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California Assembly passes gender-neutral restroom bill | SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A bill requiring all single-occupancy public restrooms to be open to anyone regardless of gender or gender identity passed the California Assembly on Monday, and will proceed to the state Senate. The most populous U.S. state already bars discrimination against transgender people, including in public restrooms. The measure by state Assemblyman Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco, goes farther, saying that single-use restrooms should not be reserved for one sex. “Restrooms are a necessity of life, making equal access to them a civil rights issue,” Ting said in a press statement. The measure passed on a 55-19 vote. A date has not been set for the Senate to consider the bill. Supporters have said that in addition to protecting transgender or gender fluid people, the bill would also cut down waiting time at single-occupancy public restrooms by allowing anyone to use facilities previously reserved for men or women. The bill came during a nationwide furor over a law passed by the state of North Carolina requiring people to use restrooms consistent with their biological sex. On Monday, a fight between the Obama administration and North Carolina over that law escalated as both sides sued each other, trading accusations of civil rights violations and government overreach. The U.S. Justice Department’s complaint asked a federal district court in North Carolina to declare that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and order it to stop enforcing the ban. North Carolina’s Republican governor, Pat McCrory, and the state’s secretary of public safety sued the U.S. agency in a different federal court in North Carolina, accusing it of “baseless and blatant overreach.” | 0fake |
Российский мирный атом покоряет Ближний Восток | Новое восточное обозрение | Регион: Ближний Восток Сооружение первой иранской АЭС рядом с г. Бушер начала немецкая компания «Kraftwerk Union» в 1974 г., во время правления последнего иранского шаха Мохаммеда Реза Пехлеви. Тогда Иран сотрудничал в атомной сфере с США и европейскими странами. После Исламской революции 1979 г. и создания Исламской Республики Иран строительство было остановлено, а Европа и США стали относиться к ядерной программе Ирана с подозрением. Начались различные санкции, в том числе – запрет на ввоз в ИРИ оборудования и материалов, связанных с атомной энергетикой. Позднее в своих ядерных исследованиях ИРИ пользовалась помощью Китая (при строительстве исследовательского реактора в г. Исфахан). Однако в те времена китайские ядерные технологии еще не достигли нынешних высот. В конце концов, единственной технически развитой страной, помогающей Ирану в его ядерной программе, стала Россия. Летом 1992 г. между Российской Федерацией и Исламской Республикой Иран был подписан договор о сотрудничестве в сфере мирного атома и строительстве АЭС. Было решено завершить работу, начатую в 1974 г. Российские специалисты проделали уникальную работу, в результате которой старые конструкции немецких строителей удалось приспособить для российской техники. Для иранской АЭС был выбран тип реактора ВВЭР-1000, который доказал свою надежность на многих АЭС в России и за рубежом. Работы начались в 1995 г. Реализация проекта не раз наталкивалась на противодействие США и их союзников. Они упорно утверждали, что Иран намерен использовать проект «Бушер» для получения собственного ядерного оружия. Многие европейские компании в связи с этим отказались сотрудничать с Ираном, несмотря на имевшиеся договоренности. Тем не менее работа продолжалась. В 2011 г. первый энергоблок АЭС «Бушер» был подключен к иранской энергосети, а в 2012 г. достиг полной мощности. Тогда иранское руководство заявляло, что пуск АЭС – доказательство мощи ИРИ и ее способности выдержать борьбу с Западом. Церемония официальной передачи станции иранской стороне состоялась в сентябре 2013 г. В тот период Иран еще находился под действием множества международных санкций, принятых против него в связи с его ядерной программой. Однако для российско-иранского сотрудничества в сфере АЭ это препятствием не стало. Дело в том, что между РФ и ИРИ существует соглашение, по которому Россия получает все отработанное топливо с иранской АЭС (при этом сама же его поставляет). Таким образом, станция не может быть источником материалов, которые можно было бы использовать в военных целях. Новая АЭС произвела на заказчика положительное впечатление. В ноябре 2014 г. в Москве состоялось подписание нескольких документов, дополнивших российско-иранский договор 1992 года. Россия и Иран расширили взаимодействие в атомной сфере. Было принято решение о строительстве трех дополнительных энергоблоков к АЭС «Бушер» и еще четырех – в другом месте. Тогда же российская группа компаний «ASE», ведущая строительство АЭС за рубежом, заключила с иранской стороной договор о строительстве двух энергоблоков. Торжественное открытие работ по проекту «Бушер-2» состоялось в сентябре 2016 г. Начало запуска второго блока АЭС ожидается осенью 2024 г., третьего блока – в 2026 г. Учитывая опыт трагедии на станции «Фукусима-1», было решено оснастить новые энергоблоки улучшенными реакторами ВВЭР с самой современной системой безопасности. Создание АЭС «Бушер» стало очень важным событием как для Ирана, так и для России. Для Ирана она стала не только надежным источником энергии, но и символом сопротивления давлению западных стран. Для России, по словам многих участников, проект «Бушер» также имеет особое значение. В трудные годы, последовавшие за распадом СССР, строительство российско-иранской АЭС стало доказательством того, что РФ сохранила свой научно-технический потенциал. Заказ иранского правительства принес российской атомной отрасли немалые денежные средства, так необходимые в то тяжелое время. Многие источники утверждают, что именно с АЭС «Бушер» начался современный этап сотрудничества России с другими странами в атомной сфере. Эта станция продемонстрировала возможности российских атомщиков всему миру и привлекла множество новых клиентов. По данным на конец 2015 г., деятельность «Росатома» охватывала 40 стран, а стоимость десятилетнего пакета заказов составила почти $111 млрд долл. Еще одним важным моментом является то, что «Бушер» пока что является первой и единственной АЭС на Ближнем Востоке. То, что мирный атом в этот регион первой принесла именно Россия, имеет немалое значение. Глядя на Иран, уже многие другие ближневосточные страны заинтересовались атомной энергетикой, и каждая из них рассматривает возможность сотрудничества с «Росатомом». Осенью 2013 г. «Росатом» выиграл тендер на строительство первой АЭС в Иордании, на который претендовало совместное японско-французское предприятие «Mitsubishi Heavy Industries» – AREVA. Сейчас уже ведется разработка технико-экономического обоснования проекта и обсуждаются вопросы финансирования. По имеющимся данным, «Росатом» станет одним из инвесторов. Подписание договора о строительстве ожидается в конце 2017 г., при этом продолжается подготовка к строительству АЭС «Аккую» в Турции. Ведутся переговоры с Египтом и Саудовской Аравией. Всего в регионе планируется построить 26 АЭС, оснащенных 90 атомными реакторами к 2030 г. Многие эксперты выражают по этому поводу беспокойство, ведь Ближний Восток – весьма неспокойный регион. Существуют опасения, что строительство АЭС может помочь различным экстремистским силам получить атомное оружие. Однако пример станции «Бушер» показывает, что при должном контроле со стороны международных организаций за работой станций и утилизацией отработанного топлива этот риск сводится к минимуму. Кроме того, само сооружение АЭС требует от заинтересованных государств усилий по сохранению стабильности и грамотной международной политики. Работа АЭС способствует экономическому, научному и социальному развитию. Все это может помочь снижению напряженности в ближневосточном регионе. Таким образом, российские атомные технологии могут повлиять в будущем на судьбу всего Ближнего Востока – одного из важнейших регионов в современной политике. Дмитрий Бокарев, политический обозреватель, специально для интернет-журнала «Новое Восточное Обозрение». Популярные статьи | 1real |
JOHN BOLTON GETS IT: ‘This is the First Attempted Coup D’etat in America’s History’…Who’s Behind It? [Video] | Ambassador Bolton gets it! He and so many others see what s going on and how the left is trying to destroy the Trump administration Ambassador Bolton: They are trying to prove the administration is illegitimate.Lou Dobbs: That s what you can see.Ambassador Bolton: They are the ones who are illegitimate The Wall Street Journal says this is the first coup d tat in American History. It s a mini coup d tat but it goes right along with the idea that they should have won the election.. And one recalls the famous scene in the debate where during the debates where, I believe it was Chris Wallace, who asked both candidates if you lose will you accept the result LOU DOBBS WHO S BEHIND IT? THIS IS HUGE! Lou Dobbs joined Sean Hannity to discuss the constant effort to destroy President Trump. Dobbs has mentioned a coup before (SEE BELOW) but is doubling down on his concern that the deep state and lefty media are in a full court press to get Trump out of office ASAP.Lou Dobbs had this to say about the effort to destroy Trump: The double standard is more than that by a long measure. This is an effort to subvert the administration of President Donald Trump. It is nothing less. It is an effort by the Deep State to roll over a duly elected president and a legitimate government and to break the will of the American people. This is no longer about Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, this is about a full-on assault by the left, the Democratic party to absolutely carry out a coup d etat against President Trump.LOU DOBBS AND CLINTON CASH AUTHOR DISCUSS THE DEEP STATE AND THE EFFORT TO TAKE DOWN TRUMP: Never in American history has there been a more highly organized group of people, the deep state , attempting to subvert the will of the American people, in this case, the Trump presidency. Peter Schweizer discusses the efforts of the deep state , their conspiracy campaign against Donald Trump and its potential impact on President Trump s administration.TAKE NOTES AND CALL OUT YOUR CONGRESSMEN IF THEY RE NOT SUPPORTING PRESIDENT TRUMP! | 1real |
EU court adviser says arbitration clause in investment treaty is legal | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - An arbitration clause in an investment treaty between the Netherlands and Slovakia does not violate EU law, an adviser to the EU s top court said on Tuesday, in a legal case on an issue that has sparked fierce public debate. The Advocate General gave his opinion on an arbitration clause contained in an investment treaty stemming from 1991 between the Netherlands and Czechoslovakia, before the latter split into two countries and became a member of the European Union. In 2008 a Dutch insurer launched arbitration proceedings against Slovakia and was awarded 22.1 million euros ($26.51 million) in damages. Slovakia sought to annul the decision, arguing arbitration treaties violated EU law. The arbitration clause in the investment protection agreement concluded between the Netherlands and Slovakia is compatible with EU law, the Advocate General said. Arbitration clauses have been sharply debated in the wake of the EU s efforts to conclude trade deals with other nations and regions, seen by critics as undermining national judiciary processes. The European Court of Justice usually follows the advice given by the Advocate General. | 0fake |
GOP Senator Drops BOMBSHELL – House Intel Chair Spread Fake News About Surveillance To Help Trump | Former Obama national security adviser, Susan Rice, voluntarily testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed-door session as part of their ongoing investigation into how Russia interfered in the 2016 election. During these investigations, some news has come to light that Republicans have tried to use to discredit Obama, some of his officials, and thus, the entire Russia scandal. It seems, though, that some Republicans spread some fake news about all of this, probably to help Donald Trump.The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, has maintained that Rice improperly unmasked the names of members of Trump s transition team caught up in incidental surveillance of Russian nationals. However, Senator Richard Burr, a Republican and the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has something to say about that, and it s pretty damning for Nunes: The unmasking thing was all created by Devin Nunes, and I ll wait to go through our full evaluation to see if there was anything improper that happened. [emphasis mine]So Devin Nunes lied? It certainly looks like that s what Burr is saying. While Burr acknowledged that American citizens on Trump s transition team were unmasked, and that information did become public when it shouldn t have, he seems to believe that Nunes was making things up when he accused Susan Rice of improper unmasking.That goes with earlier reports that Nunes got his information from the White House, which has had a bone to pick with the entire Obama administration since Jan. 20. Nunes was vague in discussing the unmasking, apparently because the information was classified (but maybe also because he knew he was lying).Most other lawmakers who have seen these records, and have seen the unmasking, said there was no evidence of wrongdoing on Rice s part, or anyone else s. But Nunes made it his mission to discredit Rice (and thus, Obama) to the point where he could at least accuse the Obama administration of breaking the law.The problem with Nunes involvement with this investigation is that he was always more interested in clearing Trump than he was in actually investigating the fact that a hostile foreign power successfully meddled in our election in 2016. He s also apparently said that he s been getting updates on the investigation despite recusing himself from it, and that he can do whatever I want. I m the chairman of the committee. Nunes needs to lose his job.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images | 1real |
Gunfight erupts in southern Yemen, one civilian killed - witnesses | DUBAI (Reuters) - A gunfight erupted briefly in Aden on Saturday when a contingent loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi refused to hand over its positions to a local force, security sources said, and witnesses said one civilian was killed in the incident. The clash underscores the complex situation in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting a 2-1/2 year war against Iran-aligned Houthis who control most of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. Witnesses said the shooting occurred in al-Arish on the Aden Abyan road, when a group of Hadi s Presidential Protection Forces refused to obey an order to hand over a checkpoint to the Security Belt, a force set up by the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition. A security source described the incident as a mutiny although it was soon brought to an end. The mutiny has ended and the situation is under control, the source told Reuters. The local Aden al-Ghad newspaper quoted the commander of the force, Brigadier-General Tareq Ali Hadi, as saying the incident arose from fear that forces under his command would be discharged without any compensation. Witnesses traveling on the road said a military helicopter from the coalition engaged the forces at a checkpoint during the clash. They said one civilian was killed when he was caught in the crossfire, while three members of his family were injured by shrapnel from a rocket fired by an Apache helicopter that struck a nearby house. Yemen has been torn by war since 2015, when Houthi forces backed by government troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh advanced on Aden, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. | 0fake |
Jennifer Holliday Decides Not to Sing for Trump After Opposition - The New York Times | Jennifer Holliday, the winning singer who on Friday said she planned to sing at an welcome concert next week, on Saturday changed her mind, citing opposition to her appearance from the gay and lesbian community. Ms. Holliday, in a letter she provided to The Wrap, an entertainment news website, said she would no longer take part in any events affiliated with the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as president. Her decision to withdraw, she said, was influenced by an article in The Daily Beast about how her planned appearance was heartbreaking to her gay fans. She also retweeted an piece in the Boston Globe describing Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominees as “a who’s who of homophobia. ” “I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgment, for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans,” she wrote. “Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain,” she added. “The LGBT Community was mostly responsible for birthing my career and I am deeply indebted to you. … You have loved me faithfully and unconditionally and for so many years you provided me with work even though my star had long since faded. ” Her spokesman, William Carpenter, confirmed the withdrawal. “After she saw how hurt so many people were at the idea of her performing, she decided to pull out and not cause any extra anger or hurt,” he said in an email. Ms. Holliday won a Tony Award in 1982 for her performance as Effie White in the original production of “Dreamgirls,” and she returned to Broadway this season as a replacement Shug Avery in a revival of “The Color Purple. ” In an interview on Friday, she said that although she had voted for Hillary Clinton for president, she agreed to sing at a welcome concert on the National Mall the day before Mr. Trump’s inauguration because she viewed it as a performance for the people, not the politician. She noted that she had performed at the invitation of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and viewed this invitation in that context. Nevertheless, her decision was greeted with a firestorm of opposition on social media from fans who argued that Mr. Trump is different from his Republican predecessors and that because of the nature of his rhetoric and his positions, she should not perform. On Saturday, she said she had found those arguments persuasive. “I was honestly just thinking that I wanted my voice to be a healing and unifying force for hope through music to help our deeply polarized country,” she wrote. “Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence. ” Ms. Holliday elaborated on her decision in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, expressing concern about remarks Mr. Trump made on Saturday on Twitter. He referred to Representative John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement, as “all talk, talk, talk — no action or results. ” Ms. Holliday said she had “a personal bond” with Mr. Lewis and had sung not only at his 75th birthday celebration but also at his wife’s funeral. She questioned whether Mr. Trump was serious when he said Mr. Lewis was “‘all talk and no action?’ He’s already taken the action, the ultimate action, his blood on the bridge. ” “It’s like, ‘Really? ’” Ms. Holliday said. “I thought that was just very disrespectful and an insult to every person. ” Mr. Trump has had considerable difficulty attracting celebrities to perform at his inauguration — many have instead expressed opposition to his administration, and some plan to appear at protest events. | 0fake |
White House defends portrayal of 'armada' push toward Korean peninsula | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday denied being misleading about a U.S. carrier strike group’s push toward the Korean peninsula, saying it never gave an arrival date and that the ships were still on their way. When Trump boasted early last week that he had sent an “armada” as a warning to North Korea, the USS Carl Vinson strike group was still far from the Korean peninsula, and headed in the opposite direction. The U.S. military’s Pacific Command explained on Tuesday that the strike group first had to complete a shorter-than-initially planned period of training with Australia but was now heading toward the Western Pacific. “The president said that we have an armada going towards the peninsula. That’s a fact. It happened. It is happening, rather,” said White House spokesman Sean Spicer. He referred further queries about the deployment timetable to the Pentagon. The U.S. military initially said in a statement dated April 10 that Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of Pacific Command, directed the Vinson strike group “to sail north and report on station in the Western Pacific.” But the strike group first headed elsewhere, On April 15, the U.S. Navy even published a photo showing the Vinson transiting the Sunda Strait on its way to drills with Australia. here Reuters and other news outlets reported on April 11 that the movement would take more than a week. But the Navy, for security reasons, says it does not report future operational locations of its ships. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis looked to address confusion over the issue on Wednesday, telling reporters traveling with him in the Middle East that the alteration in the Vinson’s schedule had been disclosed in the interest of transparency. “We are doing exactly what we said we were going to do. She will be on her way,” he said. The strike group’s commander, Rear Admiral Jim Kilby, said in a Facebook post this week that the deployment had even been extended 30 days “to provide a persistent presence in the waters off the Korean Peninsula.” A Trump administration official told Reuters on Tuesday that Washington was concerned about the possibility of some kind of North Korean provocation around the time of the South Korean election on May 9. “There is precedent going back to the 1990s and early 2000s where there are provocations timed to South Korean political events,” he said. (This version of the story has been refiled to correct spelling of Kilby in paragraph 11) | 0fake |
China: Trump Victory Shows ’Fragility of Western Democracy’ - Breitbart | Chinese state publications are using leftist protests over the weekend to argue that President Donald Trump has a fragile mandate to govern, and that this proves that free societies are weaker ones than communist dictatorships like that of China. [This according to an opinion article in the Global Times, often China’s most belligerent newspaper. “From the protests against Trump, Chinese people found the schism in the US is becoming increasingly serious and are questioning the reliability and universality of the Western democratic system,” the column argues, citing Chinese social media users as its source. The column also quotes Chinese professor Chu Yin, who says, “many Americans don’t accept ‘procedural justice’ any more just because and liberals have decided that Trump’s victory is the death of democracy. ” “Some Chinese analysts believe the widespread protests show the fragility of Western democracy,” the column claims. The Global Times published another commentary claiming the United States is currently embroiled in total chaos. ” The U. S. is not a united country now, and the authority of its current leadership is not guaranteed,” the article claims, adding that Trump “has a lot of ‘enemies’ within, and he is also making ‘enemies’ across the world. ” Bloomberg notes that the newspaper People’s Daily is also promoting the idea that free societies are on the brink of collapse due to President Trump’s inauguration. “Western style democracy used to be a recognized power in history to drive social development. But now it has reached its limits,” a People’s Daily article reads. “Democracy is already kidnapped by the capitals and has become the weapon for capitalists to chase profits. ” The newspaper reportedly “devoted an entire page on Sunday to critiquing Western democracies … saying the ultimate defeat of capitalism would enable Communism to emerge victorious. ” While the propaganda newspapers have begun to use Trump to galvanize support for the Communist Party, Beijing itself has continued to approach Trump with polite concern. Rather than making any generalizations about the meaning of Trump’s victory on a largely platform, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly demanded that Trump respect Communist Party demands, such as their illegal claim to most of the South China Sea and the continued lack of recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty. “We urge the new administration to fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and to continue pursuing the one China policy,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday, following up on comments before the inauguration that sounded little like the combative pieces in official state media. On Friday, asked about Trump’s upcoming inauguration, Hua said: We would like to join hands with the new US administration to uphold the principles of mutual respect and cooperation, deepen communication and dialogue, build up mutual trust, respect and accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, properly deal with sensitive issues and disputes in constructive ways, expand bilateral cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues across the board, and propel further development of ties at a new staring point. Trump has repeatedly stated that he does not think that the “One China” policy, which demands other nations ignore Taiwan’s sovereignty, should remain in effect unquestioned. He has also engaged in communications with Taiwanese President Tsai breaking precedent and infuriating China. While the Foreign Ministry has kept its tone civil, however, Chinese state media has not. In contrast to Hua, the China Daily published a story warning that Beijing will “take the gloves off” with Trump should he continue to entertain the idea of ending “One China. ” | 0fake |
Wisconsin, Ohio, California among states targeted by Russian hackers in 2016 race | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wisconsin, Ohio, California and 10 other states said on Friday they were among 21 states that Russian government hackers targeted in an effort to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump though no votes were changed. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it had notified the states of the activity but declined to identify them. Russia has denied election meddling, and President Trump has denied any collusion with Russia. Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Washington state also confirmed they were targeted by Russian hackers but said they were not successful. Arizona and Illinois confirmed last year that they were targets. The Associated Press confirmed Iowa, Maryland, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Oregon, Oklahoma and Virginia were also targets, bringing the total states identified to 21. Those states did not immediately return messages seeking comment late Friday. “There remains no evidence that the Russians altered one vote or changed one registration,” said Judd Choate, president of the U.S. National Association of State Election Directors. Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas said Homeland Security told the states that “Russian government cyber actors” targeted state voter registration systems. Homeland Security officials have said that in most of the 21 states only preliminary activity was observed from hackers and a small number of networks were compromised. Some states had complained in June they had no idea if Russians had attempted to infiltrate their systems. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Friday that hackers had scanned state election systems but not breached the system. “It is completely unacceptable that it has taken DHS over a year to inform our office of Russian scanning of our systems, despite our repeated requests for information,” he said. Homeland Security spokesman Scott McConnell said in a statement the government believes “officials should be kept informed about cybersecurity risks to election infrastructure” but also wants to protect “the integrity of investigations and the confidentiality of system owners.” U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the Kremlin orchestrated an operation that included hacking and online propaganda intended to help Trump win, Reuters reported in August. Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who co-chairs the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, said Friday in a statement it is “unacceptable that it took almost a year after the election to notify states that their elections systems were targeted.” He said officials must inform states of attempts to enter election systems “just as any homeowner would expect the alarm company to inform them of all break-in attempts, even if the burglar doesn’t actually get inside the house.” Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said DHS told it that its systems were scanned in the weeks before the 2016 election. “A scan is similar to burglars jiggling the doors of a house and moving on when they realize the doors are locked,” the state said. Washington state’s top election official, Kim Wyman, said the state learned in 2016 of attempted intrusions from Russian internet addresses and immediately alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The list of targets includes battleground states like Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa, but other key states like Michigan said Friday they were told they were not targeted. It also included states that were not seriously contested like California and Texas. Wisconsin was one of a handful of battleground Midwestern states that helped Trump win the presidency over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump carried the state by 22,748 votes, or about 0.8 of a percentage point. Many of the other states were not seriously in contention in the 2016 race. Several congressional committees are investigating and special counsel Robert Mueller is leading a separate probe into the Russia matter, including whether Moscow colluded with the Trump campaign. | 0fake |
Americans Tar And Feather King Donald For Demanding Gold Carriage For Trip To England | America does not have a king. America is not a monarchy. But Donald Trump apparently thinks otherwise and the American people are NOT happy about it.When President Obama visited England for the first time, he declined the gold-plated carriage the Royal family offered for his use during the state visit, opting instead to ride in a motorcade. The motorcade was not only easier to provide security for, it was less expensive and demonstrated that Obama was truly a man of the people.Donald Trump, however, is demanding that the horse-drawn gold-plated carriage be rolled out for him and that a parade be organized down the Mall to Buckingham Palace in October.Of course, we all know that Trump is NOT a man of the people no matter how much he makes that claim. After all, we re talking about a man who continues to live in a gold-plated penthouse in Trump Tower.Trump literally thinks he s a f*cking king and he is demanding to be treated like one even though the Constitution makes it clear that such titles of nobility are not recognized in this country.The cost of security is going to be massive and it s the American taxpayers who are going to be picking up the tab.As news of Trump s ridiculous demand spread, Americans took to Twitter to virtually tar and feather him in the public square of social media.While enjoying the spoils of stealing an election, The Trump Royal Crime Family requests a gold-plated carriage ride with the Royal Family. https://t.co/uRSrPoULCD UNITE & FIGHT (@stopthenutjob) April 15, 2017@kurteichenwald They should give Trump his ride on gold carriage off a cliff. Seriously, they must have a spare gold carriage. Barry Rosen (@BAR0ke) April 15, 2017This is a man of the people? Trump demanding ride in queen s gold carriage during Buckingham Palace visit: report https://t.co/mxFnx9ycPL Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) April 15, 2017[Cut to #Trump looking over at Ivanka,] There isn t enough gold on that carriage to represent my status! Ivanka: Let s call @Nigel_Farage! https://t.co/QYirm1uugh TrumanDem (@TrumanDem) April 15, 2017#trump ego is expensive & a burden. @realDonaldTrump demands $ be wasted on ridiculous gold carriage but cuts meals for hungry kids at home pic.twitter.com/ZuKXSYG6SL Doodledevotee (@doodledevotee) April 15, 2017Man of the people demands gold carriage! https://t.co/cTbympSmN9 mrs panstreppon (@mrspanstreppon) April 15, 2017I keep thinking the bar for vulgarity has been buried. He keeps proving otherwise. https://t.co/Hb7yvjK0A1 Nancy Nall Derringer (@nnall) April 15, 2017The Living Like a Coal Miner Saga Continues: Emperor @realDonaldTrump demands a gilded carriage ride in England https://t.co/QrMrsxz4eX Col. Morris Davis (@ColMorrisDavis) April 15, 2017Perhaps we could do a Cinderella in reverse. Gold plated carriage turns in to a pumpkin. Trump turns in to one of the rats. https://t.co/4I6J0a29Hz Glynis Elliott (@Chiclanagirl) April 15, 2017https://t.co/D8gIwGQjPf This must be stopped. It could be very dangerous for the horses and the carriage could be damaged from an attack. Frederick Parsonage (@FParsonage) April 15, 2017#Trump s idea of #MealsOnWheels. Melania feeding their (then) baby a bottle in his 24 KT Gold Baby Carriage. They should be ashamed.#Wheels pic.twitter.com/ygpDMgY36n Annemarie Weers (@AnnemarieWeers) March 16, 2017Trump wants a gold-plated carriage for when he visits the Queen? Golden carriages, golden showers he expects A LOT when he visits Europe! Cyrus McQueen (@CyrusMMcQueen) April 15, 2017He s a child, right? Needs a fancy carriage ride to prove some weird, I m important view. https://t.co/9BhfAKSTJO Fat Tony (@anthonysorro) April 15, 2017Would it be beneath her majesty if she told him to fuck off? https://t.co/FKh5sf0CMY Erik Huey (@ErikHuey) April 15, 2017At this point, the world and the American public should all tell Trump to f*ck off. He s an embarrassment who has turned our nation into a laughingstock around the world. Trump is not acting like a president, he s a petulant child pretending that he is a monarch. That s as un-American as it gets.Featured Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images | 1real |
BREAKING: VIOLENT HILLARY THUGS Beat Man Holding “Bill Clinton Is A Rapist” Sign At Hillary Rally [Video] | Protester with Rape sign is tackled at #Clinton rally in #Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/sJvGvFnpgt John Treanor (@NewsTreanor) October 13, 2016 | 1real |
JAPANESE SCHOOLS DON’T EMPLOY JANITORS…Why Americans Should Demand Our Schools Adopt The Same Policy [VIDEO] | Watch NPR employee and Afghanistan refugee (who was eventually arrested) join others as they block our newly appointed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos from entering a school in DC on her first day on the job:Back in 2011, Newt Gingrich was running for president, and he proposed a radical idea to help schools cut costs: Fire the janitors and pay students to do the cleaning.Needless to say, the idea to turn students into moonlighting janitors had about as much support as Gingrich s presidential campaign.But ask Kim De Costa and she ll say there isn t anything radical about asking students to clean up after themselves. At her school, there are no janitors. Instead, students in grades 6-12 meet in teams once or twice a week to clean assigned areas.De Costa is the executive director of the Armadillo Technical Institute. It s a public charter school in Phoenix, Ore., a few miles from the California border.For 30 minutes after lunch, students sweep, mop, take out the trash and even clean the bathrooms but responsibilities rotate so no one is stuck scrubbing toilets more than two or three times a year.De Costa says it s easy to encourage students to respect their environment when they re the ones responsible for preserving it. We really wanted a school where the students took ownership and made it their own, says De Costa, who helped found ATI in 1999.The school still has maintenance staff for the difficult or dangerous work. But for the most part, students at ATI handle the daily upkeep. And with a little help from peer pressure, the school stays clean.Eden Cox, a 10th-grader, says that recently she had to confront a classmate after he left a mess behind. I got on to him and said, Can you please throw your trash away so I don t have to, Cox recalls. After all, it s our school, she says, with an emphasis on our. Places like ATI that build cleanup into the curriculum are rare in the United States.But in Japan, there s a long tradition of students cleaning their own schools.There, school is not just for learning from a book, says Michael Auslin a former English teacher in Japan. It s about learning how to become a member of society and taking responsibility for oneself, says Auslin, who is now a resident scholar and director of Japan studies at the American Enterprise Institute.To make cleaning easier, Japanese students put on slippers before entering the classroom to prevent dirt from being dragged into the room.Many Hands Make Light WorkAt Brentwood Academy outside Nashville, Tenn., keeping the school spick-and-span is just part of the daily routine for students.Each day before P.E., students at the private prep school report for 10 minutes of clean-up duty in their assigned areas.Susan Shafer, the school s director of communications, considers clean-up an additional component of the school s mission of educating the whole person. We re trying to train them for life, says Shafer. They re all going to go to college. No one is going to clean their dorm room for them. Maddie Jarrard, an 11th-grader, is responsible for dusting a classroom every day. She says even after sports games, Brentwood players are expected to stay behind to pick up any trash left in the stands. They re not only trying to keep the place clean, says Jarrard, referring to Brentwood s staff. But they re also trying to build character in each student. While some parents might balk at the idea of a school taking time away from class to make students push a broom, educators at both ATI and Brentwood both say that parents have shown overwhelming support. NPR | 1real |
Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief - The New York Times | KIEV, Ukraine — On a leafy side street off Independence Square in Kiev is an office used for years by Donald J. Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, when he consulted for Ukraine’s ruling political party. His furniture and personal items were still there as recently as May. And Mr. Manafort’s presence remains elsewhere here in the capital, where government investigators examining secret records have found his name, as well as companies he sought business with, as they try to untangle a corrupt network they say was used to loot Ukrainian assets and influence elections during the administration of Mr. Manafort’s main client, former President Viktor F. Yanukovych. Handwritten ledgers show $12. 7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from Mr. Yanukovych’s political party from 2007 to 2012, according to Ukraine’s newly formed National Bureau. Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal system whose recipients also included election officials. In addition, criminal prosecutors are investigating a group of offshore shell companies that helped members of Mr. Yanukovych’s inner circle finance their lavish lifestyles, including a palatial presidential residence with a private zoo, golf course and tennis court. Among the hundreds of murky transactions these companies engaged in was an $18 million deal to sell Ukrainian cable television assets to a partnership put together by Mr. Manafort and a Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Manafort’s involvement with moneyed interests in Russia and Ukraine had previously come to light. But as American relationships there become a rising issue in the presidential campaign — from Mr. Trump’s favorable statements about Mr. Putin and his annexation of Crimea to the suspected Russian hacking of Democrats’ emails — an examination of Mr. Manafort’s activities offers new details of how he mixed politics and business out of public view and benefited from powerful interests now under scrutiny by the new government in Kiev. officials there say the payments earmarked for Mr. Manafort, previously unreported, are a focus of their investigation, though they have yet to determine if he actually received the cash. While Mr. Manafort is not a target in the separate inquiry of offshore activities, prosecutors say he must have realized the implications of his financial dealings. “He understood what was happening in Ukraine,” said Vitaliy Kasko, a former senior official with the general prosecutor’s office in Kiev. “It would have to be clear to any reasonable person that the Yanukovych clan, when it came to power, was engaged in corruption. ” Mr. Kasko added, “It’s impossible to imagine a person would look at this and think, ‘Everything is all right. ’” Mr. Manafort did not respond to interview requests or written questions from The New York Times. But his lawyer, Richard A. Hibey, said Mr. Manafort had not received “any such cash payments” described by the officials. Mr. Hibey also disputed Mr. Kasko’s suggestion that Mr. Manafort might have countenanced corruption or been involved with people who took part in illegal activities. “These are suspicions, and probably heavily politically tinged ones,” said Mr. Hibey, a member of the Washington law firm Miller Chevalier. “It is difficult to respect any kind of allegation of the sort being made here to smear someone when there is no proof and we deny there ever could be such proof. ” The developments in Ukraine underscore the risky nature of the international consulting that has been a staple of Mr. Manafort’s business since the 1980s, when he went to work for the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Before joining Mr. Trump’s campaign this spring, Mr. Manafort’s most prominent recent client was Mr. Yanukovych, who — like Mr. Marcos — was deposed in a popular uprising. Before he fled to Russia two years ago, Mr. Yanukovych and his Party of Regions relied heavily on the advice of Mr. Manafort and his firm, who helped them win several elections. During that period, Mr. Manafort never registered as a foreign agent with the United States Justice Department — as required of those seeking to influence American policy on behalf of foreign clients — although one of his subcontractors did. It is unclear if Mr. Manafort’s activities necessitated registering. If they were limited to advising the Party of Regions in Ukraine, he probably would not have had to. But he also worked to burnish his client’s image in the West and helped Mr. Yanukovych’s administration draft a report defending its prosecution of his chief rival, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, in 2012. Whatever the case, absent a registration — which requires disclosure of how much the registrant is being paid and by whom — Mr. Manafort’s compensation has remained a mystery. However, a cache of documents discovered after the fall of Mr. Yanukovych’s government may provide some answers. The papers, known in Ukraine as the “black ledger,” are a of Cyrillic covering about 400 pages taken from books once kept in a room in the former Party of Regions headquarters on Lipskaya Street in Kiev. The room held two safes stuffed with $100 bills, said Taras V. Chornovil, a former party leader who was also a recipient of the money at times. He said in an interview that he had once received $10, 000 in a “wad of cash” for a trip to Europe. “This was our cash,” he said, adding that he had left the party in part over concerns about activity. “They had it on the table, stacks of money, and they had lists of who to pay. ” The National Bureau, which obtained the ledger, said in a statement that Mr. Manafort’s name appeared 22 times in the documents over five years, with payments totaling $12. 7 million. The purpose of the payments is not clear. Nor is the outcome, since the handwritten entries cannot be against banking records, and the signatures for receipt have not yet been verified. “Paul Manafort is among those names on the list of ‘black accounts of the Party of Regions,’ which the detectives of the National Bureau of Ukraine are investigating,” the statement said. “We emphasize that the presence of P. Manafort’s name in the list does not mean that he actually got the money, because the signatures that appear in the column of recipients could belong to other people. ” The accounting records surfaced this year, when Serhiy A. Leshchenko, a member of Parliament who said he had received a partial copy from a source he did not identify, published line items covering six months of outlays in 2012 totaling $66 million. In an interview, Mr. Leshchenko said another source had provided the entire multiyear ledger to Viktor M. Trepak, a former deputy director of the domestic intelligence agency of Ukraine, the S. B. U. who passed it to the National Bureau. The bureau, whose government funding is mandated under American and European Union aid programs and which has an agreement with the F. B. I. has investigatory powers but cannot indict suspects. Only if it passes its findings to prosecutors — which has not happened with Mr. Manafort — does a subject of its inquiry become part of a criminal case. Individual disbursements reflected in the ledgers ranged from a few hundred dollars to millions of dollars. Of the records released from 2012, one shows a payment of $67, 000 for a watch and another of $8. 4 million to the owner of an advertising agency for campaign work for the party before elections that year. “It’s a very vivid example of how political parties are financed in Ukraine,” said Daria N. Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Action Center in Kiev. “It represents the very dirty cash economy in Ukraine. ” While working in Ukraine, Mr. Manafort had also positioned himself to profit from business deals that benefited from connections he had gained through his political consulting. One of them, according to court filings, involved a network of offshore companies that government investigators and independent journalists in Ukraine have said was used to launder public money and assets purportedly stolen by cronies of the government. The network comprised shell companies whose ultimate owners were shielded by the secrecy laws of the offshore jurisdictions where they were registered, including the British Virgin Islands, Belize and the Seychelles. In a recent interview, Serhiy V. Gorbatyuk, Ukraine’s special prosecutor for corruption cases, pointed to an open file on his desk containing paperwork for one of the shell companies, Milltown Corporate Services Ltd. which played a central role in the state’s purchase of two oil derricks for $785 million, or about double what they were said to be worth. “This,” he said, “was an offshore used often by Mr. Yanukovych’s entourage. ” The role of the offshore companies in business dealings involving Mr. Manafort came to light because of court filings in the Cayman Islands and in a federal court in Virginia related to an investment fund, Pericles Emerging Markets. Mr. Manafort and several partners started the fund in 2007, and its major backer was Mr. Deripaska, the Russian mogul, to whom the State Department has refused to issue a visa, apparently because of allegations linking him to Russian organized crime, a charge he has denied. Mr. Deripaska agreed to commit as much as $100 million to Pericles so it could buy assets in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, including a regional cable television and communications company called Black Sea Cable. But corporate records and court filings show that it was hardly a straightforward transaction. The Black Sea Cable assets were controlled by a rotating cast of offshore companies that led back to the Yanukovych network, including, at various times, Milltown Corporate Services and two other companies well known to law enforcement officials, Monohold A. G. and Intrahold A. G. Those two companies won inflated contracts with a agricultural company, and also acquired a business center in Kiev with a helicopter pad on the roof that would ease Mr. Yanukovych’s commute from his country estate to the presidential offices. Mr. Deripaska would later say he invested $18. 9 million in Pericles in 2008 to complete the acquisition of Black Sea Cable. But the planned purchase — including the question of who ended up with the Black Sea assets — has since become the subject of a dispute between Mr. Deripaska and Mr. Manafort. In 2014, Mr. Deripaska filed a legal action in a Cayman Islands court seeking to recover his investment in Pericles, which is now defunct. He also said he had paid about $7. 3 million in management fees to the fund over two years. Mr. Deripaska did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Manafort’s lawyer, Mr. Hibey, disputed the account of the Black Sea Cable deal contained in Mr. Deripaska’s Cayman filings, and said the Russian oligarch had overseen details of the final transaction involving the acquisition. He denied that Mr. Manafort had received management fees from Pericles during its operation, but said that one of Mr. Manafort’s partners, Rick Gates, who is also working on the Trump campaign, had received a “nominal” sum. Court papers indicate that Pericles’ only deal involved Black Sea Cable. Mr. Manafort continued working in Ukraine after the demise of Mr. Yanukovych’s government, helping allies of the ousted president and others form a political bloc that opposed the new administration. Some of his aides were in Ukraine as recently as this year, and Ukrainian company records give no indication that Mr. Manafort has formally dissolved the local branch of his company, Davis Manafort International, directed by a longtime assistant, Konstantin V. Kilimnik. At Mr. Manafort’s old office on Sofiivska Street, new tenants said they had discovered several curiosities apparently left behind, including a knee signed by Mr. Yanukovych, possibly referring to tennis matches played between Mr. Manafort and Mr. Yanukovych, who had spoken publicly of a knee ailment affecting his game. There was another item with Mr. Yanukovych’s autograph: a piece of white paper bearing a rough sketch of Independence Square, the site of the 2014 uprising that drove him from power. | 0fake |
‘He didn’t know the boy didn’t want to be raped’ – court throws out Muslim migrant child sex charge and Germans are in shock | By INDRA WARNES
In a truly shocking twist the Suptreme Court decided the grown Iraqi man may not have realised the 10-year-old did not want to be sexually abused by him.
Amir A, 20, was visiting the Theresienbad pool in the Austrian capital of Vienna last December as part of a trip to encourage integration.
When the youngster went to the showers, Amir A. allegedly followed him, pushed him into a toilet cubicle, and violently sexually assaulted him.
Following the attack, the accused rapist returned to the pool and was practising on the diving board when police arrived, after the 10-year-old raised the alarm with the lifeguard.
The child suffered severe anal injuries which had to be treated at a local children’s hospital, and is still plagued by serious post-traumatic stress disorder.
In a police interview, Amir A. confessed to the crime; telling officers the incident had been “a sexual emergency”, as his wife had remained in Iraq and he “had not had sex in four months”.
A court found Amir guilty of serious sexual assault and rape of a minor, and sentenced him to six years in jail.
However, in | 1real |
‘Not Funny!’: Sean Spicer Whines About SNL After Baldwin Returns As Trump (VIDEO) | The thin-skinned president-elect took his angry little fingers to his Twitter account to moan about Saturday Night Live s skit this weekend. Alec Baldwin knows how to get under Donald Trump s skin and it s glorious to watch.Incoming press secretary Sean Spicer was upset as he spoke with Tamron Hall and Willie Geist of the NBC TODAY Show Monday about the comedy skit.Alec Baldwin returned to play the part of Donald Trump this weekend to hit on the 35-page dossier alleging that Trump paid prostitutes to take part in Golden Showers at a hotel in Moscow. I d like to ask you about your big Russian pee-pee party, the reporter said. No, no, Baldwin s Trump told the reporters. I m not talking about the pee-pee. It didn t happen. It wasn t as cool as it sounds. Next question. But that was too much for Spicer to handle. He called the comedy show disappointing and not funny. It was not funny; it was mean-spirited, Spicer said. And it s gone from being a show you could sit back and get a good laugh out of to being something that s frankly mean and bad television, he continued.It was funny, though.Watch:The Twitter-addicted president-elect took to Twitter to cry about the show. @NBCNews is bad but Saturday Night Live is the worst of NBC. Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!, he tweeted.It s a comedy skit and the more Team Trump rants against it, the more the show s ratings will peak. Somewhere, Alec Baldwin is smiling because again, he got under Donald J. Trump s skin simply by impersonating him on a late night comedy show.In Barack Obama s final interview with 60 Minutes as president, he said thick skin is an important quality to have when serving as the commander-in-chief. Thick skin helps in getting the job done, the president said.Grow up, Donald. Life is hard. We can t wait to see the SNL skit after Trump s impeachment hearings.Featured image via screen capture. | 1real |
AWESOME! STREET ARTIST SABO TARGETS Hollywood Liberals With TRUMP ’24’ Spoof Posters | Protesters gathered Friday in Los Angeles for something called United Against Hate Inauguration March, where street artist Sabo posted several fake advertisements for 24: Legacy. Sabo is our favorite conservative street artist famous for lampooning liberal Hollywood. He s celebrated the inauguration of Trump at an anti-Trump rally Friday in Los Angeles by posting faux posters of Fox s revival of the hit TV show 24:Read more: Hollywood Reporter | 1real |
Comment on Armed Militias Prepping for Violence if Clinton Wins in “Stolen Election” by Joel W | Home / Be The Change / Armed Militias Prepping for Violence if Clinton Wins in “Stolen Election” Armed Militias Prepping for Violence if Clinton Wins in “Stolen Election” Matt Agorist November 3, 2016 2 Comments
As the insane circus act that is the 2016 election cycle comes to a head, Americans are playing right into the establishment’s plan of divide so that they can be conquered. 2016 is proving to be the year that America has lost its collective mind.
On November 8th, Americans will go to the polls and decide to cast their vote for a megalomaniacal flip-flopping establishment cozying crony or a murderous war criminal controlled by Soros and Rothschild.
Having failed to effectively support a third party candidate, America, once again, will be forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.
While peaceful militias are certainly healthy for protecting the citizens from the violence of a rogue state, a report out of Reuters shows that militias are now preparing to act if their statist doesn’t win.
As Reuters reports , “camouflaged members of the Three Percent Security Force have mobilized for rifle practice, hand-to-hand combat training – and an impromptu campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.”
A well-regulated militia is supposed to protect people from the state — not fight for a political candidate.
“This is the last chance to save America from ruin,” Chris Hill, a paralegal who goes by the code name “Bloodagent,” told Reuters. “I’m surprised I was able to survive or suffer through eight years of Obama without literally going insane, but Hillary is going to be more of the same.”
While the latter part of that statement is correct, Hill is missing the target widely if he thinks Trump will change anything. As Ron Paul said when Alex Jones attempted to trick him into supporting Trump, “Donald Trump would be the champion of the executive order.”
“How many people are voting for Trump? Ooh-rah!” asks Hill.
“Ooh-rah!” shouts back a dozen militia members.
As the most divisive presidential election in recent memory nears its conclusion, some armed militia groups are preparing for the possibility of a stolen election on Nov. 8 and civil unrest in the days following a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton, reports Reuters.
Hillary Clinton would likely attempt to disarm Americans if she is elected. But Donald Trump is certainly no champion of the second Amendment either as he and Clinton both agree on the illegal and due process-removing notion of banning people on the terror watch list from buying guns.
No one is advocating that terrorists should have guns, but using an arbitrary list that people have no way of disputing to strip them of their rights is not only inefficient, but it is against the constitution. Where are the constitutionalists on this call by Trump?
“I will be there to render assistance to my fellow countrymen, and prevent them from being disarmed, and I will fight and I will kill and I may die in the process,” said Hill, as he conveniently ignores Trump’s anti-second amendment stance.
Protecting his fellow countrymen from a government who wishes to disarm them is most certainly an honorable stance. However, this stance should be universally applied and uncompromised — even if it means not supporting Donald Trump.
“If Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musket,” former Illinois Representative Joe Walsh wrote on Twitter last week. But, if Trump wins, Walsh could be stripped of his second amendment with no due process when he gets put on a terror watch list. . @KevinBuist If a person is a suspected terrorist, then charge him and present evidence. "Potential" is punished only in dystopian novels.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) June 16, 2016
“We’ve been building up for this, just like the Marines,” said Hill. “We are going to really train harder and try to increase our operational capabilities in the event that this is the day that we hoped would never come.”
Unfortunately, as long as people are willing to compromise on their principles to fight for the lesser of two evils, that day will most certainly come and Trump will do nothing to stop it.
The good news is the three percenters seem to have the interests of the people in mind and Hill vowed to protect those who want to exercise their first Amendment by marching on Washington to protest in the event of a rigged election.
As we’ve already pointed out, Clinton’s only chance of winning is doing exactly that — rigging the election.
Beginning in Iowa and eventually getting blown wide open in Arizona, the fraud and suppression of votes have already let Americans know that their rulers are selected not elected.
Examples of this fraud were captured on video, documented on paper, and even broadcast live on television.
A rigged election is almost a certainty and should most definitely be resisted. However, as long as Americans continue to buy into the political shitshow, that is the two-party paradigm, it will only continue to get worse — no matter the puppets in white marble buildings. Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter and now on Steemit Share Google + Joel W
A Reuters article as the source of this info? Really? Might as well get your stories from the CIA directly then. Irresponsible article. Nasty_ahughes798_woman
I want to see what these traitors will be able to do against an M1, or a bomb from a drone dropped from 15,000 feet. Social | 1real |
Elizabeth Warren SHATTERS Republican Effort To Thwart Obama SCOTUS Pick | With the death of a Supreme Court Justice many implications follow, including who will be their replacement. After ultra-conservative Justice Antonin Scalia s death many are left wondering what will happen next, and others are trying to sway decision-making altogether. Including Republicans who don t want President Obama to have the ability to pick who will be the nominee.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wrote on Facebook just hours after Scalia passed away that The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. Of course, he s completely politicizing the vacancy, while also assuming the next president will be a Republican.Noticing this absolutely pathetic attempt to thwart President Obama s constitutional authority to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice was none other that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D). In her own statement released Sunday on Twitter, she said: Senator McConnell is right that the American people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court justice. In fact, they did when President Obama won the 2012 election by five million votes. Article II Section 2 of the Constitution says the president of the United States nominates justices to the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of the Senate. I can t find a clause that says except when there s a year left in the term of a Democratic president.The Senate GOP took an oath just like Democrats did. Abandoning the duties they swore to uphold threatens the Constitution & our democracy. Abandoning their Senate duties would also prove that all the Republican talk about loving the Constitution is just that empty talk. And she s absolutely correct. President Obama is granted, by the Constitution, the ability to select who he deems appropriate as a nominee to replace Justice Scalia. What we are seeing right now is Republicans slip in to panic mode, because they are terrified that the replacement for their most conservative Justice in the Supreme Court has now fallen into the hands of Obama.The people more than showed their voice in who they want to have chosen as their Supreme Court Justices. They did so in November of 2008 and again in November of 2012 with the election and reelection of President Obama.Featured image: Flickr | 1real |
Kyrgyzstan in talks on hosting second Russian military base: PM to agency | ALMATY (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan is in talks with Moscow about hosting a second Russian military base, Russian news agency RIA quoted Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov as saying on Monday. During a visit last week to Moscow, Isakov suggested situating the base in the southern part of the Central Asian country close to its border with Tajikistan - where Russia also has a similar facility. There is no final decision from either of the sides, RIA quoted him as saying in an interview. Negotiations continue on this matter. Close ally Kyrgyzstan already hosts a Russian airbase located near its capital, Bishkek. | 0fake |
Christian Evangelist Says Jewish Bernie Sanders Is The Next Hitler (VIDEO) | This pastor s church should be heavily taxed for this kind of political speech.Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is the first Jewish candidate to win a state primary in American history, pulling off the feat in New Hampshire last month in an incredible upset of Hillary Clinton.The self-described Democratic Socialist has excited crowds across the country with his vow to reign in Wall Street and end income inequality. Sanders is particularly popular with young people who see him as a desperately needed agent of change who can turn the system around and ensure a better future for all Americans.And it s because college students support him that one Christian televangelist is calling Sanders the next Adolf Hitler. You know, the Nazi Germany dictator who ordered the extermination of six million Jews during World War II. Yeah, that Hitler.During a sermon, disgraced pastor Jim Bakker openly compared Sanders to Hitler citing his socialist beliefs and claimed that if he s elected every American will be dead in a year. One of the most popular politicians right now is a socialist And who is his biggest following? The young people of America, from the colleges. Maybe you understand a little bit what it felt like to live when Hitler was reigning and the church had to sit by and keep watching it and watching until millions, tens of millions they had to build factories to kill people. All it takes is a couple bombs and all of America will be dead within a year, less than a year, just months. Bakkers audience, of course, consisted of a bunch of easily frightened old conservative white people.Here s the video via YouTube.There are many problems with Bakker s comparison.First of all, while young people are flocking to Sander s campaign, they are doing so on their own volition while Hitler and the Nazi Party actually went into schools to indoctrinate the German youth to get their support.Second, Bernie Sanders is a Democratic Socialist, which is totally different from a National Socialist.As Sanders explained in November, Democratic Socialism builds on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he fought for guaranteed economic rights for all Americans. And it builds on what Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1968 when he stated that, This country has socialism for the rich, and rugged individualism for the poor. It builds on the success of many other countries around the world that have done a far better job than we have in protecting the needs of their working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. Indeed, Sanders believes in economic equality, universal health care, Wall Street reform, universal college education, paid family leave. In addition, Sanders also seeks political reforms to limit the power of the wealthy so there is democratic socialism for working families, not just Wall Street, billionaires and large corporations National Socialism, on the other hand, is a brutal and authoritarian fascist ideology practiced by the Nazis and other right-wing groups who believe in a racial hierarchy with whites at the top. Nazis support policies that push national power, demonize intellectualism, subjugate women, punish homosexuality, censor the free press, and are over-obsessed with Christianity among multiple other aspects you can find by clicking here.In NO way does National Socialism apply to Bernie Sanders. Jim Bakker would be thinking of THIS guy:Image via ImgurNeed proof of Trump s fascism? Well, there s the fact that he ll soon have his own version of Hitler s Brownshirts. Then there s the fact that legendary investigative journalist Carl Bernstein explained why Trump is a fascist. There s this excellent comparison made by the Daily Show. And there s the fact that neo-Nazis show up to support Trump at his rallies.Seriously, Jim Bakker is either oblivious to the real fascism being pushed by Trump or he supports Trump and just wants to shift the accusations of fascism to Sanders to protect the Republican front-runner. Either way, Bakker and his church should face steep taxes for engaging in political speech, especially the kind that pushes outright lies.Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Twitter Confirms Shadowbanning with ’Account Limiting’ | Twitter has introduced an account limiting penalty for users that violate the platform’s terms of service. [Users across Twitter are reporting that their accounts are being “limited” as a punishment for the violation of Twitter’s rules. One user posted a screenshot of the notice they received: “Creating a safe environment for people to freely express themselves is critical to the Twitter community, so if behavior that may violate the Twitter rules is detected, certain account features become limited. ” The notice further explains that due to actions on the user’s account, anyone that wasn’t following their account would be unable to see their tweets for the next 12 hours. Twitter is now your digital daddy. According to @faggotfriday, it’s put him on the naughty step for 12 hours. pic. twitter. — Harmful Opinions (@HarmfulOpinions) February 15, 2017, Another Twitter user also claimed that his account was limited by Twitter for language he used on the platform: >automatically get limited cause I said retard, I’m just considering leaving Twitter, fuck them pic. twitter. — 🇺🇸 Drybones ム🗽Ὀ (@Drybones5) February 14, 2017, This new feature seems to be part of Twitter’s recent attempts to curb “abuse” on the platform. The changes include extra measures to stop suspended users from creating new accounts, “safer search results,” and the collapsing of “potentially abusive or Tweets. ” Twitter was forced to reverse one of their most recent features that removed notifications that alerted users when they were added to Twitter lists. “Being added to a list and knowing what list you were added to was literally the last useful thing about Twitter,” one user explained. Twitter’s stock crashed following the release of the company’s fourth quarter earnings report, and analysts have made grave predictions for the future of the social media company. Of course, Breitbart Senior Editor MILO predicted this last year. Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart. com | 0fake |
Bernie Sanders DESTROYS Trump During His Coronation From The Comfort Of His Armchair | Remember when Donald Trump said he would debate Bernie Sanders and then refused to do so when Sanders accepted? Well, now we know how it would have gone.During Trump s coronation at the RNC Convention, the Vermont Senator sat back at home and responded to Trump s acceptance speech on Twitter and the result clearly shows that Sanders can wipe the floor with Trump on social media or in person.Of course, Sanders targeted Trump s economic proposals in particular, but he also counter-punched the Republican nominee on his Middle East policy, students loans, the Supreme Court, and Citizens United all while lampooning Trump for using other nations to manufacture his products.#RNCwithBernie pic.twitter.com/x5nuSI6AuN Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Will Trump mention climate change, the great environmental crisis of our time? Been waiting for a year now. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Those who voted for me will not support Trump who has made bigotry and divisiveness the cornerstone of his campaign. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 We believe in bringing people together, not dividing them up. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Trump is wrong. The real cause of instability in the Middle East was the Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq. By the way, where is President Bush? Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Trump s big economic plans: Give trillions in tax breaks to millionaires, refuse to raise the federal minimum wage. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Trump s economic plan: $3.2 trillion in tax breaks for millionaires, cut programs for low-income Americans. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 What a hypocrite! If Trump wants to fix trade he can start by making his products in the US, not low-wage countries abroad. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Fix trade. Stop manufacturing Trump shirts in Bangladesh at 30-cents an hour. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Fix trade. Stop manufacturing Trump ties in China. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Fix trade. Stop manufacturing Trump clothing in Mexico. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Citizens United is one of the worst decisions in our history. Will Trump mention it or is he too afraid of the Koch brothers? #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Still waiting for a single word about covering the 28 million Americans without health insurance. I guess they don t matter much to Trump. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Trump: I alone can fix this. Is this guy running for president or dictator? #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Trump: I alone can fix this. Maybe he doesn t understand that a president has to work with Congress. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Looks like Ted Cruz was right about one thing. Trump does not understand what the Constitution is about. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Our movement understands that what we don t need is Trump s huge tax breaks for millionaires. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Trump thinks climate change is a hoax. My supporters understand that we must move away from fossil fuels, not expand them. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Will there be one word about student debt or making college affordable? Or just concerned about more tax breaks for the rich? #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Trump s economic plan: same old, same old trickle-down economics. Pathetic. #RNCwithBernie Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Trump s economic plan: let states lower the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, already a starvation wage. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016 Trump s Supreme Court nominees would, like Scalia, oppose a woman s right to choose, support Citizens United and gut the Voting Rights Act. Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 22, 2016Bernie definitely made it clear that Donald Trump is NOT a viable alternative for his supporters to turn to in the wake of his endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Sanders understands that Trump would be a disaster for this country and going forward a little by voting for Hillary is way better than going completely backwards by voting for Trump.Oh, and it s also pretty clear that Sanders kicked Trump s ass.Featured image via Twitter | 1real |
Neon Makes a Point at the U.S. Open - The New York Times | Blame it on its proximity to New York Fashion Week, which officially starts on Thursday (unofficially, it starts on Wednesday) but the United States Open (which started last week) has always attracted a disproportionate amount of style scrutiny. It tends to focus on ways in which tennis imitates fashion, with players calling center court their “runway,” discussing their “evening dress” and acknowledging their awareness of trends. But for anyone who spent the holiday weekend watching the tournament at Arthur Ashe Stadium, there’s been a lesson in fashion to take away from the tennis — especially when it comes to the athleisure end. Put simply: There is danger in too much neon. It has been a slow creep over the last few tournaments, with fluorescent shades popping up at the Australian Open, receding slightly for the French Open and disappearing entirely in the sea of Wimbledon white. You can understand it: Neon has always had a certain attraction for the extreme sports world, and bringing it to establishment events gives them a veneer of cool. Plus, it’s got a New York edge (“They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway,” and all that). And it means you can see the player, pretty much wherever he or she is, even in a giant stadium. But with Nike’s decision to turn many of its athletes at this Open into what is effectively a rainbow of human highlighters in yellow, black, green and pink, there’s no closing your eyes to the problem. I am not talking here about the easy mockery, which has prompted people on social media to compare players to “tennis balls,” “safety” signs and “the 2008 Radiohead light show. ” I am talking about the fact that all this neon is such a big statement that it overshadows the actual person inside the clothes. Suddenly, instead of looking like individual players with specific and carefully honed individual styles, they look like anonymous bodies in very bright clothes. They look the same. Twitter has taken note. and more like that. The neon is such a strong statement that it has even overshadowed the Adidas multicolor prints, an evolution of the “dazzle camouflage” pattern its athletes wore at the French Open. Not to mention pretty much every other outfit on the court. Maybe that was the point. And the neon may work well for Nike (you can’t forget it, anyway). But it emphasizes the brand over the player. And as the tournament reaches the quarterfinals, it is increasingly clear that the net (no pun intended) result has been to make the few athletes who are the exceptions to the rule stand out even more than they might have otherwise. Suddenly, Andy Murray, with his stubborn adherence to Under Armour minimalism in all black, white and gray, looks like an example of striking serenity — a word not often associated with his name. And then there’s Serena Williams, who, along with her sister Venus, has made something of a habit of upending tennis sartorial tradition. Though she is also part of the Nike stable, she has her own line with the brand, and this tournament, she seems to be channeling Audrey Hepburn in a little black (or white) dress, complete with cap sleeves, high neck and flashes of pink between the pleats. Also, of course, “Wonder Woman” sleeves. They’re an accessory, however, which is the point. Neon used sparingly is most effective as a — well, highlighter. In dress as in school. (Which, coincidentally, also begins this week in New York.) Something to consider, anyway, as we sit by the catwalks in the coming days. | 0fake |
Trump Fans Were Scammed For Over $1 Million, And The Donald Is ANGRY | The Trump campaign is hopping mad over an unaffiliated super PAC that used the lure of a dinner with Donald Trump to take in over $1 million from unsuspecting Trump groupies. The super PAC, American Horizons PAC, set up a website at dinnerwithtrump.org and told Trump fans that their donations would enter them into a drawing to eat dinner with the reality TV star and Republican presidential candidate.In reality, the drawing set up by 25-year-old Ian Hawes, simply offers tickets to an already existing fundraiser for Trump. There is no guarantee that the winner would get to actually meet Trump, a stipulation hidden on the website in very fine print.Furthermore, documents filed with the Federal Elections Commission by the PAC showed that much of the money being donated is going to a company affiliated with Hawes, and not to Trump or other Republican candidates. It is the latest in what has been described as a scam PAC that is so prevalent on the right.The Trump campaign has now issued a cease-and-desist letter, attempting to stop the PAC. You are knowingly defrauding every person who gives you his or her email address or who makes a donation through your unauthorized website, reads a letter from Trump s campaign attorney, Donald McGahn, to the super PAC.The PAC was able to take advantage of the fact that Trump and the Republican Party have been woefully unprepared for the election. They haven t spent much of the money they ve received on TV ads or organizers in key states, nor have they clearly indicated a preference for a super PAC for well-heeled Republicans to donate to. As a result, these fly-by-night PACs have sprung up and using advertising on Facebook, Google, and cable news (mostly Fox News) they are able to tap in to angry Trump voters who think they re donating to help the Donald and take down Hillary Clinton.Like so much associated with Trump, it s turning into a mess.Featured image via Flickr | 1real |
France says Saudi coalition must boost aid efforts to Yemen | RIYADH (Reuters) - France s foreign minister on Thursday called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to boost humanitarian efforts for the local civilian population who required urgent assistance. The heads of three U.N. agencies urged the Saudi-led military coalition on Thursday to lift its blockade on Yemen, warning that untold thousands would die if it stayed in place. We spoke about the humanitarian situation and the measures that needed to be taken so that international aid can quickly get to the Yemeni population that have an extremely urgent need, Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a news conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel Jubeir. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia has taken the first measures that now need to be followed up and amplified. Saudi Arabia is involved in a two-year-old war in neighboring Yemen and has been criticized for blocking humanitarian aid. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Jubeir accused the Iran-aligned Houthis of besieging civilian areas and preventing supplies from coming in or out. | 0fake |
Ouch! Joe Biden’s Former Staffer’s Scorching Firsthand Experience That’s Sure To Cause A Stir | Who knew Biden is a tyrant? The author of a 2013 book revisits the first-hand experience of what Joe Biden is like to work for and it s not a pretty picture. Basically, he s described as a major ahole who s pretty arrogant. Pick this book up for some good reading for political season or if you need one more reason to NOT vote for this tyrant.As Vice President Joe Biden ponders whether or not to run for president in 2016, claims that he was a tyrant to those who worked for him, and even plagiarized speeches during his first presidential run, have been revisited.In light of the news last week that the vice president himself leaked the story that his son Beau asked him to run for president before he died, George Packer, author of the 2013 book, The Unwinding, reexamined charges made in his book by former Biden staffer Jeff Connaughton in the New York Post, Sunday.If you just worked your ass off for him for a few years, he ignored you, intimidated you, sometimes humiliated you, took no interest in your advancement, and never learned your name. Hey, Chief, he d say, or How s it going, Cap n, unless he was ticked at you, in which case he d employ one of his favorite terms for male underlings: dumb f k. Dumb f k over here didn t get me the briefing materials I needed. It was both noun and adjective: Is the event leader a Democrat or a Republican? Or are you too dumb f k to know? In September of that year, Connaughton was on break heading to a college football game when he heard news reports that Biden had completely stolen a speech from British politician Neil Kinnock, going so far as to even steal his identity as a descendant of coal miners.The problem for Biden was that the media went looking for other more cases plagiarism, and they found it, the Post reported.They competed to dig up other Biden faults: lines lifted from Hubert Humphrey and Robert F. Kennedy; a badly footnoted law-school essay that resulted in a failing grade; exaggerated claims about his past.Then an incident recorded by C-SPAN in a New Hampshire resident s kitchen surfaced. Biden had agreed to wear a mike for an entire, unedited campaign event a first in political history. He was brilliant for 89 of the 90 minutes, but he had spent his whole career saying too much, and just before the end, a voter asked him about his law-school grades. Biden snapped, I think I probably have a much higher IQ than you do, then made at least three false statements about his education while taking the guy s head off.Read more: NYP | 1real |
London's Angel station reopens after suspect package scare | LONDON (Reuters) - British police said they carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect package near London s Angel underground station on Wednesday before allowing the station to reopen. Earlier, London s transport authority said the station was closed while authorities responded to a security alert outside. Britain is on its second-highest level of security alert after several attacks in the country in recent months. | 0fake |
BREAKING…VP PENCE and Wife Karen Abruptly Leave Colts Game…DESTROYS Unpatriotic NFL On Twitter | Mike Pence tweeted about how he was looking forward to attending a Colts game with his wife Karen today. His excitement was quickly extinguished, however, by the unpatriotic behavior of the Indianapolis Colts, who ve put their social justice causes before honoring our flag and our great nation.Looking forward to cheering for our @Colts & honoring the great career of #18 Peyton Manning at @LucasOilStadium today. Go Colts! pic.twitter.com/C3aCYUNpqG Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen left Sunday s Indianapolis Colts game against the San Francisco 49 ers after several players on the 49 ers team reportedly took a knee during the national anthem.Immediately following the national anthem, Pence tweeted: I left today s Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem. I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem. Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017Pence later tweeted, At a time when so many Americans are inspiring our nation with their courage, resolve and resilience, now more than ever, we should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us. now, more than ever, we should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017Vice President Pence was quick to defend the players right to free-speech but suggested that he doesn t think it s too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem.While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don't think it's too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017Finally, Vice President Pence tweeted a picture of he and his wife Karen standing proudly for our national anthem from the stands of the Colts Lucas Oil Arena:We were proud to stand with all our @Colts for our soldiers, our flag, and our National Anthem pic.twitter.com/mkZiKMkPDD Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017It looks like VP Pence and President Trump are not alone in their opinions about the NFL players who continue to disrespect our flag. Public opinion about the NFL and its players has taken a huge hit since President Trump tweeted about his disgust for the lack of respect the players have shown for our flag. NFL ratings continue to be in the basement.Sporting News The alarming fall in NFL TV ratings this season is partly because of fan anger over on-field protests by Colin Kaepernick and other players of the American flag/national anthem, according to pollster Rasmussen Reports.Nearly one-third (32 percent) of adults say they re less likely to watch NFL game telecasts because of the Kaepernick-led player protests against racial injustice, according to Rasmussen s telephone/online survey of 1,000 American adults conducted Oct. 2-3.Only 13 percent said they were more likely to watch an NFL game because of continuing protests by Kaepernick and supporters such as Antonio Cromartie of the Colts (who was cut only two days after raising a fist during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner in London on Sunday). | 1real |
BREAKING: FLINT’S DEMOCRAT MAYOR SUED After Whistleblower Rats Her Out For STEALING DONATIONS Meant For Residents | Democrats looking for attention and along with every celebrity who has been able to find their way to the burned out city of Flint, MI have all jumped on the It s all Michigan s Republican Governor Snyder s fault bandwagon. In reality, there has been plenty of blame to go around. Obama s EPA Director, Gina McCarthy has plenty of culpability when it comes to the involvement of her EPA officials and the cover up of the Flint water crisis. In the end however, it s never about the people of Flint, it s about saving the hides of the inept political officials who allowed this crisis to happen. Flint Lives really don t Matter to greedy politicians like Hillary Clinton, who have used the horrible misfortune of Flint residents to gain trust and votes in the black community.Will anyone remember Hillary s support for black Democrat Mayor Karen Weaver, who is now being accused of STEALING money from charitable donations (that should have been used to support the people who are suffering in the community where she was elected) and putting it into her own campaign fund?The Flint water crisis has triggered yet another lawsuit, this one filed by the city s former administrator, who claims she was wrongfully fired for blowing the whistle on the mayor of Flint for allegedly trying to steer money from a charity for local families into a campaign fund.Former City Administrator Natasha Henderson, 39, who now lives in Muskegon, claims in a lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court that she was terminated on Feb. 12 for seeking an investigation into allegations of misconduct by Flint Mayor Karen Weaver.Specifically, the suit alleges that Weaver directed a city employee and volunteer to steer donors away from a charity called Safe Water/Safe Homes, and instead give money to the so-called Karenabout Flint fund, which was a political action committee or campaign fund created at Weaver s direction.According to the lawsuit, a city employee told Henderson in confidence that she and a volunteer had previously been directing donors to the City of Flint s website, where they could give money to the Safe Water/Safe Homes charity, which helped families affected by the water crisis. But Weaver directed them to steer donors to the Karenabout Flint website, which the city council had not approved, the suit claims. A red flag went off when it was an unrecognizable fund, Henderson s lawyer, Katherine Smith Kennedy, told the Free Press. She did the right thing. She reported the matter to the city attorney. And for doing the right thing, she was punished. She was fired. The lawsuit names the City of Flint and Weaver as defendants.For entire story: Detroit Free Press | 1real |
Trump Rewards Kellyanne Conway With a Top White House Staff Slot - The New York Times | WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Kellyanne Conway, the Republican pollster and strategist who helped guide Donald J. Trump to victory in November, on Thursday was appointed counselor to the president, becoming the woman at the White House and one of his principal messengers to the public. Ms. Conway will be joined in the West Wing, steps from the Oval Office, by Sean Spicer, a veteran Washington political operative, who will be the face of Mr. Trump’s administration as its press secretary, the transition team announced. Along with several other White House communications specialists appointed on Thursday, the pair will wage daily battles with legislators on Mr. Trump’s behalf while seeking to preserve the president’s political power base among voters outside the capital. Ms. Conway and Mr. Spicer will also be responsible for a relationship with the press corps that has often turned antagonistic. The ’s team has hinted that they may change the way reporters are treated, and possibly eliminate the daily press briefing, after a campaign during which Mr. Trump frequently derided reporters as dishonest. Ms. Conway, 49, who took over as Mr. Trump’s campaign manager in August, shortly after the Republican convention, guided him through a brutal and divisive campaign, often appearing on television to vouch for him during periods of scandal or controversy. She stood by Mr. Trump after a 2005 tape surfaced in which he boasted about groping women, proving her loyalty and helping secure her position as someone who will have the president’s ear on a wide variety of topics. In a statement, the said Ms. Conway would continue her role as a “close adviser,” responsible for helping carry out his priorities and delivering his message from inside the White House. “She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message,” Mr. Trump said. “I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing. ” Jason Miller, a Republican operative who was an early spokesman for Mr. Trump during the campaign, will become the communications director at the White House, transition officials announced. Hope Hicks, who served as a campaign spokeswoman, will become the director of strategic communications, and Dan Scavino will be the director of social media. The new members of the staff will have the power to shape Mr. Trump’s presence in Washington as he makes the transition from businessman to president. The is also under pressure from his supporters to deal aggressively with the national press corps. And his political advisers will help guide him through a potentially contentious relationship with some members of Congress, including ones from his own party. The West Wing sweepstakes has provoked a weekslong roiling debate within Mr. Trump’s circle over who should fill prime posts. It also reflected the ’s apparent dissatisfaction with some of his options for who would appear at the White House podium as press secretary. Mr. Trump had hoped to have a woman at least share those briefing duties. But after Ms. Conway declined, Mr. Trump eventually dismissed alternatives that could have signaled a more hostile approach to the press, such as the conservative radio host Laura Ingraham and Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Fox News host and commentator. Mr. Spicer, 45, is a fierce advocate for Mr. Trump and can be combative with reporters. But he is also a familiar face in Washington, having served for years as the chief spokesman for the Republican National Committee. His ascension to one of the most visible jobs in Washington represents a victory for Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee and the incoming chief of staff, in internal jockeying with Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s as well as with Stephen K. Bannon, who will be Mr. Trump’s chief White House strategist, and Vice Mike Pence. Mr. Trump is deeply fond of Ms. Conway, whose job as counselor will give her frequent access to the president. Considered a “Trump whisperer” during the campaign, and someone who was particularly adept at explaining his appeal to voters, Ms. Conway will serve as one of the chief protectors of Mr. Trump’s political brand. She also has been a favorite strategist for other conservative candidates, such as Newt Gingrich during the 2012 presidential race, and she was an adviser to Mr. Pence during his run for governor of Indiana. She has reportedly clashed at times with Mr. Priebus and Mr. Kushner. Both men were frustrated when she gave a series of interviews in which she criticized Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, who was being considered for secretary of state despite having been a key figure of opposition to Mr. Trump during the campaign. With a approach that has appealed to Mr. Trump, Ms. Conway was credited during the campaign — even by Democrats who opposed her — with smoothing out some of Mr. Trump’s most jagged edges during her appearances on television. In the coming days, Mr. Trump is also expected to name three deputy chiefs of staff to help Mr. Priebus manage the sprawling operations at the White House. Among those being considered for these posts are Katie Walsh, who was the chief of staff at the Republican National Committee Joe Hagin, who was the deputy chief of staff for operations through most of George W. Bush’s administration and Rick A. Dearborn, who was the chief of staff to Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who has been selected by Mr. Trump to serve as attorney general. Tending to Mr. Trump’s relationships in Washington is likely to fall, in part, to Bill Stepien, who is in line to be the new political director. Mr. Stepien once played that role as the longtime political adviser to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, but was fired for his part in the scandal involving a plot to punish a Democratic mayor by closing traffic lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge. Mr. Stepien has been credited by Mr. Kushner and Mr. Bannon, who brought him on board in August, with helping them secure Mr. Trump’s victory in November. It is unclear how Mr. Trump intends to use David Bossie, who left the conservative nonprofit group Citizens United to be the deputy campaign manager, and was among Mr. Trump’s earliest informal advisers about a presidential run. Mr. Bossie frequently clashed with Mr. Priebus, and Mr. Trump was dissatisfied with him by the end of the campaign. He has sought to be a deputy chief of staff. One loyal aide who will not be joining the president’s White House staff is Corey Lewandowski, who was recruited to be Mr. Trump’s first campaign manager at the recommendation of Mr. Bossie. Mr. Lewandowski, who was fired from the campaign early last summer, waged the most visible fight for a role at the White House. In the end, though, he will remain outside the gates, announcing on Twitter on Wednesday that he has set up a Washington public relations and consulting business a block from the White House. “I will always be President Trump’s biggest supporter,” Mr. Lewandowski wrote in a news release announcing the new business, Avenue Strategies. The of the firm is Barry Bennett, who managed the presidential campaign of Ben Carson Mr. Lewandowski brought him onto the Trump campaign after Mr. Carson dropped out. | 0fake |
Obamacare group slashes staff | Killing Obama administration rules, dismantling Obamacare and pushing through tax reform are on the early to-do list. | 0fake |
Trump-Corker spat complicates drive for tax reform in U.S. Senate | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A public feud between President Donald Trump and influential fellow Republican Bob Corker could narrow the path for a tax overhaul in the U.S. Senate, where a Republican go-it-alone effort is already showing signs of disunity. Days after the Republican-controlled Congress took important steps toward advancing tax legislation, Trump’s Twitter attacks on Senator Corker over the weekend threatened to further alienate the president from other key Republicans such as Senator John McCain, whose “No” vote was pivotal in the party’s failure to repeal Obamacare in July. Although a foreign policy specialist, Corker is also a key player in the tax debate. He helped the Senate move closer to legislation by agreeing to a budget resolution that would allow tax reforms to reduce government revenue by up to $1.5 trillion over a decade, but he wants savings elsewhere and has vowed not to vote for a tax package that adds to the federal deficit. Republicans hope Corker will ultimately vote for tax reform in hopes of boosting economic growth. But Trump’s tweets do not help, especially now that Corker has decided against seeking re-election next year and is free to vote whichever way he wants without having to face voters again. Republicans are desperate to push through tax reform, seeing it as their last good chance to get a major legislative victory in the first year since 2006 that the party has controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress. Trump and top Republican lawmakers have unveiled a plan to slash taxes for businesses and individuals, the first comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. tax code since 1986. They hope to get it done by January. The tax push has been dogged by delays and distractions such as Trump’s criticisms of his own party’s leaders, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. The latest incident erupted on Sunday when Trump lashed out at Corker in a series of derisive tweets saying the lawmaker had “begged” him for his endorsement ahead of the midterm election next year and announced his retirement after being turned down. Corker replied by describing the White House as an adult day care center, and told the New York Times that Trump risks setting the country on the path to “World War Three”. The spat complicates things for Republicans as they try to move tax legislation through the Senate, which they control by a slim 52-48 margin. Most Democrats oppose the plan, and Republicans cannot pass it if they lose support from more than two lawmakers of their own party. “This is a delicate balance,” said Stephen Moore, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who helped write Trump’s campaign tax plan. “It all comes down to whether you can get 50 votes in the Senate. Right now, by my count, they’re at about 48. A few votes short.” Divisions have emerged over proposals to repeal the federal inheritance tax and a popular deduction for state and local taxes. Senate Republican Rand Paul has expressed unhappiness over reports that Trump’s tax plan could raise taxes on some middle-class Americans. Republicans need to keep Corker on board and prevent him from becoming a maverick like McCain, known for his sharply independent streak. “Bob Corker, at this point, is as free as John McCain is to do what he thinks is right,” said William Galston, who was a domestic policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton. Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist with close ties to Congress and the White House, said he thinks most Republican senators will get in line despite their concerns over Trump’s treatment of their colleagues. “While it may really bother other Senate Republicans and it’s unnerving that one of their own is being attacked, most aren’t retiring and know they must still work with the White House or answer to frustrated voters,” Bonjean said. | 0fake |
Trump in tax meeting amid fight with Republican senator | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump began talks with Republican senators on Tuesday to try to build consensus for proposed tax cuts in a meeting that was overshadowed by an exchange of insults between the president and one of the lawmakers. Trump has asked his fellow Republicans who control Congress to pass a package of tax cuts, including a deep reduction in the corporate income tax, by year’s end. But hours before he was to promote the tax plan at a weekly lunch for Republican senators on Capitol Hill, Trump engaged in a distracting tussle with one of those lawmakers: Bob Corker, a leading fiscal hawk and the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Bob Corker, who ... couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts,” Trump wrote on Twitter, later adding that the senator is “incompetent.” Trump arrived at the Capitol building with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the lunch and gave a thumbs up to waiting reporters. A protester threw a handful of small Russian flags toward Trump and shouted comments about accusations of collusion between his presidential campaign and Moscow. Both Trump and Russia deny colluding but a special counsel appointed by the U.S. Justice Department and congressional committees are looking into the matter. Alienating any members of his own party could be costly for Trump’s legislative initiatives in the Senate because Republicans control the chamber by just a slim 52-48 margin. Corker warned Trump in television interviews against interfering in congressional efforts to finalize the legislation to cut taxes and called the president’s visit with Senate Republicans “a photo op.” “Hopefully, the White House will step aside and let that occur in a normal process,” the Tennessee Republican told NBC’s “Today” program. “That’s the best way for us to have success.” Corker also described Trump in a Twitter post as “an utterly untruthful president,” and in television interviews accused Trump of debasing the United States. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan urged reporters to ignore the Trump-Corker spat and concentrate on the tax plan. “Put this Twitter dispute aside. The fact is we have an historic chance of fixing this tax code,” Ryan said. Ryan added that he knows Corker well and predicted that the senator is “going to vote for tax reform.” Ryan said he wants the House to pass the Republican tax cut bill by the Nov. 23 U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, echoing Trump’s call to speed up the party’s efforts to get the measure approved before year’s end. CNBC reported that Republicans plan to release their tax bill on Nov. 1 after an expected House vote on Thursday on a Senate-approved budget plan. House leaders are eager to get a tax bill voted on before the Dec. 8 deadline for a possible government shutdown comes into view, as it is likely to distract from the tax overhaul, financial firm Cowen and Co. said in a research note. “The Senate time-frame on taxes remains much more of a mystery with a Senate Finance draft likely in the late November/early December time frame,” Cowen analyst Chris Krueger said. Securing congressional passage of his tax plan is critically important to Trump, who has yet to get major legislation through Congress since taking office in January, including a healthcare overhaul he promised as a candidate last year. Tax cuts were another of Trump’s campaign pledges. The White House argues that tax cuts are needed to boost economic growth and create jobs, but has shown sensitivity in recent weeks to arguments that it is endangering America’s long-term fiscal health. Trump said he believed the tax overhaul would help bring in $4 trillion in foreign profits from U.S. companies. “It’s going to bring back, I would say, $4 trillion back into this country,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Nobody even knows the amount,” Trump said. Market analysts estimate that about $2.6 trillion in profits is being held offshore by U.S. multinationals to avoid the current 35 percent U.S. corporate income tax. Trump’s tax plan would require multinationals to bring in, or repatriate, those profits at a sharply reduced tax rate payable over several years. One of the key elements of the proposal is to slash the corporate income tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent. While the broad parameters of the tax proposal have been made public, detailed legislation has not yet been unveiled. Democrats have painted Trump’s plan, with its $6 trillion in tax cuts, as a gift to the rich and corporate America that would balloon the federal deficit. Trump promised on Monday to protect a popular retirement program as Republican lawmakers seek ways to pay for the proposed cuts. | 0fake |
null | Agreed. Our own politicians can't come up with enough ways to satisfy their true constituency---Wall St. and big banks, the MIC and weapons manufacturers, etc. What does it take for people to understand that they're not that into us----in fact, hardly at all.
Looking at Chapter 10 of the TPP, they've decided that a novel way to destroy us is to allow foreign corporations to bring their own workforce into the U.S., even if American workers qualify for the jobs, and to pay them below the minimum wage. This won't be hard to do since seven of the 11 other countries in the TPP, pay less than $3 an hour in wages. We'll be flooded now with legal immigrants. It's all about cheap labor and destabilizing other countries that won't go along with the program.
Who knows? Maybe they'll qualify for health subsidies on our exchanges. and we can pick up the tab for that, too. | 1real |
TUCKER CARLSON Confronts Nasty Activist: “I’m not saying what you did is illegal…it’s awful” [Video] | Tucker takes on the co-director of Popular Resistance, and asks him whether he advocates violence, whether he would like political foes to show up at is house and threaten him? Political resistance advocates violence as a tactic to get their way much like a toddler has a temper tantrum. Tucker Carlson debates the leader of a group that thinks it s ok to go to the FCC Chairman s house to protest. Does this cross the line? We believe it does!The Chairman of the FCC is a Republican and is such a great choice! No matter who he is, we still believe it s wrong on a moral level to do what these people are doing. Shame on them!CURRENT FCC CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI STOOD UP TO THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS WHEN THEY WERE TOLD NOT TO RELEASE INFORMATION ON FRAUD IN THE LIFELINE PROGRAM:TYRANNY: Obamaphone Fraud Kept Under Wraps Until Vote To Expand ProgramFederal regulators were instructed to keep a massive fraud investigation under wraps until a day after a controversial vote to expand a program that was allegedly used to bilk taxpayers of tens of millions of dollars, one those regulators claims.The Federal Communications Commission on Friday announced that it would seek $51 million in damages from a cell phone company that allegedly defrauded the federal Lifeline program of nearly $10 million.The commission s five members unanimously backed the Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL), but Republican commissioner Ajit Pai parted from his colleagues in a partial dissent. According to Pai, he and other commissioners were told not to reveal the details of its investigation until April 1, a day after the FCC voted to expand the Lifeline program. Commissioners were told that the Notice of Apparent Liability could not be released or publicly discussed until April 1, 2016, conveniently one day after the Commission was scheduled to expand the Lifeline program to broadband, Pai wrote. That s not right. Pai did not say who issued that directive. However, it had the effect of preventing public knowledge of widespread fraud in the Lifeline program ahead of a contentious vote on expanding it despite persisting concerns about a lack of internal safeguards.FCC spokesman Will Wiquist insisted that the timing was completely coincidental. The timing of the enforcement action was in no way related to the timing of the vote on the program modernization, he said in an email.IF YOU BELIEVE WIQUIST, WE HAVE SWAMPLAND IN FLORIDA TO SELL YOU! | 1real |
U.S. House approves bill to preserve insurance expert on regulatory panel | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives easily approved legislation on Tuesday that would ensure a key regulatory panel would be able to retain expertise on the insurance industry. By a vote of 407 to 1, lawmakers approved a bill that would guarantee the Financial Stability Oversight Council is not forced to remove its current insurance expert when his term expires, even though no replacement has been named. The bill would address what appears to be a technical oversight of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law. That law, which created the FSOC, failed to include language that would allow the panel’s insurance expert to remain on the council for 18 more months, or until a replacement is named. As the law currently stands, the FSOC’s current insurance expert, S. Roy Woodall, would be forced to vacate that seat on Sept. 27, when his six-year term expires. Debate over altering the 2010 law has been intensely partisan in the U.S. Congress, and Tuesday’s bill appears to be one of just a handful of changes that could be made to the law since it was enacted. The FSOC is charged with monitoring the largest and most significant financial institutions, and has identified a handful of insurance companies as meriting stricter oversight as “systemically significant” firms. Woodall is the only member with primarily insurance expertise on the panel. The House Financial Services Committee unanimously passed the bill in July, and the Senate Banking Committee will take up a similar measure on Thursday. “This bill protects against an unintended vacancy of the independent member with insurance expertise by providing a contingency plan that is comparable to what is already in place for most of the other voting members of FSOC,” said Dirk Kempthorne, president and chief executive of the American Council of Life Insurers, an industry group. Also on Tuesday, the House approved a bill that alters existing Securities and Exchange Commission rules, in a bid to grant more access to smaller companies seeking to raise capital under a relaxed regulatory framework. That measure, the Improving Access to Capital Act, had also been passed by the House in 2015 but never became law. | 0fake |
Responsible Gun Owner Shoots Himself After ‘Accidentally’ Killing Friend (VIDEO) | On the night of January 7, 2016, responsible gun owner Justin Lowrie decided to skip the AA meeting he was scheduled to attend, so he could get drunk with friends.According to the Leader-Telegram, Lowrie was experienced with firearms. The 32-year-old alcoholic had been given a concealed carry permit by the state of Wisconsin two months before. The permit made it perfectly legal for Lowrie to take his 9 mm handgun to a drinking party.Around 10:30 pm, as the party was winding down, Lowrie and a group of friends were gathered in an apartment building in Rice Lake. He was holding his handgun.Two friends, Laura Polichnia and Cheri Fullarton, were standing arm-in-arm nearby. That s when Lowrie accidentally shot Fullarton in the face, killing her.Melissa Leland, a resident of the apartment building where the shooting took place, described the scene to WQOW. We heard a gunshot and all of a sudden people just started screaming and crying and after a couple of minutes went by, I went out of my apartment and checked to see what the heck was going on. One of my neighbors just came running at me crying, He shot her. He shot her.' Someone from the apartment complex called 911. Before authorities arrived at the scene, Lowrie left the apartment where the group had been gathered. He returned to his own apartment, located two doors away from the apartment where Fullarton was shot.That s where he put the gun to his own head, pulling the trigger and ending his own life in a moment of drunken despair.The Leader-Telegram describes Lowrie as a man with a troubled past and a drinking problem. During an interview here, Lowrie s father said his son had been troubled due to his wife leaving him and his mother dying of cancer in 2014.The NRA says that everyone has the right to own a gun, regardless of mental and emotional health. Any attempt to prevent a tragedy like this is portrayed as an evil liberal plot to take their guns away and put them in FEMA camps or something equally as ignorant.Cheri Fullarton was a 37-year-old mother of three.During an interview with the Leader-Telegram, her brother, Roger Miller, said the family is struggling to deal with the loss. We try and remember how she loved her children, was pretty and intelligent, he said. We re just mad as hell about how he was screwing around with a gun, even if he thought it was unloaded. Lowrie s distraught father told the Leader-Telegram, All I know is that Justin made the choices that he did in a drunken state and he s not here for me to ask why. During the same interview, Justin Lowrie s dad also said, I believe the Lord is going to save other people through this. We all wish he could take it back, but he can t; we don t get do-overs, but we can acknowledge the things that have happened and learn from them to make better choices. Maybe this will change someone else s life. That would be great. But the gun-totin Jesus of right-wing Christian fantasy would never allow such a thing to happen.Here s more on this story from WQOW.WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and SportsFeatured image credit: Alice Taylor via Flckr cc 2.0 | 1real |
The First Big Company to Say It’s Serving the Legal Marijuana Trade? Microsoft. - The New York Times | As state after state has legalized marijuana in one way or another, big names in corporate America have stayed away entirely. Marijuana, after all, is still illegal, according to the federal government. But Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo on pot this week by announcing a partnership to begin offering software that tracks marijuana plants from “seed to sale,” as the pot industry puts it. The software — a new product in Microsoft’s cloud computing business — is meant to help states that have legalized the medical or recreational use of marijuana keep tabs on sales and commerce, ensuring that they remain in the daylight of legality. But until now, even that boring part of the pot world was too controversial for mainstream companies. It is apparent now, though, that the legalization train is not slowing down: This fall, at least five states, including the biggest of them all — California — will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use. So far, only a handful of smaller banks are willing to offer accounts to companies that grow or sell marijuana, and Microsoft will not be touching that part of the business. But the company’s entry into the government compliance side of the business suggests the beginning of a legitimate infrastructure for an industry that has been growing fast and attracting lots of attention, both good and bad. “We do think there will be significant growth,” said Kimberly Nelson, the executive director of state and local government solutions at Microsoft. “As the industry is regulated, there will be more transactions, and we believe there will be more sophisticated requirements and tools down the road. ” Microsoft’s baby step into the business came through an announcement on Thursday that it was teaming up with a Los Angeles Kind, that built the software the tech giant will begin marketing. Kind — one of many small companies trying to take the marijuana business mainstream — offers a range of products, including A. T. M. kiosks that facilitate marijuana sales, working through some of the banks that are comfortable with such customers. Microsoft will not be getting anywhere near these kiosks or the actual plants. Rather, it will be working with Kind’s “government solutions” division, offering software only to state and local governments that are trying to build compliance systems. But for the young and eager legalized weed industry, Microsoft’s willingness to attach its name to any part of the business is a big step forward. “Nobody has really come out of the closet, if you will,” said Matthew A. Karnes, the founder of Green Wave Advisors, which provides data and analysis of the marijuana business. “It’s very telling that a company of this caliber is taking the risk of coming out and engaging with a company that is focused on the cannabis business. ” David Dinenberg, the founder and chief executive of Kind, said it had taken a long time — and a lot of courting of companies — to persuade the first one to get on board. “Every business that works in the cannabis space, we all clamor for legitimacy,” said Mr. Dinenberg, a former real estate developer in Philadelphia who moved to California to start Kind. “I would like to think that this is the first of many dominoes to fall. ” It’s hard to know if other corporate giants have provided their services in more quiet ways to cannabis purveyors. New York State, for instance, has said it is working with Oracle to track medicinal marijuana patients. But there appears to be little precedent for a big company advertising its work in the space. It is still possible — though considered unlikely — that the federal government could decide to crack down on the legalization movement in the states. The partnership with Kind is yet another bold step for Microsoft as its looks to replace the revenue from its fading desktop software business. On Monday, it announced that it was buying LinkedIn. Microsoft has put a lot of emphasis on its cloud business, Azure. The Kind software will be one of eight pieces of preferred software that Microsoft will offer to users of Azure Government — and the only one related to marijuana. The conflict between state and federal laws on marijuana has given a somewhat improvisational nature to the cannabis industry. Stores that sell pot have been particularly hobbled by the unwillingness of banks to deal with the money flowing through the industry. Many dispensaries have been forced to rely on cash for all transactions, or looked to like Kind, with its kiosks that take payments inside dispensaries. Governments, too, have generally been relying on smaller to help develop technology that can track marijuana plants and sales. A Florida software company, BioTrackTHC, is helping Washington State, New Mexico and Illinois monitor the marijuana trade inside their states. Kind has no state contracts. But it has already applied, with Microsoft, to provide its software to Puerto Rico, which legalized marijuana for medical purposes earlier this year. states have now legalized marijuana in some form or another, with Pennsylvania and Ohio the most recent. The biggest business opportunity, though, will come from states that allow recreational use of the drug, as Colorado, Oregon and Washington already do. This fall, five states — including, most significantly, California — will vote on whether to join that club. Mr. Karnes, the analyst, said he expected legal marijuana sales to jump to $6. 5 billion this year, from $4. 8 billion last year. He says that number could climb to $25 billion by the year 2020 if California voters approve the recreational measure this year, as is widely expected. The opening up of the market in California is already leading to a scramble for the big money that is likely to follow, and Microsoft will now be well placed to get in on the action. Ms. Nelson of Microsoft said that initially her company would be marketing the Kind software at conferences for government employees, but it could eventually also be attending the cannabis events where Kind is already a regular presence. “This is an entirely new field for us,” she said. “We would have to figure out which conference might be the premier conference in this space. That’s not outside the realm of possibility. ” | 0fake |
20 Before & After Photos That Reveal The Effects Of Giving Up Alcohol | Drinking alcohol might seem like the normal or ‘hip’ thing to do, but consuming it in excess over time can take a toll on one’s health. Effects of excessive alcohol consumption include increased risk... | 1real |
The Illuminati – Part 9 – Symbols, Celebrities & Subliminal Messages (Final Segment) | November 6, 2016 at 3:35 pm
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“We won, you lost, get over it” Brexiters told outside High Court | Thursday 3 November 2016 “We won, you lost, get over it” Brexiters told outside High Court
Brexit supporters have been ‘gently encouraged’ to accept the rule of law and allow parliament to vote on whether Article 50 should be triggered.
The High Court has ruled that Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the European Union, leaving all Brexit supporters having to get over it.
Remain campaigner, Simon Williams, told us, “The entire Brexit movement is really big on accepting results, so we have no doubts whatsoever that they will give a knowing nod at this result and simply get over it.
“I shouldn’t imagine there’ll be a single dissenting voice to be heard anywhere in their ranks, as they tell each other they lost fair and square, and it’s time to move on with their lives.
“After all, when you lose, you’ve got to try and get over it. That is the only option available to losers, as they have taught us all so well over the last few months.
“Of course, they might want to try and overthrow the democratic rule of law, but then we might find we get some new portmanteaus like ‘crying Brexitears’ and ‘throwing a Brexitantrum’.” Get the best NewsThump stories in your mailbox every Friday, for FREE! There are currently witterings below - why not add your own? | 1real |
Congress ends effort to kill limits on debit card fees | Washington (Reuters) - Banks were regrouping on Thursday, a day after being handed a large defeat in the U.S. House, where Republicans sided with retailers in agreeing to preserve limits on debit card fees. The financial industry insisted it was not done fighting to remove limits on the fees. Retailers were already looking to carry the fight to credit card fees. “We are glad this fight is over, and are happy with our victory,” said Austen Jensen with the Retail Industry Leaders Association. “The banks should clearly know that this is over with.” “This debate is not over,” said Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association. The House had been considering a broad financial reform bill that included a repeal of the Durbin amendment, which established the limits on debit card fees. The limits were backed by Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois when the Dodd-Frank financial reform law was enacted in 2010. The effort to remove the card fee limits had drawn strong opposition in the House. Representative Jeb Hensarling, the bill’s author, announced Wednesday he would end the effort to eliminate the Durbin amendment because he did not want to see his entire finance bill upended. “I’ve said before that repeal of the Durbin amendment was the most contentious part of the bill among Republicans,” he said in a statement. “We won’t let this one provision hinder passage of an important priority bill.” The full House is expected to vote on Hensarling’s bill in the coming weeks, but there is enough opposition in the Senate that it will probably not become law. The feud over government caps on the fees retailers pay when accepting debit cards has run red hot ever since the limits were imposed. With billions of dollars in revenue at stake, banks and retailers have battled nearly constantly in Washington. Retailers have argued the cap is critical to control sky-high costs imposed by a handful of card servicers, while banks insist the limit represents government meddling in private industry. Nichols said limiting debit card fees was “wrong and Congress should fix it.” Under Dodd-Frank, the Federal Reserve was ordered to set limits on how much Visa and Mastercard could charge for processing debit card transactions. The end result nearly halved fees received by banks, dropping the cost of a debit card transaction from an average of 45 cents to an average of 24 cents. | 0fake |
Dead Voter Drive: video & petition to stop deceased-o-phobia | Channel list
Following hurricane Matthew's failure to devastate Florida, activists flock to the Sunshine State and destroy Trump signs manually
Tim Kaine takes credit for interrupting hurricane Matthew while debating weather in Florida
Study: Many non-voters still undecided on how they're not going to vote
The Evolution of Dissent: on November 8th the nation is to decide whether dissent will stop being racist and become sexist - or it will once again be patriotic as it was for 8 years under George W. Bush
Venezuela solves starvation problem by making it mandatory to buy food
Breaking: the Clinton Foundation set to investigate the FBI
Obama captures rare Pokémon while visiting Hiroshima
Movie news: 'The Big Friendly Giant Government' flops at box office; audiences say "It's creepy"
Barack Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Micah Johnson"
White House edits Orlando 911 transcript to say shooter pledged allegiance to NRA and Republican Party
President George Washington: 'Redcoats do not represent British Empire; King George promotes a distorted version of British colonialism'
Following Obama's 'Okie-Doke' speech , stock of Okie-Doke soars; NASDAQ: 'Obama best Okie-Doke salesman'
Weaponized baby formula threatens Planned Parenthood office; ACLU demands federal investigation of Gerber
Experts: melting Antarctic glacier could cause sale levels to rise up to 80% off select items by this weekend
Travel advisory: airlines now offering flights to front of TSA line
As Obama instructs his administration to get ready for presidential transition, Trump preemptively purchases 'T' keys for White House keyboards
John Kasich self-identifies as GOP primary winner, demands access to White House bathroom
Upcoming Trump/Kelly interview on FoxNews sponsored by 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price is Right'
News from 2017: once the evacuation of Lena Dunham and 90% of other Hollywood celebrities to Canada is confirmed, Trump resigns from presidency: "My work here is done"
Non-presidential candidate Paul Ryan pledges not to run for president in new non-presidential non-ad campaign
Trump suggests creating 'Muslim database'; Obama symbolically protests by shredding White House guest logs beginning 2009
National Enquirer: John Kasich's real dad was the milkman, not mailman
National Enquirer: Bound delegates from Colorado, Wyoming found in Ted Cruz’s basement
Iran breaks its pinky-swear promise not to support terrorism; US State Department vows rock-paper-scissors strategic response
Women across the country cheer as racist Democrat president on $20 bill is replaced by black pro-gun Republican
Federal Reserve solves budget crisis by writing itself a 20-trillion-dollar check
Widows, orphans claim responsibility for Brussels airport bombing
Che Guevara's son hopes Cuba's communism will rub off on US, proposes a long list of people the government should execute first
Susan Sarandon: "I don't vote with my vagina." Voters in line behind her still suspicious, use hand sanitizer
Campaign memo typo causes Hillary to court 'New Black Panties' vote
New Hampshire votes for socialist Sanders, changes state motto to "Live FOR Free or Die"
Martin O'Malley drops out of race after Iowa Caucus; nation shocked with revelation he has been running for president
Statisticians: one out of three Bernie Sanders supporters is just as dumb as the other two
Hillary campaign denies accusations of smoking-gun evidence in her emails, claims they contain only smoking-circumstantial-gun evidence
Obama stops short of firing US Congress upon realizing the difficulty of assembling another group of such tractable yes-men
In effort to contol wild passions for violent jihad, White House urges gun owners to keep their firearms covered in gun burkas
TV horror live: A Charlie Brown Christmas gets shot up on air by Mohammed cartoons
Democrats vow to burn the country down over Ted Cruz statement, 'The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats'
Russia's trend to sign bombs dropped on ISIS with "This is for Paris" found response in Obama administration's trend to sign American bombs with "Return to sender"
University researchers of cultural appropriation quit upon discovery that their research is appropriation from a culture that created universities
Archeologists discover remains of what Barack Obama has described as unprecedented, un-American, and not-who-we-are immigration screening process in Ellis Island
Mizzou protests lead to declaring entire state a "safe space," changing Missouri motto to "The don't show me state"
Green energy fact: if we put all green energy subsidies together in one-dollar bills and burn them, we could generate more electricity than has been produced by subsidized green energy
State officials improve chances of healthcare payouts by replacing ObamaCare with state lottery
NASA's new mission to search for racism, sexism, and economic inequality in deep space suffers from race, gender, and class power struggles over multibillion-dollar budget
College progress enforcement squads issue schematic humor charts so students know if a joke may be spontaneously laughed at or if regulations require other action
ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios
Virginia county to close schools after teacher asks students to write 'death to America' in Arabic
'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break
ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood
Impressed by Fox News stellar rating during GOP debates, CNN to use same formula on Democrat candidates asking tough, pointed questions about Republicans
Shocking new book explores pros and cons of socialism, discovers they are same people
Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need
John Kerry accepts Iran's "Golden Taquiyya" award, requests jalapenos on the side
Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone
John Kerry proposes 3-day waiting period for all terrorist nations trying to acquire nuclear weapons
Chicago Police trying to identify flag that caused nine murders and 53 injuries in the city this past weekend
Cuba opens to affordable medical tourism for Americans who can't afford Obamacare deductibles
State-funded research proves existence of Quantum Aggression Particles (Heterons) in Large Hadron Collider
Student job opportunities: make big bucks this summer as Hillary’s Ordinary-American; all expenses paid, travel, free acting lessons
Experts debate whether Iranian negotiators broke John Kerry's leg or he did it himself to get out of negotiations
Junior Varsity takes Ramadi, advances to quarterfinals
US media to GOP pool of candidates: 'Knowing what we know now, would you have had anything to do with the founding of the United States?'
NY Mayor to hold peace talks with rats, apologize for previous Mayor's cowboy diplomacy
China launches cube-shaped space object with a message to aliens: "The inhabitants of Earth will steal your intellectual property, copy it, manufacture it in sweatshops with slave labor, and sell it back to you at ridiculously low prices"
Progressive scientists: Truth is a variable deduced by subtracting 'what is' from 'what ought to be'
Experts agree: Hillary Clinton best candidate to lessen percentage of Americans in top 1%
America's attempts at peace talks with the White House continue to be met with lies, stalling tactics, and bad faith
Starbucks new policy to talk race with customers prompts new hashtag #DontHoldUpTheLine
Hillary: DELETE is the new RESET
Charlie Hebdo receives Islamophobe 2015 award ; the cartoonists could not be reached for comment due to their inexplicable, illogical deaths
Russia sends 'reset' button back to Hillary: 'You need it now more than we do'
Barack Obama finds out from CNN that Hillary Clinton spent four years being his Secretary of State
President Obama honors Leonard Nimoy by taking selfie in front of Starship Enterprise
Police: If Obama had a convenience store, it would look like Obama Express Food Market
Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males
NASA: We're 80% sure about being 20% sure about being 17% sure about being 38% sure about 2014 being the hottest year on record
People holding '$15 an Hour Now' posters sue Democratic party demanding raise to $15 an hour for rendered professional protesting services
Cuba-US normalization: US tourists flock to see Cuba before it looks like the US and Cubans flock to see the US before it looks like Cuba
White House describes attacks on Sony Pictures as 'spontaneous hacking in response to offensive video mocking Juche and its prophet'
CIA responds to Democrat calls for transparency by releasing the director's cut of The Making Of Obama's Birth Certificate
Obama: 'If I had a city, it would look like Ferguson'
Biden: 'If I had a Ferguson (hic), it would look like a city'
Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'
Ethicists agree: two wrongs do make a right so long as Bush did it first
The aftermath of the 'War on Women 2014' finds a new 'Lost Generation' of disillusioned Democrat politicians, unable to cope with life out of office
White House: Republican takeover of the Senate is a clear mandate from the American people for President Obama to rule by executive orders
Nurse Kaci Hickox angrily tells reporters that she won't change her clocks for daylight savings time
Democratic Party leaders in panic after recent poll shows most Democratic voters think 'midterm' is when to end pregnancy
Desperate Democratic candidates plead with Obama to stop backing them and instead support their GOP opponents
Ebola Czar issues five-year plan with mandatory quotas of Ebola infections per each state based on voting preferences
Study: crony capitalism is to the free market what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity
Fun facts about world languages: the Left has more words for statism than the Eskimos have for snow
African countries to ban all flights from the United States because "Obama is incompetent, it scares us"
Nobel Peace Prize controversy: Hillary not nominated despite having done even less than Obama to deserve it
Obama: 'Ebola is the JV of viruses'
BREAKING: Secret Service foils Secret Service plot to protect Obama
Revised 1st Amendment: buy one speech, get the second free
Sharpton calls on white NFL players to beat their women in the interests of racial fairness
President Obama appoints his weekly approval poll as new national security adviser
Obama wags pen and phone at Putin; Europe offers support with powerful pens and phones from NATO members
White House pledges to embarrass ISIS back to the Stone Age with a barrage of fearsome Twitter messages and fatally ironic Instagram photos
Obama to fight ISIS with new federal Terrorist Regulatory Agency
Obama vows ISIS will never raise their flag over the eighteenth hole
Harry Reid: "Sometimes I say the wong thing"
Elian Gonzalez wishes he had come to the U.S. on a bus from Central America like all the other kids
Obama visits US-Mexican border, calls for a two-state solution
Obama draws "blue line" in Iraq after Putin took away his red crayon
"Hard Choices," a porno flick loosely based on Hillary Clinton's memoir and starring Hillary Hellfire as a drinking, whoring Secretary of State, wildly outsells the flabby, sagging original
Accusations of siding with the enemy leave Sgt. Bergdahl with only two options: pursue a doctorate at Berkley or become a Senator from Massachusetts
Jay Carney stuck in line behind Eric Shinseki to leave the White House; estimated wait time from 15 min to 6 weeks
100% of scientists agree that if man-made global warming were real, "the last people we'd want to help us is the Obama administration"
Jay Carney says he found out that Obama found out that he found out that Obama found out that he found out about the latest Obama administration scandal on the news
"Anarchy Now!" meeting turns into riot over points of order, bylaws, and whether or not 'kicking the #^@&*! ass' of the person trying to speak is or is not violence
Obama retaliates against Putin by prohibiting unionized federal employees from dating hot Russian girls online during work hours
Russian separatists in Ukraine riot over an offensive YouTube video showing the toppling of Lenin statues
"Free Speech Zones" confuse Obamaphone owners who roam streets in search of additional air minutes
Obamacare bolsters employment for professionals with skills to convert meth back into sudafed
Gloves finally off: Obama uses pen and phone to cancel Putin's Netflix account
Joe Biden to Russia: "We will bury you by turning more of Eastern Europe over to your control!"
In last-ditch effort to help Ukraine, Obama deploys Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to Crimea
Al Sharpton: "Not even Putin can withstand our signature chanting, 'racist, sexist, anti-gay, Russian army go away'!"
Mardi Gras in North Korea: " Throw me some food! "
Obama's foreign policy works: "War, invasion, and conquest are signs of weakness; we've got Putin right where we want him"
US offers military solution to Ukraine crisis: "We will only fight countries that have LGBT military"
Putin annexes Brighton Beach to protect ethnic Russians in Brooklyn, Obama appeals to UN and EU for help
The 1980s: "Mr. Obama, we're just calling to ask if you want our foreign policy back . The 1970s are right here with us, and they're wondering, too."
In a stunning act of defiance, Obama courageously unfriends Putin on Facebook
MSNBC: Obama secures alliance with Austro-Hungarian Empire against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine
Study: springbreak is to STDs what April 15th is to accountants
Efforts to achieve moisture justice for California thwarted by unfair redistribution of snow in America
North Korean voters unanimous: "We are the 100%"
Leader of authoritarian gulag-site, The People's Cube, unanimously 're-elected' with 100% voter turnout
Super Bowl: Obama blames Fox News for Broncos' loss
Feminist author slams gay marriage: "a man needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"
Beverly Hills campaign heats up between Henry Waxman and Marianne Williamson over the widening income gap between millionaires and billionaires in their district
Biden to lower $10,000-a-plate Dinner For The Homeless to $5,000 so more homeless can attend
Kim becomes world leader, feeds uncle to dogs; Obama eats dogs, becomes world leader, America cries uncle
North Korean leader executes own uncle for talking about Obamacare at family Christmas party
White House hires part-time schizophrenic Mandela sign interpreter to help sell Obamacare
Kim Jong Un executes own " crazy uncle " to keep him from ruining another family Christmas
OFA admits its advice for area activists to give Obamacare Talk at shooting ranges was a bad idea
President resolves Obamacare debacle with executive order declaring all Americans equally healthy
Obama to Iran: "If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program"
Bovine community outraged by flatulence coming from Washington DC
Obama: "I'm not particularly ideological; I believe in a good pragmatic five-year plan"
Shocker: Obama had no knowledge he'd been reelected until he read about it in the local newspaper last week
Server problems at HealthCare.gov so bad, it now flashes 'Error 808' message
NSA marks National Best Friend Day with official announcement: "Government is your best friend; we know you like no one else, we're always there, we're always willing to listen"
Al Qaeda cancels attack on USA citing launch of Obamacare as devastating enough
The President's latest talking point on Obamacare: "I didn't build that"
Dizzy with success, Obama renames his wildly popular healthcare mandate to HillaryCare
Carney: huge ObamaCare deductibles won't look as bad come hyperinflation
Washington Redskins drop 'Washington' from their name as offensive to most Americans
Poll: 83% of Americans favor cowboy diplomacy over rodeo clown diplomacy
GOVERNMENT WARNING: If you were able to complete ObamaCare form online, it wasn't a legitimate gov't website; you should report online fraud and change all your passwords
Obama administration gets serious, threatens Syria with ObamaCare
Obama authorizes the use of Vice President Joe Biden's double-barrel shotgun to fire a couple of blasts at Syria
Sharpton: "British royals should have named baby 'Trayvon.' By choosing 'George' they sided with white Hispanic racist Zimmerman"
DNC launches 'Carlos Danger' action figure; proceeds to fund a charity helping survivors of the Republican War on Women
Nancy Pelosi extends abortion rights to the birds and the bees
Hubble discovers planetary drift to the left
Obama: 'If I had a daughter-in-law, she would look like Rachael Jeantel'
FISA court rubberstamps statement denying its portrayal as government's rubber stamp
Every time ObamaCare gets delayed, a Julia somewhere dies
GOP to Schumer: 'Force full implementation of ObamaCare before 2014 or Dems will never win another election'
Obama: 'If I had a son... no, wait, my daughter can now marry a woman!'
Janet Napolitano: TSA findings reveal that since none of the hijackers were babies, elderly, or Tea Partiers, 9/11 was not an act of terrorism
News Flash: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) can see Canada from South Dakota
Susan Rice: IRS actions against tea parties caused by anti-tax YouTube video that was insulting to their faith
Drudge Report reduces font to fit all White House scandals onto one page
Obama: the IRS is a constitutional right, just like the Second Amendment
White House: top Obama officials using secret email accounts a result of bad IT advice to avoid spam mail from Nigeria
Jay Carney to critics: 'Pinocchio never said anything inconsistent'
Obama: If I had a gay son, he'd look like Jason Collins
Gosnell's office in Benghazi raided by the IRS: mainstream media's worst cover-up challenge to date
IRS targeting pro-gay-marriage LGBT groups leads to gayest tax revolt in U.S. history
After Arlington Cemetery rejects offer to bury Boston bomber, Westboro Babtist Church steps up with premium front lawn plot
Boston: Obama Administration to reclassify marathon bombing as 'sportsplace violence'
Study: Success has many fathers but failure becomes a government program
US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?
Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy
This Passover, Obama urges his subjects to paint lamb's blood above doors in order to avoid the Sequester
White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras
Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse
Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school
Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition
Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State
Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'
Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'
Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested
Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead
Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending
Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances
Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons
Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago
Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections
Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country
Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'
White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out
New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen
White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class
To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead
State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations
Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward
President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward
Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects
World ends; S&P soars
Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood
Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes
Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway
Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013
Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama
As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list
Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves
Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium
Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future
Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs
Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet
Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'
Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties
Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years
Obama attends church service, worships self
Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending
Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"
Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh
Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"
Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness
Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears
Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke
Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights
Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'
Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"
Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't
Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost
Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space
Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck
White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus
Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed
Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"
Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere
Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"
Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college
Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!
Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'
Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'
Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome
People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies
Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"
Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans
Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law
Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond
Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics
Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof
Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels
Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party
Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend
May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above
Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"
Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name
Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich
Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag
Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"
Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off
Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"
Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed
White House: "Let them eat statistics"
Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama | 1real |
Palestinians to snub Pence during visit over Jerusalem move | CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during Pence s visit to the region this month in a snub over the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital, the Palestinian foreign minister said on Saturday. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza in response to President Donald Trump s announcement on Wednesday, which overturned decades of U.S. policy towards the Middle East. Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after militants fired rockets from the enclave into Israel on Friday, which had been declared a day of rage by Palestinian factions. Trump s recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence in the region. Late on Saturday, Arab foreign ministers urged the United States to abandon its decision and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. The Arab League, in a statement issued after an emergency session in Cairo, called Trump s announcement a dangerous violation of international law which had no legal impact and was void. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before meetings in Paris on Sunday with French President Emmanuel Macron to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels. I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trump s historic announcement but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us, Netanyahu said. Israel maintains that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. The Trump administration says it is still committed to Palestinian-Israeli talks, that Israel s capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and that it has not taken a position on the city s borders. It says the moribund negotiations can be revived only by ditching outdated policies. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trump s decision. We will seek a new mediator from our Arab brothers and the international community, Maliki told reporters in Cairo before the Arab League meeting on Trump s Jerusalem decision. A Turkish presidential source said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider the move. A possible meeting with Pence has also been turned down by Egypt s Coptic Church, MENA state news agency reported. White House and U.S. State Department officials did not respond to requests for comment. Palestinian officials said Pence had been due to meet Abbas on Dec. 19. Trump s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is leading efforts to restart negotiations, though his bid has shown little public progress so far. Palestinian militants launched at least three rockets towards Israeli towns from Gaza after dark on Friday and Israel said it responded with air strikes that targeted a weapons depot, a military compound and two weapons manufacturing facilities. Hamas, which controls Gaza, confirmed the two men killed in the pre-dawn strikes belonged to the group, which has urged Palestinians to keep up the confrontation with Israeli forces. However, Palestinian protests on Saturday were less intense than on the previous two days. About 60 Palestinian youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers across the Gaza-Israel border and the health ministry said at least 10 were wounded by Israeli fire. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians set fire to tires and threw stones and firebombs at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and, in a few instances, live fire. The Israeli military said one protester was arrested. In East Jerusalem about 60 people demonstrated near the walled Old City, where paramilitary border police and officers on horseback tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas. Thirteen demonstrators were arrested and four officers were lightly injured by stones, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. On Friday, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in protest and two Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza border. Scores more were wounded there and in the West Bank. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters had gathered to express solidarity. The Turkish presidential source said Erdogan and Macron agreed during a phone call that Trump s move was worrying for the region and that Turkey and France would make a joint effort to try to reverse the U.S. decision. Erdogan also spoke to the presidents of Kazakhstan, Lebanon and Azerbaijan on Saturday, the source said. On Wednesday, he called an urgent meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey next week. A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Saturday that Trump s move was a gift to radicalism . Radicals and extremists will use that to fan the language of hate, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain. | 0fake |
Human-Machine Hybrid Organs Are Being Made Now | Human-Machine Hybrid Organs Are Being Made Now October 26, 2016
Harvard scientists have developed a 3D printed heart on a computer chip, which can be used to study heart conditions without testing medical treatments on animals. The heart-on-chip is composed of a small piece of flexible polymer with integrated sensors that contains living human heart cells , which can mimic the physiological response of a human heart.
The sensors collect data on the beating of the heart-on-chip, which can be used to study how tissue responds to drugs or toxins.
Scientists from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University believe the technology is a more accurate alternative to testing drugs on animals, and hope it can decrease the number of animals used for testing.
“We are pushing the boundaries of three-dimensional printing by developing and integrating multiple functional materials within printed devices,” Jennifer Lewis, senior co-author of the study said in a press release.
Other organs, including bones, lungs, the liver, and gut can also be made into organs on a chip.
However, it is noted that obtaining data from these chips is costly and can only be done using high-speed cameras or microscopy. Article by Doc Burkhart , Vice-President, General Manager and co-host of TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles Got a news tip? Email us at Help support the ministry of TRUNEWS with your one-time or monthly gift of financial support. DONATE NOW ! DOWNLOAD THE TRUNEWS MOBILE APP! CLICK HERE! | 1real |
Assange claims ‘crazed’ Clinton campaign tried to hack WikiLeaks | Julian Assange has claimed the Hillary Clinton campaign has attacked the servers being used by WikiLeaks. Despite the Ecuadorian embassy shutting down his internet until the US election is over, the website will continue publishing, according to Assange. “Everyday that you publish is a day that you have the initiative in the conflict,” Assange said via telephone at a conference in Argentina on Wednesday.
The whistleblowing website has been releasing emails from Clinton’s campaign chair, John Podesta, on a daily basis since early October.
Assange claimed the release “whipped up a crazed hornet’s nest atmosphere in the Hillary Clinton campaign” leading them to attack WikiLeaks.
“ They attacked our servers and attempted hacking attacks and there is an amazing ongoing campaign where state documents were put in the UN and British courts to accuse me of being both a Russian spy and a pedophile,” he added.
Ecuador’s decision to shut down his internet was described by Assange as a “strategic position” so that its “policy of non-intervention can’t be misinterpreted by actors in the US and even domestically in Ecuador.”
He said he was sympathetic with Ecuador, insisting they face the dilemma of having the US interfere with their elections next year if they appear to interfere with the US elections next month.
Assange, who claimed the embassy will be without internet until the election is over to avoid accusations of interference, said he did not agree with Ecuador’s decision but did understand it. WikiLeaks will not be affected by the decision as they do not publish from Ecuador, he said.
He did, however, reject the idea that WikiLeaks is interfering with the US election, claiming, “this is not the interference of electoral process, this is the definition of electoral process – for media organizations and, in fact, everyone to publish the truth and their opinion about what is occurring. It cannot be a free and informed election unless people are free to inform.”
He also attacked US TV networks, many of whom he accused of being “controlled by Clinton supporters.”
The Podesta emails will make no difference to the election result, according to Assange. “I don’t think there’s any chance of Donald Trump winning the election, even with the amazing material we are publishing, because most of the media organizations are strongly aligned with Hillary Clinton,” he said.
Assange said journalists and people who work in the media are predominantly middle class and view Trump as representing “what in their mind is white trash.”
Source: RT News | 1real |
LIBERAL FOX ANCHOR Attacks Bobby Jindal For Saying “ALL LIVES MATTER” [VIDEO] | Has anyone else out there just about had it with FOX News anchor Shepard Smith editorializing every afternoon with his liberal thoughts? He had Bobby Jindal on to speak about the Baton Rouge cop killing then was clearly po d when Jindal said that All Lives Matter . Smith totally lectured and insulted Jindal on live TV unreal! | 1real |
Welp, That’s It – Show’s Over: Belgian Court Rules Syrians Can Receive Visa to Fly-In to Claim Asylum | They have to flee the poverty, goyim. Being poor is an international war crime.
The game, faggots: you just lost it.
Politico :
Theo Francken, Belgiumâs secretary of state for migration, said he will appeal a court ruling that the country must grant a visa to a Syrian family wanting to apply for asylum in Belgium, according to local broadcaster VRT.
The Belgian Court of First Instance ruled the state must pay a penalty of âŹ4,000 for each day the visa is delayed.
The Syrian family of four is seeking an official visa to come to Belgium without traveling by sea. They claim they will apply for asylum as soon as they are in the country.
Secretary of State Theo Francken called the decision âinsaneâ and said he will appeal. Currently, people can only apply for asylum in a country if they are actually on its territory.
âIt will open the door to thousands of people,â Francken said. âIf we allow people to come to Belgium with a visa to apply for asylum, the whole system will collapse.â
roflmao and he’ll be called a racist for this. Theo Francken be all like “damn, dawg.”
And I don’t think an EU court could possibly disagree with this decision.
Because of course, if unlimited millions of people are allowed to take boats into Europe, why should they not be allowed to fly-in on airplanes?
No idea why Francken says “thousands” though. This is several billion people that it opens the door to. The EU has treated as valid asylum claims from every country in Africa, the Middle East and West Asia. Of course, not all of them are eventually approved, but no one is ever deported (except Albanians lel). They can just keep appealing the decision, and even when the appeals fail and they’re issued a deportation order, they are still allowed to loaf around on welfare because there is no mechanism to go find them, arrest them, and ship them out.
So basically, anyone from any African or Moslem country who can afford a plane ticket will be issued an EU visa which will effectively allow them to come live in Europe on welfare forever.
It is obviously insane, but it was insane for Merkel to invite these billions to take boats to Greece and walk across Europe. Everything that happens anymore is insane, so “this is insane” is no longer a valid argument for anything. The only accepted argument is “this is racist”– there is no accepted counterargument.
So basically: it’s time to spread your legs wider, Europe, because this gang-bang just got a lot more crowded. Note that that metaphor applies in a literal sense to your daughters. | 1real |
Thousands of rape kits left untested despite federal pledge, critics blame DOJ | In 1997, he followed a 15-year-old home from school. He grabbed her, held her at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her -- then shot her in the head and threw her in Colorado's Platte River, according to court records.
She survived. Despite her injuries, she walked a half-mile -- 1,000 steps -- to a highway, and flagged down a car for help.
Nearly two decades after she was left for dead, justice was at last delivered when officials were able to check the DNA from a previously untested rape kit against a federal database. Ojeda was sentenced Monday to 144 years in prison.
This case is the exception.
An untold number of rape cases -- by some estimates, in the hundreds of thousands -- remain unsolved because the rape kits used to collect critical evidence sit untested and gathering dust in police departments across America, despite $1 billion in taxpayer money approved to clear the massive backlog.
Critics blame the Justice Department, claiming it simply is not sending the money where it needs to go.
"It's a tragedy that evidence from perhaps hundreds of thousands of unsolved rape cases has never been tested for DNA," Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, told FoxNews.com.
A comprehensive investigation by USA Today and its media partners uncovered at least 70,000 neglected kits in more than 1,000 police agencies. A state-by-state review suggests those numbers are on the conservative side, with 34 states reportedly admitting they have no idea of the number of untested kits.
Federal officials pushed back against USA Today's report, saying it "greatly mischaracterizes what has been, and continues to be achieved by the Department of Justice to address un-submitted sexual assault kits."
Rape kits contain forensic DNA evidence collected from victims during an often invasive process that can take up to six hours to complete. Testing DNA evidence in a timely manner helps identify suspects, leads to more prosecutions and in some cases exonerates those wrongly accused.
But none of that can take place if the kits aren't tested -- the $1,000 price tag for each test, though, can stress the budget of a local police department.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, recently sent Attorney General Loretta Lynch a letter demanding the Department of Justice address the issue. "Victims of sexual assault should not have to wait unnecessarily for justice," he wrote in the June 29 letter.
Cornyn and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., were behind landmark federal legislation that led to the passage of the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act. Signed on March 7, 2013, SAFER requires at least 75 percent of the $1 billion appropriated in the law to be directed toward reducing the massive rape-kit backlog, and increasing the capacity of labs processing sexual assault kits through 2018.
The problem, victims' advocates and lawmakers argue, is that the DOJ is spending the money on other programs.
"Congress has provided the funds to fix this problem, but over the past 10 years a large part of that money has been used for other criminal justice or administrative purposes," Berkowitz said. He said the law passed by Congress set "very specific spending guidelines to ensure that the vast majority of the money goes to casework," adding: "We'd like to see the Justice Department follow that formula and solve this problem once and for all."
But an official with the DOJ's National Institute of Justice told The Washington Examiner the department "has not received appropriations specifically to implement" the DNA backlog grant program.
Instead of waiting for the Justice Department, some states have taken matters into their own hands.
Colorado, for instance, passed a law in 2013 requiring law enforcement agencies to analyze within one year all of their 3,542 untested rape kits -- a deadline that was met, Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Medina told FoxNews.com.
"It was a way for us to really collaborate with our law enforcement partners," Medina said.
While larger metropolitan cities are starting to step up and cut down their backlogs, stark inconsistencies still exist in how rural communities handle rape kits.
Decisions on which kits are tested -- and when and how -- are often left to the discretion of police departments, leaving justice at the discretion of dollars and local policy. | 0fake |
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR Calls Out Liberal Press For FAKE NEWS: “The story…is false” [Video] | The Washington Post just got called out BIG TIME on a fake story they published This is a screenshot of the article:THE BIG LIE FROM WASHINGTON POST: President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S. officials, who said Trump s disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.The information the president relayed had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government, officials said.They tried to discredit President Trump in his dealings with Russia by saying President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russians .NOT TRUE! They got caught and then called out by the Trump administration s National Security Advisor.This is awesome:National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster made a statement saying, The story that came out tonight, as reported, is false. Natl Security Adviser McMaster made a statement denying a report that @POTUS revealed classified info to Russia. https://t.co/LB3P3BgT10 pic.twitter.com/gRNcLlZNvC Fox News (@FoxNews) May 15, 2017 | 1real |
The Politics of Death: Cancer and Politics, a personal story | License DMCA This is not about how politics controls research on cancer and other diseases. It is about a political economy which, in the name of democracy, is killing us.
Today, I got my PSA score (used to assess degree of cancer), and it was not down, after 4 months of a heavy duty cannabis extract treatment and numerous anti-cancer supplements, along with a vegan anti-cancer diet. It didn't go down. After my cancerous prostate was removed 10 years, ago I had nearly 8 yrs cancer free, then two years, ago the score began to rise, from .2 to .4. to .5 to today's .6.
That is a low score, but it is growing and my treatments have not stopped it. I ask: how can I have got cancer when since age 26, I have been on an organic anti-cancer diet?
There are two theories, not necessarily incompatible: one asserts, as the man who discovered the cause of cancer did, that the cause is pollution. Dr. Warburg won the Nobel Prize but the Nazis kept him from accepting it. He said pollution caused cancer.
The other theory is the genetic element: studies on twins seem to show that there is a genetic component, which may not cause cancer but predispose to it, make us vulnerable to the onslaught of pollution.
So I am going to go with the idea that tho genetics makes some more susceptible, it is pollution which is killing us.
On a gross level, this is easy to see. Each year, millions die from fossil fuel pollution; in the US, 13,000 die from coal pollution, and tens of millions suffer from air pollution, not to mention water pollution as in Flint, Michagan and many other cities. - Advertisement -
Why do we have so much pollution? Why haven't we switched to clean energy? Why haven't we banned fossil fuels, which are poisons we eat and drink and breath every day?
We know that pollution kills, makes sick, decreases productivity, increases healthcare costs, makes us suffer and destroys the environment, including climate disruption? Why is nothing being done?
The reason is simple: politics. The oligarchy is made up of those who profit from pollution, from the energy industry to the ag industry. In a democracy, these corporations which are killing us would be stopped.
But in an oligarchy where the polluters rule, all action is to prevent action; private profits trump public safety. Money trumps human health. Accumulating billions is more important than protecting the earth. This is a political decision, within a system of oligarchic rule. We are being killed by cancer because the ruling class has hijacked government and made effective regulation impossible. We are being killed by design, since the fossil fuel elites know the damage their products do.
And so, as I ponder my next treatment (probably immunotherapy), I ask everyone to consider how our politics, mostly right wing, Republican, pro-corporate but including the establishment Democrats. Clinton, for instance, has received 7 million from the fossil fuel people this year. Clinton is also on record of supporting fracking. - Advertisement -
Here is what Sanders said of her in April: ""Well, when you vote for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers of this country millions of jobs, when you support and continue to support fracking, despite the crisis that we have in terms of clean water," he said April 10, "and essentially, when you have a super PAC that is raising tens of millions of dollars from every special interest out there, including $15 million from Wall Street, the American people do not believe that that is the kind of president that we need to make the changes in America to protect the working families of this country."
Politifact concludes that "Clinton's past support of fracking is well documented."
And so it is not only the Republican's who are blocking action to reduce the damage done by fossil fuels; it is also the Democrats, who are bribed with millions to continue the status quo. Now Clinton says she wants solar on every roof. That is easy to say, and it will get some Bernie supporters to accept her. But her history is of defending the fossil fuel industry. And history trumps hypotheticals. Early detection means early treatment License DMCA Conclusion: pollution is killing us. Both parties have protected this lethal industry to varying degrees. It seems, as with so much else, that if we want change, if we want to stop killing ourselves with toxins in our air and food and water, we will have to finally end the rule of the oligarchs and establish a democratic nation, where the leaders lead in ending pollution and transforming us to clean energy and with it, better health for our families and our earth. | 1real |
HILLARY GOT DESTROYED By Chris Wallace On FOX News…But That Wasn’t The End Of It…Laura Ingraham Followed Up With A KNOCK Out Punch [VIDEO] | Hillary shouldn t be on FOX News giving interviews She should be in jail! Queen Hillary didn t quite get the same treatment from FOX News Chris Wallace as she gets when she visits MSNBC s Chris Matthews!Hillary Clinton acknowledges that Americans have a legitimate concern about her trustworthiness, particularly related to her email scandal and the Benghazi terror attacks, but criticized those who have attempted to undermine her Democratic presidential campaign and make a caricature out of her, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Sunday. I think that it s fair for Americans to have questions, Clinton said, in an interview taped Saturday. Every time I run for an office, though, oh my goodness, all of these caricatures come out of nowhere. And people begin to undermine me because when I left office as secretary of state, 66 percent of Americans approved of what I do. FOX Newshttps://youtu.be/G0XAt7aPYBsLaura Ingraham commented on Hillary Clinton s stunning interview on Fox News Sunday.Ingraham said Clinton has an astonishing ability to look into Chris Wallace s eyes and claim that FBI Director Jim Comey confirmed her statements on her email scandal were truthful. That comment earned Clinton four Pinocchios from the Washington Post s fact-checker.Ingraham said Clinton s aside about her mother loving Fox News was all well and good, but the fact of the matter is, this is about her tenure as secretary of state. If she didn t know that you couldn t put a government server in your bathroom, then what does Hillary Clinton really know about basic issues of foreign policy? Ingraham added that Clinton apparently can lie with impunity to most people in the press, other than some of the folks at Fox News. Fox News | 1real |
Place your bets now. How much does someone’s world view predict their other attitudes? | Dan Kahan and his team at the Yale Law School’s Cultural Cognition project have been doing a bunch of research recently on:
That’s of obvious interest to Monkey Cage readers and students of politics more generally. To what extent are our attitudes on hot-button issues simple products of our political leanings?
The question is important because political decisions are in part driven by public opinion. The answer can’t be simple. We know that the correlations between issue attitudes, partisanship, and ideology have changed over time. For example, conservatives are more likely than liberals and moderates to believe that vaccines cause autism.
Our beliefs about science and ideology are themselves often rigid. One trick that Kahan uses to shake us up is what he calls the MAPKIA (Make a prediction, know it all!) challenge, in which he describes an experiment on public opinion, but without revealing the results, and then asks the reader to guess what will happen.
For his latest MAPKIA challenge, Kahan brings up a question from a 2015 Pew Research survey on Public and Scientists’ Views on Science and Society. Here’s the survey item:
How powerfully (if at all) will responses to the Pew Malthusian Worldview item predict beliefs and attitudes toward technological and environmental risks like climate change, fracking, nuclear power, and GM foods? Will it be a stronger predictor than political partisanship? Will responses interact with — or essentially amplify — the explanatory power of political ideology and party identification? What will the relationship be between the Malthusian Worldview item and science literacy? Will responses be correlated with it — and if so in which direction? Will higher science literacy magnify the correlation between responses to the Malthusian Worldview and opposing perceptions of environmental and technological risks, just as higher science comprehension magnifies cultural polarization on climate change, nuclear power, fracking, and the like?
If you’re interested in political polarization and attitudes toward science and policy, this is a great question. And as Kahan writes, “Perhaps my framing of the question implies an answer. But if you think I have one, then obviously mine could be wrong!”
As sociologist Duncan Watts has written, everything is obvious (once you know the answer). That’s why it’s a good exercise to commit first on this one before learning the answer.
Here’s an example from the Monkey Cage a couple of years ago of researchers who jumped to conclusion about public opinion which turned out not to be borne out by the data. As I wrote at the time:
[Alfred Moore, Joseph Parent and Joseph Uscinski] write, “When science means nuclear weapons, innovation and winning the space race, conservatives love it.” Actually, when I last looked at the data, I found that “support for the space program does not seem particularly associated with conservative or Republican positions.” There is indeed a logic to the idea that conservatives should support the space program (see my last paragraph here) but the data don’t seem to bear this out. My quick understanding of this is that political ideologies are interesting but ultimately you can’t make sense of them: any given person’s views are a tangle with many possibilities.
To return to the Malthusian worldview challenge: My point here is that political ideology and issue attitudes are tangled. Attitudes are not always carefully thought through, nor are they the pure product of political ideology or partisanship.
The Malthusian worldview seems like it might be a proxy for a simple liberal/conservative dimension, at least in the United States, but maybe it aligns with other aspects of people’s worldviews. In this post, I’m purposely not giving the answer (or, to be precise, I’m not giving data that would address this question) but am rather following Kahan by leaving it unresolved, to remind us of the uncertainty we should hold before seeing hard data on the relevant public opinion questions. | 0fake |
BREAKING: New Law Stops Hillary In Her Tracks, She Is Now Officially Ineligible To Run |
As if Hillary Clinton was not already facing enough legal trouble, new information has surfaced that the former Secretary of State could actually be legally ineligible to run for President of the United States.
In fact, Clinton could be ineligible to hold any kind of federal office.
This week, Cornell Law Library Former United States Attorney General Michael Mukasey spoke out to say that Clinton’s personal email server “disqualifies” her from the race. To support his argument, he cited federal law Title 18. Section 2071.
The law reads as follows:
(a) Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
(b) Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States. | 1real |
Turley on Comey Firing: ’It Seems to Be a Cover-Up in Search of a Crime’ - Breitbart | Friday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” George Washington law professor Jonathan Turley discussed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s role in appointing a special prosecutor to investigate alleged ties between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government. According to Turley, the underlying crime isn’t clear given the lack of evidence with the exception of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s indiscretions, which he argued would not warrant special counsel. Turley described it as a “ in search of a crime. ” “For weeks I’ve questioned the need for special counsel because honestly I still don’t see the underlying crime here,” Turley said. “You know, when we talk about the Russian influence and collusion, there’s not any evidence I’ve seen of collusion but more importantly, no one has articulated a major crime, as opposed to the reporting and registration violations of people like Flynn, which usually wouldn’t warrant a special counsel. But that’s the great mystery here. ” “You know, with Watergate that people have been talking about, there was a serious crime that began that led to the ” he continued. “Here you seem to have a without a crime. That’s what’s so bizarre about the conduct of the White House. It seems to be a in search of a crime. The problem with the special counsel is what will the special counsel investigate? But having said that, after they fired Comey, my view is that it’s changed, that we do need an independent investigation simply because the White House has created a credibility problem. And lots of Americans believe that there is an effort here to obstruct the investigation. ( RCP Video) Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor | 0fake |
STEVE JOBS’ WIDOW ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR “Revolutionary” HILLARY On Same Day Hillary’s Busted For Faking This… | You d think she d know a thing or two about email servers and at a minimum, question Hillary s integrity Apple founder Steve Jobs widow Laurene has told of her admiration for Democratic White House front-runner Hillary Clinton.Ms Jobs, 51, called former First Lady Hillary a revolutionary woman, and added that it s not just because she s a woman but the type of woman she is .Speaking to Time 100, Ms Jobs said: Hillary Clinton is not familiar. She is revolutionary. Not radical, but revolutionary: The distinction is crucial. She is one of America s greatest modern creations. Her decades in our public life must not blind us to the fact that she represents new realities and possibilities. Indeed, those same decades have conferred upon her what newness usually lacks: judgment, and even wisdom. Oops wrong picture! It matters, of course, that Hillary is a woman. But what matters more is what kind of woman she is. Mrs Clinton announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination on Sunday and set upon the campaign trail with a trip to meet ordinary voters in Iowa.But she was blasted for her staged visit on Tuesday morning to a coffee shop in LeClaire, Iowa.Austin Bird, one of the men pictured sitting at the table with Mrs Clinton, claimed the whole event was orchestrated from beginning to end .Bird told Daily Mail Online that campaign staffer Troy Price called and asked him and two other young people to meet him Tuesday morning at a restaurant in Davenport, a nearby city. Price then drove them to the coffee house to meet Clinton after vetting them for about a half-hour.The three got the lion s share of Mrs. Clinton s time and participated in what breathless news reports described as a roundtable the first of many in her brief Iowa campaign swing. Bird himself is a frequent participant in Iowa Democratic Party events. He interned with President Obama s 2012 presidential re-election campaign, and was tapped to chauffeur Vice President Joe Biden in October 2014 when he visited Davenport. What happened is, we were just asked to be there by Troy, Bird said Wednesday in a phone interview. We were asked to come to a meeting with Troy, the three of us, at the Village Inn. The other two, he confirmed, were University of Iowa College Democrats president Carter Bell and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland employee Sara Sedlacek. It was supposed to be a strategy meeting, Bird recalled, to get our thoughts about issues. But then all of a sudden he says, Hey, we have Secretary Clinton coming in, would you like to go meet her? And then we got in a car Troy s car and we went up to the coffee house, and we sat at a table and then Hillary just came up and talked with us. Bird said we all were called. I mean, Troy asked us all to do to go to a meeting with him. And we didn t really know what it was about. I mean, he did. He knew. Via: UK Daily Mail | 1real |
Maxine Waters Makes Teens Chant ‘Impeach 45′ at ‘Teen Vogue Summit’: ‘Let’s talk about it in church’ [Video] | Shame on Teen Vogue! Maxine Waters was a guest of Teen Vogue and was interviewed about why she s calling on young teens to resist our president. This sick behavior by a grown woman smells like sedition. Just read the answer to the question below:Teen Vote asked: What advice would you give to burgeoning young activists who want to help the #resist movement and create effective political change? What can citizens do you help you as a congresswoman achieve change?MW: There are several things that can be done. I love that they dominate social media, and the way that they can communicate with people [by sharing] what I m doing and retweet what I m doing. Every time they bring another person in to listen and to read about what is going on, we gain another supporter, who not only can continue to speak up and convince other people that we have to bring down this president, but now I know they will become voters and that they re going to vote because they have investments in this political process. WE HAVE TO BRING DOWN THIS PRESIDENT Congresswoman Maxine Waters is desperate to Impeach 45, and she s pleading with teenagers to follow her example and push her political agenda in church, and everywhere else.Waters led a chant of Impeach 45 her rally cry to unseat President Trump at The Teen Vogue Summit in Los Angeles last weekend, before urging the mostly teenage female crowd to take on her cause and repeat her mantra everywhere they go. Impeach 45! That s right, Waters said. Let s sing that song all over this country wherever we are. Let s talk about it in the workplace, let s talk about it in our churches, let s talk about it with organized labor, let s get people coming to the forefront. Waters, 79, apparently believes that a mob of young girls, many not old enough to vote, chanting Impeach 45! will convince Republican lawmakers to reverse course on a plan to lower taxes for Americans, and to remove a president from their own party.So far, Waters calls for her colleagues in Congress to impeach Trump have fallen on deaf ears. Lawmakers voted 364-58 against a resolution to consider the move this week, Fox News reports.Read more: American Mirror | 1real |
Head of East Africa's regional bloc condemns ICC Burundi investigation | DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Two East African presidents on Saturday condemned a decision by the International Criminal Court to open a war crimes investigation into Burundi, saying it undermined regional peace initiatives. The court ordered a formal investigation on Thursday into crimes committed in Burundi from April 2015 to October 2017. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has condemned the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which ordered its prosecutor to launch an investigation into the Burundi conflict, Tanzania s presidency said in a statement on Saturday. Museveni is the current chairman of the East African Community (EAC) regional economic bloc comprising Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan. The statement was issued after Tanzanian president John Magufuli ended a three-day visit to Uganda where he held talks with Museveni on Burundi and other matters. Burundi plunged into violence in April 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term in office, triggering protests and a crackdown by security forces. He won re-election that July, but most opponents boycotted the vote, saying his decision to stand violated the constitution and the terms of a peace agreement that had ended a war in the central African country. Government forces are suspected to have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 400,000 during a crackdown after the election, although rights groups say the number killed could be higher. The court is investigating crimes against humanity that include murder, torture, rape and persecution. Tanzania, which hosts thousands of Burundian refugees, and Uganda have been engaged in months of diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring peace in Burundi. So far, there has been little progress. Museveni ... said the ICC is interfering in EAC affairs without consulting regional leaders, which is a wrong move that undermines previous peacemaking efforts in Burundi, said the statement. Tanzania s Magufuli also criticized the ICC investigation. Magufuli said the move (by the ICC) was going against efforts already taken by the East African Community, which include appointing a mediation committee for the Burundi peace process led by former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa, the statement said. Regional mediators of the Burundi peace talks are expected to hold another round of talks on Nov. 23, the Tanzanian presidency said. Magufuli said security concerns in Burundi have been exaggerated, citing a recent voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees from Tanzania. Last month Burundi became the first nation to withdraw from the court, amid growing criticism from African leaders who complain prosecutors are excessively targeting Africans. | 0fake |
WATCH: PRESIDENT TRUMP Hilariously Exposes Hypocrisy Of Democrats, Media Allies On Comey Firing In One PERFECT Video | Before Trump, Democrats and their allies in the leftist media rarely had to worry about being called out for their hypocrisy. First of all, there wasn t an opposing voice in the media and politicians in the Republican Party, most especially the President of the United States, certainly weren t going to call them out. Before Donald J. Trump, Republicans were under the false impression that they needed the press in their corner. That was before Donald J. Trump shattered the old rules that protected the media class from scrutiny and allowed them to fully control the narrative.Fortunately for every American, there s a new sheriff in town, who is hell-bent on holding Democrats and the leftist media s feet to the fire when it comes to their hypocrisy. President Trump posted this hilarious video to Twitter yesterday that has already received over 77K likes .President Trump tweeted this message yesterday:Dems have been complaining for months & months about Dir. Comey. Now that he has been fired they PRETEND to be aggrieved. Phony hypocrites! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017President Trump followed it up with this hilarious video only 5 hours later in this tweet: The Democrats should be ashamed. This is a disgrace! #DrainTheSwampThe Democrats should be ashamed. This is a disgrace!#DrainTheSwamp pic.twitter.com/UfbKEECm2V Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2017 | 1real |
HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS BRAGS About Her “Best Abortion”…”If I Could Yelp Review it, I Totally Would!” | Plimpton, 46, who starred in The Goonies when she was 15, was speaking at a #ShoutYourAbortion event in June in Seattle, but the recent release of online footage of her remarks in which she boasted about her abortion are causing a firestorm on Twitter.Plimpton told the cheering crowd:Seattle has some particular significance for me for lots of reasons. I ve got a lot of family here, some of whom are here in the audience tonight. I also had my first abortion here at the Seattle Planned Parenthood! Yay!Notice I said first and I don t want Seattle I don t want you guys to feel insecure, it was my best one. Heads and tails above the rest. If I could Yelp review it, I totally would. And if that doctor s here tonight, I don t remember you at all, I was 19, she continued as the crowd applauded. I was 19, but I thank you nonetheless. You probably won t remember because I wasn t that famous then. Breitbart NewsWATCH this sub-human brag about killing her children: | 1real |
Clinton’s challenge will be to balance a hopeful tone with an argument for change | After Donald Trump presented a dark picture of the country at his convention in Cleveland last week, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats plan to project a more optimistic and inclusive vision of the future when they convene here starting Monday.
But the challenge for Clinton and her newly minted running mate, Sen. Timothy M. Kaine (Va.), will be to avoid becoming cheerleaders for the status quo and instead infuse that hopeful tone into an argument for change that could galvanize a frustrated and divided electorate.
Democrats promise four nights of speeches and entertainment that will highlight the core theme of Clinton’s campaign: “Stronger together.” The program will alternate among political heavyweights led by President Obama and former president Bill Clinton, celebrities such as Katy Perry and Lena Dunham, and everyday Americans whose aim will be to make Clinton appear more appealing and approachable.
Clinton’s advisers are confident that the Philadelphia festivities will present a far more united Democratic Party than Republicans were able to display at their convention, which was repeatedly marred by outbursts of dissent and division.
Central to that mission is the Monday night speech by Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), who is charged with trying to rally his fervent supporters behind Clinton’s banner after a bruising primary battle, although there is lingering resistance to Clinton among some of his loyalists.
The harsh tone of Trump’s convention — symbolized by the anti-Clinton chants of “Lock her up!” — gives the Democratic nominee-in-waiting and her allies an opportunity to expand her appeal to disaffected voters who are hungry for change but perhaps reluctant to embrace Trump and the brand of politics he enunciated in Cleveland. At the same time, the Democrats similarly risk overreach in their denunciations of Trump.
Another danger is that if protests outside the arena turn violent, it could mar the party’s effort to provide a united and relatively peaceful contrast to the Republican event.
“The Republicans painted a black canvas with maybe a little stripe of red, which would be Donald Trump’s tie,” Democratic pollster Peter Hart said. “Unexpectedly, the Democrats end up with a white canvas and a chance to paint it in any direction that they wish.”
[In his most important speech ever, Donald Trump echoes Richard Nixon]
All year, Clinton has struggled to find a message that both energizes the Democratic faithful and reaches to a different part of the general electorate disenchanted with politics as usual. This will be her challenge on Thursday night, when she becomes the first woman to accept the presidential nomination of a major party.
“If she is so concerned about the progressive revolt that days one, two, three and four [of the convention] are saying, ‘I’m Bernie Sanders Lite with pantsuits,’ then this whole group turned off by Trump has nowhere to go,” said Henry Olsen, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
But Housing Secretary Julián Castro, who was in the competition to become Clinton’s running mate, noted the importance of energizing the coalition that helped Obama win two elections.
“We need an infusion of motivation and energy to remind folks that we can’t take this election for granted,” he said. “The nature of modern presidential elections, given the country’s partisanship, is that these are close elections. It’s probably not going to be a blowout, and people need to understand how important their individual vote is.”
Four days of programming at the Wells Fargo Center will showcase the Democratic Party’s diversity and progressivism, designed to help as many voters as possible identify with Clinton and the rest of the ticket. The speakers will be white, black, Latino and Asian; Christian, Jewish and Muslim; old and young; gay and straight; male and female. There is expected to be a heavy focus on issues such as immigration, gay rights and gun control.
Having watched the Republicans fight among themselves in Cleveland, Democrats will arrive in Philadelphia full of confidence. But some in the party suggest that, like much about Trump over the past year, what looks to be a problem for him does not always become one.
“We need to be agnostic on just how negative its consequences will be or indeed whether they’ll be negative at all,” said William Galston, domestic policy adviser in Bill Clinton’s White House and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Galston added, “The idea that Donald Trump’s convention speech allows Democrats to put any product they want on the shelf and expect the consumers to buy it is an optimistic proposition that I can’t embrace, and I hope the Clinton campaign won’t either.”
Democratic leaders have no doubt that their convention will contrast sharply with that of the Republicans.
“We just saw four days of some of the angriest people possibly in the United States of America — chaos, vitriol, confusion, plagiarism, mismanagement of a convention the likes of which we’ve not seen in either party in modern times,” said former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter (D).
Clinton enters her convention with a majority of Americans questioning her honesty. She has an opportunity to speak to a huge audience beyond the delegates assembled at the Wells Fargo Center, but many of those voters will be looking on skeptically.
Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, noted that the underlying mood in the country puts Clinton at some risk as she campaigns to extend the Democrats’ hold on the White House to a third consecutive term.
“What Clinton cannot do is get herself in the position of defending the status quo, and that’s going to be a challenge, because she is the essence of the status quo,” Ayres said. “If she lets this [election] get defined as change versus status quo, where Trump’s change and she is not, that’s one way she can lose this thing.”
Trump’s coalition potentially cuts across traditional party lines, and as a political outsider, he has shown a particular ability to attract support from what he called “forgotten” Americans, many of them white and working class. “People who work hard but no longer have a voice: I am your voice,” Trump said in Cleveland.
[Donald Trump positions himself as the voice for ‘the forgotten’]
Olsen suggested that Clinton could peel away some of that support with the right message aimed at the right segment of Trump’s base — such as white, working-class women. He said Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, set him up to talk to these women with her introductory speech but that the candidate failed to do so.
On Friday in Tampa, Clinton previewed how she would rebut Trump’s declarations, including his suggestion that he alone could fix what ails the country. “I can’t really imagine him on a white horse,” she quipped.
Clinton said: “We will offer a very different vision. It’s about building bridges, not walls, between people. It’s about making the economy work for everyone, not just those at the top. It’s about embracing our diversity that does make our country great.”
The convention’s nightly themes focus on unity. Opening night, Monday, will be “United together: Putting families first” and feature addresses by first lady Michelle Obama and Sanders, as well as Astrid Silva from Nevada, a “dreamer” brought to the United States as a child by parents who are illegal immigrants.
Tuesday’s theme is “A lifetime of fighting for children and families” and will be headlined by Bill Clinton and “the mothers of the movement,” whose sons and daughters were killed in police and other shootings.
Wednesday night, “Working together,” will star Kaine, President Obama and Vice President Biden. Many Democrats expect that Obama will reprise the role Bill Clinton played at the 2012 convention in Charlotte by delivering not only a full-throated endorsement of onetime rival Hillary Clinton, but also a point-by-point defense of his record and the economic gains under Democratic leadership.
On Friday, Obama gave a taste of how he would respond to Trump’s dark portrayal of the state of the country. “This idea that America is somehow on the verge of collapse, this vision of violence and chaos everywhere, doesn’t really jibe with the experience of most people,” he said. “I hope people, the next morning, walked outside, and birds were chirping, and the sun was out.”
The convention will reach its crescendo on Thursday night with the theme “Stronger together,” when Clinton will give her acceptance speech and be introduced by her daughter, Chelsea.
Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin said: “This convention will crystallize the fight that she’s already fought and what she will do going forward for American families as president. Hillary Clinton and Democrats will effectively make the case over these four days for an America that’s at its best when we work together to solve our problems.”
Democrats thought the Republican convention focused too much on Trump’s personality and offered generalities but few policy proposals to back them up — especially on the economy and jobs.
In Philadelphia, Democrats are expected to remind voters that the economy was roaring during Bill Clinton’s presidency and has improved considerably during Obama’s. Yet they also will acknowledge that there is more to do.
“There is an opening for someone who can create some hope that she knows how to make things better with some specific ideas,” said Ayres, the Republican pollster.
Striking the right tone on the state of the country, and the proper balance between a celebration of the Democratic base and an appeal for broader unity, remain the biggest tests for Clinton.
“I don’t think the American public desires to have ‘Happy days are here again,’ ” Democratic pollster Hart said. “The ability to condense the Clinton message into something which is both hopeful and realistic would make a huge difference.” | 0fake |
Jesse Watters: Under Armour Should ’Rip Up’ Steph Curry’s Contract After Criticizing Company for Trump Support - Breitbart | .@jessebwatters: If I were in charge at Under Armour, I’d rip up Stephen Curry’s contract pic. twitter. During Friday’s “Fox Friends,” Fox News Channel host Jesse Watters reacted to Golden State Warriors star point guard Steph Curry criticizing Under Armour after CEO Kevin Plank described President Donald Trump earlier this week as an “asset” to the country and saying he would drop the “et” from “asset. ” Watters said if he were Plank, he would “rip up” Curry’s endorsement contract with the company. “[Curry is] getting paid to support the company, now you’re gonna trash the company? I’d just rip up the contract,” Watters said. Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | 0fake |
Further isolation of Venezuela may be needed: Latin American group | TORONTO (Reuters) - A regional Latin American grouping on Thursday agreed more steps may be needed to further isolate Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro has been accused of stamping on rights and democracy, said Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. She spoke to reporters after a Toronto meeting of the Lima Group, which also includes Canada. The group has already condemned what it calls recent anti-democratic acts by Venezuela s government. If necessary we must put added pressure on the Maduro regime by taking concrete steps to further isolate it from the international community, she said. Freeland added that Canada was mulling a second round of sanctions against Venezuelan officials. Other countries should consider doing so as well, she said. Last month Ottawa said it would impose targeted sanctions against 40 Venezuelan senior officials to punish them for anti-democratic behavior . The Lima Group has around 15 members, including Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Mexico. It is next due to meet in Chile in January 2018. Last week the group criticized a nationwide election held in Venezuela, when the ruling Socialist Party took 18 of 23 governorships in a nationwide vote despite widespread anger over economic hardship, that has left millions suffering food shortages, a currency collapse and soaring inflation. Opposition protests this year have led to 125 deaths, thousands of arrests and injuries, and widespread damage to property and infrastructure. The opposition is starting to fragment and the Lima Group meeting on Thursday called on groups to work together. It s a very important point. The people of Venezuela, in their struggle to reestablish democracy in their country ... deserve an opposition which is united and can represent them effectively, said Freeland. | 0fake |
New Grooming Scandal Fears as Police Investigate Almost 200 Sex Crimes in One Small Town - Breitbart | Officers have said they are investigating almost 200 cases of child sex abuse in Keighley, prompting fears of a ‘new Rochdale’ grooming gang in the small Yorkshire town. [West Yorkshire Police are reportedly investigating 179 new sex crimes involving 165 suspects in the small mill town, described as the nation’s ‘capital’ of child grooming. Situated just outside Bradford, Keighley has a population of 56, 000, including more than 12, 000 Muslims, and the town boasts eight mosques. Last year 12 men were jailed for more than 140 years between them for the abuse of one girl in Keighley, who the gang repeatedly raped over a period of 13 months — on one occasion five men “lining up” and taking it in turns to abuse her. A report into the case found the girl was known to police and services but let down, just as in the Rochdale scandal recently dramatised by the BBC. Local MP, Conservative Kris Hopkins, has warned that the town is “top of the list” for ‘Asian’ grooming gangs targeting white children to be sexually abused. “I am very well aware that there are numerous white paedophiles out there and they should be dealt with just as harshly,” he told the Telegraph and Argus after the Keighley gang were jailed. “But the sick model of organised groups of Asian men grooming young white girls to be sexually abused remains a blight at the heart of many communities across this country. “And sadly, Keighley is at the top of the list. ” Serious sexual abuse including the rape of vulnerable teenage girls took place in Rochdale between 2005 and 2013, with girls as young as 14 plied with vodka, threatened with violence and passed around men for sex. In February, four members of the gang failed in their bid to appeal moves by the government to strip them of their British passports. The UK’s most senior immigration judge, Mr Justice Bernard McCloskey, warned lawyers were using tactics of obstructing the courts and time wasting in their bid to help the child sex grooming gang escape attempts to deport them. | 0fake |
Monopoly’s Indian version to be launched, real ₹500 and ₹1000 notes to be used | Monopoly’s Indian version to be launched, real ₹500 and ₹1000 notes to be used Posted on Tweet
In a massive development in the world of board gaming, American toys and gaming brand Hasbro has announced that it will be coming up with its own Indian version of their child company Parker brothers’ cult classic business board game, Monopoly. Cashing in on PM Narendra Modi’s recent shell-shockingly bold move of invalidating currency notes of the ₹500 and ₹1000 denomination, Hasbro has announced that for the first time in the board game’s history, real notes of these denominations will be used. (Image via hasbro.com)
“HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: India, we’re coming soon to you guys, with your own version of Monopoly! Say goodbye to Boardwalk, Vermont, Park Place, Ventnor etc etc. You will soon see Connaught Place, Park Street, Marine Drive, Anna Salai, Silk Board and so on, along with a dozen places that belong to Robert Vadra and DLF! And guess what? For the first time in the history of this classic board game, we will be using real notes for ₹500 and ₹1000! So this is an open offer to you all – please send us all your notes of these denominations and we will transfer the corresponding amount to you online! Avail this historic opportunity!” Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner announced.
Goldner added that it’s not just the properties that would be Indian. “There will be a ‘Go to Tihar Jail’ box at one of the corners. There will also be a ‘Get out of Tihar Jail free’ card with Sanjay Dutt’s face on it. As for the vehicles players would use, we will have a bullock cart, a Bajaj Chetak, a Maruti 800 and so on. And guess what – there will be no notes for denominations of ₹1 and ₹5! True to the Indian spirit, we will have Eclairs chocolates and 5-star bars in our game banks. The deal with Cadburys will be finalized soon. We’ll make this game as Indian as it can possibly get, all you folks as well as your illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are going to love it!” the CEO told The UnReal Times .
According to sources, Hasbro is likely to be helped by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd in the distribution of the game. “Oh I absolutely love Monopoly, I just can’t have enough of it!” Ambani reportedly smiled while discussing the deal with Goldner. Hasbro is also said to have been approached by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar for the supply of currency notes in the state of Maharashtra. Sources in Tamil Nadu added that the ruling AIADMK wanted special ‘Amma’ currency notes for the game packs distributed in Tamil Nadu, but their request was reportedly turned down by Goldner.
The announcement has drawn reactions from across the border too. While Pakistan has warned Hasbro of including any property from Kashmir in the game, China has issued a similar warning to not include any property from Arunachal Pradesh. From the center of the country, a letter by the Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh has urged the brand to include other countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc and make the game set in Akhand Bharat as opposed to being India-specific.
Regardless though, Monopoly India is all set to be officially launched soon at the office of the BJP’s Margdarshak Mandal. “Joshi bhai , Yashwant bhai and I are greatly looking forward to this! Will be quite a change from the usual Rummy or Bridge,” BJP patriarch LK Advani, who recently turned 89, sniffed. Tweet About Ashwin Kumar
1 of the proud columnists of URT, former co-editor of URT Tamil, amateur musician, Real Harris Jayaraj devotee, UnReal T. Rajendar fanatic, passionate about stopping female foeticide. | 1real |
Senate Banking chair, Democrats say still hopeful for deal on Dodd-Frank bank rules rewrite | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. Republican and Democratic Senators said on Wednesday they would push ahead with efforts to reach a bi-partisan deal on rolling-back some financial rules introduced the 2008 financial crisis, even after a leading Democratic lawmaker walked away from talks. Their comments bolstered hopes among banking lobbyists that Congress may yet agree legislation to roll-back some aspects of the 2010 Dodd Frank law, potentially cutting billions in costs for banks, after bi-partisan discussions appeared to falter. Senator Sherrod Brown, the leading Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday that he was stepping away from months-long private negotiations with the Committee’s Republican chair Senator Mike Crapo over rolling-back elements of the 2010 Dodd Frank law, saying they had reached an impasse. On Wednesday, however, Crapo told reporters he was still working towards a regulatory reform bill and would renew efforts to reach a bipartisan compromise. “I intend to move forward to build a bipartisan solution, and I hope to be able to do so soon,” Crapo told reporters. Bank lobbyists told Reuters they remained optimistic a bill still could be passed, saying Brown’s exit had cleared the path for several Democrats more sympathetic to Crapo’s position to take over the negotiations. Spokespeople for Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Donnelly, two of the banking panel’s moderate Democratic members, told Reuters on Wednesday they were open to rekindling the talks. “Congress needs to make the financial regulatory system work better for everyone, and I’m willing to work with anyone on a deal that would accomplish that goal,” Heitkamp said in a statement. Donnelly said in a statement he believed there was still an opportunity to negotiate a relief package for community financial institutions “while protecting consumers and ensuring the safety of our financial system.” The House of Representatives has already passed a broad rewrite of Dodd-Frank legislation, but the Senate will ultimately determine what, if any, relief the Republican-led Congress hands to banks. Industry expectations on a final deal had been modest because Senate Republicans need eight Democrats to support their efforts in order to pass changes to Dodd Frank. The exact shape of a regulatory reform bill is not public. There is bipartisan support for easing requirements on smaller banks and credit unions, but reducing the number of banks that face stricter oversight because they are considered critical to the financial system has proved a point of contention. Currently, banks with over $50 billion in assets are considered “systemically important “ and must comply with stricter rules. Republican lawmakers are considering raising that threshold, but this is opposed by some powerful Democrats including Senator Elizabeth Warren. “After working in good faith, it’s clear we will not be able to reach a compromise that protects consumers while supporting small banks and credit unions,” said Brown in a statement. “I continue to support small banks and credit unions, but I cannot agree to gutting protections for working people and taxpayers.” (This version of the story was refiled to add missing word “following” in the lead paragraph) | 0fake |
Obama Pushes Castro on Human Rights During Joint Conference | President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro took questions over human rights and the U.S. economic embargo during an unprecedented joint news conference Monday, putting the Cuban leader in the hotspot in front of a public not used seeing to their leader being questioned.
Obama continued to press the Communist leader on human rights issues.
"We continue, as President Castro indicated, to have some very serious differences, including on democracy and human rights," said Obama said. The U.S. president planned to meet with Cuban dissidents Tuesday.
But when an American reporter asked about political prisoners in Cuba, Castro pushed back, denying such prisoners even existed.
"What political prisoners? Give me a name or names," Castro said.
Castro also blasted the long-held American embargo, which he called "the most important obstacle" to his country's economic development. Obama has called on Congress to lift the blockade, but lawmakers have not held a vote on the repeal.
"The embargo is going to end," Obama said. "When, I can't be entirely sure, but I believe it will end."
Despite the tensions, Obama heralded a "new day" in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, saying "part of normalizing relations means we discuss these differences directly."
Earlier, with his hand placed on his heart Obama began his first full day in Cuba at Revolution Square, listening to a band as it played the American National Anthem. He is hoping his historic visit will push relations between the two countries forward.
The president placed a wreath at the memorial to Cuban revolutionary Jose Marti. At 11:30 AM, Obama ventured to Havana's Palace of the Revolution for the one-on-one meeting with Cuban President Raoul Castro.
While the president does not expect immediate political change, he knows Castro's economic reforms have opened the door to American investment and opportunity on the island nation.
"It's a historic opportunity to forge new agreements and commercial deals, to build new ties between our two peoples and for me to lay out my vision for a future that's brighter than our past," the president told staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
U.S. companies are eager to do business with Cuba's 11 million people, and Google will be among the first to take advantage of the changed relationship.
Obama has announced the technology giant will expand Wi-Fi and broadband Internet access on the island. So far, only about 5 percent of Cubans enjoy such access.
But only hours before the president arrived in Cuba and toured old Havana with his family, police clashed with human rights protestors. At least 50 demonstrators were arrested.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz tweeted support for the Cuban people and criticized the visit.
"Political prisoners languishing in dungeons across the island will hear this message: Nobody has your back. You're alone with your tormentors. The world has forgotten about you," he wrote in Politico.
"There will be no mojitos at the U.S. Embassy for them," he continued. "Raul Castro denies their very existence."
GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he supports a new relationship with Cuba, but suggests President Castro should have greeted the president when he arrived.
"There was nobody there to greet him. Folks, what are we doing, what are we doing? Now here's how a thing like that is supposed to work. Number one, he has his people call up and say, 'Who is going to be greeting the president?' If they say nobody, you don't go until somebody's there because you don't want to look like a fool," Trump insisted.
But not everyone is critical. American Alan Gross, who was released from a Cuban prison a year ago, told CBN News' Gary Lane the president's visit is a courageous move.
"You sat in a prison cell for five years. Is it the right course?" Lane asked.
"Well, absolutely," Gross replied. "If we had had diplomatic relations 55 years ago, 50 years ago, 45 years ago, six years ago, I might not have had to forfeit five years of my life."
"The whole idea of constructive engagement helps to avoid circumstances like this," he continued. "And people who are critical of the process that we've recently gone through really need to take a look at that."
Obama's visit will conclude Tuesday with a televised speech to the Cuban people, attendance at a baseball game, and a possible meeting with political dissidents. | 0fake |
NC’s GOP-Run Board Of Elections Just Smacked Pat McCrory HARD Over His Bogus ‘Fraud’ Nonsense | North Carolina governor Pat McCrory lost his re-election bid to his Democratic challenger Roy Cooper three weeks ago. However, McCrory is trying every trick in the book to re-install himself as governor for another term against the will of the people of the state. One of those tricks is alleging widespread voter fraud, and McCrory filed several complaints in that direction.Now, remember the North Carolina Board of Elections is run by Republicans, not Democrats right now. Therefore, one would think this would give McCrory an edge in his crazy attempt to overturn this election by any means necessary, but not so. Even his Republican colleagues are sick of McCrory s nonsense, and they made the decision to toss his ridiculous voter fraud complaints. These complaints were designed to make it appear that people who were not eligible to vote had indeed voted, thus costing him the election. However, the Board of Elections said to get rid of the complaints that merely disputes the eligibility of a voter. Here is the response from Roy Cooper:All of this comes on the heels of obvious voter suppression efforts on the part of the North Carolina GOP. The complaints filed by McCrory include the 52 counties in the state where the North Carolina GOP at large started purging voter rolls, accusing people of voting without being eligible. Despite this, the GOP elections officials are still going against McCrory.McCrory needs to concede. Cooper now leads him by more than 9,000 votes and counting. The people of North Carolina do not want him to be their governor any longer. Instead of accepting that, he is whining and stomping his feet like a child. He s embarrassing himself, his state, and his Republican colleagues. This guy is like North Carolina s own Donald Trump in a way too childish and prideful to admit when he s wrong. If McCrory continues this nonsense, he should be forcibly removed from office when his term is officially over.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1real |
ENERGY CO PRESIDENT: “There are no political hacks in this new administration” [VIDEO] | 1real | |
Ukraine just officially declared itself an illegitimate state up for grabs | October 27, 2016 - By Eduard Popov for Fort Russ - translated by J. Arnoldski -
Last week, an event occurred capable of revolutionizing not only Ukraine, but all of Eastern and part of Central Europe. On October 20th, the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Declaration of Memory and Solidarity of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This document condemned the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and modern Russian policy and remarked that “the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact concluded by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany led to the Second World War.”
Let’s set aside pseudo-scholarly interpretations of what is officially called the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact but is more famously known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This agreement was preceded by Western countries’ (England and France’s) unprecedented concessions to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. These included the betrayal of Czechoslovakia by the Munich Agreement (which British Prime Minister Chamberlain praised as “peace for our time”) followed by the invasion of the country in late September 1938 by the troops of Hitler’s Germany, Poland, and Hungary. Stalin’s USSR (of which I am no supporter) consistently sought to create a common European system of defense against Hitler’s Germany in contrast to the USSR of Lenin and Trotsky which in the early 1920’s sought to bring revolutionary war to Europe. But England, the chief architect of interwar Europe, deliberately pushed Hitler to the East for the Third Reich and Soviet Union to collide.
As early as 1934, the foreign policy leaders of the Second Polish Republic had concluded a nonaggression pact with Germany 5 years before the analogous agreement concluded by the Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov, but refused to sign a nonaggression pact with the USSR. Poland paid for its anti-Soviet (in fact anti-Russian) policies and complicity in the occupation of Czechoslovakia with the loss of its independence and enormous human losses. England paid for such with a one-on-one war with Hitler’s Germany that lasted a whole year, during which only the insular island position of the English saved them from German occupation. Soviet Russia paid for this with the bloodiest war in its history, from which it emerged as the victor and liberator of all of Europe. The leaders of today’s Europe are not inclined to gratitude towards Russia for its historic mission and the millions of Russians who laid down their lives on the altar of European freedom.
Ukraine, a state which can count only a quarter century of existence, has no historical tradition, historical memory, nor strategic thinking. Thus, its current establishment is incapable of even thinking about the immediate consequences of its resolution on the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. And these consequences will be very bitter for Ukraine.
Today’s Poland is already talking about restitution, i.e., the return of Poles’ property in the Kresy, i.e., the eastern lands which belonged to Poland before the Second World War and amount to 5 regions of modern Ukraine (Galicia and Volyn) and Western Belarus and Lithuania. By condemning the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Ukraine is automatically condemning its sovereignty over 5 western regions therin recognized as illegally seized from Poland.
Not so long ago, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Parubiy called for a visa regime to be introduced with Russia, thereby depriving 5 million Ukrainian “guest workers” of bread and solid earnings. The consequences of the Rada’s resolution on October 20th go even further by questioning the territorial borders of contemporary Ukraine, of which President Putin once said half belong to Russia and half to Eastern Europe.
The condemnation of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact done to curry favor with the Poles is not Ukraine shooting itself in the foot, but shooting itself in the head to spite its Russian neighbor.
Poles will undoubtedly take advantage of Ukrainians’ fantastic foolishness and will one day demand that their lands be returned, in particular Lvov, their “Cemetery of Eaglets” that is so sacred to Poles’ historical memory. They will also demand their territorial share of Czech Republic, the lands of Transcarpathian Rus that they lost in 1945 and are now Ukraine’s, Romanian Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina which were annexed in 1940 and transferred to Soviet Ukraine, and Hungary’s part of Transcarpathia, now also part of Ukraine. All of these lands were acquired by Ukraine thanks to Stalin’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs, Vyacheslav Molotov, who has now been condemned by the Verkhovna Rada as the initiator of the Second World War.
Ukraine’s state actors, being so devoid of any historical and state experience and tradition, do not bother to look so “far” (beyond their own noses) into the future. The issue of territorial claims being raised against Ukraine by its current allies in the West is only a matter of time. As long as the West needs Ukraine as a springboard for war against Russia, Ukraine’s sovereignty over its western territories criminally acquired thanks to Stalin and Molotov will not be challenged. But as soon as the situation changes, the West will suddenly “remember” the territory of Soviet Ukraine, which today’s successor state of Ukraine has called “the totalitarian USSR”, and demand that its historical debts be paid off.
This will concern not only Ukrainians, but also Belarusians, Poles, Czechs, Lithuanians, Romanians, and Russians. The Ukrainians have launched a domino effect whose consequences will be felt across all of Europe.
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House votes to repeal U.S. retirement rule, Obama threatens veto | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to repeal a Labor Department rule aimed at protecting retirement savers from profit-hungry brokers, a largely symbolic move that President Barack Obama has threatened to veto. Obama’s administration earlier in April released the rule setting a fiduciary standard for financial brokers who sell retirement products, requiring them to put clients’ best interests ahead of their bottom lines. Republican political leaders and some in the financial industry responded by trying to override it through legislation, saying complying with it would be expensive for brokers which would result in higher costs for retirement advice that many Americans could not afford. They also say that the rule does not take into account other laws and regulations on financial advice. Thursday’s vote of 234 in favor, and 183 opposed split along party lines. Democrats said the fiduciary rule would protect families from paying higher fees and that the Obama administration took into consideration industry concerns when drafting the rule. “Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. have no business getting between you and your financial planner. But that’s what the Obama administration’s fiduciary rule does,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan in a statement after the vote. “It’s Obamacare for financial planning.” The Senate would have to take up and pass a version of the resolution and then Congress would send a combined bill to Obama to sign into law. Obama made clear that would not happen in a statement issued on Wednesday saying the final Labor Department rule “reflects extensive feedback from industry, advocates, and members of Congress, and has been streamlined to reduce the compliance burden and ensure continued access to advice.” The rule has followed a long path to fruition. It was first proposed in 2010 and a year later the Labor Department, which oversees retirement plans, had to rescind it in the face of enormous industry backlash. | 0fake |
EXTRAORDINARY DETAILS EMERGE About How Senator John McCain Got “Dirty Dossier” On President Trump From Ex-Spy…Where’s The Media Outrage? | Where was the media s outrage when a sitting United States senator, John McCain went on a wild goose chase, that led him overseas, in an effort to obtain what he believed was incriminating evidence that could be used to harm President Trump? How is it okay for Senator John McCain to actively seek dirt on a sitting president, but not okay for Donald Trump Jr. (who is NOT a government official) to meet with a Russian lawyer in an attempt to discover potential dirt on presidential candidate Hillary Clinton?Sen. John McCain commented on Tuesday about Donald Trump Jr. s meeting with the Russian lawyer. How serious do you think this particular shoe is? Raju asked, referring to Donald Trump Jr. s meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya after being promised dirt on Clinton that was reportedly part of a Russian government effort. I don t know. But it s certainly another shoe that s dropped that needs to be pursued and looked at, McCain said. TPMWatch RINO Senator John McCain express his concern overt the seriousness of Donald Trump Jr. s meeting with the Russian lawyer about the lifting US sanctions on Russian adoption. It s curious that the reporter never asked McCain about his efforts to smear our president with a unsubstantiated dirty dossier from an ex-spy:Before we go any further into the messy details of John McCain s international dealings to find dirt on our sitting president, it s worth mentioning that as far as we know, no one was murdered as a result of Donald Trump Jr. s meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who entered the US without a visa under extraordinary circumstances thanks to the efforts of Barack Obama s DOJ. The same cannot be said about McCain s dealings with the dirty dossier on Trump. Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya is also said to have ties to Fusion GPS, the sketchy secretive Washington firm that commissioned the dubious intelligence dossier on Donald Trump.According to the Daily Caller The Russian lawyer who offered Donald Trump Jr. damaging information about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly has ties to the opposition research firm that commissioned the dossier on President Donald Trump.When the June 2016 meeting took place, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was in New York to defend Prevezon, a Russian holding firm accused of laundering money for corrupt Russian businessmen. Veselnitskaya had been working on the case for years with assistance from Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that compiled the Trump dossier.Fusion GPS denied any knowledge of, or role in, facilitating the meeting between Veselnitskaya and Trump Jr.According to The Sun: A FORMER KGB spy chief suspected of helping Brit spook Christopher Steele compile the Trump dirty dossier has been found dead in his car under mysterious circumstances.Oleg Erovinkin, described as a key source behind the widely discredited document, was found dead in the back of his car in Moscow on Boxing Day.Today, the Daily Mail reports: Sen. John McCain said he did what any citizen would do in turning over the dirty dossier, which contained unconfirmed secrets about the president-elect, over to the FBI.The Guardian charted the path of how the dossier came to be and how it was that McCain got his hands on the controversial documents.In turn, that firm outsourced the research to a retired western European former counter-intelligence official, with a long history of dealing with the shadow world of Moscow s spooks and siloviki (securocrats), explained the Guardian.Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal identified the ex-spy as Christopher Steele.The Guardian pointed out that just because a Democrat was willing to pay for the information that didn t mean that said Democrat was Hillary Clinton s campaign or the Democratic National Committee.Sometimes donors seek out this information in order to ensure they ve made a sound investment.***Yeah okay!***The contractor, who the Guardian didn t name, but the Wall Street Journal identified as Steele, reportedly found the information that he dug up to be concerning. He and another ex-British diplomat, Christopher Burrows, run their own company, Orbis Business Intelligence. If the allegations were real, their implications were overwhelming, the Guardian wrote.On November 18, at the Halifax International Security Forum, McCain was introduced to a former senior western diplomat who had set eyes on the documents and knew who put them together, telling the Arizona Republican that the individual was highly reliable. That man can now be named as Sir Andrew Wood, British ambassador to Moscow from 1995 to 2000.Wood told the Independent that he had met McCain, spoken to him about Trump, and about the potential for him to be compromised.In a carefully nuanced statement he said: Yes I did meet Senator McCain and his aides at the conference. We spoke about the kind of activities the Russians can be engaged in. We also spoke about how Mr Trump may find himself in a position where there could be an attempt to blackmail him with Kompromat [a Russian term for compromising material] and claims that there were audio and video tapes in existence. He added: I would like to stress that I did not pass on any dossier to Senator McCain or anyone else and I did not see a dossier at the time. I do know Christopher Steele and in my view he is very professional and thorough in what he does. He did not however address whether he told McCain there was a dossier and how to get it.Clearly, somebody did.From there, McCain dispatched a trusted emissary who flew across the Atlantic to meet the source of the documents at an airport that the Guardian did not name.The aide was instructed to look for a man with a copy of the Financial Times and that s how the individuals met, with the source taking McCain s emissary back to his house and giving the American a copy of the documents.Within 24 hours, the dossier was in Washington, though the contents of the file couldn t be verified without an investigation. McCain, the Guardian said, was worried that his actions might be interpreted as revenge for some of the controversial comments Trump made about him such as knocking the fact that the longtime senator had been a prisoner of war.However, McCain decided to hand over the documents to FBI Director James Comey on December 9. Upon examination of the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their accuracy, I delivered the information to the Director of the FBI, McCain said Wednesday in a statement about that matter. That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any other government agency regarding this issue, McCain said.For entire story: Daily Mail | 1real |
French ministers tell anti-graft agency: no law revamp for now | PARIS (Reuters) - Two French ministers said on Tuesday they had no immediate plans to overhaul legislation to make it easier to target corrupt foreign firms - a change demanded by their own anti-graft agency. Charles Duchaine, head of the new AFA anti-graft body, told Reuters last week that the current law, brought in just a year ago, had to be re-drawn as it gave him almost no powers to pursue foreign companies. He repeated the point at a conference on Tuesday. But Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet responded at the same event that she wanted to see how the Sapin 2 legislation worked on the ground before making any alterations. We re not going to rewrite the law every morning, she said. Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin told the conference: It is important that the agency first gets on with its work. Under the law, the AFA agency can only target public bodies and companies with more than 500 employees and turnover of above 100 million euros ($118.19 million), or subsidiaries of foreign companies that are headquartered in France and meet those two criteria. AFA s work has got off to a slow start. It was created by the Sapin 2 act a year ago but only launched its first investigations in October. The ministers said there was funding to increase the number of AFA agents to 70 from 50. ($1 = 0.8461 euros) | 0fake |
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, a Mother-Daughter Act for the Ages - The New York Times | For anyone who loves the spotlight, mothering can be an ideal role — for a while. The mother is a singular star to her baby, whose gaze follows her around the room with the watchfulness of an obsessive fan. For the stars Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, that dynamic seemed to linger well into Ms. Fisher’s childhood: Ms. Fisher was the reverent observer, her mother the adored and observed. “When my mother was at home on weekends, we stayed with her as much as possible, which frequently meant we were very involved in watching our mother,” wrote Ms. Fisher in her memoir “Wishful Drinking,” including her brother, Todd Fisher, in her recollections. Sometimes, they watched her sleep often, they watched their mother transform into someone “not of this world,” a trick carried off with makeup and glitter and silk. “When our mother dressed,” Ms. Fisher wrote, “the man behind the curtain became the great and powerful Oz. ” Over the years, Ms. Reynolds and Ms. Fisher had a relationship as conflicted and layered as any other story in show business, but with an ending that they might think implausible, or even sentimental, had they read it in a script. First Ms. Fisher died on Tuesday, of heart attack at 60 a day later, her mother, 84, succumbed to heart failure of her own, although technically she was likely felled by a stroke. There is something about celebrity acts like the one lived by Ms. Fisher and Ms. Reynolds that capture the imagination in a way that famous simply do not. Think of Kris Jenner and the Kardashian sisters, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Judy and Liza. Even the most narcissistic of mothers seem to have enough psychic energy to love a child passionately, or at least to include the daughter, a younger version of herself, in the realm of things emotionally essential. As glitzy or extreme as their lives are, those represent, in the push and pull of their relationship, something familiar to so many other mothers and daughters, something they recognize in their own lives: the in the role of caregiver, the pleasure and suffocation that comes with being worried over. Whose turn is it to watch? Whose turn is it to be watched? Ms. Fisher characterizes her memoir as just one more “pathetic bid” for the attention she did not receive as a young child. Ms. Fisher, it turns out, has plenty of distracting sparkle of her own: With humor, her writing tap dances around her relationship with her mother, whom she describes (twice) as “eccentric” and whose troubled marriages Ms. Fisher mines for comic material. She and her mother were both clever, victims of those laughably imperfect men. But the public’s impression of the pair was probably more fully formed, fairly or not, by the film “Postcards from the Edge,” the script of which Ms. Fisher adapted from her autobiographical novel of the same name. The daughter in that film, played by Meryl Streep, clearly resents her mother, who infantilizes but also cares fiercely for her while she is in recovery. In one complicated scene, the mother, played by Shirley MacLaine, steals the show at a party supposedly thrown in her daughter’s honor. We see a momentary flash of loathing on her daughter’s face, which gives way — quickly — to admiration, even pure joy, in the song her mother performs for the crowd. She is her mother’s biggest fan, as only a child can be. When they are offstage, she is also her toughest critic, as only a child can be. Ms. Reynolds and Ms. Fisher took their show on the road, performing together in nightclub acts from the time Ms. Fisher was very young, and then performing again, in some version, on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” in 2011. In a lengthy interview, they spoke of their trials, including a period in which Ms. Reynolds claimed, dramatically, that they did not speak. “We talked, really badly,” Ms. Fisher clarified. She explained that at the time, she needed to separate — “to forge some kind of character out of … nothing,” she said, her famous wit momentarily leaving her. In “Postcards from the Edge,” the actress is still asking her mother: “Why do you have to completely overshadow me?” But on Oprah, and also in her own life, Ms. Fisher more than held her own, playing a tough, princess in “Star Wars”: She, too, was an icon of her time, and she, too, was not quite of this world. If her mother was forever an ingénue, albeit one who could land a wicked zinger, Ms. Fisher was a blazing comic, a teller of truths with little patience for costume and . From what she called “nothing,” she forged something big and bold and every bit as brilliant as the woman who raised her, less glittering, more glaring. Mothers and daughters who watched them on Oprah saw a mutuality in their regard for one another, and reconciliation in their rapport. There was humor and acceptance — not so much a ending as a loving truce, bound by devotion. For the entirety of her childhood, Ms. Fisher had to endure the public’s fascination with her mother, an experience she felt most keenly when they went out in public. “I did not like sharing her,” Ms. Fisher wrote in “Wishful Drinking. ” But toward the end of her mother’s life — Ms. Fisher did not know it was toward the end of her own life, as well — she wanted to show the world the person whom she saw, the mother and human, the Oz behind the curtain whom she loved. That was one reason, Ms. Fisher said, that she consented to having a documentary made about them both, called “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds,” which will be broadcast on HBO on Jan. 7. At times, one of the documentary’s directors, Fisher Stevens, was frustrated by just how hard it was to capture the real Ms. Reynolds — sometimes, he told The Washington Post, she asked for her lines, and seemed incapable of dropping a performer’s pretense in front of the camera one interview concludes with her throwing a kiss, as if she were ending a telethon. Ms. Reynolds, offstage, was a gift she reserved for her daughter and family alone. On the Oprah special, Ms. Reynolds said of her daughter, “I always feel, as a mother does, that I protect her. Who will do that when I’m gone?” she asked. And yet at the end, it was the daughter who protected the mother, hovering over her, in the documentary, when Ms. Reynolds insists on performing despite obvious frailty. Ms. Fisher brings her mother meals, begs her to rest, agonizes over logistics so Ms. Reynolds could comfortably accept a lifetime achievement award she was receiving from the Screen Actors Guild in 2015. When her was daughter was unexpectedly gone, on Tuesday, Debbie Reynolds perhaps felt, at some level, that the show that mattered most was over. When she exited the stage a day later, it was her last and most exquisite bit of showmanship — a performance surely of love. | 0fake |
FRESHMAN ORIENTATION: It’s Racist To Ask Asian Students For Math Help…Don’t Ask Black Students If They Play Basketball…And MORE Insanity You Won’t Believe! | You know the Left has won when communism replaces education A freshman tentatively raises her hand and takes the microphone. I m really scared to ask this, she begins. When I, as a white female, listen to music that uses the N word, and I m in the car, or, especially when I m with all white friends, is it O.K. to sing along? The answer, from Sheree Marlowe, the new chief diversity officer at Clark University, is an unequivocal no. The exchange was included in Ms. Marlowe s presentation to recently arriving first-year students focusing on subtle microaggressions, part of a new campus vocabulary that also includes safe spaces and trigger warnings. Microaggressions, Ms. Marlowe said, are comments, snubs or insults that communicate derogatory or negative messages that might not be intended to cause harm but are targeted at people based on their membership in a marginalized group.Among her other tips: Don t ask an Asian student you don t know for help on your math homework or randomly ask a black student if he plays basketball. Both questions make assumptions based on stereotypes. And don t say you guys. It could be interpreted as leaving out women, said Ms. Marlowe, who realized it was offensive only when someone confronted her for saying it during a presentation.Clark, a private liberal arts college that has long prided itself on diversity and inclusion, is far from the only university stepping up discussions of racism and diversity in orientation programs this year.Once devoted to ice cream socials, tutorials on campus technology systems and advice on choosing classes, orientation for new students is changing significantly, with the issue taking on renewed urgency this year as universities increasingly try to address recent racial and ethnic tensions on campuses as well as an onslaught of sexual assault complaints and investigations.A bystander intervention presentation for arriving freshmen at Wesleyan University last Thursday We Speak We Stand featured students acting out fictional episodes of campus sexual violence, harassment and problematic drinking, with examples of how to intervene. Each of you has the power to bring to light sexual violence in our community, one student told the group.In August, the University of Wisconsin system, which includes the Madison flagship and 25 other campuses, said it would ask the State Legislature for $6 million in funding to improve what it called the university experience for students. The request includes money for Fluent, a program described as a systemwide cultural training for faculty and staff members and students.But that budget request has provoked controversy. If only the taxpayers and tuition-paying families had a safe space that might protect them from wasteful UW System spending on political correctness, State Senator Stephen L. Nass, a Republican, said in a statement issued by his office, urging his fellow lawmakers to vote against the appropriation.Mr. Nass s objection to spending money on diversity training reflects a rising resistance to what is considered campus political correctness. At some universities, alumni and students have objected to a variety of campus measures, including diversity training; safe spaces, places where students from marginalized groups can gather to discuss their experiences; and trigger warnings, disclaimers about possibly upsetting material in lesson plans.Some graduates have curtailed donations and students have suggested that diversity training smacks of some sort of communist re-education program. -Via NYT s | 1real |
No plans to release tax returns as pressure mounts, Trump aide says | (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “will not be releasing” his tax returns due to a federal audit, his campaign manager said on Wednesday, despite pressure to release them and provide a window into his finances before the Nov. 8 election. “Mr. Trump has said that his taxes are under audit, and he will not be releasing them,” campaign manager Paul Manafort said in an interview with CBS on Wednesday. “That issue will be dealt with when the audits are done.” His Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has released tax returns and called on Trump to put out his. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, has called it “disqualifying” for a party’s White House nominee not to make tax returns public. Trump has come under new pressure to release financial information and show whether he has any ties to Russia. That came after U.S. officials this week said there was evidence that Russia was involved in the recent release of sensitive Democratic Party emails, potentially to influence the U.S. election. Trump has often praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “strong leader,” but on Tuesday he said it was “crazy” for Democrats to suggest Russia would try to help his election bid. “For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia,” Trump wrote on Twitter. Manafort said on CBS on Wednesday that Trump’s hesitance to release his tax returns has nothing to do with Russia. Asked to clarify that Trump has no financial relationships with any Russian oligarchs, Manafort responded, “That’s what he said. ... That’s obviously what our position is.” | 0fake |
Is Bandcamp the Holy Grail of Online Record Stores? - The New York Times | A artist you love makes a new recording — say, the group Clipping or the Chicago punk band Mace or the electronic composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. You feel you have to graft it onto your life. How does that go for you these days? Does streaming from Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal answer your needs in terms of audio quality and how well the artist is paid? Do you have a good record store nearby, and does it sell cassettes and vinyl, too? Do you only buy new records directly from artists, with a cash transaction and a handshake? Do you love spending time on iTunes? If you answered no to all these questions, you probably know about Bandcamp, the online music site known for its equitable treatment of artists, and one of the greatest bazaars of our time. From it, you can stream music to the extent each artist allows, or buy songs at a price set by the artist — which is sometimes “pay what you wish” — or order physical products from the site. The artist gets 85 percent. Always, the artist gets to know who’s buying, without a third party in the way. There’s also a application on the site that lets the consumer know who else is buying and what else they’ve bought in the past. That is significant: You can triangulate your taste with other people, whom you don’t know, but whom you might come to trust. All of which makes Bandcamp a strange categorical combination of Spotify, iTunes — though it is much smaller than either — a big independent record store and a small band’s merch table after a gig. I often buy music on Bandcamp, because I know I’m putting a sandwich in someone’s mouth. But a lot more often, I just listen. All of the time I’ve spent there has felt beautifully unmediated, and mostly dedicated to one kind of music. Which has been, until recently, punk, the noisier the better. That is a conscious limitation — I only have so much time — but also because Bandcamp has become something like punk’s central agency. It’s the right medium for it ergo, nearly all of it is there. I’m not sure there’s ever been anything like that in the past for punk culture, which is international and inherently suspicious of commercialism. To punk bands, Bandcamp may represent a fair business model, and a reasonably direct link between artist and audience. To me, it has represented a fantasy of being left alone with valuable information that I can make sense of however I like. I’ve got the raw data: collections of charged, grimy, songs with uncharismatic titles like “ Demo” and art, by little bands from Chicago and the Czech Republic and Japan. Bandcamp, which started in 2008 and is run out of a number of small offices in San Francisco, Brooklyn and elsewhere, became profitable in 2012 and sells a record every five seconds. It grew 35 percent last year and has paid $169 million to artists, according to its website. Its chief executive, Ethan Diamond, mentioned in an interview that “plenty of artists” have made more than $100, 000 each through it, and all of them get the same deal: The site keeps 15 percent of each sale. (By comparison, iTunes takes about 30 percent, and going that route also requires being on a label or working with an independent distributor, which takes another cut.) Bandcamp’s basic business model is not changing. But the experience of spending time at the site and listening to music through it might be. A sign of a new phase came early this summer. Bandcamp hired a smart staff to create about 20 times the amount of editorial content that had been there previously, writing about music that had just been posted as well as parts of its deep and woolly catalog, in a feature called “Bandcamp Daily. ” A June article surveyed the current rock scene in Bangkok, with embedded musical examples of six different bands. Before, those bands had just made their records available on the site. You knew about the scene, or you randomly found your way to them, or more likely, you didn’t Mr. Diamond told me that the company has never spent money on promotion. Now those bands are being organized, by employees with knowledge and taste, into history. My own reaction, not just as a fan of specific bands but as a fan of the weirdly oceanic Bandcamp experience, is perfectly divided: grateful and wary. The Bangkok piece was soon followed by an interview with the young American Julien Baker, in which she picked her favorite “Bandcamp bands. ” (They were passionate fledglings, like her they included Our Lady, Hodera and Ratboys, all new to me.) That piece, too, included streamable tracks. Very helpful. But: Bandcamp bands? Are there such things? What seems like a great bazaar from a distance can become a much more focused and private experience up close, especially when you narrow down your search to a single genre. When I’m looking through the site’s pages for individual punk bands, Bandcamp suddenly becomes more like a box of punk 45s, individually sleeved and glued, at the foot of a driveway on a rural route, with a sign and a record player. (An invisible hand replenishes the box every day.) The extreme neutrality of the experience has been part of the attraction, and part of the reason I have spent so much time looking. Punk bands are skeptical about being objectified, categorized, rated so am I. Looking without help was how I first found G. L. O. S. S. the trans and queer punk band from Olympia, Wash. which recently had a best seller on the site with its EP “Trans Day of Revenge. ” And Torso and Replica, from Oakland, Calif. and JJ Doll, from Brooklyn and Good Throb, from London and on and on. But now there are experts to guide me. I don’t see the isolated box of 45s anymore. Now I see something with a cultural weight and aura, something — I do not like this word — curated. Bandcamp has an identity because of practicalities: Independent artists from subcultures need it most. Punk is one of them, but some of the most consistently music on the site is video game soundtrack music, like the one for the game Undertale or the ambient hipster kitsch of about five years ago known as vaporwave. Some artists, like Car Seat Headrest and Sufjan Stevens, have been able to grow careers with Bandcamp. Part of Bandcamp’s attraction has been the of some of the creators who upload music to it. The online magazine Fact, since early 2014, has been publishing monthly columns by the writers Laurent Fintoni and Miles Bowe of the best discoveries on Bandcamp, and they’ve been great: sightings in the wild, basically. (A record by Prince Metropolis Known that included surreal takedowns of Bill O’Reilly. An album of field recordings and found sounds by a Belgian artist named Dolphins Into the Future. Et cetera, forever.) The columns weren’t looking for influence or significance they were looking for strangeness and surprise. Bandcamp’s own editorial framing of the music it hosts tends to be more serious, and it’s done, presumably, with some knowledge of what sells and what doesn’t. Are my favorite punk bands now Bandcamp bands? Are they suddenly wanting to conform to a kind of Bandcamp aesthetic? I don’t think so. Not yet. But if that does happen, something might be lost — a sense of these bands defining themselves as they want to, which is sort of the Bandcamp promise in the first place. People can use help navigating the riches of Bandcamp. But its estimable editorial project opens an interesting question: When does help turn into tastemaking? | 0fake |
Obama, Saudi king discuss strained alliance, Middle East conflicts | RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday to seek joint action on security threats including Iran and Islamic State - and to talk through tensions between the two allies that have been laid bare in recent weeks. Obama’s fourth and likely last visit to the world’s top oil exporter has been overshadowed by Gulf Arab exasperation with his approach to the region, and doubts about Washington’s commitment to their security. Most of the Gulf Arab monarchies have in private been sorely disappointed by Obama’s presidency, regarding it as a period in which the United States has pulled back from the region, giving more space to their arch rival Iran to expand its influence. Obama met for two hours with Salman and a group of top princes and officials at the opulent Erga palace, a meeting that had been forecast to be awkward. Obama was recently quoted in a U.S. magazine interview commenting on the “complicated” nature of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, and describing some some Gulf and European states as “free riders” who called for U.S. action without doing enough themselves. The White House said the leaders exchanged views on a series of regional conflicts where the allies disagree, and also explored U.S. concerns about Saudi human rights issues. “The two leaders reaffirmed the historic friendship and deep strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” the White House said in a statement. Obama has spoken of his desire to persuade Gulf states to arrive at a “cold peace” with Iran that would douse sectarian tensions and allow all sides to focus on what he sees as a greater threat emanating from Islamic State. “More broadly, the president and King discussed the challenges posed by Iran’s provocative activities in the region, agreeing on the importance of an inclusive approach to de-escalating regional conflicts,” the White House said. Obama praised the king’s pledge of humanitarian aid to Yemen after a Saudi-led military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi group - and talked about the need to help parts of Iraq hit hard by Islamic State fighting. They also talked about the need to reinforce a cessation of hostilities between Syrian government and opposition forces, and their support for a political transition in the war-torn country, the White House said. The White House did not say whether the leaders had discussed a bill proposed in the U.S. Congress that, if passed, could hold the kingdom responsible for any role in al Qaeda’s Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The attack was mounted by al Qaeda, then based in Afghanistan. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, although no U.S. investigation to date has reported finding evidence of Saudi government support for the attacks. Obama has said he opposes the bill because it could expose the United States to lawsuits from citizens of other countries. LOW-KEY ARRIVAL Obama arrived too late for the pomp of a televised official welcome for Gulf rulers at the airport, making a low-key entrance before being whisked off by helicopter to the palace. He later met privately at his hotel with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan and discussed the need to find a political settlement for the Yemen conflict, and to head off the “actions of potential spoilers” for Libya’s nascent government. Earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter had talks with his Gulf Arab counterparts on ways of countering Iranian influence and fighting the Islamic State group. They agreed on joint cooperation towards improving Gulf missile defense, special forces and maritime security, but no new deals were announced. The GCC secretary general said the bloc and the United States would stage joint maritime patrols to stop weapons smuggling to Iran. American officials said these were already taking place and did not represent a new step. On Thursday, Obama will attend a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a group of monarchies comprising Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Apart from Oman, they are ruled by Sunni Muslim dynasties who see revolutionary, Shi’ite Iran as a threat to their security and say its involvement in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen has fueled conflict and deepened sectarian divisions. That tension surfaced again on Wednesday when Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei attacked Riyadh’s attempts to isolate its ally, Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, in a series of fiery Tweets. “Hezbollah is shining in the Muslim world. It doesn’t matter if a corrupt, dependent and hollow government with the use of petrodollars condemns it in a statement. To hell with it,” he wrote. The White House shares the view of Gulf Arab states that Tehran plays a destabilizing role, but its push for the nuclear deal Iran agreed with world powers last year caused fears in Riyadh that Washington was not listening to their concerns. | 0fake |
Donald Trump Jr. Criticizes London Mayor After Deadly Attack - The New York Times | It has become something of an online custom in the social media age to react to tragic news stories — like Wednesday’s attack in London — with if sometimes rote messages like “thoughts and prayers. ” But that does not appear to be Donald Trump Jr. ’s style. “You have to be kidding me? !” Mr. Trump said Wednesday afternoon on Twitter, as details of the episode — which left at least five dead, including the assailant, and 40 injured — continued to unfold. The message continued, “Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan. ” Mr. Trump, the oldest son of President Trump, was calling attention to an article from September in The Independent, a British newspaper, that described Mr. Khan’s reaction to a bombing then in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Mr. Trump mischaracterized the London mayor’s remarks. Mr. Khan did not describe terrorism as “part of living in a big city,” as if bombings and shootings were an inescapable fact of life. He said that terrorism preparedness, including providing sufficient support to the police, was “part and parcel of living in a great global city. ” “That means being vigilant, having a police force that is in touch with communities it means the security services being ready, but it also means exchanging ideas and best practice,” Mr. Khan said in a video interview published by The Evening Standard, another British paper. (For the record, Mr. Khan did say the victims of the Chelsea bombing were in his “thoughts and prayers. ”) “Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe,” Mr. Khan added. “I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked. ” On Thursday morning, Mr. Khan said in an interview on CNN that he would not respond to Mr. Trump’s tweet because he had “been doing far more important things over the last 24 hours. ” “What I do know is that the threat level in London and across the country is severe,” he said. “That means an attack is highly likely. I was in New York last year when there was an attack in New York. And terrorists hate the fact that whether it’s New York, whether it’s London, whether it’s Paris, whether its Brussels, whether it’s Istanbul, whether it’s Madrid, we have diverse communities living together peacefully. ” Mr. Trump’s tweet was not well received by Britons, who were still learning details of the attack when he weighed in. On Twitter, Wes Streeting, a member of Parliament from the Labour Party, accused Mr. Trump of capitalizing on the attack in London and called him “a disgrace. ” Ciaran Jenkins, a correspondent for Britain’s Channel 4, asked the president’s son on Twitter if he thought his remarks were “helpful. ” “Did you even read the article before goading London’s Mayor during a live incident?” he wrote. He added, “Headline is based on very first sentence, which if you’d bothered to read it could apply to any major city in the world. Key word: ‘threat.’ ” Mr. Trump declined to elaborate later on Wednesday. “I’m not going to comment on every tweet I send,” he said in an email. Political violence in the United Kingdom is relatively rare. Decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland often spilled over, but there had not been a attack in Britain since 2005, when more than 50 people died in subway and bus attacks. | 0fake |
This Golden Eagle Lands On Standing Rock And Allows Water Protectors To Touch Him | Share on Facebook Another Avatar moment at Standing Rock. This is a Golden Eagle that landed for about an hour. Natives gathered around it and were able to touch it. American Natives see the eagle as a sacred messenger that carries prayers to the Creator and returns with gifts and visions. Freedom is vital to the survival of the eagle and this teaches us that all people must be free to choose their own paths; to worship as the Creator leads them; and to respect the freedom of others. The Eagle teaches how to master the art of patience and how to move through life without material attachments from their ability to sit for long hours perched on a limb in meditation. Eagles have excellent hearing and can hunt as much by ear as by sight. To those to whom eagle comes, the ability to hear spiritually and psychically will awaken. Eagles have sharp beaks and strong jaws that can remove a finger in one snap. The eagle tells us to mind our words and how they affects others; to speak kindly without sharp rancor. Eagles are renowned for their superior vision, ten times greater than human eyesight. This quality is a gift of vision and clarity that should be used to help others through dark and troubling times. The eagle is a creature of the air, but has strong legs to walk on the earth and often lives near the water for food. These qualities of the eagle teach us to maintain balance in all dimensions to achieve inner-growth. As we soar to spiritual awareness, we remain well grounded in reality as we purify ourselves with the cleansing waters. The eagle teaches us to have the courage to strive for greater heights of spirituality. The Eagle is seen by American Indians as a connection to the Great Mystery – The Creator of all things. VIDEO – Eagles Arrive At Standing Rock Related: | 1real |
Brexit campaigner Farage says UK set for 'next stage of humiliation' | LONDON (Reuters) - Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said Britain was now ready to move on to the next stage of humiliation after Prime Minister Theresa May agreed the terms of Britain s divorce from the European Union. A deal in Brussels is good news for Mrs May as we can now move on to the next stage of humiliation, he said on Twitter. | 0fake |
Pro-Palestinian Propaganda Lowering Standards of Truth in America | Pro-Palestinian Propaganda Lowering Standards of Truth in America Manipulation by doctored narratives in every sphere. October 28, 2016
Reprinted from IsraelNationalNews.com .
Commendably, organized American Jewry is finally focused on the campaign to boycott, de-legitimize, and sanction Israel. However, focusing primarily on Israel, and not also on America and Europe, is short-sighted.
The BDS campaign has not devastated Israel economically. Israel is thriving both economically and in terms of regional alliances—but fifty years of a well-funded propaganda campaign has all but destroyed Israel's good name and has rendered her and Jews everywhere vulnerable to diplomatic, academic, and mob attacks.
It has also lowered the standards for truth among Americans. This is a very important point.
An Islamic-style of Jew hatred has merged with Western, politically correct anti-racism to breed an unnatural passion for "Palestinians," (Fakestinians), which has infiltrated every corner, every crevice of our lives and world. It has infected Americans and Europeans on both sides of the aisle and of every class, race, and ethnicity.
This is utterly astounding, amazing really; something like this does not happen overnight.
The BDS campaign is rooted in the Arab League, PLO, and Soviet propaganda campaign that began in the mid-1960s. In the mid-1970s, the UN proposed its infamous Zionism=Racism resolution.
In 1967, the day after Israel won yet another war of self-defense, Israel--not the Arab aggressors--was seen as the alleged "occupier."
By the late 1970’s, Edward Said's treacherous, lying work had begun to have its way with Western academics, (and with Western-style academics in Israel), European governments, and international organizations.
I only realized how successful his campaign was in 1980, when Israel was demonized at a UN conference on Women in Copenhagen. The Soviets, the Iranians, the Arab League, the PLO-- roamed the hallways chanting "Death to Israel;" European feminists called upon "Palestinian" refugees but refused to hear Jewish-Israeli refugees from Arab and Muslim countries. By 2001, the UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban was an even more out-of-control Hate Fest and riot against Israel.
As we approach 2017, UN Resolutions against Israel are as commonplace as they are grotesque. UNESCO’s recent decision to De-Judaize Jerusalem, the Western Wall, and the First and Second Temples is a grim and maddening continuation of this trend. At the same time, pro-Israel professors and students in America are increasingly being harassed, even fired.
Such Lies have infiltrated my private social world. For example: At a recent holiday dinner, our guests agreed that we live in criminal and anarchic times and that no great power has stopped global barbarism, no entity is willing to bring the world back from the brink.
A like-minded gathering, yes? Not exactly. One man, a genial, well-heeled, well-educated Jewish-American suddenly began hectoring us about the "Palestinians." "What if they did not hate the Jews and destroyed all their textbooks that demonize Jews and Israelis? What if they were peaceful? Wouldn't we have to admit that Palestinians have always existed and therefore deserve a state of their own? You can't deny that the Palestinian people have always lived there, can you?" Oh my. Where to start? The company included two author-scholars who, between them, have published 15 books and thousands of articles, many of them dealing with the history and nature of Islam, tribal gender and religious apartheid, Israel, and anti-Semitism, etc. Among us was a third author, who had also served four tours of duty in the IDF. I held my breath and prayed that we would not go to war at the table. This man was punching way above his pay grade and I could not understand why.
The two author-scholars presented facts, cited statistics. I pulled down book after book from my shelves. We got nowhere. "Look," he said. "I have some really good Muslim friends, they're Americans, totally Westernized, they are Palestinians. They strongly feel that this is their identity. Why deny them the identity of their choice?" And then I understood that the pro-Palestinian/anti-Zionist propaganda behind the relentless BDS campaign is successful precisely because so many Americans of all ages, are without knowledge; without respect for knowledge; do not know this; and frankly, don't care.
"Fair is fair," he said. In other words: What's good for the Jews has to be good for everyone else. If not, the Jews don't deserve whatever it is either.
Here's a man who's not an anti-Semite or an anti-Zionist; not an active member of any organization--yet who needs to believe the canard that non-Jewish "Palestinians" have always existed; or that they existed by the nineteenth century or no later than 1948, the year that another stateless people--the Jews--chose a national sovereign identity.
He would not listen to reason. It was quite astounding. How is this possible?
His mind-set is part of our ruling American zeitgeist. If Rachel Dolezal can say she's "black" even when she's "white" and direct a chapter of the NAACP; if a man can say that he's really a woman, trapped in a man's body; if all truth(s) are "relative;" if everything is "subjective;" if objectivity is no longer important; if doctored narratives have supplanted fact-based histories; if revisionism is preferred to truth--then, yes, anyone can say that they deserve their own nation state because they "feel" or "believe" that they do.
I am grateful to my combative guest for reminding me that ignorance is often arrogant and as such, is a great enemy; that educated people have been especially vulnerable to False Ideas; that, psychologically speaking, we must approach them as if they've been brainwashed by a cult.
Facts alone will not work. We must consider all known techniques for de-programming.
This is one of our greatest challenges. | 1real |
Trump’s List Of ‘Unreported’ Terror Attacks Is Out, And It’s ABSURD (CITATIONS) | Earlier today, Trump said to a crowd at MacDill Air Force Base that the very dishonest media wasn t reporting on the terror attacks that are happening all across Europe all the time. Later on, the media pressed Sean Spicer on that topic while aboard Air Force One, and Spicer s response was to say that they d provide a list later on. Well, that list is out, and surprise surprise, it s completely ridiculous.Since Trump s comments focused on Europe and, by extension, the U.S., the following lists are focused there, despite many, many other attacks happening around the world.Perhaps one of the most ridiculous things about the White House s list of attacks is that it includes high-profile attacks that were covered for days on end, such as the 2015 attack against Charlie Hebdo in Paris, and the fateful attack at a Paris club in November. It also includes two foiled attacks that were also widely reported. Broken down:They also list several attacks in France in 2016 that were covered extensively.Then they list an attack in London in December 2015 that was covered by CNN, Reuters, The Huffington Post, USA Today, and more.There s one in Copenhagen, Denmark in February of 2015 that was covered by CNN, The New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Reuters, and more.Most of us probably remember the March 2016 attack in Brussels, Belgium, which was covered by CNN, NPR, The New York Times, CBS News, NBC News, USA Today, ABC News, and more.But that s Europe. What about the attacks they list here in the U.S. that supposedly weren t covered, or weren t covered extensively enough? Like the following:Really? So far we ve looked closely at 18 of the attacks listed, and they were all widely covered by U.S. media. Trump and his minions insist that we re not covering attacks in Europe hardly at all, and then they provide a list with 30 attacks that are in the Middle East, parts of Asia, and in Indonesia and the Philippines.Those attacks are terrible and tragic, too, but again, Trump didn t say anything about us not covering attacks in those regions. He probably didn t even think about those regions until whoever it was that compiled that list gave it to him (if they gave it to him).But the biggest falsehood is that the media isn t reporting, or is underreporting, on these attacks. It s like they hurriedly compiled a list of terror attacks worldwide from Wikipedia and couldn t be bothered to proofread, let alone research. There are spelling errors in addition to the lie that the media covers up attacks. Our dishonest president, has a lot of nerve accusing the media of actively covering up terrorist attacks.The full list, as provided to CNN, is below. Feel free to Google whatever you want:Here s the list the White House sent of attacks they feel did not receive adequate attention from Western media sources. pic.twitter.com/lj8eOZQfnY Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) February 7, 2017Read more:Featured image by Alex Wong via Getty Images | 1real |
JILL STEIN CONCEDES Recount In Michigan In Bizarre Press Conference [VIDEO] | Officially, history will record President-elect Donald Trump as having won the 2016 presidential race in Michigan by some 10,704 votes.But Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party s presidential candidate in the 2016 election, believes that the numbers would be different if all 4.8 million votes cast in the Wolverine State were recounted.That won t happen, Stein conceded in a rally in downtown Detroit on Saturday, a day after the non-recused members of the Michigan Supreme Court ruled, by a 3-2 margin, against Stein s appeal, leaving the candidate with no recourse. We may be moving out of the court of law, but we re moving into the court of public opinion, Stein said.The rally lasted about 40 minutes in freezing temperatures, and attracted dozens of the candidate s supporters. It took place near the foot of a street named ceremonially for Congressman John Conyers, Washington Boulevard. Bell, a Green Party member who helped supervise the vote-counting effort at Cobo, became emotional several times during her brief remarks, during which she called the election system in Michigan a flaming hot mess, a language Stein would herself adopt. Even if the results of the 2016 election won t change, and even if there won t be a full recount in Michigan, Stein said, the state needs election reform.Bell called out voting irregularities she d learned of, like how a polling place in Ionia County allegedly used a garbage can as a ballot box, or one in Gibraltar that sealed a ballot box with mere duct tape, or a precinct in Detroit that tabulated 300 votes but only 50 were found in the box. Hot mess! Hot mess! Bell said before handing the microphone to Stein. Count every vote, and make sure every vote counts, Stein said. This dysfunction in our elections flows downhill. It flows to communities that do not have resources The equipment that s used is prone to break. And it s not just the 87 scanners that failed in Detroit on Election Day. What raised a red flag in Michigan, Stein said, was the 75,000 ballots cast without also making a choice in the presidential race. MLive | 1real |
HUFFING TON POST WON’T COVER REPUBLICAN FRONTRUNNER DONALD TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN | Just confirming what anyone paying attention already knew. The Huffington Post isn t interested in reporting the news they re strictly serving as a propaganda arm of the progressive left Earlier this month, while political news organizations were wrestling with the rise of Donald Trump, Washington Post senior politics editor Steven Ginsberg offered a philosophy: In my view, making decisions solely according to who may win the nomination is the worst way to cover a presidential election, he said. A whole lot happens on the way to the nomination and you can t explain what s happening with the candidates or the country without being on top of all of it. Since then, Trump s influence in the Republican primary has only grown. He has surged to the front of the pack, leading his rivals by 3 points in the most recent Fox News and USA Today/Suffolk polls, respectively. He has raised issues that have resonated with conservative voters and forced other GOP candidates to come forward on where they stand. It is very likely that he will appear near center-stage at the inaugural Republican debate, on Aug. 6, and lead the pile-on against Jeb Bush.In other words, Trump is a major character in this chapter of the 2016 presidential election story. And as Ginsberg said, you can t explain what s happening with the candidates or the country without being on top of all of it. On Friday, however, the Huffington Post s politics team announced that they would no longer cover the candidate as a political story. After watching and listening to Donald Trump since he announced his candidacy for president, we have decided we won t report on Trump s campaign as part of The Huffington Post s political coverage. Instead, we will cover his campaign as part of our Entertainment section, they wrote. Our reason is simple: Trump s campaign is a sideshow. We won t take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you ll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette. A quick fact-check: 1. Huffington Post is taking the bait, because they re continuing to cover Trump and will continue to benefit from the clicks. 2. Trump s campaign isn t a sideshow. He s leading the field, and is therefore a daily preoccupation for other candidates. (Hours after posting its note, Huffington Post sent an email clarifying that the impact [Trump is] having on the Republican Party and the immigration debate is itself a real thing, which it will cover as substance, but anything that tumbles out of his mouth will land on the Entertainment page. )One might conclude that Huffington Post s announcement amounts to the same Trump-style grandstanding they claim to condemn. On a larger level, they seem to miss the point that all politics is theater. Countless statements have tumbled forth from the mouth of candidates top-tier and third-tier that were made precisely to rile up the base, bait an opponent, get free play in the media, etc. The Huffington Post politics team has covered these stories, and will almost surely continue to do so even when they come from candidates who have a less of a shot at their party s nomination than Trump.Via: Politico | 1real |
Small protests against Trump in Japan, Philippines | TOKYO (Reuters) - Several hundred people, most of them expatriate Americans, held a protest on Friday in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, hours before his inauguration in Washington. Some people held up electric candles and others carried placards reading “Love Trumps Hate” and “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”, as they marched along a downtown street. “Trump presidency gets my blood boiling ... Everything we value could be gone. It’s time to speak your mind and concerns and to do our best to salvage the values we cherish in America,” said Bill Scholer, an art teacher. “I grew up in the 1960s, and it feels like we are going backwards, and am very worried that we will lose all of the advances we have made over these years,” said Holly Thompson, a writer. Women’s rights activists plan protests in various Asian cities on Saturday. In the Philippines earlier on Friday, about 200 demonstrators from a Philippine nationalist group rallied for about an hour against Trump outside the U.S. embassy in Manila. Some held up signs demanding U.S. troops leave the Philippines while others set fire to a paper U.S. flag bearing a picture of Trump’s face. Trump’s presidency is being viewed with caution in some parts of Asia. He alarmed China by breaking with decades of precedent last month by taking a congratulatory telephone call from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and objects to countries interacting with it as a violation of Beijing’s “one-China” principle. Trump has even raised questions about the U.S. position on the principle. Trump has also criticized China’s trade practices and threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese imports. He has also said he would kill an ambitious Asia-Pacific trade pact, raising questions about the prospects for globalization and free trade. | 0fake |
British minister hopes condemnation of Trump tweet has impact | LONDON (Reuters) - British interior minister Amber Rudd said on Thursday she hoped Britain s condemnation of U.S. President Donald Trump for retweeting material from a British far-right group would have an impact. I think we all listen more carefully, perhaps, to criticism from our friends than from people who we don t have a relationship with. So, I hope that the prime minister s comments will have some impact on the president, Rudd told parliament. British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that Trump was wrong to have retweeted posts from the Britain First group. | 0fake |
New Lunar Craters Mystery | Space News | « on: Today at 01:06:08 AM » New Lunar Craters Mystery | Space News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz0GhlVKQuk Oct 26, 2016 ThunderboltsProject New scientific reports are once again forcing planetary scientists to rewrite the history of our own moon. Study reveals lunar surface features younger than assumed http://phys.org/news/2016-10-reveals-lunar-surface-features-younger.html A new study into the lunar surface contradicts the notion that cratering on the moon occurs incrementally over vast eons of time. A team of scientists studied several thousands of before and after images of the moons surface, with the visual data covering nearly a million square miles. What they found is that lunar cratering appears to occur at a rate more than 100 times faster than the standard impact model has predicted. Could electrical processes on the moon be responsible for the cratering? Our Electrically Scarred Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU9WOucaz-0 The Missing Ceres Craters Mystery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibSeyMzPClU Electric Crater Chains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5EjXhtKagg Logged | 1real |
New York Observer Ending Print Edition - The New York Times | The New York Observer, the chronicler of New York City’s power elite owned by Donald J. Trump’s Jared Kushner, is ceasing its print edition, just shy of its 30th year as a weekly paper. The issue printed this last Wednesday was the paper’s last, Joseph Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Observer Media, the paper’s parent company, said in an interview on Friday. The decision will eliminate the use of New York in the paper’s title — its website is Observer. com — and signals an end of an era when The Observer served as a fixture of Manhattan reporting and a training ground for scores of journalists now in senior positions in the media world. It also comes as newspaper coverage of New York City is being trimmed. The Wall Street Journal will publish its final Greater New York section on Saturday, a result of widespread cuts at the paper. The Daily News, whose staff has already shrunk, announced a new round of layoffs this week. The New York Times is rethinking its own Metro coverage as the paper seeks to lure global audiences. Mr. Meyer, in the interview, said the decision to close The Observer’s print edition was a natural outgrowth of the paper’s shift toward a national audience and the decline in print advertising that has afflicted the industry. Mr. Meyer, who is Mr. Kushner’s said the decision had been two years in the making and was not related to Mr. Trump’s election this week. Mr. Kushner, who is aiding Mr. Trump’s presidential transition, was not available to comment. Now focused on real estate coverage and provocative opinion, The Observer’s heyday came during the tenure of its former editor, Peter W. Kaplan, whose tutelage in reporting and arch prose became a rite of passage for a generation of prominent newspaper and magazine journalists. Mr. Kaplan died in 2013. The publication was founded in 1987 by the banker Arthur L. Carter. Its early editors included Graydon Carter, now the editor of Vanity Fair, and Susan Morrison, now the articles editor of The New Yorker. Under Mr. Kaplan, the newspaper originated the “Sex and the City” column by Candace Bushnell that later became a hit television series. Mr. Meyer said the Observer’s coverage of New York City politics and culture would continue, adding that the paper had open positions for new reporters and editors. Mr. Meyer said that no journalists would be laid off as part of the change to all digital. But several freelance writers at the newspaper were dismissed on Friday, along with one of the paper’s editors. Staff members said that several positions, vacated by layoffs or resignations, had remained unfilled. Observer. com received 5. 6 million unique visitors in September, nearly twice its audience from the year before, according to statistics from comScore. Mr. Meyer declined to disclose print circulation figures. Mr. Kushner’s purchase of The Observer in 2006, when he was 25, created tension between him and the paper’s journalists, some of whom later accused Mr. Kushner of interfering in coverage. But Ken Kurson, the Observer’s current editor, wrote on his Facebook page on Friday that he welcomed the move to digital, citing a rise in online readership and advertising. “This has been a week of incredible tumult, for our country, and now for this small business,” Mr. Kurson, who is close to Mr. Kushner, wrote in a post. “Who knows what the future holds, for me or for the USA or for Observer. ” “But I can tell you this much for sure,” Mr. Kurson added. “Observer’s future is brighter than it’s ever been. ” | 0fake |
WATCH: GAY MAN AND FORMER LIBERAL Makes Riveting YouTube Video Urging Americans To Vote For Trump: “Muslim Countries Execute Gays…That’s Not Radical…That’s Common Law” | Hillary s going to make make our borders less secure. She s going to take away our ability to defend ourselves It s RADICAL ISLAM Obama SAY IT! A gay man has made a riveting Youtube video urging the gay community to vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub terrorist attack by an Islamic State sympathizer. The Sleeping Giant, a Youtube user who describes himself a disaffected former liberal who just so happens to be gay, made an emotional appeal for Trump in the video:Hillary Clinton is up there talking about guns. And I just wanted to pull my hair out of my head in frustration because this isn t about guns. If he [Omar Mateen] didn t have a gun then maybe it would have been a bomb. It could have been arson. It could have been any number of tools to kill people because it s not about the tool. It s about terrorism. It s about radical Islam. And we need to say it. Because if we can t even say it then how are we going to fight it?In November, we have two options. You may not like either of them. A lot of people don t. You have Hillary Clinton and you have Donald Trump. And all I can say right now is that Hillary Clinton is politicizing this and talking about gun control. And Donald Trump, for all his faults, has the courage to stand up and call it what it is. Radical Islam. It is terrorism. They re killing us, you guys. They re killing us.I want him to fight them. I want them to pay. And I m not ashamed to say it that I want revenge.Via: Breitbart News | 1real |
Egypt court upholds life sentence for Brotherhood leader Badie | Egypt The file photo shows Mohammed Badie, a senior figure of Egypt's now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Egypt's Appeals Court has upheld a draconian life sentence that was handed down to Mohammed Badie, the spiritual leader of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The court ruled on Wednesday that Badie, along with 36 others, who served as ministers in the government led by the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, who was supported by the Brotherhood between 2011 and 2013, deserved life behind bars for inciting violence and murder.
Badie has been viewed as a key element in the Muslim Brotherhood, a party which operated under numerous restrictions during the era of the country's former dictator, Hosni Mubarak. The senior Brotherhood figure played a major role in the popular uprising that led to the ouster of Mubarak in January 2011.
During the Wednesday session, the court also upheld the death sentences for 10 other individuals, who had been tried in absentia.
A criminal court in 2014 tried 47 defendants, who include former youth and supplies ministers, for charges of murder, attempted murder, resisting authorities, assaulting policemen, sabotage, and blocking a main road in the Nile Delta city of Qalyubia.
The general legal procedure against the Muslim Brotherhood began in July 2013, when Morsi was ousted in a military coup. The head of the Egyptian armed forces, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, came to power afterward. Sisi is believed to have orchestrated the coup as well as the ensuing crackdown on the Brotherhood.
Estimates provided by human rights campaigners show that 1,400 people have been killed and 22,000 have been arrested in relation to the crackdown on the members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Morsi himself has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for escaping prison in 2011. The Appeals Court endorsed the sentence last week, rejecting his appeal. Loading ... | 1real |
Life: 5 New Emojis Apple Created Specifically To Shame Me For The Time I Backed My Car Into The Public Swimming Pool | Apple is very cruel to taunt me about driving into a pool. I was already deeply embarrassed, and these new iPhone emojis are just salt in the wound. 1. My Car Falling Into The Pool
The swimming pool near my house closes after the summer, so I decided to have one last splash in late September. It was a little cold to go swimming, but I didn’t want to miss out on the fun of the pool. Despite the chilly weather, I had a great experience, at least until it was time to head to my car and drive home. Leaving the parking space, I accidentally went backwards and drove my Honda right through a chain-link fence and into the pool. I can’t excuse this dumb mistake, but in my defense I was still soaking wet and shivering, and that distracted me from driving. When Apple released this emoji of my car going into the pool, I was mostly curious why they had singled my situation out for an update, but I have to admit I kind of deserved it. 2. Me In My Flooding Car
I have always been a loyal customer of Apple’s technology products, which makes this second emoji feel like a betrayal. The first emoji of my car falling into the pool was perhaps deserved, because I was extremely clumsy and foolish, but a second emoji at my expense was completely uncalled-for. Worst of all, this emoji has now been embraced by teens to represent bad sex, and they tweet messages like “my Tinder date went well but [EMOJI] FML.” I am uncomfortable having my face seen by millions of people in this context. 3. The Lifeguard Calling Me A Dunce
I am furious with this emoji because it is inaccurate as well as cruel. Unlike Apple, the lifeguard was nothing but polite as he helped me crawl out of my underwater car’s window, and at no point did he call me a dunce. The lifeguard did ask, “What the hell happened?” and I could tell he thought I was dumb, but he did not say the word “dunce” or any other insult. Not even once. If Apple wants to taunt me with their emojis, they can at least depict things as they actually occurred. 4. The Words “Wet Idiot” Beneath Me As I Swim Out Of The Pool
Doesn’t Apple know I already feel bad enough about swimming across a pool in my street clothes? All the other swimmers had already evacuated the pool and were watching me with judgmental eyes as I flailed through the water in jeans and a polo T-shirt. My sneakers got completely soaked and still smell mildewy weeks after drying out. This humiliation is only mitigated by the fact that the wet-idiot emoji is now extremely popular among iPhone users in China, and millions of Chinese people use it in text messages to represent amazing sex. But still, I wish Apple had elected not to release any of these. 5. Me On The Bicycle I Must Ride Now That My Car Is Ruined
Under normal circumstances, I would be thrilled and honored to have Apple turn my bicycle into an emoji. However, given the timing, it seems like Apple is poking fun at the fact that now this bicycle is my only mode of transportation. Perhaps losing a car to a swimming pool isn’t a big deal to a rich company like Apple, but to normal folks like me, a Honda is a major investment and I cannot afford to replace it at this time. What stings worst of all is that I find this emoji very handy, and I frequently text it to people to tell them I’m on my way. Unfortunately, despite Apple’s cruel mission to shame me, I find my iPhone too useful to stop using. | 1real |
Liberia's Supreme Court halts election preparation over fraud accusations | MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia s Supreme Court has halted preparations for next week s presidential run-off vote between former soccer star George Weah and Vice President Joseph Boakai until it considers a challenge to first round results by a losing candidate who alleged fraud. The decision casts further doubt on the Oct. 10 poll that losing parties say was marred by foul play at polling stations and at the highest levels of government. It could also delay a second-round vote scheduled for Nov. 7 to find a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and is the country s first elected leader since a 14-year civil war ended in 2003. In a writ issued late on Tuesday, the court instructed the Liberty Party of third-placed Charles Brumskine, who made the complaint, and the National Elections Commission, to file briefs by Thursday. This is a big step in the right direction, said Liberty Party Chairman Benjamin Sanvee. The Court recognizes the gravity of the issues and has taken action in defense of the law and democracy. This week, Boakai s ruling Unity Party announced it was backing the legal challenge. It accused Johnson Sirleaf, one of its own members, of interfering in the October vote by holding private meetings with election magistrates. Johnson Sirleaf denied the meetings were inappropriate. Observers from the European Union and the Carter Center say they saw no major problems with the first round vote. The Supreme Court s decision is an example of an increasingly assertive role some African judiciaries are playing in overseeing elections. Kenya s Supreme Court annulled the results of a presidential election in August. National Elections Commission chairman Jerome Korkoya questioned the need for the Supreme Court s decision, which he said has halted preparations for the vote, including training polling station staff. Let me categorically say I see no reason, legal or otherwise, for such an order, he told reporters. The election was transparent and credible. Looking to head off a crisis, the chairman of West African regional body ECOWAS, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe, and the African Union chair, Guinea s president Alpha Conde, arrived in the capital Monrovia on Wednesday. There have been some complaints, some challenges. That process is ongoing in keeping with the rule of law, Johnson Sirleaf said at a news conference alongside Gnassingbe, Conde, Weah, Boakai and three other candidates. This democratic process must be concluded within the time frame of the constitution so that I may be able to retire and end this transition successfully, she said. The streets of Monrovia remained calm though the court ruling raised tension in the capital where memories of the war are fresh. Large numbers of riot police deployed outside the Supreme Court and election commission headquarters. I see this entire process as critical to our survival as a nation. We must do all to avoid sliding into war, said student David Farmah. No one has money to have a re-run of the election. It should go ahead. Weah won the first round with 38.4 percent of the vote to Boakai s 28.8 percent. He has tapped into frustration with Johnson Sirleaf s 12-year tenure, which has seen a post-war peace consolidated and the economy quadruple in size but has failed to root out corruption and alleviate poverty. Morluba Morlu, a senior official from Weah s CDC party, said on Wednesday he still expected the run-off to go ahead next week. It is sad for a ruling party that has been in power for 12 years (to) be crying, he said of Unity Party s support for the legal challenge. We don t want any mockery of this election. | 0fake |
NEW “Fair Share” App, “EQUIPAY” Allows Users To Split Restaurant Bill Between Guests, Based On Gender, Sex and Race | A Socialists dream! Now you can check your privilege at the door. With the Equipay app, you ll never have to walk away from a restaurant with friends wondering if you paid your fair share It s a huge dilemma for progressives: on the one hand, it s terribly patriarchal for a man to pay for a woman s dinner. On the other hand, the gender pay gap of feminist mythology holds that women only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. So isn t the failure to pay just another contribution to structural sexism?Equipay, a new app for Android and the iPhone has a solution. Developed by San Francisco-based comedian Luna Malbroux, the app divides bills between dinner guests according to their race and gender. For example, black women, who allegedly make just 64 cents on the dollar compared to white men, would only pay 64 per cent of their share of the bill.According to the app s website, Equipay helps you avoid the entrenched discrimination that exists in our society. It doesn t split the bill equally it splits it equitably. You pay what you should to balance out the wage gap. The app is free to use unless you re a member of a high-privilege group. Then there s a surcharge. As the site explains: When dining out with a high privilege group, Equipay automatically adds an EquipayItBack Surcharge. This fee subsidizes meals for others and funds Equipay s charitable arm. Thanks! Last but not least, the app allows users to let their followers know whenever they ve used the app to smash the patriarchy at the dinner table. In a live presentation of the app, Melbroux described how a user, Graham shares his Equipay-powered purchase on social media to show that he is a social justice ally. Of course, having informed the world of his use of Equipay, it remains to be seen if Graham will ever be invited out for a meal again.The app won first prize at San Francisco s Comedy Hack Day, which brings comedians, developers, and designers together. However, Melbroux insists that the app isn t a joke. In an interview with Care2, she expressed hopes that the app would start a serious conversation: I hope that this, more than anything, starts a discussion and helps people to start thinking a little bit differently about how we can use more technology and more innovation to address inequality and wage inequality. For the rest of us, the app s social media sharing function will give us a useful list of people to never invite out for dinner. Via:Breitbart | 1real |
Trump will reopen controversial Trump University after litigation ends | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday said he will reopen the controversial Trump University real estate school at the close of litigation. “I have instructed my execs to open Trump U (University), so much interest in it! I will be pres (president),” he said in a tweet. Trump is fighting a lawsuit against the venture that accuses the school of misleading thousands of people who paid up to $35,000 for seminars to learn real estate investment strategies. | 0fake |
As he shapes Cabinet, Trump meets former rival Romney and retired Gen. Mattis | BEDMINSTER, N.J. (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney set aside a fierce rivalry on Saturday and held talks likely to feed speculation that Romney could be in line to be the next U.S. secretary of state. After a day of meetings, Trump emerged to tell reporters that his search process was going “really efficiently” and that he had spoken to “really, really talented” people who could form part of his Cabinet. Trump said he might have some announcements on Sunday. He spoke highly of retired Marine General James Mattis, who transition officials said was a strong contender for defense secretary. Earlier, Trump and Romney emerged from their meeting after an hour and 20 minutes, and Trump told reporters their talks “went great.” Romney said the pair “had a far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world.” “We discussed those areas, and exchanged our views on those topics – a very thorough and in-depth discussion in the time we had,” Romney said. “And I appreciate the chance to speak with the president-elect and I look forward to the coming administration and the things that it’s going to be doing.” Trump’s team said in a statement that Trump and Romney held a “substantive and in-depth conversation about world affairs, national security and the future of America.” “It was an extremely positive and productive conversation,” the statement said. Trump met for an hour with Mattis. Asked if Mattis would be his defense secretary, Trump said, “He’s a great guy. He is some great man.” The Trump team statement said Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence were “very impressed” with Mattis. “They had an incredibly in-depth conversation on plans for national security. The discussion included ISIS, the Middle East, North Korea, China, NATO and other hotspots around the world,” the statement said. Romney, who was a leader of the establishment Republican “never Trump” movement that tried to block Trump from becoming the nominee, was first in a long list of people Trump was meeting with on Saturday and Sunday as he seeks to fill out his Cabinet and gather advice ahead of his Jan. 20 move to the White House. In March, Romney said Trump would be dangerous as president, with policies that could touch off a recession. Romney also said, “I’m afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart.” Trump had denounced Romney as a “choke artist” for losing the 2012 election to President Barack Obama. But with the New York real estate developer now president-in-waiting, Romney’s appearance at Trump National Bedminster on an unseasonably warm November day was symbolic of hard-won party unity. Whether Romney will join the Trump administration is unclear. Romney, a more mainstream Republican, would serve alongside more hawkish Trump appointees named on Friday: Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama as attorney general, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as national security adviser and Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director. Those nominations suggest Trump is setting up his administration to take a hard line confronting Islamist militancy and curbing illegal immigration. Transition officials said Trump’s meeting with Romney was supposed to be a general discussion about the incoming administration. A Romney confidant said of Romney’s secretary of state prospects: “Could it happen? I suppose. But it’s unlikely.” Instead, the source said the meeting gives “the good housekeeping seal of approval to Republicans who don’t know if they should help Trump or not.” Trump has been considering former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a close adviser, for secretary of state, as well as former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee. Trump is to meet Giuliani on Sunday. Also on Saturday, Trump met with Andy Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the fast-food giant that operates the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains. Afterwards, Trump said he was “getting very close” to making some Cabinet decisions. Puzder, a possible labor secretary, said he would be “proud to serve in any position that this president asks me to serve in.” In addition, he met with two candidates for education secretary: Michelle Rhee, the former Washington, D.C., public schools chancellor, and Betsy DeVos, a former head of the Michigan Republican Party. On Sunday, Trump is to sit down with Wilbur Ross, a potential commerce secretary who made billions by investing in bankrupt companies and distressed assets, and business executive David McCormick, head of investment firm Bridgewater Associates, as well as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who was recently demoted in his role on Trump’s transition team. | 0fake |
Second woman enters Russian presidential race, campaigning for single mothers | MOSCOW (Reuters) - A journalist became the second woman to enter Russia s presidential race, saying on Monday she wanted to use the election to campaign for the rights of single mothers and children. The presidential election takes place in March next year. President Vladimir Putin is expected to stand and win, but has yet to confirm his plans. Some opposition activists believe the Kremlin s aim is to crown the field with candidates designed to distract and entertain in order to boost turnout and divide the liberal opposition. The Kremlin denies that, saying anyone who meets the legal criteria to run can take part. On Monday, mother-of-two Ekaterina Gordon, 37, who has worked as a TV and radio talk show host, said she was putting herself forward as an independent presidential candidate. She said she had never voted, but had become disillusioned by both the liberal opposition and pro-Kremlin politicians. I understood that everyone is fed from the same trough, Gordon said in an online video. There are many populist themes ... But there is one reality - we are a country of single mothers, and no one gives a damn about them. She said she had not agreed her candidacy with the Kremlin and had experience of the kind of problems Russian woman faced due to her ownership of a law firm. Another female candidate, Russian TV personality Ksenia Sobchak, said earlier this month she planned to run for president, offering liberal voters unhappy with Putin s rule someone to back, though she, like Gordon, has little prospect of winning. Post-Soviet Russia has never had a female president. Kremlin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny wants to run too, but Russia s central election commission has declared him ineligible due to a suspended prison sentence, which he says was politically-motivated. | 0fake |
South Sudan's sacked army chief 'confined' to Juba home, minister says | JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan s former army chief is being confined to his home for security reasons, the country s defense minister said on Thursday. Paul Malong was sacked in May by President Salva Kiir amid resignations by senior generals alleging military abuses and tribal bias as the country s ethnically charged civil war ground on. He was not arrested, but he [is] confined. There are no charges against him, Defence Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk told Reuters in an interview. The oil-rich nation gained independence from neighboring Sudan in 2011. The world s youngest nation plunged into civil war in 2013 when Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired his deputy, Riek Machar, a member of the rival Nuer community. A peace deal between the two sides signed in 2015 collapsed last year amid fighting in the capital. Machar is now in exile in South Africa. Malong, a former elected civilian governor, is a member of the Dinka ethnic group. He was not immediately available for comment. The former army chief had left Juba, the capital, in a convoy of vehicles hours after he was removed from his post, sparking fears he might join a revolt. The defense minister said Malong was persuaded to come back to Juba and is now back in his house. He said government doctors will be provided in the event Malong needs medical care, and that he must see those doctors before he decides to go anywhere outside the country. The minister also said the president had granted amnesty to Thomas Cirillo Swaka, the most senior officer to defect from the military in the last year. Cirillo, who now lives in Ethiopia, says his aim is to overthrow Kiir and accuses him of running a tribalist army and government. W hope he will respond to the amnesty by the president, Juuk said. If he wants, he can come and form his own political party and then we can develop our democratic system. East African leaders said in June they would push South Sudan s warring sides to revive collapsed peace efforts and delay scheduled elections but did not set a date for that new process. In July, donors from the European Union, the United States, Britain and Norway said they would offer no further support to implementation of the peace deal until regional leaders find a credible way of re-launching the peace process. | 0fake |
REVEALED: HOW BARACK OBAMA IS FUNDING The “Resistance” Movement Against President Trump | Wall Street might be shocked to learn it is helping bankroll the anti-Trump resistance movement that s aggressively fighting policies it favors including corporate tax cuts and the repeal of Obama-era banking and health-care regulations.The payola is potentially earmarked for third-party interest groups approved by the Justice Department and HUD without requiring any proof of how the funds will be spent. Many of the recipients so far are radical leftist organizations who solicited the settlement cash from the administration even though they were not parties to the lawsuits, records show. During the Obama administration, groups committed to revolutionary social change sent proposals and met with high-level HUD and Justice Department officials to try to get their pieces of the settlement pie, Cause of Action Institute vice president Julie Smith told The Post.Some of the chosen beneficiaries are now actively militating against the Trump administration and its policies, including:The Hispanic-rights group strenuously protested the Republican-led skinny repeal of the Affordable Care Act after receiving at least $1.5 million from the Obama regime s bank settlement funds, congressional researchers say.La Raza works closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and has teamed up with the anti-Trump resistance group, Indivisible, which was co-founded by La Raza alumnus Angel Padilla. Indivisible is working with La Raza and its affiliates to make sure any bill that punishes sanctuary cities never goes to Trump s desk to become law. They are encouraging activists to send postcards with pre-printed messages on immigration and health care to moderate GOP senators.NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUEAfter receiving at least $1.2 million from the bank-settlement slush fund, the African-American advocacy group solicited its supporters to oppose efforts to repeal ObamaCare by signing a letter to senators arguing African-Americans stand to be disproportionately impacted. It claimed more than 5 million black people would lose coverage under repeal legislation.NATIONAL COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT COALITIONSince hauling in at least $2.6 million in funds under settlement in the Obama-era mortgage suits, the liberal housing-rights group has slammed tax-reform proposals by the Trump administration as unfair, while trying to block efforts to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, claiming doing so would deepen the racial wealth gap. NCRC is also actively lobbying against regulatory repeal of many provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.The Washington-based group boasts more than 600 member organizations who lobby lawmakers through list-serves, mailings, sign-on letters and conference calls. Though it s assumed that funds distributed to such qualified organizations will be used for housing assistance, the bank-settlement agreements do not enforce how the funds are spent. It stands to reason that some of the settlement funds have helped bankroll the resistance bent on stopping the Trump agenda for America, Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow John Berlau said.It s not clear how much money, in all, has been diverted from settlement funds to these and other left-wing organizations. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered a full audit of the funds while discontinuing the practice of funneling Justice Department settlements to third-party groups. Any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people [through the US Treasury] not to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power, Sessions said in a recent statement.Still, The Post has learned that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to force financial institutions it prosecutes to donate to third-party community organizers. More, penalties in such cases are deposited into the Bureau s now-$170 million-plus Civil Penalty Fund, which has, in turn, channeled almost $30 million to consumer advocacy groups.For entire story: NYP | 1real |
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