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The Sad Truth About Melania Trump’s Plagiarism Snafu | First of all, poor Melania. She was just trying to do her part and get the hell out of there. She deviated not a word from the teleprompter, except when thrown by unfamiliar words—like when “adversaries” came out as “advisories.” Hey, they’re similar.
Second of all, how the hell does this even happen? Watch the video of Melania and Michelle Obama superimposed upon each other, and you get a sense of how audacious the theft was and how perfect-for-TV this brouhaha is. If someone wrote the speech for Melania, how did that person get hired? And if Melania wrote it herself, who let that happen? (Rule for first gentlemen and first ladies: do not pick your own words.)
In case you missed it, I’m referring to the Melania-Michelle plagiarism flap—that Melania lifted some paragraphs out of Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech. It is a major embarrassment to the Trump campaign and, without doubt, to Melania. That said, let’s not exaggerate its importance. Writing in The New Republic, Brian Beutler called it “incredibly damaging”—which seems over the top. It’s devouring the oxygen right now. In 24 hours, it won’t be.
Every scandal has a half-life. The worst scandals brand you forever and keep unfolding forever. The least serious get forgotten fast and run out of gas in a day. I think Melania’s is of the latter sort.
To brand you forever, a scandal needs to reveal something hugely distasteful. This wasn’t that big a deal. She’s Donald’s wife, not Donald. To keep unfolding forever, a scandal needs to have an interesting mystery. This isn’t that interesting or mysterious. The question of how this blunder happened is worth a story, but not a lot of stories.
Contrast this with the scandal of erstwhile Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly yanked a female reporter’s arm in a boorish manner. That kept going and going because the allegations were very distasteful (assault!) and the mystery was interesting (did he really do it as claimed?). Every couple of days or so, it seemed, a new video emerged. It was an excellent dumb scandal.
Plagiarism is one of those sins that doom journalists but not politicians or their wives. In 1987, when running for president, Joe Biden plagiarized vast passages from Labour Party politician Neil Kinnock, which made for humiliating coverage. In 2008, Barack Obama lifted passages from Massachusetts then-governor Deval Patrick, a misstep that Obama smoothly batted away by saying Patrick had suggested the lines because of the two men’s shared philosophy. Both men did okay in the long run.
So this will damage Trump a little but not much. The pearl-clutching is taking place in newsrooms, not in America’s living rooms. It’s embarrassing, but it plays into no popularly accepted narrative. (That Trump’s campaign is bumbling and chaotic in its operations is known to political buffs but not the broader public.) Tomorrow, we’ll be arguing about some other snafu. And, the way things are going, we’ll have more than a few to choose from. | 0fake |
Kurdistan region asks international help to spur dialogue with Baghdad | BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq welcomed on Thursday a call by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for talks to resolve a crisis triggered by a Kurdish referendum on independence last month. Abadi spoke on Tuesday, saying he considered the Sept. 25 referendum, in which Kurds voted overwhelmingly for independence despite Baghdad s opposition, a thing of the past . The day before, the Iraqi army retook the oil-producing Kirkuk area from Kurdish Peshmerga forces on his orders. It will not be possible to resolve the issues through military operations, the KRG cabinet said in a statement after a meeting in the Kurdistan region capital Erbil. (We have) asked the international community to help both sides start a dialogue to solve the outstanding issues based on the Iraqi constitution, the statement said. Abadi had asked that the KRG cancel the outcome of the referendum as a precondition for negotiations to begin. The statement made no mention of the referendum, for which Baghdad retaliated with a series of punitive measures including the recapture of Kirkuk, which lies just outside KRG boundaries but had been in Peshmerga hands since 2014. | 0fake |
BleachBit Mocks Crooked Hillary With Brutal New Product Offering Called ‘Cloth Or Something’ | BleachBit Mocks Crooked Hillary With Brutal New Product Offering Called ‘Cloth Or Something’ The new product is a set of microfiber cloths featuring an image of Hillary Clinton holding the BleachBit logo with a quote from Clinton in response to being asked if she wiped her private email server: “Like with a cloth or something?” BleachBit, the company responsible for the file deletion software utilised by Hillary Clinton’s team to delete her emails, recently released a new product called ‘Cloth or Something.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: BleachBit, the company that makes the scorched earth software for people who really, really, REALLY need to delete emails about “grandkids and yoga classes” have expanded their product line. Need a hammer to destroy your BlackBerry? They can sell you one. Need to wipe your server clean…like with a CLOTH or something? You can now buy that, too, and just in time for the 2016 Presidential Election. If I had a liberal friend, I would celebrate Trump’s victory by sending them one. If only I had a liberal friend. Or not.
The new product is a set of microfiber cloths featuring an image of Hillary Clinton holding the BleachBit logo with a quote from Clinton in response to being asked if she wiped her private email server: “Like with a cloth or something?” ‘Like With A Cloth or Something? – Hillary Clinton Jokes About Wiping Server:
Funny thing here, Crooked Hillary always brags about “how much smarter” she is than Donald Trump, right? So WHY, I ask you, does she now want us to believe that “wiping a server clean” happens by using a cloth? Soooo, either she is a LOT dumber than Donald Trump – or – she’s a liar. Pick one! Hillary Clinton Smashed Blackberry Phones With Hammers:
Hmmm, let me see. The FBI asks me to “ preserve emails and devices “, so naturally the first thing I do is delete the emails and THEN smash the devices to smithereens with a hammer. Because that’s how honest people, with nothing to hide, act when contacted by the FBI in an investigation, right?
The product description reads , “August 2015 Hillary Clinton was asked, ‘Did you wipe your email server?’ and she evasively replied, ‘Like with a cloth or something?’ A year later we found out that ‘cloth’ was BleachBit, a software application that deletes information ‘so even God can’t read it,’ as Congressman Trey Gowdy announced August 2016.” The page goes on to list many uses for the cloths while poking fun at Clinton’s actions during the investigation: After you have smashed your BlackBerry , don’t forget to wipe the fingerprints from your email server with this non-abrasive, soft microfiber Cloth or Something. Thin, foldable size makes it easy to stash the Cloth or Something in burn bags. 6″ x 6″ size quickly wipes even the biggest email servers with thousands of emails. Buy an extra cloth for your VIP (VERY VIP) client. Optionally autographed on the back by Andrew, creator of BleachBit. Printed in the USA! Guaranteed not to prove intent, or you will get a full refund paid when you are released from prison. First-class shipping and handling is a flat rate of $2 per order. Yes, this cloth is real , and you can really buy it.
Finally the page says , “Don’t wait for a subpoena: Order Now!” | 1real |
Melissa Gilbert Never Saw Congress in Her Future - The New York Times | As a child, you played Laura Ingalls Wilder in the TV adaptation of “Little House on the Prairie. ” Now you’re running to represent the Eighth District of Michigan in Congress. If you win, will this be your first job? I’ve done volunteer work, but I’ve never been paid for it. So, yes, it will be my first. There was no salary for the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild. Famously, the SAG presidency was the thing on Ronald Reagan’s résumé that supporters pointed to when he first got into politics. Does it actually prepare you for political office? Like Washington, SAG is a system there’s a liberal and a conservative party. The names change, but when I was there, my party was called the Restore Respect Party, and my opposition was the Membership First Party. I reached across the aisle to a few people from my opponents’ party who I thought had really terrific ideas. Are there any other that you look at and see as role models? Because I am a woman doing this, I don’t know that there is anyone else out there like me. Have you heard the expression that “Washington is Hollywood for ugly people”? What a horrible thing to say. It’s far from the worst thing that’s been said about D. C. and I think there’s some truth to it: Both are full of very ambitious people who network all the time and who sometimes forget the reason they came in the first place. So, what is Hollywood the Washington for? Well, the best way I can liken the two is the Republican debates, which are the single greatest reality program on television today. How does it feel to be an entertainer running in this cycle, which has been unprecedented in its levels of theatricality? There is no theatricality going down here in the Eighth District of Michigan. You used to have a blog, and one post goes into great detail about your decision to do breast augmentation, and then your decision to have the implants removed. Do you think that your habit of being so candid is an asset as a politician, or do you think you’ll need to be a little more disciplined? Well, I’m not a traditional politician. I was not raised to be a politician. I am a citizen. I think leaders should be more candid, frankly, and less political. Unlike most people, you had a profession as a child. Did you ever go through a period in your youth when you thought about what you were going to be when you grow up? I actually wanted to be a neurosurgeon specializing in pediatric oncology. My mother practically told me, “You know that what you’re doing is a career, right?” I said, “Is it, really?” I’ve stayed in entertainment in various forms, and it’s extraordinary that all those decisions led here — I never thought I would be running for office. If you could wave a magic wand and pass any bill through Congress, what would it be? The first thing I would do is the Paycheck Fairness Act. In your 2009 memoirs, you wrote that you were considering a second career as a nurse. And on your blog, you’ve said you’re bad at . Why should voters think that running for office is more than just a whim for you? Because this campaign is my primary focus. I have the ability to focus when need be. You’re in recovery — and in recovery, it’s highly recommended that you develop a spiritual practice. What does yours look like? I have absolute belief in a higher power. I believe that I can do nothing without a community of people around me. How do these beliefs inform your politics? I have faith in people. I have a faith that love will win out. But if you look at the headlines, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love in politics these days. I’m sorry. That doesn’t feel like a question. | 0fake |
Republican Senator Collins likely 'yes' vote to advance tax reform | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who helped torpedo President Donald Trump’s effort to repeal Obamacare, said on Sunday she was leaning towards a ‘yes’ vote on the Senate budget resolution to advance tax reform. “I am likely a yes on that budget. I very much want to see tax reform,” Collins said on ABC’s “This Week” news program. The Senate is expected to vote on the fiscal 2018 measure this week. The resolution contains a legislative tool that could facilitate adoption of a tax reform bill later this year. | 0fake |
White Kids Get Medicated When They Misbehave, Black Kids Get Suspended — or Arrested | In recent years, as a national conversation about racial discrepancies in American policing has heated up, a depressing subplot has also emerged: a pattern of similar discrepancies in how discipline is meted out in schools. Black students made up just 18 percent of students in the public schools sampled by the New York Times in 2012, but “they accounted for 35 percent of those suspended once” and 39 percent of those expelled — examining federal data, the Times also noted that “nationwide, more than 70 percent of students involved in arrests or referrals to court are black or Hispanic.” Even black preschoolers were not exempt: They made up the same 18 percent of the student population, but constituted half of all suspensions.
As everyone from the Times to the ACLU has noted, the enactment of tough “zero-tolerance” policies in schools has led to the criminalization of what had previously been viewed as minor disciplinary issues. Zero-tolerance often mandates that students be suspended — even referred to law enforcement and arrested — for minor transgressions: Until a 2013 rule change, Los Angeles students routinely received automatic suspensions for refusing to take off their hats (this fell under a category of violation called “willful defiance”), while a Florida district, the sixth largest in the country, set a state record for student arrests in a jurisdiction in 2011, primarily on charges of possessing small amounts of marijuana and spraying graffiti. The ACLU has called this phenomenon the “school-to-prison pipeline.”
Now, a new paper in SAGE takes a closer look at how race and class affect school districts’ approaches to punishment, but also examines another important element of school discipline: Some disruptive kids, rather than being punished, are “medicalized” — that is, eventually given diagnoses, therapy, and/or medication as a result of behavioral problems. As “problem behaviors such as inattention, hyperactivity, and defiance of adult authority have received increased attention” since the 1990s, the study notes, schools have increasingly sought treatment and made special provisions for disruptive students through mental-health provisions in state and federal legislation.
For the study, David M. Ramey, of Pennsylvania State University’s department of sociology and criminology, used data from over 60,000 schools in 6,000 districts to examine trends in how schools’ racial and socioeconomic makeup impacted how they dealt with misbehaving students.
Among other things, he found that:
If you’re a black student or you’re poor, you’re far more likely to be punished than offered behavioral treatment when you misbehave.
There was a strong correlation between the percentage of black students in a school and the rates of punitive discipline, and an inverse relationship between the percentage of black students and the rate of behavioral treatment. “Schools with more black students relative to other schools in the district had higher rates of suspension or expulsion and police referral or arrest” than other in-district schools, the study notes, and also had substantially lower rates of enrollment in mental-health and special education programs. Students in more socioeconomically disadvantaged districts are also far more likely to face criminalized punishment than kids in more affluent areas, in part, Ramey thinks, because criminalized punishment is cheaper than mental-health treatment, and these districts are often strapped for cash. Here, race and class are — as is so often the case — inextricably linked.
Ramey draws on prior work in the field to demonstrate that the far higher rates of criminalization black students experience may be the result of endemic bias on the part of school officials. An American Psychological Association study found that black boys are perceived as older and less innocent than their white peers, and some studies indicate teachers can suffer from the fundamental attribution error, attributing minority children’s misbehavior to different causes than they do white children’s. Ramey notes how one study found that schools blame “poor parenting, cultural deficiencies, and poor character” for bad behavior among racial minority children, and see that behavior as permanent and leading almost inexorably to involvement with the criminal justice system. Further, a study on enrollment in special education programs found that “teachers and administrators are less likely to attribute minority students’ misbehavior to underlying behavior disorders,” which could be ameliorated with mental-health treatment.
When school officials are given more leeway in how they discipline students, the role of race is more apparent in their decision-making.
“In disadvantaged districts,” says Ramey, “the school board tends to have a lot more power in setting disciplinary policy, in particular at the top, and it’s followed relatively uniformly across the schools.” A district might mandate metal detectors or zero-tolerance policies, for example, and every school follows those policies, regardless of the makeup of the student body. In more affluent districts, things are different. There, Ramey says, “The schools and administrators are allowed a greater degree of autonomy.” School boards outline a disciplinary guideline (usually tied to government funding through state or federal law) that they want to meet, but individual schools have more flexibility in how they meet them, be it through tougher punitive discipline or the expansion of mental-health programs. “This is where you see race really mattering,” Ramey says. “The predominantly black schools in advantaged districts have much higher levels of suspension than predominantly white schools in advantaged districts. Conversely, predominantly black schools have much lower rates of [mental-health-program] enrollment than predominantly white schools in advantaged districts.”
Some schools have come to mirror the adult criminal justice and mental-health systems in how they deal with problematic behavior.
For most of the United States’ industrialized existence, working-class schools tried to reproduce the organization and principles of the industrial labor force: vocational skills, and an emphasis on the values of order, compliance, efficiency, and uniformity. But various theories hold that as the U.S. manufacturing economy and its labor system fled overseas in the second half of the 20th century, the criminal justice and mental-health systems replaced it as a model for how schools should be run. Ramey says that some of the discrepancies in these systems are mirrored in U.S. schools: “There are racial inequalities in the mental-health system across the life course, and it’s the same with the criminal justice system.” Like their adult counterparts, children of color are far more likely than white children to be pulled into the criminal justice system. Like adults, they are far less likely to seek out or be referred to mental-health professionals for treatment. “A lot of these structural inequalities we see in adult systems of social control are reproduced throughout childhood,” says Ramey.
Of course, it’s not all cut-and-dried: The sources of racial disparities in treatment, for instance, do not lie exclusively within these larger systems. Black families have been shown to be “skeptical of medical and mental-health research, particularly contested and controversial issues like ADHD,” and are therefore less likely to seek out treatment, while predominantly Latino schools see less medicalized and criminalized discipline, all things being equal. “Some of the research,” Ramey says, “suggests that Hispanics and Hispanic families in Hispanic schools — in particular first-generation immigrants — tend to avoid social control institutions altogether, be it the criminal justice system, the mental-health system, or the medical system,” often due to language barriers, immigration status, and other concerns.
More research is definitely needed in this area, both because of limitations in this analysis (it does not look at the treatment of a black individual compared to a white one for the same behavior at the same school, for example) and the gravity of the issue. There is clearly a discrepancy in how schools respond to bad behavior based on the racial and socioeconomic makeup of their student bodies, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the details. | 0fake |
Automakers Prepare for an America That’s Over the Whole Car Thing - The New York Times | FOR decades, automakers have been able to count on a fundamental fact of American life: You pretty much need a car to get around. But lately, novel technologies, including services like Uber and advances in cars, are creating new alternatives for commuting, shuttling children and going to the store — particularly in urban settings. There are also demographic and economic trends in play. Many younger Americans do not consider owning a car a goal or necessity — or a necessary expense. So carmakers are looking ahead to a day when the automobile plays a smaller role, or even no role at all, in many people’s daily routines. “The historical model is you buy a car and it’s in your garage most of the time,” said Glen DeVos, vice president for engineering and services at Delphi Automotive, a big developer and supplier of automobile technology. “It’s the expensive thing you buy after your home, so if you can get around without owning a car, there are a lot of economic reasons people may not own a car, or own only one instead of two. ” One clear sign of the shift is the increasing energy that carmakers are devoting to a design category the auto industry refers to as the “the first mile” challenge. It refers to the short distances some people must travel from home or work to a local destination, often a mass transit station. Not so long ago, this challenge was strictly a matter for transportation authorities, and barely registered with automakers. “People really didn’t think of the first mile issue because the car was the primary way to get around,’’ said Erica Klampfl, the global future mobility manager at Ford Motor Company. “You just drove your car to your destination. ’’ In many ways, the industry’s race to solve the challenge involves the development of vehicles, an effort involving various carmakers, technology companies and firms. General Motors and its partner, Lyft, an Uber rival, are about to begin testing a fleet of cars ferrying passengers short distances in Detroit and other cities. Uber already has similar trials underway in Pittsburgh and has just expanded its tests to San Francisco. Next year, Delphi Automotive expects to have Audis providing rides to mass transit stations in a section of Singapore. Ford, meanwhile, has vowed to begin producing a car, with no steering wheel and no pedals, by 2021. The vehicle would be intended for services in large cities. If these types of cars and services proliferate, Mr. DeVos at Delphi said, people will have more freedom to not own automobiles. Monica Manjarres, a college student, is embracing that freedom. She lives in Azusa, Calif. 24 miles east of Los Angeles. In the last year, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has opened miles of new light rail extensions to its subway system, including a light rail link to Azusa. “If I want to visit my sister in Pasadena, I can walk to the train and it’s a to ride,” Ms. Manjarres said. “If you drive, the traffic is usually horrible. ” After she graduates this semester from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in exercise science, Ms. Manjarres says, she hopes to find a job she can reach by train. “I can confidently say I don’t really need a car,” she said. Kelly Skow has all but come to the same conclusion. A video producer, Ms. Skow lives in Hollywood and commutes on the Los Angeles subway using the new Expo rail extension that goes to Santa Monica, where her office is. She usually covers the first and last mile of the trip on foot. “I only drive maybe once a week, usually to go shopping on weekends,” she said. During the week, her boyfriend uses her car to get to his job. “I had barely ridden the subway before the Expo Line opened, but now I’m using it a lot more and it’s great. Parking in L. A. is a nightmare and you don’t have to deal with that. ” The twist in Ms. Skow’s story: She works for TrueCar, a website that provides automotive pricing and information to help connect consumers with and dealers. Forecasters expect people in metropolitan areas to own fewer cars in the future. But they are not ready to predict a big drop in the total number of vehicles sold, which this year will total more than 17 million cars and light trucks in the United States and about 75 million globally. That is, in part, because so many people have more than a last mile to cover. Automakers are generally betting that sales of vehicles to fleet services will offset any decline in sales to individual consumers. Boston Consulting Group predicts that 44, 000 cars will be sold to fleets in North America in 2021, more than making up for an expected net decline in consumer sales of about 8, 000 vehicles. The bigger impact might be on how the automotive industry — not just carmakers, but also fleet service operators, parts makers and the like — makes its money in years to come. According to the consulting firm PwC, the global automotive industry generates about $400 billion a year in profits about 41 percent of that — or about $164 billion — comes from new vehicle sales. By 2030, PwC forecasts that even as overall automotive profits grow to about $600 billion, only about 29 percent of that will come from new vehicle sales. By then, PwC predicts that “mobility services’’ — including and other types of transportation services — will represent 20 percent of the automotive industry’s profits. Ford is among the automakers angling to be in position if that shift occurs. “We are on the cusp of a revolution,” Mark Fields, Ford’s chief executive, said at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Cars, he said, “are no longer our entire game. ” The company sees mobility services as potentially more profitable than its traditional business of making and selling cars. Manufacturing vehicles requires billions of dollars in investments in plants and engineering — costs that are often difficult to recoup. Mobility services would require less upfront investment, Robert Shanks, Ford’s chief financial officer, said in an interview. “Margins could be more like 20 percent instead of the 8 percent we are trying to get to today,” he said. Some of Ford’s mobility efforts don’t involve cars at all. Ford is sponsoring a program in the San Francisco area, with the goal of having 7, 000 blue, bikes in operation by 2018. In recent months, the company has also begun demonstrating a motorized conveyance device, created by its engineers, to help people cover the last mile — especially if they are carrying luggage or groceries that would make walking a challenge. Called the it looks like a giant white hockey puck. The passenger stands on it as it travels to her destination, or she can set a parcel on it and have the follow along. Ford has no plans to put it into production, but the company says it represents the unconventional ways it is thinking about the transportation future. Glimpses of a less future, and the emergence of new options, are evident in Southern California, where the new rail system has given many more people easy access to mass transit. Ms. Skow and other residents of Santa Monica, population 92, 000, can now hop on the Expo Line and ride all the way from the coast to downtown Los Angeles, 16 miles to the east. Although Ms. Skow walks to the train, the Santa Monica municipal government has tried to make it easier to reach any of the city’s three Expo Line stops without using a car. Its bus network was completely reorganized to deliver passengers to the stations in time to catch trains. For service, after buses stop running, riders can get discounted cab rides. The last mile is more of a challenge in Azusa, a city of about 48, 000 that is less compact and walkable than Santa Monica and does not have as big a bus network. Ms. Manjarres, the college student, lives only a short walk from a station. But so many commuters still drive their cars to the train that the city doesn’t have enough parking for them. Theirs is more than a gap to bridge. “People coming to the train will park in residential neighborhoods or retail parking lots,” said Troy Butzlaff, Azusa’s city manager. That is why the city is building an solution: a parking garage. | 0fake |
Islamic State's Baghdadi, in undated audio, urges militants to keep fighting | CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has exhorted followers across the world to wage attacks against the West and to keep fighting in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. The message released on Thursday was his first purported audio communication in almost a year during which his jihadist group lost much of its self-proclaimed caliphate . The audio, partly dedicated to religious scriptures, came after several reports Baghdadi had been killed. His last recording was in November 2016, two weeks after the start of the battle to recapture the city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS). Oh Soldiers of the Caliphate, fan the flames of war on your enemies, take it to them and besiege them in every corner, and stand fast and courageous. Beware of retreat, or the feeling of defeat, beware of negotiations or surrender. Do not lay down your arms, Baghdadi said, referring to followers in Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, North Africa and elsewhere in Africa. The date of the 46-minute recording, released via the Al-Furqan news organization, was not clear. But in it, Baghdadi makes an apparent reference to recent events including North Korean threats against Japan and United States and the recapture two months ago of Mosul by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. Since Baghdadi proclaimed the caliphate stretching across Iraq and Syria in 2014, Iraqi forces have retaken a string of cities in western and northern Iraq including Mosul, where Baghdadi made his announcement from the city s El Nuri mosque. Western-backed Syrian forces are also thrusting into the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, Islamic State s operational headquarters from where it plotted many of the attacks that have killed hundreds of people around the world. Baghdadi also called for attacks on Western media, saying: Oh soldiers of Islam in every location, increase blow after blow, and make the media centers of the infidels, from where they wage their intellectual wars, among the targets. Continue your Jihad and your blessed operations and do not let the crusaders rest in their homes and enjoy life and stability while your brethren are being shelled and killed. The fall of Mosul in July effectively marked the end of the Iraqi half of Baghdadi s caliphate even though Islamic State continues to fight in some territory outside of Mosul, the largest city they came to control in both Iraq and Syria. An IS branch in Libya was also defeated last year in the city of Sirte, where they had set up a North African beachhead in 2014. In Egypt s northern Sinai, another affiliated militant group is still fighting Egyptian military forces. With God s will and his strength, we are staying determined, patient...The abundance of killing will not stop us, Baghdadi said in the audio recording. Officials have said they believed it could take years to capture or kill Baghdadi as he is thought to be hiding in a vast swathe of sparsely-populated desert between Mosul and Raqqa, where attacking drones are easy to spot. The United States has offered a $25 million bounty for information that would locate Baghdadi. Russia s defense ministry said earlier this year it might have killed Baghdadi in an air strike on a gathering of IS commanders on the outskirts of Raqqa. But U.S. officials said they could not corroborate the death and other Western as well as Iraqi officials were skeptical. | 0fake |
Republican disarray deepens as Trump attacks rebel conservatives | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out on Thursday at Republican conservatives who helped torpedo healthcare legislation he backed, escalating a feud within his party that jeopardizes the new administration’s legislative agenda. Trump threatened to try to defeat members of the Freedom Caucus - a bloc of conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives - in next year’s congressional elections if they continued to defy him. “The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. He later singled out three Freedom Caucus members by name, U.S. Representatives Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan and Raul Labrador. “If @RepMarkMeadows, @Jim_Jordan and @Raul_Labrador would get on board we would have both great healthcare and massive tax cuts & reform,” he said in one tweet. “Where are @RepMarkMeadows, @Jim_Jordan and @Raul_Labrador? #RepealANDReplace #Obamacare,” he asked in another. House conservatives fought back. Labrador, one of the founders of the Freedom Caucus, urged Trump in a tweet to “Remember who your real friends are. We’re trying to help you succeed.” “Most people don’t take well to being bullied,” said Representative Justin Amash, who compared Trump’s approach to what a child does when he wants to “get his way.” Trump’s deteriorating relationship with Republican House conservatives could make it harder for him to pass his legislative agenda, which includes rewriting the U.S. tax code, revisiting a healthcare overhaul and funding construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump, a New York businessman who touted his skills as a dealmaker in his bid for the White House, has repeatedly criticized Freedom Caucus members, blaming them for the defeat of legislation to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. Freedom Caucus members said the bill did not go far enough to dismantle the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Asked during a briefing whether Trump’s tweet about the Freedom Caucus was a “divide-and-conquer” strategy, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said: “No, it’s a math strategy, which is to get to 216,” the number of votes currently needed to pass House legislation. The discord following the healthcare debacle was not limited to tensions between Trump and the Freedom Caucus. In recent days, the president has been out of sync with the two highest ranking Republicans in Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Trump and his aides have suggested reviving the push for a healthcare bill. While Ryan expressed openness to the idea, McConnell said he thought doing so would be futile. But Ryan publicly disagreed with Trump when the president offered to work with Democrats on new healthcare legislation. “I don’t want that to happen,” the speaker told CBS in an interview aired on Thursday. More than healthcare legislation was at stake. Republican lawmakers still await key details on what Trump’s priorities are in the monumental tax reform effort they want to launch. Passing a budget for next year could also prove challenging. Trump and the Freedom Caucus want to dramatically shrink domestic programs. Moderate Republicans are aghast at proposals to cut popular programs that fund environmental cleanup and meals for senior citizens. Most pressing is an April 28 deadline for approving new funding to keep the government running. “The GOP (Republican) House is riven by factions that are quite ideological. Trump is not,” said University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato. “And let’s throw in the fact that Trump is unpopular and weak and has no Democratic support in Congress. “Add all this up. Neither Trump nor congressional Republicans are in an ideal position to govern, and that’s an understatement,” Sabato said. There are about three dozen members of the House Freedom Caucus, comprising about 15 percent of the 237 House Republicans. But their clout is larger, as Trump and Ryan cannot afford to lose too many House Republicans if they want to try to pass bills, like the Obamacare repeal, that attract zero Democratic support. Dan Meyer, a legislative affairs chief to former Republican President George W. Bush, said that with the Freedom Caucus threatening Trump’s agenda, the White House either had to find a way to work with the conservatives, or tack to the left. Some Republicans were so furious they were publicly saying things usually reserved for closed-door meetings. Representative Chris Collins, a Trump ally and part of the “Tuesday Group” of moderate Republicans, told reporters his group was so angry with the Freedom Caucus that it would “never” meet with it. He accused its members of trying to shift blame for the healthcare failure to moderates. Senate Republicans expressed alarm and urged efforts at consensus. Senator John McCain, who ran for president in 2008 and was defeated by Obama, said that if he were sitting in the White House, he would try to ease intraparty tensions rather than stoking them. “But that’s the president,” said McCain who sometimes is at odds with Trump. He added this advice to Trump: “Sit down with them and say this is an emergency situation.” Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican who served in the House from 2011 to 2014, said his former colleagues needed to quit arguing and come to a consensus “sooner rather than later.” A senior House Republican aide distanced Ryan from Trump’s strategy of upbraiding conservatives. “Ryan ... is never going to intentionally alienate a large swath of his caucus,” said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Publicly, Ryan said he understood Trump’s frustration. The speaker also said he was encouraging Republican lawmakers “to keep talking to one another.” Republican Senator Bob Corker chided Ryan, however, for his views about courting Democrats on healthcare reform. “We have come a long way in our country when the speaker of one party urges a president NOT to work with the other party to solve a problem,” Corker wrote on Twitter. | 0fake |
Finger Wagging Maxine Waters on Illegal Aliens and the Wall: ‘This is their country!’ [Video] | Maxine Waters is one angry woman. She has gone non-stop with attacks on President Trump since he was elected. Speaking to the Westchester-Playa Democratic Club at an LA church in April, Waters defended illegal immigrants, saying America is their country. No, America is not their country. This is their country! THE QUEEN OF THE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT: But, we ve got to resist that. We ve not only got to resist that, we ve got to stand up for our friends, for our neighbors. It is what God would have us do I m hoping and praying that this wall will never be built, and if we impeach him, we know it s not going to get built. WHAT ABOUT THE WALL? AUNTIE MAXINE HAS A WALL! WHY NOT AMERICA? Auntie Maxine has a big wall so why can t the rest of America have a wall? Walls must be for the little people Speaking of walls, look at this giant wall around your mansion, @repmaxinewaters #WallsWork #VoteOmarNavarro2018https://t.co/RuORrn21KX pic.twitter.com/OkkncT6U0k Omar Navarro (@RealOmarNavarro) September 11, 2017A wall is good enough for Maxine Waters mansion, but she doesn t think the country should have one to protect against illegal immigration.Waters opponent, Omar Navarro, posted video of a hedge wall surrounding the congresswoman s property that protects her from the unwashed masses.Waters home is in Hancock Park, a tony neighborhood in Los Angeles, which he said is outside the 43rd congressional district in California.Here s a Google street view of the property:Both Zillow and House Canary two website that estimate the value of residential properties report Waters home on Lucerne Boulevard is valued at $3.9 million.Waters has said that she plans to impeach Trump to stop him from building a wall to protect the United States. | 1real |
Dennis Kucinich’s Extraordinary Warning on D.C.’s Think Tank Warmongers | Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
WAR is a racket. It always has been.
It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.
– From Major General Smedley Butler’s War is a Rackett
Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich has just penned an extremely powerful warning about the warmongers in Washington D.C. Who funds them, what their motives are, and why it is imperative for the American people to stop them.
The piece was published at The Nation and is titled: Why Is the Foreign Policy Establishment Spoiling for More War? Look at Their Donors .
Read it and share it with everyone you know.
W ashington, DC, may be the only place in the world where people openly flaunt their pseudo-intellectuality by banding together, declaring themselves “think tanks,” and raising money from external interests, including foreign governments, to compile reports that advance policies inimical to the real-life concerns of the American people.
As a former member of the House of Representatives, I remember 16 years of congressional hearings where pedigreed experts came to advocate wars in testimony based on circular, rococo thinking devoid of depth, reality, and truth. I remember other hearings where the Pentagon was unable to reconcile over $1 trillion in accounts, lost track of $12 billion in cash sent to Iraq, and rigged a missile-defense test so that an interceptor could easily home in on a target. War is first and foremost a profitable racket.
How else to explain that in the past 15 years this city’s so called bipartisan foreign policy elite has promoted wars in Iraq and Libya, and interventions in Syria and Yemen, which have opened Pandora’s box to a trusting world, to the tune of trillions of dollars, a windfall for military contractors. DC’s think “tanks” should rightly be included in the taxonomy of armored war vehicles and not as gathering places for refugees from academia.
According to the front page of this past Friday’s Washington Post, the bipartisan foreign-policy elite recommends the next president show less restraint than President Obama. Acting at the urging of “liberal” hawks brandishing humanitarian intervention, read war, the Obama administration attacked Libya along with allied powers working through NATO.
Indeed, I warned about this in last week’s piece: U.S. Foreign Policy ‘Elite’ Eagerly Await an Expansion of Overseas Wars Under Hillary Clinton .
The think tankers fell in line with the Iraq invasion. Not being in the tank, I did my own analysis of the call for war in October of 2002, based on readily accessible information, and easily concluded that there was no justification for war. I distributed it widely in Congress and led 125 Democrats in voting against the Iraq war resolution. There was no money to be made from a conclusion that war was uncalled for, so, against millions protesting in the United States and worldwide, our government launched into an abyss, with a lot of armchair generals waving combat pennants. The marching band and chowder society of DC think tanks learned nothing from the Iraq and Libya experience.
The only winners were arms dealers, oil companies, and jihadists. Immediately after the fall of Libya, the black flag of Al Qaeda was raised over a municipal building in Benghazi, Gadhafi’s murder was soon to follow, with Secretary Clinton quipping with a laugh, “We came, we saw, he died.” President Obama apparently learned from this misadventure, but not the Washington policy establishment, which is spoiling for more war.
The self-identified liberal Center for American Progress (CAP) is now calling for Syria to be bombed, and estimates America’s current military adventures will be tidied up by 2025, a tardy twist on “mission accomplished.” CAP, according to a report in The Nation, has received funding from war contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who make the bombers that CAP wants to rain hellfire on Syria.
The Brookings Institute has taken tens of millions from foreign governments , notably Qatar, a key player in the military campaign to oust Assad. Retired four-star Marine general John Allen is now a Brookings senior fellow . Charles Lister is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute , which has received funding from Saudi Arabia , the major financial force providing billions in arms to upend Assad and install a Sunni caliphate stretching across Iraq and Syria. Foreign-government money is driving our foreign policy.
As the drumbeat for an expanded war gets louder, Allen and Lister jointly signed an op-ed in the Sunday Washington Post, calling for an attack on Syria. The Brookings Institute, in a report to Congress , admitted it received $250,000 from the US Central Command, Centcom, where General Allen shared leadership duties with General David Petraeus. Pentagon money to think tanks that endorse war? This is academic integrity, DC-style.
And why is Central Command, as well as the Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of transportation, and the US Department of Health and Human Services giving money to Brookings?
Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, who famously told Colin Powell , “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it,” predictably says of this current moment , “We do think there needs to be more American action.” A former Bush administration top adviser is also calling for the United States to launch a cruise missile attack on Syria.
The American people are fed up with war, but a concerted effort is being made through fearmongering, propaganda, and lies to prepare our country for a dangerous confrontation, with Russia in Syria.
The demonization of Russia is a calculated plan to resurrect a raison d’être for stone-cold warriors trying to escape from the dustbin of history by evoking the specter of Russian world domination.
It’s infectious. Earlier this year the BBC broadcast a fictional show that contemplated WWIII, beginning with a Russian invasion of Latvia (where 26 percent of the population is ethnic Russian and 34 percent of Latvians speak Russian at home).
The imaginary WWIII scenario conjures Russia’s targeting London for a nuclear strike. No wonder that by the summer of 2016 a poll showed two-thirds of UK citizens approved the new British PM’s launching a nuclear strike in retaliation. So much for learning the lessons detailed in the Chilcot report.
As this year’s presidential election comes to a conclusion, the Washington ideologues are regurgitating the same bipartisan consensus that has kept America at war since 9/11 and made the world a decidedly more dangerous place.
The DC think tanks provide cover for the political establishment, a political safety net, with a fictive analytical framework providing a moral rationale for intervention, capitol casuistry. I’m fed up with the DC policy elite who cash in on war while presenting themselves as experts, at the cost of other people’s lives, our national fortune, and the sacred honor of our country.
Any report advocating war that comes from any alleged think tank ought to be accompanied by a list of the think tank’s sponsors and donors and a statement of the lobbying connections of the report’s authors.
It is our patriotic duty to expose why the DC foreign-policy establishment and its sponsors have not learned from their failures and instead are repeating them, with the acquiescence of the political class and sleepwalkers with press passes.
It is also time for a new peace movement in America, one that includes progressives and libertarians alike, both in and out of Congress, to organize on campuses, in cities, and towns across America, to serve as an effective counterbalance to the Demuplican war party, its think tanks, and its media cheerleaders. The work begins now, not after the Inauguration. We must not accept war as inevitable, and those leaders who would lead us in that direction, whether in Congress or the White House, must face visible opposition.
Thank you Mr. Kucinich, I couldn’t agree more. | 1real |
Surviving Off-grid: 5 Ways to Manage Chimney Creosote | Carmela Tyrell November 6, 2016 Surviving Off-grid: 5 Ways to Manage Chimney Creosote
The government is doing everything it can to deter people from burning wood , it still remains popular with home owners that don’t want to use oil or other more expensive fuels. Wood is also very popular with off gridders, preppers, and homesteaders because it can be harvested from natural resources or grown for this purpose.
Many people that burn wood are plagued by creosote that builds up in chimneys. As dangerous as this problem can become, preventing or reducing creosote buildup is not as hard as it seems to be.
Here are five ways you can reduce or prevent creosote buildup in your chimneys.
Do not forget to inspect your chimneys on a regular basis and clean them even if the creosote only looks like it is in the early stages of buildup.
How Does Creosote Form?
Have you ever blown on a mirror or piece of glass so that some of the water vapor from your lungs condenses on the glass? If so, then you may also know that condensation occurs because the glass is cooler than the air exiting your mouth.
In a similar way, when hot gas and smoke enter the chimney, they are hotter than the stove pipe. If the pipe is not hot enough, then creosote will condense out of the smoke and be deposited in the chimney. Video first seen on Corey Binford .
The Three Degrees of Creosote Buildup
As with many other situations in life, creosote build up may not be especially dangerous at first. However, if it is left unchecked, or not taken care of soon enough, it can become a very expensive problem. As you review the three degrees of creosote buildup, bear in mind that simply cleaning up the mess is only part of the problem. You will still need to take active steps to prevent or at least slow down further creosote buildup.
1st Degree
Just about every chimney will build up layers of soft black material known as soot. If you can easily brush the black layer of material out of the chimney, chances are there is actually very little creosote in it.
Many people consider this a good sign because it means the fire is burning hot enough to reduce the amount of temperature difference between the smoke and the chimney. While this stage isn’t especially dangerous, you will still need to clean out the chimney on a routine basis in order to keep good air flow.
2nd Degree
At this level, you will start to see more creosote in the soot. There will be quite a few shiny black flakes of material that can still be removed if you put some effort into it. If you see this kind of soot, it is very important to increase the air flow in the burning area.
3rd Degree
This type of creosote buildup forms layers of a tar like coating on inner surfaces of the chimney. If you think about how cholesterol builds up in arteries, then you have a pretty good picture of what I mean.
3 rd Degree creosote also contains a good bit of unburned fuel . As a result, when it does catch fire, it can be quite dangerous. The third degree of creosote buildup is caused by cool burning fires with inadequate ventilation, or by a flue that is too large.
Here are five ways to resolve this type of buildup. You may need a combination of answers in order to reduce the level of creosote buildup as much as possible.
1. Keep a Robust Airflow
Have you ever lit a candle, and then put it in a glass cup? If so, then you have also probably seen soot build up on the sides of the glass.
When a fire burns under any kind of restricted air flow, the soot from the fire will also concentrate and condense into smaller areas. Typically, fireplaces that have glass doors, or are otherwise closed off will have the most problems with airflow.
Here’s what you can do to remedy this problem: Keep the ash bin and grate area as clean as possible. Open the damper so that more air gets into the fireplace. If you cannot get enough air moving in the fireplace, try using a fan or blower to push more air in through the damper. Make sure that the fan is made of metal or some other non-flammable material. Aside from purchasing a new model, you may also find some old, or vintage blowers at a flea market for a much lower price. Never underestimate the power or durability of these old, but incredibly durable blowers and fans! In some cases, downdrafts from the outside can also cause poor air circulation inside the stove. You can try adding a partial cover to the top of outer pipe. Alternatively, add an insert with an inward curve that will also reduce the amount of downdraft that can get down the chimney.
2. Keep the Fire Hot
Even though you may think of a piece of wood as a single object, it is actually made up of all kinds of molecules. This, in turn, means that some molecules will have a higher kindling point than others.
If the fire is not hot enough, some of the molecules that require a hotter temperature will escape into the chimney and form a layer of creosote if the conditions are right. Later on, if the temperature inside the chimney gets hot enough, these particles will catch fire and burn.
The hotter the fire is, the better chance there is of these molecules being reduced to heat and ash in the fireplace. In addition, the hotter the fire is, the hotter the chimney will be. When the chimney is hot enough, all the gunk that forms creosote cannot collect.
Here are some ways to increase the heat output from a wood fire: add a few handfuls of coal to the wood fire. Coal burns at a higher temperature and will also last longer. Without a question, anyone that has used a coal fire on a freezing winter night can tell you just how delightful they are! install heat retaining bricks in the fireplace. This will increase the temperature inside the burn area and help keep the temperature steadier. insulate the chimney pipe with bricks. This is especially important if you are using a metal chimney, as they will always be cooler on the inner surface. The insulation will help, however it will not entirely solve the problem if it is caused by using a metal chimney.
3. Check the Size of the Flue
Consider a situation where you want to heat up a cup of coffee over a campfire. Chances are it will only take a few minutes to achieve this goal. Now let’s say you want to heat up a gallon of water over the exact same campfire.
Heating up a gallon of water will take longer than a cup because there are more atoms to deal with. In a similar way, when the flue is too large, there is simply too much material for the fire to contend with. A wood stove should not have a flue larger than six inches.
When you reduce the size of the flue, it allows less heat to escape. Some people have noticed a 20% or better increase in heat produced by fireplaces that have an optimally sized flue. Therefore, you will be reducing creosote problems and get more heat at the same time.
Depending on the construction of the stove and chimney system, you may not be able to simply rip the whole thing out and start over again. Your best option will be to insert a sleeve into the chimney so that it has a smaller internal diameter. Even though these sleeves are usually made of metal, the surrounding brick in the chimney should keep it warm enough to reduce the risk of creosote build up. If you still get too much creosote, focus on increasing the heat produced by the fire and the amount of air flow going up into the chimney. Remember, the more air flow you have going up the chimney, the harder it will be for particles to stay still long enough to attach to inner surfaces. You may also want to let the wood season longer than a few months, and choose some type of wood other than pine. Look for wood that has less resin or sap in it. It is also very important to stay away from pellets or other types of pre-manufactured wood because they may be designed to burn at lower temperatures than what you will need to heat up an over sized chimney.
4. Make Sure the Wood is Fully Seasoned and Dry
Have you ever tried to start a fire during or after it rains? If you are camping, chances are you use a number of methods to dry the wood out as much as possible so that it produces more heat than smoke.
In a similar way, when wood is not fully seasoned and dried out, it will produce more creosote. Fires that produce a lot of smoke also have the following problems: there is less airflow, which reduces the amount of oxygen available to the fire the fire will burn cooler because water impedes combustion smoke is also a sign that more fuel is escaping into the air than you would get from a cleaner burning fire.
There is no substitute for time when it comes to seasoning wood. You can try keeping logs closer to the fire place for a few days before you actually burn them. Just remember to rotate them often so that the log dries out more evenly.
Chopping the log into smaller pieces might help too. This will increase surface area, which in turn will speed up water evaporation. You will still need to rotate the wood around to ensure the fastest possible drying.
When it comes to seasoning wood , many people make the mistake of covering the wood with a waterproof, air tight tarp. The wood will release water vapor, however it will fall right back onto the wood and be absorbed all over again.
You will be better served by keeping the wood loosely covered and in a warm, sunny spot while it is drying. As with drying the wood out indoors, do not forget to rotate the woodpile every few days so that the pieces dry out as much and as evenly as possible.
If the weather is especially damp, humid, or rainy, it may be of some help to cut the wood into smaller pieces. No matter how you look at it, increasing surface area always speeds up evaporation. It may seem like a lot of extra work, however it will pay off when you have hotter fires and fewer problems with creosote.
5. Do Not Overload the Stove With Wood
When you have had a long, hard day, it is tempting to load the stove with as much wood as possible so you won’t have to add more through the night. On the other side of the equation, when you put too much wood in the stove, it reduces air flow.
Aside from this, when fires burn, they also release some water vapor. When there is too much wood in the stove, some of that vapor may just land on the wood and increase its moisture level. No matter how well seasoned the wood is, that increased moisture will cause the fire to burn poorly.
Here are some ways to resolve this problem: start off by adding just one piece at a time to the fire. If the fire burns well, try adding a second piece. Keep adding more pieces as long as the fire burns cleanly. Do not forget that you may not be able to add as many pieces at one time on rainy days or ones where it is impossible to prevent a downdraft from the chimney. install an automatic wood feeder. Even thought a wood feeder can take up a good bit of space, it may be a better solution than trying to manually feed the stove. Use coal and other materials that might burn longer during times when you won’t be available to feed the stove more wood.
Wherever you live in (an apartment or a house), chances are the building will have a chimney, and there will also be a stove available for burning wood . Getting started with wood burning is not especially difficult, but avoiding creosote buildup in the chimney can be challenge.
Be careful about the condition of the fire, the wood, and ventilation issues that may lead to creosote buildup. Once you find a way to reduce the speed of creosote buildup, do not forget to inspect the chimney on a regular basis.
A clean chimney is not just a safe one, it is a valuable asset that will help you burn wood efficiently and get the most from it.
Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia. 464 total views, 463 views today | 1real |
Behind Hillary’s DISGUSTING Plot To Sabotage Bernie’s Campaign | We all know by now that the Clinton campaign will stop at nothing to win.
Even if it means publishing embarrassing, demeaning photos of fellow Democrats, that’s just fine with them.
Evidenced a photo that was circulated showing Bernie Sanders in a swimming suit apparently attending a Democratic retreat. This was all while the Clinton team was hyping stories about Sanders attending fundraisers for wealthy benefactors (which, let’s be honest, pales in comparison to the “ wealthy benefactors” Hillary has in her back pocket).
Breitbart reported that Tina Flournoy, Bill Clinton’s Chief of staff emailed the photo of Sanders sunning himself by a pool to Brian Fallon and John Podesta, two Clinton lackeys:
Fallon’s response? “OMG!”
“Can we tweet?” Podesta asked.
Fallon responded “I think we shd give to NY post.” Flournoy added she’d send more juicy details about the event, including the people who attended.
“Thank you,” Fallon replied. “ We are on this .”
The entire conversation was part of the ongoing WikiLeaks document hacks of John Podesta’s account. The New York Post apparently never ran with the story, but that didn’t stop the Clinton camp from sending it to other people. It was published by celebrity gossip dirtbag Perez Hilton the day after the Clinton team discussed releasing it.
“I wonder what Mike Bloomberg would think about this???” wrote Hilton on his blog. “Bernie Sanders lounges at elite Martha’s Vineyard pool, summer 2015 after helping raise money from Wall Street lobbyists.”
Just the next week, there were several stories in the media questioning Sanders for even attending the fundraiser for Harry Reid.
“For Sanders, campaign finance purity not always possible” wrote MSNBC’s Alex Seitz-Wald, citing “a guest list obtained by MSNBC” that included “previously unreported are details about who exactly attended those fundraisers.”
“Bernie Sanders: Prolific Democratic Party fundraiser,” wrote CNN’s Eric Bradner on Monday, February 8, announcing that “CNN has obtained invitations that listed Sanders as a host for at least one Majority Trust event in each year since 2011.”
Then both Bill and Hillary picked up on those same media stories, accusing Sanders of taking Wall Street money – the height of hypocrisy.
“Senator Sanders took about $200,000 from Wall Street firms,” Hillary Clinton said during a rally in New Hampshire on February 8. “Not directly but through the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. There is nothing wrong with that. It didn’t change his view. Well, it didn’t change my view or my vote, either.”
Bill Clinton attacked Sanders, referring directly to the CNN story and pointing out that he likely accepted money from Wall Street.
And that’s how Hillary Clinton wins. By Any Means Necessary. | 1real |
Mexico’s Former First Lady Rips Trump Visit, Says Mexicans ‘Repudiate’ His Hate | Mexico s former first lady, Margarita Zavala, wasted no time slamming Donald Trump, who is set to make an appearance in Mexico, visiting current president Enrique Pe a Nieto, who invited the Republican nominee.From her twitter, Zavala denounced Trump on behalf of the Mexican people:Sr. @realDonaldTrump aunque lo hayan invitado, sepa que no es bienvenido. Los mexicanos tenemos dignidad y repudiamos su discurso de odio. Margarita Zavala (@Mzavalagc) August 31, 2016Translation: Sr. Donald Trump: although they have invited, know that you are not welcome. Mexicans have their dignity and repudiate hate speech.Needless to say, Zavala s tweet was met with praise from Mexican citizens and other Spanish speaking individuals, who like Zavala, were offended by Trump s never ending barrage of outrageous lies about their country.Zavala, whose husband is former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, served in the country s Congress in the 1990s and is reported to be running for President herself in 2018. She was the country s first lady from 2006 to 2012. Calderon made headlines earlier this year when he told CNBC that Mexico would not pay a single cent for such a stupid wall. Zavala is right Mexico denounces hate speech, and they especially denounce Donald Trump, whose favorability in the country is a whopping 2 percent. If Trump thinks the world doesn t respect us now, he should see how much we ll be hated if he wins.With President Pe a Nieto s approval rating at 23 percent, Mexico could very well find themselves electing their first female president, Margarita Zavala, in 2018. Imagine if the United States and Mexico, two close allies, both had strong female leaders guiding the conversation, breaking up the good old boys club, and strengthening Latin-American relations.With Mexico up in arms about Trump s visit (and rightfully so), the message has been sent: our allies south of the border appear to be With Her. And they appear to be with Zavala, at least on this issue.Featured image via Gage Skidmore | 1real |
Obama says he will stay in Washington after he leaves White House: USA Today | (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he plans to remain in Washington after his term in office ends in January so that his youngest daughter can finish high school, USA Today reported. “We’re going to have to stay a couple of years so Sasha can finish. Transferring someone in the middle of high school - tough,” he said while eating lunch at a Milwaukee restaurant, USA Today reported. | 0fake |
FIGHTING TO WIN: Russia Annihilates Dozens Of ISIS Oil Tankers…And Shares The Video With The World | Once again, Putin reminds our weak and ineffective Commander In Chief what winning a war against terrorists looks like When US attack planes destroyed 116 ISIS oil trucks on November 16 (allegedly after dropping leaflets warning innocent drivers to scatter), it purportedly marked a shift in strategy. Somehow , the Obama administration had grossly underestimated the proceeds ISIS derives from the illicit oil trade while overestimating the damage US warplanes had inflicted on the group s oil infrastructure.Here is the video from the Russian Defense Ministry:Additionally, Bloomberg suggests the Pentagon routinely declined to take out tanker trucks for fear of collateral damage. None of these guys are ISIS. We don t feel right vaporizing them, so we have been watching ISIS oil flowing around for a year, Michael Knights, an Iraq expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told Bloomberg.There are a couple of things that should jump out at you there. First, it s not exactly clear why it matters that the administration underestimated the amount of revenue ISIS derives from oil. That is, the difference between $100 million and $400 million per year would be quite meaningful if you were talking about a corporation here, but this is a terrorist group. Sure, it matters that they re making four times more than you thought when it comes to assessing their operational capabilities (the more money you have, the more you can do), but it shouldn t matter when it comes to formulating a strategy to cripple their ability to produce oil. It s not like you can say oh, well they re only making $100 million per year, so that s fine.. now if it s $400 million, that s where we ll have to draw the line. Second, since when is the US worried about collateral damage when it comes to taking out terrorists? As The Intercept laid bare in a series of recent investigative reports, 90% of those killed in drone strikes aren t the target. It s not as if the CIA isn t aware of that statistic each and every time they pull the trigger on an MQ9 Reaper.So sure, perhaps the US overestimated the effect its airstrikes were having on Islamic State s oil production capabilities and perhaps The Pentagon was concerned with killing innocent truck drivers, but it could also be that, as Sergei Lavrov suggested earlier this week, the US has until now intentionally avoided hitting ISIS where it hurts in order to keep them in the game and ensure they can still be effective at destabilizing Assad. If you cut off the oil trade, they lose the ability to battle the regime.In any event, there are other pressing questions about ISIS and oil and we encourage you to read more in The Most Important Question About ISIS That Nobody Is Asking, but for now, we turn to Russia and The Kremlin s efforts to dent Bakr al-Baghdadi s wallet.According to Russian General Staff spokesman Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov, around 500 fuel tanker vehicles transporting illegal oil from Syria to Iraq for processing have been destroyed by Russia s Air Forces. In recent years, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other extremist groups have organized the operations of the so-called pipeline on wheels on the territories they control, Kartapolov continued, adding that in just the first few days, [Russian] aviation has destroyed 500 fuel tanker trucks, which greatly reduced illegal oil export capabilities of the militants and, accordingly, their income from oil smuggling. Via: Zero Hedge | 1real |
Priceless! #TuckerCarlson Destroys Leftist #RobReiner Over Russian Propaganda Ad Claiming ‘We’ve Been Invaded!’ [Video] | Major Hollywood liberal activist Rob Reiner is no match for Tucker Carlson who calls Reiner out on his Morgan Freeman propaganda ad on cyber war with Russia. Tucker talks about how our real enemy is China when it comes to cyber wars Haha! Reiner starts to get a little miffed at Tucker when Tucker calls him out on China Epic! This is the meat of the interview: I agree with you we are very divided. And maybe this is one of the reasons. A lot of this is disingenuous. Anyone who looks at cyber warfare will tell you, any honest person, will tell you the Chinese military is the primary culprit in the United States, hacked into the White House not too long ago Nobody said anything. You guys in Hollywood sell your movies in China. You bow to the imperatives of their propaganda and censorship office. You change your movies to suit them. And yet no one says we re at war with China.Notice how Reiner brings up the Facebook ads that the left is now going after because a Russian group spent $100K on ads during the election. So it comes down to the fact that this is an effort at (ironic) propaganda to convince Americans that Russia stole the election. Did you catch that Clapper is part of this??? WTH? If people want to turn their heads at that, it s at their own peril Really?Who s the propagandist Mr. Reiner? He might want to look in the mirror | 1real |
“MODERATE” INDONESIA: Protest against a Christian governor turns violent as more than 100,000 Muslims demand death for Christian governor who “blasphemed” Islam | BNI Store Nov 4 2016 “MODERATE” INDONESIA: Protest against a Christian governor turns violent as more than 100,000 Muslims demand death for Christian governor who “blasphemed” Islam JARKARTA: The biggest street protest in years shook this sprawling capital today in a stark display of the more conservative, militant strain of Islam taking hold in the world’s largest Muslim country. ( Which Hillary Clinton has called a “shining example of a ‘moderate’ Islamic country” ) WSJ Police said an estimated 100,000 people turned out for a rally called by hard-line Muslim groups against the capital’s Christian governor, whom they accuse of having committed blasphemy. Blasphemy is a criminal offense in Indonesia and prosecutions have increased in the past decade. President Joko Widodo had met with other political leaders amid calls for calm, but critics say he has been too slow since taking office in 2014 to respond to worsening tension for fear of being labeled anti-Muslim. “Religiosity is rising, especially among the middle class,” said Yon Machmudi, an Islamic politics expert at the University of Indonesia. “A sense of identification is increasing.’’ Protesters were taking aim at Basuki Tjahaha Purnama, known as Ahok, who is the most prominent politician among the country’s often-persecuted, ethnic Chinese minority. He was elected deputy governor in 2012 and elevated to the top job in 2014 after his boss, Mr. Widodo, was elected president. Some hard-liners had tried to block his ascent then, saying Muslims shouldn’t be ruled by a “kafir,” or nonbeliever. Mr. Purnama, now running for re-election, angered the groups again by citing a verse of the Quran in a public address in late September. He has apologized and said he would cooperate with a police investigation, but has since been the target of protests. Vice President Jusuf Kalla met a group of protest leaders and said afterward that police would pursue a blasphemy case against Mr. Purnama. Nearly 90% of Indonesia’s 250 million people are Muslim and are becoming more radical every year as seen by head scarves for women, once rare, are now widely worn and Islamic schools are expanding. A movement to ban alcohol is gaining steam and sales have been banned from convenience stores. Travel to Mecca for the minor pilgrimage of umrah, once a relatively uncommon undertaking for middle-class Indonesians, is newly popular. Security experts say the rising conservatism paves the way for potential violence , pointing to some religious hard-liners who have rebranded themselves as cells of Islamic State. “What we’ve seen in the last 18 months to two years is increasing crossover from organizations that started out ‘nonviolent but hard-line’ to organizations which are now committed to using violence,” said Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict. Gang of Indonesian Muslim men (below) beat to death members of Ahmadiyah sect, which Muslims reject as part of Islam because of it’s call for non-violence. | 1real |
Trump to sign Russia sanctions, Moscow retaliates | WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will sign legislation that imposes sanctions on Russia, the White House said on Friday, after Moscow ordered the United States to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff and said it would seize two U.S. diplomatic properties in retaliation for the bill. The U.S. Senate had voted almost unanimously on Thursday to slap new sanctions on Russia, forcing Trump to choose between a tough position on Moscow and effectively dashing his stated hopes for warmer ties with the country or to veto the bill amid investigations in possible collusion between his campaign and Russia. By signing the bill into law, Trump can not ease the sanctions against Russia unless he seeks congressional approval. Moscow’s retaliation, announced by the Foreign Ministry on Friday, had echoes of the Cold War. If confirmed that Russia’s move would affect hundreds of staff at the U.S. embassy, it would far outweigh the Obama administration’s expulsion of 35 Russians in December. The legislation was in part a response to conclusions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and to further punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Late on Friday, the White House issued a statement saying Trump would sign the bill after reviewing the final version. The statement made no reference to Russia’s retaliatory measures. Russia had been threatening retaliation for weeks. Its response suggests it has set aside initial hopes of better ties with Washington under Trump, something the U.S. leader, before he was elected, had said he wanted to achieve. Relations were already languishing at a post-Cold War low because of the allegations that Russian cyber interference in the election was intended to boost Trump’s chances, something Moscow flatly denies. Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russian officials. The Russian Foreign Ministry complained of growing anti-Russian feeling in the United States, accusing “well-known circles” of seeking “open confrontation”. President Vladimir Putin had warned on Thursday that Russia would have to retaliate against what he called boorish U.S. behavior. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Friday that the Senate vote was the last straw. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by telephone that Russia was ready to normalize relations with the United States and to cooperate on major global issues. Lavrov and Tillerson “agreed to maintain contact on a range of bilateral issues”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The ministry said the United States had until Sept. 1 to reduce its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people, the number of Russian diplomats left in the United States after Washington expelled 35 Russians in December. It was not immediately clear how many U.S. diplomats and other workers would be forced to leave either the country or their posts, but the Interfax news agency cited an informed source as saying “hundreds” of people would be affected. A diplomatic source told Reuters that it would be for the United States to decide which posts to cut, whether occupied by U.S. or Russian nationals. An official at the U.S. Embassy, who declined to be named because they were not allowed to speak to the media, said the Embassy employed around 1,100 diplomatic and support staff in Russia, including Russian and U.S. citizens. Russian state television channel Rossiya 24 said over 700 staff would be affected but that was not confirmed by the foreign ministry or the U.S. embassy. The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement said the passage of the bill confirmed “the extreme aggression of the United States in international affairs”. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met outgoing U.S. ambassador John Tefft on Friday to inform him of the counter measures, Russian news agencies reported. The U.S. Embassy said Tefft had expressed his “strong disappointment and protest”. Most U.S. diplomatic staff, including around 300 U.S. citizens, work in the main embassy in Moscow, with others based in consulates in St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was also seizing a Moscow dacha compound used by U.S. diplomats for recreation, from Aug. 1, as well as a U.S. diplomatic warehouse in Moscow. In December, the outgoing Obama administration seized two Russian diplomatic compounds - one in New York and another in Maryland - at the same time as it expelled Russian diplomats. Trump and Putin met for the first time at a G20 summit in Germany this month in what both sides described as a productive encounter, but Russian officials have become increasingly convinced that Congress and Trump’s political opponents will not allow him to mend ties, even if he wants to. The European Union has also threatened to retaliate against new U.S. sanctions on Russia, saying they would harm the bloc’s energy security by targeting projects including a planned new pipeline to bring Russian natural gas to northern Europe. A European Commission spokesman in Brussels said the bloc would be following the sanctions process closely. | 0fake |
Donald Trump Accused of Failure at not being President for a Week |
Donald Trump is facing harsh criticism for the job he is doing as a citizen.
"Wow, this guy won the election a whole week ago and he hasn't even started being president yet. What were we thinking?" said Skip Homeyer of the Whipperford Post website, adding that "he probably didn't even read the Constitution."
NBC News, a news station with reporters and everything, complained that Trump "hadn't kept any of his campaign promises" and added that although "that was because he really hadn't done anything yet" that still was no excuse.
Some of the people Trump has chosen to lead his team have also drawn harsh criticism from the media. Some of the names mentioned were Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Adolph Hitler, Adolph Hitler's son and Cerberus. The last three were unofficial.
"We expected much more from him. That's why none of us want him to take office" said one reporter who wanted to remain nameless, because he actually had no legal name. He then added that "people are getting fed up with all of Trump's racism that he'll probably do eventually."
He then added "Trump did win, right?" Make Jeff Brone's day - give this story five thumbs-up (there's no need to register , the thumbs are just down there!) | 1real |
Turkey arrests four people over explosion at Tupras refinery: Anadolu | ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish authorities arrested four people over Wednesday s explosion in a storage tank at a Tupras refinery which killed four people, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Saturday. The explosion occurred following maintenance work at the refinery in the western Turkish province of Izmir, wounding two other workers, but had no impact on production. On Thursday, authorities had detained seven people over the blast, of which four have been formally arrested and three have been released on probation. The report gave no details of what charges the four may face. | 0fake |
White House's Cohn says 'fair trade' means reciprocal tariffs | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration wants to tax imports from countries that put tariffs on the United States, said Gary Cohn, director of President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council. “Fair means we treat our trading partners the way they treat us,” Cohn told a conference on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington on Thursday. “If you want to insist on having a tariff on a product, which we prefer you not, the president believes that we should treat you in a reciprocal fashion and that we should tax your product coming into the United States.” | 0fake |
Trump Promises To Destroy The USA During Interview With Lester Holt (VIDEO) | A lot of people have said that Donald Trump would start sounding more presidential if he managed to secure the Republican nomination. This meant that he would tone down his rhetoric, maybe try to bring the country together inside of dividing us and attempt to gain the support of Independent voters by sounding like an intelligent human being. Trump, however, has proven that he has different plans and he doesn t give a f*ck about uniting this country.On Wednesday evening, the presumptive nominee for the GOP sat down with NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt for an interview and promised more of the same.Holt asked, As you try to appeal to the whole country, do you stand, for example, by the idea of a ban on foreign Muslims coming into the country? Trump responded: I do. We have to be vigilant. We have to be strong. We have to see what s going on. There s a big problem in the world happening with the migration in Europe, you look at Germany, it s crime riddled right now. LIES! Germany is absolutely not riddled with crime. Trump is so full of shit. Last year the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation studied crime rates in the country to see if there was a rise due to the Syrian refugees fleeing to the country and found:Crimes committed by refugees stood at the same level as those committed by native Germans. These findings are the result of an initial evaluation conducted by the BKA in cooperation with all federal states and commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior.Interior Minister Thomas de Maizi re said that based on the numbers presently available, he would forecast refugees to be as prone to committing crimes as native Germans are. He explained that he had ordered the report in early October in order to provide proof to dispel rumors about an increase in criminal acts in Germany. This another lie just like the one about only bad Mexicans coming to the United States. The interview with Holt proved that 1) Trump has not plan to tone down his hateful rhetoric and 2) he has no plans to start telling the truth. There is no way he is going to win over the voters he needs if he continues down the path that he is on. Unless he wakes up one day and starts talking about equality, inclusiveness and apologizes to all of the people he offended, he has no chance in hell of EVER sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office. But if a miracle happened and he somehow won, he would absolutely destroy our country he just let us know.Watch:Featured image via video screenshot | 1real |
White House unveils list of ex-lobbyists granted ethics waivers | The White House on Wednesday disclosed a group of former lobbyists working in President Donald Trump’s administration who have been issued ethics waivers, following a request from the U.S. government’s ethics agency. The list of at least 11 waivers include White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and Trump's Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, according to a chart issued on the White House website. (bit.ly/1LPKWx8) Conway is permitted to “participate in communications and meetings involving former clients which are political, advocacy, trade or non-profit organizations,” while Priebus, a former Republican National Committee chairman, is allowed to have communications and meetings with the RNC, the document says. Shortly after taking office in January, Trump signed an executive order barring lobbyists who joined the administration from working on issues related to their prior work. But the administration has the power to grant waivers to particular hires, exempting them from that restriction. Also on the list is Michael Catanzaro, a special assistant to the president and a former oil and gas lobbyist, who is cleared to weigh in on energy policy. Daniel Epstein, associate counsel to the president, “may provide legal advice to the White House Office or any agency of the executive branch and to take positions adverse to Cause of Action Institute.” Shahira Knight, a special assistant to the president who formerly worked for Fidelity, a financial services company, “may participate in broad policy matters and particular matters of general applicability relating to tax, retirement and financial services issues.” Andrew Olmem, a special assistant to Trump who worked as an attorney to the Senate Banking Committee during the financial crisis, is cleared to join meetings with former clients involving Puerto Rico’s fiscal issues, along with a wide range of activities involving financial regulation. Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), had promised in a letter on Friday that the White House would comply with a request from the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to provide information on which former lobbyists are working in the administration. Mulvaney said in the letter that the administration was not seeking to impede efforts by OGE to obtain that information, despite earlier protests from Walter Shaub, the agency’s director. Shaub, an appointee under President Barack Obama in the final year of a five-year term, had requested in April copies of waivers the Trump administration granted to former lobbyists now appointed to positions in the government. Those requests were sent to agencies across the administration, seeking waivers that would allow former lobbyists to work on issues they had been involved with as paid advocates. But OMB requested a stay of that request, prompting a fierce response from Shaub. He called the request “highly unusual” and said his agency has the authority to take “corrective action proceedings” against agencies that refuse its requests. In his Friday response, Mulvaney said the requested stay was not an attempt to stifle OGE efforts but rather to provide more time to “ensure sufficient consideration was given to legal questions.” “OMB has never sought to impede OGE,” he wrote. Mulvaney closed the letter by saying the OMB did not grant any lobbyist waivers itself. | 0fake |
Trump vs Clinton 2016: Mickey Mouse vs Cruella de Vil | Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireToday America will choose its next president. What can you say that hasn t already been said in this, the most over-analyzed political contest in history?No matter which side of this salacious Vaudeville ticket you are on, everyone will agree this has been the most raucous and divisive contest in electoral history. No matter who wins today, half the nation will be in pain, not least of all the Founding Fathers who have been rolling in their graves for the last 18 months.More than ever, America is a nation divided. An increasing number of people are now completely immersed in hyper-active social media environments, and so it s very easy to get caught up in one s respective partisan echo chambers; our way is the best way, our side is right, the other side is bad for America, we are the true party of the people etc. Many individuals simply will not venture off of their assigned party or pseudo-ideological reservations, much less talk to anyone whose views seem to oppose theirs. In public, partisan Americans will only huddle with those who share the same team colors, and in private each flees to his or her prefabricated partisan media outlet or social networking group. This virtual political matrix is now systematically divided in this way. There is nothing in between: no middle ground, no real commons, and no respite from the onslaught of partisan media. Herein lies the fundamental problem in 2016 politics and why the fall-out from this election will be ongoing long after the results are announced tomorrow morning.To make matters even worse, this election season has featured two highly flawed candidates in Donald J Trump and Hillary Clinton. Many commentators contend that these are the two worst US presidential candidates ever. Essentially it boils down to Mickey Mouse vs Cruella de Vil.Let s quickly profile the two candidates:Since the 1990 s the Clintons have been synonymous with one word: scandal. The 90 s was a dodgy decade for the First Family: Bill, Monica, Whitewater, the Arkancide epidemic, and selling White House s Lincoln Bedroom for 50 grand a night. Take your pick. None of this has helped Hillary in terms of public trust, where she s polling even lower than Donald Trump. On top of all the old Clinton baggage, you have two huge new scandals originating from her tenure as Obama s Secretary of State including becoming the latest member of her family to lie under oath to Congress (way to go Bill), this time over Hillary s private email server cover-up, and multiple pay-to-play corruption allegations at the Clinton Foundation.As result, Hillary Clinton embodies the avatar of Cruella de Vil Her campaign breaks down like this: Fighting for Woman and Children If you support Hillary Clinton then you believe your candidate represents the ascendency of the female species, and especially all women who have been held back by the cruel customs of an American patriarchal society. You also recognize her brand: Clinton. She s the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, which leads you directly into the second half of the campaign pitch: She has the experience, having been around the White House for 8 years. Since the beginning of her first campaign in 2008, Clinton the woman was the main identifier and the primary reason why she should be president. Instead it was the first black President, so she had to wait 8 years. At the age of 69, she s past her prime, but she d still be the first woman president and therefore, we re told, an inspiration to women everywhere as the marketing slogan says. She is also the champion of all minorities, as well as the poor which are also traditional Democratic Party staples, although the poor point is hard to square, seeing that the Clinton s have amassed a net worth in the hundreds of millions in the short space of 15 years primarily by monetizing their time in public office through enormous speaking fees and scraping off expenses and lifestyle extras from their billion dollar Foundation slush fund (a whole other scandal). Regardless, her supporters see her as their champion, rallying around a familiar set of leftwing social issues: inequality/redistribution of wealth, pro-choice/abortion, amnesty for undocumented/illegal immigrants, and man-made global warming/climate change.The novelty of Trump is like no other before him. At first, it could be explained like this: for some strange reason, it s a tradition in America that a certain number of people each year will cast a write-in vote for Mickey Mouse on their ballot. This is regarded as the ultimate protest vote a vote for Mickey is a vote against the establishment. So it should be no surprise that when he arrived on the electoral scene in June 2015, his support base was already waiting for him Trump was their 70 year old, 6 foot 3 inch, 236 lbs Mickey Mouse Trump s campaign breaks down like this: Make America Great Again If you support Trump, then you believe this is the story of a true underdog, the consummate outsider taking on the political elites a man with absolutely no experience in political office (other than writing cheques for nearly all them), uncorrupted by corporate money (because he has his own) and shunned by the self-serving political and media establishment who have done nothing for the country s working class and rapidly disappearing middle class. While some of this is true, as a reality TV icon, a billionaire property magnate and career playboy, Trump is certainly no man of the people in the Horatio Alger sense. Despite all that, judging by most major polls, nearly half of the United States population is behind him. To them, he is their champion. He ll lower taxes and bring back the jobs from overseas, rebuild the military, and most importantly, he doesn t want any money from corporate lobbyists. When crowds chant, Drain the swamp! referring to Washington DC, he s the man they want to hire to do that job. Trump s response to them is simple: I only work for one special interest group, and that s you the American people. In this sense, Trump has run the most unconventional political campaign ever.Love him or loath him, that message resonates and for good reason. The door to the cess pit is now open and many are horrified at what they see. Through the incredible WikiLeaks Podesta Email trove, many Americans have been able to peek inside the rude, incestuous and outright nasty elite political scene that controls Washington DC. Clinton was hit pretty hard by the WikiLeaks revelations, as was the already shaky credibility of the Clinton Foundation. This exposed a lot of the corruption around her and the party. Also, ten days before the election FBI Director James Comey through a grenade into the Clinton juggernaut by announcing the FBI would reopen Hillary s email case because of data discovered through her chief aid Huma Abedin s estranged sex-pest husband Anthony Weiner. This put a timely dent into Clinton s lead. With the help of the US media though, she battled though it and emerged from that m l e.Although he faced much less in terms of real institutional corruption scandals, Trump did not fair as well in public relations terms as Clinton did. Part of the reason for this was that Trump and the establishment media are like chalk and cheese. He s too unconventional for the bland gatekeepers. One of the reasons media operatives hated Trump was because he could generate his own gravity, and this posed a direct challenge to state-oriented propaganda machines like CNN who are busy spoon-feeding their own artificial version of reality to the American people. So, after a brief primary honeymoon, the media (aside from FOX News) declared all-out war on Trump. With each passing week, he was hamstrung by an endless string of media traps, Twitter gaffes and internal campaign tedium. Dogged by the media and his opponents, Trump couldn t hold his tongue or stay off of Twitter, and so his retaliatory tirades turned into negative headlines. For intelligent pundits and moderate supporters, the constant gaffes and distractions made it almost impossible to consider Donald Trump as a serious candidate. To the casual observer, it would appear that The Donald was nothing but a stalking horse for Hillary.The same could be said for Democratic primary challenger Bernie Sanders (photo, left). Up until the moment he entered the contest in July 2015, party favorite Hillary Clinton was essentially running unopposed. It s almost as if Sanders was drafted into the race at the last minute in order to make it look like a real race, and then at an opportune moment he would pledge his allegiance to the party favorite. That s exactly how it played out. Early on Sanders chances were practically DOA because of the Democratic Party s pre-rigged Super Delegate system. Still, he fought on and pulled bigger crowds than Hillary. Then the real bomb dropped when it was revealed through the Democratic National Committee (DNC) email leaks how party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz along with party elites, conspired to railroad the Bernie Sanders campaign. That s right, Bernie was shot down by his own party in order to make way for Hillary s coronation. Not very democratic of the Democrats. Wasserman-Shultz even resigned as a result. Sanders didn t seem to mind (in public anyway) and voluntarily capitulated, and Hillary enjoyed a steady climb afterwards. From this we can deduce that the Clinton-Sanders contest was likely a contrived affair from the onset, although one WikiLeaks email shows that Sanders may even have been blackmailed into bowing down to Clinton. It seems that the DNC and Clinton never expected Sanders to capture the imagination of the nation s youth like he did, which also speaks volumes about the acute lack of enthusiasm for Clinton s White House run even within her own party. Sanders was a rock star, Clinton was a pop star. That s a big difference in the eyes of millennials who place a lot of value on authenticity.Then came the debates. The first one broke all ratings records for a political debate with an estimated near 100 million total viewers. It was Gladiator meets Jerry Springer. Then the New York Times leaked some of Trump s tax returns and the media had a field day. Later in October, a barrage of bombshells would besiege the Trump campaign, one after another, ranging from allegations of groping on a first class flight in the 1980 s, to a porn star upset over Trump s manly advances each of them suddenly appearing in the media right before the election to complain about being sexually harassed by Trump. After the first debate, a rather lurid, leaked off the record audio conversation from Access Hollywood in 2005 appeared which nearly upended his campaign, immediately followed by a new string of women coming forward with more allegations sexual abuse. This devastated Trump in the polls, and became the 24 hour obsession for Democratic Party-linked networks like CNN and MSNBC. Amazingly, every one of the accusers has since disappeared from the scene. The damage was done though, and this became the basis for the Clinton campaign, her TV ads and her surrogates anti-Trump message. Just like with Hillary s Podesta emails, it was non-stop media chaos. The attacks and counter attacks were many too many to mention here.Somehow, he crawled out of that pit and rebounded in the polls.Trump was also being attacked in the media for proffering that the system is rigged . In all seriousness, does anyone not believe this? Still, critics have called this extremist rhetoric from Trump. From a media standpoint however, America s democracy is rigged and clearly in favor of the Democratic Party. WikiLeaks proved through the release of Clinton Campaign Chair John Podesta s emails starting with the corruption between DNC acting chair Donna Brazile who cheated the debate process by passing questions from the network CNN directly to Hillary Clinton. If that wasn t bad enough, it was later revealed how the DNC tried to provide CNN anchor Wolf Blizter with questions to ask Donald Trump, and how DNC staffers offered CNN s Jake Tapper questions to ask during another interview on the network. CNN s chief political correspondent Gloria Borger was also exposed as one of many so-called journalists in private contact with the Clinton campaign. The online journal Politico s editor Glenn Thrush was also caught stage-managing coverage with the Clinton campaign. As yet, none of these media operatives have been fired, or have resigned which says a lot about the corrupt culture of the mainstream media in the United States today. There were many other incidents covered by WikiLeaks, too many to list here. Total collusion between the so-called press and the Democratic Party. So, yes, the system is rigged. This is no longer debatable, and the fact that the public now understand this should haunt media operative long after this election. When They Go Low, We Go High While this election may have been bad for the American people, it s been great for one groups of insiders: elite advertising agencies and the TV networks who sell ad space to the campaigns. The Clinton campaign combined with the pro-Clinton Super PACs spent upwards of $200 million on TV ads the majority of which were negative ads characterizing her competitor as a racist xenophobic womanizing misogynist. By doing so, the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party effectively made their pitch to voters as a referendum on political correctness. In other words, we can t allow this disgusting human being to win this election. The other big Clinton TV ad buy was, We can t let Donald Trump get his hands on the nuclear codes. This ad was based on the ridiculous premise that a US President could just walk into the Oval Office one day and start launching ICBM warheads around the world for no reason a completely bogus thesis if there ever was one, but apparently the campaign thought the public was stupid enough to believe this fictional scenario. As result of the all the negative campaigning, Clinton spent very little if any, substantial time speaking or debating the details of domestic issues and her chequered foreign policy record, particularly regarding the horrendous failures of Libya and Syria. Instead, on numerous occasions, especially during the debates, she would refer people to my website as if that s what people really wanted. Normally, people want to hear it from the candidates mouth, but the internet has offered a nice respite for politicians who prefer not to get tangled in discussing real issues in the flesh.It should be noted that from the beginning, the gender argument has been pervasive in all Clinton messaging, almost to the point of entitlement. It s about time for woman to become president. We re going to make history with the first woman in the White House. For many Americans, however, this message based purely on identity politics tends to push discussion of the candidate s credentials and policies to the background. It is also used to fend of any criticism or inquiry into policy specifics. Not surprisingly, Clinton has mostly steered away from specifics or making any promises unlike her predecessor Obama did when he promised everything imaginable for his first 100 Days in order to attract votes including closing the offshore eyesore, Guantanamo Bay Prison, and bringing the troops home from Iraq on his first day. None of this actually happened, which fuelled a lot of disenchantment and skepticism from younger voters this time around. Clinton s gender platform has also been augmented by a racial plank, and the campaign constantly reminds its supporters that blacks and other ethnic minorities should have common cause with women, inferring that their liberal cohorts have also been held back by the cruel customs of a white male-dominated, Anglo-Saxon patriarchal society. In 2016 Democrats have also reintroduced the topic of slavery as a major talking point, resulting in even more tension. Clinton s slogan is Stronger Together, but one could argue that it s possible the Democratic Party s obsession with promoting identity politics has done more to foster new political and social divisions (and subdivisions), rather than to unite all of society under a common national identity. This is a debate which should happen, but few dare to challenge the political left on that issue. Some food for thought: a recent Rasmussen Poll concluded that race relations in the US have deteriorated under President Obama, the highest dissatisfaction mark since he was elected eight years ago up 18 points since 2014. Why have race relations gone down hill? This poll result appeared for a reason, and it s probably not just because white America was upset they elected a black president in 2008, although this is what Democrats insist when you show them this particular poll. It could also be related to the caustic, relentless confrontational identity politics agenda being pushed by agents of change in the new radical left. Or maybe it simply reflects a fundamental failure of a political leadership which only panders to its own side of the aisle and shuns the other. America will remain divided unless both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives can figure one how to overcome this flaw.Although Bill might be his wife s greatest asset, he is also her biggest Achilles heal. Hillary has built her entire political career on the back her two-term husband with the former First Lady slipping seamlessly into brand Clinton and a ready-made political legacy. After Hillary unleashed the misogynist card on Trump, Bill soon came under fire over his own sordid history of sexual deviance. After that, Bill was used sparingly in pubic. Instead, the Clinton camp relied heavily on the White House to do its campaigning for them. As a result, the First Lady, Michelle Obama and the President did many of the big campaign stops in Hillary s absence. Collectively, it seemed as if Hillary s VIP surrogates did more campaigning than she did herself. Multimillionaire celebrity surrogates lined up to stump for Hillary, including Katie Perry (image, above), Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Robert DeNiro, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Jay Z, Beyonce and even LeBron James.Looking cool with the kids. So Clinton is being backed by the billionaire Hollywood entertainment wing of the Establishment.Even with all of that celebrity power though, Trump still attracted vastly bigger crowds on his own. But how? Why would a minimum of 15,000 at every stop turn out just for Trump?With more than a touch of irony, the one person who articulated this phenomenon better than anyone else was a radical left-wing icon, filmmaker Michael Moore. He recently filmed a one man show entitled TrumpLand where Moore s said this: I know a lot of people in Michigan that are planning to vote for Trump and they don t necessarily like him that much, and they don t necessarily agree with him. They re not racist or rednecks, they re actually pretty decent people, and so after talking to a number of them I wanted to write this:Donald Trump came to the Detroit Economic Club and stood there in front of Ford Motor executives and said, if you close these factories as you re planning to do in Detroit and build them in Mexico, I m going to put a 35% tariff on those cars when you send them back and nobody s going to buy them. It was an amazing thing to see. No politician, Republican or Democrat, had ever said anything like that to these executives, and it was music to the ears of people in Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin the Brexit states. You live here in Ohio, you know what I m talking about. Whether Trump means it or not, is kind of irrelevant because he s saying the things to people who are hurting, and that s why every beaten-down, nameless, forgotten working stiff who used to be part of what was called the middle class loves Trump. He is the human molotov cocktail that they ve been waiting for. The human hand grande that they can legally throw into the system that stole their lives from them.And on November 8, Election Day, although they lost their jobs, although they ve been foreclosed on by the bank, and next came the divorce and now the wife and kids are gone, the car s been repoed, they haven t had a real vacation in years, they re stuck with the shitty Obamacare Bronze Plan where you can t even get a fucking percocet. They ve essentially lost everything they had, except one thing the one thing that doesn t cost them a cent, and is guaranteed to them by the American constitution: the right to vote. They might be penniless, they might be homeless, they might be fucked over and fucked up it doesn t matter, because it s equalized on that day a millionaire has the same number of votes as the person without a job: one. And there s more of the former middle class than there are in the millionaire class.So on November 8, the dispossessed will walk into the voting booth, be handed a ballot, close the curtain, and take that lever or felt pen or touchscreen and put a big fucking X in the box by the name of the man who has threatened to upend and overturn the very system that has ruined their lives: Donald J. Trump. They see that the elite who ruined their lives hate Trump. Corporate America hates Trump. Wall Street hates Trump. The career politicians hate Trump. The media hates Trump, after they loved him and created him, and now hate. Yes, on November 8, you Joe Blow, Steve Blow, Bob Blow, Billy Blow, all the Blows get to go and blow up the whole goddamn system because it s your right. Trump s election is going to be the biggest fuck ever recorded in human history and it will feel good. Reading that, you can t help but feel that Moore has some real anger issues. Nonetheless, he inadvertently delivered the best pro-Trump speech of the election.For many, including Michael Moore, Trump might not be the ideal vehicle for such a profound movement, and yet, he is that vehicle.Granted, half of the American population have been conditioned to hate Trump for various reasons. But many of them are missing the key point in the Trump story, just like they did in the Sanders story. Trump offered millions of voters something profound: the idea that even in today s insulated political fortress that is Washington DC, anything is still possible in American politics where an outsider can come in and shake up a stale and corrupt ruling class.This concept should not be underestimated. It s a fundamental tenet of the American culture. As flawed an individual as he might be at this moment in time, Donald Trump is the avatar who embodies this idea of opportunity and hope.In today s political reality show and infotainment media environment, timing is everything and America loves a comeback. Trump s late October surge in the polls certainly reflected that public sentiment and overall enthusiasm. Trump has flown more miles and visited more cities than any other presidential candidate in memory so he s not leaving much on the table in terms of energy. Will this translate into votes in key swing states? We ll see Sure, when it all started, Donald Trump was Mickey Mouse, but somewhere along the way, the novelty has transformed into a bona fide movement. The fact that Trump, a candidate with zero political experience, bested a total of 16 other GOP primary candidates all of whom were seasoned, career politicians revealed just how profoundly unpopular establishment party stalwarts are with the general electorate. No amount of TV advertising can gloss over this realty. What began as a protest vote for so many who no longer trust or feel any affinity with elite politicians, has since morphed into a powerful mandate for change.Trump s victory during the GOP primaries was also historic it signalled an outright rejection of the party establishment, of the constant banal Republican bickering over who is the most conservative, and the traditional construct of the polished politician. Trump smashed all of this. He has done exactly as Reagan did in the 1980 s he pole vaulted over a stiff, entrenched establishment and took his message directly to the people.On the Democratic Party slate, the exact same phenomenon unfolded, with candidate Bernie Sanders gathering tens of millions of anti-establishment and anti-war voters in the 12 months preceding the Democratic Party Convention. In modern media terms Sanders couldn t be any less appealing with his unkept hair, the dandruff flaking off of the shoulders of his dodgy suit coats, and a semi-hunchback look. His supporters couldn t care less. The legions of college aged students didn t seem to care about the looks or the lack of Clintonesque cleverly scripted sound bites. Sanders could rattle off facts and issues without a teleprompter, and he did it with genuine conviction something Clinton still struggles with. Regarding the wars, as Sanders rightly pointed out, unlike Hillary Clinton, he voted against the Iraq War in 2003. This also resonated with the grassroots base. Additionally, unlike his opponent, Sanders was not pandering to Wall Street and accepting large sums of money from elite financial interests.To his base, Sanders was the real deal and for the same reasons that Trump s base is still behind him. The political and media establishment have gone to great lengths to conceal this reality, but in doing so they are only delaying their eventual demise.This is a long tail trend which is not going to reverse itself, and it s not confined to the US either it s international. We saw this to some extent with the BREXIT vote this past summer which defied the political media establishment s version of consensus reality. Political stalwarts and generational glad-handers will try their hardest to ignore it, but it s a clear public mandate away from the carefully controlled establishment model of politics. Last year in Britain, millions of voters shunned the Labour Party establishment and mainstream media favorites, and instead threw massive support behind the current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Like Sanders, Corbyn is not a media poster boy. Before this year, you d have been hard-pressed to spot the aging Corbyn clean-shaven, or wearing a suit, much less a tie. This political shift confounded all of the experts and has triggered a tectonic shift in the Labour Party itself, as acolytes and devotees of former Prime Minister Tony Blair have all but thrown their toys out of their prams over the Corbyn issue. Like with Sanders, the people gathered in droves behind a brazenly anti-establishment and antiwar leader who was cast aside by the party establishment and media operatives.In Italy, a similar populist movement is well under way with the Five Star Movement, originally launched in 2011 by Italian comedian and entertainer Beppe Grillo. Five Star are now in Parliament. The term Five Star symbolizes five key issues for the party: public water, sustainable transport, sustainable development, right to internet access, and environmentalism. Similarly, Spain has recently seen the world s first crowd-funded political party with Podemos (translated We Can ). This is the future.As far as the lesser of two evils is concerned, the corruption issue weighs heavier with Clinton. While Trump s scandals derive from his private and business life, Clinton s scandals are from her time in public office, and involve current and past Democratic political operatives and appointees and so they deserve more scrutiny and accountability as they were done on taxpayer time, and bound by supposed strict codes of conduct. In stead, the media has worked hard to equate various mini-scandals from Trump with the mega-scandals of the Clintons when clearly these are two different things. Sp far, Clinton seems to have been able to remain above the law which has done a lot to fuel resentment against her, the White House and a highly politicized Department of Justice..On paper, America has a stark choice. Donald Trump seems to be an anti-globalist, anti-TPP, free market oriented, populist nationalist. Hillary Clinton seems to represent equality for all, but more than that she represents the status quo, a continuation of Barack Obama and his failing Obamacare legacy, an establishment elitist globalist agenda with a radical leftist bent.But how much will either candidate s presidency actually resemble their campaigns?If Clinton wins you can expect a huge celebrity-studded Gala Ball in Washington DC, followed by 18 months of Congressional hearings, indictments, impeach hearings and general gridlock. Expect the usual cast of suspects in her Cabinet, surrounded by all the usual insiders. Expect Bill to be named Hillary s Economic Tsar. In the Democratic tradition, Hillary will raise taxes and increase spending. This is why Wall Street loves Clinton (and why she accepts their money), because like with Obama, Clinton s Washington will certainly sink further into debt and Wall Street profits from this debt. Also, expect the Clintons net worth to sky rocket. Still, with so many scandals already on the boiler, it will get ugly, and it will stay ugly. There will be gridlock well into 2020. Like Obama did with the issue of race, Clinton will certainly make gender the defining issue of her presidency, as well as continue hammering home the idea that America has a race problem. The culture wars will continue and America will become a cultural Marxist battleground. Hillary Clinton s America will be a sectarian America. So expect those Rasmussen numbers to continue on their present trajectory. Expect Trump supporters to call foul on vote rigging too.There will be some vote rigging, as there has been in many US elections. Just this past week, there have been multiple cases of voter fraud in the US (and these are only the cases where people have actually been caught). . With Hillary, sooner than later, you can also expect an escalation of rhetoric and ill-informed talk of No Fly Zones in Syria and military a confrontation with Russia, and possibly even Iran. Lots of wars and proxy wars. This is why the Neocons love Hillary.If Trumps wins, the mainstream media will be in a state of shock, followed by a state of panic, followed by a state of chaos. Sure, Trump may wish to unite America, but this is a near insurmountable task now after 8 years of Sharpton-Obama political agitation and other artificial divisions constructed through hundreds of progressive front organizations funded by social engineers like billionaire George Soros. If Trump wins, expect the likes of Soros and MoveOn.org to unleash wave after wave of flash mobs, who will protest, riot, smash and burn their way on to CNN s 24 hour news rotation. Expect Occupy 2.0, and #BlackLivesMatter to rage. You can also be certain that Clinton, the Democrats and their media operatives at CNN, MSNBC and others, will blame Vladimir Putin and the Russians for hacking the US election in favor of Trump. Although Trump may cut taxes, like Reagan he will likely balloon federal spending. It is also unlikely Trump will make any significant dent in the national debt which is currently hovering around $10 trillion. However, with Trump, there is a chance to de-escalate the aggressive posturing this current White House and Hillary Clinton have take against Russia. This would be an important benefit of a Trump presidency a chance for a positive relationship between the US and Russia.Regardless of which person wins, expect FBI director Jim Comey to resign after this election.Expect both candidates to prosecute their war on ISIS , their war on poverty , their war on drugs and their war on domestic extremism. The election result is only the beginning. The real battle will take place afterwards.Expect a heavily divided and half bitter nation.Expect serious political party alternatives to emerge, building on the mild successes of the Libertarian and Green parties.Tomorrow, history will be made by either the outsider Trump, or the insider Clinton.When you re talking about the outsiders though, whether it s Trump, Sanders, Corbyn or Grillo, no matter how pious or forthright, they will ultimately get caught in the gears of government, with all its trappings of nepotism and institutional corruption. The outsider eventually becomes the insider. Resisting that pressure is the age-old challenge to any reformer.If there s one lesson to be learned by this year s US presidential race, it s certainly an old lesson by now. Depending on what your view of communism is, Karl Marx is either a villain or a hero of social engineering, but he left us some interesting quotes. Marx did get one thing right when he said, Elections give the people the right every few years to choose which member of the ruling class will misrepresent them. It s still true today.Or as someone once said, No matter who you vote for the government always gets in. We ll see which government gets in tomorrow.READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 1real |
YOUR TAX DOLLARS PROVIDE THIS ASST PROFESSOR A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE REQUIRED TO LISTEN THIS: ‘Religious Right worships an “a**hole’ God And ‘white supremacist Jesus’ | Yep that s correct. Your hard earned tax dollars are helping to pay her salary Just days before Easter, one professor took to the internet to blast Christian conservatives for inventing a white supremacist Jesus. On Wednesday, Rutgers University professor Brittney Cooper published a column for online magazine Salon excoriating supporters of Indiana s Religious Freedom Restoration Act which she dubbed religious freedom garbage and alleging that conservative Christians harbor antagonistic political views toward every single group of people who are not white, male, Christian, cisgender, straight and middle-class. Any time right-wing conservatives declare that they are trying to restore or reclaim something, we should all be very afraid, Cooper wrote in reference to the controversial Indiana law that prevents the state from constraining individuals free exercise of religion without demonstrating a compelling government interest.According to Cooper, the law is the culmination of conservative anxieties over the legalization of same-sex marriage in Indiana, and will lead the state back to the idyllic environs of the 1950s, wherein women, and gays, and blacks knew their respective places and stayed in them. Cooper says the Supreme Court s ruling last June in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby which allowed owners of closely held, for-profit corporations to seek exemptions from laws that violate their owners religious beliefs provided the logic Indiana has used to curtail and abridge gay rights. She also claims the Indiana law sanctions the exercise of Islamophobia and declares it a slippery slope that will lead to racially inflected religious discrimination. Nothing about the cultural and moral regime of the religious right in this country signals any kind of freedom, writes Cooper, adding that this kind of legislation is rooted in a politics that gives white people the authority to police and terrorize people of color, queer people and poor women. The self-proclaimed Christian professor says she often questions if she worship[s] the same God of white religious conservatives, who she describes as a white, blond-haired, blue-eyed, gun-toting, Bible-quoting Jesus. I call this god, the god of white supremacy and patriarchy, Cooper writes.According to Cooper, if your politics are rooted in the contemporary anti-Black, misogynist, homophobic conservatism, then we are not serving the same God. That God, she claims, is an asshole with nothing holy, loving, righteous, inclusive, liberatory theologically sound about him. Cooper concludes by encouraging others to declare death to the unholy trinity of white supremacist, capitalist, heteropatriarchy allegedly created by those on the Religious Right who have pimped Jesus death to support the global spread of American empire vis-a-vis war Cooper, who teaches Women s and Gender studies and Africana Studies at the publicly-funded university in New Brunswick, N.J., describes herself as a next generation black intellectual. Via: Campus Reform | 1real |
Taking back control: UK's classic blue-and-gold passport to return | LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday hailed the return of Britain s classic blue passport as a benefit of leaving the EU, pleasing Brexit campaigners for whom it is a symbol of national sovereignty but attracting derision from many remainers. The government said a version of the old passport, issued to Britons from 1920 to 1988, when it was replaced by the burgundy jacket of the European Union, will be reintroduced after the country leaves the bloc in March 2019. The UK passport is an expression of our independence and sovereignty - symbolizing our citizenship of a proud, great nation, May said on Twitter. That s why we have announced that the iconic blue passport will return after we leave the European Union in 2019. During often bitter campaigning for the June 2016 referendum on whether to leave the EU, which Britain joined in 1973, some Brexit supporters seized on the color of the passport as a symbol of the country s lost independence. Opponents meanwhile mocked their attachment to something superficial while arguing that Brexit would diminish Britain s real standing in the world. Former United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, a leading supporter of Brexit, responded to Friday s news by tweeting: Happy Brexmas! A return to British passports means we are becoming a proper country again, he wrote. We are getting our individuality and national identity back. But Anna Soubry, a lawmaker from May s Conservative party who opposes Brexit, tweeted: Stand by for street parties as blue passports return. Not sure they ll make up for broken #Leave promise of extra 350m a week for (British public health service) NHS. A Brexit campaign slogan suggesting that Britain s financial contributions to the EU could be diverted to the National Health Service has been credited with swinging voters toward Leave . The new document, which will be issued from October 2019, will come with enhanced security features, immigration minister Brandon Lewis said, and will be introduced as old passports expire and at no extra cost to the taxpayer. Speaking to the BBC, Lewis said even people who voted remain still had an attachment to the dark blue passport. Responses to May s tweet were overwhelmingly negative, however, with many Twitter users pointing out that Britain could have kept the old color under EU rules. Others bemoaned the fact that Britons would lose the right to live and work in 27 other EU countries as a result of Brexit. Wow this passport s fancy. Must have some kickass features, read one tweet accompanied by a picture of a smiling family collecting their new passports. How many countries do you have the right to work in on this bad boy? One Huh. Still, blue though... | 0fake |
ALERT: Republicans Push Bill To Split Ninth Circuit Court In Response To Ruling Against Trump | Republicans are now gunning for the Ninth Circuit Court in an effort to kill courts that don t have a strictly conservative viewpoint.Not long after the Ninth Circuit Court ruled against reinstating Donald Trump s executive order banning travel into the United States from seven countries, Republicans made a bill written by GOP Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain a top priority.Conservatives have long despised the Ninth Circuit, which is based in San Francisco, for issuing rulings they don t like.If the bill were to pass, the Ninth Circuit Court would be split in two and a 12th Circuit Court would be created. The Ninth would continue to have jurisdiction over California, Oregon, Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands while the 12th would have jurisdiction over Republican-controlled states like Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska with Washington and Nevada thrown in.Basically, Republicans are trying to rig the judicial branch in their favor.Flake and McCain are whining that the Ninth is too liberal and that it has jurisdiction over too much of the country. It represents 20 percent of the population and 40 percent of the land mass is in that jurisdiction. It s just too big, Flake told Fox News on Wednesday. We have a bedrock principle of swift justice and if you live in Arizona or anywhere in the 9th Circuit, you just don t have it. Fox News also used the fact that the Ninth Circuit Court holds the record for most decisions overturned by the Supreme Court as an excuse to justify the split.However, it should also be pointed out that the Ninth also holds the record for the most decisions upheld.Of course, considering that conservatives have held a majority on the Supreme Court for decades, it s pretty obvious why many decisions of the Ninth have been reversed.Conservatives have been trying to split up the Ninth Circuit for many years. Flake claims that liberal judges on the court are at fault but a commission formed by Congress in 1998 recommended against splitting it up. Both chambers had Republican majorities at the time.It s not unprecedented for Congress to split a court, but this time it s different. Republicans are only targeting the Ninth because they hate the rulings that come out of it. So now they aim to kill rulings they don t like by preventing them altogether.This is a Republican ploy to seize power in the judicial branch to prevent rulings against their agenda like the one handed down against Trump on Thursday.It s eerily similar to the court packing scheme conservatives opposed when Franklin Roosevelt tried to add more judges to the Supreme Court. Now conservatives apparently have no problem with such schemes as long as they favor their side.This is something the American people must oppose. Rigging the court system is totally un-American and undemocratic, especially since it is very clear that Republicans are doing this for partisan reasons.Donald Trump is not a king. And the judicial branch serves as a crucial check on executive power to keep the government balanced. But if Republicans have their way, there will be one less check and the balance will tip overwhelmingly their way.Read more:Featured image via Wikimedia | 1real |
It’s Not Broken, So Let’s Break It–“California Set To Let Public Schools Teach Primarily In Spanish” | - < It’s Not Broken, So Let’s Break It–“California Set To Let Public Schools Teach Primarily In Spanish” > November 8, 2016, 10:21 am A+ | a-
From The Daily Caller :
Reporter
6:10 PM 11/06/2016
California isn’t even close to a swing state in the 2016 presidential election, but that doesn’t mean nothing is at stake for voters in the nation’s largest state.
After Tuesday’s vote, hundreds of thousands of California schoolchildren may start attending classes primarily en español, thanks to a voter referendum that would repeal the requirement that schools teach primarily in English.
California’s Proposition 58 would repeal Proposition 227, a measure that easily passed nearly two decades ago, in 1998. Proposition 227 required all public schools in the state teach “overwhelmingly” in English, with limited-English proficiency (LEP) students transitioning to fully English classes as quickly as possible.
When passed, Proposition 227 overthrew the previous norm of bilingual education. …
But now, with California’s immigrant population higher than ever, the state is poised to reverse course.
Polls indicate the Proposition 58 is likely to pass. Ironically, supporters of the measure place an emphasis on English rather than foreign tongues. They argue that the bill will allow for “dual immersion” programs, where both native English and native Spanish speakers can learn in a bilingual environment. In the long run, they argue, this will increase multilingualism and provide the state with a competitive advantage.
Dual immersion is legal already, it just requires parents’ consent. What these disputes are about is which is the default: English or Spanish?
Supporters also claim that returning to bilingual education will improve students’ English acquisition; favorable ads emphasize that Proposition 58 will ensure that “all students learn English.”
But the primary thrust of the proposition is clear: Students from non-English homes will find it far easier to have their children be primarily taught in their native tongue, while spending far less time learning English. | 1real |
USDA disavows gag-order emailed to scientific research unit | CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday that an internal email sent to staff at its Agricultural Research Service unit this week calling for a suspension of “public-facing documents,” including news releases and photos, was flawed and that new guidance has been sent out to replace it. The ARS focuses on scientific research into the main issues facing agriculture, including long-term climate change. President Donald Trump has cast doubt on whether man-made climate change is real and has railed against ex-President Barack Obama’s efforts to combat it. “This internal email was released without Departmental direction, and prior to Departmental guidance being issued,” USDA said in a statement. “ARS will be providing updated direction to its staff.” It said peer-reviewed scientific papers from the unit should not be blocked. “ARS values and is committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public.” The original email, sent Jan. 23, said: “Starting immediately and until further notice, ARS will not release any public-facing documents. This includes, but is not limited to, news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content.” USDA officials said that after the email was sent, acting USDA Deputy Secretary Michael L. Young sent out a three-page memo to USDA agency department heads and other key agency officials outlining the interim procedures staff should follow. A copy of the interim procedures memo, dated Jan. 23 and seen by Reuters, shows many of the steps reflect either the same or similar measures taken by the previous administration. Reuters also saw a memo, dated Jan. 22, 2009, that was sent to agency officials by former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The 2017 memo, however, differs in two main areas. It centralizes the agency’s media inquiries and social media presence through the Office of the Secretary. As part of that, the memo asks USDA agencies to “review their websites, blog posts and other social media and, consistent with direction you will receive from the Office of Communication, remove references to policy priorities and initiatives of the previous Administration.” It also rescinds the ability of USDA agencies to close an office or notify local delegations of office closures. | 0fake |
Senators ask if U.S. paying to secure Trump property overseas | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. senators asked the secretaries of State, Defense and Homeland Security on Wednesday if they were spending government resources to secure President Donald Trump’s properties around the world. In a letter, the three Democrats also asked the cabinet members whether they had been asked by the Trump Organization to protect its properties, and whether extra funding would be requested to cover the costs. Trump’s continued ownership of the Trump Organization means the overseas properties are prime targets for terrorist attacks, which could directly impact Trump’s net worth and potentially “lead the country into new conflicts around the globe,” the senators wrote. A State Department official, speaking on background, said that privately owned U.S. companies, such as the Trump Organization, are responsible for providing their own security for assets overseas. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the questions in the letter. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment. Wednesday’s letter was the latest in a stream of Congressional correspondence calling for greater transparency and voicing concern about Trump’s hundreds of companies and potential conflicts of interest posed by his business empire. The lawmakers who authored Wednesday’s letter — Senators Tom Udall, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Richard Blumenthal — were among eight Democratic U.S. Senators who urged Trump and Secret Service Deputy Director William Callahan on Monday to release logs of visitors to the White House and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. | 0fake |
Japan adopts additional sanctions against North Korea: Suga | TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will impose additional sanctions on North Korea following repeated threats by Pyongyang s missiles and nuclear program, Japan s top government spokesman said on Friday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Japan would freeze assets of 19 more North Korean institutions. | 0fake |
Brazil's Temer says pension reform might not pass this year | BRASILIA (Reuters) - President Michel Temer said on Friday that a bill overhauling Brazil s costly pension system might not clear Congress this year as planned, the first time that he has indicated that such a delay might happen. In an interview with Poder360 news website, Temer said the government had to again consult lawmakers in the government coalition, many of whom have already said they are doubtful the legislation will pass this year. The pension reform is crucial to Temer s attempts to plug Brazil s budget deficit and reduce the bloated pension system. But its provisions to increase the retirement age have made it unpopular with Brazilians. Temer put the delay down to charges in a corruption case that put his legislative agenda on hold for six months. The government is considering a watered-down version of the bill, Temer said, confirming previous statements from officials that it would be ready to settle for a bill that included at least the introduction of a minimum retirement age of 65 years for men, up from the current average age of 55. A diluted pension bill would also need to include a gradual transition to the new rules and parity between the public and private pension systems, he said. His chief of staff Eliseu Padilha, who also took part in the interview, said the government hoped a less extensive reform would still achieve 75 percent of the planned fiscal savings, assuming it included cuts to benefits for public sector employees. Temer also said the government may issue a temporary decree to extend for a few weeks the Refis program that allows companies and individuals to renegotiate delinquent tax payments. | 0fake |
UNREAL! Michelle Obama Gets $70 Million For Program To Empower Girls BUT Not American Girls | Unreal! Mooch gets millions for Pakistani girls? The American taxpayers should be outraged by this! Let Pakistan empower its own people! Michelle Obama has been traveling all over the world with the Let Girls Learn initiative as her pet project. The only thing is that most of the places she s traveled to have a great track record with educating girls. It s just one big around the world vacation for Mooch compliments of the American taxpayer. Judicial Watch s Tom Fitton had this to say about the trip: The Obama family continues to bill the taxpayers for costly tourism jaunts thinly disguised as humanitarian crusades EUROPEAN VACATION: MOOCH RUNS UP A HUGE TAB COMPLIMENTS OF THE TAXPAYERS Could someone please remind this woman that America is BROKE! As public schools around the United States suffer through a perpetual financial crisis, the Obama administration commits a breathtaking $70 million to help educate girls in a terrorist nation known as Al Qaeda headquarters. It s part of the First Lady s initiative (Let Girls Learn) to educate and empower an estimated 62 million girls in third-world countries who are not in school. A noble cause indeed, but it s costing American taxpayers huge sums while kids especially minorities in this country struggle in schools that aren t adequately funded, according to public education advocates. We know that countries with more girls in secondary school tend to have lower maternal mortality rates, lower infant mortality rates, lower rates of HIV/AIDS, and better child nutrition, according to the initiative s website. But too often, a girl who could change her world for the better is locked out of that future by the circumstances of her birth or the customs of her community. So it s Uncle Sam to the rescue. The government of Pakistan, which is included in the State Department s Country Reports on Terrorism, will get the $70 million to promote education among 200,000 girls and young women age 10-19. The announcement was initially made during a White House event this month with the wife and daughter of Pakistan s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. The program will serve as a platform and catalyst for broader political and social commitment to strengthen girls education and empowerment in Pakistan, according to a government announcement. Young women in Pakistan face barriers and lack of access to education opportunities from an early age due to poverty, cultural norms, and geographic isolation, the announcement states. The question remains; should American tax dollars go to this foreign education cause when public schools in this country have been hurting for years? Besides financial troubles, there s an epidemic of low-performing schools and dismal graduation rates around the country, especially in the nation s inner cities. They could probably use a few million to create programs that might help improve academic performance or perhaps empower needy students like the multi-million-dollar allocation is predicted to help empower girls in Pakistan. The public school district in the Obamas own hometown of Chicago could use some extra cash. By Thanksgiving as many as 5,000 teachers could be laid off unless the 367,499-student district Chicago Public Schools gets a $500 million bailout from the state. A recent editorial in the area s mainstream newspaper says that it has been a disastrous time for Chicago Public Schools. The piece is accompanied by an illustration of a yellow school bus with Corruption & Politics in our Schools plastered across the side. Districts across the nation are in similar situations. In Detroit, Michigan the public school system has a $515 million debt and among the nation s worst performing students. Read more: Judicial Watch | 1real |
Elections US : les premières estimations donnent un candidat en avance sur l’autre >> Le Gorafi | null | 1real |
Michael Moore: U.S. ‘Sh*ts On Their Own’ More than Any Other Country | documentary filmmaker Michael Moore says the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare is proof that no nation on earth “sh*ts on its own” people the way the U. S. does. [“Civilized countries that have universal healthcare — no country, no group of people, no tribe sh*ts on their own to the extent and the level that we do to each other it’s the most embarrassing and humiliating thing about this great country,” Moore said on a conference call Thursday held by the Progressive Democrats of America. “Humans anyplace else, what they don’t do is sh*t on their own,” Moore said. “They need their own for their own defense. They need their own for their own survival — they need their own. They need to protect their children, not say to the child, ‘sorry, no, we got rid of Obamacare. We won’t help you. You’re sick? Tough. ’” Moore predicted that Trump would work with Congress to “retain as much or most, even all” of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2010 and commonly called Obamacare, because at the end of the day Trump “likes being popular. ” “[Trump is] trying to find a way to have his cake and eat it too, basically. He likes being popular. He likes his ratings. He does not want to be seen — and he said this during the campaign — as the guy who is throwing 20 million people out on the curb. He said that because he wouldn’t be very popular then,” Moore explained. “He will look for a way to retain as much or most, even all, and I think he’s learned that the worst thing about Obamacare to his supporters is the fact that it’s called Obamacare,” Moore continued. “And I think he’s just going to change the name, you know, the man is all about branding. ” On Wednesday, conservative lawmakers called on Trump to work with Republican leaders in Congress to completely repeal the health care law. But Moore says Trump will likely keep much of Obamacare intact, and move merely to change the law’s name and make adjustments. The went on to praise the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for its ruling upholding a lower court’s order halting President Trump’s temporary executive order. “The more we can discombobulate him, the better,” Moore said of the ruling. Moore also told Progressive Democrats of America members that the liberal left is “doomed” if Rep. Keith Ellison ( .) doesn’t win his race to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson | 0fake |
Christian ‘Prophet’ Literally Loses His @ss When He Takes On Wild Lions For Jesus | A Zion Christian Church prophet named Alec Ndiwane had a brush with death recently when his ability to see the future and fend off wild animals with the power of the Lord failed him at a wildlife park in Ghana. Ndiwane, while visiting Kruger National Park with fellow church members, went into a trance and began speaking in tongues. If you ve ever seen footage of this sort of thing happening to someone, it s better described as he decided to play his role and spouted some gibberish just before making a complete fool of himself. The prophet threw caution to the wind and charged at a pack of lions who were happily chomping on an impala they had taken down. Ndiwane ran towards them, believing the dominion over animals granted by God to man would keep him safe. As he ran screaming towards the pack, several of the animals decided he looked rather tasty, charging towards him instead of running away. When Ndiwane realized there was some serious tonnage worth of teeth and claws headed his way, he miraculously snapped out of his trance and turned tail towards safety.Not only did God not give Ndiwane power over the lions, he also failed to give him the speed to get away clean. A female lion got in a good swipe and ruined the rest of the trip, sending Ndiwane to the hospital with major damage to his glutes. While doctors assured him his left cheek would be intact, the right cheek apparently didn t fare as well. Ndiwane was stitched up and spent the night in the hospital.The prophet told GhanaWeb: I do not know what came over me. I thought the Lord wanted to use me to show his power over animals. Is it not we were given dominion over all creatures of the earth? No. It is not. We were given sentience and cognitive ability and opposable thumbs, but dominion over animals requires we use those things in an intelligent, well thought-out manner when approaching creatures who kill things much larger and stronger than we are on a regular basis. If there is a God, she is laughing her ass off right about now. Pun intended. Featured image from Wikipedia | 1real |
Amurexit from NAFTA TPP Wall Street and Global Policeman | Topics: Hillary Clinton , Donald Trump , 2016 Presidential Election , Brexit , FBI Director Comey Sunday, 13 November 2016
Despite the continuing wailing and tears and gnashing of teeth from angry Hillary supporters, the Trump Party is officially the winner of the 2016 presidential election.
Foremost now in all the post-election sound and fury is the new United States of Amurkier, according to analyst Dmitri Globulus, of the website Times Die Hard.
Hillary and the Clintonistas are lining up all the culprits for the defeat--since that obviously had nothing to do with Hillary Clinton herself--starting with FBI Director James Comey.
It wasn't her politics of more of the same, including beefing up wars in the middle east, continuing the policies of Obama, and renewing hostility with Russia.
No, it was Comey.
Comey was very nasty in announcing new emails had been discovered in Anthony Weiner's computer, which tipped the balance.
If only he had kept his mouth shut, according to the Clinton DieHards, she would have prevailed.
Her failure to talk Amurexit had nothing to do with it, whereas Trump continually signaled "The System is Rigged!"
But Dmitri Globulus says Trump was on target, not Clinton.
"It's basically a grapes of wrath syndrome. Too much imbalance in wealth distribution, severe economic depression, and Government Pretense of a 'recovery' that fooled nobody."
Add in free trade ideas and shipping jobs to the cheapest labor markets in the world leaving ordinary citizens out of work and you've got a lot of anger.
Add in Obamacare with its premiums going up and the Pharmaceutical Industry leaping up its profit margins--more anger.
Add in stupid wars with the only logic behind them making money for the munitions people and The War Establishment--more anger.
Add in refugees fleeing somewhere, anywhere, with their countries either blasted economically or from continuing, monstrous war--more anger.
Add in Washington-As-Usual with its talking heads and scoffing and labeling its opposition ignorant and stupid--more anger.
The Brexit people across the Atlantic are calling out: "Welcome to the Club! We're done with the Plutocrat Trans-nationalists!"
Many Amurkier people have responded: "So are we! Time to change it!"
The Clintonistas meanwhile continue to enjoy their outrage. Make joseph k winter's day - give this story five thumbs-up (there's no need to register , the thumbs are just down there!) | 1real |
Best Forgotten | I feel emotions with such depth and intensity they seem so familiar as if lived before, like deja vu they leave their residue, images form and bounce back and forth between heart and mind. It is mercy that I have forgotten so much more than remembered, time has allowed me to change and redefine them, such a crushing and heavy load to carry otherwise. If I am defined by those lost memories what am I? A loop between my heart and mind, thoughts and feelings rise and fall. Thoughtful ruminations give way to painful images and recollections. Oh there are good, even wonderful memories. I hang on to them like an album of pictures, I turn the pages and revisit those good times. They chronicle by not so much as what they show but what they don't. some are filled with regret, others live in denial, always hoping for a happy ending. My emotions sometimes rip through my chest and a sadness as black as night covers me, but I have determined not to cower, but to meet them with head and heart! I will not give up, I will not give up! | 1real |
THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET UGLY: GOP Introduces Plan To Stop $44 BILLION In Obama’s Last Minute Taxpayer Funded Regulations | Republicans have put forward a plan to stop Obama administration s last minute regulations Tuesday. These midnight regulations published after the 2016 presidential election could cost the American taxpayer over $44 billion.California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa re-introduced legislation Tuesday that would allow Congress to overturn executive branch regulations finalized in the last 60 legislative days of an outgoing presidential administration.The bill amends the Congressional Review Act, which would allow Congress to recoup the ability to essentially curb numerous regulations rushed through the regulatory process in the last days of an outgoing administration at one time.Issa s office claims the bill is designed to stem a growing trend by Presidents, of both parties, to use their last few months in office to rush in costly, expensive or controversial new regulations. The legislation, expected to be approved by the House Wednesday, was already introduced with support from the Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Tom Marino. Regulations impacting the economy, the environment, families, and our community should be done with great caution and transparency, not get rushed in last-minute on a President s way out of office. This is a good piece of legislation that will help keep this and future Presidents in check. The Midnight Rules Relief Act is a reasonable plan to strengthen executive branch oversight, giving Congress a better tool to ensure regulations are limited and, when necessary, approved in an open and transparent manner, Issa said in a statement. Daily Caller | 1real |
BULGARIA: Nearly l,000 Muslim freeloaders rebel over “bad food and delays in giving them status to enter Western Europe” | Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. PLEASE DONATE TO KEEP BARE NAKED ISLAM UP AND RUNNING. Choose DONATE for one-time donation or SUBSCRIBE for monthly donations Payment Options GET ALL NEW BNI POSTS/LINKS ON TWITTER Subscribe to Blog via Email
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Re: Michael Moore is totally failing at getting Trump supporters to stop sharing the clip from his anti-Trump movie | Michael Moore is totally failing at getting Trump supporters to stop sharing the clip from his anti-Trump movie Posted at 5:23 pm Greg P.
As we told you yesterday , Michael Moore is royally pissed that Trump supporters having taken a 4-minute clip form his anti-Trump movie out of context and are sharing it as evidence of why Donald Trump will win in November.
First he tried Snopes to try and convince people that his movie really isn’t pro-Trump: Snopes points out those who have falsely edited a clip from my film to make it seem like something it's not. https://t.co/4u0XwyKU37
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 28, 2016
And then he posted a clip from the end of the film where he rips on Donald Trump: Here's the actual end to that scene in my film "Michael Moore In TrumpLand", the end Trump doesn't want u to see: https://t.co/RN10G91wGS
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 28, 2016
Except as of the publishing of this post, the anti-Trump ending has only had 15,000+ views:
Now let’s compare that to the YouTube video of the pro-Trump portion of the film that Donald Trump shared yesterday: I agree, @MMFlint – To all Americans, I see you & I hear you. I am your voice. Vote to #DrainTheSwamp w/ me on 11/8. https://t.co/D7nBwkogBb
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2016
Trump’s link has 800,000+ views, and counting:
And keep in mind, this doesn’t even take into account the thousands and thousands of views different copies of this video have racked up. Like this single tweet with 25,000 retweets: If you make this go viral, Trump will win. It's 4 minutes that makes the choice in this election crystal clear. #EarlyVoting pic.twitter.com/UOgqSfet6a
— Jared Wyand 🇺🇸 (@JaredWyand) October 25, 2016
Anyway, Moore will be on Bill Maher’s show tonight where we’re sure he’ll continue to make the case that he really doesn’t want Trump to get elected, even though Trump supporters love what he had to say: I'm on Bill Maher tonight. HBO. Live. 10pm ET. Our promise back in May: 2 "personally stop Trump, 2 stand in front of WH door if necessary."
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 28, 2016
As for that threat, our money is on the Secret Service figuring out a way to deal with the dual threat of a Maher–Moore roadblock.
***
Related: | 1real |
Dear Trump: ISIS Is NOT A Football Game | When Donald Trump talks about America, he often talks about how we don t win anymore. We don t win on manufacturing. We don t win on trade. We don t win on economics. We don t win against ISIS. It s that last point I wish to address, because Trump said at a recent rally: Our military can t beat ISIS. Can you imagine the great General Douglas MacArthur or the great General George Patton saying we can t beat ISIS. Patton would rip your heart out if you ever said that. We can t beat right? Can you imagine that though? Can you imagine what they re spinning right now. They re watching. They re spinning in their grave. You, Donnie Trump, go on, and speak like MacArthur and Patton talk to you. You sound like you ve assured them you can win here, and you ll do them proud. Is that how you see it, Donnie?You re ignoring an awful lot there, Donnie. Neither MacArthur nor Patton behaved the way you do. They were tacticians, not juggernauts who rolled to victory in every single engagement. They knew when to steamroll, and when to pull back and regroup. In your crusade against anything that even remotely looks like weakness, you ve taught your dense and idiotic followers that winning against ISIS is as simple as a football game.Simply act like we can win, and we ll win.I m sure that our dear Mr. Trump does not see anything wrong with talking this way. After all, nothing he ever does is wrong. Period. End of. However, the problem is not how he sees it. The problem is the message he s putting forth. He s treating war, and terrorism, like they re football games. If we just think positively, believe we can win, and stop acting like we can t beat ISIS, we ll beat them handily.That s not true.Generals Patton and MacArthur were so successful in part because they were realistic. There were massive failures during WWII. We did not ride in on this white horse to save the day. However, Donnie disgustingly buys into that very narrative.We didn t.MacArthur was already in the Philippines when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. In the ensuing months, he suffered grievous defeats. He actually ordered a withdrawal to Australia to regroup. He was human. His troops were human. Japan was a juggernaut at the time, and we couldn t beat them with brute force.What do you think of that, Donnie? MacArthur actually ordered a retreat. Isn t that giving up? Isn t that what you re railing against? MacArthur is remembered as great because of things like this. Not in spite of them, and definitely not because they didn t happen.Then there s Patton. He does seem to have been more the style that you see in your head. For instance, he s reported to have said: We shall attack and attack until we are exhausted, and then we shall attack again. Yet he was surrounded by controversy over his leadership methods. Congress and the military actually demanded his removal from command after he slapped a soldier who was suffering from battle fatigue. There were other such incidents, too, but his qualifications are what kept him in the field. He might have stormed through battle zones like Bastogne (do you even know which battle that was, Donnie?), ending them, but he was far from perfect.Donnie, all you do is talk about winning and losing, and yet, nobody has ever conceded defeat to ISIS. Nobody in U.S. leadership has said, We can t beat ISIS. Not our president, not our current commanders. A coach telling his football team We can t do this, hands the game to the other team. Our military doesn t operate like that, however. It never has. It operates with the understanding that there will be defeats. Learning from those defeats is key to beating ISIS something you would know if you weren t such a conceited bastard.On the ground, unit commanders, all the way down to squad leaders, will give pep talks. Yes, that is normal, and you and I both know it. However, those who are guiding the entire war have to be realistic, or they will end up losing it, and they know it.It s not a football game.ISIS is not WWII, and it s definitely not a game, Donnie. Your treating it as such doesn t just show astonishing arrogance, but it also shows that you re wholly unqualified to be the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military. You will never be able to understand how anything works as long as you keep treating everything as winning versus losing.As though it s a goddamn football game. It s not. Featured image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images | 1real |
Zimbabwe swears in first post-Mugabe cabinet | HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa swore in his cabinet on Monday, with allies defending him against criticism for giving top posts to the generals who helped his rise to power. Sworn in as president on Nov. 24 after 93-year-old Robert Mugabe quit following a de facto military coup, Mnangagwa has also come under fire for bringing back several faces from the Mugabe era, including Patrick Chinamasa as finance minister. Air Marshall Perrance Shiri, who was handed the sensitive land portfolio, defended his appointment in remarks to reporters after a simple ceremony to take oaths of office. Who says military people should never be politicians? I m a Zimbabwean so I have every right to participate in government, he said. Shiri is feared and loathed by many Zimbabweans as the former commander of the North Korean-trained 5 Brigade that played a central role in ethnic massacres in Matabeleland in 1983 in which an estimated 20,000 people were killed. Land is a central political issue in the southern African country, where reforms in the early 2000s led to the violent seizure of thousands of white-owned farms and hastened an economic collapse. Another military figure is foreign minister Sibusiso Moyo, whom most Zimbabweans remember as the khaki-clad general who went on state television in the early hours of Nov. 15 to announce the military takeover. He declined to discuss the cabinet with Reuters, saying he had yet to get into his new office. Assembling a cabinet has not been without mishaps. Mnangawa dropped his initial pick as education minister on Saturday, 24 hours after appointing him, after a public outcry and reshuffled two others to meet a Constitutional requirement that all but five ministers be Members of Parliament. This has left the information portfolio vacant after he named Chris Mutsvangwa, the influential leader of the war veterans association, as special advisor to the president. Mutsvangwa has defended the cabinet, which at 22 is smaller than Mugabe s 33-strong team, saying the two military appointments were not unique to Zimbabwe. He also said Mnangagwa had engaged the opposition MDC party about taking part in an inclusive government, but its leader Morgan Tsvangirai had blocked it a claim disputed by the MDC. As far as we are concerned there was no contact whatsoever between President Mnangagwa, ZANU-PF and our party regarding the possibility of inclusion or involvement of our members in the government, MDC Vice President Nelson Chamisa told Reuters. | 0fake |
OBAMA’S EMBARRASSING Farewell Interview: Mom Was “Hippie” But Shaved Her Legs…Promises To Take 5-Star Mooch On “Nice Vacation…She Deserves It” | We all know the rules are a little different for the political class. But Michelle Obama s trips overseas hardly qualify as official business. They are lavish, extravagant, and excessive by any reasonable metric. Moreover, these latest revelations are hardly isolated.They are part of continuum reaching back across to the earliest days of the Obama administration. Recently, Judicial Watch obtained flight expense records from the U.S. Department of the Air Force revealing that Michelle Obama s June 2015 trip to the United Kingdom and Italy, accompanied by her daughters and mother, cost the taxpayers $240,495.67 in flight expenses alone.The records were released in response to a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request filed on June 22, 2015. The flights to London, England; and Milan, Venice, and Vicenza, Italy, for the June 15 21, 2015, trip totaled 20:35 hours at the cost of $11,684 per hour, bringing the flight expense total to $240,495.67, according to the Air Force documents.The Obama White House, true to form, tried spin the trip as a public service that was part of Michelle Obama s campaign to push her Let Girls Learn initiative and Let s Move anti-obesity campaign.Good grief. Everyone should deny themselves and streamline their lifestyles except for the Obamas.Press reports make it evident the Obama entourage set aside substantial time for tourism. In London, Michelle Obama joined Prince Harry for afternoon tea at Kensington Palace.And the White House press office conceded that, while in Italy, The First Lady will also visit cultural sites in Venice before returning to Washington, D.C. Judicial Watch released records revealing significant taxpayer-funded travel expenses for a Michelle Obama trip in July. Those records from the U.S. Department of the Air Force showed that Michelle Obama s 2014 trip to China cost American taxpayers $362,523.53 in travel expenses alone. Mrs. Obama, her daughters, and her mother spent March 19 26 in China, in a trip highlighted by extended visits to some of the country s most popular tourist sites.Apparently, the Obama family continues to bill the taxpayers for costly tourism jaunts thinly disguised as humanitarian crusades. If Michelle Obama wants to take tea with Prince Harry or enthuse over Da Vinci s The Last Supper, she is certainly entitled to do so, but not at taxpayer expense.Since the beginning of Barack Obama s administration, the Obamas have become increasingly notorious for unnecessary, luxurious travel, under the guise of official business.NewsmaxPresident Obama admitted he cried at a recent senior staff send-off dinner and is now claiming that he d be able to get re-elected if he had run for president again. I am confident in this vision because I m confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could ve mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it, Obama said in a The Axe Files podcast interview by former aide David Axelrod. I know that in conversations that I ve had with people around the country, even some people who disagreed with me, they would say, The vision, the direction that you point towards is the right one, the outgoing president said.The Constitution limits a president to serving only two terms.Reflecting on his presidency, Obama said he s been inspired by the heart and idealism of his staff. We had our senior staff dinner I got through about four minutes of the thing and started getting the hanky out, he admitted.Obama said it feels like the band is breaking up, but that he wants to devote his post-presidency to growing the talent and vision that began in his two terms as president of the United States. Overall, this place never got cynical, he said, praising the many aides he s had over the years. We never had that fire snuffed out. That is a point of pride for me, he added.The podcast interview at times got personal, with Obama discussing his upbringing and talking about how his mom was a hippie. But she always insisted on shaving her legs, he told his former aide.The president also looked forward to leaving the White House, saying he s going to take his wife, Michelle, on a nice vacation because she deserves it. The first family is currently in Hawaii for a two-week break before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. NYP | 1real |
What Is The True Mark Of The Beast? | 0
Will nano technology RFID chips alter your DNA?
Is the shadow government devising a plan to track people like cattle in the coming New World Order?
Was all this foretold in biblical prophecy?
Is the CIA brainwashing the public to accept a chip implant through subliminal commercials and propaganda?
Are you a slave in the matrix?
Is there a spiritual war taking place for your soul? Tags | 1real |
Watch Rudy Giuliani Forget He Was The Mayor Of NYC During 9/11 (VIDEO) | Appearing on Fox News, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani decided to make the bold claim that the world is more dangerous than ever after citing shootings like Orlando. He even went so far as to say: Do you ever remember the world as dangerous as this? I don t. It s like, c mon man, you were the mayor of NYC during 9/11/01, but I get it, that happened under a Republican president, and you don t want to dare insinuate your own party is weak on terror. Got it.Now, to be completely honest, it s not so much that Giuliani forgot he was mayor of NYC during the worst terrorist attack on American soil, but he seems to be playing completely ignorant to that fact, and is just trying to throw President Obama and Hillary Clinton under a bus.To his credit (of which he should get none) he did mention 9/11 in passing, but as if only to glaze over the fact that it was a terrorist attack on our nation, but he seems to think that what s happening now is worse than the day nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives.His political pandering clearly knows absolutely no bounds, and should enrage us all.Watch Giuliani go on Fox News to feign complete ignorance here.Giuliani: "Do you ever remember the world as dangerous as this? I don't." https://t.co/uaKE0p3SjRhttps://t.co/fa9gGz91u6 Fox News (@FoxNews) July 23, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Colson Whitehead on Slavery, Success and Writing the Novel That Really Scared Him - The New York Times | Colson Whitehead has long had a thing for the metaphoric possibilities of mechanized modes of transport, the more the better. His first novel, “The Intuitionist,” was set in the world of Manhattan elevator repair. His sophomore effort, “John Henry Days,” geeked out on the tunnels dug by that mythic man. But in his new novel, Mr. Whitehead grabs onto the most richly metaphoric conveyance of all: the Underground Railroad. That book, called simply “The Underground Railroad,” follows a slave named Cora as she escapes north via a literal network of underground tracks and trains. The novel had generated the biggest buzz of Mr. Whitehead’s career, even before Oprah Winfrey revealed on Tuesday that she had made it her latest book club pick. [ Michiko Kakutani’s review of “The Underground Railroad” ] Mr. Whitehead, 46, may be used to great reviews and enviable prizes, like the MacArthur Fellowship, the genius grant, which he received in 2002. But a few days before Ms. Winfrey’s announcement, he seemed a bit dazed by his impending ride into a bigger spotlight. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how people are responding to the book,” he said during an interview in his home office in Greenwich Village. “I’m someone who just likes being in my cave and thinking up weird stuff. ” “The Underground Railroad” — published by Doubleday, with a first print run of 200, 000 copies — is written in a more straightforwardly realist mode than many of Mr. Whitehead’s books, which have tended toward premises, extended set pieces and jokey riffs. It begins with a harrowing depiction of life on a Georgia plantation around 1850, before taking off on a suspenseful journey through several different states with social systems that mash up racial terrors from decades far into the future. There is Whiteheadian weirdness — hints of strange eugenics experiments Friday night lynchings staged like vaudeville shows and a kitschy “living history” museum, where Cora a sugarcoated version of plantation life — but it creeps in slowly, with a subtlety that may send some readers to Google to check their memories of high school history. “I went back and reread ‘100 Years of Solitude,’ and it made me think about what it would be like if I didn’t turn the dial up to 10, but kept the fantasy much more ” he said. “I wanted it to be like the slave narratives I read, where you get a very contemplation of all these weird and horrible things that keep happening. ” The idea for the book came to Mr. Whitehead around 2000, when he had just finished “John Henry Days. ” “I had the thought, ‘What if the Underground Railroad were a real train? ’” he said. “I sat on the couch, thinking about it, but it seemed like it would require a lot of real research, and I just wasn’t up to it. ” Instead, he wrote a string of very different books, including a nostalgic novel (“Sag Harbor”) a zombie thriller (“Zone One”) and a account of competing in the World Series of poker (“The Noble Hustle”). In the poker book, Mr. Whitehead, who had recently gone through a divorce, styled himself as a hyperactively wisecracking depressive who had a good poker face because, as he put it in the first line, “I am half dead inside. ” In person, he comes off as friendly but guarded, and wary of the expectations put on an writer who publishes a big book about race and freedom in the era of Black Lives Matter. He mentioned a bookstore owner from the South who invited him to come down for “a frank talk about race. ” “I’m honored by the response to the novel, but I was like, ‘Can we just talk about the book? ’” he said. “I’m not a representative of blackness, and I’m not a healer. ” Still, he describes “The Underground Railroad,” which he began in earnest in the spring of 2014, as responding to a kind of inner pull. He was about to start another book with another “existential black dude narrator,” as he put it, but the Underground Railroad idea kept coming to mind. “I thought, why not write the book that really scares you?” he said. Mr. Whitehead dived into the subject, reading classic slave narratives like Harriet Jacobs’s “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” and oral histories of former slaves gathered by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Above his desk, next to an menu board with letters reading “Next — The Underground Railroad,” is a library with scholarly works by Eric Foner and Edward Baptist, Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” a historical dictionary of slang and Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow. ” After he’d written 100 or so pages of the novel, he let himself watch the movie “12 Years a Slave,” but turned it off in the middle. “Seeing the movie really devastated me,” he said. “I could read about slave atrocities for days and days, but watching actors go through it was almost too much. I felt really messed up about what I was writing. ” Where books like “John Henry Days,” which centers on a cheesy festival celebrating a new John Henry postage stamp, have looked at the past through a distancing ironic lens, “The Underground Railroad” goes right into the heart of the historical experience. “Reading the book, I thought, he’s written his ‘Beloved,” said the poet and critic Kevin Young, who has been close with Mr. Whitehead since their undergraduate days at Harvard. “He really conjures up the ghost of slavery and embodies it in a way that is deeply historically accurate. But the book also has these amazing leaps of imagination that help us think about slavery not just in the past, but in the present. ” Mr. Whitehead, who is married to Julie Barer, a literary agent, grew up in Manhattan, where his parents ran an executive recruiting firm. He went to mostly white private schools, but spent summers in an beach enclave in Sag Harbor, N. Y. (the inspiration for the novel) where his maternal grandfather, who owned a chain of funeral homes in New Jersey, built a house from materials he hauled out each weekend in his car. Mr. Whitehead said he knew little about his own ancestors’ experiences in slavery. His mother’s family, he said, had included free black tavern owners in Virginia. His father’s family was in Florida by the early 20th century, but how it got there was largely lost “in the mists of time. ” Having children of his own — his daughter is 11, his son almost 3 — made slavery more viscerally, and sometimes terrifyingly, real. “Thinking about the loss of a child, about how my own children would feel if they saw me beaten to death in front of them, made writing this book very different than it would have been if I had tried it when I was 30,” he said. Mr. Whitehead has generally not been one for celebration of heroes. He and a friend once played around with a satirical website called Nat Turner Overdrive. The day after Barack Obama’s election in 2008, he published a riff of an in The New York Times hailing it as a historic victory for “Skinny Black Guys” like Sammy Davis Jr. Michael Jackson and himself. In “The Underground Railroad,” he talks about racial progress, and its limits, in a more direct, even prophetic way. Near the end, a character is seen heading for St. Louis — or, perhaps, Ferguson, Mo. readers might find themselves thinking. Mr. Whitehead said he saw his closing pages as optimistic, but also realistic. “I find the last pages very hopeful,” he said. “But still, wherever we go, we’re still in America, which is an imperfect place. That’s the reality of things. ” | 0fake |
WATCH: SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN Tells TMZ Sports Reporter He’s Okay With NFL Players Disrespecting Our Flag | John McCain really doesn t care what topic reporters ask him about, he only cares how President Trump feels about it, so he can take an opposing view. If President Trump agrees with a social or political issue, McCain disagrees with it. If Trump disagrees, McCain thinks it s a great idea.The cantankerous John McCain has become so predictable, it s almost laughable to hear his opinions anymore. He s become an embarrassment to the Republican Party but refuses to give up the R behind his name to save the party of the humiliation of his antics.McCain s latest embarrassing interview happened today when TMZ caught up with him to ask him his thoughts on the NFL players taking a knee in a show of disrespect for our flag, as a way to support the anti-cop Black Lives Matter movement. Instead of standing up our flag, or for his fellow veterans and the country he once fought so valiantly for, McCain took the cowardly way out and made a statement supporting the NFL player s right to disrespect our flag. Not surprisingly, McCain s remarks stood in contrast to strong admonition President Trump had for the disrespectful athletes in the NFL.Watch: | 1real |
Scientists Claim To Have Found 234 Alien Civilizations | posted by Eddie It seems that the long wait to receive a signal from outer space has finally paid off because after years of silence two astronomers from the Laval University in Quebec claim to have found 234 signals from alien civilizations. Ermanno Borra and his graduate student Eric Trottier, the astronomers we mentioned, begun analyzing stars and galaxies in search of light emitted at regular intervals. After analyzing 2.5 million of them they found what they were looking for in234 stars which resemble our Sun in size. According to the researchers, the signals are emitted by alien civilizations. The team was focused on the light spectrum’s Fourier Transform (FT). For the uninformed, an FT is a mathematical device that helps scientists to find the origin of the signal’s components and how they came to be. For example, if the light is a muffin, using the FT formula will reveal the recipe, couldn’t be simpler than that. The FT analysis revealed periodic modulated components which the scientists believe are a result of the super quick light pulses (less than a trillionth of a second) sent by Extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI). Their paper is published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and it reveals that the scientists discard any other possible explanation like instrumental effects, rotation of molecules, rapid stellar pulsations, and peculiar chemistry. They write: “ We find that the detected signals have exactly the shape of an ETI signal predicted in the previous publication and are therefore in agreement with this hypothesis . The fact that they are only found in a very small fraction of stars within a narrow spectral range centered near the spectral type of the Sun is also in agreement with the ETI hypothesis .” Only extremely powerful lasers, such as the one found at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , could generate these superfast pulses. Furthermore, Ermanno Borra has previously published articles where he states that this is the least explored area of astronomy. An inevitable question then arises: Why would these aliens choose such a complex and energy-consuming way to communicate? Surely they could have figured out a better way, after all they’re supposed to be millions of light years ahead of us in terms of technology and science. Although the team believes that the most logical explanation would be that aliens are trying to communicate with us, they are aware that further research is needed to confirm their findings. Breakthrough Listen , a Stephen Hawking-backed project will take up the task of further analyzing the 234 stars the team found, but the UC Berkeley team (the project’s science program base) encourages people to be skeptical regarding the findings, until further proof is available. The Breakthrough Listen team released a statement saying: “ The one in 10,000 objects with unusual spectra seen by Borra and Trottier are certainly worthy of additional study. However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. It is too early to unequivocally attribute these purported signals to the activities of extraterrestrial civilizations .” Source: | 1real |
Mike Pompeo Is Confirmed to Lead C.I.A., as Rex Tillerson Advances - The New York Times | WASHINGTON — President Trump’s cabinet continued to take shape on Monday, as Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas earned approval to lead the Central Intelligence Agency and Rex W. Tillerson, the secretary of state nominee, cleared a key Senate hurdle to all but assure his own confirmation. Despite some shaky appearances from his nominees on Capitol Hill and often blistering Democratic opposition, Mr. Trump has thus far faced few meaningful obstacles in installing the team of his choice — aided by Senate Republicans who are eager to expedite the confirmation process. Mr. Tillerson had been the only nominee to attract notable doubts from within the Republican Senate majority, briefly imperiling his prospects amid concerns over his ties to Russia and its president, Vladimir V. Putin, during Mr. Tillerson’s tenure at Exxon Mobil. But on Monday, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who had emerged as a critical vote on Mr. Tillerson’s fate, announced his support. Mr. Rubio had sharply questioned Mr. Tillerson at a hearing this month, chastising him in a series of interrogations over Mr. Tillerson’s equivocating testimony on human rights issues. Mr. Rubio also had left open the possibility of opposing him on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Republicans hold a majority. But in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday morning, Mr. Rubio said that despite his “reservations” about the pick, the president was “entitled to significant deference when it comes to his choices for the cabinet. ” Several hours later, by a vote of Mr. Tillerson won the committee’s recommendation. As Mr. Rubio explained his vote to reporters after the hearing, a heckler sidled up beside him with a teasing prop: a model of a spine. Mr. Tillerson must still clear a full Senate vote in order to join the administration. Mr. Trump’s aides and Senate allies had hoped to win approval on several nominees on Inauguration Day, but only two national security posts — the defense secretary, James N. Mattis, and the homeland security secretary, John F. Kelly — were filled. On Monday, Mr. Pompeo joined them, with the Senate convening to approve his selection, 66 to 32, after a debate that stretched into the evening. In their bid to confirm cabinet picks quickly, Republicans have been hamstrung at times by lax preparation from Mr. Trump’s team and the sprawling financial holdings of many of his nominees, which have produced reams of ethics paperwork. Still, Democrats are powerless to stop any nominees on their own. They have sought to use the confirmation process as a showcase for what they call the extreme positions of the prospective Trump cabinet and the ethical lapses that have dogged some of his selections. “I know why our Republican colleagues want to rush these nominees through,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, who has taken to calling Mr. Trump’s team a “swamp cabinet. ” “We’re not stalling nominations,” he added. “This isn’t sport. This is serious stuff. ” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, urged Democrats to stand down. “Let’s join hands and move forward,” he said. Earlier, a group of Democratic senators formally requested a second hearing for Betsy DeVos, the nominee for education secretary, after an initial review of her ethics papers. They cited potential conflicts of interest and efforts by Republicans to limit questions at her hearing last week. Ms. DeVos struggled through the hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, appearing uncertain on some basics of federal education policy. In response to the Democrats’ letter, the office of Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee and the committee’s chairman, said there would be no second hearing, adding that Ms. DeVos had already spent more time and answered more questions than former President Barack Obama’s nominees for education secretary had. Ms. DeVos is scheduled for a committee vote next week. Several other nominees are expected to be considered by other Senate committees this week, clearing the path for their confirmations. They include Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Mr. Trump’s choice for attorney general Ben Carson, his pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development Wilbur L. Ross, the nominee for commerce secretary and Elaine Chao, the nominee for transportation secretary. Hearings are scheduled on Tuesday for Representative Tom Price of Georgia, Mr. Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, his choice for White House budget director and Linda McMahon, Mr. Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration. On Monday, the chamber’s focus was on Mr. Pompeo. Though Republicans had hoped to hold the vote just after the inauguration, some Democrats objected to what they viewed as an effort to curb debate on intelligence issues. “We ought to have a debate in broad daylight, not when senators are trying to figure out if their tux is going to fit,” Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said at the time. Mr. Wyden continued his push on Monday, suggesting Mr. Pompeo’s record conveyed “enthusiasm for sweeping new surveillance programs targeting Americans,” among other concerns. But Mr. Pompeo did earn the support of some Democrats, limiting drama on the floor. The most highly anticipated vote of the day had been Mr. Rubio’s, on another Trump selection. With his explosive questioning of Mr. Tillerson at the hearing two weeks ago, the former 2016 presidential hopeful had once again seized an outsize spotlight. But Mr. Rubio also seemed to feed critics’ perception of him as squishy on matters of conviction, reinforcing his history of public vacillating and backtracking. He worked on immigration reform in 2013, before distancing himself from the legislation during last year’s Republican primaries. He sold “#NeverTrump” bumper stickers on his campaign website, before announcing his support for Mr. Trump once he dropped out. He said he would not run for to the Senate, weeks before revealing a change of heart. “The only thing you can consistently count on when it comes to Marco Rubio is his capacity to cave,” said Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist, a conservative online publication. In his statement on Facebook, Mr. Rubio concluded with a warning: “Upcoming appointments to critical posts in the Department of State are not entitled to, and will not receive from me, the same level of deference I have given this nomination. ” | 0fake |
Cambodia's Hun Sen urges arrests of opposition 'rebels in the city' | PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia could make more arrests of people linked to a plot to overthrow the government, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday, attacking opposition figures as rebels in the city bent on staging a color revolution , despite past failures. The comment is part of the strongman s widening crackdown on opposition politicians and independent media that critics and rights groups see as an effort to shore up his party s strength ahead of a general election next year. Last month, authorities arrested Kem Sokha, leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), and charged him with treason and espionage over an alleged plot to take power with help from the United States. The U.S. embassy has rejected any suggestion of interference in politics. The Sept. 3 arrest sparked condemnation from Western countries, and the CNRP has said about half its members of parliament have fled Cambodia fearing a crackdown by Hun Sen. This isn t over yet with one arrest, I would like to send out a message, Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years, said at an opening ceremony for a hotel in Siem Reap province. This set-up is a systematic activity, he added, referring to the alleged opposition plot to overthrow his government. The rebels in the city that do color revolution are absolutely rejected. Hun Sen can claim support from his main ally, China, which has said it supports Cambodia s efforts to maintain its security. The government says a 2013 video in which Kem Sokha tells supporters he has help from unidentified Americans to gain power is evidence that he was colluding with the United States. The opposition argues the video is evidence of an election strategy, not a coup plot. | 0fake |
Arson Suspected at Mosque That Orlando Nightclub Gunman Attended - The New York Times | The members of the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce had broken their fasts and left the mosque near Florida’s eastern shoreline. In the waning minutes of Sunday, less than an hour later, a surveillance camera recorded a man as he approached the mosque. Then came a flash as flames damaged the house of worship where the man who attacked an Orlando, Fla. nightclub often prayed. The authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were investigating the fire as a potential hate crime, even as officials cautioned that they remained uncertain about the motive. The blaze occurred on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and nearly three months after Omar Mateen opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It also happened around the beginning of Eid a Muslim holiday. “Today was supposed to be a day of this community exchanging gifts with their kids, visiting their family members, having dinners, having lunches,” Wilfredo Ruiz, a spokesman for the mosque, said at a Monday afternoon news conference in Fort Pierce, Fla. “Instead, they needed to go to another place to worship. ” No one was injured in the attack, and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office sought help identifying the suspect, whom the authorities described as a white or Hispanic male. Video showed the man arriving at the mosque, which is in a former Presbyterian church, about 11:38 p. m. on Sunday, appearing to carry paper and a bottle of some type of liquid. The camera recorded a flash, presumably when the fire ignited, and the man waved his arms, perhaps from a burn, before he fled on a motorcycle. Officials refused to speculate about a connection between the fire and the anniversary of the terrorist attack. A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, Bryan Beaty, declined to discuss whether Mr. Mateen’s ties to the mosque might have prompted the fire. With its painted star and crescent, palm trees and occasional protester outside, the Sunni mosque is central to Islamic life in Fort Pierce, a city of around 44, 000 people about an hour’s drive north of Palm Beach. Yet it has also been a hub of controversy, drawing attention twice in recent years as a place where young men who staged attacks had worshiped. In addition to Mr. Mateen, who was killed during the siege at Pulse, which left 49 other people dead, the Islamic Center was a frequent stop for Moner Mohammad Abusalha, who carried out a 2014 suicide bombing in Syria. (The F. B. I. director, James B. Comey, said the men had known each other “casually. ”) In June, the Islamic Center’s imam, Syed Shafeeq Rahman, distanced himself and the mosque from Mr. Mateen and, more generally, from extremist ideology. “There is nothing that he is hearing from me to do killing, to do bloodshed, to do anything, because we never talk like that,” the imam said of Mr. Mateen. The mosque, like many in the United States, has expressed concerns about security and the commitment of the local authorities to protect its members and property. Tensions mounted in July after the authorities arrested a man they said had repeatedly punched someone who had been at the Islamic Center to pray. The case is pending in the local circuit court, where a prosecutor said in a filing last month that the accused man had “evidenced prejudice” during the attack. Mr. Beaty said deputies had also investigated two suspicious vehicles and a harassing phone call at the mosque since the June 12 attack in Orlando. The fire at the Islamic Center is at least the third suspected arson at a Florida mosque this summer. A Tampa mosque was targeted twice in less than 24 hours last month, and a spokesman for the city’s Fire Department, Jason A. Penny, said Monday that the inquiry there remained active. In Fort Pierce on Monday, people responded to the attack with a mix of outrage and sadness. “An attack on any house of worship is an attack on all houses of worship,” said Ahmed Bedier, a Muslim activist in Florida. “It’s unacceptable. ” | 0fake |
North Carolina, Saturated and Surprised, Reels from Hurricane Matthew - The New York Times | LUMBERTON, N. C. — Brittany Graham had been confident that Hurricane Matthew would bring no more than a few inches of rain to this inland city. But by Sunday afternoon, her grandfather’s small farm was underwater. A grazing field was submerged. No one knew where most of the cows were. Floodwaters, perhaps three or four feet deep in some places, had covered the wheels of two trucks and flowed into a supply barn. Relatives squealed as they watched fish from the family’s pond swim across the road. “My grandpa’s still in shock,” Ms. Graham, 29, said. “He didn’t prepare anything because from what we heard, we were just going to get a little bit of rain. Basically, all his stuff is ruined. ” “This,” she added, “is completely devastating. ” Here in Lumberton, and in much of eastern North Carolina on Sunday, residents were taking stock after Hurricane Matthew pounded the state over the weekend with a furor that seemed improbable days earlier. North Carolina officials reported eight deaths, a figure that accounted for nearly half of the hurricane’s death toll in the United States, and Gov. Pat McCrory warned that the casualty count was “expected to increase. ” “I wouldn’t assume that there aren’t people clinging for life right now in houses that are underwater that we have yet to reach, especially in lower populated areas,” Mr. McCrory said. “That’s what my major concern is. ” Still, dozens of boat and aircrews rescued more than 1, 000 people, more than 700 of them in Cumberland County, which includes Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. The state also had countless informal evacuations and rescues, strung together by residents and visitors who sometimes acted with little warning. Melissa Fineman, the general manager of a Comfort Suites hotel in coastal Brunswick County, had retreated to her room on Saturday night when she heard creaking in the building, which was filled with evacuees and linemen from a local utility company. “The pressure and the gusts just started cracking the walls,” she said. “With each gust of wind, it just got wider and wider. ” Ms. Fineman decided to empty the hotel. After a effort that she said took just minutes, the property’s 123 guests, and their 45 animals, had escaped through a back stairwell, ultimately fleeing to a nearby high school and escaping the wrath of a storm that once seemed poised to spare this state. But the havoc in North Carolina was an unwelcome reminder of both the inherently deceiving nature of the Hurricane Wind Scale — the storm was barely classified as a Category 1 hurricane when its bands hit North Carolina — and the behavior of a tropical cyclone. As recently as Thursday, when forecasters were predicting that Hurricane Matthew would leave North Carolina mostly unscathed, Mr. McCrory said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the storm. Then the hurricane shifted, losing power but maintaining moisture and taking aggressive aim at much of North Carolina’s coastline and the state’s inland counties. Some areas recorded more than a foot of rain, and by Sunday morning, Mr. McCrory and his constituents were lamenting an increasingly dire landscape of devastation. “When you go from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 1, the danger of harm is still there,” Mr. McCrory said. “What those categories don’t include is how water can kill. ” In North Carolina on Sunday, more than 3, 000 people were in shelters, and some 770, 000 homes and businesses were without electricity. Parts of Interstate 40 and Interstate 95 were closed, and the authorities warned that more trouble was to come as rain poured into rivers and raced toward the coast. Some local governments ordered evacuations and curfews. The National Weather Service, which said that many of its river gauges in eastern North Carolina showed major flooding, predicted that the Lumber River would remain above record levels until at least Friday. In Rocky Mount, the Tar River was expected to surpass its record height by nearly three feet. And near Goldsboro, the Neuse River was forecast to reach 29. 6 feet on Monday, nearly a foot above its record. “That’s always the trouble in eastern North Carolina — because the saturation tables are so low, the water doesn’t have anywhere to go,” said the Rev. William J. Barber II, the president of the North Carolina chapter of the N. A. A. C. P. and a pastor of a church in Goldsboro. “We’re downstream. If a storm drops a lot of rain in the Raleigh area, it comes down like a wall this way. ” In Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Sunday, residents turned much of their attention to recovery as people removed trees, cleared roadways and increasingly found their electricity restored. People in coastal communities who had heeded orders to evacuate returned to their homes to survey the damage, often trading text messages and pictures with one another to share what they had found. Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina, citing requests from local officials, maintained evacuation orders in two counties, but she allowed people to return to Charleston, the state’s city, and its surrounding area. “The weather looks good next week, which is a great sign as we want to try and do the recovery, so that’s the one blessing that we do have,” Ms. Haley said. And here in North Carolina, residents were girding for a hard recovery in places like Hope Mills, where Marie Pelkey, 42, stared through the trees at her younger sister’s waterlogged home. “She’s probably lost everything,” Ms. Pelkey said, her face flushing as tears rolled past her thick black sunglasses. A neighbor, Cathy Swain, walked over to wrap Ms. Pelkey in her arms. She, too, knew the extent of the devastation and how it rivaled the destruction of previous storms. “Major roads are washed out,” she said. “Bridges are gone. I’ve been here 53 years. I was here through Fran, Floyd — never seen anything like this. It’s going to take a long time. ” She added, “I’ve never seen the Walmart closed. ” | 0fake |
WOW! KY Dem House Speaker Makes Insane Speech Following Crushing Defeat In Gov Race [Video] | State Reps Forced To Stand Awkwardly In BackgroundAt one point it appears as though someone approaches the two State Representatives who appear to be trapped behind the rambling, incoherent train wreck, Kentucy House Speaker and Democrat, Greg Stumbo and offers them an opportunity to get off the stage. This wealth accumulation in America has to cease. Kentucky Republicans had a very good election day. Matt Bevin defeated Democrat Jack Conway to become only the second Republican Kentucky governor in four decades. Jenean Hampton won her quest for lieutenant governor, becoming the commonwealth s first African-American to hold a statewide office. Rising Democratic star State Auditor, Adam Edelen, was ousted by Republican state Rep. Mike Harmon, despite raising nearly $900,000 to Harmon s $37,000.Democrats held on to some seats, but the defeats were crushing in part because Conway was ahead in polling up to election day. With so many Democrats ousted from office or unable to win their campaigns, Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo is one of the top-ranking Democrats still standing.He gave a speech that was striking for its odd content and rambling delivery. Flanked by state Reps. Martha Jane King and Jeff Greer, Stumbo discussed his thoughts on the political affiliation of Jesus and his view on what Scripture really is and how it influences politics. And the other thing I know is that if in fact the Bible is a book of parables, like I believe it is, think about this: Mary did not ride an elephant into Bethlehem that night, he said to a restrained crowd.[ ] For entire story:The Federalist h/t:Weasel ZippersHmmmm .I wonder where he got the idea America is beginning to think of the Democrats as the Godless party? Maybe Conway missed the last DNC convention where the members voted to remove God from the platform:And then of course, there is Reverend Wright who preached hate and anything but the truth about God s love for all of his people to Barack Hussein Obama (the ultimate Democrat Community Organizer) for roughly 20 years: | 1real |
It’s Coming… UNPRECEDENTED US BOND DUMPING | Jim Willie | Home » Gold » Gold News » It’s Coming… UNPRECEDENTED US BOND DUMPING | Jim Willie
A dollar collapse is coming… Jim Willie editor of the Hat Trick letter joins Silver Doctors to Sound the Alarm : foreign governments are getting concerned about the Federal Reserve devaluing the U.S. dollar. As a result, foreign governments are dumping U.S. debt at an unprecedented rate.
Regarding the U.S. presidential election, Willie says the polls and voting machines are rigged. However, Willie remains hopeful that after the election we will be released from this “fascist dictatorship.”
Stay tuned to hear The Golden Jackass answer viewers questions!
Subscribe HERE for free to the Silver Doctors’ YouTube channel so you do not miss part 2! | 1real |
SHOCK: Woman’s Stolen Car Returns With Gas Money and Unexpected Note | BREAKING: Andrea Tantaros Outs Fox News Top Brass In Disturbing Lawsuit
Of course a police report was immediately filed, but oddly the situation apparently resolved itself the next day when the car was returned to the owner along with an apology note and some money for gas.
Wednesday afternoon the red Subaru was spotted on the street in front of Hatzi’s house, along with a police officer and the woman believed to have taken the car.
The note explained that the entire incident had been a terrible misunderstanding, as Hatzi’s car had been mistaken for someone else’s car of the same make and color.
The note read: “Hello, So sorry I stole your car. I sent my friend with my key to pick up my red Subaru at **** SE Woodstock and she came back with your car. I did not see the car until this morning and I said, ‘That is not my car.'”
“There is some cash for gas and I more than apologize for the shock and upset this must have caused you. If you need to speak further, with me, I am ** | 1real |
Chinese may become Russia’s second largest ethnic population by 2050 | Russia & India Report | Chinese may become Russia’s second largest ethnic population by 2050 26 October 2016 TASS The number of unemployed people in China is more than the entire Russian population. Facebook russia , china , migration
Experts predict a possible growth in the migration flow from China into Russia, by 2050 the Chinese may become the second largest population group in Russia, Scientific Director of the Center for Migration Research of the Institute of National Economic Prediction of Russia’s Academy of Science Zhanna Zayonchkovskaya said.
"The number of unemployed people in China is more than the entire Russian population," she noted at an international conference at the North Caucasus Federal University in the Russian city of Stavropol, dubbed as "Migration processes.""If we maintain solid relations with China then I think by 2050 the Chinese may become the second largest population group in Russia and surpass the Central Asian populace as far as migration goes," the expert said.
Zayonchkovskaya said the reason for this process was that after 2030 the migrant inflow from Central Asian countries would decline as a large part of young people had already left these countries to work or study in the neighboring states.
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the main countries whose citizens come to Russia, Ukrainians migrate in large numbers, too. "If we think of other countries from where migrant labor can be obtained, I can think of none other than China," Zayonchkovskaya noted, emphasizing that "Russia will need foreign workers to ensure its economic development."
According to the expert, the changes in the pension legislation would not balance the situation given the decrease in the working-age population. "Raising the retirement age will neither level out the demographic waves, nor will it solve the labor shortage problem, as it only solves the problem of the Pension Fund, though the demographic situation still remains problematic," Zayonchkovskaya added noting that according to the Federal Migration Service, the international migration flow into Russia in 2015 had amounted in 9.8 mln people.
First published by TASS . | 1real |
Trump: Undocumented Children Aren't US Citizens | Billionare Donald Trump is doubling down on his controversial immigration policy.
His latest proposal: revoke the citizenship of American-born children of undocumented immigrants, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.
On Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" on Tuesday night, the GOP's presidential frontrunner envisioned kicking all 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the country.
"Do you envision federal police kicking in the doors in barios around the country, dragging families out and putting them on a bus? Do you envision that?" host Bill O'Reilly asked.
"I don't think they have American citizenship," he replied. "And if you speak to very good lawyers, and I know some would disagree, (but) many agree with me, you will find they do not have American citizenship."
Trump hasn't said how he would implement his ambitious immigration plan. In New Hampshire Wednesay he talked about building what he calls a beautiful wall.
"I will build the greatest wall that you've ever seen," he said. "I want it to be so beautiful because maybe someday they're gonna call it the Trump Wall, maybe. So I have to make sure it's beautiful, right? I'll be very proud of that wall."
Up the road at another event in New Hampshire, Jeb Bush took a few swipes at Trump, saying he's not a true conservative.
"Mr. Trump doesn't have a proven, conservative record," Bush said. "He was a Democrat longer in the last decade than he was a Republican. He's given more money to Democrats than he's given to Republicans."
"Even on immigration, where it's -- you know, look, it's, the language is pretty vitriolic for sure. But hundreds of billions of dollars of cost to implement his plan is not a conservative plan," he added. | 0fake |
Dyer: ‘LA Times ‘Fake News’ Article is an Attack on Independent Media’ | Jay Dyer 21st Century WireAccording to a recent feature article published by the LA Times, and which has since gone viral, this website, 21st Century Wire, has been placed at the top of a list of fake news sites compiled by Dr Melissa Zimdars, an associate professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. Aside from being a highly political attempt to discredit a number of online news source which Dr Zimdars and the Democratic Party establishment probably labels as Alt Right, this coordinated effort also points directly to a much deeper agenda, as part of a larger as psychological operation to create an algorithm for filtering (censoring) news items on major internet platforms and social networks.I take that to heart, since I write for 21WIRE. It s no coincidence that this LA Times hit piece comes in the same week that Democratic Party pundits and leaders are blaming Hillary Clinton s loss to Donald Trump on fake news posted on Facebook which they claim wrongly influenced voters. Also just by coincidence this week, Facebook, Google and other DNC affiliated Silicon Valley media partners have announced they are planning to draw-up lists of numerous alternative media websites including right wing websites as well as known satire sites, and ours as fake. Google and Facebook will then be able to flag and restrict banned websites from being able to earn revenue through their advertising networks. Of course, the real reason for this is explained in my video (watch below) outlining the absurdity of the most astounding liars on the planet the Mainstream Media accusing websites like ours as pushing out fake news. Ultimately, this is an attack on all independent media.It seems that Dr Zimdar s master list was made to place 21WIRE at the top and yet, it s perhaps the best site on the list and is the only one that has been to Syria, reported on the ground in Aleppo, and even met with Syria president Assad all things that most corporate mainstream media outlets have not managed to do. 21WIRE also blasted faux NGO the White Helmets away as a western-funded propaganda front. 21WIRE is subject to regular DDoS attacks and regularly does real journalism. It is also edited by accredited journalists and is frequently featured on radio and television. That is why it has been targeted in this hit piece because it is independent and not attached to any political party.Watch my video analysis here: ***Jay Dyer is the author of the new book, Esoteric Hollywood: Sex, Cults and Symbols in Film from Trine Day Publishers. Focusing on film, philosophy, geopolitics and all things esoteric, JaysAnalysis and his podcast, Esoteric Hollywood, investigates the deeper meanings between the headlines, exploring the hidden aspects of our sinister synthetic mass media matrix.READ MORE ELECTION NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire 2016 FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE NOW & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 1real |
11 Ideas for Midweek Cooking - The New York Times | Kim Severson is filling in for Sam Sifton, who emails readers of Cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes. That email also appears here. To receive it in your inbox, register here. Hello, besties. I think this newsletter thing is going really well so far, don’t you? Since there is no one left in New York in August, except the people who stay because they can get a parking space, none of my bosses seem to care that I am just doing whatever I want in this space. Of course, you care. And I love you for it. This is the day we like to cook without a recipe. A day sans receta, as El Bloombito would say if he were a cook. A recent meal built from fresh field peas, marinated cucumbers and tomatoes, plus an impromptu snack of radishes that spent a couple of hours in red wine vinegar, cayenne and salt, got me thinking about why vinegar is really an unsung savior as summer produce plays out. You can combine it with olive oil and garlic to marinate a pork tenderloin or chicken breasts, which gets you into Sam Sifton’s spiedie territory. It can dress any number of leftover steamed vegetables (or try a technique J. Kenji discussed on “The Splendid Table”). Or you could do what Nina Bernstein, a New York Times investigative reporter, does when she is not unearthing the sad things that happen to cadavers in New York. She learned the technique from her mother, and she uses it almost daily for her salad. Mash garlic and kosher salt together in a wooden bowl, add a dollop of Dijon mustard and a splash or two of vinegar (she uses balsamic). Stirring steadily and rapidly, slowly pour in a thin stream of olive oil. Adjust the salt and acid. Pile some dry, sturdy lettuce into the bowl. You can keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Then toss it all together. “Tossing well is crucial,” she said. “When you think it’s well tossed, toss some more. ” That salad would be great with a bowl of steamed mussels from David Tanis, or steamed clams à la Sifton, or a piece of fish from the steady hand of Martha Rose Shulman. Sometimes you just need a bowl of pasta. Mark Bittman has a good puttanesca, which you can probably make from the pantry. Or you could go deep in the vault and make Pierre Franey’s skirt steak with lentils. Throw in some roasted carrots with parsley and thyme, which went nuts on our Facebook page over the weekend, and you’re golden. Now, for something sweet. I was on a work road trip that took me deep into Alabama’s peach country last week, and I had some great homemade peach ice cream at Durbin Farms Market in Chilton County. It was the kind where the chunks of peach are frozen inside some deeply creamy vanilla ice cream. Don’t be jelly! (As women should never say.) Here’s a peach ice cream recipe from my Southern sister Julia Reed. And if you want to approximate the experience with ice cream, here’s a recipe for butterscotch peaches. I do want to remind you that soon we will be staring down the barrel of a turkey. Here at Recipe Central we are already planning for Thanksgiving. We want to hear stories from your table, with an eye toward the immigrant traditions that have crossed over to the most American of meals. Please take a moment to tell us. And if you’re feeling especially chatty or you’re in the weeds on something contact us at cookingcare@nytimes. com. You can find me at me on Twitter @kimseverson, on Instagram at kimseverson or NYT Cooking at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. On Friday we’ll share some of the best tips from the flood of help you sent to Erin C. our reader with a breakfast problem I mentioned on Monday. In the meantime, here’s something from my day job for your reading pleasure: a dispatch from Tucson, a robust food town. I’ll be back inside your head Friday. | 0fake |
Guatemala lawmakers curb penalties for illegal election financing | GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala s Congress on Wednesday approved a national emergency decree to curb penalties for illegal election financing after the country s president was linked to suspected irregularities during his 2015 election campaign. The change eliminates criminal responsibility for authorizing electoral funds that prove to be illegal and makes party accountants responsible for irregularities rather than party leaders. The reform, approved by a vote of 105-19, also reduces the penalty for illegal election financing from a maximum of 12 years to 10 and allows for paying a fine in order to avoid jail time. The decree was the latest blow to the prosecutor s office and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) after Congress this week voted to preserve President Jimmy Morales immunity from prosecution. Prosecutors had sought to remove Morales immunity to investigate him over some $800,000 in allegedly unexplained campaign funds when he was the head of his party. Prosecutors are also investigating Guatemala s other major parties. Under the leadership of Ivan Velasquez, a veteran Colombian prosecutor, the CICIG has caused problems for Morales, first investigating his son and brother, and then seeking to prosecute him over the allegedly unexplained campaign funds. The U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, Todd Robinson, expressed his disappointment in a message on Twitter. Years of malnutrition, insecurity, crime, corruption. Congress? No action. Amazing how fast they act to protect selves from prosecution, he said in a post. Really? National emergency? What a shame! | 0fake |
The Loosening Grip of DC | By Fred Reed October 28, 2016
Oh good. The world reaches a crossroads, or probably a road off a cliff, just when I want to relax and watch gratuitous violence on the tube. To judge by the rapid drift of events aboard our planetary asylum, the talons of Washington and New York on the world’s throat are fast being pried a-loose. The Global American Imperium is dying. Or so it sure looks anyway.
I say talons of “New York and Washington” because America’s foreign policy, forged in those two cities, belongs entirely to them. Americans have no influence on it. Further, none of what the Empire does abroad is of any benefit to Americans. Do you care at all what happens in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, or the South China Sea? Do you want to pay for it? America has been hijacked.
And the Empire prospereth not. It prospereth very not. Consider the recent record of the world’s hyperpower:
Washington does not have control of Afghanistan, and obviously is not going to.
Washington does not have control of Iraq, and appears unlikely to.
Washington did not back Iran down, and isn’t going to.
Washington did not back Russia down in Ukraine and Crimea, and isn’t going to.
Washington did not back China down in the South China Sea and, while this is perhaps not over, the Empire seems to be losing.
Washington has not backed North Korea down and is not going to.
In the Philippines, President Duterte has told Obama to “go to hell” as being “the son of a whore,” which may be taken to indicate latent hostility. He is vigorously seeking rapprochement with China. While Washington may have him murdered, it seems to be losing control of the Little Vassals of ASEAN.
Turkey seems to be cuddling up to Russia–that is, looking East like Duterte. Maybe Washington can turn this around temporarily, but there-s a whole lot of wavering going on.
Meanwhile Washington thrashes around impotently as per usual in Syria, and, though the jury remains out on this one, looks to have poor prospects. If Washington–AKA New York–loses here, after doing so in Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Afghanistan, the Empire will beyond redemption be on the downward slope.
The United States is not in danger. The Empire is. This is not good. Empires, the Soviet Union notwithstanding, seldom go quietly. Either Washington gambles on war of some sort against Russia, or Russia and China, in the desperate hope of reversing things, or the Empire gets slowly eaten. Or not so slowly. Once one country pries itself loose, many may rush for the door.
New York may go for calculated war against Russia–say, cyberwar expected not to turn into shooting war, shooting war in Syria not expected to turn into global shooting war, global shooting war not expected to turn into nuclear war. This will be a crapshoot. Note that America has badly misguessed the outcomes of every war since Korea.
This is why the American election actually matters, unusual in Presidential contests. It is Blowhard against Corruption, a swell choice, but Trump is firmly against war with Russia, and Hillary for. Her military understanding is that of a fried egg.
The woman is both a fool and a knave but, it seems, Trump has talked trash, and therefore she will likely be President. Weirdly, the future of the world depends on how an excited electorate of political middle-schoolers responds to one candidate’s dirty talk. From a curmudgeon’s point of view, it is pretty funny. It is funnier if one lives outside of the radiation footprint.
But back to business. The seaboard Axis of Evil needs a war because almost every tide runs against it. Proximately, the Axis has pushed China, Russia, and Iran together against the Empire. (First rule of empire: Do not let the dissidents unite.) Many signs suggest that the world, or much of it, is beginning to see China as its future. The BRICS, the SCO, the NDB, the AAIB–all exclude the US. China becomes the major trading partner of country after country. The twilight deepens.
Not all goes wrong for the Empire–not yet, but things are getting spooky. On the European Peninsula of Asia, countries remain docile, especially England and, much more importantly, Germany. Yet even among Washington’s European harem, there seem to be faint stirrings of a forgotten independence. As I understand it, Germany’s businessmen would very much like to end Washington’s sanctions on Russia and improve trade with China, which would be greatly to the benefit of the Peninsula. Washington won’t let them. It can’t. If the Europeans did what would be good for themselves, and looked to Eurasia, then the fat lady, already warming up, would burst into full bellow.
Which, methinks, raises the likelihood that Washington will in desperation do something phenomenally stupid. At this writing Hillary’s camp seems to be prepping the public for war with Russia. The telescreen tells us day after day that Putin is Hitler, that Russia is expanding, that the Russkies are hacking the election, that they cause indigestion and falling hair. Is this just Hillary waggling her codpiece in the expectation that Moscow will demurely back down, as God intended? Or will she again send other people’s children to fight for her in somebody else’s country?
The larger picture, assuredly obvious to New York, is truly grim–for New York, not for Americans. China has a huge population of a billion Han Chinese, versus two hundred million Caucasian Americans–these being the scientific, technological and entrepreneurial brains of the Empire. One must not notice this, but you can bet that New York and Beijing do. Economically China is growing hugely, advancing technologically at a high rate, building rail lines that now extend from the Chinese Pacific coast to Madrid. It will increasingly dwarf the Empire no matter what happens–short of a world war.
The curtain falls in ways unnoticed. China recently launched a communications satellite, the world’s first employing quantum cryptographic links, which cannot be intercepted. The intention of this, as well of the QC link from Beijing to Shanghai, is to keep the NSA off China’s back. A small thing, perhaps. Yet if successful and adopted en masse by other countries weary of Washington’s meddling, the result will be a loosening of the Empire’s grip on everybody’s communications.
For the Empire it is, as Elvis sang, “now or never.” Lenin spoke of “useful idiots.” Ours aren’t even useful, but they call the shots. The Best of Fred Reed Tags: | 1real |
Dems sue GOP over Trump's 'rigged' complaints | Dems sue GOP over Trump's 'rigged' complaints Claim argument designed to suppress vote in minority communities Published: 33 mins ago
(CNN) The Democratic National Committee is suing the Republican National Committee for aiding GOP nominee Donald Trump as he argues that the presidential election is “rigged,” claiming that Trump’s argument is designed to suppress the vote in minority communities.
The suit, filed Wednesday in US District Court in New Jersey, argues that the RNC has not sufficiently rebuked Trump for the line of attack, which he has used as a rallying cry and is assumed to be a way to explain away a potential loss on Election Day.
What (more) we’ve learned about Clinton’s circle, Neera Tanden from email hack | 1real |
Millennials ‘Search for Truth’ on Election but Distrust Media, Intelligence Firm Reports | Millennials ‘Search for Truth’ on Election but Distrust Media, Intelligence Firm Reports Posted on Oct 28, 2016 A crowd of millennial voters at a South Bronx rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders in March. ( Michael Vadone / CC 2.0 )
Don’t believe the hype about millennial voters. This bloc of the Unites States population, ages 18 to 35 and whose numbers are estimated to be about 69.2 million, may have a reputation for not engaging with the political system —but that is not the case for this election, The Intelligence Group reports, based on a recent study.
“Leading up to the presidential election, millennials are taking advantage of their hacking mindset to create their own persuasion journey to get to the truth,” The Intelligence Group, a part of global marketing agency Deep Focus, which performs research for corporations and government organizations, states in a report that quotes numerous millennial voters.
This subset of the electorate will play an important role at the ballot box, and its members are doing their homework.
“The media is a joke,” said Joseph, 31, a moderate in the study. “I research things much more. I Google the topic, and then I sift through a bunch of media spin to try and see if it’s true or not.”
The group’s research, conducted through “a blended approach of social listening and qualitative insights generated via real-time social conversations,” found millennials fact-checking the presidential candidates’ assertions and engaging with their peers on social media sites and forums such as Reddit, Twitter and Facebook to “make an informed opinion and hold candidates accountable.”
During the first presidential debate, for example, The Intelligence Group reported that Americans posted 138,000 tweets to fact-check the candidates in real time. This eagerness to critically assess the candidates stems from a distrust of both media and the candidates themselves.
“I don’t believe there is such a thing as a truly objective source,” said Kelly, 25, a liberal. “It’s up to the individual to factor in the relative objectivity of a source when making their opinion.”
The millennial vote is an increasingly significant one. This year, data show that millennials already match the baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) as the largest voting-age group in America, according to the Pew Research Center. Census Bureau data show that roughly 1 in 6 voters in the past two presidential elections were younger than 30.
The presidential campaigns have taken note of these numbers, “firing on all cylinders” to target millennials, according to Kristin Lynch, communications coordinator for the Clinton campaign in Denver. Clinton’s team referred to social media and, specifically, Facebook Live, as crucial to reaching young voters.
“[Trump] is really facing an uphill battle when people are only hearing what the media is saying,” Rachel Keane, the Trump campaign’s Colorado millennial outreach co-chairwoman, told USA Today.
In the 2012 election, President Obama won over millennials by a landslide against rival Mitt Romney, garnering 60 percent of the youth vote.
“If millennials vote en masse, they have a chance to determine the election’s outcome ,” writes Courtney Crowder of the Des Moines Register.
The next big question is whether they will be motivated enough to actually vote. | 1real |
NFL’S PHONY PATRIOTISM: US Defense Department Paid NFL DISGUSTING $4.5 Million For On-Field Flag Appearances…Welcome Home Tributes | Every day, the NFL gives fans another reason to stop supporting them. Although the NFL agreed to refund a small portion of the money our Defense Department (US taxpayers) have paid them to show support for our military, it s the idea that Americans have been duped into believing it was something they did out of honor or reverence for our military. The NFL has reached a new low with their acceptance of players who are disrespecting our flag to promote Obama s race war while disallowing the Dallas Cowboys to honor the 5 police officers slain in their hometown by a Black Lives Matter terrorist. Don t forget, they also looked away when Cleveland Brown s player, Isaiah Crowell posted an Instagram picture of a cop with his neck being slit open. The NFL never said a word. They never even acknowledged what some considered to be a terrorist type threat to our law enforcement.In May 2016, the NFL announced that they would return more than $700,000 of taxpayers money that was paid to teams for sponsored military tributes.After being criticized for paid patriotism, in which money came out of the armed forces budget for various measures of public recognition during games, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league would pay that money back.In a letter written to Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain on Wednesday, and disclosed on Thursday, Goodell said that following an audited review of 100 marketing agreements from 2012 to 2015 by accounting firm Deloitte & Touche teams were deemed to have received $723,734 for acts of sponsored patriotism. Given the immense sacrifices made by our service members, it seems more appropriate that any organization with a genuine interest in honoring them, and deriving public credit as a result, should do so at its own expense and not at that of the American taxpayer, the report said. Americans deserve the ability to assume that tributes for our men and women in military uniform are genuine displays of national pride, which many are, rather than taxpayer-funded DOD marketing gimmicks. PGLast year, Flake and McCain disclosed that the U.S. Department of Defense had spent $5.4 million in contracts with 14 NFL teams from 2011 to 2014. Some of those contracts disclosed that payment was for on-field flag ceremonies and tributes to welcome home veterans. One team, the Atlanta Falcons, had made more than $1 million from the department over those four seasons.The National Guard spent $6.7 million on contracts with NFL teams from 2013 to 2015. Via: ESPNThere has never been a better time to boycott the NFL, their merchandise and any of their sponsors. | 1real |
What University of Texas Campus Is Saying About Concealed Guns - The New York Times | AUSTIN, Tex. — As classes began here at the University of Texas this past week amid a new law allowing concealed handguns on college campuses in the state, an accounting student quietly strapped on a pistol and headed to class. A sophomore joined a raucous protest against the law. A professor who had sued to stop the law resigned herself to teaching with handguns in the classroom. And the college president sought out ways to safeguard the campus culture that he cherished while accommodating a law that he did not. While the right to carry a gun is fiercely protected by Second Amendment advocates across the country, administrators at universities in Texas, both public and private, have expressed reservations about the law. Nowhere has the debate been as intense as it has been here in Austin, a liberal outpost in a conservative state. The law, passed last year by the Legislature, went into effect Aug. 1 and has turned this campus of 50, 000 into a microcosm of the national debate over how to balance the constitutional right to bear arms with the costs that guns often impose. Those on campus are at the heart of a struggle to decide how to expand rights without stepping on others and what, if any, places should be exempt. Many professors and students worry that guns in classrooms will frighten people and discourage free expression, which is the bedrock of academia. The few students licensed to carry handguns and their many supporters beyond campus counter that and the right of individuals to bear arms must not be restricted. The question now is how do those abstract ideas play out — for students trying to get through organic chemistry or meet a professor after class, professors who want to introduce critical thinking and intellectual exploration without fear, and administrators walking a tightrope with the Legislature. Here are the thoughts of four members of this campus. Huyler Marsh grew up near Dallas, the son of an economics professor who discouraged guns in the house. As a freshman in Austin, he met a student who invited him to join the college shooting club, and he was hooked. Now a studying for a master’s degree in accounting, Mr. Marsh has been shooting competitively for years. “Shooting at targets, it’s addicting,” he said. “You are chasing perfection. ” On the fourth floor of a library on campus, he quietly dropped his backpack and lifted the tail of his red plaid shirt to show a black . pistol sticking from a holster wedged in the back of his waistband. “I wear it pretty much whenever I can,” Mr. Marsh said. “It’s not that I’m afraid of getting attacked all the time. It’s more like a fire extinguisher or a seatbelt. You always have it and hope you never have to use it. If I call 911, it might be 10 minutes before they get here. It might be more. It’s nice to know you have ultimate responsibility for your safety. ” University rules still ban guns from many places: labs with hazardous materials, some areas of dormitories, centers, football games, mental health facilities and the top of the University of Texas Tower, where 50 years ago an engineering student shot 49 people. Despite the rules, Mr. Marsh said he would be able to take his gun nearly everywhere he went. College officials in other states with campus carry, like Colorado and Idaho, say there has been little noticeable impact. In Texas, only people older than 21 can carry concealed handguns, and university leaders estimate only a few hundred will do so in Austin. Mr. Marsh said most people would never even notice, which, he added, is “the whole point of concealed carry. ” Mr. Marsh lives in a group house just off campus. He has a drawer full of different holsters for different occasions, and a small revolver he can easily drop in his pocket. Only one other student he knows carries, he said, and in the clamor that has accompanied the law, it is easy to feel like an outcast. A few of his housemates are so against guns on campus that he did not want to talk about it in his house, and chose the library instead. “Some of my roommates are really loud about this,” he said. “We have respectful disagreements, but I try not to bring it up. ” Ana Lopez grew up not far from campus in Austin and dreamed of going to the University of Texas. Now a sophomore studying in the honors program, she is not so sure she made the right choice. “I had a really great world literature last year,” she said. “We were a small class full of different races, different sexualities. We talked about a lot of contentious issues — slavery, racism — and of course people disagreed. ” She is worried now that in such classes that students will hesitate, knowing someone might have a gun. “If we can’t have those kinds of conversations without fear, what is the point?” Ms. Lopez said in an interview. She added that if she had known that campus carry was coming to the University of Texas, “I probably would have gone somewhere else. ” In the spring, she went to a university meeting where the group deciding how to put the law into effect was taking comments. Ms. Lopez planned to just listen, but she noticed that no undergraduates were speaking, so she stood up and said she did not want guns in her classrooms. She soon became one of the leading student activists against the law, joining a protest this past week beneath the clock tower where the first mass shooting on a college campus took place 50 years ago. Campus carry, she feels, was forced on the campus by outsiders to make a political point. “It’s not just an issue on campus,” Ms. Lopez said. “The Legislature has always been at odds with U. T. They don’t like us because we’re this liberal institution in a red state. They don’t have our best interest in mind. ” Taped to the door of Lisa Moore’s office is a sign with a kitten and butterfly that reads, “Ask me about my gun policy. ” The law allows professors to ban guns from private offices, but despite her sign — a mild attempt at levity — written notice is not technically sufficient professors are required to tell each student orally. When asked about her policy, Professor Moore said: “I love what I do. I consider teaching and learning to be a sacred vocation. We want to do everything we can to promote it. I don’t see guns as a part of that. So, no, I won’t be allowing guns in my office. ” “I grew up on a ranch, and I can still probably kill a gopher at a fair distance, but what we were taught is you don’t take your guns to town,” she said. “I just don’t see a scenario where guns have a place in the classroom. I want students getting their mind blown to remain a metaphor. ” In July, she and two other professors sued the university and the state, saying campus carry’s “dangerously experimental gun policies” violated the First and Second Amendments. A judge refused to stop the law from taking effect in August, but has yet to rule on the case. “The Second Amendment allows for a militia,” Professor Moore said. “What we have is not a militia. It’s a with a backpack. ” She sighed and then said, “I’m worried about accidents. ” She is also worried that the presence of guns might impinge free speech by making some students too fearful to speak their minds in class. Some professors have resigned rather than teach in the environment. “I’m a lesbian who teaches gay and lesbian studies,” Professor Moore said. “I know how vulnerable some students can feel. Having a weaponized campus is going to make it feel that much less welcoming. ” Already, she said, the law has interfered with teaching. During her first class after the law took effect, she said, her English literature students discussed the rules and she explained how she could not legally prohibit guns in class, or even ask who had them. “Three of them started crying,” she said. “We did not talk about Jane Austen that day. ” The law was passed three days before Gregory Fenves became president of the University of Texas at Austin. He has spent more than a year since trying to accommodate it in a way that would limit the impact without inviting court challenges from gun groups or provoking the Legislature to pass new laws that could cut funding or impose rules that would allow people to carry guns openly in classes. “I don’t believe guns belong on campus,” he said in an interview in his office minutes after returning from a meeting at the Capitol, just four blocks from campus. “We had more than 3, 000 comments on this from students and faculty, and they overwhelmingly opposed it. ” The law allows private colleges to ban concealed weapons, and nearly all of them have done so. Faculty at the University of Texas pushed hard to allow professors to do the same with their classrooms, but Mr. Fenves pushed back, because he thought the law would not permit it. “I wish, like private colleges, we could prohibit guns,” he said. “We don’t have that option. ” The Austin campus has imposed a warren of exclusion zones to protect students and sensitive areas, but Mr. Fenves has tried to limit signs marking those zones. He told his campus safety team that he did not want the campus to “look like a war zone. ” The best outcome, he said, would be that the law had no noticeable effect and that a year from now the campus had forgotten about it. He worries, though, that it will affect recruiting. “Already we’ve lost a dean over the issue,” he said. “We are concerned about it, and we will continue to monitor it. ” | 0fake |
REPORT: ICE Failures Under Obama Leave 2.2 Million ’Supervised’ Aliens on Streets | A new report from U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Inspector General (OIG) reveals startling failures during the Obama Administration that allowed 2. 2 million deportable aliens to remain on the streets in a “supervised” status. Aliens with criminal convictions accounted for nearly 400, 000 of that total. [The report (attached below) issued by ICE Inspector General (IG) John Roth last week details several failures under the previous administration that built a tremendous backlog for deportation officers (DO). Those failures include imbalanced workloads for DOs, unachievable goals, a lack of clear policies and procedures, and insufficient training. ICE deportation officers work on deporting aliens who are in a detained or status. This report focuses on the efforts by ICE DOs working with the immigration court’s docket. The aliens are considered to be under “supervision,” Roth states in his memorandum dated April 13. His report covers the period where massive numbers of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) and Family Unit Aliens (FMUA) began crossing the borders in 2014. During FY 2014, Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly a illegal border crossers, a 16 percent increase over the previous year and a 34 percent increase over FY 2012, the report states. The surge led to a tremendous increase in workload for ICE DOs charged with detaining, deporting, and supervising these aliens. As a result, the Obama Administration announced its “Priority Enforcement Program” (PEP) in November 2014 claiming to focus on the removal of certain criminal aliens including those convicted of felonies, multiple misdemeanors, and “significant” misdemeanors (e. g. domestic violence, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation). It also prioritized aliens who entered, or the country illegally and could not prove continuous presence since January 1, 2014. Breitbart Texas Brandon Darby reported on the PEP, calling it “catch and release 2. 0. ” Border Patrol agents and sheriff’s across the southwest complained that the Obama Administration placed handcuffs on law enforcement instead of the criminals. As a result of this failed program, ICE DOs are now supervising more than 2. 2 million aliens as of the end of August 2016. Of that number, 368, 574 of the aliens are convicted criminals. During FY 2015, the first year of the PEP, ICE DOs removed or returned only 235, 413 aliens — including 139, 368 convicted criminals. The ICE OIG report details systematic failures within the organization that creates inefficiencies in capturing and removing “supervised” aliens. ICE does not collect and analyze data about employee workloads to determine where resources should be applied and apply reasonably achievable caseloads for DOs, the report concludes. Roth continues, stating that ICE failed to provide “ policies and procedures” to its employees. The agency also neglected to communicate the department’s priorities for deportation to its officers. “These management deficiencies and unresolved obstacles make it difficult for ICE to deport aliens expeditiously,” Roth stated. “ICE is almost certainly not deporting all the aliens who could be deported and will likely not be able to keep up with growing numbers of deportable aliens. ” Case Workload Disparity, Roth cites an imbalance between caseloads assigned to DOs working aliens and those assigned to supervise detained aliens. He said that despite the different requirements for supervising the two classifications of aliens, ICE could not explain the reasons for manpower assignments in the locations visited during the inspection. “Many of those working with aliens reported they had difficulty fulfilling all their responsibilities, such as working with embassies and consulates to obtain travel documents necessary for deportation, interviewing aliens under their supervision, and running criminal checks on aliens in their docket,” Roth wrote in the report. “Yet, ICE has not collected or analyzed workload data to determine the time and effort DOs need to adequately supervise and facilitate the deportation of aliens. Without workload data, ICE cannot ensure its caseload distribution is balanced and that workloads are achievable. ICE also cannot measure performance and apply lessons learned to ensure effective and efficient supervision and deportation of aliens. ” “ICE personnel at all four field offices agreed that the workloads of DOs supervising aliens are unmanageable, yet ICE has not tried to determine what is achievable and what would alleviate the burden,” the IG continued. The OIG report supports this, stating that DOs are frequently asked to perform “collateral” duties including: Across the board, Roth reported that DOs report they do not have the time necessary to obtain required travel documents to deport the aliens under their supervision. “According to the DOs, their collateral duties leave them time only to deal with daily scheduled appointments and unscheduled visits by aliens, answer phone calls from aliens, and input new cases into the electronic system,” the report explains. “One DO also reported that because of competing work responsibilities criminal background checks are not conducted every time a alien checks in with the field office. ” Roth states in the report that ICE management fails to adequately collect data to determine how much staff is needed to handle the aliens under their supervision. He continues explaining that in 2009, ICE did develop a staffing model to reorganize the DOs throughout filed offices. However, the staffing model “has never been used to allocate human resources at field offices. ” Unclear Policies and Procedures Combines with Insufficient Training, Roth’s report points out the agencies failure to adequately communicate its policies or to provide DOs with readily accessible guidelines to assist the DOs in supervising and deporting aliens. “Guidance is often communicated to field office personnel orally or by email, rather than through formal, documented policies and procedures,” the IG report states. “These deficiencies hinder proper supervision of aliens, including those who may be fugitives or who commit crimes. Field office staff confirmed that ICE’s available policies and procedures did not help them properly manage their cases. ” The report confirms that the ICE deportation policies and procedures are “outdated and unclear. ” “Officials we interviewed said ICE considers the 2003 Detention and Removal Operations Policy and Procedure Manual (manual) ‘the official guide’ to operations,” Roth explained, “but ICE has not periodically reviewed the manual or revised it since 2008. ” He said that rather than properly amend and update the manual, ICE officials would simply “affix a memo to the front of the appropriate chapter” to indicate changes in policies. Because of the failure to properly manage and communicate policies and changes, ICE field office policies and procedures tended to vary widely from office to office. The report accuses management providing inadequate training and incomplete documentation of training for DOs. “From July to September 2016, ICE headquarters scheduled training for all 24 field offices but did not plan for recurring training nor document training attendance to ensure all required staff attended,” Roth stated. “In our opinion, the training did not fully cover all necessary information. ” Complicated Deportations, The report explains complications in attempting to deport aliens to certain countries. It states that for some nations, it is nearly impossible to repatriate foreign nationals. The report stipulates: For ICE to deport an alien to his or her home country, the country must agree to repatriation. As of August 2016, ICE had identified 23 “uncooperative” countries to which it generally cannot deport aliens. To help deport aliens to these countries ICE may request diplomatic intervention by the Department of State, which determines whether and what action to take against the country. ICE officials also said that some countries, such as China, Bangladesh, and India, restrict the number of aliens for whom they will issue travel documents and accept for repatriation. Finally, ICE has identified 62 countries that are cooperative, but with which it has experienced delays in obtaining required travel documents. Deporting aliens to these 62 countries also requires more time and effort working with embassies and consulates to obtain travel documents and approval for alien repatriation. In July 2016, Senator John Cornyn ( ) introduced a bill to provide remedies for countries that refuse to accept the deportation of their citizens, Breitbart Texas’ Lana Shadwick reported. The measure is similar to legislation filed by Representative Ted Poe ( ) that called for restricting diplomatic visas to countries that deny or unreasonably delay the repatriation of their citizens subject to deportation from the U. S. “The bill would require that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) establish procedures to determine whether a foreign country systematically and unreasonably refuses or delays the repatriation of nationals who are in the United States, and have been convicted of a felony or crime of violence, or are a threat to national security or public safety,” a statement from the Senator Cornyn’s office reported. “Once it has been established that a country meets this criteria, DHS and the State Department would then notify their government that the United States may deny visas to their citizens. ” That same month, the Center for Immigration Studies’ Jessica Vaughn reported that nearly 1, 000, 000 illegal aliens ignored deportation orders from an immigration judge, including nearly 200, 000 criminal aliens. Her report confirms the refusal of countries to accept repatriation as one of the primary causes contributing to the hi number of by ICE. Report Conclusions: Roth’s report concludes with a statement indicating inadequacies in ICE’s management of the agency’s deportation operations. “These weaknesses are hampering ICE’s ability to adequately supervise aliens awaiting immigration hearings, as well as efforts to deport those who should be deported, including some convicted criminals,” the IG concluded. “Factors beyond ICE’s control may virtually prohibit www. oig. dhs. gov 9 OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL Department of Homeland Security deportation to some countries. In general, however, a more organized, diligent, and complete approach to management would help ICE deport aliens expeditiously and keep up with growing numbers of aliens who should be deported. ” The report, attached below, lists a series of recommendations: Recommendation 1: Comprehensively review, revise, update, and maintain ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations policies, procedures, and guidance to address gaps and outdated information. Recommendation 2: Comprehensively review Deportation Officer functions at field offices to determine staffing allocations for units and identify appropriately sized caseloads for Deportation Officers working with nondetained aliens. Recommendation 3: Based on a completed comprehensive review, develop a plan to identify and implement appropriate staffing of Deportation Officers. Recommendation 4: Develop a standardized training curriculum for all current and future Deportation Officers, including recurrent refresher training courses for docket review and detained and case management. Recommendation 5: Collaborate with the Department of State to identify potential mechanisms to address issues that hinder deportation efforts. ICE officials concurred with all five recommendations contained in the report, Roth stated. Management states they have begun implementing changes to correct the identified weaknesses. Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook. ICE OIG Report on Deportation Operations — 13APR17, | 0fake |
Trump Pathetically Tries To Defend His Muslim Ban On Twitter And People Are GUTTING Him For It | Donald Trump took to Twitter to defend his Muslim ban on Sunday morning and got his ass handed to him by pissed off Americans.On Friday, Trump signed an unconstitutional executive order banning people from seven countries from entering the United States just because they happen to be Muslims.Trump claims that the order is necessary to keep Americans safe, but none of the countries listed are responsible for terrorist attacks against American citizens. In fact, all of the mass shootings in cities like Orlando, Ft. Hood, and San Bernardino were carried out by natural born American citizens. Furthermore, Trump left Saudi Arabia off the list even though the 9/11 hijackers originated from and were funded by the Saudis.In short, Trump s order does not keep America safe and has only caused chaos around the world while violating the rights of Americans.But Trump dared to defend his ban anyway.Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world a horrible mess! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017Except that our country already has strong borders and immigrants already go through extreme vetting to get here. Refugees have to wait up to two years while they are strenuously investigated by several government agencies. Terrorism won t stop because of a wall or more vetting. But it will increase because Trump s ban will be used as propaganda by terrorist organizations to justify more attacks against America.And the reality is that Trump s order has made the world a bigger mess because people and businesses are scrambling to deal with the complications and families are experiencing fear that they ll never see their loved ones again due to the ban. Airports across the country are also a mess because people are being detained and blocked from entering the country, even those who have green cards and are permanent residents.The American people are already sick and tired of Trump and they absolutely put a boot up his ass on Twitter.@realDonaldTrump The people your order blocks from entering the US have lived here legally, sometimes for decades. Hank Green (@hankgreen) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump They are newborns, college professors, employees, the elderly, and war heroes. They also believe in the dream of America. Hank Green (@hankgreen) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump One detainee was given asylum in the US after 10 years of assisting the US military in Iraq, an often deadly job. Hank Green (@hankgreen) January 29, 2017@missymoo316 @JordanUhl @NicoleR_1982 the actually numbers of attacks has fallen over the years. pic.twitter.com/ch961XeKSy Trump s tweet Editor (@Spyhuntress) January 29, 2017@missymoo316 @JordanUhl @NicoleR_1982 pic.twitter.com/9MVmCYHDmN Trump s tweet Editor (@Spyhuntress) January 29, 2017.@realDonaldTrump I look at the world and I see people dying in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. But they are not dying because of weak borders Simon Hedlin (@simonhedlin) January 29, 2017.@realDonaldTrump You re right that the world is a horrible mess. We therefore have a moral duty to help those fleeing war and persecution. Simon Hedlin (@simonhedlin) January 29, 2017.@realDonaldTrump When Jews fled from Nazism, the U.S. sent refugees back to Europe to die in the Holocaust. Let us learn from the past. Simon Hedlin (@simonhedlin) January 29, 2017.@realDonaldTrump These are REAL PEOPLE. You re not protecting America, you re dehumanizing immigrants and refugees. pic.twitter.com/xaUb6zq8YA Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump Man, you re pathetic. The jig is up and you know it, you racist, megalomaniacal, non-intelligent buffoon. Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump @POTUS nope. we are very fine over here. check your facts. #germany #europe #MuslimBan #alternativefact #fakenews #Impeach philipp jessen (@jessenphil) January 29, 2017.@realDonaldTrump Donald, I know that sounds right and makes sense in your head, but what you ve done is an historic shame. Bess Kalb (@bessbell) January 29, 2017.@realDonaldTrump And if you re going to bring up Europe, look what happened when THEY had religious vetting. Not good, Donald. Bess Kalb (@bessbell) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump You want to know what real leadership looks like? Just watch @JustinTrudeau across the border. Take some notes please. Roberto Abramowitz (@RobAbramowitz) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump I voted for you; wish I could take it back. The Muslim Ban; you have one of our Physicians stuck in Iran w/your dumb Katie Sullivan (@Sullivankaty08) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump Probably should ve had someone extremely vet the actual executive order. Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump we already have the most extreme vetting in the world for all refugees. you re a fool and a coward. Alternative Dave (@redletterdave) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump how a real leader Tweets pic.twitter.com/kG5GWmzfKk Luke Barnett (@LukeBarnett) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump You are the horrible mess Jeramie Rain (@jeramiedreyfuss) January 29, 2017@realDonaldTrump Seriously, do you just see the world through ? tinted glasses? Tommy Campbell (@MrTommyCampbell) January 29, 2017Donald Trump and his entire team should be ousted from power immediately before they make things worse.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1real |
NY elementary school calls off mock election because students were chanting “Trump” and “We don’t want Muslims here” | BNI Store Nov 3 2016 NY elementary school calls off mock election because students were chanting “Trump” and “We don’t want Muslims here” Jericho Elementary School in Centereach, New York, announced it had scrapped the mock vote that was due to take place this Friday after some young students started chanting “Trump” and repeated ‘negative rhetoric about Muslims.’ ABC News (h/t Susan K) Principal Glen Rogers revealed the decision was made after teachers complained about what some children had been chanting around the school and in the cafeteria. Teachers have said they’ve heard some kids in the cafeteria chanting “Trump! Trump! Trump!” or saying they don’t want Muslims here,’ Roger said. ‘I mean, kids often repeat what they hear on the TV or the news, but it doesn’t mean it’s OK. (In other words, you don’t think the First Amendment is OK) “We have a diverse community here. We want all our students to feel valued.” (So we don’t become the target of an Islamic terrorist attack?) ‘It’s important for our students to be able to express their opinions, but it’s also important for them to be informed about it and not just repeating what they happen to hear,’ Rogers said. (Especially if it goes against the Democrat talking points. This IS New York, after all) | 1real |
In Trump stronghold, factories are humming but paychecks are thin | GRAND RAPIDS, Mich./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President-elect Donald Trump returns to this factory town on Friday for a victory celebration, he will find a region that is already experiencing the manufacturing renaissance he promised on the campaign trail. With local factories employing more workers than any time since the late 1990s, assembly line jobs are not hard to find. Those that pay a decent wage, however, are harder to come by. “We can barely make ends meet and we’re stuck going nowhere,” said auto parts worker Michael Baum, 22, as he smoked a cigarette in the parking lot of a Family Dollar discount store. Trump won the White House thanks to strong support from workers in Midwestern cities like Grand Rapids who have seen their living standards erode as the United States shed manufacturing jobs. He beat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by a margin of 14 percent in the four counties that make up the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, helping him carry Michigan by a margin of 0.27 percent. Trump has promised to punish companies that shift work overseas, pressuring manufacturers like United Technologies Corp. to reverse their outsourcing plans. “Our jobs are being stolen like candy from a baby,” Trump said at a rally here the night before the Nov. 8 election. Grand Rapids, a hub of furniture makers and auto parts suppliers, has not been immune to outsourcing. At least 488 people have lost their jobs over the past year as two manufacturers, Dematic Corp and Leon Automotive Interiors, have shifted work to other countries, U.S. Labor Department filings show. But new hiring has more than made up for those losses. The number of factory jobs in the region has grown by 40 percent since the depths of the recession in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and unemployment stands at 2.9 percent, well below the national average of 4.6 percent. Local businesses now say their top concern is finding qualified workers, according to Rick Baker, president of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. Even as jobs have returned to Grand Rapids, earnings remain low. At $846 per week, average weekly wages in the region rank 46th among the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, BLS data show. The Heart of West Michigan United Way, a local charity, said demand for its services has remained steady over the past several years even as the economy has picked up. While manufacturing helped lift millions of unskilled workers into the U.S. middle class in the 20th Century, that is no longer the case, said Lou Glazier, president of Michigan Future, a think tank that focuses on the state’s economy. Factories still pay good wages to workers who have specialized skills, such as welding or computer programing, but routine work no longer pays enough to cover living expenses, he said. Grand Rapids is “participating in the old economy and doing well in it, in terms of jobs. It’s just that the economy is no longer producing high wages,” Glazier said. While Trump and others blame global competition for the decline in factory work, automation has played a large role as well, economists say. The U.S. manufacturing sector has more than doubled output over the past 35 years even as it had shed one-third of its work force, according to the nonpartisan Brookings Institution. “We’re doing more today with the same amount of people that we had eight years ago,” said Bob Roth, chief executive officer of RoMan Manufacturing, which make glass and electrical components. At RoMan, assembly line workers start at $13 per hour but skilled workers can earn up to $30 an hour, Roth said. The company pays community college tuition for those who wish to upgrade their skills, but those who fail to improve their productivity enough to justify a higher wage within two years are fired, he said. Such prospects come as little consolation to workers like Baum, who are trying to figure out a way to boost their earnings on their own. For now, they are pinning their hopes on Trump. “If he can bring good paying jobs back to America,” he said, “I’ll vote for him again.” | 0fake |
Nothing formally agreed on moving next round of Brexit talks -UK PM May's spokeswoman | LONDON (Reuters) - Nothing has been formally agreed with the European Union on moving the next round of Brexit negotiations, British Prime Minister Theresa May s spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Earlier, diplomats in Brussels said the EU and Britain had agreed to delay the talks by a week to Sept. 25 on expectations that May would make an important speech on the subject on Brexit on Sept. 21. The latest position on this from our perspective was that both sides said they were keen to be flexible, but we hadn t formally agreed anything, the spokeswoman said. | 0fake |
King Rufus Found Buried Under Parking Lot Near Beaulieu Motor Museum | Saturday, 29 October 2016 Another clue was an arrow in the lung area.
King William II Rufus was the son of William the Conqueror and King of England from 1087 to 1100. Described as uncouth, barbaric, lacking both morals and ethics, addicted to vice, and definitely not the most popular king, he was killed by an arrow to the lungs-probably shot by one of his own men.
Although his body was left where it lay when he was shot in the New Forest, it was said it was later removed to Winchester Cathedral. From there, the bones were scattered around during the English Civil War and later put in a giant mortuary chest along with Kings Egbert, Ethelwulfe, and others.
But the body of King William II Rufus was actually identified at the Motor City Museum, which is near the New Forest area where King Rufus was shot. Apparently, the king was so popular that they just dug a shallow grave in the New Forest area and tossed him in.
The grave was discovered when the museum was breaking ground in its parking lot for a new area to display its 1895 Knight auto. The workers came upon some bones (apparently the citizens who buried King Rufus didn't bother with a coffin) and sent them to the British Museum for identification.
Since the royal Norman DNA was on file, it was determined to be Rufus from process of elimination. And someone had carved "Rufus" on the femur. Make Al N.'s day - give this story five thumbs-up (there's no need to register , the thumbs are just down there!) | 1real |
Irish foreign minister says opposition vote would bring down government | DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland s government will collapse if the opposition Fianna Fail party proceeds with its plan to vote for the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister Frances Fitzgerald on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said. If they move ahead with the motion of no confidence, then the confidence and supply (agreement) is over, Coveney, a member of the ruling Fine Gael party, told state broadcaster RTE on Friday, referring to a three-year agreement Fianna Fail signed to support the government. If there is no confidence and supply agreement in place ... then I don t see how we can have a government that can function, he said. | 0fake |
Could Hillary Start World War III? | Could Hillary Start World War III? Could Hillary Start World War III? By 0 48
You can condemn that semi-isolationist ‘America First’’ mindset if you want, but the easiest way to prevent the next world war is simply to let the Russians have what they want, provided it makes no difference to you.
Like Donald Trump or not – and I like him no more than, well, Hillary Clinton – there is one thing he might be good for. Peace. A small matter, I know, when set against his serial (alleged) philandering and worse, but worth pondering for a moment. A hideous, but necessary thought experiment runs something like this.
What is the single most important relationship the United States of America could build to secure world peace? Why, the same one that, when it goes horribly wrong, leaves us all sliding towards testing the doctrine of mutually assured destruction in a nuclear age. Always a bit mad to end up there. Yes, that’s right, the most important relationship is with the Russians , or, as we once knew them, the Soviets. They’re the ones we need to get along with.
Now this is where The Donald scores above his sensible, sane, intelligent and diplomatic Democratic opponent. Donald gets it. He gets that if you decide to run your foreign policy devoid of moral content with the sole guiding principle that “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” (copyright Joseph Stalin), then peace, cooperation, even alliance with Russia is possible, indeed desirable.
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The Russians, more than a little cynically, have asked the West for decades to join them in a war against “Islamist terrorism”, but which they principally mean the separatist movements in Chechnya and elsewhere. Donald Trump is the first presidential contender, more even than George W Bush, who looks like he’d actually want to take them up on the offer. Trump is fixated to the point of racism on the militant Islamist violence that he tells his fearful audience is “just around the corner”. It is all too easy to imagine a state visit by Vladimir Putin to Washington where he is feted and falls into the arms (we hope no more) of an affectionate President Trump. The US-Russia Strategic Partnership would be the fruit of that particular liaison, with secret provisions, no doubt, on assassinating terrorist leaders, and public pledges on intelligence sharing, with the whole relationship consummated by series of joint bombing raids in Syria. They would share a goal to destroy Isis, even though they have not been able to do so recently, because it would be part of a wider cooperation. Such would be the new world order. | 1real |
Hillary Clinton's overdrive aimed at breaking women's glass ceiling | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It was classic Hillary Clinton, ignoring medical advice and attending a ceremony on a sultry New York City day while battling pneumonia - a decision ex-aides and other associates speculated was rooted in her longstanding desire to prove that women can compete in the male-dominated world of politics. The move backfired on the famously stoic Democratic presidential candidate after she had to leave Sunday’s September. 11 remembrance early and was caught on camera buckling from dehydration as she was helped into a van. Clinton, 68, has since acknowledged she went too far in trying to soldier on with a jam-packed schedule. Daniel Scherb, a South Bend, Indiana, cardiologist interviewed by Reuters, who was not privy to Clinton’s medical records, said pneumonia can leave a patient “feeling blah for seven to 10 days” under the best of circumstances and, at worst, “people can die from it.” Former subordinates who are fiercely loyal to Clinton said there are plenty of instances in which she drove herself remarkably hard as first lady from 1993-2001, as a U.S. senator from 2001-2009 and as U.S. secretary of state from 2009-2013. In her first year at the State Department in 2009, she traveled abroad extensively shortly after undergoing surgery for a broken arm. One retired ambassador said Clinton sees herself as part of a generation of women who had to work extra hard to overcome barriers to female advancement. The ambassador describes this as part of an ethos that “you could never be weaker than a man.” At the same time, the ambassador blamed Clinton’s aides in part for allowing her to put herself into difficult situations. At an event in Congo after breaking her arm, Clinton snapped at someone who posed a question she disliked, the ambassador recalled. While the question may have been translated into English incorrectly, the ambassador said Clinton also was clearly exhausted. “It’s not necessarily that she is running roughshod over the advice of her staff. Her staff doesn’t seem to take very good care of her,” the ambassador said. Working to defeat Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, 70, on the rough-and-tumble campaign trail, Clinton has said she is held to a different standard. “Women are seen through a different lens,” Clinton told Humans of New York, a group organized around a project to photograph and catalog stories of New Yorkers. “I’ve learned that I can’t be quite so passionate in my presentation,” she said, adding, “I love to wave my arms, but apparently that’s a little bit scary to people. And I can’t yell too much. It comes across as ‘too loud’ or ‘too shrill’ or ‘too this’ or ‘too that,’” even though those attending her rallies “are loving it.” In all her roles, including as President Bill Clinton’s healthcare chief and a two-time presidential candidate, Clinton has been known as an almost unstoppable, detail-oriented policy wonk. “Her constant work, internal in meetings or external on Capitol Hill, was virtually incomprehensible,” said David Dreyer, a White House deputy communications director during Bill Clinton’s first term. Dreyer, who said he had a “front row seat” to the healthcare reform fight that Hillary Clinton spearheaded as first lady, said she is “wired” to always be fully prepared and compelled to public service. ‘CAN’T-WIN SITUATION’ Three other people, one close to Clinton when she was secretary of state and as a presidential candidate, said efforts to persuade her to temper her travel and appearance schedule can go nowhere because she insists it is expected of her. One, a prominent former official who has advised Clinton on foreign policy issues, said: “She pushes herself so hard because she’s convinced that only she can do what needs to be done, and that’s compounded by a very small inner circle that in some cases doesn’t like to contradict or confront her, and as a result just ends up encouraging this compulsion.” Matt Bennett, who served as deputy assistant for intergovernmental affairs in Bill Clinton’s second presidential term, said Hillary Clinton is “in a can’t-win situation here.” Noting competing, unsubstantiated attacks from Trump and his supporters about her health versus criticisms that she does not know how to pace herself, “Either she is frail or reckless with her health.” Bennett added, “I don’t view her as disregarding medical advice” over past blood clots, a fall that caused a concussion and other maladies. “But I do think she’s super tough.” Bennett, now a vice president at the Third Way think tank, said the increasingly frantic pace of campaigning for the White House has pressed candidates to the limit. As an aide to retired General Wesley Clark while he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, Bennett noted that Clark would constantly remark about the rigors of the campaign. “He was shot multiple times in Vietnam and went through (elite Army) Ranger training and he’s saying this is really tough running for president.” | 0fake |
Putin-linked think tank drew up plan to sway 2016 US election - documents | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters. They described two confidential documents from the think tank as providing the framework and rationale for what U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was an intensive effort by Russia to interfere with the Nov. 8 election. U.S. intelligence officials acquired the documents, which were prepared by the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies [en.riss.ru/], after the election. The institute is run by retired senior Russian foreign intelligence officials appointed by Putin’s office. The first Russian institute document was a strategy paper written last June that circulated at the highest levels of the Russian government but was not addressed to any specific individuals. It recommended the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets to encourage U.S. voters to elect a president who would take a softer line toward Russia than the administration of then-President Barack Obama, the seven officials said. A second institute document, drafted in October and distributed in the same way, warned that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was likely to win the election. For that reason, it argued, it was better for Russia to end its pro-Trump propaganda and instead intensify its messaging about voter fraud to undermine the U.S. electoral system’s legitimacy and damage Clinton’s reputation in an effort to undermine her presidency, the seven officials said. The current and former U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the Russian documents’ classified status. They declined to discuss how the United States obtained them. U.S. intelligence agencies also declined to comment on them. Putin has denied interfering in the U.S. election. Putin’s spokesman and the Russian institute did not respond to requests for comment. The documents were central to the Obama administration’s conclusion that Russia mounted a “fake news” campaign and launched cyber attacks against Democratic Party groups and Clinton’s campaign, the current and former officials said. “Putin had the objective in mind all along, and he asked the institute to draw him a road map,” said one of the sources, a former senior U.S. intelligence official. Trump has said Russia’s activities had no impact on the outcome of the race. Ongoing congressional and FBI investigations into Russian interference have so far produced no public evidence that Trump associates colluded with the Russian effort to change the outcome of the election. Four of the officials said the approach outlined in the June strategy paper was a broadening of an effort the Putin administration launched in March 2016. That month the Kremlin instructed state-backed media outlets, including international platforms Russia Today and Sputnik news agency, to start producing positive reports on Trump’s quest for the U.S. presidency, the officials said. Russia Today did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Sputnik dismissed the assertions by the U.S. officials that it participated in a Kremlin campaign as an “absolute pack of lies.” “And by the way, it’s not the first pack of lies we’re hearing from ‘sources in U.S. official circles’,” the spokesperson said in an email. PRO-KREMLIN BLOGGERS Russia Today and Sputnik published anti-Clinton stories while pro-Kremlin bloggers prepared a Twitter campaign calling into question the fairness of an anticipated Clinton victory, according to a report by U.S. intelligence agencies on Russian interference in the election made public in January. [bit.ly/2kMiKSA] Russia Today’s most popular Clinton video - “How 100% of the 2015 Clintons’ ‘charity’ went to ... themselves” - accumulated 9 millions views on social media, according to the January report. [bit.ly/2os8wIt] The report said Russia Today and Sputnik “consistently cast president elect-Trump as the target of unfair coverage from traditional media outlets.” The report said the agencies did not assess whether Moscow’s effort had swung the outcome of the race in Trump’s favor, because American intelligence agencies do not “analyze U.S. political processes or U.S. public opinion.” [bit.ly/2kMiKSA] Neither of the Russian institute documents mentioned the release of hacked Democratic Party emails to interfere with the U.S. election, according to four of the officials. The officials said the hacking was a covert intelligence operation run separately out of the Kremlin. The overt propaganda and covert hacking efforts reinforced each other, according to the officials. Both Russia Today and Sputnik heavily promoted the release of the hacked Democratic Party emails, which often contained embarrassing details. Five of the U.S. officials described the institute as the Kremlin’s in-house foreign policy think tank. The institute’s director when the documents were written, Leonid Reshetnikov, rose to the rank of lieutenant general during a 33-year-career in Russia’s foreign intelligence service, according to the institute’s website [bit.ly/2oVhiCF]. After Reshetnikov retired from the institute in January, Putin named as his replacement Mikhail Fradkov. The institute says he served as the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service from 2007 to 2016. [bit.ly/2os4tvz] Reuters was unable to determine if either man was directly involved in the drafting of the documents. Reshetnikov’s office referred questions to the Russian institute. On its website, the Russian institute describes itself as providing “expert appraisals,” “recommendations,” and “analytical materials” to the Russian president’s office, cabinet, National Security Council, ministries and parliament. [bit.ly/2pCBGpR] On Jan. 31, the websites of Putin’s office [bit.ly/2os9wMr] and the institute [bit.ly/2oLn9Kd] posted a picture and transcript of Reshetnikov and his successor Fradkov meeting with Putin in the Kremlin. Putin thanked Reshetnikov for his service and told Fradkov he wanted the institute to provide objective information and analysis. “We did our best for nearly eight years to implement your foreign policy concept,” Reshetnikov told Putin. “The policy of Russia and the policy of the President of Russia have been the cornerstone of our operation.” | 0fake |
White House says Obama will ask Congress to authorize military force against ISIS | President Obama is expected to formally ask Congress to authorize the use of military force against the Islamic State terror group in the coming days, even as lawmakers said crafting and passing such a measure would be a challenge.
The U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes against the terrorists, most commonly known as ISIS, in Iraq and Syria since August and September, respectively. In doing so, Obama has been relying on congressional authorizations that President George W. Bush used to justify military action after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Critics have called the White House's use of post-9/11 congressional authorizations a legal stretch, though Obama has previously argued that a new authorization isn't legally necessary.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Thursday that the administration is dedicated to getting a new authorization with bipartisian support. He declined to comment on specific provisions, including how long the authorization will last, what geographical areas it will cover and whether it will allow for the possibility of ground troops. Earnest said those details were still being worked out.
"When it comes to fighting a war, the Congress should not tie the president's hands, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters Thursday morning. However, Boehner later added, "It's also incumbent on the president to make the case to the American people on why we need to fight this fight. This is not going to be an easy lift."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said talks with the administration are focusing on an authorization time frame of three years, while the other issues are still being worked out. Pelosi added that she ultimately expects a compromise on the outstanding issues to be reached and added that she hopes Congress will repeal the 2002 congressional authorization for the war in Iraq while retaining the 2001 authorization for military action in Afghanistan.
"I'm not saying anybody's come to an agreement on it," Pelosi said. "I think it's going to be a challenge, but we will have it."
The developments come after Islamic militants released a grisly video of the murder of a Jordanian Air Force pilot by burning him alive. Pelosi also said that the U.S. should "move quickly" to steer military aid to Jordan, which has begun a stepped-up campaign against the militants, including a series of air strikes in Syria.
Republicans generally want a broader authorization of military action against the militants, who have overrun wide swaths of Iraq and Syria, than Democrats have been willing to consider. Obama has said he does not intend to have U.S. "boots on the ground" in combat roles, while many Republicans believe that option ought to be available to the military.
Secretary of State John Kerry has testified that any new authorization should not limit U.S. military action to just Iraq and Syria or prevent the president from deploying ground troops if he later deems them necessary. Kerry also said that if the new authorization has a time limit, there should be a provision for it to be renewed.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House intelligence panel, has already introduced legislation rather than wait for Obama's version. His bill would authorize the use of force against ISIS in Iraq and Syria for three years, but prohibit the use of ground forces in a combat mission in either nation. He has said if the president later decided to deploy ground troops, he could return to Congress to ask for new authority.
"It is my hope that the administration will be willing to accept important limits in a new authorization as well as the sunset or repeal of the old [authorizations], as this will be necessary to ensure strong bipartisan support and meet the goals the president set last summer of refining and repealing the prior authorizations," Schiff said in a statement Thursday, using the acronym for authorization for use of military force.
Fox News' Chad Pergram, Nicholas Kalman, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. | 0fake |
Russian parliament sets March 18 as presidential election date | MOSCOW (Reuters) - The upper house of the Russian parliament voted on Friday to set March 18 as the date of next year s presidential election. The decision was approved by the Russian senators unanimously, speaker Valentina Matvienko said after the vote. | 0fake |
Trump Outlines How He’ll Treat America Like A Bankrupt Business And It Is TERRIFYING | There s a furniture company in Southern Maine called Chapter 11 Furniture. The name and the entire concept of the company is to invoke the feeling of a fire sale. They have 4 or 5 stores that they only sign short leases on, so at any given time they can advertise, Chapter 11 Furniture is losing its lease in (enter town or street name here) and EVERYTHING MUST GO! It s a brilliant tactic for a company who will probably never resort to its name because it understands how to build from American greed at its very core. Someone is going our of business or declaring bankruptcy? It s a free for all!That s the American mentality surrounding bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is there to help people in severe financial situations put their debt behind them and move on. It s also a way for sheisters to get a bunch of free stuff, make a bunch of money and work the system. Donald Trump qualifies as the second type; working the system and openly admitting it 4 times now. Trump s idea to fix America has taken a turn toward this mentality and the very thought of it is frightening,The New York Times reported that in an interview Thursday, Donald Trump talked about how he would approach the national debt. Thinking like a failed businessman, he insisted we should simply go to our creditors and ask them to take less. Yes, in one idiotic statement, Donald Trump exposed just how little he knows about the economy or how the debt works. As The Times points out, there is no credible evidence suggesting that our debtors would reduce we owe them by a nickel. Trump thinks he s dealing in people with real estate they can t move selling bad debt for more bad debt until one day so much of the debt is paper bad paper that there s nothing left to do but fail. Sound familiar? It should; it s what Wall Street and the Dubya administration did to us in 2008.Let s assume for a moment that our creditors would take less. The bulk of the national debt is money we owe to ourselves. Is Trump going to ask the Social Security trust fund to take pennies on the dollar because we had a couple of wars that were too expensive and some handouts to fix the mess? How much less should those people who won t be able to retire when the fund is wiped out take? They ve been putting 6.2 percent of their paycheck into that fund since they started working. How much less should they settle for?As for our other creditors, We re not defaulting on rented furniture. We owe other countries a great deal of money, plus interest, that they provided to us in cash. We use that money to fund the government. If creditors start seeing those kinds of tactics we ll have our credit rating lowered and lose credibility as a country. There s also a good chance the dollar would be removed as the world standard currency. Ask Donald Trump what he ll do when we can t just print more money.The bottom line is, Trump has no idea what he s talking about. The national debt is one of the most misunderstood components of the federal government. For someone to seek the office that holds much influence over how that debt shrinks or grows without understanding it is preposterous, but then again we are talking about Donald Trump.Featured image from billingsgazette.com | 1real |
WATCH: Samantha Bee Shows Just How CRAZY Ted Cruz Supporters Are | One has to wonder why in the world people would support Ted Cruz. His policies are the essence of Republican backwardness and even members of his own party don t like him. In addition, he s lied throughout his campaign for the Republican nomination. Yet, Cruz is still hanging in there for the nomination. In fact, he s actually enjoying a surge as of late as Republican voters try to figure out who is less worse, Donald Trump, or creepy Ted Cruz. Cruz appears to have found a niche as Republicans have to vote for Cruz as the alternative to Trump.Yet, who are these voters that are now siding with Cruz as he surges in the polls? Samantha Bee sums it all up when she took down Ted Cruz s appalling group of supporters on her show Full Frontal. First, there s Colorado pastor Kevin Swanson, who appears in a video clip (see below) saying, Homosexuals are worthy of death to which Bee commented, Wow, For a guy who hates gay people, Swanson s got some fabulous dance moves. Then there s the reverend Flip Benham, who was convicted of stalking an abortion doctor and was part of a protest where people chanted, Jesus hates Muslims. Bee declared, In your face Donald Trump, Cruz supporters hated Muslims before it was cool. Not to be outdone, there s pastor Mike Bickle, who is the poster child for anti-Semitism. Bickle declared: The lord said I m going to give all 20 million of them the chance to respond to the fisherman and if they don t respond to grace, I m going to raise up the hunters and the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolph Hitler. Bee s segment was funny but she sends an important message: Ted Cruz and his supporters are dangerous.Watch video here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXkEeTfdQeA] Featured image via video screenshot. | 1real |
Trump's cut to flood map program could trigger insurance rate hikes: group | (Reuters) - A proposal by the Trump administration to cut $190 million in funding for updating U.S. maps of flood-prone areas would trigger higher insurance rates or more homebuilding in risky locations, a consumer group said on Monday. Flood-mapping provides important details about where it is safe to build, whether flood insurance is needed and how to price coverage, Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement. Slashing funding for the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) retooling of U.S. flood maps will lead to relying on old maps and construction in areas that are now flood prone, or hiking insurance premiums to pay for new maps, Hunter said. The White House 2018 budget, unveiled last Thursday, would eliminate a $190 million “discretionary appropriation” for the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) updating of U.S. flood maps and “explore other more effective and fair means of funding flood mapping efforts.” Costs for mapping have been shared by insurance policyholders and the federal government for the past 15 years, said a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA), which operates the flood insurance program. “The president’s budget directs us to explore avenues to shift these costs away from general appropriations,” the FEMA spokeswoman said. Updating U.S. flood maps is seen by consumer and insurance industry advocates as a necessary step toward modernizing the U.S. flood insurance market. The White House 2018 budget is the first step in a long process that will be debated by U.S. lawmakers. The NFIP, whose authorization is set to expire in September, could face other sweeping changes. The program is $24.6 billion in debt to the U.S. Treasury Department, the FEMA spokeswoman said. Insurance industry groups are also concerned about the mapping proposal. “Understandably, we’re all concerned about the potential to undermine efforts to modernize the maps,” said Leigh Ann Pusey, president and chief executive officer of the American Insurance Association. Still, the budget process is at an early stage, Pusey said. | 0fake |
Comment on Have You Swallowed The Red Pill? Take The Test by Why Do People Become Cuckservatives? | Have You Swallowed The Red Pill? Take The Test Have You Swallowed The Red Pill? Take The Test Video December 11, 2012 124 Comments Masculinity
There’s a lot of guys who claim to haven taken the red pill, but I suspect there is a sea of blue still swirling within their core. To find out if that’s you, watch the following three portions of the above video:
0:47 – 0:53 2:24 – 2:31
Time to grade the test:
1. Did you think what you just witnessed was the most heart-warming thing in the world? If yes, you’re drowning in blue pill.
2. Do you wish you could have a female friend like the Indian man in the video? If yes, you’re still blue pill.
3. Did you think there’s nothing wrong with being friends with a girl? If yes, you’re bluer than the ocean.
4. Did you run to the nearest bathroom and throw up in the toilet at his display of supreme betatude? If yes, you’re red pill.
5. Did you viscerally cringe and actually get angry at the world when the girl said, “You’re my best friend in the world, and you always will be” while the beta withheld his tears of emotion? If yes, you’re blood pill!
One problem with swallowing the red pill is that you will get offended at just about everything that mainstream people enjoy. You can no longer digest their media, enjoy their viral videos, or even have a normal conversation with a blue piller. You form your own red pill bubble, whether it’s frequenting sites on the manosphere , not dating women from blue pill societies, or outright expatriating to countries where men are rewarded for being masculine. Long live the red pill!
P.S. I make an appearance at 2:24. | 1real |
There’s a good reason protesters at the University of Missouri didn’t want the media around | Video of a confrontation between a news photographer and protesters at the University of Missouri on Monday led to a dispute between journalists and the activists’ sympathizers beyond the campus walls. In response to a series of racial issues at the university, a circle of arm-linked students sought to designate a “safe space” around an encampment on the campus quad. When they blocked journalist Tim Tai from photographing the encampment, reporters complained that media were denied access to a public space.
Certainly, Tai – like any journalist – had a legal right to enter the space, given that it was in a public area. But that shouldn’t be the end of this story. We in the media have something important to learn from this unfortunate exchange. The protesters had a legitimate gripe: The black community distrusts the news media because it has failed to cover black pain fairly.
As a journalist, I understand how frustrating it is to be denied access to a person or place that’s essential to my story. I appeared with other journalists on local media in New York City to discuss our frustration over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s sometimes standoffish attitude towards the press. He is a public figure whose salary is paid with tax dollars. He is obligated to be accessible to us.
[Campus racism makes minorities drop out of college. Mizzou students had to act.]
The student protesters Tai encountered, though, didn’t owe him anything. They did not represent a government entity stonewalling access to public information. They were not public officials hiding from media questions. They were young people trying to build a community free not only of the racism that has recently wracked Mizzou’s campus but also of the insensitivity they encounter in the news media: Newspapers, Web sites and TV commentary had already been filled by punditry telling black students to “toughen up” and “grow a pair.” Then, in the noisy conversation about First Amendment rights that Tai elicited, journalists compounded the insult by drowning out the very message of the students Tai was covering.
As journalists, we should strive to understand the motivations of the people we cover. In this case, black students at the University of Missouri have had a string of racist encounters on campus: The president of the students’ association was called the n-word and other black students have been racially harassed while participating in campus activities. A Missouri journalism professor wrote in the Huffington Post that she has been called the n-word “too many times to count” during her 18 years at the university. In February 2010, black students woke up to cotton balls strewn over on the lawn of the black culture center on campus. The crime, carried out by white students, was designed to invoke plantation slavery. University president Tim Wolfe resigned Monday after graduate student Jonathan Butler went on a hunger strike and the school’s football players boycotted team activities to protest the very public racism he and many black students believe the school did little to address.
Establishing a “safe space” was about much more than denying the media access; it was about securing a zone where students’ blackness could not be violated. Yes, the hunger strike, the safe space and other demonstrations were protests, and protests should be covered. But what was fueling those protests was black pain. In most circumstances, when covering people who are in pain, journalists offer extra space and empathy. That didn’t happen in this case; these young people weren’t treated as hurting victims. Instead, after the confrontation with Tai, aggrieved journalists responded with a ferocity usually reserved for powerful entities with the means to inflict lasting damage on their First Amendment rights.
This wasn’t a problem with Tai’s character or his journalistic integrity; he was doing his job, and his past outstanding work speaks for itself. But in this conversation over “public space,” we’ve overlooked the protesters’ message — that conditions on campus make it an unbearable environment for black students to live and learn in. Their approach to creating a safe space should have been better conceived, but reporters should also feel a responsibility to try to understand and respect their pain, instead of rushing to judge them and panicking about an imagined assault on press freedoms.
[Shooters of color are called ‘terrorists’ and ‘thugs.’ Why are white shooters called ‘mentally ill’?]
Further, as reporters, we have to drop our sense of entitlement and understand that not everyone wants to be subjects of our journalism. Our press passes don’t give us the license to bully ourselves into any and all spaces where our presence is not appreciated. It’s one thing to demand access to public lands; it’s another to demand access to people’s grieving.
In many communities that historically have been marginalized and unfairly portrayed by the media, there’s good reason people do not trust journalists: They often criminalize black people’s pain and resistance to racial oppression. We saw it in coverage of Ferguson and Baltimore, when news stations seemed more concerned with the property damage than with the emotional damage that prompted it. Though peaceful protests in Ferguson had been going on for days, reporters didn’t descend on the town in large numbers until there were clashes with police. Suddenly, coverage spiked, but most of it was about “cars vandalized” and “buildings burned.” On Fox News, the channel most watched for Ferguson coverage at the height of the unrest, protesters were called “thugs.” Reporting from the protests, CNN’s Don Lemon noted, “Obviously, there’s a smell of marijuana in the air.” We heard comparatively little about the residents’ long-held grievances about police harassment and brutality.
The unfair portrayal of black people in the news media is well documented. One study analyzing news coverage by 26 local television stations, black people were rarely portrayed unless they had committed a crime. A 2015 University of Houston study found that this imbalanced coverage may lead viewers to develop racial bias against black people because it often over-represents them in crime rates. Recognizing this kind of bias in news media, black Twitter users started the #IfTheyGunnedMeDown hashtag to call out news images of Mike Brown that many felt criminalized him in his death.
That black students would be skeptical of media is understandable. We’ve already seen the kind of headlines they undoubtedly feared. In an Atlantic piece headlined “Campus Activists Weaponize ‘Safe Space’,” Conor Friedersdorf calls the protesters a mob and insists they are “twisting the concept of ‘safe space.’” Again, a journalist criminalizes black people for expressing their pain. It was another piece centering the reporter’s privilege over the students’ trauma. Friederdorf’s piece completely ignores the intolerable racial climate that forced the students to establish a safe space in the first place.
[Black college football and basketball players are the most powerful people of color on campus]
There were other ways to cover these students’ protest without breaching their safe space and without criminalizing them.The human chain students formed provided ample b-roll and still photos. Students could have been interviewed outside of that space. I would have pitched a story to my editors with the headline, “Why Black Students Were Forced To Secure A Safe Space On A Public Campus.” But to do that requires self-reflection and not a condescending, self-absorbed soliloquy about the First Amendment.
For journalists, the Missouri protests are a big news story. For the black students we’re covering, however, it’s a fight for their humanity and liberation. Tai is correct: he was doing his job. But in that stressful moment he may have failed to realize that the space he wanted to enter was a healing one that black people had worked to secure.
Black pain is not an easy subject to cover, but the lesson we can take from this encounter at Missouri is that our presence as journalists, with the long legacy of criminalizing blackness that comes with it, may trigger the same harmful emotions that led to the students’ protests in the first place.
We used to count black Americans as 3/5 of a person. For reparations, give us 5/3 of a vote.
Don’t criticize Black Lives Matter for provoking violence. The civil rights movement did, too.
This is what white people can do to support #BlackLivesMatter | 0fake |
Factbox: The race to the U.S. presidential nominations: How delegates are selected | (Reuters) - The Democratic and Republican nominees for the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election are decided in a series of state-by-state contests. The key to winning the nomination for each party is ultimately not about the popular vote, but about securing the number of delegates needed to win the nomination at each party’s convention - July 18-21 in Cleveland for the Republicans and July 25-28 in Philadelphia for the Democrats. The following is a guide to the nominating process: Q: Is the delegate selection process the same for the Republican and Democratic parties? A: No. The parties set their own rules. One thing that is the same is that at each party convention, a candidate needs to reach only a simple majority of the delegate votes to win the nomination. Q: How many delegates are there? A: The Democratic convention will be attended by about 4,763 delegates, with 2,382 delegates needed to win the nomination. The Republican convention will be attended by 2,472 delegates, with 1,237 delegates needed to win. Q: I keep hearing about “superdelegates.” Are they different from other delegates? Do both the Republicans and Democrats have superdelegates? A: Superdelegates, officially known as unpledged delegates, are a sort of wild card in the nominating process, but only the Democrats have them. The category was created for the 1984 Democratic convention, and according to political scientists, they are a legacy of the 1980 convention when there was a fight for the nomination between President Jimmy Carter, who was seeking a second term in the White House, and Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Members of Congress were frustrated by their lack of influence, because delegates elected to support one candidate could not switch to support another. So Democratic members of the House of Representatives led an effort to win a role for themselves. That resulted in the creation of superdelegates. Unlike other delegates, superdelegates may change what candidate they are supporting right up to the convention. There is no fixed number of superdelegates because the group is defined by various categories whose members change from one election cycle to another. Here is who gets to be a superdelegate: All Democratic members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; the Democratic governors; the Democratic president and vice president of the United States; former Democratic presidents and vice presidents; former Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate; former Democratic speakers of the House and former Democratic minority leaders. Throw in the members of the Democratic National Committee and the former chairs of the DNC and you finally have the whole pool of superdelegates. Q: What about the other delegates? Do they get to choose which candidate to support? A: Both the Democratic and Republican parties send delegates to their conventions based on the popular vote in the primary elections and caucuses held in each of the 50 states. But the parties have different rules on how delegates are allotted to a candidate. The Democratic Party applies uniform rules to all states. In each state, delegates are allocated in proportion to the percentage of the primary or caucus vote in each district. But a candidate must win at least 15 percent of the vote to be allocated any delegates. The Republican Party lets states determine their own rules, although it does dictate some things. Some states award delegates proportionate to the popular vote, although most such states have a minimum percentage that a candidate must reach to win any delegates. Some other states use the winner-take-all method, in which the candidate with the highest percentage of the popular vote is awarded all the delegates. Other states use a combination of the two methods. States that use the proportionate method may instead use the winner-take-all method if one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the popular vote. In addition, the Republican Party requires that all states with nominating contests held between March 1 and March 14 use the proportional method, meaning that all the states holding votes on Super Tuesday will have to award delegates proportionally. Q: What happens to delegates if a candidate drops out of the race? A: Another good question, because we have certainly seen that happen this year. For the Democratic Party, in every state, delegates are reallocated to the remaining candidates. For the Republican Party, it varies by state. In some states, delegates are required to stick with their original candidate at least through the first ballot at the Republican National Convention. In some other states, if a candidate drops out, his or her delegates may immediately pledge to another candidate. There is also a middle ground in which those delegates are reallocated to the remaining candidates. Graphic on the delegate count: tmsnrt.rs/1QHZulM Graphic on Super Tuesday delegates won: tmsnrt.rs/1RABdg7 Republican National Committee: here here Democratic National Committee: here Battlopedia: here,_2016 Vote for Bernie: here www.realclearpolitics.com here here www.demconvention.com/ | 0fake |
Zimbabwe's Mugabe 'ready to die for what is correct', nephew tells Reuters | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace are ready to die for what is correct and have no intention of stepping down in order to legitimize this week s military coup, his nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, said on Saturday. Speaking to Reuters from a secret location in South Africa, Zhuwao said Mugabe had hardly slept since the military seized power on Wednesday but his health was otherwise good . | 0fake |
BREAKING! Charlotte News Station Reports Cops Have Dash Cam Of #KeithScott Coming Toward Them With Gun In Hand | Local Charlotte, NC news station WSOCTV is reporting that sources tell them dash cameras captured Keith Scott getting out of car and coming towards officers with a gun in his hand:#BREAKING: Sources tell Channel 9 dash camera video shows #KeithScott getting out car, coming toward officers with gun in his hand pic.twitter.com/GGuM2Ow3wk WSOCTV (@wsoctv) September 21, 2016For a second night, protests over a deadly officer-involved shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina, turned violent, with police firing tear gas and demonstrators throwing objects and trying to damage vehicles.Keith Lamont Scott, a father of seven, was killed by police in an apartment complex parking lot Tuesday as officers looked for another man named in a warrant they were trying to serve. The shooting set off a long night of violent protests and Wednesday the demonstrations continued for a second night, starting off as a peaceful march through downtown Charlotte. But when the demonstrators neared an Omni Hotel, some people climbed the roof of an outdoor mall and started throwing objects at the crowd.Other people were banging on the doors of the hotel, and police in riot gear emerged in the entrance.His family said Scott, an African-American, was unarmed and sitting in his car reading a book, waiting for his son to come home from school.But Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Scott exited his car with a gun, not a book. He said officers couldn t find a book at the scene. It s time for the voiceless majority to stand up and be heard, said the police chief, who is black. It s time to change the narrative because I can tell you from the facts that the story s a little bit different as to how it s been portrayed so far, especially through social media. CNNBut b b but what about the book?Neighbor who says she saw police shoot #KeithScott disputes CMDP's claim that he was armed with a gun. She says he had a book. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/X1PWw5QJ7O Mark Barber (@MBarberWSOC9) September 21, 2016And of course, there s Hillary s irresponsible tweet confirming that the cops were in the wrong, without even having any facts to back up her ignorant statement:Keith Lamont Scott. Terence Crutcher. Too many others. This has got to end. -H Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 21, 2016 | 1real |
With Both Parties in Turmoil, Britain Weighs a General Election - The New York Times | LONDON — Conservative Party candidates to succeed David Cameron as prime minister started putting themselves forward on Wednesday. The Labour Party was descending further into civil war over whether its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, can keep his job while most Labour legislators want him to quit. Given the chaos, there is growing talk that the endgame for Britain’s political crisis could be another general election, perhaps as soon as this fall, in an effort to bring some clarity to the nation’s leadership and direction after the vote last week to leave the European Union. The current Parliament, elected in May 2015, still has nearly four years of its term to run. But once the Conservatives settle on a successor to Mr. Cameron, a process that is likely to play out by September, the new prime minister may well want to secure his or her own electoral mandate, especially given the sharp turn Britain has taken and the conflicts over how and whether to proceed with the process of decoupling from Europe. But even the question of an early general election is proving divisive. Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London and a leader of the “Leave” campaign, has been canvassing fellow Conservative members of Parliament, seeking support for his candidacy and getting their views on the advantages of an early general election. But his main rival, Theresa May, the home secretary, who supported staying in the European Union, is considered more of a continuity candidate and may not want to go back to voters so soon, a view shared by Conservatives who were elected to their seats for the first time 13 months ago. But it is the prospect of a quick election that has motivated Labour members in Parliament to try to oust their party leader, Mr. Corbyn, voting overwhelmingly on Tuesday for a motion of no confidence in him that is a necessary prelude to a leadership contest. The rebels fear that under Mr. Corbyn, 67, a leftist who has repudiated what remained of the centrist New Labour movement of the Tony Blair era, the party will be crushed and they will lose their seats with an even worse showing than in last year’s general election, when the Conservatives won an outright majority. About of Labour’s shadow cabinet, made up of senior legislators who speak on policy for the party, have resigned this week, trying to force Mr. Corbyn to step down. Mr. Corbyn has refused. He has said he will seek another mandate from the members and supporters of Labour, who elected him by a substantial margin in the first place. But it is unclear whether he remains as popular among the rank and file after leading a halfhearted campaign to keep Britain in the European Union, when many traditional Labour voters chose to stay home or vote against the party’s position. The outcome of any contest would also depend on whom the more centrist Labour legislators find to run against Mr. Corbyn. That may be Angela Eagle, a senior figure of the softer left and the daughter of a printworker, or a more centrist figure like Tom Watson, who was elected deputy leader last year. Other possible contenders include Dan Jarvis and Chuka Umunna, both of whom decided not to run against Mr. Corbyn last year, or Yvette Cooper, who did and lost. Mr. Corbyn has “no plan for a looming general election,” Ms. Cooper said on Tuesday, urging him to resign quickly. “Jeremy would be letting down Labour voters and communities across the country who badly need a strong Labour voice right now, and who badly need a Labour government, if he drags this out any longer,” Ms. Cooper said. “I hope he does the right thing in the party and stands down swiftly because we cannot drift and leave” the Conservatives “to shape Britain’s future. ” In Parliament on Wednesday, Mr. Cameron got in on the act, calling on Mr. Corbyn to quit and attributing to him some of the blame for the outcome of the referendum. “It might be in my party’s interest for him to sit there,” Mr. Cameron said. “It’s not in the national interest. And I would say, ‘For heaven’s sake man, go!’ ” For the Conservatives, there is at least a clear path toward a new leader, and Mr. Johnson and Ms. May are clear favorites. But party history suggests that favorites sometimes founder. Stephen Crabb, 43, who was recently appointed work and pensions secretary and is an politician with a background, has also announced his candidacy, backed by the business secretary, Sajid Javid, 46, the son of a bus driver from Pakistan. Others are likely to declare, including Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary. Under the British system, the naming of a new prime minister from the governing party does not require a new general election. The prime minister, after all, is just the first among equals, a legislator chosen by colleagues to lead them. Parliament’s sovereignty is supreme. But in practice, the British system has become a great deal more presidential and personality driven, so individual mandates have come to seem more important. Nearly four years without one would be a long time, especially given all the uncertainties attached to leaving the European Union and the hard choices ahead. Some say they believe that no new leader would enjoy legitimacy without an early election. “It surely cannot be right, as a matter of democratic principle, that only members of the Conservative Party, constituting 0. 003 percent of the total electorate, should have a say in electing a new prime minister,” said Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats, who served as deputy prime minister to Mr. Cameron in a coalition government until last year’s general election. Others argue that Britain is in a special situation, having voted against membership of the European Union yet having little notion of what would replace it. Before any new election, they say, the new prime minister should first negotiate a deal extracting Britain from the bloc, and then seek endorsement of it from the voters. Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative lawmakers, said that “these are difficult judgments to make,” but he added: “We have a big and complicated task to accomplish. I think that it’s entirely reasonable to expect that we, the government, should embark on that, get on with it, seek to negotiate as good an outcome as we can before the people are asked then to approve or reject that at a general election. ” But that is a option for an incoming prime minister who is likely to find that he or she cannot deliver what many of those who voted for a British exit, or “Brexit,” were promised or expected. Even more, if a damaged Mr. Corbyn survives the coup attempt against him, the temptation among Conservatives to rush to the polls while Labour is so weak will be almost irresistible. But a bigger lesson has been drawn from the transfer of power in June 2007, when Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister with so much support in the Labour Party that there was no internal vote. In the fall of that year, Mr. Brown appeared set to call a general election to win his own democratic mandate, only to pull back when his lead in the opinion polls began to shrink. That moment of indecision was seen as a fatal error from which his premiership never recovered. His authority diminished, and he lost an election in 2010. While those leaders effectively had freedom to call general elections when they wanted, the situation changed with new legislation that came into being in 2011. This law lays down a parliamentary term. Early elections can be held if agreed to by at least of all lawmakers. There is an alternative provision that allows for an election if a motion of no confidence is passed in Parliament, and no new government is installed within two weeks. These rules have never been tested. But the Conservatives could decide to bring themselves down in a vote of no confidence and Labour would be unable to command a majority, so new elections would be held. Alternatively, a majority would probably be attainable. Opposition lawmakers would be unlikely to block an early election because that would mean insisting that a prime minister without a popular mandate stay in power and make them look like they were afraid of the voters. Parliament ultimately has the power to overturn these rules and pass a new law altering or abrogating the old one. That would be but if an incoming prime minister wants to call an election badly enough, it could happen. | 0fake |
Thousands queue to pay last respects to Thailand's late King Bhumibol | BANGKOK (Reuters) - Almost 12 million people, or almost one sixth of Thailand s population, have visited the glittering Grand Palace in Bangkok to pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej since he died last October, the palace said on Thursday. Thousands lined the streets of Bangkok s historic area near the Chao Phraya River to enter the palace on Thursday, the last day to see the late king before the royal cremation on Oct. 26. Queues stretched for more than two km (1.2 miles), officials said, with many lining up since Wednesday. I ve been here since 6 pm and I managed to pay respects at 7 am, Tossapon Thongmak, 33, a Bangkok resident. We were rained on last night but this is a must - we must pay our respects to father, he said. King Bhumibol died last October aged 88 and his body has laid in state in a gold hall at the palace. He was widely seen as a father figure and regarded as the nation s moral compass during decades of on-off political turbulence including several coups, bloody street protests and a region-wide 1997/98 financial crisis. He was succeeded in December by his only son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, known as Rama X, who has since overseen a shake-up at the palace to give himself greater authority. The royal funeral will be a mix of Buddhist religious ceremonies and Hindu Brahmin rituals. This is the first time that many Thais will experience a royal funeral for a monarch. So the grandeur, the beauty, and the determination of everyone involved in the preparation is a new experience for all, Tonthong Chandransu, a public relations official for the funeral organization committee and an expert on the Thai monarchy, told Reuters in an interview. From the architecture, the craftsmanship, the various preparations and their fine details, I have never seen this sort of dedication. Builders have been working for months on a royal crematorium that was built from scratch on a green in front of the palace. Time was needed in order to build heaven, based on imagination and belief systems that fused Buddhism with Brahmin Hindu traditions that are important in Thai society, Tonthong said. The palace has said it expects 250,000 mourners to attend the royal cremation. Thailand s tourism body has asked tourists to respect Thai sensitivities during what promises to be an emotionally-charged time. | 0fake |
Deputy Attorney General Doubles Down On Comey Memo: “I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it.” | Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein doubled down today when he told Congress he stands by a memo he wrote that the White House has cited as a justification for the firing last week of FBI Director James Comey.In closed-door meetings with lawmakers on Thursday and Friday, Rosenstein said he wrote the memo after President Donald Trump told him one day before the May 9 firing that he wanted to dismiss Comey. He said that though he was personally fond of Comey, I thought it was appropriate to seek a new leader. The Justice Department on Friday issued a transcript of Rosenstein s remarks:OPENING STATEMENT:Good afternoon. I welcome the opportunity to discuss my role in the removal of FBI Director James Comey, although I know you understand that I will not discuss the special counsel s ongoing investigation. Most importantly, I want to emphasize my unshakeable commitment to protecting the integrity of every federal criminal investigation. There never has been, and never will be, any political interference in any matter under my supervision in the United States Department of Justice.Before I discuss the events of the past two weeks, I want to provide some background about my previous relationship with former Director Comey. I have known Jim Comey since approximately 2002. In 2005, when Mr. Comey was Deputy Attorney General, he participated in selecting me to serve as a U.S. Attorney. As a federal prosecutor, he was a role model. His speeches about leadership and public service inspired me.On July 5, 2016, Director Comey held his press conference concerning the federal grand jury investigation of Secretary Clinton s emails. At the start of the press conference, the Director stated that he had not coordinated or reviewed this statement in any way with the Department of Justice . They do not know what I am about to say. Director Comey went on to declare that he would publicly disclose what we did; what we found; and what we are recommending to the Department of Justice. He proceeded to disclose details about the evidence; assert that the American people deserve to know details; declare that no reasonable prosecutor would file charges; and criticize Secretary Clinton.I thought the July 5 press conference was profoundly wrong and unfair both to the Department of Justice and Secretary Clinton. It explicitly usurped the role of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General and the entire Department of Justice; it violated deeply engrained rules and traditions; and it guaranteed that some people would accuse the FBI of interfering in the election.There are lawful and appropriate mechanisms to deal with unusual circumstances in which public confidence in the rule of law may be jeopardized. Such mechanisms preserve the traditional balance of power between investigators and prosecutors, and protect the rights of citizens.Director Comey attended the Maryland U.S. Attorney s Office training seminar on October 27, 2016, and gave a detailed explanation of his reasons for making public statements about the conclusion of the Secretary Clinton email investigation. I strongly disagreed with his analysis, but I believe that he made his decisions in good faith.The next day, October 28, Mr. Comey sent his letter to the Congress announcing that the FBI was reopening the Clinton email investigation. He subsequently has said that he believed he was obligated to send the letter. I completely disagree. He again usurped the authority of the Department of Justice, by sending the letter over the objection of the Department of Justice; flouted rules and deeply engrained traditions; and guaranteed that some people would accuse the FBI of interfering in the election.Before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 3, 2017, Director Comey testified under oath about his public statements concerning the Secretary Clinton email investigation. I strongly disagreed with his explanations, particularly his assertion that maintaining confidentiality about criminal investigations constitutes concealment. Nonetheless, I respected him personally.Former Department of Justice officials from both political parties have criticized Director Comey s decisions. It was not just an isolated mistake; the series of public statements about the email investigation, in my opinion, departed from the proper role of the FBI Director and damaged public confidence in the Bureau and the Department.In one of my first meetings with then-Senator Jeff Sessions last winter, we discussed the need for new leadership at the FBI. Among the concerns that I recall were to restore the credibility of the FBI, respect the established authority of the Department of Justice, limit public statements and eliminate leaks.On May 8, I learned that President Trump intended to remove Director Comey and sought my advice and input. Notwithstanding my personal affection for Director Comey, I thought it was appropriate to seek a new leader.I wrote a brief memorandum to the Attorney General summarizing my longstanding concerns about Director Comey s public statements concerning the Secretary Clinton email investigation.I chose the issues to include in my memorandum.Before finalizing the memorandum on May 9, I asked a senior career attorney on my staff to review it. That attorney is an ethics expert who has worked in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General during multiple administrations. He was familiar with the issues. I informed the senior attorney that the President was going to remove Director Comey, that I was writing a memorandum to the Attorney General summarizing my own concerns, and that I wanted to confirm that everything in my memorandum was accurate. He concurred with the points raised in my memorandum. I also asked several other career Department attorneys to review the memorandum and provide edits.My memorandum is not a legal brief; these are not issues of law.My memorandum is not a finding of official misconduct; the Inspector General will render his judgment about that issue in due course.My memorandum is not a statement of reasons to justify a for-cause termination.My memorandum is not a survey of FBI morale or performance.My memorandum is not a press release.It is a candid internal memorandum about the FBI Director s public statements concerning a high-profile criminal investigation.I sent my signed memorandum to the Attorney General after noon on Tuesday, May 9.I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it.Finally, I want to address the media claims that the FBI asked for additional resources for the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. I am not aware of any such request. Moreover, I consulted my staff and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, and none of them recalls such a request.END OF TRANSCRIPTThe White House has struggled since Comey s firing to explain the chain of events that led to it and who exactly made the decision. Trump said as recently as Thursday that he acted on a very strong recommendation from Rosenstein, but Rosenstein made it clear to Congress that he drafted his memo only after Trump told him of his plans to dismiss the FBI director.He said he did not intend for the document to be a finding of misconduct or a statement of reasons to justify the firing, but he added: I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it. Via: NBC Chicago | 1real |
Hope and change, the Hebrew edition | There is an path for Democrats to regain the presidency — and it does not run through Ohio, Michigan or Wisconsin. | 0fake |
U.S. appeals court revives claims in $1.7 billion Iran terrorism lawsuit | NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal appeals court in New York on Tuesday revived part of a $1.68 billion lawsuit against Iran s central bank, Bank Markazi, by families of soldiers killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon. By a 3-0 vote, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court judge erred in dismissing claims against Markazi; Banca UBAE SpA, an Italian bank accused of engaging in transactions for Iran; and Clearstream Banking SA, a Luxembourg bank accused of opening accounts for Markazi and UBAE. It upheld the dismissal of claims against JPMorgan Chase & Co. The plaintiffs sought to recoup bond proceeds allegedly owned by Markazi and held by Clearstream, to partially satisfy $3.8 billion of judgments they had won against Iran after a federal court deemed them victims of state-sponsored terrorism. They accused the banks of fraudulently processing billions of dollars of bond proceeds owed to Markazi, and targeted cash held in a Clearstream account at JPMorgan in New York. Iran is one of several countries and organizations ordered by U.S. courts to pay damages to terrorism victims. Such orders are often difficult to enforce. Lawyers for the plaintiffs and banks did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest had dismissed the case in February 2015. She said she lacked jurisdiction over Markazi assets located abroad, the plaintiffs had released claims against Clearstream and UBAE, and nothing was left in the Clearstream account for JPMorgan to turn over. In Tuesday s 72-page decision, Circuit Judge Robert Sack said Forrest reasonably assumed she lacked jurisdiction because the main assets in dispute had been recorded on Clearstream s books in Luxembourg. But he said recent court rulings interpreting the federal Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act permitted courts in New York to exercise jurisdiction to recall to New York extraterritorial assets owned by a foreign sovereign. Sack ordered Forrest to decide whether she has personal jurisdiction over Clearstream, and whether state or federal law prevents the plaintiffs from recovering bond proceeds. In April 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court said in a separate case that Markazi must pay nearly $2 billion, which had been frozen, to terrorism victims, and Congress had not exceeded its authority by passing a law making it easier to recover damages. The 1983 attack, in Beirut, killed 241 U.S. service members. The case is Peterson et al v Islamic Republic of Iran et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-0690. | 0fake |
Fox News Just Declared Trump The Winner In New Hampshire — Before Votes Were Even Counted (IMAGES) | Fox News had a bit of an embarrassing moment Tuesday when the network accidentally declared Megyn Kelly s arch-nemesis, Donald Trump, the winner of the New Hampshire primary. It s no secret that Fox doesn t much like Trump which is why it must have been embarrassing when a graphic declaring that 100% of the results were in and that the billionaire 2016 hopeful had won went live on the network s website.Taking the lead in New Hampshire, according to Fox s data puts Donald Trump in the front with 83,000 votes 28 percent. Coming in second is human-robot hybrid Marco Rubio at 15%. Taking third place is creepy Evangelical Ted Cruz at 15%. According to the fictional results, Ben Carson brought up the rear with 2% of the vote well behind Jeb Bush and even Carly Fiorina.Fox very quickly removed the results from the website with Jeff Misenti, chief digital officer for the network, explaining that the results appeared as part of a test for its coverage of the state s primary: During routine testing in preparation for the New Hampshire primary a malfunction occurred which briefly showed errant data on our website. This error has been rectified. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. While Trump is almost a sure winner in any GOP matchup, it s hilarious that Fox would, however accidentally, preemptively declare the man who has been trading barbs with the network and who skipped the last debate hosted by a Fox station after they refused to pay him $5 million to appear.In the showdown between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Fox declared Sanders the winner with 53% of the vote to Hillary s 43 percent.Sure, Fox has a history of getting nearly anything wrong, but it s impressive that they have managed to open a portal to the future in their efforts to be first with the news.Featured image via screengrab | 1real |
Trump ‘Promises’ To Fix Black People’s Problems And Gets Spectactularly Owned For It On Twitter | Donald Trump must really think black people are stupid.The Republican nominee has been making a series of pathetic attempts to reach out to black voters on the campaign trail recently as his poll numbers continue to implode. What the hell do you have to lose, Trump asked black voters in front of a white audience earlier this week as he claimed they all live in neighborhoods that are war zones, have bad schools, are unemployed, and live in poverty.Well, Trump took to Twitter on Thursday and made yet another pathetic effort to fool black voters into thinking that he actually gives a damn about them.Once again, Trump claimed poverty and crime are up in African-American communities while claiming that employment is down. I will fix it, promise, he tacked on at the end.So many in the African-American community are doing so badly, poverty and crime way up, employment and jobs way down: I will fix it, promise Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2016Of course, Trump is talking out of his ass.As it turns out the black poverty rate over the last two decades favors Hillary Clinton and is really damning for Republicans.According to BlackDemographics.com: During the decade of the 1990s while the nation was experiencing an economic boom the poverty rate of Black families dropped from 29% in 1990 to 19% in 2000 virtually cutting the disparity in half. The economic downturn in the decade from 2000 to 2010 caused the increase of the Black family poverty rate to 24%. Since 2010 the Black family poverty rate began to decrease sightly reaching 23% in 2014, however the disparity has remained relatively unchanged since 2000.As we all know, Bill Clinton was president in the 1990s and he presided over a strong economy that benefited just about everyone, including African-Americans. But then George W. Bush took over and black families began to slip back below the poverty line, especially during the Great Recession.In addition, Trump over-exaggerates the crime in black communities and his claim that the unemployment rate among blacks is up is bullshit, too. In fact, it s been cut nearly in half since 2011.So Twitter ripped Trump a new one. .@realDonaldTrump just like you fixed the availability of all those apartment buildings so black tenants couldn t rent from you?? Promise. Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) August 25, 2016@realDonaldTrump Mr. Trump, can you please be specific? Maybe about anything? #NeverTrump Mike Wickett (@mikewickett) August 25, 2016 @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/9bpOcGzUqX John Harris (@YahyaJohn) August 25, 2016@RealDonaldTrump needs to: Release tax returns Apologize to the Khan Fam Apologize to disabled Americans Apologize to Muslims & Latinos John Harris (@YahyaJohn) August 25, 2016 @YahyaJohn @realDonaldTrump also: delete his account Scott A. W. Brown (@Scott_AW_Brown) August 25, 2016@realDenaldTrump @realDonaldTrump You called us thugs, criminals, drug dealers, pigs, rapists. Now you want our votes! SAD! Judith Raquel (@GWGMJ30) August 25, 2016 @realDonaldTrump you were sued for refusing black people as tenants Andrew W Chamings (@AndrewChamings) August 25, 2016@realDonaldTrump If you are reaching out to the black voters you are going to need longer arms and bigger hands pic.twitter.com/Q3p1Y7hEtg Jake from state farm (@my2bits4u) August 25, 2016 @realDonaldTrump um pic.twitter.com/YaYxGFtr1R Paulino Nunes (@paulinocmnunes) August 25, 2016Featured image via Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images | 1real |
California & Oregon Want To Secede From The U.S. After Trump Election | California & Oregon Want To Secede From The U.S. After Trump Election Nov 12, 2016 2 0
In what is shaping up to be the beginning of a revolution within the United States, residents from California and now Oregon are wanting to secede from the U.S. after Donald Trump was elected President…and they want Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Washington state to join them to create an entirely new country altogether.
Two days after the Trump election in the U.S. residents in California began a campaign called “ Yes California Independence Campaign ,” which is to initiate the process to officially secede from the U.S. California residents are pushing for secession.
Ruiz Evans said Yes California intends to launch an initiative that asks Californians whether they believe the state should remain part of the United States or break away on its own. Similar to the Citizens United ballot measure voters approved Tuesday, it would begin as an advisory proposal to kick-start an arduous process. Marcus Ruiz Evans is the vice president of the group and s aid that Californians have a choice :
“The reason that we’re here today is we wanted to point out to everybody in California that the American system is broken. It’s failing. It’s sinking. You as a Californian have a choice to make: Do you go down with that ship out of tradition or sail on your own?”
Their website states that Californians should follow Brexit’s lead: In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children. However, this independence referendum is about more than California subsidizing other states of this country. It is about the right to self-determination and the concept of voluntary association, both of which are supported by constitutional and international law. In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the international community with their “Brexit” vote. Our “Calexit” referendum is about California joining the international community. You have a big decision to make. To add to Calexit’s momentum, an Oregon lawyer has joined the movement and filed the Oregon Secession Act , which has formally invited the states of California, Alaska, Washington, Hawaii and Nevada to secede with them and form a new nation together. The Act was filed by lawyer Jennifer Rollins and writer Christian Trejbal, who said that Oregonian values are no longer the values held by the rest of the United States and that joining with these other states to create a new nation “is a viable way to go forward.” However, just 24 hours after the Act was filed, they withdrew it due to the amount of violence they saw in the streets around the world. Trejbal said that they were receiving death threats and that their movement is not about violent protesting, so it was best to withdraw it at this time. Though Oregon has suspended their secession campaign for now, California’s campaign is growing stronger. With Texas speaking of secession just months ago, we now have the most populated state in the U.S. speaking of secession as well. Regardless of one’s political stance, it is clear to see that the people are growing restless and that something is going to have to give, and give soon. How do you see this playing out? Will California be able to secede and will other states join them? Will the U.S. Congress allow something like this to happen? Will revolution be the result? | 1real |
Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah on Ann Coulter at Berkeley: ’They Should Just Let Her Speak’ - Breitbart | Thursday on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” host Trevor Noah made his case for to allow conservative commentator Ann Coulter to speak. After mocking her, he argued her detractors should relent and allow her to speak, but also said that she didn’t actually want to speak at Berkeley. “[L]ook man, she’s right about the free speech thing, but here’s my opinion,” he said. “Even though Ann Coulter is clearly trolling and doing this for the publicity of not letting her speak, they should just let her speak. Because you realize, she doesn’t actually want to speak. She wants to be stopped from speaking. ” “The truth is, a side effect of free speech is that there will always be hate speech,” Noah added. “If you ban one, you risk banning the other. Like you might call Ann Coulter ‘hate speech,’ but then what’s to stop Jeff Sessions from calling Black Lives Matter ‘hate speech?’ If there is one idea America has given the world, it’s the idea of absolute free speech. ” ( Daily Beast) Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor | 0fake |
Trump defends Senate candidate Moore despite misconduct allegations | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump defended embattled U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore on Tuesday, saying the Alabama Republican had denied allegations of sexual misconduct and emphasizing that he did not want Moore’s Democratic opponent to win. Trump previously said that Moore should step aside if the allegations were true. Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving Washington for Florida, Trump left open the possibility of campaigning for Moore, saying he would make an announcement on that next week. The president also ripped into Moore’s opponent, Democrat Doug Jones, describing the former prosecutor as liberal and soft on crime. The comments represented a shift in strategy for the White House, which previously tried to keep its distance from the controversy sparked by a Washington Post report detailing accusations by four women that Moore pursued them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. More women have since spoken out with allegations of their own. “He totally denies it. He says it didn’t happen. And, you know, you have to listen to him also,” Trump said. Trump’s position was a break from that of other national Republicans. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other prominent lawmakers have pressed Moore to quit the race. It also contrasted with comments from his daughter Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser who told the Associated Press there was a “special place in hell for people who prey on children.” She said she had no reason to doubt the women’s accounts. Moore, 70, has denied any wrongdoing. The married Christian conservative has said he is the victim of a witch hunt and has declined to drop out of the race. Reuters has not been able to confirm any of the accusations independently. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump himself faced accusations from several women that he had in the past made unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate personal remarks about them. Trump denied the allegations, accusing Democrats and the media of a smear campaign. Trump supported Moore’s opponent, Senator Luther Strange, in the Republican primary race for the open U.S. Senate seat vacated by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but he backed Moore after the former Alabama chief justice won the nomination. Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate. They are eager to hold on to that advantage to pass Trump’s legislative agenda on taxes, healthcare and other priorities. Since the accusations against Moore were reported, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders has said repeatedly that Alabama voters should decide the election and called the allegations “troubling.” The White House also backed the Republican National Committee’s decision to withdraw support for Moore. But the administration’s position appeared to start evolving this week when White House counselor Kellyanne Conway criticized Jones during an interview with Fox News and said the White House wanted a Republican to win the seat in order to support Trump’s plan for a tax overhaul. Trump, who had declined until Tuesday to answer questions about the Alabama race, was prepared with a list of complaints about Jones when facing reporters on the south lawn of the White House. “I can tell you one thing for sure: We don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat, Jones,” Trump said. “I’ve looked at his record. It’s terrible on crime. It’s terrible on the border. It’s terrible on the military. I can tell you for a fact, we do not need somebody that’s going to be bad on crime, bad on borders, bad with the military, bad for the Second Amendment.” Before the allegations came to light, Moore was heavily favored to defeat Jones, a former federal prosecutor, in the special election on Dec. 12. Two opinion polls last week showed Moore now trailing Jones. “Doug believes the women, and that the people of Alabama will hold Roy Moore accountable,” Jones’ spokesman, Sebastian Kitchen, said in a statement. Among those prosecuted by Jones when he was a U.S. attorney in Alabama were two former Ku Klux Klan members for their involvement in a 1963 church bombing in Birmingham that killed four girls. | 0fake |
U.S. gets warm words from China's Xi ahead of Trump visit | BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping offered warm words for U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, calling him a friend and saying he expected Trump’s visit to China in November would be “wonderful”. China’s relationship with the United States has been strained by the Trump administration’s criticism of Chinese trade practices and by demands that Beijing do more to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons and missiles programs. Xi and Trump met for the first time in person at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in April. Trump has since played up his personal relationship with Xi, even when criticizing China over North Korea and trade. Meeting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi said he had enjoyed his meetings with Trump and that the two had made considerable efforts to push the development of China-US relations. “The two of us have also maintained a good working relationship and personal friendship,” Xi said, in comments in front of reporters. “I believe that President Trump’s upcoming visit to China means an important opportunity for the further development of China-U.S. relations,” Xi added. “And I believe his visit will be a special, wonderful and successful one.” In comments later reported by China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi added that cooperation was the only correct choice for both countries, whose common interests far outweighed their differences. Both countries must “on the basis of respecting each other’s core interests and important concerns appropriately handle, via dialogue and consultations, differences and sensitive issues”, the statement cited Xi as saying. Trump will travel to Asia in November for the first time since becoming president, stopping in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines on a trip expected to be dominated by the North Korea nuclear threat. Tillerson told Xi that Trump and his wife Melania were looking forward to going to Beijing. “This is a relationship that continues to grow and mature on the strength of the relationship between yourself and President Trump. And we look forward to advancing that relationship at the upcoming summit,” he said. There was no mention of North Korea in comments made in front of journalists at any of Tillerson’s meetings, which also included top diplomat State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China’s Foreign Ministry, in separate statements on Tillerson’s meetings with Yang and Wang, simply said they exchanged views on the situation on the Korean peninsula, without elaborating. | 0fake |
Look At All The Trump Supporters At The Rally Today, There Must Be Tens Of ‘Em! (IMAGES/VIDEO) | The Trump administration was going to show Democrats a thing or two by touting a Pittsburgh, not Paris rally which is taking place at a park across from the White House. Meanwhile, at cities across the U.S., thousands rallied in the March for Truth . The exact numbers aren t in yet, by the way. Instead of attending the rally the Trump administration hyped, the former reality show star went to the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia on Saturday morning, according to Business Insider.While Trump is at his golf club, the Pittsburgh, not Paris rally has kicked off with dozens of Trump supporters who gathered to express their support for Trump s decision to pull out of the landmark Paris Agreement.If the US completes the withdrawal process from the climate deal, it will join Nicaragua and Syria the only other countries who have not signed the agreement.The Trump-Pence campaign announced a Pittsburgh Not Paris Event for President Trump on Saturday morning which was organized by the Fairfax County Republican Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia. The group asked those who planned to attend to dress in your most patriotic, red, white, and blue outfit. Look at em all. There must be tens of them.Looks likes today's pro Trump "Pittsburgh not Paris" Rally in Lafayette Park DC getting a bit spare attendance pic.twitter.com/TaKhVX4C5R Jeffrey Evan Gold (@jeffgoldesq) June 3, 2017Watch:This is the pro-Trump, anti-#ParisAgreement "Pittsburgh not Paris" rally outside the White House pic.twitter.com/Gx7lfbgKfx Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) June 3, 2017Trump supporters are holding a "Pittsburgh not Paris" rally in Lafayette Park. The irony is thick as brie, and lost on them I fear. George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 3, 2017Tonight Pittsburgh's City County Building joins 174 US cities & the rest of the world supporting the Paris Agreement pic.twitter.com/omEyICLrQk bill peduto (@billpeduto) June 3, 2017Here s a side-by-side view of the events.March for Truth anti-#Trump rally in NYC via @MarchForTruth17 (left) and Pittsburgh, not Paris #Trump rally in DC via @edroso (far right). pic.twitter.com/pjXrhkeTTW Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) June 3, 2017Pro-Trump "rally" vs #MarchForTruth pic.twitter.com/v9rAFRDPO1 jordan ? (@JordanUhl) June 3, 2017We demand an independent commission. #MarchForTruth pic.twitter.com/kTI7IsY7I3 #MarchForTruth (@MarchForTruth17) June 3, 2017Chicago:#MarchForTruth #chicago pic.twitter.com/gDTLmikHqU Archy Arch J (@ArchyArchJ) June 3, 2017.@MarchForTruth17 pic.twitter.com/erLI9wvzku ?Jordan Jackson? (@NeoKremlinology) June 3, 2017Pittsburgh:Meanwhile in actual Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/FqYlvnQG9J Cris (@crisrice) June 3, 2017In Raleigh, N.C., I took this picture today.This is a really bad sign for Trump and his scandal-plagued administration. The White House has been in panic mode trying to contain the damage from the Russia-Trump scandal so some officials felt the best way to do that would be to hold more rallies. Meanwhile, Trump s approval rating is plummeting with even some supporters of the alleged president finding out that they are tired of all the winning that they were promised.At the March for Truth rally in Raleigh, a registered Republican who described himself as pro-life and an evangelical, said that he was diagnosed with cancer. He said, Thank God for Obamacare! then he ripped his party to shreds while taking aim at Ted Cruz. At the end of his speech, the anti-Trump crowd was chanting, Run for office, run for office! The crowd was just so happy to witness Republican who isn t spineless.Photo by Ralph Freso via Getty Images | 1real |
Hell Comes to Frogtown: Alt Right and Triumph of Transhumanism | Deep inside the archetypal psyche of Pepe the Frog Branko Mali 21st Century WireWhile Richard Spencer s half-joke of hailing Donald Trump with Roman salute rose a lot of dust, some remarks in his NPI speech point into rather sinister direction. A posthuman one. transcript with references and additional a/v material:Undoubtedly, there was a sigh of relief throughout the world when Hillary Clinton lost Presidential elections to Donald Trump. If for nothing else, then for the sake of quiet joy of watching adolescent commissars melt in tears, crying foul over racism, homophobia, xenophobia and whateverphobia; it was a joy, and a relief, because it showed monolithic control system of moral nominalism, dubbed political correctness to be a paper tiger.However, the party is over and the dialectics are back with the vengeance .As SJWs are, hopefully, moving out from the spotlight of post-historical stage, the new contender asserts his right to fashion the reality of our day and age into his own image.If we are to judge the day by the first gleam of dawn, this image will be just as ugly and just as unreal as hermaphrodite ideal of politically correct shitlib .In the words of more or less universally acclaimed leader of the alternative right, or Alt Right movement, Richard Spencer, in the future we are to deal with the leadership of children of the sun .This is an interesting, and to my mind quite worrisome, statement of intent a manifestation of will, as Spencer would doubtless rectify me pointing out in many directions while seemingly focusing on the eternal and quite unidirectional circular movement of the pagan deity, revered by all self-respecting bermenschen from Nietzsche to postmodern occultists.However, there s a deeper astro-theological metaphor at work here. The pure eye that can gaze upon overabundance of joy without envy (Nietzsche) in it s virtual, postmodern, installment is not to be strictly represented by a Swastika as Spencer apparently assumes, but by other, only seemingly ancient, symbol taken in fact from the world of tabletop and PC gaming and turned into ideological brand by Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin (or his minions): an individual widely promoted by core members of alt right movement.The symbol in question is an eight pointed star signifying the movement, not of sun, but of presumably primordial origin of everything: Chaos.In the lines to follow, we ll provide some preliminary analysis of the emerging situation: the channeling of chaos principle and adjacent chaos logic through loosely knit alt right movement, taking as a starting point some statements from Spencer s speech held at NPI Conference in Washington D.C. on November 21st.Triumph of the will, or hipster Babylon working?In introduction to his triumphal encomium to the ideological victory of alt right, embodied in the election of Donald Trump, Spencer makes one interesting remark: But even though we always took Trump seriously, there was still a moment of unreality or perhaps too painfully intense reality when the state of Pennsylvania was called for Donald Trump the moment when we knew Kek had smiled upon us, that meme magic was real. And though these terms are used half-jokingly, they represent something truly important the victory of will. We willed Donald Trump into office, made this dream into reality. We ll start our explanation with lesser weirdness. Meme is an expression denoting inexistent existent , coined apparently by Richard Dawkins to explain how human thoughts fit in his evolutionary theology: memes are thoughts expressed in image and/or phrase which, by circulation in public, acquire the life and subsistence of their own and are able to infect the consciousness with their messages, like viruses. A Meme is inexistent because there s no such thing as thoughts having a biologically based self-subsistence and ability to procreate like viruses. Images and/or phrases are not living beings save by bad analogy that omits to tell us on what exactly it is based: what is that one principle making memes and viruses congenial. Yet they, quite paradoxically, exist because the analogy apparently works. However no one seems to pose the question, why it works.Well, it works because it is magical, in a manner of speaking.Chaos MagickHere we have an example of magical thinking in the postmodern in fact, post-humanist vein, resting on the assumption that what has not evolved in nature can and should be created in analogy to imagined process of evolution. If a artificial construct is in line with a principle of evolution it is real or, to be more precise, it is in accordance with imaginary nature of this principle it is imagined into existence.Therefore meme magick works only insofar it relies upon artificial, preferably technological medium for sustenance and on assumption that its recipients identify themselves with their artificial, preferably online identities that can indeed be imbibed with memes as they are in themselves artificial and arbitrary constructs.The goal of practitioner of such magic a far cry from what was traditionally considered to be magic is to change the world according to his will. This is, more or less, what is known from the Seventies of the last century as chaos magick, a postmodern imitation of ancient practice of acting in sub-human and sub-natural domain of the world, in the past mostly confined to people born with the dubious talent to practice it. The peculiarity of chaos magick is, on the one hand, that it is entirely syncretic, i.e. that it uses everything that its practitioner can imbibe with intended, subjective, meaning, and that it relies on virtual, i.e. artificial world of mass culture, now embodied above all in Internet.The idea behind it all is that nothing is true and everything is possible.There are many interesting implications to this.The first is that everything is interrelated, i.e. that everything is connected with everything else. So any which way you take, you ll get where you want to get if you will it hard enough. The second is that there s no hierarchy of higher and lower there s only an infinite surface dissolving into ever more complex elements, dissolving in turn into nothingness, if concentrated upon. As there s nothing higher, there s nothing to be revered and everything can and indeed: should be an object of ironical laughter. And, most importantly, this is the world of dreams, ruled by what is usually called dream logic but in actual fact: chaos logic or un-logic.In this sense, Richard Spencer quite accurately proclaimed Trump s victory an accomplishment of meme or chaos magick.In theory, Trump is willed into office by Internet memes binding the will of alt right adherents and turning their dream into reality virtual reality, one may add, yet reality nonetheless. The fact that Trump was elected for a plethora of motives from the appeal of his politics, to public takedown of Hillary Clinton by Wikileaks is immaterial, because in the world of chaos every subjective reality tunnel , or interpretation of the world, is as real as any other.In this sense we can observe the new God Emperor of USA as a magical creation of Internet, by the Internet and for the Internet today still the Internet of interconnected computer nodes, but soon probably the Internet of Things.If one is to push Spencer s remark to it s logical extreme, we can assert that illustrious Donald is the world s first president of posthuman race; an embodiment of a ultra progressive dream invoked to reality by professed ultra anti-progressive group.So that was lesser weirdness. Let us proceed now to high weirdness.Hail Kek!We owe the reader an answer to a question: who the hell is Kek?Well, the reason why Spencer mentions him is again a magickal half-joke : Kek is interpreted to be an ancient Egyptian deity by a number of Internet observers and identified with alt right memetic avatar Pepe the Frog. While I habitually suspend judgment on all things Egyptian, because ancient Egyptian culture is a slippery ground even for experts, I consider this interpretation, upon closer inspection, to be quite valid in the virtual light of chaos logic.Namely, Pepe, the cartoon character, conceived in 2005. by cartoonist Matt Furie, emerged as a meme from the depths of Internet forums, more precisely: 4chan sub-forum/pol/, devoted to political discussions with no holds barred, which was, in view of some observers, a breeding ground for many alt right aficionados; a place of absolute freedom, therefore: absolute chaos.The expression Kek was also appropriated from the forums and stems from the in-joke among the players of World of Warcraft, replacing the standard Internet abbreviation LOL ( laughing out loud ). Someone eventually noticed that Kek is in fact the name of frog-headed Egyptian deity, signifying Chaos and darkness, and Pepe was then rebranded as Kek the deity an ironic one, no doubt, half joking one, as surprisingly many alt-righters like to put it, but deity nonetheless.It is important to point out that in view of the most esoteric Kekists , that is: (half grinning) faithful of Kek/Pepe, the association was originally entirely haphazard and accidental, yet it developed into an ever growing system of synchronicities causally unrelated meaningful relations among events. So it came to pass that Kek sounds very similar to cuck (originally: cuckservative), a term denoting old fashioned conservative who was still not red pilled (another meme taken from pop culture, shared by both alt right and conspiracy theorists) by alt right or, should we assume: Kek himself; furthermore, Hillary Clinton addressed Pepe as nothing less than public enemy, identifying presumably the whole alt right movement with cartoon character. Then it happened that after this act Hillary fainted in front of the cameras, and that was immediately interpreted as an action of Kek. A good run-down of Kek/Pepe/Trump identification.However, it all began with people noticing the numerical synchronicities in the random series of numbers in posts on /pol/ sub-forum: One last thing you need to understand about imageboard culture: dubs.Every post on 4chan and similar venues comes with an 8-digit numerical stamp. This number represents that post s entry position in the entire posting lineage of the imageboard.With the amount of traffic these sites get, the last couple digits of this number are essentially a random roll. When a poster gets repeated digits, its called dubs , trips , quads , and so on.Since a poster can t know their post number until after they ve submitted the post, its common for people to bet the contents of their message on the occurrence of repeating digits ( ) When that endeavor proves a successful, a GET has been made and the stroke of luck is celebrated.Out of this practice, a strange phenomenon began to take place on /pol/: discussion threads associated with Trump displayed noticeably frequent GETs. It wasn t long before all of these seemingly random elements discussed so far became irreparably tied together within imageboard culture: and a god was born. (source)Synchronicities related to emergence of Kek the God and his merging with Trump in the bowels of Internet forums early on in the presidential campaign, are so numerous and, frankly, mind boggling that we cannot list them here, for the sake of brevity. For our purpose it is sufficient to point out that for many alt right aficionados, including core leadership, Kek is the God and Trump is his prophet, all declared with smug grin and ironical stance, yet with all the necessary power of conviction.Namely, chaos magick relies on laughter, or irreverence of its own principles because it is essentially un-principled. Fairly in accordance with its postmodern nature it seeks to deconstruct any kind of order to enable its practitioner to impose his own will and change the world as Spencer would put it: make his dreams a reality.I would go further and add: make all reality a dream; because, chaos magick and alt right are nothing more but novel forms in the development of virtual, i.e. posthuman, world. The idea of adherence and reattachment to tradition that the alt right movement professes is nothing more but simulacrum appealing to people tired of liberal nihilism in its essence, however, it is a complete opposite: a disintegration of all substantial traditional principles above all an idea of preexistent hierarchy of Being into nothingness of primordial Chaos.Posthuman traditionalismI already developed this insight regarding the subversive work of Alexander Dugin, who is probably the most consequent subverter of Tradition with recognizable public persona acting in our age, but now we can see how his affiliates in the USA and Europe are doing the same thing with less philosophical subtlety, but fueled by much greater raw power. Namely, alt right, if we are to judge by what its leadership advocates, is ideologically nothing more but project of building the simulated tradition something Richard Spencer likes to call political theology founded on New Age filtered Aryan myths, racial interpretation of Nietzsche and generally crossbred with do your own thing mentality, all done in the virtual ether of information technology. After all, if we are to agree with Spencer half jokingly of course that God Emperor was inaugurated by the act of Kek the God, then the victory of alt right traditionalists is in fact the victory of technological magic; the act of pseudo magus waving the same wand Ray Kurzweill and his ilk offer to progressive lunatics.In the end, therefore, we are talking about another victory of posthumanism, branded, spontaneously or otherwise, as traditionalism. The obsession of alt right adherents with identity in general and white identity in particular points to a fact that they are unable to realize the simple truth of Tradition they supposedly defend: they understand identity as something that can be created and not something that must be accepted. Observing the plethora of various, rather eccentric individuals in its vanguard, from macho gay postmodern Spartans to adherents to all kinds of exotic and to a large extent made up pagan religions one is at the lack to find a common denominator, save maybe for quite unchallenged neo-Darwinist stance, especially to be found among game bloggers as Chateau Heartiste. If someone thinks that he can reattach himself to pre-modern spiritual history of humankind actually the only one there is while at the same time musing about alpha and beta males , sexual market , signaling and counter-signaling , professing therefore his proud monkey ancestry and reducing human relations to mental GMO of memes, genes and biological analogies he is doing nothing else than unconsciously subverting the very thing he seemingly defends.The allure of alt right lies in its dialectical opposition to political correctness and rampart destruction of moral substance of the West, induced by process of globalization. Yet this is an eristic or, to use an excellent neologism invented by one correspondent of mine: discordian dialectic; the process of infinite division into ever multiplying opposites founded on the principle of Chaos. It is all done with the crooked half grin, a pinch of salt to every smug remark with irony of the man who knows he s a liar and a cheat. But smug humor goes just a short way. In the end it morphs into sarcasm and irreverence of what should in fact be revered and subverts the very principles it professes to defend, far more effectively than dead serious PC brigade or techno loonies of posthumanist movement could ever hope for.We ll end with the word of warning to Christian adherents of alt right. The words have a definite meanings and power. There s only one Chaos and there s only one bringer of light from Chaos as some Kek worshipers already defined the poor Frog s main job. And it s not the One to be defined as God from God, Light from Light , but God from Gutter, Light from Darkness . A real Darkness shining in virtual brightness. Hope you guess His name.So, without a pinch of irony, I declare: be careful who your hail .***Author Branko Mali is a Croatian author and owner of Kali Tribune, with the background in classical philosophy. He s focused on philosophy, media, culture and deep politics analysis.READ MORE PHILOSOPHY NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Philosophy FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE NOW & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 1real |
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