title
stringlengths
1
456
text
stringlengths
1
143k
label
class label
2 classes
Trump campaign asks Capitol Hill to back him in Khan controversy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaign appealed to Capitol Hill for support on Monday as his attacks on the Muslim parents of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq drew sharp rebukes from fellow party members. Trump’s criticism of Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan, who took the stage at last week’s Democratic convention, sparked growing concern and dismay from Republican lawmakers responding to the latest Trump outburst to blindside his party colleagues. Republican Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war and the most prominent veteran in Congress, along with the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, joined the chorus of condemnation, reflecting the highly regarded place the military and its veterans hold with many in the United States. Trump’s dispute with the Khans has dominated the White House campaign in recent days and underlined the uneasy alliance between many leading Republicans and the party’s freewheeling, unorthodox nominee for the Nov. 8 election. Rob Wasinger, a onetime congressional candidate who has been working for the Trump camp on congressional outreach, sent an email to senior Senate aides saying, “We want to get several member statements out today on this, and would really appreciate your help.” A similar appeal was made to Republicans in the House of Representatives, according to a senior aide. Attached to the appeal were talking points lawmakers could use to try to tamp down the controversy growing since last week’s appearance at the Democratic convention by the Khans, the parents of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq 12 years ago. Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Trump, said that the campaign was grateful to have support in Congress and that Republicans are working to keep Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency. Wasinger refused to comment when contacted by telephone. The appeal did not generate any help for Trump. A senior Senate Republican aide, who asked not to be identified, said Republican senators were pleased with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s statement on Sunday calling Captain Khan “an American hero” and noting “a travel ban on all members of a religion is simply contrary to American values.” At the same time, the aide said the controversy would probably not cause Republican senators to withdraw their endorsements of Trump. In a convention speech delivered with his wife at his side, Khizr Khan showcased his son’s military service and criticized Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims from entering the United States, holding up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and suggesting Trump read it. Since then, Trump has complained he was “viciously” attacked by the couple and suggested Ghazala Khan might not have been “allowed” to speak, implying her silence reflected restrictions placed on women by some traditional Muslims. McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate and current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a lengthy statement sharply criticizing Trump’s comments. “While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,” said McCain, a prisoner of war for five years during the Vietnam War. His counterpart on the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Mac Thornberry of Texas, echoed McCain, saying in a statement he was “dismayed at the attacks Khizr and Ghazala Khan have endured after they spoke about their son’s service and sacrifice.” The head of the 1.7 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars also said Trump’s attack on the Khans went too far. Trump and Clinton spoke to the group’s national convention last week. “Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression,” said Brian Duffy, the national commander of the country’s oldest and largest war veterans organization, referring to families who have lost relatives in wars. President Barack Obama did not mention Trump by name, but said military families who had lost loved ones in service should be honored for their sacrifice. “No one has given more for our freedom and our security than our Gold Star families,” Obama said at the Disabled American Veterans national convention in Atlanta. “Our Gold Star families have made a sacrifice that most of us cannot even begin to imagine. They represent the very best of our country.” In the talking points sent to lawmakers, the Trump campaign said he had been asked about the Khans’ comments during the convention and wished them well. The talking points also noted that Trump “wants to end radical Islamic terror, so that our soldiers like Mr. Khan’s son will be safe.” The list also says Trump had not directly compared his sacrifices to the Khans. Trump said over the weekend he had also made sacrifices in his life by working hard, creating jobs and being successful. The Khans bristled at that suggestion and, in numerous television appearances over the weekend, said Trump was ignorant about Islam and about their family’s sacrifice. Trump’s off-the-cuff insults and controversial proposals such as the Muslim ban and a plan to keep illegal immigrants out by building a wall along the Mexican border, have made many in the party establishment reluctant backers of his White House bid. On Monday, during a town hall event in Columbus, Ohio, Trump told supporters he thought the November election might be “rigged.” Later that day, he said former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders “made a deal with the devil” when he agreed to back Clinton. “She’s the devil,” Trump said, referring to Clinton. In his statement, McCain recalled how Humayun Khan died, saying that when a suicide bomber aimed his vehicle toward a building housing hundreds of U.S. soldiers, the captain told his subordinates to stay away, then ran toward it. McCain thanked the Khans for coming to America, saying “your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation – and he will never be forgotten.” In a remarks to television networks on Monday, Khizr Khan said Trump lacked the empathy to be a leader and chided him for throwing the first salvo in their exchange. Trump has tried to shift focus from the Khans. “This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart!” Trump said Monday on Twitter. Ghazala Khan wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Sunday saying she had remained silent during her husband’s remarks to cope with making her grief public during the convention. On Sunday, Democratic rival Clinton said Trump had scapegoated the parents. In addition to Senate Majority Leader McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan issued a statement supporting the family. Trump drew similar opprobrium a year ago when he said McCain, who as a naval aviator was shot down and taken prisoner during the Vietnam War, was not a hero because he had been captured. In an open letter, 23 Gold Star families said Trump cheapened their sacrifice and called for an apology. “This goes beyond politics. It is about a sense of decency,” it said. “That kind decency you mock as ‘political correctness.’”
0fake
Pastor Goes Full Y’all Qaeda Defending Roy Moore: He Only Wanted Teen Girls For Their ‘Purity’
A pastor who appeared alongside Senate candidate Roy Moore at a campaign rally just days ago just gave a defense of the Alabama Senate candidate that makes Christian purity balls seem even creepier. Flip Benham has quite a history as an anti-gay pastor who was also convicted of stalking a doctor who performed abortion procedures in North Carolina. In reaction to that in 2011, Benham said outside the courtroom while holding a Bible, I can t speak. I can t get within 500 feet. They ve stolen from innocent babies a voice that has spoken for them. Well, that whole pro-life platform of his sure did change since then and his defense of Roy Moore, the twice-removed judge who has been accused of perving on teenage girls when he was 32-years-old, is not going to help the Alabama Republican.The right-wing pastor explained that Moore dated teen girls because of their purity and said that when he got back from Vietnam there weren t any women his age left to date.So, pedophilia, right?On Monday, Benham told a local Alabama radio show that there was nothing wrong with Moore dating teenage girls. I think that, number one, you need to understand, 40 years ago, what the Sitz im Leben was like in Alabama, Benham said, as reported by Right Wing Watch. Judge Roy Moore graduated from West Point and then went on into the service, served in Vietnam and then came back and was in law school. All of the ladies, or many of the ladies that he possibly could have married were not available then, they were already married, maybe, somewhere. So he looked in a different direction and always with the [permission of the] parents of younger ladies He did that because there is something about a purity of a young woman, there is something that is good, that s true, that s straight and he looked for that. Listen to the whole thing below:We re thinking that someone should check into Pastor Flip Benham s browsing history. Benham s words aren t going to help Moore. Pedophiles go after kids because of their purity. Image via screen capture.
1real
Britain's May replaces defense minister in growing harassment scandal
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to appoint a new defense minister on Thursday after her ally Michael Fallon quit in a sexual harassment scandal that has prompted calls for an end to the locker room culture in parliament. Just hours after Fallon resigned over past behavior he said had fallen below the high standards we require of the armed forces , May appointed Gavin Williamson, 41, a rising star in her ruling Conservative Party. Weakened after losing her parliamentary majority in a June election that many Conservatives blame on her, May had to move swiftly. The growing harassment scandal threatens to undermine her further if other allegations against Conservatives, including against her deputy Damian Green, force more resignations. Williamson has risen quickly up the ranks of the Conservatives and May selected him last year as the party s chief whip in parliament - a role in which he is tasked with maintaining voting discipline on legislation. As chief whip, Williamson was renowned for his toughness and for introducing lawmakers to his pet tarantula Cronus, named after the god of time who swallowed each of his children according to Greek mythology. But he has no former experience of the armed forces, according to his online profile, and some Conservative lawmakers openly questioned the appointment. Sarah Wollaston writing on Twitter: There are times when offered a job that it would be better to advise that another would be more experienced and suited to the role. Williamson said nothing as he arrived at the Ministry of Defense on Thursday, taking on the role at a difficult time for May, who since June s election is dependent on the support of a small Northern Irish party for a majority in parliament. Fallon s resignation after he apologized for repeatedly touching a female radio presenter s knee in 2002, was yet another blow. Described by Conservative sources as a political Rottweiler , Fallon was a trusted minister able to robustly face down criticism of the government. Britain s parliament is the latest institution to become embroiled in a sex scandal after abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted thousands of women and men to share stories about improper behavior. Ruth Davidson, leader of the Conservatives in Scotland, said it was time to break with a culture in politics where powerful people use positions of power to demand things from others . The dam has broken on this now, and these male-dominated professions where the boys-own locker room culture has prevailed and it s all been a bit of a laugh, have got to stop, she told the BBC. Allegations of sexual abuse have ranged from a charge of rape by an activist in the opposition Labour Party by a senior party member, to unconfirmed details of serial sex pests on a list reportedly drafted by aides and researchers in parliament. May has ordered investigations into a report that one of her ministers asked a female secretary to buy sex toys and an allegation that her deputy, Green, made an inappropriate sexual advance on a young woman - something he denies.
0fake
California senators seek methane leak task force in U.S. energy bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The two U.S. Senators representing California said on Friday they will propose a federal task force to investigate the cause and response to the massive natural gas leak near Los Angeles. Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein announced they will introduce an amendment to a national energy bill being debated by the Senate that would direct U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to lead a task force that will recommend how to solve the ongoing methane leak and prevent future incidents. Southern California Gas Company’s Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility, which sprung a leak in October that has not yet been sealed, has raised alarms about the danger of aging oil and gas infrastructure. There is little oversight of the 400 underground natural gas storage facilities in 30 U.S. states. “We have a responsibility not only to address this leak, but also to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” Feinstein said in a statement. The amendment is one of nearly 100 that senators have introduced or plan to offer next week, as the Senate works to pass the country’s first major energy bill in over eight years. The bill, which aims to modernize the country’s aging energy infrastructure, is one of the few in Congress to have bipartisan support. Senate Majority Leader McConnell said he expects the legislation to pass late next week, after members vote on the list of amendments. The California senators’ proposal would direct Moniz to lead a six-member intergovernmental task force to study the impacts of the leak on affected communities as well as the environment and issue its findings within six months. Those findings and subsequent updates would help agencies such as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) help respond to the leak. The task force would recommend whether to continue operations at Aliso Canyon and other facilities in close proximity to densely populated areas. Other amendments the Senate will consider next week include a proposal by Michigan Democrats to deal with another environmental crisis - lead water contamination in Flint. The proposal would also direct $200 million for a research center to focus on the needs of children, and would also require the EPA to warn the public of high lead levels in drinking water if a state fails to do so.
0fake
Report: Former Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn Offers to Testify for Immunity
President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, Ret. Gen. Mike Flynn, has reportedly offered his testimony in the investigation into Russian ties to the president in exchange for immunity, a report says. [Flynn has reportedly asked for immunity should his testimony lead to any finding of wrong doing, according to a Thursday report by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal claims that Flynn, a retired army general, and Trump campaign adviser, made his offer to the FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees through his lawyer. Officials have not yet accepted the deal, the paper says. Details of what Flynn might be willing to say to investigators have not been made public. Flynn was appointed as then Trump’s national security advisor in November of last year but resigned by February after revelations emerged that he had opened communications with Russian officials, communications about which he neglected to fully brief the vice president. In his resignation letter, Flynn apologized for neglecting to fully inform VP Pence about the discussions he had with the Russian ambassador saying the omission was due to the “fast pace of events. ” At the time of the resignation, Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the administration let Flynn go not due to any legal issues but due to “a trust issue. ” Spicer said that the “level of trust between the President and General Flynn had eroded to the point where he felt he had to make a change. ” Flynn is facing pressure from several inquiries into his dealings with Russian officials which include thousands he was paid by a trio of Russian companies for speeches made before he joined Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, as well as his communications with the Russian ambassador. Flynn’s offer to testify comes as Democrats continue to press for investigations into ties Trump may have had with Russia. To date there has been no direct ties proven between Trump or his campaign for president and Russia. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com.
0fake
Catalan leader presses on with banned vote on split from Spain
MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - The Catalan regional leader on Thursday said he would press on with an Oct. 1 referendum on a split from Spain, flouting a court ban, as tens of thousands gathered for a second day on the streets of Barcelona demanding the right to vote. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said he had contingency plans in place to ensure the vote would go ahead, directly defying Madrid and pushing the country closer to political crisis. Spain s Constitutional Court banned the vote earlier this month after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said it violated Spain s 1978 constitution, which states the country is indivisible. Most opposition parties are also against the vote. All the power of the Spanish state is set up to prevent Catalans voting, Puigdemont said in a televised address. We will do it because we have contingency plans in place to ensure it happens, but above all because it has the support of the immense majority of the population, who are sick of the arrogance and abuse of the People s Party government. On Thursday, tens of thousands gathered outside the seat of Catalonia s top court in Barcelona, singing and banging drums, to protest the arrests of senior officials in police raids on regional government offices on Wednesday. This is a step back for democracy, said one of them, 62-year-old pensioner Enric Farro. This is the kind of thing that happened years ago - it shouldn t be happening now. State police arrested Catalonia s junior economy minister, Josep Maria Jove, on Wednesday in an unprecedented raid of regional government offices. Acting on court orders, police have also raided printers, newspaper offices and private delivery companies in a search for campaign literature, instruction manuals for manning voting stations and ballot boxes. Polls show about 40 percent of Catalans support independence for the wealthy northeastern region and a majority want a referendum on the issue. Puigdemont has said there is no minimum turnout for the vote and he will declare independence within 48 hours of a yes result. A central government s spokesman said protests in Catalonia were organized by a small group and did not represent the general feeling of the people. In those demonstrations, you see the people who go, but you don t see the people who don t go, who are way more and are at home because they don t like what s happening, Inigo Mendez de Vigo said. Mendez de Vigo also said an offer for dialogue from Madrid remained on the table. Repeated attempts to open negotiations between the two camps over issues such as taxes and infrastructure investment have failed over the past five years. Rajoy said on Wednesday the government s actions in Catalonia were the result of legal rulings and were to ensure the rule of law. The prime minister called on Catalan leaders to cancel the vote. Hundreds of National Police and Guardia Civil reinforcements have been brought into Barcelona and are being billeted in two ferries rented by the Spanish government and moored in the harbor. But the central government must tread a fine line in enforcing the law in the region without seeming heavy-handed. The stand-off between Catalonia and the central government resonates beyond Spain. The country s EU partners publicly support Rajoy but worry that his hardline tactics might backfire . In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, who heads the pro-independence devolved government, said she hoped the Catalan and Spanish governments could hold talks to resolve the situation. In a referendum in 2014, Scots voted to remain within the United Kingdom.
0fake
EX-CIA DIRECTOR Reveals What Triggered Obama to Spy on Trump…You Won’t Believe What it is!
The former CIA Director told a House committee that Obama started to spy on Trump after he cracked a joke about Russia releasing Hillary Clinton s lost emails:Russia, if you re listening Rush Limbaugh reported:The Obama administration had ZERO EVIDENCE that the Russians were tampering with the US election but started listening in on Donald Trump and his top advisers phone calls after Candidate Trump cracked a joke at a campaign press conference!Director of Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan takes questions from reporters during a press conference art CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, December 11, 2014. The head of the Central Intelligence Agency acknowledged Thursday some agency interrogators used abhorrent unauthorized techniques in questioning terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks. CIA director John Brennan said there was no way to determine whether the methods used produced useful intelligence, but he strongly denied the CIA misled the public.Rush Limbaugh reported:RUSH LIMBAUGH: Did you hear yesterday in all the double-talk that Brennan was using, he said that there was no evidence of any collusion, but there was a basis to start a CIA-FBI investigation. Now, what would the basis be if there s no evidence? There s no evidence, but there was a basis. No evidence! He s just the latest in a long line of officials in the intelligence community, in Congress, and the Obama administration who say there s no evidence of collusion.Trump-Russians? No evidence the Russians tampered with votes. But there was a basis to start an investigation. Do you know what it was? Do you know what it was? Trump s joke! When Trump said/put out a call, Hey, Russia, maybe you can find 30,000 emails by Hillary Clinton that nobody can t find That joke. I kid you not! That joke and the dossier that was totally made up, like Trump hire prostitutes to urinate on the bed that Obama slept it in Moscow. Those two things are the bases to start all of this. Trump telling a joke.I ve told you the left has no sense of humor, and they don t. And I ve seen it a thousand times! People on the left really believe that Trump was sending a message to the Russians to hack Hillary s server. We were way past that when this happened. Hillary had already done something with 60,000 of her emails. Thirty thousand she turned over to the State Department; 30,000 she deleted. She said they were irrelevant, but they were somewhere.Kim Dotcom was saying he had em or could get em. Everybody was wondering where they were. Trump, at a press conference, made a joke, a typical Trump joke, Hey, Russia! It s the kind of thing I would do, and I laughed myself silly. That is one of the bases for starting this whole cockamamie thing. By the way, in all these leaks of Trump phone calls, why aren t there any leaks of Trump phone calls and collusion with Russia?
1real
U.S. Fingerprints on Attacks Obliterating Yemen’s Economy - The New York Times
SANA, Yemen — For decades, Mustafa Elaghil’s family produced snack foods popular in Yemen, chips and corn curls in bright packaging decorated with the image of Ernie from “Sesame Street. ” But over the summer, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia sent warplanes over Yemen and bombed the Elaghils’ factory. The explosion destroyed it, setting it ablaze and trapping the workers inside. The attack killed 10 employees and wiped out a business that had employed dozens of families. “It was everything for us,” Mr. Elaghil said. The coalition has bombed Yemen for the last 19 months, trying to oust a rebel group aligned with Iran that took control of the capital, Sana, in 2014. The Saudis want to restore the country’s exiled president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who led an internationally recognized government more aligned with its interests. But instead of defeating the rebels, the campaign has sunk into a grinding stalemate, systematically obliterating Yemen’s already economy. The coalition has destroyed a wide variety of civilian targets that critics say have no clear link to the rebels. It has hit hospitals and schools. It has destroyed bridges, power stations, poultry farms, a key seaport and factories that produce yogurt, tea, tissues, ceramics, and potato chips. It has bombed weddings and a funeral. The bombing campaign has exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the Arab world’s poorest country, where cholera is spreading, millions of people are struggling to get enough food, and malnourished babies are overwhelming hospitals, according to the United Nations. Millions have been forced from their homes, and since August, the government has been unable to pay the salaries of most of the 1. 2 million civil servants. Publicly, the United States has kept its distance from the war, but its alliance with Saudi Arabia, underpinned by tens of billions of dollars in weapons sales, has left American fingerprints on the air campaign. Many strikes are carried out by pilots trained by the United States, who fly jets that are refueled in the air by American planes. And Yemenis often find the remains of munitions, as they did in the ruins after a strike that killed more than 100 mourners at a funeral last month. Graffiti on walls across Sana reads: “America is killing the Yemeni people. ” Donald J. Trump has not said whether he will continue United States support for the war, but has been very critical of Saudi Arabia, saying it does not “survive without us. ” At a rally in January, he said Iran was “going into Yemen” and was “going to have everything” in the region, but he did not clarify how he would respond. The sweeping destruction of civilian infrastructure has led analysts and aid workers to conclude that hitting Yemen’s economy is part of the coalition’s strategy. “The economic dimension of this war has become a tactic,” said Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. “It is all consistent — the port, the bridges, the factories. They are getting destroyed, and it is to put pressure on the politics. ” In a written response to questions, a coalition spokesman, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asseri, said the air campaign had halted the rebels’ advance, destroyed 90 percent of their rockets and aircraft and pressured them to join talks aimed at ending the war. He denied that the coalition sought to inflict suffering on civilians and said only facilities connected to the war effort had been hit. He blamed the rebel group, the Houthis, for the humanitarian crisis. “This is primarily the responsibility of the rebels, who have displaced Yemen’s legitimate government and who are impeding the flow of humanitarian supplies,” General Asseri said. Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries are also among the top donors of aid to Yemen. So even as they undermine its they help sustain the population. The air campaign’s civilian toll has led to calls by some American lawmakers to postpone arms sales to Saudi Arabia. “It is a significant moral outrage that we continue to provide arms to Saudi Arabia and to participate in military operations in Yemen,” said Representative Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California who was a military prosecutor in the Air Force. “The United States is at risk of aiding and abetting war crimes in Yemen. ” The difficulty in just getting to Yemen demonstrates how much the war has upended the country. The internationally recognized government is based in Saudi Arabia and in the south of Yemen. For a recent trip to Sana and surrounding areas, a photographer and I had to obtain visas from the Houthis. We could not book flights into Sana because the coalition had halted all commercial air traffic. The United Nations allowed us onto an aid flight. As soon as we touched down, we saw traces of the war: the scattered carcasses of destroyed airplanes along the runway. Once in Yemen, we were told that we could not go anywhere without a representative of the Houthis. He was with us whenever we left the hotel. We did not visit military sites, which the coalition has heavily bombed to destroy the ballistic missiles that the rebels have fired into the kingdom, killing civilians. But the damage and suffering caused by the war were everywhere. Beggars displaced by the fighting thronged our car, pleading for money and food. Buildings destroyed by airstrikes dotted the capital: the Defense and Interior Ministries, the army and central security headquarters, the Police Academy and Officers’ Club, the Sana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the homes of officials who had joined the rebels. The conflict has split the country, with forces backed by gulf nations and nominally loyal to the exiled president in the south and east, where Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have staged deadly attacks. But in the areas we visited in Yemen’s northwest, the rebels were firmly in control, their gunmen running checkpoints alongside police officers who had joined them. In Sana’s Old City, posters of “martyrs” killed in the war covered entire buildings. Trucks with mounted machine guns, carrying fighters, occasionally sped by. across the city was the Houthis’ rallying cry: “God is great. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory for Islam. ” On the edge of town, Yemeni families snapped photos of the ruins of a reception center that the coalition hit with two airstrikes in a single attack last month while the interior minister was receiving condolences for his deceased father. Human Rights Watch called the attack on the funeral “an apparent war crime. ” United Nations officials gave us photos of remnants found at the site that indicated it had been hit with at least one bomb. American warplanes routinely use that class of bomb, and the United States has provided such bombs to the Saudi military. On an expanse of rocky ground near the town of Khamer northwest of the capital, where they have been since fleeing their homes last year, hundreds of families have built shelters out of canvas, plastic sheeting and mud bricks. Most survive on charity, eating rice and bread cooked on mud stoves fired with wood or garbage. In one tent, Farea Gayid, 55, said he had worked as an army engineer until his unit collapsed when the airstrikes began. An attack near his home killed his neighbors, so he and his family fled on foot. A trucker gave them a ride to Khamer, so they settled there, joining the more than 2. 5 million Yemenis who the United Nations says are internally displaced. In August, the government could no longer afford to pay Mr. Gayid his $200 monthly salary. “Now my children beg in the market,” he said. “If the situation continues like this, there is no future. ” While the war spawned Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, aid workers say coalition bombings of critical infrastructure have exacerbated it. Before the war, Yemen imported 90 percent of its food, mostly through the Red Sea port of Hodeida. Last year, the coalition bombed the port, damaging its cranes. Now ships often wait for weeks at sea to unload, and some goods are close to expiration by the time they arrive, said Mr. McGoldrick, the United Nations official. The coalition has also bombed key bridges, including the main one between the port and the capital, forcing truckers to take long detours. “It is an applied economic suppression and strangulation that is causing everyone here to feel it,” Mr. McGoldrick said. “The collapse of the economy is starting to bite very hard. ” According to the World Food Program, 14. 4 million of Yemen’s 26 million people do not have enough food, and malnutrition is rising. The suffering is clear in the capital. “What’s missing? Everything!” said Manal a doctor in Sana’s main pediatric hospital. “We lack medical staff, nurses and medicine. ” Upstairs, nearly every room contained a malnourished baby. Most had been born to mothers who had fled the war and were too disturbed or malnourished to normally, said Ali a nurse. In one room lay twin girls, Ruqaya and Suqaina, both with sunken cheeks. “We lost everything because of the war,” their grandmother Shariya said when asked why the girls were so small. “All we brought with us were our clothes. ” The destruction in Yemen could cripple its economy long into the future, and it is unclear how the country will rebuild. “They have hit many factories on the basis of suspicion, but we never get the real reasons,” said Al Manj, a lawyer at the Sana Chamber of Commerce and Industry who is helping businesses document the strikes with an eye toward future prosecution. “Any institution that has a big hangar, they hit it directly. ” Some businesses said they suspected they were targets only because they continued to operate after the Houthi takeover. “For Saudi Arabia, we are all Houthis,” said Haroon of the Amran Cement Factory, which once employed 1, 500 people before it was bombed twice. Plant workers showed us the remains of munitions they had collected, including pieces of at least one a cluster bomb unit that contains 10 submunitions. They are manufactured by Textron Defense Systems of Rhode Island. General Asseri, the coalition spokesman, said it had “no interest in damaging any aspect of the Yemeni economy,” and had made great efforts to avoid harming civilians. He declined to provide details about specific sites, but said the coalition had “accurate intelligence” that the sites we visited were “being used by militias to store weapons and ammunition or a center. ” The war has left nothing untouched for the Alsonidar brothers, Khalid and Abdullah, who own a group of factories outside Sana. The family works with an Italian company, Caprari, to produce agricultural water pumps. It also owns a brick factory, which was out of use, and was preparing to open a factory to produce metal pipes to go with the pumps, also with an Italian partner. Twice in September, the compound was bombed, destroying all three factories. Saudi news reports said the factories had produced rockets for the rebels, a charge the brothers denied. They and their Italian partners have written to the United Nations to state that the factories could not produce military technology, and to call for an investigation, which is continuing, they said. “We’re not talking about something useless,” Abdullah Alsonidar said. “We’re talking about infrastructure and people’s lives. Strikes like this can bring a family to the ground. ” Remains of munitions that the brothers found at the site indicate that it was hit with weapons, including one with equipment that was made in October 2015.
0fake
Kasich Gets Tripped Up On ‘Born Gay’ Question: ‘I Don’t Know How It All Works’ (VIDEO)
GOP presidential candidate John Kasich would like us to believe that he is the non-bigoted alternative to the likes of extremists like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. However, whenever he opens his mouth on certain issues specifically those of the LGBTQ variety we see more and more that nothing could be further from the truth. Case in point a situation Kasich recently found himself in when he was interviewed at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco by Kelly Bryan. When Bryan asked Kasich if he believed gayness is something folks are born with, the candidate attempted to dodge the question by saying, I m not going to get into the analysis of this or that. Bryan wasn t letting Kasich off that easily, though. He pressed, It s not analysis.Are people born gay? Kasich answered uncomfortably: Probably? I don t know how it all works. Are they? In all probability, they are. Bryan then pressed Kasich on the issue of LGBTQ rights, saying, Don t we deserve free, regular rights like everyone else Kasich insisted that LGBTQ people do have free, regular rights, when, of course, nothing could be further from the truth on that point: You have free regular rights. We re not denying you any rights. I m not, in Ohio. I m not out to discriminate against you.. I think you should have as good a life as anybody else. If Kasich truly believed this, he would include LGBTQ people in the hate crimes statutes in his state of Ohio, of which he is governor. Further, he would not be supporting a party platform that opposes marriage equality and other rights for LGBTQ people. The only thing Kasich did right during this exchange is to vaguely insinuate that he does not support anti-trans bathroom bills like North Carolina s HB2. On that front, Kasich said: I think we should just try to, like, take a chill pill, relax, and try to get along with one another a little bit better instead of trying to write some law to solve a problem that doesn t frankly exist in big enough numbers to justify more lawmaking. Well, that s something, at least. But then, when asked about marriage equality, Kasich feigned ignorance. Bryan said of the issue as far as the official GOP platform goes: Republicans don t believe in marriage equality. It s your platform. Kasich shot back, Is it? I haven t read that thing lately. He went on to refer to the Republican Party as my vehicle [and] not my master. The thing is, though, this interview makes Kasich s positions clear. He is just as anti-gay as his GOP comrades. He just dresses his bigotry up in nicer language.Do not be fooled, people. John Kasich is just as extreme as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz he just does a better job of hiding it from everyday people.Watch the exchange below, via Raw Story: Featured image via video screen capture
1real
‘Auntie’ Maxine Waters’ Showdown In Senate Inspires Gospel Anthem For The Silenced
I ll admit it: I am not a huge fan of tribute songs. Making music is something sacred, and it s so hard to take topical songs seriously, unless it s like Bob Dylan? Punk music? I m not sure, but contemporaneous talk-singing is just not my bag usually, and that s generally what people come up with as protest songs. That said, this gospel jam from Mykal Kilgore, a YouTube (and movie) star, is entirely different. It was inspired by a testy exchange last week between the always-feisty Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. From the video description:Our beloved Auntie Maxine Waters laid this sermon down so good that I had to sing about it! Whenever anybody tries to distract me or block me (even with praise or platitudes) I m gonna have to let them know that I m #ReclaimingMyTime.It s a common tactic for old white Republican assholes either in Congress or before it: When they don t want to answer questions from women, Democrats, or especially women Democrats, they waste the time allotted to their questioner with meaningless compliments or interruptions. If they re creative types (did you know Mnuchin was a movie producer?), they can usually get away with wasting all of the time they would normally spend answering questions.When Rep. Waters grilled Mnuchin on July 27th during a House Financial Services Committee hearing about why she hadn t heard back on her request for information from the Treasury on Donald Trump s ties to Russian banks, that s exactly what Mnuchin tried to do. Rather than answering her question, the Treasury Secretary immediately launched into a spiel about everything you ve done for the state of California, prompting Waters to remind him that he was on her time, not his own. I m reclaiming my time, she said, noting that it was limited.Like the infamous nevertheless, she persisted exchange between Mitch McConnell and Elizabeth Warren during the confirmation hearing for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the exchange almost immediately became a meme.But rather than inspiring a line of shirts, the Thursday snapshot of what it s like for women in Congress became lyrics for a surprisingly good song.Now reclaim a little of your time, and watch the video:Featured image via Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images
1real
Reince Priebus Backs Trump’s Claim That The Media Is ‘The Enemy’ (VIDEO)
Donald Trump has declared war on the free press and his chief of staff apparently has his back. Appearing on Face the Nation this Sunday, Reince Priebus defended the tweeter in chief when it comes to his feud with the media.Trump has proclaimed the press to be the enemy of the American people, (through his Twitter account, of course) and Priebus thinks we should take this seriously, but for all the wrong reasons. CBS host John Dickerson asked Priebus about Trump naming the media the enemy in his tweet and the response he got was probably not what he was expecting. Well, I think you should take it seriously, Priebus said. I think that the problem we ve got is that we re talking about bogus stories like the one in the New York Times, that we ve had constant contact with Russian officials. The next day, the Wall Street Journal had a story that the intel community was not giving the president a full intelligence briefing. Both stories grossly inaccurate, overstated, overblown, and it s total garbage. The chief of staff continued, explaining that his biggest complaint about the media is their habit of protecting their sources and not outing them to the world. I think that the media should stop with this unnamed source stuff, Priebus said. Put names on a piece of paper and print it. If people aren t willing to put their name next to a quote, then the quote shouldn t be listed We re talking about stupidity and intelligence reporting that is based on facts that s not coming out of the actual heads of these intelligence agencies. And we re sitting here talking about it. And it s a shame. And it needs to end. Trump and his team are trying their best to convince the American people that the only place they can get the truth is from them. They are doing all they can to delegitimize the media and convince us that everything the press tells us is a lie. If the people don t trust the media, then there will be no one to bust them when the start spinning their alternative facts and this is precisely what the Trump administration wants.Here s the video:Featured image via video screen capture
1real
Seth Meyers Just Banned Donald Trump From Appearing On His Show – It’s Absolutely Amazing (VIDEO)
More and more people have had just about enough of Donald Trump s ridiculous shenanigans. Trump has been racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, and has catered to groups that hate LGBT equality. He s a person who has no right running for President of the United States, not only because of his bigoted views, but because he has absolutely no experience whatsoever.With Donald Trump being so scrutinized by so many, including the press that has the freedom to ask him questions and report what he says, Trump has taken action against the press. He s been prohibiting news organizations from attending his events. An action that goes directly against the freedom of press listed in the United States Constitution. The latest publication Trump has gone after is the Washington Post.Now, taking action against Trump in the same regard, is Late Night host Seth Meyers. On his latest show, Meyers brilliantly went after Trump for his reaction to the Orlando shooting, but also stated: As for the Washington Post, we here at Late Night believe in freedom of the press and therefore have decided to stand in solidarity with them. So as long as the Washington Post is banned from Donald Trump s campaign, Donald Trump will be banned from ever coming on this show. Good on you, Seth. Hopefully that becomes a trend.Featured image via video screen capture
1real
Democrats plot uphill fight against some Trump nominations
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats plan to fight some of President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for top administration jobs, but history and the party’s minority status in the chamber are not on their side. A simple majority of 51 votes is needed in the 100-member Senate to confirm nominations. Louisiana will select its newest senator on Saturday. If the Republicans, as expected, hold on to the seat, they will control at least 52 seats in the chamber next year. Senate Republicans said on Thursday they were confident of winning Cabinet confirmations early next year. Nonetheless, some Democrats said they hoped to persuade a few Republicans to help them block a Trump nominee or two, following the Republican Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, when a newly installed Senate starts reviewing his nominations. That could be just brave talk from Democrats. The Senate has rejected only nine of 719 Cabinet nominations in U.S. history, not counting nominees who have withdrawn when facing certain defeat, according to congressional records. The last rejection was in 1989, when the Senate blocked Republican President George H.W. Bush’s nomination of Senator John Tower to be defense secretary. In 2013, Democratic President Barack Obama had trouble getting Chuck Hagel confirmed as defense secretary, but he ultimately prevailed. This time around, Democrats said their top targets included U.S. Representative Tom Price as head of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Former New York investment banker and hedge fund investor Steven Mnuchin, tapped by Trump to become Treasury secretary, is also drawing the ire of Democrats, who will be in the minority in both the new Senate and House of Representatives in 2017. Trump’s path toward Senate confirmations of nominees will be easier than the one faced by most of his predecessors. In 2013, Senate Democrats, frustrated by Republicans blocking Obama’s choices for federal judges, used their majority status at the time to eliminate “filibusters” against executive and judicial branch nominations, except the Supreme Court. That meant only 51 votes were needed for confirmations, rather than 60. Pruitt is a climate change skeptic who has participated in lawsuits trying to stop the EPA from carrying out clean-air regulations. As a nominee, he will embody “the fossil fuel and anti-clean air and clean water movement. ... I like those odds,” Democratic Senator Edward Markey said of the fight ahead. In 2009, when in the House, Markey was a leader in the fight for legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was an ally at the time in that failed battle, said in a brief interview that while he did not know Pruitt: “I appreciate his passion for fighting back against things he thought were an overreach” by federal agencies. Price is high on the Democrats’ target list, according to a senior Senate Democratic aide, who asked not to be identified, Defending Medicare, the federal healthcare program for the elderly, is a top priority of congressional Democrats. Price supports limiting some Medicare benefits. He also opposes government funding for women’s healthcare provider Planned Parenthood. That could help Democrats win support for blocking Price from moderate Republicans such as Susan Collins or Lisa Murkowski, the senior aide said. A spokeswoman for Murkowski said she had not expressed an opinion on the Price nomination. Collins and her aides were not immediately available for comment. A second senior Senate Democratic aide said some Republicans up for re-election in 2018 could be uncomfortable voting for Price because of his Medicare stance. But Graham said Price “has been the heart and soul of the Republican alternative to Obamacare. I can’t imagine any Republican voting against him.” Republican Senator Jeff Sessions has been chosen by Trump to be attorney general. Democrats plan to highlight his hardline stances on illegal immigration, as well as remind colleagues that a Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Sessions’ nomination for a federal judgeship in 1986 amid allegations that he had made racist remarks, which he denied. If the debate stokes strong opposition to Sessions, Republicans might have to scramble to win his confirmation. That could especially be true if the Alabama lawmaker follows a long-held practice of senators of merely voting “present” on their own confirmations, meaning Democrats would be one vote closer to defeating him.
0fake
Britain seeks new ways to detect explosives in airports
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain launched a fund on Friday to support new technology to screen hand-luggage in airports in a bid to detect concealed explosives without passengers having to remove electrical items from their bags. The Department for Transport said 3 million pounds ($3.9 million) would be made available to support innovation in the detection of hidden explosives, as well as new methods to recognize when electrical items had been tampered with. We need to embrace and encourage the talent from industry that will allow us to stay several steps ahead of those who wish us harm, security minister Ben Wallace said in a statement. Britain joined the United States in imposing a so-called laptop ban on certain flights from the Middle East earlier this year, restricting passengers from carrying electronic items in their hand luggage. The restrictions have been lifted on some flights from Turkey and Tunisia following the introduction of new security measures, but remain in place elsewhere. The transport department said it would consider funding proposals that focused on screening at airport security areas, as well as portable technology which could be used at other points in a passenger s journey.
0fake
Obama trade bill in trouble
“We obviously spoke about my passion and his passion, which [is] veterans and veterans issues,” he said.
0fake
North Korea's nuclear scientists take center stage with H-bomb test
SEOUL (Reuters) - Decorated by Pyongyang but blacklisted abroad, two scientists pictured with North Korea s leader ahead of Sunday s nuclear test play vital roles in the reclusive country s pursuit of a powerful weapon capable of striking the United States, experts say. North Korea s sixth nuclear test on Sunday showed the country has either developed a hydrogen bomb - which has vastly more destructive power than atomic bombs - or was very getting close to obtaining one. Photos released by the official KCNA news agency just hours before the test showed two men standing alongside leader Kim Jong Un as he inspected a new peanut-shaped warhead: Ri Hong Sop, head of North Korea s Nuclear Weapons Institute, and Hong Sung Mu, deputy director of the ruling Workers Party of Korea s munitions industry department. Several North Korea leadership experts say they are part of a cadre of weapons experts at the frontline of the young leader s stated ambition: Developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can carry a nuclear weapon to the United States. Compared to his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung who preferred small working groups and middle managers to deal with weapons programs, the 33-year-old leader has been more personally involved with these scientists, the experts say, citing his frequent appearances with the technocrats at state events, weapons tests and field inspections. It appears that Hong is spearheading the nuclear development program as a senior party official and Ri is in charge of nuclear tests such as hydrogen bombs on a working level, said Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean studies in Seoul, who monitors the country s hierarchy and leadership. Reuters could not independently confirm the precise role of the two men. The North Korean government does not provide foreign media with a contact point in Pyongyang for comment by email, fax or phone. The North Korean mission to the United Nations was not immediately available for comment. The two scientists have become increasingly high profile as Pyongyang s weapons programs have advanced at a rapid pace under Kim s leadership, a Reuters review of North Korean state media showed. In January 2016, Hong and Ri were the first and second in line to receive medals personally awarded by Kim at a ceremony to mark the country s fourth nuclear test, state TV footage showed. Two months later, they accompanied a smiling Kim inspecting a silver-colored sphere, which the North said was a miniaturized warhead capable of being fitted to an ICBM. The wider group of weapons technocrats includes a trio of rocket scientists who have accompanied Kim on several crucial missile launches, including two July ICBM test launches that showed much of the U.S. mainland was now within range. Experts say Kim s hands-on approach may have contributed to faster development of its nuclear weapons and missiles, while allowing the scientists to develop personal links to the leader. (Kim) Jong Un goes out of his way to show they have a personal closeness to him, said Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership, pointing to Kim s frequent appearances with cadres engaged with its weapons program. It s likely linked to the fact that (the scientists) are making huge accomplishments in this area, and thus making big accomplishments for Kim Jong Un as leader of North Korea. Like the three rocket scientists, Ri and Hong have been blacklisted in recent years by the United Nations, the United States or South Korea for their roles in North Korea s weapons programs. The United Nations blacklisted Ri in 2009 citing his involvement in the production of weapons-grade plutonium , while an expert UN panel this year noted Hong s key role in the country s nuclear program as it recommended he also be sanctioned. Ri is a former director of Yongbyon Nuclear Research Centre, North Korea s main nuclear facility north of Pyongyang. Yongbyon operates the country s first nuclear reactors and its only confirmed uranium enrichment facility. Siegfried Hecker, a nuclear science professor at Stanford University and one of the last Americans to visit Yongbyon, recalled meeting Ri during his several visits there between 2004 and 2008. In one of these visits, Ri showed Hecker around the plutonium reactor and the radiochemical lab there. Ri stated with pride that North Korea s nuclear researchers have mastered plutonium production with no outside help, Hecker said in a 2006 report about his Yongbyon visit to Standford s Center for International Security and Cooperation. Hecker did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Ri or the North Korean nuclear program. In a statement carried by KCNA hours before the sixth test, Kim said all components of the hydrogen bomb were homemade , allowing North Korea to produce nuclear weapons as many as it wants. Hong is a former chief engineer at Yongbyon and has been at the ruling party s munitions department since the mid-2000s. He rose to prominence after Kim Jong Un took power in December 2011 following the death of his father, according to South Korean government database. Hong, 75, has been seen accompanying Kim on nuclear tests and long-range missile launches since 2012, the South Korean database and pictures released by KCNA show. He was educated in central and eastern Europe and possibly in Russia as well, while Ri attended seminars abroad, North Korea leadership expert Madden said. They are top-level officials and the last generation of those who studied in the old Communist world in the good old days, he said.
0fake
After Florida shooting, Trump hardens stance on Muslims
MANCHESTER, N.H./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump on Monday placed responsibility for a mass shooting in Florida squarely at the feet of radical Muslims, who he said were entering the country amidst a flood of refugees and “trying to take over our children.” The presumptive Republican presidential nominee drew on the country’s deadliest mass shooting to sharpen his vow to ban Muslim immigrants, proposing that the United States suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is “a proven history of terrorism.” In his national security speech, Trump said it was time to “tell the truth about radical Islam,” the day after 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a gunman, likely self-radicalized, who had sworn allegiance to the rebel group Islamic State. His comments contrasted sharply to those of Hillary Clinton, the wealthy businessman’s likely Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, who urged increased intelligence gathering and more airstrikes on Islamic State territory, and cautioned against “demonizing” American Muslims. “If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans - women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people - then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam and we need to do it now,” Trump told the crowd in New Hampshire. He went on to lambaste Clinton’s policies, saying they would allow “hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East” to enter the United States without adequate security measures. There would be “no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalization of... their children,” he said. “Not only their children, by the way. They’re trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful ISIS is and how wonderful Islam is, and we don’t know what’s happening.” Trump said that, if elected, he would use the executive authority of the presidency to impose stronger controls on immigration to protect Americans from attacks, fine-tuning his earlier campaign promise to temporarily ban the entry of foreign Muslims to shore up national security. “When I’m elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats,” he said. He noted that the parents of the Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, were born in Afghanistan. Pointing to specific incidents such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Trump said threats were posed by people with roots in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The immigration ban, he said would last until “we are in a position to properly screen these people coming into our country. They’re pouring in, and we don’t know what we’re doing.” Trump’s hard-line proposals on immigration have helped fuel his surge in popularity among some conservative voters. But they have also triggered heavy condemnation from minority and human rights activists, and his political opponents - many of whom have called his rhetoric racist. Trump has rejected the criticism, and has said he is often misunderstood by the media and his opponents. ‘ANTI-WOMAN, ANTI-GAY’ In her response to the Florida massacre, Clinton, warned against demonizing Muslim Americans and called for increased efforts to remove Islamic State propaganda from the internet, more air strikes in areas held by the group and better coordination with allies in the region. “The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very strong, and we must attack it,” she said in a speech in Cleveland. She specifically criticized three U.S. allies - Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait - for allowing its citizens to fund mosques and schools that train jihadists. She also proposed stricter gun control laws, reiterating previous calls to prohibit people on terrorism watch lists from buying firearms. She pointed out that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of Mateen as a possible threat, he was still able to purchase a gun legally. “It’s important that we stop the terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks, and that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino,” California, Clinton said, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. Trump challenged Clinton to explain why she favored letting Syrian civil war refugees into the United States. He said his policies would better protect American women, gays and lesbians, Jews and Christians. Trump’s support among women and gay voters lags far behind that of Clinton. “Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American,” said Trump. He accused her of having ties to Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays,” he said in a Facebook post. “Hillary must return all money from such countries!”
0fake
Carmel Institute celebrates 5th anniversary with jazz concert
Carmel Institute celebrates 5th anniversary with jazz concert October 27, 2016 RBTH u.s.-russia relations , jazz The Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History celebrated its 5th Anniversary. Source: Press photo The Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History celebrated its 5th Anniversary by hosting a standing room only concert at the historic Lincoln Theatre celebrating Cultural Dialogue and the Giants of Jazz. Over 1200 guests and students from all over the Washington DC metropolitan area thoroughly enjoyed this memorable concert celebrating the common language and mutual love of jazz that the United States and Russia share. Source: Press photo Said Carmel Institute Founder and Advisory Chair Susan E. Carmel, “The Carmel Institute emphasizes shared values, common interests and cultural dialogue. These are important qualities necessary to achieve cooperation, mutual respect and to overcome pervasive stereotypes. I am honored and grateful to have two incredible cultural Ambassadors at our Fifth Anniversary celebration for the Carmel Institute. Igor Butman and Wynton Marsalis exemplify the best of cultural diplomacy and cultural dialogue, and help us represent the Institutes' focus on enhancing greater cultural understanding through shared common interests and face to face interactions. By continuing to emphasize the importance of these qualities to our younger generations and future leaders, we are making an investment into the future that will be paid back ten-fold over time.” Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the U.S. and Honorary Co-Chair of the Institute acknowledged the Institute’s milestone by saying, “We would like to congratulate the Carmel Institute for Russian Culture and History and its leadership with the fifth anniversary and express our gratitude for their support and dedication. What started as a modest cultural initiative, five years later has grown both in scope and scale. Far surpassing the initial plans, it has now turned into an Institute that creates an opportunity to strengthen interest and knowledge of culture and history of Russia, thus contributing to the increase of mutual understanding between the two nations.” Source: Press photo According to jazz great Igor Butman, “I am honored to contribute to the rich tradition of jazz diplomacy by performing with Wynton Marsalis at the fifth anniversary concert of the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History. It is an even greater honor to perform at the Lincoln Theater where so many giants of jazz have expressed themselves in the universal language of music. I wish the Carmel Institute many more years of success in its tireless campaign to promote culture as a medium of communication between two great cultures that have always achieved success through dialogue and cooperation.” Source: Press photo Dr. Anton Fedyashin, Director of the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History, added, “The Carmel Institute has become an integral part of American University’s commitment to an education that prepares students for global responsibilities in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Without ignoring problems of which history provides so many examples, our program emphasizes shared values, common interests, and cooperative achievement, and always points towards the positive stages in the US-Russian relationship from which we hope that students can learn in order to guide their decisions as they emerge as global leaders.
1real
JESSE WATTERS PANEL Goes Off Rails While Debating If Clinton Should Be Charged: “Your boy Trump” [Video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCr0qvehJIk
1real
The Supreme Court cannot hide on Obamacare
The Supreme Court, it would seem, did not want you to see what it was up to on Wednesday. The robed nine were hearing oral arguments in King v. Burwell , a legal effort by conservatives to dismantle Obamacare and probably the most politically charged case to appear before the high court since Bush v. Gore. But, as always, there was no video of the proceedings and, curiously, the court chose not to release same-day audio of the argument, as it did in Bush v. Gore and has done in other high-profile cases since then. I went to the argument, as I have for the last decade, to attempt to paint for readers a verbal picture of the atmospherics in the room, such as Samuel Alito’s eye rolls, Sonia Sotomayor’s hectoring and Clarence Thomas’s states of repose. But this time, court staff placed me in the back corner, three feet from the door; blocking my view of the justices were two red-velvet curtains, a marble pillar, another marble pillar, and a closed brass gate carved with images of acorns, oak leaves, dolphins, helmets and plumes, animal heads and the Ten Commandments. Ultimately, though, there will be no hiding what happened in that chamber Wednesday morning. Ninety minutes of lopsided argument in favor of the Obama administration’s defense cast significant doubt on what had been a plausible challenge to Obamacare’s legality. The conservative majority could still knock down the law, of course, but given the ambiguity exposed Wednesday, it would now be a breathtaking surprise for the justices to cause such massive upheaval — taking health-care immediately from 8 million and causing a death spiral for the rest of Obamacare — based on such a slender legal reed. The four liberal justices furiously picked apart the arguments of Michael Carvin, who had also argued, unsuccessfully, in a 2012 challenge to the health-care law. Alito and Antonin Scalia were not as aggressive as usual in their questioning of the Obama administration’s lawyer, and Chief Justice John Roberts was almost as silent as Thomas. Anthony Kennedy, perpetual swing vote, had some serious doubts about the argument against Obamacare. Kennedy said that while “perhaps you will prevail in the plain words of the statute, there’s a serious constitutional problem if we adopt your argument,” along with a violation of federalism, because states would be coerced to embrace Obamacare exchanges or enter an insurance “death spiral,” he said. “Sometimes we think of things the government doesn’t,” Kennedy informed him. At issue: whether the language in the Affordable Care Act calling for each state to establish a health-care exchange means that people are not eligible for subsidies in states where the federal government created the exchanges because the state refused to do so. Take away those subsidies, and Obamacare collapses. One part of the law favors the critics’ interpretation, but other parts of the law, and the broader context of the law, contradict such an interpretation. Given this Talmudic dispute over the text, it’s almost inconceivable that the justices, supposed practitioners of judicial modesty, would consider that justification sufficient to tear apart the nation’s social fabric. Opponents of the law went through great contortions to bring this case. They’re arguing against tax credits — and thus in favor of tax increases. They had trouble finding people who had sufficient injury to have standing in the case — and in Wednesday’s arguments it became apparent that only one of the four plaintiffs clearly qualified. More difficulty came when Carvin argued that states would still get the benefit of exchanges even without subsidies. Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that he argued the opposite in his last appearance. Whichever legal argument the law’s opponents were relying on at the moment, it was secondary to the political argument against Obamacare. Scalia, in his attempt to justify the social upheaval that would come if the court jettisoned the law, asked the government’s top lawyer, Donald Verrilli: “You really think Congress is just going to sit there while all of these disastrous consequences ensue? . . . Congress adjusts, enacts a statute that takes care of the problem. It happens all the time.” There was laughter in the courtroom. After the argument, hundreds of activists, whipped up by some members of that very Congress, waved signs and traded taunts as if they were rival fans at a basketball game. “Stand up! Fight back! Health care under attack!” chanted one side. “Liberty! Follow the law!” the other side shouted back. In the unlikely event the Roberts court uses an ambiguous textual dispute to overturn the most significant social legislation of the era, there will be no place to hide from the national conflagration that follows. Read more from Dana Milbank’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
0fake
California’s Ban on Travel to States With Less Friendly LGBT Laws Could Stop UCLA from Playing in NCAA - Breitbart
A new California law effectively bans state funds from paying for travel to states such as North Carolina that have enacted bathroom laws that require people to use a public restroom that corresponds to their birth sex, and other religious freedom laws. But, if Assembly Bill 1887 is fully enforced, it would stop sports teams from California’s public universities from traveling to games in those states. Bill 1887, which took effect this year, currently bans travel to Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee and will likely ban travel to Texas and other states if they pass bathroom bills currently wending the way through legislatures. University of California, Los Angeles Athletics spokesperson Josh Rupprecht told the Daily Bruin that the school’s athletic program does not get state funds, but even so there will be no travel to states on the ban list. “UCLA and UCLA Athletics are fully committed to promoting and protecting equity, diversity, and inclusion as set forth in the university’s Principles of Community,” Rupprecht told the paper. This means the school will now cancel travel to the South Regional f0r the 2017 NCAA men’s basketball tournament being held in Tennessee this year. Also, the law would stop the women’s and men’s basketball teams from traveling to the blacklisted states. Other programs are also affected by the travel ban. UC Berkeley has now canceled plans for the men’s basketball team to travel to Kansas for a series of games, according to the Daily Californian. “We will remain in compliance with the law and cannot predict any changes that the legislature or governor may enact,” Cal Athletics said in a statement. But, despite the proclamations of adhering to the ban, UCLA spokesman Rupprecht reportedly told authorities that the school would still participate in NCAA tournaments in Kansas. According to The Wichita Eagle, Rupprecht said that if “the NCAA assign us to a tournament bracket in a state affected by AB 1887, barring unforeseen circumstances, we will not deny our the right to participate in postseason play. ” There are some exceptions in the state law. Events scheduled before the law went into effect are excluded from the ban and travel not paid for with state funds is also exempted. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com.
0fake
BOOM! KELLYANNE CONWAY Has Advice For “Able-Bodied Americans” On Medicaid Worried About Losing Health Care: GET A JOB! [VIDEO]
Make America work again! White House counselor Kellyanne Conway says people on Medicaid who will lose coverage under the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare could find jobs that provide health insurance.When the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid coverage, Conway said, that opened it up to healthy people who could theoretically work, Conway told ABC s This Week on Sunday. Obamacare took Medicaid, which was designed to help the poor, the needy, the sick, disabled, also children and pregnant women, it took it and went way above the poverty line to many able-bodied Americans, she said. They should probably find other at least see if there are other options for them. Conway went on: If they are able-bodied and they want to work, then they ll have employer-sponsored benefits like you and I do. .@KellyannePolls: Obamacare opened up Medicaid to "many able-bodied Americans who should at least see if there are others options for them." pic.twitter.com/fzqvuwXrXB ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 25, 2017Via: CNBC
1real
Republican candidate Kasich passed over by 'Time 100'
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time magazine’s annual “100 most influential people” list had a notable omission this year: John Kasich, the only member of the current presidential field who did not to make the cut. The list included Kasich’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, front-runner Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, along with Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, in its “leaders” category, but not the Ohio governor. Kasich has trailed Trump and Cruz throughout the campaign and his organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his omission from the Time list. The “Time 100” bills itself as a collection of “world leaders,” “great minds” and “other icons of the moment,” according to a statement released to the media. Trump was depicted in the list as a “rule breaker,” Cruz a “conservative crusader,” Clinton a “Democratic fighter” and Sanders a “populist provocateur.” Other U.S. political figures who made the cut included Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Time Deputy Editor Radhika Jones, who oversees the list, told Reuters they chose to include the candidates who are “most changing the game.” “There was never going to be a way to get all the candidates,” on the list Jones explained, citing the list’s global scope. International leaders on the Time 100 included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
0fake
Muslim families of fallen U.S. soldiers driven to oppose Trump
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nazar Naqvi has faithfully voted Republican for more than three decades. After Donald Trump’s feud with Muslim parents who lost a son in battle for the United States, he has vowed not a single Republican will get his vote. Naqvi, 69, a retired U.S. government engineer from Newburgh, New York, is a member of a small community of Muslims who are among America’s Gold Star families, those whose loved ones were killed while serving in the U.S. military. His son Mohsin Naqvi, who was born in Pakistan, enlisted in the U.S. Army four days after Sept. 11, 2001, and was killed in 2008 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Trump lashed out at Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Pakistani American parents of slain U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, after they appeared at last week’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia to criticize the Republican presidential hopeful for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. “I’m going to vote for anyone but Republicans because of this one person, this man who has gone out of his mind,” Naqvi said this week. “Not any office should get our vote. He has been nominated not by one person - the Republican Party nominated him.” Naqvi said he was pressing his registered Republican friends to do the same. The Pentagon says that 3,939 active duty service members have identified themselves as Muslim, less than 1 percent of the 1.3 million active duty U.S. military troops, but a Pentagon spokesman said there is no record of how many Muslims have been killed in action. Reuters reached out to a dozen Muslim Gold Star families who lost a loved one in action after Sept. 11, 2001. The families are not organized as a group and some did not want to talk. But those who did agreed that Trump’s comments upended their political loyalties, and moved them to take action to register and motivate other voters to keep Trump out of the White House in November. Nooshin Razani, 43, an Iranian-American pediatrician in Oakland, California, whose 19-year-old brother Omead Razani died while serving as a U.S. Army medic in Iraq in 2004, said Trump’s comments sparked her to speak to the press for the first time. “When I saw there was this person who was willing to use religion in this negative way, I decided I’m coming forward,” said Razani. Trump rebuked Khizr Khan for suggesting that he should read the U.S. Constitution and said his wife Ghazala may have stood silently by her husband because she might not have been “allowed” to speak. Although Trump did call their son a hero and said his aim was to end radical Islamic terror, the ensuing uproar has caused many Republicans to distance themselves from him and to support the Khan family. Razani joined more than 20 Gold Star families in signing an open letter calling for Trump to apologize to the Khans and said she is going to volunteer to register voters, mainly because of Trump’s comments about Ghazala Khan, which she said insulted all Muslim women. “I want to be an active part of making sure people’s voices are heard. Even people Trump thinks don’t speak up,” Razani said. Trump’s ongoing dispute with the Khans has become a call to political action for Kevin Ahearn of Phoenix. His brother, Army Major James Ahearn, converted to Islam to marry a woman with whom he fell in love in Iraq, brought to the United States and with whom he had a daughter before he was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2007. Kevin Ahearn, 48, said on Tuesday that he and his husband planned to go to Democratic Headquarters in Phoenix to volunteer for the first time. “It makes me all the more determined that he does not make it to the White House,” said Ahearn, whose Muslim niece now is 10. The soldier’s mother said she was shocked by Trump’s rhetoric and wishes she could talk to her late son about it. “He was always a staunch Republican because they backed the military. I can’t imagine how he would feel now,” said Constance Ahearn, 75, who lives in the San Francisco area.
0fake
Europa League Matchday 4: Zenit rules
Zenit 2 2 0 0 9 3 6 Dundalk 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 Alkmaar 2 0 1 1 1 6 1 Maccabi 2 0 0 2 3 5 0 FK Austria 0 Vienna Plzen 0 Roma 4 Astra Giurgiu 0 Roma 2 1 1 0 5 1 4 FK Austria Vienna 2 1 1 0 3 2 4 Plzen 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 Astra Giurgiu 2 0 0 2 2 7 0 Athletic Bilbao 1 Rapid Vienna 0 Genk 3 Sassuolo 1 Genk 2 1 0 1 5 4 3 Sassuolo 2 1 0 1 4 3 3 Rapid Vienna 2 1 0 1 3 3 3 Athletic Bilbao 2 1 0 1 1 3 3 Ajax 1 Standard Liège 0 Celta Vigo 2 Panathinaikos 0 Ajax 2 2 0 0 3 1 6 Celta Vigo 2 1 1 0 3 1 4 Standard Liège 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 Panathinaikos 2 0 0 2 1 4 0 KAA Gent 2 Konyaspor 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Sporting Braga 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 2 2 0 0 3 0 6 KAA Gent 2 1 1 0 3 1 4 Sporting Braga 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 Konyaspor 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 Schalke 3 R. Salzburg 1 Krasnodar 5 Nice 2 Krasnodar 2 2 0 0 6 2 6 Schalke 2 2 0 0 4 1 6 R. Salzburg 2 0 0 2 1 4 0 Nice 2 0 0 2 2 6 0
1real
IT’S WORSE THAN THEY THOUGHT: Doctors Discover US Embassy Victims In Cuba Have BRAIN ABNORMALITIES…”Never Before Seen Illness”
In a last-minute attempt to create a legacy for himself, Obama traveled to Cuba to hang out with Raul Castro and prove to Americans how easy it is to form relations with brutal dictators of oppressive regimes. Unfortunately for Barack Obama, it was not his finest moment, and his attempt to normalize relations with Cuba didn t work out so well for members of our US Embassy, who have now been diagnosed with brain abnormalities , after experiencing some sort of attack that many experts suspect was inflicted with a sonic weapon. The left rejoiced when President Barack Obama decided to normalize relations with the Cuban regime, reopened our embassy, and allowed travel to the island.But most of that has come to a screeching halt after mysterious attacks on our diplomats, which have caused serious health problems. The State Department has decided to recall all non-essential personnel from the embassy and urged Americans not to travel to Cuba. Legal InsurrectionThe leftist Boston Globe publication gushed over Barack Obama s historic visit to Cuba.When President Obama travels to Cuba on Sunday with his family, he is making a vital foreign policy statement, and not just about the small island off the tip of Florida. The bigger principle at play is the value of diplomatic engagement over isolation, cooperation versus Cold War thinking. The visit the first time a sitting American president has been to Cuba in almost 90 years is a manifestation of the hope that democratic ideals can spread over time once normalized relations are established.Obama will not only be meeting with President Raul Castro, but also with middle-class Cubans, entrepreneurs, and political dissidents, a symbolic yet reassuring move on behalf of democracy and fairness. Already the opening of relations is bearing fruit, with new businesses sprouting and a flourishing tourism industry taking root.Legal Insurrection The attacks on American officials at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, keeps getting stranger and stranger. The latest information revealed that doctors have found brain abnormalities in the victims. From The Associated Press:It s the most specific finding to date about physical damage, showing that whatever it was that harmed the Americans, it led to perceptible changes in their brains. The finding is also one of several factors fueling growing skepticism that some kind of sonic weapon was involved.Medical testing has revealed the embassy workers developed changes to the white matter tracts that let different parts of the brain communicate, several U.S. officials said, describing a growing consensus held by university and government physicians researching the attacks. White matter acts like information highways between brain cells.Some of the victims woke up in the middle of the night and heard disembodied chirping in the room, or a strange, low hum, or the sound of scraping metal. Others described how they felt a phantom flutter of air pass by as they listened. There are some victims that did not notice anything.But the victims felt the effects of these noises or non-noises 24 hours later. These symptoms included nausea, loss of hearing or sight, headaches, vertigo, and dizziness. Symptoms appeared to have gone away once the victims came back to America. At first officials and doctors believed a sonic weapon caused the issues. Now they don t know.The officials did not say if the doctors found these changes in all of the victims. Elisa Konofagou, a Columbia University biomedical engineering professor, told the AP that acoustic waves have never been shown to alter the brain s white matter tracts and she would be very surprised if that is the cause of the abnormalities.From The Washington Post: Physicians are treating the symptoms like a new, never-seen-before illness, the AP wrote, and expect to monitor the victims for the rest of their lives, although most have fully recovered from their symptoms by now.The physicians are working with FBI agents and intelligence agencies as they look for a source, and U.S. officials have not backed down from their accusations against the Cuban government, which denies any involvement despite a history of animosity between the two countries.In October, experts provided the mysterious noise to the Ap. It s high pitched, almost like nails on a chalkboard. They do not know what kind of mechanism produced this sound or who developed it. Those who heard a sound heard the same thing:Yet the AP has reviewed several recordings from Havana taken under different circumstances, and all have variations of the same high-pitched sound. Individuals who have heard the noise in Havana confirm the recordings are generally consistent with what they heard. That s the sound, one of them said.As the number of affected have risen, the State Department had no choice but to take action to protect our people. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson decided in late September to bring home all non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Havana, thus cutting the staff by 60% and halt citizen travel to the island.A few days later, Tillerson decided to expel 15 diplomats from the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C.Instead of a legacy of a great man who built much-needed bridges with legitimate foreign nations, Barack Hussein Obama, the community organizer turned President, is left with the legacy of creating the most divided United States of America since the Civil War.
1real
HUH? NYT EDITOR Blames “Republican Rage Machine” for Current Political Climate [Video]
Talk about projecting! On Fareed Zakaria s CNN show, former New York Times editor Jill Abramson decries false equivalency between Democrats and Republicans, saying Republicans are disproportionately responsible for the divisive political climate. HUH? This angry shrew is showing just how much she is blinded by hate!ED LUCE: It s very hard to imagine how civility can ensue when people don t even meet each other or live near each other who hold different positions or let their children marry or wish their children to marry people of different views. So that s my concern, there is no public square.FAREED ZAKARIA: Jill, you ve written that you think that while all this is true, this is not a situation where both sides are equally at fault.JILL ABRAMSON: I do think that both sides are not equally at fault, and that there s been a bit of a false equivalency at work, especially in the discussion over the past couple of days. I think that in terms of political leadership right now that both President Trump and the congressional leadership on the Republican side are extremely divisive and that they are really benefiting from a kind of rage machine that operates in this country.This woman must have been in a coma for the past couple of years!Does she NOT remember the horrible attacks on conservatives during the 2016 campaign? Does she not remember the 2016 Inauguration? Oh, how about Berkeley?There are just way too many examples of the left s unhinged violence and rhetoric. From the leaders of the Democrat Party to the George Soros sponsored Antifa thugs, we can say without any hesitation that this woman and all others who refuse to see the problem are seriously delusional and blinded by their hate.
1real
Republican House Speaker Ryan backs Trump after long courtship
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican, ended a long period of soul-searching and endorsed Donald Trump for president on Thursday, a step toward unifying party loyalists behind the insurgent candidate despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryan had been a high-profile holdout to supporting Trump for the Nov. 8 presidential election out of concern about the presumptive Republican nominee’s bellicose rhetoric and break with party orthodoxy on issues including trade and immigration. The House of Representatives speaker announced his support in a column for the Janesville Gazette newspaper in his home state of Wisconsin. It surfaced in the middle of a speech by Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in which she launched a far-reaching attack on Trump’s foreign policy credentials. Ryan did not specifically use the word “endorse” in his column, but his spokesman, Brendan Buck, made clear that Ryan’s move should be seen as an endorsement. The speaker had criticized the Republican candidate several times, including Trump’s proposal in December to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the United States because of national security concerns. The 46-year-old Ryan was the only member of the Republican congressional leadership who had not formally embraced Trump. In a tweet, Trump responded: “So great to have the endorsement and support of Paul Ryan. We will both be working very hard to Make America Great Again!” Ryan’s backing of Trump could give cover to more reluctant Republicans to get behind the billionaire businessman as their best chance to win the White House. “I think the endorsement is significant because it shows the falling in line of the establishment Republicans from the top,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. It should also help Trump make the case that he can bring the party together as he girds for a Republican nominating convention in July that many party leaders plan to skip. It also represents a blow to Republicans who have been trying to organize a third-party bid to give party loyalists who cannot abide Trump someone else to support. The “never Trump” crowd includes 2012 nominee Mitt Romney. Ryan was Romney’s vice presidential running mate. While Ryan’s decision could push some Republican leaders off the fence, many holdouts remained, such as two former rivals, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Aides to both said their positions had not changed. Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid described Ryan’s move as “abject surrender,” adding: “The GOP is Trump’s party now.” Ryan met Trump in a high-profile meeting last month and they have since had a number of telephone calls. “It’s no secret that he and I have our differences. I won’t pretend otherwise,” Ryan wrote. “And when I feel the need to, I’ll continue to speak my mind. But the reality is, on the issues that make up our agenda, we have more common ground than disagreement.” Ryan said he and Trump had spoken many times in recent weeks about how, “by focusing on issues that unite Republicans, we can work together to heal the fissures developed through the primary.” “Through these conversations, I feel confident he would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve people’s lives. That’s why I’ll be voting for him this fall,” Ryan said. Announcing he will vote for Trump should make it a bit more comfortable for Ryan to chair the party’s nominating convention in Cleveland. While Ryan’s endorsement was significant for Trump, there remain many concerns about him within the party. Longtime Republican financier Fred Malek drew attention to worries about Trump in a column in the Washington Post on Thursday. He cited Trump’s criticism last week of New Mexico’s Republican governor, Susana Martinez, considered a rising star in the party with the ability to appeal to Hispanics. “These attacks on fellow Republicans must stop as we move closer to the general election,” Malek wrote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, who has said he will support Trump, told CNN that Trump’s proposed Muslim ban was a bad idea and that his criticism of Martinez was ill-advised. Ryan said he too still had concerns about Trump’s tone. “It is my hope the campaign improves its tone as we go forward and it’s all a campaign we can be proud of,” Ryan told the Associated Press.
0fake
Trump Transition Nominates No One — But Does Name Inaugural Committee - The New York Times
The jockeying for power in the incoming administration of Donald J. Trump and on Capitol Hill is exposing frayed nerves and lingering anger — but also the seeds of new leadership in both parties. He may not yet have nominated a single cabinet member, or sent emissaries to the federal agencies, or held a news conference as but Mr. Trump does have a presidential inaugural committee lined up. And it includes some serious money. The Trump transition named its inaugural committee leadership team on Tuesday evening, headed by Thomas Barrack Jr. a private equity titan. Other members include the financier Lewis M. Eisenberg the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson (one of the largest political donors on earth) Gail Icahn, the wife of the investor Carl Icahn Woody Johnson, owner of the N. F. L. ’s New York Jets the hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci the Texas businessmen Ray Washburne and Roy Bailey and the luxury casino tycoon Steve Wynn. The congratulatory visits keep on coming. Marla Maples, Mr. Trump’s second wife, was spotted entering Trump Tower around 4 p. m. on Tuesday. She was in the building for nearly 25 minutes and waved to journalists and pedestrians as she left. Mr. Trump and Ms. Maples divorced in 1999 and remain on good terms. And speaking of reconciliations, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas stopped by as well. Senator John McCain issued a blunt warning on Tuesday to Trump and his emerging foreign policy team: Don’t try another “reset” with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. During the campaign, Mr. Trump described Mr. Putin as a strong leader and suggested that the United States and Russia might join forces in fighting the Islamic State. Mr. Putin congratulated Mr. Trump on his election in a phone call on Monday and discussed working together to combat terrorism and resolve the crisis in Syria, according to the Kremlin’s account. That was too much for Mr. McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who cautioned the incoming administration not to be taken in by “a former K. G. B. agent. ” “The Obama administration’s last attempt at resetting relations with Russia culminated in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and military intervention in the Middle East,” Mr. McCain, the newly Arizona Republican, said in a statement. “At the very least, the price of another ‘reset’ would be complicity in Putin and Assad’s butchery of the Syrian people,” he added. “This is an unacceptable price for a great nation. When America has been at its greatest, it is when we have stood on the side of those fighting tyranny. That is where we must stand again. ” Rebekah Mercer, the scion of a powerful family of conservative donors and a member of Mr. Trump’s executive transition committee, has had little success in her mission to solicit names and résumés for potential administration posts, according to a person familiar with her outreach efforts. Ms. Mercer, 42, the daughter of the New York investor Robert Mercer, has told Republican operatives and members of previous administrations that she was having trouble finding takers for posts at the under secretary level and below. She also made it clear that the transition team was more than a month behind schedule and on a tight timeline, the person said. The Mercer family has invested tens of millions of dollars in conservative causes and is considered especially close to Stephen K. Bannon, the chairman of Mr. Trump’s campaign who was named as his senior presidential adviser. Mr. Mercer reportedly invested $10 million in Breitbart, the news site previously run by Mr. Bannon. Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, also previously oversaw a “super PAC” financed by the Mercer family. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the outgoing minority leader, took to the Senate floor Thursday with a slew of stories about bullied children, racist attacks, and acts, unholstered to bash Mr. Trump, his new hobby. “His election sparked a wave of hate crime across America. This is a simple statement of fact,” Mr. Reid said before imploring Democrats to stand as a force against Mr. Trump. Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio was named the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party’s campaign arm for House candidates, succeeding Representative Greg Walden of Oregon. In a statement, Speaker Paul D. Ryan called Mr. Stivers “a talented leader. ” Eliot A. Cohen, who wrote one of the “Never Trump” pieces this year that called Mr. Trump’s view of American power and influence in the world “wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle,” said in an interview on Tuesday that a Trump transition aide had asked him for recommendations for the national security team. But when Mr. Cohen, a former national security official in George W. Bush’s administration, suggested the caveat that many foreign policy hands would enlist only if there were credible people leading national security agencies and departments, he said he received a vituperative email in response. The tone of the email surprised him, he said, expressing a level of vengefulness at odds with an administration that is trying to fill important national security positions with qualified people. “They think of these jobs as lollipops,” Mr. Cohen said. “I think we’re on the verge of a crisis here. ” With John Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador, emerging as a finalist for a senior national security post, even secretary of state, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said on Tuesday that he would do “whatever I can” to block him. Such opposition is improving the stock of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, to lead the State Department, but Mr. Paul is not so sure about him either, citing Mr. Giuliani’s “worrisome ties to foreign governments” on CNN. The floating of Mr. Bolton as one of Mr. Trump’s contenders for secretary of state has baffled members of both parties, because his hawkish foreign policy worldview is so at odds with Mr. Trump’s campaign pitch for less military engagement in the world. That is one area in which Mr. Paul, one of Mr. Trump’s rivals in the race for the Republican nomination, said he agreed with the . “I can’t imagine supporting anyone who hasn’t learned the lesson of the last 20 years,” Mr. Paul said of Mr. Bolton, who was ambassador to the United Nations for George W. Bush during the escalation of the war in Iraq. Mr. Paul called Mr. Bolton “unrepentant. ” Matthew Freedman, the chief executive at Global Impact, a consulting firm, was removed from his post overseeing the National Security Council transition after questions emerged about his lobbying ties. According to a former federal government official, Mr. Freedman had been using his Global Impact email to conduct official transition business. The official said that transition members were advised to use only their ptt. gov email, and that use of a business email was counter to transition policy. Mr. Freedman has worked as a security consultant for decades, after a brief career with the federal government working for the National Security Council and the Agency for International Development. He started as a foreign government lobbyist in the 1980s, when he joined a company then led by Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, taking up prominent international clients, such as government officials from Nigeria and Argentina, and the dictator Ferdinand Marcos from the Philippines. Reached by phone, Mr. Freedman declined to comment Tuesday. Vice Mike Pence and Rick Dearborn, a Trump campaign staff member who is close to Mr. Trump’s Jared Kushner, are going over the transition staffing list to make a “very concerted effort to clear house of any lobbyists,” said one transition official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. This means others beyond Mr. Freedman will likely be purged as well. Carl Icahn, a business magnate who is close to the tipped his hand on Twitter: Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs financier and hedge fund founder, seems to have an inside track to be Treasury secretary and Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor and turnaround artist, could be Commerce secretary. Mr. Mnuchin, Mr. Trump’s national campaign finance chairman, does seem to have big plans. Spotted entering Trump Tower on Tuesday, he told reporters, “We’re working on the economic plan with the transition, making sure we get the biggest tax bill passed, the biggest tax changes since Reagan, so a lot of exciting things in the first 100 days of the Trump presidency. ” Mr. Trump has called for deep tax cuts for people at all income levels, consolidation of tax brackets, higher standard tax deductions, the elimination of the death tax and lower corporate tax rates. He has also called for ending “special interest loopholes” and he has said he wants to end the “carried interest” provision that benefits private equity groups. The estimated cost to the treasury of those plans is more than $5 trillion over 10 years. To put that in perspective, George W. Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 — the largest in history — were a wee $1. 35 trillion over a decade. Ben Carson spent months trying to persuade voters to elect him president, but, according to his spokesman, he does not think he is qualified to run a federal agency in the Trump administration. According to the spokesman, Armstrong Williams, who is also Mr. Carson’s business manager, Mr. Trump offered the retired neurosurgeon a “buffet” of job options as a reward for being a loyal ally after dropping out of the race for the Republican nomination. “The said, ‘Ben, tell me whatever you want to run, it will be yours,’” Mr. Williams recounted. But Mr. Carson has no experience running large enterprises, Mr. Williams said, and did not think it would be a wise move to start in the new administration. Mr. Carson had been discussed as a candidate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Education, or to be surgeon general. “He’d be like a fish out of water,” Mr. Williams said. Amid rising calls for change in Democratic leadership, House Democrats decided in a meeting on Tuesday to postpone their leadership elections until Nov. 30. After last week’s bruising loss, there have been rumblings among some Democrats that perhaps a new leader should replace Representative Nancy Pelosi of California in the role she has held since 2003. Some members have urged Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio to run, and he is considering it, his office said Monday. Mr. Ryan, a former football player from the Youngstown area, is in stark contrast with Ms. Pelosi, an affluent scion of a Baltimore political family long ensconced in San Francisco, one of the country’s most liberal bastions.
0fake
NYC Democratic Election Commissioner: “They Bus People Around to Vote”
In a video released by Project Veritas, James O’Keefe exposes what everyone except Democrats have known to be true. There is a lot of voter fraud. In the video, NYC Democratic Commissioner of the Board of Elections Alan Schulkin is caught on hidden camera at a United Federation of Teachers holiday party admitting that there is widespread voter fraud in New York City. “Yeah, they should ask for your ID. I think there is a lot of voter fraud,” said Schulkin, who elaborated on the types of voter fraud that are taking place in New York. Voter fraud has been labeled as a right-wing myth by the left, but Schulkin, a Democrat, confirmed everyone’s worst fears, going against the grain of his own party. “You know, I don’t think it’s too much to ask somebody to show some kind of an ID‌Like I say, people don’t realize, certain neighborhoods in particular they bus people around to vote,” said Schulkin. When asked about which type of neighborhoods the busing of voters takes place in, Schulkin confirmed that it was minority neighborhoods, adding, “they get busses and they move people around.” Schulkin expressed concern over voter fraud and suggested that Mayor Bill de Blasio was to blame for a lot of the voter fraud taking place in New York City. “He gave out ID cards. De Blasio. That’s in lieu of a driver’s license, but you can use it for anything. But, they didn’t vet people to see who they really are. Anybody can go in there and say I am Joe Smith, I want an ID card. It’s absurd. There’s a lot of fraud. Not just voter fraud, all kinds of fraud.” Despite having disapproval with de Blasio’s faulty ID program and widespread voter fraud, Schulkin also expressed concerns over safety in the polling locations as well as the potential for voter fraud, specifically with regards to Muslims wearing burkas. “They detonate bombs in the public schools, which we are using. That could disrupt the whole election‌Your vote doesn’t even count, because they can go in there with a burka and you don’t know if they are a voter.” It is clear after listening to a New York City Democratic Election Commissioner that the Democrats are in denial of the fraud that surrounds them. Schulkin confirms that voter ID laws are something that New York City desperately needs as a way to curb voter fraud. Source
1real
Republican Grassley to ask Trump Jr to testify to Senate panel: CNN
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, a Republican, planned to send a letter on Thursday to Donald Trump Jr to ask him to testify before his committee in a public session, CNN reported. Trump Jr, son of Republican President Donald Trump, disclosed this week that he had a meeting with a Russia lawyer who sought to provide damaging information on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.
0fake
REMEMBER WHEN THE LEFT THOUGHT IT WAS ‘FUNNY’ TO SAY ABOUT MCCAIN: “I don’t buy the war hero thing”
Because it was a joke before it was politically incorrect?Before Al Franken became a United States Senator from Minnesota, he had a long career as a comedian (save for Stuart Saves His Family), an original writer on Saturday Night Live, and later as a political radio host on Air America.During that time, and when he was writing books like Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Liar and Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, Franken took some shots at his now-fellow senator John McCain s military service. He also made one joke in a 2000 Salon.com essay just as presidential election season started picking up steam. Here s the remark: I have tremendous respect for McCain but I don t buy the war hero thing. Anybody can be captured. I thought the idea was to capture them. As far as I m concerned he sat out the war. Before everyone suggests Franken need to apologize just like Donald Trump should, here s why this is different: Back in 2000, Franken was not a political figure. He wasn t a sitting anything or a candidate for anything; the closest he came to political officialdom was as a revered satirist. More importantly, he even re-told the joke to McCain s face in 2004, when the senator was on Franken s own radio show.Here s how Franken s spokesperson commented on the joke:The fact that a statement came so quickly from Franken s office demonstrates that he is well-aware it is a terrible thing to say about McCain.On the other hand, Trump is not just not apologizing, he s doubling down. Because he knows we ll all keep writing about it.But hey we all need a good clown, even if unintentional. It s a long presidential race. Via: Mediaite[h/t Politico]
1real
null
This article is so confusing. In the first Quote: we see “it is very difficult to know exactly…” and “very likely to be…” and “it might be that…” and ” but we cannot be completely sure…”. Wow. So many assumptions, and no facts listed. And it has been proven in many studies that the brain functions better on ketones (from dietary fat) than it does on glucose, which the body does NOT need. In fact, ketones make the body as a whole function better and more efficiently. And now that so many people have lactose INTOLERANCE, let us not argue about our distant relatives adapting to eating dairy. Especially now that the dairy cows are fed GMO grains. A diet based on clean, local, fresh fruits and veg as well as pastured meats is all anyone needs for good health. Grains and dairy are unnecessary for anyone, but may be enjoyed by everyone if it works for them.
1real
Trump Proposes Canceling Election, Calls Black Communities ‘Ghettos’ At Ohio Rally
Thu, Oct 27th, 2016 at 7:42 pm Just another day in the life of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Share on Twitter Print This Post It was a standard day in the life of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, as the Republican nominee spent much of his time on the campaign trail Thursday making outrageous and insulting comments. This was on clear display at a rally in Toledo, Ohio, when Trump proposed one of his most ridiculous ideas yet: Cancel the election and just anoint him president. Video: Trump jokes: “We should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right? What are we even having it for? Her policies are so bad!” pic.twitter.com/Stz46iDbpf — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) October 27, 2016 “I’m just thinking to myself right now, we should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right?” Trump asked the crowd. “What are we even having it for? … Her policies are so bad.” Despite Trump’s plea to cancel the election as he continues to struggle in the polls, it will be the voters who decide which candidate has the better policies – thankfully. The remark also aligns closely with other recent comments in which Trump claimed the process is rigged against him, and he will only accept the outcome of the election if it’s favorable for him. But Trump wasn’t done at his Buckeye State rally. He also made sure to take a dig at minority communities. Video: Help me out there. Did Trump just say “we’re going to work on our ghettos” before mentioning inner cities, violence and African Americans? pic.twitter.com/v9KqZSLbh6 — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) October 27, 2016 Trump’s comments: We’re gonna work on our ghettos … take a look at what’s going on where you have pockets of, areas of land, where you have the inner cities, and you have so many things, so many problems, so many horrible, horrible problems – the violence, the death, the lack of education, no jobs. We’re gonna work with the African-American community and we’re going to solve the problem of the inner city … You can’t walk out the street. You buy a loaf of bread and you end up getting shot. The Republican nominee’s “ghetto” comment is the newest addition to what is the standard Trump narrative that black communities are hellscapes. This particular set of remarks comes a day after he visited North Carolina for a rally and told supporters – mostly white – that he would enact “a new deal for black America.” In the closing days of this election, Donald Trump is once again showing that there is no better version of who he is. The man who built a campaign on racial resentment is doubling down on it as this election season comes to a conclusion.
1real
Republican Cochran back in Senate, says ready for tax debate
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Thad Cochran said he had returned to Washington on Tuesday and was looking forward to “continuing work on the 2018 appropriations bills and to taking part in the debate on the budget and tax cuts.” Cochran’s absence for a medical procedure threatened to complicate passage of a budget blueprint needed to push through the Republicans’ plan for tax reform. Cochran’s office said in a statement that the Mississippi senator “continues to be treated for urological issues and remains under medical supervision, which could affect his work schedule.”
0fake
U.S. coal stocks fall; exit from climate deal may hurt, not help
(This version of the May 31st story removes fourth paragraph, which does not reflect Peabody’s current position on Paris accord) By Rodrigo Campos and Nichola Groom NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. coal company shares dipped alongside renewable energy stocks on Wednesday after reports that President Donald Trump plans to pull the United States from a global accord on fighting climate change. The market reaction reflects concerns, raised by some coal companies in recent months, that a U.S. exit from the Paris Climate Agreement could unleash a global backlash against coal interests outside the United States. Peabody Energy, the largest publicly traded U.S. coal company dropped 2.2 percent to $24.29 a share, while Arch Coal fell 0.4 percent to $70.77. A spokesman for Peabody said the company would support a decision by Trump to withdraw from the Paris deal because the “accord is flawed on a number of levels.” Cloud Peak Energy Inc had also urged the Trump administration to stay in the Paris deal to prevent other nations from an aggressive turn against the global coal industry. Its shares were down 0.6 percent to $3.39. A spokesman for Cloud Peak declined to comment. A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that Trump is planning to follow through on his campaign pledge to pull the United States out of the Paris accord, a move designed to help boost domestic energy production and speed economic growth, after weeks of deliberations on the issue. Trump did not confirm the decision, but said he would make an announcement “over the coming days”. A U.S. withdrawal would come over the objections of scores of big U.S. corporations - from Wal-Mart to Exxon Mobil - worried the move will complicate the business landscape instead of bolstering the economy. “For us, our position on the Paris agreement... we need a framework like that to address the risks of climate change,” Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s annual general meeting on Wednesday. Exxon had made that case in a recent letter to the White House, he said. Exxon dipped 0.7 percent, ConocoPhillips declined 0.2 percent, and Chevron Corp fell 0.6 percent. Crude oil prices fell to a three-week low on news that recovering Libyan output boosted OPEC crude output in May. Solar energy shares also got hit on Wednesday, with First Solar Inc down 2.5 percent, and SunPower Corp each down 3.4 percent. “Regardless of what the President decides on the accord, we expect America’s solar industry to continue to thrive and create jobs, boost the economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” the Solar Energy Industries Association said in a statement. Shares of Tesla Inc, which recently acquired SolarCity, were up 1.8 percent at $341.01. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a Twitter post on Wednesday that he had done “all I can” to convince Trump to stay in the Paris accord, and threatened to leave White House advisory councils if Trump announces a U.S. exit. Trump campaigned on a promise to unravel Obama-era climate regulations to help boost domestic oil, gas and coal production. Company executives, economists, and analysts have expressed skepticism, however, that his deregulatory agenda can alter existing trends away from coal. U.S. carbon emissions have declined to near 30-year lows, a trend driven by increased natural gas use replacing coal. The VanEck Vectors Coal exchange-traded fund fell 1.2 percent to $12.71, not far from a five-month low hit earlier in May. The ETF is on track to fall 7.2 percent this month after rising in the first three months of the year as part of the so-called Trump trade.
0fake
America’s Streets Will Run With Blood- Mike Adams
America’s Streets Will Run With Blood- Mike Adams VIOLENCE IN AMERICA-AMERICA’S STREETS WILL RUN RED WITH BLOOD Hillary is going down. But don’t make the mistake of thinking it is over! As Mike Adams says in the following video. It does not matter who wins, the streets will run red with blood. Listen to what Mike Adams has to say in the following video. If this video does not convince you to prepare to be on your own, then nothing will.
1real
North Korea replaces soldiers, South Korea awards medals after defector's border dash
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has reportedly replaced guards and fortified a section of its border with South Korea where a North Korean soldier defected last week, while South Korean and U.S. soldiers have been decorated for their role in the defector s rescue. The North Korean defector was shot and wounded by his fellow soldiers as he dashed into the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) last week. The South Korean and U.S. soldiers who led a rescue attempt to drag the gravely injured soldier to safety have been awarded medals, according to U.S. Forces Korea. A group of senior diplomats based in Seoul visited the JSA on Wednesday morning where they saw five North Korean workers digging a deep trench in the area where the soldier had dashed across the line after getting his jeep stuck in a small ditch, a member of the diplomatic delegation told Reuters on Friday. In a photograph of the visit posted to the Twitter account of acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Marc Knapper, North Korean workers could be seen using shovels to dig a deep trench on the North Korean side of the line as soldiers stood guard. The workers were being watched very closely by the KPA guards, not just the two in the photo, but others out of shot behind the building, said the diplomat, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation. According to an intelligence official cited by South Korea s Yonhap news agency, the North has replaced the 35-40 soldiers it had guarding the JSA at the time of the incident. We re closely monitoring the North Korean military s movement in the JSA, a South Korean defense ministry official told reporters, without confirming the reduction in border guards. There are limits as to what we can say about things we know. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports, although photos taken by Knapper and other diplomats of soldiers guarding the area where workers were digging the trench showed them dressed in slightly different uniforms to the ones usually worn by North Korea s JSA guards. Two new trees had also been planted in the small space between the ditch and the line with the South, the diplomat told Reuters, in an apparent effort to make it more difficult for would-be defectors to drive across the ground. Meanwhile, in South Korea, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said it had awarded its own JSA soldiers - three South Korean and three U.S. soldiers - the Army Commendation medal in recognition for their efforts in rescuing the defector. The medals were personally handed out by USFK Commander Vincent Brooks in a ceremony on Thursday, according to USFK s Facebook page. The soldiers had been responsible for dragging the wounded North Korean soldier to safety in a daring rescue seen in security camera footage released by the United Nations Command earlier this week. Pyongyang has not commented on the defection of its soldier, who is now in stable condition despite sustaining multiple injuries sustained from gunshot wounds to his arm and torso. The young soldier, known only by his family name Oh, is a quiet, pleasant man who has nightmares about being returned to the North, his surgeon told Reuters on Thursday. (For a graphic, click reut.rs/2jfoZPI)
0fake
Big financial woes linger in Illinois' new budget
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois’ first budget after two years is filled with partial outlines to address its debt-ridden pension system and unpaid bill backlog — signs that political fighting and the fiscal mess in the nation’s fifth-largest state are far from over. At least 15 House and Senate Republicans broke with first-term Republican Governor Bruce Rauner on Thursday and joined with Democrats to override Rauner’s vetoes of the state’s first budget package in more than two years. The $36 billion spending plan relies on a $5 billion tax increase that permanently hikes the flat personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent, up 32 percent from its prior 3.75 percent rate. To address the state’s nearly $15 billion in unpaid bills, Illinois depends heavily on borrowing. Lawmakers approved $6 billion of 12-year bonds to raise money for repayments. But State Representative Greg Harris, the House Democrats’ point person on the budget, has acknowledged there is only enough revenue to support half of that borrowing amount. Illinois will also borrow up to $1.2 billion from various state accounts that have accumulated cash for specific purposes, while “sweeping” cash from other accounts —a government version of looking under couch cushions that is expected to yield $300 million. Illinois’ $130 billion pension liability is one of the largest in the nation, and the new budget takes only small steps to address the structural underfunding of Illinois’ five retirement systems. The new law gives the state five years to phase in changes retroactive to fiscal 2014 in actuarial or investment return assumptions made by the pension systems for an estimated savings of $892.1 million. Seemingly small changes in projected investment results can have significant impact on a pension fund’s actuarial calculations. Last year, when the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System reduced its earnings assumption to 7 percent from 7.5 percent, the change caused a $660 million spike in the state’s fiscal 2018 contribution. The new budget attributes $500 million in savings to the creation of a new tier of pension beneficiaries. But that tier applies largely to newly hired employees, raising questions about how the state expects to book that savings in the current fiscal year. That estimate was lifted straight from the proposed budget presented by Rauner earlier this year. The projection has not been independently verified by legislative leaders, and Rauner’s office has not responded to requests for an explanation of how the estimate was calculated. The Illinois Education Association, one of the state’s largest unions, said it has no evidence that its pensioners would be harmed by the new budget’s pension provisions. But the union questioned why lawmakers approved structural changes to pensions without an independent financial analysis. “It’s a little bit of a shot in the dark. For something this major, you’d think the legislators who are voting on this would want to know this information,” said Jim Reed, the union’s government relations director. A budget was welcomed as a positive step for Illinois, which still faces fiscal and pension crises. “The pension pressures will continue, and Illinois’ financial challenges will continue, but at least there will be a framework to recognize there’s a limit to the liability growth to this state,” said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a budget watchdog group. Steve Malanga, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute think tank, said the fixes in the new budget do not match up to the challenges faced by Illinois. “This is the kind of budget you would pass if you were a state that hit a bump in the road and had a deficit you needed to get rid of over the next two or three years,” he said. “It’s not the kind of budget you’d pass if you have $14 billion in unpaid bills and a $130 billion unfunded (pension) liability.” The Democrats and Republicans who voted for the budget did so at least in part to prevent Illinois from becoming the first U.S. state in history to see its credit rating fall to “junk” status. Moody’s on Wednesday put Illinois on review for a possible downgrade, but some of the state’s bonds traded higher on Friday, an apparent sign of optimism about the budget.     
0fake
NATO Confirms Major Buildup in Eastern Europe
Russia Seeks to Expand Baltic Fleet as Troops Pour Into Eastern Europe by Jason Ditz, October 26, 2016 Share This A day after reports NATO was soliciting even more ground troops for their deployment into Eastern Europe, officials are reporting “progress” in recruiting more troops from more member nations to participate in the deployment, intended to be around 40,000 troops along the Baltic states, near Russia’s border. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg claimed to have been “ very inspired ” by the response of nations he sought troops from, after yesterday’s report quoted diplomats as saying the deployment was meant to both “confront” Russia and to undercut Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s complaints NATO isn’t participating enough in its own defense. The new participants in the deployment include Albania, Slovenia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Croatia, Belgium, and Norway. The size of individual deployments from different nations is unclear, but there will be four battalions, and the US is expected to provide the majority. With all these troops headed to the Baltic coast, reports out of Russia’s media suggest that they are planning some new warship deployments into their Baltic Fleet, with an eye toward enhancing their targeting capacity along the shore. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
1real
Scientists have heard unusual messages from deep space probably coming from aliens
Scientists have heard unusual messages from deep space probably coming from aliens Please scroll down for video Recently scientists have heard unusual messages from the most distant stars in the observable universe that they think are extra-terrestrial. Upon new analysis of strange modulations in a tiny set of stars, 234 out of 2.5 million stars that have been observed during past surveyance of the sky, new evidence has been found that this tiny fraction of stars is behaving oddly. Aliens Are Trying To Make Contact With Us From Distant Stars. Scientists Say The new study reports the finding of specific modulations in just 234 out of the 2.5 million stars that have been observed during a survey of the sky. The work found that a tiny fraction of them seemed to be behaving strangely. No obvious explanation has been concluded for what is going on, leaving the scientists observing these phenomena theorizing that aliens are in fact trying to alert us to their existence. “We find that the detected signals have exactly the shape of an [extraterrestrial intelligence] signal predicted in the previous publication and are therefore in agreement with this hypothesis, ” write EF Borra and E Trottier in a new paper on this study. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has published the journal under the title 'Discovery of peculiar periodic spectral modulations in a small fraction of solar-type stars'. Originally it was suggested that it be named 'Signals probably from Extraterrestrial Intelligence,' according to a pre-print version of the paper hosted online . Like with all scientific theories, further research will need to be undertaken to confirm or deny that hypothesis. This will be achieved by watching for the same signals using different technology so that many other possibilities of what it could be can be eliminated. Earlier this year an initiative called 'breakthrough listen' was set up to search for alien life which has even been supported by both Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg. Although they agree this news is promising, they also state that further evidence must be found before these signals can be “unequivocally attributed” to aliens. “The one in 10,000 objects with unusual spectra seen by Borra and Trottier are certainly worthy of additional study, ” the team said in a statement. “However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." In fact, Internationally agreed-upon protocols for searches for evidence of advanced life beyond Earth (SETI) require anomalies to be confirmed by independent groups using their telescopes, and extraterrestrial agents can only be considered as an explanation when all natural phenomena are ruled out. This article (Scientists have heard unusual messages from deep space probably coming from aliens) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with full attribution and a link to the original source on Disclose.tv Related Articles
1real
CLASSY GEORGE CLOONEY: “Steve Bannon is a failed f—ing screenwriter” If He Was In Hollywood, He’d Be “licking my A** to get me to do one of his stupid-ass screenplays”
Steve Bannon has called himself a street fighter, but George Clooney has another way to describe the controversial former advisor to President Donald Trump: a failed f ing screenwriter. Speaking to journalists at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday to promote his new film, the racially-charged Suburbicon, Clooney unloaded on Bannon, who will appear on Sunday s 60 Minutes for his first televised interview since leaving the White House last month. I like picking fights. I like that Breitbart News wants to have my head. I d be ashamed 10 years from now if those weaselly little putzes, whose voices are getting a lot higher every week as this presidency starts to look worse and worse weren t still [after me], Clooney said. Steve Bannon is a failed f ing screenwriter, and if you ve ever read [his] screenplay, it s unbelievable. Now, if he d somehow managed miraculously to get that thing produced, he d still be in Hollywood, still making movies and licking my ass to get me to do one of his stupid-ass screenplays. Before he became a prominent right-wing media baron and member of Trump s inner circle, Bannon worked in Hollywood as a producer and financier (he famously made some money off the Seinfeld syndication deal). He also dabbled in screenwriting, having co-written a hip-hop musical based on Shakespeare s Coriolanus that takes place during the 1992 L.A. riots. (Clooney has mocked Bannon for his Hollywood background in the past as well.)Paul Joseph Watson had one of the best videos ever in response to Clooney s remarks about Trump (above). ***Language warning***
1real
Jury Delivers Guilty Verdict in Murder of Police Officer - The New York Times
After four days of difficult deliberations, a jury in Manhattan found a drug dealer guilty on Monday of murdering a police officer during a desperate flight from a gunfight with other gang members in October 2015. The man, Tyrone Howard, 32, sat as the jury foreman announced that he had been convicted of aggravated homicide for the shooting death of Officer Randolph Holder, a charge carrying a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Three of the jurors were in tears as they confirmed the verdict, which came only two hours after they sent the judge a note saying they were deadlocked on some charges. Officer Holder’s father, Randolph Holder Sr. nodded as the verdict was read, and as Mr. Howard was pronounced guilty for every charge in a long list that included robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, Mr. Holder removed his glasses and dabbed tears from his eyes. His wife, Princess, cried beside him. The courtroom was packed with dozens of police officers and their union leaders, who had been there every day of the deliberations in a show of support for their fallen comrade. Several hugged Mr. Holder as Mr. Howard was led out in handcuffs. After the verdict was read, the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr. shook hands with and embraced the president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, Patrick J. Lynch, who said, “Well done. ” Outside, Mr. Vance thanked the jury for “a decision that I think is both thoughtful and comports with fairness and justice in this case. ” “This is a tragic case and a sad day, but we can’t thank our police officers enough for putting their lives on the line every day,” Mr. Vance said. “This case reinforces the importance of what illegal guns mean to New York City and the danger they put our city in, as well as our officers. ” During a monthlong trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Mr. Howard was involved in a gunfight that broke out at 8:30 p. m. between rival gang members on 102nd Street in East Harlem on Oct. 20, 2015. He dropped a backpack and fled up the promenade toward 120th Street, stealing a bicycle along the way, according to prosecutors. Thirteen minutes later, at 120th Street, he ran into Officer Holder and his partner that day, Officer Omar Wallace, on a desolate ramp leading to a footbridge over Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive. The officers were in plainclothes but had their badges showing. Officer Wallace testified that he recognized Mr. Howard as he came up the ramp on a bicycle because he had arrested him for smoking marijuana the year before. Officer Wallace said he shouted, “Hey!” at the defendant. Mr. Howard jumped off the bike, produced a gun and fired it, hitting Officer Holder in the head, Officer Wallace said. Officer Wallace said he then returned fire. Mr. Howard, who was wounded in the buttocks, fled and was arrested four blocks north. Police divers soon found the . Glock pistol used to kill the officer in the river. During her summations last week, the lead prosecutor, Linda Ford, methodically laid out the evidence from more than two dozen witnesses, surveillance cameras and 911 calls. She argued that Mr. Howard knew the two men approaching him were police officers because the area was swarming with officers and he was on the run from another shooting. She said he purposely shot Officer Holder to escape capture. But Mr. Howard’s lawyer, Michael Hurwitz, argued that the prosecution had not proved Mr. Howard knew the men coming toward him were police officers, which is required for the aggravated murder charge. “We know it was dark,” Mr. Hurwitz said. “We know it was quick, and we know the police officers are in civilian clothes. ” Mr. Hurwitz also contended that Officer Wallace made a mistake when he identified Mr. Howard as the gunman. He pointed out that it was a dark night and that the light on the ramp was dim. It was unlikely, he said, that the officer could recognize someone he had arrested only once, 14 months earlier, under those conditions. “People make mistakes,” he said. On Monday afternoon, the jurors sent a note to the judge saying they could not come to an agreement on some charges. That note came after several others asking, among other things, for the definition of reasonable doubt and to hear the testimony of Officer Wallace again. The judge, Justice Michael J. Obus, told them to keep deliberating, and they reached a verdict at 5 p. m. As they left the courthouse, the jurors declined to say what the sticking points had been but said the deliberations had been extremely difficult, with a few jurors unconvinced of Mr. Howard’s guilt on some charges. “In a way it was like ‘Twelve Angry Men’ in reverse,” said Jane Ritter, a retired schoolteacher on the panel who wept during the verdict. Another juror, Alfred Berneti, a bartender, said the jury had been deeply divided at points, without giving details. “There were some opinions, but we respected the fact that we had different opinions,” he said. “We just wanted to do what was right and follow the semantics and the law. ”
0fake
Man punctuates high-speed chase with stop at In-N-Out Burger drive-thru
Print [Ed. – Well, that’s a new one.] A man is in custody after leading police on a bizarre chase into the east Valley on Wednesday night. Phoenix police began following the suspect in Phoenix and the pursuit continued into the east Valley, but it took a bizarre turn when the suspect stopped at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant’s drive-thru near Priest and Ray Roads in Chandler. The suspect appeared to order food, but then drove away and got out of his pickup truck near Rock Wren Way and Ray Road. He then ran into a backyard and tried to get into a house through the back door.
1real
Tillerson set to meet Trudeau for North Korea crisis talks: source
OTTAWA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau next week for talks on how to address the crisis over North Korea s nuclear weapons program, an Ottawa source said on Monday. Canada and the United States are due to co-host a meeting of foreign ministers in Vancouver in January to discuss North Korea. North Korea has fired missiles over Japan as it pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. sanctions. Last week it said U.S. and South Korean military drills meant the outbreak of war was an established fact . During a day trip to Ottawa on Dec. 19 Tillerson will also meet Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said the source, who requested anonymity because the meetings have not yet been formally announced. A Canadian government source confirmed that Tillerson and Trudeau plan to meet but declined to give a precise date, saying scheduling issues still had to be worked out. The U.S. embassy in Ottawa declined to comment. Freeland said last month that the Vancouver talks would show the unity of the international community in applying pressure on Pyongyang.
0fake
Trump says he wants provision to lower drug costs in Republican bill
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Monday that he wants to add a provision to the Republican healthcare plan that would lower prescription drug costs through a “competitive bidding process.” “We’re going to have a great competitive bidding process. Medicine prices will be coming way down,” Trump told a rally. “We’re trying to add it to this bill and if we can’t, we’ll have it right after,” he said, referring to Republican legislation to replace Obamacare that is due to be voted on in the House of Representatives as early as Thursday.
0fake
Treasury nominee Mnuchin defends mortgage record at OneWest Bank
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, will push back on Thursday at Democratic Party critics who have charged him with forcing tens of thousands of Californians from their homes as chairman of OneWest Bank. In prepared remarks to senators at his confirmation hearing, Mnuchin said that his group’s purchase of IndyMac Bank in 2009 ultimately rehabilitated a failed regional lender into OneWest and saved thousands of jobs and thousands of loans from foreclosure. “Since I was first nominated to serve as Treasury Secretary, I have been maligned as taking advantage of others’ hardships in order to earn a buck. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Mnuchin wrote in his opening statement, a copy of which was seen by Reuters on Wednesday. “In the press, it has been said that I ran a ‘foreclosure machine.’ This is not true. On the contrary, I was committed to loan modifications intended to stop foreclosures. I ran a loan modification machine.” Democrats on Thursday organized a Capitol Hill forum at which a group of former OneWest borrowers said the bank refused to help them when they struggled to pay their mortgages in the depths of the 2008-2009 housing and financial crisis. The borrowers, among some 39,000 whose IndyMac loans went into foreclosure, urged senators to vote against confirming Mnuchin. According to data from the Treasury’s Home Affordable Modification program, OneWest extended over 101,000 offers to modify loans to help reduce monthly payments. About 28,700 of these offers were converted to “permanent” modifications under the Obama administration program from 2009 to 2013. “Unfortunately, not all of the homes could be saved through these programs, and despite my best efforts, some were, sadly, subject to foreclosure,” Mnuchin said. Mnuchin also said he asked the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to change its policies to avoid foreclosures on senior citizens who were behind on their property tax and insurance payments by only small amounts. But, he said, HUD refused. The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Hollywood film financier, who disclosed assets worth up to $400 million, pledged to support “careful oversight of the financial system which prioritizes the needs of everyday Americans over the wishes of financial institutions or the federal government.” Mnuchin said that as Treasury secretary he would enforce trade policies “that keep and protect American jobs. We will also make America the best place for companies to do business.” His statement did not provide specific policy steps, but he said the administration would work diligently to limit regulations and lower taxes on “hardworking Americans and small businesses.”
0fake
Listening to This New Podcast Could Save Your Life on Election Day - The New York Times
People on both sides of the aisle are concerned that this election might pose an existential threat to society. But did you know there’s one particularly dangerous time of day to vote? It has nothing to do with voter intimidation — but everything to do with how you get to the polls. Hear about the hazards of Election Day — and other types of “Strange Danger” — on the debut episode of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know with its host, Stephen J. Dubner. In everything he’s done, Mr. Dubner has made it his mission to tell people about things they thought they knew but didn’t, and things they didn’t think they wanted to know but do. This manifesto has informed his “Freakonomics” books (authored with Steven D. Levitt, an economist at the University of Chicago) and his Freakonomics Radio podcast. Now Mr. Dubner has a new way to carry on that mission: hosting a New York Times podcast, Tell Me Something I Don’t Know. On each episode, contestants get up onstage, in front of a live audience, and present an “IDK” — “I don’t know” — which might be a strange fact, some groundbreaking research or a forgotten piece of history. Three celebrity panelists poke and prod the presenters, and ultimately choose a winner. It’s still factual and still journalism, but disguised as a game show. For our debut show, the theme is “Strange Danger,” with these panelists: Debora Spar, president of Barnard College of Columbia University and author of “Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection. ” She speaks faster backward than you do forward. Anthony Marx, president of the New York Public Library and former president of Amherst College, who, in his youth, crossed a border illegally. Andy Zaltzman, comedian, political satirist and host of The Bugle podcast, who moonlights as a midwife very occasionally. Our “ Human Fact Checker” is Jody Avirgan, who hosts FiveThirtyEight’s Elections podcast. Election Day is just one of the strange dangers featured on this episode. We also have a sleep specialist from Atlanta with a theory on why we need our zzzzs. Also: An emergency room doctor describes the (shall we say) unusual actions of people about to freeze to death. And a Princeton professor tells us why supermarket shelves went empty in the early 1970s. (Hint: This was around the time Johnny Carson made a joke that led to hoarding.) From a desktop or laptop, you can listen by pressing play on the button above. Or if you’re on a mobile device, the instructions below will help you find and subscribe to the series. On your iPhone or iPad: 1. Open your podcast app. It’s a app called “Podcasts” with a purple icon. (This link may help.) 2. Search for the series. Tap on the “search” magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen, type in “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” and select it from the list of results. 3. Subscribe. Once on the series page, tap on the “subscribe” button to have new episodes sent to your phone free. You may want to adjust your notifications to be alerted when a new episode arrives. 4. Or just sample. If you would rather listen to an episode or two before deciding to subscribe, tap on the episode title from the list on the series page. If you have an internet connection, you’ll be able to stream the episode. On your Android phone or tablet: 1. Open your podcast app. It’s a app called “Play Music” with an icon. (This link may help.) 2. Search for the series. Click on the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen, search for “Still Processing” and select it from the list of results. You may have to scroll down to find the “Podcasts” search results. 3. Subscribe. Once on the series page, click on the word “subscribe” to have new episodes sent to your phone free. 4. Or just sample. If you would rather listen to an episode or two before deciding to subscribe, click on the episode title from the list on the series page. If you have an internet connection, you’ll be able to stream the episode.
0fake
The Year 2016 Set To Be Hottest On Record : Information
The Year 2016 Set To Be Hottest On Record By AFP November 14, " AFP " - The year 2016 will "very likely" be the hottest on record, the UN said Monday, warning of calamitous consequences if the march of global warming cannot be halted. Average temperatures for the year were set to hit about 1.2 Celsius (2.16 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels – meaning that 16 of the 17 hottest years on record were this century, said the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) . The new record means the world is already more than halfway to the upper limit of 2 C of warming overall, 1.5 C if possible, which UN nations had agreed upon to stave off worst-case-scenario climate change . "Another year. Another record. The high temperatures we saw in 2015 are set to be beaten in 2016," WMO secretary general Petteri Taalas said in a statement. #StateofClimate : 2016 set to be hottest year on record. Temperatures approx. 1.2°C above pre-industrial era #COP22 https://t.co/muMmlEuy5l pic.twitter.com/iod2pIoA1t — WMO | OMM (@WMO) November 14, 2016 The El Nino weather phenomenon had boosted temperatures in the early months of the year, but even after its effects dissipated, the mercury stayed high. In parts of Arctic Russia, temperatures were 6 C to 7 C higher than the long-term average, the statement said. Other Arctic and sub-Arctic regions in Russia, Alaska and northwest Canada were at least 3 C above average. "We are used to measuring temperature records in fractions of a degree, and so this is different," said Taalas. The WMO report was published as UN climate talks entered their second week in Marrakesh – the first since last year's huddle in the French capital concluded with the climate-rescue Paris Agreement. The Moroccan followup is meant to agree on rules for executing the plans and goals outlined in the pact, which envisions reining in global warming by cutting back on greenhouse-gas emitting coal, oil and gas for energy. High impact events Earlier Monday, the annual Global Carbon Budget report said carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have been nearly flat for three years in a row – a "great help" but not enough to stave off dangerous climate change. Both analyses warned that concentrations of planet-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continued to rise, reaching 400 parts per million in 2015 and likely to exceed that record in 2016. Global temperatures for January to September this year were about 1.2 C over pre-industrial levels, and 0.88 C over the average for 1961-1990, said the WMO. "More than 90 percent of northern hemisphere land areas outside the tropics were at least 1 C above average." Temperatures were also above normal over most ocean areas, contributing to coral bleaching and disrupted marine ecosystems in tropical waters, the report said. Arctic sea ice extent was "well below normal" throughout the year. "Because of climate change, the occurrence and impact of extreme events has risen," the WMO said. Heatwaves and flooding that once occurred once in a generation, are now much more regular. It pointed to several "high impact" events this year, including Hurricane Matthew which ravaged Haiti in October, flooding in China, several heatwaves, the most damaging wildfire in Canadian history and major droughts. Food shortages, population migration and conflict are expected to increase as a result of more frequent and potentially more intense weather-related disasters, the report warned. (AFP)
1real
The Entire Congressional Black Caucus Just Stomped All Over Trump’s Birther Remarks (VIDEO)
Donald Trump has finally been convinced that President Obama was indeed born on U.S. soil, or at least that s what he said during a press conference on Friday. What he didn t say was that he was sorry for being a champion of the birther movement from the very beginning. Not only did he fail to apologize, he also told an outright lie, claiming that it was Hillary Clinton who first started the rumors of this racist conspiracy theory.On Friday afternoon, the Congressional Black Caucus held a press conference of their own and stomped all over Trump s decision not to apologize. The CBC slammed Trump for living a life of bigotry and denounced the GOP nominee as a two-bit racial arsonist and a disgusting fraud. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said that Trump has gone way past the racial dog whistling that has been a plague upon American politics for years and is all out howling. One of the things that we are all used to in this business is dog whistles, he said. But the thing that we re not used to are the howls of wolves. These are howls, these are not whistles. These are in-your-face kinds of efforts on the part of one man in order to heap indignities on the President of the United States. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) had even harsher criticisms, accusing Trump of living a life of bigotry. He has lived a life of bigotry, she said. If you view America as a land of value and equality and justice, this man cannot be elected. We as African Americans have had enough. He has debased this election, but more importantly, he has disgraced himself in his lack of respect for the President of the United States of America. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) condemned Trump for the never ending stream of lies that come out of his anus-shaped mouth. This is not the first time he has lied he continues to lie, Meeks fumed. He s lied and he s divided this country enough. He lied about Muslims, saying he saw thousands of them [celebrating] when the World Trade Center went down. He s lied about Mexicans, he s lied about women, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus are not going to take it anymore. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) denounced the Republican nominee nothing more than a disgusting fraud, and Rep. Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) called Trump out as a two-bit racial arsonist. Watch the Congressional Black Caucus press conference, here:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJS6VtSCTs]Featured image via video screen capture
1real
Fear and Loathing Inside The Deep State
2375 Views November 18, 2016 8 Comments Guest Posts The Saker by Larchmonter445 Everyone in the Deep State is threatened by the Trump Presidency. The Deep State understands that power, funding, ideological stratagems and domination of government, media, academia, think tanks and NGOs are in the ‘field of fight’, to use the book title by a prime target the Deep State intends to destroy in order to save itself from Trump. Lt. General (ret.) Michael T. Flynn Lt. General (ret.) Michael T. Flynn, three-star expert in Military Intelligence, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), counselor to Trump for the last fifteen months, is a vital Trump ally the Deep State is attempting to discredit. We have seen the one-week ferocious political and media attack on Stephen Bannon, begun the instant that Bannon was named Trump’s number one strategist-advisor. Bannon is the theologian of Drain the Swamp, the Trump policy to rid the system of corruption and catastrophically disastrous policies and bureaucrat enablers. To understand Steve Bannon, take the time to read this transcription or listen to the audio Q&A from a 2014 event in the Vatican. He lays out his philosophical agenda, and used the 2016 campaign to advance his war on the Elites. Drain the Swamp pertains to more than getting the corruption out of the system. Steve Bannon Bannon now has Trump’s full backing to destroy the UniParty, defeat the Globalists, banish the warmongers of the MIC and help the legal prosecution of the corrupt. This is the Revolution to end the domestic Tyranny and the global Hegemon. The usual weapons of personal destruction have been launched at Bannon to destroy him and to deprive Trump of his most effective counselor and field marshall. Bannon has been branded a racist, an anti-semite, a white supremacist, an Islamophobe and a misogynist. In every forum and media outlet, the meme of Bannon being the worst human on the planet played as intensively as how the Dems attacked Trump during the campaign. Relentless lies, chorused by every host, talking head, and hater of every value Trump and Bannon had campaigned for were spewed on Bannon’s name. All fabricated, most based on a few headlines written by Milo Yiannopoulos in Breitbart.com, alt right agitprop pieces constructed to collect reader clicks, revenues for Breitbart and fame for Milo. Bannon as chief of Breitbart was then scourged for those headlines. Mockery by Milo used against Steve Bannon. It was all the Media needed. But the Deep State directed it for good reason. Bannon is the Pale Rider coming to destroy them. Steve Bannon is dedicated to cleansing government and the financial system controlled by all those who have reigned over the foreign regime changes, the transfer of middle class wealth and income to Wall Street, paper wealth from derivatives to hedge fund and corporate global leaders, trillions to the 0.01% elites, all of whom populate the Ultra Wealthy Class, a new feudalism of billionaires and millionaires. Bannon’s life long credentials and work with Jews, Blacks, females and Muslims eventually helped stifle the Media excesses. But the vicious branding may stick long after the inauguration. The fear and loathing of the Deep State is focused on another nemesis and threat in the person of General Flynn. Flynn challenges the Deep State’s incompetence, particularly its lack of results in the fight against terrorism. Flynn dealt with this in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He wrote a white paper on the state of US military Intelligence and the need to fix it. Flynn also is sickened with the 2012 Benghazi event and coverup, the lies of Clinton and the abandonment by the command structure of CIA, Pentagon, State and NSC. The Syrian war, the attempted coup of Erdogan, and the carnage wrought by bad policies, sheepish leadership and less-than-best methods of Intelligence gathering and usage motivated the General to join Trump. Flynn is now Trump’s guide into the Presidential raw data Intel reports and briefings. General Flynn is Trump’s personal analyst for interpretation of the data. Flynn has attended every briefing Trump has received. He is in place and the Deep State is out. So, they have mounted their counter-attack as soon as it was clear he would head the reform of the Intelligence community, and serve the newly elected President. Flynn has recruited over two hundred generals and admirals and twenty-two Medal of Honor recipients to the successful Trump campaign. Now some of the generals are possible cabinet or undersecretary department nominees or agency appointees. The Deep State is in deep trouble. General Flynn will probably be NSC head and I think he will have real power over fifteen other Intelligence agencies. Flynn may have great power over huge swaths of the MIC. He certainly will assist in the cleaning out of neocons and feckless employees, managers, supervisors and directors. Against Flynn, the Deep State is using a more traditional model of career attack and personal destruction than it did with Bannon. Multiple articles written to show that Flynn and Putin , Flynn and Russia, Flynn and RT media are part of the Trump gang of pro-Russian contacts connected to the Kremlin . Below is General Flynn at dinner with President Putin in Moscow. He explains in an interview . Other Trump-Putin supposed contacts are Carter Page and Paul Manafort, both of whom were attacked by the Media for the Deep State months ago. They resigned under political pressure applied through the media. In a payback, the Deep State lost some of their own sent to the Trump campaign who were unable to survive first inspection. They were dropped from the Trump campaign transition team. But, once Trump is sworn in, Carter Page will be back, most likely. He has connections to Gazprom, is well-liked in Moscow, and will be a link for American energy companies and perhaps some joint ventures in the gas field development and pipeline industry. Several friends of Trump are from the gas and oil industry, and the world is a small world when energy is the issue. The Arctic, the eastern Mediterranean, the South China Sea and other large development zones have enormous new fields to be tapped and exploited. Even the Black Sea zone around Crimea has yet-to-be-tapped energy stores. The primary interest of the Trump foreign policy will be to make America wealthy again. The Eurasian development has already attracted Trump to the OBOR of China and the AIIB infrastructure bank. Probably the entire New Silk Road of China and EAEU of Russia is not going to be without major US participation. The difference now is facilitation, participation, investment and benefits instead of obstruction, destabilization and terrorism used to thwart it all. To destroy Flynn and weaken Trump with the Intelligence and Military communities, the classic Washington technique of long articles with many negative anonymous sourced comments was used, carefully crafted headlines and paragraph headers, all designed for very negative Google Search feeds. The latest is about Flynn and Turkish “operatives” . Sounds like they met in dark alleys or underground passageways. Maybe in some Ankara safehouse, eh? It turns out quite differently. Hilal Mutlu (left) and Ibrahim Kurtulus (center) with Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn at Oct. 10, 2016 event. (Youtube screen grab) But Flynn is obviously being watched closely by CIA/State Dept. They know he is doing the bidding of Trump. And for good reason, Trump needs to know which way Turkey is leaning post-coup? And how sensitive is the Kurd issue in Syria? What are the ramifications of the US and Russia working in tandem against ISIS in Syria? Will Turkey help with safe zones for refugees? Will Turkey leave Syria after the war or does it plan to resist Russia and Assad? What about NATO? What about the Uyghurs Turkey protects, and is China being forced to come with military to put down the Uyghurs inside ISIS? Will the issue of demanding Fethullah Gulen’s extradition continue? Will there be mass death penalties for the imprisoned coup participants and Gulen’s followers? Flynn had a panoply of possible questions to be answered by the operatives from Erdogan. And the Turks would have questions they wanted answered with some hint of Trump’s positions. The Deep State are tracking Flynn and the Turks and are now exposing his links as a professional consultant. Nothing illegal. Nothing suspicious. Nothing out of the ordinary. But it was General Flynn, Trump’s guy. Smear him. How else would this information surface in the Washington Post except from the Deep State? And if you know the history of the Deep State, the WaPo is their first choice for all leaks, briefings in depth, exposes used to undermine officials who cross them or who point to the Deep States’ misdeeds or failures. You won’t find Sy Hersh’s articles in WaPo. The point of the articles about General Flynn was to shame him, to put down his personality, his lack of obedience to the Obama regime. He was investigated for giving Intel to foreign nations, we are told. He shared Intelligence with the Pakistanis, we are told. Read how his fellow generals talk about him . Imagine if the Deep State decided that Intelligence should never be shared. Well, the U.S. would have no allies. No nation joins a war effort without Intelligence for their military. Flynn, whose entire thirty-plus year career has been in Intelligence understands that. And he did it. Proudly, he related to the investigators, and it all was dropped except the record and the reporting of it now. The investigation was actually to cast a black mark on Flynn to be found later, by the uninformed, at the most sensitive of times. In this case, it is to weaken Flynn, to weaken Trump. “Mike Flynn shares Intel. Mike Flynn acts without checking with what the Deep State wants.” It turns out that Flynn did get approval for all he did. But he simply did the professional thing. He acted in behalf of his specialty, his profession, his oath of duty and the American people who paid him to protect America. There is something to be gained by studying this meeting with Turkey’s operatives. Flynn’s meeting signals that Trump will not likely arm the Kurds with heavy weapons. That would drive Turkey into the Russian-Iranian embrace fully. A practical solution to defeating ISIS and AQ and ending the Syrian war has to avoid losing Turkey. Trump is not going to be trying to coup anyone. His policy is no regime changes. He also does not like these secret wars of the CIA. If there is to be war, he wants it fought by the military, with a plan for victory. Principally, Trump’s wars will be like President Eisenhower’s. There were none for eight years. The warmongers and neocons of the Deep State and surface government will try to work over all the Trump nominees in the security and policy arena. Trump has refused to listen to any of them, though a few have been invited in to the goings on. However, we don’t know who is talking to Trump and who is talking to the various panels of experts that will advise who they think he should select. So a few neocons and warmongers like John Bolton and General Keane have made it into Trump Tower. But he eschewed them all these years and throughout the campaign. I doubt they will have any role in policy. He considers them failures. Expect very deep shakeouts at CIA and State. I think Flynn will use fellow military he knows and trusts as deputies and undersecretaries. General Keith Kellogg and General Ronald Burgess are likely for important positions. There has to be this cleaning out of the subterranean world of the Deep State. If President Carter got rid of 800 officers when Stansfield Turner tried cleaning out the CIA, I’m betting there are 1500 officers in the CIA who need retirement now. As for the State Department and the Clinton corruption of pay for play, that is only half the problem. The eighty years of Khazarian dominance of the State Department has created the need that whole thing ought to be shut down except for visas at embassies and consulates. (I’d use the Commerce Department in the interim. Send everyone else from State home. Board up Foggy Bottom for ten years.) Addendum: General Flynn early in the primary campaign consulted as advisor to five candidates. Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump. He chose Trump as the one who wanted to be President in order to fix the country and make America great again. Now, Trump, Bannon and Flynn are going to drain the swamp, if they can survive. (Flynn has been named NSC Advisor and will command a staff of 400 from all the other Intel agencies, it has been reported by Fox and AP.) Larchmonter445
1real
HERE’S HOW THE CLINTONS’ Free Private Jet Scam Works: “It’s highly illegal”
It s highly illegal and it s likely that the owners of these aircraft took tax deductions as a gift to the Clinton Foundation, Charles Ortel, a Wall Street analyst and critic of the Clinton FoundationIra Magaziner, the CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, asked former President Bill Clinton to thank Morocco s King Mohammed VI for offering his plane to the conference in Ethiopia. CHAI would like to request that President Clinton call Sheik Mohammed to thank him for offering his plane to the conference in Ethiopia, Magaziner gushed in a November 22, 2011 email released by WikiLeaks.Clinton frequently has expected free, luxurious private jet travel during his post-presidential life. Clinton, his wife and daughter have artfully secured free air travel and luxurious accommodations since they left the White House. It s an effective way to accept gifts of great value without declaring them for the Clinton Foundation. It s highly illegal and it s likely that the owners of these aircraft took tax deductions as a gift to the Clinton Foundation, Charles Ortel, a Wall Street analyst and critic of the Clinton Foundation.In the Moroccan case, Clinton was able to fly for free, jetting 3,367 miles from Rabat, Morocco, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the King s specially equipped 747-400 jumbo jet.Not including the flight, King Mohammed has donated at least $28 million to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton was traveling to attend a conference organized by Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi, an Ethiopian-Saudi billionaire who is the second wealthiest man in Saudi Arabia. The sheikh has donated up to $10 million to the Clinton Foundation. But neither the Clinton Foundation nor CHAI have listed any non-cash contributions such as free jumbo jet travel on their 2011 tax return for the free use of the aircraft.Via: Daily Caller
1real
U.N. sees 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing' in Myanmar
GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.N. human rights official on Monday denounced Myanmar s brutal security operation against Muslim Rohingyas in Rakhine state, saying it was disproportionate to insurgent attacks carried out last month. Communal tensions appeared to be rising across Myanmar on Monday after two weeks of violence in Rakhine state that have triggered an exodus of about 300,000 Rohingya Muslims, prompting the government to tighten security at Buddhist pagodas. Zeid Ra ad al-Hussein, addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, said that more than 270,000 people had fled to Bangladesh, with more trapped on the border, amid reports of the burning of villages and extrajudicial killings. We have received multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians, Zeid told the Geneva forum. He cited reports that Myanmar authorities had begun to lay landmines along the border with Bangladesh and would require returnees to provide proof of citizenship . Rohingya have been stripped of civil and political rights including citizenship rights for decades, he added. I call on the government to end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred, and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population, Zeid said. The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Last year Zeid s office issued a report, based on interviews with Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh after a previous military assault, which he said on Monday had suggested a widespread or systematic attack against the community, possibly amounting to crimes against humanity . I deplore current measures in India to deport Rohingyas at a time of such violence against them in their country, Zeid said, noting that some 40,000 Rohingyas had settled in India, including 16,000 who have received refugee documentation. Noting India s obligations under international law, he said: India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations.
0fake
FREE Summit from Health Experts Teaches About Healthy Fats to Reverse Disease and Lose Weight
by Brian Shilhavy Editor, Health Impact News 15 years ago, I was the first one to import a high quality saturated fat called “Virgin Coconut Oil” from the Philippines and market it in the U.S. market. Coconut oil is a traditional fat that has been consumed for thousand of years in tropical climates, where historically western diseases like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and others were not common, in spite of their high saturated fat diet. During World War II when the Japanese cut of the supply of the high saturated fat edible oils like coconut oil and palm oil with their occupation of the Philippines and other Southeastern nations, industry in the U.S. developed the “expeller-pressed” method of extracting oil from seeds that had not previously been a source of dietary oil, mainly the U.S. cash crops of soybeans and corn. These polyunsaturated oils were not shelf-stable edible oils, so the industrial process of “homogenization” was developed to make them more shelf stable, and behave more like shelf-stable saturated fats. Politics, not science, influenced government agencies like the USDA to promote these new polyunsaturated oils as more healthy than saturated fats. A new dietary dogma of “low-fat” was developed, and history now shows that America’s health greatly suffered as a result. Until even today, we have seen very high numbers of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease plaguing Americans. So it was with much opposition 15 years ago that I presented the real science behind coconut oil and saturated fats, but many now are waking up to the terrible consequences of following the government-sponsored low-fat diet dogma for so many years. One can truly turn their health around by simply making a dietary choice as to the types of fats one consumes, and increase the consumption of healthy fats, particularly when those fats in the diet replace harmful processed carbohydrates. The Science of Fats: Information that Could Change Your Life From November 7 – 14 Dr. Mark Hyman , Dr. Carrie Diulus, and over 30 of the world’s top experts on fats will participate in an online FREE summit dispeling the biggest MYTHS about fat, and revealing the latest research about how to eat, move and supplement your diet for improved health and longevity. Join these world-renowned experts, such as Aseem Malhotra, MD (one of Britain’s top cardiologists), Amy Myers, MD , Gary Taubes (famous science author that challenged mainstream media’s dogma on fats), Sayer Ji (Founder of GreenMedInfo.com), best-selling author Nina Teicholz , Peter Attia, MD , and dozens of others! There’s so much confusion and misinformation out there about FAT…both the fat on our bodies, and the fats we eat. You’ve been told that eating fat makes you fat — and increases your risk for heart disease and other chronic illnesses — but fat is NOT the enemy. The truth is: eating MORE FAT can help shut down cravings, accelerate weight loss and potentially prevent or reverse disease. Register today for FREE to watch this online summit! Published on November 2, 2016
1real
Boiler Room EP #123 – Right vs. Left, Jerry Springer Style
Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for this week s broadcast of The Boiler Room . Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for barfly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore alongside Patrick Henningsen, Editor of 21WIRE, Daniel Spaulding from Soul of the East, FunkSoul (21WIRE & ACR contributor) and Randy J (21WIRE & ACR contributor), for the hundred and twenty-third episode of BOILER ROOM. Turn it up, tune in and hang with the ACR Brain-Trust for this weeks boil-downs and analysis and the usual gnashing of the teeth of the political animals in the social reject club.Direct Download Episode #123Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved! Reference Links, for your consideration and research:
1real
HYSTERICAL! The Guy Who’s Spent Majority Of Both Terms On Golf Courses Makes THIS Insane DEMAND Of Congress
Of course Obama the putz blames too little government for the poisoned water crisis in Flint OBAMA TO CONGRESS ON FLINT AID: #DOYOURJOBOn a trip focused on letting Flint residents know they have not been forgotten, President Barack Obama put pressure on Congress to move a bill that would bring aid to Flint, Mich. and other communities at risk of lead contamination in their water systems.As Pro s Annie Snider reports, both houses are out of session until next week, but the Senate could, in theory, take up a water infrastructure bill that includes assistance to Flint and other cities with lead-pipe distribution systems. The bill easily passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee 19-1. Obama would like to see that bill move sooner rather than later. Congress, led by your congressional delegation, needs to act in a bipartisan fashion, do their job, make sure Flint has the necessary resources, Obama said Wednesday in a speech in Flint.President puns it like ME, calls small-government philosophy corrosive : The president used the speech to broadly attack the conservative philosophy of less-government-is-good-government, saying an anti-government attitude was at the root of the problems in Flint. I do think that part of what contributed to this crisis was a broader mindset, a bigger attitude, a corrosive attitude, that exists in our politics and exists in too many levels of our government, he said. It s a mindset that believes that less government is the highest good, no matter what. Boos for Snyder, but not from Obama: Gov. Rick Snyder also spoke at the event amid boos from the crowd of over 1,000 people. But Obama held off from attacking the governor, even trying to quiet the boobirds. No, no, Obama said. We re doing some business here. Via: PoliticoHow very big of you Barry...h/t WZ
1real
Michael Moore Owes Me $4.99
Posted on October 27, 2016 by DavidSwanson Michael Moore has made some terrific movies in the past, and Where to Invade Next may be the best of them, but I expected Trumpland to be (1) about Trump, (2) funny, (3) honest, (4) at least relatively free of jokes glorifying mass murder. I was wrong on all counts and would like my $4.99 back, Michael. Moore’s new movie is a film of him doing a stand-up comedy show about how wonderfully awesome Hillary Clinton is — except that he mentions Trump a bit at the beginning and he’s dead serious about Clinton being wonderfully awesome. This film is a text book illustration of why rational arguments for lesser evilist voting do not work. Lesser evilists become self-delusionists. They identify with their lesser evil candidate and delude themselves into adoring the person. Moore is not pushing the “Elect her and then hold her accountable” stuff. He says we have a responsibility to “support her” and “get behind her,” and that if after two years — yes, TWO YEARS — she hasn’t lived up to a platform he’s fantasized for her, well then, never fear, because he, Michael Moore, will run a joke presidential campaign against her for the next two years (this from a guy who backed restricting the length of election campaigns in one of his better works). Moore maintains that virtually all criticism of Hillary Clinton is nonsense. What do we think, he asks, that she asks how many millions of dollars you’ve put into the Clinton Foundation and then she agrees to bomb Yemen for you? Bwahahaha! Pretty funny. Except that Saudi Arabia put over $10 million into the Clinton Foundation, and while she was Secretary of State Boeing put in another $900,000, upon which Hillary Clinton reportedly made it her mission to get the planes sold to Saudi Arabia, despite legal restrictions — the planes now dropping U.S.-made bombs on Yemen with U.S. guidance, U.S. refueling mid-air, U.S. protection at the United Nations, and U.S. cover in the form of pop-culture distraction and deception from entertainers like Michael Moore. Standing before a giant Air Force missile and enormous photos of Hillary Clinton, Michael Moore claims that substantive criticism of Clinton can consist of only two things, which he dismisses in a flash: her vote for a war on Iraq and her coziness with Wall Street. He says nothing more about what that “coziness” consists of, and he claims that she’s more or less apologized and learned her lesson on Iraq. What? It wasn’t one vote. It was numerous votes to start the war, fund it, and escalate it. It was the lies to get it going and keep it going. It’s all the other wars before and since. She says President Obama was wrong not to launch missile strikes on Syria in 2013. She pushed hard for the overthrow of Qadaffi in 2011. She supported the coup government in Honduras in 2009. She has backed escalation and prolongation of war in Afghanistan. She skillfully promoted the White House justification for the war on Iraq. She does not hesitate to back the use of drones for targeted killing. She has consistently backed the military initiatives of Israel. She was not ashamed to laugh at the killing of Qadaffi. She has not hesitated to warn that she could obliterate Iran. She is eager to antagonize Russia. She helped facilitate a military coup in Ukraine. She has the financial support of the arms makers and many of their foreign customers. She waived restrictions at the State Department on selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qatar, all states wise enough to donate to the Clinton Foundation. She supported President Bill Clinton’s wars and the power of the president to make war without Congress. She has advocated for arming fighters in Syria and for a “No Fly” zone. She supported a surge in Iraq even before President Bush did. That’s just her war problem. What about her banking problem, prison problem, fracking problem, corporate trade problem, corporate healthcare problem, climate change problem, labor problem, Social Security problem, etc.? Moore parts company from substantive critique in order to lament unproven rightwing claims that Hillary Clinton has murdered various people. “I hope she did,” screams Moore. “That’s who I want as Commander in Chief!” Hee hee hee. Then Moore shamelessly pushes the myth that Hillary tried to create single-payer, or at least “universal” healthcare (whatever that is) in the 1990s. In fact, as I heard Paul Wellstone tell it, single-payer easily won the support of Clinton’s focus group, but she buried it for her corporate pals and produced the phonebook-size monstrosity that was dead on arrival but reborn in another form years later as Obamacare. She killed single-payer then, has not supported it since, and does not propose it now. (Well, she does admit in private that it’s the only thing that works, as her husband essentially blurts out in public.) But Moore claims that because we didn’t create “universal” healthcare in the 1990s we all have the blood of millions on our hands, millions whom Hillary would have saved had we let her. Moore openly fantasizes: what would it be like if Hillary Clinton is secretly progressive? Remember that Moore and many others did the exact same thing with Obama eight years ago. To prove Clinton’s progressiveness Moore plays an audio clip of her giving a speech at age 22 in which she does not hint at any position on any issue whatsoever. Mostly, however, Moore informs us that Hillary Clinton is female. He anticipates “that glorious moment when the other gender has a chance to run this world and kick some righteous ass.” Now tell me please, dear world, if your ass is kicked by killers working for a female president will you feel better about it? How do you like Moore’s inclusive comments throughout his performance: “We’re all Americans, right?” Moore’s fantasy is that Clinton will dash off a giant pile of executive orders, just writing Congress out of the government — executive orders doing things like releasing all nonviolent drug offenders from prison immediately (something the real Hillary Clinton would oppose in every way she could). But when he runs for president, Moore says, he’ll give everybody free drugs. I’ll tell you the Clinton ad I’d like to see. She’s standing over a stove holding an egg. “This is your brain,” she says solemnly, cracking it into the pan with a sizzle. “This is your brain on partisanship.” This entry was posted in General . Bookmark the permalink .
1real
Did Debbie Reynolds Die of a Broken Heart? - The New York Times
No one can know if the actress Debbie Reynolds — who died on Wednesday, a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher — died of a broken heart. Ms. Reynolds, 84, had suffered from several health problems in recent years, and doctors said any number of factors could have contributed to her death, possibly from a stroke. But by all accounts, she and her daughter were very close in recent years, and death from a broken heart is a occurrence, both in medical literature and throughout the folklore of the earliest human communities. One form of the phenomenon is called Takotsubo syndrome, after the Japanese term for “octopus trap,” because the heart looks as if it is caught from below, its upper chambers ballooning as if trying to escape. The sudden loss of a child or spouse, perhaps foremost among life’s cruelties, sets off “an overflow of stress hormones, and the heart can’t take it,” said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women’s heart health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. “It appears to be a massive heart attack,” but, she said, “the heart is literally stunned. ” The octopus trap can grab any heart, healthy or not, young or old, and most people survive, doctors say. The sudden flood of stress hormones causes a temporary weakening of the heart muscle itself, unlike a classic heart attack, in which a clot blocks blood flow. “I’ve seen estimates that about 1 percent of perceived heart attacks” are because of syndrome, said Dr. Anne Curtis, chair of medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, “and that seems about right. I think every cardiologist has seen cases. We tell people that many will return to normal or heart function. ” Ms. Reynolds’s did not, though the timing of her death may have just coincided with her daughter’s. In her 2013 memoir, Ms. Reynolds wrote about suffering a and partial kidney failure. In 2015, she was awarded an honorary Oscar but was too sick to attend the ceremony. In interviews, Ms. Fisher had talked about how frail her mother was. “It’s a lot of times terrifying, but watching my mother, who’s incredibly resilient, coping with certain health issues that she’s had,” she told National Public Radio this fall. In an interview with People magazine in May, she said her mother had had a “spinal issue” but had “recovered amazingly. ” Ms. Fisher, 60, died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles a few days earlier. On Wednesday, Ms. Reynolds was rushed to an emergency room amid reports that she had possibly had a stroke. Yet — if indeed a stroke was the primary cause of death, as her son, Todd Fisher, has said — a heart squeezed by the sudden loss of a beloved daughter could have contributed. The stunned organ, especially in a person who might have had any of the underlying cardiovascular infirmities of aging, could increase the likelihood of a clot forming and moving to the brain. In a 2005 paper in The New England Journal of Medicine, doctors at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reviewed cases of 18 women and one man who landed in coronary care units in Baltimore, between 1999 and 2003, with chest pains and no signs of classic heart attack on exam. Most were older, but one was 27 and another 32. The doctors, led by Dr. Ilan Wittstein, nicknamed the condition syndrome and noted that it occurred not only after grief but after any sudden stress. All of the patients survived. “We had people who’d been held up at gunpoint, who’d been up in front of a group to speak, who were severely claustrophobic and in an M. R. I. scanner, who were angry and in heated arguments,” Dr. Wittstein said in an interview. Dr. Wittstein said that at the time the paper appeared virtually the only mentions of the syndrome were in Japanese medical literature. Now, he said, thousands of cases have been reported, and about 90 percent of them are women in middle age or older. One possible reason, he said, is that estrogen protects the heart’s smaller vessels — those most affected by stress hormones — and estrogen levels drop with age. There have been cases of couples dying in close succession. The country stars Johnny and June Cash died within months of each other, after a long marriage. The former football star Doug Flutie’s parents died on the same day, both of heart attacks. To some medical experts, what Ms. Reynolds experienced is one of the greatest traumas of all. “No one wants to change the order of nature, that is the first thing I thought when I heard,” said Dr. Victor Fornari, a psychiatrist at Northwell Health on Long Island. “A parent outliving a child — it’s one of the most unspeakable things there is. ”
0fake
Hillary Clinton Ponders Halloween Costume
21st Century Wire says It s Halloween and Hillary Clinton is getting asked what she will wear for a Halloween costume. There s plenty of scary to go around, but the recently defeated Democratic presidential candidate offered one idea that would send shivers down the spines of many on All Hallows Eve: I think I will maybe come as the president! The spooky quip gained laughter and applause in Chicago Monday night at an event where attendees paid cash to find out What Happened to her candidacy in the 2016 election.We think this cartoon wins all the candy corns:Happy Halloween from 21WIRE READ MORE HALLOWEEN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Halloween FilesSUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV
1real
JOE BIDEN’S SON BEAU DIES AT AGE 46
Beau Biden son of Vice President Joe Biden died of brain cancer at 46, the White House confirmed in a statement Saturday. It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life, the statement from Vice President Biden s office said. The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau s spirit will live on in all of us-especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children, Natalie and Hunter, the statement said.President Obama said he and the first lady were grieving alongside the Biden family. Michelle and I humbly pray for the good Lord to watch over Beau Biden, and to protect and comfort his family here on Earth, Obama said in a statement released late Saturday.Beau Biden was a lawyer and member of the Delaware National Guard and former Delaware attorney general. However, he never would follow in his father s footsteps as a U.S. senator.Biden, although planning to run for governor of Delaware in 2016, was plagued with health troubles throughout his political career.In 2010, Biden suffered a mild stroke at only 41 years old. Three years later, he found himself in a Texas hospital for cancer treatment.In August 2013, he would undergo surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston to remove a lesion. That was followed by radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Three months after the procedure, doctors gave him a clean bill of health.However, Biden suffered a recurrence and was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital in May, officials said. At that time though, it was unaware why he was being treated.Support for the Biden family poured in from both sides of the aisle Saturday night into Sunday morning.Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Martin O Malley both expressed their sympathies to the Bidens. My heart is broken for the family of Beau Biden a wonderful man who served his country with devotion and lived his life with courage, Hillary tweeted. Katie and I are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Beau Biden. He served his country and the people of Delaware with great honor, O Malley said in a statement. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Biden family in this moment of great loss. Senator James Langford (R-OK) also released a statement expressing his remorse. I m incredibly saddened to hear of the death of Vice President Joe Biden s son, Beau Biden, the statement said. Our entire nation mourns with the Biden family and the White House during this difficult time. Vice President Biden has endured incredible tragedies during his lifetime. Cindy and I pray for the Biden family, Beau s widow, Natalie, and their two children. The news of Beau Biden s death also caught the Delaware political establishment off guard and also renewed questions about his health. Beau Biden kept a low profile and declined any interviews abou his health. I think he would have run. I think he would have won, said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a fellow Democrat. Markell said he last spoke to Biden in February, when he invited him to a meeting of Democratic governors in Washington, D.C. He was serious about running for governor, added New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon, a longtime friend and political ally of Joe Biden who described Beau Biden as the most popular politician in Delaware. He thought he was going to win this battle. Gordon said he last spoke to Beau several weeks ago, when Biden participated in a conference call on crime issues in Wilmington. He was a rock star, Gordon said. He had a great image, great character. Beau Biden left office earlier this year and joined a Delaware law firm run by Stuart Grant, a prominent Democratic campaign donor and plaintiffs lawyer specializing in corporate litigation. The first announced in late April that Biden was expanding his work on behalf of whistleblower clients, but was not available to clients.Biden, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, earned a law degree from Syracuse University in 1994. He served as a law clerk for a federal judge in New Hampshire before working for the U.S. Department of Justice from 1995 until 2002, including five years as a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia. In 2001, he volunteered for an interim assignment helping to train judges and prosecutors in postwar Kosovo.With his father, then Delaware s senior U.S. senator, at his side in 2006, Biden launched his campaign for attorney general. He promised to reorganize the state Department of Justice to better combat identity theft, Internet stalking by pedophiles, street crime and abuse of the elderly.Biden won with 52.6 percent of the vote. He s supped at this table since he s been 3 years old, a beaming Joe Biden said after the victory. Beau Biden was a toddler when his father was first elected to the Senate. I m just proud of him, the elder Biden added. I think he will make the state proud. The young Biden sidestepped questions about his own political ambitions during the campaign. Sometimes, it s not good to look too far down the road, said Biden, who remained similarly cautious about discussing his long-range plans in an interview with The Associated Press after suffering the stroke in 2010. Having long-term dreams is a good thing but having a plan has never worked for me, because life always intervenes, Biden told the AP at the time. For Biden, his initial health scare was also a reminder to balance his job with family time advice he encouraged others to follow. It s kind of reinforced how I ve operated my life, he said.As attorney general, Biden established a child predator unit, joined other attorneys general in taking on mortgage lenders over foreclosure abuses, proposed tougher bail restrictions for criminal defendants, putting him at odds with some fellow Dems.But a spate of shootings in Biden s hometown of Wilmington went largely unabated during his tenure, and his office stumbled in some high-profile murder prosecutions, including two cases in which murder charges were dropped. Biden also faced scrutiny over how his office handled the case of Earl Bradley, a pediatrician who sexually assaulted scores of young patients over more than a decade before being arrested in December 2009.Biden cited his focus on the Bradley case in announcing in January 2010 that he would not run for the Senate seat that his father vacated in 2008 when he was elected vice president.The younger Biden s decision stunned political observers, including many fellow Democrats who thought Joe Biden s former chief of staff, Ted Kaufman, had been appointed to the Senate on an interim basis to keep the seat warm for the son. A fellow Democrat, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, won the seat after Castle, who had been considered the odds-on favorite, was upset by tea party-backed Christine O Donnell in the GOP primary. I have no regrets, Biden said after O Donnell s stunning primary victory scrambled the political calculus surrounding the Senate seat.Biden coasted to re-election as attorney general in 2010 after Republicans declined to field a candidate against him.In addition to his work as a lawyer and attorney general, Biden was a major in an Army National Guard unit that deployed to Iraq in 2008.He was married and the father of two children.Markell ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in Delaware in honor of Biden.Via: FOX News
1real
RIOTERS CHASE DOWN Trump Supporter’s Truck…Attack Him While Screaming “Peaceful Protest”…Throw Bricks
Portland rioters have been chasing a Trump supporters truck for 8 blocks. pic.twitter.com/ZjYr5c5h5x Just Call Me Mister (@MisterMetokur) November 11, 2016The rioters then track down the Trump supporter at another light, continue to attack him while screaming peaceful protest and throwing bricks:Portland rioters track down Trump supporter at another light, continue to attack him while screaming peaceful protest and throwing bricks. pic.twitter.com/zzG91B1aX8 Just Call Me Mister (@MisterMetokur) November 11, 2016
1real
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Releases Anti-Trump Song Calling The President A “Con Man”
Bruce Springsteen aka The Boss is showing all of his fans just how out of touch he is with his latest song. He s been a fervent anti-Trump guy and has been very outspoken against President Donald Trump. His new protest song refers to Trump as a con man . What a way to disrespect the leader of our nation! has Bruce Springsteen employed thousands of Americans? It s interesting that Trump just delivered one of the best ever speeches to the builders union. Please watch the video provided below of what a real working man does for his crew. It s an awesome speech that totally discounts everything Springsteen is trying to say to bash Trump. Shame on him!The 67-year-old rocker released his and Joe Grushecky s anti-Trump song, called That s What Makes Us Great, and it is a direct comment on the president and his administration, according to Pitchfork.Springsteen s part of the song goes as follows: Don t tell me a lieAnd sell it as a factI ve been down that road beforeAnd I ain t going back.And don t you brag to meThat you never read a bookI never put my faithIn a con man and his crooks. During an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Gushecky talked about writing the song in January after Trump was sworn-in as president I had this song, and Bruce and I had been talking, Grushecky said. I sent it to him and he liked it. I said, What do you think about singing on it? He gave it the Bruce treatment. In February, Springsteen said he was an embarrassed American during a concert in Australia. On the same tour he attacked Trump s first travel ban as un-American. Tonight we want to add our voice to the thousands of Americans who are protesting at airports around our country the Muslim ban and the detention of foreign nationals and refugees, Springsteen told the crowd. America is a nation of immigrants. This is fundamentally un-American. What a bunch of bull! Springsteen has lost his roots and his sense of the working man. If he cared to know anything about President Trump then he would know Trump s bringing back American jobs. He s working hard to get the steel industry up and running again. He just held a Buy American, Hire American event promoting keeping jobs in America. What s better than a president who s a builder speaking to builders and construction workers. In President Trump s speech he calls out people by name pretty great! He knows business and building. We re in good hands America!TRANSCRIPT: I want to thank Sean McGarvey and the entire governing board of presidents for honoring me with this great invitation. And I love that it s in Washington, because I don t have to travel very far. Worked out pretty well, I have to tell you. Five minutes.Sean took part in one of our very first meetings at the White House - he mentioned it and I promise you that America s labor leaders will always find an open door with Donald Trump. Always. (Applause.) Just look at the amazing talent assembled here. We have ironworkers, insulators (applause) never changes, does it, with the ironworkers? Let s hear it. Laborers. (Applause.) Painters. (Applause.) Fitters. (Applause.) Plumbers. (Applause.) Operators they re operators, all right, I ll tell you that. (Laughter.) Electricians. (Applause.) Not that good. Where s my Local 3? Where s Local 3? That wasn t that good, the electricians well, they became so rich they don t have to (laughter) let s do that again. Electricians. (Applause.) That s better.Bricklayers. (Applause.) Boilermakers. (Applause.) Elevator constructors. (Applause.) Good job. Sheet-metal workers. (Applause.) Roofers. (Applause.) Plasterers plaster, well, yeah, that s not using as much plaster as we used to, fellas, right? No matter how you cut it. Sorry about that. I m not sure I can do much we brought back the coalminers. I m not so sure about the plasterers. We ll do the best we can, okay? We re going to do the best we can. How about the cement masons. (Applause.) And, of course, our wonderful Teamsters. (Applause.) Oh, that wasn t very good, James.But really, you re the backbone of America. With the talent in this room, we could build any city at any time, and we can build it better than anyone. (Applause.) But we re going to do even better than that. Together, we are going to rebuild our nation. (Applause.)You re the keepers of the great trades and traditions that built our country from the New York skyline to the Golden Gate Bridge. You represent the workers whose hands, skills, and dreams will build the great landmarks of our future. Every day, your members live out what I call the American Creed. They re on the job before dawn and after dusk, and they never quit until that job is done. You know that. True. True. (Applause.)We saw this grit on display when the construction trades helped rebuild New York City after 9/11. (Applause.) That was a terrible time we were all there that was a terrible time in this country s history. Worst attack in the history of our country. Worse than Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor they were attacking military. Here they were attacking civilians. Worst attack. And I saw what happened. Within a very short period of time, we were back rebuilding, and rebuild you did. And I really congratulate that took a lot of courage and a lot of strength. Thank you. (Applause.)The fact is you take pride in every part of your work every joist, bolt, and rivet. You re not only builders, but you re artisans, very talented people. A lot of people don t understand, you re very talented people enriching our cities and landscapes with works of great beauty. And just as you take pride in your work, our nation takes great, great pride in you, believe me. And it s time that we give you the level playing field you deserve. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you.Washington and Wall Street have done very, very well for themselves.Now it s your turn.And you re going to be also sharing the wealth. (Applause.) And you know, for many years, we ve been taken advantage of by other countries. All over the world they took advantage of us. We had leaders that didn t have a clue or worse. That s not going to happen anymore, folks. That s not going to happen anymore. And you see what s going on right now. In fact, the trade deficit went way down just announced before I got on stage. And I will tell you, we re going to have a whole different set of values when it comes to representing our country.That I can tell you right now. (Applause.)This election was all about returning power to the people. I ve spent my life working side-by-side with American builders, and now you have a builder as your President. (Applause.) One of my first acts as President was to stop one of the great sellouts of the American worker I immediately withdrew the United States from the disaster this would have been a disaster this would have been another NAFTA, which, by the way, is a disaster. I took you out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Applause.) Thank you. That one wasn t even close. And you know it and I know it, everybody knows it.Next, I cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. (Applause.) And it s looking like that s going to have about 42,000 jobs involved, those two jobs. That some number of great people. That s a big, big, beautiful lot of people. And Sean actually, and a whole group joined me in the Oval Office when we approved the Keystone permit.And I joked that day I said, can you imagine the head of this big Canadian company, in this case, they build pipelines and they failed. Didn t work. They paid millions and millions and hundreds of millions of dollars to consultants and lawyers, and they failed. And it was over. And then one day Trump wins, and a few days later they get a knock on the door sir, the Keystone pipeline was just approved.Can you imagine? I want to see the expression on his face. And he s a nice guy. He actually they came to the office. (Applause.) Because I did say you have to use American steel, you have to fabricate it here. Now, they had already bought 60-70 percent of it. So you can t be too wild, right? But I was signing the order, and I said, where did they buy this steel? I didn t like the answer. I said, who fabricated the steel? I didn t like the answer. I said, from now on we re going to put a clause got to be made in America. We want American steel, made in America. (Applause.) Right on the box. 100 percent, right? (Applause.)And you ll be hearing more about this in the very near future. But as time goes by, let s say, over the next seven and three-quarters years meaning eight years (laughter.)We believe in two simple rules: Buy American, and Hire American. That s what it s going to be. (Applause.) And that s not just a slogan, it s a promise. Believe me, that s a promise. (Applause.)The era of economic surrender has come to an end. It s come to an end. We have surrendered as a country to outside interests. The era of economic victory for our country has just begun. You will see. No longer will we listen to those failed consultants who ve made one wrong prediction after another delivering nothing but soaring trade deficits and a big, fat, shrinking workforce.For decades now, we ve watched as our factories have shuttered almost 70,000 factories our jobs have been stolen, and blue collar wages have declined. We ve seen the economic pain inflicted on our fellow Americans in Pittsburgh and Detroit and Baltimore. We didn t just offshore our jobs, we offshored a big, big part of the American Dream.We enriched foreign countries at the expense of our own country, the great United States of America. But those days are over. (Applause.) I m not and I don t want to be the President of the world. I m the President of the United States. And from now on, it s going to be America First. (Applause.)We re going to bring back our jobs and, yes, we re going to bring back the American Dream. As I traveled the nation, I heard the pleas of the forgotten men and women of our country the people who work hard and play by the rules, but who don t have a voice. Together, we are their voice, and they will never, ever be forgotten again. That I can tell you. (Applause.)I don t know if you saw, but if you watch the Democrats now, the anger the anger and hatred, and they re trying to figure out where did all these people came that voted for Donald Trump? Remember they said because the Electoral College is a very, very hard, they say, almost impossible for a Republican to win. The odds are stacked. And they would say there s no way to 270 you need 270 there s no way to 270. I heard that so much for a year I kept saying, maybe I shouldn t be running. You know, Sean, I said, maybe I shouldn t run because there s no way. The people are telling me the same people that say all of the bad stuff, they re saying, there s no way to 270. But there was a way to 306.But wasn t that an exciting one? Places that nobody entered Donald Trump has won the state of Michigan. They go, what? Donald Trump has won the state of Wisconsin. They came out of the blue, and we didn t even need them. And we love those two states because we won the state of Pennsylvania, and we won Ohio, and Iowa, and North Carolina, and South Carolina, and Florida, and so many others. We ran the coast. And if you don t run it, you can t win. Huge disadvantage, Electoral College. It s very, very tough. They say almost impossible for a Republican to win. But I had the support of, I would say, I would say almost everybody in this room.We had tremendous we had tremendous support. Oh, we did. We had tremendous support. (Applause.) We had tremendous support. And I ll tell you, we really had the support of the workers. We had tremendous support of the workers. But would you like to make a change, folks? Would you like to make a change? Because if anybody wants to make a change, you won t be having so many jobs. That I can tell you. Your jobs will be it will be a whole different story. Because in the last decade, you lost over 750,000 think of this 750,000 construction jobs. Real wages in the construction sector have fallen more than 15 percent since the 1970s. We rank 39th in the world for construction permitting. And approvals for infrastructure projects can take up to 10 years.Since taking office, I ve signed one action after another to eliminate job-killing regulations that stand in the way. I had a chart is that chart around here someplace? Do you have that? I have to show this chart to you because it s amazing, actually.This is if you want to build a highway in the United States, these are some of the permits that you need. It s a process that can take way over 10 years. And it just never happens. Then at the end of the period they vote against it. And we re getting rid of many of these regulations. (Applause.) You have to go through 17 agencies, many permits in each agency.In February alone, we added almost 60,000 new construction jobs in the country. I ordered expedited environmental reviews for infrastructure, environmental and energy projects all across the country. No longer will you have to wait year after year for approvals that never come.I also took historic action to lift the restrictions on American energy production and to put our miners, who have been treated horribly, back to work. (Applause.) They re great people.Consumer confidence is at its highest level in more than a decade. You ve seen all of the charts, all of the studies. The National Association of Manufacturers just the other day reported the most optimism in the entire history of its survey which is a old survey 93 percent of manufacturers are optimistic about the future. It was almost 27 percent lower than that just a few months ago.The Home Builders Confidence Index is at its highest level in 12 years. And now in breaking news, it was just reported today, the monthly U.S. trade deficit declined by 10 percent for a reason. Not by accident, believe me. It was for a reason.We re also going to protect your jobs by protecting our borders. My administration is just a matter of weeks, literally, a short period of time has brought record reductions to illegal immigration. Record reductions. (Applause.) Down 61 percent since inauguration. General Kelly is doing a fantastic job. And we ll crack down on visa abuses that undermine the American worker. And we re doing that right now. (Applause.)These, and so many other great achievements, have defined our first 10 weeks in office. We ve done so much for the worker. Done so much for the military. We ve done so much for the police officers, our men in blue and women in blue who are not treated fairly. We re fighting for workers of all backgrounds and from all walks of life.But to achieve true progress, we must remember our legacy. We re the nation that built the tallest skyscrapers on what was once the Hudson River, and put neon lights of Las Vegas in the middle of the desert. But if government continues to punish America s builders, then we will not be that nation any longer.I m calling on all Americans Democrat, Republican, independent to come together and take part in the great rebuilding of our country. (Applause.)That is why, in my address to Congress, I called on lawmakers to pass legislation that produces a $1-trillion investment in the infrastructure of our country. And we need it. (Applause.) With your help, we can rebuild our country s bridges, airports, seaports, and water systems. We will streamline the process to get approvals quickly, so that long-delayed projects can finally move ahead. And with lower taxes on America s middle class and businesses, we will see a new surge of economic growth and development.All of you have come to the nation s capital to call members of the House and Senate to action. You ve also called your President to action. When you see them, you can tell Congress that America s building trades and its President are very much united. (Applause.)Together, we are ready to break new ground. We will build in the spirit of one of the great projects in our nation s history an enduring symbol of American strength. The Empire State Building was forged in the Great Depression, and provided jobs for more than 3,000 workers. We ve all seen the pictures rugged workers perched dozens and dozens of stories up in the air. Workers like these moved almost 60,000 tons of steel, installed 200,000 cubic feet of stone, and laid 10 million bricks to build that American icon. And they did the job in a record time 13 months. Hard to believe. Think of that the Empire State Building built in 13 months, during the Depression. Nowadays, you couldn t even get a building permit or approval in that amount of time.When the workers had secured the last piece of steel in that amazing and beautiful structure, they marked the moment as we still do today with what is called a topping out ceremony: 1.050 feet above the streets of New York City, they hoisted a beautiful and great American flag. (Applause.)AUDIENCE MEMBER: The ironworkers!THE PRESIDENT: They did a good job. They did a good those ironworkers, you better believe it.It was an American flag that represented American projects the big, bold, and daring dream of one man, and then one city, and then finally, one people. That banner marked our nation s proud climb to the top of the world. Our people endured through the hardships of Depression and the battles of World War II, and they emerged from these trials stronger and more united than ever before. Now, we must again summon that same national greatness to meet the challenges of our time.Only miles from the halls of Congress and the newsrooms of Washington, you will find once-thriving cities marred by empty lots and once-booming industrial towns that have become rusted and are in total disrepair. Standing before me today, in this very hall, are the men and women who, if given the chance, can transform these communities. You are the citizens who can rebuild our cities, revive our industries, and renew our beloved country. And I know you will stop at nothing to get the job done. (Applause.)For the rest of their lives, everyone who worked on the Empire State Building knew when they looked up at that great New York skyline that they had lifted the Stars and Stripes atop the tallest flagpole on Earth, and that somewhere high above the city streets, their place in history was carved into beams of steel.In the future, when we become the trials and we are trials of our times we too will emerge stronger and more united than ever before. It s happening, you watch. When we rise above the cynics and critics who live only to defend the status quo, and to defend themselves from failure, then we, too, will construct a lasting monument to national greatness.In this future, our nation s workers and craftsmen will look way out at the vast open landscape, and they will build new bridges and new schools and new landmarks, and they will proudly raise up for all to see our bright and beautiful American flag. And when we see that flag, we will remember that we all share one American home, one American heart, and one American destiny.May God bless our nation s builders. May God bless our nation s workers. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)
1real
“BLACK SKIN PRIVILEGE” Why These Two Well Known Writers Say It’s A Real Thing [VIDEO]
If the title of this book was White Skin Privilege you would likely find it in just about every college campus library or school book store. Conversely, it s highly unlikely that you ll find the Black Skin Privilege and the American Dream book on any college or high school reading lists. After all, discrimination is a one-way street and as usual, the left gets to determine who s being discriminated against and who s guilty of discrimination In 2013, conservative writers David Horowitz and John Perazzo released a Kindle pamphlet titled, Black Skin Privilege and the American Dream, and today I want to give you an inside look courtesy Frontpage Magazine.In the pamphlet, the authors argued that, in their obsessive quest to find evidence of illusory white skin privilege, the left instead winded up creating black skin privilege. Its effects can be seen in the presumption of guilt on the part of innocent whites (think Duke lacrosse team) on the basis of their skin color, while guilty blacks (think O.J. Simpson) are often presumed innocent, the authors wrote.Think also of Mike Brown and Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson. The left turned Wilson into a bogeyman of alleged racial terror, while they portrayed Brown as an innocent gentle giant. Not surprisingly, the evidence eventually vindicated Wilson and proved without a doubt that the real villain had been Brown all along. Blacks can commit racist attacks on whites certain that civil rights activists who sift the news obsessively for black victims will either not notice or dismiss such attacks as a form of delayed justice for the historical oppression of black people, the writers added.Indeed. I try to cover as much racial crime as possible, but frankly, too many stories of blacks assaulting whites appear on my feed for me to legitimately address them. If you want to know more about such crimes, I suggest you follow Colin Flaherty on YouTube:https://youtu.be/tMsJ1wc7mTwHere is an excerpt from the book: The result of such prejudice there is no better word for it is the creation of an optical illusion of deeply embedded, if largely invisible, white racism that creates vast numbers of black victims when the social facts show quite a different situation, the authors added.According to FBI crime data released earlier this year, whites and Hispanics are far more likely to be killed by a black person than a black person is to be killed by either a white or Hispanic person.Alas, these sorts of facts are suppressed (or shrugged off) by the media and civil rights activists dedicated to creating a one-sided and propagandistic narrative of race in the United States. As a result, we live in an age where every black criminal is automatically assumed to be a victim, while every white victim is automatically assumed to be a perpetrator.It s sad, but it s all part of Obama s America Via: DownTrend
1real
Time does nothing
All this time of thoughts and reason Now this country is full of treason This earth goes up It also goes down Mostly this life feels hellbound Do we question this crazy human race On this long crazy day please engulf me with mace Time was this and that was now Come on humans show us how All we want is to deal with time One of you can not even blow my mind This way that way which is clear Double the facts and I will drink beer Seeping peeping on the line Throwing rowing in due time Life is full of different ways To you all please have a great day This is about the struggle in life and we can all overcome this by being happy.
1real
Reveal your sources: Swiss suspect told in German spy trial
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Prosecutors pressured a Swiss man accused of spying on a German tax authority to name his inside source or face up to five years in jail. The 54-year-old man, identified only as Daniel M., appeared in a Frankfurt court on Wednesday charged with spying on the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia s (NRW) tax authority and some of its staff for nearly four years up to February 2015. Prosecutors say he was trying to find out how German states obtained CDs containing details of bank accounts held secretly in Switzerland by Germans hoping to avoid tax. They also say he placed a source at NRW s tax authority, which his lawyers have denied. The case triggered outrage in Germany but Swiss authorities have defended their efforts to combat the theft of business secrets. At the trial, federal prosecutor Lienhard Weiss said he would agree to a suspended sentence of between 18 months and two years, plus a fine of 50,000 euros ($58,735) in cash, in exchange for information. If there is a confession and the defendant makes plausible statements on the identity of the informant, then a plea ... would be imaginable, he said. Otherwise, Daniel M. may face a prison sentence of up to five years if found guilty of espionage on behalf of a foreign state. He had not made a plea or responded to the charges. The German state of NRW has for years irritated Switzerland by buying data as part of a crackdown on Germans stashing cash in secret accounts to avoid paying tax. The state has spent 17.9 million euros since 2010 on data that has helped it recover nearly 7 billion euros in tax revenue. The Swiss government has acknowledged that police asked intelligence agency NDB in 2011 to help with an investigation related to the stolen data in Germany but has declined to give more details. Germany s federal prosecutor s office has said Daniel M., who has in the past worked as a police officer in Switzerland and then provided security for Swiss bank UBS, gathered personal information on state tax investigators so that Swiss authorities could prosecute the officials involved in buying the tax data CDs. The office has said payments totalling more than 100,000 euros were made in connection with his efforts to obtain information, some of which went to Daniel M. and some of which was passed on to unidentified third parties. We need concrete information on the ... payments, to whom they were made and for what, presiding judge Josef Bill said on Wednesday. Robert Kain, one of Daniel M. s lawyers, said the defendant would make a statement when the trial continues on Oct. 26. ($1 = 0.8513 euros)
0fake
Tesla Faults Brakes, but Not Autopilot, in Fatal Crash - The New York Times
Tesla Motors has told Senate investigators that its system failed to work properly in a fatal crash, but said its Autopilot technology was not at fault, according to a Senate staff member. Instead, Tesla told members of the Senate Commerce Committee staff on Thursday that the problem involved the car’s automatic braking system, said the staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was not clear how or why Tesla considers the automatic braking system to be separate from Autopilot, which combines automated steering, adaptive cruise control and other features meant to avoid accidents. Tesla declined to comment on Friday. “Those systems are supposed to work together to prevent an accident,” said Karl Brauer, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, an auto research firm. “But either the car didn’t know it had to stop, or it did know and wasn’t able to stop. That involves Autopilot and the automatic braking. ” The company told the committee staff that it considered the braking systems as “separate and distinct” from Autopilot, which manages the car’s steering, and can change lanes and adjust travel speed, the staff member said. That argument is consistent with the company’s continued resistance to critics’ calls for the company to disable Autopilot. Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, and other company officials have continued to defend Autopilot, describing it as a lifesaving technology. The meeting on Thursday, which involved Tesla engineering executives, was in response to a request from the committee for more information about Autopilot and the cause of the crash in Florida. The executives also urged against governmental action that could slow introduction of technology, according to the staff member. Tesla expressed the view that while some deaths might occur as automakers developed and perfected these kinds of innovations, the safety benefits outweighed the risks, this person said. Tesla is still trying to determine whether the car’s radar and camera systems failed to detect a that was crossing the roadway, or whether they saw the truck but misidentified it as an overpass or overhead road sign. In a Twitter posting last month, Tesla’s chief noted that the radar system “tunes out” readings that appear to be overhead signs to prevent the car from braking unnecessarily. The information presented at the meeting is the most extensive explanation Tesla has given so far for what role its Autopilot system might have played in the crash, which took the life of Joshua Brown, 40, an entrepreneur from Ohio. Mr. Brown was traveling on a divided highway in Williston, Fla. with Autopilot controlling his Tesla Model S when it crashed into a rig that had made a left turn in front of the car. The company has previously said that neither the car’s Autopilot system nor Mr. Brown activated the brakes before the impact and noted that the radar and camera systems might have failed to detect the white truck against a bright sky. The reliability of Autopilot is a sensitive matter for Tesla because the company tries to present itself to customers and investors as a technology company rather than an automaker, said Mr. Brauer, the Kelley Blue Book analyst. “Autopilot is a key component of the image Tesla wants to project,” he said. “They’ve made a big deal about it. So they don’t want to be in the position of saying that there’s something wrong with something that’s part of the whole company’s image. ” Tesla was also due on Friday to provide the first batch of information requested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating whether a safety defect exists in Autopilot or other safety systems. Tesla declined to say whether it would meet the Friday deadline. The National Transportation Safety Board, which typically examines airplane and train accidents, is also investigating. It has found the car was traveling at 74 miles per hour, nine more than the speed limit. Tesla is scheduled to report its financial results on Wednesday. Analysts expect a loss, as the company spends heavily to increase production of a new Model X sport utility vehicle, finish the development of a more affordable Model 3 compact and start production at the gigantic battery factory that it is opening in Nevada. It is unclear whether the fatal crash and questions about the Autopilot technology are hurting Tesla’s sales or reputation. It delivered 14, 370 cars in the second quarter, fewer than expected, because 5, 150 cars were still in transit to customers, the company said. A year ago, it delivered 11, 507 cars in the second quarter. A repercussion of the Florida crash is that Mobileye, the Israeli provider of technology used in Autopilot, is no longer supplying Tesla because of disagreements over how the system is being used. Consumer Reports magazine also publicly called on Tesla to disable the Autopilot’s automatic steering function until it can find a way to make sure drivers keep their hands on the steering wheel while using it. Autopilot consists of a series of safety components that can steer, brake, overtake other vehicles and maintain lane position automatically with little input from the driver. The system warns drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and remain alert. But many drivers, Mr. Brown included, have posted videos on YouTube showing it is possible to go several minutes without looking at the road or holding the wheel.
0fake
Chinese aircraft drill again in Western Pacific
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese military aircraft have again carried out drills in the Western Pacific, the Xinhua state news agency said on Thursday, with bombers and fighters from a South China Sea naval air arm exercising with warships. Chinese aircraft, most of them from the air force, have carried out increasing numbers of drills far from Chinese shores in the past few years, most recently focused on self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its own, and near Japan. Xinhua said dozens of aircraft, including bombers, fighters and early warning aircraft, drilled in the Western Pacific along with warships, but it did not give an exact location. The exercises were normal drills, part of annual plans, and accorded with international law and norms and were not aimed at any specific country or region, Xinhua said, citing the military. The exercises had no impact on freedom of navigation or overflight in the area, the news agency added. The participation of aircraft attached to the South China Sea fleet implies they could have flown over the disputed South China Sea, where China has been building airfields and other military facilities, some on artificial islands, unnerving the region. China claims most of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which $3 trillion worth of goods passes every year. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei all have overlapping claims. China has continued to install high-frequency radar and other facilities that can be used for military purposes on its man-made islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. think-tank said last week. [nL8N1OE7HR]
0fake
Colbert Says Goodbye To Rubio In Epic Sendoff (VIDEO)
Marco Rubio, the latest victim of the Trump train that has wreacked havoc on the Republican Party, has bowed out of the race for the nomination after getting destroyed in Florida, becoming the latest victim in a long line of Republican candidates that has now trickled down to just three. Stephen Colbert bid farewell to Rubio with an epic sendoff, putting together a compilation of absurdities committed by Rubio throughout his campaign for the presidency. Yes, Florida senator and boy whose birthday party your parents made you attend, Marco Rubio, has joined the ranks of the fallen, Colbert said. When Rubio told his supporters there is nothing more they could have done for him, the host replied, Well, you could have voted for him, but besides that, no. Colbert added: Rubio was the last tribute fighting on behalf of the establishment of Capital City. He was supposed to become the Jeb Bush people liked. Instead he became Jeb Bush. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AWywH4OxcE]Colbert touched on some of the most important moments in the Rubio campaign, including his big mistake in stooping to Trump s level by making fun of his hands. You know what they say about men with small hands, Colbert asked. They win Florida. Rubio, the darling of the Republican establishment was expected to perform much better but continuously finished in third place behind Trump and the other creepy guy Ted Cruz. He has stated that he would not run on anyone s ticket as vice-president if he s asked. No loss for America there folks. Featured image via video screenshot.
1real
HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SEEKS HELP FROM UNION AFTER BEING FIRED FOR STOMPING ON AMERICAN FLAG IN CLASS [Video]
This is just another example of the rampant indoctrination of our children by the anti-American left God bless these local veterans who came forward in defense of our American flag:A teacher who allegedly stomped on the American flag during a high school lesson on free speech has been fired.The Martinsville School District board has unanimously voted 6-0 to fire English teacher Jordan Parmenter, WGLT reports.The teacher incensed students after he stepped on the flag during a May lesson on free speech at Martinsville Junior-Senior High School.According to a student in the class, Parmenter was using a small American flag as a pointer for a chart and when the student said it was disrespectful, the teacher said he then made what he says was the rash decision of dropping the flag to the floor and stepping on it to illustrate an example of free speech as part of the lesson that day, according to the Journal Gazette. We can t figure out why he actually went to the simulations of actually doing it, Jonathon Smith, a senior at the school, was quoted as saying by TristateHomePage.com last month. He talked about it being the right to do whatever he wants. That s why it was there so he could do whatever he wants, but we have no idea why he would actually take it down and basically start all this. Several residents reportedly protested outside the school after the incident to bring attention to it, walking a flag back and forth in front of the building. It s just disgraceful, protester Clifford Clouser, a U.S. Navy veteran, told WTHI-TV while fighting back tears. There s just so much history in that flag some good, some bad but it s still our flag. Protester Nicholas Gibson, a veteran of the U.S. Marines, told the TV station, It should have never happened. I m very proud of these kids that have stood up for what they believe in. Parmenter wrote a letter of apology to the school board, but it wasn t enough to save his job.The teacher wouldn t speak to the media following his termination, except to say he plans to speak with his union representative, according to Fox 2.Via: EAG News
1real
WATCH JOE BIDEN’S Shocking Anti-Gun Comment About Texas Hero Who Stopped Gunman [Video]
Joe Biden is thinking about running for POTUS in 2020 but this type of anti-gun comment is a huge deal breaker for voters If Biden had used common sense he would realize that the Texas hero stopped the gunman from proceeding with any more deaths when he used his weapon Does Biden believe that if you outlaw a certain type of gun that they won t be out there anymore? Two words: Bill Clinton Joe Biden says that the man who stopped the Texas church shooter should not have been armed. pic.twitter.com/pY3hBHPHuX Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 14, 2017Joe Biden: Well, first of all, the kind of gun being carried he shouldn t be carrying, Biden said. Assault weapons are I wrote the last serious gun control law that was written and was law for 10 years, and it outlawed assault weapons and it outlawed weapons with magazines that had a whole lot of bullets and so you can kill a whole lot of people a lot more quickly. Joe Biden wants to run? Not gonna happen if he starts to go down this path Remember gun sales always skyrocket when there is an effort to ban them. The left s logic on this is upside down. Just because you ban guns or put a sign up banning them in a public place does not mean that people will obey them. The hero who shot the gunman was a brave American! Shame on Joe Biden!
1real
EXPLOSIVE New Report PROVES Trump Hotel Linked To Iranian Terror Organization
Donald Trump likes to talk tough on terror. However, a new report links a Trump hotel to you guessed it a terror cell. Trump and his daughter-wife Ivanka built a hotel and tower in Azerbaijan in 2008 that was first a swanky high rise full of apartments, but in 2014 it became yet another Trump hotel. However, neither incarnation of the project ever opened for business.Now, it seems that the whole thing called the Trump International Hotel and Baku is just a front for corruption tied to an oligarch by the name of Ziya Mammadov. Mammadov s father also happens to be the transportation minister of Azerbaijan. The United States government believes that this man is guilty of money laundering for Iran s military. He has never been brought up on any such charges, though.The whole thing looks even shadier when one considers statements from a former official with Azerbaijan s Ministry of Tourism. He says of the Trump property: Why would someone put a luxury hotel there? Nobody who can afford to stay there would want to be in that neighborhood. So, in other words, they have a dormant hotel in a shitty neighborhood for what legitimate purpose exactly? It also turns out that the aforementioned Ziya Mammadov, along with his brother Elton Mammadov are the ones who signed off on this sham property. It also helps to know that this whole family is corrupt to the core and basically make their money through government corruption. They also have suspicious ties to the Iran s Revolutionary Guard. This is a terrorist cell that engages in things like trafficking drugs and sponsoring terrorist activities.Of course, one of Trump s equally shady lawyers, Alan Garten, has already brushed aside the claims, saying that all Trump did was lend his name to the building has no real ties to this whole corrupt mess. The thing is, though, there is money going into Trump s pockets via this deal to a tune of at least $2.8 million, perhaps more. To that end, do not expect any sort of rebuke of this corruption and sponsoring of terrorism from the Trump Administration.Clearly, Trump s worldwide business interests will influence United States policy, when indeed it should not, ever. This is dangerous beyond anything we have ever seen before. He must be removed.The entire report can be read here, at the New Yorker.Featured image via Jim Lo Scalzo Pool/Getty Images
1real
White House hopeful John Kasich hires former George W. Bush press aide
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The Republican presidential campaign of Ohio Governor John Kasich has hired a former deputy White House press secretary for President George W. Bush as a top communications adviser, a campaign source said on Tuesday. The adviser, Trent Duffy, is an Ohio native who worked on Capitol Hill when then-Representative Kasich was chairman of the House Budget Committee. Duffy, who has been a public relations consultant in the years since serving in the Bush White House, will be a national communications strategist and responsible for national media outreach on behalf of Kasich’s campaign for the Nov. 8 election. The hire takes place during the heat of the South Carolina primary battle. Republicans in the state vote on Saturday and Kasich is campaigning in the state over the next few days to try to build on the momentum he received from a second-place finish in the New Hampshire nominating contest last week. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage.
0fake
Black Agenda Report for Week of Oct 31, 2016
News, information and analysis from the black left. Black Agenda Report for Week of Oct 31, 2016 Submitted by Nellie Bailey a... on Mon, 10/31/2016 - 20:45 Venezuela The Missing Black Movement Ingredient: Self-Determination The Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations will hold a National Black Political Convention on Self-Determination, November 5 and 6, in Washington, DC. “If you go through history, the fundamental thing that we’ve confronted is the loss of our self-determination as a people,” said Black Is Back chairman Omali Yeshitela . The Coalition has put forward a 19-point position on the need to put self-determination at the center of Black struggles. The 19 points “give us the beginning of some kind of a plan,” said Yeshitela. “It says, specifically, here is our view on self-determination and the subject of reparations, Black women, the question of police invasion and brutality in our community,” and many other issues. The “Moment of Truth” for the Empire “We are entering a new moment in American history,” said Dr. Anthony Monteiro , the Duboisian scholar and Black Radical Organizing Committee activist. “It is a moment of truth for the ruling class, for the ruling elite. What do they do when they are trumped at home -- forgive the pun -- and trumped internationally?” he asked. “Do they back off of empire, do they readjust, do they become peaceful, or do they up the stakes and attempt to resolve all problems with war abroad and oppression at home?” Dr. Monteiro is one of the planners of a Revolutionary Science for Radical Times conference, in Philadelphia, December 9 and 10. Hard Times in Venezuela Despite what the corporate media are telling you, Venezuelans are not starving and the Socialist Party government will not be toppled any time soon. However, the rightwing opposition “is smelling blood” due to an economic crisis that “has made it very difficult for people to get access to imported goods, and many goods are very expensive,” said political science professor George Caccariello-Maher , of Drexel University, author of We Created Chavez: A People’s History of the Venezuelan Revolution . Corruption, smuggling and money speculation are serious problems, said Caccariello-Maher. However, the strength of the Left lies in the nation’s grassroots organizations and communes. “It would be very difficult for an opposition government to come in and attempt to throw them off their land” or return property to the private sector, he said. Happy Birthday, Rev. Pinkney! Benton Harbor, Michigan, human rights leader Rev. Edward Pinkney, currently serving a 2 ½ to 10 year sentence on election tampering charges, turned 68 years old this month. Marcina Cole , a courtroom observer at Pinkney’s trial, teamed up with David Sole , of the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice, to throw a birthday party for Pinkney, in absentia, in Detroit. “He’s definitely in support of other inmates, doing ministry work, and looking forward to being out very soon,” said Cole. She reported that Green Party vice presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka visited the political prisoner on October 19. “This was historical,” said Cole. “They know how powerful Rev. Pinkney is” -- and that he has allies on the outside. Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:00am ET on PRN. Length: one hour.
1real
Putin, Egypt's Sisi discuss restart of flights, sign nuclear deal
CAIRO (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Egypt s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday, agreeing to resume civilian flights which Moscow halted more than two years ago after militants bombed a Russian tourist jet over the Sinai. Putin s latest visit to Cairo reflects the deepening ties between Russia and Egypt, the second largest recipient of U.S. military aid after Israel and a strategic U.S. partner in the Middle East because of its control of the Suez Canal. Putin, who flew on to Turkey, briefly visited a Russian base in Syria before arriving in Egypt and ordered Russian forces to start withdrawing from Syria after a two-year military campaign there. In Cairo, Egyptian and Russian ministers signed a $21 billion deal to start work on Egypt s Dabaa nuclear power plant and Putin said Moscow was ready to resume Russian civilian flights to Egypt. Moscow halted civilian air traffic to Egypt in 2015 after militants detonated a bomb on a Russian Metrojet flight, downing the jet leaving from the tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and killing 224 people on board. The attack and Moscow s decision damaged Egypt s already struggling tourism industry. Egyptian airport inspections and talks to resume flights have been going on for months. The Russian security services have reported to me that, on the whole, we are ready for opening the direct air link between Moscow and Cairo, Putin said. This would require signing a corresponding intergovernmental protocol. Russia s transport minister told reporters flights could resume in early February, and Russia was prepared to sign a protocol with Egypt this week. Earlier, Russian state nuclear company Rosatom said the Dabaa nuclear station it will build in Egypt will have four reactors and cost up to $21 billion. Construction is expected to finish in 2028-2029. Moscow and Cairo signed an initial agreement in 2015 for Russia to build the plant, with Russia extending a loan to Egypt to cover the cost of construction. Sisi said the two leaders had also discussed industrial projects, trade and Russian investments in Egypt, including in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. Sisi and Putin also discussed Syria and mutual rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that has triggered protests across the region and from European capitals. We had a detailed exchange of views on key international issues. Our approaches either coincide completely or are really quite close, Putin said. The high-level Russian visit comes after the U.S. government in August decided to deny Egypt $95.7 million in aid and to delay another $195 million because of its failure to make progress on human rights and democratic norms. Russia launched a military operation to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September 2015, and there are signs Moscow is keen to expand its military presence in the region. Neither leader on Monday mentioned an announcement from November when Russia s government published a draft agreement between Russia and Egypt allowing both countries to use each other s air space and air bases for their military planes. But Putin has been steadily building relations with Egypt. On his first visit to Cairo in 2015, he was the first leader of a major power to meet with Sisi after the former Egyptian army commander ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013. That prompted Washington to cool relations with Egypt, and the U.S. government suspended some military aid. Since then the two leaders have increased cooperation, reviving the historical alliance between Egypt and Soviet Union of the 1970s.
0fake
Public works blitz helps Macri coalition in Argentina midterm vote
LANUS, Argentina (Reuters) - Adriana Rodriguez, a 59-year-old vendor at an open-air market in an industrial city in Argentina s Buenos Aires province, never imagined her home would be connected to the sewage system. But as business-friendly President Mauricio Macri invested in infrastructure ahead of Sunday s legislative election victory, sewage construction in her hometown of Lanus advanced to within two blocks of Rodriguez s house. She expects pipes to reach her home soon. My husband and I thought we would die without getting connected to the sewage system, she said. It is a step forward. Like many of the working-class suburbs surrounding Argentina s capital that collectively make up the country s most important electoral region, Lanus has long been a bastion of support for the Peronist movement, which generally emphasizes strong unions and redistributive policies. Macri s coalition, which initially struggled to appeal to the working class, went after those votes with a 150 billion peso ($8.7 billion) public works plan in Buenos Aires province, home to more than a third of Argentine voters. It paved roads and built express bus lanes after a decade of stagnant infrastructure investment under former populist President Cristina Fernandez. That helped Macri s Let s Change coalition defeat Fernandez in the province s Senate race on Sunday. In Lanus, Macri s candidate beat Fernandez with 40.8 percent of votes versus 38.9 percent. That compared to a virtual tie in an Aug. 13 primary. People now identify Macrismo with public works, said Marcos Buscaglia, founding partner at Buenos Aires political and economic consultancy Alberdi Partners. It has given them a lot of hope to actually see paved roads, sewers, and the like. When a Macri ally took over as Lanus mayor in December 2015 from a Peronist, just 35 percent of the city s residents were connected to the sewage system. The municipality is aiming for 100 percent connection by 2019, and state-run water service company AySA says it has invested 5.6 billion pesos ($321.7 million) in Lanus, including 60 sewage pipe projects benefiting nearly 300,000 residents. Some remain skeptical. Many of the projects are being financed with debt, a hot button issue in Argentina due to still raw memories of the country s 2001 debt default and economic crisis. In August, the Inter-American Development Bank pledged $305 million to fund water projects, including sewerage in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The moment will come when the lenders want to collect, said Alberto Francisco, a 46-year-old shopkeeper in Lanus, a Fernandez supporter. We will end up like in 2001: without money.
0fake
Colorado Cannabis Industry Contributes More to Economy Than All Other Industries: Report
By Justin Gardner The Colorado cannabis industry has quickly gone from bud to full flower, as indicated by a new in-depth data analysis by the...
1real
Turkey urges U.S. to review visa suspension as lira, stocks tumble
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey urged the United States on Monday to review its suspension of visa services after the arrest of a U.S. consulate employee sharply escalated tension between the two NATO allies and drove Turkey’s currency and stocks lower. Relations between Ankara and Washington have been plagued by disputes over U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, Turkey’s calls for the extradition of a U.S.-based cleric and the indictment of a Turkish former minister in a U.S. court. But last week’s arrest of a Turkish employee of the U.S. consulate in Istanbul marked a fresh low. Turkey said the employee had links to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for a failed military coup in July 2016. Gulen denies any connection with the coup. The U.S. embassy in Ankara condemned Ankara’s charges as baseless and announced on Sunday night it was halting all non-immigrant visa services in Turkey while it reassessed Turkey’s commitment to the security of its missions and staff. Within hours, Ankara announced it was taking the same measures against U.S. citizens seeking visas for Turkey. The U.S. ambassador said the duration of the visa services’ suspension would depend on talks between the two governments about the reasons for the detention of local staff in Turkey. In a written statement late on Monday, Ambassador John Bass said the length of the suspension would also depend on “the Turkish government’s commitment to protecting our facilities and personnel here in Turkey”. He noted that the move was not a visa ban on Turkish citizens, that valid visas could still be used and visa applications could be made outside of Turkey. The U.S. Embassy had been unable to learn the reasons for the arrest of its Turkish staff member last week or what evidence exists against the employee, Bass said, adding that he had not been allowed sufficient access to the employee’s lawyer. Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said that if Washington had serious security concerns about its missions in Turkey, steps would be taken to address them. “But if it’s an issue regarding the arrest of the consulate employee, then this is a decision the Turkish judiciary has made,” Gul told A Haber television. “Trying a Turkish citizen for a crime committed in Turkey is our right.” The Turkish foreign ministry summoned a U.S. diplomat to urge the United States to lift the visa services suspension, saying it was causing “unnecessary tensions”, and President Tayyip Erdogan also criticized the U.S. move. “For the (U.S.) embassy in Ankara to take such a decision and implement it, it is upsetting,” Erdogan told a news conference during a visit to Ukraine. State-run Anadolu news agency said another U.S. consulate worker had been summoned to testify over his wife and daughter’s suspected links to Gulen - which it said had emerged during the questioning of Metin Topuz, the employee arrested last week. The diplomatic spat spooked investors. The lira dropped 3.4 percent and stood at 3.7385 against the dollar after being quoted overnight as touching a level of 3.9223. The main BIST 100 stock index fell as much as 4.7 percent, closing the day down 2.73 percent at 101,298 points. Airline shares were particularly hard hit, with flag carrier Turkish Airlines falling 9 percent. The central bank said it was following developments closely. “This looks like a really serious situation,” said Blue Bay Asset Management strategist Timothy Ash. He added that the central bank would need to move quickly to calm market nerves and possibly hike interest rates - something Erdogan has resisted. Turkey’s leading business association, TUSIAD, warned that the dispute would harm bilateral economic, social and cultural ties, and called for disagreements to be settled calmly. The row with the United States coincides with deep strains in Turkey’s relations with Germany, another key ally, and with Turkish military activity at the Syrian and Iraqi borders, though their market impact has so far been limited. U.S.-Turkish tensions have risen in recent months over U.S. military support for Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria, considered by Ankara to be an extension of the banned PKK which has waged an insurgency for three decades in southeast Turkey. Turkey has also pressed, so far in vain, for the United States to extradite Gulen, viewed in Ankara as the mastermind behind the failed coup in which more than 240 people were killed. Friction with the United States has also arisen from the indictment last month by a U.S. court of Turkey’s former economy minister Zafer Caglayan on charges of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran. Sinan Ulgen, an analyst and former Turkish diplomat, said those underlying disputes had created a crisis of confidence which made this latest fall-out particularly bitter. “This harshness is a result of a build-up,” he said. “We should not consider this as solely a reaction to the detentions of consulate employees”.
0fake
Obama Talks About HIMSELF 207 Times In Speeches Supposedly About Hillary
Go to Article President Barack Obama has been campaigning hard for the woman who is supposedly going to extend his legacy four more years. The only problem with stumping for Hillary Clinton, however, is she’s not exactly a candidate easy to get too enthused about.
1real
U.S. pulls out of human rights panel on Trump executive orders
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States pulled out of a regional hearing held on Tuesday to discuss the possible effects on human rights from executive orders signed by U.S. President Donald Trump targeting immigrants and refugees, organizers said. The hearing by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), created by the 35-nation Organization of American States (OAS) to protect human rights in the Americas, follows concerns over the impact of three executive orders signed by Trump, including plans to build a wall on the border with Mexico. The U.S. government has appealed a federal judge’s halt on Trump’s ban on refugees and travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries. Trump said the ban was needed to protect the country from Islamist militants but immigration advocates said it discriminated against Muslims. Maria Isabel Rivero, a spokeswoman for the IACHR, said the United States advised the commission on Monday it would not attend the panel, which includes representatives from a number of regional human rights and immigration groups. “If the member state doesn’t want to be represented there is nothing we can do about it but the hearing goes ahead anyway,” Rivero said. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said government lawyers felt it would not have been appropriate to discuss the executive orders while some are under review by U.S. courts. “We did inform the IACHR of our inability to attend these particular hearings because of ongoing litigation around some of these executive orders,” Toner told a conference call with reporters. “We did not feel we could address concerns in an open hearing,” he added. Marselha Goncalves Margerin, advocacy director at Amnesty International, said the lack of U.S. representation at the panel showed “ a total disregard of its commitment to human rights.” She said while it was not unprecedented that member states that are the focus of a hearing do not attend, the panel was an opportunity for the United States to explain the executive orders. “The U.S. has attended these hearings for the last eight years,” said Goncalves Margerin. “By failing to be present at this hearing, the U.S. joins Cuba and Venezuela in turning its back on people in the Americas who seek justice for human rights abuses.”
0fake
Vote on gun control measures in Senate likely on Tuesday: Feinstein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A vote on gun control measures in the U.S. Senate seeking to prevent the sale of firearms to potential terrorists is likely to be held on Tuesday, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said on Thursday.
0fake
GOLD STAR PARENTS Confront Black Activist Spike Lee Over NFL Flag Kneelers [Video]
The backlash from angry fans has only gotten bigger with the refusal of teams like the Packers asking the fans to join in on the protest. How deaf can they be to the sound of angry fans who want teams to stand with hand over heart for our flag and national anthem.The left is busy conflating the NFL protest with their rage over the election of Trump They ve turned Trump s comments into a dog whistle of racism Remember when Trump called the players son s of b*tches ? Well, that s now been interpreted by the eternal victims in the black community as a dog whistle of racism. The problem is that anyone with half a brain knows there are white players too but it s just an inconvenient truth to the left. This is where they ve wanted the argument to go because it benefits the left to make Trump out to be a racist.Of course, anyone with a speck of common sense knows President Trump wants ALL Americans to come together to stand for the anthem period! Nothing to it but that Zero racism!The video below is a great example of how the black activists and left are in a rage. Not over the deaths of black youth in the inner city or the horrible state of education in the black community. Nope, they re furious that Trump won and their Trump derangement syndrome is in overdrive Spike Lee reveals the rage and the disconnect to common sense in the video below: The narrative is not true Delusional Spike LeeDid ya catch on to that? He brings it all back around to President Trump. He s one angry black man who wallows in victimhood even though he s had the benefit of a blessed life in America.
1real
May Jobs Report And Unemployment Rate Bleak – Guess Who’s To Blame? (Hint: It’s Not Obama)
After a shaky jobs report in April, May had a downright terrible showing, on which Republicans have already pounced as evidence of supposedly failed Democratic policy. They re busy going after both Obama and Hillary Clinton for this dismal report as hard as they can. In fact, GOP chairman Reince Priebus tweeted:Devastating jobs report showing weakest hiring in 5 yrs is sign we need to move away from failed Obama policies Clinton is promising to keep Reince Priebus (@Reince) June 3, 2016Donald Trump, never one to pass up an opportunity to pretend he knows everything, pounced, too, tweeting: Terrible jobs report just reported. Only 38,000 jobs added. Bombshell! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2016President Obama has been working hard to polish his image on the economy, and this report could very easily tarnish and dent it. That s especially true with the paradox of a falling unemployment rate paired with an abysmal jobs report. The falling unemployment rate is almost entirely due to more than 450,000 people dropping out of the labor force in May. That makes it a misleading statistic, and therefore, a black eye for Obama. Right?Wrong. There s evidence suggesting that someone else could be to blame for this, like Donald Trump and his supporters.Uneducated white people a.k.a the average Trump voter had ten times the impact on the unemployment rate that they should have, given the size of their demographic compared to the overall population. It s true that employment in this demographic has been destroyed by globalization and automation, which is why they support Trump. They like his protectionist mentality and his business credentials (if, indeed, they can be called that).While yes, exit polls during certain states primaries showed that Trump s voters may actually be better off economically than their Democratic counterparts, some of that may be due to the fact that Republican voters tend to be wealthier than Democratic voters. They also tend to turn out for primaries far more than Democratic voters.Other analyses have found that Trump s main demographic is, in fact, the poor, white, uneducated, working-class male, despite what exit polls from state primaries said. Trump solidified his hold on the GOP s nomination in May, and his job-creation rhetoric resonates heavily with this group. Could his promises of bringing jobs back be making people drop out of the labor force?The jobs report showed serious declines in both construction and manufacturing, which are two of the main industries in which these people tend to work. Trump keeps promising he ll bring their jobs back from overseas, and he ll spur all kinds of economic activity here, and these voters eat it up like candy.Dropping out of the labor force and voting Republican implies that these voters think others should just pick themselves up by their bootstraps (finish high school, get a degree, learn a new trade, etc.) but they themselves shouldn t have to. They can sit and wait until Trump is elected, and then their jobs will come flowing back, they ll be working again, and all will be right with the world.There s no way to know for sure whether this is true right now, but Trump s outsized influence over these people could easily have convinced them to drop out of the labor force and just wait for him to get elected and solve their employment woes for them.Featured image by Clyde Robinson. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr
1real
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Gets A Brutal Lesson In Why You Don’t Ambush Bernie Sanders’ Wife
When Jane Sanders visited one of known bigot and champion of racial profiling Sheriff Joe Arpaio s unconstitutional tent prisons, she was appalled. Arpaio doesn t understand the meaning of cruel and unusual punishment. He forces prisoners to live in smoldering heat and eat expired foods. Since the majority of his inmates are Hispanic people, Arpaio and his racist freak constituents couldn t care less. They follow a doctrine that embraces prosecuting and jailing people simply for the color of their skin to begin with.Mrs. Sanders ended up in a heated argument with Arpaio, one her senator and presidential candidate husband simply couldn t ignore. According to The New York Times, Sanders railed against Arpaio at a campaign event, laying waste to the man he says ambushed his wife: She asked him about racial profiling, and he didn t have an answer, Sanders said, She asked him about conditions in Tent City and other abuses that he has perpetuated, and he didn t have an answer. You know what, he cannot have an answer, because what he is doing is un-American and uncivilized. If elected president, we are going to pass comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship, whether Mr. Arpaio likes it or not. Sheriff Arpaio has been widely criticized, and rightfully so, for his tactics for keeping his jail stocked with minority inmates. He was even sued by the Justice Department for the illegal racial profiling of Hispanics that leads to traffic stops and arrests, often for misdemeanor offenses white people get tickets for. His intolerance and racism has made him a national spectacle on many occasions. Conservatives love him because he embodies all they aspire to be in life: openly hateful racists who are allowed to look down on people for no reason other than their accent.Senator Sanders had a stern warning for Sheriff Arpaio: It s easy for bullies like Sheriff Arpaio to pick on people who have no power. If I am elected president the President of the United States does have power. So watch out, Joe. Aside from everything we already know about Bernie Sanders we can add this very useful piece of information: Don t mess with his wife.Featured image from Gage Skidmore
1real
NATION OF ISLAM Joins #BlackLivesMatter Terrorists To Shut Down Chicago’s Popular “Miracle Mile” On Busiest Shopping Day Of Year [Videos and Photos]
How can it possibly be legal for these terrorists to lock arms and block innocent shoppers from entering these stores? The Miracle Mile, located in the city of Chicago draws tens of thousands of shoppers every year at Christmas time. Imagine the faces of families of every ethnicity when they find out the City of Chicago is allowing these terrorists to prevent them from entering these stores? Roughly 3,000 demonstrators have shut down a large portion of Michigan Avenue in Chicago the Magnificent Mile in the middle of Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, to protest the shooting of black teenager Laquon McDonald.The 17-year-old was killed in October 2014, and was apparently armed with a knife at the time. Video of the shooting released on Tuesday, however, shows that he was walking away from police at the time he was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke.Turnout was strong despite 39-degree weather and rainy conditions. Demonstrators shouted 16 shots! and No justice, no shopping! The march started at Michigan and Wacker Drive and began walking north. They include demonstrators from the Nation of Islam, which is marching under the banner of Justice of Else ; RevCom, the Revolutionary Communist Party, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson s Rainbow PUSH coalition.100 Percent FED UP: Here, the terror groups can be seen (without any visible resistance from the police) chanting about shutting down the Apple Store, located on the Miracle Mile:Apple Store on Michigan just locked its doors. #LaquanMcDonald #BlackFriday @TouchVisionTV pic.twitter.com/y97WaHTQVT Lauren Mialki (@laurenmialki) November 27, 2015Shutting down Tiffany's over #LaquanMcDonald "No diamonds today" pic.twitter.com/ygHQdLKaUL Kathryn Pensack (@katpen6) November 27, 2015The #LaquanMcDonald protest is on the move, heading north on Michigan Avenue https://t.co/2E4mcauYv0 Whitney Dawn Carlson (@whitneydawn) November 27, 2015And of course, what would a #BlackLivesMatter protest be without pro-communism supporters?Old, White Communists Lead Anti-Cop Protests In Chicago Over McDonald Death: https://t.co/gVpflUqm6M #LaquanMcDonald pic.twitter.com/29PKqhcQ0A The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 27, 2015Yesterday, we shared a story about BLM terrorists attempting to rip down the iconic Christmas tree on Miracle Mile. Click HERE for the full story.The latter group is marching slowly, while the other groups have pushed ahead, effectively taking up five city blocks along Michigan Ave., with hundreds of Chicago Police Department officers lining the streets.Various groups begin marching down Michigan Ave in protest of Mayor @RahmEmanuel s handling of #LaquanMcDonald vid.Various groups begin marching down Michigan Ave in protest of Mayor @RahmEmanuel's handling of #LaquanMcDonald vid. pic.twitter.com/FF0XbYMOZ0 The Chicago Reporter (@ChicagoReporter) November 27, 2015 The Chicago Reporter (@ChicagoReporter) November 27, 2015Protesters are attempting to gain access to major department stores and shopping malls. Police turned them away at the entrance to Water Tower Place, but they continue to try to enter other shopping areas with the intention of blocking commerce from taking place. As of noon, the protesters were walking toward the John Hancock tower.Update 1:00 p.m.: Several stores have been blocked and effectively shut down, including Macy s, H&M, and others over six blocks. Shoppers are either stuck inside the stores or cannot enter. Some shuffle by, as protesters shout at them. Michigan Avenue itself, normally filled with traffic, is empty.)Photo- Lee Stranahan, Breitbart NewsIn conversations with demonstrators, Breitbart News has learned that the groups plan to target the Chicago Board of Trade, one of the world s most important commodities exchanges, in future demonstrations. The aim is to do as much economic damage as possible while drawing attention to perceived racism and abuse by the Chicago Police Department. The police have struggled to manage the city s rise in crime in recent years, and now labor under new suspicions of prejudice and political corruption. Via: Breitbart News
1real
U.S. top court deals blow to Puerto Rico sovereignty claim
(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Puerto Rico cannot pursue charges against people for the same crime that federal authorities have already prosecuted them, dealing a blow to the U.S. territory’s claim that while it is not a state it should be treated like one. The court ruled 6-2 in favor of defendants Luis Sanchez Valle and Jaime Gomez Vazquez, who were charged with illegally selling guns in 2008 by Puerto Rican authorities as well as federal prosecutors. The two pleaded guilty to the federal charges and then argued that Puerto Rico’s indictments should be dismissed because of the double jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution that bars people from being prosecuted twice for the same offense. A trial judge dismissed the Puerto Rico charges, but they were reinstated by an appeals court. In a March 2015 ruling, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled against prosecutors, prompting the territory to appeal to the high court. On its surface, the case was about criminal law. But it also raised questions about the extent to which the Caribbean island, which has been a U.S. territory since 1898, has sovereign powers akin to any of the 50 U.S. states. The double jeopardy clause allows U.S. states and the federal government to prosecute people separately for the same actions because they are separate sovereign entities. The Supreme Court, in a ruling authored by Justice Elena Kagan, said that the original source of power for Puerto Rico’s Constitution came from the U.S. Congress, via a 1950 law. “Put simply, Congress conferred the authority to create the Puerto Rico Constitution, which in turn confers the authority to bring criminal charges,” Kagan wrote. Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, whose parents were from Puerto Rico, and Stephen Breyer dissented. Some experts saw the federal government’s argument against treating Puerto Rico as a separate governmental entity as having implications for another issue: how to deal with the territory’s debt crisis. In such a scenario, that argument could help establish a legal precedent that Puerto Rico is not a sovereign entity, possibly to justify imposing a federal control board or some other mechanism to address Puerto Rico’s roughly $70 billion in debt. The U.S. Congress is currently considering legislation on the issue. The Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of the month in another case involving Puerto Rico’s bid to revive a law that would allow it to cut billions of dollars in debt at public utilities in a key test in its quest to weather its crisis.
0fake
Argentine mid-term campaign pauses after body found in Patagonia
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Major parties running in Sunday s mid-term congressional election in Argentina suspended their campaigns on Wednesday after a body, thought to be that a young protester who went missing more than two months ago, was found in a river. A government spokeswoman said President Mauricio Macri s Cambiemos, or Let s Change , coalition would halt campaigning for the rest of the day after investigators on Tuesday discovered the body in the Chubut River in the country s southern Patagonia region. The remains were found near the site where indigenous rights activist Santiago Maldonado was last seen at a tribal rights protest on Aug. 1. Former president and now Senate candidate Cristina Fernandez also suspended campaigning, along with other major figures vying for Congress, their campaigns said. We have halted all events until there is word from either the judge in charge of the case or Santiago s family, a spokesman for Fernandez s Unidad Ciudadana, or Citizens Unity party told Reuters. In the final week of campaigning the Maldonado case has overshadowed the congressional election, which is expected to give Macri s coalition additional seats but not a majority in either chamber. Some opposition and rights groups believe state security forces took Maldonado, a 28-year-old craftsman, and allege Macri s government covered up information on his whereabouts. Macri s government has said that there is no evidence that shows security forces detained Maldonado. Potential cases of abuse by security forces are sensitive in Argentina, where the 1976-1983 military dictatorship secretly detained, tortured and killed people in clandestine prisons. Rights groups say up to 30,000 people disappeared. The markets will watch Sunday s election to see if business-friendly Cambiemos emerges as the main vote-getter in the bellwether province of Buenos Aires. Investors say they prefer Macri s orthodox economic policies to those of Fernandez, a free-spending populist who led the country from 2008 to 2016. While it has dominated headlines, political analysts have said they do not expect the case to change votes.
0fake
UPDATE: CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY THAT STATUE REMOVED AFTER LIBS COMPLAIN OF “WHITE SUPREMACY” AND “RACISM” Replaces With Ferguson Protestors [VIDEO]
This is a perfect example of the effort by liberals to erase our American history. Like it or not, we have a history and we should never try and erase the good OR the bad. The priest is praying over the Indians who re wearing just what Indians wore back then. Why is this racist? Why is this anything but a moment in time captured in a statue? Saint Louis University has removed a statue on its campus depicting a famous Jesuit missionary priest praying over American Indians after a cohort of students and faculty continued to complain the sculpture symbolized white supremacy, racism and colonialism.Formerly placed outside the university s Fusz Hall in the center of the private Catholic university, the statue will go to the university s art museum, a building just north of the bustling urban campus.The statue features famous Jesuit Missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet S.J. praying over two American Indians dressed in traditional clothing. Last Monday, just two days after graduation, it was removed from the location it has called home on campus for decades.A university spokesperson told St. Louis Magazine the statue will be placed within the historical context of a collection that s on permanent display in our SLU Museum of Art. The statue is set for the museum s Collection of the Western Jesuit Missions. In more recent years, there have been some faculty and staff who have raised questions about whether the sculpture is culturally sensitive, SLU spokesman Clayton Berry said.Berry did not respond to The College Fix s request for comment.The De Smet statue has long drawn the ire of progressive students and scholars at the Jesuit university who argue the statue was a symbol of racism and white supremacy, among other oppressions.In a recent op-ed published in SLU s University News, senior Ryan McKinley stated the sculpture sent a clear, unwelcoming message to American Indians at Saint Louis University.Via: College Fix
1real
Police: Chicago Torture Victim’s Parents Received Taunting Messages - Breitbart
advertisement
0fake
Congo elected to U.N. rights council; Britain, U.S. unhappy
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo was among 15 countries elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term on Monday, a moved criticized by Britain, the United States and rights groups after the vote by the 193-member General Assembly. While Congo was elected uncontested to the 47-member Geneva-based council, it still needed majority support. The country - beset by renewed political and militia violence since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down in December - won 151 votes. Political repression, civilian attacks, mass graves. What happened in DRC last year makes their election to the Human Rights council entirely disappointing, British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft posted on Twitter. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who has called for the Human Rights Council votes to be competitive, said Congo s election harmed the credibility of the body. Countries that aggressively violate human rights at home should not be in a position to guard the human rights of others, Haley said in a statement. The United States is reviewing its membership in the council. It is in the first year of a second term, but U.S. President Donald Trump s administration has called for reforms to eliminate what it called its chronic anti-Israel bias. Angola, Senegal, Slovakia, Ukraine, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Australia and Spain were also elected to the body on Monday, while Nigeria and Qatar won second terms. Their terms start on Jan. 1, 2018. To ensure geographical representation, states are nominated in five regional categories. Four slates were uncontested, while there were five candidates for four Asia Pacific seats in which Malaysia lost. Council members cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. The council is able to rebuke governments it deems as violating human rights and to order investigations. Human Rights Watch called for elections to be competitive. The Democratic Republic of Congo s election to the Human Rights Council is a slap in the face to the many victims of the Congolese government s grave abuses across the country, said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch. The violence in eastern and central Congo has displaced over 1.5 million in the past year and revived fears of civil war in a country where conflicts from 1996-2003 resulted in millions of deaths and spawned dozens of armed groups that prey on local populations and exploit natural resources.
0fake
FATHER OF ARMED THUG Killed By Milwaukee Cop Speaks Out: Blames Whites, “They got us killing each other”…Blames Himself For Being Bad Role Model, “Your Hero Is Your Dad” [VIDEO]
Thugs burned down several buildings Saturday night in Milwaukee over the shooting death of a 23-year-old black man armed with a stolen gun by Milwaukee police during a foot pursuit. The deceased man s father is now speaking out. Who he s blaming should have every logical American scratching their heads Note to Dad: You can t blame the white man or the 2nd Amendment because your son stole a gun from a home in the suburbs and refused to obey when the police officer who was pursuing him told him to drop it .The father of a man shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer Saturday afternoon, August 13th has identified him as 23-year-old Sylville Smith.Court records show in February of 2015, Smith was charged with one felony count of first degree recklessly endangering safety and one misdemeanor count of possession of THC. The charges were dismissed by prosecutors in November.August of 2015, Smith was charged with felony intimidation of a witness/person charged/felony. That charge was dismissed by prosecutors in September.In July of 2014, Smith was charged with carrying a concealed weapon a misdemeanor charge. He pleaded guilty in November, and was sentenced to serve one day in the House of Correction.In July of 2013, Smith was charged with felony retail theft intentionally taking $500 to $5,000 as party to a crime. Prosecutors dismissed the charge in October.FOX6 s A.J. Bayatpour spoke with Smith s father, Patrick on Sunday. He had this to say in the wake of the shooting of his son by Milwaukee police and the violence that followed:Angry crowds took to the streets in Milwaukee on Saturday night/Sunday morning to protest the shooting death of Smith by a police officer hours earlier.Protesters burned several stores and threw rocks at police in the city s north side, leaving one officer injured. Smoke and orange flames filled the night sky.The incident started Saturday afternoon when two officers stopped two people who were in a car in the north side, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.Shortly after, both car occupants fled on foot as officers pursued them, police said.During the chase, an officer shot one of the two 23-year-old Sylville Smith, who was armed with a handgun, according to authorities. He (officer) ordered that individual to drop his gun, the individual did not drop his gun, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. He had the gun with him and the officer fired several times. Smith at the scene. It s unclear whether the second occupant of the car is in police custody.Smith was shot twice in the arm and chest, the mayor said. His handgun was stolen during a burglary in Waukesha in March, according to police. The victim of that burglary reported 500 rounds of ammunition were also stolen with the handgun, police said in a statement.The officer, 24, was assigned to District 7 and has six years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department three of those as an officer.He was not injured and will be placed on administrative duty during the investigation and subsequent review by the district attorney s office. Via: FOX6Now
1real
Trump to 'slap' foes, embrace friends in first U.N. speech: envoy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will pummel foes and embrace friends in his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly next week, keeping pressure on Washington s adversaries North Korea and Iran, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Friday. Briefing reporters ahead of the annual U.N. meeting, Haley and White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster took a tough line on North Korea, warning that a military option to deal with its nuclear threats was available. Trump will meet with leaders from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America throughout the week, but his remarks, scheduled for Tuesday morning, will be the president s highest profile opportunity to explain his foreign policy vision couched in his America first agenda. I personally think he slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with (the) U.S. being very strong, in the end, Haley, speaking at the White House, said of Trump s speech. Haley declined to say whether Trump would commit Washington to maintaining its current level of funding for the 193-nation body. Trump has complained that the United States funds 22 percent of the U.N. budget and nearly 30 percent of U.N. peacekeeping duties. Trump will kick off the week with a meeting about U.N. reform on Monday. He will then have meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that will focus on Iran, McMaster said. Trump has dinner scheduled with Latin American leaders. On Tuesday, he will meet Qatar s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Trump said last week he would be willing to mediate the worst dispute in decades between Qatar and U.S.-allied Arab states. On Wednesday, he will meet with leaders from Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Britain and Egypt and on Thursday there are talks scheduled with leaders from Turkey, Afghanistan and Ukraine before holding a lunch with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. McMaster said it was unlikely that Trump would speak to Venezuela s President Nicolas Maduro, whom the White House has sanctioned and called a dictator.
0fake
Unreal! CNN Anchor Claims Trump Has Committed “Treason”…Former Attorney General Shoots Back: “Where is the crime?” [Video]
1real
Swiss, French police team up for 'counter-terrorism' raids
ZURICH (Reuters) - A Swiss man and a Colombian woman were among people arrested in Switzerland and France on Tuesday in raids against people suspected of breaking laws banning Al Qaeda and Islamic State, the Swiss attorney general s office (OAG) said. The man, a 27-year-old with Swiss nationality, was swept up in arrests in France, while the 23-year-old Colombian woman was detained in Switzerland in the investigation that began in June 2016, the OAG said, describing the probe as a coordinated counter-terrorism operation. The OAG added it had no indication that any concrete action or attack had been planned in Switzerland.
0fake
Trump picks conservative loyalists for top security, law enforcement jobs
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump picked three conservative loyalists to lead his national security and law enforcement teams on Friday, underscoring his campaign promise to take a hard line confronting Islamist militancy and curbing illegal immigration. Trump picked U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general, rewarding a staunch supporter whose tough and sometimes inflammatory statements on immigration have reflected his own. The choice was applauded by the top Republican in the Senate but drew sharp criticism from civil rights activists. Retired Army Lieutenant General Mike Flynn, who has championed Trump’s promises to take a more aggressive approach to terrorism, was chosen as his national security adviser. Trump named Representative Mike Pompeo, a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s security policy, as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The three choices, announced by Trump’s transition team, come as the Republican president-elect works to fill key positions in his administration, which will take over from Democratic President Barack Obama on Jan. 20. The picks could heighten concerns abroad that the Trump administration might carry out campaign promises of banning Muslims from entering the United States or imposing more severe restrictions on migrants from countries or regions with high levels of militant Islamist activity, such as Iraq and Syria. Sessions and Pompeo seem likely to be confirmed by the Senate despite heavy resistance from Democrats. Republicans will control a majority, with at least 51 seats in the 100-seat chamber, when Congress reconvenes in January. Flynn’s post does not need Senate confirmation. One of the earliest Republican lawmakers to support Trump’s White House candidacy, Sessions opposes any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and was an enthusiastic backer of Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall on the border with Mexico. He has also argued for curbs on legal immigration on the grounds that it drives down wages for U.S. workers. A former Alabama attorney general and U.S. attorney, Sessions, 69, has been in the Senate for 19 years. Allegations that he made racist remarks led the Senate to deny his confirmation as a federal judge in 1986. The chamber’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said he would want Sessions to answer “tough questions” about his civil rights positions. The attorney general acts as the country’s chief law enforcement officer and head of the Justice Department. Civil rights groups slammed Sessions as a poor choice to head a department charged with protecting voting rights and running immigration courts. “How can we trust someone in that role who has demonstrated he thinks all forms of immigration are bad for America?” said Beth Werlin, head of the American Immigration Council. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he strongly supported Sessions for attorney general, calling him “principled, forthright, and hardworking.” Sessions has been one of Trump’s most enthusiastic backers on Capitol Hill and the president-elect has hired several of Sessions’ staffers, including policy chief Stephen Miller and Rick Dearborn, who has a top job managing the transition. Also on Friday, the first set of transition “landing teams” were starting work at the departments of State, Justice, Defense and the National Security Council to begin hashing out the details of shifting to a new administration. Flynn, one of Trump’s closest advisers, was fired from the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, a move he has attributed to his outspoken views about fighting Islamist militancy. Other officials who worked with Flynn cited his lack of management skills and leadership style as reasons for his firing. An Army intelligence veteran of three decades, Flynn was assistant director of national intelligence under Obama. He views the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a strategic blunder and has refused to condemn Trump’s support for the renewed use of waterboarding. This is an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, is widely considered torture and was banned by Obama. Pompeo, 52, a third-term Republican congressman and former U.S. Army officer who founded an aerospace company, was a surprise pick to lead the CIA. A member of the House Intelligence Committee, Pompeo has called for a revival and expansion of a now-defunct domestic spying program to include “financial and lifestyle information” as well as phone records. He has said that Edward Snowden, a former government contractor who uncovered the spying program and who now lives in Russia, should get the death penalty if he is ever tried and convicted. Pompeo has been one of the most aggressive critics of the Obama administration’s handling of a 2012 attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Nevertheless, Democrats who have worked with him joined Republicans in describing Pompeo as knowledgeable and hard working. “While we have had our share of strong differences - principally on the politicization of the tragedy in Benghazi - I know that he is someone who is willing to listen and engage,” Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said on Friday. Trump met on Friday with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a possible pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a possible candidate for defense secretary. Trump is considering retired General David Petraeus, who resigned as CIA chief in 2012 after an extra-marital affair, is being considered for the post of defense secretary, the Wall Street Journal said. Trump was expected to spend the weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, the home of the Trump National Golf Club. On Saturday he was scheduled to meet with Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. Romney was one of the fiercest Republican critics of Trump during his unorthodox election campaign but is now under possible consideration for secretary of state. Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, is the leading candidate to serve as Trump’s director of national intelligence, the Wall Street Journal reported.
0fake
Trump names Haley, a foreign policy novice, as envoy to U.N.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Wednesday named South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a former critic with little foreign policy experience, as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations at a time of uncertainty over America’s international role under his presidency. Haley, one of two women chosen so far for a job in Trump’s Cabinet, is “a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage,” the Republican president-elect said in a statement. Trump on Wednesday also picked wealthy Republican donor and school choice advocate Betsy DeVos to lead the Education Department. Haley, the 44-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, represents what some Republicans hope could be the new face of their party: a younger, more diverse generation of leaders. Haley took Trump strongly to task during the presidential campaign over his harsh rhetoric about illegal immigration and for not speaking forcefully enough against white supremacists. Trump has chosen mostly male conservatives so far for senior positions as he shapes his administration following his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election. Trump takes over from Democratic President Barack Obama on Jan. 20. Also on Wednesday, a spokesman for former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Trump had not offered the retired neurosurgeon the post of housing and urban development secretary, disputing a Wall Street Journal report, which the newspaper later corrected. “Trump did not make an offer,” Carson spokesman Armstrong Williams told Reuters. “He asked him to consider HUD. Nothing has been offered and no decision has been made.” Carson told Fox News on Wednesday night: “We are considering which is the way that I can be most effective. So that information should come out in the next few days. We will make a public announcement.” The Wall Street Journal, citing two people familiar with the deliberations, also reported that Trump was expected to pick billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as commerce secretary. In a video message released ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, Trump said he hoped it would be a time for Americans “to begin to heal our divisions” following a “long and bruising political campaign.” “Emotions are raw and tensions just don’t heal overnight,” Trump said. “Now begins a great national campaign to rebuild our country and to restore the full promise of America for all of our people.” The choice of Haley may be aimed at countering criticism of Trump’s divisive comments about immigrants and minorities, as well as accusations of sexism during his election campaign. Haley led a successful effort last year to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol after the killing of nine black churchgoers in Charleston. The flag was carried by pro-slavery Confederate forces during the Civil War and is viewed by many as a racist emblem. Haley said she had accepted Trump’s offer and would remain governor pending her confirmation to the Cabinet-level post by the U.S. Senate. “When the president believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation, and to our nation’s standing in the world, that is a calling that is important to heed,” she said in a statement. Haley’s job may include reassuring allies worried about some of Trump’s campaign promises, including building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to curb illegal immigration and reviewing trade agreements, and his suggestion that he would push NATO partners to pay more for their own defense. He has antagonized China, another major power at the United Nations, with his talk on trade and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The New York real estate magnate, who has never held public office, gave few clues about his world view during an extensive interview with The New York Times on Tuesday. Asked what he sees as America’s role in the world, Trump replied: “That’s such a big question.” When pressed further, he described the Iraq war as a mistake, urged better relations with Russia and called for an end to “that craziness that’s going on in Syria.” The United States, which along with Russia is one of the five permanent veto powers on the 15-member U.N. Security Council, is also the largest funder of the United Nations, paying more than a quarter of its $8 billion peace-keeping budget and 22 percent of the regular budget. Trump picked conservatives to lead his national security and law enforcement teams last week, suggesting he plans to make good on his campaign promises to take a hard line on Islamist militancy and curbing illegal immigration But a relative moderate, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is among the candidates under consideration to head the State Department. Haley would succeed Obama’s U.N. envoy, Samantha Power, a foreign policy expert before she took the job. In contrast, Haley, a state lawmaker before becoming governor, has little experience in international relations. She was a robust critic of Trump during the early stages of the Republican presidential nominating race, including condemning him for not disavowing the support of the Ku Klux Klan and one of the white supremacist group’s former leaders, David Duke. In a rebuttal to Obama’s State of the Union address in January, Haley called for tolerance on immigration and civility in politics, in what some saw as a rebuke of Trump. “During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” she said. “We must resist that temptation.” She supported Trump rivals Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both U.S. senators, in the Republican race before saying last month she would vote for Trump despite reservations about his character. Haley also criticized Trump last winter for not releasing his tax returns, prompting him to hit back on Twitter: “The people of South Carolina are embarrassed of Nikki Haley!” DeVos, Trump’s education pick, is a billionaire former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, who has long pushed for a larger role for private education. Trump said she would “break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back.” Her appointment is also subject to Senate confirmation. As chair of the American Federation for Children advocacy group, DeVos has advocated for vouchers that families can use to send their children to private schools and for the expansion of charter schools. The National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers union, condemned DeVos’ nomination. “She has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia.
0fake
Jeb Bush to lay out foreign policy: Will he be dad, brother – or himself? (+video)
In a speech in Chicago Wednesday, Jeb Bush will offer his views on foreign policy. As a former governor of Florida, he has a clear record on domestic policies, but his views on foreign policy are less known. When Jeb Bush steps to a Chicago podium Wednesday morning to deliver a speech on his foreign policy views, the question on many minds will be which other Bush the not-quite-yet-declared presidential candidate sounds more like. Will Jeb Bush offer a hawkish, America’s-way-or-the-highway vision of foreign policy, suggesting he’d follow in his brother George W. Bush’s interventionist, neoconservative footsteps? Or will he offer hints – through references, for example, to America’s leadership of broad coalitions to address global challenges – of a more cautious and internationalist approach, reminiscent of his father, George H.W. Bush? Or then again, will he meld the two visions, which do, after all, represent the two most prominent camps of Republican foreign policy thinking? Or will he somehow manage to sound like neither the father nor the brother? Such questions almost never arise when it comes to Mr. Bush’s domestic policy vision, since the former Florida governor has a record and established, public views on issues ranging from education and fiscal policy to immigration. Indeed, when Bush speaks of a "right to rise" and share in America’s economic opportunities, no one asks whether that sounds more like the father’s or the brother’s domestic economic approach. But on foreign policy, he is much more of a clean slate – and so the question of which former Bush president he would more likely emulate can’t help but come up. "Every candidate has to pass the commander-in-chief threshold test, and every candidate faces certain mine fields in passing that test," says Peter Feaver, professor of political science and public policy at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "The particular mine field for Jeb Bush is the advantage and the burden of his family name." For starters, Bush will have to watch not to "overreact to the media pressure, particularly on foreign policy, to answer the question, 'Are you your brother or are you your dad?’ " Professor Feaver says. Furthermore, the memory of pitched foreign policy battles in the George W. Bush White House between father Bush’s pragmatic, internationalist wing (think then-Secretary of State Colin Powell) and the muscular neoconservatives behind the Iraq War (Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, then vice president and secretary of Defense) is sure to be on the minds of the foreign policy experts who will parse every word that Jeb Bush utters Wednesday. His talk is at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. One hint of Bush’s preferred foreign policy course comes from the former officials he admires and those he is consulting with as he explores a run. Bush is said to particularly value the contributions of former Secretary of State James Baker and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft – two pillars of the first President Bush’s pragmatic and internationalist foreign policy approach. (Neither Bush I icon was particularly welcome at the Bush II White House.) Word has leaked out that Bush is consulting with former Deputy Secretary of State and former World Bank president Robert Zoellick (the mild-mannered Mr. Zoellick left the George W. Bush administration in 2006 after failing to rise to No. 1 at either State or Treasury) and Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Bush is also said to be considering making Meghan O’Sullivan, who served in George W. Bush's National Security Council advising on Iraq, as his campaign’s chief foreign policy adviser. Ms. O’Sullivan, who now teaches the practice of international affairs at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, is closely associated with the Iraq War – which might be considered a negative, given the war’s low marks among the American public. But O’Sullivan is also credited with the “surge” strategy of 2007 that is viewed as having stabilized Iraq, and in some books she gets a star for weathering the demands of then-Defense Secretary Rumsfeld that she be removed from the post she held in post-invasion Iraq. Yet while some foreign policy experts see a preference for the father’s foreign policy in the people Jeb Bush is consulting with, others see a tendency toward the brother’s vision in the few speeches he has made on foreign affairs. In a  December speech in Miami to a Cuba pro-democracy group, Bush said that instead of lifting the embargo on Cuba, “I would argue that we should strengthen it to put pressure on the Cuban regime.” He also faulted President Obama’s “indecisiveness” on Syria and other issues for bringing on more instability and increasing threats to the United States. Any association with George W. Bush’s Iraq War might seem to spell political doom, since large majorities of Americans continue to say that the heavy sacrifices and costs of the war were "not worth it." But on the other hand, what may be riding to Jeb Bush’s rescue is the recent shift in US public opinion on foreign policy – increasingly away from a "mind our own business" approach that had been gaining ground in the wake of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to a growing preference for more American intervention. "Public opinion has turned around significantly over the last 14 months to favoring a much more robust US role in the world," says Robert Lieber, a professor of government and international affairs at Georgetown University in Washington. "I would assume that Jeb Bush would choose to tap into that as he lays out his foreign policy." Duke University’s Feaver, who served in a national security capacity in George W. Bush’s White House, says Jeb Bush will have to answer the "Iraq War question" at some point – and that he’ll have to do a better job than simply saying, "I’ll talk about the future.... It’s not about re-litigating anything in the past" – as he did in response to a question last week. "He needs a better answer than that on Iraq," Feaver says. "He needs to explain how he would have done things differently – and better." But he doesn’t expect that to be part of what Bush says in Chicago. "The first big speech is about identifying the big questions around foreign policy today, laying out who we are and what’s our role in the world, what are the big challenges we face, and how we can do a better job over the next four years," he says. "I wouldn’t expect him to spend a lot of time on how he’s different from his father or his brother."
0fake
The politics of populism and mudslinging undermines democracy
The politics of populism and mudslinging undermines democracy By Linda S. Heard Posted on November 8, 2016 by Linda S. Heard Our world is on the cusp of a new era. Traditional taboos are being smashed. Respect has become an old-fashioned word. Nothing is too low or too dirty to be ignored, overlooked or even applauded by some. The rise of antiestablishment popularism plays to the lowest common denominator and is potentially divisive and corrosive of values held dear for generations. We’ve witnessed how a populist candidate spouting what he imagines the struggling sectors want to hear has not only lowered the tone but has dragged many of his supporters and rivals down to the same level. The American political sphere has turned into a swamp of muckraking, hatred of the other and threats of violence to the extent that white supremacist militias are preparing to attack African Americans if their candidate doesn’t make the White House. It’s suddenly okay for the son of one to announce the former head of the Ku Klux Klan “desperately needs a bullet in the head.” What happened to judicial process? On the other hand Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton cynically attempted to woo African Americans by appearing on the stage with her new buddies, celebrity black rappers. Robert de Niro’s video urging voters not to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, adding he would love to punch him in the face went viral. Trump supporters claim they are a ‘movement’ and threaten revolution if he fails to win an election they believe may be ‘rigged.’ Republicans anxious to keep their grip on Congress have threatened to block Clinton’s initiatives at every turn. Even the feuding Justice Department and the FBI aren’t exempt from the ire. Both are being hit by accusations of interfering in the political process. The country that’s stood as the greatest example of democracy and the rule of law is gradually embracing the law of the jungle. I’m amazed that most Americans see nothing amiss about their president, his wife and his vice-president spending days stumping for their candidate. Isn’t a US president supposed to represent all Americans? There are echoes within the UK where politicians still quarrel over the validity of a referendum over Britain’s exit from the EU. The High Court’s judgment to the effect that the prime minister doesn’t have the authority to take the country out without a parliamentary vote has resulted in media attacks on judges whose reputations were formerly unassailable. I may be wrong but I don’t recall such venom directed at the judiciary throughout my lifetime. Tabloid headlines scream “Who do you think you are? “The judges versus the people” and the Daily Mail has gone as far as to post photographs of three judges referring to them as “Enemies of the People,” describing one as being “openly gay.” This is nothing short of an attack on democracy’s checks and balances. The High Court has pronounced on a legal point, not on the pros and cons of Brexit. The government has the right to appeal in the Supreme Court but UK Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated she will proceed with triggering Article 50 come what may. Charles Falconer writing in The Guardian was right to assert “the judiciary is a vital pillar of our constitution. The government must defend it from these unconscionable attacks—or put all our freedoms at risk.” Gina Miller, an activist who lodged the legal challenge is now receiving online death threats! Britons posting on Facebook have called for her “to be shot or hung.” Populist leaders tap in to people’s basest instincts. They are not reliant on knowledge of how the world works or of experience but rather on personal charisma and the power of persuasion. They inspire devoted followings blind to their transgressions which gives them a sense of power and infallibility. We’ve seen the rise of rank outsiders in the Philippines and Indonesia whose rhetoric and policies defy all norms. This ‘anything goes’ trend fuelled by fear and economic grievances is a slippery slope reminiscent of Germany in the early 1930s when Hitler wasn’t viewed as the monster he was but as a saviour from a brutal economic depression resulting in worthless currency and unemployment in the millions. He mesmerised crowds as he vowed to make Germany strong again. Perhaps it’s time that lessons were learnt before there’s no going back. Linda S. Heard is an award-winning British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at .
1real
CNN: One voter can make a difference by voting repeatedly
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
Business group pushes for U.S. flood insurance reform as December deadline looms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The latest attempt to overhaul the U.S. federal flood insurance program hit a stumbling block, but a coalition of business and environmental groups renewed their push on Wednesday for lawmakers to enact an overhaul before the program expires on Dec. 8. The SmarterSafer coalition sent a letter to members of the U.S. House urging passage of the compromise legislation that would extend to 2022 the federal program that has been heavily utilized after vast flooding from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. “This legislative package moves the flood program in the right direction and contains needed reforms that will better protect those in harm’s way, the environment, and taxpayers,” the letter states, according to a copy seen by Reuters. The hurdle came with the House Rules Committee indefinitely postponed a hearing on the bill that was scheduled for Tuesday night. “Clearly they’re trying to make sure they’ve got all their ducks in a row and they’ve got all the votes they need,” said Steve Ellis, with the conservative group Taxpayers for Common Sense, which is part of a coalition pushing for reform of the program. Joshua Saks, the legislative director of the National Wildlife Federation, said one of the shortcomings of the compromise is that it does not ensure that the money for flood mitigation projects will ever be spent. “We need an Apollo project of mitigation right now, we need billions right now up front,” Saks said, referring to the project that put a man on the moon. Two prominent Republican members of the U.S. House announced last week they had struck a deal that would extend the life of the program that covers most of the nation’s flood-prone properties. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas brokered the compromise and said the deal helps policy holders and taxpayers. Last month, President Donald Trump signed a $36.5 billion disaster relief bill, including $16 billion in forgiveness of some debt in the National Flood Insurance Program, which insures about 5 million homes and businesses.
0fake
UPDATE: CRUZ COMMENTS On His Desperate Vote Shaming In Iowa
UPDATE:Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is defending a campaign mailer that Iowa s secretary of state says misrepresents election law.The mailer bills itself as a voting violation notice and tells the recipient it s been sent due to low expected voter turnout in your area. It then grades the recipient s voting history and that of several neighbors, citing public records.Cruz told reporters in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday that the mailing is routine. He says he won t apologize for using every tool we can to encourage Iowa residents to vote.Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says in a statement that there s no such thing as an election violation related to voting frequency and that insinuating otherwise is not in keeping in the spirit of the Iowa Caucuses. How is it that Ted Cruz is opposed to gov t data collection yet he s using big data mining to shame voters in IOWA into voting for him. Strange, very strange.Residents have been receiving notices like this one:THE COPY AT THE BOTTOM READS: You are receiving this election notice because of low expected voter turnout in your area. Your individual voting history as well as your neighbors are public record. Their scores are published below, and many of them will see your score as well. CAUCUS ON MONDAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE and please encourage your neighbors to caucus as well. A follow-up notice may be issued following Monday s caucuses . Cruz, a critic of excessive government data collection, has been notably aggressive about gathering personal information for his campaign. Some of the data comes from typical sources, such as voters consumer habits and Facebook posts. According to several sources, a donor-funded US startup embedded in Republican s campaign has been paying UK university academics to collect psychological profiles on potential voters. The result is a personalized citation sent to Iowan voters from the Cruz campaign.On Friday evening, personalized letters target individual Iowa voters and identifies them as having failed to vote in prior elections. Much like the China social credit system, it knows too much about its citizens, and it identifies the neighbors of the voter, and provides their voting history and their score as well.Ted Cruz claims to be running a positive campaign and paints himself as a trustworthy conservative. Attempting to shame voters into caucusing for him with these completely fake Voting Violation letters is a sleazy tactic that is sure to leave a bad taste in the mouth of undecided voters. Worse still was his decision to go ahead with sending these letters not thinking he would get caught. In the social media age, when you do something bad, people are bound to find out and expose you. This was clearly a last ditch desperation tactic from a campaign that has been going in the wrong direction in the polls for weeks now.Via: Red State Watcher
1real