest on the transition, including the prospect today of Donald J. Trump’s first news conference since July. _____ • American intelligence agencies presented President Obama and Trump with unsubstantiated reports that Russia had collected compromising and salacious information about Mr. Trump. The information is based on memos generated by political operatives who sought to derail Mr. Trump’s candidacy. _____ • The use of torture was a main theme on the first day of a whirlwind week of U. S. Senate hearings on Mr. Trump’s cabinet choices. In a joint letter, 176 retired officers urged Mr. Trump not to follow through on campaign vows to bring back torture. Hours later, his attorney general pick, Senator Jeff Sessions, above, distanced himself from Mr. Trump’s pledge to bar Muslims immigrants and investigate Hillary Clinton. _____ • “They started coming in like the tide. ” That was an official at a refugee camp near Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar, where displaced Rohingya Muslims have fled by the thousands to escape a military crackdown in northern Rakhine State. Those in the camp say soldiers burned their villages, shot at random and systematically raped women and girls. _____ • In Iran, the authorities ignored the opposition chants that erupted at the sprawling state funeral for Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died on Sunday. Mr. Rafsanjani, once a staunch conservative, had in recent years become a hero to Iran’s middle class. For many of those involved in the Green Revolution, the antigovernment demonstrations in 2009, he was a lone establishment voice representing their beliefs. By official estimates, 2. 5 million people attended the funeral. _____ • Beijing has increasingly signaled that it wants to take on a leadership role in promoting the Paris agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions. China can’t yet lead by example yet. It’s still the world’s biggest polluter. But a shift is evident: Witness the country’s plans to spend $360 billion on renewable energy sources. _____ • President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has said he has the names of more than a million supposed drug dealers and corrupt lawmakers. He once promised to kill 100, 000 criminals in his first six months in office. Our reporter met with local officials and law enforcement officers to determine who lives and who dies in the leader’s drug war. “There is no certain or easy way to get off Duterte’s list,” he writes. _____ • President Xi Jinping will speak next week at the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as China looks to cement its role as a global economic leader. Mr. Xi will lead a group of Chinese executives that includes Jack Ma of Alibaba and Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group. He will be the first Chinese head of state to address the annual meeting. • Alibaba is going brick and mortar. The Chinese giant, which is seeking to acquire Intime Retail, has spent billions buying pieces of the very sector it disrupted. • Yahoo plans to rename itself Altaba if the $4. 8 billion sale of its internet business goes through. The name is a play on the single biggest asset that would remain of Yahoo: a 15 percent stake in Alibaba. • Fox News secretly settled sexual harassment accusations against Bill O’Reilly, the network’s top host, last summer. • Auto sales in India plunged in December, a casualty of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ban on large bank notes. • Most U. S. stocks were higher. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. • In Afghanistan, dozens of people were killed and more than 80 wounded in an attack on Parliament claimed by the Taliban. [The New York Times] • Dylann Roof, the white supremacist who showed no remorse for killing nine people at a South Carolina church in 2015, was sentenced to death. [The New York Times] • China ordered all textbooks from elementary school to university to push back the start date of its war against the Japanese from 1937 to 1931, and to replace “ war of resistance” with “ war of resistance. ” [South China Morning Post] • Thailand’s cabinet is meeting to discuss emergency measures for the heaviest rainfall in 30 years. At least 21 people have died in severe flooding in the south. [The Nation] • The World Cup will grow to 48 teams from 32 in 2026, a welcome move for Asia and Africa inclusion. But some see a money grab by the governing body, FIFA. [The New York Times] • Clare Hollingworth, a British war correspondent who broke the news of World War II and was one of the first Western journalists to report regularly from China, died in Hong Kong. She was 105. [The New York Times] (In this new section, we’ll help you start your day right.) • We’ve all thought about it: Can we train ourselves to need less sleep? Sadly, the answer is a resounding no. • Recipe of the day: Want to go meatless tonight? Try tofu with wild mushrooms. • Concerns over crashing populations of bees, butterflies and other insects that promote plant growth are spreading around the world. United States officials made the bumblebee the first pollinator to be added to the endangered species list. • And we review writer Han Kang’s new novel “Human Acts. ” Each chapter offers a piercing psychological portrait of a character affected by the 1980 Gwangju massacre in South Korea. Norway is trying to make audio history this week. The country is beginning an experiment to switch off its FM stations and replace them with digital radio. If the plan succeeds, it could be the beginning of a change in how we listen to radio around the globe. Switzerland, Britain and Denmark are considering the same move. Norway, where terrestrial radio remains quite popular, was among the first countries to adopt digital radio in the 1990s. The government’s current effort is aimed at improving audio quality. That was also a goal in the creation of FM radio, which offers staticless, broadcasting. Edwin Armstrong, an American inventor, is credited with figuring out how to transmit sound by modulating the frequency of electromagnetic waves (FM) instead of their amplitude (AM). He later built his own FM station to prove its worth to skeptics, though his triumph was marred by legal battles over patents. The New York Times called Armstrong one of the “great inventive geniuses in electrical engineering” after his death in 1954. “He always preferred to be the master of his own laboratory. That he was. ” _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings. What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes. com. | 0 |
Americans must be vigilant in light of a terror threat calling for attacks at malls such as the Mall of America in Minnesota, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Sunday.
"If anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they've got to be particularly careful," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." "There will be enhanced security there, but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important, and it's the environment we're in, frankly."
Johnson’s comments came after the release of a video Saturday that was purported to be from the Somali militant group al-Shabab and called for attacks on malls in the United States, Canada and Britain. The video used footage of the 2013 attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi and specifically mentioned the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn.; West Edmonton Mall in Canada; and Westfield mall in Stratford, England, among others, as potential targets.
The video called on Muslims to conduct these attacks independently and quickly. “So hurry up, hasten towards heaven, and do not hesitate, for the disbelievers have no right whatsoever to rejoice in the safety of their lands until safety becomes a reality in Palestine and all the lands of Muslims,” an English-speaking narrator says in the video, provided by the Site Intelligence Group.
Johnson said Sunday that groups such as al-Shabab are "relying more and more on independent actors to become inspired" and "attack on their own."
He also said there was a need for a comprehensive approach to fighting the ever-present threat posed by terror groups, including the Islamic State, which is variously known as ISIS and ISIL.
"Groups like ISIL, al-Shabab, AQAP [al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] are now publicly calling for attacks, either through the Internet, through videos, through publications, which means that we need to respond militarily," he said. "But we also have to have a whole government approach to law enforcement."
DHS Undersecretary Suzanne E. Spaulding elaborated on such an approach during a Senate hearing last fall. She noted that government officials routinely work with the private sector to understand the scope of threats they face and to share information and training. For instance, she said the DHS and the Energy Department regularly provide threat briefings to energy company CEOs and other executives about physical threats and cyberthreats. She also referenced the 2013 attack in Kenya.
"In the wake of the terrorist attack on the shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, DHS and the FBI engaged more than 400 major malls across the United States to facilitate table-top exercises based on a similar attack involving active shooters and the use of improved explosive devices," Spaulding told lawmakers, according to a transcript.
The Mall of America released a statement Sunday indicating that it takes potential threats seriously and that it had increased security.
Johnson also said Sunday that he hopes Congress this week will "finally come together" and pass an appropriations bill that would not defund DHS. Should it be defunded, his headquarters staff would be "dialed back to a skeleton," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Johnson has condemned House Republicans for their efforts to defund DHS over President Obama's immigration executive action.
"I'm a little frustrated, frankly, because when I talked to my friends on the Senate side, they say, 'Go talk to the House.' And when I go talk to my friends on the House side, they say, 'It's not me, I passed my bill. Go talk to the Senate,'" he said Sunday.
Johnson also dived into the debate over how to refer to the Islamic State.
On "Fox News Sunday," he said that calling the militant organization an Islamic group gives it "more dignity than it deserves." He said the president's refusal to tie the militant organization to "radical Islam" is more about not giving the group religious "legitimacy" than about being politically correct.
"To say that they are in any form Islamic cedes to them a playing field that they would like to be drawn into," he said.
After making the rounds of the Sunday talk shows, Johnson also addressed the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, where he again outlined the consequences of an agency shutdown.
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R), in an interview, disputed as "baloney" warnings by Johnson of the potential impact on states and cities, noting that all essential personnel would still be on the job even if funding is halted.
Abbott also said that in light of the recent court ruling blocking implementation of the president's executive actions, it is now the Democrats who stand as the major obstacle to passing legislation in Congress. "It would be irresponsible," he said, for Democrats to block action this week.
Brady Dennis and Dan Balz contributed to this report. | 1 |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that spymania had been artificially whipped up between Russia and the United States, and that eventually relations between the two countries would get back to normal. He said that contacts between Russian officials and members of U.S. President Donald Trump s team during his election campaign had been routine, but had been twisted by Trump s opponents. Asked by a reporter what he thought about Trump s record in office, Putin said it was not for him to judge, but that he saw significant achievements from the Trump administration. | 1 |
The online comment fits closely with his campaign platform. | 0 |
Anyone who has read the Bible knows that that Jesus feller is quite fond of helping the poor. Unfortunately, either one San Fransisco Catholic church mistook homeless people for plants that need regular watering, or they didn t get the memo. Jesus made himself very clear in the Sermon on the Mount that the both the poor and those who show them mercy are blessed, but Saint Mary s Cathedral in San Fransisco, California, has decided that those dirty poors don t really need help, anyway.The area s homeless, until recently, were able to take shelter from harsh weather in sheltered alcoves that mark the cathedral s four side doors. Not only did St. Mary s put up multiple No Trespassing signs, but they also installed a watering system with a single purpose: to prevent the homeless from seeking shelter there.A San Fransisco CBS station reports: They actually have signs in there that say, No Trespassing, said a homeless man named Robert.But there are no signs warning the homeless about what happens in these doorways, at various times, all through the night. Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, about 30 feet above, drenching the alcove and anyone in it.The shower ran for about 75 seconds, every 30 to 60 minutes while we were there, starting before sunset, simultaneously in all four doorways. KCBS witnessed it soak homeless people, and their belongings.One could argue that the watering system might be intended to keep everything clean, but the news station points out that this is not the case. In fact, it serves mainly as a waste of water in the midst of a drought:The water doesn t really clean the area. There are syringes, cigarette butts, soggy clothing and cardboard. There is no drainage system. The water pools on the steps and sidewalks.A neighbor who witnessed the drenching told KCBS, I was just shocked, one because it s inhumane to treat people that way. The second thing is that we are in this terrible drought.KCBS reports that in addition to being inhumane, the system was installed illegally and may violate water use regulations.<iframe width= 420 height= 315 src= https://www.youtube.com/embed/qkn_MS-UfsI?rel=0&showinfo=0 frameborder= 0 allowfullscreen></iframe> It s very shocking, and very inhumane. There s not really another way to describe it, said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homeless. Certainly not formed on the basis of Catholic teachings. The cathedral confirmed that the watering system was, indeed, installed to keep the homeless from sleeping there but argued that, while the church refuses to allow the homeless to sleep in the doorways of a building that is only used a few times a week (a completely cost-free effort), they really do try to help them. We refer them, mostly to Catholic Charities, for example for housing, spokesman Chris Lyford said. To Saint Anthony s soup kitchen for food, if they want food on that day. Saint Vincent de Paul if they need clothes. We do the best we can, and supporting the dignity of each person, said Lyford, who apparently considers dumping water on the homeless to be dignified. But there is only so much you can do. Many of the homeless bring waterproof gear and umbrelas to protect themselves from the church s misguided and cruel efforts to keep them from taking shelter, proving the system to be an ineffective deterrant. But the horrible treatment has done nothing but diminish the cathedral in the eyes of its neighbors.The Archdioces of San Fransisco said in a statement that the system would be addressed quickly. Catholic organizations in San Francisco serve thousands of homeless people every year, providing shelter, food, and critical services, the statement says, defending the church. That is the true picture of compassionate Catholic care. Unfortunately, it s what happened before they got caught that matters.Watch a report on this horrible treatment of the homeless below:Featured image via CBS San Fransisco | 1 |
Donald Trump is concerned about the terminally ill not about their ability to recover, their quality of life, the amount of pain they re in or if they re happy or sad, but he wants them to live until November 8. On Wednesday at a Nevada rally, Trump urged the terminally ill to hang out till November so they can assist in the destruction of the United States so they can vote for him. I don t care how sick you are, The Donald said. I don t care if you just came back from the doctor and he gave you the worst possible prognosis, meaning it s over. Doesn t matter. Hang out till November 8. Get out and vote. And then, all we re gonna say is, We love you and we will remember you always, Trump continued. Get out and vote. Naturally, Stephen Colbert wasn t about to allow this to go unchecked. On Thursday. he tweeted a new campaign slogan for The Donald:Trump asked the terminally ill to hold on 'til Election Day to vote for him. He s revamped Diddy s slogan Vote Or Die to Vote, Then Die. Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) October 7, 2016This is what we can expect from Donald Trump s America he will literally focus on whatever benefits himself as people die and the world burns around him.While it is doubtful that the terminally ill will be lining up to vote for him in November, many people will make sure that you get out there and do your part to make sure our next president isn t a man whose sole concern is The Vote, no matter where it comes from.Featured image via screengrab/Getty Images (Ethan Miller) | 1 |
If you weren t convinced of the fabulousness of First Lady Melania Trump before her 9-day foreign trip, you re certainly aware now. Not only did she dress impeccably but it was obvious that this wise woman put so much thought into what she would wear on this overseas trip. Who wasn t proud to see our beautiful and smart First Lady in appropriate and stylish outfits every day. She won us over in a big way and made the designers who refused to dress her look like schmucks. She needs no one to hold her hand to put together a wardrobe If anything, First Lady Melania Trump proved to the naysayers that you can be beautiful AND smart Well done!Richard Johnson of the New York Post: Melania Trump is proving to the fashion designers who said they wouldn t help her that dressing well is the best revenge.The first lady s trip to Saudi Arabia, the Vatican, Belgium and Sicily wearing mostly Dolce & Gabbana was a fashion tour de force that has forced many naysayers in the rag trade to rethink.The list of designers who said they wouldn t dress Melania is long, led by Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Christian Siriano and Sophie Theallet.But Melania has managed to look smashing in dozens of different ensembles, from her white Ralph Lauren jumpsuit on election night to the D&G 3-D floral coat she wore in Sicily on Friday.Defending the former model against critics who harped on the garment s $51,500 cost, the Washington Post s Robin Givhan opined, Frankly, the floral coat is beautiful. Givhan gets that Melania Trump is one smart woman who coordinated her fashion according to the place she was visiting:Givhan reported: Clothes can be deeply symbolic. And Trump s choice of Dolce & Gabbana an Italian brand that has been deeply inspired by Sicilian culture for a trip to Sicily makes sense. Gabbana also has been quite vocal and enthusiastic in his willingness to associate his brand with the first lady There is a softening, a melting, stylist Phillip Bloch told me. Fashion people are fickle and fake. They are starting to see she is a beautiful woman who is married to the president, and it is an honor to dress her. Deliveries to Trump Tower have picked up. Most days, the lobby is brimming with wardrobe boxes delivered for Melania, a source told me. Once she tries on the outfits and decides what she will keep, the boxes come back downstairs. Not since Jacqueline Kennedy has there been a first lady who needs less help. She doesn t need couture. She can buy off the rack, and it looks beautiful, Bloch said. She knows her size, and she knows what works on her. She luxuriates in minimal. Read more NYP | 0 |
GENEVA (Reuters) - Nearly 340,000 Rohingya children are living in squalid conditions in Bangladesh camps where they lack enough food, clean water and health care, the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday. Up to 12,000 more children join them every week, fleeing violence or hunger in Myanmar, often still traumatized by atrocities they witnessed, it said in a report Outcast and Desperate . In all, almost 600,000 Rohingya refugees have left northern Rakhine state since Aug. 25 when the U.N. says the Myanmar army began a campaign of ethnic cleansing following insurgent attacks. This isn t going to be a short-term, it isn t going to end anytime soon, Simon Ingram, the report s author and a UNICEF official, told a news briefing. So it is absolutely critical that the borders remain open and that protection for children is given and equally that children born in Bangladesh have their birth registered. Most Rohingya are stateless in Myanmar and many fled without papers, he said, adding of the newborns in Bangladesh: Without an identity they have no chance of ever assimilating into any society effectively. Safe drinking water and toilets are in desperately short supply in the chaotic, teeming camps and settlements, Ingram said after spending two weeks in Cox s Bazar, Bangladesh. In a sense it s no surprise that they must truly see this place as a hell on earth, he said. One in five Rohingya children under the age of five is estimated to be acutely malnourished, requiring medical attention, he said. There is a very, very severe risk of outbreaks of water-borne diseases, diarrhea and quite conceivably cholera in the longer-term, he added. UNICEF is providing clean water and toilets, and has helped vaccinate children against measles and cholera, which can be deadly, he said. The agency is seeking $76 million under a $434 million U.N. appeal for Rohingya refugees for six months, but is only 7 percent funded, he said, speaking ahead of a pledging conference in Geneva on Monday. U.N. agencies are still demanding access to northern Rakhine, where an unknown number of Rohingya remain despite U.N. reports that many villages and food stocks have been burned. We repeat the call for the need for protection of all children in Rakhine state, this is an absolute fundamental requirement. The atrocities against children and civilians must end, Ingram said. We just must keep putting it on the record, we cannot keep silent. | 1 |
Besides contributing at @TheDailyWTF, I write DevDisasters for Visual Studio Magazine, and involved in various side projects including child rearing and marriage.
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Andrew C. writes, "Sherman's pretty spry for an 88-year-old!"
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This video of conservative comedian Steven Crowder should be an example for every conservative in America on how to handle the well-trained Left! It should be used in training sessions for conservatives about how to fight back against the LOUD, OBNOXIOUS liberals who have been allowed to shame and disgrace conservatives into adopting their positions for way too long! If you re tired of sitting back and allowing the Left to disrupt every conservative event or rally in America by shaming you or threatening your physical well-being, you are going love this video! Comedian Steven Crowder mercilessly tore into so-called social justice warriors when they disrupted his opening remarks within seconds of him taking the stage.Here is the video showing the LOUD and OBNOXIOUS protesters who Steven Crowder was addressing:Crowder was scheduled to tell some jokes and discuss free speech at the University of Massachusetts on Monday night alongside other speakers, including conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos and former philosophy professor Christina Marie Hoff Sommers. However, the comedian quickly ditched his prepared material to give his vocal critics a reality check. Do you have any idea, sir, how pathetic it must be to be you? These people wanted to hear a few jokes, some thoughtful discussion, but your head pops off the pillow in the morning with, How can I be a professional victim today? Let me go in and screw with their act just because, oh my god, your parents didn t tell you that your opinion wasn t worth that much, Crowder said.For emphasis, he added, I m not your gender studies professor who has to cater to your trigger warning, microagression, safe space bulls**t! It wasn t long before Crowder was apparently accused of being a racist. Oh, I m a racist that s a new one. Where d you learn that, in social human studies 101? the comedian asked mockingly.But the bigger issue, Crowder explained, is that the left is now openly against free speech and the open debate of ideas. You re not fighting for free speech, you re not fighting for rights you re fighting for the right to be a p***y and not hear opinions that you don t like, he said. Alright, I m done, he concluded. Via: The Blaze | 0 |
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany s Social Democrats (SPD) voted on Thursday to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel s conservatives on forming a government after their leader made an impassioned plea for a free hand to work for a social United States of Europe . The vote clears the way for talks that could resolve the impasse into which Europe s economic powerhouse was plunged after Merkel and the SPD shed support in a September election, greatly complicating the parliamentary arithmetic. Martin Schulz urged reluctant center-left SPD members to be open to Merkel s overtures to renew the coalition that has governed for the past four years, saying the party had a responsibility to revive social democracy in Germany. A new grand coalition with the reluctant SPD is Merkel s best hope of extending her 12 years in power after talks with two smaller parties failed, giving the smaller SPD greater leverage in any negotiations. The question isn t grand coalition or no grand coalition, he said in a speech to his party s biennial congress, Nor minority government or fresh elections. No - it s about how we exercise our responsibility, including to the next generation. Schulz said the party would only recover if it could offer a clear vision of a Germany and a Europe that worked for their citizens, calling for deeper European integration and a United States of Europe by 2025. Europe does not always work for its people, rather too often for the big companies, he said, outlining a populist vision that goes well beyond Merkel s own openness to limited structural reforms and bureaucratic streamlining. Talks between the two parties are expected to begin in earnest in the new year. A special congress will have to be convened at which party members will vote on whether to support a final agreement, which could fall short of a formal coalition, and could include tolerating a minority government. Stephan Weil, the influential premier of the state of Lower Saxony, said the SPD would want to see its policies reflected in return for supporting any government. I think the majority of the delegates see themselves as a European party and they expect that Germany becomes a driving force in Europe again, he said of Schulz s proposals regarding the European Union. Schulz s proposals were received more cautiously by Merkel. The (EU s) ability to act should be at the forefront now, she said at a Berlin press conference. So I will concentrate on more cooperation in defense by 2025 and on other issues, including employment and innovation. Outside the congress hall, SPD youth activists, many of whom want the party to chart a distinctive course after spending eight of the past 12 years in centrist coalitions, handed out red cards reading No Grand Coalition . Merkel leads this country without direction, said one speaker addressing the conference. She has no plan for Europe, she leads the country from week to week. We need a strong social democracy in this country. Schulz, who initially said his party should go into opposition after being punished for participating in the previous grand coalition under Merkel, apologized for his party s disastrous electoral result. Schulz attacked European moves to support big banks while doing little to counter high youth unemployment. When states can t balance their budgets they face draconian sanctions from Brussels. If we can mobilize billions for bank rescues but have to fight for paltry sums to support jobs for young people, then this is definitely not my Europe. He struck a tone that was more critical of big companies than French President Emmanuel Macron, who is pushing for deeper euro zone integration and pro-business reforms under a euro zone finance minister. He took aim at U.S. technology firms Apple, Facebook and Google, saying a strong Europe was needed to make them stick to the rules and protect the rights of workers in a changing economy. We don t want an app-directed service society but we want digitalization to lead to more individual freedom, he said to applause, calling for steps to protect the digital economy s self-employed from becoming self-exploiters . On the issue of immigration, one of the main reasons for the collapse of Merkel s first attempt at a coalition, the SPD opposes a conservative plan to extend a ban on the right to family reunions for some accepted asylum seekers. There can be no upper limit to the right to protection from war and persecution, Schulz told delegates, rejecting conservative demands for a ceiling of 200,000 immigrants a year. | 1 |
BOSTON (Reuters) - Democratic White House candidate Hillary Clinton is leading among likely voters aged 18 to 29, according to a Harvard University opinion poll released on Wednesday. The former U.S. secretary of state had the support of 49 percent of likely voters, ahead of Republican rival Donald Trump’s 28 percent support, a substantially wider lead than Democratic President Barack Obama had over Republican former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at the same point in 2012. National polls of voters of all ages also show Clinton leading, though by a substantially narrower margin. Some 14 percent of respondents said they planned to vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson, with 5 percent supporting the Green Party’s Jill Stein and 11 percent still undecided. More than one in three self-described Johnson voters said they were likely to change their minds before Election Day. A majority of respondents, 51 percent, described themselves as “fearful” about the future of America, with just 14 percent of the 2,150 respondents saying they believed the country was headed in the right direction. The sense of fearfulness was most predominant among white respondents, though 85 of black respondents said they believed they were “under attack” in modern American society. Some 62 percent of respondents said they believed race relations in the United States would worsen if Trump was elected president. Twenty-two percent thought race relations would deteriorate if Clinton won the Nov. 8 election, with the plurality, 36 percent predicting they would stay the same. The survey, conducted Oct. 7-17 has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, meaning results could vary that much either way. | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will be presented with multiple options regarding the future of the Iran nuclear deal ahead of an Oct. 15 deadline to certify whether Tehran is complying with the pact, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday. Tillerson did not disclose details about the kinds of options he will present to Trump. He also declined to directly answer a question about whether he shared Defense Secretary Jim Mattis assessment to Congress on Tuesday that Iran was fundamentally in compliance with the accord. We ll have a recommendation for the president. We re going to give him a couple of options of how to move forward to advance the important policy toward Iran, Tillerson told reporters at the State Department. A collapse of the 2015 deal, which Trump has called an embarrassment, but which is supported by the other major powers that negotiated it with Iran, could trigger a regional arms race and stoke Middle East tensions. A senior U.S. official said last month that Trump was leaning toward not certifying that Iran is complying with the pact. Trump himself has said he already had made up his mind whether to keep the pact, but has declined to disclose his decision. If Trump declines to certify Iran s compliance, U.S. congressional leaders would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the accord. Unlike Mattis, who publicly suggested Trump should consider sticking with the agreement, Tillerson has been highly critical of the accord and said it must be changed. He has taken aim at the deal s so-called sunset clauses, under which some of the restrictions on Iran s nuclear program expire over time. Tillerson on Wednesday suggested that whatever path the United States chooses on the nuclear accord known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it would only represent one component of America s broader policy toward Iran. The JCPOA represents only a small part of the many issues that we need to deal with when it comes to the Iranian relationship, he said. So it is an important part of that, but is not the only part. And I ve said many times, we cannot let the Iranian relationship be defined solely by that nuclear agreement. | 0 |
Yes, this will happen! America needs a wall at our southern border and the House just passed a spending measure that funds a portion of Trump s wall!The House passed a spending measure Thursday that includes funding for a portion of President Donald Trump s border wall with a vote largely along party lines.The funding was included as a part of a minibus, which packaged together four appropriations bills aimed at funding the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy, water projects and the legislative branch. The lower chamber opted to group the must-pass appropriations measures together due to leadership s lack of votes to pass an all-encompassing omnibus.Building the structure has been a top priority for the president, who placed a strong emphasis on the proposal during the course of the campaign.Democrats have met the border wall proposal with strong opposition, feeling that the project will be expensive and ineffective.Read more: Daily Caller | 1 |
Killing Obama administration rules, dismantling Obamacare and pushing through tax reform are on the early to-do list. | 1 |
(Reuters) - A former lawmaker filed a petition at Kenya s Supreme Court on Monday challenging the results of last month s presidential election, a Reuters witness said, opening the door to potential legal challenges to President Uhuru Kenyatta s re-election. The petition, filed by former legislator Harun Mwau, seeks to overturn Kenyatta s victory in the Oct. 26 election, which was held after the Supreme Court nullified Kenyatta s win in an Aug. 8 presidential election on procedural grounds. The grounds for Mwau s petition were not immediately clear since his lawyer did not answer questions. | 0 |
The only people who think all Jewish people are rich and shrewd with money are anti-Semitic racists, so therefore it should come as no surprise that this is yet another group of bigots that presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would try to appeal to in his attacks on Hillary Clinton. No, Hillary Clinton is not Jewish, but that didn t stop The Donald. You see, he is jealous because when it comes to fundraising, Hillary Clinton is winning. While she has raised roughly $68.5 million in funds during June, while Trump s campaign is broke.Instead of raising money or staying quiet on the issue, Trump, in his own unique brand of childish, racist buffoonery, Trump tweeted out a Crooked Hillary image that included a Star of David and a pile of money. Here is a screen capture:Now, what Trump was doing with this tweet was not lost on the great people of Twitter. This is clearly anti-Semitic, and it doesn t help that Trump has repeatedly courted white supremacists and other racists hell, neo-nazis have pledged to support him and his fans at the GOP convention itself. The richly deserved twitter treatment was definitely swift:Just saw #DonaldTrump's Star of David tweet. I'm impressed by his ability to find a way to insult literally every kind of human being. Cole Haddon (@colehaddon) July 2, 2016Square: no funRectangle: mehTriangle: Words won't fitStar of David: Great. Now where are my jackboots? https://t.co/ywXC8d8cj6 Sch ltz (@schultzenfreude) July 2, 2016A Star of David over a pile of money, Mr. Trump? THIS is textbook anti-Semitic imagery. #louderthanadogwhistle https://t.co/XXZ5MtfSde Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 2, 2016Star of David is a totally classy touch and doesn't at all reek of baffling Jew-baiting. https://t.co/DILR6DpHZ4 Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) July 2, 2016maybe the star of david on trump's tweet is code for "SOMEONE HELP ME, I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO GO THIS LONG, HOW DO I GET OUT???" Lady Murderface (@itsa_talia) July 2, 2016Hi, @realDonaldTrump graphics team. Can you please explain your choice of a Star of David over money and 'corrupt'? pic.twitter.com/gvexX4S4QQ Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 2, 2016And there is yet more evidence that Trump is grossly unqualified to be president, if only for his incredibly racist ways alone, not to mention all the rest.Good on you, Twitter, for calling him out.Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images | 0 |
LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday he saw no reason to cancel Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain after the U.S. president criticized Mayor Sadiq Khan’s response to the London Bridge killings. Prime Minister Theresa May called Trump’s comments “wrong.” Trump has lambasted Khan on Twitter, accusing him of making a “pathetic excuse,” for saying Londoners should not be alarmed by the sight of additional police on the streets of the British capital after Saturday’s attack that killed seven people. “The invitation has been issued and accepted and I see no reason to change that, but as far as what Sadiq Khan has said about the reassurances he’s offered the people of London, I think he was entirely right to speak in the way he did,” Johnson said in a BBC radio interview when asked whether Trump’s state visit should be canceled. No date has been set for the visit, which was agreed during May’s visit to Washington in January and seen as a sign of her desire to maintain good ties with Britain’s traditional close ally as Trump began his presidency. The Conservative prime minister has said Khan is doing a good job, echoing public sentiment across London. On Tuesday, May told a political rally in response to a question about Trump’s tweets, “I think Donald Trump was wrong in the things that he has said about Sadiq Khan.” Trump and Khan, the son of Pakistani immigrants and the first Muslim elected as London’s mayor, have been at odds since Khan denounced as “ignorant” Trump’s campaign pledge to impose a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered temporary travel restrictions on people from several Muslim-majority countries, although the ban is currently held up by federal courts. Asked on Tuesday about the London visit, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said only that Trump intended to go and that “he appreciates her majesty’s gracious invitation.” Asked on Monday evening if he would like Trump’s visit to be called off, Khan, a member of Britain’s opposition Labour party, said his position remained the same. “I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” Khan told Channel 4 News. Tim Farron, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, also has urged May to cancel the visit, saying Trump was insulting Britain’s values “at a time of introspection and mourning.” Former Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, defeated by Trump last November, praised Khan’s performance in dealing with the attacks. Speaking at a fundraising event on Monday, she did not name Trump but said it was “not the time to lash out, to incite fear and use trash talk and terror for political gain,” the Washington Examiner reported. Deputy White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Monday that she did not think it was correct to characterize Trump’s tweets as “picking a fight” with Khan. Asked if Trump was attacking the mayor because he is Muslim, Sanders replied: “Not at all. And I think to suggest something like that is utterly ridiculous.” Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., defended his father. “Every time he puts something out there he gets criticized by the media. All day, every day,” Trump Jr. said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” broadcast on Tuesday. “And guess what, he’s been proven right about it, every time. We keep saying, ‘It’s going to be great’ and ‘Hold fast,’ ‘We’re going to keep calm and carry on.’ Maybe we have to keep calm and actually do something,” he said. He was referring to a World War Two-era slogan of resilience, to “keep calm and carry on”, that Britons have echoed following the London attack. British author J.K. Rowling said on Tuesday that if a state visit did go ahead, Trump’s tweets related to the attack should be enlarged and shown wherever he goes. “I’d rather he didn’t come, but if he does, I’d like his vile Tweets juxtaposed against whatever he’s been coaxed to read off an autocue,” Rowling, celebrated for her Harry Potter books and a frequent critic of Trump, wrote on Twitter. | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The failure by President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans to dismantle Obamacare has infuriated the party’s conservative flank and is intensifying intra-party warfare ahead of the 2018 U.S. congressional elections. Donors and activists upset by the collapse of the latest Senate healthcare bill said it hardened their determination to back conservative candidates in next year’s elections, even if that means ousting Republican incumbents. “I am fed up. I’m beyond frustrated,” said Mica Mosbacher, a Houston-based Republican fundraiser, who added she was “extremely disappointed in Ted Cruz,” a Republican U.S. senator from Texas who had threatened to oppose the latest healthcare bill because he wanted to see changes. Texas is scheduled to hold the first nominating primary of the midterm elections in March 2018. Trump vowed during the 2016 election campaign to scrap the 2010 Affordable Care Act, former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, which Republicans see as a costly government overreach. Democrats say it has extended health insurance to millions. The latest bill to overturn Obamacare failed on Tuesday after three Senate Republicans, including moderate Susan Collins and conservative Rand Paul, said they could not support it. Republicans narrowly control the chamber by 52-48. In November 2018, all 435 seats of the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate will be up for election. In the Senate, that includes 23 Democrats and eight Republicans, with several in both parties in fights expected to be competitive. If a large number of Republicans are forced to defend their seats against challengers from their own party in primary fights, Democrats will seek to exploit weakened candidates in the general election in their effort to wrest control of the House and Senate from Republicans. A shift of either chamber into Democratic hands would make it even more difficult for Trump to pass his agenda of tax reform, toughening immigration laws and rolling back Obamacare. Republicans have not delivered a significant legislative win on any topic since Trump took office in January. Mosbacher said she was “leaning toward supporting” Cruz’s primary opponent, Stefano de Stefano, even though she served as fundraiser for the incumbent’s 2012 campaign. Whoever prevails in that fight would likely face Beto O’Rourke, a well-funded Democrat, in the general election. Texas last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1988. The conservative group Club For Growth has already begun interviewing Republican primary challengers it will consider backing next year. “We’ll continue to push for full repeal of Obamacare, and we’re disappointed Republicans have been unable to deliver on their seven-year promise,” said Rachael Slobodien, a spokeswoman for Club for Growth. Club for Growth is not alone in its frustration over the defeat of the Obamacare repeal effort. David Bozell, president of ForAmerica, a conservative grassroots organization, said incumbents who failed to line up solidly behind repeal had “shown some true colors” and in doing so, were inviting primary fights for their party’s nomination. Republican Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and Dean Heller of Nevada are top targets for conservative groups. Conservative Kelli Ward has already announced her candidacy challenging Flake, and is seeking to amass support as a more conservative option. Dave Tamasi, a Republican lobbyist and fundraiser, said he thought it was too soon to know if the healthcare failure would hurt Republicans. “Opponents may try to use today or the failure to pass a repeal of the Affordable Care Act to give their candidacy a little bit of a push. The question is can that fuel today sustain itself over the long term of an election cycle,” he said. So far, Trump has been hedging his bets on the Republican primaries. But many of his allies are already backing conservative primary challengers. Trump has blasted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over Congress’ inaction. Such criticisms could help turn next year’s elections into a referendum on congressional incumbents, rather than on the president himself. “I think we are entering an era of more primary challenges in general, The disappointment by activists over the inability for Republicans to repeal Obamacare only adds fuel to this fire,” said Craig Robinson, former political director of the Iowa Republican Party. | 1 |
The conservative media, quite literally having nothing better to do, decided rock bottom wasn t deep enough and dug a little deeper. What they found was that President Obama will be moving to a house that s vaguely near an Islamic Center. Surely this changes everything!With Obama s time in office coming to a close, the family announced that they would be staying in Washington D.C. after they left the White House so that Sasha and Malia could finish school there. The house they chose is one befitting a former president and was once owned by a senior adviser to Bill Clinton.The move will put the Obamas in one of Washington s wealthiest ZIP codes, in a secluded precinct backing up to Rock Creek Park that is home to diplomats and a focal point of the capital s cocktail-party circuit. The home itself is luxurious; photographs posted by Washington Fine Properties, which listed it when it sold in 2014, show spacious rooms with hardwood floors, white marble countertops, his-and-her master bathrooms and a terrace with formal gardens.Conservatives, naturally, promptly lost their minds. The Obamas, they reasoned, should not be allowed to live in a nice house. I ll leave the reasons why this particular First Family can t live in a nice house or, say, eat in a fancy restaurant up to your imagination.But the crack team of conservative airheads over at Tucker Carlson s The Daily Caller took another approach: A quick Google Maps search found that the Obamas new home is wait for it sort of near an Islamic Center.Here s how the Daily Caller s Eric Owens framed it:The mammoth, multi-million-dollar mansion where President Barack Obama and his family will reportedly live after the first family exits the White House is located 1,096 feet from the Islamic Center of Washington one of the largest mosques in the Western Hemisphere.What follows is hundreds of words devoted to painfully describing every detail about the Islamic Center and its function. (Hint: Muslims do Islam in there, if you can believe it.) Hilariously, Owens also notes that the embassy of Oman and the former embassy of Iran are close to Obama s new mansion. This presumably means something.It s hard to fathom that we are approaching President Obama s final months in office and the right-wing movement has yet to let the Obama is a secret Muslim conspiracy go. A quick scroll through The Daily Caller s comment section cesspool finds that a strong majority of readers truly believe this to be the case.If you re curious as to why places like The Daily Caller are obsessing over Obama s proximity to Islamic Centers and the number of bathrooms in his new house, it just might have to do with the fact that President Obama is riding a wave of popularity. Having used his second term to nail one legacy affirming accomplishment after another, Obama currently enjoys a favorability rating that is higher than Reagan s and a strong wind at his back as he closes out a presidency that people like Tucker Carlson and Eric Owens insisted would be a country-destroying disaster.But let s ignore all that because a thousand feet away from Obama s new house is an Islamic Center. Good grief.Featured image via The Wire | 1 |
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch citizen will go on trial in the Netherlands next Monday on charges he committed war crimes in Ethiopia in the 1970s. The 63-year-old Dutchman, who was born in Ethiopia, is accused of the incarceration, torture and murder of opponents of former Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in the late 70s. As Mengistu s representative in the Ethiopian province of Gojjam, the man is accused of ordering the killing of 75 young prisoners in 1978 and of being responsible for the incarceration and inhumane treatment of more than 200 people. An Ethiopian court has sentenced the man to death, in absentia, for his role in what was called the red terror , which the communist military junta of Mengistu conducted after the ouster of the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, in 1974. The Ethiopian sentence can t be carried out in the Netherlands, making a new trial the best option to hold the man to account, the Dutch national prosecutor s office said on Tuesday. The trial in The Hague is based on an investigation by the International Crimes Team of the Dutch national police. It contains the statements of several Ethiopian witnesses, some of whom will be present at the trial, the prosecutor s office said. The accused has been held in provisional custody in the Netherlands since 2015. Mengistu was found guilty in absentia of genocide in 2007, after he and top members of his military government were accused of killing thousands during his 17-year rule. Mengistu was ousted in 1991 and fled to Zimbabwe, where he still lives. | 0 |
You may remember the story of a New Jersey high school that came under fire after President Trump s campaign logo and slogan were digitally removed from two students yearbook photos and another student s quote from the president was also excluded.The students complained about Wall Township High School s censorship, which led to an outpouring of support including from the president himself and the eventual suspension of the school s yearbook club adviser.200 copies of the yearbook were reissued with the photos and quote intact, at a cost of $10,000.Now, it s been revealed that the father of one of the students footed a majority of the bill for the reprint.Joseph Berardo, father of Grant Berardo, donated $5,279 out of his own pocket.Another $3,000 was given by Lors Photography, which was hired by the school district to take yearbook photos.Jostens, the yearbook publisher, will issue a credit to the district for any further costs.Berardo said he put money toward the reprint because he felt it was the right thing to do. I didn t want there to be some other program that didn t get funded because of this, he said. They responded appropriately and corrected it. Supporting the kids of Wall Township seemed like the right thing to do. Read more: Asbury Park Press | 0 |
Christians have long lobbied for the ability to peddle their religion in the public square. This includes public schools, despite the fact that this is patently illegal, per the Constitution. However, all of that changed when, in 2001, when they had the Supreme Court on their side, and were able to have Good News Clubs and the like open the door to proselytizing to impressionable school children.Well, that victory is coming to bite these idiots in the ass, because if they allow one religion access, they must allow all. Now, the worst nightmare of right-wing Christians everywhere is coming true. Those wonderful rabble-rousers at the Satanic Temple are at it again, and this time they are offering After School Satan Clubs to elementary school children, and they might be in schools in some U.S. states as early as the coming school year.Now, of course, the Satanic Temple members don t worship any devil. They don t even believe in any devil. That won t matter to right-wing Christians, though. They ll be screaming about the End Times and railing against this as soon as their tiny little minds stop spinning. It is also important to note that this move is not, in any way, about pushing Satanism or atheism or anything else. It s about reminding people that the law applies to everyone. If Christians can peddle religion in schools, then so can Satanists and everyone else. Even Mat Staver of the infamously hateful Liberty Counsel, couldn t find any legal way to keep the Satanists out. He said of the clubs, when asked: I would definitely oppose after -school Satanic clubs, but they have a First Amendment right to meet. I suspect, in this particular case, I can t imagine there s going to be a lot of students participating in this. It s probably dust they re kicking up and is likely to fade away in the near future for lack of interest. Dust kicking or not, this is important. It s long overdue for other religious and non-religious groups to be on equal social footing with Christianity. The way to do that is to make some noise, tell the world, hey, we re here. Not everyone believes like you, and we have right, too.Here is a video on the club:What the Satanic Temple is doing is wonderful and necessary. And the kids will have fun, too. There will be art projects and science sessions and all sorts of educational things. However, they definitely need help to get the materials to pull this off, so, if you are so inclined and able, head here to donate.Featured image via Josh Reynolds for The Washington Post via Getty Images | 1 |
It s disgusting enough that Donald Trump jumped to serial womanizer and harsser Roger Ailes defense in the wake of a growing sexual harassment scandal at Fox News. When asked how he d respond if his daughter, Ivanka, was being harassed the way that Ailes harassed many women, his answer was positively vile.Kirsten Powers, a Fox News contributor and USA Today columnist, pointedly asked Trump that very question. His reply? I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case. Because it should always be incumbent upon the woman to handle the situation quietly, instead of her harasser s responsibility to, oh, we don t know, maybe not harass women. Novel idea, yes? Trump literally just said he wouldn t want his daughter to report it, to complain, to fight for herself, or to out her harasser. From there, given his defense of Ailes and his own proclivity towards womanizing and harassment, we can assume that he expects her to work to avoid ruining her harasser s career and life at all costs.Just over a week ago, Trump told NBC s Chuck Todd the following: Some of the women that are complaining, I know how much he s helped them Now, all of a sudden, they re saying these horrible things about him. Piling on a bandwagon, in his opinion? Perhaps. Maybe he thinks they re jaded because Ailes passed them over for promotion, or worse, because Ailes didn t hit on them, but hit on other women in front of them and they were jealous. The mind of a misogynist can create all kinds of theories as to why women would dare ruin a career as obviously stellar as that of Roger Ailes.Most women can t just up and quit their jobs because they re being harassed. Even if they all could, they should absolutely not be expected to. Why? Because the harassment is not their fault, and it should be on their harasser to go find a new damn job. It s the harasser who was wrong.Ivanka stands by her father in his bid for the presidency, and he should not be telling her to tuck tail and run in the face of harassment, as if the harassment is her fault. That is victim-blaming at its absolute worst. He s a horrifically sick bastard for that.Featured image by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images | 1 |
More and more traditional Republicans are coming out against the inevitable presidential candidacy of the trainwreck that is Donald Trump. The latest is Ben Stowe, of the ultra-conservative blog Red State. Stowe appeared on CNN s Reliable Sources, and host Ben Stelter asked him about Trump specifically about the Hillary you know and the Trump you don t know. Stowe didn t mince words on Trump, though. He said of the reality star and business mogul turned clown car politician: No, I think I know exactly who I m getting. I think I m getting a sociopathic maniac. And not only do I feel like that s who I m getting, I think that if Donald Trump was president we have four years of him defining conservatism. Stowe seems to be worried about Trump s redefining of what it means to be an American conservative, and about Trump s clear and inevitable destruction of the Republican Party as we know it. He referenced the other idiot GOPers who are clearly on the wrong side of history when it comes to cultural differences regarding social issues, and continued to express worry regarding Trump s outrageous and destructive positions. He continued: It s been bad enough with some of the people we ve had define conservatism over the last several years. To have Donald Trump be our standard bearer I think would be so destructive, I don t know if we can recover. This is going to be a third party situation if we can t get him to lose the election. The thing is, though, there are some conservatives who are falling in lockstep with support of Trump, including Fox News, who Ted Cruz referred to as the Donald Trump network. Howe isn t drinking the Trump Kool-Aid though, and warned his GOP compatriots: I think it s a matter of, he creates ratings. I want to address this idea that we were all missing in action when Obamacare came around, when the stimulus came around, he said refuting that the right didn t attack the President enough. I was out there marching with the Tea Party in 2009 the fact that I m now coming out against Donald Trump is actually very consistent. I m against liberalism in the destruction of conservatism and that s what Trump represents. Well, Ben Howe might be a hardcore right winger, but even he understands how dangerous Trump is for both his party and this country.Congratulations GOP, and thanks for the comedic material. Your party is literally imploding before our very eyes.Watch the exchange below, via Raw Story:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany s deputy foreign minister said on Monday that developments in Catalonia were worrying and separatism was not the answer after a violence-marred independence vote was held in the northeastern Spanish region on Sunday. Separatism doesn t solve any problems, said German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth. All EU members should respect and strictly adhere to the principles and rules of the rule of law and democracy. Roth also said political conflicts in the European Union should be solved via dialogue rather than with violence on the streets. Both sides need to say they are prepared to do this, he said after a violent police crackdown on the independence vote. A German government spokesman on Monday denied Spanish media reports that Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had spoken to Chancellor Angela Merkel by telephone on Sunday. | 0 |
A worker on the 10th floor of a Miami Beach hotel was confronted by a Saudi Arabian woman Monday morning who begged for help after saying she had been beaten by her husband, police said.When police arrived they said they found a traumatized family with children who had bruises on their faces from being slapped and a woman who had been whipped, handcuffed and who had scalding water poured on her. Victim stated that her husband had beaten her with a whip in the hotel room over the course of the past several days, Miami Beach police officer Glenn Teboe wrote in Alhorir s arrest affidavit.Police said besides a leather whip they also found tie wraps they believe were used as handcuffs in the hotel room.According to police, it was just after 10 a.m. Monday when Monte Carlo Hotel worker Victor Perez was confronted by Alhorir s wife who hasn t been named outside of Room 1010 at the hotel at 6551 Collins Ave.She was covered with bruises, police said and her husband tried to coax her back into the room. Perez managed to get her to the lobby before police arrived. When they did, her husband arrived downstairs with their two daughters.Alhorir told police that his wife woke up with marks on her body and blamed him. His wife eventually handed police pictures of their daughters at Walt Disney World a few days before her husband s arrest. Police said they had bruises on their faces.Abdullah Alhorir, 34, was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment. He was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His bond was set at $6,500. Miami Herald | 0 |
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday plans to introduce legislation seeking to address vulnerabilities in computing devices embedded in everyday objects - known in the tech industry as the “internet of things” - which experts have long warned poses a threat to global cyber security. The new bill would require vendors that provide internet-connected equipment to the U.S. government to ensure their products are patchable and conform to industry security standards. It would also prohibit vendors from supplying devices that have unchangeable passwords or possess known security vulnerabilities. Republicans Cory Gardner and Steve Daines and Democrats Mark Warner and Ron Wyden are sponsoring the legislation, which was drafted with input from technology experts at the Atlantic Council and Harvard University. A Senate aide who helped write the bill said that companion legislation in the House was expected soon. “We’re trying to take the lightest touch possible,” Warner told Reuters in an interview. He added that the legislation was intended to remedy an “obvious market failure” that has left device manufacturers with little incentive to build with security in mind. The legislation would allow federal agencies to ask the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for permission to buy some non-compliant devices if other controls, such as network segmentation, are in place. It would also expand legal protections for cyber researchers working in “good faith” to hack equipment to find vulnerabilities so manufacturers can patch previously unknown flaws. Security researchers have long said that the ballooning array of online devices including cars, household appliances, speakers and medical equipment are not adequately protected from hackers who might attempt to steal personal information or launch sophisticated cyber attacks. Between 20 billion and 30 billion devices are expected to be connected to the internet by 2020, researchers estimate, with a large percentage of them insecure. Though security for the internet of things has been a known problem for years, some manufacturers say they are not well equipped to produce cyber secure devices. Hundreds of thousands of insecure webcams, digital records and other everyday devices were hijacked last October to support a major attack on internet infrastructure that temporarily knocked some web services offline, including Twitter, PayPal and Spotify. The new legislation includes “reasonable security recommendations” that would be important to improve protection of federal government networks, said Ray O’Farrell, chief technology officer at cloud computing firm VMware. | 1 |
Fearing Election Day Trouble, Some US Schools Cancel Classes Newsmax, October 26, 2016
Rigged elections. Vigilante observers. Angry voters. The claims, threats and passions surrounding the presidential race have led communities around the U.S. to move polling places out of schools or cancel classes on Election Day.
The fear is that the ugly rhetoric of the campaign could escalate into confrontations and even violence in school hallways, endangering students.
“If anybody can sit there and say they don’t think this is a contentious election, then they aren’t paying much attention,” said Ed Tolan, police chief in Falmouth, Maine, which decided to call off classes on Election Day and put additional officers on duty Nov. 8.
{snip}
Schools are popular polling places because they have plenty of parking and are usually centrally located. It’s difficult to say how many school-based polling places have been moved this year, given how decentralized the voting process is across the country.
But state and local officials say voting has been removed or classes have been canceled on Election Day at schools in Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and elsewhere.
“There is a concern, just like at a concert, sporting event or other public gathering, that we didn’t have 15 or 20 years ago. What if someone walks in a polling location with a backpack bomb or something?” said Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, co-chairman of the National Association of Secretaries of State election committee. “If that happens at a school, then that’s certainly concerning.”
{snip}
Easton Superintendent John Reinhart wanted to get voting out of schools altogether but was rebuffed by county election officials. So the school board canceled classes on Election Day.
“If you take the personalities away and cast the emotion with the election aside, one has to ask the question: ‘Are our schools the best places for that activity to take place?'” he said. “I just think we’ve reached the point where we need to look at other locations.”
{snip} | 0 |
Joey Gibson of the group Patriot Prayer had planned to hold a peaceful rally with a diverse array of speakers, but ultimately opposition from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, other San Francisco Democrats and the Antifa movement proved too much. Mr. Gibson cancelled the Freedom Rally before it was scheduled to begin Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco, saying he feared it would erupt into a huge riot fueled by radical activists from antifa and By Any Means Necessary. It was the best thing to do for the city because the way it was set up is that a lot of innocent people were going to get hurt, Mr. Gibson said during a press conference on Facebook Live. That s a fact. A bunch of supporters, a bunch of antifa communists, normal liberals would have all been mixed together. It would have been a huge riot, and it would have been a disaster. A separate right-of-center event slated for Sunday in Berkeley called No to Marxism in America also was cancelled by organizers over fears of violence.San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee had urged residents instead to attend a rally at Civic Center Plaza, and thousands did, holding a unite against hate march while carrying anti-Trump signs and an enormous rainbow banner that said, Rise and Resist! Ms. Pelosi had called on the National Park Service to reconsider Patriot Prayer s permit, describing the event as a white supremacist rally. Reason has prevailed because the people of San Francisco have demonstrated our determination to protect the freedom of peaceful expression as well as public safety, Ms. Pelosi said Saturday in a statement to the Mercury News.But Mr. Gibson accused San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Ms. Pelosi of stoking unrest by labeling the event as a white supremacy fest, even though most of the scheduled speakers were not white and Mr. Gibson himself is half-Asian. To call us white supremacists made San Francisco way more dangerous, Mr. Gibson said. Washington Times | 1 |
The dead man waited on a gurney. His corpulent frame, after days of decomposing, had turned the mottled green of a ripe watermelon. He had been found alone in bed in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by an avalanche of discarded bottles and trash. Now Dr. Jacqueline Nunez was by his side. As a medical examiner training in New York City, she had the job of finding out what had happened to him. It would not be quick or easy, not like television crime shows in which deaths are neatly wrapped up in under an hour. The job requires examiners to break apart bodies: hard physical work. too. Dr. Nunez would be on her feet for hours, splattered by blood and other body fluids, at times breathing an unimaginable stench. She could spend weeks, or even months, piecing together clues that might never add up. Standing on top of a metal stool, Dr. Nunez cut into the torso. A thick greenish fluid oozed out. She grabbed an ladle to scoop out more of it. Then she stuck both hands into the body to feel around for the liver. She came up empty, her gloves dripping. “Oh, what a mess,” she said. “I’m not sure what’s going on. This is the worst I’ve ever seen. ” It got messier. Dr. Nunez cracked open the chest with clippers to remove the heart and the lungs. She cut out the intestines. Then, as a whirring electric saw was used to open the skull, Dr. Nunez reached in to lift out the brain. When she was finished, she cleaned up. Then she started on her next patient. DR. NUNEZ is part of a New York City fellowship program that has become one of the country’s most renowned training grounds for medical examiners. The Forensic Pathology Fellows Program has helped resurrect a agency, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, which as recently as the 1980s was widely accused of incompetent management and bias toward the police. The estimated 500 forensic pathologists working nationwide are roughly half the number needed, according to the National Association of Medical Examiners. “Everyone who passes the medical examiner’s boards is sought after,” said Dr. David Fowler, the association’s president, who attributed the shortage to limited training opportunities and relatively low compensation compared with the pay that pathologists receive at hospitals or in private practice. Since 1990, the New York fellowship program has trained 100 medical examiners. The program has bolstered the agency’s status as a national model for medical examiner’s offices and has been the source of a new generation of forensic experts, producing the current or former chief medical examiners in more than 20 jurisdictions, including Washington, San Francisco, Honolulu and the States of Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont. Since the program is based in New York, the city is somewhat insulated from the shortage elsewhere in the country. Dr. Nunez, 34, is one of five doctors who have spent the past year preparing to become medical examiners. A cheerful woman who favors large gold hoop earrings, she is often mistaken for a schoolteacher. She grew up in Amityville, on Long Island, the older of two children of a landscape worker and a homemaker, and she went to medical school in the Dominican Republic. Instead of a black doctor’s bag, she carries a Craftsman toolbox packed with knives, scalpels, forceps and scissors. She does not mind working on bodies, not even one that is decomposing, known as a “decomp,” which is often the least favorite case for medical examiners. “A lot of people — especially other physicians and other pathologists — used to tell me, ‘I would have loved to have done forensics, but I can’t deal with the decomp,’” she said. “I actually have no problem doing them, and one of the reasons is because I feel like I’m the last person that is going to be providing some kind of care, bridging their death and their life. I’m the last person. ” NEW YORK CITY’S Office of Chief Medical Examiner is based in a squat, building, at 520 First Avenue, with letters missing from its name. Inside, a Latin inscription behind the reception desk translates to: “This is the place where the dead help the living. ” The medical examiners are the conduit for the two, providing answers, consoling grieving relatives and, if needed, informing police detectives. They fill a crucial but often overlooked role in a city where 5, 000 autopsies a year are performed for deaths that are deemed sudden or suspicious or are a result of crimes, accidents or suicides. It was medical examiners who sifted through the remains of more than 2, 700 victims after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. When there were no intact bodies, the pathologists had to improvise. They measured fingers to help identify people, using metal ring sizers that were donated in Tiffany’s little blue bags. That was also the year when Flight 587 crashed in Queens with 260 people aboard, and the year when envelopes laced with anthrax became a new terror threat. “When things get bad here, they get very bad,” said Dr. Barbara Sampson, who was appointed the city’s chief medical examiner in 2014. The agency’s staff of 600 includes 24 senior medical examiners, 20 of whom graduated from the fellowship program. The agency runs offices in every borough, three mortuaries and the country’s largest public DNA lab, along with other labs for toxicology, molecular genetics and histology, the microscopic examination of tissue. The agency’s $75 million annual budget is the equivalent of $8. 82 per city resident for the laboratories, investigations and other activities, far more than the national average of $3. 36 per resident, according to the National Association of Medical Examiners. Dr. Sampson, herself a 1998 fellow, says she looks for future medical examiners who can communicate and work well with others. The fellows, who have already graduated from medical school and completed a residency program in pathology, are selected after a unpaid tryout. They receive a salary of $131, 566 for the academic year, which runs from July 1 through June. At the end, the fellows sit for a nationally administered board exam nearly everyone passes. Some will be offered permanent positions as senior medical examiners with annual salaries starting at $159, 741, or invited to continue as fellows for a second year to specialize in the pathology of the brain and the heart. In contrast, general pathologists at hospitals and in private practice typically earn $200, 000 or more. In total, there have been 58 women and 42 men in the program. About are black, Hispanic or Asian. Many have foreign backgrounds. This year’s fellows include doctors who grew up in Croatia, Russia and Mexico. For some it is a calling. Dr. Stephen Melito, 32, went to medical school just so he could become a medical examiner. As a teenager in Farmingdale, on Long Island, he used to volunteer as an underage buyer of cigarettes in undercover police operations. For a high school class, he researched how to tell the time of death at a crime scene. Dr. Kanayo Tatsumi relocated to New York from Vermont less than a year after she was married. Her husband, a surgical resident, stayed behind to finish his training. Dr. Tatsumi, 33, was still in college when she interned at an Illinois coroner’s office. The first autopsy she observed was of a young woman killed in a car accident. She could not stop thinking about her. Had she been wearing a seatbelt? Had her airbag deployed? “It could have been me it could have been any of my friends,” Dr. Tatsumi recalled. “I started realizing that we could do a lot to prevent injuries, even though we’re getting that data, if you will, from death. ” THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS in training have desks side by side in Room 335 — known as the fellows’ room — where a bulletin board is crammed with photos of fellows in hazmat suits, at parties and holding babies. They alternate between “A” days for autopsies and “P” days for paperwork, while squeezing in lectures on topics like firearm injuries, trauma and pediatric deaths. They go to crime scenes, rotate through the labs and learn to handle infectious diseases like Ebola and respond to terror threats. The A days begin with an 8 a. m. triage meeting. Dr. Nunez stood behind a lectern, presenting case histories to senior medical examiners, forensic anthropologists, police detectives and medical students. There were 11 cases that day, not unusual in number or scope: An older man died after falling at home a younger man with a cocaine habit was found dead by his brother. Afterward, Dr. Nunez headed down to the mortuary. She checked the body bags in the hallway. “This is one of mine,” she called out to a technician. “This is another one. I’ve got one more. ” Her next stop was the autopsy room, which has eight stations, each equipped with a metal table and a scale. By 9:30 a. m. Dr. Nunez was at one of the stations, engrossed in her first case. A thin black man lay on the table. She removed his pancreas. It had dark spots where blood had pooled, a possible sign that he had spent a lot of time out in the cold before he died. Just before 11 a. m. she was ready for her next case. Dr. Nunez does not take breaks or stop for lunch. “Once I get going, I just keep up the pace,” she said. “You build endurance, you pick up stamina and you get used to it. That’s what this year is for. ” Her scrubs were stained with blood and fluids. “I’m not squeamish about it at all anymore,” she said. At 3 p. m. Dr. Nunez was still working on her third autopsy when the other medical examiners reconvened to review their findings. She did not have much to report yet. “It happens,” she said. “I’d rather we look at everything and not rush through anything. ’’ Afterward, Dr. Nunez retreated to the fellows’ room to draft a report for each autopsy. She would order lab tests, interview relatives and consider other evidence before closing each case. Dr. Sampson reads every report. The fellowship program is the legacy of Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, the city’s chief medical examiner from 1989 to 2013, who was known to focus not only on technical skills but also on scientific integrity, common sense and compassion. “I still quote Dr. Hirsch two or three times a day,” said Dr. Susan Ely, a 1997 fellow who is now the program’s director. “His presence is still very much felt here. ” Dr. Hirsch, a former chief medical examiner for Suffolk County, was appointed in 1989 by Mayor Edward I. Koch, to lead an agency battered by conflict and mistrust. The mayor had fired the previous chief medical examiner, Dr. Elliot M. Gross, citing poor leadership and management. In 1985, Dr. Gross was accused by defense lawyers and forensic specialists of producing misleading or inaccurate autopsy findings in cases of people who died in police custody. A mayoral commission cleared him of wrongdoing but faulted a longstanding agency practice in which deaths in police custody were routinely left as undetermined. Though the medical examiner’s office is now considered professionally run and independent, it has not entirely escaped controversy. The agency has been challenged for using a highly sensitive technique to analyze trace samples of DNA — known as low copy number DNA testing — that has been criticized as unreliable. In February, a former toxicology lab director sued the city, claiming that she was forced out in part for raising questions about its use of the technique. EACH FELLOW is expected to complete about 250 autopsies, a goal based on national standards for training medical examiners. The sheer diversity of cases in a big city ensures that they see just about every kind of injury imaginable. Dr. Judy Melinek, who chronicled her fellowship experience in a 2014 memoir, “Working Stiff,” recalled that she was told to go to New York by a former fellow who noted, “All kinds of great ways to die there, and the teaching is brilliant. ” Dr. Rafael Garcia, 36, had barely started the fellowship program in July when he was assigned not only his first homicide but a double homicide. He spent seven hours working on just one of the victims, a man who had been stabbed 20 times. As it happened, he had attended a lecture on stab wounds the day before. Almost a year later, Dr. Garcia has completed 250 autopsies, of which about have not been resolved. “It’s funny to see a TV show and how they do everything in the same day,” he said. “That’s not reality. ” Dr. Garcia, a father of two who grew up in Mexico and trained to be an ophthalmologist, said he had no regrets about switching to forensic pathology. “Money is important,” he said, “but I’d rather feel happy with what I’m doing than just being frustrated by an entire life doing something that I don’t enjoy as much. ” The fellows keep track of their autopsies in Excel spreadsheets that list the names of the dead, brief histories and findings. The most common deaths are accidental or natural the least common are undetermined in cause or manner of death, or both. At one point in February, when Dr. Nunez surpassed 150 autopsies, her fiancé, an accountant, figured that she needed to complete about 25 autopsies per month in the time left. In May, she surpassed 215 autopsies. By Tuesday, she was at 242. Though she tries to stay positive, Dr. Nunez said the cases can take an emotional toll. She tries to decompress by going out to dinner with her fiancé and spending time with their extended families. Still, she loses sleep. “I feel like I want to give them more than I can, and I know I can’t,” she said of the victims’ families. “Something the senior medical examiners tell me all the time is, ‘You’ve done a full, competent exam.’ There are limitations. You have to learn to become comfortable with limitations. ” The other fellows have ways of coping, too. Dr. Melito said he did not check the news at home in New Jersey, where he lives with his wife, Mary, a teacher, and their two young children. On hard days, he gets extra hugs. Dr. Tatsumi said she found herself crying a lot. In an autopsy, she will discover that someone did not die right away and probably felt pain or fear in the final moments. “That just destroys me,” she said. “I’m not very good at hiding things, and so I wear it on my sleeve I wear it on my face. ” The five medical examiners in training have been invited to stay on. All have accepted except for Dr. Melito, who is taking a job closer to home. In Dr. Sampson’s office, there are framed photos of every class of fellows on graduation day — the counterpart of the informal collage upstairs in the fellows’ room. Nearly all of these smiling group shots are arranged in neat columns running down one wall. “This side is all Dr. Hirsch,” Dr. Sampson said. She pointed across the room, where there are just two photos of the last two fellows’ classes. “And that’s my wall,” she said. “Hopefully, it will be long someday. ” A photo of Dr. Nunez’s class will soon be added. Even in medical school, Dr. Nunez said, she was interested in the cause of a disease more than the treatment. A doctor would be poring over a patient’s lab work while “all I’m thinking is, I really wish I could take a piece of this woman’s lung to see what’s happening. ” Dr. Nunez said that she still wanted those answers, but that now her desire was to serve the families left behind. “I think that’s definitely what drew me the most,” she said. “It’s being able to be useful, and bring closure to families, and give them answers that they otherwise weren’t going to have. ” | 0 |
Susan Rice just announced she won t testify before the Senate on the Russian hacking.Senator Lyndsey Graham said he s very disappointed but said, we ll deal with her later. She gave a very flimsy excuse for not testifying via her lawyer:Rice considered the invitation a diversionary play to distract attention from the investigation into Russian election interference, including contacts between Trump allies and Russians during the campaign, the source said.That s ridiculous! Could it REALLY be that she doesn t want to testify under oath? Ya think!According to CNN, Barack Obama s national security adviser turned down a request from Sen. Lindsey Graham to participate in the hearing. Senator Whitehouse has informed us by letter (SEE BELOW) that he did not agree to Chairman Graham s invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses, Rice s lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler wrote in a letter to Graham. Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Graham s invitation to testify. Rice was the administration official who made the dozens of requests seeking to unmask the identities of Trump associates, which she said were for national security reasons and not politically motivated Read more: Daily CallerTHE LETTER FROM RICE S LAWYER:Dear Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Whitehouse:I write on behalf of my client, Ambassador Susan E. Rice, in response to Senator Graham s invitation to Ambassador Rice to testify at a May 8, 2017 hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism entitled Russian Interference in the 2016 United States Election. While Ambassador Rice commends the Subcommittee s efforts to examine this matter of extraordinary national significance, it is extremely rare for the Congress to request the testimony of a former senior advisor to the President given the longstanding and well-recognized separation of powers concerns at issue. Moreover, Chairman Graham s invitation was extended only after the hearing was noticed, less than two weeks before the hearing was scheduled to occur, and without consultation with Ambassador Rice, a professional courtesy that would customarily be extended to any witness. Notwithstanding the significance of these concerns, Ambassador Rice is prepared to assist Congressional inquiries into Russian election interference because of the important national interests at stake, provided they are conducted in a bipartisan manner, and as appropriate, in classified session.In this case, however, Senator Whitehouse has informed us by letter that he did not agree to Chairman Graham s invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses. Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Graham s invitation to testify.Again, and as Ambassador Rice has stated publicly, she supports and is committed to assisting the bipartisan Congressional inquiries into Russian interference in the 2016 election, given the utmost importance of this matter to our national security.Please contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely,Kathryn H. Ruemmler of LATHAM & WATKINS LLPSUSAN RICE HAS LIED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE YEARS Who could forget after Benghazi when Rice went on 5 morning shows and lied about the cause of the attack: | 0 |
As the Democratic National Convention wrapped up its final night, with Hillary Clinton delivering a speech that blew Donald Trump out of the water, an independent analysis from Moody s Analytics shows Clinton s plans will create over 10.4 million new jobs over the span of 4 years one full term as president.The analysis, when redone, showed a growth of 3.2 million more jobs than expected. Not only would the nation gain millions of new jobs (on top of the 15 million plus gained under President Obama), the GDP rate would accelerate, up-ticking from the 2.3 percent today to 2.7 percent by the end of Clinton s presidency.The analysis also pinpointed the exact proposals that would continue economic growth immigration reform, infrastructure spending, and paid family leave.When we treat immigrants with respect, when we put people back to work on our roads and bridges, and when we allow parents time to take care of their children without losing their jobs, America will succeed.The positive analysis and prediction is due, in almost all part, thanks to a healthy and growing economy under President Obama, assuming it continues well into a possible Clinton presidency, or even if the world turns to hell again:The upshot of our analysis is that Secretary Clinton s economic policies when taken together will result in a stronger U.S. economy under almost any scenario.In other words: if the economy tanked in the last few months of Obama s presidency (like it did with President Bush), Clinton s plans would result in a rebound (just like Obama s presidency).Any way you look at it, good or bad, Clinton and her plans will be good for the economy.Last month, Moody s released their analysis about Trump s plans, and found his economic policies would cost the United States over 3.5 million jobs, and usher in an economic downturn worse (and longer) than the Great Recession. The massive job loss would cause the unemployment rate to jump to over 7 percent.America has their choice: the strongest economy since the 1940s or another Great Recession.Choose wisely. The numbers are out there.Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 |
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Close to 100 prisoners escaped from prison in central Ivory Coast on Sunday in one of many security breaches in the West African economic powerhouse this year, state radio said. Ninety-six prisoners escaped from the Katiola facility at dawn while the gate was open temporarily to allow them to do chores in the vicinity, the radio station said. About 10 have since been recaptured. The jail break follows a similar escape this month in the commercial capital Abidjan when 20 people fled after assaulting police officers in a court house. In other incidents, weapons were stolen and in one case an officer was killed. It was not immediately clear if there had been any violence at Katiola, located about 400 km inland from the Atlantic coast. Government officials were not immediately available for comment. A series of military mutinies this year has threatened to derail a fragile peace in Ivory Coast, the world s leading cocoa producer, which emerged from a decade of turmoil and a 2011 civil war as one of the world s fastest-growing economies. | 1 |
This is Obama s legacy of hate and division, and the acceptable use of strong-arm tactics to silence the opposition | 0 |
Cosmetics brand Lush, popular among young girls and hipsters for their bath bombs, is launching a new anti-President Trump hair care product.According to Cosmopolitan, Lush announced plans to release a hair treatment called Yuge, a play on the way Trump pronounces the word huge, alongside an orange faced, tiny-handed man at their 2017 Lush Summit.The Yuge product is reportedly a hot oil treatment that will add volume and softness to your hair. Cosmopolitan notes the product is not currently available as it is being tested on humans in the U.K. (Lush opposes animal testing).Here is an excerpt from the article that appears on Lush s homepage:The United States is in the midst of a trying political and social time that is being felt throughout North America and the world. Intolerance, hostility, racism and fear have been pushed to the forefront and emotions are running high. Because of this divisiveness, it s now more important than ever to stand up for inclusivity, compassion and respect for all people.Lush has always been, and will always be, a safe space for everyone regardless of immigration status, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion or political affiliation. We love and encourage individuality, and our employees and customers are as diverse as the products we create. That s what makes the Lush community so special.Lush s Welcome Refugees statement encourages people to share the hashtags #refugeeswelcome and #nobannowall and to visit the website for the International Rescue Committee to take action. Lush s political stances haven t always been explicit through statements on their website. This Valentine s Day, Lush featured photos of same-sex couples in baths throughout their website.-MRCTV | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The newly appointed second-in-command at the U.S. Justice Department faced a weighty task just two weeks after taking office - writing the rationale for firing FBI Director James Comey. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein argued the case for Comey’s sacking in a three-page memo to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday. President Donald Trump acted swiftly to dismiss the director later that day. Rosenstein cited Comey’s controversial public statements about the bureau’s investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. “It is a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do,” Rosenstein wrote of Comey’s public comments. Spokespeople for the Department of Justice and the FBI did not return calls seeking comment late Tuesday. Comey’s firing will likely be seen as further evidence of Washington’s hyper-partisan upheaval. Rosenstein has drawn fire from Democrats who allege political motives in the White House decision to dismiss Comey - and particularly, its timing. “Why did it happen today?” asked Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York. “We know the FBI has been looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians ... Were those investigations getting too close to home for the President?” The rationale for canning Comey, however, came from a 26-year Justice Department veteran who is widely viewed by his peers and many lawmakers as uncommonly nonpartisan. Named as Maryland’s top prosecutor by President George W. Bush, Rosenstein stayed in office through the Obama administration. Rosenstein was the longest-serving U.S. attorney when he was nominated by Trump last January. When he was confirmed by the Senate, he enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support - a 94-to-6 vote - despite the deeply divided culture of today’s Washington. Bonnie Greenberg, a federal prosecutor in Maryland told Reuters in March that Rosenstein was admired as a rare career prosecutor who could insulate himself from political pressure. “He only does something if he thinks it’s right,” said Greenberg, who worked with Rosenstein for 11 years. Many in the Justice Department saw Rosenstein’s appointment as a counter-balance to the extreme partisanship surrounding accusations of Russian interference in last year’s election. And he was immediately swept into that fray. Before Rosenstein was confirmed for the position by the U.S. Senate, some Democratic lawmakers asked him to pledge he would appoint a special independent prosecutor to investigate allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. He was easily confirmed despite rebuffing those demands. Some Republicans have been angered by Comey’s public statements about the FBI investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. But Rosenstein’s criticism of Comey focused on actions seen to have damaged Democratic candidate Clinton. Rosenstein focused in particular on Comey’s news conference last July, when the director announced his conclusion that Clinton should not be prosecuted - while at the same time publicly bashing her use of a private email server for sensitive U.S. government business. That day, Rosenstein wrote, Comey usurped the authority of the U.S. Attorney General - who has authority over whether prosecutions should proceed, based on the quality of FBI investigations. Comey also violated longstanding practice by “gratuitously” releasing damaging information about Clinton - even as he acknowledged the evidence against her was insufficient to warrant continued investigation, Rosenstein wrote. “We do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation,” Rosenstein wrote, adding that Comey “laid out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing argument, but without a trial.” U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the timing of Comey’s firing was suspect - coming so long after the election of Trump and Comey’s alleged mishandling of the case. He directly criticized Rosenstein. “I am very disappointed with this deputy attorney general, who I was told had a good reputation,” he said. “But signing this letter saying that he recommends firing Comey because of Comey’s actions with Hillary Clinton nine months ago, or 10 months ago? That doesn’t pass any smell test.” Rosenstein, in his letter, cited broad, bipartisan agreement on Comey’s errors in judgment. Last summer, Comey defended his decision to speak publicly about the Clinton investigation, saying “the American people deserve those details in a case of intense public interest.” Last week, before a Senate committee, Comey defended his decision in October - two weeks before the presidential election - to publicly announce the bureau had discovered new emails that might be related to the closed investigation into Clinton. “To not speak about it would require an act of concealment in my view,” Comey said. Rosenstein wrote that he was perplexed at Comey’s continued defenses of his handling of the probe. “I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken,” Rosenstein wrote. “It is one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives.” | 0 |
Texas county switches to 'emergency paper ballots' After 'glitches' reported with election software Published: 30 mins ago
(INFOWARS) A county in Texas has switched to “emergency paper ballots” after electronic voting machines in the region suffered technical glitches.
Chambers County Clerk Heather Hawthorne issued a press release Tuesday night announcing electronic voting would be suspended until the glitches affecting voting machines could be corrected.
“The Straight Party vote for both the Republicans and Democrats did not automatically select one race on each ballot,” states the press release. | 1 |
21st Century Wire says You can imagine how nations like China and Russia are now laughing at US students as mass psychological trauma has apparently set-in across liberal America. Schools, universities and political institutions across the country are now offering various services following Republican Donald Trump s insurgent victory in the US presidential election. According to NBC News, Democratic staffers were so distraught over this week s election that therapy dogs had to be brought in to help workers on Capitol Hill cope with their vulnerabilities and hurt feelings.Much needed #therapy #dogs on Capitol Hill today! Thx @pet_partners @HABRITweets @PIJAC4PETS ! pic.twitter.com/Lodz2pZ0l8 Steve Feldman (@SteveFeldman) November 9, 2016Therapy Dogs included two golden doodles, two American Eskimo dogs, and a beagle mix walked around the offices of the House of Representatives. Students at Cornell University even staged a cry-in on campus the day after the election.Other US campuses were organizing various theraputic activities like poetry readings, where healthy snacks will be served. The dogs were organized by NGOs the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative, Pet Partners, the Pet Leadership Council and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.Their press release says that Democratic Party staffers needed, the help of a non-judgmental, furry, four-legged best friend that enjoys bipartisan support. Organizers say it was a great way for workers to blow off steam especially for those whose bosses may have lost re-election bids, NBC added.Also, cry-ins were staged on the campus of Cornell University, and Yale University even staged a group scream in order to help student vent their internalized stress the day after the election.Watch RT America s Ed Schultz and Lionel, of Lionel Media, discuss the ridiculous liberal reaction and student meltdown to Trump s surprise victory: | 1 |
One of the major things with Donald Trump s speech at the NATO summit that shocked everyone was his refusal to commit to Article 5, which basically states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. But his speech wasn t supposed to be that way. 27 words were removed from that speech, and that threw his national security team for a loop. They had no idea those words had been deleted.Trump was supposed to say: We face many threats, but I stand here before you with a clear message: the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance and to Article 5 is unwavering. But he didn t. And his national security team (and really, the rest of his administration) was left to clean up the shitstorm that resulted from that removal. Everyone, from Mike Pence to National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, has been on cleanup duty, going out of their way to try and convince the world that we do, in fact, remain committed to Article 5.But apparently, the White House doesn t think it matters (here s a hint to them: It does). Spicer told reporters that he thought the whole mess was a silly discussion, and that Trump s presence at the summit should have been enough to show our allies that we remain committed to all 13 Articles of the NATO alliance.Spicer made it sound like Trump deigned to attend an event which was beneath him and thus, not worthy of his time.Because of his ridiculous behavior and terrible understanding of everything, foreign policy advisers are now frantically trying to convince our allies that they still matter to us, and that Trump is still their partner.Trump put our allies badly on edge when he refused to commit to Article 5, and with other things he said at both the NATO summit and the G7 summit. In doing so, he s forced Germany and France to try and isolate us in order to maintain the strength of their own alliances, because Trump just proved that we are no longer a steadfast and true partner. He may as well have come out and said, Don t trust us anymore. Don t rely on us anymore. Featured image by Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images | 0 |
Shouts of “shame, shame, shame” erupted in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday as Republican lawmakers narrowly defeated legislation to protect the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of government contractors.
The measure, an amendment to a veterans and military construction spending bill introduced by New York Democrat Sean Maloney, initially had enough “yes” votes to pass, according to the count in the House chamber.
But House Republican leaders extended the time allowed for the vote as they urged enough party members to change their positions to defeat it by a vote of 213 to 212.
All 183 Democrats who voted backed the amendment, joined by 29 Republicans. All 213 “no’s” were from Republicans. Eight House members – three Republicans and five Democrats – did not vote.
LGBT rights have been a hot-button issue during the 2016 election season. National politics have featured debate over whether making cakes for same-sex couples violates bakers’ religious freedom or whether the government should decide which public bathrooms are used by transgender people.
Democrats chanted “shame, shame, shame” at Republicans, drawing attention to the vote. Steny Hoyer, the number two House Democrat, denounced it in a fiery speech. “We had 217 people for non-discrimination right up until the last moment,” he said.
Thursday’s emotional vote came hours after the House late on Wednesday passed a $602 billion defense authorization bill that included “religious freedom” language that critics said would allow contractors to discriminate against LGBT individuals.
The House Rules committee had angered Democrats by voting along party lines late on Tuesday not to allow a vote on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have eliminated that language.
Republicans who backed the provision said it was necessary to protect the religious rights of military contractors and not intended to be discriminatory. | 0 |
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia must maintain eradication and substitution of coca crops as a long-term policy across the Andean nation s isolated jungle and mountain zones to permanently defeat drug trafficking and consolidate peace, the defense minister told Reuters. A new government, which will be elected next year, must keep up the policy if the nation hopes to stamp out the illegal drugs industry, which has funded Colombia s half century war that has killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions. There can be no interruption to this policy because there s a new government, not in 2018, nor in 2022 or 2026, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas, 60, said in an interview. It has to be a process of at least a generation so that it bears fruit and that there s true peace. Since signing a peace accord last year with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the government has focused efforts on clearing coca from areas once controlled by the rebels. Coca, the raw material that makes cocaine, is cultivated in about 188,000 hectares across Colombia by subsistence farmers who have few other opportunities to feed their families. Criminal gangs, right-wing paramilitaries and Marxist rebels form the purchasing chain that has helped make Colombia one of the biggest producers of cocaine. Cocaine seizures reached 300 tons so far this year and may exceed the record 362 tons seized last year, said the minister, who formed part of the government s peace negotiating team with the FARC. As part of the policy, the government plans to invest in development programs - building schools, health centers and roads - to allow poor farmers to improve their social conditions and sell legal crops like cacao, fruits, coffee and palm oil. Colombia s vast rural expanse lacks roadways, so Villegas said infrastructure that brings communities closer to market are vital for eradication to work. It s not enough to plant cacao to replace coca ... thousands of miles of tertiary roads are needed, he said. Colombia wants to manually eradicate 100,000 hectares of coca this year, with farmers voluntarily destroying half of it. The United States has raised concerns about the increase in coca production and cultivation, which has reached levels seen a decade ago, arguing that the increase is a result of Colombia s ban on aerial fumigation. Despite pressure to resume spraying, using glyphosate, a chemical linked to cancer, Villegas ruled out the possibility. It s off the radar, he said. | 0 |
COX S BAZAR, Bangladesh/YANGON (Reuters) - Two blasts rocked an area on the Myanmar side of the border with Bangladesh on Monday, accompanied by the sound of gunfire and thick black smoke, as violence that has sent nearly 90,000 Muslim Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh showed no sign of easing. Bangladeshi border guards said a woman lost a leg from a blast about 50 meters inside Myanmar and was carried into Bangladesh to get treatment. Reuters reporters heard explosions and saw black smoke rising near a Myanmar village. The latest violence in Myanmar s northwestern Rakhine state began on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military counter-offensive have killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of villagers to Bangladesh. A Rohingya refugee who went to the site of the blast - on a footpath near where civilians fleeing violence are huddled in no man s land on the border - filmed what appeared to be a mine: a metal disc about 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) in diameter partially buried in the mud. He said he believed there were two more such devices buried in the ground. Bangladeshi border guards said they believed the injured woman stepped on an anti-personnel mine, although that was not confirmed. Two refugees also told Reuters they saw members of the Myanmar army around the site in the immediate period preceding the blasts which occurred around 2:25 p.m. Reuters was unable to independently verify that the planted devices were landmines and that there was any link to the Myanmar army. The spokesman for Myanmar s national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Zaw Htay, said that a clarification was needed to determine where did it explode, who can go there and who laid those land mines. Who can surely say those mines were not laid by the terrorists? There are so many questions. I would like to say that it is not solid news-writing if you write based on someone talking nonsense on the side of the road, said Zaw Htay. The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar s roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has come under increasing diplomatic pressure from countries with large Muslim populations such as Turkey and Pakistan to protect Rohingya civilians. Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against terrorists responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October. On Monday, Reuters reporters saw fires and heard gunshots before the explosions near the Myanmar village of Taung Pyo Let Way. Myanmar officials blamed Rohingya militants for the burning of homes and civilian deaths but rights monitors and Rohingya fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh say the Myanmar army is trying to force Rohingya out with a campaign of arson and killings. The number of those crossing the border into Bangladesh - 87,000 - surpassed the number who escaped Myanmar after a series of much smaller insurgent attacks last October that set off a military operation. That operation has led to accusations of serious human rights abuses. The newest estimate, based on calculations by U.N. workers in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox s Bazar, takes to about 174,000 the total number of Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh since October. The new arrivals have strained aid agencies and communities already helping hundreds of thousands of refugees from previous spasms of violence in Myanmar. We are trying to build houses here, but there isn t enough space, said Mohammed Hussein, 25, who was still looking for a place to stay after fleeing Myanmar four days ago. No non-government organizations came here. We have no food. Some women gave birth on the roadside. Sick children have no treatment. Hundreds of Rohingya milled beside the road while others slung tarpaulins over bamboo frames to make shelters against the monsoon rain. Among new arrivals, about 16,000 are school-age children and more than 5,000 are under the age of five who need vaccine coverage, aid workers said over the weekend. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who said on Friday that violence against Myanmar s Muslims amounted to genocide, last week called Bangladesh s President Abdul Hamid to offer help in sheltering the Rohingya, Dhaka said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met Suu Kyi and other officials in Myanmar on Monday, to urge a halt to the violence. Suu Kyi s office said Marsudi expressed the Indonesian government s support of the activities of the Myanmar government for the stability, peace and development of Rakhine state . They also discussed humanitarian aid and the two countries would collaborate for the development of the state, Suu Kyi s office said without giving further details. There were more anti-Myanmar protests in Jakarta on Monday. Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, called on Suu Kyi to condemn the shameful treatment of the Rohingya, saying the world is waiting for her to speak out. In addition to tens of thousands of Rohingya, more than 11,700 ethnic residents had been evacuated from northern Rakhine state, the Myanmar government has said, referring to non-Muslims. The army said on Sunday Rohingya insurgents had set fire to monasteries, images of Buddha as well as schools and houses in the north of Rakhine state. It posted images of destroyed Buddha statues. | 1 |
Pathetic New Age guru and alternative medicine activist Dr. Deepak Chopra attacked Donald Trump Tuesday in an interview on Fox News The Alan Colmes Show, during which he called the presumptive GOP presidential nominee both emotionally and mentally retarded. Chopra, 68, said that Trump epitomizes, among other things, the darkest demons of America s collective psyche. I would never say this unless I believed it was 100% true, but he represents the racist, the bigot, the one who s prejudiced, the one who is full of fear and hatred, the one who represents emotional retardation of a three-year old, Chopra said of Trump. And yet he s so popular because he s given permission to our collective psyche to express their darkest demons. Radio host Colmes asked Chopra if Trump is himself a racist and bigot, or whether he just represents those ideologies to his supporters. I think he is, Chopra said, adding: I think he s racist, he s bigoted, he s prejudiced. He s full of fear. He is angry. He has a lot of hatred. He pouts, he s belligerent, he s emotionally retarded. Via: Breitbart News | 1 |
People have called former President George W. Bush lots of things. War criminal. Worst President Ever. Terrorist. Dipshit. F*ckface. But it is doubtful that any African-American man, woman, or child (especially after his response to Hurricane Katrina) would ever call him my nigga. While Republicans are understandably confused by Larry Wilmore s term of endearment for the President at the Correspondents Dinner after all, they are used to calling him the -er variation of the word rather than the one Wilmore used many view Wilmore s ability to infuriate the right in this manner as the only redeeming aspect of his otherwise godawful comedy routine. So, Mr. President, I m going to keep it a hundred. Yo Barry, you did it, my n*gga, Wilmore said at the dinner, a phrase that most recognized as a positive remark but the Right felt was a reminder of that n-word thing they don t get to use when referencing President Obama.Upon hearing Wilmore call the President my nigga, Fox host Todd Starnes, for example, nearly exploded into a noxious cloud of rage and envy after hearing Wilmore use a variation of something that he s been screaming inside his head for years as he pretended that Wilmore s words were somehow offensive. Sharing in Starnes feigned outrage is conservative talk show host and imbecile Jimmy Mathis, who threw an almost temper tantrum on Sunday over Wilmore s ability to use the word.Suddenly, for the first time in his presidency, Mathis feels that Barack Obama deserves respect. That s the jealousy felt by the Stupid Part of America that is so pervasive that they are now talking about respecting this President the same one they have been screaming about for years.Mathis said that public figures like Wilmore (and, presumably, Fox News hosts and other noted right-wing icons) should go above and beyond to try to be as respectful to the individual and the office as possible a complete departure from what typically happens in conservative media. Mathis whined that no one called President George W. Bush my nigga : And then you have Larry Wilmore Correct me if I m wrong, I don t remember anybody while roasting [President George Bush] dropped the N-word in the final White House Correspondents Dinner.If I were President Obama, I would have walked off that stage, I would have walked off. No way you re going to disrespect me and the office. This is not a P.C. society thing. I can t imagine standing feet from the President of the United States and saying that, Mathis said, though like all conservatives it s probably something that is a commonly recurring theme in his dreams.Here s a thought for Mathis: right now, at this very moment in time, the Republican frontrunner is endorsed by the KKK. Until you condemn that, the rest of us especially people you regularly dismissively call the blacks or worse don t give a damn what you think about a black man saying my nigga. Listen to his feigned outrage below, with a bonus caller who says a bunch of racist stuff Mathis accepts without question:Featured image via screengrab | 1 |
VIDEO : FBI SOURCES SAY INDICTMENT LIKELY FOR CLINTON VIDEO : FBI SOURCES SAY INDICTMENT LIKELY FOR CLINTON Videos By TruthFeedNews November 3, 2016
BRET BAIER: Here’s the deal: We talked to two separate sources with intimate knowledge of the FBI investigations. One: The Clinton Foundation investigation is far more expansive than anybody has reported so far… Several offices separately have been doing their own investigations.
Two: The immunity deal that Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson, two top aides to Hillary Clinton, got from the Justice Department in which it was beleived that the laptops they had, after a narrow review for classified materials, were going to be destroyed. We have been told that those have not been destroyed — they are at the FBI field office here on Washington and are being exploited. .
Three: The Clinton Foundation investigation is so expansive, they have interviewed and re-interviewed many people. They described the evidence they have as ‘a lot of it’ and said there is an ‘avalanche coming in every day.’ WikiLeaks and the new emails.
They are “actively and aggressively pursuing this case.” Remember the Foundation case is about accusations of pay-for-play… They are taking the new information and some of them are going back to interview people for the third time. As opposed to what has been written about the Clinton Foundation investigation, it is expansive.
The classified e-mail investigation is being run by the National Security division of the FBI. They are currently combing through Anthony Weiner’s laptop. They are having some success — finding what they believe to be new emaisls, not duplicates, that have been transported through Hillary Clinton’s server.
Finally, we learned there is a confidence from these sources that her server had been hacked. And that it was a 99% accuracy that it had been hacked by at least five foreign intelligence agencies, and that things had been taken from that…
There has been some angst about Attorney General Loretta Lynch — what she has done or not done. She obviously did not impanel, or go to a grand jury at the beginning. They also have a problem, these sources do, with what President Obama said today and back in October of 2015…
I pressed again and again on this very issue… The investigations will continue, there is a lot of evidence. And barring some obstruction in some way, they believe they will continue to likely an indictment.
Support the Trump Movement and help us fight Liberal Media Bias. Please LIKE and SHARE this story on Facebook or Twitter. | 1 |
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May has postponed a trip to China that had been provisionally planned for November due to a timetable clash with U.S. President Donald Trump who would have been there at the same time, Sky News reported on Friday. Sky cited a source from May s office who said the trip had never been finally confirmed or publicly announced. | 0 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration must decide by the end of this month whether to grant Belarus continued relief from U.S. economic sanctions despite a stiff government crackdown on street demonstrations last month. The renewal decision is considered a low-level priority for the administration, which is facing bigger questions about U.S. relations with Russia and China, and with most major diplomatic positions still unfilled. But whether the United States renews the sanctions relief or instead returns to blacklisting nine major Belarus companies is an early test for the Trump administration on the importance it puts on human rights versus efforts to coax countries in Russia’s orbit to turn to the West. The sanctions waivers, which began in 2015 and were extended twice last year, were tied to domestic political reforms and intended to encourage Belarus, which has long historical ties to Russia, to move closer to the European Union and the United States. Now, however, U.S. officials are alarmed by the arrests of hundreds of people last month during an attempt to hold a street protest in the capital Minsk, and concerned if continuing sanctions relief could be seen as ignoring the crackdown. Belarus authorities last month raided a human rights group’s offices and used violence against peaceful protesters, rights groups say. “This most recent crackdown sharpened people’s focus,” said a U.S. congressional aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Now there is a real question about whether or not they (the sanctions) should be reimposed.” The decision must be taken by the end of April. If the administration makes no decision, the sanctions will be re-imposed. NATO members, including Poland and the Baltic states, feel threatened by what they see as increased Russian intervention in Europe, including Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014. “Belarus is so important from a strategic point of view and it’s so dependent economically on Russia that we are really very concerned,” said Piotr Wilczek, the Polish ambassador to the United States. “Belarus is becoming more and more part of this wider Russian problem we have.” The Trump administration is inclined to renew the sanctions relief, but likely would wait until the last minute “to make sure they don’t do anything awful,” said a U.S. official, also speaking on condition of anonymity. State and Treasury Department officials declined to comment in detail on the Belarus sanctions. The Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment. President George W. Bush in 2006 blacklisted top Belarus officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, for undermining the country’s democratic processes or human rights abuses. The United States later added large Belarus companies to the sanctions list. But in 2015, Lukashenko released political prisoners and indicated he was open to better relations with the West. That October, President Barack Obama temporarily lifted sanctions on nine Belarus companies, including petrochemical conglomerate Belneftekhim and tire manufacturer Belshina. Now, however, Lukashenko appears to be keeping his country firmly in Moscow’s orbit. In a letter to him last week, four U.S. senators said they were concerned over the crackdown and that he decided to allow Russia to conduct “provocative” military exercises in Belarus later this year. | 0 |
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Here we are, on the cusp of what is most definitely the most important presidential election of our lifetimes. There’s a lot on the line that goes far beyond politics. It goes into the character of the candidates, and their fitness for office. In GOP nominee Donald Trump, we have an unstable reality star who is dangerously unqualified, temperamentally unfit, and nothing more than a bigoted demagogue who has managed to fleece half the nation into believing his authoritarian ways will solve all their problems.
On the other hand, we have Hillary Clinton taking up the mantle for the Democrats. She will take the nation forward into a brighter future, reassure and protect our allies, and continue the social and economic progress that President Obama has done so much for. We’re talking about a woman who has been First Lady, a United States Senator, and Secretary of State. She performed admirably in all of those roles.
And now, at the end of what has been a bruising, ugly campaign thanks to the dangerous rhetoric of one Donald J. Trump, we have forgotten one thing: We are witnessing history. Hillary is the first woman to shatter the glass ceiling to become the nominee of one of America’s two major parties. It’s easy to lose sight of all of that in such a crazy election season, but we have much to celebrate.
Luckily, Hillary’s campaign didn’t lose sight of that, and they released an amazingly inspiring video that chronicled her meteoric rise to the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. It goes from the announcement, through the primaries, and through the ridiculousness of having to run against Donald Trump. And here we are, waiting with bated breath on the eve of this stressful election, and Hillary has given us the priceless gift of something to celebrate in a world that feels quite bleak right now. Without further ado, here it is, The Story of Us, via Hillary’s Twitter: The story of this campaign. pic.twitter.com/8cft9HD0RI
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 5, 2016
So, take a deep breath, watch that amazing video, and remember – VOTE BLUE.
Here’s to you, Hillary, and hopefully, in two days we’ll be calling you what you’ve been destined to be called your whole life: MADAME PRESIDENT.
Featured image via Hillary Clinton Twitter Share this Article! | 0 |
Minnesota humorist Garrison Keillor just nailed Donald Trump in one of the best take-downs yet.Donald Trump is an insecure little man who thinks the presidency will finally make people respect him, and nobody made that clearer than Keillor, who wrote a column published on Wednesday that puts the Republican nominee in his place.Keillor begins by focusing on Trump s hat. The brim shadows your face, which gives a sinister look, as if you d come to town to announce the closing of the pulp factory, he wrote. Your eyes look dead and your scowl does not suggest American greatness so much as American indigestion. Keillor continued by pointing out that Trump has apparently been trying for his entire life to be liked and respected by the Manhattan elite. The New York Times treats you like the village idiot, Keillor wrote. This is painful for a Queens boy trying to win respect in Manhattan When you came to Manhattan 40 years ago, you discovered that in entertainment, the press, politics, finance, everywhere you went, you ran into Jews, and they are not like you: Jews didn t go in for big yachts and a fleet of aircraft they showed off by way of philanthropy or by raising brilliant offspring. They sympathized with the civil rights movement. In Queens, blacks were a threat to property values they belonged in the Bronx, not down the street. To the Times, Queens is Cleveland. Bush league. You are Queens. The casinos were totally Queens, the gold faucets in your triplex, the bragging, the insults, but you wanted to be liked by Those People. This explains why Trump would throw his hat into the presidential ring. He is desperate for respect from his wealthy peers. Running for president is your last bid for the respect of Manhattan, Keillor continued. If you were to win election, they couldn t ridicule you anymore. They could be horrified, but there is nothing ridiculous about being Leader of the Free World. You have B-52 bombers at your command. When you go places, a battalion of security guys comb the environs. You attract really really good speechwriters who give you Churchillian cadences and toss in quotes from Emerson and Aeschylus and Ecclesiastes. Keillor then went on to mock Trump over the bad month he had in August. The teleprompter is not your friend. You are in the old tradition of locker room ranting and big honkers in the steam room, sitting naked, talking man talk, griping about the goons and ginks and lousy workmanship and the uppity broads and the great lays and how you vanquished your enemies at the bank. Keillor concludes by pointing out that running for president is the hardest work Trump has ever done in his life and breaks the news to Donald that in the end he is going to lose and he won t get a damn thing he wanted. It s the hardest work you ve ever done. You walk out in the white cap and you rant for an hour about stuff that means nothing and the fans scream and wave their signs and you wish you could level with them for once and say one true thing: I love you to death and when this is over I will have nothing that I want. Donald Trump is currently imploding in the polls and his campaign continues fly off the rails even as he insists that he is winning and that everybody loves him.This is a man in serious denial and Keillor just hit him with the reality that he has always been a loser and will always be a loser.Featured image via Getty | 1 |
Obama and his supporters loved talking about history. His victory was historic. They were on the right side of history. History was an inevitable arc that bent their way.The tidal force of demographics had made the old America irrelevant. Any progressive policy agenda was now possible because we were no longer America. We Were Obamerica. A hip, happening place full of smiling gay couples, Muslim women in hijab and transgender actors. We were all going to live in a New York City coffee house, work at Green Jobs and live in the post-national future.The past was gone. We were falling into the gorgeous wonderful future of dot com instant deliveries and outsourced everything. We would become more tolerant and guilty. The future was Amazon and Disney. It was hot and cold running social justice. The Bill of Rights was done. Ending the First and Second Amendments was just a clever campaign away. Narratives on news sites drove everything.Presidents were elected by Saturday Night Live skits. John Oliver, John Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee were our journalists. Safe spaces were everywhere and you better watch your micro-aggressions, buddy. No more coal would be mined. No more anything would be made.The end of men was here. The end of the dead white men of the literary canon. The end of white people. The end of binary gender and marriage. The end of reason. The end of art. The end of 2 + 2 equaling 4. This was Common Core time. It was time to pardon an endless line of drug dealers. To kill cops and praise criminals. To be forced to buy worthless health insurance for wealth redistribution to those who voted their way to wealth.This was Obama s America. And there was no going back. We were rushing through endless goal posts of social transformation. The military fell. Then the police. Now it looks as quaint as anything from the 50s, the 70s or the 80s. A brief moment of foolishness that already appears odd and awkward. And then one day nostalgic. It wasn t the future. It s already the past. It s history.Scalia died. Hillary Clinton was bound to win. And she would define the Supreme Court. Down-ticket races would give her a friendly Senate. And then perhaps even the House.But there is no right side of history. There is only the side we choose. The Obama era was permanent. It was history.Now it is history.Its shocking ascendancy has been paired with an equally shocking descent. The Obama era is done. It s gone. It s over. It was wiped from the pages of history in one night that left Congress and the White House in Republican hands.It would have been bad enough if Jeb Bush had succeeded Obama. That would have been inconvenient, but not a repudiation. Instead Obama s legacy was dashed to pieces. His frantic efforts to campaign for Hillary did no good. The public did not vocally reject him. What they did was even worse. They brushed past him. They sidelined him. They gave him passable approval ratings while dismissing his biggest accomplishments. They forgot him. They made it clear that he did not matter.And that is in its own way far more brutal and wounding. They didn t just destroy the Obama era. Instead they dismissed it as if it never existed.Obama didn t make history after all. He wasn t a teleprompter demi-god standing athwart of history. He was Carter and Ford. He was there to be forgotten. He didn t change the world. He wasn t the messiah. He was merely a mortal. Just another politician who will sag and age. Who will, in the end, be photographed like Bill Clinton, lonely and lost in a world that has passed him by.The Obama era ends not with a bang, but with a whimper. With a national consensus that maybe he didn t really matter so much after all. And those to whom he mattered the most were his enemies determined to undo everything he did.Obama once thought that he belonged to the ages. Now he belongs in the rubbish bin.By Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam. | 0 |
LONDON (Reuters) - The United States must consider the full threat it says Iran poses to the Middle East when formulating its new policy toward Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday, adding that Iran had breached the spirit of a 2015 nuclear deal. Tillerson, made the comments during a visit to Britain to see Prime Minister Theresa May and foreign minister Boris Johnson. The trip was billed as focusing on the relief effort after Hurricane Irma, how to respond to North Korea s nuclear test, and resolving the political deadlock in Libya. But he was outspoken in his criticism of Iran when asked whether he believed it was meeting the obligations of a 2015 international nuclear agreement designed to curb an Iranian nuclear program in return for lifting most Western sanctions. Tillerson cited the preface of the nuclear deal, which calls on Iran to contribute positively to regional security. In our view, Iran is clearly in default of these expectations ... through their actions to prop up the Assad regime (in Syria), to engage in malicious activities in the region, including cyber activities, aggressively developing ballistic missiles, he told a news conference. We have to consider the totality of Iran s activities and not let our view be defined solely by the nuclear agreement. He was speaking before the United States announced it had imposed sanctions on seven Iranian individuals and two entities, alleging involvement in either malicious cyber activities or enabling Tehran s ballistic missile program. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously expressed doubts about the nuclear deal, and in April his administration said it would review whether the lifting of sanctions against Iran was in the United States national security interest. Trump is weighing a strategy that could allow more aggressive U.S. responses to Iran s forces, its Shi ite Muslim proxies in Iraq and Syria, and its support for militant groups. Earlier on Thursday, a North Korean state agency threatened to reduce the United States to ashes and darkness for supporting a U.N. Security Council resolution and sanctions over its latest nuclear test. Tillerson said he was hopeful that China would decide to use the powerful tool of oil supplies to put pressure on Pyongyang, but conceded that it would be difficult to agree an oil embargo through the United Nations Security Council. North Korea carried out its sixth and largest nuclear test earlier this month. I am hopeful that China, as a great country, a world power, will decide on their own, will take it upon themselves to use that very powerful tool of oil supply to persuade North Korea to reconsider its current path towards weapons development, reconsider its approach to dialogue and negotiations in the future, he said. Commenting on violence in Myanmar against the minority Rohingya population, Tillerson said the country faced a defining moment. I think it is important that the global community speak out in support of what we all know the expectation is for the treatment of people regardless of their ethnicity, he added. This violence must stop, this persecution must stop. He said he understood that Myanmar s Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel prize laureate and de facto head of the government in Myanmar, was in a power-sharing agreement with the military and it was a complex situation in which she found herself. (Corrects seventh paragraph to say ballistic missile program, not nuclear program.) | 1 |
The Republican Party is fractured, and divisions are deeper than ever thanks to one Donald J. Trump. Some Republicans feel the party needs to unify behind Trump now, but others, particularly Senators in tight races, know what Trump is doing to their re-election chances. As such, an old friend has come out of the woodwork to shill for them: Former President George W. Bush.George the Lesser, along with Jeb! and their father, George the Greater, will not support Trump for president. A former spokesman for W., Freddy Ford, told NBC News why W. would hop back into the cesspool of conservative U.S. politics after such a long hiatus: President Bush believes that it s critical to keep the Senate in Republican hands. He is actively helping some senators in tight races who are strong leaders and share timeless conservative values. Ford also told The New York Times: Friends say that the former president is deeply bothered by Mr. Trump s campaign message, especially his derogatory remarks about Muslims and immigrants. At the event with Mr. McCain, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of preserving the Republican-held Senate as a check and balance on the White House, suggesting that such a check was needed, whether the next president is Mr. Trump or Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee. In other words, maintaining what little relevance the party has left is more important than trying to defeat Trump at this point, because the only way to defeat Trump himself is to endorse Hillary. As a die-hard Republican, George the Lesser won t do that. So he s gone out and hosted fundraisers for vulnerable Senators like John McCain (R-AZ) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and he s got three more planned for Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Ron Johnson (R-NC), and Rob Portman (R-OH).The GOP is defending many more Senate seats than the Democrats this year, which is part of their fear that Trump will cost them everything but the House, and the only reason they d hang onto the House is ridiculous gerrymandering.This hasn t gone unnoticed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which reacted to this news with a statement sent to The Hill: Republicans are so desperate for people to forget that they ve pledged their allegiance to Donald Trump that they are now campaigning with the architect of a disastrous foreign policy who wanted to privatize Social Security and left office with the economy losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month. Obviously, they re scoffing at this particular strategy, as well they should. It s an odd move for George the Lesser, and shows the party s growing fears over The Donald and what he really stands for.Featured image by David Cannon/Getty Images | 0 |
In a last dash, final "hail mary" attempt to end a Donald Trump run for the White House once and for all, the National Review has decided to eviscerate the Republican front runner on the basis that he is not a conservative.
It will not work.
Publications like National Review, run by elite "conservatives" have given us George W. Bush and his wars, "No Child Left Behind," Medicare Part D, huge deficits caused by Republican consultants spending to woo select voters, Mitt "Romneycare" Romney, John McCain...the list goes on and on.
William F. Buckley, who founded National Review, used the magazine to publish a stellar series of essays by conservative intellectuals who helped foster the Reagan Revolution.
Since then, "movement conservatism" has not been a powerful enough force to make things better for the working classes in the country.
This vacuum, created by the "conservative" elites who have backed RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) and candidates who are antithetical to conservatism, is what created the opportunity for Donald Trump to rise.
In fact, publications like National Review have such a blind spot, they never even saw devout, pro-America nationalists like Trump taking off.
They aren't credible in their criticism of Trump because they never saw it coming.
Beyond that, and most importantly, they told us we -- the conservatives who are sick and tired of elistist, establishment blunders -- were wrong.
And they still don't get it.
Trump's appeal stretches far beyond disgruntled, outside the country club conservatives. His potential for crossover support, especially with blue collar and working class voters, is huge. Most establishment Republicans have never met a blue collar worker (unless they were fixing their Jacuzzi).
I can see Trump winning coal miners, unionized construction workers, auto workers, steel workers, Teamsters, etc.
Trump may even score a larger share of black votes with his immigration stand. His appeal to working class voters is a very under reported story, but it's evident because even President Barack Obama himself mentioned Trump by name during an interview with NPR in which he said that Trump is tapping into the "anger of the blue collar white male."
This showcases just how scared the left is when it comes to Trump's potential to tear into demographics that Democrats have largely considered theirs.
The bed wetters at the RNC are dreaming of a GOP that grows because it attracts Latinos, pro-abortion millennial women and other hopelessly Democratic voters. Trump's coalition of adding working class voters (who actually work) makes more sense.
I have respect for National Review as an institution, but the cover and series of articles designed to hurt Trump only hurts the elitest, Beltway crowd they represent because it exposes why he is the seemingly solid and unstoppable frontrunner: it's because of them.
They have failed us, not Trump. Donald Trump is merely capitalizing on a moment in a pursuit to make America Great Again, in spite of the failures of the conservative movement.
Just like they were too dense to see Trump's rise, they don't understand why it occurred.
National Review, it's time for your Man in the Mirror moment. People are more concerned about the country they love, than they are your brand of "conservatism."
By trying to take out the most popular candidate in this race who has the best general election shot of any of them to win the White House and reverse the progressive policies of Barack Obama, Beltway, frat boy type elitists are proving my point: they don't get it.
And from the looks of it, they never will. | 1 |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow’s ambassador to the United States will inspect the Russian consulate in San Francisco, from which staff has been expelled, on a visit to California later this month, the Russian embassy to the United States said on Tuesday, according to the news agency RIA. Russian staff left the consulate in September after Washington ordered Moscow to vacate some of its diplomatic properties, part of a series of tit-for-tat actions as relations soured between the two countries. U.S. officials have since occupied administrative parts of the compound, and Russia has threatened retaliation over what it has said are illegal and disrespectful acts. “From Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, Ambassador (Anatoly) Antonov will visit the state of California,” RIA quoted the embassy as saying. The embassy said the trip will also include meetings with experts and business people, RIA reported. | 1 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will not consider an immigration bill as part of year-end legislation but will turn to a measure protecting immigrant youths known as “Dreamers” in January, No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn said on Monday. Cornyn also said that if Congress cannot meet an early March deadline for passing legislation providing the protections against deportation for undocumented immigrants who were brought illegally into the United States as children, President Donald Trump could consider extending the deadline. In interviews over the past several days, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers and aides said that talks on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have been quietly making progress. “The president has given us enough time to deal with this before March and so I think that’s plenty of time and I expect us to meet it,” Cornyn told reporters. “If we can’t, then the president could extend the deadline if he chose to do so. But this is something we’re going to turn to, I’m sure, in January.” Tensions between Republicans and Democrats over the issue of legislative protections for Dreamers increased this fall after Trump took a hard line on the conditions for a deal. An intense lobbying campaign has been underway to urge lawmakers to find a permanent legislative fix after the Republican president ended the DACA program in September. He gave Congress until early March to come up with a legislative replacement. On Capitol Hill, advocates have handed out buttons to lawmakers and aides with the number “122,” referring to the estimated number of Dreamers each day who already are losing the temporary legal status they had under DACA. Immigration advocates have erected a huge monitor on the National Mall. Situated at the base of the U.S. Capitol for lawmakers and tourists alike to see, it broadcasts videos of Dreamers pleading for help. Meanwhile, seven DACA beneficiaries from Mexico, Argentina and Colombia were in the fourth day of a hunger strike to draw attention to the issue. Republican Representative John Carter, a veteran of past immigration debates, said he worried Democrats want to go way beyond the scope of DACA and the approximately 800,000 Dreamers who at one time or another were covered by Democratic former President Barack Obama’s executive order. “They’re talking Dream Act,” Carter said referring to the legislation offered by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. “And that number is about 2 million people. That’s too much.” Past legislative attempts to allow Dreamers to get work permits and drivers licenses, open bank accounts and “come out of the shadows” have stalled as conservative Republicans and lobbying groups objected to giving “amnesty” to anyone who entered the United States illegally - even those who had no choice in the matter and have grown up here. Democratic Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said Republican demands for additional resources for immigration enforcement throughout the United States and not just at the border are a major problem. Her concern is that the Trump administration might use the money to hire more federal agents to nab undocumented relatives of Dreamers. “If you’re going to come in and go to hospitals and go to courtrooms and go to schools” in search of family members, “I’m not going to do that,” she said in an interview. | 1 |
The front-runners in the race for president are one step closer to clinching their parties' nomination.
Donald Trump completed a five-state sweep in Tuesday's Republican presidential primaries, while Hillary Clinton won four out of the five states, losing only Rhode Island to her rival Bernie Sanders.
Now the two front-runners are beginning to shift their focus, with each expecting to go up against the other in the General Election.
"Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she would get 5 percent of the vote. The only thing she has got going is the woman's card," Trump told supporters.
Clinton fired back, saying, "Well, if fighting for women's healthcare and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the 'woman's card,' then deal me in!"
The former secretary of state now has nearly 90 percent of the delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination, and after a sweep of Tuesday's primaries, Trump is one step closer to avoiding a contested convention.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are hoping their alliance to stay out of each other's way in Indiana, Oregon, and New Mexico will help slow down Trump's momentum and block him from winning the nomination before the convention.
"I got good news for you tonight. This campaign moves back to more favorable terrain," Cruz told his supporters.
Currently, Trump has 950 delegates, Cruz has 560, and Kasich has 153. It takes 1,237 to win the nomination.
Meanwhile on the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sanders refuses to go quietly into the night.
"The fight we are waging is not an easy fight, but I know you are prepared to wage that fight," the Vermont lawmaker told supporters.
The candidates now move on to Indiana, with Sanders, Cruz, and Trump all holding events there Wednesday.
With Kasich pulling back in the Hoosier State, Cruz will basically have a shot at a one-on-one race against Trump. But if he loses, it could turn out to be his last stand. | 1 |
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President Barack Obama has been campaigning hard for the woman who is supposedly going to extend his legacy four more years. The only problem with stumping for Hillary Clinton, however, is she’s not exactly a candidate easy to get too enthused about. | 0 |
A voting scandal has erupted in Florida again. Democrat vote ballot boxes were allegedly found at the bottom of a closet, after Democrat voters were turned away from the polls.First, it is alleged that Democrat voters in the Polk Country district were being turned away from the polls by and informed them that the vote was for Republican candidates only. Theresa Wibert told local media: The boss came over and said we could vote for Republicans only. I couldn t believe it. I told them I wasn t leaving It sure wasn t politically correct. There were also confirmed reports from a third voter in Winter Haven precinct also being turned away on the same false pretext. All three voted because they were clear on the schedule, they wondered how many people would have been disenfranchised by the move. We would have been turned away if we weren t forceful about it, Wibert said.Polk County has since confirmed that the exchanges described by Wibert did indeed take place, stating that it was simply a mistake that will not be repeated. According to Polk County, no harm was done as Wibert and her husband got to vote.But although they voted, Wibert spotted something later which makes her doubt that the ballots cast by Democrats in her precinct ever made it to the count. As she told The Ledger: We pushed it a little further and the lady called a few people, Finally, she looked in the bottom of a closet and found a box with the Democratic ballots. Then they fixed it, so we were able to vote for our candidate. This means that we do not know how many Democrat voters cast a vote for the GOP in the absence of other candidates, or how many simply didn t vote at all. As Wibert states: I think it s terrible, and I think people that aren t educated or don t know what s going on, might have just voted for whoever, It s suspect. As the state which made the hanging chad infamous after it s last voting scandal which lifted George W Bush to the White House in 2002, Florida will have to work hard to reassure voters that this is not another attack on the Democrats.Featured image via Flickr Creative Commons | 1 |
After a very public falling out, Megyn Kelly finally got her chance to sit down for an interview with Donald Trump. Rather than make nice, Kelly seized the opportunity to call out Trump to his face on some of the disgusting things he s said about women (including Kelly) over the years. His reaction was unexpected.In the midst of Trump s lengthy interview with Kelly, he was asked about the way he disparagingly called women bimbos. For once, Trump, whose face went from orange to deep red, was tongue-tied, awkward and low energy. He was extremely off his game and it was cringe worthy to watch.Kelly brought up Trump s Twitter activity, which often features the candidate for and it s important to keep this in mind President of the United States passing along messages from his fans that include sexist, racist, or violent remarks. Trump s defense was lame: You would be surprised at the ones I don t retweet. Kelly persisted: Bimbo? Uncharacteristically, Trump could only meekly sputter mindlessly. No come back. No counterattack. Just awkward half-formed sentences punctuated by painfully long moments of silence.Watch the moment Megyn Kelly confronted Donald Trump over the Bimbo retweets. pic.twitter.com/ysWETO5nFs Breaking News Feed (@pzf) May 18, 2016Afterwards, Trump seemed to regain some of his more recognizable awfulness. He claimed Kelly must have been called a lot worse than bimbo over her lifetime, so she shouldn t be upset when he does it.Kelly s response was pitch perfect: It s not about me. It s about the messaging to young girls and to other women. Trump had no response. His message to young girls and to other women is one backed by sexism and objectification. Kelly may have been called worse than bimbo over her lifetime, but Trump has certainly said worse, too.Featured image via Twitter | 0 |
There s not much to say here. GIPHY killed it with this one: When someone goes on a rant but you have receipts. https://t.co/axe58zCeJL #debatenight #Debates2016 pic.twitter.com/KTgdWAvaAb GIPHY (@giphy) September 27, 2016Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | 1 |
(Corrects Comey firing to May 9 in fifth paragraph.) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser, is under scrutiny by the FBI in the Russia probe, the Washington Post and NBC News reported on Thursday. Kushner is being investigated because of his meetings in December and other possible interactions with the Russian ambassador and a banker from Moscow, the Post reported, citing people familiar with the investigation. Kushner is the only current White House official known to be considered a key person in the probe, the newspaper reported. The FBI, several congressional committees and a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department are looking into allegations of meddling by Russia in the 2016 U.S. election and possible ties between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian officials seeking to influence the election. The controversy has engulfed Trump’s administration since he fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations and Trump denies collusion with Russia. The interest in Kushner does not mean investigators suspect him of a crime or intend to charge him, the officials told NBC News. It is not known whether Kushner has received any requests from the FBI for records, NBC News said. One of Kushner’s attorneys, Jamie Gorelick, said in a statement her client would cooperate with the investigation. “Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry,” Gorelick said. The FBI and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | 1 |
Ted Cruz remains a conservative favorite in 2016. In 2012, the establishment backed his Senate opponent in Texas, then Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. The conservative grassroots backed Cruz and pushed him over the finish line. Cruz has since remained a favorite of the grassroots with a continually antagonist relationship with the Republican establishment.
In 2010, Rand Paul, before Cruz, was a grassroots favorite. The Republican Establishment backed his rival, Trey Grayson. Paul rallied a coalition of conservative grassroots and Ron Paul acolytes to trounce Grayson and win the Kentucky Senate seat. Since then, Paul has wobbled between maintaining grassroots support and developing establishment support. In 2014, for example, he backed Mitch McConnell for re-election and has taken an occasional aggressive position to contrast himself from Cruz.
In the same year Rand Paul won, the man who started the major revolt between grassroots activists and party leaders ran. It was the Rubio race that really exposed the divide between the base and the leadership. The leadership backed then Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The grassroots, led by former Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, allied with Marco Rubio. Activists began urging a boycott of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Washington group that helps the GOP take the Senate.
Rubio, over 2009, rose in the polls from three percent to victory. Crist was forced to flee the GOP to the Democratic Party where he has been beclowning himself ever since.
Once in Washington, Rubio remained a favorite of the grassroots until he tried to cut a deal with the Democrats on immigration. To his credit, he went on Rush Limbaugh’s program to defend it. He made aggressive outreach to conservatives behind the scenes. But it hurt him and the deal died.
Since then, Rubio has been very quiet. Behind the scenes, he has voted quite often with Senators Cruz and Mike Lee of Utah. He has been a voice for fiscal sanity, small government, and strong foreign policy.
He is also one of the kindest and most approachable men in Washington. He would rather talk football than politics. He would rather be with his wife and kids than at a fundraising event or Washington social party.
Monday, Rubio will declare his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. Cruz and Paul have gotten the attention so far. All three of these conservative senators, the grassroots revolutionaries, are announcing ahead of the smorgasbord of governors and other would be Republican contenders. Rubio’s path to the stage in Miami today explains why he might be better positioned than Cruz or Paul to make some headway.
Cruz remains the conservative grassroots’ darling. They see him as the purest conservative candidate and he probably is. If Cruz starts making deals to garner establishment support, however, he potentially sees his base collapse with a sense of betrayal. Cruz thinks he has the base firmly on his side. That is usually the moment the ground begins to soften.
Paul has ceded the conservative grassroots to Cruz and has set about reorganizing his father’s coalition. Many conservative grassroots, though they sympathize with Paul on fiscal and civil libertarian issues, murmur in aggravated tones that Paul backed McConnell in 2014 and did not back Ted Cruz’s efforts to defund ObamaCare in 2013. Instead, Paul used that to try to contrast himself as an adult in the room versus Cruz and the grassroots. Then there are his national security issues, which give a lot of the right heartburn.
Rubio, however, is the original Tea Party candidate. His candidacy united the grassroots against the leadership and he won. The Washington crowd convinced themselves he could not win, but the grassroots proved they could pick a winner. Rubio was the first.
While Cruz and Paul began forging coalitions, Rubio worked to not undermine his relations with the grassroots while not antagonizing the establishment. His immigration compromise hurt him, but he seeks the nomination in an party that nominated both John McCain and Mitt Romney, two men to the left of Rubio on immigration.
Monday in Miami, Marco Rubio will declare his candidacy for the presidency and of the three conservative Senators to run, he is most likely the Goldilocks of the bunch. He is not too tied to the grassroots to antagonize the establishment. He is not too tied to the civil libertarians to antagonize the conservatives. And he has not gone out of his way to reject the base of grassroots supporters who got him elected in order to curry favor with the leadership.
He strikes the right balance. He has also been so sufficiently off the radar, by design, for so long that many donors and primary voters will want to listen again to the man who united the right to beat Charlie Crist and the establishment in 2010.
They may like what they hear.
Erick Erickson is a Fox News contributor. He is host of "Erick on the Radio" and founder/editor of The Resurgent. He is the founder of RedState.com. Follow him on Twitter @EWErickson. | 1 |
Greetings patriots, right-wing activist and all-around bigoted Cracker-American Jim Stachowiak greets his mixed crowd of vapid idiots and people laughing at him in his August 14 video blog entry. As usual, this right-wing Patriot is proudly standing before his camera with his trusty penis enhancement (known by the ammosexual community as a gun ). But instead of his usual anti-Islam rant and matching Fuck Islam t-shirt, viewers are treated to an image of the not-racist standing before them in a t-shirt reading [Middle finger] Black Lives Matter. Yup, you know what s coming next: a disgusting racist rant he will swear endlessly is not racist. I want to address the recent unrest of Black Lives Matter and what happened last night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What happened in Milwaukee was horrible. Spurred by police shooting a fleeing black man who happened to be armed with a stolen handgun. The community, which police describe as a powder keg for potential violence during the summer, erupted as yet another black man was gunned down by cops this year. While the majority of protests were peaceful, some people chose to destroy rather than fight for healing. But plagued by police violence, some of the community members could no longer contain their anger. After all, simple possession of a handgun police did not know was stolen until after they murdered the suspect is not deserving of a death sentence. Based on everything I ve seen, Stachowiak says, the officer act properly because the suspect was running away, clearly not a threat even if he had a gun in his possession. If he didn t want to get shot, he says, he should have stopped. The actions of the Black Lives Matter in the black community in Wisconsin had proven once again that Black Lives Matter is not just a hate group, but a domestic terrorist organization, Stachowiak continues, calling the social justice group a bunch of animals before backtracking and limiting his animal claim to looters he says are affiliated with Black Lives Matter. He continued, accusing Hillary Clinton and you, Barack Obama of embracing a terrorist organization you know, kind of like how Trump has embraced the Ku Klux Klan, but without the actual terrorist organization.Stachowiak says that the homes of Black Lives Matter leaders should be burned to the ground as should any looters, real or imaginary (let s face it: he just wants to kill him some n*ggers, as he has oh-so-politely said in the past). He also had something to say about black people who take advantage of the chaos to steal from stores especially the women and children: I don t care if they re women an children, anyone coming out of a store [he raises his gun and points it menacingly at the camera] should be shot on site. They should be shot exiting the store. If they make it down the street shoot them in the back. What the f*ck kind of coward wants to shoot women and children in the back? What sort of degenerate would even suggest such a thing? This guy. This guy right here. I got a round with your name on it, Stachowiak says, producing a bullet with BLM written in marker. Try to burn my home. Try to burn my business and I guarantee you ll never make it out of the driveway because I ll drop you like it s hot. Neither arson, nor attempted arson, is a crime that would make one eligible for the death penalty in any state.Stachowiak continued his unhinged rant with an explanation that Black Lives Matter are working with the Muslim Brotherhood. According to the master detective, the Muslim Brotherhood is supplying weapons to radical black Americans. After condemning the Mayor, the National guard, and police for failing to sharpie up their bullets and shoot black men, women, and children they suspected of looting in the face without a trial. His solution, of course, is to light up the front of the store whenever a looting is suspected and mow everyone who comes out down in the street. But Jim, there might be a 12-year old girl or a 8-year old boy, he says sarcastically. It s called collateral damage. Children are collateral damage. Yes, he really said that.Stachowiak says that Michael Brown got the justice he deserved after Officer Darren Wilson accused him of jaywalking, and warned the Justice Department that things are going to get much worse if they don t start shooting black people who might or might not be protesting or rioting on sight. If this lack of face-shooting persists, he says he will gather his Veteran friends to do some hunting. Turning to show the back of his t-shirt, which reads Black Lives Matter are domestic terrorists, he said: Black Lives Matter is a domestic terrorist organization. And the way my friends that are Iraq and Afghan veterans, some of which are schnipers [sic], the way they dealt with terrorists on the battlefield is the way we need to deal with Black Lives Matter in the streets of America.Watch the video below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtSGY3b9mqwFeatured image via screen capture | 0 |
Archives Michael On Television If Hillary Clinton Is Charged With Obstruction Of Justice She Could Go To Prison For 20 Years By Michael Snyder, on October 30th, 2016
In the world of politics, the cover-up is often worse than the original crime. It was his role in the Watergate cover-up that took down Richard Nixon, and now Hillary Clinton’s cover-up of her email scandal could send her to prison for a very, very long time. When news broke that the FBI has renewed its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, it sent shockwaves throughout the political world . But this time around, we aren’t just talking about an investigation into the mishandling of classified documents. I haven’t heard anyone talking about this, but if the FBI discovers that Hillary Clinton altered, destroyed or concealed any emails that should have been turned over to the FBI during the original investigation, she could be charged with obstruction of justice. That would immediately end her political career, and if she was found guilty it could send her to prison for the rest of her life.
I have not seen a single news report mention the phrase “obstruction of justice” yet, but I am convinced that there is a very good chance that this is where this scandal is heading. The following is the relevant part of the federal statute that deals with obstruction of justice …
Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsified, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States or any case filed under Title 11, or in relation to or contemplation of any such matter or case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
If Hillary Clinton is sent to prison for 20 years, that would essentially be for the rest of her life.
I have a feeling that the FBI is going to find a great deal of evidence of obstruction of justice in Huma Abedin’s emails. But unfortunately there is not likely to be a resolution to this matter before November 8th, because according to the Wall Street Journal there are approximately 650,000 emails to search through…
As federal agents prepare to scour roughly 650,000 emails to see how many relate to a prior probe of Hillary Clinton ’s email use, the surprise disclosure that investigators were pursuing the potential new evidence lays bare building tensions inside the bureau and the Justice Department over how to investigate the Democratic presidential nominee.
Metadata found on the laptop used by former Rep. Anthony Weiner and his estranged wife Huma Abedin, a close Clinton aide, suggests there may be thousands of emails sent to or from the private server that Mrs. Clinton used while she was secretary of state, according to people familiar with the matter. It will take weeks, at a minimum, to determine whether those messages are work-related from the time Ms. Abedin served with Mrs. Clinton at the State Department; how many are duplicates of emails already reviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and whether they include either classified information or important new evidence in the Clinton email probe.
Of those 650,000 emails, an inside source told Fox News that “ at least 10,000 ” would be of interest to the investigation.
At this point, FBI officials have not even begun searching through the emails, because a search warrant has not been secured yet. The following comes from CNN …
Government lawyers haven’t yet approached Abedin’s lawyers to seek an agreement to conduct the search. Sources earlier told CNN that those discussions had begun, but the law enforcement officials now say they have not.
Either way, government lawyers plan to seek a search warrant from a judge to conduct the search of the computer, the law enforcement officials said.
But the FBI is reportedly already searching a laptop that was co-owned by Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin, and no warrant was necessary for that search because Weiner is cooperating with the FBI.
Many have been wondering why FBI Director James Comey would choose to make such a bold move just over a week until election day. Surely he had to know that this would have a dramatic impact on the election, and it is unlikely that he would have done so unless someone had already found something really big. In addition, Comey was reportedly eager to find an opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his peers at the FBI. The following is an excerpt from a Daily Mail article that was written by Ed Klein, the author of a recently released New York Times bestseller about the Clintons entitled “ Guilty As Sin “…
‘The atmosphere at the FBI has been toxic ever since Jim announced last July that he wouldn’t recommend an indictment against Hillary,’ said the source, a close friend who has known Comey for nearly two decades, shares family outings with him, and accompanies him to Catholic mass every week.
‘Some people, including department heads, stopped talking to Jim, and even ignored his greetings when they passed him in the hall,’ said the source. ‘They felt that he betrayed them and brought disgrace on the bureau by letting Hillary off with a slap on the wrist.’
According to the source, Comey fretted over the problem for months and discussed it at great length with his wife, Patrice.
He told his wife that he was depressed by the stack of resignation letters piling up on his desk from disaffected agents. The letters reminded him every day that morale in the FBI had hit rock bottom.
So what happens next?
In the most likely scenario, the FBI will not have time to complete the investigation and decide whether or not to charge Hillary Clinton before the election. This means that we would go into November 8th with this scandal hanging over the Clinton campaign, and that would seem to be very good news for Donald Trump.
However, it is possible that once the FBI starts searching through these emails that they could come to the conclusion very rapidly that charges against Clinton are warranted, and if that happens we could still see some sort of announcement before election day.
In the unlikely event that does happen, we could actually see Hillary Clinton forced out of the race before November 8th.
Once again, this appears to be very unlikely at this point, but it is still possible.
If Clinton was forced to step aside, the Democrats would need to come up with a new nominee, and that process would take time. In an article later today on The Most Important News I will reveal who I believe that nominee would be.
In such a scenario, the Democrats would desperately need time to get their act together, and so we could actually see Barack Obama attempt to delay or suspend the election . The legality of such a move is highly questionable, but Barack Obama has not allowed a little thing like the U.S. Constitution to stop him in the past.
This week is going to be exceedingly interesting – that is for sure.
The craziest election in modern American history just keeps getting crazier, and I have a feeling that even more twists and turns are ahead.
It sure seems ironic that Anthony Weiner is playing such a central role this late in the story, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for the season finale. October 30th, 2016 | Tags: 2016 Election , 2016 Election Delayed , 2016 Election Suspended , Anthony Weiner , Barack Obama , Clinton , Donald Trump , Election Delay , Election Delayed , Election Suspended , Hillary , Hillary Clinton , Hillary Clinton Email Scandal , Hillary Clinton FBI Email Investigation , Hillary Clinton Going To Jail , Hillary Clinton Going To Prison , Hillary Clinton Lock Her Up , Hillary Clinton's Crimes , Huma Abedin , North Carolina , Obama , Obstruction Of Justice , Trump | Category: Commentary aldownunder
If Hillary Clinton Is Charged With Obstruction Of Justice She Could Go To Prison For 20 Years
Lets hope so biglipnagger
There is no way the machine will let her go to prison. Just not gonna happen. K
Here is my prediction, one of three. 1.The FBI still decides not to fiile charges. 2. The Attorney General refuses the charges, if the FBI files them. 3. Obama pardons her, if all else fails. A corrupt Government, will never let one of their own, go to jail. Wish I still believed there was justice, in this Country. MeMadMax
Most likely kaine will be thrown on top of the woodpile.
But there is nothing that says we MUST have a democrat participating in the elections and we still have three other candidates.
In fact, if the democrats want to survive, it would behoov them to throw hillary under the bus, even disenfranchise her from the dem party instead of trying to push one of the most toxic candidates in history.
But dems havent shown one iota of reason since they got “their man” in the white house. In fact, that man took the dem party and twisted it into a monster.
All it will take is one of the higher ups to say enough is enough. If there are any higher up dems left that are not under the control of demon in the whitehouse… carlcasino
The Demon is NOT in the white house ! He is just the Soro’s sock puppet. Rob
I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope….. carlcasino
I’m giving odd’s that the Clinton Crime Cartel will skate –Again ? Any takers at 10:1 | 0 |
LONDON (Reuters) - King Edward VIII sacrificed his throne and Queen Elizabeth s sister Margaret gave up her one true love, but for Prince Harry marrying a divorcee is no longer a bar to being a royal or following his heart. On Monday, Harry, fifth-in-line to the British throne, announced he was to wed his girlfriend, divorced U.S. actress Meghan Markle, with the blessing of his grandmother, the queen. British social attitudes have been transformed in recent decades but the monarchy has been bound by a more traditional set of Christian values. So the queen s approval is a stark demonstration of how much the monarchy has also changed and modernized in the last 80 years when the idea of a royal marrying someone who was divorced was inconceivable. It s extraordinary how far we ve come since the 1930s, said royal biographer Claudia Joseph. In less than a century times have changed beyond all recognition. Famously, Harry s great-great-uncle Edward VIII set off a constitutional crisis in 1936 by insisting on marrying twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson to the horror of the British establishment, the government and the Church of England, which the monarch nominally heads. It was dubbed the greatest love story of the 20th century and Edward abdicated after just 11 months on the throne and ended up living in France, meaning Elizabeth s father George VI unexpectedly became king. You must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love, Edward said in his abdication speech. Such attitudes were still prevalent two decades later. In 1955, Elizabeth s younger glamorous sister Margaret was forced to call off her proposed marriage to a dashing air force officer, Group Captain Peter Townsend. Although a royal equerry, Townsend was still deemed an unsuitable husband for the queen s sister because he was divorced and he was sent off to Brussels by Buckingham Palace. I would like it to be known that I have decided not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend, Margaret said in a sad announcement to the nation. Mindful that Christian marriage is indissoluble and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before others. While divorce was considered unfathomable in those days, it has since become a common feature for the Windsors. Of Elizabeth s four children, three of their marriages have ended in divorce, most spectacularly that of Harry s father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his first wife Princess Diana. They divorced in 1996, 15 years after their fairytale wedding and a year before she was killed in a car crash in Paris and Charles went on to wed another divorcee Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. Camilla was someone who he had first considered marrying in the early 1970s but who royal courtiers had considered unacceptable while she was not keen on taking on the role herself at the time. However Charles and Camilla could not marry in church, and the queen, who holds strong religious beliefs and has taken her role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England very seriously, declined to attend the civil ceremony. The Church of England had only ruled three years earlier that a divorced person could in exceptional circumstances marry again in church while their former spouse was still alive. Joseph said Charles s second marriage had paved the way for Harry. I think the dilemma came when Prince Charles married the Duchess of Cornwall, she told Reuters. That was a hard thing for the queen to deal with. Somehow they had to marry without compromising her role as head of the church. Harry and Meghan s union, like all those of the first six royals in direct line of succession, must be approved by the queen under the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act, which replaced an even more prescriptive law dating back to the 18th century. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. | 1 |
As part of a partnership with Factcheck.org, a look at Hillary Clinton's recent claim regarding the various congressional investigations into the 2012 Benghazi attacks. Clinton claimed that the seven investigations have found that 'I and nobody did anything wrong.' Did they really?
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said all of the government investigations into the terrorist attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi concluded that "nobody did anything wrong." That's not exactly accurate.
An independent accountability board appointed by Clinton found "systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels." On the day the report came out, four State Department employees were placed on administrative leave, and all four were later reassigned. | 1 |
Nogales, Ariz. (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday to make his case for increased prosecutions of illegal immigrants, pressuring U.S. attorneys to prioritize cases against criminal migrants. Sessions, a long-time proponent of tougher immigration enforcement, told U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Nogales, Arizona, that more illegal migrants should be prosecuted as criminals. It is normally the role of the Secretary of Homeland Security to meet border agents. But Sessions made the visit to highlight his focus on enforcing federal laws as dozens of U.S. cities try to shield illegal immigrants from stepped-up prosecution and deportation efforts. “Why are we doing this?” the former U.S. senator said. “Because it is what the duly enacted laws of the United States require.” Sessions said that each U.S. attorney would be required to designate a point person on border security prosecutions by April 18. The person in that position, known as a border security coordinator, would be directed to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security, according to Sessions’ memo. The directive did not go beyond existing laws, but Sessions said his order “mandates the prioritizations of such enforcement” by U.S. attorneys. The Trump administration has threatened to cut off U.S. Justice Department grants to so-called sanctuary cities that fail to assist federal immigration authorities. Police in such cities have argued that targeting illegal migrants is an improper use of law enforcement resources. Sessions has said a failure to deport aliens convicted of criminal offenses puts whole communities at risk. Under U.S. law, anyone who harbors or transports an undocumented immigrant, has crossed the border illegally two or more times, resists an immigration officer’s arrest or commits travel document fraud is subject to criminal prosecution. Other immigrants apprehended for crossing the border illegally face civil procedures, with deportation the only penalty. Sessions’ announcement was the latest move by the Trump administration to deter illegal immigration. President Donald Trump has also called for not releasing migrants with pending court cases, targeting more people in immigration raids and building a wall on the southwest border. Speaking just 50 yards from a border fence on the Arizona-Mexico border, Sessions said that adding more fencing to the border will be a “force multiplier” against illegal migration. He also said the Justice Department plans to add 50 more immigration judges in 2017 and 75 more in 2018. Immigration judges oversee civil immigration cases, but there is a backlog of over 540,000 pending cases due a shortage of judges. | 1 |
ROME (Reuters) - The bodies of seven migrants were discovered on Wednesday in a boat adrift off Libya while around 900 people were saved in operations in the southern Mediterranean, Italy s coastguard said. It was one of the most intense days of rescues recorded in the area in recent months and follows a sharp fall-off in the number of migrants reaching Italy. A Coastguard spokesman said the seven bodies were picked up by a boat under the command of a European Union naval force operating in the Mediterranean. He had no further information about who they were or how they had died. About 900 migrants were rescued in eight different missions, the spokesman said, adding that he expected they would be brought to Italy later in the week. Migrant arrivals in Italy fell 30 percent in the first eight months of the year, the Interior Ministry said this week, thanks mainly to a sharp decline since July when Italy struck a deal with Libya to block would-be asylum seekers from setting sail. As part of the deal, the Libyan coastguard has played a much more active role in preventing crossings. Earlier this week, it intercepted 299 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries on two rubber boats east of Tripoli, officials said. Libya s western shoreline is the main departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe by boat, many of them fleeing conflict or poverty. The Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that between January and October, 111,397 migrants had reached Italy by boat against 159,427 in the same period in 2016. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that so far this year at least 2,630 people have died at sea trying to cross to Italy. | 0 |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has “great heart” for illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children and he wants Congress to produce a legislative solution for them. “I have a great heart for the folks we’re talking about, a great love for them,” Trump said after his administration announced earlier Tuesday it was phasing out a program that protects the so-called Dreamers from deportation. “I can tell you in speaking to members of Congress they want to be able to do something and do it right and really we have no choice,” Trump told reporters. | 1 |
The arrogance of Bill Clinton is astounding. While addressing a crowd of Hillary supporters in Pennsylvania, he mocks the hard working coal miners in West Virginia and Kentucky because they re saying they won t support his wife after she promised to double down on Obama s promise to bankrupt the coal industry.Watch this West Virginia coal miner confront Hillary over remarks she made during a CNN town hall where she proudly exclaimed, We re gonna put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. Watch the stunning arrogance with which Barack Obama delivers his punishing message of government overreach to American coal miners and anyone associated with the coal industry in America, If somebody wants to build a coal fire plant, they can. It s just that we re going to bankrupt them, because we re going to charge a huge sum for all that greenhouse gases. And now, here s former president Bill Clinton mocking the coal miners for not getting behind Barack Obama in 2012 and now the polls are showing they re not about to vote for another president who swears to destroy their livelihoods and the towns where generations of coal miners have lived. | 1 |
Eight years ago, the right-wing media was obsessed over a White House controversy. It seemed that the newly elected President Barack Obama was unfit for office because he *gasp* used Dijon mustard as a condiment.In news from eight years ago that appears to be from some alternate reality, Obama left the White House and went out for a local bite to eat with vice president and BFF Joe Biden in May. The two politicians ordered hamburgers, MSNBC journalist Andrea Mitchell reported at the time, with the sitting president requesting mustard on his red meat.Source: NewsweekHere s Sean Hannity covering the travesty.To be fair, Donald Trump suffered his own condiment scandal when during his first D.C. dinner as President, he ordered a well done steak with ketchup, and the outrage to that was a bit over the top as well:Trump putting ketchup on his steak is really the only thing you need to know to fully comprehend how terrible of a person he is. eat the rude (@MrNotWell) May 25, 2017It s well documented that trump likes his steak well done with ketchup..ya know like a child. Chef @FlowGo37 how do u feel about this? Greg Gurenlian (@GregBeast32) May 24, 2017Of all the horrible news to learn this week: Trump eats his steak with ketchup! #impeach45 Sydney Back (@SkidneyBack) May 24, 2017Just found out Trump eats his steak with ketchup. That honestly tells me everything I need to know about the man. Steven Ormsbee (@thelastormsbee) May 23, 2017Just when I think Trump can t sink any lower, he does just that. THE MAN PUTS KETCHUP ON STEAK THE SICK FUCK. Justplainandy (@justplainandy) May 21, 2017By far the worst thing Trump has done is eat a well done steak with ketchup. How is this man not in jail? Stephen A Davis (@SDIllustration) May 20, 2017The difference, of course, is that eight years ago, this was the best they had to disparage our President. Today, we only wish his choice in condiments was the worst we could say about Trump. As for Fox, they were so desperate to tear down a scandal-free administration, and they are equally desperate to turn the most scandal-ridden administration in history into something palatable.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1 |
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq plans to take control of the borders of its autonomous Kurdistan region in coordination with Iran and Turkey, the Iraqi Defence Ministry said on Friday. The statement did not give more detail or indicate specifically whether Iraqi forces were planning to move toward the external border posts controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) from the Iranian and Turkish side. The move to seize the border posts is a response to a Kurdish referendum on Monday that produced a vote in favor of secession from Iraq. Following the vote, Iraq, Iran and Turkey demanded that the KRG relinquish control over its external border crossings with Turkey, Iran and Syria. Backed by Ankara and Tehran, the Iraqi government has demanded that the Kurdish leadership cancel the result of the referendum or face the prospect of sanctions, international isolation and possibly a military intervention. Earlier on Friday, a ban imposed by Iraq s central government on international flights to Kurdistan went into effect after the KRG rejected a demand to hand over control of its international airports in Erbil and Sulaimaniya. The KRG also refused to relinquish control of its border crossings, Erbil-based TV Rudaw said on Friday, citing a Kurdish official. The Iraqi Defence Ministry said the implementation of central government decisions to take over management of all the border posts and airports was going as planned in coordination with the relevant authorities and neighboring countries, and there is no delay in the procedures . Iraqi state television said an Iraqi military delegation had visited the Kurdistan border from the Iranian side. An Iraqi force is also deployed on the Turkish side of the border as part of joint drills with the Turkish army. | 1 |
WOW! John McCain is leading a vicious campaign against the Russian government since the November election.In January McCain suggested the Russian hacking of the election was an act of war. Sworn Donald Trump enemy John McCain also admitted to passing a dossier of false claims of a Russian blackmail plot against the president-elect to the FBI.But OOPS! It looks like it wasn t that long ago that Senator McCain requested campaign donations from Russian officials for his Presidential campaign.Wikileaks released documents this week following the sudden death of Russian UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin.There are several documents Wikileaks has on McCain s request for donations from the Russians.In 2008 the Russian mission released a letter on a fundraising attempt from John McCain. GPAccording to Reddit users John McCain illegally asked for campaign donations from the Russian Ambassador. (the same ambassador that died suddenly on Monday) This globalist shrieks about Russian influence while he himself participated in it.The Russians told McCain they would not donate to his campaign. | 1 |
If you don t know what civil asset forfeiture is, the short answer is: The police get to take your money and property and keep it for themselves even if you didn t commit, or were even charged with, a crime. If you want the long answer, watch John Oliver s definitive take on it here. Needless to say, introducing a profit motive to policing is a terrible idea, so a lot of people were understandably happy when the federal version of the program was suspended last year.But that s all done with now:The Justice Department today announced that it is resuming a controversial practice that allows local police departments to funnel a large portion of assets seized from citizens into their own coffers under federal law.The equitable-sharing program gives police the option of prosecuting asset forfeiture cases under federal instead of state law. The Justice Department had suspended payments under this program back in December, due to budget cuts included in last year s spending bill.This program allows the police to walk into your house with little to no justification, take your giant flatscreen TV and keep it to watch football games back at the station. Just to be clear, the police have admitted that they like to target people they KNOW will have nice stuff to take. They go after nice cars, expensive computers, etc. because they get to keep it and use it knowing there s almost no chance they ll ever have to give it back.Does that sound constitutional in any way, shape or form?Even worse, as the law enforcement community tumbles to the fact that they can rob the public blind, they ve gone on a spree that puts actual criminals to shame:Asset forfeiture is fast growing in 2014, for instance, federal authorities seized over $5 billion in assets. That s more than the amount of money lost in every single burglary that year.And the police wonder WHY they ve lost the public s trust? Seriously?Now that the program has resumed, they re going to want to make up for lost time so expect to hear an increasing number of horror stories in the news. Also look for stories of the police using asset forfeiture as retaliation against all those pesky Black Lives Matter protesters that keep making them look bad by filming the police unnecessarily beating/killing unarmed black people. Because why stop at abusing your power for personal gain when you can get some payback at the same time? Murika.Featured image via memes.com | 1 |
When not lecturing the Trump Administration form his bully pulpit, Hamilton star Brandon Victor Dixon is advocating rape, recently unearthed Tweets reveal. St. Patty s day weekend is like Christmas for black dudes who like white chicks. Happy holidays boys. @reesewaters #seasonsgreetings. St. Patty's day weekend is like Christmas for black dudes who like white chicks. Happy holidays boys. @reesewaters#seasonsgreetings Brandon Victor Dixon (@BrandonVDixon) March 17, 2012Here s how one Twitter user responded after Mike Cernovich uncovered Dixon s vile tweet (above):https://twitter.com/JenThePatriot/status/800442947359543296Via: Danger and PlayDixon retweeted this vile tweet in July, 2013 about turning a white, married, suburban housewife & mother into a jump off by a racist actor friend J Lee:What did they mean by this? pic.twitter.com/1Ehb2qHcqy Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) November 20, 2016 | 1 |
Based on the number of supporters Trump is drawing at his Florida rallies, it might be a good time for Rubio to jump on the Trump Train Marco Rubio won the Republican nomination for a second Senate term Tuesday night, a reversal of fortune after Florida GOP voters dealt a fatal blow to his presidential ambitions in a primary earlier this year.With the Senate on the line, Republicans convinced the Florida lawmaker to seek re-election rather than retiring after only a single term. Rubio had planned to either be in the White House or the private sector next year. Winning his primary is the first step in extending his stay on Capitol Hill instead.The primary field mostly cleared for Rubio when he decided to give it another go. The sole holdout among name candidates was builder Carlos Beruff. Rubio mostly ignored his primary opponent, refusing to debate him. Via: Washington ExaminerMeanwhile, Rubio says he ll consider campaigning with Trump:Sen. Marco Rubio says he's open to campaigning alongside Donald Trump, @mkraju reports https://t.co/JKoUjl9QdP https://t.co/eU5xyYHN39 CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 30, 2016 | 1 |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that one its general lieutenants, Valeryi Asapov, was killed by mortar shelling in Syria, the TASS news agency reported. The mortar shelling was carried by the Islamic State near Syria s Deir al-Zor, the ministry said. | 1 |
YANGON (Reuters) - Members of U.S. Congress said on Tuesday they were disturbed by the harsh response of Myanmar’s security forces to attacks by militants in August which they said bore “all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing” against the Rohingya Muslim minority. “We are profoundly disturbed by the violent and disproportionate response against the Rohingya by the military and local groups,” Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley told reporters in Yangon at the end of a visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar. Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led the five-strong congressional delegation, which over the last few days met with people affected by the military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims which has forced more than 600,000 people to flee to Bangladesh. In early November, U.S. lawmakers proposed targeted sanctions and travel restrictions on Myanmar military officials over the treatment of the Rohingya. | 1 |
(Reuters) - Ted Cruz’s Super Tuesday victories in his home state of Texas and neighboring Oklahoma strengthened his odds for the Republican presidential nomination on online betting sites but he still trails far behind Donald Trump. On PredictIt.com, operated by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, the predicted chances of the Texas senator winning the nomination for the Nov. 8 election rose to 10 percent as results from Super Tuesday voting continued to be tallied. Cruz has gained 4 percentage points in the past two days and his predicted chances stood at the highest level on the site since he tumbled to a record low after a weak showing in the South Carolina primary on Feb 20. But Trump, who rolled to wins in at least seven states on Super Tuesday, was outdistancing both Cruz and his other top rival, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. PredictIt had Trump’s odds of winning the nomination at 76 percent early on Wednesday, down 4 points from Monday’s record high of 80 percent. Rubio, who scored his first win in a nominating contest on Tuesday with the Minnesota Republican caucuses, dropped 1 point to 10 percent, a record low for him. Betting volumes on both Trump and Cruz hit records for the candidates on Tuesday and Rubio’s volume was his second highest ever. Other online betting venues also gave Trump, a New York billionaire businessman, the strongest odds of winning the nomination. Ireland’s PaddyPower put Trump as a 1-to-7 favorite, with Rubio following at 5-1 and Cruz at 12-1. Ladbrokes PLC said on Wednesday morning that Trump’s odds of securing the nomination were 1-5. Rubio came in a distant second at 9-2, followed by Cruz at 25-1. Message boards associated with PredictIt featured growing discussion of a possible brokered convention, which can occur when no candidate has won a clear majority of delegates before the start of the party’s nominating convention. There has not been a brokered U.S. major-party convention since 1952 when the Democrats nominated Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson on the third ballot. “I am betting against Trump getting the nomination at these odds but only because I think there is a 30 percent chance the GOP elite somehow successfully blocks him at the convention,” said a post from a forum member with the username matthewcooley. (Reporting by Dan Burns in Washington and Anjali Athavaley in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Trott) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production. | 0 |
(Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said on Monday he would allow an unbalanced budget of just under $32 billion to become law at midnight after state lawmakers failed to agree on a plan to close a $2 billion deficit. Wolf had 10 days from June 30th to either sign or veto the legislation. He chose to let it become law automatically at midnight without his signature. The legislature approved the spending part of the budget June 30th, beating a July 1 deadline by just hours. However, Republicans, who dominate both houses of the legislature, were unable to agree on a way to close the budget gap. “In the coming days, it is my hope that the General Assembly will come together to pass a responsible solution to balance our books,” Wolf, a Democrat said in a statement. “There are many options available to balance the budget in the long-term.” The fiscal 2018 budget is about $450 million larger than last year. The budget shortfall is due in large part to revenue collections this fiscal year which were $1.6 billion below expectations. In order to close the gap, the state is considering borrowing $1 billion, to be repaid with money U.S. states still receive every year from their 1998 legal settlement with tobacco companies for health expenses. Republicans have also discussed a wide expansion in casino gambling, and discussed but rejected placing as many as 40,000 video gambling devices around the state. Democrats want a severance tax on oil and gas production that would feed the general fund. That idea has failed to pass in previous years. “Every year our Commonwealth borrows money and uses accounting gimmicks to meet our obligations, digging us deeper and deeper into a hole,” said Democratic Senator Daylin Leach. “We need new sustainable revenue just to keep the lights on and avoid yet another credit downgrade,” he said. On July 6, S&P Global put Pennsylvania’s AA-minus credit rating on watch for potential downgrade due to budget concerns. | 1 |
LONDON (Reuters) - Iran will strengthen its missile capabilities and not seek any country s permission, President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday rejecting demands from U.S. President Donald Trump. Rouhani spoke at a military parade where an Iranian news agency said one of the weapons on display was a new ballistic missile with range of 2,000 km (1,200 miles), capable of carrying several warheads. The Tasnim news agency, which quoted the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, Amirali Hajizadeh, gave few other details of the missile. Iranian state television showed footage of the firing of Khoramshahr missile but did not specify if the test-fire happened on Friday or in the past. At the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump said Iran was building its missile capability and accused it exporting violence to Yemen, Syria and other parts of the Middle East. He also criticized the 2015 pact that the United States and six other powers struck with Iran under which Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. In a speech broadcast on state television, Rouhani said: We will increase our military power as a deterrent. We will strengthen our missile capabilities ... We will not seek permission from anyone to defend our country. All countries in the world supported the nuclear deal in the United Nations General Assembly this year ... except the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel), Rouhani said. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that the agreement must be changed or the United States could not stick with it. Iran has said its nuclear accord cannot be renegotiated. The prospect of Washington reneging on the deal has worried some of the U.S. allies that helped negotiate it, especially as the world grapples with North Korea s nuclear and ballistic missile development. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said tensions on the Korean peninsula underlined the importance of the Iranian deal, and that China would continue to support it. Trump put Iran on notice in February for test-firing a ballistic missile and imposed new economic sanctions in July over its missile program and malign activities in the Middle East. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the U.S. imposition of unilateral sanctions on Iran was illegitimate and undermines the collective nature of international efforts. | 0 |
21st Century Wire says Clearly, below the surface of current events, the 2016 election process is still ongoing, and a partisan war is going on for control of the White House. This latest news could very well be used as a bargaining chip by Trump s faction behind the scenes.Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch claims her secret meeting with Bill Clinton was about golf and grand kids. It seems like this was simply part of her prepared talking points, which would indicate that Lynch was lying to the public about the true nature of that crucial conversation ABC15 PhoenixPHOENIX Newly released documents reveal former Attorney General Loretta Lynch was prepared for questions about the now-infamous tarmac meeting at Sky Harbor International Airport with former President Bill Clinton.The private meeting happened in Phoenix on the evening of June 27, 2016, a matter of hours before the Obama Department of Justice decision on whether then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had revealed classified information when using a private email account while secretary of state.ABC15 s Christopher Sign broke the story of the tarmac meeting two days later, prompting a chain of events that would include an unprecedented news conference by then-FBI Director James Comey.Documents reveal Department of Justice staffers were given a heads-up that ABC15 had learned about the meeting, and assisted the Attorney General on how to address any potential questions from reporters Large portions of the hundreds of emails have been redacted, but what remains gives rare insight into the crisis-mode reaction by the DOJ. At least ten high-level staffers were involved in an e-mail chain discussing how to handle the situation, crafting talking points for the Attorney General Continue this exclusive story at ABC15READ MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Trump FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
LIMA (Reuters) - Peru s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski defended his pardon for Alberto Fujimori on Monday as justified clemency for an ailing man whose authoritarian government in the 1990s helped the country progress, after Peruvians protested for a second day. Addressing Peruvians for the first time since pardoning Fujimori on Christmas Eve, Kuczynski appealed to Peruvians protesting his decision to turn the page and accept it. The pardon has pitched Kuczynski s center-right government into a fresh political crisis less than a week after Congress nearly removed him from office in the wake of a graft scandal. Earlier on Monday, police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in downtown Lima in a second day of unrest, while a third lawmaker announced he was abandoning Kuczynski s political party. Fujimori, who like Kuczynski is 79, is a deeply divisive figure in Peru. While many consider him a corrupt dictator, others credit him with ending a severe economic crisis and quashing a leftist rebellion during his decade in power. The pardon cleared Fujimori of convictions for graft and human rights crimes, 12 years into a 25-year prison sentence. Kuczynski, a former Wall Street banker, reiterated that the pardon was a response to fears that Fujimori might die in prison. But - for the first time since running for office a year ago - he also defended Fujimori s decade in power. It s clear his government, which inherited a country submerged in a violent and chaotic crisis at the start of the 1990s, incurred in significant legal transgressions regarding democracy and human rights. But I also think his government contributed to national progress, Kuczynski said in a televised address. The remarks placed Kuczynski more firmly on Fujimori s side of Peru s biggest political faultline, and triggered a fresh wave of criticism of Kuczynski from Fujimori s foes. You ve got to be pretty stingy, President Kuczynski, to not say a word of solidarity for the victims and their loved ones, Gisela Ortiz, a Peruvian human rights activist, said on Twitter after his speech. Just a week ago, Kuczynski fanned fears of a new rise of Fujimori s rightwing movement, denouncing its bid to remove him from office as a legislative coup attempt that threatened Peru s democracy. Many of Fujimori s detractors, who helped Kuczynski win last year s runoff election, joined Kuczynski in calling for lawmakers to defeat the presidential vacancy motion. But it was a rebel faction among Fujimori s supporters in Congress which unexpectedly saved Kuczynski from the vote, fueling speculation that it was part of a deal to trade votes for a pardon for Fujimori. The pardon s for President Kuczynski, it s not for Fujimori, leftist lawmaker Marisa Glave said on local TV channel Canal N. The lawyer who defended Kuczynski before Congress last week, Alberto Borea, said he was opposed to the pardon and did not know it was in the works. Chanting traitor and the pardon has got to go, many Peruvians marching on Monday called for Kucyznski to resign and new elections to be held. So far, three ruling party lawmakers have announced their resignations from Kuczynski s party, which controls about a fifth of congressional seats. The deputy human rights minister has also resigned, a government source said. Fujimori remained at a hospital in Lima, where he was taken from prison late on Sunday to treat a drop in his blood pressure and an abnormal heart beat, according to his doctor. | 0 |
Two weeks ago at Middlebury College, Charles Murray needed a safe space literally.In a significant escalation of the campus speech wars, protesters hooted down the conservative scholar in a lecture hall and then roughed up a Middlebury faculty member escorting him to a car.The Middlebury administration commendably tried to do the right thing and stand by Murray s right to be heard, but was overwhelmed by a yowling mob with all the manners and intellectual openness of a gang of British soccer hooligans.The students who brought in Charles Murray framed the evening as an invitation to argue, and in that spirit asked Professor Allison Stanger, a Democrat in good standing, to serve as Murray s interlocutor. When chanting students commandeered the lecture hall, Stanger and Murray repaired to another room for a livestreamed discussion.Protesters found the room and pounded on the windows and pulled fire alarms. When Murray and Stanger exited at the end of the livestream and headed for their getaway car, protesters assailed them. They shoved and grabbed Stanger, who was shaken up and later went to the hospital, and pounded on the car and tried to obstruct it. She was recently diagnosed with a concussion that she suffered during the liberal beating by Middlebury students.Stanger wrote afterward that she feared for my life. And for what offense? Talking to someone who thinks differently than the average Middleburg faculty member or student.Allison Stanger invited Charles Murray, famous for The Bell Curve, to speak at the school. Students were so outraged Murray had to flee for his life, and Stanger got beaten up. Her response?It s Trump s fault!During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, student Red Guards forced professors to make self-confessions. This situation was clearly different, however, as most of the students were not Chinese.Stanger is smart. She doesn t have to deal with Donald Trump at her school, but she does have to deal with her fellow leftist faculty members and leftist students. She s trying to make kissy-kissy with them so they don t smack her in the head again.If I were in her position, I d probably do the same thing. On the other hand, Vermont is a concealed carry state, so maybe there could be another option when faced with a life-threatening leftist mob.Exit question:1) When someone goes to an emergency room with throbbing head pains and a hardcore leftist worldview, how can an E.R. doctor determine whether the patient has a head injury or simply a very rigid ideological point of view? American ThinkerSo in summary, the leftist professor who s made it her mission to indoctrinate Middlebury students, is now blaming President Trump because those same students she encouraged to think and behave like leftists, behaved in a way that is compatible with how leftists behave. Using violence and threatening behavior to get your way and drown out the opposing voices is nothing new for leftists, they ve just taken it a significant notch since Obama took office 8 years ago. | 1 |
The soaring spires, the sloping shores, the straitjacket of the street grid — many things give form to the great metropolis. The skyline may be our most recognizable feature, despite how unrecognizable it can often be. Its transformation has been nothing less than astonishing over the past decade. Even when it seems as if there were nowhere left to go, the city, with its manifold appetites, could not be contained. Thanks to new concrete technologies, we have witnessed an eruption of very slender, very tall (some might say very crass) buildings. But for every heroic skyscraper, there are more than a few more humble, ventures — a salt shed, a library, a residential hyperbolic paraboloid (see No. 10, above). Today, apart from the Empire State or Chrysler Building, there are few icons of the skyline. The buildings outlined above, however, may someday be worthy of appearing in a Times Square souvenir snow globe. These are the projects that have captured the imagination of more than a dozen shapers and observers of the city consulted by The New York Times for their perspective on the new standouts. You may not recognize these silhouettes, but in time, you will. 1. 432 PARK AVENUE Manhattan, 2016 Rafael Viñoly Architects Though it is the tallest apartment tower in New York City, at 1, 396 feet, the building was originally laid out with only 125 apartments, ranging in price from $7. 2 million to $88 million. “This building is all about seeing forever. As for its design, it has this pure elegance, something that’s simple and won’t go out of style. It’s the sort of building — it’s not popular with everyone, but it represents what the real estate demand was at a moment in time. The demand right now is for high in the sky, for ‘see everywhere.’ Many people don’t like it because they see it as an eyesore, because you can see it from everywhere. On the other hand, that’s what people thought of the Eiffel Tower. ” Elizabeth F. Stribling, Founder, Stribling Associates real estate brokerage 2. TIMES SQUARE PLAZAS Manhattan, Snohetta Closing off a section of Broadway in 2009 has been a boon for the area: Travel times improved on Seventh Avenue by 4 percent even as pedestrian counts have grown as high as 480, 000 a day from 320, 000 a decade earlier. “Taking out the five Broadway blocks and pedestrianizing them flew in the face of all the thinking: Traffic would back up to Albany, and so on, which didn’t happen. And it immediately filled with pedestrians. So you can design streets where the space is shared. Times Square’s not exactly my favorite place in the world, but it spawned the city’s plaza program. That is where you can have a real impact on the social capital of a city. If you look at Astor Place, where all sorts of things are going on, creating plazas and widening sidewalks, it’s transformative. There’s so much potential all across the city, and it’s good for the local economies, too. ” David J. Burney, Former commissioner of design and construction Pratt architecture professor 3. THE SPRING STREET SALT SHED Manhattan, 2015 Dattner Architects and WXY Architecture Urban Design Resembling a salt crystal, the Spring Street shed houses 5, 000 tons of salt for use during snowstorms. It is part of the city’s Design and Construction Excellence program, which has seeded more than 100 projects since 2005. “The salt shed is a totally unexpected thing for a very municipal, prosaic, function, like the infrastructure for salting the roads in winter. It is a thing it draws attention to itself when you’re flying by in a taxicab. It’s got a good location on the West Side, it’s unusual and it makes you wonder, ‘What is that?’ It has a toughness to it architecturally that’s right. It’s interesting to have that level of care and value and investment into something municipal and often overlooked. It’s just salt storage. But why not?” James Corner, Landscape architect and founding partner, Field Operations 4. QUEENS LIBRARY AT HUNTERS POINT Queens, 2017 Steven Holl Architects The branch in Hunters Point follows six new or expanded libraries that have opened in the borough since 2000, part of a plan to create hubs for the diverse, digital needs of a Queens. “At a moment when most additions to the skyline of New York City seemingly need to scream ‘bigger, better, best,’ there is one that is just quietly and powerfully beautiful. From the vantage point of the East River, the new public library designed by Steven Holl sits squatly amid a backdrop of tall residential towers on the Long Island City waterfront. But its strong geometry — a concrete cube with purposefully placed cutouts — establishes it as a dominant structure and the organizer of the buildings around it. Through its unusual openings, it expresses the quintessential experience of a library: the mysteries and reveals one encounters when searching the stacks for a book and finding not only it but an unexpected relative. ” Gina Pollara, President, Municipal Art Society 5. 1 WORLD TRADE CENTER Manhattan, 2014 Skidmore, Owings Merrill Its profile is not the only big thing about 1 World Trade Center. The construction of the 2. tower also had the largest budget of any modern building: $3. 8 billion. “One World Trade Center has had such an impact. The architecture is really wonderful, and then there’s the symbolism of the rebuilding. Downtown is back, the city is back and the country is back. It’s an icon again, and one that’s visible again, from so many parts of the city. Whenever you see it, it reminds us of our rebirth, and the recovery and revitalization of Lower Manhattan. This building has such a presence, with the plaza and its tapering sides. It has a majesty. It’s big without being massive. ” Bill Rudin, Chief executive, Rudin Management chairman, Association for a Better New York 6. CHELSEA MODERN Manhattan, 2009 Audrey Matlock Architect The rippling facade of the apartment building is meant to evoke the artistic energy of the neighborhood — and helped win design honors from the New York State chapter of the American Institute of Architects. “Because of the rising consciousness of architecture as a cultural artifact, and a goad to sales, the quality of everyday architecture is getting better in New York. In particular, some small midblock apartment buildings that used to just be generic redbrick monstrosities are now getting designed with some character. Chelsea Modern is just a very solid piece of architecture that exceeds the ordinary. It’s an interesting facade that pushes and pulls you. It’s assertive without being aggressive, well controlled and disciplined — a standout background building, the kind we should see more of in New York, and are. And I think the parenthesis of this is that practitioners like Audrey’s firm are finally making it. ” Michael Sorkin, Critic and designer 7. VIA VERDE The Bronx, 2012 Grimshaw, and Dattner Architects Via Verde has been praised for housing New Yorkers across a range of incomes, with 151 rentals available from $730 to $1, 090 a month when it opened in 2012, as well as 71 available for less than $200, 000. “In Europe, there’s a lot of good architects involved in public housing, and there isn’t so much of a disconnect between design and affordable housing that you see in New York and the U. S. Via Verde is a good example of design contributing to making housing more special. Design shouldn’t just be limited to the brackets. I liked the diversity of housing types here, from the sections at the neighborhood scale that steps up into this tower. With the facade, there was a lot of research, too, into durability, so you could maybe spend a little more knowing it would last. ” Amale Andraos, Dean, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture WORKac 8. WYTHE HOTEL Brooklyn, 2012 Morris Adjmi Architects The hotel has also become a cultural hub. It goes well beyond lobby art to promoting residency programs with new pieces for each room, as well as hosting openings and film screenings. “If you get off the subway at Bedford, it can almost feel like Stockholm or Paris because of the tourists. This hotel is an entry point for a lot of folks, even those coming from Manhattan. Reclaimed wood and exposed bricks may be played out, but the designers got it just right. As far as a beacon, you could do far worse. It’s not fake, either, but an exemplar of adaptive reuse. Most people who are visiting the Wythe, they have no use for an old barrel factory. You’re not displacing people, but you do have this very waterfront area that is very recognizably Williamsburg. Here they maintained the old brick facade and the beautiful old wood beams, but by and large, the entire building is very new. It’s elevated to a place that doesn’t just feel like Brooklyn pastiche. When you’re working with beautiful, heavy, honest materials, I’d wager to say this building will stand the test of time. ” Kelsey Keith, Editor in chief, Curbed 9. BARCLAYS CENTER Brooklyn, 2012 SHoP Architects The home of the Nets and Islanders was built across the street from Robert Moses’ unrealized Dodgers stadium, though the arena was almost unrealized, too, after years of lawsuits over the use of eminent domain. “Barclays Center has become one of the most important new public spaces and landmarks in the city, part of a larger narrative of the transformation of Downtown Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Cultural District. Despite all the criticism about Atlantic Yards and the history of the development, the Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue crossroads is an important part of the city’s future and growth. Part of that is a network of public spaces that connect people, transit and multiple uses. ” Justin Garrett Moore, Executive director, Public Design Commission 10. VIA 57 WEST Manhattan, 2016 Bjarke Ingels Group The building may resemble an pyramid, but the architects prefer to describe it as a hyperbolic paraboloid. The shape developed from taking a typical apartment block and stretching out the northwestern corner to increase views of the Hudson River. “Many of the new towers currently going up are those pencil shapes. The Bjarke Ingels project on the West Side is especially interesting because it is beginning to show that when there’s collaboration between architects, designers, developers and the city, you can start to do different things. This mashing of the conventional skyscraper and a typical courtyard building generated this rather unique shape that’s standing out in the skyline rather nicely. And it includes affordable units, as well, which is obviously important. The lesson would be to start experimenting on all levels. Our city is so interesting because of the diversity of its people and opinions, and you want to see that reflected in the built environment. ” David van der Leer, Executive director, Van Alen Institute 11. NEW YORK BY GEHRY Manhattan, 2011 Gehry Partners This luxury tower may be an unusual symbol of Lower Manhattan’s rebirth, but with roughly $200 million in . 11 bond financing, the edifice is a reminder of the many ways the area has been reshaped since 2001. “I have no claims for aesthetic competence, but the Gehry building certainly looks nice enough to me as an economist who loves cities. The fact that it’s residential matters a lot. If anything, New York, and particularly downtown New York, has a mismatch between its residential needs and an abundance of commercial space. New York is at its healthiest when it is profoundly mixed use, when it is residential and commercial and recreational all at once. I like the fact that the apartments aren’t just apartments for billionaires. They’re not particularly cheap — it’s still New York — but it’s rental. They’re midsized, a lot are under 1, 000 square feet. The fact that it has a school on the bottom floors is nice as well. Edward Glaeser, Author of “Triumph of the City” Harvard economics professor 12. THE NEW MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Manhattan, 2007 Sanaa Exquisite execution with simple materials is one of the chief attributes of Japanese design, which helps explain how Sanaa turned some offset boxes of aluminum mesh into a beloved museum. And all for a mere $50 million (the new Whitney Museum of American Art cost almost nine times that). “The jagged skyline of the building, surrounded mostly by brownstones and tenements, really creates a stunning contrast that so speaks to what it is. In that neighborhood, I think it creates a real beacon of what’s new. The first band of it does still line up with the building to the north, a totally brilliant way to be a part of that neighborhood and still be totally different. And the storefront is a direct continuation, too. Instead of a gentle weave into the city, it still connects, but in a very different way. It’s very simple and detailed and not at all gaudy. ” David Rockwell, Founder, Rockwell Group | 0 |
Please RT until we identify this disgusting NYU Professor slandering Police as Nazi Sympathizers #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/2WgrNJu6mD Democrats for Trump (@YoungDems4Trump) February 3, 2017 | 1 |
Just hours before what would have been his 70th birthday, David Bowie resurfaced. A new video for one of Mr. Bowie’s final songs and a brief EP of previously released tracks were made available late on Saturday, almost exactly a year since the release of the musician’s final album, “Blackstar,” and days before the first anniversary of his death on Jan. 10. The video, for the song “No Plan,” was directed by Tom Hingston, who also worked with Mr. Bowie on videos for the songs “I’d Rather Be High (Venetian Mix)” and “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime). ” The clip features a ghostly row of television screens flashing the lyrics of Mr. Bowie’s song, which explores themes of disembodiment and confusion. Above the screens is a sign for Newton Electrical, a reference to Thomas Jerome Newton, Mr. Bowie’s character in the film “The Man Who Fell to Earth. ” That character was resurrected as the protagonist of “Lazarus,” a musical featuring Mr. Bowie’s songs that began its run in late 2015. All of the songs on the new EP were featured on the “Lazarus” cast recording released this fall. The EP, also called “No Plan,” includes “Lazarus” from “Blackstar,” as well as “No Plan,” “Killing a Little Time” and “When I Met You. ” The four songs, all of which were recorded during sessions for “Blackstar,” are Mr. Bowie’s final studio recordings. Mr. Bowie recorded “Blackstar” with the Donny McCaslin Quartet, a jazz combo he had scouted in Greenwich Village, from January to March 2014 at the Magic Shop in SoHo. In “David Bowie: The Last Five Years,” a new documentary exploring the final period of his career that was broadcast on the BBC on Saturday night, Johan Renck, the director of the “Lazarus” video, said Mr. Bowie had learned his cancer was terminal during the filming of the clip, three months before he died. Reacting to the new release on social media, fans celebrated and mourned the musician anew. “Happy Birthday, Starman,” one Twitter user wrote. “I miss you every single day. ” | 0 |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian prosecutors on Monday sought a sentence of 10 years in jail for ex-economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev, on trial on charges of extorting a $2 million bribe from Rosneft chief Igor Sechin, Russian news agencies reported. Ulyukayev denies the charges. | 1 |
During the last presidential debate, many people were live-tweeting their responses to the candidate s answers. One of those people happened to be the legendary Shonda Rhimes, creator of pretty much every amazing drama on ABC at the moment.During one point in the debate, Donald Trump was talking about late-term abortion. However, he didn t seem to have all his facts right, and he somehow thinks that babies are ripped from the womb in the 9th month.Not being able to refrain from Trump s clear lack of knowledge of women, pregnancy, abortion or the birthing process, Rhimes tweeted out: FYI: ripping baby from womb in 9th month is called C-section. #VaginaEducation FYI: "ripping baby from womb in 9th month" is called C-section. #VaginaEducation shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) October 20, 2016Which is exactly what it is. If a women is nine months pregnant and wants the baby removed, they would do that via C-section, and the baby would be fully developed. If the baby was removed for any other reason that late in the pregnancy it s likely for some tragic reason and Trump really has to keep his orange mouth shut because he has no idea what he s talking about.On the other hand, Hillary Clinton s response during the debate regarding late-term abortion was absolutely on point. She said:Roe v. Wade very clearly sets out that there can be regulations on abortion so long as the life and health of the mother are taken into account. And when I voted as a senator I did not think that that was the case. The kinds of cases that fall at the end of pregnancy are often the most heartbreaking, painful decisions for families to make. I have met with women who have, toward the end of their pregnancy, get the worst news one could get that their health is in jeopardy if they continue to carry to term or that something terrible has happened or just been discovered about the pregnancy. I do not think the United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions. So you can regulate if you are doing so with the life and health of the mother taken into account. However, Trump doesn t seem to care about women or the life of the mother and is instead catering to his dimwitted base who has no knowledge of basic science, let alone what goes on when a woman is pregnant. Nor does he himself even care to know. He just knows how to sell a point to his audience. He is, after all, a scam artist businessman.Good on Rhimes for giving Trump some Vagina Education it d be nice if he learned a little about them before just walking up and grabbing them.Featured Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Vulture Festival Twitter | 0 |
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The battle for the city of Raqqa, which Islamic State had used as its headquarters in Syria, is drawing to an end. Islamic State militants have lost swathes of land to various offensives across Syria and Iraq, forced into a diminishing foothold along the Euphrates river valley. Their defeat in Raqqa would be a milestone in the fight to roll back the theocratic caliphate Islamic State declared in 2014 in both countries. Following are some facts about Raqqa: Raqqa sits on the Euphrates river around 90 km (56 miles) from the Turkish border in north central Syria. Hardline Sunni militant group Islamic State overran Raqqa in January 2014, seizing control from rebel factions opposed to the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States has said Islamic State planned and sent teams from Raqqa to carry out attacks on cities including Paris, Brussels and Istanbul. THE ANTI-IS OFFENSIVE The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of mostly Kurdish and Arab militias, began to advance towards Raqqa city in November 2016. After encircling the city, they launched the offensive to take it, facing tough resistance. The United States-led coalition supports the SDF with air strikes and special forces on the ground. The battle for Raqqa has taken a severe toll on civilians. The United Nations said in March the city contained around 200,000 people, just under its pre-war population. Since late last year, fighting around and in Raqqa has displaced tens of thousands of people. Many have fled the city to camps in surrounding territory now under the control of the SDF and its strongest component, the Kurdish YPG militia. Civilians trapped inside the Islamic State enclave in the city have endured miserable conditions for months, lacking water, power, food and healthcare. Parts of Raqqa that the SDF captured have mostly been cleared of residents. Air strikes, fighting and Islamic State snipers and mines have killed many hundreds of people. The coalition says it is careful to avoid civilian casualties in its bombing runs in Syria and Iraq. But the U.N. human rights office and rights group Amnesty International have raised concerns about reports of high civilian deaths. Islamic State has imposed its very strict interpretation of Islamic law on Raqqa s residents. The fighters have carried out public executions, lashings and violent punishments for infringements of their rule. The Raqqa campaign has stirred tension between the United States and NATO-ally Turkey. Potential Kurdish influence in the future of the mainly Arab city is sensitive both for some activists from Raqqa and for Turkey. The YPG has become the main U.S. partner in the fight against Islamic State in northern Syria. Ankara views it as a Syrian extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency within Turkey, and fears growing Kurdish power along its border. The SDF s political allies have set up a Raqqa Civil Council of people from the city, which the SDF says it will hand control to once its fighters have defeated Islamic State. This echoes the pattern in other towns and cities that the SDF captured. The U.S.-led coalition has helped train a new police force for the city. Islamic State has made enemies of all sides in the more than six-year Syrian conflict, with separate offensives now trying to clear it from its last foothold in the towns along the Euphrates river in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border. Besides the U.S.-backed SDF, the Syrian army, with Russian jets and Iran-backed militias, is also waging its own campaign against Islamic State in eastern Syria. A modern-day provincial transport hub and market town, Raqqa was built by the Abbasid Islamic Caliphate in the eighth century, serving as its capital at one point. It has been inhabited since antiquity and contains important archaeological and architectural sites. The United Nations has said they have been extensively looted during the war and religious buildings have been damaged. Islamic State militants released a video of them bombing a large part of the Uwais al-Qarani shrine complex in March 2014. | 1 |
The Defense Department secretly set up a program ten years ago to investigate unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, at the urging of then-Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to new reports.Both The New York Times and the website Politico published stories Saturday revealing the existence of the Pentagon s now-defunct Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.The New York Times said the UFO program began in 2007, while Politico reported in began in 2009.According to the reports, Reid, a Nevada Democrat, helped steer money under the program to a donor s aerospace research company.A Pentagon spokesman said the UFO program ended in 2012, though The New York Times said the Defense Department still investigates potential episodes of unidentified flying objects. The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program ended in the 2012 timeframe, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told Politico. It was determined that there were other, higher-priority issues that merited funding and it was in the best interest of the DoD to make a change. White added: The DoD takes seriously all threats and potential threats to our people, our assets, and our mission and takes action whenever credible information is developed. Politico said the program was not classified but few officials knew about it. Reid secured the funding for the program in 2009 with the help of former Hawaii Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye and former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who have both since died.Both outlets said Reid s interest in UFOs was the result of friend, and donor Bob Bigelow, who owns Bigelow Aerospace and has said before he is absolutely convinced aliens exist and UFOs have visited Earth.The New York Times said the program had a $22 million annual budget and most of the money went to Bigelow s research company, which hired subcontractors and solicited research for the program. I m not embarrassed or ashamed or sorry I got this thing going, Reid told the newspaper. I think it s one of the good things I did in my congressional service. I ve done something that no one has done before. Both outlets said the person who ran the program, Luis Elizondo, resigned in October and complained about a lack of interest from top officials about it. FOX News | 1 |
Killing Obama administration rules, dismantling Obamacare and pushing through tax reform are on the early to-do list. | 0 |
The military s budget is being massively expanded this year, and nobody is really sure why. The answer seems to be because we can. Republicans in the Senate have decided that the Pentagon should receive even more money than Trump s hawkish White House wanted, and is giving the military things it never requested and does not need. The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act approves a budget of $696 billion, an annual increase of $80 billion. Meanwhile, Republicans are out to gut aid programs for low-income Americans.So why aren t deficit hawks like Paul Ryan questioning where this money will come from? We re ballooning the deficit to kill people, and for what, exactly? The Pentagon does not need the money. For example, the budget has allowed for 94 new F-35 Lightning fighter jets. Via Bloomberg:The measure would authorize 94 F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp., 24 more than requested by the president and seven more than the House agreed to in its version of the bill.Oh, by the way, the budget is also illegal. Why is that? Well, a law passed in 2011 only allows $549 billion in base-related expenses. The United States has 800 military bases and hundreds of thousands of soldiers occupying nations around the globe. The budget as it stands recommends $640 billion:Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said during floor debate that his panel ignored the budget constraints set in law because responding to national security challenges requires more resources. The threats to our national security have not been more complex, severe, or daunting at any time in the past seven decades and our job is to ensure we have a military capable of meeting those threats, McCain said. For too long, we have locked ourselves into making strategic decisions based on budget realities. It is time to start making budget decisions based on strategic realities. That s right. Republicans think we should make budget decisions based on strategic realities, completely ignoring military-related deficits, in order to pay for jets (and other stuff) the military never asked for and does not need.Or, maybe, the massive lobbying arm of the defense industry has more to do with it. They ve already spent tens of millions in 2017 alone to buy politicians and influence, and there s no slowing down.these two things are unrelated pic.twitter.com/3PGzZzrLj9 Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) September 19, 2017What else could that money pay for? Great question. Common Dreams has a great perspective on the true cost of needless military spending:Put another way, with a $700 billion military budget, the U.S. would be spending more than three times as much as China on its military, and 10 times as much as Russia. According to [the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute], the U.S. already accounts for more than a third of all military spending.Yes, in the entire world. The United States, with about 1/25 of the world s population, is responsible for over 1/3 of the military spending worldwide. Who are we preparing to fight, exactly?Or with $80 billion a year, you could make public colleges and universities in the U.S. tuition-free. In fact, Sanders s proposal was only estimated to cost the federal government $47 billion per year.If the additional military spending over the next 10 years instead went to pay off student debt, it could come close to wiping it out entirely.Yet those kind of ideas, or universal healthcare coverage, are dismissed out-of-hand by Republicans. Maybe that s because the everyday people who would benefit most don t pay as well as insurance and military lobbyists. Maybe that s because most politicians, but especially Republicans, are more invested in personal careers and success than they are in their country.Eight members of the Senate voted against the bill: Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bob Corker (R-TN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
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