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SENATOR GILLIBRAND Pulled Strings So Muslim Athlete Who Molested 12-Year Old Girl Could Come To U.S. After His Visa Was Denied | Democrat Senator Kristen Gillibrand (NY) likes to think of herself as a champion of women. After multiple women came forward to accuse fellow Democrat Senator Al Franken of sexual assault (photos were also supplied as evidence of one of the accuser s claims), Gillibrand finally called for Franken to step down. Was Gillibrand s call for her fellow Senator to step down part of a larger plan to appear neutral, as she then attacked President Donald Trump for unfounded allegations against him only months before the election? Isn t it kind of hypocritical for Gillibrand to call anyone out of sexual misconduct after she fought to bring a Muslim athlete to upstate New York who molested an innocent 12-year old girl while he was in America?The media CHEERED when NY Democrat Senator s Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer helped a 24-yr old Muslim man enter the U.S. after he was denied entry The media was strangely SILENT, however, after he molested a 12-yr-old upstate NY girl while she was with her family at an event celebrating the Muslim athlete. Yesterday, it was discovered that the Islamic extremist who killed 9 people and injured dozens of others, when he rammed his truck into them on a busy bike path in New York City, entered our country on a Diversity visa that was the brainchild of none other than the Democrat Senator from NY, Chuck (I always put diversity before our nation s security) Schumer An Indian athlete who overcame a visa denial with the help of U.S. lawmakers and a local mayor to attend the World Snowshoe Championship in New York has been arrested on charges of the abuse of a minor.It was a long journey for Indian snowshoe champion Hussain and his coach to the World Snowshoe Championships in Saranac Lake, New York last weekend.The US embassy in New Delhi rejected Tanveer Hussain s application for a visa so he could compete in the World Snowshoe Championship last month, Fox News reported.Local officials then appealed for help to Schumer and Gillibrand, and their offices reached out to the New Delhi embassy, which let Hussain successfully reapply for a visa.Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer, an outspoken opponent of President Trump s position on stricter immigration policies for immigrants and visa holders coming into the United States, bragged about getting around Trump s temporary travel restrictions to bring convicted pedophile Tanveer Hussain to New York on his Facebook page:Schumer s office told Fox he often intervenes to help international competitions. As we often do when local communities ask for help, at the request of Saranac Lake we helped to navigate the visa process so these athletes could compete at a local competition. The charges against one member of the group, who is accused of a serious crime and abusing our visa program, are extremely troubling. If he s found guilty, he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, a rep said.Gillibrand s office offered a similar response, adding that the charges are extremely serious. Hussain hails from the Indian side of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim. Although India is not one of the seven countries that were part of the initial travel ban, Hussain and Khan had alleged they were victims of it when their first attempt at procuring visas to travel to the United States was turned down in late January, the first business day after Trump s travel ban was put in place.Khan told the BBC that an employee at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi told them they were being rejected because of current policy. U.S. officials said at the time that the denial was not connected to the travel ban. An embassy spokesman said they were preparing a statement for release later in the day. National PostTanveer Hussain was indicted in August 2017, by an Essex County grand jury for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a 12-year-old Saranac Lake girl earlier this year.Tanveer is pictured below surrounded by young teenagers at Saranac Middle School. Taneer is pictured in center-left with his arms around a young girl.The grand jury returned the indictment charging Tanveer Hussain with one count of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a report in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise quoted a press release from Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague as saying.The reckless and irresponsible acts of Democrat legislators like Senator Chuck Schumer, perfectly illustrates why Trump was right about demanding that we put additional vetting measures in place for immigrants.Hussain and team manager Abid Khan arrived Feb. 23 in the bucolic Adirondacks town, which had been following their visa ordeal and extended them a hero s welcome. Locals offered congratulations and free lodgings at an inn that in the snow looked like a fairy tale scene from a movie, Khan said in a Facebook post.The fairy tale was shattered Wednesday, when Hussain, 24, was arrested and charged with felony sexual abuse and child welfare endangerment, police said.The parents of the 12-year-old girl allegedly involved said the incident happened Monday, after the end of the three-day snowshoe competition, and reported it to local authorities.Chief Charles A. Potthast Jr. of the Saranac Lake Village police force said the girl was playing pool Monday afternoon with other young people at the inn where Hussain was staying. There was a moment when the two were alone, and that s when the incident occurred, Potthast said. The girl told police there was a passionate kiss and that Hussain touched her in an intimate area on top of her clothing.During their time in Saranac Lake, Hussein and his coach were honored with a special reception by the mayor and gave a talk about Kashmir at Saranac Lake Middle School, where students had waged a letter-writing campaign on their behalf. Pack your bags. Next year you are coming to Kashmir, Hussain told them, according to one of Khan s Facebook posts. Washington Post | 1real |
More on Trump’s Populism and How It Can Be Controlled By Government | 1real | |
BREAKING: ISIS May Have Stolen Passport Machine, Making Unlawful Entry To U.S. Easy | At $200 a pop even a poor jihadi can find a new home in America U.S. intelligence officials are warning that the Islamic State terrorist group may have seized an official government passport printing machine and a trove of blank passports in Syria and could be printing fake passports that would allow some of its followers to infiltrate the U.S. border.The terror group has reportedly been able to print legitimate-looking Syrian passports since taking over the city of Deir ez-Zour last summer, home to a passport office with boxes of blank passports and a passport printing machine, according to a Homeland Security Investigations Intelligence Report issued to law enforcement last week and reviewed by ABC news.Another passport office was located in Raqqa, Syria, where the terror group has long maintained its de facto capital. Since more than 17 months [have] passed since Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour fell to ISIS, it is possible that individuals from Syria with passports issued in these ISIS controlled cities or who had passport blanks, may have traveled to the U.S., the report says, ABC reported.FBI Director James Comey admitted the U.S. intelligence community was concerned about the problem in testimony before Congress on Wednesday. The intelligence community is concerned that they [ISIS] have the ability, the capability to manufacture fraudulent passports, which is a concern in any setting, Mr. Comey said.Fake Syrian passports have already been discovered in Europe, most notably two used by suicide bombers in the Paris attacks last month.According to the source that provided the passport information to homeland security officials, Syria is awash in fake documents. The source further stated that fake Syrian passports are so prevalent in Syria that Syrians do not even view possessing them as illegal, the report says, according to ABC. The source stated fake Syrian passports can be obtained in Syria for $200 to $400 and that backdated passport stamps to be placed in the passport cost the same. The report included one example in which law enforcement officials said that a Syrian passport discovered in Turkey was printed with a designator number indicating it had been printed in an ISIS-controlled area earlier this year.The last page of the report warns, If ISIS ability to produce passports is not controlled, their operations will continue to increase and expand outside of their operational controlled areas. Via: Washington Times | 1real |
Top U.S. general says exiting Iran nuclear pact would make future deals tough | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday Iran was complying with the pact curbing its nuclear program and warned that any American decision to walk away from it would make other nations less likely to enter into agreements with the United States. President Donald Trump is considering whether to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the United States, calling the accord an embarrassment. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran was complying with its obligations under the nuclear deal, but had increased its activity in other areas. Iran is projecting malign influence across the Middle East, threatening freedom of navigation, while supporting terrorist organizations in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Dunford said. The committee s top Democrat, Senator Jack Reed, asked Dunford whether walking away from the Iran nuclear pact would affect the U.S. ability to negotiate with North Korea or devise a non-military solution toward Pyongyang. It makes sense to me that our holding up agreements that we have signed, unless there is a material breech, would have an impact on others willingness to sign agreements, Dunford said during his reappointment hearing. Trump this year also announced he would withdraw the United States from the international Paris climate agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. U.S. officials, including senior military leaders, have said that the first option to deal with the threat posed by North Korea s nuclear and ballistic missile program is through diplomacy. The ambassadors to the United States from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union all strongly backed the nuclear agreement with Iran on Monday as long as Tehran continues to comply with the pact. If Trump does not recertify by Oct. 16 that Iran is in compliance with the agreement, Congress would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the accord. That would let Congress, controlled by Trump s fellow Republicans, effectively decide whether to kill the deal. Although congressional leaders have declined to say whether they would seek to reimpose sanctions, Republican lawmakers were united in their opposition to the deal reached by Democratic former President Barack Obama. A collapse of the deal could trigger a regional arms race and worsen Middle East tensions. Dunford said that while North Korea currently poses the most urgent threat, Russia presents the biggest threat in terms of overall military capability. Asked if he supported U.S. lethal aid to Russia s neighbor Ukraine, Dunford said he does and has made that recommendation within the administration. He said discussion of the issue has reached the White House, but did not say when a decision would be made. Ukraine has sought U.S. support against Russia since a pro-Western government took power following street protests in 2014, when the Kremlin-backed president fled the country. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine the same year. Dunford also said the United States would not be able to attain our objectives in Afghanistan, where American forces have been deployed since 2001, without a change of behavior by neighboring Pakistan. It is unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary, and we ought to bring the full weight of the U.S. government and our coalition partners on Pakistan to ensure that they do not provide the sanctuary that they have provided historically to groups like Haqqani and the Taliban, Dunford said. U.S. officials remain frustrated by what they term Pakistan s unwillingness to act against Islamist militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. The Trump administration is exploring whether to harden its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on militants launching strikes in Afghanistan. Pakistan argues that it has done a great deal to help the United States in tracking down militants, and says it has suffered hundreds of deaths in Islamist attacks in response to its crackdowns. | 0fake |
U.S. expresses 'strong disappointment and protest' over Russia retaliation | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Ambassador to Moscow, John Tefft, has “expressed his strong disappointment and protest” over Russia’s decision to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Moscow and seize a dacha compound and warehouse used by American diplomats, a State Department official said on Friday. Russia’s moves came a day after the U.S. Senate voted to slap new sanctions on Russia, putting President Donald Trump in a tough position by forcing him to take a hard line against Moscow or veto the legislation and anger his own Republican Party. “We have received the Russian government notification,” a State Department official said on condition of anonymity. “Ambassador Tefft expressed his strong disappointment and protest.” | 0fake |
NO TOILET PAPER?! SOCIALISM IS IN ITS FINAL STAGES FOR VENEZUELA SO BYOTP | Socialism doesn t work but I guess Venezuela didn t get the memo. No toilet paper? No food? Yes, it s come to that in this socialist hellhole Venezuela s product shortages have become so severe that some hotels in that country are asking guests to bring their own toilet paper and soap, a local tourism industry spokesman said on Wednesday . It s an extreme situation, says Xinia Camacho, owner of a 20-room boutique hotel in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada national park. For over a year we haven t had toilet paper, soap, any kind of milk, coffee or sugar. So we have to tell our guests to come prepared. Montilla says bigger hotels can circumvent product shortages by buying toilet paper and other basic supplies from black market smugglers who charge up to 6-times the regular price. But smaller, family-run hotels can t always afford to pay such steep prices, which means that sometimes they have to make do without. Camacho says she refuses to buy toilet paper from the black market on principle. In the black market you have to pay 110 bolivares [$0.50] for a roll of toilet paper that usually costs 17 bolivares [$ 0.08] in the supermarket, Camacho told Fusion. We don t want to participate in the corruption of the black market, and I don t have four hours a day to line up for toilet paper at a supermarket . Recently, Venezuelan officials have been stopping people from transporting essential goods across the country in an effort to stem the flow of contraband. So now Camacho s guests could potentially have their toilet paper confiscated before they even make it to the hotel. Shortages, queues, black markets, and official theft. And blaming the CIA. Yes, Venezuela has truly achieved socialism.But what I never understood is this: Why toilet paper? How hard is it to make toilet paper? I can understand a socialist economy having trouble producing decent cars or computers. But toilet paper? And soap? And matches?Sure, it s been said that if you tried communism in the Sahara, you d get a shortage of sand. Still, a shortage of paper seems like a real achievement.Read more: CATO | 1real |
Russia vetoes extension of mission probing chemical weapons use in Syria | UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia cast a veto at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday preventing the renewal of the mandate for a mission that investigates the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) - was unanimously created by the 15-member U.N. Security Council in 2015 and renewed in 2016 for another year. Its mandate is due to expire in mid-November. The JIM is due to report by Oct. 26 on who was responsible for an attack on April 4 on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, held by the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, that killed dozens of people. Russia wanted to discuss the report before voting on the extension of the mandate, and its U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia unsuccessfully asked to postpone the vote. Don t try to create the impression that the JIM will be a dead letter unless we adopt this resolution today, Nebenzia said prior to the vote. We are ready to return to extending the JIM after the publication of the report and after we discuss it after the 26 of October. A separate OPCW fact-finding mission determined in June that the banned nerve agent sarin had been used in the Khan Sheikhoun attack, which prompted the United States to launch missiles on a Syrian air base. Russia has once again demonstrated it will do whatever it takes to ensure the barbaric Assad regime never faces consequences for its continued use of chemicals as weapons, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, traveling in Africa, said in a statement. After the vote, Nebenzia said the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria had nearly finished. In its most recent report late last month, the OPCW said it had verified the destruction of 25 of the 27 chemical weapons production facilities declared by Syria and continued to prepare an inspection to confirm the current condition of the last two. China abstained from Tuesday s vote, while Bolivia joined Russia in voting no. Eleven countries voted in favor of the text. | 0fake |
Veterans Send ‘Loser’ Trump A Brutal Message: Keep Your Donations (TWEETS) | On Tuesday, Republican front-runner Donald Trump shocked everyone by announcing that he was boycotting the Fox News GOP debate on Thursday, as it was being moderated by his nemesis, Megyn Kelly. And in his childish haste to get back at Fox News for giving Kelly another chance to make him look like an idiot, Trump sent the network a message of blatant disrespect: he would be throwing a competing event: a benefit for America s veterans on the very same day as the GOP debate.On Trump s event page for veterans and wounded warriors, the front-runner promised to raise money for the men and women who have been treated so horribly by our all-talk, no-action politicians . Well, it turns out that veterans have a message for Trump: We don t want your donations.On Wednesday, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff announced that his organization would not accept any contributions that came from Trump s event. He tweeted:TwitterTwo other veterans groups have also decided they want nothing to do with Trump s publicity stunt. The Wounded Warrior Project, which has recently come under fire for using its donation money for wasteful purposes, has denied having any awareness of Trump s efforts to fundraise for the organization. VoteVets.org, however, was willing to send a more direct message to the GOPer. The organization, which boasts that it is America s largest progressive veterans group, issued a statement that said Don t hide from Megyn Kelly behind us. Iraq War veteran and chairman of the organization absolutely burned The Donald: Let me put this in language Donald Trump understands. You re a loser. You re a third-rate politician, who clearly doesn t understand issues, and is so scared of Megyn Kelly exposing it, that you re looking to use veterans to protect you from facing her questions. The veterans scorn is honestly well-deserved a look into Trump s past can easily prove that this is just a stunt for Trump and there s no sincerity in his charity event. The GOP front-runner has actually been whining about homeless veterans for decades, complaining that they bring his property values down. And before he ran for president, Trump actually wanted to get rid of America s troops. So don t be fooled by Trump s benefit for vets he doesn t care about them and is just using them to gain more support.Featured image via Gage Skidmore | 1real |
U.S. appeals court upholds 'quickie' union election rules | (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday dismissed a bid by construction trade groups to block controversial Obama administration rules designed to speed up union elections, saying the National Labor Relations Board had broad authority to implement them. The Texas-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims by Associated Builders and Contractors Inc and a Texas chapter that the so-called “quickie” election rules violated employers’ free speech rights and would lead to union harassment of workers. “The board ... conducted an exhaustive and lengthy review of the issues, evidence and testimony, responded to contrary arguments, and offered factual and legal support for its final conclusions,” Circuit Judge Edith Brown Clement wrote. The 5th Circuit is considered to be one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country and is a popular venue for legal challenges to Obama administration initiatives. The decision affirmed a 2015 ruling by a federal judge in Austin, Texas. The state’s chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business was also a plaintiff but was not involved in the appeal. The rules, which took effect in April 2015, have shortened the period between a union filing a petition to represent workers and an election, from the previous median of 38 days to as little as two weeks. Under the rules, employers cannot bring legal challenges to the way union campaigns are conducted until after an election and are required to share workers’ names and contact details with unions once they file election petitions. The NLRB said the changes were necessary because a small number of companies were intentionally dragging out the election process, sometimes for months, to coerce workers to vote against unions. Associated Builders and Contractors in its lawsuit said there was no evidence that was common, but the 5th Circuit on Friday said it was not the court’s role “to weigh the evidence pro and con.” NLRB spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek declined to comment. ABC did not immediately return a request for comment. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business-backed groups last year made similar claims in a separate lawsuit challenging the new rules in federal court in Washington, D.C. A judge dismissed the case, and the groups did not appeal. President Barack Obama in March 2015 vetoed a measure from Republicans in Congress that would have stopped the rules from taking effect. The case is Associated Builders and Contractors Inc v. National Labor Relations Board, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals No. 15-50497. | 0fake |
MEGYN KELLY CONTINUES HER OBSESSION With Trump…ANGRY He Won’t Apologize To Hillary’s “Khan Man” [VIDEO] | We can t be certain, but it almost looked like Megyn had blood coming out of her eyes during her interview with the soft-spoken and sensible Dr. Ben Carson Megyn Kelly pressed Dr. Ben Carson to explain why the Khan family should apologize to Donald Trump, instead of the other way around.Carson said that the Khans said things that are false, like that Trump had never read the Constitution.When Kelly said that Khizr Khan was stating his opinion, Carson said that was unreasonable. Kelly said that she knew Carson as an empathetic and kind man, and asked him if he really believe that this Gold Star Family should apologize to Donald Trump that has sacrificed their son to protect this nation, that were viciously attacked by the presidential nominee that they owe him an apology? Carson responded that society has gotten itself into a tug of war where people try to demonize each other, and that Trump and the Khans need to realize that they are on the same side. Via: Fox News | 1real |
HILLARY CLINTON: We All Know She’s Deceitful And Dishonest, But I Bet You Didn’t Know This… | She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality. I ve decided to reprint a piece of work I did nearly five years ago, because it seems very relevant today given Hillary Clinton s performance in the Benghazi hearings. Back in 2008 when she was running for president, I interviewed two erstwhile staff members of the House Judiciary Committee who were involved with the atergate investigation when Hillary was a low-level staffer there. I interviewed one Democrat staffer and one Republican staffer, and wrote two pieces based on what they told me about Hillary s conduct at the time.I published these pieces back in 2008 for North Star Writers Group, the syndicate I ran at the time. This was the most widely read piece we ever had at NSWG, but because NSWG never gained the high-profile status of the major syndicates, this piece still didn t reach as many people as I thought it deserved to. Today, given the much broader reach of CainTV and yet another incidence of Hillary s arrogance in dealing with a congressional committee, I think it deserves another airing. For the purposes of simplicity, I ve combined the two pieces into one very long one. If you re interested in understanding the true character of Hillary Clinton, it s worth your time to read it.As Hillary Clinton came under increasing scrutiny for her story about facing sniper fire in Bosnia, one question that arose was whether she has engaged in a pattern of lying.The now-retired general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Hillary when she worked on the Watergate investigation, says Hillary s history of lies and unethical behavior goes back farther and goes much deeper than anyone realizes.Jerry Zeifman, a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of her former law professor, Burke Marshall, who was also Sen. Ted Kennedy s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair. When the investigation was over, Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman s 17-year career.Why? Because she was a liar, Zeifman said in an interview last week. She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality. How could a 27-year-old House staff member do all that? She couldn t do it by herself, but Zeifman said she was one of several individuals including Marshall, special counsel John Doar and senior associate special counsel (and future Clinton White House Counsel) Bernard Nussbaum who engaged in a seemingly implausible scheme to deny Richard Nixon the right to counsel during the investigatioWhy would they want to do that? Because, according to Zeifman, they feared putting Watergate break-in mastermind E. Howard Hunt on the stand to be cross-examined by counsel to the president. Hunt, Zeifman said, had the goods on nefarious activities in the Kennedy Administration that would have made Watergate look like a day at the beach including Kennedy s purported complicity in the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro.The actions of Hillary and her cohorts went directly against the judgment of top Democrats, up to and including then-House Majority Leader Tip O Neill, that Nixon clearly had the right to counsel. Zeifman says that Hillary, along with Marshall, Nussbaum and Doar, was determined to gain enough votes on the Judiciary Committee to change House rules and deny counsel to Nixon. And in order to pull this off, Zeifman says Hillary wrote a fraudulent legal brief, and confiscated public documents to hide her deception.The brief involved precedent for representation by counsel during an impeachment proceeding. When Hillary endeavored to write a legal brief arguing there is no right to representation by counsel during an impeachment proceeding, Zeifman says, he told Hillary about the case of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who faced an impeachment attempt in 1970. As soon as the impeachment resolutions were introduced by (then-House Minority Leader Gerald) Ford, and they were referred to the House Judiciary Committee, the first thing Douglas did was hire himself a lawyer, Zeifman said.The Judiciary Committee allowed Douglas to keep counsel, thus establishing the precedent. Zeifman says he told Hillary that all the documents establishing this fact were in the Judiciary Committee s public files. So what did Hillary do? Hillary then removed all the Douglas files to the offices where she was located, which at that time was secured and inaccessible to the public, Zeifman said. Hillary then proceeded to write a legal brief arguing there was no precedent for the right to representation by counsel during an impeachment proceeding as if the Douglas case had never occurred.The brief was so fraudulent and ridiculous, Zeifman believes Hillary would have been disbarred if she had submitted it to a judge.Zeifman says that if Hillary, Marshall, Nussbaum and Doar had succeeded, members of the House Judiciary Committee would have also been denied the right to cross-examine witnesses, and denied the opportunity to even participate in the drafting of articles of impeachment against Nixon.Of course, Nixon s resignation rendered the entire issue moot, ending Hillary s career on the Judiciary Committee staff in a most undistinguished manner. Zeifman says he was urged by top committee members to keep a diary of everything that was happening. He did so, and still has the diary if anyone wants to check the veracity of his story. Certainly, he could not have known in 1974 that diary entries about a young lawyer named Hillary Rodham would be of interest to anyone 34 years later.But they show that the pattern of lies, deceit, fabrications and unethical behavior was established long ago long before the Bosnia lie, and indeed, even before cattle futures, Travelgate and Whitewater for the woman who is still asking us to make her president of the United States.Franklin Polk, who served at the time as chief Republican counsel on the committee, confirmed many of these details in two interviews he granted me this past Friday, although his analysis of events is not always identical to Zeifman s. Polk specifically confirmed that Hillary wrote the memo in question, and confirmed that Hillary ignored the Douglas case. (He said he couldn t confirm or dispel the part about Hillary taking the Douglas files.)To Polk, Hillary s memo was dishonest in the sense that she tried to pretend the Douglas precedent didn t exist. But unlike Zeifman, Polk considered the memo dishonest in a way that was more stupid than sinister. Hillary should have mentioned that (the Douglas case), and then tried to argue whether that was a change of policy or not instead of just ignoring it and taking the precedent out of the opinion, Polk said.Polk recalled that the attempt to deny counsel to Nixon upset a great many members of the committee, including just about all the Republicans, but many Democrats as well. The argument sort of broke like a firestorm on the committee, and I remember Congressman Don Edwards was very upset, Polk said. He was the chairman of the subcommittee on constitutional rights. But in truth, the impeachment precedents are not clear. Let s put it this way. In the old days, from the beginning of the country through the 1800s and early 1900s, there were precedents that the target or accused did not have the right to counsel. That s why Polk believes Hillary s approach in writing the memorandum was foolish. He says she could have argued that the Douglas case was an isolated example, and that other historical precedents could apply.But Zeifman says the memo and removal of the Douglas files was only part the effort by Hillary, Doar, Nussbaum and Marshall to pursue their own agenda during the investigation.After my first column, some readers wrote in claiming Zeifman was motivated by jealousy because he was not appointed as the chief counsel in the investigation, with that title going to Doar instead.Zeifman s account is that he supported the appointment of Doar because he, Zeifman, a) did not want the public notoriety that would come with such a high-profile role; and b) didn t have much prosecutorial experience. When he started to have a problem with Doar and his allies was when Zeifman and others, including House Majority Leader Tip O Neill and Democratic committee member Jack Brooks of Texas, began to perceive Doar s group as acting outside the directives and knowledge of the committee and its chairman, Peter Rodino.(O Neill died in 1994. Brooks is still living and I tried unsuccessfully to reach him. I d still like to.)This culminated in a project to research past presidential abuses of power, which committee members felt was crucial in aiding the decisions they would make in deciding how to handle Nixon s alleged offenses.According to Zeifman and other documents, Doar directed Hillary to work with a group of Yale law professors on this project. But the report they generated was never given to the committee. Zeifman believes the reason was that the report was little more than a whitewash of the Kennedy years a part of the Burke Marshall-led agenda of avoiding revelations during the Watergate investigation that would have embarrassed the Kennedys.The fact that the report was kept under wraps upset Republican committee member Charles Wiggins of California, who wrote a memo to his colleagues on the committee that read in part:Within the past few days, some disturbing information has come to my attention. It is requested that the facts concerning the matter be investigated and a report be made to the full committee as it concerns us all.Early last spring when it became obvious that the committee was considering presidential abuse of power as a possible ground of impeachment, I raised the question before the full committee that research should be undertaken so as to furnish a standard against which to test the alleged abusive conduct of Richard Nixon.As I recall, several other members joined with me in this request. I recall as well repeating this request from time to time during the course of our investigation. The staff, as I recall, was noncommittal, but it is certain that no such staff study was made available to the members at any time for their use.Wiggins believed the report was purposely hidden from committee members. Chairman Rodino denied this, and said the reason Hillary s report was not given to committee members was that it contained no value. It s worth noting, of course, that the staff member who made this judgment was John Doar.In a four-page reply to Wiggins, Rodino wrote in part:Hillary Rodham of the impeachment inquiry staff coordinated the work. . . . After the staff received the report it was reviewed by Ms. Rodham, briefly by Mr. Labovitz and Mr. Sack, and by Doar. The staff did not think the manuscript was useful in its present form. . . .In your letter you suggest that members of the staff may have intentionally suppressed the report during the course of its investigation. That was not the case.As a matter of fact, Mr. Doar was more concerned that any highlight of the project might prejudice the case against President Nixon. The fact is that the staff did not think the material was usable by the committee in its existing form and had not had time to modify it so it would have practical utility for the members of the committee. I was informed and agreed with the judgment.Mr. Labovitz, by the way, was John Labovitz, another member of the Democratic staff. I spoke with Labovitz this past Friday as well, and he is no fan of Jerry Zeifman. If it s according to Zeifman, it s inaccurate from my perspective, Labovitz said. He bases that statement on a recollection that Zeifman did not actually work on the impeachment inquiry staff, although that is contradicted not only by Zeifman but Polk as well.Labovitz said he has no knowledge of Hillary having taken any files, and defended her no-right-to-counsel memo on the grounds that, if she was assigned to write a memo arguing a point of view, she was merely following orders.But as both Zeifman and Polk point out, that doesn t mean ignoring background of which you are aware, or worse, as Zeifman alleges, confiscating documents that disprove your argument.All told, Polk recalls the actions of Hillary, Doar and Nussbaum as more amateurish than anything else. Of course the Republicans went nuts, Polk said. But so did some of the Democrats some of the most liberal Democrats. It was more like these guys Doar and company were trying to manage the members of Congress, and it was like, Who s in charge here? If you want to convict a president, you want to give him all the rights possible. If you re going to give him a trial, for him to say, My rights were denied, it was a stupid effort by people who were just politically tone deaf. So this was a big deal to people in the proceedings on the committee, no question about it. And Jerry Zeifman went nuts, and rightfully so. But my reaction wasn t so much that it was underhanded as it was just stupid. Polk recalls Zeifman sharing with him at the time that he believed Hillary s primary role was to report back to Burke Marshall any time the investigation was taking a turn that was not to the liking of the Kennedys. Jerry used to give the chapter and verse as to how Hillary was the mole into the committee works as to how things were going, Polk said. And she d be feeding information back to Burke Marshall, who, at least according to Jerry, was talking to the Kennedys. And when something was off track in the view of the Kennedys, Burke Marshall would call John Doar or something, and there would be a reconsideration of what they were talking about. Jerry used to tell me that this was Hillary s primary function. Zeifman says he had another staff member get him Hillary s phone records, which showed that she was calling Burke Marshall at least once a day, and often several times a day.A final note about all this: I wrote my first column on this subject because, in the aftermath of Hillary being caught in her Bosnia fib, I came in contact with Jerry Zeifman and found his story compelling. Zeifman has been trying to tell his story for many years, and the mainstream media have ignored him. I thought it deserved an airing as a demonstration of how early in her career Hillary began engaging in self-serving, disingenuous conduct.Disingenuously arguing a position? Vanishing documents? Selling out members of her own party to advance a personal agenda? Classic Hillary. Neither my first column on the subject nor this one were designed to show that Hillary is dishonest. I don t really think that s in dispute. Rather, they were designed to show that she has been this way for a very long time a fact worth considering for anyone contemplating voting for her for president of the United States.By the way, there s something else that started a long time ago. She would go around saying, I m dating a person who will some day be president, Polk said. It was like a Babe Ruth call. And because of that comment she made, I watched Bill Clinton s political efforts as governor of Arkansas, and I never counted him out because she had made that forecast. Bill knew what he wanted a long time ago. Clearly, so did Hillary, and her tactics for trying to achieve it were established even in those early days.Vote wisely.Via: Patriot Net Daily | 1real |
No 'fire and fury' as Trump team talks North Korea with Congress | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump s top national security advisers stressed efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the North Korea crisis to Congress on Wednesday, staying far from Trump s tough talk of potential fire and fury military responses to Pyongyang s missile program. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford held classified briefings on North Korea and Afghanistan for the entire House of Representatives and Senate. Lawmakers said the officials discussed efforts including consultations with allies, sanctions, pushing for action at the United Nations and military options. But they said the briefings tone was sharply different from some of Trump s recent public statements. After recent missile launches and nuclear tests by North Korea, the president has vowed to stop the weapons program and said he would unleash fire and fury if Pyongyang threatened U.S. territory. Mattis also warned of a massive military response if the United States or its allies were threatened. Each of them was very professional, very measured in what they were saying, and understand the stakes that are in play here. So there s nothing over-the-top, no over-the-top rhetoric, just a layout of where they are in trying to deal with this issue, Senator Bob Corker, Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters. Representative Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said after the briefing it was clear that the administration would like to negotiate an agreement with North Korea. There was really no bluster whatsoever, Engel said. Members of Congress from both parties called for stricter sanctions against North Korea, and said the United States should seek to work closely with allies like South Korea, push China to do more and see action at the United Nations. The best strategy would be deploying sanctions... sustained financial pressure in which we do not let up on those financial institutions that are assisting North Korea, said Republican Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House committee, who just returned from a trip to South Korea. Republican Representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said there had been more members of the House at the briefing than he could remember at similar sessions. There was a tremendous amount of interest, he said. | 0fake |
TRUMP BEGINS DISMANTLING Of OBAMACARE With Today’s Executive Order…Nancy Pelosi’s Response Is Hilarious! | Today, President Trump came one step closer to dismantling Obamacare. He signed an executive order that would allow Americans to purchase insurance across state lines. The time has come to take action to IMPROVE access, INCREASE choices, and LOWER COSTS for HEALTHCARE! https://t.co/mz5fdveTVh pic.twitter.com/dDZLsKuNSe Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017Congressional Democrats said Thursday that President Trump s executive order to relax insurance rules is the latest evidence of Republican sabotage against Obamacare.The president signed the order that directs federal agencies to examine regulations that would make it easier for people to band together to get association health plans and buy more short-term insurance. Democrats quickly criticized the order as a back door to attack protections for people with pre-existing conditions and increase junk insurance plans. I do know it is a sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and quite frankly a disservice to the American people, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a press conference Tuesday.She also said Trump knows very little about healthcare legislation. Washington ExaminerPerhaps a little trip down memory lane is in order for Nancy. Remember when Nancy Pelosi coined her most memorable line in the long list of memorable Nancy Pelosi lines? Remember when Nancy attempted to explain the Obamacare legislation to a large audience, telling them, But we have to pass the bill, so that you can, uh, find out what s in it. ?Even one of her most reliable media allies, David Gregory of NBC News, who was clearly on the same team as Nancy, questioned her sanity and most especially, her knowledge of what was in the Obamacare bill, following her curious remarks:We re pretty sure that most Americans are more confident in President Trump s knowledge of the benefits to Americans, once they are able to purchase insurance across state lines than they were in Nancy s ability to understand the 20,000 page Obamacare legislation. | 1real |
Trump administration may change rules that allow terror victims to immigrate to U.S. | NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Raj, a Sri Lankan fisherman, sought refuge in the United States in 2005, he had precisely the kind of fear of returning home that U.S. asylum laws require. In 2004, he was kidnapped by the separatist rebel group the Tamil Tigers and had to pay $500 to secure his release, according to Raj, his lawyer and court records reviewed by Reuters. The group then demanded more money, which he could not pay after a tsunami destroyed his house and fishing boat. Raj, 42, who asked that only his first name be used because of the sensitive nature of his situation, decided to flee. He boarded a plane using a false Canadian passport and requested asylum upon arriving in the United States. There was a catch, however. U.S. laws ban immigration by anyone who has provided "material support" to terrorists, and the Tamil Tigers are designated as a terrorist group by the United States. A judge ruled that Raj's ransom payment to them constituted material support. (Read an excerpt of the letter petitioning the U.S. government for a waiver in this case: tmsnrt.rs/2oPsqQM) Ultimately, Raj was granted asylum in 2011 because of rules that allow for waivers for people who provided aid to terrorists under duress. He now lives in San Diego, California, works in an Indian restaurant and hopes to become a citizen. (Read an excerpt of the letter from the U.S. government granting the waiver: tmsnrt.rs/2oPy7yx) Raj said it was “a big relief” when he finally received his green card around a year after receiving asylum. “I am not a terrorist,” he said. Now the Trump administration is debating whether to rescind the waivers that have allowed Raj, and tens of thousands of others, to immigrate to the United States in the past decade (See graphic on waivers: tmsnrt.rs/2oPssIo). Some immigration hardliners are concerned the exemptions could allow terrorists to slip into the country. U.S. President Donald Trump directed the secretaries of State and Homeland Security, in consultation with the attorney general, to consider abolishing the waivers in an executive order in March. That directive was overshadowed by the same order’s temporary ban on all refugees and on travelers from six mostly Muslim nations. The bans on refugees and travel were challenged in lawsuits, and their implementation has been suspended pending full hearings in court. But the waiver review was not included in the court rulings, so that part of the order remains in effect. Rules governing the waivers have been hammered out over the last decade with both Democratic and Republican support. But in recent years they have drawn fire from some conservative lawmakers, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions when he was a senator. A State Department official said this week the department is working with DHS to review the waivers and is “looking at actually pulling them back in accordance with the executive order.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to give details on the timing of the review or its likely outcome. The Department of Justice declined to comment. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Congress expanded the definition of who could be considered a terrorist and what constituted “material support” to terrorism in rules now known as the Terrorism Related Inadmissibility Grounds. Those changes ensnared people like Raj who were coerced or inadvertently provided support to terrorists, as well as members of persecuted ethnic groups that supported rebel organizations, and even U.S.-allied groups fighting against authoritarian regimes. Without an exemption, members of Kurdish groups that battled Saddam Hussein’s forces in Iraq, Hmong groups who fought alongside U.S. troops in Vietnam, or some Cubans who fought Fidel Castro’s regime would not be allowed to immigrate to the United States. Under the exemptions, U.S. authorities have the discretion to grant people residency in the United States after they have passed background checks and are found to pose no threat to national security. Congress initially passed waivers to the terrorism bars in 2007 with bipartisan support, and in the years that followed both the Bush and Obama administrations added additional groups and circumstances to the exemptions. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has granted nearly 22,000 TRIG exemptions in total over the last decade, according to the latest data available, which goes through September 2016. The State Department also grants TRIG exemptions, but a spokesman could not provide data on how many. Refugees from Myanmar are the largest single group of beneficiaries to date of TRIG exemptions granted by USCIS, with more than 6,700 waivers. The wave of Myanmar refugees dates to 2006, when U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruled that thousands of members of the Karen ethnic group, then living in a camp in Thailand, could resettle in the United States, even if they had supported the political wing of an armed group that had fought the country’s military regime. One high-profile supporter of scrapping the waivers is House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia whose staffers were instrumental in drafting Trump’s travel ban. Goodlatte told Reuters he was “pleased that the Trump Administration is reviewing the dangerous policy.” Groups favoring stricter immigration laws have also applauded the review. Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations at NumbersUSA, called the waivers “a potential security risk.” “I personally don’t think that a bureaucrat should be deciding how much support for terrorism is enough to be barred,” she said. A USCIS spokeswoman, when asked if a recipient of an exemption had ever been involved in a terrorism-related case after arriving in the United States, referred Reuters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which said it was a question for the State Department to answer. “I don’t know of any cases where beneficiaries of exemptions have gotten into trouble after arriving,” the State Department official said, noting that the department does not typically track people after they arrive in the United States. Trump’s order to review the waivers “is another example of an attempt to address a non-existent phantom problem,” said Eric Schwartz, who served in the State Department during the Obama administration. Schwartz and immigration advocates say the waivers are granted after lengthy review and are extremely difficult to get. “These are case-by-case exemptions for people who represent no threat to the United States but rather have been caught in the most unfortunate of circumstances,” said Schwartz. For Raj, the initial ruling that his ransom payment supported a terrorist group led to more than two years in U.S. immigration detention, followed by more years of electronic monitoring. His waiver allowed him to bring his wife to the United States after nine years apart. She now studies nursing. | 0fake |
California moves presidential primary for bigger say in candidate choice | SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California will move its presidential primary from June to March under a bill signed on Wednesday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, a change aimed at giving the liberal-leaning state more influence in choosing candidates from either national party. The most populous U.S. state, which voted heavily for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November’s presidential election, has traditionally held its primary so late that Democratic and Republican voters in other states had essentially already chosen their parties’ candidates. “The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat who backed the change, in a statement. “Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our country’s highest office.” The bill was passed mostly along party lines in the majority-Democrat legislature. The new date will leave the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in place as the first and second contests of the presidential election cycle, during which voters in each state choose the candidate they would like their party to nominate for president. Because California’s primary has been in June while others were held earlier, candidates have largely ignored the state, spending less on outreach than elsewhere, making fewer visits, and failing to prioritize California voters’ concerns in their campaigns, supporters said. In 2016, California Democrats chose Clinton and Republicans opted for Donald Trump, the populist businessman who ultimately won the presidency. Backers in the legislature said the early primary would lead to less divisive choices by members of both major parties in the 2020 election cycle, and establish California as a leading voice in the choice of candidates. Progressive Democrats also believe that moving the primary up could result in their party’s selection of more liberal candidates. “California is the beating heart of the national resistance to Trump, and California Democrats are defining the progressive agenda for America,” state Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman said in a press release. “When it comes to deciding the Democratic nominee, our voices need to be heard early in the process.” | 0fake |
Newt Gingrich Demands President Obama Pick A Conservative Just Like Scalia For SCOTUS (VIDEO) | Newt Gingrich is hoping President Obama will say yes sir and do what white conservatives tell him to do.During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Sunday, the former House Speaker and former Republican presidential wannabe chimed in on the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and whether or not President Obama should be able to nominate a replacement during his final year in office.Of course, picking a nominee is the job of the executive branch as laid out clearly by the Constitution. It is then the job of the Senate to hold hearings and then bring up the nominee for a confirmation vote. That s how this works.But Senate Republicans have already vowed to block any and every nominee President Obama puts forward. And Newt Gingrich s solution is even worse than not having a nominee confirmed at all.When Clayton Morris explained that Democrats expect Senate Republicans to do their Constitutional duty because President Obama was elected to a four year term and not just three, Gingrich said that if President Obama wants to guarantee the confirmation of a nominee he should meet with conservative Senators and let them handpick a conservative like Scalia to be the nominee.In other words, conservatives actually think that since Scalia was a conservative that a like-minded individual should be selected to replace him, thus keeping the Supreme Court a conservative-leaning institution.MORRIS: Senator Leahy and others have said though this would send the [Supreme] Court into disarray, having four-four and leaving these big decisions to the appellate courts and let these decisions stand for a year. And Democrats also saying, look, President Obama was elected to a four-year term. Americans spoke. He was elected to four years, not three years. He has every right to choose a nominee. GINGRICH: No, no, no. He has every right to recommend. He doesn t have every right to choose. This goes back to the Constitution. The Senate is not obligated to approve who he recommends. I mean, he has a simple model. If he really wants to get somebody approved, sit down with Mitch McConnell and with conservative senators like Mike Lee, ask them who they would approve and nominate somebody who is in the Scalia tradition. Now, Obama is not going to do that. Obama wants to send up a radical to eliminate the Second Amendment right to bear arms, to eliminate religious liberty, to impose bigger government and more power in Washington. And that s his right. I understand that s what he believes. But the Senate has no obligation to shift this court for the next 30 years radically to the left in the last year of the Obama presidency. Here s the video via Media Matters:However, Gingrich s demand is ridiculous. This is not how the system works. While the truth is that no one really knows how a Supreme Court Justice will rule once they start hearing cases and issuing decisions, the fact is that no president is obligated to replace a dead or retiring Justice with one that has the exact ideological views, nor does the Constitution require such a thing.And if Senate Republicans think that s how it should be, they would be committing a sort of political blackmail to get their own way. The bottom line is that the president picks nominees to the Court and it s the Senate s job to confirm them or not. We all know that if Ruth Bader Ginsburg ever stepped down from the bench during a Republican presidency that she would be replaced immediately with a staunch conservative. Republicans certainly would never entertain the thought of replacing her with an ideological copy in the name of fairness. So conservatives like Gingrich should not expect Scalia s replacement to be a nominee of their choosing. President Obama will fulfill his constitutional obligation and whether Senate Republicans like the nominee or not, they must do theirs. America deserves a fully functioning Supreme Court.Featured Image: Wikimedia | 1real |
Democrats rising? Early statehouse wins test new faces | (Reuters) - Democrats desperate to rebuild after losing the White House last year have scored a string of election victories for statehouse seats, testing a new generation of candidates and activists eager to resist President Donald Trump’s conservative agenda. From New Hampshire to Oklahoma, Democrats have flipped eight Republican-held seats in special legislative elections, having spent millions of dollars on low-turnout contests mostly being fought over local issues. The wins showcase how Democrats want to fight back after losing to Trump and hitting historic lows in statehouses. But the party faces challenges carrying this momentum into the 2018 midterm elections when thousands of seats are at stake, interviews with nearly two dozen Democratic leaders, campaigns and other political experts show. “Can we recruit enough capable candidates, and can we run enough modern races?” asked Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic political strategist. He said the party must test its future leaders in real time. “Are they ready? The answer is: We don’t know.” In November, Democrats will get an early read. One critical test is in Washington state, where first-time candidate Manka Dhingra is running for an up-for-grabs senate seat in Seattle’s suburbs. A victory on Nov. 7 would give Democrats full control of the state. A prosecutor and school parent volunteer, Dhingra is a Sikh Indian American whose political awakening began with businessman Trump’s surprise election victory over experienced politician Hillary Clinton. Still, Dhingra steers clear of mentioning the president in her pitch to swing voters. “The Trump reaction, the way it works is by invigorating volunteers,” Dhingra said. “There are a lot of people, like myself, who decided we cannot be bystanders.” Nearly 2,000 volunteers have signed up through her campaign website alone, evidence of what the party calls unprecedented interest in legislative contests. An August primary, where Dhingra finished 10 points ahead of her Republican competitor, had a relatively robust turnout, including nearly 6,000 voters who normally skip primaries. Outside of Washington state, however, a few Democratic wins will do little to change the political map going into the 2018 midterm elections. Republicans control 26 state governments and two-thirds of legislative chambers. Democrats hemorrhaged power at the state level during President Barack Obama’s eight years in office with their attention on national elections. Now Democrats see the states as critical for rebuilding, and an opportunity to advance legislation pushing back against Trump’s agenda of gutting Democratic health care reforms and environmental protections and cracking down on immigration. The party plans to recruit hundreds of thousands of volunteers to contact more than 30 million voters - double their outreach in statehouse contests in the 2016 presidential cycle. “Because of the gridlock in Washington, people are turning to statehouses for security from Donald Trump,” said Jessica Post, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. But the party’s many inexperienced candidates must beat battle-tested incumbents in elections next year with greater voter turnout. “If the Democrats have every bit of momentum and the wildest day they could think of, they may take us from super majorities to majorities,” said David Avella, chairman of the Republican group GOPAC. “But we will still have majorities.” Democrats have flipped legislative seats in Florida, Oklahoma, New Hampshire and New York in 2017. Republicans picked up an uncontested seat in Louisiana. In Oklahoma, where Trump won 65 percent of the vote in the 2016 general election, the Democrats flipped three seats in districts he carried. Candidates doubled down on local issues, such as a budget crisis forcing four-day school weeks. They had a chance to “represent themselves as real people that weren’t actually attached to Nancy Pelosi, or Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama,” said Anna Langthorn, Oklahoma Democratic Party chairwoman. Some of the special elections success reflects startup progressive groups rallying voters. But they have yet to figure out how to expand their scope for 2018. Chris Walsh, a cofounder of Flippable, which is working to win back state governments, went to Florida last month to help Democrat Annette Taddeo beat a Republican former legislator who once competed on Trump’s reality TV show, “The Apprentice.” “There is a lot of knowledge out there that is siloed,” Walsh said, adding the party could help by sharing information such as district voting data with new groups. This year’s most revealing contests will come in a statewide election in Virginia, where Democrats face a long-shot bid in November to pick up 17 seats and take back the House of Delegates. In a show of enthusiasm to rebuild, the party is fielding a ticket that is more than 50 percent larger than two years ago. Yet fewer than one in four of the mostly women vying for Republican-held seats have raised more money than their competitors, Virginia Public Access Project data showed. Republicans are also ramping up in defense. They anticipate state contests will be central to Democratic efforts in 2018, given their longer odds of reclaiming the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress. “The Democrats are trying to probe for the weakest link, and they are looking for that at the state level,” said Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee. “It is our job to make sure that doesn’t happen.” | 0fake |
Factbox: Trump fills top jobs for his administration | (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has formally named Republican Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy SEAL commander, as his pick for interior secretary, the Trump transition team said in a statement on Thursday. The following is a list of Republican Trump’s selections for top jobs in his administration; all the posts but those of national security adviser, the White House chief of staff, White House director of the National Economic Council and White House strategist require Senate confirmation: Sessions, 69, was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump’s presidential bid and has been a close ally since. Son of a country store owner, the Alabama senator and former federal prosecutor has long taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, opposing any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. U.S. Representative Pompeo, 52, is a third-term congressman from Kansas who serves on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, which oversees the CIA, National Security Agency and cyber security. A retired Army officer and Harvard Law School graduate, Pompeo supports the U.S. government’s sweeping collection of Americans’ communications data and wants to scrap the nuclear deal with Iran. Ross, 79, heads the private equity firm W.L. Ross & Co. His net worth was pegged by Forbes at about $2.9 billion. A staunch supporter of Trump and an economic adviser, Ross helped shape the Trump campaign’s views on trade policy. He blames the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which went into force in 1994, and the 2001 entry of China into the World Trade Organization, for causing massive U.S. factory job losses. Mattis is a retired Marine general known for his tough talk, distrust of Iran and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mattis, 66, is known by many U.S. forces by his nickname “Mad Dog.” He was once rebuked for saying in 2005: “It’s fun to shoot some people.” DeVos, 58, is a billionaire Republican donor, a former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and an advocate for the privatization of education. As chair of the American Federation for Children, she has pushed at the state level for vouchers that families can use to send their children to private schools and for the expansion of charter schools. Perry, 66, adds to the list of oil drilling advocates skeptical about climate change who have been picked for senior positions in Trump’s Cabinet. The selections have worried environmentalists but cheered an oil and gas industry eager for expansion. Perry, who also briefly ran in the 2016 presidential race, would have to be confirmed by the Senate to head the Energy Department, which is responsible for U.S. energy policy and oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons program. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: SCOTT PRUITT An ardent opponent of President Barack Obama’s measures to stem climate change, Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt, 48, has enraged environmental activists. But he fits with the president-elect’s promise to cut the agency back and eliminate regulation that he says is stifling oil and gas drilling. Pruitt became the top state prosecutor for Oklahoma, which has extensive oil reserves, in 2011, and has challenged the EPA multiple times since. U.S. Representative Price, 62, is an orthopedic surgeon who heads the House Budget Committee. A representative from Georgia since 2005, Price has criticized Obamacare and has championed a plan of tax credits, expanded health savings accounts and lawsuit reforms to replace it. He is opposed to abortion. The final leadership role of Kelly’s 45-year career was head of the U.S. Southern Command, responsible for U.S. military activities and relationships in Latin America and the Caribbean. The 66-year-old retired Marine general differed with Obama on key issues and has warned of vulnerabilities along the United States’ southern border with Mexico. Carson, 65, is a retired neurosurgeon who dropped out of the Republican presidential nominating race in March and threw his support to Trump. A popular writer and speaker in conservative circles, Carson previously indicated reluctance to take a position in the incoming administration because of his lack of experience in the federal government. Carson is the first African-American picked for a Cabinet spot by Trump. Zinke, 55, a first-term Republican representative and a member of the House subcommittee on natural resources, has voted for legislation that would weaken environmental safeguards on public lands. He has taken stances favoring coal, a fossil fuel that suffered during the Obama administration. The League of Conservation Voters, which ranks lawmakers on their environmental record, gave Zinke an extremely low lifetime score of 3 percent. Puzder, chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc [APOLOT.UL], which runs the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s fast-food chains, has been a vociferous critic of government regulation of the workplace and the National Labor Relations Board. Puzder, 66, has argued that higher minimum wages would hurt workers by forcing restaurants to close, and praises the benefits of automation, so his appointment is likely to antagonize organized labor. Cohn, 56, president and chief operating officer of investment bank Goldman Sachs, had widely been considered heir apparent to Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of the Wall Street firm. Trump hammered Goldman and Blankfein during the presidential campaign, releasing a television ad that called Blankfein part of a “global power structure” that had robbed America’s working class. Retired Lieutenant General Flynn, 57, was an early Trump supporter and serves as vice chairman on his transition team. He began his Army career in 1981 and was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Flynn became head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 under President Barack Obama but retired a year earlier than expected, according to media reports, and became a fierce critic of Obama’s foreign policy. Tillerson, 64, has spent his entire career at Exxon Mobil Corp, where he rose to serve as its chairman and CEO in 2006. A civil engineer by training, the Texan joined the world’s largest energy company in 1975 and led several of its operations in the United States as well as in Yemen, Thailand and Russia. As Exxon’s chief executive, he maintained close ties with Moscow and opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Crimea. McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former chief executive of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. She ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012, and was an early supporter of Trump’s presidential campaign. Chao, 63, was labor secretary under President George W. Bush for eight years and the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet position. She is a director at Ingersoll Rand, News Corp and Vulcan Materials Company. She is married to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky. Mnuchin, 53, is a successful private equity investor, hedge fund manager and Hollywood financier who spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs before leaving in 2002. He assembled an investor group to buy a failed California mortgage lender in 2009, rebranded it as OneWest Bank and built it into Southern California’s largest bank. Housing advocacy groups criticized the bank for its foreclosure practices, accusing it of being too quick to foreclose on struggling homeowners. Haley, 44, has been the Republican governor of South Carolina since 2011 and has little experience in foreign policy or the federal government. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she led a successful push 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 by a white gunman. Recently re-elected to serve as Republican National Committee chairman, Priebus will give up his party post to join Trump in the White House, where the low-key Washington operative could help forge ties with Congress to advance Trump’s agenda. The 44-year-old was a steadfast supporter of Trump during the presidential campaign even as the party fractured amid the choice. CHIEF WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST, SENIOR COUNSELOR: STEVE BANNON The former head of the conservative website Breitbart News came aboard as Trump’s campaign chairman in August. A rabble-rousing conservative media figure, he helped shift Breitbart into a forum for the alt-right, a loose confederation of those who reject mainstream politics and includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. His hiring signals Trump’s dedication to operating outside the norms of Washington. As White House chief of staff, Bannon, 63, will serve as Trump’s gatekeeper and agenda-setter. | 0fake |
Trump's Hollywood Star Vandal Outs Himself in Shameless New Video, Taunts Police Seeking Him Out | Share on Twitter
The man who obliterated Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star says on video that he just did it to 'help' people.
The man, who identified himself to Deadline Hollywood as Jamie Otis, pretended to be a construction worker to give himself cover at 5:30 Wednesday morning, as he took a pickaxe and sledgehammer to the terrazzo and cement star.
Trump earned the star, which is situated on Hollywood Boulevard near the Dolby Theater, in 2007 for his work on “Celebrity Apprentice.” But in just a few minutes it was destroyed:
Image Credit: Screengrab/ Deadline Hollywood
Now the man has reappeared on video admitting the vandalism, but says he did it for an altruistic cause:
“I really wanted to do this. I think it's a symbol for all of us against sexual assault.”
He said his intention was to sell pieces of the star to raise money for the women who have accused Trump of sexual wrongdoing. None of the women have provided concrete proof of their claims.
The man, a self-proclaimed activist, admitted in an exclusive TMZ interview that this isn't his first rodeo:
“I'm a non violent activist. I've been arrested 24, 25 times. I'd love to go to court with Mr. Trump, it would be a great honor.”
Without irony, the man claimed that Trump is “a bully” and that he needs to “ease up.”
This isn't the first time Trump's star has been the target of vandals. Recently, the star was surrounded by a cement box:
Image Credit: Screengrab/ YouTube
Unfortunately for Mr. Otis, police are currently looking for him, with the possibility that he'll be charged with a felony. Additionally, the star he destroyed in the name of justice is worth $30,000. | 1real |
HA! WHAT MAXINE WATERS Says We Must Give North Korea to Keep the Peace [Video] | Maxine Waters told a TMZ reporter that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should put threats aside and appease North Korea by giving them the things that they re asking for . She responded as she was leaving an upscale steakhouse in Beverly Hills. She told the reporter that we can t afford to go to war. Pretty rich for a person who wants to spend unlimited amounts on everything else BUT what s MOST important to the U.S DEFENSE! I want us to be very careful, very alert to what is happening and to avoid war. I think we can do this with some diplomacy, but we have got to have Tillerson, who is our secretary of state, get those positions filled for deputy, for assistant, so that we can engage with North Korea. I think there s some things that they want from us, and we have to find out whether or not we can work with them on the things that they re asking for. This is exactly what Obama did for 8 years! It s exactly why we re in this position today!Read more: WFB | 1real |
NOT SO FAST: CA LIBS TRY TO ‘Drought Shame’ Conservative Actor Tom Selleck For ‘Stealing’ Water, But Ventura County Sheriff Disagrees | When will the libs start Delta Smelt shaming and demand answers from the left for putting a fish before the lives and livelihood of so many TV cop Tom Selleck may or may not have improperly swiped precious water by the magnum, but he didn t commit a crime, real California cops told NBC News on Wednesday.Selleck, the 70-year-old star of Blue Bloods and formerly of Magnum, P.I., and his wife, Jillie, were sued this week by the Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County for allegedly sending a water tender like the giant tanker trucks used to supply fire engines to siphon off tankloads of water from a public hydrant at a construction site at least 12 times over the last two years.The water district said in its suit that it hired a real private investigator who several times observed the same water tender leave the 61-acre ranch the fictional P.I. owns in the ritzy Hidden Valley area of Ventura County, which is in a different water district and was assessed last year at more than $10 million (and was once owned by Dean Martin).The suit says the water district sent cease-and-desist letters to Selleck after its investigator spotted the truck at the hydrant eight times the week of Sept. 29, 2013.But the truck showed up again in December of that year, and was tracked as it proceeded to Selleck s property, according to the suit.Then, on four straight days just last March, the same truck again drained tankloads of water from the construction site and delivered it to the Selleck ranch, the suit says. The suit seeks an order forcing Selleck to stop using the district s water, plus reimbursement for the $21,685.55 it paid the investigator, with damages and other costs.But the suit is a civil action, not a criminal case. Ventura County sheriff s Capt. John Riley meanwhile told NBC News that the sheriff s office did investigate allegations of criminal water theft, but we are unable to establish a crime was committed. The Ventura County district attorney s office also confirmed that no case has been referred to it for prosecution.Selleck hasn t responded to requests for comment, and it s unknown whether he has anything to do with the water truck, which is registered under a commercial license.Eric Bergh, the water district s manager of resources, said the suit wasn t meant to be an example of drought shaming, a peculiarly California activity in which people suspected of hogging water are publicly called out. Our policies have been on the books for decades, Bergh said. We just want any such activity to stop that is the bottom line for us. It s really about doing the right thing and preserving our water supply for our users. Via: CNBC | 1real |
New Rules May Curb Classroom Cupcakes - The New York Times | The season of classroom holiday parties is upon us. And while some parents see all the cake, candy and salty snacks as a harmless indulgence during a festive season, others object to any unhealthy food in the classroom. Now the federal government is stepping in to help address the issue of classroom food. Federal school nutrition rules from the Department of Agriculture approved this past summer now require school districts participating in federal lunch or breakfast programs to come up with a nutritional standard for all foods and drinks offered to children at school, including those served by parents at classroom parties and treats awarded by teachers as prizes for a correct answer. The new standards won’t go into effect until the school year, but right now, school district wellness committees around the country are debating which foods and drinks, if any, should be barred at the classroom door. While it’s too soon to say how most districts will respond to the federal mandate, there’s room for improvement in many classrooms. According to a national survey of school district wellness policies conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, most districts don’t have standards for the foods and drinks served at classroom parties. Although nearly one in four districts discourage teachers from giving food as a reward, only 13 percent prohibit the practice. One option for districts is to simply adopt the “Smart Snacks” rules that govern snacks and drinks sold to children through vending machines and school . The rules went into effect in 2014, and are familiar territory to most school districts. Adopting the Smart Snacks rules for classroom food would also steer parents toward items instead of homemade, reducing the risk of harm to children. “Many will use Smart Snacks because that’s what they’re used to,” said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. But depending on a given community’s nutritional ethos, the Smart Snacks rules could be seen as too lenient or too stringent. Unless otherwise exempted, homemade birthday cupcakes would be out, but many highly processed snacks, including some with considerable amounts of added sugar, would still be permissible. For instance, a Trix cereal bar, with 150 calories and more than 50 percent whole grain oats, would pass muster, even though the second and third ingredients are corn syrup and sugar. At the other end of the spectrum, districts could set a lax standard that intentionally does little or nothing to change the status quo. After the Smart Snacks rules were adopted, for instance, some states took advantage of a loophole to allow frequent sales of junk food for school to continue. But that may not happen this time, since the federal rules require a wide range of stakeholders, including parents, to participate in the drafting process. “Wellness policies won’t be decided by the state, but instead by local committees that will include teachers, school officials and members of the community,” Ms. Wootan said. The new federal rules do require each school to appoint a staff member to help oversee the new healthy eating rules. And while states will audit a district’s wellness policy every three years, they will review only a district’s goals and its plan to implement them. In other words, says Ms. Wootan, “They won’t be going into every classroom on Halloween to see what’s happening. ” Parents can also have a voice in decisions made at their child’s school. Individual schools have the option to institute classroom policies that are stricter than their district’s standard. “If parents at a given school really want to take this issue on, they could,” Ms. Wootan said. The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity has created a useful clearinghouse of wellness policy guidance and resources from leading public health organizations. Jodi Helman, who used to live in Stamford, Conn. said she believes more rules are needed. She said her daughter’s previous elementary school took a decidedly lax approach to classroom food. “The amount of junk food was outrageous,” she recalls. “Candy was given out daily as rewards. The classrooms would have at least one party a week, sometimes two if it fell during a holiday. ” But her family recently moved to Barrington, R. I. where their new school has “a policy” toward unhealthy food in the classroom. “No candy rewards, no cupcakes for birthdays, no holiday parties with food,” she says. “The kids in Barrington live a healthy lifestyle, without even knowing it. ” | 0fake |
Conservative Activist Tells Milwaukee ‘Patriots’ To Shoot Black ‘Women And Children’ (VIDEO) | Greetings patriots, right-wing activist and all-around bigoted Cracker-American Jim Stachowiak greets his mixed crowd of vapid idiots and people laughing at him in his August 14 video blog entry. As usual, this right-wing Patriot is proudly standing before his camera with his trusty penis enhancement (known by the ammosexual community as a gun ). But instead of his usual anti-Islam rant and matching Fuck Islam t-shirt, viewers are treated to an image of the not-racist standing before them in a t-shirt reading [Middle finger] Black Lives Matter. Yup, you know what s coming next: a disgusting racist rant he will swear endlessly is not racist. I want to address the recent unrest of Black Lives Matter and what happened last night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What happened in Milwaukee was horrible. Spurred by police shooting a fleeing black man who happened to be armed with a stolen handgun. The community, which police describe as a powder keg for potential violence during the summer, erupted as yet another black man was gunned down by cops this year. While the majority of protests were peaceful, some people chose to destroy rather than fight for healing. But plagued by police violence, some of the community members could no longer contain their anger. After all, simple possession of a handgun police did not know was stolen until after they murdered the suspect is not deserving of a death sentence. Based on everything I ve seen, Stachowiak says, the officer act properly because the suspect was running away, clearly not a threat even if he had a gun in his possession. If he didn t want to get shot, he says, he should have stopped. The actions of the Black Lives Matter in the black community in Wisconsin had proven once again that Black Lives Matter is not just a hate group, but a domestic terrorist organization, Stachowiak continues, calling the social justice group a bunch of animals before backtracking and limiting his animal claim to looters he says are affiliated with Black Lives Matter. He continued, accusing Hillary Clinton and you, Barack Obama of embracing a terrorist organization you know, kind of like how Trump has embraced the Ku Klux Klan, but without the actual terrorist organization.Stachowiak says that the homes of Black Lives Matter leaders should be burned to the ground as should any looters, real or imaginary (let s face it: he just wants to kill him some n*ggers, as he has oh-so-politely said in the past). He also had something to say about black people who take advantage of the chaos to steal from stores especially the women and children: I don t care if they re women an children, anyone coming out of a store [he raises his gun and points it menacingly at the camera] should be shot on site. They should be shot exiting the store. If they make it down the street shoot them in the back. What the f*ck kind of coward wants to shoot women and children in the back? What sort of degenerate would even suggest such a thing? This guy. This guy right here. I got a round with your name on it, Stachowiak says, producing a bullet with BLM written in marker. Try to burn my home. Try to burn my business and I guarantee you ll never make it out of the driveway because I ll drop you like it s hot. Neither arson, nor attempted arson, is a crime that would make one eligible for the death penalty in any state.Stachowiak continued his unhinged rant with an explanation that Black Lives Matter are working with the Muslim Brotherhood. According to the master detective, the Muslim Brotherhood is supplying weapons to radical black Americans. After condemning the Mayor, the National guard, and police for failing to sharpie up their bullets and shoot black men, women, and children they suspected of looting in the face without a trial. His solution, of course, is to light up the front of the store whenever a looting is suspected and mow everyone who comes out down in the street. But Jim, there might be a 12-year old girl or a 8-year old boy, he says sarcastically. It s called collateral damage. Children are collateral damage. Yes, he really said that.Stachowiak says that Michael Brown got the justice he deserved after Officer Darren Wilson accused him of jaywalking, and warned the Justice Department that things are going to get much worse if they don t start shooting black people who might or might not be protesting or rioting on sight. If this lack of face-shooting persists, he says he will gather his Veteran friends to do some hunting. Turning to show the back of his t-shirt, which reads Black Lives Matter are domestic terrorists, he said: Black Lives Matter is a domestic terrorist organization. And the way my friends that are Iraq and Afghan veterans, some of which are schnipers [sic], the way they dealt with terrorists on the battlefield is the way we need to deal with Black Lives Matter in the streets of America.Watch the video below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtSGY3b9mqwFeatured image via screen capture | 1real |
Elizabeth Warren declares herself ready to be Hillary Clinton's running mate | Senator Elizabeth Warren has declared herself ready to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the US presidential election.
The Massachusetts senator – popular among the progressive wing of the Democratic party – made the declaration shortly after endorsing Clinton, calling her “a fighter with guts” who would keep Donald Trump out the White House.
In an interview on MSNBC, Warren was asked by Rachel Maddow: “If you were asked to be Secretary Clinton’s running mate, do you believe you could do it?”
In another interview with the Boston Globe on Thursday, Warren endorsed Clinton as the party’s presidential nominee, saying: “I’m ready to jump in this fight and make sure that Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States and be sure that Donald Trump gets nowhere near the White House.”
According to the Globe she also praised Clinton’s primary opponent, Bernie Sanders, saying that he had run an “incredible campaign”.
Speaking to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday evening, Warren said the Sanders campaign had been “powerfully important”.
“He ran a campaign from the heart, and he ran a campaign where he took these issues and really thrust them into the spotlight – issues that are near and dear to my heart – and he brought millions of people into the democratic process,” she said.
But, Warren said, “Hillary Clinton won. And she won because she’s a fighter, she’s out there, she’s tough. And I think this is what we need.”
Warren’s endorsement came within hours of President Barack Obama formally giving his endorsement to Clinton’s candidacy. “I’m with her,” Obama said, in a video recorded on Tuesday. “I don’t think there has ever been someone so qualified to hold this office.”
Vice-President Joe Biden also appeared to give his endorsement on Thursday, referring in a speech to “… whoever the next president is – and God willing it will be Hillary Clinton”.
Warren, a favourite of the progressive left who taught constitutional law at Harvard, is seen as a possible running mate who could help entice back a disaffected left that has been excited by Sanders but ambivalent about Clinton.
Warren has been especially fierce recently in her criticism of Donald Trump, attacking the presumptive Republican nominee in a searing string of speeches, setting herself up for a prominent and pugilistic role in the presidential election whether she is on the ticket or not.
Earlier on Thursday, at a speech to the American Constitution Society in Washington DC, Warren hit out at Trump as “just a businessman who inherited a fortune and kept it rolling along by cheating people”.
She described him as “a loud, nasty, thin-skinned fraud who … serves no one but himself”, and said his attacks on Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over the Trump University suit, was “exactly what you would expect from somebody who is a thin-skinned racist bully”. | 0fake |
Was A Washington Post Reporter Caught Snapping Photos Of Tillerson’s Notes During Confirmation Hearings Break? [VIDEO] UPDATE: WaPo Reporter Finally Says It’s Not Her | Doris Truong is a reporter for the hard left-leaning Washington [Com]Post where they only have the highest regard for journalistic integrity right? Well maybe not so much.During a break in the confirmation hearings for Rex Tillerson, Trump s choice for Secretary of State, a reporter (who many on Twitter are claiming is Doris Truong, the homepage editor for the Washington Post) was caught on camera snapping photos of the notes left on the table where Tillerson sat.UPDATE: Doris Truong has published a piece on the Washington Post where she claims the woman in the video is NOT her. From her piece: I work as a homepage editor at The Washington Post. Because Wednesday was my day off, I hadn t been online much. But before I went to bed, I noticed a message request on Facebook. Someone I didn t know asked: Any comment on you taking photos of Rex Tillerson s notes? When I checked Twitter, I had to scroll for several minutes to figure out what was going on. It seemed to start with this post: Who is this woman and why is she secretly snapping photos of Rex Tillerson s notes? We d love to know who this woman is. If you have any idea who this woman is, or who the man is that can be seen talking to her in the video, we d love to hear from you. Please send us an email: onehundredpercentfedup@gmail.comFrom the Gateway Pundit:The Washington Post says the reporter is not Doris Truong, their homepage editor.It is not clear at this point who the reporter was but she was friendly with the men in the video.Please email us if you recognize the woman.Truong, who is being hammered on Twitter over claims that she took pictures of Tillerson s notes has not disputed the claims on her Twitter account, even though she is getting hammered by Twitter users over this video. We also scanned the Washington Post s website to see if there was any mention of the video and the potentially false claim that the woman caught on camera does not work for them. We couldn t find anything on their website about the incident or a story refuting their reporter s involvement.https://twitter.com/Truth_Bombers/status/819404616366522368Some were saying the woman in the video was actually Lisa Song, a reporter for Inside Climate News. Lisa Song has flatly denied this allegation on her Twitter account (which is more than Truong has done to date).Hey twitter trolls, not all Asians look alike. I was nowhere near DC yesterday. Was in Boston/Cambridge, not even covering Tillerson. https://t.co/IG3lWkReut Lisa Song (@lisalsong) January 12, 2017We asked Washington Post reporter Doris Truong if she is the woman in the video on Twitter:@DorisTruong Are you the woman in this video snapping photos of Tillerson's notes during confirmation hearings break https://t.co/CvmRsJo09i 100% FED UP! (@100PercFEDUP) January 12, 2017We ll wait for her reply, and hope to have an update soon | 1real |
Trump’s Lawyer’s Response Was Riddled With Errors; He Even Misspelled ‘President’ | Donald Trump hired himself a personal lawyer to represent him in the Russia investigation. Marc Kasowitz, though, isn t a criminal attorney or a constitutional attorney. He s a corporate and real estate attorney, and if his response to former FBI head James Comey s testimony on Thursday is any indication, he s not good with details. The response is riddled with errors he (or his staff) even misspelled the word President. While the statement is a pretty standard attempt to paint a rosy picture on Comey s testimony (it was released before the testimony), but it s difficult to take seriously.The letter begins, I am Marc Kasowitz, Predisent Trump s personal lawyer. Clearly Kasowitz isn t familiar with spellcheck, because mine really fought that misspelling.The letter also misspells the name of National Intelligence Director Dan Coats. It was spelled Coates. Some sentences had extra periods.Here s the full letter:Twitter had a field day with the errors:TRUMP S LAWYER: If I say the *preDISent* did nothing wrong I m technically not lying. pic.twitter.com/vP7ZFzZvS2 Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) June 8, 2017Aha, the loophole. He doesn t represent President Trump, he represents Predisent Trump. https://t.co/MAdEbOEZlJ Josh Barro (@jbarro) June 8, 2017How can people believe #JamesComey over Predisent Trump? Need I remind you that the Bowling Green Massacre happened under Comey s watch Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) June 8, 2017 predisent Trump I admire the commitment of all Trump people to typos. https://t.co/S53AVLnWtu Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) June 8, 2017 Predisent is the latin conjugate for President david trust me i am both a doctor and a lawyer pic.twitter.com/kiOeJAIcro darth: (@darth) June 8, 2017Or maybe he did use spellcheck.Even spell check thinks Donald Trump isn t fit to serve as President. #Predisent pic.twitter.com/tbRLHbVn14 Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) June 8, 2017Even 538 s Nate Silver mocked him:This is the moment Donald Trump became predisent. Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) June 8, 2017In the big picture, do a few typos matter? Not really, but this is emblematic of an administration that s careless and sloppy. This is anything but presidential, but maybe it s Predisential.Featured image via Pool/Getty Images | 1real |
Weird: Ted Cruz Fantasizes About Spanking Hillary Clinton (VIDEO) | Ted Cruz again showed that his campaign is weirder than previous conservative Republican efforts by publicly fantasizing about spanking former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Cruz revealed his spanking fantasy while rehashing the favored conservative conspiracy theory about Clinton doing something nefarious with her emails. In this iteration, Cruz echoed earlier conservative claims that Clinton was involved in a wide-ranging cover-up of the Benghazi terrorist attack in Libya.In response, Cruz said, Clinton deserved spanking for supposedly covering up what happened on the fateful night of the attack.A woman in the audience had asked: For three and a half years people in Washington have been skirting around Benghazi and no one has been held accountable. I want to know what you would do. Someone needs to pay. Ma am you are exactly right. What happened in Benghazi is a national disgrace. Four Americans were murdered. We lost the first ambassador in the line of duty since the Carter administration, Cruz said. The immediate response of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and the entire administration was to engage in deception, obstruction and cover up. They began by falsely blaming it on some ridiculous internet video, but even before that was the question that everyone should ask is why was security not there in the first place when the ambassador said over and over again, keep us safe. Cruz added: We do know Hillary told her daughter Chelsea, well gosh, I knew it was a terrorist attack, while we were out telling the American people it wasn t. You know I ll tell you, in my house, if my daughter Catherine, the five-year-old, says something she knows to be false, she gets a spanking. In addition to lying about the Obama administration response to the attack President Obama referred to it as an act of terror almost immediately after the event Cruz s conspiracy echoes other sexist belittling of Clinton that has become mainstream on the right.She has often been compared to Lady Macbeth and other infamous women who have orchestrated events as conservatives have often been flummoxed in their quest to attack her and tie her in to one conspiracy or another.Cruz is doing well in Iowa, and could consolidate enough of the fundamentalist right-wing Christian vote their to achieve a victory, but his har right persona is almost guaranteed to face electoral failure everywhere outside the solid red enclaves of the south. Indulging in a public fantasy about spanking Clinton will not help that cause.Featured image via Flickr | 1real |
Boiler Room EP #113 – ‘CNN is ISIS’ | Tune in to the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR) for another LIVE broadcast of The Boiler Room tonight 6:00 PM PST | 8:00 PM CST | 9:00 PM EST for this special broadcast. Join us for uncensored, uninterruptible talk radio, custom-made for bar fly philosophers, misguided moralists, masochists, street corner evangelists, media-maniacs, savants, political animals and otherwise lovable rascals.Join ACR hosts Hesher and Spore along with FunkSoul, Miles of Truth, Randy J (21WIRE & ACR contributors), Daniel Spaulding, Infidel Pharaoh, Andy Nowicki and Jay Dyer of Jays Analysis for the hundred and thirteenth 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.This week on the show we re discussing parents so mentally ill that they ve been convinced by progressive SJW tendencies that they need to ask their infant s permission to pick them up and hold them. We re talking about the recent shooting at the practice field for the Congressional baseball game where 5 people are being reported to have been shot by an apparent #BernieBro (leftist anti-Trump extremist) who it seems was inspired by the rhetoric and lies of the leftist mainstream media. We get an update on the Media on Trial conference that took place in the UK last weekend and some discussion about the discredited mainstream medias tactics in spinning lies about the presence of US and UK military patrolling, uninvited, on the ground in Syria.Direct Download Episode #113Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved! Reference Links: | 1real |
Unprecedented Surge In Election Fraud Incidents From Around The Country | Unprecedented Surge In Election Fraud Incidents From Around The Country Zero Hedge
Mounting evidence would suggest it's getting more and more difficult for the left to claim that there are "no signs" of fraud in the 2016 election cycle...though we're sure they will continue to try. Just this morning the Miami Herald noted that two arrests were made in Miami-Dade county on election fraud charges including efforts by one woman to illegally register voters (some of whom were dead...a recurring theme this election cycle) while another 74-year-old election worker was charged with actually " illegally marking ballots" .
A 74-year-old woman tasked with opening envelopes sent by Miami-Dade County voters with their completed mail ballots was arrested Friday after co-workers caught her illegally marking ballots, resulting in an unknown — but small — number of fraudulent votes being cast for mayoral candidate Raquel Regalado.
Investigators linked Gladys Coego, a temporary worker for the county elections department, to two fraudulent votes, but they suspect from witness testimony that she submitted several more.
In a separate election-fraud case, authorities also arrested a second woman for unlawfully filling out voter-registration forms on behalf of United for Care, the campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Florida.
The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office plans to accuse Tomika Curgil, 33, of filling out forms for five people without their consent. She also submitted at least 17 forms for people who apparently don’t exist — and several forms for people who are dead.
Police officers arrested Curgil at her Liberty City home Friday morning and intend to charge her with five felony counts of submitting false voter-registration information.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle was quick to praise the "swift arrest of the wrongdoers" and ensure voters of the " integrity of the electoral process." That said, we, like many others, wonder just how many similar cases of election fraud will go unnoticed between now and election day.
“Our law enforcement effort against these election law violators was swift and resulted in an immediate arrest of the wrongdoers,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle, a Democrat, said in a statement. “The elections department was quick to detect and report these violations to our task force.
“Anyone who attempts to undermine the democratic process should recognize that there is an enforcement partnership between the elections department and our prosecution task force in place to thwart such efforts and arrest those involved. Now we need to move forward with the election.”
“I want to ensure the voters of Miami-Dade County that the integrity of the electoral process is intact because our procedures work,” White said in a statement. “While disappointed by these incidents, I am very proud of the safeguards the Elections Department has in place to prevent these fraudulent attempts, and I commend the employees who remained vigilant just as they were trained to do.”
Meanwhile, Florida isn't the only state with fraud problems as an NBC affiliate in Virginia is reporting that a former resident of Alexandia was also arrested after being caught creating fictitious voter registrations and faces up to 40 years in prison. Of course, Virginia, run by long-time Clinton confidant Terry McAuliffe, is no stranger to election fraud as one democratic organization was already caught earlier this month re-registering dead voters .
A former resident of Alexandria, Virginia, is facing up to 40 years in prison after he allegedly used fake names to fill out voter registration applications.
Vafalay Massaquoi, 30, is facing four felony charges related to allegations of voter registration fraud , the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said. Each charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
In the spring of 2016, Massaquoi was registering new voters as an employee of a local advocacy group. According to the Commonwealth's Attorney, Massaquoi fabricated applications and used fake names to fill out the registration forms.
The fake applications were filed with the Alexandria Office of the General Registrar, who reported the issue to Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter.
All of these reports simply add fuel to the fire of Trump who has been relentlessly attacking the "rigged" elections for the past several weeks. The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016 'Obama Warned Of Rigged Elections In 2008.' Time to #DrainTheSwamp https://t.co/AkczH8l0FJ pic.twitter.com/7mIkwAHTuV
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2016
Of course, these are just a few of the people who have actually been caught for their election "rigging" efforts. Meanwhile, there have seemingly been an unlimited number of other fraud cases pop up around the country involving everything from illegal voter registrations to dead people voting. In fact, a recent report from CBS Chicago found that over 100 dead Chicagoans had voted 229 times over the past decade.
Susie Sallee was buried in 1998. Yet records show she voted in Chicago 12 years later.
Victor Crosswell died in 1994, but records show he’s voted six times since then.
And then there’s Floyd Stevens. Records show he’s voted 11 times since his death in 1993.
“It’s crazy,” Sharon Stevens Anderson, Stevens’ daughter, tells CBS 2’s Pam Zekman. “I don’t see how people can be able to do something like that and get away with it.”
Those are just a few of the cases CBS 2 Investigators found by merging Chicago Board of Election voter histories with the death master file from the Social Security Administration.
In all, the analysis showed 119 dead people have voted a total of 229 times in Chicago in the last decade.
Moreover, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia uncovered similar instances of dead voters in the "City of Brotherly Love."
So, Action News dug through a decade's worth of election and death records to see if there was any truth to the claim.
Some of what Action News investigation found was stunning.
Pezzano passed in 2006 . But state voting records show the South Philadelphia native still listed as an "Active Voter" who cast ballots in 2008, 2012, 2014, and the 2016 primary election.
Our investigation also found Joseph B. Haggarty resting peacefully in a Bucks County cemetery. His grave marker confirmed he died in 2010, but records show he voted five years after his death.
Action News also found Paul Bunch, who died in 2006, also cast a vote in this year's primary which was nearly ten years after death records show he died.
But, while all of this may seem shocking, in due time, we're confident these arrests and all other instances dead people voting, etc. will be seen for what they really are, namely another blatant attempt to suppress low-income and minority votes. Share This Article... | 1real |
Russia is Hoarding Gold at an Alarming Rate — The Next World War Will Be Fought with Currencies | Home / Be The Change / Antiwar / Russia is Hoarding Gold at an Alarming Rate — The Next World War Will Be Fought with Currencies Russia is Hoarding Gold at an Alarming Rate — The Next World War Will Be Fought with Currencies Jay Syrmopoulos October 26, 2016 1 Comment
Moscow, Russia – With all eyes on Russia’s unveiling their latest nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which NATO has dubbed the “SATAN” missile , as tensions with the U.S. increase, Moscow’s most potent “weapon” may be something drastically different.
The rapidly evolving geopolitical “weapon” brandished by Russia is an ever increasing stockpile of gold, as well as Russia’s native currency, the ruble.
Take a look at the symbol below, as it could soon come to change the entire hierarchy of the international order – potentially ushering in a complete international paradigm shift – and much sooner than you might think.
The symbol is the new designation of the Russian ruble, Russia’s national currency.
Similar to how the U.S. uses the dollar sign ($), the U.K. uses the pound sign (£), and the European Union uses the euro symbol (€), Russia is about to begin exporting its symbol internationally.
After the failed “reset” in U.S./Russian relations by the Obama administration, and the continued deterioration of the countries relationship, Washington began targeting entire sectors of the Russian economy, as well as specific individuals, meant to impose an economic burden so severe that it would force Moscow into compliance.
Instead of decimating Russia, what it precipitated was a Russian response of gradually weaning themselves off of the hegemony of the U.S. petrodollar, and working with China to create an alternative to the SWIFT payment system that isn’t solely controlled by Western interests (see Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , New Development Bank).
According to the Corbett Report :
New reports indicate that China is ready to launch its SWIFT alternative, and for those who have their ear to the ground this is the most significant move yet in the unfolding process of de-dollarization that is seeing the BRICS-led “resistance bloc” breaking away from the financial stranglehold of the US-led “Washington Consensus.”
For those who don’t know, SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication and is shorthand for the SWIFTNet Network that is used by over 10,500 financial institutions in 215 countries and territories to transmit financial transaction data around the world. SWIFT does not do any of the clearing or processing for these transactions itself, but instead sends the payment orders that are then settled by correspondent banks of the member institutions. Still, given the system’s near universality in the financial system, it means that virtually every international transaction between banking institutions goes through the SWIFT network.
This is why de-listing from the SWIFT network remains one of the primary financial weapons wielded by the US and its allies in their increasingly important financial warfare campaigns.
Recently, financial guru Jim Rickards, author of the book “Currency Wars,” wrote that “Russia is poised for a major comeback in its economy. Russian bonds and stocks and the Russian currency, the ruble, will all benefit.” Rickards believes a “strong turnaround” is coming within Russia, and that this comeback will benefit the ruble.
While still suffering from the economic warfare being waged by the U.S., Russia has realized that as long they are subservient to the petrodollar, there remains a clear and present danger of the Russian economy being devastated by the whims of Washington.
The Bank of Russia, that nation’s central bank, is extremely clear about its mission, and monetary policy declaring on its website:
Monetary policy constitutes an integral part of the state policy and is aimed at enhancing well-being of Russian citizens. The Bank of Russia implements monetary policy in the framework of inflation-targeting regime, and sees price stability, albeit sustainably low inflation, as its priority. Given structural peculiarities of the Russian economy, the target is to reduce inflation to 4% by 2017 and maintain it within that range in the medium run.
In layman’s terms, that means that monetary policy, similar to nuclear weapons and the military, are “an integral part of the state policy” in Russia. While many analysts have noted the increased build-up in Russia’s military arsenal, seemingly few have highlighted the massive build-up of Russian gold reserves over the past decade.
Below is a chart showing Russian gold reserves between 1994 and last year, 2015:
Since 2006, there has been a year-on-year increase that reveals a significant upward trend. The chart clearly reveals that Russia’s state policy of increasing state monetary assets, in the form of gold. Additionally, the Russian government has been converting state rubles into gold assets. From 2006 to 2015, Russia’s state holdings of gold tripled.
Within just the past year Russia has substantially increased its gold holdings
According to the Business Insider :
In July of this year, the central bank of Russia added 200,000 ounces of gold to its reserves. The one-month uptick in Russian gold reserves — 200,000 ounces — is approximately equal to the entire annual output of Barrick Gold’s Turquoise Ridge gold mine in Nevada.
At that same rate — 200,000 ounces per month — in a mere five months, Russia would add to state gold reserves the equivalent of the entire annual output of Barrick’s massive Goldstrike mine in Nevada.
Currently, Russian gold reserves rank seventh in the world. It’s clear that there is a concerted effort by Russian authorities to build up the country’s gold reserves as part of a national strategy to negate the effects of economic warfare waged by the United States.
Rickards, in his 2011 book “Currency Wars,” theorized that Russia and China could combine their gold reserves to form a global gold-backed currency to compete against the U.S. dollar. Currently, Russian reserves stand at roughly 1,500 tonnes, with Chinese reserves totaling over 1,800 tonnes (according to China — it’s likely more), which would amount to a combined total of roughly 3,300 tonnes of gold.
The U.S. is about to lose overarching control of policymaking within the International Monetary Fund (IMF), thus the U.S. lockup on global gold is about to vanish, according to Business Insider.
Imagine for a moment the distinctly real possibility that Russian-Chinese alliance could exercise indirect (or even direct) control over the IMF’s gold reserve of over 2,800 tonnes. Russian, Chinese and IMF gold combined would equal roughly 6,100 tonnes, and would allow for direct competition with the U.S. gold reserves, estimated at 8,100 tonnes.
Russia and China have realized that the petrodollar is wielded by Washington as it’s weapon of choice when opposing a well-armed state, and clearly see the writing on the wall – thus working together to create a new global financial paradigm.
The reality is that the United States is $20 trillion dollars in debt, and eventually the time will come when the U.S. economy begins to implode — and all the fiat currency people are stuck holding will essentially be worth nothing more than the paper it’s printed on. Hard assets, such as gold and silver, should be bought and taken custody of while there is still an opportunity to do so, as a means of hedging against the potentially disastrous results of the U.S. using the petrodollar as a “weapon.”
It’s not Russian nuclear weapons that people should fear, as the policy of mutually assured destruction essentially voids any benefit of a state launching a first-strike nuclear attack. The true threat to America is our economic house of cards, built upon the back of a neoliberal trade policy that puts the “rights” of corporations over that of people .
Ultimately, the United States, Russia and China are all controlled by centralized power-hungry tyrants attempting to command powerful global bureaucracies like the IMF, the World Bank, SWIFT, New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Share Google + T. Mohr
Tell the Red Queen and her arms manufacturing friends that. Bullets and bombs will never go out of style with these murderers. Social Trending | 1real |
The Email That Got John Podesta Hacked | The Email That Got John Podesta Hacked Latest WikiLeaks dump reveals phishing email that compromised Podesta Mikael Thalen - October 28, 2016 Comments
The email that lead to the hack of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s Gmail account was published online Friday by WikiLeaks.
The malicious March 2016 email, which claims to be from Google, asked Podesta to change his password due to unauthorized access from an IP address in the Ukraine.
Clinton campaign staff members who viewed the email were convinced it was genuine. Clinton insider Sara Latham argued “The gmail one is REAL” while even Clinton campaign IT specialist Charles Delavan said “This is a legitimate email.”
The first suspicious aspect of the email, unnoticed by the Clinton camp, was the “bit.ly” password reset link. Bitly, a website that shortens long web addresses, would not be found in an official email from Google.
As first reported by Motherboard earlier this month, examination of the Bitly link that redirected Podesta to a fake Google webpage also contained several red flags.
The Bitly link helped hide not only the fact that the landing page ended in “.tk” instead of “.com” but that the web page itself failed to use HTTPS encryption. Such links were also likely used to fool Google’s spam filters.
Prior analysis of the phishing link by cybersecurity group SecureWorks revealed the hackers also made a significant operation security mistake – they failed to make their two Bitly accounts private.
The public accounts revealed the hackers had created 8,909 similar links to use against 3,907 Gmail accounts between October 2015 and May 2016.
SecureWorks notes that the targets included “individuals in Russia and the former Soviet states, current and former military and government personnel in the U.S. and Europe, individuals working in the defense and government supply chain, and authors and journalists.”
Accounts linked to the 2016 election were also in the hackers’ sights.
“Specific targets include staff working for or associated with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), including individuals managing Clinton’s communications, travel, campaign finances, and advising her on policy.”
Thomas Rid, a professor at King’s college, displayed on Twitter how decoding the phishing links could reveal the specific emails being targeted.
Click to enlarge Interestingly, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, whose emails were released by the website DCLeaks in September, was also targeted by the same hackers.
Click to enlarge This connection suggests the hackers who provided WikiLeaks with the Podesta emails and DCLeaks with the Powell emails are likely one in the same. The Bitly accounts are also behind the malicious email sent to retired four-star General Philip Mark Breedlove – whose emails appeared on DCLeaks in April.
Numerous cybersecurity groups have accused the Russian government of being responsible not only for the above election season hacks but for creating DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0. to disseminate the data. The U.S. government also publicly blamed Russia on October 7 just one week before the CIA was tasked with preparing a possible retaliatory “ cyber strike .”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied involvement, arguing that the contents of the hacks are far more important than who is responsible.
“Listen, does it even matter who hacked this data?’’ Putin said on September 1. “The important thing is the content that was given to the public.’’
Putin again dismissed US “hysteria” concerning the hacks on Thursday during an annual speech at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi.
“Hysteria has been whipped up in the United States about the influence of Russia over the U.S. presidential election,” he said. “It’s much simpler to distract people with so-called Russian hackers, spies, and agents of influence. Does anyone really think that Russia could influence the American people’s choice in any way? Is America a banana republic or what? America is a great power.” NEWSLETTER SIGN UP Get the latest breaking news & specials from Alex Jones and the Infowars Crew. Related Articles | 1real |
DISGUSTING: ANARCHIST PUNK Calls U.S. Veteran “Anti-American”…VETERAN Yells Back “I’m a Patriot!” [Video] | The Berkeley, California anti-Trump protesters got a dose of reality today when pro-Trump patriots fought back. Video after video posted on twitter shows the pro-Trump group fighting back against the Antifa Anarchists. One video in particular shows a punk anarchist telling a veteran he s un-American Huh? Since when is it unAmerican to serve your Country? This punk immediately got an earful from the veteran. It s beyond pitiful and sad that this kid wasn t taught about our heroes. The kid is lucky someone didn t knock him out Disgusting! ANTIFA kid calls U.S. Veteran an "Anti-American". pic.twitter.com/8eEBnH2tBJ #AmericaFirst Intel (@huitz_warrior) April 16, 2017 | 1real |
Comment on Only Demented Imbeciles want a Killary Reign of Terror by Toby | SARTRE is the pen name of James Hall, a reformed, former political operative. This pundit's formal instruction in History, Philosophy and Political Science served as training for activism, on the staff of several politicians and in many campaigns. A believer in authentic Public Service, independent business interests were pursued in the private sector. As a small business owner and entrepreneur, several successful ventures expanded opportunities for customers and employees. Speculation in markets, and international business investments, allowed for extensive travel and a world view for commerce. He is retired and lives with his wife in a rural community. "Populism" best describes the approach to SARTRE's perspective on Politics. Realities, suggest that American Values can be restored with an appreciation of "Pragmatic Anarchism." Reforms will require an Existential approach. "Ideas Move the World," and SARTRE'S intent is to stir the conscience of those who desire to bring back a common sense, moral and traditional value culture for America. Not seeking fame nor fortune, SARTRE's only goal is to ask the questions that few will dare ... Having refused the invites of an academic career because of the hypocrisy of elite's, the search for TRUTH is the challenge that is made to all readers. It starts within yourself and is achieved only with your sincere desire to face Reality. So who is SARTRE? He is really an ordinary man just like you, who invites you to join in on this journey. BREAKING ALL THE RULES hosts SARTRE Commentary. BATR.org and BATR.net Only Demented Imbeciles want a Killary Reign of Terror By Sartre on November 1, 2016
The cross section of Hillary Clinton voters is a mixture of walking dead zombies, power hungry influence peddlers, money cartel thieves and establishment diehards willing to start a global confrontation to postpone an inevitable economic collapse. As for the first category; welfare recipients, government bootlickers and mentally deranged utopians survive in a subsistence existence or in a fantasy illusion. The corruption purveyors simply want to maintain their elitist system of institutional inequality. As for the tribe of international finance, their objective always remains the same. Pick the next stooge who can be controlled. Finally, for globalist who are frantic to continue their New World Order of worldwide oppression, the elevation of Hillary Clinton to the position of the mad hatter to achieve the mutual assured destruction that these Illuminati’s masters of the universe require to purge the “Little People” from the planet.
Any opposition to this band of desperate and deranged desperados is portrayed as racist, xenophobic and defiant of the “Politically Correct” secular humanism culture. Here is the fundamental point of the conflict. The abandonment of the cannons of natural and common law has produced a didactic ineptness that thrusts humanity into a technocratic prison of a meaningless existence. Dante’s Inferno of basic extinction is the ultimate society that a capitulation to the rigged electoral fraud seeks to achieve.
The bloody record of Killary Clinton earns her an especially prominent place in hell. Take your choice. She may descend into Level 7 , for “The violent, the assasins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers lament their pitiless mischiefs in the river, while centaurs armed with bows and arrows shoot those who try to escape their punishment” or Level 8- the Malebolge where “The magicians, diviners, fortune tellers, and panderers are all here, as are the thieves”.
Of course this allegory of punishment falls on deaf ears for the Clintonistas . For them this blameless role model for social justice warriors can do no wrong. All the evidence and proof in the world is ignored or dismissed when your patron saint of the occult wears pants suits.
The reason HRC is better known as Killary has a lot to do with the body count that follows her around. THE CLINTON BODY-COUNT and the ‘CLINTON DEATH LIST’: 33 SPINE-TINGLING CASES lists several of her enemies that dared defy the queen of mean. Now are these suspicious circumstances of such deaths just another right-wing conspiracy to bring down the Arkancide crime syndicate?
To an objective investigator, engaging into an in-depth probe might just get one added to this long list. But why would a Clinton supporter care, she is the epitome of the liberated woman and placing her on the throne of feminism is far overdue. Accepting, if not savoring a little reign of terror is a small price to pay as long as the body count does not include your own person.
During the French Revolution the sanguinary women, known as Tricoteuse , who sat and knitted while attending public guillotine executions have more in common with Robespierre than Marie Antoinette. These devotee libbers identified with the symbol of equality, while their crowned head of elitism disdainfully admonish the peasants: “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”.
Queen Marie Antoinette may not have really said, “Let them eat cake” but the regnant of the House of Clinton demonstrates throughout her entire life revealed her true sentiments; despise and contempt for the “Little People”.
The knitting culture of the zombies cult of progressive authoritarianism is at the center of the public psychosis that follows the dictates of Hillary Clinton. Their identity is so caught up in the myth of collectivism that the very spirit of individual liberty is a necessary causality to join the Clinton demon worship.
Look to the fictional character of Madame Defarge penned in A Tale of Two Cities for a synopsis of all that is wrong with Killary and her followers. Charles Dickens presents this viewpoint of the quintessential monster.
“Her problem, it seems, is that Madame Defarge just doesn’t know where to draw the line. As far as she’s concerned, “justice” for the fate of her family isn’t just that the Marquis gets murdered. Justice should, she thinks, include the “extermination” of all of the Marquis’s family. Given her druthers, Charles, Lucie, and even little Lucie would fall under the sharp blade of La Guillotine. As Madame Defarge exclaims to her husband, “Tell the Wind and the Fire where to stop; not me!” (3.12.36).
“It was nothing to her that an innocent man was to die for the sins of his forefathers; she saw, not him, but them. It was nothing to her that his wife was to be made a widow and his daughter an orphan; that was insufficient punishment, because they were her natural enemies and her prey, and as such had no right to live. To appeal to her, was made hopeless by her having no sense of pity, even for herself.” (3.14.33)
So it comes as no surprise that when “The meeting between Lucie and Madame Defarge makes this absolutely clear: Lucie falls on her knees, begging for mercy on behalf of her child. Madame Defarge stares at her coldly. She doesn’t even stop knitting.”
This example of the dark side of human nature is particularly relevant and applicable when analyzing the gender iniquity of the wicked witch. For femininity enablement to champion such abuse from a coldhearted degenerate is the biggest disappointment of this election cycle. Society should never condone or provide consent for anyone, male or female; who is such a habitual sociopath.
The influence hucksters do not pretend to be altruistic . They would support Lucifer if they thought they would gain the riches of this world. As for the money changers, they are already archfiends in the Synagogue of Satan. Lastly, the globalist’s warmongers covet the mass eradication of billions to satisfy their lust for world transcendence.
These three factions are the true irredeemables. The masses of the walking dead need to politically repent and seek civic redemption. This objective is not possible by voting for Hillary Clinton.
If you do nothing else before the November 8, 2016 election watch the video, A Vote For Hillary is a Vote For World War 3 . No matter your ideological propensities, we all share a mutual objective. Prevent a nuclear war that will destroy all civilized life on the planet. After watching this presentation, every rational person must come to deal with the prospects of putting a psycho in command of the launch codes.
Folks; Donald Trump is not the mad man. The schizoid is a systemic and immoral lunatic, who is ready to drop the beheading blade on all of America. Her similarity with Madame Defarge bleeds over to her decadent boosters, who are willing to sacrifice their family, friends and community for the joy of destroying our planet.
For all the dissatisfied and frustrated citizens, who understand the colossal stakes of national survival intervene with any fellow acquaintance that has been indoctrinated to the propaganda of Hillaryland . Confront the zombies attitude and appeal to their individual self-interest. Put forth the prospect of not voting for Clinton, even if Trump would not be an option.
Citizens will not be the only people voting. Non eligible people are being ushered into a ballot booth with predisposed programming to put Killary into the oval office. The establishment is revealing their real tyranny for any person, who is still alive and has the ability to assess the actual nature of this election.
The power structure in ready to collapse and the global elites are prepared to start a world war to keep and protect their feudal system of coercion. Those who might survive will be the special and the anointed. The masses will be served up on the plate of expediency and necessity.
Hillary Clinton has always been part of the gang of criminals, protected by the intelligence community, insider politicians and the legal system of corrupt lawyers and judges. Voting for her is a clear validation of pure mental illness.
The fact that the discredited FBI is endeavoring to regain their credibility by reopening the criminal investigation into Killary Clinton’s attempt to hide her family’s pay to play scheme to sell out our country is dramatic. This development should provide ample reason to put any notion of voting for the diva of sleaze on hold. Thanks to the Wikileaks release of the illicit emails from the Clinton cabal, only a fool can vote for her.
Come to grips with the prospects of knowingly elevating this lifelong criminal to become the commander-and-chief. Genuine national security cannot be scarified to allow a distrustful and compromised agent of foreign interests to become President.
Killary is dead meat. She could never gain the confidence of the nation and her continued nihilistic conduct and her kleptocrat criminal violations cannot be tolerated or ignored any longer. If you really want to save the planet, you cannot cast your ballot for this known traitor.
SARTRE – November 1, 2016 | 1real |
Un terremoto de magnitud 5,0 sacude Perú - RT | Un terremoto de magnitud 5,0 sacude Perú Publicado: 27 oct 2016 00:42 GMT | Última actualización: 27 oct 2016 00:49 GMT
Un sismo de magnitud 5,0 se ha registrado en Perú, según informa el Servicio Geológico de EE.UU. Síguenos en Facebook
Se ha producido un terremoto de magnitud 5,0 en Perú, informa el Servicio Geológico de EE.UU. ( USGS , por las siglas en inglés).
El epicentro del sismo se situó a 64 kilómetros al este de la ciudad de Tingo María, en la provincia de Leoncio Prado , a una profundidad de 42,5 kilómetros.
Según la agencia peruana ANDINA , el sismo se ha sentido en Lima .
Por el momento no se han registrado víctimas ni daños materiales.
Más información en breve. | 1real |
Former White House aide Gorka joins pro-Trump campaign group | LONDON (Reuters) - Sebastian Gorka, a former adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump who quit after top White House political strategist Steve Bannon was ousted, has joined a nationalist pro-Trump campaign organization, the group announced on Tuesday. The MAGA Coalition, dedicated to helping advance Trump’s “America First” principles, said it had hired Gorka as “Chief Strategist.” MAGA is headed by Adam Gingrich, a Pennsylvania political operative who backed Trump’s presidential campaign. A MAGA statement announcing Gorka’s appointment said its mission was to “identify the obstructionists in (Washington) DC and to advocate the America First principles that catapulted Donald Trump to the White House”. It quoted Gorka, 46, as condemning “DC swamp-dwellers thinking they know better than the people they represent”. Gorka has been an outspoken advocate of tough U.S. anti-terrorism policies and in the past asserted that U.S. efforts to counter Islamic State and other jihadist propaganda were “pin-pricks and often counter-productive”. Prior to his time on Bannon’s White House team, Gorka was national security editor at Breitbart.com, the far-right website which Bannon headed before joining the White House and then rejoined after leaving the White House last month. Gorka, the son of Hungarian refugees who was born in Britain, also previously taught classes at the U.S. Marine Corps University. While at the White House, Gorka regularly appeared on cable news shows to promote Trump’s policies. But intelligence professionals and diplomats viewed him as an ideologue who lacked real-world experience. In late August, the conservative Federalist website published a letter from Gorka saying he was resigning from the Trump Administration. But a White House official said in a statement: “Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House.” | 0fake |
WAKE-UP CALL! IRANIAN REFUGEE Warns The West: “I’m beginning to get really scared…’Islamofascism’ always starts with unification of Left and Islamists” [VIDEO] | I m a political refugee from Iran. I ve been to prison. I ve been under Islamic law. And I know how it starts, and I know how it ends. And it always starts with uh, for some reason unity of the left and Islamists and it scares me. So, I came here to be free. I chose Canada as my second home to live in a free country, and uh, I m beginning to get really scared. Because the way things are going, it looks like they re going to basically appease Islamists, just to not raise any ruckus. They [Islamists] see it as a sign of weakness, so they re [Islamists] are just gong to take more and more Watch:Iranian immigrant warns the West. Islamofascism "always starts with the unity of Leftists & Islamists." https://t.co/vFLOdAYjGL Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) March 5, 2017 | 1real |
SHOCKER: Public School Turns Computer Lab Into Mosque…Bars Non-Muslim Students [Video] | 1real | |
Jake Tapper: Where were U.S. leaders in Paris march? | "Thank you," said the man. I was standing outside of the offices of Charlie Hebdo covering the aftermath of the terrorist attacks for CNN. He was thanking me just for being here, just for covering the event and its aftermath, what Le Monde referred to as France's September 11. And his appreciation was echoed by French citizen after French citizen.
The rally Sunday for unity drew 1.5 million people in Paris and more than twice that nationwide; it was like nothing I've ever seen or covered. Our nation's oldest ally stood firm. A young Muslim Frenchwoman held a sign saying "Je suis Juif."
A man and his son came over to me holding a sign saying "I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it," beseeching me to share their message with the American people. And world leaders were standing together amidst a procession that included Francois Hollande of France, Angela Merkel of Germany, David Cameron of Great Britain, Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, along with the leaders of Mali, Jordan and Turkey.
It is no small thing for the king of Jordan, a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, to march in a rally prompted by the murders of people who mocked Islam as well as of innocent Jews -- all of whom were killed by Islamic extremists.
The United States, which considers itself to be the most important nation in the world, was not represented in this march -- arguably one of the most important public demonstrations in Europe in the last generation -- except by U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley, who may have been a few rows back. I didn't see her. Even Russia sent Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
I say this as an American -- not as a journalist, not as a representative of CNN -- but as an American: I was ashamed. I certainly understand the security concerns when it comes to sending President Barack Obama, though I can't imagine they're necessarily any greater than sending the lineup of other world leaders, especially in aggregate. But I find it hard to believe that collectively President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Attorney General Eric Holder -- who was actually in France that day for a conference on counterterrorism -- just had no time in their schedules on Sunday. Holder had time to do the Sunday shows via satellite but not to show the world that he stood with the people of France? There was higher-level Obama administration representation on this season's episodes of "The Good Wife" on CBS. I get that the President visited the French Embassy in Washington and that Secretary of State John Kerry spoke in French, and I certainly understand that the American commitment to security in Europe rivals no other. But with all due respect, those are politicians spending money that they didn't earn and sending troops whom they don't know. And this is not just a matter of the current occupant of the White House. I find it hard to believe that Speaker of the House John Boehner and new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had more worthy pursuits on Sunday than standing side-by-side with our French brothers and sisters as they came together in an inspirational way. After September 11, the first world leader to visit the United States was France's Jacques Chirac, though the most forceful conversation about France in Congress that I can recall came a few years later during debate over whether to invade Iraq and revolved around renaming pommes frites in the U.S. House cafeteria. And I'm frankly floored that not one of the people who is contemplating running for president in 2016 has yet to even tweet on the subject of the momentous demonstration in Paris, much less attend France's biggest rally in the history of the republic. I imagine that Hillary Clinton and her husband are kicking themselves for not hopping on a corporate jet to get here. Can you picture Hillary and Bill walking in the front row, arm-in-arm with Netanyahu and Hollande? Chris Christie, Scott Walker and Paul Ryan attended the Green Bay-Dallas football game Sunday and at least one of them sent his potential rivals mischievous tweets as if they were contemplating running for president of Beta Theta Pi. Why? I hope it's not American arrogance, a belief that everyone should express shock when something bad happens to us but that our presence at an international rally is worth less than a ticket to the Green Bay game when the victims speak in accents we don't understand. I suppose there's always the risk that coming to an event like this as an American leader and getting stuck in the third row could be embarrassing or could lead to accusations that you're trying to capitalize on a tragedy. But that's not how it would have been interpreted in France. People here are happy that Americans care. They're eager and appreciative of any evidence of that. And I know it exists -- although American Twitter seemed much more focused on the Golden Globes than anything else Sunday night. I only wish our leaders had done a better job of showing solidarity with the passion for the freedoms exemplified by the rally. | 0fake |
Comment on 2:00PM Water Cooler 11/2/2016 by Timmy | by Lambert Strether
By Lambert Strether of Corrente .
Dallas readers: Yves writes to say her plane is getting in early, and so, there having been no untoward events, the Meetup will be held as scheduled!
TPP, TTIP, TISA
CETA: A week of pressure from four Belgian regions opposed to CETA, led by the courageous Walloons, produced a revised “joint interpretive instrument” and, importantly, a new list of conditions that must be met before Belgium can ratify the deal” [ Rabble.ca ]. “Unfortunately, the joint interpretive ‘instrument’ is mostly artful deception. To take just one example, the instrument’s affirmation of the right to regulate is meaningless. Of course, the parties have not entirely given up their right to regulate. But the fact is, even if the instrument had full legal force under international law, CETA would still threaten the ability of Canada or EU governments to regulate in the public interest, enhance public services, and hold multinational companies accountable for their actions. ‘The critical point missing,’ as we wrote previously, ‘is that while the parties retain the right to regulate, they must do so in conformity with their CETA obligations and commitments.'” So it will be interesting to see if Obama tries a similar deception on TPP. But wait!
Wallonia’s principled stand did, however, produce some important results. While most of the media attention in Canada appears to have focused on the joint instrument, the more interesting and potentially significant development may be the accord between Belgian governments that spells out the grounds for Belgium’s federal government to sign CETA.
For example, Belgium will now ask the European Court of Justice to give an opinion on the legality of CETA’s investment court system within the EU. Even more importantly, four of Belgium’s regional governments also state that they reject CETA (notably its investment chapter) as negotiated and that Belgium will refuse to ratify the treaty unless these concerns are addressed. In other words, while Belgium is now in a position to sign CETA, it will not be able to ratify the deal as it stands.
This means that CETA’s investment chapter, at a minimum, must be revised or the investment court system scrapped, before CETA can be ratified by Belgium. The accord also includes assurances that if any Belgian regional government refuses to ratify CETA, the federal government must give notice to the EU that Belgium cannot ratify, an act that could potentially trigger the end of CETA’s provisional application in all European member states.
The German constitutional court staked out a similar position in the event that Germany fails to ratify CETA. That decision, by the way, will not be made by the German government alone, but in conjunction with Germany’s second chamber, which is currently controlled by the anti-CETA Greens and Left parties.
So while CETA proponents have undoubtedly cleared a big albeit unanticipated hurdle in getting the deal signed, their machinations may have made CETA’s full ratification even less likely. CETA’s passage in Europe is far from assured, despite the apparent breakthrough in Belgium.
And then there is the voice of the Canadian establishment–
CETA: “CETA puts Canada’s trade debate to rest once and for all” [ Globe and Mail ]. “The rationale for launching CETA in Canada was in large part to establish a measure of diversification from the country’s trade relations within the North American free-trade agreement. Given the tone around trade in the U.S. presidential election, this decision now looks especially prescient.”
CETA: “What the Canada-EU Deal Means for the Future of Trade” [ Fortune ]. “All of the factors that drove Europe to conclude this agreement provide insights for current trade challenges in the U.S. President Obama is trying to get Congress to approve just after the presidential election the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement… Now is the time to resolve as many specific congressional objections to the deal as possible. It is impossible to renegotiate the TPP in the time available, so as with the last-minute negotiations between the EU and Belgium, both the administration and Congress will need to be pragmatic and come to an agreement quickly on outstanding issues.”
TISA: “The 21st round of negotiations for the Trade in Services Agreement kicks off this morning in Geneva, and stakes are high for significant progress to be made this round in order for the deal to wrap up by its early December deadline. Significant issues remain, including data flows — where the European Union is still working to come up with a consolidated position — and new services, on which the EU and others are continuing to push for the right to apply different regulations to domestic and foreign constituents rather than afford the same treatment to all TISA partners. The round is scheduled to last through Nov. 10” [ Politico ].
2016
Days until: 5. That’s not very many days!
Debates
“Presidential Candidates Dr. Jill Stein & Gov. Gary Johnson [Pt. 1]” [ Tavis Smiley ]. A forum-style “conversation” between the two.
“‘I had a team of people who were relentless, totally in the head of what Trump might do,’ [Hillary Clinton] says” [ People ] “‘A lot of this comes down to who gets into whose head. It’s like an athletic contest or maybe a high-stakes entertainment performance.”
War Drums
“In the five and a half years since the uprising in Syria began, it has become the most catastrophic war of our young century” [Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker ]. I would have thought that our invasion of Iraq in 2003 set the baseline for “catastrophic”? What the heck was Filkins thinking when he wrote that sentence? And The New Yorker used to be famous for its fact-checking. When did that get crapified, anyhow?
The Voters
“[W]hile Trump and many of his supporters may fetishize a past that is deeply retrograde, liberals and progressives have also demonstrated a troubling tendency to fetishize a future that they presume is on their side. There’s something peculiarly telling about this kind of progress fetishism, which has been conscripted as ideology-of-first-resort for Clintonite New Democrats” [ The Baffer ]. “When our historical terrain has effectively focused most of our political energies to differentiating ourselves from the not-woke-enough opponents of progress, we can lose all critical introspection. We can uncritically pass over the fact that, say, liberal multiculturalism can end up being really racist , tolerance of queer sexualities can end up repackaging biologically determinist languages of eugenics, and so on. Moreover, as the rise of the New Democrats has made crystal clear (from Bill and Hillary to Obama), we will dependably base our biggest political choices on our future-focused need to have our place on the right side of history confirmed. So what if that means more drone strikes, deportations, mass incarceration of minorities, destructive free trade agreements, corporate concessions, and financial deregulation? It’s messy ‘maintaining’ history, after all.”
“Early Voting a Poor Predictor of Final Results” [ RealClearPolitics ]. One of several reasons: “[W]e don’t know the effect to which campaign strategy is creating the appearance of a participation surge by merely cannibalizing Election Day voters by mobilizing voters who would have voted on Election Day anyway.”
Downballot
“The presidential race may be inducing whiplash, but the House battleground remains relatively stable in the final week. We rate only 40 House races in Lean or Toss Up, and Democrats would need to sweep 35 of them to win control, so Republicans remain overwhelming favorites to hold onto their majority. But there is still plenty of uncertainty about the size of that majority: Democrats could gain anywhere from 5 to 20 seats” [ Cook Political Report ]. ” Republican voters have begun coming home to Donald Trump amid the Comey news… Even if control is not at risk, the ultimate size of the GOP majority matters a great deal, especially to Speaker Paul Ryan. To the extent Republicans lose seats, almost all of the casualties will be swing-district moderates who are more loyal to Ryan than Trump. The narrower the majority, the less room for error Ryan will have in winning reelection to his position and navigating the 2017 legislative minefield.”
Well done, DSCC: For Senate this year, Dems nominated two weed opponents (NV, NH), corp lobbyists (PA, IN), & a trust fund kid former Republican (FL)
— Lee Fang (@lhfang) November 2, 2016
The Trail
“SEPTA strike halts transit service in Philadelphia” [ Progressive Railroading ]. Effect on voting?
“[T]he race between [Clinton and Trump] is now a precise dead heat in the latest ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll, 46-46 percent. A majority, 55 percent, continues to expect Clinton to win, though that’s down 5 points from its peak last week” [ ABC ]. ” Among other results is a gradual collapse in support for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, from a peak of 9 percent support in September to just 3 percent now. Jill Stein of the Green Party has 2 percent and has held steady.” Amazingly, Trump now leads on honesty and trustworthiness. Of course, it’s madness to focus on individual polls; RCP’s 4-way average has Clinton up by 1.9, though falling.
“With the fallout over the FBI email probe continuing to take up oxygen, Trump has stayed uncharacteristically on message. Campaigning near Philadelphia on Tuesday, the GOP nominee and his running mate focused on the projected 25 percent average increase in premiums for some Affordable Care Act plans, as open enrollment began. Trump let Mike Pence do most of the talking, and the Indiana governor closed his remarks on repealing the law by asking Republicans to “come home'” [ RealClearPolitics ]. Hitherto, Trump has been the anti-Napoleon, always interrupting his enemy when they are making a mistake. Not so this week (though there are 5 days to go). Kellyanne Conway must have gotten Trump’s attention somehow. Or Ivanka.
“Donald Trump Voters, Just Hear Me Out” [The Moustache of Understanding, New York Times ]. Four paragraphs in, he turns to the topic of Trump: “Trump is not only a flawed politician, he’s an indecent human being.” Persuasive! I dunno. If a vote for Trump would finally force Friedman off the Times Op-Ed page, would it be worth it? Tough call.
Realignment
“Will this be the election that finally kills off the Democratic and Republican parties?” [ McClatchy ]. “Just days before Election Day, interviews with more than 40 independent voters in swing states underscores that the nomination of two deeply unpopular candidates for president is aggravating and reinforcing a growing trend in the country away from the Democratic and Republican parties, which more and more voters see as out of touch with their lives and out of date in a new century. The number of free agent voters registering as independent or unaffiliated is soaring, while Republican and Democratic numbers flatline. Independent registrations have jumped since 2008 by 22.3 percent in states that keep registration data by party. Democrats over that same time increased 2.7 percent and Republicans 3.6 percent…”
“6 Reasons Why A New Civil War Is Possible And Terrifying” [ Cracked ]. “‘Trust’ isn’t just an intangible concept when we’re talking about the potential for civil warfare. Sinisa Malesevic is a professor who studies the sociology of civil wars and a survivor of the Yugoslavian civil war. He’s someone Marvel really should’ve reached out to for script advice, and he noted the breakdown of trust was one of the first traumatizing steps to war, ‘… in a very short period of time, there is a complete sense of fear, you do not know who is who, who is supporting which side … that fear spreads.'” And: “Colonel Couvillon also thought any conflict was likely to start in a rural area, ‘…people talk about, is it gonna be class warfare, race warfare … is it gonna be north versus south? Personally, I think it’s gonna be urban versus rural.'” Another interesting piece from Cracked, of all places.
Democrat Email Hairball
“Opinion: Hillary Clinton is irreparably damaged, even if she wins” [ MarketWatch ]. “[W]e are in for a fiasco in politics that will make even this fiasco of a campaign pale by comparison. There is hardly any scenario that is too far-fetched. Even if the polls are right and Clinton’s lead translates into an electoral victory, she will be so damaged going into office that her chances of getting anything done will be virtually nil. In this sense alone, Trump’s claim that this scandal is “worse than Watergate” could prove to be true. As an incumbent, Richard Nixon at least had an administration in place when he won re-election in 1972, though it took nearly another two years before he was forced to resign under threat of impeachment.”
“U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday he believes Hillary Clinton’s actions with her private email server are impeachable offenses should she be elected president” [ Beloit Daily News ]. “Johnson cited 18 U.S. Code 793 (f) and 18 U.S. Code 2071, which have to do with the willful destruction or removal from proper custody of information relating to national defense. Johnson honed in on the latter of the two, which reads in part that anyone found to have concealed or removed records ‘shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.’‘I’m not a lawyer, but this is clearly written,’ Johnson said. ‘I would say yes, high crime or misdemeanor, I believe she is in violation of both laws.'” In principle, I agree. If a high official can privatize their communications, and then decide what to destroy and what to retain before turning them over to law enforcement, the term “public records” becomes literally meaningless. Nixon, deep within his withered and wormy soul, retained a shred of conscience: He didn’t simply destroy the tapes . Clinton would have destroyed the tapes without hesitation; in fact, that’s exactly what she did with “her”— that is, the public’s — mail.
“Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner told conservative radio host Charlie Sykes Tuesday that there would be a ‘constitutional crisis’ if Clinton was indicted, and when asked about impeachment, answered, ‘I think that is something that is speculative in nature. I’m speculating, what I can say is that I think Richard Nixon would have been indicted and he would have been impeached. He stopped the impeachment by resigning as a result of Watergate and he stopped the indictment by President Ford pardoning him” [ CNN ]. On pardons, see Jerri-Lynn’s post today .
Stats Watch
ADP Employment Report, October 2016: “ADP sees significant softening for Friday’s employment report, estimating October private payrolls will come in at 147,000” [ Econoday ]. “Though ADP’s revision does point to an upward revision to September’s data in Friday’s report, the October estimate is soft and could further lower expectations for a rate hike at today’s FOMC meeting.” And but: ” ADP is showing jobs growth equalling the rate of people entering the jobs market. The growth this month is as Econintersect forecasted based on economic potential” [ Econintersect ]. “ADP employment has not been a good predictor of BLS non-farm private job growth.
Gallup U.S. Job Creation Index, October 2016: “American workers’ reports of hiring activity at their place of employment remained relatively strong in October, with many more saying their employer was adding rather than subtracting jobs” [ Econoday ]. “For nearly all of Gallup’s JCI trend since August 2008, net hiring in the private sector has far outpaced government net hiring. But the latest poll shows the narrowest gap between net hiring in the two sectors since April 2009, with nongovernment hiring (plus 32) essentially tied with government hiring (plus 31).”
MBA Mortgage Applications, week of October 28, 2016: “Purchase applications for home mortgages fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent in the October 28 week, following a sharp 7 percent decline in the prior week to the lowest level since January” [ Econoday ].
Shipping: “US west coast employers and [ILWU and PMA] union leaders are to continue talks about extending the current employment contract covering dockworkers.The two sides met on Tuesday to discuss an extension beyond mid-2019 as part of an effort to restore confidence in ports along the Pacific seaboard” [ Lloyd’s List ].
Shipping: “Are conditions finally improving for the air cargo industry?” [ Air Cargo News ]. “September market round-up shows that air cargo volume demand increased by 5% year on year in September — a level of increase not seen for two years. ‘With such an increase in total weight transported, a further worldwide yield improvement over previous months, and industry sources claiming that October will be even better, one could be forgiven for thinking that the industry shows signs of improving health,’ the analyst said.” There’s a calendar effect that only accounts for a fraction of the increase. “At the recent Air Cargo Forum there was much speculation as to what had caused the improvements.” A sporty game!
Shipping: “A majority of Splash readers fear container freight rates will only pick up later than 2020. With 10 days to go until voting closes in our quarterly online survey, called MarPoll, roughly one quarter of the more than 500 respondents to date feel container freight rates will pick up only after 2020” [ Splash 24/7 ]. “‘Shipping may have to accept the bubble has burst and what was will not be again. There is a new normal and companies need to plan as such,’ one respondent noted”
Shipping: “[The Boston Consulting Group Inc.] said shipping capacity will outstrip demand by between 8.2% and 13.8% in 2020, compared with a 7% gap today. If borne out, that forecast would indicate this year’s plunging freight rates and shrinking profits for marine carriers will only grow worse, particularly on major trade lanes across the Pacific and between Asia and Europe” [ Wall Street Journal , “More Pain Ahead for Ocean Shipping”]. “The shipping industry hasn’t adjusted to a slowdown in global trade, with shipyards churning out giant container vessels and carriers holding onto excess capacity even as rates fall. Historically, container shipping demand grew over 5% annually, often outpacing global economic growth. Between 2015 and 2020, BCG estimates container demand will rise between 2.2% and 3.8% annually.” And we’re still building out warehouses…
Shipping: “Cummins shipped just 16,400 engines in North America in the quarter, down 33% from a year ago. That’s in line with a downturn in orders for big rigs that’s triggered layoffs among truck makers and led Cummins to cut its spending on research and engineering more than 14% in the first nine months of the year” [ Wall Street Journal ].
Shipping: “Shipping finally emerging from 2009 downturn, Mitropoulos argues” [ Lloyd’s List ]. “Signs are finally materialising that the industry is emerging from its protracted downturn, according to a former secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization.Efthimios Mitropoulos was speaking on Tuesday morning at the Shipping and the Law Conference in Naples.” Great courage!
Honey for the Bears: “Most of the leading indicators are based on factors which are known to have significant backward revisions – and one cannot take any of their trends to the bank. I continue to pose the question: “[W]hat good is a leading indicator where the data is continued to change after it is issued?'” [ Econintersect ]. “The only indicators with minimal backward revision are ECRI, RecessionALERT, and the Chemical Activity Barometer. Unfortunately, the Chemical Activity Barometer is targeted to the industrial sector of the economy – and at best seems to be a coincident indicator, not a leading indicator. Both ECRI and RecessionALERT were forecasting economic improvement beginning at mid-2016 – and is now forecasting flat (but relatively better) growth beginning 5 months from now. Econintersect sees NO dynamic which will deliver better growth anyone will feel in the foreseeable future. All economic growth will only be seen when one uses a calculator.”
Infrastructure: “A pipeline explosion in Alabama is roiling U.S. fuel markets and putting a spotlight on tight domestic shipping capacity. The major Colonial pipeline fuel artery was severed for the second time in two months this week” [ Wall Street Journal ].
Fodder for the Bulls: “Update: The Endless Parade of Recession Calls” [ Calculated Risk ]. “Looking at the economic data, the odds of a recession in 2016 are very low (extremely unlikely in my view). [a recession in 2017 is very unlikely]. Someday I’ll make another recession call, but I’m not even on recession watch now.”
Fodder for the Bulls: “Eurozone factories had their most active month for almost three years in October, and raised their prices for the first time in more than a year, according to a survey of purchasing managers released Wednesday” [ Wall Street Journal , “Eurozone Factory Survey Shows Expansion”].
Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 18 Fear (previous close: 22, Fear) [ CNN ]. One week ago: 43 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Nov 2 at 11:26am. Heading for single digits?
Police State Watch
“Raided but never charged, cannabis distributor seeks return of seized assets” [ San Diego Tribune (RF)]. “‘It’s the dirty little secret of the American justice system,’ [James] Slatic said in an interview. ‘They can come in and take all your money and property just on the say-so of a police officer. Once they do that, you have to go to court and prove why your money is not guilty.'” (Obama made noises about ending asset forfeiture, but resumed it . Of course, asset forfeiture will be a lot easier when digital cash arrives!
Standing Rock and #NoDAPL
“I used to think there was no rational argument for civilian possession of military-style weapons. But in light of the disparate treatment of the armed Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupiers (who were acquitted of all charges Friday) and the protesters in North Dakota supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in its fight against construction of an oil pipeline, it’s apparent that such weapons are now an effective component of the protester’s toolkit” [Letter to the Editor, Los Angeles Times ]. Well, the difference isn’t that the Malheur occupiers were white, given that the (sadly but mostly) white Occupy movement was treated to a 17-city coordinated paramilitary crackdown orchestrated by Obama’s DHS; the difference is that they were right wing (and white). So the Sioux are both the “wrong” color, and their cause is percieved by the country at large as on the left (though I think the Sioux themselves would reject that framework).
“Want to Help the Standing Rock Sioux? Here’s Where to Donate” [ Money (!!)]. “A GoFundMe set up by protester Ho Waste Wakiya Wicasa has raised more than $1 million, which will be used for the camp’s operating expenses. “The money goes as quickly as it comes, but without it having been as much as it is, we certainly wouldn’t have been able to be as productive as we have been in the fight,” Wicasa told Fox News. The funds raised have been used for groceries, yurts, toilets, a medical area, a generator, and bail for those arrested.”
“After 37 Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers left for the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota Saturday, a majority of Cincinnati City Council issued a letter to Gov. John Kasich requesting the troopers be brought home” [ USA Today ]. “The signers said the trooper should come home so they can focus on Ohio issues, naming the heroin epidemic and increased traffic fatalities.” Tough choice. After all, the troopers could use the practice.
Black Injustice Tipping Point
“Net worth of white households in D.C. region is 81 times that of black households” [ WaPo ]. “The Urban Institute report, called “The Color of Wealth in the Nation’s Capital,” said the Great Recession and housing crisis of 2007 to 2009 exacerbated long-persistent disparities, with black and Hispanic households losing about half of their wealth.”
Class Warfare
“Data can help hotel executives manage workforce” [ Hotel News Notes ]. “Performance evaluations are another area where big data can play an important role. Instead of the usual, subjective assessments by supervisors, employees can be judged through company-tracked data, which may measure:” Punctuality; results of client/manager surveys; tracking of output keyed directly to the percentage of time and input of all contributing workers; and non-health related biometric data or other feedback associated with wearable technology, such as how employees traverse during the workday.
This creates a more objective review process – reducing bias and the threat of lawsuits – and takes pressure off supervisors.
That little point on wearables seems a little Orwellian. They won’t be able to force me to wear my wearable at all times , right?
“The east sides of New York, London and Paris are noticeably and famously poorer than their western sides. And it turns out there’s a reason for that” [ MarketWatch ]. “Researchers have found that it’s due to the impact of air pollutants at the time of the Industrial Revolution, as prevailing winds in the U.S. and Europe typically blow from west to east. And it’s an impact that has lasted into today” ( original study ).
“Twenty-First Century Victorians” [ Jacobin ]. “Today’s upper middle class maintains the fiction of a meritocratic society, just as the Victorians did. This story allows them to shore up their economic position behind the backs of workers, who are taught that their health problems and dismal career prospects represent individual faults, not systemic dysfunction. Of course, exercising, eating organic food, and pushing children to use their spare time usefully are not inherently bad things. However, they become markers of bourgeois values when they are marshaled to assert one class’s moral superiority over another and to justify social inequality. It was just as obnoxious in the nineteenth century as it is today.”
UPDATE “Behind 2016’s Turmoil, a Crisis of White Identity” [Amanda Taub, New York Times ] “Whiteness, in this context, is more than just skin color. You could define it as membership in the ‘ethno-national majority,’ but that’s a mouthful. What it really means is the privilege of not being defined as ‘other.’ Whiteness means being part of the group whose appearance, traditions, religion and even food are the default norm. It’s being a person who, by unspoken rules, was long entitled as part of ‘us’ instead of ‘them.'” Peak identity politics? I wonder how many of the academic entrepreneurs pushing this stuff live in leafy suburbs, or nice little college towns…
“Socially influenced preferences” [ Stumbling and Mumbling ]. Wait, what? Actors aren’t atomized, “rational” individuals?
News of the Wired
“How Ancient Humans Reached Remote South Pacific Islands” [ New York Times ]. “‘Our paper supports the idea that what people needed was boating technology or navigation technology that would allow them to move efficiently against the wind,’ Dr. Montenegro said.”
* * *
Readers, feel free to contact me with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, and (c) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here . And here’s today’s plant (Re Silc):
OK, OK. There are plants in this. The grass, those fronds in the background…
Readers, Water Cooler is a standalone entity, not supported by the very successful Naked Capitalism fundraiser just past. Now, I understand you may feel tapped out, but when and if you are able, please use the dropdown to choose your contribution, and then click the hat! Your tip will be welcome today, and indeed any day. Water Cooler will not exist without your continued help. Donate | 1real |
Pelosi: Trump’s Border Wall an ’Insult to Our Hemisphere’ - Breitbart | Tuesday at her weekly briefing, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ( ) said President Donald Trump’s proposed wall on the U. S. border was “an insult to our hemisphere. ” Pelosi said, “I think the wall is ineffective. It’s an immorality really, an insult to our hemisphere. And I hope that we don’t have that. Do we have the responsibility to protect our border? Yes, every country does. Can we do that using technology and our customs authorities and the rest of that? Sure. A wall? No. So I would hope they wouldn’t try that. ” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | 0fake |
Japan’s Lost Black Hole Satellite Took This LAST Photo. Proves Something MIND-BOGGLING! | Japan’s Lost Black Hole Satellite Took This LAST Photo. Proves Something MIND-BOGGLING! Please scroll down for video
This remarkable photo is the last thing Japan’s lost satellite, Hitomi, captured.
Black holes with their ability to consume an entire galaxy, are perhaps the most feared object in the heavens due to the voracious appetite which they hold. It has now been discovered that black holes also have the ability to also feed the growth of galaxies.
Black holes effectively affect and control the growth and expansion of galaxies, acting as a kind of regulator. It appears from recent discoveries that the universe has a life and death cycle for its heavenly bodies. Black holes appear to be at the center of this life cycle, a kind of grim reaper and giver of life all rapped up into one clever little package.
The discovery of this process was noted by a Japanese satellite shortly before its unfortunate demise. The satellite had been focused on the Perseus Cluster which has at its center a super massive black hole. Data from the satellite demonstrated that black holes provide energy for the growth of galaxies. Remember that energy is never lost but instead changed and transformed as time moves on so it makes sense that black holes both absorb and expel energy. Energy is transformed and never destroyed, not even by black holes .
Black holes are formed when a star of enormous magnitude ultimately burns out, and the core collapses into a black hole. The process of a star dying out is a kin to what happens when a nuclear reactor melts down which is both an awesome and terrifying event. Once formed, the black hole absorbs anything which winds up in its path, which includes entire galaxies. The magnitude of such destruction of mass is overwhelming and difficult for the human mind process.
This article (Japan’s Lost Black Hole Satellite Took This LAST Photo. Proves Something MIND-BOGGLING! ) 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 |
Why the Jobs Aren’t Coming Back. The “modern day marvel.” | Why the Jobs Aren’t Coming Back. The “modern day marvel.” The machines are taking over The candidates in the current campaign – or any campaign – are all promising to “bring back good jobs” to “create good jobs.” When asked how they would do that, they are all a little light on details.About a year ago, Joe Biden was in Michigan to celebrate the opening of a new manufacturing plant that made “small metal clamps” used in all kinds of industries to hold wiring, hoses. Etc. in place. The largest market is the auto industry but they are sold to hundreds of other manufacturers. Depending on size, shape, and material, these parts sell for a few pennies or less. You have to make a lot of these parts to have any substantial billing numbers.This new plant is fully automated and runs 24/7/365 with just 14 people. Joe was quite happy saying “manufacturing is returning to America.”However, there is a backstory. That plant had been around for years. It had employed 600 people on two shifts. Then, the Chinese began to undercut the pricing, and the plant was no longer profitable and closed. Two years later, it reopened as a fully automated plant and regained the business because it could now manufacture cheaper than the Chinese.There are several stories inside the main story.The first story is about the initial plant closing. Anytime 600 people lose their jobs, you know that some employee ended up losing their home, that some cars were reprocessed, that some college kid had to quit school, etc. Retailers got hit. Utilities at the plant were no longer needed. Suppliers got hit too.More at [ My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." 09 | 1real |
Shocking: Top 100 Bombshell Wikileak Emails Revealed So Far… | ERROR: type should be string, got "https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/5688 \n\"Bernie and his people have been bitching about super delegates and the huge percentage that have come out for Hillary… We want [Bernie supporters] to go home happy and enthusiastic in working their asses off for Hillary. Why not throw Bernie a bone . . . his people will think they've \"won\" something from the Party Establishment. And it functionally doesn't make any difference anyway. They win. We don't lose. Everyone is happy.\" \n“I am doing the opposite, repeatedly writing friendly and positive pieces about Bernie as an HRC supporter, and when the time is right I will have money in the bank with him and his people as a liberal to urge them to come out in force to vote for HRC.” \n\"Frankly I thought it was dumb for McCaskill and Gutierrez to be attacking Bernie. We are going to need his voters to turn out in November for HRC, he won’t be nominated.” \n\"Through internal discussions, we concluded that it was in our interest to: 1) limit the number of debates (and the number in each state); 2) start the debates as late as possible; 3) keep debates out of the busy window between February 1 and February 27, 2016 (Iowa to South Carolina); 4) create a schedule that would allow the later debates to be cancelled if the race is for practical purposes over.” \nThe MostDamagingWikileaks.com Reports : \nThe person who wrote the superdelegate rules advises the Clinton Campaign how to create an illusion that Bernie people won something so they would work hard for Hillary after she is nominated. More shocking is the fact that they admit that the superdelegates are undemocratic. This guy flat out admitted that he rigged the system, and is proud of it. \nThere was also a man who was acting as a mole for Bernie and writing positive/negative things about him then using that reputation to sway Bernie supporters to Hillary. \nLastly, we see how to rig the debate schedule to be more favorable to her. One on one debates would have been better for Bernie Sanders, so they wanted to avoid that at all costs. They also wanted to limit the number of debates, and start them late to minimize the impact of the debates. \nHillary is also on audio insulting Bernie supporters by calling them \" basement dwellers \". \n17. Hillary was hateful, neglectful, above the law, “contemptuous” to her security detail, and “blatantly disregarded” security, (FBI docs) \nhttps://vault.fbi.gov/hillary-r.-clinton/hillary-r.-clinton-part-04-of-04/view (p. 43-45) \n“CLINTON frequently and “blatantly” disregarded [security and diplomatic protocols].” \n“This frequently resulted in complaints by ambassadors who were insulted and embarrassed by this breach of protocol… CLINTON’s protocol breaches were well known throughout Diplomatic Security and were “abundant.”” \n“…ABEDIN possessed “much more power” over CLINTON’s staff and schedule than other former chiefs of staff… was often responsible for overriding security and diplomatic protocols on behalf of CLINTON.” \n“…Clinton disregarded security and diplomatic protocols, occasionally without regard for the safety of her staff and protection detail, in order to gain favorable press.” \n“…traveling to Palestine, CLINTON ordered the limousine driver… to open the window while in “occupied territory”, referring to a dangerous area of the West Bank. [He] initially declined to respond to CLINTON’s request; however, repeated demands by CLINTON forced him to open his window despite the danger to himself and the occupants.” \n“CLINTON’s treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere… it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work with her.” \nThe MostDamagingWikileaks.com Reports : \nLook at the first link (highlights all the parts). Seriously, there are way too many to include in the quotes… just a sheer and utter lack of care for protocol, security, and the well being of others. This is the person who people want to be in charge of national security and classified documents. \nAnother scary note in this list is the mention of Huma Abedin, Hillary’s long time assistant, possessing “much more power” and overriding security and protocol on Hillary’s behalf. Abedin has been strongly rumored to be Hillary’s Chief of Staff should she be elected. She also has strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood . \n18. Clinton Foundation schemed with Big Pharma to keep the price of AIDS drugs high in America and cheaper generic versions out \nhttps://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/24440 \n“Since President Clinton’s comments were made, we have been contacted by a number of advocacy groups who are now intending to wage a public campaign to bring in generics and lower drug prices. We do not feel we can participate in this without jeopardizing our work around the world. We cannot oppose what they might do, but we also cannot be publicly supporting it either.” \n“we think that publicly pressuring the US and European AIDS drug companies to lower prices and bringing pressure to allow generic AIDS drugs into the United States will have limited if any success and could seriously jeopardize our negotiations to continually lower prices in poor countries… We have always told the drug companies that we would not pressure them” \n\"We have always told the drug companies that we would not pressure them and create a slippery slope where prices they negotiate with us for poor countries would inevitably lead to similar prices in rich countries.\" \n\"we suggest that we approach the innovator companies that can currently sell products in the US with the idea of making donations to help clear the ADAP lists.\" \n\"the companies will likely favor a donation approach rather than one that erodes prices across the board. I would guess that they would also likely favor a solution that involved their drugs rather than an approach that allowed generic drugs from India to flood the US market at low prices or one that set a precedent of waiving patent laws on drugs.\" \nThe MostDamagingWikileaks.com Reports : \nWhen the Clintons are questioned about the obvious sketchiness of their foundation, they routinely cite AIDS work. But the AIDS work is carried out by CHAI (\"Clinton Health Access Initiative\"), a separate organization. \nCHAI freely admits there is an implicit agreement with the drug companies not to pressure them to lower domestic prices. Bill Clinton made comments that added pressure. CHAI receives a great amount of positive publicity for their AIDS work abroad, and the comments jeopardize that program. Here, CHAI admits it is in their interests for U.S. AIDS drug prices to remain high, so that they can continue getting credit for keeping them low abroad. \nBut CHAI is not content with simply fleecing American AIDS sufferers. Since CHAI doesn't want pressure on Pharma companies to linger, they propose to torpedo other AIDS advocacy groups by creating a smaller, watered-down domestic program with the Pharma companies before those other advocacy groups begin their assault in January. \nThe Clintons are only out for themselves. In comments on World AIDS day in the subsequent years of 2012 and 2013 , Bill says nothing whatsoever about domestic drug prices. If AIDS advocacy groups cannot trust the Clintons not to stab them in the back, how can the American people? \nAlso remember, the Clinton foundation only donates 5.6% of their earnings to charity , despite Hillary knowingly and blatantly lying to the American people by claiming they donated 90% at the last debate, but she is counting on you to not do research, and her mainstream media to not report it. \n19. CNN leaked primary debate question to Hillary through head of DNC" | 1real |
BOOM! Trump Shows How A Good Business Mind Never Lets An Opportunity Go To Waste After Online Lib Site Publishes His Cell Number | No wonder America loves this guy so much. It s been a long time since we had a leader who made his enemies look like amateurs After Gawker, an online site released one of Donald Trump s cellphone numbers today. Gawker claims they released Trump s number because he released the phone number of political opponent and RINO Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).Never one to let a good opportunity go to waste, Trump changed his voicemail to a free campaign announcement for anyone who cares to call his number: Hi, this is Donald Trump and I m running for the presidency of the United States of America, he says on the recording. With your help and support, together we can make America truly great again! Visit me at twitter @realDonaldTrump and check out my campaign website at www.donaldtrump.com Hope to see you on the campaign trail, we re going to do it! Gawker responded by saying: We think it s only fair and right that Republican primary voters be able to reach out to Trump himself. h/t Barracuda Brigade | 1real |
This One Hilarious GIF May Show Us Who Trump Is Truly Terrified Of The Most (VIDEO) | If there s one thing Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump likes to boast, it s that he s not afraid of anything or anyone. He likes to hold this bravado that he is incapable of being scared, that he s willing to take on the world, and that anyone who dares to cross him better watch out.However, as it turns out this outward bravado may also be a falsification of his true character, as most people who are truly terrified do to overcompensate. As he tells his supporters to go after protesters who come to his rally, he hides behind the podium and/or doesn t show up to an event at all. Then, when faced with someone who actually approached him at an event he, quite literally, look terrified and cowered away.Well, because the internet is full of hilarious geniuses, someone just put together a GIF of what may truly be the funniest thing so far this year to hit the world wide web. It shows Trump at a recent rally when a protester started to approach the stage and his security surrounded him, but this time it shows Bernie Sanders creep onto the stage and scare the living daylights out of the real estate mogul.Check it out for yourself. You ll likely watch on repeat.Who did this?pic.twitter.com/aExizdUdnT Maegan Vazquez (@maeganvaz) March 14, 2016Featured image via GIF screen capture | 1real |
Sicko In Texas Wants To Make A Buck Off Harvey Disaster, And It Might Land Her In Hot Water | Late Monday night, CNN s Don Lemon had a phone guest who called in to the show from the apartment she was trapped in with her cousin and a one-month-old baby. Ices Bragg, in a pronounced southern drawl, described the scene around her: Rising water, fires visible from the window nearby, and perhaps most disturbing of all, an upstairs neighbor taking advantage of the situation.Lemon asked the woman to repeat what she had told him previously about the neighbor:Lemon: You told us last hour that one of your neighbors was trying to go upstairs to another apartment, and what happened?Bragg: Um, the lady had told her that if she had three hundred dollars to come in to her apartment, she would let her.Lemon: Wow. Unbelievable.Bragg: Yes sir, it is.The exchange was heart-stopping. We saw price-gouging on gas after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, but watching big companies take advantage of desperate consumers is almost nothing new in this country. To hear an account of a neighbor, with the advantage of higher ground, threatening to let people die unless they pony up is nothing short of shocking.An economy based on unbridled capitalism like we see in America almost guarantees that there will be price-gouging in some areas during times of heightened demand for whatever someone s selling. But at the very least, there are laws prohibiting the practice during a state of emergency. That s little comfort to the poor, but it does mean that this upstairs neighbor could no pun intended pay a price.This is not the first report of price-gouging in the state. Houston is currently deluged with trillions of gallons of water. When those waters recede, the complaints that have been pouring in to the Texas Attorney General s office will likely result in serious trouble for those they hold to account.Watch the CNN clip here:Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Más de 10 países de la OTAN, dispuestos a reforzar su presencia cerca de Rusia - RT | Más de 10 países de la OTAN, dispuestos a reforzar su presencia cerca de Rusia Publicado: 26 oct 2016 17:26 GMT | Última actualización: 26 oct 2016 17:59 GMT
El secretario general de la alianza, Jens Stoltenberg, ha afirmado también que hay varios países que están dispuestos a contribuir al reforzamiento de la OTAN en el mar Negro. Francois Lenoir Reuters Síguenos en Facebook
Más de 10 países de la OTAN están dispuestos a contribuir a la formación de cuatro batallones multinacionales en Polonia y los países bálticos, ha señalado el secretario general de la alianza, Jens Stoltenberg, en una reunión de ministros de Defensa en Bruselas.
"Albania, Italia, Polonia, Eslovenia se unirán a un batallón dirigido por Canadá en Letonia. Bélgica, Croacia, Francia, Luxemburgo, Países Bajos y Noruega, a un batallón encabezado por Alemania en Lituania. Dinamarca y Francia, a un batallón bajo la dirección del Reino Unido en Estonia. Y Rumanía y el Reino Unido se unirán a un batallón liderado por Estados Unidos en Polonia", ha detallado.
Además, Stoltenberg ha mencionado que seis países del bloque militar —Estados Unidos, Alemania, Canadá, Turquía, Países Bajos y Polonia, Turquía— "han indicado su deseo" de "estar presentes" en la región del mar Negro "por tierra, mar y aire". Reforzamiento de la OTAN en su flanco oriental
La creación de cuatro batallones multinacionales en los países bálticos (Estonia, Letonia y Lituania) y Polonia sobre una base rotatoria fue acordado en la cumbre de Varsovia a principios de julio. La reacción de Moscú no se había hecho esperar. Desde el Kremlin señalaron que estas medidas "han cimentado el segundo muro de Europa, después del de Berlín".
Más detalles, en breve. | 1real |
Indonesian police kill two 'terrorists' on eastern island | JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian counter-terrorism police killed two militants suspected of having links with a pro-Islamic State network in a shootout on the eastern island of Sumbawa, officials said on Tuesday. Authorities in the country with the world s largest Muslim population are trying to stamp out the spread of radical Islamist ideologies. Its elite counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88 or Densus 88 , has notched a string of recent successes against Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) network, a loose organization of radicals loyal to Islamic State. The two militants killed on Sumbawa were suspected members of JAD. Police said the shootout occurred when counter-terrorism forces ran into a group of four militants while conducting a surveillance operation in a mountainous area near the city of Bima. The two other militants managed to escape. They had several weapons, different caliber bullets and survival gear, said national police spokesman Setyo Wasisto. Militants have been traveling between Bima and Poso, on Sulawesi island. Counter-terrorism operations have decimated the militant group on Sulawesi, and police said there were signs that the militants were turning their attention to Bima. There is a strong link between the radical group in Poso and Bima. People have been going back and forth and people have received orders to carry out actions in Bima, Wasisto said. Last week police said eight men were arrested in Riau province, on the central eastern coast of Sumatra, and one man in South Sulawesi province - all of them were suspected of having links to JAD. | 0fake |
South Africa's new ANC leader Ramaphosa aims to fight corruption | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of South Africa s governing ANC party, said on Thursday he aims to stamp out corruption and pursue a policy of radical economic transformation that will speed up expropriation of land without compensation. Ramaphosa, a 65-year-old union leader who became a businessman and is now one of South Africa s richest people, is likely to become the country s next president after elections in 2019, because of his party s electoral dominance. His promise to fight rampant corruption and revitalize the economy has been hailed by foreign investors. This conference has resolved that corruption must be fought with the same intensity and purpose that we fight poverty, unemployment and inequality, Ramaphosa said in his maiden speech at the close of a five-day party meeting where he was elected. We must also act fearlessly against alleged corruption and abuse of office within our ranks, he said in the early hours of Thursday after a long delay. Ramaphosa, who is South Africa s deputy president, was elected the new leader of the African National Congress (ANC) on Monday, succeeding President Jacob Zuma as party head after Zuma s presidency became tainted with corruption allegations. Ramaphosa s narrow victory over former cabinet minister and African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 68, is seen as a pivotal moment for the ANC, which launched black-majority rule under Nelson Mandela s leadership 23 years ago but is now deeply divided with its image tarnished. Ramaphosa paid tribute to Zuma in his speech, saying the ANC would be united despite a fractious campaign. Zuma had backed his ex-wife Dlamini-Zuma for ANC s top job. However, investors are concerned that Ramaphosa may not be able to push through policy changes because the ANC s top decision-making group, known as the Top Six , was split down the middle, with three politicians apiece drawn from Ramaphosa s camp and that of Dlamini-Zuma. Analysts warned that the division of the party presidency, held by Ramaphosa, and the state presidency in Zuma s hands, could lead to policy uncertainty or paralysis. Mr. Zuma, for instance, still occupies South Africa s presidency a cohabitation that may cause a period of policy uncertainty, Capital Economics Africa economist John Ashbourne said in a note. Expectations that Ramaphosa would win the ANC race had pushed the rand to 12.5200 per dollar on Monday, its firmest since March 27, when a cabinet reshuffle by Zuma rocked markets and triggered credit ratings downgrades to junk. The rand weakened on Tuesday, but firmed on Wednesday as investors continued to digest how much clout Ramaphosa wields. Victory for Ramaphosa, but not a loss for Zuma, said Geoff Blount, managing director at BayHill Capital. Zuma has faced allegations of corruption since he became head of state in 2009, but has denied any wrongdoing. The president has also faced allegations that his friends the wealthy Gupta businessmen wielded undue influence over his government. Zuma and the Guptas have denied the accusations. Ramaphosa alluded to these allegations in his speech, saying, At the state level we must confront the reality that critical institutions of our state have been targeted by individuals and families, through the exercise of influence and the manipulation of governance processes and public resources. He said this had weakened the state-owned enterprises in Africa s most industrialized economy. South Africa, the continent s traditional powerhouse, has had lethargic growth over the last six years and the jobless rate stands near record levels. Ramaphosa also had a warning for corporate executives. We must investigate without fear or favor the so-called accounting irregularities that cause turmoil in the markets and wipe billions off the investments of ordinary South Africans, he said. South African furniture retailer Steinhoff, has been embroiled in a scandal over accounting irregularities, which have wiped more than $10 billion off its market value over the past two weeks. Ramaphosa also said he would aim to expedite job creation, improve the lackluster economy and speed up the transfer of land to black people. Two decades after the end of apartheid, the ANC is under pressure to redress racial disparities in land ownership where whites own most of the land. This conference has resolved that the expropriation of land without compensation should be among the mechanisms available to government to give effect to land reform and redistribution, Ramaphosa said. He said the land transfers would be speeded up under the radical economic transformation program, a vague ANC plan to tackle racial inequality. | 0fake |
U.S. says open to talks on protected status for Haitians | PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Wednesday said he was open to discussing letting more than 50,000 victims of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake stay in the United States past next January. Kelly met with Haitian President Jovenel Moise during a brief visit to the island and he defended the U.S. decision earlier this month to extend a deadline for temporary protection from deportation for Haitians for six months that was set to expire in July. “It is not meant to be an open-ended law but a temporary law,” Kelly told journalists. “It has been seven years since the earthquake, which was the reason TPS (temporary protected status) was implemented. I have committed to the president and the government that we can work together to go forward on any future extensions.” A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince in January 2010, killing some 200,000 people. Immigration activists said the extension did not take into account the damage created by Hurricane Matthew, which killed an estimated 1,000 people when it struck the Caribbean nation last year. Some aid groups warned mass deportations could unsettle the country that has long history of political instability. Kelly dismissed critics who said his visit was too short to develop a proper idea of Haiti’s situation, saying that he visited the country “no less than 10, maybe 15 times” while he was based in Miami as the head of U.S. Southern Command. “I would say to people who made those statements, well, they don’t know what they’re talking about,” Kelly said. Under U.S. law, the Department of Homeland Security can award temporary protected status to citizens of nations devastated by violence, disease or natural disasters. Sudan, Somalia, Syria, El Salvador, Nepal and Yemen all have been designated for temporary protected status. | 0fake |
Pressured by Trump, Mexico ready to discuss NAFTA rules in U.S. talks | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Under pressure from President Donald Trump, Mexico is preparing to discuss changes to trade rules about a product’s country of origin to try to avoid a disruptive fight with the United States over commerce. As the two countries begin a difficult new relationship, Mexico sees possible common ground with Trump on the “rules of origin” of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that binds the two countries and Canada, several sources said. Rules of origin are regulations setting out where trade products are sourced from. Although formal negotiations about NAFTA have not begun, the rules could eventually be altered to favor U.S. industry over competitors from outside North America, particularly in Asia. Changes to those rules could help align Mexico with Trump’s industrial strategy of boosting U.S. manufacturing jobs and dovetail with the Mexican government’s calls to strengthen North American competitiveness. It could also help pave the way for a broader deal with Trump over border security and immigration, Mexican officials believe. Talks about NAFTA rules of origin will be a “very important” point of discussion between the two countries now that Trump is in office, a Mexican official said. A White House official said: “As a general rule, it is in the best interests of the U.S. to insist on strong rules of origin provisions in pursuing bilateral negotiations. Lax rules of origin in proposed treaties like the now defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership shrink and weaken our supply chain and contribute to the offshoring of American jobs.” Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo will hold talks with top Trump officials in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, where security, migration and trade will be discussed. Fears of economic disaster have haunted Mexico since Trump won the presidency in November threatening to tear up NAFTA, impose protectionist tariffs and build a wall on the United States’ southern border to halt illegal immigration. While Mexico is reluctant to alter the 1994 trade accord, officials concede that some changes may be necessary to help keep trade open with the United States, which absorbs 80 percent of its exports. “What we want is to maintain free access for Mexican products, without restrictions, without tariffs and quotas,” Videgaray, the spearhead of the government’s outreach to Trump, said on Monday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, two Mexican government officials and four other people familiar with ongoing discussions said Mexico saw rules of origin as an important avenue to brokering a deal with Trump, provided a fair compromise can be reached. In trade agreements, content rules or rules of origin are often used to determine import duties. Under NAFTA, 62.5 percent of the material in a car or light truck made in Mexico must be from North America to be able to enter the United States tariff free. If the countries agree in negotiations, that percentage could be increased, potentially giving an advantage to U.S. industry at the expense of Asian competitors. For Mexico, changing the rules of origin could be a lesser evil than Trump’s threat to impose a 35 percent tax on certain goods made by foreign companies in Mexico for sale in the United States. Trump’s pressure on U.S. automakers such as Ford to build more cars at home worries Mexico, where the industry has been one of the main drivers of growth and accounted for 18.5 percent of manufacturing GDP in 2015. Trump on Tuesday told the chief executives of the Big Three U.S. automakers - General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler - that he wants to see more auto plants in the United States. Mexico warned it could pull out of NAFTA if a renegotiation of the pact does not benefit it. Trump’s team is behind the push for changes in the origin rules, seeing it as a means of reducing imports from China, two of the Mexican sources familiar with the matter said. Trump’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, spoke of the importance of content rules in protecting the automotive industry during Senate hearings last week, and Canadian media reported that Ross had told Canada rules of origin would be central to NAFTA talks. NAFTA rules of origin apply to goods made in any of the three countries. Two Mexican sources said the Trump administration could push for national content requirements that would ensure that the United States benefits from changes in rules of origin, and not just the NAFTA region as a whole. However, that would be more complex to manage, they added. So as not to hurt companies, any changes would need to be phased in gradually, and the more items that were targeted, the trickier negotiations would be, one of the sources said. Any deal would need to ensure rules changes applied to all countries, not just to Mexico, one Mexican official said. Of the foreign carmakers in Mexico, Toyota might be able to handle a higher NAFTA content ratio better than others. Its Camry car, for example, has very high North American and U.S. content. Other Japanese automakers such as Mazda have a larger proportional reliance on Asia-based suppliers. Kristin Dziczek, a labor analyst at the Center of Automotive Research, said deepening rules of origin could have some impact on U.S. jobs and would hit some foreign automakers harder - especially those that produce more parts and vehicles outside North America. The NAFTA rules are in place to prevent China or other lower wage countries from being able to produce the majority of content in a vehicle and export it to another country to assemble it without paying tariffs. U.S. automakers have not backed tougher rules of origin previously because they wanted flexibility on sourcing parts. | 0fake |
Constitutional Law Expert: Comey Did NOT Violate Law By Announcing Email Investigation | Constitutional Law Expert: Comey Did NOT Violate Law By Announcing Email Investigation Source: Washington's Blog
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid alleges that FBI Director Comey has violated the law by announcing the re-opened investigation into Clinton emails so close to the presidential election.
Is he right?
One of the top constitutional law experts in the United States (and a liberal), Professor Jonathan Turley, says no :
[Reid’s] allegation is in my view wildly misplaced. Reid is arguing that the actions of FBI Director James B. Comey violates the Hatch Act . I cannot see a plausible, let alone compelling, basis for such a charge against Comey.
In his letter to Comey, Reid raised the the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan politicking by government employees.
5 U.S.C. § 7323(a)(1) prohibits a government employee from “us[ing] his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.”
Reid argued:
“Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another. I am writing to inform you that my office has determined that these actions may violate the Hatch Act, which bars FBI officials from using their official authority to influence an election. Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law.”
The reference to “months” is curious. Comey has kept Congress informed in compliance with oversight functions of the congressional committees but has been circumspect in the extent of such disclosures. It is troubling to see Democrats (who historically favor both transparency and checks on executive powers) argue against such disclosure and cooperation with oversight committees. More importantly, the Hatch Act is simply a dog that will not hunt.
Richard W. Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and the chief ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House from 2005 to 2007, has filed a Hatch Act complaint against Comey with the federal Office of Special Counsel and Office of Government Ethics. He argues that “We cannot allow F.B.I. or Justice Department officials to unnecessarily publicize pending investigations concerning candidates of either party while an election is underway.”
However, Comey was between the horns of a dilemma. He could be accused of acts of commission in making the disclosure or omission in withholding the disclosure in an election year. Quite frankly, I found Painter’s justification for his filing remarkably speculative. He admits that he has no evidence to suggest that Comey wants to influence the election or favors either candidate . Intent is key under the Hatch investigations. You can disagree with the timing of Comey’s disclosure, but that is not a matter for the Hatch Act or even an ethical charge in my view.
Congress passed the Hatch Act in response to scandals during the 1938 congressional elections and intended the Act to bar federal employees from using “[their] official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.” Comey is not doing that in communicating with Congress on a matter of oversight.
Such violations under the Hatch Act, even if proven, are not criminal matters . The Office of Special Counsel -can investigate such matters and seek discipline — a matter than can ultimately go before the Merit Systems Protection Board.
CNN confirms :
violators aren’t going to jail: the Hatch Act is not a criminal statute. Instead, it is an administrative constraint on government employees. The law is enforced by a special independent federal agency — the Office of Special Counsel — which is charged with investigating complaint allegations and, where found to be meritorious, either pursuing a settlement with the offending employee or prosecuting their case before the federal agency that oversees internal employment disputes — the Merit Systems Protection Board. And for presidential appointees like Comey, the Office of Special Counsel submits a report of its findings along with the employee’s response to the President , who makes a decision on whether discipline is warranted .
***
The Hatch Act provision most commonly invoked in discussions of Comey’s letter is 5 U.S.C. § 7323(a)(1), which prohibits a government employee from “us[ing] his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.”
The key text is the emphasized phrase — which conditions a violation of the statute on whether the employee’s purpose was to interfere with or affect the result of an election. Thus, the Hatch Act does not focus on the effect of the employee’s conduct, but the intent. To that end, if Comey did not intend to interfere with or affect the upcoming election through his letter to Congress, then he did not violate the letter of the Hatch Act. | 1real |
Slovenia Adds Water To Constitution As Fundamental Right For All People | Slovenia Adds Water To Constitution As Fundamental Right For All People Nov 20, 2016 1 0
“Everyone has the right to drinkable water.” This is what Slovenia’s newest article in their constitution states as the parliament voted 64-0 in favor of the amendment.
This amendment to their constitution will serve to make water a right for all people in Slovenia and will stop it from being commercialized. Slovenia has some of the cleanest water in the world.
The Guardian reports that the newest amendment states:
“Water resources represent a public good that is managed by the state. Water resources are primary and durably used to supply citizens with potable water and households with water and, in this sense, are not a market commodity. “
Miro Cerar, who is the Slovenian Prime Minister, was in full support of the measure and stated that:
“People should protect water-the 21st century’s liquid gold- at the highest level. Slovenian water has very good quality and, because of it’s value, in the future it will certainly be the target of foreign countries and international corporations’ appetites. Pressure over it will increase and we must not give in.” Water and people first, corporations second.
This marks Slovenia as the first European Union country to declare water as a common right for all people. According to Rampedre , there are 15 other countries in the world who have also done the same.
This news comes at a great time not only for Slovenia, but also for all people around the world who are protecting water supplies, namely the water protectors in the United States at Standing Rock. With Slovenia making this amendment to the constitution, is it time that the United States does the same?
The lies we are being told by those heavily vested in putting in the pipeline that would run under the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s water supply is being seen through. The people are awake and realize the severe consequences this pipeline would create not only for the tribe, but everyone that is affected by the water that runs downstream. Imagine all of the people affected by a pipeline break if this were to happen.
Again, this news comes at a perfect time for water protectors everywhere. If an entire country can amend it’s constitution to protect water, then why can’t others? While the challenge at Standing Rock continues on, this latest story on Slovenia protecting it’s people and it’s water is a major victory for humanity. If you have friends or family helping to protect water, please share this good news with them and the world. Light will always overcome darkness.
Lance Schuttler graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Health Science and does health coaching through his website Orgonlight Health . You can follow the Orgonlight Health facebook page or visit the website for more information and other inspiring articles. | 1real |
Ahead Of Tomorrow’s Fed Meeting There Are Some Very Strange Things Happening | 6 Views November 01, 2016 GOLD , KWN King World News
Ahead of tomorrow’s Fed meeting, there are some very strange things happening.
By Bill Fleckenstein President Of Fleckenstein Capital October 1 ( King World News ) – Overnight bond markets continued their recent losing ways again last night, with 10-year German bunds now yielding a massive 18 basis points. That doesn’t sound like much, but it is a long way from the -15 bps it yielded a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, world equity markets more or less looked the other way, although they were slightly lower. The early going here saw the market modestly weaker as well, and acting funky enough that I put on a few shorts… IMPORTANT: To find out which company Doug Casey, Rick Rule and Sprott Asset Management are pounding the table on that already has a staggering 18.1 million ounces of gold that just added another massive deposit and is quickly being recognized as one of the greatest gold opportunities in the world – CLICK HERE OR BELOW: Sponsored
Around midday the leakage accelerated somewhat and the market was 0.5% lower by early afternoon. With a couple of hours to go, when I had to leave, the decline was about 0.75% (but it felt like it might accelerate, so check the box scores). Away from stocks, green paper was a bit weaker, led by a bounce in the euro, oil lost 1%, fixed income was a bit lower, and the metals came to life, led by silver, which popped 3% to gold’s 1%. The miners similarly had a pretty strong day, just as they did yesterday. I didn’t note Monday’s action because I was suspicious it might have something to do with end-of-the-month tape painting, but obviously that was not the case.
Gold Dog, New Tricks Given the fact that the Bank of Japan did nothing new and the Fed is expected to make hawkish comments tomorrow regarding a December rate hike, it was an interesting time for the metals to pop. I’m sure today’s action has a number of people scratching their head as to how this could be. And I have to admit, I thought there was little chance for gold to start moving until we got past tomorrow’s promise from Fed heads to hike rates, assuming the data continues to be, in their words, “strong enough” (a phrase that is naturally open to subjective interpretation on their part). Having said that, I don’t feel there is going to be a hike because I don’t think the stock market or the economy are going to cooperate.
Make It Stop There is also the wild card of the election next week and despite the mainstream media and the polls suggesting that Trump is a long shot, I think the tally will be much closer and his chance of winning is nontrivial, although certainly not expected. I mention that because, were Trump to win, I think a lot of markets would be put in motion.
The stock market has been an accident waiting to happen, and considering how much Wall Street seems to be enamored of a Clinton victory, an upset would probably be enough of a catalyst to send the indices tumbling, which by extension would be a positive for gold — and take a rate hike off the table. On the other hand, in the event Hillary wins, I don’t think the stock market could really go up much.
In any event, I don’t want to get into too much of a discussion about what is liable to happen, as we will have the data in a few days and can decide exactly what to do in the wake of it from a stock market perspective. Besides, a precious metals position can do well under any number of potential scenarios we may see, and they may have already discounted a rate hike, which we probably won’t get. Included below are three questions and answers from the Q&A’s with Bill Fleckenstein. Bonus Q&A Question: If the bond market has “topped”, isn’t it irrelevant who wins the Presidency. In other words the bond market will be in full control and politicians will be late and simply be responding with desperate measures? Answer from Fleck: “ Yes, the President is irrelevant to a large degree versus the bond market.” Question: Dear Bill, Happy Halloween! If you were going to dress as something scary for Halloween would it be– a) deflation, b) a creepy clown, or c) one of the presidential candidates. Of course b) and c) aren’t mutually exclusive, since clowns can be either gender… Answer from Fleck: “ If I was going out to a party, I would dress as Mr. Politically Incorrect, and I’d try to wear a small bit of any/every costume that is deemed to be “offensive,” (i.e. part Chinese, Japanese, black, Arab, gay, trans, Indian, Mexican, angry clown, Hitler, etc.) I am so sick of microagression and related censorship. We have a right to free speech in this country, but there is no right to “not be offended.” People need to get over themselves. We have far bigger problems in this country than being offended.” Question: Yesterday you wrote “as the belief that the central planners have accomplished what they set out to, nothing can go wrong, and the election will go whichever way it needs to for us to live happily ever after.” I think the S&P 500 being flat for 22 months with fits and starts says something doesn’t it? Frustrating for bulls and bears alike. Answer from Fleck: “ Yeah, it does say something, which is, “without QE, the stock market can’t go up.” *** To subscribe to Bill Fleckenstein’s fascinating Daily Thoughts CLICK HERE.
***KWN has now released the remarkable audio interview with Nomi Prins CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
***ALSO RELEASED: Today’s Upside Move In Gold Is Nothing Compared To What Is Coming CLICK HERE.
***KWN has also released Rick Rule’s timely audio interview CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW.
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Hillary Is Asked Why Ambassador Stevens Didn’t Have Her Personal Email If He Was Such A Good Friend, But Political Hit Man Sydney Blumenthal Did [VIDEO] | Of course Hillary manages to turn the question around and make it appear as though the Congressman never asked her a direct question. Her answer to the Congressman was an admonishment asking the question was somehow calling the credibility of the diplomatic security professionals working in the State Department Hillary Clinton is a highly skilled liar who always manage to dodge the actual question and leave you wondering, How the hell did she just get out of answering that question! Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that she doesn t believe Ambassador Chris Stevens had her personal email, even though Sidney Blumenthal did in testimony before the Benghazi Select Committee on Thursday.Hillary was asked by Representative Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) You got a lot of emails from Sidney Blumenthal, and you say that Mr. Blumenthal was a friend of yours, and he had your personal email address. You say Chris Stevens was a friend of yours. He asked numerous times for extra protection. Now, if I had been Mr. Stevens, and I think anybody out there, anybody watching this, would agree, if I had been Mr. Stevens, and I had had a relationship with you, and I had requested 20 or more times for additional security to protect, not only my life, but the people that were there with me, I would have gotten in touch with you some way. I would have let you know that I was in danger, and the situation had deteriorated to a point I needed you to do something. Did he have your personal email? She answered, Congressman, I do not believe that he had my personal email. He had the email, and he had the direct line to everybody that he d worked with for years. He had been posted with officials in the State Department. They had gone through difficult, challenging, dangerous assignments together. He was in constant contact with people. | 1real |
POPULAR ACTOR TRAVELS TO Calais Jungle To Garner Sympathy For “Migrants”…Refugees Attack Them…Beat Them Up…Steal Their Phones | Why would this actor go to a place where violence, crime and murders are a regular occurrence and believe they wouldn t jump at the opportunity to steal whatever he or his crew had that was of any value? Remember, these are people who are leaving their homeland because they were being persecuted, so their violent behavior should be ignored by their host country right? I mean, they ve been through so much already. Who could blame them for stealing from, and beating the a*ses of celebrities who come to help them?A security team guarding Jude Law was attacked by migrants as the Hollywood star visited the jungle camp in Calais.The 43-year-old actor was in France with a film crew and Brit-winning singer Tom Odell , 25, to witness the horrors of the squalid makeshift village, which is due to be demolished.But shortly after the cameras stopped rolling, their minders were ambushed by some of the migrants and had their phones stolen.It is understood Jude was already on the production team s bus when the thugs struck.For entire story: Mirror UK | 1real |
BRAINWASHED CHILDREN MOCK President Trump in Disturbing Washington Post VIDEO | A disturbing video published by The Washington Post on June 29 shows a group of brainwashed students singing Twitter posts by President Donald Trump attempting to mock him. A group of about twelve children, entitled Washington Post Kids Chorus , are shown in a classroom banging on drums and waving American flags. The video is called The Washington Post s Kids Chorus Singing President Trump s Tweets . Following their mockery of President Donald Trump, the class sings the Post s new motto: Democracy Dies in Darkness .The Post does not state the name of the school or location where the mockery took place. The video, which was published on June 29 to the Post s verified YouTube account was also mentioned in the June 30 column, The Daily 202, titled The Daily 202 presents the world debut of the Washington Post Kids Chorus. Their first musical assignment had a political twist: the president s tweets. From our video team: .Viewers who were disgusted in the Washington Post video made some of the following comments: How about we leave 5-year-olds out of politics? Anything else is borderline brainwashing. Let the kids decide for themselves what their political beliefs are. No one else believes you so you have to trick children to push your narrative. This is just beyond wrong and twisted. The Left have always used children as political props. They control the schools so they have ready access. This is like North Korean propaganda. Let s use our children. Washington Post was once great, but no more. h/t Gateway Pundit | 1real |
UConn’s Recipe for Success Is to Run, Run and Run Some More - The New York Times | STORRS, Conn. — After losing to Connecticut by 61 points in the first round of the N. C. A. A. tournament, Albany’s coach suggested that the Huskies were not only the best women’s basketball team in the country but also the fittest. “I think we’re as in shape a team that you’re going to come across,” said the coach, Joanna . Yet, she added, “At times they just made us look bad in the way they pushed the ball. ” Robust conditioning is a particular imperative, and a stealth weapon, for a UConn team ( ) that rotates only seven players — five starters and two reserves — as it seeks a fifth consecutive national championship. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, UConn has won 109 consecutive games with an approach that is, in some ways, decidedly . For instance, the Huskies do not use devices like monitors, GPS tracking systems or other wearable technology designed to gauge fitness, enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury. “I’m not a big data guy,” UConn Coach Geno Auriemma said, adding with a laugh, “I’m not smart enough. ” Instead, the most dominant team in basketball places a premium on rigorous and varied preseason workouts, nutrition, sustained weight training through the season and, especially, on intense practices meant to simulate game conditions. The team relies heavily on the experience and intuition of Auriemma, UConn’s coach of 32 seasons, a Hall of Famer with nearly 1, 000 career wins, in knowing when to push hard in training and when to ease up. He firmly believes that, while weight training and conditioning are vital, “nothing gets you ready to play basketball like playing basketball. ” Auriemma has 11 national championships — and is four victories shy of his 12th — to validate his theory. UConn faces U. C. L. A. on Saturday in the semifinals of the Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional. “The reason we’re fit is that we practice at an intensity that no one else does,” said Amanda Kimball, the team’s longtime strength and conditioning coach. “To maintain that intensity, it’s important to make sure we’re doing the right things in the weight room. ” UConn’s brisk, practices are designed to prepare the regulars to play 30 or more of a game’s 40 minutes and to make quick and correct decisions when they are tired — to be able to hit a shot, make an intricate pass and guard the opponent’s top scorer in the closing minutes. “Their expectations are what you think you can’t do,” said Kyla Irwin, a freshman forward. To speed the pace of practices, a shot clock is sometimes used instead of the version used in games. Other times, four defenders hustle to guard six or seven shooters stationed around the perimeter and in the lane. One drill, involving three players at a time, requires each to run the length of the court, make a shot and return to the opposite baseline within 10 seconds. A similar drill, which includes an additional sprint to midcourt and back, must be completed within 17 seconds. As do other top women’s teams, UConn also trains against male players who are not of varsity caliber but who might have had college careers at smaller programs. And there is much less stopping for instruction than when Auriemma, 63, was a younger coach. He now prefers continuous movement, comparing his practices to preparing a car for racing. “We’re going to push this car to the limit so that when race day comes, we know what the limit is,” he said. “We do that every day. ” In the drill UConn calls Kansas, five players run the length of the court four times, rehearsing plays and fast breaks, and when they are winded, they conclude the exercise against a live defense. The drill can be repeated for 15 or 20 minutes. The drill is a exercise that lasts for five minutes as players rotate in and out. Afterward, the team runs from sideline to sideline for 30 or 60 seconds and immediately proceeds to a shooting drill called “35,” where the ball is not allowed to touch the court. “We do things to get us tired, and then when we get tired, we do things that require us to be mentally smart,” said Kia Nurse, a junior guard who has hit a remarkable 15 of 19 attempts in this N. C. A. A. tournament. Compared to practice, Nurse said, “The game is much easier. ” As the fourth quarter begins, she added: “That’s when your kicks in that we’re not tired. The other team might give up, but there’s no chance that we are. ” Ideally, Auriemma would use eight players in his regular rotation, to keep his team operating efficiently and his stars satisfied with their playing time. A pet saying of his, attributed to Red Auerbach, the legendary Boston Celtics coach, is, “If you can’t win with eight, you can’t win with 88. ” For various reasons, including an N. C. A. A. rule that has required two transfers to sit out this season before becoming eligible, the current UConn team has only seven players whom Auriemma trusts to play regularly. Several began fall practice recovering from injury or surgery. None had been asked until this season to regularly make decisive plays at critical moments. So proper fitness has become even more urgent. Chris Dailey, Auriemma’s top assistant coach for three decades, said the Huskies once tended to lift weights in the preseason and stop when the regular season began. Now, the players lift at least twice a week through the season to build or maintain strength. At this time of year, given the inevitable wear and tear after games, weight training shifts from a focus on squats to dead lifts, using a chassislike device called a trap bar, to ease the stress on the players’ backs. “That’s why we always look so good at the end, because we’re still getting stronger, or at least maintaining, where other teams are not lifting, possibly, or they’re backing off because they want to stay fresh for the tournament,” said Kimball, the strength and conditioning coach. Because UConn’s season regularly extends to the Final Four in April, Kimball said, “I can’t detrain them the whole month of March. ” Twice a day, at breakfast and dinner, players are required to answer a brief questionnaire on an iPad. How much did you sleep? Are you sore? Where? Did you eat lunch? How difficult was practice? Are you fatigued? Meals are designed by Kimball and catered so that she can make sure players are getting the right nutrients. An hour before each game, players drink a shake with carbohydrates it is designed to bolster their energy and stabilize levels. For recovery after weight training, Kimball is a proponent of tart cherry juice to help reduce joint and muscle pain. She is also a massage therapist, which gives her additional interactions with players, and more chances to gauge their fitness. “All this sports science is going on, but a lot of what we do is art,” Kimball said. “It comes from basically communicating with players. I see them multiple times a day. ‘Hey, how are you doing? You feel good? Not so good?’ It’s just a lot of communication, a lot of trust. ” For training in the and preseason, Kimball also has devised a diverse set of workouts: sprints using weighted sleds, spin classes, yoga and pool exercises that include running, plyometrics and relay races. At some point, Kimball wants to incorporate GPS technology, she said, but she noted that it “doesn’t measure heart and intensity and passion to win. ” “It doesn’t measure,” she said, “that these girls might want it more than the other guys. ” | 0fake |
When a Basic Laptop Will Do: Our Top Budget Picks - The New York Times | Ever since the advent of the iPhone and iPad, some people have been using their laptops a lot less. It made me wonder if I need one at all. So I asked Kimber Streams, who tests laptops at The Wirecutter, a product reviews website owned by The New York Times, for some advice. For people who basically use their laptop to browse the web and send email, is there a cheap option? Definitely. For those people, I recommend a Chromebook. It’s a laptop in the traditional sense, but it runs Chrome OS, a lighter operating system by Google that’s basically just a web browser. And you can get a great one for around $400. A Windows laptop that’s just as good costs at least $500, and they tend to be bigger and heavier, with worse battery life. With a Chromebook, can I use all the Google apps and store documents and spreadsheets on Google Drive? Yes. Google’s apps (which I use all the time for work) can open spreadsheets and documents, including those created in Microsoft Office. And most Chromebooks come with 100 gigabytes of free Google Drive storage for two years. Chromebooks encourage people to store documents in the cloud, because the machines have very little local storage (usually about 32 gigabytes). Microsoft also offers Office 365, a way to access Word, Excel and such on the web, if you need to use those particular programs. What’s the cheapest Chromebook to buy and what do you recommend? There are $200 Chromebooks, but we don’t recommend them because they usually have two gigabytes of memory and poor processors, which means you can’t have more than a couple of tabs open and everything loads very slowly. They’re truly painful to use, even for light browsing. Our top pick, the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Chromebook, is $430, and our budget pick, the Dell Chromebook 3380 Education, costs $300. That one is fast enough, but it has a shallow keyboard and a dim, screen. Even so, it’s the cheapest viable Chromebook. I always wondered why these things can’t run the apps that can run on phones, so I can do more things with them. Well, Google’s working on that! But it’s pretty rough around the edges right now. Google perpetually updates Chrome OS, so it’s possible apps will improve over the next couple of years. When I buy a laptop, do I still need to be concerned about specs? Yes, but only a little bit. Right now, a Chromebook shouldn’t have fewer than four gigabytes of memory, and a Celeron processor. A Windows laptop for everyday work needs at least eight gigs, and we recommend a Core i3 or Core i5 processor and a drive. For gaming or video editing, you’ll need 16 gigabytes of memory, at least a Core i5 or i7 processor, a dedicated graphics card and a drive. Processors aren’t improving as quickly as before, so any of the past few generations are fine, as long as they’re Core i processors. If I still need a real laptop, what should I be thinking about? Do you even recommend the best cheap Windows machine? Not really. Chances are, if all you need is a cheap laptop, then a Chromebook would work just as well and offer better performance. If you have only $500 to spend, then the cheap Windows laptop is your only option. It’ll do everything you need it to, but it’s large, bulky and has poor quality. If possible, I highly encourage people to save up an additional $200 or so and get the budget pick from our review of the best Windows ultrabooks: the Asus ZenBook UX330UA. It’s thin, lightweight, has excellent quality and battery life, and costs only $750. It’s an amazing computer for the price. It’s so good that we seriously discussed whether to recommend it over the Dell XPS 13, which has been our best Windows ultrabook since it was introduced in early 2015. We ultimately decided that Dell’s superior trackpad, Thunderbolt 3 support and portability made it worth the splurge if you can swing it, but the ZenBook is still a great option. In fact, my mom is shopping for a laptop right now, and that’s the one I told her to buy. | 0fake |
Peru president-elect jokes about ending ties with U.S. if Trump wins | LIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s president-elect Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said amid laughter on Tuesday that his government would sever ties with the United States if Republican Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November. Kuczynski, a 77-year-old former investment banker who won the Andean country’s tight runoff race earlier this month, said he mentioned his worries about a Trump presidency to U.S. President Barack Obama on a congratulatory phone call. Asked by a reporter what would happen to relations with the United States if Trump wins, a laughing Kuczynski said “we’re going to grab a saw and cut them off!” The presumptive Republican nominee in the race to succeed Obama, Trump has sparked criticism across Latin America for his anti-immigrant rhetoric, especially in Mexico where President Enrique Pena Nieto has compared his campaign to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Trump is a threat to the region “because he wants to put up a wall between the United States and Latin America and make Mexicans pay for it!” Kuczynski said in reference to Trump’s proposal for stemming the flow of undocumented immigrants and drugs across the southern U.S. border. Peru is a leading global supplier of copper and gold. It also shares the dubious distinction with neighboring Colombia of being one of the world’s leading producers of cocaine. Peru and the United States implemented a free trade agreement in 2009 and are both signatories of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which Trump has criticized. | 0fake |
WATCH: CNN Majorly F*cks Up, Has White Supremacist Weigh In On DACA Panel | Donald Trump is the first authoritarian president we have ever had. Of course, one of the hallmarks of autocrats is that they destabilize trust in the free press and eventually attempt to squash the Fourth Estate altogether. Trump has done a remarkable job of implementing this dangerous autocratic strategy with his base. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that news outlets make sure that everything they do is on the up and up. This is especially true of outlets that are favorite targets of Trump s such as CNN.Unfortunately, it seems that CNN is dropping the ball there in a major way. Case in point they had a white supremacist sit on a nationally televised panel about the debate over whether or not the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program otherwise known as DACA should be rescinded by the Trump Administration.On Monday s edition of its early show, CNN had a panel discussion regarding the program that protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who were brought here through no fault of their own by their parents and know no other home. On the panel were Democratic strategist Maria Cordona, and Dan Stein of the Foundation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). However, there was one particularly disturbing detail that CNN left out of Stein s introduction: That his organization has a long history of trafficking in white supremacy. Luckily for the sake of public information, Think Progress s Judd Legum did it for them. Legum writes: CNN did not mention FAIR s deep roots in white supremacy, eugenics, and white nationalism. The organization was founded by John Tanton, who founded FAIR to keep America a majority-white population. Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center says of the founder of FAIR: [Tanton] has corresponded with Holocaust deniers, former Klan lawyers and the leading white nationalist thinkers of the era. He introduced key FAIR leaders to the president of the Pioneer Fund, a white supremacist group set up to encourage race betterment, at a 1997 meeting at a private club. He wrote a major funder to encourage her to read the work of a radical anti-Semitic professor to give you a new understanding of the Jewish outlook on life and suggested that the entire FAIR board discuss the professor s theories on the Jews. Judd Legum goes on to say that Stein, said he believes America s immigration laws, which he regards as too permissive, are an effort to retaliate against Anglo-Saxon dominance. He said that the current generation of immigrants is engaged in competitive breeding and that [m]any of them hate America, hate everything the United States stands for. As for Stein s contributions to the CNN panel on Monday morning? He insisted that DACA is nothing more than arbitrary amnesty program, and said that Democrats should be forced to help the GOP secure the borders, build the wall, interior enforcement and cut chain migration if they want to protect the DACA kids. In other words, make sure we keep America mostly white. No more brown people for this guy.Now, CNN has some great anchors. They really do. Personally, I try to tear myself away from MSNBC in order to watch them sometimes particularly OutFront with Erin Burnett and The Lead with Jake Tapper. That being said, I have never been comfortable with their penchant for allowing Trump supporters to spew unchecked lies on the air. In this climate of deteriorating confidence in the Fourth Estate and confusion about what is and isn t true, these practices are hardly in the interest of the public good. Now, they have white supremacists as panelists, somehow believing that these views should be given mainstream legitimacy.Get your act together CNN. This is why I definitely prefer MSNBC.Watch this appalling discussion below:Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
BREAKING: PLOT TO KILL TRUMP in NEVADA EXPOSED - PLEASE PRAY - World News Politics | November 12, 2016 174
There was recently an attempt on Trump’s life in Nevada, where the Republican was immediately rushed off the stage by secret service agents on that strange Saturday evening in Reno, Nevada. It was unclear at the time what caused the agents to act in that manner, but it immediately came clear.
Trump was peering into the crowd just before his speech was interrupted.
We have the video from the moment of attack:
Clinton mafia want to stop him by any means!
If you agree, please share and comment below.
Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below to let us know what you think of this.
Also, share this article on Facebook and Twitter to spread the truth.
People, this is just a reminder that even now, with Trump as our President, he is the target of fanatical liberals or, maybe even Democrats. | 1real |
Thousands of Romanians mourn former king Michael | BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians lined the streets of Bucharest on Saturday for the funeral of the country s former king Michael, one of the last surviving World War Two European heads of state. Born in 1921, Michael ruled Romania twice, switched its alliance away from Nazi Germany to the Allied side during the war and was subsequently forced into exile by a Communist takeover in 1947. He died in Switzerland on Dec. 5 at the age of 96, having retired from public life due to severe illness in 2016. On Saturday, Bucharest churches rang their bells and mourners, many in tears, threw white flowers at the funeral procession, chanting King Michael and Down with communism . European royalty attended, including Spain s former king, Juan Carlos, Britain s Prince Charles, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia. Even though the restoration of the monarchy is not an issue in the European Union state, Michael commanded great respect from Romanians who saw him in sharp opposition to a political class which they link with poverty and corruption. His death comes at a time of deep divisions in Romanian society. Massive street protests against attempts by the ruling Social Democrats to weaken the fight against corruption and the rule of law have taken place on and off throughout 2017. Earlier this month, the Social Democrats used their solid majority to approve a judicial overhaul in the lower house that threatens to put the justice system under political control. On Monday, lawmakers begin debating changes to the criminal code that critics say will derail law and order. A descendant of the German Hohenzollern dynasty and a cousin of Britain s Queen Elizabeth, Michael was in his early twenties when he participated in a 1944 coup that overthrew fascist leader Marshal Ion Antonescu. Romania then broke with Nazi Germany and switched to the Allied side. Historians have said his actions might have shortened the war and saved thousands of lives. After communism collapsed, politicians fearing Michael s influence blocked his first few attempted visits after decades of exile in Switzerland, Britain and the United States. He finally returned to Romania in 1992 and regained citizenship in 1997. With his passing, the Romanian royal family s relevance will likely fade, since his children have little public standing. Princess Margareta, his eldest daughter, remains custodian of the crown. | 0fake |
U.S., Russian, Japanese crew blasts off for space station | (Reuters) - A trio of U.S. and Japanese astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday for a two-day trip to the International Space Station, a NASA TV broadcast showed. Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and flight engineers Norishige Kanai of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Scott Tingle of NASA lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:21 p.m. local time (0721 GMT/0221 EST). The crew will gradually approach the station, which orbits about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth, for two days before docking. Shkaplerov, Kanai and Tingle will join Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA, who have been aboard the orbital outpost since September. Onboard cameras showed crew members making thumbs-up gestures after the blast-off. Also visible was a stuffed dog toy chosen by Shkaplerov s daughter to be the spacecraft s zero-gravity indicator. Soyuz was safely in orbit about 10 minutes after the launch. | 0fake |
A Study On How Often Donald Trump Lies–Complete With Proof (VIDEO) | Donald Trump is a liar. Not the kind of lies that qualify as little white lies or harmless little fibs. He doesn t just exaggerate a little or embellish his stories. No, Donald Trump qualifies for full pants on fire status. A recent study of nearly 40 hours of campaign footage by Politico found that The Donald lies on average every five minutes. go ahead and read that again and take it in for all it s worth: Donald Trump tells a bald-faced lie every five minutes he s at a podium.His followers eat it up. Whether he s inventing numbers about trade deficits, creating success stories that definitely never actually happened to him or defending his bankruptcies, out-of-court settlements and failed business ventures, Donald Trump truly personifies the old adage that you can tell if he s lying if his lips are moving. Politico stated:We chronicled 4.6 hours of stump speeches and press conferences, from a rally in Concord, N.C., on Monday to a rally on Friday in St. Louis.The result: more than five dozen statements deemed mischaracterizations, exaggerations, or simply false the kind of stuff that would have been stripped from one of our stories, or made the whole thing worthy of the spike. It equates to roughly one misstatement every five minutes on average.They also produced a video of some of those lies captioned with the truth for your viewing pleasure:How anyone can take this buffoon seriously is a mystery. While most Republicans are well-known for blaming the problems they and their party created for our country on Democrats, specifically President Obama, Trump is content to lie when the truth goes better. For example, we have a $366 billion trade deficit with China, which Trump has repeatedly exaggerated to $500 billion. Is that extra $134 billion really that important? Most middle and working class Americans struggle to keep $1000 in the bank, Donald. $366 billion more than makes the point.Another fan favorite is the ever-benevolent Trump and his self-funded campaign. Trump has passed the $7 million mark on donations from people who hit the big blue donate button on his website, and the bulk of his self-funding comes in the form of a $17.5 million loan from Donald J Trump. That loan can be repaid anytime up until shortly after his campaign ends. Trump s actual personal contributions total a little over $200K.That s how good Christians like Donald Trump operate. They hide behind lies. The truth that they are corporate lackeys looking to better their personal portfolios and secure a future for old, white, male America isn t so easy to campaign on, so they conjure a truth that fits their dialogue. In Trump s case, the truth is far more frightening than most, if not all, Republicans who have come before him: He wants the presidency so he can enjoy the pinnacle of power and blow things up.Not exactly a good enough reason to hand a lunatic the nuclear football but hey, you can t blame a megalomaniac for trying.Featured image from Gage Skidmore | 1real |
Caitlyn Jenner, teen singer appeal to Trump on transgender rights | (Reuters) - A teenaged singer with a transgender sister, best known for performing the U.S. national anthem at President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner have both asked to discuss the issue with him. Jackie Evancho, 16, requested the meeting in a Twitter message late on Wednesday, minutes after the administration revoked landmark guidance to public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms of their choice. “I am obviously disappointed in the @POTUS decision to send the #transgender bathroom issue to the states to decide. #sisterlove,” she wrote from her account, @jackieevancho. Trump “gave me the honor” of singing at the inauguration, she added in another tweet. “Pls give me & my sis the honor 2 meet with u 2 talk #transgender rghts.” On Thursday evening former Olympic gold medalist and transgender activist Jenner also weighed in on social media, telling Trump on Twitter that “from one Republican to another, this is a disaster” and asking the president to call her. White House spokesman Sean Spicer, asked at a briefing if Trump would meet with Evancho, said the president would welcome a meeting with her. As of Thursday evening, more than 10,000 Twitter users had liked the request by Evancho, a classical crossover singer who rose to fame on the TV show “America’s Got Talent.” Evancho was the first performer announced for Trump’s inauguration ceremony, an event that a number of other entertainers shunned because of the president’s views. Trump, a Twitter user, has not responded to the request, Evancho said on Thursday during an appearance with her sister, Juliet, on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “I just want to enlighten him on what my sister - I’ve seen her go through every single day in school,” she said. Juliet Evancho, a high school senior, said the president needed to know about the threats facing students who identify as a gender other than the one with which they were born. “I’ve had things thrown at me,” she said. “I’ve had people say pretty horrible things, and the unsafe environment is just very unhealthy.” The Evancho family is suing Juliet’s Pittsburgh-area school district over her right to use women’s bathrooms. The Trump administration’s action on Wednesday reversed a signature initiative of former president Barack Obama, whose Justice and Education departments had threatened to withhold funding for schools that did not comply with its guidance. | 0fake |
Disturbing Uncovered Emails From Huma Abedin Bring Hillary’s Mental Health Into Question: “Often confused” | How quickly the Democrats have forgotten about that little incident that landed Hillary in the hospital, following the death of the 4 Americans that she likely caused in Benghazi After reviewing more than 35 pages of email from top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, Judicial Watch observes that Abedin advised a State Department staffer that it was very important to review phone calls with Clinton because she was often confused. Judicial Watch notes that Abedin emailed State Department Clinton aide and companion Monica Hanley from her Huma@clintonemail.com to alert her about the need to go over phone calls with Clinton.Additionally, Abedin s emails reveal repeated security breaches, with the Secretary s schedule and movements being sent and received through Abedin s non-governmental and unsecured Clinton server account, states Judicial Watch.On January 26, 2013, Abedin had the following email exchange with Hanley:Abedin: Have you been going over her calls with her? So she knows singh is at 8? [India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh] Hanley: She was in bed for a nap by the time I heard that she had an 8am call. Will go over with her Abedin: Very imp to do that. She s often confused. The emails also provide specific details of Clinton s last day in office on January 31, 2013. Exact times and locations of all her appointments during the day are given. Huma Abedin s description of Hillary Clinton as easily confused tells you all you need to know why it took a federal lawsuit to get these government emails from Clinton s illegal email server, said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. These emails also show that Hillary Clinton s and Huma Abedin s decision to use the Clinton email server to conduct government business was dangerous and risky. Via: Breitbart NewsHere is Bill Clinton attempting to convince the interviewer that Hillary works out every week (not every day) and that she is the picture of health:From Edward Klein s book Unlikeable :Ed Klein, whose book Unlikeable hits shelves on Sept. 28, told the National Enquirer that the former secretary of state is battling a host of mounting health issues including blinding headaches that have frequently plagued her. Bachmann, a former Minnesota Republican congresswoman, bowed out of the 2012 GOP primary race after reports surfaced that she was wrestling with debilitating migraine headaches including one that kept her offstage during part of a televised debate. A Clinton friend told Klein that the Democrats current leading light might even be suffering from multiple sclerosis.Clinton herself released a letter on July 28 from a doctor who gave her a clean bill of health.Dr. Lisa Bardack of Mount Kisco, N.Y. wrote that Clinton, 67, has completely recovered from a December 2012 concussion that left her seeing double for two months.While treating that condition, doctors diagnosed a blood clot in her sinuses, requiring long-term daily doses of the blood-thinning medication Coumadin.Bardack added that Clinton had been diagnosed with blood clots previously, in both 1998 and 2009. But Klein s book goes far beyond talk of ordinary medical conditions. For the first time I ve known her, she s showing self-doubt about her strength and vitality, a friend of Hillary told him, according to Radar Online.She also reportedly suffers from severe insomnia, which has sapped her energy just when she needed it most for the campaign. She is exhausted and depressed a lot of the time, the friend said, and has turned to sleeping pills in order to rest at night. | 1real |
ILLEGAL ALIEN Who Helps Illegals Stay In U.S. ARRESTED For Drunk Driving…Why The Left May Not Be Able To Stop Her Deportation [VIDEO] | The Office of Immigration Statistics reported that of the 188,382 deportations of illegal aliens in 2011, 23 percent had committed criminal traffic offenses (primarily driving under the influence). Congressman Steve King (R-IA) estimates that illegal alien drunk drivers kill 13 Americans every day that s a death toll of 4,745 per year.Trump has taken a hard-line on illegal alien drunk drivers in America. He is the only politician who is addressing this serious problem. He can be seen here embracing parents and families who have been torn apart by the death of a loved one at the hands of an illegal alien:This is the story of a prominent illegal alien activist and drunk driver the Left is embracing and working so hard to keep in America: On May 28, the community organizer for Casa, a national immigrants rights organization based in Maryland, was stopped by police and arrested for a DUI after having had two margaritas at a restaurant. Her blood alcohol was twice the legal limit for driving.Her arrest sent a shockwave through the activist community, with petitions from organizations such as Change.org being filed to stop her deportation.The last thing anyone in the immigrant activist community would have expected was that Wendy Uruchi Contreras would be arrested and potentially deported.Uruchi s attorney, Enid Gonzalez, told Fox News Latino her team filed for a stay of removal with the Department of Homeland Security on Friday. Her case is very unusual, Gonzalez said. Since she came to the U.S. on a visa waiver which allows visitors from 38 countries to stay for up to 90 days without a visa she automatically waived any possible effort to block removal from the country. Gonzalez added, Had she come in undocumented, she d have a strong defense for cancellation for removal, because of her children. She d meet those requirements. The decision on her stay of removal could take a day or six weeks. If immigration authorities recommend granting it, she ll likely have a year to remain in the U.S., and Gonzalez says immigration officials keep very close tabs on people in those circumstances.Uruchi didn t start her career as an activist very long ago. According to the Washington Post, she met some employees from Casa a few years ago at an event at the Salvadoran Embassy, and she began going to events, then organizing them. In 2014, she was hired full-time as a Virginia community organizer.Uruchi spent the last two years helping undocumented immigrants fight their deportations, without ever revealing her own status. Via: Latino Fox News | 1real |
Sparks Fly Between Clinton And Sanders At Flint Debate | Sparks Fly Between Clinton And Sanders At Flint Debate
In their seventh debate, this time in Flint, Mich., Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders agreed on the root causes of that city's drinking water crisis. They both called for a massive federal intervention and investigation of the lead poisoning there and urged that the state's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, either resign or be recalled.
But the two Democratic candidates also clashed over the role of trade deals in the deterioration of Michigan's economy, the usefulness of the Export-Import Bank and the state of manufacturing in America generally.
They also disagreed about gun control and the best way to expand health care coverage to the maximum of Americans. They had predictably different views of whether President Bill Clinton helped or hurt African-Americans during his eight years in office.
Sometimes, the contrast between their positions, aims and personalities created visible tension. When Clinton talked about cracking down on U.S. companies that move jobs overseas or move their corporate headquarters to duck U.S. taxes, Sanders was contemptuous.
"I am very glad," Sanders said, "that Secretary Clinton discovered religion on this issue. But it's a little bit too late."
At another juncture, Clinton noted Sanders' vote against the 2009 bailout for the auto industry as a contrast between them.
"If you are talking about the Wall Street bailout where some of your friends destroyed this economy," Sanders began. Clinton began to interrupt, then Sanders said: "Excuse me, I'm talking."
"If you're going to talk, tell the whole story," said Clinton.
"Let me tell my story, you tell yours," he responded.
There were also hostile exchanges on the issue Clinton's team regards as Sanders' greatest vulnerability in the primaries. Clinton noted that Sanders voted against a bill making gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed with their products, calling it a blanket immunity enjoyed by no other industry.
Sanders said Clinton was talking about a position whereby no guns could be manufactured in the U.S. at all, adding that he disagreed with that.
Both candidates admitted they did not and could not really know how it felt to be a person of color in the U.S. Each related experiences in their youth that brought them into confrontation with the racial schism of their time. Clinton spoke of exchanges between her suburban church and the youth of inner-city churches in Chicago. Sanders related his own arrest for protesting discrimination in housing in the same city, when he was a student at the University of Chicago.
But despite the frequent disagreements and reliance on sarcasm, the debate between these two candidates was a broadly collegial affair when compared with the two most recent Republican debates.
"I just want to make one point," said Clinton near the end of the evening. "We have our differences and we get into vigorous debate about issues. But compare the substance of this debate with what you saw on the Republican stage last week."
Sanders agreed, saying either he or Clinton would invest "a lot of money into mental health, and when you watch these Republican debates you know why we need to invest."
If you have watched all six of the previous debates among the Democratic candidates, you know well the arc of the contest thus far.
Initially, the Democratic National Committee wanted only four debates and scheduled this small number in time slots all but guaranteed to minimize the audience watching in real time. Pressure to expose the candidates and create more competition between them led to additional debates.
The stage at first included not only Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders but three other contestants as well: former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, former Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland and former Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.
Webb dropped out on Oct. 20, complaining about his scant speaking time. Chafee also suspended his campaign three days later. O'Malley lasted until the Iowa caucuses, where his minor fraction of the vote indicated he was not connecting with voters.
Since then, Sanders and Clinton have met several times, and their encounters have been progressively less cordial. Sanders had been generous toward the former secretary of state in the first debates, even helping her deflect criticism for keeping official business on her private server while in office.
But as the Sanders campaign matured into a major competitor for Clinton, Sanders became more challenging, even hostile. In February in Milwaukee, he interjected a quick jab: "You're not the president yet."
The Flint debate featured several similar moments when, without becoming overtly nasty, Sanders managed to assert his presence and challenge the air of dominance Clinton has sought to project.
On this occasion, Sanders could also note, as he did, that he had won three of the four states where voting took place over the weekend: Kansas, Nebraska and Maine. Big margins in these states had given him a slight edge over Clinton in the delegate allocations for the weekend, despite her overwhelming win in Louisiana, a primary state where far more votes were cast than in the three caucus states combined.
Clinton could say she won more votes over the weekend than any of her rivals in either party, and she could say she'd won a million more votes than Donald Trump thus far in all the primaries and caucuses around the country.
Clinton's margin among "pledged delegates," whose vote is allocated according to primaries or caucuses, is still near 200. When so-called superdelegates (elected officials and party leaders) are included, her advantage swells to more than 600. | 0fake |
Darren Wilson Just Admitted He LIED About Michael Brown Trying To Take His Gun | If you ask any conservative, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was completely justified in shooting Michael Brown under extremely suspicious circumstances because the unarmed African-American teenager tried to Grab Wilson s gun. This, Wilson now admits, is a lie.In his 2014 testimony, Wilson claimed that Brown grabbed his gun and said you are too much of a pussy to shoot me. The gun goes down into my hip and at that point I thought I was getting shot, Wilson said and the Right ate it up.This self-defense claim also allowed the officer to escape without any criminal charges, and was very popular among conservatives, who wanted nothing more than to exonerate their beloved white police officer. But Wilson s answer now is very, very different. In a questionnaire related to a civil trial, he now admits it didn t happen.Wilson now says that not only was the holster designed to prevent the very scenario that he says made him scared enough to shoot the unarmed teen, but that Brown did not try to remove the gun from his holster at all (though he does still maintain that Brown was a living, breathing weapon of mass destruction):Wilson also admits that he used the word n*gger* to refer to African-Americans, and that he heard other Ferguson cops do the same:At this point, if it is not clear to you that there was a severe miscarriage of justice in not locking this monster up, there is no help for you.Featured image via screengrab | 1real |
null | Whoa! Amazing video. Hate to be inside that one!
The Russians have very good equipment, simple, easy to manufacture and obviously lethal. | 1real |
Alaska's top court rejects parental notice for abortions | SEATTLE (Reuters) - An Alaska law requiring doctors to notify the parents of girls under the age of 18 seeking an abortion violates the state’s constitution and cannot be enforced, the state’s top court ruled on Friday. The 4-1 decision marks a long-awaited victory for Planned Parenthood and other abortion-rights advocates in Alaska who argued the 2010 law violates the privacy of pregnant teens. It also comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down a Texas abortion law imposing strict regulations on doctors and facilities in the strongest endorsement of abortion rights in America in more than two decades. A woman’s right to abortion was established in the court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, but several states have tried to restrict access to abortion through their own laws. In Alaska, Planned Parenthood and doctors argued that the notification law was particularly threatening to vulnerable teens who live in abusive homes. Justice Daniel Winfree, writing for the majority, said that the notification law’s “discriminatory barrier to those minors seeking to exercise their fundamental privacy right to terminate a pregnancy violates Alaska’s equal protection guarantee.” Another justice, Dana Fabe, in a concurring opinion, wrote that “the Alaska Constitution permits a parental notification law, but not one that contains provisions that are among the most restrictive of any state’s notification laws.” The office of Alaska’s Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Alaska’s law required 48-hour advance notice to parents before a physician may terminate a minor’s pregnancy, though it allowed a minor to seek a judge’s permission to bypass the notice process and granted an exception for medical emergencies. The law took effect in 2010 after a Superior Court ruled that the state had an interest in promoting communication between a pregnant girl and her family. Christine Charbonneau, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, said in a statement that “We all want teens to be safe - and the sad truth is that some teens live in dangerous homes and can’t go to their parents.” | 0fake |
Betting sites see record wagering on U.S. presidential election | NEW YORK (Reuters) - The raucous, passionate and unpredictable 2016 U.S. presidential election is on track to notch another distinction: the most wagered-upon political event ever. With many opinion polls showing a tight race just one day before Tuesday’s election, record numbers of bettors are pouring millions into online platforms from Ireland to Iowa in the hope of capturing a financial windfall from a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump. UK-based internet betting exchange Betfair said on Sunday its “Next President” market was set to become the most traded it had ever seen and expected to surpass even Brexit, the contentious UK referendum to leave the European Union. By Sunday, roughly $130 million had been traded on who will become the next U.S. president, compared with $159 million on the Brexit referendum, Betfair spokeswoman Naomi Totten said. The amount bet so far on the 2016 contest dwarfs the roughly $50 million laid on the 2012 race. “We think it is because (of) how raw the Brexit (vote) is in people’s minds - they’re not convinced yet that it’s a done deal,” Totten said. Most polls leading into Britain’s June 23 referendum predicted Britons would choose to remain in the EU. Instead, they voted to leave by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin. Betfair’s “Next President” market was by far the largest of more than 70 markets on the site related to the U.S. election. As of Friday, some $140 million has been put into play on markets ranging from who will win the popular vote to how many states each party will carry. On Ireland’s Paddy Power, which merged with Betfair earlier this year, the U.S. presidential election “is definitely on course to be the biggest political event,” said spokesman Féilim Mac An Iomaire. The site has had about $4.38 million bet on the race so far. For Paddy Power, sporting events remain the site’s “bread and butter,” with politics more of a “niche market,” Mac An Iomaire said. Nonetheless, he expects the 2016 race to be among the top 10-most-traded events on the site. Even people with no knowledge of politics know who Trump is, said Mac An Iomaire said, explaining the runaway popularity of the U.S. election in betting markets. “Trump is such a huge celebrity.” Ladbrokes, a UK-based gambling company, said about 5 million pounds, or a little over $6 million, had been bet on the 2016 presidential election since its markets on the race opened four years ago. A Ladbrokes spokesman said that amount was “at least double” the amount wagered on the 2012 election. The three sites all reported an 83 percent probability of a Clinton victory on Tuesday. Her probability shot up a few percentage points on Sunday after the FBI stood by its earlier recommendation that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton in her use of a private email server. The vast majority of big-dollar political betting occurs outside America. Wagering on elections in the United States is limited by law to relatively small trading platforms connected to universities, which use data from the markets for academic research. Still, the sites are abuzz with activity as the election nears, albeit in small amounts. On PredictIt, launched in 2014 and jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc, the five most-active markets all related to the presidential election. PredictIt is not legally permitted to disclose the amount of money traded, but its top three markets have all reached the maximum number of participants. Trading on the older Iowa Electronic Markets, launched by the University of Iowa in 1988, has also been brisk, although a spokeswoman said she could not say if 2016 was seeing substantially more volume than in 2012, when President Barack Obama won re-election against Republican Mitt Romney. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Clinton with a 5 percentage point lead over Trump in the national survey - 44 percent to 39 percent - while races in the swing states of Florida, North Carolina had shifted from Clinton’s control to being too close to call. The PredictIt market gave Clinton an 81 percent probability of winning the White House. IEM’s “Winner Takes All” market showed her with a 71 percent chance . Betfair said on Friday that Trump was emerging as the clear favorite among one group of players in particular - Brexit backers. Two-thirds of its customers who had supported a Brexit outcome were also backing Trump on Betfair. Paul Krishnamurty, a professional gambler for 15 years who works as an analyst at Betfair and a columnist at Politico, is not one of them. He told Reuters he stood to lose $28,000 if Trump wins on Tuesday. Krishnamurty, who said he had earned roughly half a million dollars during his betting career, has laid money on several election-related markets this year. He took a winning position on Trump’s selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate and bet against Jeb Bush during the Republican nominating contests. He said he believed Clinton would likely to win both North Carolina and Florida and that a Trump victory was unlikely. “I personally believe she will win in a landslide,” Krishnamurty said. | 0fake |
Russia prevented Spain from diplomatical conflict denying its proposal | Russia prevented Spain from diplomatical conflict denying its proposal 27.10.2016 | Source: AP Photo
Russian ships led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will not enter into the Spanish harbor of Ceuta because of the naval group's route change, the Russian embassy in Spain said Wednesday.
"We confirm that the ships will not enter the Ceuta port because the route has changed," stated the embassy official.
Earlier the Spanish Foreign Ministry said that Madrid was considering granting the Russian naval task group access to Ceuta on October 28-November 2, drawing criticism from NATO.
On October 15, the Russian Northern Fleet's press service said that a group of warships headed by the Admiral Kuznetsov, accompanied by the Pyotr Veliky battle cruiser, the Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov anti-submarine destroyers, and support vessels, had been sent to the Mediterranean to hold drills and strengthen capabilities.
Such decision may sound ridiculous due to the fact that a week ago Spain has signed the EU's announce on Russian's military offence in Aleppo. Moreover, two weeks ago Spain had developed a resolution that blamed Russian's military activities in Syria.
Pravda.Ru's political expert Alexander Chichin revealed the nature of the contrariety of Spain's policy on Russia.
Expert said that this decision is connected with NATO's attitude. Initially it all was referred to one tanker which was not an issue for Spain. Then they discovered that there was a whole fleet. Afterwards spanish realised that this fleet included aircraft carrier 'Admiral Kusnetsov', cruiser 'Pyotr Veliky' and antisubmarine aircraft carrier 'Severomorsk'.
That's why Spain had to refuse. At the moment spanish people say that they are very ashamed for not refusing straight away. They are disappointed that they have recieved NATO's warn.
It is worth mentiong that Spain could have got benefits from this proposal because the country needs money. These ships during only six days could make a great sum of money from Russia to Spain.
Spain had to choose between its international authoriy and its inner financial profits. Abandonnig the proposal, Russia saved Spain from resolving this kind of dilemma.
Pravda.Ru
Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru Will Spain rise to glory with Felipe VI? | 1real |
A Love Lost, and a Life to Be Regained - The New York Times | He was not her type. He was too old for her. She would never give him her number. And then she did. And he called her. And they fell in love. He called three times a day for a week before she finally answered. Alena Kastsiuk picked up the phone that May morning in 2011 only to yell at him for waking her. “How about sushi?” he responded. Ms. Kastsiuk, a waitress who had worked other jobs, had little money for such luxuries. Her refrigerator was empty, so she agreed. The sushi date lasted five and a half hours. Although he was almost twice her age, Ms. Kastsiuk, a film directing major from Belarus struggling to find her way into New York’s film industry, discovered much in common with the Russian pianist across from her. The pianist, Vladimir Spitsberg, had arrived in New York State more than 20 years earlier, worked as a digital media arts instructor at Touro College in Manhattan and played with his band, Gypsy Fun Trio, at a Russian restaurant and piano bar in Midtown Manhattan. “I fell in love that day,” said Ms. Kastsiuk, now 29. “And I didn’t even understand love yet. ” They married three weeks later. “Maybe three and a half weeks,” she said. It was not a marriage of convenience. Neither was a United States citizen. They married for love, but the ceremony was a nightmare. On what was supposed to be her wedding day, Ms. Kastsiuk discovered that the security tag was still attached to her dress. Mr. Spitsberg pulled at it, and yellow paint exploded on her gown. She changed into a sundress, and they hurtled to the Brooklyn clerk’s office with 30 minutes to spare before it closed. But they forgot their rings and had to turn back to retrieve them. They made it back to the clerk’s office just after it closed. Friends were waiting at Uncle Vanya Cafe in Midtown and the party could not be called off, so they put together an impromptu ceremony with a friend splashing them with Cognac and sliding the rings over their fingers. He declared them married. The next morning, they returned to the clerk’s office to marry for real. By 2014, they had created Karma World Productions, a film company, where she handled the editing and videography and he produced the music. Ms. Kastsiuk had noticed signs of her husband’s health problems — his ashen face and frequent sweats — before their marriage. Sometimes he would collapse on her couch, unable to make it home. But he did not tell her about his longtime heart and blood pressure problems. Mr. Spitsberg lost his teaching job in 2014. His band started to play at a different restaurant later that year, leading to further stress. He was asked to advise a film project about Russian immigrants in the United States, but the job fell through. He agreed to compose the film’s score, instead. Depressed, Mr. Spitsberg drank, skipped his heart medication and refused to go to a hospital. Helpless, Ms. Kastsiuk watched as his late hours with the band and heavy drinking took a toll. “I was fighting for him all the time,” she said. “But his style of life was taking him away from me. ” On May 13, Ms. Kastsiuk heard her husband calling from the bedroom. “He was sitting on the bed, white and sweating,” she said. “Everything was wet. ” She called 911 and waited for help. “Sit close to me,” he said. When emergency responders arrived, the numbness in his chest had spread to his legs. As Mr. Spitsberg was taken to a hospital, Ms. Kastsiuk followed on a bicycle, calling his cellphone repeatedly on the way. But Mr. Spitsberg, 51, was pronounced dead before she arrived. In the emergency room, she held his hand, not letting go until his fingers turned blue. On a cold December morning, sitting inside a Midtown office, seven months after his death, Ms. Kastsiuk still spoke of him in the present tense. She reflected on a life beginning with their romance. She had come to New York in 2008 at 21, initially on a student visa. With $100 in her pocket, she supported herself as a maid, a waitress and a flower seller. Meeting college students in film school in fall 2010, she produced several small video projects. But Mr. Spitsberg had introduced her to an entirely different New York, with evenings at Samovar, the Midtown restaurant where his band played, drinking vodka and singing Russian songs. She networked with producers, became a business partner with her husband and made films. Without children, the couple got a West Highland white terrier. Returning to their Coney Island apartment on the day he died, she felt trapped, as if still in the moments before his death. Valeriy Zhmud, the friend who led the couple’s unofficial marriage ceremony, joined her with a bottle of Mr. Spitsberg’s favorite pinot noir, and she opened the fridge to find the pork that he had cooked the day before. Overcome, she threw it out. But life outside the apartment continued. The band hired another pianist. The couple’s film company halted operation. Financial trouble, which had been a problem for years, increased after his death. Though she is in the country legally, Ms. Kastsiuk does not have a green card, something she is pursuing now. She received a payment of $255 from Social Security after her husband’s death. Without his income, she is looking for a roommate to split the cost of her $1, 350 rent. Over the summer, the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, a beneficiary agency of of New York, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, provided Ms. Kastsiuk with $1, 481 of Neediest funds to cover one month’s rent and electricity. “I didn’t know what to do,” Ms. Kastsiuk recalled. “And I didn’t think they’d help me. I’m not Jewish, but that didn’t matter to them. ” The organization has helped with another month’s rent and provided bereavement counseling to help her start over in a city filled with memories of her husband. She takes comfort in walks with their dog. “He’s the only family I have right now,” she said. “He looks at me and understands my heart. ” | 0fake |
Dem outcry on abortion measure they failed to notice threatens to stall anti-sex trafficking bill | A bipartisan bill aimed at combating human sex trafficking has hit a major snag after Senate Democrats -- who unanimously voted to move the bill out of committee -- hit the brakes upon discovering a Republican-backed abortion provision.
Though the relatively modest 68-page bill has been available for nearly two months, it wasn't until this week that Senate Democrats said they noticed the language, and subsequently threatened to block the bill.
As drafted, the legislation would crack down on what lawmakers in both parties agree is a seamy underworld of drugs and human sex trafficking akin to modern-day slavery. Fines paid by those convicted of the sex-trafficking crimes would go into a fund to help victims.
But Democrats now are balking because the legislation also contains a Republican-inserted provision that bars the use of fines to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the pregnant woman is in jeopardy.
"Democrats believe that divisive issues like this should be kept off what is otherwise a broadly bipartisan bill," a spokesman for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said, adding that they're trying to find a "path forward."
Republicans cast this as a routine extension of the so-called Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions except in limited circumstances. But Democrats said the legislation would mark a significant expansion since it applies to personal funds paid in fines. They also noted the restriction against the use of fine money would be permanent, while the one that applies to federal funds would lapse unless renewed on a year-by-year basis.
Reid said in remarks on the Senate floor that "a number of people feel that it was by sleight-of-hand" that the provision was included in the measure, while "others say staff should have seen it was in the bill." A day earlier, others in his party had said flatly that no one on their side of the aisle had been informed.
But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Democrats had, in fact, known of the abortion-related provision that Republicans backed, citing discussion among aides of both parties.
Republicans ripped Democrats for stalling over this issue.
"This is really not an honorable time or a laudable time in the history of the United States Senate," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
The events presented a difficult challenge for Democrats, forcing them to decide if their support for abortion rights justified blocking passage of a sex trafficking measure designed to help children and women. They privately conceded they lacked the votes to strip out the abortion portion of the bill they oppose, although they expressed confidence they had enough support to prevent passage of the entire measure.
At the same time, they were forced to consider whether their aides had failed to read the bill closely enough to discover the provision when the bill was made public in January, or when it was approved unanimously in the Senate Judiciary Committee late last month.
A statement released by a spokeswoman for the Democrats on the panel said Sen. Patrick Leahy, the party's senior committee member, did not know in advance that the abortion-related provision had been included, nor did his aides.
A spokesman for Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the bill's leading Democratic supporter, said the lawmaker first learned of it Monday.
Democrats also circulated an email written by a Republican aide summarizing a list of changes that had been made in the legislation from an earlier version written last year. It contained no mention of abortion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 0fake |
F.B.I. Director James Comey Recommends No Charges for Hillary Clinton on Email - The New York Times | WASHINGTON — The F. B. I. director, James B. Comey, on Tuesday recommended no criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her handling of classified information while she was secretary of state, lifting an enormous legal cloud from her presidential campaign less than two hours before she boarded Air Force One for her first joint campaign appearance with President Obama. But on a day of political high drama in Washington, Mr. Comey rebuked Mrs. Clinton as being “extremely careless” in using a private email address and server. He raised questions about her judgment, contradicted statements she has made about her email practices, said it was possible that hostile foreign governments had gained access to her account, and declared that a person still employed by the government — Mrs. Clinton left the State Department in 2013 — could have faced disciplinary action for doing what she did. To warrant a criminal charge, Mr. Comey said, there had to be evidence that Mrs. Clinton intentionally transmitted or willfully mishandled classified information. The F. B. I. found neither, and as a result, he said, “our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. ” The Justice Department is highly likely to accept the F. B. I. ’s guidance, which a law enforcement official said also cleared three top aides of Mrs. Clinton who were implicated in the case: Jake Sullivan, Huma Abedin and Cheryl D. Mills. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said last week that she would accept the recommendation of the F. B. I. and career prosecutors in the case after a storm of criticism about an impromptu meeting between her and former President Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac in Phoenix. Mr. Comey’s announcement, delivered with no advance warning only three days after his investigators interviewed Mrs. Clinton in the case, riveted official Washington and is likely to reverberate for the rest of the campaign. In offices across the capital, all eyes turned to television screens to hear the outcome of a yearlong investigation that could have thrown the 2016 presidential election into disarray and changed history. As Mr. Comey strode to the lectern at the F. B. I. headquarters at 11 a. m. Mrs. Clinton was waiting backstage a few blocks away to address the National Education Association. Her aides said she did not know what Mr. Comey was going to say. Five minutes into Mr. Comey’s remarks, and before he announced that the F. B. I. would not seek charges, a smiling Mrs. Clinton began her speech. By 2:45 p. m. she and Mr. Obama were descending the stairs of Air Force One for a campaign rally in Charlotte, N. C. while back in Washington the State Department spokesman, John Kirby, was fending off questions from reporters about what Mr. Comey described as the department’s lax security in handling classified information. White House officials said Mr. Obama also did not know about Mr. Comey’s plans ahead of time. The F. B. I. director said he did not coordinate the statement with the Justice Department or any other agency. “They do not know what I am about to say,” he declared. A Republican former federal prosecutor, Mr. Comey seemed at first to be laying the groundwork for some kind of legal charge. Speaking sternly, and in far more detail than he usually does, he listed several previously undisclosed findings from the F. B. I. ’s investigation: ■ Of 30, 000 emails Mrs. Clinton handed over to the State Department, 110 contained information that was classified at the time she sent or received them. Of those, Mr. Comey said, “a very small number” bore markings that identified them as classified. This finding is at odds with Mrs. Clinton’s repeated assertions that none of the emails were classified at the time she sent or received them. The F. B. I. did not disclose the topics of the classified emails, but a number of the 110 are believed to have involved drone strikes. ■ The F. B. I. discovered “several thousand” emails that were not in the original trove of 30, 000 turned over by Mrs. Clinton to the State Department. Three of those contained information that agencies have concluded was classified, though Mr. Comey said he did not believe Mrs. Clinton deliberately deleted or withheld them from investigators. ■ In saying that it was “possible” that hostile foreign governments had gained access to Mrs. Clinton’s personal account, Mr. Comey noted that she used her mobile device extensively while traveling outside the United States, including trips “in the territory of sophisticated adversaries. ” ■ Mrs. Clinton used multiple private servers for her personal and government business, not just a single server at her home in New York that has been the focus of media reporting for more than a year. Her use of these servers — some of which were taken out of service and stored — made the F. B. I. ’s job enormously complicated as it struggled to put together, in Mr. Comey’s words, a jigsaw puzzle with “millions of email fragments” in it. Despite all that, Mr. Comey said the F. B. I. did not find that Mrs. Clinton’s conduct revealed “intentional misconduct or indications of disloyalty to the United States or efforts to obstruct justice. ” But a person in her position, he said, “should have known that an unclassified system was no place” for the emails she was sending. And he said it raised troubling questions about how the State Department handled classified information. The White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, declined to comment, except to say it was clear from Mr. Comey’s remarks that “they’ve looked at this in excruciating detail. ” Mr. Obama, he said, remained “enthusiastic” about Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy. The Clinton campaign clearly hoped that the announcement would bring to a close a saga that has haunted Mrs. Clinton since March 2015, when the existence of her personal email account surfaced. “We are pleased that the career officials handling this case have determined that no further action by the department is appropriate,” said the campaign’s spokesman, Brian Fallon. “As the secretary has long said, it was a mistake to use her personal email and she would not do it again. We are glad that this matter is now resolved. ” Republicans seized on Mr. Comey’s sharp criticism, saying it raised doubts about Mrs. Clinton’s fitness for high office. Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, asserted in a post on Twitter that David H. Petraeus, the former C. I. A. director, had been charged for doing far less than Mrs. Clinton, and the lack of charges showed that the system was “rigged. ” In fact, F. B. I. officials have long said that what Mr. Petraeus did — knowingly handing a diary with classified information to his biographer and lover, then lying about it to investigators — was worse than what Mrs. Clinton did. In the Petraeus case, the F. B. I. recommended a felony indictment, but the Justice Department allowed him to plead to a misdemeanor. The deal that Mr. Petraeus received shadowed Mrs. Clinton’s case from the start because it appeared to set a higher bar for bringing charges against her. “In looking back at our investigations into the mishandling or removal of classified information,” Mr. Comey said, “we cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts. ” Congressional Republicans swiftly called for the F. B. I. to release more details about its findings. “If it wants to avoid giving the impression that the F. B. I. was pulling punches,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, “the agency must now be more transparent than ever in releasing information. ” Speaker Paul D. Ryan was equally critical. “While I respect the professionals at the F. B. I. this announcement defies explanation,” he said in a Twitter post. “No one should be above the law. ” For an agency that seemed to be in no rush, the F. B. I. ’s investigation wrapped up quickly. By the time the investigators interviewed Mrs. Clinton in three and a half hours of questioning on Saturday, they had compiled months of findings. Mrs. Clinton appeared to say nothing to contradict what they had already discovered about how the private server was used, a law enforcement official said. The investigators then worked with Mr. Comey through the holiday weekend to review her testimony and determine whether there was any new information that might warrant criminal charges, law enforcement officials said. They found none. For weeks, F. B. I. agents expected the investigation would not yield charges. They shared Mr. Comey’s conclusion that Mrs. Clinton had showed poor judgment but that she had not committed a crime. In the spring, Mr. Comey declared that the campaign calendar would not dictate the pace of the investigation. But the Democratic National Convention begins on July 25 in Philadelphia, and F. B. I. officials did not want to be seen as influencing the outcome of the election after the nomination. Mr. Comey’s announcement was believed to be the first time that the F. B. I. had ever publicly disclosed its recommendations to the Justice Department about whether to charge someone in any case, let alone a presidential candidate. His decision to announce the results of the investigation was made before the uproar over Ms. Lynch’s meeting with Mr. Clinton, according to a law enforcement official. He decided to make his findings public, the official said, because he wanted to make the F. B. I. ’s position clear before referring the case to the Justice Department. While the F. B. I. ’s recommendation spares Mrs. Clinton and her aides criminal charges, it does not remove the possibility that they could be denied security clearances if Mrs. Clinton is elected and she appoints them to jobs that require such clearance. The State Department plans to conduct its own administrative review after the Justice Department acts. “We don’t share the broad assessment made of our institution that there’s a lax culture here when it comes to protecting classified information,” said Mr. Kirby, the State Department spokesman. “We take it very, very seriously. ” | 0fake |
Top Radio Host Michael Savage: “We’re Being Invaded Right Now” | Email
Not all invasions are hot — not all invaders come with guns and bombs. And Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and other Western leaders are “invading their own countries,” says radio host Michael Savage, using a foreign army introduced under the banner of “immigration,” “illegal migration” and “refugee status.”
Writes WND.com , “History isn’t about tolerance or peace or understanding. History is about war. History is about conflict. History is about invasions — and the most consequential invasion in human history is well underway.” WND isn’t talking about just an American problem, a German problem, a Swedish problem, or a French problem, but one that threatens to extinguish all of the greatest civilization ever to grace our planet: Western civilization. And this is effected via what’s euphemistically called “demographic change.”
Consider the United States. In 1965, close to 90 percent of Americans were of European descent, were of the Western tradition. That percentage now stands at 62 — and falls further each passing day. What happened? The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 happened. Introduced by Congressman Emanuel Celler (D-N.Y.) and aggressively promoted in the Senate by Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), it created a situation in which legal immigration would swell from an average of 250,000 immigrants a year to approximately one million, causing the rate of immigration to exceed the rate of assimilation. Moreover, 85 percent of these new immigrants would come from the Third World, leading to rapid demographic change. Note that this is something Kennedy had promised would not occur .
And now, though the United States is teeming with unassimilable foreigners, and citizens must press buttons to conduct business in their native language. Obama has accelerated the process by inviting waves of illegals into our nation and granting “refugee status” gratuitously. As WND tells us, quoting Savage and discussing his new book on the subject, Scorched Earth : “We’re being invaded from the south. We’re being invaded from the north, from the east and from the west. You might say, ‘Well, that’s the way of things,’ and you might get used to it. They’re here, they’re near, they’re everywhere. The question is, why are liberals so quick to embrace this invasion, and why are traditionalists and conservatives like myself so resistant to erasing the borders, language and culture of this great nation?” [said Savage][.] More than 3 million foreigners came to the United States in 2014 and 2015 according to a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies. The foreign-born population in the United States, now standing at 43.3 million people, is at an all-time high. Immigrants now make up almost 14 percent of the population, the highest percentage in 105 years.
Of course, liberals aren’t only quick to embrace this invasion, they’ve authored it. Why?
Power.
Seventy to 90 percent of the Third World and Muslim immigrants in the United States vote for leftists upon being naturalized. This pattern holds throughout the Western world. For instance, in France, where Islamic immigration has become a contentious issue, approximately 90 percent of Muslims voted for socialist president Francois Hollande in 2012. Leftists know this and joyfully import voters. As Andrew Neather, former advisor to ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, confessed in 2009, the massive immigration into the United Kingdom over the previous 15 years was designed by his Labour Party to “rub the Right's nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date.”
But it’s rendering Western civilization “out of date,” a fact that hasn’t escaped hostile foreign entities. As late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said in 2006 while commenting on the “cold invasion,” “We have 50 million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe — without swords, without guns, without conquest — will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.”
And the “enemy within,” as Savage would put it, celebrates this rending of the West with a demonic hatred of what should be their own culture. Just consider that Swedish multiculturalist social engineer and Social Democrat politician Mona Sahlin actually said in 2001 that "the Swedes must be integrated into the new Sweden; the old Sweden is never coming back." Of course, if a corresponding sentiment had been expressed by a backwoods tribesman about his own tribe, it would be viewed as most odd; many would call him a traitor. And when a rainforest-dwelling tribe is overwhelmed by outsiders — or when the Tibetans are inundated with ethnic Chinese, which has been happening — anthropologists will condemn it as demographic and cultural genocide. In the West, though, it’s marketed as “multiculturalism.”
And we’re told, “Our strength lies in our diversity.”
Obama knows precisely what he’s doing, too, says Savage, and is purposely deconstructing our nation. “Obama is invading his own country. He’s destroying it from within, like a worm in an apple,” said the radio host. No doubt. In fact, Obama stated last year that over the long term he was “pretty optimistic” that conservatism would be extinguished “because this country just becomes more and more of a hodgepodge of folks.”
Even more damningly, it was alleged in 2015 that there’s a secret Obama administration plot to use the new illegal aliens as “seedlings” that will develop a “country within a country”; these foreigners will “navigate, not assimilate” as they eventually “take over the host,” coming “out of the shadows” and “pushing the citizens into the shadows,” the report informed .
In this vein, WND mentions that at issue isn’t just the massive number of im/migrants, but also their nature. The site further points out that this creeping Third Worldism has already turned states such as California into socialist bastions that vote reliably Democrat. For sure. As I wrote in 2010, placing the matter in perspective: If we imported millions of Scandinavians — who have created the most liberal governments on Earth — would we expect them to magically change their ideology upon seeing American terra firma? If not, why would we expect otherwise with south-of-the-border socialists? If they choose Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales types below the Rio Grande, why wouldn’t they above it? Geography doesn’t change ideology.
It doesn’t change jihadist zeal, either. Referring to the recent influx of Muslim migrants into the United States — Obama has welcomed more than 13,000 almost exclusively Muslim “Syrian refugees” already this year — Savage mentioned that these individuals cannot actually be vetted and thus are unknown quantities. Moreover, he points out that Obama is preventing border-patrol agents and the police from enforcing immigration law, as the president “invades his own country with a de facto army from other nations,” as the radio legend put it. He characterizes Obama as “dangerous” and as a “psychopath” bent on replacing the population of his own country.
Of course, Obama did telegraph his intentions in 2008, promising “fundamental change.” Note that “fundamental” means “ serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis .” If a man says his wife requires fundamental change, he doesn’t just mean she needs a new hairdo or wardrobe, or even cosmetic surgery. He means that he doesn’t like the very essence of what she is and wants her transformed into a completely different person.
As for the Left’s destruction of the West, it will continue unless and until Western voters enforce fundamental change — and divorce leftism, permanently, from their cultures and governments. Photo of Michael Savage: AP Images Please review our Comment Policy before posting a comment
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U.S. takes further steps to block North Korea's access to financial system | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday declared North Korea a “primary money laundering concern” and moved to further block its ability to use the U.S. and world financial systems to fund its weapons programs. The U.S. Treasury Department called for a prohibition on certain U.S. financial institutions opening or maintaining correspondent accounts, which are established to receive deposits from or make payments on behalf of a foreign institution, with North Korean financial institutions. Crucially, Treasury also prohibited the use of third parties’ U.S. correspondent accounts to process transactions for North Korean financial institutions. The announcement came days after the latest failed missile launch by the isolated state. Tensions in the region have been high since January when North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and then followed that with a satellite launch and test launches of various missiles, in defiance of UN resolutions. Those efforts have all fueled calls in Washington, and abroad, for a clampdown on Pyongyang. U.S. law already generally prohibited U.S. financial institutions from engaging in transactions with North Korean institutions, but Treasury’s latest actions would impose additional controls, especially the prohibition on the use of third-country banks’ U.S. accounts to process transactions for North Korea. “This is meaningful,” said Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This is designating the entire country, which means essentially that any entity that is interested in interacting with U.S. financial institutions should no longer have any business with North Korea.” “Most, if not all, entities, if faced with the choice of having access to the U.S. financial system or doing business with North Korea, are going to make the obvious choice,” Cha added. South Korea’s foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed the move, which it said in a statement would boost the effectiveness of existing sanctions on the North and have a broader impact than a 2005 U.S. Treasury measure that targeted a bank in the Chinese territory of Macau. But China, North Korea’s most important backer despite Beijing’s anger at Pyongyang’s nuclear program and support for U.N. sanctions, expressed concern. “We have consistently opposed any county using its domestic law to impose unilateral sanctions on another country,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters. About $24 million of North Korean funds was frozen at Macau’s Banco Delta Asia (BDA) after the U.S. Treasury accused it of helping to channel earnings from the North’s illicit activities, leading to a frantic attempt by Pyongyang to retrieve the money. The North has since developed tactics to skirt financial restrictions by resorting to informal means to transfer money, including the use of bulk cash hand-carried by officials. Adam Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Washington expected other governments and financial authorities to make similar moves to prevent Pyongyang from “abusing” global financial institutions to support its development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. “The regime is notoriously deceitful in its financial transactions in order to continue its illicit weapons programs and other destabilizing activities,” Szubin said in a statement. The Treasury was required to assess North Korea’s status as a money laundering jurisdiction under the “North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act,” passed nearly unanimously by the U.S. Congress in February. A U.N. Security Council resolution in early March also required member states to sever correspondent banking relationships with North Korean financial institutions within 90 days. | 0fake |
Anthony Weiner rides through sex addiction rehab on a horse | By wmw_admin on November 5, 2016 Rebecca Rosenberg and Daniel Halper — New York Post Nov 4, 2016 Weiner on horse at The Recovery Ranch rehab centre. Click to enlarge
This horse’s ass is getting touchy-feely with a new partner.
As this exclusive Post photo shows, Anthony Weiner spent Friday morning getting a dose of “equine therapy’’ for his sex addiction at The Recovery Ranch at Nunnelly, TN, a tony woodsy respite for deep-pocketed patrons.
The perverted former Queens pol wore a bright-blue riding helmet, green T-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers as he saddled up his poor animal and hopped aboard, accompanied by a blonde.
Weiner — who was caught obsessively texting other women, including an underage girl , while married to top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin — looked pensive as he meandered through the trees at the expansive ranch.
But he turned decidedly glum when approached by The Post and asked for comment. He refused to say a word before riding slowly off.
Weiner recently got in more hot water with the Democratic Party when authorities investigating his sexting scandal discovered he had e-mails on his computer that could be linked to the FBI probe involving Clinton’s private server.
The bombshell development couldn’t have come at a worse time for Clinton, who faces Donald Trump in a presidential-race showdown Tuesday.
But Weiner, 52, is now worlds away, putting his time in at the secluded recovery ranch after Abedin jettisoned him when it surfaced that he even sexted selfies with their 4-year-old son sleeping in the background .
Weiner is bunking down at The Ranch’s Swan Creek House, one of several lodgings catering to its addled well-heeled clientele about an hour west of Nashville.
“Nestled amid rolling hills dotted with mature oaks and maples, Swan Creek House is a 15,000-square-foot home that features warm and inviting living spaces and breathtaking views of the surrounding hills,’’ The Ranch’s Web site says.
“The home’s sprawling outdoor spaces include a pond, natural rock landscaping and rolling hills as far as the eye can see.
“Also situated on the property is a state-of-the-art equestrian center equipped with lights, heated water and a ¾ bath, as well as 12 stalls, a wash area and a vet area for the equine partners.”
The center’s equine therapy ‘involves caring and interacting with horses in ways that provide valuable lessons in accountability and in how we relate to others,’’ the site says.
Weiner is without his cell phone in the 15-bed facility, which is specifically for sex addicts — who are kept strictly separate by gender.
Plunking down a cool $25,000 for the 35-day program, according to online reviews, the disgraced dad still has to make his own meals and clean up after himself.
Participants get daily group therapy. In addition to riding on a horse at least once a week, they also get plenty of other physical activity such as rope-climbing, zip-lining, hiking and canoeing, as well has have access to a gym.
Ironically, Rob Weiss, who heads the ranch’s sex-recovery unit, penned an article for the Huffington Post in 2013 in which he talked about Weiner and fellow sex-shamed former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer — as well as Ariel Castro, the monster who held captive and raped three young Ohio women for more than a decade.
Another center at the 2,000-acre ranch — which singer Rihanna reportedly once considered to get treatment for a “love addiction” — revolves around a Native American sweat lodge.
The sweat lodge is designed to offer “opportunities for physical detoxification, spiritual connection and emotional processing,’’ the ranch’s Web site says. | 1real |
New U.S. helicopters mark major change for Afghan air force | KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Senior Afghan and American officials welcomed the arrival of new U.S.-made military helicopters on Saturday, beginning a process that will radically transform the young Afghan air force. While the plan for new UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters has been in the works for some time, it forms a major part of the U.S.-led military coalition s training efforts, which were expanded under proposals approved by President Donald Trump in August. It s a modernization of their program that will allow them to project power throughout Afghanistan, said Lieutenant Colonel Trent Alexander, a U.S. military adviser to the Afghan air force. While transitioning to the Black Hawk will not be a quick task, it will not be a difficult task. At a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani formally accepted the first new helicopters, calling it a historic day that would allow the air force to better respond to the demands on the security forces. The Russian-designed Mi-17 helicopters that currently form the backbone of the Afghan air force worked well for crews used to Russian equipment, but deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington meant that the Americans were unable to provide new parts and aircraft to replace the overworked aircraft. The Mi-17 was a great aircraft and it brought the Afghans the ability to be capable, however, with the introduction of the UH-60 they are now sustainable, Alexander said. By 2024 the U.S. plans to provide the Afghans with at least 159 Black Hawks, including 58 fitted with extra rocket pods and machine guns to provide close air support, a fleet that will dwarf the fewer than 40 Mi-17s currently operational. The Black Hawks will cost the American government almost $8 million a piece, officials said, after a process that completely refurbishes and upgrades U.S. Army surplus aircraft. So far only two training Black Hawks have arrived, with the delivery of several additional helicopters delayed by the U.S. military s humanitarian response to hurricanes in the Caribbean. Retraining an Afghan pilot to fly the Black Hawk takes about five to six months, said Alexander. Members of the first class of six pilots said they were excited over what they view as more modern helicopters. Black Hawks are manoeuverable because they are smaller than the Mi-17, so will be more capable during fighting, carrying soldiers, or cargo, said one pilot, Zabihullah Dorandish. The Afghan pilots are expected to begin flying their own missions in the Black Hawks by early next year, officials said. A Twitter feed attributed to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid warned that the aircraft would do nothing to change the war. U.S. and Afghan leaders should remember that our fight is not based on technology but is an ideologically motivated fight , he said in one Twitter post. | 0fake |
Inspection battle threatens Egypt's wheat supply | CAIRO (Reuters) - Wheat shipments to Egypt, the world s largest buyer, are being disrupted by a dispute involving government inspectors angered by a ban on the expenses-paid foreign trips they once enjoyed to approve cargoes at their ports of origin. Those trips, funded by exporters, have been canceled as part of Egypt s efforts to streamline imports worth more than $1 billion a year. Traders say the new system has backfired as inspectors are now rejecting cargoes at Egyptian ports on arbitrary and unpredictable grounds. There is more to the problem than erratic policies and red tape, according to interviews with grains traders, agriculture quarantine inspectors, government officials, and a review of inspection documents. According to these sources, difficulties for importers are rather the result of a tug-of-war over the right to inspect cargoes abroad, where until recently government quarantine inspectors enjoyed fully-funded trips, dinners and shopping at the expense of supply companies looking to secure safe passage for their wheat. By applying higher standards to grains upon arrival, inspectors are driving up costs in a bid to undermine inspection companies that replaced them abroad, traders said. Six inspectors who Reuters spoke to denied they are trying to get their foreign trips reinstated and said they are simply upholding quality standards. Suppliers say uncertainty is prompting them to add premiums of up to $500,000 per cargo to hedge against risks. With Egypt expecting to buy around 7 million tonnes of wheat in the fiscal year that began in July, these premiums add millions of dollars to the government s food subsidy bill. The bread supply chain has ground to a halt on several occasions as traders have boycotted tenders. Subsidized bread is a staple for millions of poor Egyptians and the country s leaders are always keen to keep supplies flowing for fear of unrest. Wheat traders say the only way out of the problem is for the government bodies involved to sit down and thrash out standards all sides can agree on. Getting cargoes passed under the old system often came down to keeping government inspectors comfortable, traders said. When a $6 million wheat cargo at a port in Ukraine suddenly stopped loading two years ago, its agent found Egyptian inspectors had halted the process because their hotel would not give them a late breakfast, traders said. The delay cost the supply company $8,000 in port fees. As soon as we arranged for the hotel to give them a later breakfast, everything went smoothly and the shipment was passed. It wasn t a wheat problem. It was a breakfast problem, said a Cairo-based trader responsible for the cargo who asked to remain anonymous. Six other traders described the system in similar terms, saying shopping for electronics and clothes, expensive dinners, and hotel room upgrades were the cost of keeping their grains moving out of ports from Odessa to Dunkirk. One trader said the money paid to inspectors could equal their annual salary. You re talking about four to five people, and you have to take care of them from A to Z, meaning you are taking them shopping and you are paying, said Med Star for Trading President Hesham Soliman. Soliman said the delegations grew more expensive. They began needing more pocket money, the hotels have to be certain hotels, the tickets, the visa, he said. Traders said they would spend about $30,000 on the inspectors, which also typically included a $3,500 pocket money payment per person, according to invoices seen by Reuters. Agricultural quarantine inspectors who Reuters spoke to on condition of anonymity have quoted the same figures for the trips but say the old system was still cheaper for Egypt. I can t deny that I benefited, but the country benefited more. Look how much they re spending now, one inspector said, referring to the high risk premiums traders now put on cargoes offered to Egypt. Traders say the system was a relatively cheap way to win approval for their wheat abroad, which protected a cargo from being rejected at Egyptian ports, something that could mean big losses, or even bankruptcy for smaller firms. If they re making it sound like we were spending too much, you have the figures, compare the numbers. They re spending a lot more now on the inspections, the inspector said. The old arrangement unraveled in late 2015, when a French wheat cargo was rejected in Egypt for containing traces of the common grain fungus ergot despite being approved by government inspectors abroad. As other shipments were rejected and import rules appeared to be tightening, some traders said they no longer found the traveling inspectors a bet worth taking. We got to a point where we couldn t deal with this. You have a fixed cost and you still have no guarantee that the shipment will enter the country, said Soliman. A group of traders, including Soliman, persuaded the government to ban traveling delegations, which Egypt did in a prime ministerial decree in late 2016 that handed inspections abroad to private companies and made the agriculture quarantine inspectors subject to the oversight of a trade ministry authority. In an interview at the offices of the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC), Ismail Gaber, who heads the agency that now has the final word on wheat inspections, told Reuters the travel regime had raised suspicions of corruption that he would rather keep civil servants away from. There is of course the issue of corruption, I want to take my employee away from this suspicion. I don t want the supplier and the employee to have the same self-interest, he said. If he takes someone with him abroad, the supplier says I ve already taken him with me ... you gave me a government employee and you inspected there so you can t find a problem with it here (in Egypt) after all of this , Gaber said. But having lost their travel benefits, the inspectors are making their presence felt. Since January, when the new inspection regime came online, inspectors in Egypt have subjected nearly all shipments to costly processes before being approved at Egyptian ports, which add tens of thousands of dollars in costs. In June, a group of inspectors won a court case that argued that the new system illegally granted their mandate to GOEIC, which the inspectors said was ill-equipped to protect the country from harmful grain contaminants. The government has appealed and ignored a court order to restore the old inspection regime, including traveling delegations. The inspectors, who are still checking cargoes under the new inspection regime, say they are just trying to stop bad wheat getting into Egypt and deny they are trying to get their overseas trips back. One inspector said checks were now tougher at Egyptian ports because importers were sending poor-quality grains. Traders however said two big state grain purchases halted for containing poppy seeds demonstrated that inspectors were seeking new ways to show that inspection companies abroad are not up to the task. As a result, traders hiked prices or stayed away from a recent state tender. The only way out of the impasse, traders say, is for government agencies to agree on consistent rules. Without that, we are just waiting for the next victim, said one. (For graphic click: here) | 0fake |
null | LOL, gotta use the fireplace log holder as a stand. Shows the attention to detail.
Hold on let me get my daughters slingshot and see if can withstand that. | 1real |
Distracted By Election 2016, No One Resisted The Deep State’s Patriot Act 2 | By Nathaniel Mauka Congress overwhelmingly voted for the Patriot Act nearly 16 years ago, and our civil liberties have never been the same since. As... | 1real |
SORE LOSER, WAR-HAWK John McCain Blames President Trump For Syrian Chemical Attack [VIDEO] | Sunday on CBS s Face the Nation, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said the administration of President Donald Trump was probably was partially to blame, for the deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria.McCain referred to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson comments in March that the longer-term status of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be decided by the Syrian people, McCain said, I think it probably was partially to blame. And Secretary Tillerson is basically saying the same thing after kind of contradicting himself and then saying the same thing argues vigorously for a plan and a strategy. As I said, again, taking this action, I support and was important. But we have got to have a strategy and a plan to follow through. Breitbart | 1real |
Kenya's Supreme Court upholds Kenyatta's presidential win | NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya s Supreme Court on Monday upheld the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta in last month s repeat presidential vote, paving the way for him to be sworn in next week. Chief Justice David Maraga said all six judges dismissed the two legal challenges to the vote. The opposition coalition NASA insisted the government was illegitimate. Kenyatta s main challenger, NASA s Raila Odinga, said via his adviser Salim Lone that the ruling did not come as a surprise and said it was a decision taken under duress . We in NASA had repeatedly declared before this Supreme Court ruling today that we consider this government to be illegitimate and do not recognise it. This position has not been changed by the court ruling, the statement said. It referred to security concerns raised by the opposition about the judges after one of their bodyguards was shot the day before the court was to rule on a request to delay the vote. The chief justice said at the time police had enhanced security after the shooting. The court could not immediately be reached on Monday to comment on NASA s allegation. Monday s ruling clears the way for Kenyatta s swearing-in on Nov. 28, but it is unlikely to end the worst political crisis in East Africa s most developed economy in a decade. Sporadic clashes erupted in pro-opposition areas after the ruling. Odinga had called for a National Resistance Movement after Kenyatta s victory last month. Kenyatta had said he would not engage in dialogue with the opposition until constitutional options had been exhausted. The prolonged election process has disrupted the economy and forced the government to cut its growth forecast. Rights groups say at least 66 people have died in bloodshed surrounding the votes in August and October. The petitioners had argued that the outcome should be voided because the election board did not seek fresh nominations after the Aug. 8 poll was invalidated, and because the vote was not held in each of the 291 constituencies. The Supreme Court ordered the Oct. 26 election after nullifying the results of the August election, citing irregularities in the tallying of votes - an unprecedented move on the continent. The opposition boycotted the poll, which Kenyatta won with 98 percent of the vote. Some opposition supporters mobilised to prevent polls from opening in the west of the country. The court has unanimously determined that the petitions are not merited, chief justice Maraga said. As a consequence, the presidential election of 26th of October is hereby upheld. The court did not detail its reasons. It said it would issue a full judgment within 21 days. The decision was met with applause in the courtroom from lawyers for the election commission and Kenyatta. The commission said the ruling affirmed its resolve and deliberate efforts to conduct free, fair and credible elections . There was no immediate reaction from Kenyatta. Kenya, a U.S. ally in the fight against Islamists and a trade gateway to East Africa, has a history of disputed elections. A row over the 2007 poll, which Odinga challenged after being declared loser, was followed by weeks of ethnic bloodshed that killed more than 1,200 people. Police said on Sunday at least four people were killed overnight in a Nairobi opposition stronghold. [L8N1NP07P] Odinga accused the government of being behind the killings, which followed at least five deaths on Friday as police tried to disperse opposition supporters. Deputy President William Ruto said action would be taken against those inciting violence. Odinga put the death toll in violence since he returned to Nairobi on Friday from an overseas trip far higher, at 31. The police tally over the same period was nine. In several areas of the capital, riots broke out on Sunday in response to the deaths, as residents set cars and buses on fire and police responded with teargas. Outside the Nairobi court, Kenyatta supporters waved Kenyan flags and danced, and celebrations broke out in the central city of Nyeri, a ruling party stronghold, and other cities. In the western, pro-opposition city of Migori, protesters said one person was killed in skirmishes with the police after the court ruling. Migori county police commander Joseph Nthenge denied the report. There were no deaths reported from Kisumu, the largest city in western Kenya and a hotbed of opposition support, although police and protesters also briefly clashed there too. In the Nairobi slum of Kibera, residents said three people were killed on Monday, including a 67-year-old woman and a young man, but there were conflicting reports of who was responsible for the violence. Police spokesman Charles Owino told Reuters that he had no reports of deaths in the capital on Monday. In downtown Nairobi, Elvis Kinyanjui, a vendor selling socks and watches, said he hoped next year business would be back to normal . Everyone is holding on to their shilling not knowing what tomorrow will be like, he said. Shares headed higher and the currency strengthened against the dollar after the ruling, traders said. [L8N1NQ1OW] The markets dropped sharply when the court nullified August s vote. | 0fake |
NEO – RT’s Bank Accounts Closed – It’s Nothing to Do With Syria | By Jim W. Dean, Managing Editor on October 28, 2016 Russian money by Seth Ferris , …with New Eastern Outlook , Moscow Battle of Trafalgar [ Editor’s note : What on earth are the English doing, and why should anybody care? Well, we must and do care, because on English soil stands one leg of the NWO Triad. I recall reading that it was at the Battle of Trafalgar when twenty-seven British ships led by Admiral Nelson, defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships, capturing 22 Franco-Spanish vessels without losing a single British ship. This decisive naval battle of the war stopped French plans for invading England and graphically illustrated English resolve. One of VT’s standard bearers of analytical thinking, Seth Ferris presents a lucid explanation of what went on this month when His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, visited Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Parts of Europe, particularly Rome, must have been keenly interested. As Seth Ferris notes, Patriarch Kirill is far from being an apologist for Russian politics, but it is his church’s potential to destabilize the state, given “the potential willingness of members of the officially Anglican Royal Family to embrace” the Orthodox Church, that comes under scrutiny. And to further translate this into an American dialect, Queen Elizabeth II is currently the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England and her role is largely ceremonial.” Yet, the Queen occupies a special pulpit in the fabric of English life, and the preferences of the Queen’s family subtly influence English hearts and minds. It is the similarities between the Church of England and the Orthodox Church that has the NWO and Rome on high alert, rather than the differences, because if the NWO is to seat a One-World One-Religion Ruler, such as the Bishop of Rome, then it will need to firmly discourage any alternatives. And, under the Orthodox Church, the Bishop of Rome’s authority is no greater or less than any of his fellow Bishops in the church, so he does not have primacy in the Orthodox Church. And, before the pope could have jurisdiction within Orthodoxy, the papacy would need to be reformed in accordance with Orthodoxy. One of the stumbling blocks is that, in the Orthodox Church, papal infallibility is rejected because it is believed that the Holy Spirit acts to guide the church into truth — for instance, via ecumenical councils. Without further ado, VT presents another fine article by Seth Ferris. You will find his exceptional analysis only on VT and New Eastern Outlook … Jim W. Dean and Erica P. Wissinger ] – First published … October 26, 2016 –
As the world now knows, British bank NatWest, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland group, has told Russian media outlet RT that it should take its business elsewhere.
Initially it was reported that the bank had “frozen” RT’s accounts, meaning it had impounded the money, but it now says that the accounts have merely been closed, meaning that RT can withdraw its money – provided it then takes it to another bank.
NatWest, and the rest of the Royal Bank of Scotland group, are effectively owned by the British government, which acquired the majority share in 2008 to prevent it collapsing. As RT is also state-owned, it has been inferred that this is another form of sanction. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson denies this, but he also denies several of his children, several parts of his ancestry and practically everything else he has ever written or been recorded saying.
It has also been suggested that this move, which came without warning, was connected with potential fines against the bank for holding money considered “dirty” by association with Russia – though the government fining itself to pay itself seems unlikely. It may therefore be simply a publicity stunt – the UK has to be seen to be acting against Russia as part of the sanctions regime, and may be perfectly happy for RT to take its business to a private UK bank, or even another publicly-owned one, having done its bit of public posturing. However the real reason for this move is not sanctions against the Russian state. It is because a seemingly unimportant event has the potential to shake the foundations of the United Kingdom – and those in the corridors of power have just woken up to it.
The closing of RT’s accounts, if it finally happens, may simply be a symbolic gesture, but it may be the precursor to a more serious crisis, which no one thought they would ever see again. The subtext beneath the subtext The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill, holds a service in London’s Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints in a visit to London, marking the 300th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church’s presence there. ( © Sergey Pyatakov)
From October 15-18 Kyril, Patriarch of Moscow , visited the United Kingdom. There is a growing Orthodox diaspora in the UK, as there is in all Western countries, and also a small but well-established British-born Orthodox community and a number of majority British, English-language parishes.
However, Orthodoxy is still a very small religion there – though figures are hard to come by, no more than 7% of the population would currently identify themselves as Orthodox, despite the large Greek Cypriot community which owns the plurality of the UK’s Orthodox churches.
The Church of England adheres to a doctrine called Branch Theory – the idea that various different Christian “denominations”, as they call them, are branches of the same basic church. Consequently religious leaders in general are treated with respect, even if people greatly disagree with their faith.
When Pope John Paul II visited the UK in 1982 he was treated as a pop star, despite a few insignificant protests by Protestant or far-right groups. No particular fuss is made when leaders of other faiths enter the country from abroad, despite the hysteria surrounding so-called “Muslim hate preachers” who are no more radical than the Bible-bashers who have the greatest objection to them.
But how was Patriarch Kyril treated? With respect by those who met him – but not by the media or the political class.
When Archbishop Makarios, who had been a politician in public office contrary to the Canons of the Church, visited the UK in the 1970s, he was shown entering churches and attracting crowds who cheered him so hard they damaged the buildings. Patriarch Kyril was presented as an apologist for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s alleged actions in Syria, who had been sent on a propaganda mission. Queen Elizabeth II has held an historic meeting with Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, during his official visit to the UK to mark the 300th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church’s presence there. The meeting was held behind closed doors in Buckingham Palace, and lasted for about a half-hour, according to the Patriarch’s secretary
The Patriarch was not in the UK to talk politics , and there is no suggestion that he actually did so. The focus of his visit was to finally consecrate the Russian cathedral at Ennismore Gardens, London, a former Anglican church which the Russian church has been using since the 1950s.
But the thing which most upset certain commentators was the fact that he was due to have an audience with the Queen, as visiting dignitaries usually do.
The implication of the widespread concern about the Queen agreeing to this private meeting was that she was sympathetic to Russia’s position on Syria. The UK has a constitutional monarchy, and consequently the Queen does not dictate government policy.
If the Queen has a personal position on anything she will only make it public if she feels her government is making a serious error and will not listen to reason – which has happened only once during her 64-year reign, when she famously let it be known that she felt Margaret Thatcher’s policies were damaging the social fabric of the country.
So why should the press and politicians be so outraged about the possibility of Patriarch Kyril giving the Queen opinions she can read on the internet, or in some of the hundreds of letters she receives daily from disgruntled citizens?
It is because they are trying to disguise the real reason for their fear. It has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the Orthodox Church, which happens to be the majority religion in Russia. No one minds ordinary citizens taking an interest in Orthodoxy. But the Royal Family? That’s a different question entirely. The invisible heart of the state The politically entrenched Church of England ~ Salisbury Cathedral
The Queen is not only a monarch but the head of the Church of England. Though it seems anomalous to others that a church is run by a secular ruler, who could not even be ordained a bishop in that church if she wanted to, this is the way it has been since Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534 so he could get a divorce.
The state that became the UK was built on the Anglican faith and the political assumptions that went with that, despite the non-Anglican majorities in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. For three hundred and fifty years the “Catholic Powers” were seen as national enemies in the same way the “Iron Curtain” countries were in the second half of the twentieth century. Consequently each member of the Royal Family is also obliged to uphold the primacy of the Church of England, whether they are religious or not. From time to time, this has created problems. The Abdication Crisis of 1936 was caused by the King of England wanting to marry a twice-divorced woman, which the church considered a no-no at the time.
Similarly, Tony Blair only announced his conversion to Roman Catholicism after he had resigned as Prime Minister, because the PM is included in the line of succession to the throne, and could be an atheist but not a Papist in that role.
The question of whether the Church of England accepts divorce and remarriage – which is not at all clear cut – has reared its head several times in recent years due to the marital problems of the Royal Family. Prince Charles and Princess Anne have divorced and remarried, each time conducting their second marriages outside the Church of England. If Charles does eventually succeed to the throne, the question of whether he can be head of the Church of England whilst divorced and remarried outside it will come back to the forefront. Above the altar – Orthodox church
In 1977, a story went round the press that Charles was about to marry Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg. According to sources close to the action a marriage had actually been arranged behind the scenes, but did not proceed because the princess refused to give up her Roman Catholic faith, as she would be obliged to do to marry the future king under the Act of Succession of 1701.
However Buckingham Palace responded to the reports by saying that Charles didn’t even know the princess, a ridiculous assertion, as all Europe’s royals are related and attend functions where they meet each other. This demonstrates how deep the fear of rocking the constitutional boat by not supporting the C of E runs. Putin and Patriarch Kirill exhibition
The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip , was born and baptised Orthodox, as a Prince of Greece. He renounced his Faith to marry Princess Elizabeth, as she then was, and regularly attends Anglican services with the rest of the family.
However it is an open secret that he has returned to Orthodoxy privately. He is known to make very generous donations to Orthodox churches and causes and is a patron of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge.
Prince Charles also has a longstanding interest in Orthodoxy: amongst other expressions of it, he has refused to join the Freemasons, despite this being expected of members of the British upper class.
When the Queen met the Pope on his 1982 visit, it caused some comment, but nothing like the controversy provoked by her meeting Patriarch Kyril.
If the UK ever started to support Putin’s position on anything, it would not be the end of civilization as we know it.
If the heir to the throne converted to his father’s ancestral faith, and the link between the state and the Church of England was forcibly broken, it would call the whole political basis of the UK into question. That is a can of worms no one dares open – for which RT is now being made the scapegoat, because no one is prepared to publicly discuss just how big a question this seemingly abstruse point really is. Foreign is the new cancer Are Russian and Syrian air power crushing the NATO-supported rebel attacks?
British banks are entitled to freeze accounts under certain circumstances. If an account contains the proceeds of crime, these can now be impounded by the courts. Similarly it is a criminal offence in the UK, under the Terrorism Act 2000, to provide financial or any other support to terrorists, regardless of what the UK government itself does.
Banks are terrified of this law, and interpret it with a strictness which is itself illegal. There have been many instances of ethnic minority community organisations being unable to open bank accounts unless they sack their officers and appoint British people, on the grounds that simply by being run by foreigners they might be laundering money for terrorists.
If there is any hint of impropriety about an organisation run by a foreign state, they will naturally review that information to protect themselves. But it is usually the courts who impound the proceeds of crime. The arbitrary closure of RT’s accounts, without explanation, therefore implies that it is being accused of sponsoring terrorism.
Theresa May’s response that “it is for them [the bank] to decide who they offer services to based on their own risk appetite” suggests that this is exactly what the government wants to accuse it of. Who said anything about risk being the reason, and how does the government know about the decisions the bank makes on individual accounts and the reasons for them? So the assumption that this is about Syria suits the narrative we have heard to date. But if so, why now? Has the bank only just become nervous of being fined by its own owners? Is it only now aware of the sanctions regime, or the British government’s position on this conflict?
The Church of England, the pillar on which the British state was built, has long had ostensibly good relations with the Orthodox communities in the UK. Many Orthodox parishes worship in former or still-functioning Anglican churches, and successive Archbishops of Canterbury have expressed their respect for Orthodoxy. Until, that is, the Church stops being a weird foreign sect. Then it becomes a threat which has to be dealt with, and always is. Methodios Fouyias
In 1988, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the UK, Archbishop Methodios, was deposed for “coveting other thrones”, whatever that may mean. It was widely believed that the real reason was because the Church of England objected to him receiving a number of its priests and many ordinary parishioners.
He was replaced by Archbishop Gregorios, who began by stating publicly many times that he did not encourage people to convert to the Church he served.
A student in Greece wrote a thesis about the deposition of Archbishop Methodios, which the university not only refused to publish but used as an excuse to kick him out of university. The website of the Greek Archdiocese in the UK makes no mention of why Methodios ceased to be bishop, or what he did subsequently, despite the fact he lived another eighteen years as a titular bishop.
Now the head of another Orthodox national jurisdiction has visited the UK and been vilified in a way unprecendented for a religious leader since Catholics were allowed back into the country. Rather than being met with protests from angry Britishers, he was received with the traditional courtesy of religious leaders.
His potential to destabilise the state does not derive from his connections but from the potential willingness of members of the officially Anglican Royal Family to embrace his Faith. So that Faith must be presented as politically dangerous, its hierarchs as political stooges, to scare people, and their Royal Family, away from it.
RT has been inundated with messages of support from UK citizens. Most of these assume that the bank’s decision is politically motivated.
Indeed it is – but it is the identity of the UK and its institutions, rather than whether you think Assad is a terrorist, which is the political issue driving it. Seth Ferris , investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook ”. We have added this link to the consecration of the Cathedral in London as a special treat on Seth’s article. Some might see it as a beautiful ceremony. | 1real |
SETI officially announce Extraterrestrial signals | 0
SOURCES AND MIRRORS CAN BE FOUND IN THE YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION.
Google 'Discovery of Peculiar Periodic Spectral Modulations in a Small Fraction of Solar-type Stars' to find the paper.
On October 10, 2016 a paper titled 'Discovery of peculiar periodic spectral modulations in a small fraction of solar type stars' was submitted by E.F. Borra and E. Trottier. The paper discusses signals from under 300 stars that directly point to extraterrestrial intelligence. Since the release of the paper it has been rarely discussed in the media although it's huge news. If you enjoy this video please like, share and subscribe to QUFOSR. Tags | 1real |
A Turn In The Tide, Plus A Remarkable Look At Kennedy And Lincoln Assassinations | 82 Views November 22, 2016 GOLD , KWN , KWN II King World News
With continued uncertainty in global markets, are we seeing a turn in the tide? Plus a remarkable look at the Kennedy and Lincoln assassinations.
A portion of today’s note from Art Cashin: On this day in 1963, the President of the United States, John Kennedy, was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. His assassin (as you may have heard), was Lee Harvey Oswald, who fired from the Texas Schoolbook Depository. But…of course…you know all that! The event has been the subject of several movies, at least three national investigations, countless TV specials, a few hundred books, a million magazine articles and several theories.
Having been exposed to all this, you are no doubt aware of all the trivia and oddities. There’s the Kennedy/Lincoln oddity. Jack Kennedy’s personal secretary was named Lincoln…just as Abe Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy. Both secretaries had pleaded with their bosses not to go to the place where they were shot. Both Presidents were succeeded by guys named Johnson. Both Johnson’s were Southerners and former Senators. Both Johnson’s were born 100 years apart. Kennedy and Lincoln were elected 100 years apart. John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald were born 100 years apart. Both Kennedy and Lincoln were assassinated on a Friday while sitting next to their wives. Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and tried to hide in a warehouse. Oswald was in a warehouse when he shot Kennedy, he then tried to hide in a theater. But…you recall all that.
And, if you recall all that, you probably recall that it had been raining in Dallas earlier that morning. That, fearing a bad hair day, Jackie Kennedy suggested putting the bubble top on the limo. Then, when the sun came out, the Secret Service decided to skip the bubble top.
So, then you also recall the reports that Oswald was considering dropping his plans the night before, but a buzz-off from the wife sent him back to his plot. Which means you certainly recall that the initial reports indicated that both the President and Vice President had been killed. And when they brought that report to Speaker John McCormack (still lunching in the House Dining Room), he froze at the thought that, at age 71, he was suddenly the President of the U.S. He froze so literally that he was unable even to stand up and only recovered when he was told LBJ was still alive.
On the floor of the NYSE selling had begun before any headlines hit the tape. Months later I learned that was thanks to a savvy branch manager in Dallas.
Since Presidents didn’t travel widely in 1963, he thought he would give much of the staff a treat by letting them go out and watch the Presidential parade. He kept a skeleton crew and sent the others out to watch the parade, which was due to pass about a block away.
Rather shortly the gang wandered back in looking somewhat glum and disappointed. “What happened”?, asked the manager. “Parade got canceled” mumbled one of the returnees.
After questioning, he learned that they had heard the sirens accelerate, the police lights flare and the “parade” suddenly turned right. They were many blocks away and obviously heard no shots.
The savvy manager quickly asked – “Give me a bullish reason to pull a President out of a parade?”“It’s not to sign a tax bill – that could wait.” No one could think of a bullish reason to divert a parade. Then they mulled bearish reasons. No one thought assassination. But they did think natural disaster, nuclear accident, missile threat and scores of others. That’s when they decided something “bad” must have happened and began to sell.
As their sell orders poured onto the floor and prices began to melt, they were asked by brokers – “Why the selling?” The response was the incomplete – “something about the President.”
Sometime later, the first headline hit – “Shots reported fired at President’s motorcade!” The selling broadened an accelerated. Rather quickly the next headline – “President reported hit.”
Exchange leaders hastily gathered and discussed closing the Exchange. Then the headline “Motorcade diverted to Parkland Hospital.” They rang the bell at 2:07 (EST).
The Dow fell the equivalent of what would be 460 points today. When we reopened Tuesday, there was such a sigh of relief that power had been transferred and the Constitution still functioned, that a massive rally erupted, soaring the equivalent of 710 points. An unforgettable period.
Overnight And Overseas – In Asia, most markets were better. Tokyo shrugged off the earthquake and closed moderately higher as did Shanghai and India. Hong Kong was sharply higher led by the Macau gang. Manila was odd man out, falling sharply, led by real estate.
In Europe, the FTSE is red hot, led by mining stocks. On the continent, almost all markets are higher, but in somewhat lighter volume.
The metals are percolating, with several trading “up limit”. The U.S. dollar is softer against the euro, the pound and even the Australian dollar. Crude soared overnight but is now backing off the highs.
Consensus – Let’s watch crude, which reached a technical count target and has begun to ease back. A turn in the tide? Too early to tell.
They are somewhat overbought but 19,000 may be too tempting a target. Stick with the drill – stay wary, alert and very, very nimble. May you and all your hold dear have your most wonderful Thanksgiving ever!
Look At The Stunning Levels Of Extreme Action In Gold, Silver, U.S. Dollar And Stock Market | 1real |
null | yOU HAVE TO DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE AND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE HAS TO BE IT , GO HARD FBI NYPAD INSIDERS ITS YOUR TIME !!!! Get Those rotten scum . | 1real |
Ivory Coast to retire 1,000 soldiers to slim down military | ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast will cut its armed forces by about 1,000 troops by the end of the year, the government spokesman said on Wednesday, in a bid to rationalize a costly and sometimes unruly military. Government spokesman Bruno Kone told reporters after a cabinet meeting that the 997 soldiers had accepted voluntary retirement this year as part of an initiative to conform to accepted standards , partly by reducing the ratio of non-commissioned officers to lower ranks. Ivory Coast does not give details on the size of its military, but security sources estimate there are more than 25,000 troops in a country with a population of about 24 million. Francophone West Africa s biggest economy suffered two army mutinies this year that damaged its reputation among investors and forced the government to agree to costly pay rises. The distribution of Ivory Coast s army is out of step with the standards accepted in modern armies, Kone said. The former French colony, once known as one of the most stable states in West Africa, is still recovering from a brief civil war fought after President Alassane Ouattara won a disputed election in 2010 but incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down. Ouattara has struggled to assert his authority over the army, which was cobbled together in an uneasy merger of the northern New Forces rebels who supported him and the professional troops who had fought against him. The soldiers being taken out of action included three senior officers, 634 non-commissioned officers and 354 regular foot soldiers, Kone said. | 0fake |
Trump pledges reforms at Veterans Administration if elected | CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sought to turn a scandal involving the Veterans Administration to his political advantage on Tuesday, pledging to war veterans that he would clean up a mess he blamed on Washington politicians. “Our debt to you is eternal,” Trump told a gathering of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Yet our politicians have totally failed you.” The 2014 VA scandal revolved around long wait times for patients and other negligent activities. Trump spoke shortly after the crowd heard from Bob McDonald, President Barack Obama’s secretary of Veterans Affairs. The scandal fits in with Trump’s effort to portray himself as a political outsider dedicated to fixing the problems left by Washington special interests. “The VA scandals that have occurred are widespread and totally inexcusable,” he said. Trump is on his first campaign swing with his vice presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, after they were nominated last week at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. They made two stops in North Carolina, a state that could be crucial to their chances in the Nov. 8 election. The New York real estate developer pledged to set up a White House hot line for a ranking official to keep track of reform efforts in the VA to ensure they are carried out. If a problem cannot get solved, he said, “I will pick up the phone personally and get it completed and get it taken care of.” | 0fake |
D.L. Hughley Eviscerates Racist Republicans For Backing ‘Circus Clown’ Trump (VIDEO) | D.L. Hughley is never one to be shy with his opinions, and once again he didn t hold back when discussing GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump s racism, and the fact that despite said racism, top Republicans continue to endorse him. Hughley sat down Joy Reid on her MSNBC show AM Joy, and shredded the entire GOP.First, Joy Reid asked Hughley how he felt about President Barack Obama, and Hughley said: The funniest thing about Barack Obama is there are things we want him to do because he s black and he just won t do. Like we want him to go Hey, man, that s enough? And he does it better than like that dude who calls you a liar or some of the stuff. I think he s a decent, humane, thoughtful human being and I think we will miss him when he s gone. Then, Hughley s attentions were turned to presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and he had high praise for her as well. He called her As qualified a human being as I have ever seen run for president. After that, Hughley endorsed the idea of Hillary Clinton having progressive firebrand Elizabeth Warren as her running mate. He said of the potential of such a ticket: This man would react to two competent well-intentioned principled women with glee. I don t see anybody listen, everything men have, black men in particular have, we have because of women. Everything we have. Every single thing. It s their time in the sun. It s a shame two women I mean, I m not trying to be offensive, but they seem to be braver. Who fights? Who goes back and forth on Twitter, which is such a dumb notion. But who does Trump stay away from? Elizabeth Warren. Saving the best for last, Hughley then went on to rip not only Donald Trump, but whole GOP for their racism and their endorsing a clear racist for the highest office in the land. He said: Donald Trump is a racist.He s a racist and anybody who listen, Paul Ryan basically said that s textbook racism. So what Paul Ryan actually said is a racist is better than a liberal. If you say that, it s because you re not affected by racism. Everything we are, because liberals built this country, you are what you are because of liberals. Hughley then ripped Reid s MSNBC colleague Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe: And I was on with Joe Scarborough, and I don t agree with everything he says, but he brags about this being the party of Lincoln. When you ve got to keep referencing the dude on the penny, you better update your resume. Stop it. Everything you enjoy right now, everybody they like now, they hated before. They hated Martin Luther King. Now they pretend. They hated Muhammad Ali, and they didn t like him until he was shaking going up the stairs at the Olympics. They didn t start loving him until he was no longer a threat. You don t get to be a little racist, you don t get to be a little pregnant. Hughley is right. The GOP is full of racists. There s no denying it now. They are literally supporting a racist for president in a country that has one of the nastiest histories of racism ever. They d rather have an incompetent racist who is so thin-skinned he d likely start a war in a fit of crazy rage for president rather than a strong, competent, more than qualified liberal woman. They are literally putting party before country, the good of themselves and their own political careers over that of the nation and world.That says a whole hell of a lot about today s incarnation of the Republican Party, and none of it is good.Thank you, Mr. Hughley, for saying what needs to be said.Watch the video below, via Raw Story:Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Now That the Presidential-Election Side Show Is Finally Ending… | Posted on November 8, 2016 by Charles Hugh Smith
Though it has been billed as the main event for months, the presidential election has always been a side show –or from one point of view, a freak show.
As I write this on Monday, I have no idea who will win the side show unpopularity contest (i.e. the presidential race)–and it doesn’t really matter as much as apoplectic partisans would have us believe.
The reason why it doesn’t matter much which unpopular candidate wins is the issues facing the nation are far larger than partisan politics or the corrupt Ruling Elite that is freaking out about the possibility of a Trump presidency disrupting its self-serving skims and scams.
As I described yesterday in America’s Ruling Elite Has Failed and Deserves to Be Fired ,we are in the midst of a fast-moving Industrial-Digital Revolution that is upending the political, economic and social orders. The global economy’s current mode of production is in fits and starts being replaced with a new mode of production that bypasses the Ruling Elite’s centralized skims and scams.
Real reform is impossible in the current Status Quo , a dynamic I described in my book Why Our Status Quo Failed and Is Beyond Reform and illustrated with this chart.
The Ruling Elite will never allow real reform because real reform threatens their dominance and wealth. Instead, the Ruling Elite proposes modest policy tweaks that increase their dominance by limiting innovation and competition and transferring the systemic risks and costs of their skims/scams to the non-elites.
If a crisis does threaten their dominance, any meaningful reforms that result from the crisis will be watered down once the storm has passed.
The core problem is the Status Quo and its Ruling Elite rely on centralized hierarchies, regulatory capture and mobile capital to protect their dominance from innovation and competition. This aligned perfectly with the centralized World War II-era state-cartel/ central-bank mode of production that has dominated the economy and society since 1945.
But the Industrial-Digital Revolution is destabilizing these inflexible, centralized hierarchies which cannot compete with decentralized, flexible networks in output, efficiency or cost.
This presents the self-serving Ruling Elites with an impossible choice: either embrace the Industrial-Digital Revolution’s efficiencies and watch the foundation of their own dominance and wealth crumble, or defend their bloated, inefficient and increasingly bankrupt centralized hierarchies from innovation and competition–a war they are losing and cannot possibly win.
The Status Quo is not just financially bankrupt–it is morally and intellectually bankrupt as well. The level of insider dealing, self-aggrandizement, collusion and corruption in the Ruling Elite is off the charts, and this is now visible for all to see.
The Status Quo’s intellectual grab-bag of narratives and ideologies is devoid of anything remotely aligned with the Industrial-Digital Revolution. The Status Quo’s intellectual grab-bag consists of 70-year old cults (the Keynesian Cargo Cult of Paul Krugman et al.) that have visibly failed and tired throwbacks to 1950: if only corporations weren’t global, and if only capital wasn’t mobile and if only the central state taxed us even more and borrowed and spent more…
These 1945 ideas cannot possibly succeed in the Industrial-Digital Revolution’s mode of production . But both political parties, the Ruling Elites and the Establishment they dominate have no idea of how to manage this radically transformative mode of production . They are a clueless herd trampling the non-elites as they rush headlong over the cliff.
(I cover this emerging economy in The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy and Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy , and sketch a new systemic approach in A Radically Beneficial World: Automation, Technology & Creating Jobs for All .)
No leader can stop the emergence of a new mode of production . All they can do is engineer a crash by clinging to the expiring mode of production . The leadership of the U.S. sees only one path: further centralization that increases the power of the central state-bank-cartel mode of production . This is the road to ruin, akin to protecting the buggy-whip industry and the Whig Party at all costs.
Politicians aren’t actually leaders. All they can do is give voice to what the people are willing to support, resist needed transformation by supporting a corrupt, sclerotic status quo or introduce the people to a new narrative.
Sadly, our self-serving Ruling Elite is only capable of resisting needed transformation by supporting a corrupt, sclerotic status quo. A new leadership class that actually understands the new mode of production may eventually emerge, but only after the corrupt, sclerotic status quo has deservedly collapsed under its own weight. | 1real |
ETHIOPIAN MUSLIM Monster Deported From U.S. 10 Years After Performing “Clitorectomy” On Daughter With Scissors | With a growing number of Muslim refugees and immigrants living in America who are strict adherents of Sharia Law, it should come as no surprise that female genital mutilation is not so uncommon anymore in many parts of the United States. It is a felony to perform a clitorectomy on a female in America, but getting caught is the hard part A petition from the womens group Equality Now reveals that immigration has put the United States on a list that will be much more difficult for progressive immigration enthusiasts to cheer. A massive influx of immigrants from Muslim-populated countries in Africa and the Middle East has led the group to conclude that more than half a million girls in the U.S. are in danger of having their exposed sexual organs skinned from their bodies.The practice is known as female genital mutilation (FGM).The Atlantic describes how the procedure is carried out:It usually involves the complete removal of the clitoris, and often the removal of some of the inner and outer labia. In its most extreme form infibulation almost all the external genitalia are cut away, the remaining flesh from the outer labia is sewn together, or infibulated, and the girl s legs are bound from ankle to waist for several weeks while scar tissue closes up the vagina almost completely. A small hole, typically about the diameter of a pencil, is left for urination and menstruation. The cutting is usually done with a razor, a kitchen knife, or a pair of scissors. It is rare for any anesthesia to be used.As the United States continues to mail out immigrant visas to countries with hostile and violent attitudes towards women, it will increasingly challenge Americans self-perception of what it means to live in a First World country.Haha Dukureh, an FGM-survivor and founder of the activist organization Safe Hands for Girls, warned that every year thousands of girls here in the United States go through female genital mutilation. Breitbart NewsA Gwinnett County Muslim man was deported today after female serving 10 years in an American prison (on the American taxpayer dime) for a genital mutilation sentence. An Ethiopian man convicted of aggravated battery and cruelty to children was removed from the United States on Monday.Khalid Adem, 41, was arrested for using scissors to mutilate the genitals of his 2-year-old daughter.He was deported on Monday after serving 10 years in prison.Adem was an Ethiopian citizen and native when he was living in Gwinnett County, Georgia in 2006. (He was convicted in 2006, but his wife who turned him in believes the crime was committed in 2001). His case was drew national attention for being the first criminal conviction in the United States for female genital mutilation (FGM).He became the catalyst for the specific criminalization of FGM under Georgia state law.Female genital mutilation is a federal crime, and any involvement in committing this crime is a human rights violation that results in imprisonment and potential deportation. (This crime includes doing the procedure within the United States as well as sending women overseas to be cut) . Jihad Watch | 1real |
Cars torched in attack on French police housing complex | LYON, France (Reuters) - Attackers set fire to vehicles beneath a housing complex for police and their families in a suburb of Grenoble, eastern France, on Thursday. Police said a fence around the building was closed off in an apparent attempt to prevent residents escaping and rescuers getting in, but all 24 people inside escaped unharmed. Nobody claimed responsibility for the assault, which was the latest in a series of arson attacks against police and police vehicles. Attacks like this can be tantamount to terrorism, Grenoble prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat told reporters, adding that the method used was similar to other recent attacks by far-left groups. Last month, such a group claimed responsibility for an arson attack on a police building in Grenoble that destroyed a warehouse and several cars. The group said the fire was a protest against the trial of nine far-left activists accused of firebombing police in an assault on two officers in Paris in May 2016 that was caught on camera. Last month, five police cars were set on fire in Limoges, central France. French police are on high alert after a series of Islamic State-inspired attacks that have killed more than 240 people in the past three years. Aside from the Islamist threat, far-left and far-right militancy has also not let up. Police this month arrested 10 far-right militants suspected of planning attacks on mosques and politicians. | 0fake |
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Founders Get Arrested At U.S. Capitol | The co-founders of Ben & Jerry s Ice Cream, Ben Cohen, and Jerry Greenfield, were two of the 1200+ arrested in the past week at the U.S. Capitol to protest the influence big money has in politics as part of the Democracy Spring movement. According to the U.S. Capitol Police, those arrested were charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding, which is unlawful demonstration activity. Both Cohen and Greenfield were processed and released on scene.Ben Cohen also runs a non-profit, Stamp Stampede, which literally stamps money out of politics. The stamps stamp money with slogans such as Not to be used for bribing politicians. No matter what issue you are most passionate about environment, healthcare, soaring prescription drug costs the root cause is always linked to corporations giving so-called donations in large sums to politicians, in a process Senator John McCain has called legalized bribery, Ben Cohen told me in an interview for the New York Observer in December 2015. A few hundred really wealthy people put in the majority of early contributions to our country s presidential candidates, he said. In the context of congress, our representatives get gobs of money from corporations through lobbyists for either passing or not passing legislation, essentially transforming our democracy into an oligarchy. We can t tackle the rest of the problems until we tackle this basic one. It s difficult to address because it requires an amendment to overturn a Supreme Court decision, but that s what Americans have done throughout history we have worked to overturn egregious decisions, which is why we have the constitutional amendment process. The non-profit s website, StampStampede.org, has photos of stamped money posing with Senator Elizabeth Warren and other advocates for getting money out of politics. As long as corporate and wealthy influences can undermine democracy through campaign contributions, the gridlock in congress will persist and most likely worsen. Big money doesn t want meaningful progressive reforms, they want to influence legislation to insulate themselves from the rigors of a competitive market while exploiting tax loopholes and government subsidies to maximize their profits at the expense of the working and middle classes in America.Featured Image Courtesy of Flickr | 1real |
Eric Trump: A candidate under investigation is ‘unthinkable’ | The views expressed herein are the views of the author exclusively and not necessarily the views of VNN, VNN authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians or the Veterans Today Network and its assigns. Notices Posted by VNN on November 4, 2016, With 0 Reads, Filed under Civil Liberties , Corruption , Election 2016 , Foreign Lobbies , Foreign Policy , Government , Legislation , Police State , Politics . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 . You can leave a response or trackback to this entry FaceBook Comments
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Trump Blames Baton Rouge Police Shooting On Obama’s ‘Lack Of Leadership’ (TWEETS) | Following the tragic shooting of several police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana earlier today that left three officers dead and three more injured, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took the tragedy as an opportunity to bash President Barack Obama and make a pathetic attempt to convince America that things like this wouldn t happen under his watch.In a post on Facebook, Trump wrote: We grieve for the officers killed in Baton Rouge today. How many law enforcement and people have to die because of a lack of leadership in our country? We demand law and order. It s now becoming a trend for Trump to exploit crimes against law enforcement to make himself look better to his racist tribe. He purposefully mentioned law and order in this Facebook post because after the Dallas attack, which left several police officers dead and many more injured, Trump called himself the law and order candidate in a speech addressing the Dallas attack. Trump had said: We must maintain law and order at the highest level, or we will cease to have a country. 100%, we will cease to have a country. I am the law and order candidate. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is weak, ineffective, pandering, and as proven by her recent e-mail scandal, which was an embarrassment, not only to her, but to the entire nation as a whole, she s either a liar or grossly incompetent. One or the other. Very simple. Following the Baton Rouge shooting, Trump also took to Twitter to vent and once again complained about how divided and out of control our country is (without considering how his hateful rhetoric and intolerant, racist values might be contributing to it).TwitterThis shooting is the second nationally-reported shooting in Baton Rouge this month, following the injustice of police brutality victim Alton Sterling, whose death inspired the shooting of police officers in Dallas. It s clear that the ongoing tension between law enforcement and the African American community is growing after these incidents, however to exploit these tragedies and use them to bash Obama is disgusting. If Trump would shut up and do his research for once, he would know that cops have never been safer than while Obama has been serving as President of the United States, and that the president is doing everything he can to keep our nation safe.TwitterFeatured image is a screenshot | 1real |
Who will fight for gay marriage at SCOTUS? | Washington (CNN) The date for arguments is on the calendar. The questions that the justices will have to decide are clear. Even the amount of time lawyers will have to make their case is set in stone.
But there's still one mystery heading into next month's historic gay marriage case at the Supreme Court: Who will get to argue before the justices that same sex marriage should be legal across the nation?
The roster of lawyers for each side is still being worked out. And like many things related to the law, it's complicated. Six legal challenges in four states have been consolidated into one case. And to make things even more dicey, there are actually two separate legal questions before the court.
Still, this is a rare opportunity to argue before the highest court to shape the law on one of the most consequential modern social issues. It's no wonder that any lawyer -- from recent law school grads to titans of the profession -- would dream of a chance to snag a piece of the debate.
"It will be a very sensitive negotiation among the lawyers," said Adam Winkler, a professor at the UCLA School of Law. "Everyone involved in this case would love to be the one to argue."
In general, the court leaves the decision up to the parties. The plaintiffs on Tuesday proposed that their time to make their case be divided — a practice the Court usually frowns upon.
If the justices decline the request, plaintiffs will have to winnow down their choices.
That will be tough because scores of lawyers have been involved with the challenge, including some of the best litigators in the country.
The parties could choose a private attorney who has been with the case all along such as Alphonse A. Gerhardstein, a civil rights attorney from Cincinnati or Carole M. Stanyar, who is based in Ann Arbor.
"The choice could also depend upon whether the parties ask, and the court agrees, to allow them to designate two lawyers to argue," said Amy Howe, the editor of Scotusblog.
They could opt for someone with vast experience arguing before the the Supreme Court. Both Jeffrey L. Fisher, of Stanford Law School, and Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, who used to work in the Solicitor General's office, have appeared multiple times before the justices.
Another option would be to pick a lawyer affiliated with one of the movement groups that has been working in the trenches for years on a state-by-state strategy to build political momentum on the issue. Top contenders would include Mary Bonauto of the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and James Esseks of the ACLU.
"Everyone involved wants to win more than anything else," said Winkler.
It would be unusual for the parties to choose a lawyer unaffiliated with the case at hand.
For instance, Theodore Olson and David Boies, the political odd fellows who came together in 2012 to fight California's ban on same sex marriage, backed a different challenge this time around in Virginia. The Supreme Court ultimately declined to take up that case, making it harder for the power lawyers to be involved in next month's case.
At least one big name is expected to argue for those in favor of same-sex marriage: Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. The Obama administration filed an amicus brief in the case two weeks ago and as the government's lawyer before the court, Verrilli would typically get some time before the justices.
But from there, it's anyone's guess.
The court is considering two questions. The first concerns the central issue of whether states can ban gay marriage. The second question gives the justices an off ramp if they decide against issuing a sweeping ruling. That question concerns whether states must recognize the marriage of couples legally married out of state.
State officials in the four states involved -- Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky -- have to go through a similar process to decide who will lead arguments defending state bans on same-sex marriage.
On Friday, Michigan's attorney general announced that Special Assistant Attorney General John Bursch, the former Michigan solicitor general, will present the state's oral argument. And according to Dan Tierney, the spokesperson at the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Joseph F. Whalen, Tennessee's associate solicitor general, will handle the second question.
Deciding who will argue the case will mark one of the last strategic decisions the parties will have to make before the issue goes to the justices.
For the challengers, the moment has been years in the making as they worked toward the overall aim to get the Supreme Court to issue a nationwide ruling.
Some longtime gay rights advocates were nervous a few years ago when opponents of California's Prop 8 chose to push their case to the Supreme Court. The advocates felt the better choice was to move more incrementally and first ask the Supreme Court to rule on a section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- a federal law that denied benefits to same sex couples who were legally married in the states.
As it turned out, both cases arrived before the court in 2012, and it ultimately struck down a section of DOMA and dismissed the Prop 8 case on procedural grounds.
Since the DOMA ruling, the victories for gay rights advocates have been astounding.
In the last two years, challenges to same sex marriage bans have been successful in nearly 60 lower court decisions according to the group Freedom to Marry.
That's led some to believe it's a foregone conclusion that the court will rule in favor of marriage for same sex couples this summer.
"I'm reluctant ever to call anything a 'done deal'" said Scotusblog's Howe.
But she points out that in October, the Supreme Court cleared the way for thousands of marriages to take place in Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana and Wisconsin when it declined to take up an earlier set of same sex marriage petitions.
"As a legal matter, the Court could of course uphold the bans, but as a practical matter it would be very hard to put the genie back into the bottle, so to speak, and hold that -- notwithstanding all of the marriages it has allowed to go forward in the last few months -- there is no longer a right to same-sex marriage," she said. | 0fake |
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