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Ted Cruz’s Tour Bus Gets Towed In Iowa – Has To Hitch A Ride (IMAGES) | This is not how Ted Cruz must have envisioned his campaign would end up heading into the nation s very first caucus in Iowa on Monday. His Cruzin to Victory tour bus wasn t exactly the epitome of its name, either. While he visited the Johnson County Fairgrounds earlier, it needed to be towed after getting stuck in the mud.This is very ironic, indeed. Just a bit over a week ago Ted Cruz was quoted as saying, I m not going into the mud with personal insults and attacks (on Donald Trump). Well, Senator, you just went into the mud, quite literally.Pic via InstagramAccording to a report by Phillip Elliott from Time magazine, Cruz had to hitch a ride with aides to his next tour stop while his bus was towed. That s not the kind of image you want to project just before the voters of Iowa nominate the next future President of The United States. It certainly can t be good public relations; draw as many analogies as you must.Pic via Twitter.Cruz needs every bit of good press he can get right now. Virtually every poll shows Donald Trump having a huge lead on him. And Cruz can t afford that. Whoever wins Iowa would get a must needed head start in the race. With Trump up in practically every state, Iowa is the momentum Cruz has been desperately seeking. Unfortunately, the only momentum Cruz is getting right now is coming from the back of tow truck.You d think the Cruz campaign would, at least, try to play damage control and be the first to report it, instead of being outed by the media. It s possible they could have made a joke out of it but they didn t. They didn t even mention it. That s no way to run a campaign. Featured image from Facebook. | 1real |
The Danger of War From a Declining Hegemon | Is a war in the making — a third world war?
If there is much talk about such a possibility, it is mainly because of the tensions between the United States and Russia. Tensions between the two most powerful nuclear states in the world have never been this high since the end of the Cold War in 1989 and the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.
There are at least two flash points, one more dangerous than the other. In Eastern Ukraine, Russian backed rebels will not surrender to the US supported regime in Kiev because they see US control over Ukraine as part of a much larger agenda to expand NATO power to the very borders of Russia. This has been happening for some years now.
But it is the Washington-Moscow confrontation in Allepo, Syria which portends to a huge conflagration. The US is protective of major militant groups such as Al-Nusra which has besieged Eastern Allepo and is seeking to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad government. Washington has also set its sight on ‘regime change’ in Damascus ever since the latter’s determined resistance to Israeli occupation of the strategic Golan Heights in Syria from 1967 onwards.
The drive for regime change intensified with the US-Israeli quest for a “new Middle East” following the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003. It became more pronounced in 2009 when Bashar al-Assad rejected a proposal to allow a gas pipe-line from Qatar to Europe to pass through his country, a pipe-line which would have reduced Europe’s dependence upon Russia for gas. Russia of course has been a long-standing ally of Syria. Together with Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah, it is helping the Syrian government to break the siege of Eastern Allepo and to defeat militants in other parts of Syria.
It is obvious that in both instances, in Ukraine and Syria, the US has not been able to achieve what it wants. The US has also been stymied in Southeast Asia where its attempt to re-assert its power through its 2010 ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy has suffered a serious setback as a result of the decision of the new president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, to pursue an independent foreign policy that no longer adheres blindly to US interests. At the same time, China continues to expand and enhance its economic strength in Asia and the world through its One Belt One Road (OBOR) projects and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and via its leadership of BRICS. China’s regional and global economic role is leading to its pronounced presence in security and military matters. As a result of all this, the US’s imperial power has clearly diminished. It is a hegemon in decline.
It is because it is not prepared to accept its decline that some US generals are threatening to demonstrate US’s military might. If a hegemon is a danger to humankind when it is at its pinnacle, it becomes an even greater threat to peace when its power is diminishing. Like a wounded tiger, it becomes even more furious and ferocious. A new US president may be inclined to give vent to this frustration through an arrogant display of military power.
How can we check such wanton arrogance? There will be elements in the elite stratum of US society itself who would be opposed to the US going to war. We saw a bit of this in 2013 when those who were itching to launch military strikes against Syria based upon dubious “evidence” of the government’s use of chemical weapons were thwarted by others with a saner view of the consequences of war. It is also important to observe that none of the US’s major allies in Europe wants a war. Burdened by severe challenges related to the economy and migration, the governments know that their citizens will reject any move towards war either on the borders of Russia or in Syria and West Asia.
This also suggests that a self-absorbed European citizenry may not have the enthusiasm to mobilise against an imminent war. Let us not forget that it was in European cities from London to Berlin that the biggest demonstrations against the war in Iraq took place in 2003. Anti-war protests will have to be initiated elsewhere this time.
Governments in Moscow and Beijing, in Tehran and Jakarta, in Pretoria and La Paz, should come out openly against war. They should encourage other governments in the Global South and the Global North to denounce any move towards a war that will engulf the whole of humanity. Citizens all over the world should condemn war through a variety of strategies ranging from signature campaigns and letters to the media to public rallies and street demonstrations.
In this campaign against an imminent war, the media, both conventional and alternative, will have a huge role to play. It is unfortunate that well-known media outlets in the West have supported war in the past. It is time that they atone for their sins!
| 1real |
WHY ARE GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK ATTENDING BILDERBERG’S 2015 LUXURY SECRET POLICY CONFERENCE? | Why are banking powerhouses, European Prime Ministers, a major arms manufacturer, a representative from the US State Department, Facebook and Google all attending the same secret policy summit? One of Bilderberg s founders and steering committee member, Denis Healey said in 2001: To say we were striving for a one-world government is exaggerated, but not wholly unfair. Those of us in Bilderberg felt we couldn t go on forever fighting one another for nothing and killing people and rendering millions homeless. So we felt that a single community throughout the world would be a good thing. From The Guardian: As one summit closes, another opens. Thursday sees the start of the influential Bilderberg policy conference, which this year is being held in Austria, just 16 miles south of the G7 summit, and in a similarly inaccessible luxury alpine resort. The participant list for the conference has just been released by the organisation, and some big names leap off the page.No fewer than three serving European prime ministers will be attending, from the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium. They will be discussing European strategy with the head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, and the president of Austria, Heinz Fischer. Two European finance ministers are on the list: one Dutch, the other George Osborne. The UK chancellor is a regular attendee of the Bilderberg summit, and this year he will be showing off his post-election glow. Unlike that other Bilderberg regular, Ed Balls, who is being invited back despite having by some considerable distance the weakest job title on the list: former shadow chancellor of the exchequer.Europe s hottest financial potato, Greece, is on the conference agenda, and it s good to know Beno t Coeur , a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank, will be there to discuss it in strictest privacy with interested parties, such as the heads of Deutsche Bank, Lazard, Banco Santander and HSBC.The scandal-hit HSBC and everyone s favourite vampire squid, Goldman Sachs, are both extremely well represented at this year s conference. HSBC in particular by its chairman, its busy chief legal officer, and board member Rona Fairhead, who is also on the board of PepsiCo and chair of the BBC Trust. Good to know the BBC is in such safe hands.Other financial luminaries on the list include the vice-chairman of BlackRock, the CEO of JP Morgan Asset Management and the president of the Royal Bank of Canada, which is the nation s largest financial institution. Morgan Stanley will be represented in Telfs by board member Klaus Kleinfeld, who also runs the world s third largest aluminium producer, Alcoa.From the worlds of industry and manufacturing are some eye-wateringly big names. The CEO of Michelin is invited, along with the head of Roche, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, the chairman of BP, the CEO of Siemens Austria and the heads of various industrial conglomerates such as Techint and Investor AB, companies so large they re hard to classify. Although gigantic goes some way towards it.It s a heady step up into the big league for Michael O Leary, the CEO of Ryanair. He ll doubtless be hoping to thrash out a few last-minute deals over dinner with the head of Airbus, Thomas Enders.Apart from making holiday jets, Airbus is also one of the world s biggest arms manufacturers, and the 2015 conference agenda has a distinct whiff of war. Chemical weapons threats and Nato are both set to be discussed. Luckily the head of Nato is there to discuss it.As ever, foreign policy formation is a big part of the conference. Terrorism and Iran both make the agenda this year, and participants can expect a high-level briefing from senior US State Department official John R Allen, the special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter Isil. And it s likely that the subject of Russia will be of interest to the German defence minister and deputy defence minister, both of whom have found the time this week to be in Telfs. As has the head of the Danish intelligence service, who will likely have a part to play in the session of cybersecurity.Finally, it s worth noting the growing presence of Google at Bilderberg. The company s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, is on the group s steering committee; he ll be joined in Austria by his vice-president for engineering, advanced technology and projects, and the vice-president of engineering for the not-at-all terrifying sounding Google DeepMind. They, presumably, will be leading the session on artificial intelligence. This will be listened to with great interest by Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal and director of Facebook, as he continues his quest to merge with computers. But that s another story.For now, the story is: Bilderberg 2015 has an extremely high-powered participant list, featuring a large number of senior politicians and public figures. With participants this powerful, and an agenda containing this many hot topics, the Telfs policy conference is sure to be covered in depth by the world s press. And by sure to be , I mean probably won t be. For reasons that, as ever, escape me.Via: The Guardian | 1real |
NATO Announces Largest Troop Deployments Against Russia Since Cold War : | NATO Announces Largest Troop Deployments Against Russia Since Cold War By Alex Lantier
November 09, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " WSWS " - NATO will place hundreds of thousands of troops on alert for military action against Russia in the coming months, top NATO officials told the Times of London on Monday.
The US-led military alliance is planning to speed up the mobilization of forces numbering in the tens of thousands and, ultimately, hundreds of thousands and millions that are to be mobilized against Russia. Beyond its existing 5,000-strong emergency response force, NATO is tripling its incumbent response force to 40,000 and putting hundreds of thousands of troops on higher alert levels.
The Times wrote, Sir Adam West, Britains outgoing permanent representative to NATO, said he thought that the goal was to speed up the response time of up to 300,000 military personnel to about two months. At present a force of this size could take up to 180 days to deploy.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, We are addressing what we call the follow-on forces. There are a large number of people in the armed forces of NATO allies. We are looking into how more of them can be ready on a shorter notice. According to the Times , Stoltenberg explained that NATO is looking broadly at methods for improving the readiness of many of the alliance's three million soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
The target of these deployments, the largest since the dissolution of the Soviet Union by the Stalinist bureaucracy and the end of the Cold War a quarter century ago, is Russia.
We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up of many years, tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours, Stoltenberg said. We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among NATO allies and that is exactly the reason why NATO is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
These statements show how NATO planning for a horrific war against Russia has continued behind the backs of the people throughout the US presidential election campaign. Military deployments and war preparations by the Pentagon and the general staffs of the various European countries are set to go ahead, moreover, whatever the outcome of the election in the United States and those slated for 2017 in the European NATO countries.
Stoltenberg's vague attack on Russian propaganda in Europe is an allusion to the instinctive opposition to war that exists in the European and international working class and popular distrust of the anti-Russian propaganda promoted by NATO officials like Stoltenberg and West.
Last year, a Pew poll found broad international opposition to NATO participation in a conventional war against Russia in Eastern Europe, even in a scenario that assumes Russia started the conflict. Under these hypothetical conditions, 58 percent of Germans, 53 percent of French people, and 51 percent of Italians opposed any military action against Russia. Opposition to war in the poll would doubtless have been higher had pollsters mentioned that NATO's decision to attack Russian forces in Eastern Europe could lead to nuclear war.
This opposition is rooted in deep disaffection with the imperialist Middle East wars of the post-Soviet period and the memory of two world wars in Europe in the 20th century. The arguments Stoltenberg presented against it are politically fraudulent.
The primary threat of military aggression and war in Europe comes not from Russia, but from the NATO countries. Over the past 25 years, the imperialist powers of NATO have bombed and invaded countries in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Within Europe, they bombed Serbia and Kosovo in the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, pushed NATOs borders hundreds of miles to the East, and backed a violent, fascist-led putsch to topple a pro-Russian government in Ukraine in 2014.
The aggressive character of NATO policy emerged once again last Friday, when NBC News reported that US cyber warfare units had hacked key Russian electricity, Internet and military networks. These are now vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons should the US deem it necessary, NBC stated.
Russian officials denounced the activities highlighted in the report and the Obama White House's silence on the matter. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, If no official reaction from the American administration follows, it would mean state cyber terrorism exists in the US. If the threats of the attack, which were published by the US media, are carried out, Moscow would be justified in charging Washington.
The geo-strategically disastrous consequences of the Stalinist bureaucracy's dissolution of the Soviet Union and restoration of capitalism in Eastern Europe are ever more apparent. With NATO troops or proxy forces stationed in a geographic belt extending from the Baltic republics to Poland, Ukraine and Romaniaeither a short distance from or on Russia's bordersNATO is now poised for a major war against Russia that could escalate into a nuclear conflagration.
An examination of Stoltenbergs remarks shows that NATOs plans are not defensive preparations to counter a sudden conventional invasion of Europe by the Russian army. In such a scenario, Russian tank columns would overrun the few thousand or tens of thousands of troops in NATOs various emergency response forces, depriving the broader ranks of NATO follow-up forces the 60 to 180 days they need to mobilize.
Rather, the plan for mobilizing successive layers of follow-on forces is intended to allow NATO to threaten Russia in a crisis situation by gradually bringing to bear more and more of its collective military strength, which, although split between 28 member states, outweighs that of Russia. Russia's population of 145 million is far smaller than that of the NATO countries, at 906 million.
The aggressive character of NATOs agenda is illustrated by a report issued last month by the CIA-linked Rand Corporation think tank on the military situation in the Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The small military forces NATO has posted in the Baltic republics, Rand wrote, are inviting a devastating war, rather than deterring it. They calculated that Russian forces, if they actually invaded, could overrun these countries in approximately 60 hours.
On this basis, the think tank called for launching a vast NATO military build-up in the Baltic republics, virtually at the gates of St. Petersburg. It wrote that it would take a force of about seven brigades, including three heavy armored brigadesadequately supported by air power, land-based fires, and other enablers on the ground and ready to fight at the onset of hostilities to prevent the rapid overrun of the Baltic states. This would cost the NATO countries $2.7 billion each year.
As the NATO countries intensify their threats against Russia, there are increasingly bitter conflicts among the NATO imperialist powers themselves. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi bluntly opposed new sanctions on Russia as called for by Washington at last month's European Union summit in Brussels, and there are deepening tensions between Germany and the United States as officials in Berlin and Paris call for an independent EU military.
Prospects of increased US-led military provocations against Russia are sharpening tensions within Europe. In an article titled Whether Clinton or Trump wins, for Germany things will get uncomfortable, German news magazine Der Spiegel warned of the long-term implications of an aggressive US-led policy against Russia, which it assumed would continue regardless which of the two candidates secured the White House.
The magazine wrote, The motto will be: If you want (nuclear) US protection from Putin, you must either pay us more money or re-arm yourself.
Copyright Š 1998-2016 World Socialist Web Site - All rights reserved | 1real |
Trump's Iran plans driving EU toward Russia and China: Germany | BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump s expected move to de-certify the international nuclear deal with Iran is driving a wedge between Europe and the United States and bringing Europeans closer to Russia and China, Germany said on Thursday. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has spoken out repeatedly against Trump s likely step, but his latest comments aimed to spell out the impact it would have in starker terms. It s imperative that Europe sticks together on this issue, Gabriel, a Social Democrat, told the RND German newspaper group. We also have to tell the Americans that their behavior on the Iran issue will drive us Europeans into a common position with Russia and China against the USA. Trump is seen unveiling a broad strategy on confronting Iran this week, likely on Friday, including a move to de-certify Iran s compliance with the 2015 accord, which he has called an embarrassment and the worst deal ever negotiated. Senior U.S. officials, European allies and prominent U.S. lawmakers have told Trump that refusing to certify the deal would leave the U.S. isolated, concede the diplomatic high ground to Tehran, and ultimately risk the unraveling of the agreement. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has repeatedly certified that Iran is adhering to restrictions on its nuclear energy program mandated by the deal to help ensure it cannot be put to developing atomic bombs. Signed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, the European Union and Iran, the deal lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear work. Germany has close economic and business ties with Russia, although relations have soured since Moscow s annexation of Ukraine s Crimea region. Berlin is also working to expand ties with China. Gabriel is expected to leave his post in coming months since his Social Democrats have vowed to go into opposition after slumping badly in the Sept. 24 election, opting not to reprise an awkward grand coalition with Merkel s conservatives. Gabriel on Monday urged the White House not to jeopardize the nuclear agreement, saying such a move would worsen instability in the Middle East and could make it more difficult to halt nuclear arms programs in other countries. In the interview released on Thursday, he said the nuclear agreement was being treated like a football in U.S. domestic politics, but the issue could have serious consequences. He said Russia was watching developments closely, including the divisions between Europe and the United States. That doesn t exactly strengthen our position in Europe. Ultimately, Gabriel told the newspaper group, there were only three countries - the United States, Russia and China - that could avert a new nuclear arms race. But those countries mistrust each other so much at the moment that they are not working together sufficiently. It must be in our interest to press for more trust. | 0fake |
UNREAL! OBAMA DEFENDS Black Lives Matter By Race Baiting…Again! [Video] | Obama is such a race baiter! | 1real |
Why A Vote For An Establishment Candidate Could Be A Vote For Trump In N.H. | Why A Vote For An Establishment Candidate Could Be A Vote For Trump In N.H.
A lot of Republicans will head to the polls in New Hampshire on Tuesday, motivated to vote against Donald Trump.
But because of a quirk in how the state party allocates delegates and how fractured the "establishment" field is, it could mean that an anti-Trump vote will actually be a vote for the New York billionaire.
The state party awards delegates on a proportional basis to presidential candidates based on their vote statewide and by congressional district.
But it also has a 10 percent threshold.
What does that mean? It means that if a candidate does not get 10 percent of the vote, he gets no delegates. (And this is a hard threshold — no rounding.)
What's more, not only do those underperforming candidates get no delegates, but whatever delegates they could have gotten based on their vote share go to the winner of the primary (!).
And, right now, the favorite is Trump.
Trump, after all, has been leading in the polls in New Hampshire by double digits for six straight months.
Meanwhile, the so-called "establishment" candidates — the kind of mainstream Republicans that usually prevail in New Hampshire — are split. And after Saturday night's debate, with Marco Rubio's lackluster performance, that establishment vote could be fractured even further.
There are 20 delegates at stake in New Hampshire on primary night. Here's a look at how the candidates are performing in the polls currently, what that could translate to delegate-wise and how the 10 percent threshold could affect things.
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, here's the order of the candidates (with a line inserted to represent the 10 percent cutoff):
So let's do some math: Everyone below the 10 percent threshold — Bush, Christie, Fiorina and Carson — add up to 22 percent.
So 22 percent of 20 is 4.4. Round down, and that means, roughly, another four delegates would be added to Trump's total.
Instead of a 6-3 delegate win, Trump would get 10. Thought about another way: Some 40 percent of Trump's delegates could be coming from people who cast their votes explicitly in opposition to him — or at least for candidates running very different campaigns.
And, by the way, those delegates are bound to vote for Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, because of changes to the Republican National Committee's rules — that all states that hold their nominating contests before March 15 must award their delegates on a proportional basis, and they must be bound to the candidates. | 0fake |
Trump Is Charging Journalists With Felonies For Covering His Inauguration Protests | In a play right out of Vladimir Putin s Rules for Dictators, Donald Trump is in the process of locking up journalists who don t paint a rosy picture of the Trump administration and his popularity, or lack thereof.So far, six journalists (First Amendment be damned) have been arrested for covering last Saturday s protests that followed Donald Trump s inauguration. If convicted, each of the six could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.A documentary producer, a photojournalist, a live-streamer and a freelance reporter were each charged with the most serious level of offense under Washington DC s law against rioting, after being caught up in the police action against demonstrators.The Guardian learned of their arrests after reporting on Monday that the journalists Evan Engel of Vocativ and Alex Rubinstein of RT America had also been arrested and charged with felonies while covering the same unrest on Friday morning.Source: The GuardianClearly, this is a direct violation of the First Amendment. Even if they weren t journalists, it s still legal to protest in this country, but journalists should be assigned even more protection. All they were doing were their jobs. They were recording the protest, not instigating. These charges are clearly inappropriate, and we are concerned that they could send a chilling message to journalists covering future protests, said Carlos Laur a, the CPJ s senior Americas program coordinator. We call on authorities in Washington to drop these charges immediately. Trump s apparent role model, Vladimir Putin, has a long and abusive history with journalists in his own country. About a year ago, when Republicans still hated Russia, the conservative blog, The Daily Caller, talked about how in Russia, not only are journalists censored, they far too often end up dead.A 2009 investigation by the International Federation of Journalists reported 96 killings of journalists between 1991 and 2009, by far the highest number among the 20 richest countries in the world.We aren t saying Trump is there. We desperately hope he never goes that far, but his disdain for journalism is public knowledge and his attempts at censorship become more blatant every day. Arresting journalists for simply doing their job is an unacceptable precedent. Please let everyone know.Featured image via Scott Olson/Getty Images. | 1real |
Pence says Trump-Modi meetings 'historic and productive' | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday hailed a first meeting between President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “historic and productive,” and said Trump recognizes U.S. ties with India as “one of the most important strategic relationships in the 21st century.” Addressing the U.S.-India Business Council a day after Trump’s first meeting with Modi in Washington, Pence stressed that India must continue to enact economic reforms to ensure the bilateral trade relationship was reciprocal. Pence echoed Trump’s remarks in the White House Rose Garden on Monday, when the president called on India to relax trade barriers while taking pains to stress the importance of a strong U.S.-India relationship. Pence praised Modi’s move to simplify his country’s goods and services tax, strengthen protection of intellectual property rights and break down barriers to investment and market access, but said India needed to do more to create the “fair and reciprocal” trade relationship Trump sought. “We truly believe, with great respect, that the time to act is now,” Pence added. The vice president emphasized the growing security relationship with India, both in the fight against terrorism and to ensure unimpeded movement of commerce - an allusion to shared concerns about China’s territorial claims in Asia. “President Trump recognizes that the United States’ relationship with India is one of the most important strategic relationships in the 21st century,” he said. Pence pointed to fast-expanding U.S. defense sales to India and added: “The United States will continue to enable the Indian armed forces to obtain the resources and technology it needs to protect the Indian people and support security in the region.” He said the United States would sell India Sea Guardian drones, Apache attack helicopters and C-17 transport aircraft and said that the process to approve the sales was “underway as we speak.” The White House said after Trump’s meeting with Modi that it had offered India the naval variant of the Predator drone made by U.S. defense contractor General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, a deal that would be worth more than $2 billion. Such a sale of sensitive hardware must be authorized by the State Department before being sent to Congress for review. As Modi and Trump met on Monday, a Pentagon agency said the State Department had approved the possible sale of a Boeing C-17 transport aircraft with an estimated cost of $366 million. The Apache deal dates back to 2010 when Congress was notified of a $1.4 billion potential sale of 22 Apaches to the Indian Air Force. In 2015, Boeing Co announced the order had been finalized, but did not disclose a price. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2019. A source familiar with the deal said the Indian Air Force has some options for additional Apaches and the Indian Army has also expressed interest in the aircraft. The White House said that if completed, the new sales would increase bilateral defense trade to nearly $19 billion. | 0fake |
BREAKING: TRUMP CHOOSES Pro-School Voucher, Kasich Supporter, Billionaire Clinton Foundation Donor For Education Secretary | But parent activists are suggesting Trump is getting the wrong advice from his transition team.Writing at Townhall, Indiana activist and researcher Erin Tuttle and American Principles Project education fellow Jane Robbins assert Trump s transition team may be ignoring the concerns of the most populist movement American politics has seen since Reagan: the parents and teachers fighting Common Core. Citing many of the reported potential candidates associations with ardent Common Core supporter Jeb Bush, Tuttle and Robbins note:West Michigan Politics reported that, like Donald Trump himself, the DeVos family has donated to the Clinton Foundation:Bloomberg also reported in July of 2015 that former President Bill Clinton often earned higher speech fees, especially abroad. Amway paid him $700,000 for a February 2013 speech in Japan. A report at the Detroit News in July states that DeVos, a former Michigan Republican Party chair, was an at-large delegate for pro-Common Core Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Kasich received a grade of F at The Pulse 2016 for his support of the controversial standards. The former presidential candidate referred to parent activists in his state fighting against the Core as a runaway internet campaign. Let s just say that I will be a more than interested bystander at the convention, DeVos said.Karen Braun who heads up Stop Common Core in Michigan wrote: DeVos involvement with GLEP which supports Common Core and with the Foundation for Excellence in Education should make any denunciation of Common Core from DeVos lips suspect, Vander Hart concludes.Braun also tells Breitbart News because DeVos refused to support Trump at the Republican National Convention, she is skeptical of whether she would commit to Trump s stated goal of removing the federal government from education. Disloyalty should not be rewarded with a cabinet post, Braun asserts. Her lobby group, GLEP, supports common core and P-20 competency based education or so called school choice. I hope President-Elect Trump and the rest of the transition team think long and hard about this appointment. Many of you are asking about Common Core. To clarify, I am not a supporter period. Read my full stance, here: https://t.co/qB2nAXvX0B Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) November 23, 2016Frank Cannon, president of American Principles Project, also released the following statement:For entire story: Breitbart News | 1real |
Puerto Rico draft rescue bill guided by U.S. bankruptcy rules | WASHINGTON/SAN JUAN (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional draft bill to steer Puerto Rico through its economic crisis was released on Tuesday with elements of U.S. bankruptcy law opposed by creditors who want to keep the island’s debt talks out of court. The draft, circulated by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, includes sections of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that allow bankrupt entities under certain circumstances to force creditors to take reduced payouts. An official draft of the bill is expected to be released on April 11 after a public comment period. Puerto Rico has $70 billion in debt, with major bond payments due in coming months. It also has an unfunded state pension liability of nearly $44 billion. The bill “provides Puerto Rico with tools to impose discipline over its finances, meet its obligations and restore confidence in its institutions,” Utah Republican Rob Bishop, the committee’s chairman, said in a statement. “We appreciate the constructive efforts by Chairman Bishop and the House Natural Resources Committee to begin drafting legislation to address Puerto Rico’s fiscal and economic crisis. But the current draft needs improvements,” said a statement from a Treasury spokesperson. “Final legislation must provide Puerto Rico with tools to achieve a lasting, workable solution to this crisis and create a path to recovery for the people of Puerto Rico.” The Republican-led panel’s bill would create a federal board to oversee the island’s finances, monitor its accounting and help curb spending. It would also require Puerto Rico to make efforts to restructure debt consensually with creditors. If those talks failed, the island or its public entities could file for a court-supervised debt restructuring process based on key statutes within U.S. bankruptcy law. That would allow Puerto Rico to force such deals on holdout creditors. The bill’s elements were unexpected because creditors and House Republicans had largely opposed bankruptcy for Puerto Rico. The Natural Resources Committee had said that “retroactively adding territories” like Puerto Rico to the federal bankruptcy code “is ill-conceived and would undermine the rule of law.” A congressional aide stressed that the draft legislation was not a bankruptcy law, and does not directly add Puerto Rico to U.S. bankruptcy code, though it follows similar language. The Obama Administration has advocated to allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debt in a court-sanctioned process. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi criticized the “sweeping powers of the oversight board proposed” in the bill. The bill in its final form may include language that protects an existing consensual restructuring deal between creditors and the power utility, PREPA, the congressional aide said. PREPA earlier this year reached the deal with creditors holding roughly 70 percent of its $8.3 billion in debt. “The bill in its current form is fiscally irresponsible,” financial adviser Stephen Spencer of Houlihan Lokey said in an emailed statement. The company’s clients include major Puerto Rico creditors such as OppenheimerFunds and Franklin Advisers. “As we showed with the PREPA deal, fair solutions can be reached between Puerto Rico and its creditors that benefit all stakeholders. However, the Discussion Draft Bill is worse for creditors than Chapter 9,” Spencer said. How the oversight board treats the island’s General Obligation bonds, which is typically regarded as the most senior debt, versus pension payments is also a source of concern for creditors. The oversight board will look at each bond issued and make a determination on how it relates to other creditors under the existing law, the congressional aide said. If the GO bonds are constitutionally protected and within their limits then the board would take that into consideration, the aide said. | 0fake |
U.S. List of Those Detained for Trump’s Travel Ban Is Called Incomplete - The New York Times | A month after President Trump’s executive order barring people from seven nations from entering the United States caused tumult around the country, the government’s accounting of how many travelers the ban affected remains unclear. A total of 746 people were detained and processed in a period immediately after a federal judge in Brooklyn blocked part of Mr. Trump’s Jan. 27 order, according to a list released by the government on Thursday. The figure was nearly seven times greater than the 109 people that Mr. Trump said in a Jan. 30 message on Twitter had been “held for questioning” and Sean M. Spicer, the White House press secretary, said had been “inconvenienced. ” But, according to lawyers for some of those who were detained, 746 may be an incomplete figure. At a hearing before Judge Carol B. Amon of Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Friday, those lawyers challenged the veracity of the government’s list, saying they knew of at least 10 people who had been detained who were not included in the tally. Some detainees were forced to return to the countries from which they had come, despite having valid visas. The lawyers initially asked that the government provide them with a list of names so they could help people return to the United States. Joshua Press, a Justice Department trial lawyer, said at the hearing that a vast majority of those who were held were eventually allowed to enter the country and were legal permanent residents. He said he could not provide a specific number. The Justice Department referred a request for that figure to the Customs and Border Protection agency, which declined to comment because of the continuing litigation. At the hearing, Judge Amon ordered the government to inform the plaintiffs how many of the 746 people on the government’s list had been allowed to enter the country, and to investigate the cases the plaintiffs’ lawyers said had been omitted. The list included only the given name and surname of those who were detained and did not mention nationalities. Judge Amon had not ordered that contact information be included. “All we’re trying to do is put together a puzzle, to which the government has all the pieces,” said Muneer I. Ahmad, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs. When Mr. Ahmad questioned why the people he and his colleagues cited were missing from the list, Mr. Press replied, “The government is not omniscient. ” Mr. Trump’s executive order was halted on Feb. 9 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, which upheld a ruling by a federal judge in Seattle. The Trump administration has said it plans to issue a revised order next week. Judge Ann M. Donnelly of Federal District Court in Brooklyn originally issued a stay of removal on Jan. 28 just before 9 p. m. At the time, she also ordered the government to provide a list of those people detained as a result of the executive order. The case was later assigned to Judge Amon. On Tuesday, she clarified in an order that a “snapshot” to measure how many people had been detained should include those held immediately after Judge Donnelly’s ruling, from 9:37 p. m. on Jan. 28 until 11:59 p. m. on Jan. 29. The list provided by the government did not include refugees because they generally do not arrive on weekends, said Rebecca Heller, a lawyer with the International Refugee Assistance Project. According to documents submitted to the court by the American Civil Liberties Union, some of those detained described having their phones confiscated, their requests to talk to lawyers denied and, in some cases, being coerced into signing forms that resulted in their deportation. Sara Yarjani, an Iranian citizen who is studying for a master’s degree in holistic health in California, was held for 23 hours at Los Angeles International Airport before being deported, after Judge Donnelly issued her ruling, according to court filings. Suha Amin Abdullah Abushamma, a Sudanese doctor at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio who was born in Saudi Arabia and has a valid work visa, was detained at Kennedy Airport for 10 hours and deported, according to the filings. There is an urgent need to find those on the government’s list of people who were held, said Lee Gelernt, lead lawyer with the A. C. L. U. for detainees. He said he feared that those people might be forgotten once the Trump administration releases new travel restrictions. “We’re going to do our best to get everybody back, and then we’ll fight the new executive order,” Mr. Gelernt said. | 0fake |
Poroshenko sworn in as Ukraine's president | KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Petro Poroshenko took the oath of office as Ukraine's president Saturday, calling on armed groups to lay down their weapons as he assumed leadership of a country mired in a violent uprising and economic troubles.
In his inaugural address to the Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, Poroshenko promised amnesty "for those who do not have blood on their hands." That appeared to apply both to separatist, pro-Russia insurgents in the country's east and to nationalist groups that oppose them.
Poroshenko also promised dialogue with citizens in the eastern regions, but excluded the insurgents. "Talking to gangsters and killers is not our avenue," he said, according to a translator. He also called for early regional elections in the east.
He assumed power a day after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at D-Day commemoration ceremonies in France.
Despite the outreach to Putin, Poroshenko said he will not accept Russia's annexation of Crimea.
"Crimea is, was and will be Ukrainian. There will be no trade-off," Poroshenko said.
Russia annexed the territory in March after its troops took control of the Black Sea peninsula and Crimea held a secession referendum that Kiev and Western countries regard as illegitimate.
Poroshenko, who became a billionaire as a candy tycoon, was elected on May 25, three months after the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in the wake of months of street protests.
Putin has denied allegations by Kiev and the West that Russia has fomented the rebellion in the east, and he insisted Friday that Poroshenko needs to speak directly to representatives from the east.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 0fake |
What You’re Not Told: 90% Of American Media Is Controlled By Six Corporations | Unless you go out of your way to seek truthful news from reputable sources, chances are you – like the majority of the populace – are fed regurgitated current events received from a small... | 1real |
Britain's May defeated in parliament over Brexit blueprint | LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May s government was defeated on Wednesday, when lawmakers forced through changes to its Brexit blueprint that ministers said could endanger Britain s departure from the European Union. In a blow to May, already weakened after losing her Conservative Party s majority in a June election, the 650-seat parliament voted 309 to 305 in favor of an amendment to hand lawmakers more say over a final exit deal with the EU. Up until the last minute of an often bitter debate in parliament, May s team tried to convince lawmakers in her party to give up their demands and side with a government fearful that the move will weaken its hand in tough Brexit negotiations. Members of Parliament (MPs) are debating the EU withdrawal bill, which will repeal the 1972 legislation binding Britain to the EU and copy existing EU law into domestic law to ensure legal continuity after Exit Day on March 29, 2019. In focus on Wednesday was an amendment put forward by Conservative lawmaker and former attorney general Dominic Grieve who wants parliament to have a meaningful vote on any deal before it is finalised and for it to be written into law. There is a time for everybody to stand up and be counted, Grieve told parliament earlier, criticizing some fellow members of the Conservative Party for calling him a traitor over his decision to vote against the government. He dismissed a last-minute pledge by justice minister Dominic Raab for government to write the promise of a meaningful vote into law later on its journey through both houses of parliament as coming too late . The government was disappointed by the vote, a spokeswoman said in a statement, adding that this amendment does not prevent us from preparing our statute book for exit day . But with May due at an EU summit on Thursday to encourage the other 27 leaders to approve a move to the second phase of Brexit talks and begin a discussion about future trade, the defeat comes at a difficult time for the prime minister. In the European Parliament, which must also ratify any withdrawal treaty with Britain, its Brexit coordinator cheekily tweeted that his British counterparts had taken back control - a reference to the catchphrase of pro-Brexit campaigners. A good day for democracy, added Guy Verhofstadt. The EU withdrawal bill has been the focus of seven days of often bitter debate, underscoring the deep divisions over Brexit not only among the Conservatives but also in the main opposition Labour Party and across the country. It has also highlighted May s weakness. In June, she gambled on a snap election to strengthen her party s majority in the 650-seat parliament but instead bungled her campaign and ended up with a minority government propped up by the 10 votes of a small, pro-Brexit Northern Irish party. Since then she has struggled to assert her authority over a Conservative Party which is deeply divided over the best route out of the EU. This defeat is a humiliating loss of authority for the government on the eve of the European Council meeting, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a statement. Theresa May has resisted democratic accountability. Her refusal to listen means she will now have to accept Parliament taking back control. Earlier, May had tried to persuade lawmakers to vote with the government for her Brexit blueprint, saying Grieve s amendment would put added time pressure on a government which wants to make Britain ready to leave the EU in March 2019. That could be at a very late stage in the proceedings which could mean that we are not able to have the orderly and smooth exit from the European Union that we wish to have, she told parliament before an hours-long debate on the exit plan. Her spokesman said the government had in good faith come forward with a strong package of concessions to deal with the spirit of the amendment . Pro-Brexit lawmakers fear the amendment could force Britain to weaken its negotiating stance by offering parliament the opportunity of forcing ministers back to the negotiating table if it feels any final deal is not good enough. Raab said that could convince the EU that Britain would not walk away from a bad deal. Actually if that looked likely we d end up with worse terms, and we d be positively incentivizing the EU to give us worse terms, he told parliament. | 0fake |
Is it necessary to break the law to improve your standard of living? | law , economy , society , standard of living , RBTH Daily The study assessed attitudes about non-violent legal violations, such as working "off the books" or not officially registering a business. Source: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/TASS
Thirty percent of Russians believe that they can increase revenues or improve their standard of living only by violating the law, a recent survey carried out by RANEPA's Center for Socio-Political Monitoring found. "Alarming symptom"
Respondents' agreement with this point of view depends on their economic well-being, experts say. The worse their financial situation, the more they believe they need to break the law to become wealthier. For example, 52 percent of respondents with low incomes feel this way. U.S. asked to join probe into Russian anti-corruption official
The study assessed attitudes about non-violent legal violations, such as working "off the books" or not officially registering a business, the Center's director Andrei Pokida told RBC. The survey was conducted by personal interviews with 1,600 people from 35 regions.
"This is an alarming symptom, as citizens' attitudes toward the shadow economy and their willingness to engage in this process can be observed against the background of a gradual decline in real incomes of the population," the researchers state. The average income of Russians has decreased by 6.1 percent during the past last year, a record decline since 1999. Almost half of Russians justify the shadow economy
Experts found that working people have a "very approving" attitude towards various forms of the shadow economy.
While only 7.2 percent of respondents believe that it does more benefit than harm, 34.5 percent of respondents believe the shadow economy is more beneficial than harmful, and 38.3 percent are inclined to think that it brings both benefit and harm equally; the rest found it difficult to reply. These statistics imply that about 45 percent of the employed population of Russia justify the informal economy. Russian official received a bribe of 2 bags of Whiskas
Compared to previous survey results, the number of people who clearly approve of the informal economy decreased, down from 10.5 percent in 2013. However, the proportion of those who were neutral slightly increased, up from 33.2 percent. But Russians were even more tolerant of the shadow economy in 1990: 49.5 percent were convinced that it brought both benefit and harm, 21 percent supported it and only 13.5 percent opposed it.
Over the subsequent 11 years, though, attitudes changed dramatically. In 2001, the number who supported the informal economy dropped to a historic low of 2.1 percent, while those opposing it increased to 49 percent; 26.7 percent remained neutral.
According to RANEPA's June estimates, about 30 million people are engaged in Russia's shadow labor market, or 40.3 percent of the economically active population. Of these, 8.7 million people (11.7 percent) are completely excluded from the official workforce, while the remaining receive a portion of their salary "under the table" or have additional unreported earnings. | 1real |
Putin Tutors Euklidean Geometry - Pundits Say "All Greek To Me" | Go read the previous post first , then add this for a bit of additional entertainment.
A Russian TV event (vid) covered a nation wide geographic competition for schools children. This is somewhat comparable to the national spelling bee contest in the U.S. and elsewhere.
The guest star at the event was the Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was on stage with a nine year old participant who gave his specialties as "borders, neighboring countries and capitals." Putin asked the candidate "Where do Russia's borders end". The answer was "In the Bering Strait at the border with the U.S." Putin replied: "Russia's border does not end anywhere."
(When the audience then laughed and Putin sensed that it did not immediately get the real meaning of what he said he added: "That was a joke.")
But it was no joke. It was serious science. A whole lot of pundits, "western" reporters and anti-Putin haters now claim that Putin somehow did wrong, showed lust for new, unlimited Russian expansion or announced the fourth World War for the coming new Russian Empire.
See for example the BBC , Newsweek , Daily Mail , Express and many others who felt the urgent need to comment on a Russian quiz for kids. From the Newsweek piece: A Kremlin spokesperson was not immediately available to explain if the joke referred to Russia’s military efforts to redraw the borders of Moldova, Georgia and most recently Ukraine, or if the president had a different, more figurative meaning in mind....Ukraine’s Ambassador to Finland, whose country has experienced firsthand Russia’s willingness to alter its borders, tweeted a photo of a ruined country log cabin with the ironic caption ‘Russia’s borders end nowhere.’
ALL THESE WRITERS, THEIR EDITORS, THE PUNDITS AND DIPLOMATS MUST HAVE SLEPT THROUGH BASIC MATH LECTURES, ESPECIALLY IN EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY OF TWO DIMENSIONS. It is all Greek to them - literally.
The basic definition of a border is: A part that forms the outer edge of something.
A country, any country, is defined by a limited area (or areas) with an area characterized by an outer edge and a circumferential line known as "a border". Does the circumferential line of, ideally, a circle have a limit? Does it have a beginning or an end? This is exactly what Putin asked the kid.
Putin asked a pupil: "Where do Russia's borders end?" The answer "nowhere" is the (only) mathematically and geographically correct one. The geographic area characterized by a border is limited. The circumferential (border) line is, by mathematical definition, not "limited" in the sense that it has no beginning and no end (it has a length though).
This is basic math which Putin sympathetically lectured to a child in a scientific school competition on public TV. It probably was too much for a tired evening audience. That is not an excuse for professional writers (not) doing their day job. I am sure that, over time, the kid will get it. The "News" journalists though ...
Indeed one can bet on the low level of "western" scientific education, especially of political pundits and news writers, to make an "imperial intent" mountain out of any scientifically correct description of a flyspeck. It is a new subcategory of "fake news" that they expose. It has its roots in basic stupidity. 08:59 AM | Permalink | 1real |
U.S. House panel cancels Thursday session on Puerto Rico debt bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives committee has canceled Thursday’s work session on legislation aimed at helping Puerto Rico dig out of a debt crisis, according to congressional aides. The aides, who asked not to be identified, said on Wednesday the House Natural Resources Committee “markup” of the bill that had been set for Thursday was being postponed. They did not give a reason or say when it would be rescheduled. The panel had hoped to approve the legislation, sending it to the full House for consideration. | 0fake |
Top EU Official Disputes That Trump Could Upend Iran Nuclear Deal | November 11, 2016 Top EU Official Disputes That Trump Could Upend Iran Nuclear Deal
Asked Thursday about President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to tear up the Iran nuclear deal once in office, the European Union official tasked to oversee its implementation said it was not a bilateral agreement but a multilateral one, enshrined in a U.N. Security Council resolution.
E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s words reinforced those of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, who said on Iranian television Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was “not concluded with one country or government but was approved by a resolution of the U.N. Security Council, and there is no possibility that it can be changed by a single government.”
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State funding changes in spotlight in Republican healthcare bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders sought to nail down the final votes needed to pass what U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday called their “last best chance” to repeal Obamacare while a new analysis underscored how Democratic-leaning states stand to lose large amounts of federal funding under the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to bring the bill introduced by fellow Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy to a vote next week, as his party seeks to make good on seven years of promises to erase Democratic former President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement. With no Democratic support for the bill, Republicans remain a handful of votes short in the Senate, needing 50 votes in a 100-seat chamber they control 52-48, with Pence casting a potential tie-breaking vote. Senator Rand Paul opposes it and at least six others are undecided: John McCain, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, Rob Portman and Jerry Moran. Asked whether the legislation will pass, Pence said, “We’ll see. We’re close.” Republicans, still reeling from their failure in July to win Senate passage of previous legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, have set a Sept. 30 deadline for passage of this bill. “This may well be our last best chance to stop and turn around and head America back in the direction of the kind of healthcare reform that’s based on individual-choice, state-based innovations,” Pence told Fox New Channel. President Donald Trump has been pushing Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare, which would fulfill one of his top campaign promises from last year. The current bill would take money that the federal government now spends on healthcare through the Medicaid insurance program for the poor and subsidies to help Americans buy private insurance and distribute it to the states in block grants. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has not yet assessed the bill’s effects but independent analyses indicate it would fundamentally redistribute federal healthcare money, generally with Republican-leaning states benefiting and Democratic-leaning states losing. The nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, a healthcare research group, estimated on Thursday that states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare would lose $180 billion under the bill from 2020 to 2026, while non-expansion states would gain $73 billion in the same time period. The Graham-Cassidy bill in 2020 would end the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, which many Democratic-governed states had carried out while many Republican-governed states did not, and limit overall federal spending on the five-decade-old program regardless of how many Americans qualify for its benefits. Republicans have called Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, a federal overreach, and say block grants would give states discretion on how to provide healthcare coverage. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, five states would stand to lose more than 30 percent of their federal healthcare money from 2020-2026: New York (down 35 percent), Oregon (down 32 percent), Connecticut (down 31 percent), Vermont (down 31 percent) and Minnesota (down 30 percent). All are Democratic leaning. The analysis found that six Republican-leaning states would get at least 40 percent more in federal funds: Mississippi (up 148 percent), Texas (up 75 percent), Kansas (up 61 percent), Georgia (up 46 percent), South Dakota (up 45 percent) and Tennessee (up 44 percent). In total dollars, the state with the largest forecast loss of funds is California, losing $56 billion. The biggest gainer would be Texas, with a $34 billion increase. California, the most populous U.S. state, is Democratic leaning. Texas is the second most populous state and the largest Republican-leaning one. “It’s absolutely true to say the Graham-Cassidy bill over time levels out on a per-person basis the way we distribute money on healthcare, which I think resonates with most Americans,” Pence said. McCain, Collins and Murkowski were the three Republicans who voted against the last Republican healthcare legislation brought up in the Senate, which failed 51-49 in July. Paul, who voted in favor of that bill after previously expressing misgivings, on Thursday went to Twitter to underscore his criticism that the Graham-Cassidy bill does not go far enough to erase Obamacare. The insurance industry, hospitals, medical advocacy groups such as the American Medical Association, American Heart Association and American Cancer Society, the AARP advocacy group for the elderly and consumer activists have come out against the bill, urging a bipartisan fix to the current law that was abandoned this week. More medical and civil rights advocacy groups lined up against the Graham-Cassidy bill on Thursday, including the American Psychological Association, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the NAACP. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank, estimated that the bill would cause more than 30 million people to lose insurance. The Graham-Cassidy proposal would let states opt out of the requirement that insurers charge sick and healthy people the same rates, causing a furor among advocacy groups that say it could make health insurance unaffordable for those with pre-existing conditions. | 0fake |
G5 Sahel launches military operation in African scrublands | DAKAR (Reuters) - A long-awaited multi-national military force in Africa s Sahel region has begun operations to counter escalating Islamist insurgencies, participants in the joint effort said on Thursday. The G5 Sahel force, backed by France and the United States, launched its campaign on Oct. 28 amid growing unrest in the desert reaches of the Sahel, where jihadists such as al Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated groups roam undetected, often across long, porous borders. Last month, Islamist militants killed four U.S. soldiers and at least four Nigeriens in an ambush that highlighted the risks of operating in the remote region. G5 Sahel is made up of troops from Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania that will police the region in collaboration with 4,000 French troops deployed there since intervening in 2013 to beat back an insurgency in northern Mali. The first mission, called HAW BI , comprises several hundred soldiers from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, whose shared borderlands have been the epicenter of a surge in militant attacks, G5 Sahel said in a statement. The operation...aims to achieve an area of control in this region of three borders to fight against armed groups and trafficking, in order to allow the return of a level of security favorable to the tranquility of the populations, the statement said. The force will eventually swell to 5,000 men from 7 battalions and will also engage in humanitarian and development work, it said. G5 Sahel, whose command base is in Sevare in central Mali, will also coordinate with MINUSMA, Mali s U.N. peacekeeping mission. MINUSMA has faced frequent attacks in the north where Islamists have regained ground since 2013. The new force faces a number of challenges, not least in funding. The United States this week promised up to $60 million in support, but that fell short of hopes by France and others that Washington would back direct funding from the United Nations. | 0fake |
‘Solar Winds’ Spur Geomagnetic Storm That May Affect Power | « on: Today at 08:41:54 PM » Solar Winds Spur Geomagnetic Storm That May Affect Power 25 October 2016 , by Brian K Sullivan (Bloomberg) - Geomagnetic storms can cause voltage corrections, false alarms- Space weather center lowered alert to moderate level storm Also see: | 1real |
Clinton leads Trump by 11 points in U.S. presidential race: Reuters/Ipsos | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton posted an 11 percentage point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday, a small decline since late last week. The June 24-28 poll showed that 45.3 percent of likely American voters support Clinton while 34.1 percent support Trump, and another 20.5 percent support neither. Clinton’s lead was 14 points on Friday, though she has generally been widening her advantage over the New York real estate magnate since mid-May, when the two were nearly tied. The former secretary of state, senator and first lady was bolstered in recent days by endorsements from members of the Republican establishment, including Henry Paulson, Treasury secretary under former President George W. Bush. Her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, said last week he would vote for her to stop Trump even though his campaign said this was not a formal endorsement. Clinton is struggling to win over Sanders supporters after a hard-fought campaign for the nomination. Critics have assailed her over her handling of emails and a 2012 attack on a U.S. mission in Libya while secretary of state. Trump got a brief boost in the days after the June 12 mass shooting in Florida, coming within nine points of Clinton as he fine-tuned a campaign promise to temporarily ban the entry of Muslim immigrants to shore up national security. His level of support so far in June, however, lags behind what his predecessor, Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney, received in the same period in 2012. He has sparred with Republican leaders over his off-the-cuff rhetoric and lagged behind Clinton’s campaign organization in both size and fundraising, worrying some of his allies. The poll included 1,099 likely voters and has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. | 0fake |
How Voting Machines Are Programmed In Order To Steal Elections | November 3, 2016 at 5:27 pm GMT • 100 Words
Computers, paper ballots, acorns, peas, corn cobs, it doesn’t matter which medium is employed the cold hard fact being :
Democrats cannot win an election without cheating, and they most likely have never won a single election without cheating.
The old worn-out cliche’ about grandpa having been a republican voter all of his life, and after he passed away he switched to voting for the democrats, this running joke has been around for eons and there is always a spark of truth to be found in persistant rumors.
And this FACT, the fact of eternal cheating by the democrats, is what is being brought out of the closet by DT, and things will change in a most profound manner as a result.
Authenticjazzman, “Mensa” Society member of forty-plus years, and pro jazz performer. | 1real |
German Finance Chief Slams ’Protectionism and Nationalism’ Ahead of Meeting Trump | FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany’s finance minister is denouncing trade protectionism ahead of a meeting with U. S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and a summit where global finance officials are expected to tussle over how strongly to support free trade. [advertisement | 0fake |
Trump says he did not record conversations with former FBI Director Comey | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he did not make and does not possess any tapes of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, laying to rest speculation that arose after he tweeted last month that Comey better hope there were no tapes. “With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are ‘tapes’ or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings,” Trump wrote on Twitter. | 0fake |
BREAKING: Senate Republicans Just Passed A Resolution Officially Beginning Obamacare Repeal | The U.S. Senate has just passed a budget resolution that will officially begin the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act. The measure, which passed 51-48, directs the House to have a repeal bill ready to go by January 27, just one week after Trump takes office.Republican Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, who is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and sponsored the bill, issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon touting the legislation. Today, we take the first steps to repair the nation s broken health care system, removing Washington from the equation and putting control back where it belongs: with patients, their families, and their doctors, Enzi said.Republicans fell short of the 60 votes necessary to repeal the ACA flat out. But where there s a will there s a way when it comes to the GOP screwing over the American people, so they decided to defund the program through a budget resolution instead, which only needs a majority vote.NPR explains that this means they can essentially gut the law, removing all the subsidies that help low- and middle-income people buy health insurance and getting rid of the smorgasbord of taxes on medical devices, insurance companies and wealthy individuals that pay for those subsidies. Repealing Obamacare will be a complete and total disaster, but that hasn t stopped Republicans from fighting against the healthcare program tooth and nail since the day it passed seven years ago. Yet, in all that time they haven t been able to come up with a plan to replace it and they aren t any closer to one today.The repeal of the ACA will leave as many as 30 million Americans without insurance. For many, such as those with diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus, kidney failure, and other serious conditions, this is all but a death sentence. Medicare and Medicaid will also be devastated if the GOP gets their way. But Republicans don t give a damn and never have. They just want to make America sick again to stick it to Obama and don t care who they kill in the process.If you would like to let lawmakers in the House and Senate know just how you feel about this, you can call 202-224-3121.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1real |
NATO Buildup in Eastern Europe: ‘We’ve Only Seen the Tip of the Iceberg’ | Sputnik October 27, 2016
NATO and Washington’s activities in Eastern Europe and the Baltics de facto amount to permanent military presence, Sergei Ermakov, a senior analyst at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, told RT, adding that we have seen “only the tip of the iceberg” so far. “Endless war-games and rotational deployments essentially amount to permanent military presence. NATO is testing a drastic military buildup. We have witnessed the alliance deploy expeditionary forces and assault troops to Eastern Europe. These are offensive, not defensive forces. What we have seen is only the tip of the iceberg,” Ermakov said.
The North Atlantic Alliance has pledged to refrain from deploying substantial forces along the NATO-Russia border on a permanent basis, but has been increasingly active in the region. The bloc approved its largest military buildup in Eastern Europe and the Baltics since the end of the Cold War at the 2016 Warsaw summit, a development viewed with deep concern in Moscow.
As part of this initiative, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US will establish and lead four battle groups expected to be deployed in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Each will total up to 1,000 soldiers. These battalions are said to become operational in early 2017. The alliance has justified its massive buildup by blaming Russia for its ostensibly “assertive” behavior. Moscow has consistently denied these groundless claims.
Ermakov further explained that forces of NATO’s European members are not as lethal as they might seem. “On paper this is a force exceeding Russia’s [military] potential by several times. But it lacks real combat power. This is why Americans need to be everywhere. The US was forced to boost US European Command’s budget,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon requested $3.4bn for its operations in Europe in 2017, a four-time increase compared to its $789-million budget this year. A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Russian officials and experts have repeatedly pointed out that NATO increasing assertiveness has put regional stability at risk.
The bloc’s muscle flexing and aggressive rhetoric “greatly reduce European security and the chances for a revival of constructive dialogue between Russia and NATO, something Russia has been calling for so many years. Instead, the bloc is doing its best to provoke an arms race with unpredictable results,” Peter Korzun, an expert on wars and conflicts, wrote for the Strategic Culture Foundation. Ermakov also said that the United States wants to increase its presence in the Black Sea region to counter Russia. “Americans can no longer count on Turkey due to the failed coup attempt. Ankara has become a complicated partner. [Washington] is instead focusing on Bulgaria and Romania,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg mentioned Romania during a press conference held following the latest meeting of NATO’s defense ministers. He said that Romanian troops will join the US-led battle group in Poland. He also said that the ministers discussed progress made in strengthening NATO’s presence in the Black Sea region “in the air, at sea and on land.” This initiative will include among other things “a Romanian-led multinational framework brigade on land,” he observed, providing no additional information on the subject.
Ermakov further said that Washington also wants to counter Russia in Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. This article was posted: Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 6:39 am Share this article | 1real |
Young Fellas Made Of Nothing These Days, Finds Scientific Study | We Use Cookies: Our policy [X] Young Fellas Made Of Nothing These Days, Finds Scientific Study November 10, 2016 - BREAKING NEWS , HEALTH Share 0 Add Comment
DOCTORS studying the make-up of young fellas have found that they are made of nothing these days, in contrast to the men of old.
The scientific study, carried out by a team of genetic experts at Trinity College Dublin, found that the majority of Irish males aged between 16-30 have grown a lot weaker physically and less resilient to cold temperatures over the past 60 years. Of 100 Irish males tested in physical work environments, 67% percent moaned about being tired and fatigued after just two minutes.
“We put the study group to work on a local farm picking spuds, weeding gardens and doing general old time shit,” lead researcher Professor Conor Tracey explains, “We even made them travel to work in their bare feet. The results we got back were absolutely appalling to tell you the truth. Only a small minority of the men got on with their chores without complaining”.
In fact, further testing found that 89% of those studied were ‘perishers’, a trait increasing in modern day males.
“Nearly every one of them began whinging about the cold during the picking stones in the frost task,” Dr. Tracey added, “They began complaining that their ikkle fingies were sore, and that they couldn’t feel their hands or feet from the cold. Poor pets. Several lads even tried to pretend they were sick in a bid to get out of the job, and one 18-year-old subject began crying for his mammy like a big baby, so he did”.
The study concluded that 92% of Irish men were found to be made of nothing these days, compared to the young fellas of years ago who used to walk to school in their bare feet, before then going to work in the mines for 18 hours a day. | 1real |
FAIL! The Trump Organization’s Credit Score Will Make You Laugh | While the controversy over Trump s personal tax returns continues, business credit rating company Nav decided to take a look at his business credit, and published the results on their website. Nav, which actually does have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (as opposed to Trump U. s final rating), pulled together the factors affecting business credit scores and discovered something truly laughable.The highest possible business score is 100. The Trump Organization s score is 19. Nineteen. As in more than 15 but less than 20, and it s actually dropped 18 points. This puts the company in the medium to high-risk category:The organization is considered highly likely to default on its debts, and it averages sending payments 17 days late. They also have six derogatories, which can be delinquent loans that have been turned over to collections, as well as tax liens and judgments against the organization. According to Nav, that last one usually means the business was the defendant in a lawsuit and is now required to pay damages to the plaintiff.Compare that to the Clinton Foundation, which has a score of 42. 42 isn t great, but it s a hell of a lot better than the Trump Organization s.*Note: The Clinton Foundation has been around since 1997, but has only been known in its current form for the last three years.Despite not having stellar credit either, the Clinton Foundation also has no derogatories and makes its payments on time.This whole thing is laughable considering the wonderful businessman Trump seems to think he is. It s even more laughable considering that Trump says nobody knows debt better than he does. In August, he boasted that he has very little debt relative to his assets.Regardless of whether that s true, the fact that the Trump Organization s credit score is so low suggests that Trump is either not nearly as good at managing what debt he does have as well as he claims, or he s not nearly as good at managing his businesses as well as he claims.This credit score is hilarious.Featured image by Scott Olson via Getty Images | 1real |
Michael Moore Says He Is ‘Absolutely’ Convinced Trump Will Ban Muslims | Filmmaker and activist Michael Moore said there is no doubt in his mind that Donald Trump will go through with banning Muslims from the United States, just like he said he would.Speaking to Variety, Moore said that he has already done his grieving over Trump s win, which he saw coming long before it became a reality. I went through my five stages of grief months and months ago when I realized he was going to win, he said.Moore said that he has taken him literally and seriously since day one, which is why he fully expects Trump to do all the horrible things he said he would on the campaign trail, like building a wall along our southern border to keep out all the rapey Mexicans. You do have to take Trump at his word, Moore said. I still hear people say, Oh, he s not really going to build the wall. Oh, he is going to build it. He knows that he s got to deliver at least a version of the wall. This, Moore explained, is why he absolutely believes Trump will go through with enacting his Muslim ban. He s shown how he s going to do it, Moore said. He s going to get away with it by making it a ban on Muslims who come from the following countries. He needs just enough cover for his crowd to say, Oh, he s being reasonable there. He s not banning all Muslims. Moore also said that he was profoundly affected by Meryl Streep s powerful speech denouncing Trump at the Golden Globes. I had tears in my eyes, Moore said. It was so powerfully delivered by the perfect person. She was talking about human empathy. It was not about being a Republican or a Democrat. It was about: Have you no decency, sir? Trump s supporters like to say that they don t take what he says literally. But that is a mistake. As Maya Angelou said, When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. We know who Trump is. And we also know it s going to be a long four years.Featured image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images For AFI | 1real |
Trump says North Korea's Kim insulted him by calling him 'old' | HANOI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had insulted him by calling him old and said he would never call Kim short and fat. Trump made the comment after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam. In a series of tweets he also said Chinese President Xi Jinping was upping sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear and missile programs and that Xi wanted Pyongyang to denuclearize. During Trump s visit to Beijing last week Xi reiterated that China would strive for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula but offered no hint it would change tack on North Korea, with which it fought side by side in the 1950-53 Korean war against U.S.-led forces. One of Trump s tweets read: Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me old, when I would NEVER call him short and fat? Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen! Speaking later in Vietnam s capital, Hanoi, Trump said it would be very, very nice if he and Kim became friends. That might be a strange thing to happen but it s a possibility, he said. Trump has traded insults and threats with Kim in the past amid escalating tension over Pyongyang s nuclear and missile programs as North Korea races toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States -something Trump has vowed to prevent. North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on Sept. 3, prompting another round of U.N. sanctions. In September Kim described Trump as a mentally deranged U.S. dotard whom he would tame with fire. His comments came after Trump threatened in his maiden United Nations address to totally destroy the country of 26 million people if the United States were threatened. After North Korea s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho addressed the U.N. General Assembly in September Trump tweeted: Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won t be around much longer! North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests in defiance of U.N. sanctions. It has vowed to never give up its weapons programs, saying they are necessary to counter hostility from the United States and its allies. The United States has said that all options, including military, are on the table, although its preference is for a diplomatic solution. | 0fake |
The New York Times to Offer Open Access on Web and Apps for the Election - The New York Times | The New York Times is inviting readers to take advantage of its reporting, analysis and commentary from the through the aftermath of the 2016 election. Readers will have unlimited access to NYTimes. com for 72 hours from 12:01 a. m. ET on Monday, November 7 until 11:59 p. m. ET on Wednesday, November 9. “This is an important moment for our country,” said Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. publisher of The New York Times. “Independent journalism is crucial to democracy and I believe there is no better time to show readers the type of original journalism The New York Times creates every day. ” Below are highlights of what readers can expect from The Times’s coverage of this historic election: FOLLOW The Times’s live coverage on election night for reporting on hundreds of races across the country and analysis by the political team. The Upshot plans to provide live forecasts of the Presidential and Senate elections, as it did during the 2016 primaries and the 2014 Senate midterms. These forecasts offer readers a constantly updated estimate of the final vote, based on the turnout patterns, exit polling, and demographics of places where votes have already been counted. The New York Times mobile news apps are free to download. Users can sign up for breaking news notifications, which allows users to stay on top of major news events. Readers can also sign up for free newsletters and get more of The New York Times delivered to their inbox. JOIN a livestream of election coverage on The Times’s Facebook page continuously throughout the night starting at 4:30 p. m. ET. Coverage will include live video reports from correspondents at polling stations across the country as well as college campuses, election viewing parties and more. International correspondents in a handful of countries will capture worldwide reaction to the results of the American election. LISTEN to a special show hosted by The podcast on Election Day in which Times politics reporters will answer questions from listeners. The day after the election, Times reporters will come together to discuss the results and recap this remarkable year in politics. | 0fake |
U.S. Congress to seek new tax incentives for Puerto Rico rebuilding | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he wants to craft changes to a just-passed tax overhaul bill to provide “additional tax incentives” that would help Puerto Ricans recover from Hurricane Maria. In a statement following passage in the House of a major tax bill, Ryan said he would try to insert unspecified provisions into the legislation that would grant new tax incentives “so that our fellow U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico can have all the possible resources to rebuild their lives and their economy.” Puerto Rico has been reeling from hurricane damage, which disrupted the U.S. territory’s power grid, contaminated water supplies and destroyed homes and businesses. | 0fake |
What Brian Williams’s Chopper Whopper Says About Modern News Media | Embarrassing and infuriating: the NBC anchor’s ‘misstatements’ reveal much about America’s media environment.
By now, it may be time to paraphrase a famous remark by Rep. Mo Udall at an endless political dinner and conclude that, “Everything that can be said about Brian Williams has been said; it’s just that not everyone has said it yet.”
Consider what follows as a few footnotes to the Big Stuff—“Why did he do it?” “How bad were his misdeeds?” “Are there others?” “Can he survive?” In the reactions to the story of the Flak Attack That Wasn’t lie some telling realities about today’s media world.
There Is No “Wall of Silence.” My Twitter feed was—and still is—filed with assertions that the mainstream media will circle the wagons to protect one of their own. This is precisely what has not happened. The New York Times has published accounts that cast serious doubt not only on Williams’s later storytelling, but also on the original NBC story 12 years ago. Maureen Dowd’s Sunday column is brutal, reporting concerns within NBC News of Williams’s tendency to aggrandize himself. In The New Yorker, satirist Andy Borowitz wrote an acidic “diary” painting the NBC anchor as the embodiment of upper-class privilege. The Washington Post, CNN, Slate and The Daily Beast—media outlets that would never be confused with right-wing zealotry—have been highly critical of Williams. Only a few familiar faces—Dan Rather and TIME’s Joe Klein—have spoken up in Williams’s defense.
You can argue that these outlets been “forced” into this because the digital world makes it impossible to ignore the depredations of traditional media. Or you can note that the media themselves have come to accept that they need to be subject to the same critical gaze as other institutions. Thus the birth of ombudsmen and public accountability—from The New York Times and Jayson Blair’s tall tales, to the Washington Post’s Janet Cooke and her eight-year-old addict, to CBS and the George W. Bush National Guard story, to CNN’s Tailwind scandal and beyond. Whatever the reason, the notion that the “mainstream media” has rushed to protect Brian Williams is laughable.
Williams Made Himself A Perfect Target. There’s no more attractive story than one suggesting that an important or powerful figure is a hypocrite. It’s the war hawk urging the dispatch of young men and women into harm’s way, but whose draft deferments or sketchy medical condition exempted him from the draft. It’s the liberal voting to bus children to school while sending her kids to private academies. It’s the tribune of moral virtue paying for abortions for the staff assistant he knocked up. It’s the environmentalists flying to a climate change rally in a private jet.
Brian Williams is, in this sense, a perfect fit. His inaccurate, or misleading, or deeply dishonest account of what happened in Iraq seems to put the lie to a career that has featured him in the midst of one danger or another. To be clear on this point: Williams in fact has been in many places where natural disasters or violence have indeed involved risk. (I write as someone who, in more than 30 years of network TV reporting, found himself in physical danger exactly once, in South Africa, for a period of perhaps 15 minutes.)
But by steadily exaggerating the perils of his helicopter journey, he’s permitted critics to suggest that it was all an act; that he is not who he wanted us to think he is. He’s also opened the door to those who scoff at the danger journalists face. On Thursday, Rush Limbaugh scornfully referred to journalists who “put on a trench coat and stand in a street in Beirut.” This is a slanderous smear on the critically wounded Bob Woodruff and Kimberly Dozier, on Mike Kelly and David Bloom (who died in Iraq), on James Foley and other journalists beheaded by ISIS, on the 61 journalists killed in 2014. It is, however, a slander that will resonate, and it will resonate because Williams was apparently unwilling to let his record, unvarnished, speak for itself.
Have You Looked In the Mirror Lately? Brian Williams is one of many in the mainstream or traditional or legacy media who have warned about the difficulty of judging the credibility of “new media.” When a story is coming from somewhere “out there,” in the digital universe, with no imprimatur, where’s the institutional backup, where are the researchers, the editors, the fact-checkers, the accountability?
Well, in this case, it was the toolbox of the “new media” that exposed the holes (or lack of them) in the helicopter story. Facebook gave a member of the U.S. military the forum on which to challenge Williams (“Sorry, dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft”). Moreover, there are a lot of questions still to be answered about why the NBC staffers who were with Williams never raised their voices to say: “Um Brian, about that story…”
As for what happens next: I don’t know what NBC—or outside investigators—are going to find. I don’t know if it makes sense (assuming no other transgressions) for Williams to sit down with a smart, tough but fair inquisitor—Megyn Kelly? Jon Stewart? The scheduled appearance on Letterman Thursday?—and answer whatever questions are thrown his way. It probably makes sense for Williams to shelve his considerable comedic gifts and stay away from Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live.
I do know that there’s one idea that struck me as eminently on point. It comes from Matt Dowd, the recovering political operative and ABC News analyst, who tweeted: “Maybe [the] news media can learn from this episode and start being a little more compassionate when others mess up.” | 0fake |
Trump: 'President Barack Obama was born in the United States' | Washington (CNN) Donald Trump finally admitted Friday that "President Barack Obama was born in the United States," reversing himself on the issue that propelled him into national politics five years ago.
Trump sought to end his longstanding attempt to discredit the nation's first African-American president with just a few sentences tacked on at the end as he unveiled his new hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.
But the issue isn't likely to die down any time soon -- especially as Trump continues to falsely blame Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for starting the "birtherism" controversy. Clinton said earlier Friday that Trump's acknowledgment of Obama's birthplace doesn't go far enough and that he must also apologize.
"For five years, he has led the birther movement to delegitimize our first black president," Clinton said at an event in Washington. "His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie."
Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961.
Trump offered no apologies for his leading role in the birther movement and didn't explain what drove him to change his mind. The President dismissed Trump's criticism Friday, joking with reporters at the White House and saying, "I was pretty confident about where I was born."
Speaking at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the controversy head on.
"There were those who questioned and continue to question for the past eight years up through this very day whether my husband was even born in this country," she said. "Well, during his time in office, I think Barack has answered those questions with the example he set by going high when they low."
The birtherism controversy exploded the previous night when Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post that he still wasn't prepared to acknowledge Obama's birthplace. Within a few hours, the campaign released a statement -- attributed to his spokesman -- that said Trump now believes Obama was born in the United States.
Trump finally said the words out loud Friday morning.
"President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period," Trump said, ignoring reporters' questions despite earlier indications he would hold a press conference. "Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again."
The developments over the past day were steeped in political motivations. With 53 days before the presidential election, Trump is moving into a margin of error race with Clinton and trying to broaden his appeal while maintaining his grip on the GOP base. Trump has tried to improve his dismal standing among minority voters and moderate Republicans in recent weeks, many of whom see birtherism as racially motivated and an insult to Obama.
He is also aiming to take the issue of Obama's birthplace and legitimacy off the table by the time of the crucial debate with Clinton September 26.
Trump has declined other opportunities during the past two weeks to refute his original birtherism.
When local Philadelphia TV station WPVI asked Trump on September 2 about his past statements, Trump replied: "I don't talk about it anymore. I told you, I don't talk about it anymore."
He repeated the same line when asked about it during a gaggle with reporters aboard his plane last week.
And in an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly last week, Trump again said, "I don't bother talking about it."
Trump's extraordinary attempt to prove Obama was not a natural-born US citizen and was therefore not qualified to be president started on the conservative fringe but gathered momentum and became a major issue. The White House initially tried to ignore the birtherism movement as the work of conspiracy theorists, but Trump's huge media profile propelled the issue through conservative media and it eventually gained traction.
The saga only ended in a surreal and extraordinary moment in American politics when the sitting President went to the White House briefing room in April 2011 and produced his long-form birth certificate.
"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers," Obama said at the time, in a clear reference to Trump.
In his statement Thursday night, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said, "Mr. Trump did a great service to the President and the country by bringing closure to the issue that Hillary Clinton and her team first raised."
He was referring to a controversy from the 2008 Democratic primary fight between Obama and Clinton. In a March 2008 interview with "60 Minutes," Clinton said she took then-Sen. Obama's word that he was not a Muslim, but when pressed if she believed he was, she replied, "No. No, there is nothing to base that on -- as far as I know."
Clinton, however, was not questioning Obama's birthplace.
Clinton slammed Trump's comments to the Post while speaking at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute event in Washington Thursday, saying he needs to stop his "ugliness" and "bigotry."
"He was asked one more time: Where was President Obama born? And he still wouldn't say Hawaii. He still wouldn't say America. This man wants to be our next president? When will he stop this ugliness, this bigotry?" she said. "This is the best he can do. This is who he is. And so we need to decide who we are."
Clinton's campaign later tweeted, "President Obama's successor cannot and will not be the man who led the racist birther movement. Period."
Trump's embrace of the birther controversy seemed outlandish when it began. In retrospect, it looks like a template for the fact-challenged approach he has adopted in his presidential campaign.
After Obama's news conference, the real-estate developer claimed credit for getting the President to produce evidence of his birthplace.
"Today I'm very proud of myself because I've accomplished something that nobody else was able to accomplish," Trump said in New Hampshire, after Obama's news conference.
In subsequent years, Obama poked fun at the birtherism controversy and used it to ridicule Trump, most memorably in a savage takedown at the White House Correspondent's Dinner in 2011.
"Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald," Obama said.
"And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter -- like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?" | 0fake |
OBAMA AND UNION LEADERS SELL OUT AMERICAN WORKERS By Turning Illegal Alien Into Union Members | This story just proves what we ve been saying all along. When it comes to unions, it s not about the members, it s about the union leadership and how they can increase their membership numbers (dues). Aiding union leadership in their quest to add members to flailing union membership numbers is just a way for Obama to keep the skids greased and ensure future contributions from one of the largest Democrat party donors (unions) in America. Congressional investigators say they ve uncovered another attempt by the Obama administration to aid illegal immigrants in the U.S. this time, by teaching foreign workers lessons on union organizing.The National Labor Relations Board has entered into agreements with Mexico, Ecuador and the Philippines to teach workers from those countries in the United States their rights when it comes to union activity.The agreements reportedly don t distinguish between illegal and legal immigrants. But lawmakers are worried it s part of an effort to shield illegal immigrants specifically, by encouraging them to join a union and get protection.NLRB spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek explained to Fox News that under the National Labor Relations Act, employees, whether documented or undocumented, are protected from retaliation due to union or other protected concerted activity. That means employers could be charged for dismissing an illegal immigrant worker if the firing is determined to be tied to the worker s union activityHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia, argued illegal immigrant workers could soon learn to exploit the system, creating a catch-22 for businesses. They could instead be charged with violating the National Labor Relations Act because someone will claim that they re doing it because the individual is engaged in unionization activities, Goodlatte said.He also claimed the Obama administration was trying to keep the NLRB union education agreements, which were originally signed in 2013 and 2014, quiet. This is the first we ve learned of this and it s the first that news organizations have learned of this and they didn t learn it because the administration came out and told them, Goodlatte told Fox News. They learned about it because of leaked materials, and again, that is not the kind of transparency the American people expect of their government. An NLRB official, though, disputed the notion that the agreement was a new development or something that was intentionally being kept out of the news. Yet it isn t just the NLRB that could view union activity as a shield for illegal immigrants.In June 2011, then-Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton issued a memo saying: ICE officers, special agents and attorneys are reminded to exercise all appropriate discretion on a case-by-case basis when making detention and enforcement decisions in the cases . . . [of] individuals engaging in a protected activity related to civil or other rights (for example, union organizing). While this may serve as a way to boost union membership at a time when their numbers are trending downward, one activist said it will likely hurt U.S. citizen union members in the end. It seems that the union is almost selling out the interests of American workers and legal immigrant workers in order to boost its membership by appealing to illegal workers and getting the assistance of other countries in doing that, Jessica Vaughan, of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News.Via: FOX News | 1real |
Penguins Finish Off Sharks to Win Stanley Cup - The New York Times | SAN JOSE, Calif. — Much of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals was part hockey, part speedskating. When it was over on Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins had their second title in eight years and their fourth in franchise history, defeating the San Jose Sharks, . What turned out to be the winning goal typified the skill on display throughout the series. The Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby fed defenseman Kris Letang for a low in the right circle that found its way into the San Jose net at 7 minutes 46 seconds of the second period. And despite encouragement from the spirited crowd inside SAP Center for the Sharks’ first appearance in the Stanley Cup finals in their history, San Jose could not find the equalizer before Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist scored an insurance goal into an empty net with 1:02 left in the third period. The game ended when Crosby cleared the puck the length of the ice with San Jose on a power play, and then the celebration began. “Man, I’m going to remember this day for the rest of my entire life,” said the rookie Penguins goaltender Matthew Murray, who faced only 19 shots in the clinching game. Murray, who is 22, added: “I probably won’t believe this until next year, to be honest. It’s so surreal. ” Crosby, who had 19 postseason points, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the most valuable player of the playoffs. During his postgame media conference, he drew comparisons with the first cup he won in 2009, his fourth of 11 seasons in the league. “I have a greater appreciation this time around,” the Crosby said, noting that after appearances in the finals in 2008 and 2009, “you just think it’s going to be an annual thing. ” “With the core we have,” he added, “you think everyone’s going to stay together, the team’s not going to change. But it does. ” None of Pittsburgh’s four Stanley Cup wins have come on home ice. Although the Stanley Cup presentation was made inside SAP Center by N. H. L. Commissioner Gary Bettman, thousands of Penguins supporters were able to celebrate at a watch party inside Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Center Evgeni Malkin said the championship felt as good as the 2009 title, and he was not surprised that it took so long to win it again. “It’s not easy to win in this league. They have 30 good teams,” Malkin said. “We played against a tough San Jose team, and they not win in 25 years. It’s not easy. San Jose a great team, great coaches. But it’s tough to win. I’m glad finally we win. ” Malkin added: “We did a great job. Actually, tonight we worked so hard, we deserved to win. ” For the fifth time in the six games, the Penguins opened the scoring. With Sharks forward Dainius Zubrus in the penalty box for tripping, Brian Dumoulin’s shot from the left point eluded San Jose goaltender Martin Jones at 8:16 of the first period. Jones, who made 24 saves, was more formidable later in the period, however, making two quick saves on Crosby in a span after a Sharks giveaway. The Sharks tied the game, at 6:27 of the second period when center Logan Couture used Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz as a screen and beat Murray with a wrist shot. The goal was Couture’s 30th point of the playoffs, the best in the league. But Letang answered 79 seconds later, and San Jose could not draw even again. The Sharks, who finished third in the Pacific Division, fell short of their goal, but they went a long way toward erasing their reputation as playoff underachievers with wins over the Los Angeles Kings, the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues. “I’m very proud of our group,” Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer said. “I thought our guys emptied the tank, gave us everything they possibly could. We weren’t as good as them during this period. ” The challenge Pittsburgh presented went beyond their team speed, he added. “They have good sticks, too. They force you into quicker decisions. They really challenge your execution. We hadn’t seen pressure and sticks like that through the first three rounds. ” Pittsburgh had entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, defeating the Rangers, the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning en route to the finals. The Penguins righted their season after Mike Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston on Dec. 12 as coach when the team was near . 500. “We changed style,” Malkin said of the coaching change. “Before, we played more now we played in offensive zone. We use our legs. We skate with puck, we skate without puck. Always skating. ” | 0fake |
Get Ready For Civil Unrest: Survey Finds That Most Americans Are Concerned About Election Violence | in: Protestors & Activists , Special Interests , US News Could we see violence no matter who wins on November 8th? Let’s hope that it doesn’t happen, but as you will see below, anti-Trump violence is already sweeping the nation. If Trump were to actually win the election, that would likely send the radical left into a violent post-election temper tantrum unlike anything that we have ever seen before. Alternatively, there is a tremendous amount of concern on the right that this election could be stolen by Hillary Clinton. And as I showed yesterday, it appears that voting machines in Texas are already switching votes from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton . If Hillary Clinton wins this election under suspicious circumstances, that also may be enough to set off widespread civil unrest all across the country. At this moment there is less than two weeks to go until November 8th, and a brand new survey has found that a majority of Americans are concerned “about the possibility of violence” on election day… A 51% majority of likely voters express at least some concern about the possibility of violence on Election Day; one in five are “very concerned.” Three of four say they have confidence that the United States will have the peaceful transfer of power that has marked American democracy for more than 200 years, but just 40% say they are “very confident” about that. More than four in 10 of Trump supporters say they won’t recognize the legitimacy of Clinton as president, if she prevails, because they say she wouldn’t have won fair and square. But many on the left are not waiting until after the election to commit acts of violence. On Wednesday, Donald Trump’s star on the Walk of Fame was smashed into pieces by a man with a sledgehammer and a pick-ax… Donald Trump took a lot of hits today, and not just in the Presidential race. With less than two weeks to go before America decides if the ex- Apprentice host will pull off a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed early Wednesday morning by a man dressed as a city construction worker and wielding a sledgehammer and pick-ax in what looks to be a Tinseltown first. And there were two other instances earlier this year when Donald Trump’s star was also vandalized. One came in January, and the other happened in June … This is of course not the first time the GOP candidate’s star has been attacked or defaced since Trump announced his White House bid in summer 2015. The most extreme measure was a reverse swastika being sprayed on the star at 6801 Hollywood Blvd in late January. In June this summer, a mute sign was painted on Trump’s star in a seemingly protest against the antagonistic language and policies some have accused Trump of promoting and reveling in during the campaign. In both cases, Trump’s star was quickly cleaned and back as new within a day. We have seen anti-Trump violence on the east coast as well. Earlier this month, someone decided to firebomb the Republican Party headquarters in Orange County, North Carolina. On the building next to the headquarters, someone spray-painted “Nazi Republicans get out of town or else” along with a swastika. There have also been other disturbing incidents of anti-Trump violence all over the nation in recent days. A recent Lifezette article put together quite a long list, and the following is just a short excerpt from that piece… On Oct. 15 in Bangor, Maine, vandals spray-painted about 20 parked cars outside a Trump rally. Trump supporter Paul Foster, whose van was hit with white paint, told reporters, “Why can’t they do a peaceful protest instead of painting cars, all of this, to make their statement?” Around Oct. 3, a couple of Trump supporters were assaulted in Zeitgeist, a San Francisco bar, after they were allegedly refused service for expressing support for Trump, GotNews reports. “The two Trump supporters were attacked, punched, and chased into the street by ‘some thugs’ that a barmaid called out from the back.” Lilian Kim of ABC 7 Bay Area tweeted a photo of the men, in which one was wearing a Trump T-shirt and the other was wearing a “Blue Lives Matter” shirt. On Sept. 28 in El Cajon, California, an angry mob at a Black Lives Matter protest beat 21-year-old Trump supporter Feras Jabro for wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. The assault was broadcast live using the smartphone app Periscope. There is a move to get Trump supporters to wear red on election day, but in many parts of America that might just turn his supporters into easy targets. Let’s certainly hope that we don’t see the kind of violent confrontations at voting locations that many experts are anticipating. Of course there are also many on the right that are fighting mad, and a Hillary Clinton victory under suspicious circumstances may be enough to push them over the edge. For example, this week former Congressman Joe Walsh said that he is “grabbing my musket” if Donald Trump loses the election… Former Rep. Joe Walsh appeared to call for armed revolution Wednesday if Donald Trump is not elected president. Walsh, a former tea party congressman from Illinois who is now a conservative talk radio host, tweeted, “On November 8th, I’m voting for Trump. On November 9th, if Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musket. You in?” And without a doubt, many ordinary Americans are stocking up on guns and ammunition just in case Hillary Clinton is victorious. The following comes from USA Today … “Since the polls are starting to shift quite a bit towards Hillary Clinton, I’ve been buying a lot more ammunition,” says Rick Darling, 69, an engineer from Harrison Township, in Michigan’s Detroit suburbs. In a follow-up phone interview after being surveyed, the Trump supporter said he fears progressives will want to “declare martial law and take our guns away” after the election. Today America is more divided than I have ever seen it before, and the mainstream media is constantly fueling the hatred and the anger that various groups feel toward one another. Ironically, Donald Trump has been working very hard to bring America together. In fact, he is solidly on track to win a higher percentage of the black vote than any Republican presidential candidate since 1960 . If Hillary Clinton and the Democrats win on November 8th, things will not go well for Hillary Clinton’s political enemies. The Clintons used the power of the White House to go after their enemies the first time around, and Hillary is even more angry and more bitter now than she was back then. And the radical left is very clear about who their enemies are. This is something that I discussed on national television earlier this month … As I write this, it is difficult for me to even imagine how horrible a Hillary Clinton presidency would be. But at this point that appears to be the most likely outcome . Out of all the candidates that we could have chosen, the American people are about to put the most evil one by far into the White House. Perhaps Donald Trump can still pull off a miracle and we can avoid that fate, but time is rapidly slipping away and November 8th will be here before we know it. Submit your review | 1real |
U.S. Strike on Syria Brings Fleeting Hope to Those Caught in Brutal Conflict - The New York Times | ISTANBUL — Six years of war in Syria have ravaged the life of Ebrahim Abbas, 27. Mr. Abbas, a computer technician, was detained for protesting against the Syrian government, besieged in his hometown and shot in the stomach, and watched his brother die in a shelling attack. He escaped, but his father, a diabetic, died later from a lack of medicine, and his mother was killed by a sniper. It was from his refuge in Turkey that Mr. Abbas heard about President Trump’s decision to launch 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian air base to punish President Bashar for a chemical weapons attack. It felt good. “Watching a world power taking revenge for civilians against the Syrian regime gave me a surge of hope and made me a bit optimistic,” Mr. Abbas said. But the attack will not bring back all that he has lost nor help him return home soon. In a measure of how entrenched the war is, there were new airstrikes on Saturday on the town targeted in the attack, with at least one person killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strike on the air base was the most direct, deliberate military intervention by the United States against Mr. Assad’s forces since the war began. Mr. Trump said he had launched the strike because he was moved by images of women and children choking on poison gas. “That was a horrible, horrible thing,” he told reporters after the chemical attack. “And I’ve been watching it and seeing it, and it doesn’t get any worse than that. ” But while the strike on Thursday appeared intended to limit the chances of retaliation, Mr. Trump has offered no proposals to end the war or to assuage the vast human suffering it has generated, sending fleeing Syrians across the globe. Yasmine Mashaan, a pharmacy technician from the town of Muhassan in eastern Syria who lost several brothers to the conflict, said the strike was unlikely to change much for her and her family. And she doubts Mr. Trump’s motivations. “It would be great if he continued this in the direction of saving more civilians or establishing a safe zone, but after his racist speeches and policy, I think the strike is more for popularity,” said Ms. Mashaan, who is now in Germany after fleeing there with her family. “But judging by how fast he intervened in Syria and how powerful it was, then we might be going somewhere with it. ” The number affected by the conflict boggles the mind. What began as an uprising in 2011 escalated into a civil war as protesters took up arms to respond to the government’s repression and seek its ouster. Over time, countries like the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia backed the rebels, while Russia and Iran helped Mr. Assad. As chaos spread, extremist groups gained ground. Al Qaeda infiltrated the rebel movement, while the jihadists of the Islamic State seized territory that extended into Iraq. Now more than 400, 000 people have been killed, a figure roughly equal to the population of Tulsa, Okla. or Oakland, Calif. Many more have been maimed. Half of Syria’s prewar population of 22 million have fled their homes, a number close to the population of Belgium. Five million of those are registered refugees abroad, according to the United Nations. Most are in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, where 70 percent live on less than $3. 84 a day, less than the cost of some lattes at Starbucks. Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which does aid work in Syria, said he could not comment for or against the strike by the United States, but he said that “they do not solve any of my urgent priorities. ” For the humanitarian situation to improve, aid workers would need more border crossings for getting aid into the country, assurances that air and ground forces would not attack hospitals and better access to besieged and suffering communities, including nearly 400, 000 people within an hour’s drive of Damascus, the capital. “It is heartbreakingly frustrating to be a humanitarian worker and to have the resources and the supplies but not to be able to reach these people,” Mr. Egeland said. Within the conflict’s statistics are countless stories of torture, detention, forced conscription, families torn apart and normal lives downgraded rapidly or simply cut short. Even some Syrians who welcomed the strike questioned why, after all of the war’s brutality, it was the chemical attack this past week that had brought a show of force against Mr. Assad. “Of course chemicals are weapons of mass destruction,” said a doctor east of Damascus who treated victims of the first major chemical attack in Syria, in 2013. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared government reprisal. “But what about sieges? What about killing children? Isn’t it wrong for children to grow up without knowing Tom and Jerry? Without knowing chocolate?” President Barack Obama did not respond militarily to a chemical attack in 2013, despite having called the use of such weapons a “red line. ” Since then, the doctor has watched the world move on while the siege of his area has tightened, he said through Skype. He said he had learned to live with less electricity, less fuel, less clean water and less food. “We are living like ancient people, how they depended on themselves, how they used wood to make fires,” he said. “It is a hard life. ” He expected more from the United States and its allies after the 2013 attack, what he called “a position that was appropriate for the free world. ” But the result was an agreement, brokered by Russia, for Mr. Assad to give up his chemical weapons. “The solution to the crime was a deal to take away the weapon but leave the criminal,” the doctor said. The strike by the United States made him mildly optimistic that Mr. Trump would intervene more forcefully than Mr. Obama had. “Trump is a closed box that has started to open,” he said. “Soon we will see what’s inside. ” While conflict monitors said that Mr. Assad’s forces and their allies had caused the bulk of the war’s deaths with their advanced weapons, communities loyal to Mr. Assad have also paid a heavy price. Tens of thousands of Syrian soldiers have been killed, and religious minorities, secularists and others who view Mr. Assad as a symbol of a unified Syria have continued to fight out of fear that they would be eradicated if Islamist rebels take over the country. Others have had to face both the government and the jihadists. Ms. Mashaan, the pharmacy technician, said her family’s troubles began when she intervened to stop a security officer from beating her brother for protesting. The officer beat her instead, breaking her arm. As the uprising spread, Ms. Mashaan, 36, and her five brothers joined in. Soon, her brothers and husband were arrested and tortured, in some cases coming home with their fingernails removed, she said. Then they began to die. One was killed when security forces fired into a crowd of protesters, she said. Another was shot in their home by a sniper. Yet another disappeared. She later recognized his face in a trove of photos of bodies smuggled out of a prison near Damascus. As violence spread, Ms. Mashaan’s family fled to a refugee camp in the countryside, but it was soon taken over by a new force in the area: Islamic State jihadists. They killed her younger brother and took advantage of her medical training by forcing her to work in a clinic, she said. The family later fled to a refugee camp across the border in Turkey, where they lived until Ms. Mashaan’s husband and her last remaining brother joined the migration to Europe and paid smugglers to take them to Greece in rubber dinghies. They made their way to Germany, where she and her five children joined them last year. Living in Germany is hard, she said in a Facebook chat from her new home. Not speaking the language made it difficult to register the children, and many Germans refused to rent lodgings to her family because they were refugees, she said. | 0fake |
White House says it is committed to raising debt ceiling | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday it was committed to making sure Congress raises the nation’s debt limit even as the president described the looming legislative process as a “mess.” “It’s our job to inform Congress of the debt ceiling and it’s their job to raise it,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. “We need to make sure we pay our debts. We’re still committed to making sure that gets raised.” (This story corrects quote in paragraph 2 to “to raise it” from “they raise it”) | 0fake |
Report: Obama Gave $221 Million to Palestinians in Last Hours | The Associated Press reported Monday that former President Barack Obama released $221 million in U. S. funding for the Palestinian Authority on the morning of Friday, January 20 — just hours before he was to leave office. [The AP details: A State Department official and several congressional aides say the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning, just before Donald Trump became president. More than $227 million in foreign affairs funding was released at the time, including $4 million for climate change programs and $1. 25 million for U. N. organizations. At least two GOP lawmakers had placed holds on the Palestinian funds. Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding. This was not the first time Obama had granted funding to the Palestinian Authority despite Congress’s wishes. In 2012, for example, he unblocked nearly $200 million that had been frozen in response to Palestinians’ unilateral actions at the United Nations, using a legal waiver included in the Palestinian Accountability Act. Republicans have increasingly called for blocking or canceling funding to the Palestinian Authority, not only because of unilateral diplomatic moves toward statehood, but also because of increasing evidence that funds are used to incite violence and provide financial rewards to terrorists. The Palestinian Authority reportedly provides compensation to the families of terrorist prisoners incarcerated in Israeli prisons, as well as to those who have killed themselves in attacks on Israeli civilians. The total amount allocated by the Palestinian Authority budget for “the Care for the Families of the Martyrs” was reportedly about $175 million in 2016, and an additional $140 million was reportedly allocated for payments to prisoners and former prisoners. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was also among the first world leaders that President Obama called after taking office in January 2009. Joel B. Pollak is Senior at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak. | 0fake |
Satanic Temple YES, Ten Commandments NO? | Satanic Temple YES, Ten Commandments NO? October 26, 2016
A Satanic Temple opens its doors in Massachusetts proud to display their "religious" symbols! But removing the Ten Commandments is OK? With up to 50,000 members in chapters around the world, TST has garnered colossal media attention in the last three years. Outside of New England, TST has taken legal action against the placement of edifices of the Ten Commandments in civic settings, including statehouses. The Satanist group has intervened in various school districts to contest prayer or challenge Christian clubs. Salem is headquarters to this Anti Christian group.
(SALEM,Massachusetts) Horror is not contained to October 31st alone. A controversial Satanic temple has set up its international headquarters in Salem Massachusetts. Just one mile from historic sites where ironically in the 16th century witches were hunted and killed.
The building is a former funeral home, inaugurated last month by activist Malcolm Jarry, a self-described “secular Jew” who co-founded The Satanic Temple (TST) in 2013. It also houses an art gallery in honor of the heathen idol Baphomet, a “sabbatic goat”. Behind the two-story building, an eight-foot tall statue of Baphomet sits in a plain shed, where visitors can pay to view it.
With up to 50,000 members in chapters around the world, TST has garnered colossal media attention in the last three years. Chief among Jarry’s causes are marriage equality and women’s reproductive freedom. Any issue related to the government using religion to restrict individual freedom is also likely to engage temple leaders, some of whom staged a 2014 “Black Mass” at Harvard University to push the envelope on religious freedom.
Outside of New England, TST has taken legal action against the placement of edifices of the Ten Commandments in civic settings , including statehouses. To illustrate how such displays violate religious freedom, the temple has insisted it be allowed to erect goat-headed Baphomet statues in the same locations. TST is also planning to take on some schools’ use of isolation, denial of bathroom access, and corporal punishment of children. For the 49-year-old Jarry, there is not much conflict between being Jewish and a Satanist. As a matter of fact, the two identities have come to inform each other, he said.
“I see it like Buddhism,” said Jarry. “Satanism is something that can co-exist with being a Jew,” he said.
In addition to Jarry’s belief that Judaism and Satanism can co-exist, there are parallels with how Judaism and Satanism have been branded by their detractors, he said.
“The false accusations that have been thrown at Jews historically are similar to what some people say about Satanism,” said Jarry, mentioning accusations of blood libel and — more recently — fabricated allegations that Israel perpetrates genocide against Palestinian children.
In recent weeks, TST has been in the news for one member’s attempts to deliver a Satanist invocation at Boston City Hall . The opportunity to open meetings with prayers is by invitation only, and only mainstream religions have ever been asked, said Jarry.
“If the decision is that only we cannot deliver an invocation, then we will sue and we will win,”
“We expect to be treated in the same manner as all other religions and will sue for all of the same rights,” said Jarry, adding that TST’s campaigns are fueled by “the importance of standing for freedom of expression and against tyrannical authority.”
According to Salem city officials, only a handful of citizens have expressed concern about the Satanic temple’s arrival to one of New England’s top tourist destinations. TRUNEWS counted about 20 churches in Salem alone, and not one Christian expressed concern? Where is the church? The TST has a clear agenda to stop Christians from evangelizing and in their quest they are winning legal battles to do so. With each Christian symbol taken down or expression of faith being censored, this groups' agenda advances. Again I ask, where is the church?
Original article by Times of Israel.
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NC Governor Robs Disaster Relief Fund To Hire Lawyers To Defend Trans Bathroom Bill | Can you put a price on bigotry? North Carolina Republicans just did. It s $500,000.North Carolina is a state precariously placed in the danger zones of both hurricanes and tornadoes. It s suffered its fair share of disastrous floods. It s warm enough to be a fertile ground for the mosquitoes experts warn could be spreading the devastating Zika virus. So it s more than just a little crazy that Republican Governor Pat McCrory announced that he would be robbing his state s own disaster relief fund to pay for the defense of his illegal trans bathroom bill.Led by McCrory, state Republicans have diverted half a million dollars from the state s Emergency Response and Disaster Relief fund and say they will use it to hire lawyers to fight tooth-and-nail against the federal government which has deemed the anti-trans bill known as HB2 unconstitutional. Considering how obvious it is that this violates the Civil Rights Act, the money will serve only to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.The law has already cost the state tens of millions of dollars in lost business, boycotts, and bad press. Adding the $500,000 is only going to make things worse. This is particularly dire because the fight against the Zika virus continues to go unfunded at the federal level. A recent bill proposed by Republicans to give some of the funds was shot down by Democrats after they insisted on including an amendment to defund Obamacare. The premise, to take away millions of Americans health insurance during the outbreak of a potential health epidemic was, to put it lightly, repugnant on every level.So rather than get serious at a state level, North Carolina decided to defund itself. It will now head into the eye of the Zika storm with a pitiable amount of money to combat it. Instead, they will pay for a few lawyers to ensure trans people are victimized for just a few months longer. If that doesn t say it all, I don t know what does.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1real |
With New Study in Hand, Pennsylvanians Reiterate Call for Fracking Ban | By Dierdre Fulton As yet another study links fracking to cancer-causing chemicals, Pennsylvanians opposed to oil and gas drilling in their state are reiterating their call for a statewide moratorium... | 1real |
Colombia sees peace with ELN rebels harder than FARC | BOGOTA (Reuters) - Negotiating peace with Colombia s largest active rebel group, the ELN, will be tougher than the recent successful talks with FARC guerrillas due to the ELN s diffuse chain of command and radical ideology, the chief government negotiator said. President Juan Manuel Santos administration and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in February began negotiations in neighboring Ecuador that seek to end the role the group has played in a five-decade conflict that has left over 220,000 dead and millions displaced. Even though both sides have agreed to begin a three-month bilateral ceasefire from October, the road to a definitive peace accord will be long and complex, Santos negotiator, Juan Camilo Restrepo, told Reuters late on Tuesday. It s a highly radical, ideological group that totally lacks the pragmatism to negotiate that the FARC had, Restrepo, a 70-year-old former minister, said in the study of his Bogota apartment. The Santos government signed a peace deal with the larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016 after negotiations in Havana, Cuba that lasted four years. Restrepo, a former finance minister, said the ELN s fractured chains of command, plus its greater urban support, were further complications. All those reasons indicate the negotiation with the ELN is more difficult, he said. Inspired by the Cuban revolution and the Liberation Theology of the Catholic priests that founded it in the 1960s, the 2,000-strong ELN has sought peace before, holding talks in Cuba and Venezuela between 2002 and 2007. Both collapsed with little progress. The ELN is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union for engaging in kidnapping, assassinations, drug trafficking, attacks on economic infrastructure and extortion of oil and mining multinationals. Pablo Beltran, the ELN s chief negotiator in Ecuador, has denied there is a weak chain of command and told Reuters last month that the group is united. During the ceasefire planned from Oct. 1, the ELN has pledged to suspend hostage taking, attacks on roads and oil installations, the use of landmines and the recruitment of minors. In turn, the government agreed to improve protection for community leaders and conditions for about 450 jailed rebels. There s optimism but not overflowing optimism, said Restrepo, who returns to the negotiating table in Ecuadorean capital Quito in the next few weeks. The official warned that although Colombia s military will avoid confrontations with the ELN during the ceasefire, it will go after the group if it engages in criminal activities like illegal mining and drug trafficking. Such behavior will be repressed with all the strength of the armed forces, he said. | 0fake |
FORMER CLINTON POLITICAL ADVISOR: “I Left When Hillary Hired Secret Police to Go After Woman Victimized by Bill” [VIDEO] | Here s how Bill is paying back years of loyalty by his enabling wife Hillary, who made it possible for him to sexually assault an untold number of women. With Bill s magnanimous personality and Hillary s less than likable aura and fingernails on a blackboard orator skills, Bill has had her right where any strong and capable woman wouldn t have allowed herself to be in his back pocket. Hillary has allowed herself to be portrayed in the media as a victim and a loyal wife to her impeached husband. The truth is, Hillary needed (and still needs) Bill more than he ever needed her. It s precisely because of Hillary that Bill was able to prey on so many women and keep them quite afterwards. According to several sources, Hillary worked behind the scenes, threatening to do harm to any woman who would dare to come forward and expose her perverted husband for fear of destroying her insatiable desire for a powerful position in politics.During an Oct, 2014 interview, former advisor to President Bill Clinton, Dick Morris said it was then-first lady Hillary Clinton s Nixonian attempt to attack the woman Bill Clinton victimized and sexually harassed by hiring detectives to dig for dirt in their lives Hillary could use against them to smear their character. Dick Morris said he believes Bill was a very good president but he left because he said, What really turned me off was what I call secret police. When she [Hillary] hired this fleet of detectives to go around examining all of the woman who had been identified with Clinton. Not for the purpose of divorcing Clinton. Not for the purpose of getting him to stop but for the purpose of developing blackmail material on these woman to cow them into silence that had a Nixonian quality that I hold against her and I continue to. Via: Breitbart NewsWATCH HERE: | 1real |
U.S. strike believed to have killed ‘Jihadi John,’ Islamic State executioner | The drone strike that U.S. officials believe killed “Jihadi John,” the Islamic State executioner whose beheading of Western hostages came to symbolize the militants’ brutality, appeared this week as a rare success in the struggling U.S. campaign against the group.
More than a military feat, the death of the Islamic State’s most well-known spokesman, if confirmed, would be a step forward in the U.S. effort to counter the group’s sophisticated social-media operations and to up the ante in a two-way propaganda war.
Speaking the day after the strike in Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria, U.S. military officials said they were “reasonably certain” that the two Hellfire missiles fired from an American MQ-9 Reaper drone late Thursday killed the British militant, whose real name is Mohammed Emwazi, and a second individual.
Army Col. Steven Warren, a U.S. military spokesman, did not give details about why military officials were confident that Emwazi, 27, was dead, but he said the drone strike was carried out as planned.
Warren said officials were now working to definitively establish that Emwazi was killed. His death would be a blow to the Islamic State’s public image, Warren said, even if Emwazi was not a top operational commander. “This guy was a human animal,” he said.
In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron lauded the operation, which he described as a “combined effort” between U.S. and British forces. “If this strike was successful, and we still await confirmation of that, it will be a strike at the heart of ISIL,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.
A senior U.S. defense official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said three drones took part in the operation, one of them British. An American plane conducted the strike.
In a statement at 10 Downing Street, Cameron described Emwazi as a “barbaric murderer” who was the Islamic State’s “lead executioner.”
“This was an act of self-defense. It was the right thing to do,” he said.
U.S. officials said the car believed to have been carrying Emwazi and another person pulled up at a two- or three-story building, a business, around 11 p.m. local time Thursday. Emwazi went inside the building for a short time, came out and got back in the car. At that moment, the American missiles destroyed the vehicle.
The Syrian activist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, which monitors events in the city, reported that a drone strike targeted a car near the Islamic court in downtown Raqqa shortly before midnight. It was among a dozen blasts heard during an intense wave of airstrikes, the group said on its Twitter feed.
Emwazi appeared in a video in August 2014 as the unknown masked man with an English accent who beheaded American journalist James Foley.
Emwazi subsequently beheaded Steven Sotloff, another American journalist, and appeared in a video in which American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig was decapitated. He also killed David Haines and Alan Henning, both British aid workers, and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.
“It is a very small solace to learn that Jihadi John may have been killed by the U.S. government,” Foley’s parents, John and Diane Foley, said in a statement. “His death does not bring Jim back. If only so much effort had been given to finding and rescuing Jim and the other hostages who were subsequently murdered by ISIS, they might be alive today.”
Art and Shirley Sotloff, the parents of Steven Sotloff, said Emwazi’s death would change nothing for them. “It’s too little too late. Our son is never coming back,” they said. “More importantly, today, we remember Steven’s remarkable life, his contributions and [others who have] suffered at the hands of ISIS.”
The Obama administration attempted to rescue the Americans during the summer of 2014, when Delta Force commandos stormed a prison where they were thought to be held. Officials later concluded that the prisoners had been moved days before the raid.
U.S. officials have said that confirmation of Emwazi’s death will probably require information gleaned from intercepted militant communications. They say it is probably impossible to obtain a DNA sample, making it more difficult to establish his death conclusively.
“We could potentially never know” with certainty, another defense official said.
[The moment Jihadi John may have become a terrorist]
Emwazi is the best-known militant the United States has killed in more than a year of airstrikes against the group in Iraq and Syria.
Emwazi was born in Kuwait but grew up in London. He studied computer programming before gradually becoming radicalized. In 2010, British authorities detained Emwazi and barred him from leaving the country. He is believed to have traveled to Syria around 2012 and later joined the Islamic State.
Emwazi was one of a group of English-speaking militants that former hostages dubbed “the Beatles.” Those former prisoners described Emwazi as a frequently brutal captor who took part in waterboardings and beatings. It’s not clear if one of the so-called Beatles was the other passenger in the destroyed car.
While the stature of Emwazi and his fellow English-speaking militants was enhanced by the propaganda effect of the execution videos, which drew intense international attention, his operational influence was limited.
Peter Neumann, director of King’s College’s International Center for the Study of Radicalization, said Emwazi was a “low-ranking officer.” Symbolically, Neumann said, his death would show that the Islamic State is reeling, which could undercut recruitment.
“It feeds into the narrative of ISIS, in its core territory, losing,” he said.
While the Obama administration has said it has contained the expansion of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, local forces have been unable to dislodge militants from important cities. At the same time, Islamic State affiliates have spread across the region.
Faysal Itani, a Middle East expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, cautioned that the Islamic State still counts on substantial support in the region.
“Killing a high-profile propagandist is in itself a significant propaganda win,” Itani said. “But this organization is extremely adaptable and, so long as it has access to an aggrieved Sunni population, will always reemerge in one way or another.”
Witte reported from London. Julie Tate and Thomas Gibbons-Neff in Washington, Karla Adam in London, and Liz Sly in Beirut contributed to this report. | 0fake |
Spanish lender Sabadell to transfer legal base to Alicante - spokeswoman | MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish lender Sabadell decided on Thursday to transfer its legal base from Catalonia to Alicante, a bank spokeswoman said. The decision by Banco Sabadell, Spain s fifth biggest lender, comes as businesses in the wealthy northeastern region are growing increasingly worried about political upheaval there as the Catalan parliament considers whether to press ahead with a plan to unilaterally declare independence from Spain. | 0fake |
Cambodian PM tells opposition to defect or face being banned from politics | PNHOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday called on lawmakers from the main opposition party to defect ahead of a court ruling on whether to dissolve it, saying they could be banned from politics for five years if they left it too late. The government s move to ban the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) follows the arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha, on treason charges. He rejects the charges as politically motivated ahead of next year s general election. Hun Sen, the world s longest serving prime minister, has held power for more than 32 years. Western countries have called for the release of Kem Sokha and for an end to attempts to dissolve the CNRP. Hun Sen said in a message to CNRP parliamentarians and local councillors, he knew not all had been involved in Kem Sokha s alleged treason and they should take the chance to switch to his ruling Cambodian People s Party (CPP). I want to give you this opportunity to continue in your job, he said. It will not only be that the party is dissolved and then the matter is finished. Maybe more than 100 people will be banned from politics for five years. He said such a ban was likely to include all the CNRP s steering committee - meaning most of its members of parliament, around half of whom have fled Cambodia to escape arrest. No CNRP officials were immediately available for comment. Cambodia s Supreme Court is in theory independent of the government in ruling on the interior ministry s request for the CNRP to be banned, but Hun Sen has said it is a fact that the party will be dissolved. Cambodia s parliament has already passed a law to share out elected positions to other parties if the CNRP is dissolved. Most of the seats in parliament will go to minor parties while local councils, known as communes, will be taken over by the ruling party. | 0fake |
LIST OF 22 TIMES OBAMA Called Phony Climate Change More Serious Than Terrorism | Oh the irony of a terror attack by Muslims taking place on American soil on the heels of Obama s return from phony Climate Change Summit in Paris ISIS has taken responsibility for the horrifying attacks in Paris that have left more than 150 dead and hundreds wounded. French President Francois Hollande is calling for the closure of his country s borders. President Barack Obama didn t condemn Islamic radicals for the attacks, but he did call them an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians and an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share. Friday s deadly attacks thwarted Al Gore s long-planned Paris webcast and star-studded concert to promote climate change awareness. Out of solidarity with the French people and the City of Paris, we have decided to suspend our broadcast of 24 Hours of Reality and Live Earth, the group said in an online statement.Coincidentally, in July 2008, Al Gore called climate change a more dangerous threat than terrorism. I think that the climate crisis is, by far, the most serious threat we have ever faced, Gore told ABC News.Below are 22 times Obama or his administration officials claimed climate change a greater threat than radical Islamic terrorism.In a January 15, 2008 presidential campaign speech on Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama said the immediate danger of oil-backed terrorism is eclipsed only by the long-term threat from climate change, which will lead to devastating weather patterns, terrible storms, drought, and famine. That means people competing for food and water in the next fifty years in the very places that have known horrific violence in the last fifty: Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Most disastrously, that could mean destructive storms on our shores, and the disappearance of our coastline. On January 26, 2009, Obama delivered remarks at the White House on the dangers of climate change:These urgent dangers to our national and economic security are compounded by the long-term threat of climate change, which, if left unchecked, could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines, and irreversible catastrophe.In May 2010, the Obama White House released it s national security strategy, which said, At home and abroad, we are taking concerted action to confront the dangers posed by climate change and to strengthen our energy security. The document declared climate change an urgent and growing threat to our national security. On September 6, 2012, during his Democratic National Convention speech, Obama said, Yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet, because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They are a threat to our children s future.On January 23, 2013, in an address before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State John Kerry declared climate change among the top threats facing the United States.February 16, 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry addressed students in Indonesia and said that global warming is now perhaps the world s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction. In a June 2014 interview, Obama said:When you start seeing how these shifts can displace people entire countries can be finding themselves unable to feed themselves and the potential incidence of conflict that arises out of that that gets your attention. There s a reason why the quadrennial defense review which the secretary of defense and the Joints Chiefs of Staff work on identified climate change as one of our most significant national security problems. It s not just the actual disasters that might arise, it is the accumulating stresses that are placed on a lot of different countries and the possibility of war, conflict, refugees, displacement that arise from a changing climate.During a September 2014 meeting with foreign ministers, Secretary of State John Kerry called Climate change a threat as urgent as ISIS.On September 24 2014, the Obama USDA launched its Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture. In a memo posted by Secretary of State John Kerry, among other Obama administration officials, read, From India to the United States, climate change poses drastic risks to every facet of our lives. On October 29, 2014, in an address to the Washington Ideas Forum, Obama s Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said:From my perspective, within the portfolio that I have responsibility for security of this country climate change presents security issues for us. There s a security dynamic to that. As the oceans increase, it will affect our bases. It will affect islands. It will affect security across the world. Just from my narrow perspective, what I have responsibility for, that s happening now.During his 2015 State of the Union address, Obama said, No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change. In a February 2015 address to college students in Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden said Global warming is the greatest threat to your generation of anything at all, across the board. On February 09, 2015, in an interview with Vox, Obama said he absolutely believes that the media sometimes overstates the level of alarm people should have about terrorism as opposed to climate change. On February 10, 2015, when asked to confirm if this means Obama believes the threat of climate change is greater than the threat of terrorism, Earnest responded, The point the president is making is that there are many more people on an annual basis who have to confront the impact, the direct impact on their lives, of climate change, or on the spread of a disease, than on terrorism. During his April 18, 2015 weekly address on climate change, Obama said, Wednesday is Earth Day, a day to appreciate and protect this precious planet we call home. And today, there s no greater threat to our planet than climate change. In May 2015, the White House released a 1,300-page National Climate Assessment that declared climate change among the world s foremost threats.May 20, 2015 President Obama said in his keynote address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduates: Climate change, and especially rising seas, is a threat to our homeland security, our economic infrastructure, the safety and health of the American people. On July 13 2015, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy and Obama s U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Kenneth F. Hackett wrote in a joint blog post on the EPA website, praising Pope Francis for dedicating his second encyclical to urging swift action on global warming.McCarthy and Hackett wrote:As public servants working in both domestic policy and diplomacy, we understand the urgent need for global action. Climate impacts like extreme droughts, floods, fires, heat waves, and storms threaten people in every country and those who have the least suffer the most. No matter your beliefs or political views, we are all compelled to act on climate change to protect our health, our planet, and our fellow human beings.An Obama Defense Department report released on July 29, 2015 says climate change puts U.S. security at risk and threatens the global order:The report reinforces the fact that global climate change will have wide-ranging implications for U.S. national security interests over the foreseeable future because it will aggravate existing problems such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership, and weak political institutions that threaten domestic stability in a number of countries.The report finds that climate change is a security risk because it degrades living conditions, human security, and the ability of governments to meet the basic needs of their populations. Communities and states that are already fragile and have limited resources are significantly more vulnerable to disruption and far less likely to respond effectively and be resilient to new challenges.In his August 28, 2015 weekly address, Obama said This is all real. This is happening to our fellow Americans right now, he said. Think about that. If another country threatened to wipe out an American town, we d do everything in our power to protect ourselves. Climate change poses the same threat, right now. In a September address at the United Nations Climate Summit Obama said, For all the immediate challenges that we gather to address this week terrorism, instability, inequality, disease there s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate. During a September 28 address at the United Nations, President Obama said that We can roll back the pollution that we put in our skies, adding that No country can escape the ravages of climate change. Via: Breitbart News | 1real |
IT’S ON: Toddler Trump Hears Critical McConnell Statements, Promptly Starts To Lose It (TWEETS) | Mitch McConnell famously or infamously, depending where you stand on the political spectrum attacked Donald Trump on Monday, putting blame for Republican dysfunction and failure to pass Trumpcare squarely on the shoulders of Dear Leader.Well, apparently Trump didn t take too kindly to what he likely perceives as a backstabbing and he s letting McConnell know about it the only way he knows how: Twitter.Here s the tweet Trump fired back with:Senator Mitch McConnell said I had "excessive expectations," but I don't think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017 Senator Mitch McConnell said I had excessive expectations, but I don t think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done? Here s the video of the McConnell statement he s referring to: Speaking to Rotary club in Kentucky, @SenateMajLdr says he finds it extremely irritating that Congress has a reputation for doing nothing. pic.twitter.com/zAx1TqkAWw ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 8, 2017While they dither about whose fault it is their party has every branch of government and yet still cannot accomplish much, reality has the answer: The Republican Party has no idea how to lead. They have formed their modern identity as the anti-Democrat, anti-Obama, anti-progress party, and that platform doesn t allow for things like ideas, cooperation, or leadership. And with a an amateur clown and do-nothing testudine running the show, that doesn t look likely to change anytime soon.Read more:Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 1real |
Trump Haters Mow Down Signs, “Black Women for Trump” Make Them Famous | A Twitter page known as Black Women for Trump shared pictures of the result of the ingenious trap, and it is simply hilarious. Guys, we got one! pic.twitter.com/2hZUVxyP8K
— Black Women 4 Trump (@TallahForTrump) October 28, 2016
The pictures showed the row of downed Trump signs as well as a closeup of the specially designed trap on the first sign in the line.
The final picture was of the likely suspects pulled over a short distance away, car jacked up for a tire change.
This is probably not the wisest thing an American voter could do to show support for Donald Trump, but it’s hard to argue that the woman who chose to drive over the signs in an effort to destroy them didn’t get exactly what she deserved.
Hopefully this will teach a valuable lesson to this woman and other Trump haters out there that other people’s property is best left alone. | 1real |
House Freedom Caucus Member DeSantis: ’We Can Pass Something, Relatively Soon’ on Obamacare - Breitbart | On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” House Freedom Caucus Member Representative Ron DeSantis ( ) stated that there’s “definitely a path” to an Obamacare bill, and that if they can deliver lower premiums and more choice, “I absolutely think we can pass something, relatively soon. ” DeSantis said, “I think there’s definitely a path, Bill. I mean, if you remember this March 23rd date, where this kind of blew up, that was not any deadline. That was a deadline. And what happened was, the bill really wasn’t ready for primetime. You hadn’t developed a consensus. You set a date to vote on it without having the consensus. And so, what’s happened since then, is members are talking to each other, and really the administration, I think has done a good job. Vice President Pence has been exercising a lot of leadership to try to figure out how do we actually fulfill the promises we made to the American people, and for me the core thing that we have to do is deliver lower premiums and more choice on private insurance, because that is the reason why people dislike Obamacare because their premiums have gone up and their deductibles have gone up. So, that’s really what we have to do, and I think if we can get there, I absolutely think we can pass something, relatively soon. ” DeSantis added that he thinks the House is getting closer to an Obamacare bill. Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 0fake |
In clash between Trump and the Khans, new signs of a cultural and political divide | The mash-up of symbols couldn’t have been more stark: a Muslim immigrant extolling the virtues of American liberty while holding his pocket copy of the Constitution, and his wife, struggling to contain her emotions, standing silently by his side, wearing a soft-blue hijab.
The moment at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night upstaged the debut speech by the first woman to be a major party’s nominee for president and confronted a vast television audience with a riveting and, for some, jarring blend of messages. Here were the parents of a fallen U.S. Army captain, still deep in mourning and palpably proud to be Americans; and here were Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, keenly aware of their uncomfortable place at the center of this year’s presidential campaign; and here was a pocket Constitution, in recent years a popular giveaway for conservative and evangelical groups; and here was a hijab, the Muslim head covering that has become a shorthand for the debate over Islam’s place in the Western world.
The overwhelming response to the appearance by Khizr and Ghazala Khan reflected the cultural and political divide that has dominated American discourse since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Many people took Khizr Khan’s lecture to Donald Trump about liberty and xenophobia as a statement about what patriotism and American identity really mean. Many others took the speech as a partisan blast but nonetheless a powerful plea from parents mourning the death of an American soldier.
Trump took it as a personal affront.
Throughout the weekend, the Republican nominee used Twitter and TV interviews to extend his criticism of the immigrant couple from Charlottesville. Trump accused the father of being a tool of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and Trump said of the mother: “She probably — maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. . . . It looked like she had nothing to say.”
[Father of slain U.S. soldier: GOP must ‘repudiate’ Trump]
The Khans almost instantly joined the ranks of ordinary citizens who have become important emblems of what some voters really think of presidential candidates — people such as Joe the Plumber, the nickname of an Ohio man whose informal exchange with then-Sen. Barack Obama led Sen. John McCain’s 2008 campaign to argue that Obama favored a socialist-style redistribution of wealth.
Both conventions last month featured a parade of such everyday Americans — including, at the Democratic convention, the mothers of black men killed in police shootings; and at the Republican gathering, Patricia Smith, who blamed the death of her son, a State Department employee who was killed in Benghazi, Libya, on then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Khans quickly stepped into their new roles as Trump antagonists. Ghazala Khan explained, the day after the convention, that she demurred from public speaking because she gets too emotional when she sees pictures of her late son, Capt. Humayun Khan. In an opinion column published in The Washington Post on Sunday, the mother said that although she didn’t speak from the podium, “without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain. I am a Gold Star mother. Whoever saw me felt me in their heart.”
[Ghazala Khan: Trump criticized my silence. He knows nothing about true sacrifice.]
Throughout his life, Trump has taken pride in never backing down, always hitting back harder than he’s been hit and generally seeking publicity on the theory that all press is good press. But throughout this year’s rules-smashing campaign, Trump has reserved his most outrageous rhetorical blasts for prominent people.
When Trump rejected the heroism of McCain (R-Ariz.), who as a young Navy officer spent more than five harrowing years as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese, or when Trump characterized Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s aggressive questioning in a debate as “blood coming out of her wherever,” he took on people who were accustomed to the rough and tumble of the public fray.
This time, Trump targeted the parents of an Army captain who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Neither the father, a consultant on immigration law, nor his wife had been on the national political stage before. But the Khans didn’t shy from the battle. They spent Sunday elaborating on their view of Trump as, in Khizr Khan’s words on morning talk shows on NBC and CNN, “a black soul” who is leading a campaign “of hatred, of derision, of dividing us.”
Trump, for his part, said Saturday that Khan had “no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the Constitution.” At the convention, Khan had reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his copy of it, which he says he usually keeps with him, and addressed Trump: “I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law.’ ”
Khan said the Constitution he waved before the cameras Thursday night came out of the boxes of 99-cent pocket versions that he orders from the American Bar Association to hand out to fourth-year cadets graduating from the University of Virginia’s ROTC program.
Every year since their son’s death, the Khans have invited the cadets to their house for hot dogs and burgers, to honor their son, a graduate of the program, and to give the students their first exposure to a Muslim home, to see “how similar it is to their own,” Khan said. “They’d feel like this is our aunt or uncle’s home. And I have cards from them, understanding the gesture of giving them the Constitution, because they were getting ready to take an oath to that Constitution.”
Khan, who formerly worked as a technology manager at the Washington law firm then called Hogan & Hartson, called on Trump’s most prominent Republican supporters, such as House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), to repudiate their presidential nominee. They did not.
Many other Republicans and Democrats alike did say Sunday that they were appalled by Trump’s harsh rhetoric about the parents of a fallen soldier, and Trump himself shifted gears slightly, tweeting that Capt. Khan, who was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart after he was killed in 2004, “was a hero,” but adding that “I was viciously attacked by Mr. Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond?”
For Trump, returning fire on the Khans was by instinct and practice the right thing to do. Beginning in the 1970s, Trump adopted the media strategy of his mentor, the tough New York lawyer Roy Cohn: when attacked, counterattack with overwhelming force. Trump studied and perfected the art of winning headlines in New York City’s tabloid newspapers, trumpeting the twists of his love life and delivering devilish blasts against his business competitors and political opponents to become a mainstay on the gossip pages and the front pages.
“The point is that if you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you,” Trump wrote in his 1987 book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal.”
In the campaign he has mounted since last summer, Trump has deployed his media strategy to enormous success, dispatching 16 opponents in the Republican primaries and winning an unprecedented flood of media attention.
Will any of this make a difference in the November election? It’s too soon to have any reliable polling data on the impact of the Trump-Khan confrontation, but throughout the primary campaign, reaction to Trump’s verbal volleys against people such as McCain, Kelly or then-candidate Carly Fiorina has been shaped largely by partisan loyalties.
Popular attitudes toward Trump’s harsh rhetoric about racial and religious minorities have consistently reflected pre-existing political affiliations. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll in July, 56 percent of Americans said Trump is biased against women and minorities, and 39 percent said he is not. Broken down by party preference, 86 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of independents and 26 percent of Republicans said Trump is biased.
If this incident does alter the electoral calculus, prompting a popular response more akin to the widespread condemnation last fall of Trump’s mocking imitation of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski’s disability, that might become evident among voters with close ties to the military. GOP candidate Mitt Romney won military or veteran voters — who tend to vote Republican in presidential elections — by a 20-point margin over Obama in 2012, according to an American National Election Studies survey. Any significant decline in that number would make it difficult for Trump to find a path to victory.
But Trump — who famously said in January that “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters” — remains confident that what would be fatal breaches of political etiquette in most elections will only cement his reputation as a fearless truth-teller.
The more outrageous the comments, the more some voters will conclude that Trump is the candidate who would break some china and get things done, said Mark Burnett, who produced “The Apprentice,” Trump’s popular TV reality show. “People want to hear the unvarnished, that same style that he showed on ‘The Apprentice,’ ” Burnett said in an interview earlier this year, “the ability to speak his mind clearly and not tone down his voice in a politically correct, TV way.”
Stephanie McCrummen and polling director Scott Clement contributed to this report. | 0fake |
RT EXCLUSIVE: Peter Lavelle interviews Dr. Ron Paul on Trump’s Challenges | 21st Century Wire says In 2008 and 2012, Ron Paul created a libertarian and paleoconservative insurency in America. The country had an opportunity to elect a real stateman and dedicated constitutionalist in Dr Paul, but unfortunately he could not overcome establishment gatekeepers within his own party, as well as in the corrupt US mainstream media.In 2016, few commentators are as well-placed to analyse the rise of the Trump insurgency as well as Paul.CrossTalk ask: With the surprise election of Donald Trump, can we expect an equally surprising foreign policy from him? During the campaign he provided us with a glimpse of his thinking. Will there be a Trump Doctrine? Watch this incredible one-on-one interview with RT s Peter Lavelle and special guest Dr Ron Paul: SUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 1real |
Why Corporate America Is Leaving the Suburbs for the City - The New York Times | WILMINGTON, Del. — For decades, many of the nation’s biggest companies staked their futures far from the fraying downtowns of aging East Coast and Midwestern cities. One after another, they decamped for sprawling campuses in the suburbs and exurbs. Now, corporate America is moving in the other direction. In June, McDonald’s joined a long list of companies that are returning to downtown Chicago from suburbs like Oak Brook, Northfield and Schaumburg. Later this month, the top executive team at General Electric — whose wooded campus in Fairfield, Conn. has embodied the quintessential suburban corporate office park since it opened in 1974 — will move to downtown Boston. When the move is completed in 2018, the renovated red brick warehouses that will form part of G. E.’s new headquarters won’t even have a parking lot, let alone a spot reserved for the chief executive. But even as they establish new urban beachheads, business giants like G. E. are also changing the nature of their headquarters, staffing them with a few top employees and a smattering of digital talent, rather than recreating the endless pods they once built in the ’burbs. “Part of it is that cities are more attractive places to live than they were 30 years ago and are more willing to provide tax incentives, and young people want to be there,” said David J. Collis, who teaches corporate strategy at Harvard Business School. “But the trend also represents the deconstruction and disaggregation of the traditional corporate headquarters,” he explained. “The executive suite might be downtown, but you could have the back office and administrative functions in Colorado, the finance guys in Switzerland and the tax team in the U. K. ” Reinforcing the trend, Chemours plans to announce on Tuesday that it is staying here in Wilmington after considering suburban locations, most likely in the headquarters it inherited from DuPont when the chemical giant spun out Chemours last year. Unlike Chicago and Boston, Wilmington’s urban renaissance remains a work in progress, and Chemours was very close to moving to a new home in southern New Jersey or suburban Philadelphia, despite the DuPont family’s deep roots in Wilmington and the state of Delaware. But the company’s chief executive, Mark Vergnano, ultimately came to the same conclusion that leaders of bigger and firms did: To attract younger workers, it helps to be in the city. “We are going through a change in our work force, and we wanted to be where we could attract millennials,” Mr. Vergnano said. “This is a group that likes to be in an urban setting, with access to public transportation. They don’t want to be confined to a building with a cafeteria or be next door to a shopping center. ” To be sure, cash from the State of Delaware and other incentives played an important role in the decision as well. In addition to providing Chemours, which produces a range of industrial chemical products, with a $7. 9 million package of grants, Delaware overhauled its corporate tax code, sacrificing revenue and easing the company’s tax burden as an added lure to stay put. For Wilmington, where the unemployment rate of 5. 7 percent is above both the national average and Delaware’s overall 4. 2 percent level of joblessness, keeping Chemours’s 800 headquarters jobs in the city counts as a major win. “In a more perfect world, states would be competing on the quality of schools, infrastructure, work force and so forth,” said Gov. Jack A. Markell of Delaware. “We live in a world that’s not perfect, so if other states are competing on the basis of these dollar incentives, we need to be in the same arena. ” In an era of relentless many corporate moves these days coincide with downsizing. Kraft Heinz, for example, had 2, 200 workers when the company was based in Northfield it has 1, 500 now in downtown Chicago. With advanced communications tools making it easier than ever to separate headquarters from other corporate operations, location is increasingly being driven by function. The first 175 members of G. E.’s management team, including Jeffrey R. Immelt, the chief executive, will move to Boston’s Fort Point section on Aug. 22. Even after the move is completed, about 800 G. E. employees will be based there. Hundreds of other workers in functions like human resources, legal and finance will be scattered among G. E’s existing locations in Cincinnati, Norwalk, Conn. and Schenectady, N. Y. The headquarters of Motorola Solutions will start moving to downtown Chicago on Aug. 15, though more workers will stay in suburban Schaumburg than move to the new offices near Union Station. But for the first time in half a century, top executives from the company will again be in downtown Chicago. “Where you work really matters,” said Greg Brown, the chief executive of Motorola Solutions. “No disrespect to Schaumburg, but customers and new hires didn’t want to come to the suburbs an hour outside of Chicago. We wanted energy, vibrancy and diversity, and to accelerate a change in our culture by moving downtown. ” Mr. Brown and most of the executive team will be in the city, along with data scientists and design engineers workaday functions like procurement, training and supply chain management will stay in Schaumburg. Over all, Motorola Solutions will have 1, 100 employees in downtown Chicago, and 1, 600 still in Schaumburg. Unlike many other corporate migrants, the company did not receive any financial incentives to move, Mr. Brown said. “This was the right thing in terms of strategy,” he said. “Millennials want the access and vibrancy of downtown. When we post jobs downtown, we get four or five times the response. ” As for G. E. executives were focused on moving to a city from the beginning of its search for a new headquarters, said Ann R. Klee, director of Boston operations and development for the company. Along with eliminating the parking lot (workers are being encouraged to use public transit) G. E. wanted to do away with security gates and the sense of isolation that characterizes many corporate campuses. “This is going to be the exact opposite,” Ms. Klee said. “We want it to be open and to bring the public in with a museum and exhibits of technology like printers. ” Besides icons like G. E. McDonald’s and Kraft Heinz, venture capital investors and are increasingly looking to urban centers, particularly on the West Coast, said Richard Florida, an urban theorist and professor at the University of Toronto. “The period of companies moving to suburbs and edge cities has ebbed, but I had thought that would continue to locate in nerdistans, like office parks,” he said. But a recent study by Mr. Florida showed more than half of new venture capital flowing into urban neighborhoods, with two San Francisco ZIP codes garnering more than $1 billion each, he said. The return of a top echelon of executives to American cities reflects — and may well reinforce — disparities driven by widening inequality, underscoring how jobs are disappearing in other locales. Over all, there has been a slight pickup in employment and population in the central core of big cities, said Joel Kotkin, an author and urban geographer at Chapman University in California. But many suburbs and neighborhoods are withering, particularly in the Northeast. More distant suburbs and exurbs are still thriving, especially in the Sun Belt. “The elite functions are going downtown,” Mr. Kotkin said. “But at the same time, jobs are moving to the suburbs in places like Dallas, if they’re not leaving the country entirely. ” In Wilmington, local shopkeepers were elated that Chemours decided not to follow its former corporate parent, DuPont, to the suburbs. “Anybody who has a business in downtown Wilmington doesn’t want to lose Chemours,” said Leonard Simon, whose men’s clothing store, Wright Simon, has been around the corner from Chemours since 1952. “I’m thrilled. ” Jeffrey C. Flynn, director of economic development for Wilmington, said that the advantages of city life ultimately proved to be a compelling selling point. “We’re not Philadelphia,” Mr. Flynn said, “but we do have an urban atmosphere. ” | 0fake |
Democratic leader Schumer emerges as Trump's newest punching bag | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump, who insulted rivals during his 2016 campaign with nicknames such as “Crooked Hillary” and “Little Marco,” has a new nemesis: U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, a man he derides as a “clown.” The rhetorical banter that erupted between the two New Yorkers this week centered on a fight over Republican plans to dismantle Obamacare, an effort that Trump has put at the top of his domestic agenda. Just two weeks before he is to be sworn in as the 45th U.S. president, Trump has taken to Twitter to denigrate the hard-charging senator, someone he feted at a fundraiser in 2008 for Democratic senators at the real estate magnate’s posh Florida oceanside estate. Schumer, whose Democrats are in the minority in the Senate but still have enough muscle to potentially block some of Trump’s legislative initiatives, clashed with the president-elect as Republicans this week took the first steps to try to gut President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law known as Obamacare. Schumer used Trump’s “Make America Great” campaign slogan to mock the Republican repeal effort, saying it would “make America sick again.” On Twitter, Trump shot back that Democrats were to blame for what he called the “failed Obamacare disaster.” He added: “Don’t let the Schumer clowns out of this web.” On Thursday, Trump wrote on Twitter that Democrats were being led by “head clown Chuck Schumer.” That prompted the Senate Democratic leader to say that Trump should stop wasting his time calling people names and instead “roll up his sleeves” and come up with a workable substitute for Obamacare. At campaign rallies last year, Trump attacks on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as “Crooked Hillary” stirred enthusiasm among his supporters who chanted “lock her up.” During the heated primary campaign season, Trump swatted at rival Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio with cries of “Lyin’ Ted,” “low-energy” Bush and “Little Marco.” The mocking may have been unorthodox, but it proved part of a winning formula, sweeping Trump’s opponents off the stage. Matthew Green, a Catholic University political science professor, said Trump is tangling with a different kind of opponent in Schumer. “He can name-call Democratic leaders in Congress, but he can’t get rid of them. They still occupy the legislative branch,” Green said. On the other hand, engaging with Trump carries risks for Schumer, who undoubtedly will feel pressure from the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party if he cuts deals, especially given the ire Trump stirs among millions of Democratic voters. Trump has outlined an ambitious legislative agenda including overhauling the tax code, a $1 trillion infrastructure investment program and renegotiating major trade deals, while also pumping up U.S. defense spending. Thomas Quinn, a Democratic activist and long-time Washington lobbyist, said Trump was fortunate to have Schumer as the top Democrat in the Senate, because, like Trump, the senator likes to cut deals and is a somewhat moderate Democrat. In some ways, Schumer is tailor-made for Trump. Both are bold New Yorkers expert at capturing media attention. However, their paths have rarely crossed until now. Tony Sayegh, a New York-based Republican campaign strategist whose Jamestown Associates firm did work for Trump, warned that unless Democrats cooperate with Trump, he will use his bully pulpit to win public support. “Can you picture Air Force One landing in Indiana, in Montana, in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, central Michigan, and northern Wisconsin, and Donald Trump walks out and gets crowds these politicians could never dream of getting?” | 0fake |
null | And for the last two weeks, Gold is "naturally", unchanged. | 1real |
Competing efforts to end South Sudan's war prolong conflict: U.N. panel | NAIROBI (Reuters) - Competing efforts to end South Sudan s civil war allow the government to exploit divisions among international brokers and are unlikely to halt the fighting, a confidential U.N. report said. South Sudan became the world s newest nation when it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. War broke out in late 2013 and has forced more than a quarter of its 12 million population have fled their homes. The hostilities in South Sudan continue against a complex backdrop of competing regional and bilateral initiatives to resolve the conflict, U.N. sanctions monitors said in a report to the Security Council seen by Reuters on Friday. These efforts suffer from several defects, including inadequate oversight, lack of enforcement and the absence of an integrated, coherent plan for peace. Among the international bodies involved in trying to bring the warring parties to the table are regional bloc IGAD, the U.N. Security Council, a troika of South Sudan s main Western backers prior to independence, and an African Union panel. The efforts of these groups are affected by conflicting interests compounded by underlying rivalries in the region , the panel wrote, in what could refer to the role of leaders such as Uganda s Yoweri Museveni, who deployed troops in 2013 to support the Juba government and opposes an arms embargo. The government of South Sudan has sought to exploit this division among the competing efforts, the panel said. Absent a significant shift toward a more coherent and unified approach from East African nations, coupled with broader international support for a single and inclusive political process, current efforts are unlikely to ... halt the violence in South Sudan, it said. Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters in Juba: There is nothing new in this report. The leaked report is by a panel mandated to document arms flows and security threats. The proliferation of diplomatic efforts has created an opportunity for parties to forum shop , the panel wrote, saying this bought the armed groups time to organize military operations and avoid attempts to enforce a settlement. It noted the military was still able to procure weapons while opposition forces access to arms remains limited . The main opposition figure, Riek Machar, is under house arrest in South Africa and has declined to renounce violence. Kiir continues to buy weapons and government forces continue to attack civilians, the report said. East African leaders said in June they want the warring sides to recommit to the deal they abandoned more than a year ago. In July, Western donors said the process was no longer viable and froze support for it. There has been no comment in recent months from IGAD or the African Union about a timeline for resumption of peace talks. This week the United States imposed sanctions on two senior South Sudanese officials and the former army chief. The Security Council last December vetoed the imposition of an arms embargo recommended by the monitors. | 0fake |
Half The World’s Salmon Supply Threatened As Trump’s EPA Withdraws Alaskan Mining Restrictions | The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave the go-ahead on Friday for a massive copper and gold mining operation to seek permits to mine the headwaters of an Obama-era protected world-class fishery in southwest Alaska.After an agreement through a court settlement, the EPA will start withdrawing restrictions on mining development in the Bristol Bay region, a pristine Alaskan fishery that provides the world with half of its sockeye salmon.This unfortunate agreement comes only four months after Trump came into office, which the Pebble mine supporters hoped would be their ticket to big money through Trump s promises of environmental deregulation.Environmental rights groups are worried this agreement will act as a dangerous precedent for industry to challenge the EPA in court on environmental issues they previously wouldn t have gone after during the Obama Administration. It obviously sends a psychological message to big mining companies that if they were nervous about getting permits in the past that this is their golden opportunity to get their mine through the process. said Brett Harti, the government affairs director for the center for biological Diversity environment group.It s being called a backdoor deal by critics and a slap in the face to the citizens of the Bristol Bay region who petitioned to keep the region protected.The Pebble company sued the EPA in federal court claiming the agency colluded with environmental groups to block the mining project. The suit followed an EPA study that concluded the proposed large-scale mining posed a siginificant risk to the region s salmon and cause adverse effects to Alaskan Natives who based their culture around the salmon resources in the area. The EPA inspector general found no evidence that the EPA predetermined the outcome of the study in any way. Protecting Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine has been a priority issue for the hook-and-bullet community for 10 years. This was a real test for President Trump, who said all the right things to sportsmen during the election, said Scott Hed, the director of the Sportsman s Alliance for Alaska. This is a direct assault on our values. America s hunters and anglers are extremely disappointed but we will not let up in the fight to protect Bristol Bay. Photo by: Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images | 1real |
Christ and the Sufi : A Parable of Perfection | “Be ye therefore perfect . . . even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Let’s compare Christ with the perfected Sufi. First, what are Christ’s teachings on the attainment of perfection?
Almost everyone is familiar with Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. We have all heard of the Master’s injunction to his disciples: “Love thine enemy” and “Turn the other cheek.” These verses from the Gospel of St Matthew are perhaps the most quoted verses in the New Testament:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you:
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
(Matt. 5:38-48)
Here is a sufi story that addresses the very same concept, but in a different manner; that of strength as opposed to what is typically perceived as weakness. Don’t just read the story, reflect on it, extend it out in your mind and see where it takes you. In that search, you will discover issues within yourself that must be addressed.
There once was a sufi master who was a soldier.
During a protracted war, he was at one point engaged in fierce, mortal combat. In the thick of furious battle, he finally overcame a vicious, determined foe. Besting the enemy and driving him to ground, the sufi closed in for the kill.
At the very moment he was about to deliver a fatal thrust of his sword to the neck of his prostrate enemy, his foe cried out in anguish, “Ah, If only I had your sword for a single moment, how different things would be!”
At once the sufi stopped his attack and surrendered his sword to his fallen enemy.
The soldier was dumbfounded.
Taking the sword from the sufi, he said: “Why did you do this? You could have killed me! I was lost, and now you stop and present me with your sword! Why would you do such a stupid thing? — for it is now I who will kill you! ”
The sufi shrugged. “I come from a family that grants any request, no matter how great,” he replied cooly. “You asked for my sword. I am honor bound to fulfill your request.”
The fallen soldier rose, and recognizing the sufi as a perfected master, returned his sword to him. Falling at the feet of the man who had just spared his life, he asked to become his disciple.
From that day forth, he followed the sufi as his master. Like this? Share it now. | 1real |
CROOKED SOROS: Trump Will Win Popular Vote In LANDSLIDE…Trump Will Lose Electoral Vote…Hillary Is “Done Deal” [VIDEO] | Very interesting remarks from a guy who is in up to his neck with the underbelly of the Democrat Party https://youtu.be/_7LzLNgExYk | 1real |
Friend Of Stanford Rapist: Not Everyone Who Rapes In College Is A Rapist | Absolutely everything about the story of Brock Turner, the convicted Stanford swim team rapist, is gag-worthy. He received a particularly light sentence (more on that in a bit), his father thought he shouldn t have had any sentence because it was just 20 minutes of action. Now, a friend of Turner has spoken and her (yes her) attitude is that we are being way too politically correct because well, he s in college, or something like that.Apparently, according to Turner s childhood friend, Leslie Rasmussen, a rapist isn t really a rapist when it happens on a college campus: I don t think it s fair to base the fate of the next ten + years of his life on the decision of a girl who doesn t remember anything but the amount she drank to press charges against him. I am not blaming her directly for this, because that isn t right. But where do we draw the line and stop worrying about being politically correct every second of the day and see that rape on campuses isn t always because people are rapists. Then, the obligatory victim blaming: This is completely different from a woman getting kidnapped and raped as she is walking to her car in a parking lot. That is a rapist. These are not rapists. These are idiot boys and girls having too much to drink and not being aware of their surroundings and having clouded judgement. No, this was not a case of two drunk kids taking things a little too far. This was a violent sexual assault. Here s just some of it, as retold by the victim:He said he had asked if I wanted to dance. Apparently I said yes. He d asked if I wanted to go to his dorm, I said yes. Then he asked if he could finger me and I said yes. Most guys don t ask, can I finger you? Usually there s a natural progression of things, unfolding consensually, not a Q and A. But apparently I granted full permission. He s in the clear. Even in his story, I only said a total of three words, yes yes yes, before he had me half naked on the ground. Future reference, if you are confused about whether a girl can consent, see if she can speak an entire sentence. You couldn t even do that. Just one coherent string of words. Where was the confusion? This is common sense, human decency.According to him, the only reason we were on the ground was because I fell down. Note; if a girl falls down help her get back up. If she is too drunk to even walk and falls down, do not mount her, hump her, take off her underwear, and insert your hand inside her vagina. If a girl falls down help her up. If she is wearing a cardigan over her dress don t take it off so that you can touch her breasts. Maybe she is cold, maybe that s why she wore the cardigan.Clearly, calling Turner a rapist isn t political correctness. It s simply a fact. Brock was convicted of three felony counts. While the maximum sentence for his offenses might have been 10 years, he will likely only serve three months. As horrendously unjust as that sentence is, it s still about three months longer than 97 percent of rapists serve. That s political incorrectness if I ve ever heard it.Featured image via video screen grab. | 1real |
U.S. Inauguration: Historic Day Marks Beginning of Renewed ‘America First’ Era | Mark Anderson American Free PressWASHINGTON, D.C. Donald John Trump took to the podium on the Capitol Building s west side with a look described by Connecticut resident Ann Marie Murray as one of humility just before Trump was sworn in Friday as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts.The event clearly was seen as inspiring by many. Chicago resident Doug Sparkman, moments after Trump s inaugural address, agreed that he found Trump s remarks to be rather Jeffersonian, in the sense of being people-based. In that vein, he yearns for a country run on the basis of principle, not party. And given what he heard in Trump s address, he feels that s possible under the new administration. Action, and putting politics aside, is what we really need for this country, Sparkman added.With the whole inaugural ceremony some 20 minutes behind schedule, Trump and his family, looking regal and acting highly anticipatory of the challenges that await them, arrived at the Capitol around 11:15 a.m. The new first lady, Melania, was escorted to the west balcony to be seated first, wearing a stunning high-necked blue outfit that brought oohs from many in the massive crowd whose view was aided by large screens on both ends of the Capitol.Trump himself, appearing reflective and solemn, emerged alongside Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and was seated at 11:32. As the somewhat chilly day spat a little rain here and there, you could feel the heavy anticipation to hear Trump take the oath of office. And soon after former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Trump proceeded to begin taking his oath when a group of six agitators erupted in a flurry of slogans and declarations precisely when Trump began repeating the words I do solemnly swear . . . This writer, some 10 feet from the protestors in the Section eight seating area reasonably close to the presidential podium, could see the anguish on the faces of many of the nearby inaugural attendees, a number of whom traveled long distances to hear their new president take the oath. But from their vantage point, Trump s exchange with Roberts was largely drowned out. It s a testimony to the manners and restraint of the pro-Trump attendees that they did not escort the protestors out by force Continue this story at AFPREAD MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Trump Files | 1real |
Hillary Clinton Blames F.B.I. Director for Election Loss - The New York Times | Hillary Clinton on Saturday cast blame for her surprise election loss on the announcement by the F. B. I. director, James B. Comey, days before the election that he had revived the inquiry into her use of a private email server. In her most extensive remarks since she conceded the race to Donald J. Trump early Wednesday, Mrs. Clinton told donors on a conference call that Mr. Comey’s decision to send a letter to Congress about the inquiry 11 days before Election Day had thrust the controversy back into the news and had prevented her from ending the campaign with an optimistic closing argument. “There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful,” Mrs. Clinton said, according to a donor who relayed the remarks. But, she added, “our analysis is that Comey’s letter raising doubts that were groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped our momentum. ” Mrs. Clinton said a second letter from Mr. Comey, clearing her once again, which came two days before Election Day, had been even more damaging. In that letter, Mr. Comey said an examination of a new trove of emails, which had been found on the computer of Anthony D. Weiner, the estranged husband of one of her top aides, had not caused him to change his earlier conclusion that Mrs. Clinton should face no charges over her handling of classified information. Her campaign said the seemingly positive outcome had only hurt it with voters who did not trust Mrs. Clinton and were receptive to Mr. Trump’s claims of a “rigged system. ” In particular, white suburban women who had been on the fence were reminded of the email imbroglio and broke decidedly in Mr. Trump’s favor, aides said. After leading in polls in many battleground states, Mrs. Clinton told the donors on Saturday, “we dropped, and we had to keep really pushing to regain our advantage, which going into last weekend we had. ” “We were once again up in all but two of the battleground states, and we were up considerably in some that we ended up losing,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And we were feeling like we had to put it back together. ” Presidential candidates have a long history of blaming forces outside their control for their losses. In 2004, John Kerry linked his defeat to a videotape of Osama bin Laden that appeared days before the election, stoking fears about terrorism. In 2012, Mitt Romney told donors he had lost because President Obama had vowed to bestow “gifts” on Democratic special interests groups, namely Hispanics and young people. Mrs. Clinton’s contention appears to be more rooted in reality — and hard data. An internal campaign memo with polling data said that “there is no question that a week from Election Day, Secretary Clinton was poised for a historic win,” but that, in the end, “ developments in the race proved one hurdle too many for us to overcome. ” Mrs. Clinton lost narrowly in several battleground states, and by the time all ballots are counted, she appears poised to win the popular vote by more than two million votes. Still, Mrs. Clinton’s instinct to shun any personal responsibility angered some Democrats. Several donors on the call, while deeply bitter about Mr. Comey’s actions, said they believed that Mrs. Clinton and her campaign had suffered avoidable missteps that handed the election to an unacceptable opponent. They pointed to the campaign’s lack of a compelling message for white voters and to decisions years ago by Mrs. Clinton to use a private email address at the State Department and to accept millions of dollars for speeches to Wall Street. “There is a special place in hell for Clinton staff, allegedly including Cheryl Mills, that okayed the email server setup,” Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist and former senior aide to Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, wrote on Sidewire, a social media site, referring to a longtime aide and lawyer to Mrs. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign was so confident in her victory that her aides popped open Champagne on the campaign plane early Tuesday. But that conviction, aides would later learn, was based largely on erroneous data showing that young, black and Latino voters and suburban women who had been turned off by Mr. Trump’s comments but viewed Mrs. Clinton unfavorably would turn out for her in higher numbers than they ultimately did. Exit polls conducted by Edison Research found that among people who said they had decided in the final week before Election Day, 47 percent voted for Mr. Trump and 42 percent for Mrs. Clinton. As early as Wednesday morning, aides began to explain to Democrats shaken by the loss that the campaign’s sophisticated data modeling had not taken into account the bombshell F. B. I. announcement. Mr. Comey’s letters to Congress went against the F. B. I. ’s longstanding tradition of avoiding decisions that could affect elections, but he told aides that he felt he had no choice because he had already weighed in on the case so publicly. In July, he had taken the unusual step of publicly announcing that the F. B. I. would not charge Mrs. Clinton. At the time, she believed she had finally put the issue to rest. And after the final debate on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas, she emerged in such a strong position that she began to focus on campaigning for Democrats and planned a campaign stop in traditionally Republican Arizona. “We felt so good about where we were,” Mrs. Clinton told donors. Before Mr. Comey’s first letter to Congress, she added, “we just had a real wind at our back. ” Mr. Trump seized on the letter, telling voters in Nevada the Saturday before Election Day that “the F. B. I. has reopened its criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton,” and that the matter “would grind government to a halt” should Mrs. Clinton win the White House. The F. B. I. ’s examination of the new emails did not in fact reopen the investigation. Democratic pollsters attributed Mr. Trump’s victories in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — states that President Obama had won — largely to a drifting of suburban women to the Republican nominee at the last minute, because of the renewed focus on Mrs. Clinton’s email server. “We lost with whites after leading with them all summer,” a Clinton spokesman, Brian Fallon, said on Wednesday. “Five more days of reminders about Comey, and they gravitated back to Trump. ” Before Mrs. Clinton spoke on Saturday, her finance director, Dennis Cheng, thanked the donors on the call, each of whom had raised at least $100, 000. The campaign brought in nearly $1 billion to spend heavily on data efforts, to disperse hundreds of staff members to battleground states, and to air television advertisements — only to fall short to Mr. Trump’s upstart operation. Donors conceded that, ultimately, no amount of money could match Mr. Trump’s crisp pitch, aimed at the economically downtrodden, to “make America great again. ” “You can have the greatest field program, and we did — he had nothing,” said Jay S. Jacobs, a prominent New York Democrat and donor to Mrs. Clinton. “You can have better ads, paid for by greater funds, and we did. Unfortunately, Trump had the winning argument. ” Mrs. Clinton has kept a low profile since her concession speech at a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Wednesday. On Thursday, a young mother with her daughter spotted Mrs. Clinton walking her dogs near her home in Chappaqua, N. Y. posting a photo of the defeated candidate on Facebook that quickly went viral along with the hashtag #ImStillWithHer. On Friday night, Mrs. Clinton thanked volunteers on a nationwide conference call. “Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” she said, sighing. “These have been very, very tough days. ” | 0fake |
Comment on Wikileaks: Bill Clinton BOASTS of Hillary’s ‘Working Relationship’ with Muslim Brotherhood by toddyo1935 | Posted on October 27, 2016 by Pamela Geller
The bombshells about this criminal are now breaking daily. It’s not a question of Trump, it is an imperative that Hillary be defeated. If the people choose Hillary, then they must and will be punished. “Wikileaks: Bill Clinton Boasts of Hillary’s ‘Working Relationship’ with Muslim Brotherhood,” By John Hayward, Breitbart , October 26, 2016:
In a speech Bill Clinton gave at the home of Mehul and Hema Sanghani in October 2015, revealed to the public for the first time by WikiLeaks, former President Bill Clinton touted Hillary Clinton’s “working relationship” with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi in Egypt as an example of her diplomatic skills.President Clinton also gave his wife a lot of credit for negotiating the Iran nuclear deal, in a passage that began with the standard Democrat “stuff happens” shrugging defense for foreign policy failures:
Finally, we live in a world, as I said, that’s full of good news and bad news. The United States cannot control it all, but we need a president who’s most likely to make as many good things happen as possible, and most likely to prevent big, bad things from happening. You can’t keep every bad thing from happening; who’s most likely to be able to get people involved in a positive way. Even the people who don’t like the Iran nuclear agreement concede it never would have happened if it hadn’t been for the sanctions. Hillary negotiated those sanctions and got China and Russia to sign off – something I thought she’d never be able to do. I confess. I’m never surprised by anything she does, but that surprised me. I didn’t think she could do it. The Chinese and the Russians to see past their short-term self-interest to their long-term interest and not sparking another nuclear arms race.
And when the Muslim Brotherhood took over in Egypt, in spite of the fact that we were (inaudible), she developed a working relationship with the then-president and went there and brokered a ceasefire to stop a full-scale shooting war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which on top of what was going on in Syria and the (inaudible) Jordan would have been a calamity for the world.
And when we were trying to reset our relations with Russia under President Medvedev, she and her team negotiated a New START Treaty, which limits warheads and missiles. And she lobbied it through the Senate. She had to get 67 votes, which means a lot of these Republicans who say that they don’t like her now are just kidding for election season. They trusted her, and she got it passed. You can’t get 67 votes in the Senate without a lot of Republican support. And I don’t know about you, but with all this tension and Mr. Putin trying to affect the outcome of the conflict in Syria, I think it’s a very good thing that we’re in a lower risk of any kind of accidental nuclear conflict with the Russians. She did that.
You’ll rarely find a more tortured political framing of the Iran debacle than Bill Clinton boasting that the sanctions Barack Obama lifted were super-awesome, as even those who don’t think those sanctions should have been lifted agree.
Mr. Clinton’s version of the Iran sanctions leaves out a few details , such as Russia’s keen financial interest in keeping Iranian energy out of the European market, and China’s desire to use Iran sanctions as a geopolitical bargaining chip.
But the part about the Muslim Brotherhood is most interesting. If anything, he is selling Hillary Clinton’s “working relationship” with Egyptian Islamists short, because she used American diplomatic leverage for Morsi’s benefit even before he got elected, warning Egyptians about “backtracking” to a military regime at a key moment of the post-Mubarak campaign, when Morsi was running against a former member of Hosni Mubarak’s military. There have long been rumors that more subtle forms of U.S. “ pressure ” were used to secure Morsi’s office, as well.
Then again, in public pronouncements, Clinton called Hosni Mubarak’s tottering regime “stable” and cautioned her Obama Administration colleagues against “pushing a longtime partner out the door.”
A few days ago, declassified State Department documents revealed Clinton’s talking points for a 2012 meeting with Morsi hailed his election as a “milestone in Egypt’s transition to democracy,” and stated that she was to offer the Muslim Brotherhood leader “technical expertise and assistance from both the U.S. government and private sector to support his economic and social programs.”
Clinton was also supposed to privately offer Morsi assistance with his police and security forces, which would be conducted “quite discreetly.”
After Morsi was gone, she declared herself exasperated with Egyptian political culture and declared herself a cynical “realist.” That is pretty much the opposite of what everyone in the Obama Administration was saying while the “Arab Spring” was in the midst of springing its little surprises on autocratic but America-aligned (or at least America-fearing) regimes, which we were all supposed to feel guilty about selfishly supporting for so long.
As for Clinton’s superb working relationship with Morsi, that eventually ended with Morsi’s wife railing against Clinton for supposedly dismissing him as “a simpleton who was unfit for the presidency,” and threatening to publish letters from Clinton to Morsi that would damage the former U.S. Secretary of State. Meanwhile, Mohammed Morsi is developing a solid working relationship with the Egyptian penitentiary system .
Egypt has one of those icky military governments again, and while it won’t have fond memories of Hillary Clinton’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood regime, it will most likely work with whoever wins the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Therefore, a prospective President Hillary Clinton probably won’t suffer too much from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s appalling lapses in judgment.
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Democratic Leaders Nervous About Overreach as Members Push for Trump Impeachment | As some Democrats push harder for the impeachment of President Trump, with some threatening to bring it to the House floor, Democratic leaders are pushing back — apparently concerned about the risk of overreaching. [Rep. Brad Sherman ( ) and other members of the Democratic caucus have been pushing for a vote on impeachment — the natural consequence of months of claims about Trump’s actions in relation to alleged Russian interference in the election. Politico reported earlier this week that Sherman is prepared to buck his leadership in bringing a vote to the House floor. Sherman claims that Trump’s alleged request for former FBI Director James Comey to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn amounts to an obstruction of justice and is, therefore, an impeachable offense. His motion would almost certainly be in the House. But Sherman isn’t the only Democratic lawmaker to float impeachment. Fellow California Rep. Maxine Waters was seen chanting “Impeach 45” on Sunday. Earlier this month, Rep. Al Green ( ) also called for impeachment and wants there to be a vote in the House. “Obstruction of justice by the president is the problem,” Green said. “Impeachment by Congress is the solution. ” Yet, while impeachment is always a popular word among Democrats’ base whenever a Republican is in the White House, Democratic leaders are concerned about something Republicans are frequently accused of when the tables are turned — overreaching. According to the Hill, leaders are worried that an aggressive push for impeachment will further politicize the investigation and undercut both the probe and Democrats’ midterm election chances. Famously, Republicans were stung in the late nineties by accusations of overreach when they sought the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Rep. Steny Hoyer ( ) the minority whip, said that talk of impeachment was “not timely,” according to the Hill. Meanwhile, Former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile was forced to deny Sunday that Democrats were overreaching. “First of all, I don’t think the Democrats are overreaching. I mean this is about the integrity of our democracy — democratic process. It’s about what happened in 2016,” she said on ABC’s This Week. Axios reported that Democratic leadership wants to be careful using the as the “investigations haven’t revealed enough yet” — a possible sign that Democrats were disappointed with Comey’s testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee last week and that it revealed no apparent obstruction of justice. Other Democrats believe that the way to political victory is by focusing on the issues likely to decide the midterm race and the issues they were beaten on in 2016 — such as jobs and health care reform. “We need to be looking at the issues that matter to families at home, and that starts with jobs, health care, addressing the opioid crisis,” Rep. Katherine Clark ( ) said earlier this month. “We can file articles of impeachment, we very well may have a basis, but Republicans have shown they’re unwilling to criticize, to hold this president accountable,” Clark said, according to the Boston Globe. “Let’s mobilize, get to the streets, register voters, and change the majority in the House. ” Other lawmakers though, while cautious for now, are still licking their lips at the chance of impeachment — even egging Trump on to do something to trigger such a push. “You want a car to impeachment? Fire Mueller,” Rep. Luis Gutiérrez ( ) according to the Hill. “I dare you to do it. ” Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY | 0fake |
Despite a Trust, Ivanka Trump Still Wields Power Over Her Brand - The New York Times | What role Ivanka Trump plays in her father’s White House is among the pressing questions at the intersection of politics and business under the Trump administration. Since her father became president, Ms. Trump has sat in meetings with political and business leaders at the White House, drawing criticism that she could use her informal adviser role to promote her brand. Now, she also works out of a West Wing office and is in the process of getting a security clearance and devices. To address those concerns, Ms. Trump handed over control of her company to her top executive, Abigail Klem, and transferred its assets to a new trust overseen by relatives of her husband. But details of the arrangement, which have not been disclosed, indicate how much power Ms. Trump continues to hold over the brand that bears her name. Under the trust, which was executed in the first week of March, Ms. Trump may address potential conflicts in one of two ways: recuse herself from related White House business or veto a potential business deal for her company, said Jamie Gorelick, a longtime ethics lawyer in Washington who is an independent adviser to the Ivanka M. Trump Business Trust. Ms. Trump is the sole beneficiary, said Ms. Gorelick, who provided details of the trust and Ms. Trump’s expanding White House role in interviews. On Monday, Ms. Trump said the trust was part of a voluntary pledge to follow rules placed on government employees. For about a decade, Ms. Trump has licensed her name to partners that manufacture her clothes, shoes and other items. Ms. Trump, who appeared in her own advertisements, was the face of it all. Her brand is privately held, meaning that its inner workings, partners and investments are not subject to public disclosure. Under the new arrangement, Ms. Trump will no longer appear in advertisements, Ms. Gorelick said, and she has separated her business and personal social media accounts. Photos of her posing next to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada or the chief executive of Boeing have replaced pictures of her shoes and handbags on her personal Instagram account. Ms. Trump could have opted for a blind trust, which keeps beneficiaries in the dark about their assets — a move favored by modern presidents but not commonly used by employees in the executive branch, said Richard W. Painter, the chief White House ethics adviser under President George W. Bush. That was an untenable option for Ms. Trump, Ms. Gorelick said, because it would have forced her to sell the company, giving another owner the ability to use the family name. “Ivanka created the trust to separate herself from the business and implement controls and processes that facilitate compliance with ethical requirements,” Ms. Gorelick said. In a statement, Ms. Trump said she would continue to offer “candid advice and counsel” to her father, who has resisted calls for a blind trust. Instead, President Trump has moved his business interests into a trust overseen by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. and Allen H. Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of his real estate company, the Trump Organization. The president will continue to receive reports on the company’s profit and loss. Ms. Trump will receive regular financial reports on her company. Her Josh Kushner, and her Nicole Meyer, are her named trustees. “While there is no modern precedent for an adult child of the president, I will voluntarily follow all of the ethics rules placed on government employees,” Ms. Trump said in a statement. But even if Ms. Trump is trying to tread carefully, her trust raises questions about how effectively a voluntary arrangement can minimize conflicts, said Norman L. Eisen, the chief White House ethics adviser under President Barack Obama. “There’s no enforcement,” he said. “If this is voluntary, what if she voluntarily decides not to do it?” Ms. Gorelick is acting purely as an adviser and does not have the power to make decisions about deals on Ms. Trump’s behalf. Questions about Ms. Trump’s potential conflicts of interest have trailed her from nearly the moment her father won the presidency. She was criticized over the promotion of a $10, 800 bracelet from her fashion line that she wore during her family’s Nov. 13 interview on “60 Minutes” on CBS. Ms. Klem blamed a marketing executive. In December, The New York Times reported that she had joined her father’s meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan even as her brand was completing a deal with a company whose largest shareholder was a bank owned by the Japanese government. The deal was called off after the Times article appeared. Unlike her husband, Jared Kushner, who is a top adviser to Mr. Trump, Ms. Trump does not hold a formal job at the White House and therefore is not likely to be considered a federal employee under ethics rules, which prohibit government workers from participating in matters that can enrich their personal business interests, according to government ethics specialists. But the more Ms. Trump participates in White House affairs — sitting in on meetings, conducting business from an office in the West Wing — the more likely it is that she could cross that line, Mr. Painter said. With that in mind, he said it was “wise” for Ms. Trump to act as though she were already subject to such rules. The trust prohibits her brand from reaching agreements with foreign governments or enterprises. But deals with domestic companies could also present problems. Macy’s and other stores sell Ms. Trump’s clothes and accessories in the United States. At the same time, the retail industry has been lobbying against a tax on imports that President Trump is considering. “She ought to stay away from anything to do with trade,” Mr. Painter said. Mr. Painter and Mr. Eisen praised the appointment of Ms. Gorelick as an ethics adviser. Ms. Gorelick, a former deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton, has attracted some criticism for her role as a top executive at Fannie Mae in the late 1990s and early 2000s, several years before the firm’s need for a bailout during the financial crisis. But Mr. Eisen said Ms. Gorelick was independent and “ . ” “Whatever questions I and others may have about the arrangement,” Mr. Eisen said, “I think it speaks well of Ivanka and of the process that has been set up to manage the conflicts that the trustees’ monitor is one of the most prominent Democratic lawyers in the country. ” | 0fake |
Nazi Demonstration Turns Violent, Multiple Counter-Protesters Stabbed (VIDEO) | Violence broke out during a white supremacist rally in Sacramento, California on Saturday. According to KCRA, at least six people were stabbed. The victims were transported to area hospitals, some with critical injuries.The rally was orchestrated by the Traditionalist Workers Party, a neo-nazi group, which staged the protests outside the state capitol building. Other white supremacist groups may have joined the demonstration as well.Anti-racism activists organized a counter-protest in response to the group s demonstration. Counter-protesters began arriving at the state capitol long before the 12 pm demonstration was scheduled to take place.Frances Wang of ABC 10 in Sacramento, who was live at the scene, posted updates on Twitter.As white supremacist groups began arriving on the scene, chaos apparently broke out.Multiple fights broke out between nazi demonstrators and counter-protesters. Wang captured video of some of the initial violence. Watch below, courtesy of ABC 10.A short time later reports of mass casualties began to emerge. Multiple stabbing victims were treated at the scene, before being taken away by ambulance.So far police have made no arrests, nor have they provided specific details regarding the stabbing victims.Many of the counter-protesters were dressed in all black. A photo showing one of the stabbing victims, posted to Twitter by Bradley Allen, suggests that the victims are counter-protesters, rather than members of the white supremacist group.Image credit via Bradley Allen on TwitterABC 10 reports that the protest was cancelled following the violent attack.Counter-demonstrators remained outside the capitol building. In spite of the violence, anti-fascist groups declared victory for having shut down the Nazi demonstration.Image credit via Bradley Allen on TwitterWhile it s not currently known how many nazi protesters actually attended the rally, Twitter user Lord Of The Game posted a photo of two white supremacists leaving with injuries as well.Image credit Lord Of The Game via TwitterHere s more from Dark Horse News, via YouTube.Counter-protesters continue to Tweet updates to the hashtag #NoNazisInSac.Image credit: video screen capture via Dark Horse News on Twitter | 1real |
Original unreleased transcript of Sonia Gandhi’s interview with Rajdeep Sardesai obtained | Original unreleased transcript of Sonia Gandhi’s interview with Rajdeep Sardesai obtained Posted on Tweet (Image via mensxp.com)
On November 21st, all of India was agog in anticipation of India Today TV’s major scoop. All day long, the channel kept flashing the coming face to face interview of Congress President Sonia Gandhi with Rajdeep Sardesai at 9pm. The iron lady, (a moniker she appropriated from her legendary mother in law Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher) was to reveal all to the famous journalist. A quick sidebar – this may be the only known instance of a journalist becoming more famous than a former Indian Test cricketer, namely his father, the late Dilip Sardesai.
Once we were well into the interview, held imaginatively at the historic Swaraj Bhavan,India’s first family’s ancestral home in Allahabad, it quickly became apparent that Sonia Gandhi will confine her views and opinions primarily to the subject of her late mother in law, her late husband and in passing, doting reflections on her children. Current politics, her own health concerns, her views on her fiery sister in law and her son – all these and other spicy ingredients were strictly off limits. The viewers were thus treated to a pleasant but immensely dull interview. We hear many viewers switched channels after 15 or 20 minutes.
However, your intrepid reporter at The UnReal Times got hold of the actual transcript of the interview, held informally, while the cameras were switched off. Here it is, exclusively for our readers.
Rajdeep Sardesai (RS) – “Madam Sonia Gandhi, once again many thanks for speaking exclusively with India Today TV. I know you have imposed strict limitations on what I can or cannot ask you, but as they are still setting up the cameras and equipment, I thought we can let our hair down a bit, so to speak. Off camera?”
Sonia Gandhi (SG) – “Actually, it is I who must thank you, Arnab………”
RS – “Rajdeep, Soniaji. Rajdeep Sardesai. Kindly do not mention that other name again, please”.
SG – “Oh so sorry, Rajdeep. What was I thinking of? Yes, yes, as I was saying. I am very happy to grant you this exclusive interview. My husband was a great fan of your father’s cricketing skills. Of course, I know nothing about cricket, other than the fact that New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori may be my thrice removed cousin on my mother’s side”.
RS – “Yes Ma’am. If it’s all the same to you, can we keep cricket out of this discussion? First I would like to ask you about your health. All kinds of rumours are floating around about your health. Not unlike the rumours about the CM of Tamil Nadu. How in fact are you?”
SG – “But I am sitting right here in front of you Rajdeep, large as life, speaking normally, if you discount the Italian accent which I was born with. Do you find anything wrong with me?”
(Just then, her personal physician arrives and administers two injections, and asks her to swallow around seven multi coloured tablets).
SG – “Don’t read anything into these pills and injections. My iron content is a bit low, so I have to have these supplements. Just normal stuff”.
RS – “I understand, Soniaji. I have high BP myself, professional hazard, and you have just reminded me. Please bear with me while I pop these pills. Thank you. Tell me Ma’am, what do you feel about our PM’s demonetization announcement. Your son and other members of the Congress party have been very vocal in their criticism”.
SG – “See, Rahul Baba is young and hot blooded. Boys will be boys. Speaking for myself, I cannot comment on this because I do not know what demonetization actually means. Something to do with not being able to use the old Rs.500/- and Rs.1000/- notes. But I am not worried, because two truck loads of 10, 20, 50 and 100 rupee notes were delivered to my house the previous day prior to the announcement. And I had only two old Rs.500 notes in my purse which Rahul took away to exchange from a local bank, standing in the queue for over 4 hours. Poor darling”.
RS – “I see, so you had prior knowledge. But is it not cumbersome to handle so many notes?”
SG – “You see Rajdeep, I am getting used to your name now, in my home country Italy, when the Euro suddenly replaced the Lira, where 1 Euro was equal to a million Lire, things got a bit confusing, but we eventually mastered it. So I can handle all this small note problems”.
RS – “Turning to other matters. The country wants to know when you will make way for Rahul to ascend your throne as head of the Congress Party. Can you give us an insight?”
SG – “Insight? Why do you use such big words? Anyway, I will tell you. Firstly, why is the media so interested in this matter? In the UK, the Queen will soon be 100 years old, and she is still firmly occupying the throne. Poor Charles is almost 70, and I hear both Camilla and Prince William are getting very impatient. And the Duke of Edinburgh is not bothered one bit either way, so long as he gets his daily game of polo. Coming back to domestic issues, let us not forget that Priyanka is also there”.
RS – “That is interesting. What exactly are you implying, Soniaji?”
SG – “Ah, that is for me to know and for you to find out. You are an investigative journalist, no? Anyhow, first I have to put Robert’s house in order”.
RS – “Meaning what, exactly?”
SG – “Ah, that is for me to know and for you to find out”.
RS – “You are trying me, Ma’am. But the cameras are ready to roll, and before we actually start can I have one last comment on Maneka and Varun?”
SG – “Let the cameras roll”.
RS – “But you haven’t……”
SG – “You heard.”
RS – “All right, Soniaji. I understand. Can we roll the cameras?”
SG – “Of course, Arnab. Just say when” Tweet About Suresh Subrahmanyan
Bangalore based brand communications consultant, occasional columnist, deeply interested in western classical and Carnatic music and 70s pop and rock, follow cricket and tennis, and an avid fan of P.G. Wodehouse. | 1real |
Conditions not yet in place for safe Rohingya returns: UNHCR | GENEVA (Reuters) - Conditions in Myanmar s northern Rakhine state are not in place to enable safe and sustainable returns of more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees who fled violence to Bangladesh since late August, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday. UNHCR said it had still not seen a repatriation agreement signed by the two countries on Thursday, but stressed that any returns by the traumatized group must be safe and voluntary. Spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing: It is important that international standards apply, and we are ready to help. | 0fake |
Macau opposition gains in election after deadly typhoon | HONG KONG (Reuters) - Macau s mostly pro-democracy opposition made slight gains in legislative elections, as critics saw signs of public dissatisfaction with the pro-Beijing government after a deadly typhoon battered the Asian gambling hub a month ago. Results of Sunday s vote announced on Monday showed the opposition camp won five seats in the 33-seat legislative assembly, one more than at the last election four years ago, according to local media reports. Macau s political landscape has long been dominated by pro-establishment, pro-Beijing and casino industry interests, and critics viewed any improvement by the opposition as an achievement. Only 14 of the legislative seats were directly elected, a far lower proportion than in neighboring Hong Kong, also a China-ruled former colony, that has pushed much harder and wrested greater democratic freedoms than Macau, which returned from Portuguese to Chinese rule in 1999. Twelve other seats are indirectly elected in smaller constituencies, while another seven are appointed by Macau s Beijing-backed leader, Fernando Chui, making chances of opposition ever gaining a majority all but impossible. Among the winners was 26-year-old pro-democracy activist and outspoken government critic, Sulu Sou, who becomes the youngest ever Macau lawmaker. Sou was one of the young leaders that helped spearhead one of Macau s largest anti-government protests three years ago, when around 20,000 people rallied against a bill offering a generous compensation package to outgoing officials. Macau s leader, Chui, later withdrew it. In the past four years, people in Macau went through different battles, large and small, Sou wrote on his Facebook page after his victory. Today, people in Macau are using their votes to express their determination for change. Sou couldn t be immediately reached by Reuters for comment. Unlike neighboring Hong Kong, large-scale protests are rare and grassroot dissent is relatively muted in Macau, a former Portuguese colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1999 under a one country, two systems arrangement. The election took place less than a month after Typhoon Hato wrought havoc in Macau, killing ten people. The government s failure to warn people of the devastating storm, a lack of preparedness, along with widespread and protracted cuts to power and water supplies drew public anger and exposed Macau s inadequate infrastructure. While the opposition s gain was marginal, critics said the high 57 percent turnout rate and Sou s win should be a wake-up call for the government. It s an ideal result ... The people came out in greater numbers to support the opposition, Au Kam-sang, a veteran pro-democracy lawmaker who was re-elected, told Reuters. It reflects the incompetence of the Macau government and the aftermath of typhoon Hato, Au added. (This story corrects second paragraph to say previous election was four years ago, not five) | 0fake |
Trump garners two more endorsements in U.S. Congress | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday won endorsements from two more U.S. Congress members as he battled to be his party’s nominee. Of the 300 Republicans in Congress - 246 in the House of Representatives and 54 in the Senate - Trump now had the explicit support of 11 with the newly announced public backing by Representatives Jeff Miller of Florida and Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania. Trump, a billionaire businessman, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich were vying for the nomination to represent the Republican Party in the Nov. 8 general election. “Donald Trump is the only person who has what it takes to shake up the status quo and entrenched bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,” Miller said in a statement. Miller, who will retire from the Republican-controlled Congress at year’s end, capping 16 years in the House, has chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Shuster, also in his 16th year in the House, has chaired a powerful transportation committee. Trump backers in Congress have argued that many more lawmakers privately expressed support for Trump, but still have to run in primaries and so have publicly remained neutral. Representative Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who endorsed Trump this month, said in an interview that the Trump campaign was cranking up its outreach to Congress. Cruz, a small-government Tea Party favorite, has snared more endorsements from Congress members. The most prominent U.S. Republican lawmakers to publicly endorse Trump was Senator Jeff Sessions, who has been advising the campaign on foreign policy. The others were U.S. Representatives Chris Collins, Duncan Hunter, Tom Marino, Tom Reed, Scott DesJarlais, Lou Barletta and Renee Ellmers. | 0fake |
Few good options in Trump arsenal to counter defiant North Korea | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite his campaign vows to take a tougher line with North Korea, President Donald Trump’s restrained public reaction to Pyongyang’s first ballistic missile launch on his watch underscores that he has few good options to curb its missile and nuclear programs. The responses under consideration - which range from additional sanctions to U.S. shows of force to beefed-up missile defense, according to one administration official - do not seem to differ significantly so far from the North Korea playbook followed by Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama. Even the idea of stepping up pressure on China to rein in a defiant North Korea has been tried - to little avail - by successive administrations. But Beijing is showing no signs of softening its resistance under a new U.S. president who has bashed them on trade, currency and the contested South China Sea. More dramatic responses to North Korea’s missile tests would be direct military action or negotiations. But neither appears to be on the table - the first because it would risk regional war, the latter because it would be seen as rewarding Pyongyang for bad behavior. And neither would offer certain success. “Trump’s options are limited,” said Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. Trump’s initial public comments on Saturday on the test launch of what was believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan-class missile were unexpectedly measured - and brief - compared to earlier bluster about another U.S. adversary, Iran, since he took office on January 20. “I just want everybody to understand, and fully know, that the United States of America is behind Japan, our great ally, 100 percent,” Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, speaking in a solemn tone alongside visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The U.S. president did not mention North Korea or signal any retaliatory plans for what was widely seen as an early effort to test the new administration. By contrast, Trump tweeted “It won’t happen!” in January after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the North was close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. White House adviser Stephen Miller insisted on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump’s one-sentence statement was an “important show of solidarity” with Japan. He told “Fox News Sunday” the administration was going to bolster its allies in the region against the “increasing hostility” of North Korea. While no one can rule out that Trump might still take to Twitter with harsh rhetoric as he often does, some analysts said his relatively subdued initial statement could show that aides have convinced him not to be baited by Pyongyang into issuing threats that would be hard to carry out, especially while his North Korea strategy is still being formulated. Trump’s aides have said that they will take a more assertive approach than the Obama policy dubbed “strategic patience,” which involved gradually scaling up sanctions and diplomatic pressure and essentially waiting out the North Korean leadership. But the new administration has been vague about how it would do this. The Trump administration had been expecting a North Korean “provocation” and will consider a full range of options in response, but they would be calibrated to show U.S. resolve while avoiding escalation, the U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The stakes would be higher, however, if nuclear-capable North Korea makes good on its threat to test an ICBM of a kind that could someday hit the United States, analysts said. Trump and his aides are likely to weigh new U.S. sanctions to tighten financial controls, an increase in naval and air assets and joint military exercises in and around the Korean peninsula and accelerated installation of new missile defense systems in South Korea, the official said. Trump has also made clear that he believes China has not done enough to use its influence to help rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic programs. The U.S. official told Reuters that Trump would now step up pressure on Beijing, but acknowledged that there were limits to how far China would go, especially in enforcing sanctions, because of its own interests in avoiding destabilization of North Korea. It remains to be seen, however, whether the new administration might go a step beyond Obama’s approach and focus on imposing “secondary sanctions” on firms and entities that help North Korea’s weapons programs, many of which are in China. Also unclear is whether Trump’s phone call last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which the U.S. president backed away from his threat to break from America’s long-standing “one China” policy, would engender greater cooperation from Beijing on North Korea. “Beijing has enormous leverage over Pyongyang thanks to being one of its only trading partners and in fact could not survive without Chinese economic assistance,” said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest. Riki Ellison, who heads the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, an industry group, said Trump should also move quickly to beef up missile defense in both South Korea and Japan - for which the Obama administration has already laid much of the groundwork. “He cannot ignore this,” he said. “It has to be swift.” North Korea’s repeated missile launches prompted Washington and Seoul to agree to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile battery in South Korea later this year, a system strongly opposed by Beijing, which worries that its powerful radar undermines its own security. | 0fake |
Peter Brimelow On With Steve Curtis At 8:05 Eastern | X Dear Reader! VDARE.com isn’t just a website. We are the voice of the Historic American Nation . Our goal is nothing less than to develop a full spectrum media network to speak up for our people during this difficult time for our country. Part of that means building institutions which are offline and in the real world. There’s something about a paper journal that suggests permanence, which inclines people to take it more seriously. And because the news cycle is so fast, some of the most important, substantial, and potentially influential writings fall through the cracks and don’t get the attention they deserve. For that reason, we’re proud to announce the creation of VDARE QUARTERLY, a print journal featuring the best material from our webzine. This will replace our yearly anthologies and ensure that the information and analysis you really don't want to miss will get in front of you as quickly as possible. However, we need your help. For us to unveil this exciting new product we need 600 magazines ordered to cover the print expenses. Fill out the form below to instantly receive a digital copy of VDARE QUARTERLY, and when we have the number of necessary subscribers it will go to print and your exclusive paper copy will ship directly to you! Depending on the package you choose, you will receive multiple paper copies (provided enough readers support the community effort). We encourage you to pass these around – they serve as an excellent gift for friends and family, while at the same time helping to build our community. VDARE QUARTERLY is aesthetically pleasing as well as ideologically powerful. But this isn’t just a service we are providing. VDARE QUARTERLY is a tangible manifestation of your investment in us, and in our country. A subscription is one of the most effective ways you can help us build our media network, expand our influence, and build the kind of movement we will need to take back our country and ensure our children have a recognizable America.
We count on your support! Yours sincerely, Peter Brimelow, Editor of VDARE.com VDARE QUARTERLY countdown: 275 already ordered, 325 still to go | 1real |
DNC WILL SPEND $60 MILLION To Coronate Crooked Hillary…Says It’s Nobody’s Business Where Money Is Coming From | At least they re consistent and crooked to the core just like their candidate Hillary Clinton will be crowned the Democratic presidential candidate in Philadelphia next week at event costing estimated $60 million Democrats have a $15 million credit line with the city in case their fundraising falls short Independent journalist is fighting for names of the donors to be made public before convention begins But host committee tells court hearing that donations should be kept secretThe host committee for the Democratic National Convention wants to keep its donor list under wraps until after the convention even though a state open records agency has ordered its release.A Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee lawyer told a judge Thursday the release of fundraising records could harm the organization s last-minute efforts to seek donations and negotiate vendor contracts.The host committee set out to raise about $60 million from private sources, but secured a $15 million line of credit from the city as a safety net. The committee must therefore file financial updates with the city.Read entire story: Daily Mail | 1real |
Leave It To Seth Meyers To Absolutely PUMMEL Trump’s Obvious Racism And Fraud (VIDEO) | It s gotten to the point that if you re still considering voting for Donald Trump in November, you ve got to be completely fine with voting for a scam artist and a misogynistic racist. Now, if those are things that you can overlook because of the simplistic view of party line politics, well, that s just sad, but it s your vote.Pointing out Trump s blatant racism, and ever-obvious scam artist antics is Seth Meyers on Late Night during a segment he calls A Closer Look. Meyers informed his audience of what Trump University is fraud.He said: Trump University was founded in 2005, promising to teach people how to make money off real estate. But, as the Washington Post reported, it wasn t a university or even a school; it was just a series of seminars held in hotel ballrooms across the country.' Meyers then compared getting a degree in business at Trump University is about as valid as getting a medical degree at the Holiday Inn Express. He also pointed out that Trump University is so bad, and so fraudulent, that it scammed mothers trying to feed their kids and even Bernie Madoff would say, Wow, dog, that s not cool. Not only did Meyers go elbow deep into describing how much of a scam artist Trump is, but also how racist he is. He perfectly summarized it with this one statement: Now to be clear, claiming that someone is not able to do their job because of their race is, by definition, racism. Period. And in regards to Trump pointing and calling out his African-American and Republicans all of a sudden seeming to realize Trump is racist, Meyers said: Republicans can t pretend to suddenly be shocked and offended, this is who Trump was well before this latest outburst, and this is who [the GOP is] lining up to support So remember this when Trump inevitably tries to convince you he s not a racist. Because guess what? He is.Watch the segment here:Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Obama: Republicans trying to 'talk down' U.S. economy | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday accused Republicans of trying to “talk down” the U.S. economy by painting a doomsday picture on the campaign trail and said the rhetoric used by Republican candidates was unworthy of the American people. In remarks to reporters at the White House, Obama said there would be a debate about the budget in the coming months on issues related to policies that could raise Americans’ wages. “That’s what we should be debating. That’s the debate that is worthy of the American people. Not fantasy. Not name calling. Not trying to talk down the American economy,” he said. “There’s a huge gap between the rhetoric that’s going on out there and the reality of success that we’re seeing in America’s economy.” (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Eric Beech) 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. | 0fake |
EU Referendum: Betrayal of the People by Traitors in Undemocratic Coup | Home | World | EU Referendum: Betrayal of the People by Traitors in Undemocratic Coup EU Referendum: Betrayal of the People by Traitors in Undemocratic Coup By Lord V 03/11/2016 12:31:01
LONDON – England – The High Court decision today is a betrayal of the will of the people cast on June 23 2016 in the EU referendum.
Britain as a nation is now on the verge of being lost, and all it has worked for for centuries are now but a memory.
We are now living in a Stasi EU zone with no sovereign rights, we are ordered about by the unelected eurocrats in the EU Commission, and many within parliament are now servants to the European Union.
Contempt
This great betrayal of the people who voted in a democratically held EU referendum will not be forgotten, and those who are accountable in parliament to thwart the democratic vote will feel the wrath of the voters when it comes to election time.
It’s Them Against 17.5 Million People Who Voted Brexit
They will not be elected again, they will be despised and as they are traitorous scum, they shall be left to the dung heap of history, a forgotten note under a morass of festering putrid excrement.
True Britons never give up, and they will not, they will fight against the duplicitous forces within this nation that seek to commit High Treason against the Crown.
As much as the ground that has been lost today by the criminal treasonous High Court decision to overstep the voters, there will never be an end to the fight for sovereign status from those who wish the UK to be ruled by the Soviet EU entity.
No doubt, Brussels has the law courts firmly within their grasp, but the Remain traitors, lickspittle vile treasonous vermin will one day get their comeuppance.
And in other news, the pound spiked, so we have further proof of who else is behind all of this. Share on : | 1real |
Comment on Nomi Prins: Hillary Clinton Will Continue the Big Bank Protection Racket by EndOfTheWorld | by Yves Smith
Yves here. It’s hardly a secret that the Clintons are deeply loyal to Wall Street. Bob Rubin and his numerous well-heeled followers are a powerful, arguably dominant, faction in the Democratic party, and they are tightly aligned with the Clintons.
Nomi Prins gives a useful overview of how Hillary has attempted to blame the financial crisis on everything but the deregulation that her husband supported and the reckless behavior that resulted and how her anti-bank noises, like her criticism of Wells Fargo, is tepid and late in coming.
However, I quibble with some of her article. It’s surprising to see her single out Gary Gensler, former head of the CFTC, as a bank crony. Gensler is widely seen as pushing for much tougher oversight and enforcement despite being in the disadvantaged position of being at a secondary regulator. Recall that he was up against Bernanke and Geithner, a weak Mary Shapiro at the SEC, and an indifferent-to-captured Obama at the helm.
It’s also surprising to see Prins fail to mention the cronies rumored to be Clinton’s top picks for Treasury Secretary: Larry Fink of BlackRock and Tony James of Blackstone. Both firms would profit ginormously if the Wall Street looting plan that Hillary supports and James is promoting, that of having all workers pay 3% of their pay into mandatory retirement accounts, were to become law.
As we’ve indicated, the cost of this “fix” is greater than any of the ideas proposed to shore up Social Security (as opposed to cut it by stealth). I hate to say it, but I believe Prins’ failure to flag this risk is due to her still hewing to orthodox financial views and thus believing that Federal deficits are a problem, as opposed to desirable, most of the time, and regarding senior members of the asset management heavyweights as less dangerous than executives of TBTF banks. Since even the modest re-regulation that has taken place since the crisis has increased shadow banking, and firms like Blackrock and Blackstone are major players, it would be naive to depict them as problem-free and disinterested.
By Nomi Prins, a former Wall Street executive and the author of six books of which the most recent is All the Presidents’ Bankers: The Hidden Alliances That Drive American Power (Nation Books). Originally published at TomDispatch
As this endless election limps toward its last days, while spiraling into a bizarre duel over vote-rigging accusations, a deep sigh is undoubtedly in order. The entire process has been an emotionally draining, frustration-inducing, rage-inflaming spectacle of repellent form over shallow substance. For many, the third debate evoked fatigue. More worrying, there was again no discussion of how to prevent another financial crisis, an ominous possibility in the next presidency, whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton enters the Oval Office — given that nothing fundamental has been altered when it comes to Wall Street’s practices and predation.
At the heart of American political consciousness right now lies a soul-crushing reality for millions of distraught Americans: the choices for president couldn’t be feebler or more disappointing. On the one hand, we have a petulant, vocabulary-challenged man-boar of a billionaire, who hasn’t paid his taxes, has regularly left those supporting him holding the bag , and seems like a ludicrous composite of every bad trait in every bad date any woman has ever had. On the other hand, we’re offered a walking photo-op for and well-paid speechmaker to Wall-Street CEOs, a one-woman money-raising machine from the 1% of the 1%, who, despite a folksiness that couldn’t look more rehearsed, has methodically outplayed her opponent.
With less than two weeks to go before E-day — despite the Trumptilian upheaval of the last year — the high probability of a Clinton win means the establishment remains intact. When we awaken on November 9th, it will undoubtedly be dawn in Hillary Clinton’s America and that potentially means four years of an economic dystopia that will (as would Donald Trump’s version of the same) leave many Americans rightfully anxious about their economic futures.
None of the three presidential debates suggested that either candidate would have the ability (or desire) to confront Wall Street from the Oval Office. In the second and third debates, in case you missed them, Hillary didn’t even mention the Glass-Steagall Act, too big to fail, or Wall Street. While in the first debate, the subject of Wall Street only came up after she disparaged the tax policies of “ Trumped-up, trickle down economics ” (or, as I like to call it, the Trumpledown economics of giving tax and financial benefits to the rich and to corporations).
In this election, Hillary has crafted her talking points regarding the causes of the last financial crisis as weapons against Trump, but they hardly begin to tell the real story of what happened to the American economy. The meltdown of 2007-2008 was not mainly due to “tax policies that slashed taxes on the wealthy” or a “failure to invest in the middle class,” two subjects she has repeatedly highlighted to slam the Republicans and their candidate. It was a byproduct of the destruction of the regulations that opened the way for a too-big-to-fail framework to thrive. Under the presidency of Bill Clinton, Glass-Steagall, the Depression-era act that once separated people’s bank deposits and loans from any kind of risky bets or other similar actions in which banks might engage, was repealed under the Financial Modernization Act of 1999. In addition, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act was passed, which allowed Wall Street to concoct devastating unregulated side bets on what became the subprime crisis.
Given that the people involved with those choices are still around and some are still advising (or in the case of one former president living with) Hillary Clinton, it’s reasonable to imagine that, in January 2017, she’ll launch the third term of Bill Clinton when it comes to financial policy, banks, and the economy. Only now, the stakes are even higher, the banks larger, and their impunity still remarkably unchallenged.
Consider President Obama’s current treasury secretary, Jack Lew. It was Hillary who hit the Clinton Rolodex to bring him back to Washington. Lew first entered Bill Clinton’s White House in 1993 as special assistant to the president. Between his stints working for Clinton and Obama, he made his way into the private sector and eventually to Wall Street — as so many of his predecessors had done and successors would do. He scored a leadership role with Citigroup during the time that Bill Clinton’s former Treasury Secretary (and former Goldman Sachs co-Chairman ) Robert Rubin was on its board of directors. In 2009 , Hillary selected him to be her deputy secretary of state.
Lew is hardly the only example of the busy revolving door to power that led from the Clinton administration to the Obama administration via Wall Street (or activities connected to it). Bill Clinton’s Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs , Timothy Geithner worked with Robert Rubin, later championed Wall Street as president and CEO of the New York Federal Reserve while Hillary was senator from New York (representing Wall Street), and then became Obama’s first treasury secretary while Hillary was secretary of state .
One possible contender for treasury secretary in a new Clinton administration would be Bill Clinton’s Under Secretary of Domestic Finance and Obama’s Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman, Gary Gensler (who was — I’m sure you won’t be shocked — a Goldman Sachs partner before entering public service). These, then, are typical inhabitants of the Clinton inner circle and of the political-financial corridors of power. Their thinking, like Hillary’s, meshes well with support for the status quo in the banking system, even if, like her, they are willing on occasion to admonish it for its “mistakes.”
This thru-line of personnel in and out of Clinton World is dangerous for most of the rest of us, because behind all the “talking heads” and genuinely amusing Saturday Night Live skits about this bizarre election lie certain crucial issues that will have to be dealt with: decisions about climate change, foreign wars, student-loan unaffordability, rising income inequality , declining social mobility , and, yes, the threat of another financial crisis. And keep in mind that such a future economic meltdown isn’t an absurdly long-shot possibility. Earlier this year, the Federal Reserve, the nation’s main bank regulator, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , the government entity that insures our bank deposits, collectively noted that seven of our biggest eight banks — Citigroup was the exception — still have inadequate emergency plans in the event of another financial crisis.
Exploring a Two-Faced World
Politicians regularly act one way publicly and another privately, as Hillary was “outed” for doing by WikiLeaks via its document dump from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s hacked email account. Such realities should be treated as neither shockers nor smoking guns. Everybody postures. Everybody lies. Everybody’s two-faced in certain aspects of their lives. Politicians just make a career out of it.
What’s problematic about Hillary’s public and private positions in the economic sphere, at least, isn’t their two-facedness but how of a piece they are. Yes, she warned the bankers to “ cut it out ! Quit foreclosing on homes! Quit engaging in these kinds of speculative behaviors!”— but that was no demonstration of strength in relation to the big banks. Her comments revealed no real understanding of their precise role in exacerbating a fixable subprime loan calamity and global financial crisis, nor did her finger-wagging mean anything to Wall Street.
Keep in mind that, during the build-up to that crisis, as banks took advantage of looser regulations, she collected more than $7 million from the securities and investment industry for her New York Senate runs ( $18 million during her career). In her first Senate campaign, Citigroup was her top contributor. The four Wall-Street-based banks (JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley) all feature among her top 10 career contributors. As a senator, she didn’t introduce any bills aimed at reforming or regulating Wall Street. During the lead-up to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, she did introduce five (out of 140) bills relating to the housing crisis, but they all died before making it through a Senate committee. So did a bill she sponsored to curtail corporate executive compensation. Though she has publicly called for a reduction in hedge-fund tax breaks (known as “closing the carried interest loophole”), including at the second debate , she never signed on to the bill that would have done so (one that Obama co-sponsored in 2007). Perhaps her most important gesture of support for Wall Street was her vote in favor of the $700 billion 2008 bank bailout bill. (Bernie Sanders opposed it.)
After her secretary of state stint, she returned to the scene of banking crimes. Many times. As we know, she was also paid exceedingly well for it. Friendship with the Clintons doesn’t come cheap . As she said in October 2013, while speaking at a Goldman Sachs AIMS Alternative Investments’ Symposium, “running for office in our country takes a lot of money, and candidates have to go out and raise it. New York is probably the leading site for contributions for fundraising for candidates on both sides of the aisle.”
Between 2013 and 2015, she gave 12 speeches to Wall Street banks, private equity firms, and other financial corporations, reaping a whopping $2,935,000 for them. In her 2016 presidential run, the securities and investment sector (aka Wall Street) has contributed the most of any industry to PACs supporting Hillary: $56.4 million .
Yes, everybody needs to make a buck or a few million of them. This is America after all, but Hillary was a political figure paid by the same banks routinely getting slapped with criminal settlements by the Department of Justice. In addition, the Clinton Foundation counted as generous donors all four of the major Wall Street-based mega-banks. She was voracious when it came to such money and tone-deaf when it came to the irony of it all.
Glass-Steagall and Bernie Sanders
One of the more illuminating aspects of the Podesta emails was a series of communications that took place in the fall of 2015. That’s when Bernie Sanders was gaining traction for, among other things, his calls to break up the big banks and resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. The Clinton administration’s dismantling of that act in 1999 had freed the big banks to use their depositors’ money as collateral for risky bets in the real estate market and elsewhere, and so allowed them to become ever more engorged with questionable securities.
On December 7, 2015, with her campaign well underway and worried about the Sanders challenge, the Clinton camp debuted a key Hillary op-ed , “How I’d Rein in Wall Street,” in the New York Times . This followed two months of emails and internal debate within her campaign over whether supporting the return of Glass-Steagall was politically palatable for her and whether not supporting it would antagonize Senator Elizabeth Warren. In the end, though Glass-Steagall was mentioned in passing in her op-ed, she chose not to endorse its return.
She explained her decision not to do so this way (and her advisers and media apostles have stuck with this explanation ever since): “Some have urged the return of a Depression-era rule called Glass-Steagall , which separated traditional banking from investment banking. But many of the firms that contributed to the crash in 2008, like A.I.G. and Lehman Brothers, weren’t traditional banks, so Glass-Steagall wouldn’t have limited their reckless behavior. Nor would restoring Glass-Steagall help contain other parts of the ‘shadow banking’ sector, including certain activities of hedge funds, investment banks, and other non-bank institutions.”
Her entire characterization of how the 2007-2008 banking crisis unfolded was — well — wrong. Here’s how traditional banks (like JPMorgan Chase) operated: they lent money to investment banks like Lehman Brothers so that they could buy more financial waste products stuffed with subprime mortgages that these traditional banks were, in turn, trying to sell. They then backed up those toxic financial products through insurance companies like AIG, which came close to collapse when what it was insuring became too toxically overwhelming to afford. AIG then got a $182 billion government bailout that also had the effect of bailing out those traditional banks (including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which became “traditional” during the crisis). In this way, the whole vicious cycle started with the traditional banks that hold your deposits and at the same time could produce and sell those waste products thanks to the repeal of Glass-Steagall. So yes, the loss of that act caused the crisis and, in its wake, every big traditional bank was fined for crisis-related crimes.
Hillary won’t push to bring back Glass-Steagall. Doing so would dismantle her husband’s legacy and that of the men he and she appointed to public office. Whatever cosmetic alterations may be in store, count on that act remaining an artifact of the past, since its resurrection would dismay the bankers who, over the past three decades, made the Clintons what they are.
No wonder many diehard Sanders supporters remain disillusioned and skeptical — not to speak of the fact that their candidate featured dead last ( 39th ) on a list of recommended vice presidential candidates in the Podesta emails. That’s unfortunately how much his agenda is likely to matter to her in the Oval Office.
Go Regulate Yourselves!
Before he resigned with his nine-figure golden parachute, Wells Fargo CEO and Chairman John Stumpf addressed Congress over disclosures that 5,300 of his employees had created two million fake accounts, scamming $2.4 million from existing customers. The bank was fined $ 185 million for that (out of a total $10 billion in fines for a range of other crimes committed before and during the financial crisis).
In response, Hillary wrote a letter to Wells Fargo’s customers. In it, she didn’t actually mention Stumpf by name, as she has not mentioned any Wall Street CEO by name in the context of criminal activity. Instead, she simply spoke of “he.” As she put it, “He owes all of you a clear explanation as to how this happened under his watch.” She added, “Executives should be held individually accountable when rampant illegal activity happens on their watch.”
She does have a plan to fine banks for being too big, but they’ve already been fined repeatedly for being crooked and it hasn’t made them any smaller or less threatening. As their top officials evidently view the matter, paying up for breaking the law is just another cost of doing business.
Hillary also wrote, “If any bank can’t be managed effectively, it should be broken up.” But the question is: Why doesn’t ongoing criminal activity that threatens the rest of us correlate with ineffective management — or put another way, when was the last time you saw a major bank broken up? And don’t hold your breath for that to happen in a new Clinton administration either.
In her public letter, she added , “I’ll appoint regulators who will stand with taxpayers and consumers, not with big banks and their friends in Congress.” On the other hand, at that same Goldman Sachs symposium , while in fundraising mode, she gave bankers a pass relative to regulators and commented: “Well, I represented all of you for eight years. I had great relations and worked so close together after 9/11 to rebuild downtown, and [I have] a lot of respect for the work you do and the people who do it.”
She has steadfastly worked to craft explanations for the financial crisis and the Great Recession that don’t endanger the banks as we presently know them. In addition, she has supported the idea of appointing insider regulators, insisting that “the people that know the industry better than anybody are the people who work in the industry.” (Let’s not forget that former Goldman Sachs CEO and Chairman Hank Paulson ran the Treasury Department while the crisis brewed.)
Among the emails sent to John Podesta that were posted by WikiLeaks is an article I wrote for TomDispatch on the Clintons’ relationships with bankers. “She will not point fingers at her friends,” I said in that piece in May 2015. She will not chastise the people who pay her hundreds of thousands of dollars a pop to speak or the ones who have long shared the social circles in which she and her husband move.” I also suggested that she wouldn’t call out any CEO by name. To this day she hasn’t. I said that she would never be an advocate for Glass-Steagall. And she hasn’t been. What was true then will be no less true once she’s in the White House and no longer has to make gestures toward the platform on which Bernie ran and so can once again more openly embrace the bankers’ way of conducting business.
There’s a reason Wall Street has a crush on her and its monarchs like Goldman Sachs CEO and Chairman Lloyd Blankfein pay her such stunning sums to offer anodyne remarks to their employees and others. Blankfein has been coy about an official Clinton endorsement simply because he doesn’t want to rock her campaign boat, but make no mistake, this Wall Street kingpin’s silence is tantamount to an endorsement.
To date, $10 trillion worth of assets sits on the books of the Big Six banks. Since 2008, these same banks have copped to more than $ 150 billion in fines for pre-crisis behavior that ranged on the spectrum of criminality from manipulating multiple public markets to outright fraud. Hillary Clinton has arguably taken money that would not have been so available if it weren’t for the ill-gotten gains those banks secured. In her usual measured way, albeit with some light admonishments, she has told them what they want to hear: that if they behave — something that in her dictionary of definitions involves little in the way of personalized pain or punishment — so will she.
So let’s recap Hillary’s America, past, present, and future. It’s a land lacking in meaningful structural reform of the financial system, a place where the big banks have been, and will continue to be, coddled by the government. No CEO will be jailed, no matter how large the fines his bank is saddled with or how widespread the crimes it committed. Instead, he’s likely to be invited to the inaugural ball in January. Because its practices have not been adequately controlled or curtailed, the inherent risk that Wall Street poses for Main Street will only grow as bankers continue to use our money to make their bets. (The 2010 Dodd-Frank Act was supposed to help on this score, but has yet to make the big banks any smaller.)
And here’s an obvious corollary to all this: the next bank-instigated economic catastrophe will not be dealt with until it has once again crushed the financial stability of millions of Americans.
The banks have voted with their dollars on all of this in multiple ways. Hillary won’t do anything to upset that applecart. We should have no illusions about what her presidency would mean from a Wall Street vs. Main Street perspective. Certainly, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon doesn’t. He effectively endorsed Hillary before a crowd of financial industry players, saying , “I hope the next president, she reaches across the aisle.”
For Wall Street, of course, that aisle is essentially illusory, since its players operate so easily and effectively on both sides of it. In Hillary’s America, Wall Street will still own Main Street. 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 1real |
Clinton clear on Trump: 'We were not friends': People magazine | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wants to set the record straight on Donald Trump: “We were not friends.” “We knew each other, obviously, in New York,” Clinton, a former U.S. senator from New York, said in excerpts of a People magazine interview released on Wednesday. “I knew a lot of people.” Trump, the real estate billionaire whose standing as Republican front-runner was dented by a second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, had long touted his friendship with Bill and Hillary Clinton. In a March 2012 Fox News interview, Trump praised Clinton as a “terrific woman.” “I am biased because I have known her for years. I live in New York. She lives in New York. I really like her and her husband both a lot. I think she really works hard,” Trump told Fox. But the Clintons, who attended Trump’s 2005 wedding, were fair game on the campaign trail. In November, Trump said Hillary Clinton did not have strength or stamina to be president and called her the worst U.S. secretary of state, a post she held from 2009 to 2013. When Clinton denounced Trump last month for showing “a penchant for sexism,” Trump turned the phrase against her, using it to refer to Bill Clinton’s sexual scandals as president. Trump’s caustic comments about Hispanics, women, Muslims and his rivals for the nomination have set much of the tone for the Republican race. Clinton has accused him of being divisive and a bully. Clinton told People she could handle Trump’s barbs, but worried about the immigrants and American Muslims he targets. “I’m more concerned about the tone that is being set in the political debate this year because the last thing our country needs right now is more divisiveness, more mean-spiritedness,” she said. It was not clear when the People interview, which included Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, was conducted. Clinton won the Iowa Democratic caucuses over U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday. “I really care about what he says about other people, who don’t have the voice and the platform,” Clinton said, referring to immigrants and American Muslims. Chelsea Clinton said she has never had a relationship with Donald Trump but remains friends with his daughter, Ivanka. “I do believe that friendship is more important than politics,” she told People. “I would never hold anyone accountable for what their parents or anyone else in their family said or did.” (Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Trott) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage. | 0fake |
Trump 'unbelievably impressed' with Sen. Sessions: statement | (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump has been deeply impressed with U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, his transition team said on Thursday of the longtime supporter who is under consideration for secretary of defense and attorney general. “While nothing has been finalized and he is still talking with others as he forms his Cabinet, the president-elect has been unbelievably impressed with Senator Sessions and his phenomenal record as Alabama’s Attorney General and U.S. Attorney,” the team said in a statement. Sessions met with Trump on Wednesday in New York. | 0fake |
The State of the Clinton-Trump Race: Is It Over? - The New York Times | It has been three weeks since Democrats gathered for their convention, and Hillary Clinton still holds a large and consistent lead in national and battleground state polls. Her national lead over Donald J. Trump of seven to eight percentage points could slip a bit over the next few weeks. But it has been long enough that much of her expected convention “bounce” should have faded. It leaves Mr. Trump in an unenviable position: No modern candidate who has trailed by this much a few weeks after the conventions has gone on to win the presidency. On that basis, you can expect a wave of articles about how the presidential race is basically “over. ” That’s probably a bit too strong, at least from a historical point of view. The Upshot’s model gives Mrs. Clinton an 88 percent chance of winning. It’s about the same probability of hitting a field goal from the line. That’s a pretty good way to think about it. If Mrs. Clinton ultimately wins, we will probably look back and say she had more or less already won it by this point. If she loses, these next two months will be talked about for decades. The analogy has one big weakness: She may win this by a lot more than a field goal. The possibility of a landslide victory for Mrs. Clinton — one larger than any since 1984 in the national popular vote — is larger than the chance that Mr. Trump will pull it out. According to The Upshot model, Mrs. Clinton has a better shot at winning the red state of South Carolina than Mr. Trump has at winning the presidency. In that sense, perhaps Mrs. Clinton’s position is more like having a lead at the beginning of the third quarter. At this point, it’s probably fair to say that Mrs. Clinton’s lead is real and durable. Gallup data indicates that the bounce is largely over: Both Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton’s favorability ratings have returned to where they were before the conventions. Mrs. Clinton’s gains have proved relatively durable in part because they’ve come from voters who seem unlikely to defect to Mr. Trump. Recent polls have shown her with the support of up to 90 percent of Bernie Sanders’s supporters, and more than 90 percent of Democrats. There is one key respect in which Mrs. Clinton’s big lead doesn’t look so durable, at least in historical terms: She holds only around 48 percent of the vote, and has a commanding lead only because Mr. Trump is stuck around 40 percent. In today’s polarized electorate, he can be polling so low only because he hasn’t unified voters who traditionally lean Republican in presidential elections. Astonishingly, several surveys have shown Mr. Trump with less than 70 percent of Republican voters. This type of disunity is the basic story behind two of the biggest comebacks in modern history, Hubert Humphrey’s late surge in 1968 and Gerald Ford’s in 1976. Both candidates had divisive conventions, and they left without fully unified parties. Both trailed by double digits in August and September polls, often with less than 35 percent of the vote. But in the end, the Republican faithful returned to Mr. Ford, and most Northern Democrats returned to Mr. Humphrey. Mr. Ford lost by just two percentage points, and Mr. Humphrey by less than one point. The elections ended up as two of the three closest presidential contests of the 20th century. If you’re a fan of Mr. Trump looking for hope and a relevant precedent for a comeback, this is my best comparison. No, Mr. Humphrey and Mr. Ford didn’t win. But clearly they could have. The problem, though, is that there are unusually good reasons to question whether Mr. Trump will ever reunify voters. Many Republican voters have an unfavorable impression of him — worse still, many don’t even think he has the knowledge, temperament or qualifications to be president, according to polling. The most obvious sign that this year is different is the behavior of Republican politicians: Seven Senate Republicans have not yet endorsed Mr. Trump. This is highly unusual. It’s also a problem that could get worse. More Republicans could abandon him, especially if his big deficit in the polls holds, perhaps making it even more acceptable for Republican voters to follow suit. None of this information is incorporated into the statistical models used by The Upshot or other sites, like FiveThirtyEight. To extend the football analogy, the model has no idea whether the quarterback of the trailing team is Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. If Mr. Trump can’t reunify voters, Mrs. Clinton really could win in a landslide. Perhaps many Republicans would skip the presidential race on the ballot, vote for a candidate, or even stay home. A small but important number would vote for Mrs. Clinton. Maybe she could win by something like 54 to 42, and squeak out a win in South Carolina. But if Mr. Trump could make progress in reunifying Republicans, Mrs. Clinton would quickly find herself in a tighter race. She would still have the advantage — that 48 percent she currently holds in the polls doesn’t leave Mr. Trump very much room. To squeak out a win, Mr. Trump would need to win over enough white voters, particularly white men without a degree, to compensate for his weakness among voters and Hispanic and especially women. This is what the polls showed when Mr. Trump was in a close race or even ahead — as was the case in May or in July. Historically, neither a Clinton landslide nor a close Trump win can be ruled out with days to go. Then again, historically — based on fundamentals like the “time for a change” theory of presidential elections — one would expect the Republicans to be or even slight favorites to win this election. They are not favored anymore, in no small part because Mr. Trump has been performing a lot more like Mr. Leaf than Mr. Manning. If he keeps doing so over these final months, he could close off what few opportunities he might have left. | 0fake |
HILLARY CLINTON RAPE ENABLER: “What kind of monster does this?” [Video] | 1real | |
Religion & Politics: A Bad Mix | October Sky, Good Harbor Beach MA(image by Richard Turcotte) License DMCA Religion is what gives people hope in a world torn apart by religion - Jon Stewart Our Constitution granted each and every one of us the freedom to believe or not believe as we decide. That protection applies to all of us, and when one group has decreed by some spiritual osmosis that their version of the unverifiable and occasionally insane has been decreed as the new Law, then it is up to the rest of us to put that crazy back where it belongs: away from public influence. It's done enough damage as it is. Mankind offers a long history of reliance on others by religious believers with the former being no more intelligent or enlightened than the average man/woman on the street (often far less, if history--or current events--is our guide). Personal thought and introspection have accordingly been relinquished--then, and certainly now. Those presumably more enlightened individuals [bear with me] in turn define and explain their versions of truths, beliefs, and obligations--all in the context of a judging, to-be-feared-and-obeyed, person-like Entity. No small measure of self-interest factors in to their assessments. Keeping ardent followers sufficiently agitated about some loving Deity's wrath [an oxymoron on a grand scale!] allows those professing a direct phone line to the One and Only all the time and opportunity they need to preserve their political and economic advantages without so much as a peep from those loyal supplicants. Hell of a racket.... The current crop of Its spokespeople earn kudos for the ways in which they have fashioned very creative takes on what they claim to be The One and Only Word. Perhaps it's time that we all recognize and simply accept [assuming we accept any kind of theology to begin with] that one religious conviction is in fact no more rational--or irrational--than another. With so many contradictory beliefs, either there is some other unifying and overarching principle, or we will continue to sabotage ourselves and the future of generations to follow by fighting to assert we're right and everyone else is wrong. We own that choice. By its very nature the Source of our Universe is unfathomable. We simply do not have the means or capabilities to define with certainty that great mystery--try as we do. So instead, a great many among us have fashioned a notion that some human-like-but-slightly-better-and-bigger-person-like God/Allah/Whatever created all. Furthermore--apparently--only some know just what It wants from us. That is so convenient, isn't it! - Advertisement - That also frees up some thinking time on the part of those same loyal followers. Why think if someone else is willing to do all of that hard work for us, Right? Aside from that perk, this ceding of rational contemplation is a problem. Always has been. It will continue to be. For all of us, that must change. Acquiescence--or silence--each carry consequences. Were they limited to those followers disinclined to ponder their marching orders, we would certainly have at least one less set of concerns on our plates. If only.... Any honest reading of American history does not suggest a Christian nation that has had secularism forced on it in recent years by liberal forces, but the opposite. Ours is a country that has always been basically secular but has always had to contend with a loud-mouthed minority of theocrats who periodically succeed at using government to push religion until the forces of secularism beat them back again. It's obvious why conservative Christians would like to believe otherwise. Believing they're an oppressed group being denied their birthright is a lot more fun than accepting that they are an oppressive group trying to steal basic freedoms from everyone else. Ignorance, narrow-mindedness, self-serving behaviors, paranoia, fears, and the full range of irrational, fact-challenged nonsense do not manifest themselves inside a protective bubble. The more we collectively permit the subtle infiltration of curiously hypocritical mandates into policy-making, the more certain we can be that outcomes will benefit only very few. Basic math skills tell us that when only a few "win," most lose. That's not a good place for us to be. - Advertisement - Adapted from a blog post of mine View Ratings | Rate It http://richardturcotte.com/
Looking Left and Right: Inspiring Different Ideas, Envisioning Better Tomorrows Rich Turcotte is a retired attorney, former financial advisor, and now a writer. The mission: informing others about the significance and impact of Peak ( more... ) | 1real |
Trump supports completion of Dakota Access Pipeline | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said for the first time that he supports the completion of a pipeline project near a North Dakota Indian reservation, which has been the subject of months of protests by tribes and environmentalists. A communications briefing from Trump’s transition team said despite media reports that Trump owns a stake in Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the pipeline, Trump’s support of the pipeline “has nothing to do with his personal investments and everything to do with promoting policies that benefit all Americans.” “Those making such a claim are only attempting to distract from the fact that President-elect Trump has put forth serious policy proposals he plans to set in motion on Day One,” said the daily briefing note sent to campaign supporters and congressional staff. Activists have spent months protesting plans to route the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, saying the project poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites. On Thursday, U.S. military veterans were arriving at a camp to join thousands of activists braving snow and freezing temperatures to protest the pipeline. Republican Trump has been a vocal supporter of another high-profile pipeline project, Transcanada’s Keystone XL, which Democratic President Barack Obama denied a permit for last year. Republican North Dakota Senator John Hoeven said he met with Trump’s transition team to discuss the delayed pipeline. “Today, Mr. Trump expressed his support for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has met or exceeded all environmental standards set forth by four states and the Army Corps of Engineers,” Hoeven said in a statement. “It is important to know that the new administration will work to help us grow and diversify our energy economy and build the energy infrastructure necessary to move it from where it is produced to where it is needed,” he said. | 0fake |
This Indonesian Volcano Is Deadly, But When Night Falls It Turns Into Something Stunningly Beautiful | posted by Eddie As night begins to fall across East Java, Indonesia, the color palette of the world grows more subdued. That is, except in one area, where one of the most spectacular shows on Earth is about to take place. This is Kawah Ijen, a living volcano in eastern Java. It looks just like any other active volcano. That is to say: nothing grows on it, nor, if it can be helped, goes near it. Yet there are people who often have to venture to the volcano, regardless of the danger it may cause. This is because of the hot vents around the volcano slope, which pump out sulfur – something that can be extracted and sold and which, as a result, can help earn locals a living. This means that sometimes around Kawah Ijen a number of sulfur miners can be seen hanging around the vents. Some of them hold damp rags to their mouths to act as barriers against breathing in the toxic sulfur gas. It’s a necessary precaution for those who aim to harvest this bright yellow element. This process, however, is made easier by the addition of ceramic pipes, which were attached to one of the volcano’s vents. When the sulfur gas comes up through the Earth’s crust, then, it enters the pipes, cools into a liquid and eventually becomes solid. That’s when the workmen fragment the sulfur and heave the resulting deposits onto their backs to transport it away. Still, the miners don’t get much for their labor. Each pound of hard-earned sulfur, in fact, earns them less than 25 cents’ return. Still, there are some perks to the backbreaking work –particularly for those who graft when the sun is set. That’s when night finally does fall, an amazing change takes place. The deadly sulfur gas that was hardly visible before suddenly erupts in blue blazing flame. And those hot flames trickle down the mountainside – like a river. This amazing feat of nature works like this. The gaseous sulfur that pumps up through the Earth is extremely hot, at 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit, and that makes it very, very combustible. And once this heated sulfur comes in contact with oxygen, it bursts into flames – specifically, electric blue-colored ones. These cobalt fires, moreover, leap out of the vents to heights of up to 16 feet. Even as it burns, though, some of the gas begins to condense. And as it condenses, it forms liquid, yet continues to burn. That’s why you get liquid rivers of blue flame sometimes flowing down Kawah Ijen – and why it is also known as the Blue Fire Crater. But this eyecatching spectacle isn’t totally unique to the East Java volcano. After all, similar “rivers” of blue fire occur at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, when forest fires mix with sulfur from vents. The result, then, is a brilliant blue burst of flame. One of the most intriguing aspects of the blue flame phenomenon, however, is that it can only be witnessed at night. During the day, even though the fires burn just the same, they’re pretty much invisible to the naked eye. Indeed, finding molten sulfur around hot vents, which are also known as fumaroles, is not uncommon. This is because sulfur has a low melting point compared to other subterranean elements. As a consequence, the heat of the vent is often enough to turn the sulfur into a gas. What’s more, there are legends of this kind of fire that stretch back thousands of years. Ancient people living in Italy described this phenomenon, saying that they saw molten blue fire flowing down Mount Vesuvius as well as on a small island near Sicily called – aptly enough – Vulcano. And according to French photographer Olivier Grunewald, those old reports may have some basis in fact. “Blue flames may also be observed at the base of the plume of erupting volcanoes, when ash explosions occur,” he told National Geographic in January 2014. Indeed, Grunewald has explored other parts of the world where similar phenomena occur. In the Afar region in Ethiopia, for example, there is a volcano called Dallol which sometimes emits a blue-tinged light. And Grunewald is just one of the photographers who has braved Kawah Ijen to document its bright lights on film. Another is Reuben Wu, whose astonishing images here intimately show the power and danger of the sulfurous mountain. Speaking of danger, there’s yet another peril to be found at Kawah Ijen, in the form of its crater lake. That just happens to be the largest body of water featuring hydrochloric acid on the planet, at 650 feet deep and almost half a mile wide. But where does the acid come from? It comes from the volcano itself, in fact, which releases hydrogen chloride gas. This gas in turn reacts with the water in the crater and turns it into an acid. The acid is extremely concentrated and the pH is almost 0 – as acidic as it can be. There are fears, then, that if the crater bursts like a dam on its weakest side, it could be disastrous. But fortunately for those who don’t want to risk seeing the blue fire in person but who still clamor to see it in action, there’s a French documentary showcasing the amazing lights produced at Kawah Ijen. The film uses Grunewald’s footage to explore the sulfuric volcano in detail, along with – of course – shots of its stunning night-time displays. Source: | 1real |
George Michael Died of Heart Condition, Coroner Says - The New York Times | LONDON — George Michael, the English who became a pop legend in the 1980s and ’90s and who was found dead on Christmas Day, died of a heart condition, according to a coroner’s statement released on Tuesday. Darren Salter, the senior coroner for Oxfordshire County, said Mr. Michael, 53, died at his home in of natural causes: dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver. Dilated cardiomyopathy develops when the heart’s ventricles enlarge and weaken, a process that usually starts in the left ventricle. The weakening of the heart’s chambers causes the heart muscle to work harder, and over time that reduces its ability to pump blood. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. Fat buildup in the liver can be caused by drinking alcohol, but there is also a common nonalcoholic variant that is related to being overweight or obese. Mr. Michael had a history of hard living: In 2007 he was sentenced to community service and barred from driving for two years after he was found asleep behind the wheel of a car while under the influence of drugs. The following year, he was arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine. Mr. Salter’s statement did not specify the cause of the fat building in the liver. Because the death was natural, “the investigation is being discontinued and there is no need for an inquest or any further enquiries,” Mr. Salter said in a statement. “No further updates will be provided and the family requests the media and public respect their privacy. ” Mr. Michael, who was born in London to a British mother and a Greek Cypriot father, started the group Wham! with a high school friend, Andrew Ridgeley. The pair became household names with the 1984 single “Wake Me Up Before You . ” They split up in 1986, and Mr. Michael began a solo career with his album “Faith,” released in 1987. His final studio album featuring new songs was “Patience” in 2004. On Monday, Mr. Michael was celebrated at Paris Fashion Week when the designer Stella McCartney closed her show with a procession of models dancing to his song “Faith” and chanting the words “love” and “faith. ” Mr. Michael had famously cast five supermodels who had appeared together on the cover of British Vogue — Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz — in the David video for his 1990 song “Freedom! ’90. ” | 0fake |
Watch up! Mission Impossible against voter registration to make Trump Win starts from Indiana! | Watch up! Mission Impossible against voter registration to make Trump Win starts from Indiana! page: 1 The Peace of God to all that belong to the Light, Dear Readers, A so serious and suspicious move in Indiana today is practically leaving 45000 voters, the major part of which are African American, possibly out of any possibility to vote this November 8th Presidential Election, this following instructions of the Vice Presidential Republican Nominee and Governor of the State Mike Pence. Please Read: thinkprogress.org... Patriot Majority alleges the investigation and raid were political moves, and that Lawson worked closely with Gov. Mike Pence (R), who has pushed the “voter fraud” conspiracy on the campaign trail alongside Donald Trump. “We’ve seen nothing but partisan activity from the secretary of state, and even from the police,” Buck said. “They saw that there was a very successful voter registration drive happening, and this was an attempt to shut it down.” “It’s clear that the governor or the governor’s staff are very aware and involved in what’s happening,” he continued. “It fits into the Trump/Pence narrative that in certain neighborhoods, you have to watch how many times people show up to vote and how things happen.” If this situation is Not fully clarified in the following hours we could see in the General election how Trump will probably take Indiana with a really small margin of votes by blocking these voters to be able to express their decision freely. All this operation of today is part of carefully designed Republican strategy to use the excuse of a possible fraud to justify arbitrary measures that will prevent many Americans to elect the next President, is a political boycott of the General Election. Please check: theintercept.com... This is an Red Alert to all voters that oppose Donald Trump to watch carefully the behavior and decisions taken by the Republican governors to try to favor their Candidate. “They saw that there was a very successful voter registration drive happening, and this was an attempt to shut it down.” Please check: www.dailykos.com... The thread is open not only to discuss this so dark operation but also to invite other members of ATS community to report irregularities of any kind that are right now taking place to assure that on November who become elected will be President not because it has really the support of the majority but because thousands of Americans are going to be deprived of their right to vote. Voter registration drives across the country follow similar protocol, without being subject to investigations. A Huffington Post investigation reported that “it seems the extraordinary investigation is likely to find no more than potential technical violations of obscure regulations for third-party voter registration groups.” Thanks for your attention, | 1real |
OK, It’s Over – We Finally Know The TRUTH About Trump’s Word ‘Bigly’ (VIDEO) | OK, It’s Over – We Finally Know The TRUTH About Trump’s Word ‘Bigly’ (VIDEO) By Paddy Maclachlan on October 29, 2016 Subscribe
At this point in the election run-up, we know an awful lot about Republican candidate Donald Trump – probably more than we want to.
But there’s one thing about him that has puzzled a lot of people – his use of the word ‘bigly.’
What the heck does it mean? Is he trying to use it as you’d use a word such as ‘largely’ or ‘finally’? Would the opposite of ‘bigly’ be ‘littlely’? Is his grasp of the English language really that bad?
He has used it a lot in his campaign speeches, and it has even been transcribed and reported at times as ‘bigly.’ Some people have decided he’s actually saying ‘big league.’ Others aren’t so sure.
It turns out that it’s not his vocabulary that’s at fault, it’s his pronunciation.
Raymond Navarro of Catholic broadcaster EWTN asked him directly in an interview this week if he’s saying ‘bigly’ or ‘big league.’ Trump responded : “I use big league.”
You can see the exchange on 25:05 in this video clip from the interview.
The fact that he’s saying ‘big league’ was also affirmed by his son Donald Trump Jr. who was asked about it after the September 26 presidential debate.
So now the mystery is over. But not before broadcast and social media had a lot of bigly fun with it. Watch this funny clip from Bloomberg, which was made before the truth was revealed. It contains all the bigly/big league confusion you can handle.
Featured image: screenshot from YouTube video Connect with me | 1real |
John Mayer Has More to Say: The Outtakes - The New York Times | For this Sunday’s Arts and Leisure section, I profiled John Mayer, the singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso, who also happens to be a prodigious talker — for better or worse. In 2010, a run of interviews changed the course of his career as both a musician and a celebrity. “Only recently do I make decisions about putting a record or a video out that aren’t saddled with guilt,” he said this month in Los Angeles. “I feel like I have a) done the work and b) been out long enough so that people can believe I’ve done the work. ” He added: “It took me five years to go, ‘O. K. come on, let’s go back to the party. You’re not going to make a fool of yourself. ’” As Mr. Mayer prepped for the release next month of his new album, “The Search for Everything,” which he hopes will be return to the pop mainstream, I trailed him between the recording studio and a shoot for a music video, a frenetic four days capped by an additional interview over dinner. Below are some additional edited excerpts from our hours of conversation. (You can read the full story here.) “Your No. 1 Google result is a certain thing, but you’ve got to do something bigger than that to knock it off of first place. For me, when I was at my most popular, I maligned myself. It’s a very interesting thing because if, when you mellow out in your life, it’s the wrong time . .. I think a lot of people’s last impression of me is outdated. “As I autopsy that part of my life, it turns out that I was under the impression that I was a bigger star than I was. I appreciate that there was a market correction. I actually really do. There was a market correction and I’m probably about as big as I should be. ” [He quickly revised this statement.] “I’d like to be a little bigger. ” “My brother just had a baby. That’ll rattle you, man. I’m looking at these pictures of him giving her a bath when I’m lying in a hotel penthouse in Hollywood and it’s almost a cliché. The oxytocin flows freely in my brain when I see that stuff. “[For me,] everything anatomically and chemically is healthy. It works. All the mechanisms are in place. It’s just the life that I have, which is fabulous — it’s just a bit more time on the International Space Station. Don’t ever let me give you the sense that I don’t love being on the International Space Station. It’s a pretty cool reason why you haven’t settled down — because you’re an astronaut. I’ve never hated it. Sometimes I get upset at the way that it is, but the real question is: Will the appearance of this job prevent what I’m absolutely entitled to psychologically? That’s the scary part. “I’m still always going to be a kid from Fairfield, Conn. They don’t make rock stars in Fairfield, Conn. They don’t. They make good people who get a job, get married, they watch TV together, they start a life together and make other good people. ” “I live for FedEx tracking numbers. I have a FedEx tracking number that’s so hot right now I’ll be watching it all night like Norad tracking Santa Claus. It’s from Japan, it’s getting here tomorrow. But [my stuff] gets held up in customs a lot because it’s so much Japanese clothing that customs is like, ‘What store is this going to?’ Like, no, it’s a person. ‘It can’t be going to a person, this is too much commercial value. ’” “‘Your Body Is a Wonderland’ lives so much in its own atmosphere that it’s like it’s been handed to me by some other person. There was a time where I didn’t want to play it, where I took it very personally that people were making jokes about it. Now I go: ‘It’s kind of cool to have one.’ I don’t know if you’ve made it if you don’t have the one [thing] that the least initiated person can yell at you when they see you. Dave Chappelle has Rick James, you know?” “We live in a time right now where the message will be judged against the messenger. There are times when I say to myself, ‘I don’t have the right to.’ Because I haven’t introduced myself to the world or placed myself as a mouthpiece in that way, I guess I shied away from it. ” “I had the most incredible time there and I learned a lot about who I used to be, because I used to have my heart out in front of me to every person I met. It didn’t matter who you were. I didn’t have time to make a value judgment. Everybody would get to look at it and touch it and put their gum out on it. And I would leave sad because I would go in with this huge, heavy beating heart for somebody to come put their arms around me and think I was great. And they just wouldn’t because you don’t do that at a party. “But I go through the therapy and I grow up and I dig out the things that were stuck in the fibers. [At the party,] I didn’t put my heart out to anybody that I didn’t know. I didn’t even bother going up to people that I didn’t know. The thing I told myself, which is so healthy — so please don’t tell me that I’m wrong — was: ‘She doesn’t care about me.’ It’s not my job to win them all over. ” “You are not included in something if you are a solo artist. You cannot feel inclusion. You cannot feel being under a wing. I had never before been out of that role where you are in the saddle and everything is your call and all eyes are on you. Since I was a teenager! I was just there as a piece of their puzzle. ” “Here’s what’ll happen: Some people will write, ‘I can’t front, John Mayer’s got moves, though.’ And some people are going to write, ‘John Mayer looks hideously dumb dancing.’ Here’s my prediction: The people who say that I have moves aren’t fans of mine and the people who say that I was hideous and made a fool of myself are John Mayer fans. Because they just don’t see me that way. ” | 0fake |
A perfect mashup of “Stranger Things” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” | Next Prev Swipe left/right A perfect mashup of “Stranger Things” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Will Byers needs cheering up when he gets back from the Upside Down, in this wonderful animated mashup of Stranger Things and the classic festive special A Charlie Brown Christmas . | 1real |
JUST IN: FBI Reopens Hillary Clinton Email Probe | JUST IN: FBI Reopens Hillary Clinton Email Probe Please scroll down for video
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced its plans to reopen the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails just 11 days before the presidential election, reigniting a massive controversy that has haunted the Clinton campaign for months.
Three months after the investigation was closed, FBI director James Comey said he found more emails that were "pertinent" to the investigation of Ms Clinton’s personal email server, which Ms Clinton had been accused of misusing during her tenure as secretary of state.
“In previous congressional testimony I refer to the fact that the FBI has completed its investigation of former secretary Clinton’s personal email server," Mr Comey said.
"Due to recent developments I am writing to supplement my previous testimony. Related Articles FBI Successfully Recovers Hillary Clinton’s Deleted Emails
"In connection with an unrelated case the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent, and I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday and I agreed the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation."
He said he "cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant", and did not say how long the investigation would take.
The new investigation is reportedly not related to WikiLeaks.
The email controversy has dogged Ms Clinton's campaign for months.
She repeatedly said she handed over 33,000 emails to the FBI and the Justice Department to determine whether she had sent or received top secret or classified information on an unsecured server.
The FBI also denied a "quid pro quo" arrangement with the state department to downgrade certain information in the emails from "classified" to "unclassified" .
Mr Comey told the Justice Department in July that although Ms Clinton had displayed "extreme carelessness" which could have lead to adversaries hacking her account, he did not recommend any criminal charges.
The Justice Department decided to clear the presidential nominee of all charges the same month.
It is not yet known where these new emails came from or what they say. The Clinton campaign has not yet commented.
As the news broke, Ms Clinton was flying to Iowa to speak alongside women's rights leaders at two rallies.
At a rally in New Hampshire, Donald Trump told the crowds: "Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must not let take her criminal scheme into the oval office.
"I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to write the horrible mistake that they made."
He has previously said Ms Clinton should be behind bars and accused her of "deleting thousands of emails" to hide them from the FBI, which Ms Clinton denied.
The news was also jumped on by Republicans including house speaker Paul Ryan, who said Ms Clinton had "nobody but herself to blame but herself".
"She was entrusted with our nation's most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information," he said in a statement, renewing his call to exclude Ms Clinton from any classified briefings until the matter was "fully resolved".
Along with the investigation over her emails sent and received as secretary of state, the US government recently accused Russia of hacking emails from the Democratic National Convention, which exposed Ms Clinton's team's planned smear of former opponent Bernie Sanders. Related Articles | 1real |
Syrian army and allies close in on Islamic State in Deir al-Zor | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops seized a suburb of the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Sunday, tightening the noose around Islamic State, a Syrian military source said. The army pushed into the city this month with the help of Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, breaking an Islamic State siege of an enclave there that had lasted three years. On Sunday, the Syrian army and allied forces captured al-Jafra district on the western bank of the Euphrates river, the military source said. They have no outlet except crossing the Euphrates towards the eastern bank and fleeing towards the desert, or (the towns) al-Bukamal and al-Mayadin, the source told Reuters. Moscow and Washington are backing separate offensives in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zor bordering Iraq. Both have advanced from opposite sides of the Euphrates which bisects the province, Islamic State s last major foothold in Syria. Russian- and U.S.-backed offensives against Islamic State have mostly stayed out of each other s way, with the Euphrates often acting as the dividing line. But the Pentagon accused Russia this week of bombing U.S.-backed forces on the river s eastern bank. Russia s Defence Ministry rejected the allegations on Sunday. Moscow had warned the United States well in advance of its operational plans and its jets only targeted Islamic State militants, it said. Russia s RIA news agency cited an unnamed source as saying the Syrian army had cut Islamic State s main supply line in Deir al-Zor city. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces took al-Jafra near the city s air base overnight, though Islamic State militants still hold nearly a third of the city. Russian jets pounded movements across the river as Islamic State fighters tried to escape in ferries, and many civilians, including families of the militants, had also tried to flee across the river in recent days, it said. Separate air strikes by Russia and by the U.S.-led coalition killed more than 34 people, including children, across Deir al-Zor province over the past day, the war monitor said. Islamic State controls much of the desert region around Deir al-Zor city, where its fighters are also under attack from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance. With jets and special forces from the U.S.-led coalition, the alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias is battling Islamic State in the northern parts of Deir al-Zor province. The SDF said it had taken 14 villages and farms, two towns, and some factories on the eastern bank of the Euphrates since launching its assault last week. | 0fake |
Michael Moore Drops MAJOR Truth Bomb About Why Trump Is Self-Destructing | Just a few days after activist and filmmaker Michael Moore wrote an open letter to Ivanka Trump begging her to convince her father to end his presidential campaign because Trump is not well, Moore has released another article explaining the insane downward spiral that Trump s campaign has been going down.According to Moore s column on the AlterNet, Trump is trying to lose this election on purpose because he never wanted to be President of the United States in the first place. Moore believes that the only reason Trump was running was so that he could get a better deal on the next season of his reality TV show The Apprentice. Moore wrote that Trump: never wanted to be president of the United States. I know this for a fact. I m not going to say how I know it. I m not saying that Trump and I shared the same agent or lawyer or stylist or, if we did, that that would have anything to do with anything. And I m certainly not saying that I ever overheard anything at those agencies or in the hallways of NBC or anywhere else. But there are certain people reading this right now, they know who they are, and they know that every word in the following paragraphs actually happened. Moore outlined that Trump had actually been bitter about a deal involving his shows, and felt this was a way to get more money out of it. Trump openly admitted that he was thinking about moving his shows to another network, and then launched a presidential campaign that was never meant to make it this far. So, on June 16th of last year, he rode down his golden escalator and opened his mouth. With no campaign staff, no 50-state campaign infrastructure neither of which he needed because, remember, this wasn t going to be a real campaign and with no prepared script, he went off the rails at his kick-off press conference, calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers and pledging to build a wall to keep them all out. Jaws in the room were agape. His comments were so offensive, NBC, far from offering him a bigger paycheck, immediately fired him with this terse statement: Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump. Of course, Trump s plans backfired because he found himself fired by NBC. But another thing he didn t expect, was that he had struck a nerve in America s most racist and hateful population. Moore said: And then something happened. And to be honest, if it happened to you, you might have reacted the same way. Trump, to his own surprise, ignited the country, especially among people who were the opposite of billionaires. He went straight to #1 in the polls of Republican voters. Up to 30,000 boisterous supporters started showing up to his rallies. TV ate it up. He became addicted to the way people responded to him, so his presidential campaign only continued on: Trump fell in love with himself all over again, and he soon forgot his mission to get a good deal for a TV show. Trump never expected to become the leader of the GOP, but after winning the New Jersey primary, Moore believes that Trump s thoughts were something like, I m actually going to be the Republican nominee and my rich beautiful life is f#*@ing over! Upon realizing that he wanted nothing to do with actually leading the country, Trump has been on self-destruction mode with controversy after controversy over the past few weeks. By this past weekend, the look on his face said it all I hate this! I want my show back! But it was too late. He was damaged goods, his brand beyond repair, a worldwide laughing stock and worse, a soon-to-be loser. Many now are sensing the end game here because they know Trump seriously doesn t want to do the actual job and, most importantly, he cannot and WILL NOT suffer through being officially and legally declared a loser LOSER! on the night of November 8th. The fact that Trump has been self-sabotaging is a theory that is being touted more and more now that Trump s behavior becomes even more erratic. Moore s insight definitely makes sense here. Trump was a victim of his own ego and how he (and the GOP) are stuck with the consequences.Featured image is a screenshot | 1real |
Ex-Trump staffer sues campaign, alleges gun incident in North Carolina | (Reuters) - A former North Carolina staffer is suing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, saying a top employee in the state working on the Republican’s White House bid once pulled a gun on him and that after he reported it, the campaign took no action. Vincent Bordini, who said he was hired in December 2015 as a software trainer, said Earl Phillip, then Trump’s North Carolina state director, pointed a pistol at his kneecap while the two were in a car together in February, according to a lawsuit dated Wednesday and filed in state court. Bordini said he reported the incident to several Trump campaign officials, including then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, with no result, according to the lawsuit, which was posted online by the New York Daily News. The lawsuit names Phillip and the Trump campaign as defendants. “Vincent was a passionate Donald J. Trump supporter,” the lawsuit said. “He had faith that the Trump campaign would handle the situation internally. But as time went on it became apparent that this not going to happen.” William Harding, a Charlotte-based lawyer for Phillip, called the allegations “preposterous” and said if Bordini’s claims were true, there would have been criminal action. “If someone brandished a weapon on me or assaults me, I’m going to go to the appropriate law enforcement officer,” Harding said. Phillip was replaced earlier this month as state director and moved to a diversity coalition for Trump. On Thursday, he resigned from the campaign, Harding said. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. An attorney for Bordini also did not immediately respond. The lawsuit said the gun incident occurred during a trip to South Carolina ahead of that state’s primary. Bordini said four other people had similar interactions with Phillip, but the campaign did nothing in response, the lawsuit said. | 0fake |
BUSTED: Trump Fired A Woman For Saying THIS In His Boardroom (VIDEO) | Donald Trump thinks he should be president despite bragging about sexually assaulting women by grabbing them by the p*ssy. But he once fired a woman for saying something far less inflammatory in his boardroom.During the final moments of an episode of Celebrity Apprentice in 2010, Trump listened as professional wrestler, Maria Kanellis, blasted chef Curtis Stone for using her dressing room to take a crap. The reason why I said you were so arrogant was because you came in our dressing room and you took a crap and left the stench in the room, Kanellis said while seated in the boardroom facing Trump as his son, Donald Jr., looked on.Even though his behavior was completely inappropriate, Stone and Trump focused on Kanellis using the word crap, calling it a little below the belt. Trump also called her use of the word disgusting and gross before firing her for using locker room talk. This is my boardroom, it s not a locker room. Maria, you re fired. Here s the video via Twitter:Donald Trump in 2010: This is my boardroom. It's not a locker room. Maria, you re fired. \_( )_/ pic.twitter.com/UlsP9Xjg7F The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) October 10, 2016As you can see, this is prime example of Trump s hypocrisy. Ever since audio of his outrageous remarks about groping women came to light on Friday, Trump and his team have been writing the remarks off as mere locker room talk that should have no bearing on the election.But unlike the celebrities in the boardroom, Donald Trump is trying to gain the highest office in the United States, so his remarks, especially his use of the word p*ssy, should absolutely be held against him. They reveal his lack of character and how he treats women, whereas saying the word crap is pretty damn harmless in comparison.Donald Trump literally fired Kanellis for saying crap in his own boardroom, but he thinks he should be hired by the American people as the new president, despite using a worse word to describe how he sexually assaults women. Trump is nothing more than a misogynist who holds women to a standard that he can t follow himself. Firing a woman for saying a word instead of firing the man who took a shit in her dressing room, uninvited, proves that Trump will not be able to treat women fairly in the White House, and that he would let male employees get away with bad behavior towards them.This is not the kind of person we need leading our country.Featured Image: Ethan Miller/Getty Images | 1real |
South Carolina, Nevada polls find Clinton far ahead | (CNN) With Hillary Clinton behind in New Hampshire and holding on to a narrowing margin over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa, new CNN/ORC polls in Nevada and South Carolina suggest Clinton holds strong support in the two states that could prove to be a firewall for her.
Clinton has the support of 50% of those who say they are likely to attend the Democratic caucus scheduled for February 20 in Nevada -- which plays host to the first debate among the declared Democratic candidates on Tuesday and is the first state to elect delegates after Iowa and New Hampshire.
Sanders follows at 34%, then Vice President Joe Biden at 12%, with the rest of the field garnering less than 1% support.
After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president.
Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van.
Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state.
Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state.
After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you."
After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you."
Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April.
Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April.
Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015.
Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.
Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.
Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015.
Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015.
Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014.
Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014.
Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012.
Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012.
Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails.
Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails.
In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010.
Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010.
Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state.
Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state.
Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama.
Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama.
Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007.
Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007.
Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001.
Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001.
Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year.
Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year.
President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999.
President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999.
The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998.
The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998.
Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.
The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.
The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
Among those who say they are likely to vote in South Carolina's primary, set for one week after Nevada's caucuses, Clinton holds a larger edge, 49% to Biden's 24%, with Sanders at 18% and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley at 3%.
Should Biden decide to sit out the race for the presidency, Clinton's lead grows in both states. In South Carolina, a Biden-free race currently stands at 70% Clinton to 20% Sanders with O'Malley holding at 3%, and in Nevada, Clinton gains 8 points to 58%, while Sanders picks up just 2 points and would stand at 36%.
In South Carolina, Clinton's advantages stem largely from Sanders' unpopularity with black voters, who made up a majority of Democratic primary voters in the state in 2008, the last time there was a competitive Democratic primary. Back then, black voters broke 78% for Barack Obama to 19% for Clinton.
In the new poll, 59% of black voters say they back Clinton, 27% say Biden and just 4% for Sanders. Among white voters, Sanders has the edge, 44% to 31% for Clinton and 22% for Biden. Without Biden in the race, it's a near-even split among whites, 48% Clinton to 47% Sanders, while blacks break 84% to Clinton and just 7% would back Sanders.
These two states, along with Iowa and New Hampshire, are the only ones permitted by both major parties to hold primaries or caucuses in February, and the outcome of the contests in these early states can make or break a presidential campaign.
Clinton's stronger support in Nevada and South Carolina could bolster her campaign heading in to the large batch of "Super Tuesday" contests set to be held on March 1.
In both Nevada and South Carolina, Clinton holds double-digit advantages as the candidate who would do the best job handling the economy, health care, race relations, foreign policy and climate change, and is broadly seen as the candidate with the best chance to win in 2016 (58% say so in South Carolina, 59% in Nevada).
The margins between Clinton and Sanders narrow when it comes to which candidate is most honest and trustworthy (in South Carolina, 35% say Clinton, 27% Biden, 21% Sanders, in Nevada, 33% Sanders, 32% Clinton and 22% Biden), and in Nevada, on who best represents Democratic values (44% say Clinton, 37% Sanders) and understands the problems facing people like you (42% Clinton, 39% Sanders).
The four other candidates tested in the polls -- former Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee, Harvard professor Larry Lessig, O'Malley and former Virginia senator Jim Webb -- lag well behind Clinton, Sanders and Biden on the issues and attributes tested. None of them top 3% on any of those questions.
The economy is the clear top issue in both states, with 45% in Nevada and 43% in South Carolina calling it the most important issue in determining their vote for presidency next year. Health care and social issues follow in both states, though South Carolina voters are more apt to say health care is key than Nevada caucus-goers (29% health care, 10% social issues in South Carolina, 16% for each issue in Nevada).
Clinton's biggest issue advantage comes on foreign policy (she's up 38 points over Biden in South Carolina and 30 points over him in Nevada), while the margins are narrower on the economy (47% Clinton, 24% Biden, 18% Sanders in South Carolina, 46% Clinton, 31% Sanders, 15% Biden in Nevada) and climate change (44% Clinton, 22% Sanders and 21% Biden in South Carolina, 41% Clinton, 30% Sanders and 16% Biden in Nevada).
While Sanders and Clinton have been sparring over the economy for quite some time, both foreign policy and energy policy have earned attention from the two campaigns recently. Sanders has highlighted his opposition to the Iraq war in 2002 as a foreign policy credential, while Clinton declared her opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.
The CNN/ORC polls were conducted by telephone October 3-10. A total of 1,009 South Carolina adults were interviewed, including 301 who said they were likely to vote in the Democratic presidential primary. In Nevada, interviews were conducted with 1,011 adults, including 253 who said they were likely to participate in the Democratic presidential caucus. Results among likely Democratic voters in South Carolina have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points, for Nevada Democratic caucusgoers, it is 6 points. | 0fake |
Bombshell: Clinton Campaign Was Heavily Funded by Monsanto | Print Email http://humansarefree.com/2016/11/bombshell-clinton-campaign-was-heavily.html Julian Assange's sacrificial effort to expose the vast corruption behind the Clinton Machine through his "WikiLeaks" releases, has done so much over the past year to change the course of both the nation and the world for the better – most notably with the recent election of outsider Donald J. Trump as America's next president-elect. But what else do these WikiLeaks releases reveal that hasn't been covered by the media, particularly with regards to food policy?A simple search for the word "Monsanto" in The Podesta Emails batch of leaked email documents shows that the biotechnology giant is a close friend of Hillary Clinton and her family's Clinton Foundation – big surprise, right? Dozens of emails and email chains speak about the world's most evil corporation, several discussing its many contributions to what has now been exposed as a massive money-laundering "charity" scam that the Clintons used to line their own pockets.Along with Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble and a multitude of other ill-regarded multinationals, Monsanto is exposed as being a longtime contributor to the Clinton Foundation, likely "scratching the back" of the organization with pay-to-play "donations" in exchange for political favors. This is, of course, what the Clinton Foundation is all about, we now know, which is why the Clinton campaign worked so hard during the final days of the election to keep all eyes distracted from WikiLeaks.But these tactics ultimately failed, and what the public now has access to via WikiLeaks is incredibly telling as to the nature of Clinton's relationship with Monsanto. While secretary of state, for instance, Hillary Clinton used her position to "target" nation states that hadn't yet accepted Monsanto's agenda . Countries that didn't cooperate with the plan to adopt transgenic crop technology, it was revealed, were punished with economic and other forms of "retaliation."After word of all this broke headlines, Hillary Clinton earned herself the name "Bride of Frankenfood" for her now-exposed ties to the biotechnology industry, a position that way-back-when cost her in terms of public support. But what we now know from WikiLeaks is that Clinton's handlers worked overtime to rebrand her as an opponent of genetically-modified organisms ( GMOs ), a position that her primary opponent Bernie Sanders genuinely held, and that helped him tremendously in gaining grassroots support. Hillary campaign tried to steal Bernie Sanders' platform, emails reveal Back in March, a peculiar email sent from Gary Hirschberg, chairman of the "Just Label It" GMO labeling campaign to John Podesta , campaign chairman of the Clinton campaign, exposes plans by insiders to rebrand Hillary as some type of hero for food freedom. Dated March 16, 2016, the email sent by Hirschberg , who also serves as chairman of the organic brand Stonyfield Farm, urges Podesta to have Hillary "weigh in" on the GMO issue "if we hope to tap the Bernie progressives' enthusiasm after he concedes."Clinton's attempt to ride on the coattails of Bernie's legacy ultimately failed, but it wasn't the only time that such a strategy was attempted. According to another email , the campaign also tried to brainstorm ways to rebrand Clinton as a dynamic candidate who demonstrated genuine human emotions, as opposed to the "overly programmed" liberal demagogue perception that dominated her previous run for the presidency.All in all, 46 emails in The Podesta Emails archive make mention of Monsanto, and many others discuss biotechnology and other elements of the industrial agriculture system to which Hillary Clinton is bound in allegiance due to her strong financial connections with this industry. Now that she's out of the running for president, though, the American people will hopefully no longer have to endure anymore of her lies. Reference: http://www.naturalnews.com | 1real |
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