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Virgil: The Real Purpose of the Left’s Permanent Campaign Against Steve Bannon | In the past, Virgil has taken note of various Main Stream Media tricks, such as the false “argument from authority” and the “assertion of a false conflict. ” [Well, the MSM is at it again. This newest trick can be called, “build him up so as to try to knock him down. ” A case in point is the lead editorial in The New York Times on January 31, entitled, “President Bannon?” That editorial was mostly the usual lefty litany of attacks against Stephen K. Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News, now serving in the White House as President Donald Trump’s Chief Strategist. Indeed, the utter familiarity of the attacks makes Virgil conclude that Times writers must think that Times readers never get tired of reading the same “golden oldie” . However, there was one thing new in that latest attack. And that was the headline, “President Bannon?” Even people a lot younger than old Virgil can plainly see what the Times was trying to do here namely, build Bannon up into sort of giant existential threat. In this telling, he’s a threat not only to liberalism, but also, a threat to the constitutional order of the Republic. The reader is thus supposed to think to himself or herself, “Steve Bannon is bad enough. But President Bannon? Yikes!” The goal is to provoke ever more outrage from readers. And the goal, of course, is to somehow knock out Bannon, as a way of somehow knocking out President Donald Trump. The latest flashpoint of MSM angst is Bannon’s participation in the National Security Council (NSC). On January 28, President Trump issued a memorandum outlining his update to the structure of the NSC it’s typical for any new president to do this at the beginning of his term. In the course of all the legalese, the new presidential document assigned Bannon a place on the “Principals Committee” of the NSC. That is, Bannon will participate in NSC deliberations — under the direction, of course, of the President. Other members of the NSC include Vice President Mike Pence (who is to preside over NSC meetings in the President’s absence) the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, as well as six others, including Bannon. In addition, another senior figures in the government are mentioned as frequent, or likely, participants. In other words, the most that one can say is that Bannon is one of ten regular “Principals,” and nearly a score of total attendees. And yet since the MSM mantra is All All The Time, obedient journos have gone into overdrive. For example, veteran Jonathan Alter, a fixture on MSNBC, has tweeted: Breaking: obscure law requires Sen confirmation for WH aide like Bannon to serve on NSC. 50 U. S. Code § 3021 Wow. Citing an exact legal code makes Alter’s claim sound so official. But then, a lot of fake news sounds official. Yet as Jack Landman Goldsmith — who served as a appointee in the Bush 43 Justice and Defense Departments, and is now a professor at Harvard Law School — tweeted in response: Bannon is not on the NSC. Order says he is invited to attend as attendee. Lots and lots of people not on NSC attend. Goldsmith has it right: According to federal law — the National Security Act of 1947, as amended — the National Security Council, and also, the more recent Homeland Security Council, have a very few “statutory” members that is, formal memberships, enumerated in the underlying statute. And nothing that Trump decided last week changes that such a change would require an act of Congress. In other words, while Bannon certainly has a high position in the Trump White House, he has no statutory role in the NSC. He is not, for example, in any way a part of the National Chain of Command that’s another matter of statute. Bannon is simply a valued member of the President’s team — and we all already knew that. And yet the reality of the situation notwithstanding, the Times went to work. In that editorial, “President Bannon?” the purported newspaper of record attempted to whip Bannon’s elevated role into some sort of coup d’etat: A new executive order, politicizing the process for national security decisions, suggests Mr. Bannon is positioning himself not merely as a Svengali but as the de facto president. Got that, Times readers? Bannon isn’t merely some sort of wickedly hypnotic figure, he’s on his way to being the “de facto president. ” As we have seen, there’s not a scintilla of truth to any of this, but as we have also seen, the Times loves . And with that in mind, the editorial made the same fallacious point a second time: While Mr. Trump long ago embraced Mr. Bannon’s politics, he would be wise to reconsider allowing him to run his White House. You get the idea: “de facto president,” “run his White House. ” As they say, sometimes a falsehood, repeated often enough, becomes persuasive — at least that’s the result that the Times is striving towards. This repetitive technique is sometimes called “The Big Lie. ” Or, as Virgil likes to say, magnum mendacium. Of course, the Times is hardly alone on the bandwagon right now, a hashtag campaign on Twitter, #StopPresidentBannon, is going full blast. Indeed, much of the MSM is joining in this attempted stampede. Here, for example, is a headline from the Beltway publication, Foreign Policy: “Steve Bannon Is Making Sure There’s No White House Paper Trail, Says Intel Source: The Trump administration’s chief strategist has already taken control of both policy and process on national security. ” Got that? The goal of all this reportorial alarmism is to make you afraid, very afraid. In this instance, the supposed issue of import is NSC . Given that the Trump administration is not even two weeks old, it’s unlikely that any sort of precise precedent for records has been established, and yet that didn’t stop reporter Kate Brannen from declaring, “The lack of a paper trail documenting the process is also troubling. ” Brannen’s source for all this ominousness, we might add, was an “intelligence official. ” Ah yes, the “intelligence official,” always ready to give a reporter a juicy quote. We might note that is the modus operandi of the Deep State. In the past, Virgil has chronicled the Deep State’s effort against the Trump administration, as well as, of course, the MSM campaign waged against Bannon. So this latest is just another blast from the Deep State, dutifully trumpeted by the MSM. Amusingly, that Foreign Policy article held up the Bush 43 administration as the gold standard of NSC . That might be a source of amusement — albeit bitter amusement — for those who remember the follies of, for example, the Iraq War. And yet for veterans of that vainglorious conflict, and for the families of the fallen and the wounded, it’s no comfort to know that the Bush NSC was careful to write up a thorough “summary of conclusions” after every meeting. The rest of us, too, can quickly see: the critical issue is the quality of the decision, not the quantity of the paperwork. Yet as we know by now, the MSM attacks — grabbing any available hammer, no matter how ridiculous — will never stop. The same Foreign Policy, we might add, made ample room on the same day for another this one from dedicated #NeverTrumper Max Boot: “President Bannon’s Hugely Destructive First Week in Office: The puppet master is leading the Trump administration down a road of carnage. ” For his part, Virgil has always figured that hardcore supporters of the Iraq War, such as Boot, ought to be a little more circumspect before throwing around phrases such as “road to carnage. ” Still, the real issue isn’t Bannon. Instead, the real issue is Trump. And Foreign Policy gave that game away in yet another story, headlined, “3 Ways to Get Rid of President Trump Before 2020. ” That piece, written by Rosa Brooks, a former under secretary of defense in the Obama administration, raises the idea — Virgil kids not — of a military coup d’etat against Trump. Okay, so Brooks is showing a high degree of kookiness that should forever disqualify her from future public service. And yet, of course, the Trump administration is young, and so there’s plenty of time for other “progressives” to join Brooks’ extremity. Meanwhile, the rest of us can watch these antics with a combination of bewilderment and bemusement. The only thing we should always bear in mind is that the MSM’s real target is Trump. | 0fake |
Whoops: The Damning Email Scott Walker Staffers Forgot To Shred | The Wisconsin Department of Justice just released an email that was exchanged between members of the Scott Walker administration that is so outrageous it has to be read to be believed.The document was sent by Wisconsin s former corrections secretary Ed Wall, to Scott Walker aide Rich Zipperer.Wall is currently on paid leave, as the FBI and state attorney general s office conduct a massive investigation into allegations of abuse inside Wisconsin s juvenile prison system.According to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, Wall is just one of many members of Walker s administration implicated in the juvenile sex abuse scandal.The Journal Sentinel reports, State officials at the highest levels have known of attacks and sexual assaults at the prison without either contacting or fully disclosing the details to county officials, family members of victims and even law enforcement, since at least February 2012.The paper goes on to say: The pattern of not sharing glaring problems continued for years, and meaningful change came only after the public learned late last year of the probe into Lincoln Hills and the sister facility on its campus, Copper Lake School for Girls. The email exchanged between Wall and Walker s aide sheds a light on what might have been going on in Walker s administration, which would impede the sharing of information.Details of the email, published by the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel here, indicate that these Walker officials would do just about anything to avoid transparency.Wall wrote: I know that you didn t want me sending this electronically or to the office because of the (open) records issue, so I elected instead to send it to your home in writing and would ask that you feel free to shred it once you ve looked it over. Nobody will know that I sent it and this is strictly between you and me. I understand the concern the administration has over creating records, Rich, but I can t let that harm me or my family worse that we ve already been harmed. Wall asked that he be reinstated to his old job, and went on to say that he didn t want to have to get a lawyer to make it happen. He also implied that the governor himself was on his side in the matter.In a statement to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, Wall s attorney referred to the statements in the email as an unfortunate use of language. Meanwhile, Scott Walker spokesperson Laurel Patrick pointed to the fact that the document wasn t shredded, as a way to show how honest and transparent the Walker administration is.If anything, the fact that this email wasn t shredded is just one more indication of how completely incapable Walker officials are of doing anything right.For once though, the bungling of Walker staffers might actually help the citizens of Wisconsin, instead of hurting them.Now that Wall s email has been inadvertently exposed to the public, the people of Wisconsin have a better idea of what they re fighting against. Beyond that, federal and state investigators now have a better idea of what it will take to shut Walker s criminal enterprise down once and for all.Featured image via Wikipedia | 1real |
2016 latest: Spirit of Christmas to be replaced with ‘Every man for himself’. More soon. | Guest Guest | 1real |
There’s A Bill In The House That Would Completely Shut Down The Russia Investigation | For Republicans, the Robert Mueller investigation into Donald Trump s Russian ties is a very inconvenient truth. If Trump is found guilty, there s little doubt that many others in the party would be dragged down with him. It s also putting a big damper on the Republican agenda to screw the poor and the middle class while giving big bonuses to Trump and those in his tax bracket (whatever that is). Now there s a bill in Congress to shut the whole thing down and it can be done, legally.Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill that would financially starve the investigation by cutting off funding after six months and would limit its scope to nothing prior to June, 2015, which was when Trump decided to run for president.According to a Washington Post report, Trump has been seeking business opportunities in Russia for three decades. It began in 1987, when he explored the options of opening a hotel in Moscow. He found it rather inconvenient, because everything is owned by the government while Russia was under communist rule.Almost 10 years later, in 1996, Trump announced that he was going to invest $250 million in buildings in Moscow. Those deals didn t pan out, but he was given a lot of trademarks that year.In 2005, Trump further expressed interest in building in Moscow, saying, It s ridiculous that I wouldn t be investing in Russia, he said. Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment. We will be in Moscow at some point. In 2008, Donnie Jr. admitted that the Trumps have all kinds of money tied up in Russia. In terms of high-end product influx into the US, he says, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. In 2013, while planning the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Trump tweeted about Putin becoming his best friend. Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow if so, will he become my new best friend? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2013During that year, he also continued his talk about doing more business in Russia.Cutting the investigation off at 2015 isn t a guarantee that Trump will get away with it. There have been numerous meetings between Russian officials and Trump officials since then.Mueller, though, is going broad. He s going after money laundering and all of Trump s business ties and he s probably going back years. DeSantis sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on the Judiciary. It s very possible that he has some insight into the scope of Mueller s investigation and he knows that if he prevents him from looking at anything pre-2015, Trump may have cleaned up his act, at least on paper.The provision, which is part of a government spending package may never see a vote, but if enough Republicans see this as a way out of the mess, it could.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 1real |
Hacking Accusations Against Russia Are Sign of Washington's Desperation | Hacking Accusations Against Russia Are Sign of Washington's Desperation
With Putin winning across the board, Washington is struggling to contain its humilitation Originally appeared at Strategic Culture Foundation
The Obama administration is now accusing Russia of cyber-crime and trying to disrupt the US presidential election. The claim is so far-fetched, it is hardly credible. More credible is that the US is reeling from Putin’s stunning humiliation earlier this week.
Since June, US media and supporters of Democrat presidential contender Hillary Clinton have been blaming Russian state-sponsored hackers for breaking into the Democratic party’s database.
It is further alleged that Moscow is stealthily trying to influence the outcome of the election, by releasing damaging information on Clinton, which might favor Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Russia has vehemently denied any connection to the cyber-crime charges, or trying to disrupt the November poll.
Now the Obama administration has stepped into the fray by openly accusing Russia. «US government officially accuses Russia of hacking campaign to interfere with elections», reported the Washington Post.
This takes the row to a whole new level. No longer are the insinuations a matter of private, partisan opinion. The US government is officially labelling the Russian state for cyber-crime and political subversion.
Predictably, following the latest allegations, there are calls among American lawmakers for ramping up more economic sanctions against Russia. While US intelligence figures are urging for retaliatory cyber-attacks on Russian government facilities.
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov derided the US claims as «rubbish». He noted that the Kremlin’s computer system incurs hundreds of hacking attempts every day, many of which can be traced to American origin, but Moscow doesn’t turn around and blame the US government for such cyber-attacks.
There are several signs that the latest brouhaha out of Washington is a bogus diversion.
As with previous Russian-hacker claims by the Democrats and US media, there is no evidence presented by the Obama administration to support its grave allegations against the Russian government. Assertion without facts does not meet a minimal standard of proof.
When reports emerged in June – again through the Washington Post – that the Democrat National Committee (DNC) was hacked by Russian agents, the allegation relied on investigations by a private cyber security firm by the name of CrowdStrike. The firm is linked by personnel to the NATO-affiliated, anti-Russian think tank Atlantic Council. Again no verifiable evidence was presented then, just the word of a dubious partisan source.
Back then the Russian scare story, for that’s what it was, served as a useful diversion from far more important issues. Such as the 19,000 emails released from the DNC database showing that the party chiefs had preordained Clinton’s presidential nomination over her Democrat rival Bernie Sanders. Much-vaunted «US democracy» was exposed as a fraud, and so the Washington establishment quickly went into damage-limitation mode by smearing Russia.
It was the whistleblower site Wikileaks, run by Australian journalist Julian Assange, that released the embarrassing emails. It had nothing to do with Russia. Assange has since hinted that his source was within the Democrat party itself.
This is where it gets really explosive. Assange has vowed to release more emails that will prove that Clinton as Secretary of State back in 2011-2012 masterminded the supply of weapons and money to Islamist terror networks in Libya and Syria for the objective of regime change. Furthermore, Assange says that the emails prove that Clinton lied under oath to Congress when she denied in 2013 that she was had any involvement in facilitating arms to the jihadists.
Assange has said that Wikileaks is going to publish the incriminating emails on Clinton’s alleged gun-running to terrorists this month. If the evidence stands up, Clinton could be prosecuted for perjury as well as treason in aiding and abetting official terrorist enemies of the US.
The exposure of an American presidential candidate as being involved in state sponsorship of terrorism while serving as a top government official is a powerful incentive for the Obama administration to find a lurid diversion.
Hence, the latest charges by the US government against Russia as perpetrating cyber-crime and of trying to subvert American democracy.
This is just one more illustration of how irrational and unhinged the US government has become.
Day by day, it seems, leads to more damning revelations of Washington’s complicity in illegal wars, covert subversion of foreign states, and systematic collusion with terrorist networks which have inflicted thousands of deaths on American citizens, among many more thousands of other innocent civilians around the world.
In addition to exposure by sources like Wikileaks, much of revelation about US criminality and state-sponsored banditry has emerged from Russia’s principled military intervention in Syria. Russia’s intervention has not only helped salvage the Syrian nation from a foreign conspiracy of covert war for regime change. Russia’s intervention has also brought into clear focus the systematic links between Washington and its terrorist proxy army working on its behalf in Syria.
Washington’s mask of moral and legal superiority has been ripped from its face. And what the world is seeing is the vile ugliness beneath.
Such is Washington’s ignominious fall from pretend-grace to its grim, odious reality that Vladimir Putin this week was empowered to speak from the moral high ground.
In announcing Russia’s unilateral suspension of a 2002 accord with the US for the disposal of nuclear-weapon-grade plutonium, Putin went much, much further. He gave Washington a list of ultimatums that included the US ending its trumped-up sanctions against Russia, with financial compensation, as well as the scaling back of NATO forces from Russia’s border.
In other words, the Russian leader was talking truth to American power in a way that megalomaniac Washington, with all its ridiculous delusions of «exceptionalism», has never ever heard before.
American pretensions of greatness are eroding like a castle built on sand. Washington’s criminal enterprises and specifically the complicity in terrorism for the supreme crime of foreign aggression are being glaringly exposed.
And now with due contempt, Russia is putting manners on Washington. It must be excruciating the humiliation for the narcissistic American tyrant to be treated with the disrespect that it deserves and which is long overdue.
Moreover, the humiliation is not just in the eyes of the world. The American people can see the true ugly nature of their rulers too. When a giant banner declaring «Putin a peacemaker» was unfurled off Manhattan bridge in New York City this weekend, the popular enthusiasm went viral.
Washington is reeling from Putin’s righteous courage to call it out for what it is. The truth-telling is hard to take for this unipolar unicorn. Its deluded myth-making about its own virtues are being stripped bare.
What’s going on here is a world-class, historic exposure of American power as a nefarious excrescence on humanity.
The reaction is understandable: foaming-at-the-mouth, desperate, hysterical and panicked. Accusing Russia of hacking into the American «democratic process» is a wild attempt to divert from the paramount issues: Washington’s exposed descent into a vile morass of its own making; the emperor is a criminal; the people know it; and a genuine world leader like Vladimir Putin has the temerity to lay it on the line to this has-been. | 1real |
Hezbollah says Saudi Arabia forced Lebanese PM to quit | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon s Shi ite Hezbollah group on Sunday accused Saudi Arabia of forcing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to quit, and called for calm in an effort to contain the political crisis unleashed by his resignation. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah, said there should be no political escalation in response to Hariri s declaration on Saturday, which was made from Saudi Arabia and came as surprise even to his aides. Hariri, in a televised speech, said there was a plot to kill him, and accused Hezbollah and its Iranian backers of sowing strife in the Arab world. Nasrallah said legitimate questions were being asked over whether Hariri had been detained in Saudi Arabia, where news emerged on Sunday that royals, ministers and investors had been arrested in an anti-corruption purge. Aides to Hariri, whose family made their fortune in the Saudi construction industry, strongly denied he had been detained or had been forced to resign. Speaking in a televised address, Nasrallah said: The resignation was a Saudi decision dictated to Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and was forced on him. Nasrallah said Lebanon s political leaders expected Hariri to return to Lebanon on Thursday if he is allowed to travel. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, a political ally of Hariri, is locked in a bitter tussle for power across the Middle East with Shi ite Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah. Lebanese President Michel Aoun will not accept Hariri s resignation until he returns to Lebanon to explain his reasons, palace sources said on Sunday, delaying for now the politically difficult consultations over his successor. Nasrallah said he would not comment on accusations leveled against Hezbollah by Hariri, describing his resignation announcement as a Saudi statement. Hariri s resignation toppled a coalition government that included Hezbollah, thrusting Lebanon back into the frontline of the Saudi-Iranian regional rivalry and risking an open-ended political crisis. The government was formed late last year in a political deal that ended years of deadlock, and last month it produced Lebanon s first budget since 2005. Nasrallah said he had thought things were going well and had not wanted Hariri to quit. Hariri allies in Lebanon have denied suggestions he had been detained and a photograph was published on his Twitter account showing him with Saudi Arabia s newly appointed ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Yaaqoub. News of high-level arrests in Saudi Arabia fueled social media speculation in Lebanon that Hariri, a Saudi national, was a target. Nasrallah said there was legitimate concern , asking if Hariri had anything to do with this internal struggle between the princes . Saudi Oger, the construction firm owned by the Hariri family, has faced a multibillion-dollar debt restructuring. The company was hit by a decline in oil prices led to sharp state spending cuts in the kingdom. Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat cited unnamed sources close to Hariri as speculating that he would probably remain outside Lebanon because of the security threat against him. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh sought to calm fears the political turmoil would hit Lebanon s already fragile economy, issuing a statement to reaffirm the stability of its currency, which is pegged against the U.S. dollar. In Lebanon s sectarian system the president must be a Maronite Catholic, the prime minister a Sunni and the speaker of parliament a Shi ite. Hariri is Lebanon s most influential Sunni politician. His father, Rafik al-Hariri, was prime minister after Lebanon s 1975-1990 civil war and was assassinated in a car bombing in 2005. A U.N.-backed tribunal has indicted five Hezbollah members for the killing but the group denies any involvement. Saudi media have published reports of a plot to assassinate Hariri in recent days, but all of Lebanon s main security branches have said they have no information about such a plot. A Saudi minister said on Saturday that Hariri s personal security detail had confirmed information about the plot. Thamer al-Sabhan said in an interview with a Lebanese TV station on Saturday that there were threats against the prime minister and the kingdom is keen for his security . U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was concerned by Hariri s resignation and hoped all sides in the country would back its state institutions, his spokesman on Lebanon Stephane Dujarric said in an emailed statement. | 0fake |
Orlando Shooting: What We Know and Don’t Know - The New York Times | A gunman who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State killed 49 people and wounded 53 more when he opened fire in a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. early Sunday. It was the worst mass shooting in American history. President Obama was in Orlando on Thursday to meet with victims’ families. Here is the latest: • The gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, was killed in a shootout with the police. Mr. Mateen, an American citizen whose parents were from Afghanistan, claimed allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 call he made at the time of the attack, law enforcement officials said. He lived in Fort Pierce, Fla. • On Tuesday, a senior F. B. I. official said investigators suspected the gunman’s second wife, Noor Zahi Salman, might have been aware that he was plotting an attack, and the agency was trying to determine her level of involvement. Ms. Salman, the mother of his young son, told the F. B. I. that she had driven him to the Pulse nightclub at some point before the attack and that she had also been with him when he bought ammunition. NBC, which reported the development, said Ms. Salman, 30, lives in Port St. Lucie, Fla. with Mr. Mateen’s father. The woman told officials she had tried to talk Mr. Mateen out of any attack, but whether she knew of his true plans was unclear. • Mr. Mateen was born in Queens, New York, according to public records. His Sitora Yusufiy, said her marriage to Mr. Mateen had been abusive, and that he had at times displayed erratic behavior. “There were definitely moments when he’d express his intolerance toward homosexuals,” she said. The marriage ended in divorce. • Mr. Mateen was removed from his job as a security officer at the St. Lucie County Courthouse in Fort Pierce, in 2013 at the request of county sheriff’s officials who had grown concerned about his demeanor and his “inflammatory” comments. The sheriff then informed the authorities, prompting an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. Mr. Mateen was transferred to a job as a security guard at a nearby residential golfing community, leading him to lodge a discrimination complaint, an official with the private security company that employed him said on Tuesday. The F. B. I. director, James Comey, said Monday that the gunman was on a terrorism watch list from 2013 to 2014, but that months of investigation into his foreign travels, his inflammatory remarks and his motives did not produce enough evidence to charge him. • The global security company G4S, based in Britain, said Mr. Mateen had worked for it as a guard since 2007. A said he had repeatedly complained to the company that Mr. Mateen used racial, ethnic and sexist slurs, and talked about killing people. • The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Mr. Mateen had legally bought both weapons used in the attack, a handgun and a long gun, in Florida within the last week. • Mr. Mateen opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, a popular gay club, at about 2 a. m. He was armed with an assault rifle similar to the and a handgun. • Mr. Mateen shot about of the people in the packed club. Hundreds of panicked clubgoers escaped and fled into the streets. • As more police officers rushed to the scene, Mr. Mateen retreated to a bathroom where he is believed to have held four to five hostages. About 15 to 20 people were in another restroom, frantically texting friends and family for help. • The police chief, John Mina, said that when police negotiators began to talk with Mr. Mateen, he appeared “cool and calm. ” The gunman made statements that led officers to think he was going to begin killing more people, the chief said, and he spoke of having explosives. Mr. Mateen was killed by a police SWAT team when it raided the building about 5 a. m. with an armored vehicle and stun grenades. One police officer was wounded, and at least 30 people were rescued. • President Obama said that the attack was a kind of “homegrown extremism” because it appeared the gunman had been inspired by extremist information he found on the internet, but that there was no clear evidence he was part of a wider terrorist plot. • The City of Orlando set up a special web page where it released the names of victims. The New York Times has compiled brief portraits of the victims. • A staggering 90 percent of the 49 victims were Hispanic or of Hispanic descent, including Mexican, Colombian and Dominican, community leaders said. Of those killed, 23 were Puerto Rican. • Medical officials said the victims had deep, gaping wounds from the rounds fired from the assault rifle and handgun. In some cases, the rounds bounced around inside their bodies, inflicting internal injuries. • More people were killed in Orlando than in any previous mass shooting in the United States. The 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech killed 32 people, while 26 people were killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. • This is the second mass shooting in the United States linked to sympathizers of the Islamic State since December, when a married couple killed 14 people in a rampage in San Bernardino, Calif. The Orlando shooting was the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001. • The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the massacre in a statement released over an encrypted phone app. The group said the attack “was carried out by an Islamic State fighter,” according to a transcript provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist propaganda. • The gunman made a series of Facebook posts, according to Senator Ron Johnson, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, including one in which he raged against the “filthy ways of the west” and another that warned of more attacks by the Islamic State “in the next few days. ” He even searched for references to the massacre while he was carrying it out, the senator wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chairman and chief executive. • Mr. Mateen’s father, Seddique Mir Mateen, posted a video on his Facebook page early on Monday in which he expressed regret and confusion about why his son had carried out the mass killing. “I don’t know what caused this,” said Mr. Mateen, speaking in Dari, a language spoken in Afghanistan. “I did not know and did not understand that he has anger in his heart. ” • At a news conference on Monday, A. Lee Bentley, the United States attorney for Central Florida, said the investigators had collected a large amount of electronic and criminal evidence and were trying to determine whether Mr. Mateen acted alone. The statement by the Islamic State did not provide details about its relationship with Mr. Mateen. • The F. B. I. director, Mr. Comey, said Monday that there was no evidence directly linking the gunman to an outside group, though he appeared to be — that is, he claimed allegiance to the Islamic State but had no direct tie — like the husband and wife team behind the attack in San Bernardino last year. • Investigators continued looking into whether Mr. Mateen’s wife knew what he had planned, but officials have deflected questions about possible criminal charges against her. They are also scouring his past movements and possible accomplices. • Mr. Mateen told the police by phone that he would strap explosives to four hostages and place them strategically in the corners of the building, Mayor Buddy Dyer said on Wednesday. But investigators have not found any evidence of explosives. | 0fake |
BREAKING NEWS: Man With Laptop On American Airlines Flight To Honolulu Subdued After Attempting To Break Down Cockpit Door [VIDEO] | Tick tock. America will now wait until conservative news sources release his motive.UPDATE: The man who attempted to breach the cockpit has been identified as a Turkish man. Flight attendants, an off-duty Los Angeles police officer and other passengers were able to stop the man and secure him in a seat. It was all kind of surreal, said Penny Lorenzen, a passenger on the flight.Her husband was among those who got up to try to stop the man. It took seconds, said Lee Lorenzen, of Orange County, Calif. He was pushing against the cart and a bunch of guys grabbed him. They found some duct tape. There were pillows and blankets. And they taped him to his chair. Hawaii News Now A man was subdued after he tried to breach the cockpit of an American Airlines flight to Honolulu, a source familiar with the situation told ABC News.American Airlines said in a statement that law enforcement met the plane upon landing in Honolulu following a disturbance on the flight. The plane was escorted by two F-22 fighter jets for the duration of the flight following the disturbance, U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement. ABC NewsA source at the TSA told ABC News that the man was waiting for the bathroom near the cockpit when a flight attendant asked him to sit down. He had a laptop with him and appeared to try the cockpit door before he was subdued, the source said.The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was escorted off American Airlines Flight 31, after it landed safely at 11:35 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, according to a statement from the airline.A government source confirmed that he had been loitering near the restroom and was carrying a laptop. Flight attendants asked him to return to his seat and he refused.He then seemed to lunge towards the cockpit door. That s when several passengers subdued him.He was arrested on the ground by the FBI.The flight, which originated from Los Angeles, was to arrive in Honolulu about noon. The flight departed from Los Angeles International Airport at 8:34 a.m. local time. NBC Los AngelesLATEST: 2 F-22 fighter jets escorted American Airlines Flight 31 to Honolulu Int l Airport due to disturbance on board, Pacific Command says pic.twitter.com/Ee8zTg4PN3 ABC News (@ABC) May 19, 2017 | 1real |
Detroit Reverend BLASTS Trump’s ‘Scam’ He Just Tried To Pull On Voters (VIDEO) | Donald Trump s visit to a historically black church in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday is being met with fierce condemnation from black leaders. Reverend Wendell Anthony is one of those leaders who is calling out Trump. On Saturday, Anthony, who is the head of the Detroit NAACP chapter, appeared on CNN where he derided the entire visit as a scam. This is nothing more than a ruse. This is a scam, Anthony said during the segment. Mr. Trump is seventy years old, I believe. That election now is less than seventy days from now. It s gonna take a whole lot of conjecture and whole lot of programming to undo what has been done. Anthony is correct. Trump has polling numbers so low with voters of color that it seems almost absurd at this point to try and win them over so close to the election. Considering Trump s support from white supremacist groups, and his recently solidified multi-media brand promotion deal relationship with the reactionary media site Breitbart, which has historically upheld white supremacist positions, there isn t a snowball s chance in hell those numbers will go up. In fact, since Trump began his new strategy of begging voters of color to take a chance on him, his polling numbers with the voting bloc have plummeted even further.Then there s also this long list of reasons that Anthony lists off: Before you talk about the can-do, let s talk about the undo, he continued. Let s undo what Mr. Trump has done. Part of what he said is that we need to unite the country. Well his policies, or lack thereof, his commentary, his rhetoric, is doing no more than dividing this nation. When you talk about I don t want black people counting my money, or rather have short folk with yarmulkes counting my money that s divisive! It s rather amusing to see someone whose entire political career thus far has been made possible by the far right s racism and xenophobia try and pander to voters of color. There s also something sad about it. Very sad!You can watch the video below.Featured image from video screenshot | 1real |
BREAKING : After Embarrassingly Low Turnout at Ohio Rally Tim Kaine Cancels Florida Rally – TruthFeed | BREAKING : After Embarrassingly Low Turnout at Ohio Rally Tim Kaine Cancels Florida Rally BREAKING : After Embarrassingly Low Turnout at Ohio Rally Tim Kaine Cancels Florida Rally Breaking News By Amy Moreno October 27, 2016
After a near-empty auditorium in Ohio, Time Kaine has canceled his Florida appearance today.
Kaine was set to appear in Sarasota, Florida Friday at 6 pm.
We’re not sure why it was canceled, although “LACK OF ATTENDANCE” seems the most logical explanation.
From News Channel 8 :
SARASOTA, FL (WFLA) — Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine was scheduled to be in Sarasota Friday, but the event has been canceled.
The event with Tim Kaine was scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Auditorium.
There is no word why the event was canceled. Clinton’s website simply says, “This event has been canceled. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.”
News Channel 8 is working to get more details. Stay with WFLA.com for updates. Tim Kaine event in Sarasota cancelled https://t.co/5RM8GFVsr8 via @wfla
— Constance Queen (@ConstanceQueen8) October 27, 2016 This is a movement – we are the political OUTSIDERS fighting against the FAILED GLOBAL ESTABLISHMENT! Join the resistance and help us fight to put America First! Amy Moreno is a Published Author , Pug Lover & Game of Thrones Nerd. You can follow her on Twitter here and Facebook here . Support the Trump Movement and help us fight Liberal Media Bias. Please LIKE and SHARE this story on Facebook or Twitter. | 1real |
Congressional leaders pushing debt limit plan, ahead of speaker vote | Congressional leaders and the Obama administration are getting closer to a potential deal on a plan to address looming debt limit and budget deadlines, Fox News has learned -- as House Speaker John Boehner tries to avert one last fiscal crisis before handing the reins over to his successor.
Rep. Paul Ryan, the front-runner for Boehner's job in elections set for later this week, would be poised to inherit a plate of problems on the budget front unless the current leadership can resolve it.
The U.S. government faces a Nov. 3 deadline to raise the federal borrowing limit, and a Dec. 11 deadline to pass a new budget.
Fox News has learned that leaders, though, are nearing a two-year budget agreement that would also raise the debt ceiling. Tentatively, the plan would hike the debt ceiling through as far as the spring of 2017, after the presidential election. Plus, it would fund the government through at least next October.
The matter is being negotiated at the highest levels among a cadre of only about 10 officials, Fox News is told.
But multiple sources made clear this is not resolved yet -- and will need to be addressed at a series of congressional meetings set for Tuesday.
If an agreement is reached, it's unclear whether Boehner would try to push it through under his leadership or push it to the next speaker.
Without a vote to raise the debt ceiling, the U.S. government could be unable to pay all its bills, threatening benefit payments and agency operations and raising prospect of an unprecedented government default. At the same time, the routine raising of the debt ceiling -- this time, past an $18.1 trillion mark -- has outraged fiscal hawks worried that the government borrowing is unsustainable. Since President Obama took office, the national debt has increased nearly $8 trillion.
While the debt ceiling has presented a recurring crisis on Capitol Hill, this time there was not even a roadmap for raising it, until now. Republicans have been demanding budget cuts as part of any deal, but House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the White House insist on a "clean" measure without strings attached.
Conservative groups have been putting pressure on allies in Congress not to give in.
"If Congress doesn't use the power of the purse, we don't need a Congress and we just have an executive with no check," Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action for America, told "Fox News Sunday."
Needham said he thinks Ryan "wants to use that leverage" that comes with the debt ceiling deadline.
Fox News is told Ryan is not part of the current negotiations.
Secret-ballot GOP elections are set for Wednesday in the vote for speaker, followed by a full House vote Thursday. Rep. Ryan, R-Wis., appears to have the lion's share of support from all wings of the Republican conference.
But if the budget and debt problems are not resolved, Ryan, the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee, could face immediate -- and perhaps competing -- tasks: passing must-do debt and spending bills likely to be opposed by a majority of Republicans, even while he attempts to unite a badly fractured House GOP.
Conservative Republicans suggest Ryan could get leeway for how he navigates the immediate crises he inherits, including the debt ceiling, if it's not dealt with before he assumes the speakership.
"If we get six months down the road and nothing's really changed, if we get eight months down the road and nothing's really changed, then I think it's, `Everybody needs to get a helmet' time,' " said GOP Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada. "There's a reason John Boehner decided to resign."
After announcing his surprise plans last month to leave Congress on Oct. 30, Boehner expressed a desire to "clean the barn" of messy must-pass legislation, rather than leave it for his successor. The debt limit was at the top of the list, given the impending deadline and the reluctance of most Republicans to pass an increase without accompanying spending cuts the White House is ruling out.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 0fake |
Pressure Is On Trump, Sanders In Crucial Contests Tuesday | Pressure Is On Trump, Sanders In Crucial Contests Tuesday
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton currently lead the delegate counts for the presidential nomination. But because of the difference in how both parties award their delegates, Clinton's is the more commanding lead.
Tuesday's Democratic contest in Michigan, the biggest prize of the day, is key for Bernie Sanders to show he can turn things around. His campaign has argued that Clinton has ballooned her lead because of black voters in the South.
Now, many of those Southern contests are over (though there is another Tuesday in Mississippi).
But the question remains: Can the Vermont independent senator appeal to Northern black voters? They make up roughly a quarter of Michigan's Democratic electorate. He believes his economic message can resonate with them and working-class whites hurt by trade. Polls, though, have shown the former secretary of state with double-digit leads going into Tuesday.
Sanders is facing a difficult problem: This past weekend, he won three of four contests, but, because his wins were in smaller caucuses, and Clinton won by a huge margin in the primary in Louisiana, Sanders only wound up winning three more pledged delegates than Clinton. (Pledged delegates are derived from the margins candidates win in voting in various state primaries and caucuses.)
Maintaining that kind of pace will not help Sanders catch Clinton, who is 195 delegates ahead. Sanders needs 53 percent of all remaining delegates to win a majority of pledged delegates. And with each passing contest, that hill becomes even steeper. With superdelegates, those unpledged party leaders and elected officials, factored in, Sanders needs a whopping 60 percent of all remaining delegates. That's a very difficult aircraft carrier to turn around, given the Democrats' proportional system of allocating delegates.
Yes, superdelegates can change their votes, and it's true they have never not gone with who won the pledged majority, but even in 2008, when Barack Obama defeated Clinton, and won more superdelegates, not all that many superdelegates peeled off from Clinton. What's more, Clinton has a far bigger lead with them now than she ever did in 2008. Clinton already has nearly two-thirds of all superdelegates publicly in her corner. (And, by the way, they were created in the 1980s for precisely this purpose — to give party leaders a lever to prevent the nomination of what they view as an unelectable candidate after Democrats were soundly defeated in 1984.)
All that said, the pledged-delegate margin remains the most important number to watch. Clinton would prefer to win the nomination outright based on voting — and not because party leaders put her over the top. There's lots of talk of the GOP civil war, but if there was an outcome in which one candidate won the delegates from actual voters and the other won the nomination because of party insiders, you can bet there would be an equally ugly Democratic convention in Philadelphia this summer.
But unless Sanders starts winning soon and big, that's all theoretical and moot. The Democratic race, at this point, doesn't look close to heading toward anything like that.
For Republicans, though, Trump is ahead, his lead is less dominant because it's a four-person race — and the candidates keep splitting the vote.
On Tuesday, Michigan has the most delegates in play with 59, far less than on the Democratic side, in part because Republicans have far fewer delegates overall, but also because of the state's history of voting Democratic.
Trump has been leading the polls there by double digits, and he needs another big win. The other contests of the day, though — in Mississippi, Idaho and Hawaii — hold far more delegates combined (91) than Michigan. There hasn't been any good polling in Mississippi, but Trump hopes to pull off a win there like he did in neighboring Louisiana over the weekend. If Louisiana is an indicator, though, Cruz could give Trump a run for his money.
If Cruz pulled that off, it would be yet another example that he could use to say he's the principal alternative to Trump — and not Marco Rubio. This past weekend, Cruz, who trails Trump by 84 delegates, made a strong case for that. He won the biggest share of the delegates out of a handful of contests with wins in Kansas and Maine — and he nearly picked off Trump in Louisiana and Kentucky.
Rubio finished third everywhere on Saturday, except in Maine, where he finished fourth. He made up for it some in Puerto Rico on Sunday, winning there by such a big margin that he took all of the territory's 23 delegates.
The GOP political establishment couldn't think of a worse possible choice than having to pick between Trump and Cruz, who might be the least liked person in Congress among his colleagues.
And then there's John Kasich. The Ohio governor is hoping to surprise the field in Michigan. He should do well there. He's a Midwesterner. But he's polling double digits behind Trump, and some polls have had Cruz either in second or a close third. If Kasich is far behind in Michigan or even finishes third behind Cruz, it's hard for him to make a case that he has a real chance at the nomination.
He'll likely stay in for the winner-take-all March 15 contest in his home state of Ohio, but what's his sell for staying in after that — aside from maybe trying to keep Trump below a majority heading into the convention by picking off votes and delegates where he can in more moderate places?
Because of the crowded field, unlike the two-person race on the Democratic side, Trump currently still needs 53 percent of all remaining delegates to win the nomination. But he has only won the majority of delegates in five of 20 states so far.
That's not to say anyone else on the GOP side has a better chance of winning a majority — Cruz needs 59 percent of all remaining delegates, Rubio 68 percent and Kasich 75 percent.
The candidates hope to start racking up more lopsided wins, as the contest rules change on March 15. That's when states can pick however they want to award delegates. Some states, like Florida, Ohio, Arizona and New Jersey, are winner take all; others are more hybrid. All of that is to say there could be some funky results, spikes and dips ahead that could sway the race in a potentially unknown direction.
But clearly, at this point, Trump is in the driver's seat. He has solid support with his hardened base that will get him a lot of delegates before June when the contests are eventually over. The question that still remains for him is: Will he grow his support?
Through 20 contests, he has averaged 35 percent of the vote. He's cracked 40 percent in five states so far and 50 percent in just one (New Hampshire). That's why he's been publicly calling for candidates, like Rubio, to get out of the race.
The theory of the establishment coalescing behind a single candidate to beat Trump might not hold true, but what might be true is Trump needs the field to shrink to get a majority before the convention.
How many states vote? Four: Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan and Mississippi. (All four vote on the GOP side, but just Michigan and Mississippi vote on the Democratic side.)
When do polls close? 8 p.m. ET (Mississippi), 9 p.m. ET (Michigan — most polls close at 8 p.m. ET, but some counties are in Central), 11 p.m. ET (Idaho), 1 a.m. ET (Hawaii).
How many delegates are at stake? 316 combined (338 if 22 Democratic superdelegates are included):
Remind me what happened on Super Tuesday? Trump won big, picking up victories in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. Cruz won his home state of Texas and also Oklahoma and Alaska. Marco Rubio eked out his first victory — in the Minnesota caucuses. That was enough to guarantee that both senators would be in the race until at least March 15, when more states become winner-take-all, including Rubio's must-win home state of Florida.
For the Democrats, Clinton won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Sanders won Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont.
Did anything happen after Super Tuesday? Yes. On the Democratic side, Sanders won the caucuses in Maine, Kansas and Nebraska. Clinton won by a huge margin in the Louisiana primary.
On the GOP side, Cruz won the most delegates out of this past weekend with wins in Kansas and Maine on Saturday. Trump pulled off narrow victories in Louisiana and Kentucky. Rubio won the Republican primary in Puerto Rico on Sunday by more than 50 percent of the vote, giving him all 23 delegates (which, by the way, is as many delegates as in New Hampshire).
What is the current delegate count? On the GOP side, Trump has 384 delegates. In second place is Cruz with 300. Rubio has 151 and Kasich 37. Remember, the Republicans need 1,237 delegates to get the nomination.
On the Democratic side, Clinton leads with pledged delegates 672 to 477 for Sanders. With superdelegates factored in (458 for Clinton), her total balloons to 1,130 to Sanders' 499 (with just 22 superdelegates). | 0fake |
WAS HIS DEATH COINCIDENTAL? [VIDEO] He Warned Us Obama Would Divide Us By Race And Class…He Claimed He Had Proof…Then Suddenly He Died | Andrew Breitbart got under the skin of the left like no other. When he entered the political scene, progressives had been so used to getting a pass from polite conservatives, they didn t quite know what to make of him. By exposing the ties between unions, academia, the media and Democrat party, Andrew made their plan to disrupt everything we hold dear about our country much more difficult to implement.He was 100% correct in his predication about what Obama would do to our country. It s too bad the media did everything they could to bury his message and pretend he didn t exist.Watch Andrew explain Barack Obama s plan to divide our nation just prior to Obama s second term:This video is one of the best examples of how Andrew Breitbart boldly and brilliantly exposed the truth behind the very well organized progressive democrat party: If you can t sell freedom and liberty you s*ck! Here is the brilliant and very funny story about how Andrew Breitbart went from an apathetic liberal to a passionate conservative and the #1 enemy of the left. Truth is light and light is the best disinfectant. No one s light shined brighter on the left than our hero, Andrew Breitbart.Sheriff Arpaio talks about how he spoke with Andrew on the phone just before he died on March 1, 2012:Listen to one of the only witnesses who were present when Andrew Breitbart died:Here is Sean Hannity s tribute to Andrew that shows the amazing work by Breitbart and how he started the citizen journalism revolution :Here is the video Breitbart planned to release before he died. Watch brilliant economist Thomas Sowell explain the significance of this video and Barack Obama s relationship with radical Harvard Law School professor Derrick Bell.Here is a trailer from the brilliant movie, Hating Breitbart that was released shortly after his death. It shows his support for conservatives and tea party members: He came out of nowhere and shook things up like no other before him. There will never be another Breitbart.Rest in peace Andrew Breitbart. We ll do our part to help keep your torch lit #War | 1real |
Pat McCrory’s Bigoted Bathroom Law Costs NC Millions In Lost Events | North Carolina Republican Governor Pat McCrory s bigotry is costing his state millions of dollars. Since he signed into law a bill that effectively blocks any and all discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, musicians have cancelled concerts in the state, businesses like PayPal have pulled the plug on plans to settle there, and the NBA has moved its All-Star game away from the state for 2017 as well. Now, the NCAA has delivered another blow, by relocating seven post-season games as well, which will cost the state millions.The NCAA released comments regarding the decision, saying that it is because of the cumulative actions taken by the state concerning civil rights protections. G.P. Bud Peterson, who chair s the NCAA s board of governors went on to say: This decision is consistent with the NCAA s long-standing core values of inclusion, student-athlete well-being and creating a culture of fairness. Here are details regarding the cancellations, courtesy of Boston.com: the Division I women s soccer championship scheduled for Dec. 2 and 4 in Cary, just outside the capital city of Raleigh; the Division III men s and women s soccer championships set for Dec. 2 and 3 in Greensboro; the Division I women s golf regional championships set for May 8-10 in Greenville; the Division III men s and women s tennis championships set for May 22-27 in Cary; the Division I women s lacrosse championship set for May 26 and 28 in Cary; and the Division II baseball championship from May 27 to June 3 in Cary.In addition, two March men s basketball games set for Greensboro will be relocated as well. Of course, the spokesperson for the North Carolina GOP had to weigh in with her ignorance. Kami Mueller said: I wish the NCAA was this concerned about the women who were raped at Baylor. This is unsurprising, considering that bigoted Republicans simply cannot understand that letting transgender people use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender presentation and identity has nothing to do with rape; in fact, it is trans people who are in the most danger regarding this law.McCrory s Democratic challenger, Roy Cooper, had more of the right idea here. His spokesman, Ford Porter, said: It seems that almost every day, we learn of a new consequence of HB2. We need to repeal this law and get our state back on track. With the NCAA pulling out of North Carolina due to what they describe as a new policy that makes sure that the places they allow to host their events demonstrate how they will provide an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination, that leaves that Atlantic Coast Conference. However, HB2 might cost North Carolina that event as well. The ACC says that there has been worry over the consequences of such a law within their ranks as well.Pat McCrory and North Carolina s bigoted Republican Party is literally killing their state s economy, all in the name of hate. None of these people have any business holding public office, because they clearly do not care about the impact of their legislated hate. Make no mistake, the NCAA is not the first, and nor will it be the last, organization that decides that they will not hold events or do business in a state whose hallmark is discrimination.Hopefully, North Carolina voters get rid of these idiots come November.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1real |
U.S. military says airstrikes kill five al Qaeda militants in Yemen | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Friday it carried out airstrikes on Nov. 20 in Yemen s al Bayda province that killed five militants from al Qaeda s affiliate there, including Mujahid al-Adani, whom it described as one of the group s leaders. Al-Adani maintained a significant influence within AQAP as well as close ties to other AQAP senior leaders, the U.S. military s Central Command said in a statement, using an acronym for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. | 0fake |
Jerry Heller, Music Manager Who Promoted N.W.A and Gangsta Rap, Dies at 75 - The New York Times | Jerry Heller, a veteran music manager who helped introduce N. W. A to the masses and promoted gangsta rap to a mainstream audience, died on Friday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 75. The Associated Press reported that Mr. Heller’s cousin, Gary Ballen, said he died in a hospital after he had a heart attack while driving. Mr. Heller and Eric Wright, the rapper known as founded Ruthless Records in 1987. A year later, the label released “Straight Outta Compton,” the debut album by the rap group N. W. A, whose members, in addition to were Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, soon to become major figures in as well as DJ Yella and MC Ren. The album was a hit and helped propel West Coast gangsta rap into the national spotlight — and into the center of controversy. Some people said the lyrics of N. W. A and other gangsta rappers glorified violence, while others said they simply reflected the reality of black urban life. N. W. A’s success was . Ice Cube left in 1989, and the group, which Mr. Heller managed, broke up in 1991 amid accusations of mismanagement. Mr. Heller remained close to but Dr. Dre and Ice Cube criticized Mr. Heller publicly. The acrimony did not go away. Speaking to The New York Times in April, Ice Cube accused Mr. Heller of “participating in the destruction” of N. W. A and claimed that he had “little or nothing to do with” the group’s music, adding, “We would never listen to his ideas. ” “Straight Outta Compton,” F. Gary Gray’s 2015 film about N. W. A, also presented Mr. Heller, who was played by Paul Giamatti, in a harshly negative light. Mr. Heller complained that he was depicted as “the ‘bad guy’ in the movie who is solely responsible for the demise of N. W. A” and who withheld money from the group. He sued NBC Universal, which released the movie, and more than a dozen others associated with it for defamation, seeking $35 million in actual damages and $75 million in punitive damages. A judge dismissed most of the lawsuit in June. Mr. Ballen told The Associated Press that the litigation had caused Mr. Heller significant stress. Mr. Heller started his music career in the 1960s as an agent and promoter, working with Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival and other major rock and RB acts. He set up Elton John’s first performance in the United States, Mr. Ballen told The Associated Press. He was living with his parents after a period of financial trouble when he began working with . Recalling Mr. Heller’s excitement when he heard a cassette recording of N. W. A’s early work, Mr. Ballen said: “As far as I’m concerned, there would never be a Dr. Dre or an Ice Cube if it wasn’t for Jerry getting their first deal, which was really difficult. Nobody wanted to sign them. ” In 2001, Mr. Heller told The Los Angeles Times that he considered gangsta rap “the most important movement since the beginning of rock ’n’ roll. ” Mr. Heller’s later ventures included a label specializing in Latino performers, but he never again achieved the level of success he had with Ruthless Records. In an interview with the website Grantland in 2015, he said that “of all the things that I’ve done, certainly the most important period of my life” was the years he worked with adding, “That was the period I’m most proud of. ” died from complications of AIDS in 1995. This year N. W. A was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which called the group “the most controversial and complicated voices of their generation. ” Gerald Heller was born on Oct. 6, 1940, and raised in Cleveland. He said he faced strong growing up and that his father, the owner of a scrap metal business, spent time with the Jewish mob, Billboard magazine reported. He served in the Army and earned a business degree from the University of Southern California after he was discharged. Mr. Heller’s autobiography, “Ruthless,” written with Gil Reavill, was published in 2006. In addition to Mr. Ballen, Mr. Heller’s survivors include a brother, Ken. | 0fake |
Gender Equality Justice For Unwed American Mothers And Fathers Abroad | The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a backward, gender discriminating federal law based on shocking stereotypes one being that most men hardly care about their children born out of wedlock.Under this law, a child born abroad to an unwed American mother automatically becomes a U.S. citizen if the mother previously lived in the U.S. for a minimum of one year.Under the very same law, a child of an unwed father can t become a U.S. citizen unless the father has lived in the U.S. for a continuous period of five years, two of them when he was over the age of 14.How could this law have such requirements? Who would think this? How did that even pass originally? It s sad and disgusting.Thankfully, the U.S. Supreme Court agrees. They have ruled that these horrid gender lines drawn by Congress violate the Constitution s guarantee to equal protection of the law.The problems with this law were brought forward for scrutiny by Luis Ram n Morales-Santana who born in the Dominican Republic to unwed parents. His mother was from the Dominican Republic while his father was a U.S. citizen.At the time of Morales-Santana s birth, his father was in the Dominican Republic working on a construction project.Morales-Santana came to the U.S. with his parents as a permanent resident. In 2000, after he was convicted of several felonies, the government wanted to deport him.With the law in place, Morales-Santana s father fell short of the requirements for Morales-Santana to qualify for automatic U.S. citizenship. This meant deportation looked plausible.According to NPR, the rule in a typical case would be to extend the favorable treatment of one sex in this case, women to men. But with this case, Ginsburg observed, favorable treatment for mothers was the exception to the general rule in the statute.Though the U.S. Supreme Court saw the law s requirements as unconstitutional gender discrimination, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the court was not free to make the exception into the general rule. Instead, she said, it is up to Congress to set the same rule for everyone.Yep. Now it s a matter of convincing Congress to fix their mess of a law. And it gets even worse. According to Ginsburg, the law would have to be equalized by making unwed mothers abide by the tougher citizenship rules that apply to unwed fathers.So there you have it equality between unwed mothers and unwed fathers for their children s U.S. citizenship. Not what we were all expecting, but it is indeed equal.Featured image via Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images | 1real |
War of words with pope no issue for Trump backers: Reuters/Ipsos poll | BOSTON (Reuters) - Support for Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump among his party’s church-going Catholics has risen since Pope Francis suggested the U.S. businessman was not a real Christian, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. Trump has averaged support among 47.9 percent of Catholic Republicans in the 50 days since the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics made the comment on Feb. 18, up from 39.8 percent in the 50 days that preceded it. Their brief tiff is one of a series of controversies that have failed to dent the New York billionaire’s popularity, including his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, his insults to women, and his plans to wall off Mexico if elected president on Nov. 8. The Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,117 church-going Catholic Republicans had a credibility interval of 4.8 percentage points. Asked about plans for a wall on the border with Mexico, the pope said in February: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.” A papal spokesman later said the pontiff was “in no way” singling out Trump or trying to sway voters. The blunt candidate, after initially saying it was “disgraceful” for the pope to judge another’s faith in God, said Francis was “a nice man” who was probably misinterpreted by the media. Catholics are a sizable U.S. voting bloc, comprising about a quarter of the electorate, says Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Catholics nearly evenly split their presidential votes between Republicans and Democrats, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. Part of the increase in Trump’s support among Catholics is likely related to the dwindling number of Republican White House candidates, a field that has dropped from 12 in January to three - the Presbyterian Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Southern Baptist, and Ohio Governor John Kasich, an Anglican. But Mark Gray, a senior research associate at Georgetown, said the results also showed that Catholics who heard the pope’s message about Trump were not swayed. “Many Catholics probably felt that the pope’s comments were not a directive on how they should vote or who they should support, and still others may never have been aware of the pope’s comments to begin with,” he said. While opinion polls have shown few U.S. Catholics think it necessary to agree with the pope on every issue to be a faithful Church member, a Washington Post-ABC poll last September showed the pope had an 86 percent favorability rating. Father William Paul McKane, a Catholic priest in rural Montana who supports Trump, said he felt the pope’s comments had backfired with his flock. “I call it paradoxical, to put it gently, that the pope said that, when he lives behind walls that are about 40 feet high and 40 feet across,” he said, referring to the walls around Vatican City. “That comment hurt his credibility with my parishioners.” McKane said he appreciates Trump’s speaking plainly about issues like security and the economy - issues he said were in line with Christian values of protecting the innocent - even if he dislikes some of the candidate’s more fiery comments. “Trump’s verbiage does not sound compassionate,” McKane said. “I don’t hold him up as a paragon of Christian virtue, but I’m not looking for that in a candidate. I’m looking for someone who is prudent and can make good political decisions.” While support for Trump among ordinary Catholic Republicans is high - roughly equal to that among Republicans as a whole - the small sums of money flowing to the candidates from Christian priests, bishops, pastors and other clergy of all denominations tend to favor the evangelical Cruz. Cruz received $155,500 in contributions from about 380 members of the Christian clergy who each gave above the $200 reporting threshold through February, compared with about $700 from 10 people for Trump and $3,500 from nine people for Kasich. McKane is the only contributor listed in Trump’s campaign finance disclosures who identified himself as a Catholic priest, based on a Reuters review. On the Democratic side, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont - the only Jewish candidate - has received some $85,400 from about 280 people ordained for religious duty in the church, compared with about $192,500 from about 250 individuals for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton polls much better among church-going Catholic Democrats, with 67.8 percent support, compared to Sanders’ 29.3 percent, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, despite Sanders’ bid to liken his view to the pope’s, especially on wealth inequality and climate change. Sanders and the pope met briefly on Saturday at the Vatican, where Sanders addressed a conference on social justice. | 0fake |
Proposed cuts to State Dept. budget worry House Foreign Affairs chair | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Thursday he was worried about the Trump administration’s proposal to deeply cut the State Department budget for the 2018 fiscal year. “I am very concerned that deep cuts to our diplomacy will hurt efforts to combat terrorism, distribute critical humanitarian aid, and promote opportunities for American workers,” Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce said in a statement. He noted that the cuts come as the United States is fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria and millions of people are at risk of starvation around the world. | 0fake |
BARACK OBAMA Finds Friend In “Fundamental Transformation Of America”: Shocking Way Ryan Betrayed Americans With $1.1 Trillion Bill | Funding for Sanctuary Cities, benefits for illegal aliens, fully funded refugee programs, quadruples number of work visas for foreigners, release of criminal aliens, tax credits for illegal aliens, locking in huge spending increases, making America less safe and more Rep. Paul Ryan s first major legislative achievement is a total and complete sell-out of the American people masquerading as an appropriations bill.Too harsh, you say? Let the programs, the spending, and the implications speak for themselves.(1) Ryan s Omnibus Fully Funds DACAThough much of the public attention has surrounded the President s 2014 executive amnesty, the President s 2012 amnesty quietly continues to churn out work permits and federal benefits for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. Paul Ryan s bill funds entirely this 2012 executive amnesty for DREAMers or illegal immigrants who came to the country as minors.Specifically, Division F of Ryan s omnibus bill contains no language that would prohibit the use of funds to continue the President s unconstitutional program. Obama s executive action, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), has granted around 700,000 illegal aliens with work permits, as well as the ability to receive tax credits and federal entitlement programs. A recent GAO report documented how this illegal amnesty program for alien youth is, in large part, responsible for the illegal alien minor surge on our southern border.In 2013, Paul Ryan said that it is his job as a U.S. lawmaker to put himself in the shoes of the DREAMer who is waiting and work to find legislative solutions to his or her problems.(2) Ryan s Omnibus Funds Sanctuary CitiesFive months ago, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was bleeding to death in her father s arms. She was gunned down in broad daylight by a five-time deported criminal alien whose presence in the country was the direct result of San Francisco s refusal to comply with U.S. immigration law yet Paul Ryan s omnibus rewards these lawless Sanctuary Cities with federal grants. Division B Title II of Ryan s omnibus funds various grant programs for the Department of Justice (pages 167, 168, and 169) and contains no language that would restrict the provision of such grants to sanctuary jurisdictions.In a Congressional hearing, Steinle s father demanded Congressional action and recalled his daughter s dying words: Help me, Dad. (3) Ryan s Omnibus Funds All Refugee ProgramsDespite broad support amongst Republican lawmakers for a proposal introduced by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX)to halt all refugee resettlement, Ryan s appropriations bill will fund President Obama s refugee resettlement operation and will allow for the admission of tens of thousands of refugees with access to federal benefits. Division H Title II of Ryan s bill contains appropriations of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and contains no language that would restrict the program. Nor are there any restrictions for the program in Division K of Ryan s bill, which provides funding for the Department of State, which oversees refugee admissions.Ryan is not one of the 84 cosponsors of Babin s bill to halt the refugee operation, and he recently told Sean Hannity that he does not support halting resettlement because, We re a compassionate country. The refugees laws are important laws. Similarly, this outcome represents a legislative win for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who told Sean Hannity he d hate to use Congress s power of the purse to deny funding for Obama s resettlement operation.(4) Ryan s Omnibus Funds All of the Mideast Immigration Programs That Have Been Exploited by Terrorists in Recent YearsAlthough multiple immigrant and visa programs in recent years have been exploited by terrorists (such as the F-1 student visa, the K-1 fianc e visa, and our green card and refugee programs), Ryan s proposal does nothing to limit admissions from jihadist-prone regions. As Senators Shelby and Sessions of Alabama noted in a joint statement: The omnibus would put the U.S. on a path to approve admission for hundreds of thousands of migrants from a broad range of countries with jihadists movements over the next 12 months, on top of all the other autopilot annual immigration. (5) Ryan s Omnibus Funds Illegal Alien ResettlementOn page 917 of Ryan s omnibus a section titled Refugee and Entrant Assistance funds the President s resettlement of illegal immigrant border crossers.(6) Ryan s Omnibus Funds the Release of Criminal AliensSenior legislative aides tell Breitbart News that Ryan s bill does not do anything to change the enforcement priorities that Jeh Johnson established a little over a year ago that would shield entire categories of criminal aliens from immigration law, nor does it include language recommended by Sessions and Shelby to deny the expenditure of funds to issue visas to countries that refuse to repatriate criminal aliens. (7) Ryan s Omnibus Quadruples H-2B Foreign Worker VisasDespite Ryan s pledge not to move an immigration compromise with President Obama, tucked 700 pages into Ryan s spending bill is language that would resuscitate and expand a controversial provision of the Schumer-Rubio Gang of Eight plan to increase the H-2B visa program.The provision would quadruple the number of H-2B visas for unskilled guest workers, for a total of more than 250,000, writes immigration attorney Ian Smith. The Americans who fill these jobs are typically society s most vulnerable including single women, the disabled, the elderly, minorities, teenagers, students, and first-generation immigrants, Smith explains.A recent BuzzFeed expos revealed how this program allows businesses to discriminate against American workers and deliberately den[y] jobs to American workers so they can hire foreign workers on H-2 visas instead. As one GOP aide told Breitbart News, This provision is a knife in the heart of the working class, and African Americans. (8) Ryan s Omnibus Funds Tax Credits for Illegal AliensRyan s bill preserves the expansion of the President s expiring child tax credits without any accompanying language to prevent illegal aliens from receiving those tax credits. While Sen. Sessions attempted to include language in the bill that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving tax credits, his recommendation was rejected.(9) Ryan s Omnibus Locks-In Huge Spending IncreasesThe bill funds the Obama-Boehner budget deal, which eliminated spending caps, and will increase both defense and non-defense spending next year by $25 billion more each.(10) Ryan s Omnibus Fails to Allocate Funds to Complete the 700-Mile Double-Layer Border Fence That Congress Promised the American PeopleNearly a decade ago with the passage of the 2006 Secure Fence Act, the American people were promised a 700-mile double-layer border fence. However, funding for the fence was later gutted and, as a result, its construction was never completed. Despite heightened media focus over the past six months about Americans desire for this barrier to illegal entry, Ryan s bill does not require that funds be allocated to finish the construction of the 700-mile double-layer fence.A vote could occur as early as Thursday after midnight, giving lawmakers and the public only one full business day to review the 2,242 page package. The Ryan-Pelosi package represents nothing short of a complete and total betrayal of the American people.Yet Ryan s omnibus serves a second and equally chilling purpose. By locking in the President s refugee, immigration, and spending priorities, Ryan s bill is designed to keep these fights out of Congress by getting them off the table for good. Delivering Obama these wins and pushing these issues beyond the purview of Congress will suppress public attention to the issues and, in so doing, will boost the candidacy of the Republican establishment s preferred presidential contenders, who favor President Obama s immigration agenda.What may prove most discouraging of all to Americans is that recent reports reveal that conservatives in the so-called House Freedom Caucus are praising Ryan even as he permanently locks in these irreversible and anti-American immigration policies. According to Politico, the House Freedom Caucus will give Ryan a pass even as he funds disastrous policies that prioritize the interests of foreign nationals and global corporatists above the needs of the American people whom lawmakers are supposed to represent. Via: Breitbart News | 1real |
GOTCHA! CLINTON CHARITY “MISFILED” MILLIONS IN TAXES AND WILL REFILE TAX RETURNS | What difference does it make? Well, it makes lots of difference to the IRS. The Clinton charities got called on the carpet for misfiling tax returns up to 5 years old. Oops!Hillary Clinton s family s charities are refiling at least five years of tax returns after an investigation revealed they had misreported tens of millions of dollars in donations from governments. The charities errors generally took the form of under-reporting or over-reporting donations from foreign governments, or in other instances, omitted to break out government donations entirely when reporting revenue, the charities confirmed to Reuters, which uncovered the mistakes. Following the discovery, the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative said they will be refiling multiple annual tax returns and may audit returns extending as far back as 15 years in case there have been other errors. The foundation and its donors have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. Republican critics say the foundation makes Clinton, who is seeking the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, vulnerable to undue influence. Her campaign team calls these claims absurd conspiracy theories . Following Reuters report Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz called on the non-profit to return all of the money it received from foreign governments.Read more: DAILY MAIL | 1real |
Brazil house speaker says whipping votes for pension reform difficult, but urgent | RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The speaker of Brazil s lower house said on Tuesday that it will not be easy to obtain the 308 votes needed to pass a much anticipated pension reform, but that doing so is fundamental and urgent for the country. In an interview with Brazil s CBN radio, Maia said it was important that the government completed a reform to Brazil s ministerial framework soon, so that it can advance in negotiations regarding pensions. | 0fake |
Yahoo’s Troubles Mount, and Revenue Shrinks, as It Vets Suitors - The New York Times | Yahoo said on Tuesday that its business continued to deteriorate in the first quarter, putting more pressure on the company to find a buyer quickly for its Internet operations. Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive, said during a webcast to discuss the financial results that a review of potential suitors was proceeding at the “fastest responsible pace,” but she declined to be more specific. She also disputed news reports that the company was dragging its feet on a potential sale and refusing to share information with bidders. “Let me be unequivocal: Our board, our management team and I have made the strategic alternative process a top priority,” Ms. Mayer said. “We’ve been responsive and engaging, having personally answered hundreds of questions and requests for information. ” The first bids for Yahoo’s core Internet business were due Monday. Verizon Communications, the mobile phone carrier that owns AOL, was widely viewed as the leading contender. Bain Capital and Vista Equity Partners have submitted a joint bid, with Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo’s former interim chief executive, playing a major role, according to a person involved in the bidding process, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the bids were confidential. Other bidders included the private equity firm TPG. A special committee of Yahoo’s board is now expected to sort through the preliminary offers to decide which to pursue. The company did disclose that it paid its outside advisers $9 million during the quarter. Ms. Mayer hinted that Yahoo would prefer a buyer like Verizon that could achieve “strategic synergies,” as opposed to a purely financial buyer like a private equity firm. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif. said revenue fell 11 percent to $1. 09 billion, and its net loss was $99 million, or 10 cents a share, in contrast to revenue of $1. 23 billion and net income of $21 million, or 2 cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago. After deducting payments Yahoo made to advertising partners for traffic, its revenue exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. Profits after adjusting for certain items also narrowly beat projections, although shareholders are much more focused on the potential sale of the company than quarterly financial results. Yahoo shares were up slightly in early trading. Analysts were unimpressed with the results, but said that the company’s exact financial results did not matter. As Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research, put it in a note to clients, there was “relatively little commentary on the transaction news that so many are waiting on, and relatively more commentary on the current state of the business and management’s plans, which likely won’t matter for very long. ” In February, the company offered a gloomy financial outlook for the year as it restructured its operations and began exploring a sale. Yahoo did not update those projections in announcing its results Tuesday. Yahoo, a leading content portal in the early days of the web, missed the shift to mobile devices and has been struggling to compete against Google, Facebook and specialty apps for advertising dollars and user loyalty. Ms. Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive since 2012, has failed to turn around the company. Restive shareholders are pressing the board to sell the Internet businesses and unlock Yahoo’s large stakes in Alibaba, a Chinese company, and Yahoo Japan, an independently traded company. Together, those two investments have a face value of about $40 billion — more than the $35 billion stock market value of all of Yahoo, based on Tuesday’s stock prices. While the sales process has advanced, Yahoo’s management team, led by Ms. Mayer, has continued to run the business as if nothing were going to change. Yahoo said it again increased mobile revenue in the quarter, but declines in search and display advertising revenue more than offset that growth. Yahoo noted that it ended the quarter with 9, 400 employees, down 21 percent from the previous year, as it eliminated many of its digital magazines, closed overseas offices and made cuts in other parts of the business. Kenneth Goldman, Yahoo’s chief financial officer, said the company was continuing to explore the sale of real estate. Mark Mahaney, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said, “This was same old, same old at Yahoo,” adding, “The overall trends remained relatively soft. ” Jeffrey Smith, the chief executive of the Starboard Value hedge fund, said on Tuesday that he intended to keep the pressure on Yahoo. Starboard has proposed an alternative slate of nine directors to replace Yahoo’s entire board at the company’s next annual shareholder meeting, expected in June or July. In an interview with CNBC, Mr. Smith, who has pressed for a sale of Yahoo’s assets for months, said he expected the board to move forward and negotiate a deal with a buyer. “If we get to the end, and they haven’t been successful as it relates to getting the company sold — the core business sold — well, we’re going to need to pick up the pieces,” he said. | 0fake |
Factbox: Trump's manufacturing panel CEOs, companies comment on Charlottesville | (Reuters) - Four business leaders have resigned this week from U.S. President Donald Trump’s American Manufacturing Council to protest the president’s tepid comments to weekend violence at a rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka became the latest to resign on Tuesday after Trump blamed both sides for the violence that left one woman dead and several others injured. Merck & Co Inc’s Kenneth Frazier, who is African-American, was the first CEO to leave one of Trump’s presidential advisory councils and was followed by the chief executives of Intel Corp and Under Armour Inc. Trump on Monday denounced white supremacists, including neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, as “criminals and thugs,” bowing to days of mounting political pressure to condemn such groups explicitly. However, on Tuesday he reverted to his earlier comments blaming “many sides” for the violence. The following are responses from companies and CEOs on Trump’s manufacturing council to the violence in Virginia: * Dow Chemical Co “I condemn the violence this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia,” Chief Executive Andrew Liveris said in a statement. * Dell Inc [DI.UL] “There’s no change in Dell engaging with the Trump administration and governments around the world to share our perspective on policy issues that affect our company, our customers and our employees,” a Dell Inc spokeswoman said in a statement. CEO Michael Dell plans to remain on the manufacturing council. * General Electric Co Jeff Immelt will remain on the council while he is the chairman of the company. “GE has no tolerance for hate, bigotry or racism, and we strongly condemn the violent extremism in Charlottesville over the weekend,” a company spokesperson said. * Intel Corp “There should be no hesitation in condemning hate speech or white supremacy by name. #Intel asks all our countries leadership to do the same,” CEO Brian Krzanich said in a tweet. He later said in a blog post on Intel website that he was exiting the council “to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues.” * Under Armour Inc “We are saddened by #Charlottesville. There is no place for racism or discrimination in this world. We choose love & unity,” CEO Kevin Plank, who also left the council, said in a tweet from the company’s Twitter account. * Whirlpool Corp Whirlpool will stay on the council. “Whirlpool Corp believes strongly in an open and inclusive culture that respects people of all races and backgrounds. Our company has long fostered an environment of acceptance and tolerance in the workplace,” a company spokeswoman said. * Campbell Soup Co Chief Executive Denise Morrison will remain on the council. “The reprehensible scenes of bigotry and hatred on display in Charlottesville over the weekend have no place in our society. Not simply because of the violence, but because the racist ideology at the center of the protests is wrong and must be condemned in no uncertain terms,” a company spokesman said in a statement. * American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will resign from President Trump’s Council on Manufacturing, effective immediately “I cannot sit on a council for a president that tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism,” Trumka said. * Wal-Mart Stores Inc “Representing a company with the largest and one of the most diverse groups of associates in the U.S., and an even more diverse customer base of tens of millions of customers, we believe we should stay engaged to try to influence decisions in a positive way and help bring people together,” Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon said. * Johnson & Johnson “In the end, I have concluded that Johnson & Johnson has a responsibility to remain engaged, not as a way to support any specific political agenda, but as a way to represent the values of Our Credo as crucial public policy is discussed and developed,” Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said in a statement. * International Paper Co “International Paper strongly condemns the violence that took place in Charlottesville over the weekend - there is no place for hatred, bigotry and racism in our society,” a company spokesman said in a statement. * Boeing Co Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg will stay on the manufacturing council. * U.S. Steel Corp A spokesperson referred queries related to the American Manufacturing Council back to the White House. | 0fake |
At Farewell for Black Driver Shot by Tulsa Officer, Music and Fond Memories - The New York Times | TULSA, Okla. — Terence T. Crutcher was new to the Dream Team. The members were a group of older students at Tulsa Community College who served as mentors to younger black men with troubled pasts. Delores Taylor told Mr. Crutcher he was the perfect candidate: He had turned 40 in August, and he was turning his life around after struggling with drugs by taking classes at the community college and pursuing a music career. He was nearly six feet tall and weighed 244 pounds — some called him “Big Crutch” — but often carried his size to quiet comedic effect. “You looked at his size, and I just said, ‘Whoo! ’” said Ms. Taylor, a former president of the college’s black student association. “But he was just a big teddy bear. Terence knew where he wanted to go. He knew his goals, and I wanted to use him as an example. ” Ms. Taylor asked Mr. Crutcher to join the student association’s Dream Team, and on Sept. 12, he agreed. Four days later, Mr. Crutcher was shot and killed by a Tulsa police officer, a shooting captured on video that stoked outrage throughout Tulsa and around the country. Mr. Crutcher was outside his S. U. V. in the middle of a street when he was shot by a white officer. He was unarmed and had his hands in the air for much of the confrontation. The officer, Betty Jo Shelby, 42, was charged by prosecutors with manslaughter, and she was accused of overreacting to his refusal to follow her commands. On Saturday evening at his funeral, Mr. Crutcher’s relatives and friends, joined by city and Oklahoma officials and black community leaders, filled a Baptist church four miles from where he was shot. Music defined Mr. Crutcher’s life, and it defined his farewell — a rollicking, nearly funeral that his pastor called a “ celebration” that was led by a gospel band and a choir, dozens strong. The program was interrupted for more singing, more dancing. It was through song that mourners heard Mr. Crutcher’s voice, as a gospel ballad that his late brother wrote and that he recorded and sang echoed through Antioch Baptist Church. And it was yet another song that filled the church at the end as Mr. Crutcher’s blue coffin was slowly pushed down the aisle, sung by one of the men who pulled the coffin forward. “Terence is free,” the man sang. “Rest on, Big Crutch. ” Throughout the funeral, one phrase kept coming up, as a way to heal their anger and to take the sting out of an insult. As the confrontation with the police unfolded, an unidentified officer in a police helicopter overhead can be heard in a video of the shooting saying, “That looks like a bad dude, too. ” Speaker after speaker disputed the description. “Terence was not a bad dude. Terence was a great dude,” one of the family’s lawyers, Damario told the crowd, adding, “When they encountered Terence they didn’t know. They didn’t know who he was. They didn’t know he had a family that loved him. They didn’t know he had a community that loved him. ” Mr. Crutcher was a choir singer, a father, a quoter of Proverbs. He was a native of Tulsa, born three minutes before his twin sister, Tiffany Crutcher. He was the father of four children, ages 4 to 16, and a stepson. A GoFundMe page created to support Mr. Crutcher’s children raised more than $160, 000 in three days. Mr. Crutcher’s father and mother — the Rev. Joey Crutcher and his wife, Leanna — first learned of their son’s death while inside the church. They were leading a rehearsal for a concert to celebrate Antioch’s 57th anniversary. His father was playing the organ, and his mother was directing a choir when two of Mr. Crutcher’s sisters walked in and put their arms around the couple and broke the news. “I speak for the entirety of our city,” said Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. who is white and who has been praised by black leaders for helping to calm racial tensions. “To the Crutcher family, I am so very sorry. The sympathies of this community is with you. ” Mr. Crutcher had a record of with law enforcement dating to the 1990s, including charges for public intoxication and resisting arrest, according to court and prison records. In 2007, he was sentenced to state prison after being convicted of trafficking in illegal drugs. He served nearly four years and was released on parole in 2011. Officials said the police discovered PCP in the front seat of his vehicle after he was shot. The drug, which is highly addictive and sometimes called angel dust, can cause hallucinations and paranoia. He told a woman who had called 911 to report the abandoned vehicle that he thought his S. U. V. was going to blow up. Some of those who knew him said Mr. Crutcher acknowledged his problems and turned to God for help. “I did a lot of talking with Terence,” said Barbara Shannon, pastor of New Heights Christian Center, which Mr. Crutcher attended for more than 25 years, adding, “And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re struggling. I know your struggles, baby. We all got struggles.’ ” She said, “I’m not commending Terence for his bad mistakes. I’m not commending me, either. But what I’m commending him for is that he owned up to it. He never stopped. He kept trying. He kept going. ” | 0fake |
WH Official: We Will Keep Saying ‘Fake News’ Until The Media Is Nicer To Trump | Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to Donald Trump, doesn t like the media attacking the alleged president just two weeks into office. Trump has screwed up big time but Gorka seems to believe there s a rest period from the media for a newly minted president.On Monday, Gorka said that the Trump administration will continue using the term fake news until the media understands that their monumental desire to attack Trump is wrong, according to Fox6Now. Gorka is a former Breitbart editor, a site dedicated to promoting fake news. There is a monumental desire on behalf of the majority of the media, not just the pollsters, the majority of the media to attack a duly elected President in the second week of his term, Gorka told conservative radio host Michael Medved. The host, for the record, blasted Trump before the election as insecure, unprepared and angrily unhinged. That s how unhealthy the situation is and until the media understands how wrong that attitude is, and how it hurts their credibility, we are going to continue to say, fake news. I m sorry, Michael. That s the reality, he added.Team Trump repeatedly uses the term fake news to discredit the press and media outlets. The crybaby-in-chief even called negative poll numbers fake news on Monday. Each time Trump and his administration call CNN or the New York Times fake news, they offer no proof of any deceptive reporting.Medved asked Gorka if he would admit that the administration s controversial statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day was at least questionable in being the first such statement in many years that didn t recognize that Jewish extermination was the chief goal of the Holocaust. It s a Holocaust remembrance statement, Gorka said. No, I m not going to admit it. Because it s asinine. It s absurd. You re making a statement about the Holocaust. Of course it s about the Holocaust because that s what the statement s about. It s only reasonable to twist it if your objective is to attack the President. A caller told Gorka, every time you call everything fake news, it just turns everyone except your hardcore fans off. Not everything s fake news, the caller added. You know, I would beg to differ, Gorka said. Every single organ that generates these kinds of stories comes from the same clique of media organs that predicted that Hillary (Clinton) would win and that Brexit wouldn t occur. I know what fake news is. And it s coming from those organizations. It s time that you yourself understood that as well. Gorka is the second Breitbart employee brought into the White House. Steve Bannon was the head honcho of the right wing propaganda outlet. The Trump administration is fake news.Image via Twitter. | 1real |
OBAMA’S DOJ SUED Michigan City To Allow MEGA-MOSQUE In Majority Christian Residential Neighborhood…Call Jeff Sessions NOW To Stop This Insanity | There is only ONE WAY to STOP this mosque from being built against the wishes of citizens in this RESIDENTIAL area, whose citizens are comprised of mostly Christian refugees that fled from Iraq to escape persecution at the hands of Muslims in their homeland: Call the US DOJ and ask our new Attorney General Jeff Sessions to review this case TODAY and ask the DOJ to STOP the mega-mosque from being built: 202-514-2000 A city of 130,000 people in southeastern Michigan is under the gun of Islamic pressure following its denial of a mega-mosque in a residential neighborhood populated largely by Christian refugees who fled Islamic persecution in Iraq.Sterling Heights already has two mosques, but a third, the American Islamic Community Center, applied for a permit and was rejected after it was determined its proposed use was incompatible with the residential area. Too much traffic, too little parking, the city planning commission decided by a 9-0 vote against the mosque in September 2015.But in December, the mosque sued the city and the Obama Justice Department joined in, claiming the real reason the mosque was denied was because the city was caving to anti-Muslim bigotry in the community. Now, a settlement deal is headed to the Sterling Heights City Council on Tuesday evening. If the council votes to sign the deal, it could be very costly for the city.Watch the attorney for the mosque developers call the reasons these mostly Christian refugees from Iraq are in opposition to a mosque being built its their residential neighborhood fake :Local residents fear it s a bad deal, something similar to the Obama DOJ-orchestrated deal forced upon nearby Pittsfield Township, Michigan, last year. That town had to pay out $1.7 million to local Muslims to whom it had denied a permit for an Islamic school, and township employees were ordered to undergo sensitivity training to assure they never again discriminate against Muslims.Attorney General Jeff Sessions could cancel any similar deal from taking effect in Sterling Heights, but only if he is aware of it and acts quickly. If the city council is found to be cooperating with the Obama DOJ staff who are expediting this consent order to stick it to the Sessions/Trump team, then this city will go nuts, said Dick Manaserri, spokesman for Secure Michigan, a group formed to educate the public on Shariah law and how it differs from American law.In last November s presidential election, Donald Trump carried Sterling Heights, normally a Democratic Party stronghold, by 56 to 44 percent over Hillary Clinton. He also carried Macomb County, home to Sterling Heights and also a Democratic-oriented county.But Trump s new AG, Sessions, is apparently not yet fully in control of the Justice Department, which includes many holdovers from the Obama administration. Why else would Jeff Sessions not dismiss the Obama DOJ lawsuit against Sterling Heights? Manaserri asks. We have been told by legal experts that he has the power to simply dismiss the lawsuit. A consent order typically implies wrongdoing with the application of penalties. When the planning commission denied the mosque permit in September 2015, hundreds of Sterling Heights residents gathered outside City Hall to celebrate. That celebration was caught on video, and critics cited it as evidence the city was somehow biased against Muslims. Tom Mitchell is a resident of Sterling Heights whose family has been there since 1965. He s seen the city s transformation over the past couple of decades under the control of what he calls progressives. He avoids the world Democrat because the city s elections are technically nonpartisan. I feel that with the left taking over, they are destroying this community. I don t want to become another Dearborn or a Hamtramck. And our elected officials are enabling this takeover, he said.Hamtramck, just a few miles south of Sterling Heights, became the nation s first city with a Muslim-majority city council in 2016, and a large portion of Dearborn resembles a Middle Eastern country with signs in Arabic and women walking the streets with their faces veiled.He said it s not a matter of discrimination. Churches have been denied building projects in the past because their sites were too close to residential housing. They didn t get the federal government to sue the city; they simply picked another site. I truly believe this one man, Mr. Sessions, has the power to throw out any consent decree that was engineered by Obama s Department of Justice. That is our hope, Mitchell said. In fact, I know of hundreds of us who are praying for that opportunity to get it in Jeff Sessions hands, before Tuesday night, because once it s signed, how do you overturn that? Signing it is tantamount to a consent that we re a bunch of bigots here in Sterling Heights. Calls to Sessions press office went unanswered Monday as all federal offices were closed for President s Day. A stinger in the eye of Iraqi Christians in Sterling HeightsMitchell said he and others are trying to get the word out in the community that the Tuesday council meeting will include an agenda item on a proposed settlement to the lawsuit.But the city council did not publish its Tuesday-night agenda in the local legal newspaper, the weekly Sterling Heights Sentry, and it didn t put a notice on its official website until late Friday. We just found out about this, so we ve been rushing to try to put together an opposition to stop the city from signing this document, which is an admission of guilt to something we don t think we committed, Mitchell said. As a local resident, I m gonna say we don t discriminate in Sterling Heights. We ve already got two mosques, a Sikh temple, a Buddhist temple and many other diverse houses of worship, so for this city to be called discriminatory is unbelievable. The unfortunate thing is, they want to plop it right in the middle of a Chaldean Christian neighborhood, Mitchell added. Somebody planned that. Somebody is seeking to put a stinger in someone s eye. Dr. Ramsay Dass, M.D., president of the American Middle East Christian Congress, said he is not so concerned about another mosque being built in Sterling Heights. He s more concerned about the big picture of political pressure being placed on small cities by an out-of-control federal bureaucracy using coercive tactics. As an American citizen, they are entitled to build a mosque, but I do not believe in making laws that small cities and towns cannot fight politically or financially, Dass told WND.The federal law being used to coerce cities into approving mosques, even when the mosque is in a residential neighborhood, is the Religion Land Use and Institutional Persons Act, or RELUIPA, which was passed by Congress in 2000.As WND has reported, the Obama administration used this law increasingly against communities denying mosques and less against those denying the construction of churches.Nahren Anweya is a spokesperson for the persecuted Middle Eastern Christians living in Michigan. She has appeared on Fox News and spoken at congressional hearings on Christian persecution in the Middle East. Her family has been living in Michigan since they escaped Iraq in 1989. She said Sterling Heights is home to the nation s second largest Chaldean Catholic community of Iraqi Christians. They thought they found a safe haven, only to find out their ancient nemesis, the Middle Eastern Sunni Muslims, were being resettled in the same county and wanted to build a mosque right in the middle of their neighborhood.Most Iraqi Christians are either Chaldean Catholic or members of an even more ancient Christian sect, the Assyrian Church of the East. The Assyrians speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. My family they re pretty patriotic American Assyrian Christians. Both of my great-grandfathers were crucified by Muslims literally on a cross, Anweya told WND. And that was because they were proud Christians, my great-grandfather used to walk around with a large gold cross around his neck, we never tried to hide it. So to see those ancient persecutors not only showing up in Macomb County en masse, but building a mosque on top of the Chaldean neighborhood, is traumatizing, Anweya said. While we are living in our safe haven, to allow a mosque to be built where we are is like putting us back to Iraq. We left everything behind to start from scratch, and then watching it follow us, this is traumatizing, she said. There are so many Muslim countries who could take these Muslim refugees, but they send them here. If we were treated fairly in their countries, then I would say let them build as many mosques as they want, but that day is far from reality. She said Muslim leaders don t believe in equality, and anything they say on that level is mere pandering to gullible local Christians. They don t believe in equality, even if they say they do, she said. Show me a Muslim country where Christians are treated 100 percent equal. Why is Christianity being degraded in every Muslim country? In 2003, we were 1.3 million Christians in Iraq, and that is where Christianity began and thrived, and now these are people who would be beheaded for their Christian faith. So, she said, the Assyrian and Chaldean communities have news for the Islamic centers that wish to build in their midst: These people are not going to give up their Christian faith, Anweya said. Where a nation is most vulnerable, is when they are not even calling themselves Christian anymore, that s the most dangerous I believe. When the sword is placed to your neck it s too late, she added. The Christians from Iraq, we are not building churches in Dearborn, so why are they building mosques in Sterling Heights? If we started building churches in Dearborn, I think you would see a few protests coming from them. Read more at:WND | 1real |
Kunst am Werk: Wie UralMasch zur Bilder-Galerie wurde | Audio-Slideshows Kunst am Werk: Wie UralMasch zur Bilder-Galerie wurde Der Ural und die Schwerindustrie sind seit Urzeiten untrennbar miteinander verbunden. Bis heute ist die Region so etwas wie Russlands Ruhrpott. Doch die Zeiten ändern sich. Die Kunst hält Einzug in stillgelegte Industriegebiete – wie etwa in die gigantischen Werkshallen von UralMasch. Einst war der Maschinenbauer das Flaggschiff der Sowjetindustrie. Heute ist es ein Eldorado für Künstler und Kreative. Scrollen Sie nach unten um mehr zu sehen Denis Tarasov Von den späten Sechziger- bis in die Neunzigerjahre arbeitete bei UralMasch ein gewisser Gennadij Wlassow. Geboren wurde Wlassow 1943 in Swerdlowsk – heute Jekaterinburg, Hauptstadt der Ural-Region. Denis Tarasov 1961 absolvierte er die UralMasch-Handelsschule und wurde beim Maschinenbauer übernommen. Sein Verantwortungsbereich war die interne Unternehmenskommunikation: Er schrieb Wandzeitungen, entwarf Slogans und zeichnete informativ-satirische Poster. Denis Tarasov In den Achtzigern entdeckte er ein neues Format, um den Industrie-Alltag der Belegschaft zu verschönern: Er fing an, Landschaftsbilder berühmter russischer Künstler auf den Werkzeugspinden in den Werkshallen nachzumalen. Denis Tarasov Unter den berühmten Werken, die er kopierte, war zum Beispiel das „Mädchen mit dem Tragejoch“ und die „Heuernte“ von Arkadij Plastow. Der Sowjetkünstler stellte Alltagsszenen aus dem Dorfleben im Stil des sozialistischen Realismus dar. Zugleich entwarf Wlassow auch Eigenkreationen. Denis Tarasov Irgendwann fingen die UralMasch-Arbeiter an, sich bestimmte Motive für die Werkzeugboxen auszusuchen. Meist waren das Naturlandschaften – in der Spätphase der Industrialisierung war die Kunst eine Möglichkeit aus dem grauen Fabrikalltag auszubrechen. Denis Tarasov Bis heute wirken die malerischen Landschaften wie ein frischer Windzug durch das Riesenreich gewaltiger Maschinen, die zum Schweigen verdammt sind. Denis Tarasov Vor wenigen Jahren tauchten einige dieser Bilder im Internet auf und fielen einer Gruppe von Galeristen ins Auge. Die Liebhaber zeitgenössischer Kunst hatten Wlassows Spinde in ein Projekt verwandelt, das sie im Rahmen einer Biennale in Jekaterinburg vorstellten. Denis Tarasov Die Werkzeugspinde sind ein Beispiel dafür, wie alltägliche Gegenstände zu Kunst werden können, sobald sie in Szene gesetzt sind. Denis Tarasov „Wir waren jahrelang hier und haben uns an den Bildern sattgesehen“, lachen ehemalige UralMasch-Mitarbeiter beim Anblick einer Gruppe, die die Wlassow-Ausstellung besucht. Denis Tarasov Wobei „Ausstellung“ leicht übertrieben ist: Außer dass Kuratoren, Kunstkritiker und Journalisten vorbeikommen, hat sich in den Werkshallen nichts verändert. Facebook | 1real |
Yellen to testify at House Financial Services panel February 10: committee | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will appear before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Feb. 10 to deliver the central bank’s semi-annual monetary policy report, the committee said on Wednesday. The head of the central bank last testified before the committee in July. | 0fake |
Limousine Liberal Leo DeCaprio Joins Globalist John Kerry: Climate Deniers Like Trump Shouldn’t Hold Office [Video] | Two hypocrite climate change freaks decided to pontificate to a packed house at Yale. Both John Kerry and Leo DeCaprio love to hear themselves talk so this had to be a snoozefest. The most ironic thing about the preaching on global warming coming from these two men is that they have HUGE carbon footprints. Does Leo not understand that we know he travels by private jet and big yacht What a joke! These two blow hard limousine liberals are why Trump won.At a Yale University talk hosted by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Leonardo DiCaprio says that politicians who do not believe in the facts and truth of climate change should not be in office.The New Haven Register spoke glowingly of the overflow crowd and the mission the planet s future is at risk :Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Secretary of State John Kerry Tuesday urged Yale students to become a political force to fight global warming because the planet s future is at risk. The popular actor was joined on the stage at Woolsey Hall by Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee who lost to incumbent President George W. Bush but was Secretary of State from 2013-2017. An enthusiastic crowd filled the 2,650 seats of the old hall, including the balconies. The event climaxed a two-day climate change conference hosted by the Kerry Initiative that addresses global challenges.DeCaprio donated $20 million to the cause:Leonardo DiCaprio just donated a $20 million grant to help combat climate change Tuesday evening during the speech at Yale University.We must demand that politicians accept climate science and make bold commitments before it is too late. I still believe that the United States has the potential to lead the world on this issue, DiCaprio said. We can only hope that the President begins to see it too, before it is too late. | 1real |
INSANE MAN IS SCALING The Trump Tower Right Now…Has A Message For Trump [Video] | Haha! No, it s not Ted Cruz but a total nut job with suction cups who s at the 15th floor. How in the world did he get by security? He was up to the 6th floor before someone went inside to tell the security. The police took out a window and are going to try and get this goofball down. He has papers with Trump s name on them so we ll keep you updated THE VIDEO BELOW GIVES YOU THE LOWDOWN ON THIS GUY:Crowds have gathered to watch the man climbing Trump Tower, @BrynnCNN reports https://t.co/gd2kc5ptER https://t.co/P4AdpjfN0o CNN (@CNN) August 10, 2016 | 1real |
WHERE’S THE MEDIA? BLM Blocked Streets, Stormed Football Field Over BLACK MAN Who Sprayed “KKK Go Home N***ers” On Campus Wall | In September of 2016, 3 separate reports of racist graffiti that was sprayed on the walls of Eastern Michigan University were made by students. Students voiced their anger over the graffiti on their campus and held large protests demanding answers to what they considered to be a problem the university needed to fix. The angry students on the EMU campus responded by storming the college football field, they blocked traffic, they stormed the library with loud and disruptive protests, and they also held large protests on campus, with chants of We ve got to fight back! Controversial Times reported that students were demanding answers and that they didn t care who did it! I am highly upset about the actions that took place on this wall. I want answers. I want to know what EMU is going to do outside of just removing the writing. These are the type of hate crimes we are just sick of. I want to know how is EMU going to make me feel comfortable to be at this institution, said Zachary Badger-House, EMU student, Media Studies and Journalism major. We need answers! The people in power know how we feel, so at this point it doesn t matter who did it, or if there is a reward for information regarding this incident. What matters is the fact that this happened on our campus, and that covering it up was the only solution they could think of at the time. It isn t enough. It s one thing for these actions to happen somewhere in the world, but it is happening right here on our campus, said Armani Davis, EMU student, Social Work major.It has now been reported by Ypsilanti, MI police that the person who is responsible for the hate crime has been arrested, and is in their custody. Eddie Curlin, 29, a black student who studied at the school from 2014 to 2016, is the person responsible for the racist graffiti aimed at black students.According to a statement from the university, Curlin is already serving a sentence in jail on an unrelated charge. The suspect, identified as Eddie Curlin, is a former student at Eastern who attended from 2014 to early 2016, the school s statement read. He is currently in custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections serving a one-to-five year sentence on an unrelated charge of receiving and concealing stolen property. Yesterday, the President of EMU, James Smith spoke with local Detroit WJR radio host, Guy Gordon to discuss the arrest of the black man who spray-painted the racist graffiti. Smith told Gordon that the incident has caused the school to take a big hit in admissions. Where s the mainstream media that was all over this story when it happened?Who will apologize for the disruptive actions of these protesters who assumed that the person responsible was a white person?Black Lives Matter protesters stormed an EMU football game to demand justice:#BLM student protest at Eastern Michigan University remains peaceful. Security keeping them away from field. pic.twitter.com/EN5OimGCqG John Schriffen (@JohnSchriffen) September 24, 2016Protesters on the campus at EMU blocked traffic:Blocking off the Streets #EmuWhatYouGoneDo #TeamEMU pic.twitter.com/7Nsu6Bb23i Enchufe (@GeekGhost) September 20, 2016Protesters stood in front of campus buildings and chanted, We ve got to fight back! Who, are they going to fight back now that law enforcement has discovered a black man painted the hate speech graffiti on the campus walls?Fight back #TeamEMU pic.twitter.com/SFm6ARR3EB Cee-Cee (@Candor_c) September 20, 2016This student got chills as she watched BLM terror groups rip through quiet libraries banging drums and screaming, No justice, no peace! Now that a black man has been identified as the person who spray-painted the hateful graffiti against blacks, will they return to the library to apologize to the students they threatened with their disruptive behavior?The view from the basement of Halle earlier today. Incredibly powerful #teamEMU pic.twitter.com/foBevQKDkw Serena (@Renasuhh) September 20, 2016This student led a chant with other students shouting, We have nothing to lose but our chains! #TeamEMU #TruEMU We came wit it today ! #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/zNsKMwOcn4 Alonzo (@AlonzoDReed) September 21, 2016Breitbart News Naturally, the university launched a series of programs assuming that the perpetrator of the incidents was a white racist. The events included a day-long teach-in on racism and diversity, as well as vigils to show support for minority students and other events.Although the suspect is black, the school has vowed to continue its renewed diversity programs.No motive for the attack has been released, but Chief Heighes called the attacks totally self-serving and not driven by politics or race. But of course, they can t determine a motive | 1real |
Shiny Syrian Or White Rubble? This Viral Photo Is Dividing The Internet | 0 Add Comment
REMEMBER the dress debacle last year when billions of online users across the world were at war with one another over whether or not a dress was black and blue or white and gold? Well, prepare to engage in battle yet again folks with this viral picture that’s totes dividing the internets.
Uploaded to numerous social media channels yesterday morning, this picture of a Syrian man has gone viral after users struggled to figure out whether or not he was covered in white rubble from an airstrike – or if he was just all shiny and covered in some kind of silly oil.
“Once you see it, you just can’t see anything else,” posted one absolute genius, who pretty much summed up the whole picture with one epic tweet containing just 40 characters.
Whilst many internet players were quick to point out that the Aleppo man was shiny or covered in plastic, others corrected them by pointing out that the man was actually covered in concrete dust from an Assad led airstrike which launched an illegal barrel bomb that killed at least 15 people, many of whom were women and children.
“It’s crazy how your eyes deceive you like that,” pointed out another user of the internet web, “I’d say the guy didn’t know what hit him after his picture went viral”.
In fact, on closer inspection, it becomes obvious that the man is covered head to toe in chalk like material, probably from exploding concrete and falling rubble, as well as what appears to be ketchup on his forearm. Instagram user @reuters, who originally posted the snap, confirmed the red residue was in fact blood, sending the internet into yet another meltdown. | 1real |
Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan call for commitment to nuclear deal | TEHRAN (Reuters) - All parties to the Iran nuclear deal should adhere to their commitments, Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan said in a joint statement signed on Wednesday. The three countries also agreed to increase cooperation in the oil and gas industry, including in production as well as oil and oil products swaps, the statement said. | 0fake |
Report: Obama Says It’s Over For Bernie, Time To Unite Behind Hillary | President Obama has reportedly told top Democratic donors that he does not see a winning path forward for Senator Bernie Sanders, and that it is time for the party to close ranks and unify behind Secretary Hillary Clinton s presidential campaign.That news comes from a new New York Times report from the campaign trail.In unusually candid remarks, President Obama privately told a group of Democratic donors last Friday that Senator Bernie Sanders is nearing the point where his campaign against Hillary Clinton will come to an end, and that the party must soon come together to back her.[ ]Mr. Obama made the remarks after reporters had left a fund-raising event in Austin, Tex., for the Democratic National Committee. The comments were described by three people in the room for the event, all of whom were granted anonymity to describe a candid moment with the president. The comments were later confirmed by a White House official.Mr. Obama chose his words carefully, and did not explicitly call on Mr. Sanders to depart the race, according to those in the room. Still, those in attendance said in interviews that they took his comments as a signal to Mr. Sanders that perpetuating his campaign, which is now an uphill climb, could only help the Republicans recapture the White House.Interestingly, Obama s comments were made before Clinton swept all five states that held primaries this past Tuesday, which has given her a lead of 323 delegates over Senator Sanders.According to analysis of the remaining delegates left in the race which are allocated proportionately instead of winner take all Sanders would have to win 60% of the remaining delegates in the primaries to come, which is unlikely.Clinton and her team have apparently begun to pivot towards the likely general election matchup against Donald Trump. In her speech on Tuesday night, she called out the Republican frontrunner for his bigoted attacks on women, latinos, and Muslims. She also remarked, Our next president has to bring our country together. We should be breaking down barriers, not building walls. The current RealClearPolitics average of national polls shows Clinton beating Trump by 6.3%, and the most recent national poll from NBC/Wall Street Journal shows her beating him by 13%.Featured image via Flickr | 1real |
Donald Trump’s Campaign Hires Ex-Christie Aide to Bolster Political Operation - The New York Times | Donald J. Trump’s campaign has hired Bill Stepien, a former top aide to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, whose role in the Bridgegate scandal led to his firing and denied him the central role he was expected to play in the governor’s presidential run. Mr. Stepien is expected to step in to help guide the campaign’s political operations, according to two people close to Mr. Stepien and three people close to the Trump campaign who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Mr. Stepien was hired on Thursday, and one person who confirmed the hire said his title was expected to be national field director. A campaign spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment. But the people who confirmed the hire said that Mr. Trump’s Jared Kushner, who is heavily involved in spending and strategy decisions in the campaign, discussed it in staff briefings and pushed for it to occur. Mr. Christie is the chief of Mr. Trump’s transition committee, but he is no longer close to Mr. Stepien and was said to have been uninvolved in the discussions to hire him. Mr. Stepien is expected to help beef up a political operation that has been a work in progress for several weeks. He had initially been contacted by the Trump campaign earlier this year as Mr. Christie’s campaign for president was sputtering. When the issue was revisited after Mr. Christie dropped out of the race, both the governor and Mr. Trump’s manager, Corey Lewandowski, opposed hiring him, according to people briefed at the time. Roger Stone, an informal adviser to Mr. Trump over many years, described the move as a positive one. ‘He’s a real professional and has the kind of contacts and experience the campaign could really use,” Mr. Stone said. For Mr. Stepien, 38, it is a chance to resurrect what was once a promising career as a national political operative. He successfully ran both of Mr. Christie’s campaigns for governor. Mr. Christie had hired him as a consultant to the Republican Governor’s Association during his year as chairman of that group. In January 2014, Mr. Christie picked him to lead the New Jersey Republican party, calling Mr. Stepien “the best Republican operative in the country. ” It was widely expected that he would run Mr. Christie’s presidential campaign. Days after the appointment, Mr. Christie cut Mr. Stepien loose, when documents from a legislative subpoena revealed that a deputy chief of staff to the governor, Bridget Anne Kelly, had sent an email calling for “some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” the town gridlocked by the lane closings on the George Washington Bridge between the borough and Manhattan in September 2013. Prosecutors, who indicted Ms. Kelly and two other Christie allies in the lane closings, have said the were retaliation against the Fort Lee mayor, Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for declining to endorse Mr. Christie for in 2013. The governor gave little reason for why he dropped Mr. Stepien other than to say he had “lost confidence in Bill’s judgment” after other emails showed Mr. Stepien referring to the mayor of Fort Lee as “an idiot” — the kind of language Mr. Christie has been known to employ publicly. Mr. Stepien was not among the three people charged by federal prosecutors in the lane closings. But earlier this month, a lawyer for one of other defendants released texts from a conversation between two Christie staffers during the news conference in which the governor denied knowing about the lane closings. “He just flat out lied about senior staff and Stepien not being involved,” one staffer wrote to the other. Mr. Stepien’s lawyer has insisted that his client was not involved in the scandal, and that the text does nothing to prove his involvement. Mr. Stepien had earlier refused to turn over documents or otherwise cooperate with a legislative committee investigating the lane closing scandals, asserting his Fifth Amendment rights against . Mr. Stepien’s career had all but hit a wall after Mr. Christie let him go. He did some work for a Republican direct mail firm and for New Jersey legislative campaigns and had discussions about working on the presidential campaign of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as well as on Mr. Trump’s campaign in New Hampshire — all before Mr. Christie dropped out of the race. In April, the governor’s lieutenant, Kim Guadagno, named Mr. Stepien as executive director of a nonprofit set up to support her expected campaign for governor, a move Mr. Christie had opposed. The Trump campaign recently underwent a major with the ascension of both the veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway, an adviser whom Mr. Trump has known for many years and one he trusts, and of Stephen K. Bannon, the financial force behind the Breitbart News website. Since then, there has been an effort to hire another political hand, with David Bossie, the head of the conservative group, Citizens United, briefly discussed as possibility, but national Republicans expressed reservations over his lack of experience directing campaign political operations. | 0fake |
BRILLIANT DANIEL HANNAN Smacks Down Rude CNN Reporter [Video] | Please check out the clip below and you ll see what drives conservatives nuts! CNN has every right to question Daniel Hannan in the interview but notice how Christian Amanpour gets combative and angry about Brexit while she s offending Daniel Hannan by insinuating that he s racist. Conservatives are so sick of political activists as journalists! Amanpour is a total political hack who just can t keep her personal views out of her reporting! THIS IS WHY WE BOYCOTT CNN!Heat Street has more:British MEP Daniel Hannan Spent Nine Minutes Smacking Down CNN JournalistDaniel Hannan, a conservative Member of the European Parliament representing South East England and one of the most vocal advocates in favor of #Brexit, had a fiery exchange with CNN s Christiane Amanpour, in which Hannan repeatedly rejected Amanpour s attempts to smear Leave supporters as racist and pushed back against her accusations that he had made misrepresentations.The interview, which aired on Tuesday, featured Amanpour questioning Hannan for details about how Britain s exit from the European Union would be accomplished.Here s the video, with a few seconds shy of nine minutes of Hannan smacking down rudeness and ridiculousness from Amanpour over and over and over again: | 1real |
Trump reelection campaign raised $10 million in third quarter, spent $1.1 million on legal fees | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign raised more than $10.1 million in the third quarter of 2017 and spent $4 million, including $1.1 million on legal fees. Trump’s campaign paid $237,924 to lawyer Alan Futerfas, who is representing Donald Trump Jr. in matters related to the campaign’s involvement with Russian interference in the U.S. election. That payment came in addition to $50,000 paid the previous quarter to the same lawyer. Futerfas has not responded to repeated requests for comment about the payment. The campaign also paid $30,000 to Williams and Jensen, the law firm where Karina Lynch, who is also representing Trump Jr., works. Lynch did not respond to request for comment about the payment. During the third quarter, Trump’s campaign paid more than $25,000 to his own company for “legal consulting,” as well as $800,000 to law firm Jones Day, which provides routine legal assistance to the campaign. Trump filed for re-election the day he took office - allowing his campaign to continue to raise and spend money while he is in office. Traditionally, presidents have waited two years to officially file for reelection, providing no historic comparisons to his level of fundraising and spending. His campaign has raised more than $36 million since January. He has used that money to keep a small campaign staff, to fund campaign rallies and to pay legal fees associated with some of the investigations into his 2016 campaign. Trump’s campaign spent about $4 million in that same time period. In the second quarter of 2017, Trump’s re-election campaign raised about $8 million and spent $4.4 million. Of the donations, $1.2 million consisted of unitemized contributions, meaning money from donors who gave less than $200. Trump frequently touts the level of unitemized donations as proof that voters still support his campaign. He raised about $1.9 million in unitemized contributions during the previous quarter. | 0fake |
When Does Our Consciousness Transform From Being Purely Intuitive to Linear Thought? | . When Does Our Consciousness Transform From Being Purely Intuitive to Linear Thought? Rather than looking at consciousness as belonging to a child or an adult, let us look at the idea of... Print Email http://humansarefree.com/2016/11/when-does-our-consciousness-transform.html Rather than looking at consciousness as belonging to a child or an adult, let us look at the idea of consciousness being both an energy and at the same time a state of being. There are two states: one state is becoming, when we use the potential, the activity and the power to change what we are at present to something else. The other state is being. We become, we are.In consciousness both these possibilities exist, of becoming and of being, and these possibilities actualize themselves when in the right environment. When we are born, our consciousness is pure, without any influences or impressions of the present day environment.That pure consciousness remains with us in our young days until the age of eight. This state of consciousness is like a sponge, it is simply absorbing everything, absorbing the information received through the senses, absorbing the information received through the interactions, absorbing the information received through the intellectual and emotional inputs.In this manner the consciousness conditions itself to survive and to exist in this material plane.Until the age of eight, the information received by the consciousness is purely intuitive. Non-linear information, non-sequential information, is received — the idea of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. A child grows in our society conditioned to believe that happiness is perpetually postponed for tomorrow.When we begin our school education, a change happens in the pattern of consciousness and we begin a sequential learning process , a linear learning process. The moment the sequential and linear learning process begins, our personality changes. We become fixed in certain ideas, that A comes before B, C follows B, and in this way an understanding is developed. That understanding is a very set understanding, and this is where the personality undergoes a major transformation in life.You can give consciousness any shape you want. The family contributes to giving shape to that consciousness. The culture in which we live, the social environment, the religious environment, the educational environment, all contribute to the formation of human consciousness.Development of consciousness in all levels — intuitive, spiritual, cultural, social, personal, psychic — happens before the age of eight, before the child actually joins the first class of primary school. The day we join the first class of primary school this development stops and linear development begins.The education received by consciousness until the age of eight is a system of impressions which superimpose themselves on consciousness. They are concepts of imprints left on the mind by experience. Many traditions and philosophies have greatly emphasized the need for greater awareness during our stages of spiritual development before the age of eight, because in your future life, when you grow up, when you are thirty or forty or sixty, you become that person. You express those qualities and habits which you imbibed before the age of eight. What you are today is what you were made before the age of eight. What you were made after the age of eight is seen in the degrees and diplomas you have in your homes, in your bags and in your workplaces. That is your qualification to survive in the world, which you received after the age of eight. But the nature, the mind and the responses of the mind, the ability to manage situations in life and to deal with people, all these abilities you gained in your childhood, in that subtle education which was imbibed by the consciousness.And it is this consciousness which has to be nurtured more and more.There is a different mind beyond the rational, intellectual mind, which we call the psychic mind, or the intuitive mind, or the higher mind. When that higher mind kicks in, the mental faculties open up and manifest. It is this nature which has to be cultivated in a child.It has been the experience of people who have been working with children for many years that the receptivity of children is much greater than that of grownups. They understand things in a different way and in a better way because their mind is not cluttered with impressions, ideas and concepts. Their mind is free. While saying a little, they understand a lot. There is the limitation that they are not able to express themselves, not able to convey what they desire or feel or need or want, but their mental frequencies are much higher than the pre-defined frequencies of grownups. Grownups function in pre-defined frequencies according to their education, but children are intuitive. The main thrust of yoga education for children is to provide them with the appropriate consciousness which can be useful for them in their lives. Classification of Consciousness Normal consciousness is classified in four compartments: Waking, dreaming, sleeping and spiritually awakened. But the consciousness of children functions at a different level, at the intuitive level, until the age of eight. So for children the classification is different. It is intuitive and awake, intuitive and dreaming, intuitive and sleeping and intuitive and creative. This is the division of consciousness in a child.That is the major difference between a child's expression of the conscious faculties and a grownup's expression of the conscious faculties. In the course of time psychologists and psychoanalysts will come to this understanding that the consciousness of children has a different set, which is the flowering spiritually awakened, the highest intuitive spiritual awareness. We have lost that intuitive ability with the sequential and linear understanding of education that we have received. So we need to move from the so-called present waking state, to being spiritually awakened. We have to learn how to become like a child again. By Swami Saraswati Dear Friends, HumansAreFree is and will always be free to access and use. If you appreciate my work, please help me continue.
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Catfished by a Catfish: 1 in 5 Seafood Samples Is Fake, Report Finds - The New York Times | Seafood lovers, are you getting “catfished” at the dinner table? It’s very possible. One in five seafood samples tested worldwide turns out to be completely different from what the menu or packaging says, according to a report on seafood fraud released Wednesday by the ocean conservation group Oceana. Of the more than 25, 000 seafood samples the group analyzed, 20 percent were incorrectly labeled. “It is likely that the average consumer has eaten mislabeled fish for sure,” said Beth Lowell, the senior campaign director for Oceana and an author of the paper. “You’re getting ripped off, while you enjoyed your meal you’re paying a high price for a low fish. ” The biggest impostor, fittingly, was farmed Asian catfish, a fish with white flesh that is easily disguised when it’s filleted and drenched in sauce. It was sold in place of 18 types of more expensive fish, including perch, cod and grouper. The report is a sort of of more than 200 studies from 55 countries. One of those studies found that in Italy, 82 percent of the 200 perch, groupers and swordfish sampled were mislabeled. King mackerel, which is high in mercury, was sold as “barracuda” and “wahoo” in South Africa. In Hong Kong, only one out of 29 samples of “abalone” was correctly labeled. Two sushi chefs in Santa Monica in Southern California were charged with selling endangered whale meat as fatty tuna. Using the various studies, the researchers created an interactive map that shows where they found cases of phony fish. The studies include DNA analyses from papers, newspaper investigations and about 10 of Oceana’s own studies. The report found examples of mislabeling at every level of the seafood supply chain, including the wholesaler, the importer and the retailer. “We kept thinking we’d find a success story, a place where seafood wouldn’t be mislabeled,” Ms. Lowell said. “Every single study that we reviewed except for one found seafood fraud. ” Even that case had a caveat Ms. Lowell said, because it took place in Tasmania where some mislabeling, like calling hake “smoked cod,” is allowed under Australian regulation. About 80 percent of the studies were conducted at grocery stores and restaurants. Because these locations are at the end of the supply chain, retailers tend to have higher instances of mislabeling. The report doesn’t name names. Ms. Lowell said the researchers were not sure whether the restaurants and food stores knowingly deceived their customers, or if they themselves were victims of a bait and switch when they purchased the fish. They found that 58 percent of the mislabeled samples were substituted for fish that could potentially pose health risks to certain consumers, especially pregnant women and children. In a New York grocery store they found blueline tilefish, which is on the Food and Drug Administration’s “Do Not Eat” list because of its high mercury, sold as “Alaskan halibut” and “red snapper. ” In some cases the substituted fish turned out to be an endangered species, such as in Brazil where “sharks” were actually meat from the largetooth sawfish, which is critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Ms. Lowell said that one way to combat seafood fraud in the United States is by implementing stricter regulations for that extend throughout the supply chain. Gavin Gibbons, the spokesman for the National Fisheries Institute, a trade group that represents the seafood industry, criticized the report and stressed that its findings reflected only what the selected studies found and were not representative of all seafood sold globally. He added that the best fix for seafood fraud is more enforcement of the law rather than more bureaucratic regulations. “Oceana’s focus on the most often mislabeled species distorts their findings by design,” he said in an email. Ms. Lowell disagreed. With more than 25, 000 samples tested from around the world, she said it is the most comprehensive review of seafood fraud to date. “This report reveals that it’s a global problem,” she said, “and it’s not going to go away on its own. ” | 0fake |
Lawrence O’Donnell Reveals What Would Happen If Trump Retracted A Lie Per Day (VIDEO) | Donald Trump is a liar. This is pretty well-established by now. But on Friday he stopped telling The Big Lie, the one that allowed him to rise to political prominence and the one upon which so much of his initial support was based: Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen.For years, Trump has harangued the President over his birth certificate, passport, college transcripts, and anything else the billionaire could use to delegitimize the first black President of the United States. The 2016 nominee was, in effect, the leader of the birthers, a movement he did not start but gladly latched onto, fueled, and drove forward as he and his cohorts ineffectively but annoyingly attacked Obama.Trump offered no apology. In fact, he spent only about 20 seconds admitting that President Obama was born in the United States, period. That was one lie. But what if Trump were to retract a lie per day? Could he do it? Would he even live long enough to do so? MSNBC s Lawrence O Donnell tackled the issue on Friday. Pointing out that Trump, via his doctor s shady letter The Donald allowed Dr. Oz to look at, was willing to lie about a single inch adding one inch to his actual height to narrowly avoid being classified as medically obese. Let s just assume Donald Trump is much healthier than he looks. Let s even assume he s taller and thinner than he really is, O Donnell says, deciding to estimate that Trump would live longer than his father. If Trump lived until 95 years old, he will be around for another 9,131 days. If Trump were to retract one lie per day for the rest of his life, he can retract 9,131 lies, O Donnell points out, but there s a problem. In retracting The Big Lie, he told two more: that Hillary Clinton started the birther rumors, and that Trump stopped them through his racist badgering of President Obama. If he does it the way he did it today, the lies of Donald Trump will live after him because as he retracted one lie today he told two more, O Donnell says. I think we know that Donald Trump isn t going to retract a lie every day. I think we know that Donald Trump is going to continue to lie every day. Then he brought it home: I think we know that there is nothing too small for Donald Trump to lie about, including that extra inch of height he decided he needed this week. He will lie about an inch. I think we know there s nothing too big for Donald Trump to lie about, nothing too big, nothing too solemn He will lie about anything. And so I think we know that long after he s gone, long after his name has disappeared from buildings, the lies of Donald Trump will live after him. Watch it below:Featured image via screengrab | 1real |
RUSSIA Tells Sore Loser Obama To Produce Some Proof [Russian hacking of emails] Or Stop Talking About It!…Trump Tweets Brilliant Response | The Russians may not have hacked our elections, but that s not going stop Obama from blaming them for affecting Hillary s chances of winning. Never mind Hillary s recent use of an unsecured email server while she was serving as Sec of State, or the fact that she has spent most of her adult life under some sort of criminal investigation, or that over half of America said they didn t trust her. It s the damn Russians fault that Wikileaks leaked emails that were damaging to Hillary, her entire campaign team and the Democratic Party. Anything to taint the legitimacy of soon to be President Trump. President Obama said the United States will retaliate against Russia over its malicious cyberactivity during this year s election, in an interview that will air Friday on NPR. I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections . . . we need to take action, the president said. And we will at a time and place of our own choosing. Some of it may be explicit and publicized; some of it may not be. Speaking to Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, Obama said there are still a whole range of assessments taking place among the agencies, and he is waiting for the report on cyberattacks he has ordered to be delivered by Jan. 20.Russia seems to be losing their patience with the Obama regime s claims that they had something to do with the hacked emails that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange shared with the world prior to our November elections.The tough talk from the White House fell flat in Moscow, where Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the accusations baseless and inappropriate. They should either stop talking about that or produce some proof at last, Peskov told reporters Friday. Otherwise it all begins to look unseemly. There has been no specific, persuasive evidence shared publicly about the extent of Putin s role or knowledge of any hackings. That lack of proof undercuts Democrats strategy to portray Putin s involvement as irrefutable evidence of a directed Russian government plot to undermine America s democratic system.But the White House pointed to a U.S. intelligence assessment released publicly in October that asserted only Russia s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities. And Obama s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, connected the dots further, saying Thursday that Putin was responsible for the Russian government s actions. I don t think things happen in the Russian government of this consequence without Vladimir Putin knowing about it, he told MSNBC.Trump struck back Friday morning, with a Twitter post mockingly asking, are we talking about the same cyberattack in which embarrassing information about the Democratic National Committee was also revealed.Are we talking about the same cyberattack where it was revealed that head of the DNC illegally gave Hillary the questions to the debate? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2016His tweet invoked emails stolen from Clinton s campaign chairman and later released publicly in hacking that has been linked to Russia. -CBC | 1real |
Russian PM says doping allegations part of new anti-Russian campaign | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday allegations that Russian athletes used doping during the 2014 Sochi Olympics were political manipulations in a new anti-Russian campaign. That (Sochi Olympics) was a brilliant victory and no foreign forces can make us believe the opposite ... This angle has become a cornerstone of the political campaign against Russia, Medvedev said in an interview with Russian television channels broadcast live. The International Olympic Committee is re-testing all Russian athletes samples from the event after Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow s discredited anti-doping laboratory, blew the whistle on what he said was a state-sponsored doping programme. | 0fake |
ASSIMILATION UPDATE: Afghan Muslim Immigrant Living In Germany Makes VIOLENT Rap Video [WATCH] | Wait for the Left to blame micro-aggressions by the insensitive, non-believers on this repulsive video. After all, this poor Muslim man has been forced to live in a country where they have not yet universally accepted Sharia Law. The German women aren t wearing the required Sharia compliant clothing. Why should he have to change his ways, or assimilate with the Germans and their culture? I snipe with the Arabs, the Parisians flee , can be heard, among other things, in this song that mixes the aesthetic standards of rap with the propaganda codes of Islamic State. I burn the pages of Charlie Hebdo, perforate the pigs (police men) at the Gate of Paris raps SadiQ in German in this song that multiplies references from jihadists, the Gaza Strip to Sh m (Syria), Guantanamo to the love of death.https://youtu.be/RLfBmvpx9vsSadiQ is not unknown across the Rhine. Sadie Zadrande was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1988, and arrived in Germany when he was 6 years old. His first album came out in 2012 on the label Halunkenbande, which has nurtured many other German rappers such as Baba Saad or D Maroc. Via: Le Huffington Post | 1real |
Falluja Restaurant Is Reborn in Baghdad, Offering Nostalgia With Its Kebab - The New York Times | BAGHDAD — Long before Falluja was known the world over for deadly jihadists, it was known all over Iraq for its kebab — fatty lamb, ground and mixed with onion, grilled on a skewer over an open fire and served with a pinch of sumac — at a joint called Haji Hussein. Everyone, it seemed, ate at Haji Hussein: locals, soldiers, tourists and businessmen traveling the highway that runs through the city. Starting in 2003, journalists covering the war ate there, and so did American soldiers and the insurgents who fought them, perhaps even at the same time. The restaurant was damaged by bombs multiple times, and entirely flattened once by an American airstrike. It was rebuilt, embraced as a symbol of Falluja’s own rebirth after years of war, only to be abandoned when the city fell to the Islamic State more than two years ago. Now the kebab restaurant has been reborn again, this time in Baghdad, in a modern, building in the upscale Mansour neighborhood. A new entrant on the capital’s thriving restaurant scene, it offers great kebab and a dose of nostalgia for a time when Baghdadis thought nothing of zipping off to Falluja for lunch at Haji Hussein. “This was the craft of my grandfather,” said Mohammed Hussein, who runs the business that has been in his family since the 1930s, when Falluja was a city of agriculture, smuggling and tribal traditions, not a jihadist haven. The restaurant, shiny and well lit, is packed most nights, and patrons wait for tables — 15 to 20 minutes or so, something almost in Iraq. There are two televisions on the first floor, tuned to news channels reporting on the military campaign to retake Falluja from the Islamic State. “I can’t bear to watch the news,” Mr. Hussein said. There was one news flash recently that did not escape his notice: The Iraqi Air Force, like the Americans 12 years ago, announced that it had struck his restaurant site in Falluja because leaders with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, were meeting there. A statement from Iraq’s Joint Operation Command appeared on the television: “Based on intelligence information about a meeting for ISIS leaders in Haji Hussein restaurant inside the center of Falluja an airstrike was launched on the restaurant, which led to the killing of tens of ISIS terrorists. ” But the restaurant, Mr. Hussein said, has been deserted for two and a half years. When Iraqi forces recently made gains inside Falluja, people almost immediately began talking about Haji Hussein. The federal police released a combat video saying they were fighting near the restaurant, and a glimpse of the facade showed it damaged but not destroyed. On state television, commentators expressed hope that Haji Hussein might reopen soon in Falluja. In 2004, the Americans bombed the restaurant based on intelligence that insurgents loyal to Abu Musab the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the forerunner of the Islamic State, were eating there. After the bombing, a member of Mr. Hussein’s family defiantly told The Boston Globe that “the mujahedeen and the insurgents prefer my restaurant and come to me for their three meals. ” Patrick Graham, a Canadian journalist who covered the Iraq war, likened Haji Hussein to a Nova Scotia branch of a popular Canadian doughnut chain. “It probably had been an insurgent meeting place,” he wrote in an online column last year, “but only in the way that the local Tim Horton’s in Antigonish, N. S. is a Conservative Party meeting place. Everyone went to Haji Hussein, insurgents included. ” This being the holy month of Ramadan, the Baghdad restaurant has been busy lately serving iftar, the evening meal to break the day’s fast. The parking lot is also a beehive of activity: a security guard checking cars for bombs a man selling balloons to families children begging. As Mr. Hussein, 49, sat down to chat one recent evening, he was surrounded by waiters — much of the staff from Falluja now works in the new place — filling the tables with dishes of mezze, or appetizers, as diners waited to break their fast. In addition to heaping platters of the famous kebab, there were dates coated with sesame paste, watermelon, hummus, cucumber and tomato salad, pickles and soup. There were some new items on the menu that were not served in Falluja: grilled river carp, called masgoof a Yemeni meal called mandi and maklouba, a dish of chicken and eggplant and rice that is originally Palestinian. As customers streamed in, Mr. Hussein tried to recall how many times his restaurant in Falluja had been damaged or destroyed by the war. “Too many to count,” he said. At times, he said, he would have to call a local windowpane salesman once or twice a week. “It was a funny joke,” he said. “I’d call and he’d say, ‘Which size?’ He would have all the sizes for my windows on hand, ready. ” Mr. Hussein recalled an American officer who used to stop by, and grab his kebab right off the grill with a piece of flatbread. But he kept his distance from the occupiers. “We tried not to become friends with them,” he said. “They would say hi, we would say hi, that was it. ” He said peace would not be easy in Falluja, even after liberation from the Islamic State, without political compromises between the government in Baghdad and the Sunni community. Speaking of the people of Falluja, he said, “There were reasons they joined ISIS — oppression, random arrests. ” At least in his restaurant, Iraq does not seem hopelessly divided by sect. Sunnis and Shiites break their fast at slightly different times, and as sundown approached one of the televisions was tuned to a Sunni channel, the other to Iraqiya, the channel of the government. When the call to prayer — the signal that the day’s fast was over — went out on one, the Sunnis began eating. Fifteen minutes or so later, the Shiite customers began eating. Anas who is perhaps Baghdad’s only restaurant critic, has praised Haji Hussein on his widely followed Baghdad Restaurant Guide on Facebook, for its kebab, cleanliness and service. One Iraqi exile, pining for home, posted a comment on Mr. Sarraf’s site: “I have been out of Iraq for 13 years, and there is no Iraqi food or Iraqi kebab like Haji Hussein. Inshallah, I will come back one day to eat at Haji Hussein in Falluja and in Baghdad. ” In the kitchen, Mr. Hussein’s nephew, Marwan Mohammed, was working the grill. Now 26, he has been working in the family business since he was 8, washing the skewers. Mr. Mohammed said the secret to his kebab is fresh lamb, as opposed to imported meats that he said many Iraqi restaurants use. The family still raises its own sheep in a area near Falluja, and usually serves the kebab on the same day the sheep is slaughtered, or the next day. “We only feed them grass and special food,” he said. “We never let them go out in the open and eat garbage. ” The only other ingredient mixed with the minced lamb is onions. Sumac and a squeeze of lemon at the table add more flavor. Mr. Hussein’s fortune may now be in Baghdad, but his heart is in Falluja. His hometown, he said, “is like a sacred place for me. ” He added, “My heart beats faster when Falluja comes to my mind. ” He began to cry as he described what Falluja used to be. “Simple people,” he said. “It was a tribal society. We’ve never even had a hotel. There was hospitality for everyone. All homes were hotels for visitors. ” Recipes: Kebabs | Adana Kebabs | Lamb and Fig Kebabs with Honey and Rosemary | 0fake |
null | Over ten million Bernie supporters wanted to establish an Medicare For All single payer healthcare system in the United States, so it is far more likely that could happen under a Hillary Clinton Administration than under any Republican Administration. | 1real |
U.S. plans to curb tax 'inversions' could hit foreign companies | LONDON (Reuters) - Planned changes that President Barack Obama says are aimed at ensuring American companies do not avoid tax by shifting their headquarters overseas could also force foreign companies to adopt more conservative U.S. tax-planning strategies. One of the measures restricts the ability of U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies to deduct the interest they pay on loans from their parent firms from their taxable income. It aims to stop a redomiciled American firm from reducing its U.S. tax bill by piling inter-group debt on its U.S. operations, and effectively shifting profits overseas. But it could also affect European companies that use similar strategies to reduce their tax bills in the United States after buying U.S. firms. The new rules announced by the Treasury department this week aim to curb so-called ‘inversions’ - where a U.S. group acquires a smaller overseas company and shifts its domicile to a lower-tax jurisdiction. Drugmaker Pfizer’s plan to buy rival Allergan and move to Ireland was one of the planned inversions that prompted the Obama administration to act. The $160 billion deal fell apart last week as a result of other aspects of the Treasury reforms. Under the new rule regarding debt, if a U.S. subsidiary transfers money to its overseas parent within three years before or after borrowing money from it, by paying a dividend or buying shares in the parent, then U.S. tax authorities could potentially treat the loan as if it was equity. This means the interest on the debt would not be deductible for U.S. income tax purposes. Experts said that European companies would still be able to shift profits via inter-group debt, but may have to do so gradually over a longer period of time. “It, without doubt, significantly changes the rules of the game,” said Stephen Shay, professor of law at Harvard University. “In the old days you bought and then you levered up as much as you can and that is not going to happen in the same way, but how much of a constraint that becomes is unclear,” he added. Nancy McLernon, president of the Organization for International Investment, a trade group for the U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, denied non-U.S. groups were routinely shifting profit overseas through debt. “Where’s the problem they (U.S. authorities) are trying to fix? It feels more like a tax grab,” she said. She said the complexity of the issue and uncertainty over how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. tax authority, would seek to use their new powers would make investing in new U.S. projects less attractive. “It will have a chilling effect on foreign direct investment in the United States,” McLernon added. The Treasury says it is targeting situations where large debts are incurred to fund dividends shortly after an inversion or foreign acquisition, rather than the most common way U.S. subsidiaries accumulate inter-group debt. That is by having the subsidiary gradually pay all its profit to its parent as dividends and then borrow money from its parent for new investment. “The proposed regulations generally do not apply to related-party debt that is incurred to fund actual business investment, such as building or equipping a factory,” a Treasury factsheet released last week said. Providing the money a foreign company takes out of its U.S. subsidiary is in line with the U.S. company’s profits, the transactions should escape IRS scrutiny, Shay said. Companies don’t usually publish details of their inter-group financing so it’s impossible to put a figure on how much profit foreign companies shelter from U.S. tax through inter-group loans. Richard Murphy, professor of practice in international political economy at City University London, estimates the IRS could lose tens of billions of dollars in taxes each year in this way. Companies that have reduced their U.S. tax bills via inter-group lending include drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, education group Pearson, utility Scottish Power and telecoms group Vodafone. All said their lending to U.S. subsidiaries had been unwound and that they complied with all tax rules. Details of their lending arrangements came to public attention following data leaks or legal action with tax authorities. A 2013 Reuters examination of tax planning by Europe’s largest software group, SAP AG, showed how the German company shifted profits from the United States, which has a corporate tax rate of at least 35 percent, to Ireland whose headline rate is 12.5 percent. here HIGH-INTEREST LOANS According to Reuters calculations based on 2015 corporate filings, SAP America Inc reduces its U.S. tax bill by around $200 million a year by borrowing $7.4 billion from SAP Ireland US Financial Services Ltd at an interest rate of at least 7 percent. The debt, which helped fund the acquisition of U.S. software groups, cuts its taxable income by around $600 million a year. A spokesman for SAP group declined to comment on the Reuters calculations but said the company followed all tax rules and that its funding structure was driven by business rather than tax reasons. Some measures previously proposed by Obama and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which advises developed nations on tax policy, would have limited interest deductions to the extent that they reflected an operating unit’s share of total group interest costs. Since SAP group’s total net interest expense was just 5 million euros last year, most of its U.S. subsidiary’s deduction may have been disallowed under such proposals. But the Treasury plan is far more limited than these proposals. SAP filings suggest that it has not taken large amounts of cash from its acquired U.S. subsidiaries and recapitalized them with debt. Debts accumulated as SAP has done – by acquiring and expanding U.S. companies - should not be captured by the new measures, even if that debt is out of proportion to the parent’s overall debt burden. But it’s hard to be certain. Inter-group debts usually run for a period of a few years, and each time they extend them, there is an opportunity for the IRS to re-examine the arrangement. “There is certainly is a risk when they roll over that instrument, that it is going to be recharacterised as equity,” said Victor Fleischer, professor of law at the University of San Diego, said of the SAP loans. | 0fake |
Tasmanian Devil Milk is capable of killing the most deadly superbugs | Tasmanian Devil Milk is capable of killing the most deadly superbugs
Thursday, October 27, 2016 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer Tags: superbugs , drug resistance , Tasmanian Devils (NaturalNews) Milk from Tasmanian devils and other marsupials may be a natural cure for antibiotic-resistant infections, suggests a study conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney and published in the journal Scientific Reports. The researchers found that the milk contains no fewer than six compounds capable of killing some of the world's worst superbugs .Unlike placental mammals (including humans), which gestate their young within the mother's body, marsupials give birth after just a few weeks to highly immature offspring -- mobile fetuses, essentially -- that still need to complete significant development in their mother's pouch.In particular, the immune systems of newborn marsupials are highly underdeveloped. Because a marsupial's pouch is a significantly less controlled environment than a placental mammal's uterus, researchers wondered if newborn marsupials might need -- and get -- an extra immune boost. Six times as potent as human milk? A previous study, conducted in 2015, cataloged many of the microbes that naturally make up the microbiome of the Tasmanian devil's pouch. These included several disease-causing organisms."There are potential pathogens present in the devil microbiome, so the fact that the under-developed young in the pouch don't get sick was a clue something interesting was going on," co-author Emma Peel said. "That's what inspired our most recent study."For the new study, the researchers analyzed the Tasmanian devil's genome for genes coding for antimicrobial peptides called cathelicidins. They found that Tasmanian devil milk contains six different types of cathelicidin.For comparison, human milk, with all its antimicrobial and immune-boosting properties, contains just a single cathelicidin.The researchers artificially synthesized the peptides, then tested them against several known superbugs, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococci. The peptides killed every type of microbe they were tested against. Although the researchers had expected to find some antimicrobial effect, the potency of the peptides surprised them."We showed that these devil peptides kill multi-drug resistant bacteria," Peel said, "which is really cool."Many marsupials have even more cathelicidins in their milk than Tasmanian devils. Wallabies have eight, for instance, while opossums (a Western hemisphere species) have 12.Preliminary results have also shown that similar antimicrobial peptides are found in koala milk. The global threat of superbugs Although MRSA has gotten most of the media attention, other superbugs such as Enterococci can also be highly dangerous. These bacteria -- which, like MRSA, often naturally occur on or in the human body -- can cause infections at several different sites. While such infections are minor if treated, Enterococci are growing increasingly antibiotic resistant.Health experts were alarmed recently when more strains of Enterococcus started turning up resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin."Vancomycin is a pretty potent antibiotic and if a bug is resistant to that, then there aren't a lot of drug options available to you," Peel said.Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, recently called antibiotic resistance "a fundamental threat to human health, development and security".And the United Kingdom's Review on Antimicrobial Resistance recently concluded that unless urgent action is taken to stem the spread of drug resistance , superbugs will kill 10 million people annually by 2050. That's more than the combined death toll of cancer and diabetes.Shockingly, that review estimated deaths from only six varieties of superbug: Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli, MRSA, HIV, TB and malaria.Researchers estimate that today, superbugs kill "only" 700,000 people a year. The number is expected to rise so dramatically due to the spread of drug-resistance genes through microbial populations, combined with the ongoing evolution of resistance to new drugs.The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance also failed to estimate the deaths that would come from people being unable to gain medical care, such as surgery or cancer treatment, that would be lethal without the use of reliable antibiotics. Sources for this article include: | 1real |
French opposition struggles to emerge from rubble of Macron victory | PARIS (Reuters) - Battered and bruised from electoral defeat by Emmanuel Macron s centrists, France s Socialist Party is laying off most of its staff and selling its Paris base, while the centre-right Republicans limp on in search of a leader. Facing falling membership after winning just six percent of the vote in the presidential election, the centre-left party told staff on Wednesday it would have to fire most of them, days after its historic headquarters was put up for sale to raise funds. On the other side of the political divide, the conservative Republicans are leaderless and have struggled for months to decide whether to expel party members who have signed up to serve with Macron. The two parties ruled France for decades, but Macron s Republic on the Move has stolen the middle ground from under their feet. Macron benefits from a large political space left vacant by the opposition, said Vincent Thibault of Elabe pollsters. He has to face very few attacks from the other parties. Fewer lawmakers and local officials mean the Socialist Party s income has fallen to 8 million euros ($9.42 million) a year from 28 million previously. Party treasurer Jean-Francois Debat told Reuters around 60 of 97 staff would have to go. While the Republicans are the largest opposition group in the lower house of parliament and hold a majority in the senate, they are in barely better shape. For the past five months they have struggled to stem Macron s poaching of their top officials, or to oppose economic policies that mirror their own. In the latest of several meetings on membership, the party decided in principle on Tuesday to expel Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and other ministers serving in Macron s government. But having failed to gather enough officials at the meeting, they were forced to postpone the actual decision for a week, drawing scorn from critics. It s grotesque, Sebastien Lecornu, a junior minister and one of those facing expulsion, told Le Parisien daily. They are punishing us for backing reforms that are useful to the country ... the right is committing suicide. The far left and far right are also struggling to mount a credible opposition to 39-year-old Macron. The far-right National Front, weakened by its own divisions, has become close to inaudible. Its leader Marine Le Pen had the worst ratings on record for France 2 television s top political show last week, with only 1.7 million viewers. The far-left France Insoumise has been more vocal, and polls show it is seen as the strongest opponent. But it has struggled to get voters out on the streets against Macron s reforms and surveys show it is regarded more as a protest movement. | 0fake |
UK's Prince George starts school, pregnant mum Kate too ill to go | LONDON (Reuters) - Britain s Prince George, the great-grandson of Queen Elizabeth and third-in-line to the throne, started school on Thursday but without his pregnant mother Kate to support him because she is suffering from severe morning sickness. George, 4, was taken by his father, Prince William, from their Kensington Palace home to Thomas s Battersea school in southwest London, which says its most important rule is to Be Kind and charges almost 18,000 pounds ($23,490) per pupil per year. We expect our pupils to make impressive progress as a result of their own hard work, the best efforts of their teachers, the judicious support of their parents and the encouragement of their peers, the school says on its website. A nervous-looking George, wearing a school uniform of dark shorts and a navy jumper with red trim, held his father s hand as the Head of Lower School, Helen Haslem, escorted the royal duo to his classroom. His mother Kate missed the occasion due to acute morning sickness and has canceled other engagements this week after the palace announced on Monday that she was expecting her third child. Like his parents, George and his younger sister Charlotte have already appeared on the front covers of magazines around the world and this summer they traveled on official royal tours of Poland and Germany where crowds cheered them. | 0fake |
MUSLIM MIGRANTS SHOW Appreciation To German Hosts By Spreading Feces, Vomit And Blood On Asylum Walls | Assimilation or respect for the host country is not a strong suit for Muslim migrants/rapefugees Asylum seekers have left an asylum home and have smeared blood, vomit and feces all over the walls according to police.In preparation for the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama, riot police in the German town of Hameln needed somewhere for the officers to stay overnight. The police were offered a barracks that previously held migrants but were shocked to discover that the past residents had smeared faeces, vomit and blood all over the walls of the former asylum home reports Junge Freiheit.North Rhine-Westphalia police refused the accommodation due to the unsanitary conditions the barracks had been left in. The Facebook page of the German police union posted pictures of the former migrant home saying, semen, blood and faeces on the walls and in the beds. Inside cockroaches were eating. The union went on to say that the officers would not sleep in the conditions and preferred to spend the night in their vehicles instead.One policeman said that the only reason they felt they were able to seek alternate accommodations was by showing media what the asylums seekers had left for them. They called the conditions catastrophic. The difficulty of bringing migrants up to speed with Western hygienic norms has been shown time and time again over the migrant crisis. The border town of Nickelsdorf in particular was said to have been struggling with garbage and sewage left by migrants.Trains had to be disinfected entirely because many migrants did not know how to operate a western style toilet and opted to defecate on the floor or in a urinal. Via: Breitbart News | 1real |
21 dead at Radison Blu hotel in Mali | (CNN) Heavily armed gunmen on Friday fired indiscriminately at guests at a hotel hosting diplomats and others in Mali's capital, the maître d' told CNN.
At least 21 people were killed in the attack in which an al Qaeda-affiliated group is taking partial responsibility.
"These people started shooting. They were shooting at everybody without asking a single question. They were shooting at anything that moved," Tamba Couye said of the attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako.
One man did yell "Allahu akbar," said Couye, who was working in the restaurant where breakfast was underway. The attackers sounded like they were from northern Mali, he told "Erin Burnett OutFront."
Couye said an attacker chased him from the hotel but he came back later to help because his instincts told him he needed to do so to save lives.
Dozens of people were trapped in the building for hours, officials in the West African nation said, before Malian and U.N. security forces launched a counterattack and rushed guests away.
Olivier Salgado, a spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, put the death toll at 21.
At least six people injured in the attack have been hospitalized, Health Minister Marie Madeleine Togo told state broadcaster ORTM.
Al Mourabitoun, an Islamist militant group, claimed it was jointly responsible for the attack, according to Mauritanian news agency Al Akhbar. The group announced it carried out the attack with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the news agency reported.
Al Mourabitoun said the attack was carried out in retaliation for government aggression in northern Mali, Al Akhbar reported. The group also demanded the release of prisoners in France.
Algerian jihadist and the leader of the group, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, is "probably" behind the attack, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview on France's TF1, but the French are not "entirely sure."
Belmokhtar was the target of a June U.S. airstrike in Libya. Libyan officials said he had been killed but U.S. officials never confirmed his death publicly.
The assault began about 7 a.m., when two or three attackers with AK-47 rifles exited at least one vehicle with diplomatic plates and entered the hotel with guns firing, Salgado said.
The attack, Salgado said, came as the hotel hosted diplomatic delegations working on a peace process in the landlocked country, a former French colony that has been battling Islamist extremists with the help of U.N. and French forces.
The Radisson chain said that as many as 170 people -- 140 guests and 30 employees -- had been there as the attack began.
Malian soldiers and U.N. troops had the hotel surrounded, a journalist for ORTM told CNN from the scene. Two security personnel were injured, Security Minister Salif Traore said on ORTM.
"We're still hearing erratic gunfire," journalist Katarina Hoije told CNN from near the scene Friday afternoon.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Radisson Blu Hotel is in an upscale neighborhood outside the center of Bamako, rising high above the dusty streets and surrounding houses. With 190 rooms and suites, it is known as a hub for international guests such as diplomats and businesspeople, and it is a 15-minute drive from Bamako-Senou International Airport.
"I think this attack has been perpetrated by negative forces, terrorists, who do not want to see peace in Mali," Hamdi said.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday that the United States is still accounting for Americans who may have been inside the hotel.
Speaking in Malaysia, Obama said that thanks to the swift action of Malian and other security forces, lives were saved. He said the victims were "innocent people who had everything to live for."
The hotel attack, and the diplomats' meeting, came in a country that has struggled with Islamist extremists, especially since 2012.
Taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup in March 2012, Islamist extremists with links to al Qaeda carved out a large portion of northern Mali for themselves. When the militants tried to push into the south, France, at the Malian government's request, sent thousands of troops in 2013.
The ground and air campaign sent Islamist fighters who had seized the northern region fleeing into the vast desert. The United Nations then established a peacekeeping mission in Mali that year, hoping to keep the government secure enough to continue a peace process.
Though military pressure largely drove Islamist militants from cities, they have regrouped in the desert areas, said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
"Unfortunately, this (hotel) is a likely target" because it is popular with international guests such as U.N. workers, Pham said.
U.S. special operations forces were helping "move civilians to secured locations as Malian forces clear the hotel of hostile gunmen," said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command.
Michael Skapoullis, who lives near the Radisson Blu, told CNN he was using the hotel's gym Friday morning when he noticed fellow exercisers leaving. He hadn't heard anything because he was listening to music, but he decided to follow.
He walked to a door leading to the hotel lobby, and that's when he saw something was wrong.
"When I opened the door, I saw, on the floor, bullets," Skapoullis said. "So I gently closed the door, and ... I went back into the gym" and eventually left the complex.
Another man who'd been in the hotel told ORTM that he heard gunshots that he initially thought were fireworks.
"Then we heard the hotel alarm. ... I walked out into the hallway, and I saw a lot of smoke," said the man, whom ORTM didn't name. "Then I went back into my room to stay there.
"Later, the Malian forces came to get us. ... Thank God we are now healthy and safe."
As news of the attack spread, media outlets and officials from a number of nations reported that some of their citizens were in the hotel or had been freed. A summary:
• One U.S. citizen was killed, a senior State Department official told CNN. "We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. ... Out of respect for the family, we have no further information at this time." Of Anita Datar, her brother Sanjeev Datar, said. "Everything she did in her life she did to help others -- as a mother, public health expert, daughter, sister and friend."
• "About a dozen" Americans were rescued, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
• Geoffrey Dieudonne, an administrative counselor for Belgium's Parliament, died as a result of the attack, Parliament said. Details about his death weren't immediately clear; he was in Bamako as part of a three-day French-language convention.
• Three Chinese nationals were killed, the political counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Bamako told media in his country. State-run CCTV reported that four other Chinese guests were rescued.
• Seven Algerians, including six members of an Algerian diplomatic delegation, are safe after being trapped in the hotel, the state-run Algerie Presse Service reported. The Algerians were freed during a counterassault by U.N. and Malian forces.
• Twenty Indian nationals, working for a Dubai-based company and staying at the hotel long-term, were safely evacuated, Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs, said on Twitter.
• Twelve Air France crew members who were staying at the hotel were safely extracted, the airline tweeted. Air France has canceled all its flights to and from Bamako as a precaution, the airline said.
• Turkish Airlines said at seven of its employees were staying at the hotel, and all had been freed by the afternoon.
• Two German nationals were able to leave the hotel, Germany's Foreign Office said.
The soldiers stormed the hotel to end a daylong siege that started when gunmen raided the hotel after attacking a military site nearby, witnesses said.
At the time, the Malian army said the attackers were affiliated with the Macina Liberation Movement. Human Rights Watch has described the group as Islamists who commit "serious abuses in the course of military operations against Mali's security forces." | 0fake |
‘Glamour’ Names Bono Its First Man Of The Year - The Onion - America's Finest News Source | Nation Puts 2016 Election Into Perspective By Reminding Itself Some Species Of Sea Turtles Get Eaten By Birds Just Seconds After They Hatch WASHINGTON—Saying they felt anxious and overwhelmed just days before heading to the polls to decide a historically fraught presidential race, Americans throughout the country reportedly took a moment Thursday to put the 2016 election into perspective by reminding themselves that some species of sea turtles are eaten by birds just seconds after they hatch. Cleveland Indians Worried Team Cursed After Building Franchise On Old Native American Stereotype CLEVELAND—Having watched in horror as their team crumbled after a 3-1 World Series lead, members of the Cleveland Indians expressed concern Thursday that the organization has been cursed for building their franchise on an incredibly old Native American stereotype. Report: Election Day Most Americans’ Only Time In 2016 Being In Same Room With Person Supporting Other Candidate WASHINGTON—According to a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, Election Day 2016 will, for the majority of Americans, mark the only time this year they will occupy the same room as a person who supports a different presidential candidate. Nurse Reminds Elderly Man She’s Just Down The Hall If He Starts To Die DES PLAINES, IL—Assuring him that she’d be at his side in a jiffy, local nurse Wendy Kaufman reminded an elderly resident at the Briarwood Assisted Living Community that she was just down the hall if he started to die, sources reported Tuesday. | 1real |
OMG! The ULTIMATE BENGHAZI BOMBSHELL! Leaked Emails Show Hillary Ordered The Rescue Team To.. • USA Newsflash |
Everyday, more and more information surfaces about Benghazi.
A critical email that just surfaced shows that the Pentagon offered to act immediately in Benghazi.
Here are the details:
VIA Allen B West
The ugly truth about Benghazi continues to trickle out. Like this critical email that shows the Pentagon urgently offering help to the unfolding attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. And although it came after the first wave of the attack at the consulate, it occurred before a mortar strike on the CIA annex killed Ty Woods and Glenn Doherty.
As Judicial Watch notes, the email ‘leaves no doubt military assets were offered and ready to go, and awaiting State Department signoff, which did not come.”
In other words, the Pentagon was offering military assets that potentially could have saved the lives of American citizens — if only the State Department had signed off.
Of course, we all remember who was leading the State Department at that time. Everyone’s favorite leading Democrat candidate for president, Hillary Clinton.
Via The Right Scoop :
An email recently obtained by Judicial Watch shows that the Pentagon was demanding Hillary allow them to send help to Benghazi during the 2012 attack. This would completely contradict the claim from Hillary and Leon Panetta that no forces were available and within reach to provide help to the compound that was under siege.
From Fox News:
As the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was unfolding, a high-ranking Pentagon official urgently messaged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s top deputies to offer military help, according to an email obtained by Judicial Watch.
The revelation appears to contradict testimony Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave lawmakers in 2013, when he said there was no time to get forces to the scene in Libya, where four Americans were killed, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens.
“I just tried you on the phone but you were all in with S [apparent reference to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton],” reads the email, from Panetta’s chief of staff Jeremy Bash. “After consulting with General Dempsey, General Ham and the Joint Staff, we have identified the forces that could move to Benghazi. They are spinning up as we speak.”
Ironically, Hillary Clinton and her minions were concerned with spinning the story instead of gearing up the military forces.
Here’s the email: More:
The email was sent out at 7:19 p.m. ET on Sept. 11, 2012, in the early stages of the eight-hour siege that also claimed the lives of Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith and two former Navy SEALs, Ty Woods and Glen Doherty, private CIA contractors who raced to the aid of embattled State Department workers.
Although the email came after the first wave of the attack at the consulate, it occurred before a mortar strike on the CIA annex killed Woods and Doherty.
“This leaves no doubt military assets were offered and ready to go, and awaiting State Department signoff, which did not come,” Judicial Watch, a nonprofit government watchdog said in a statement.
Parts of the email from Bash were redacted before release, including details on what military forces were available.
So there it is. Panetta and Hillary LIED to the American public over and over, and the media never pressed them enough to demand answers.
The clincher? This information has been available since a month after the attack. But as Judicial Watch notes:
The Obama administration and Clinton officials hid this compelling Benghazi email for years,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The email makes readily apparent that the military was prepared to launch immediate assistance that could have made a difference, at least at the CIA Annex. The fact that the Obama Administration withheld this email for so long only worsens the scandal of Benghazi. | 1real |
NATO, US, & UK Assemble Largest Troop Buildup On Russian Border Since Cold War | Free Thought Project – by John Vibes
In the midst of deepening tension between US allies NATO and Russia, NATO is planning the largest military buildup along the Russian border since the cold war.
NATO called on allied governments this week to contribute whatever troops and equipment they can to the effort. According to Reuters, thousands of troops are expected to arrive in the coming days and weeks.
It was reported that Italy, France, Denmark and other European states are expected to join the NATO military divisions that will be led by the United States along Russias border.
On Wednesday, Britain announced it is sending hundreds of soldiers and hardware to Russia’s borders as part of a huge military deployment.
A total of 800 troops, drones and tanks are moving to Estonia as part of the biggest military build-up of NATO troops on Russia’s borders since the Cold War.
In addition to the forces allocated for his specific operation, NATO has an army of over 40,000 ready to be called up to fight at any time.
The US military claims that this threatening move is meant to act as a “deterrent” to the Russian military, but this is obvious a move that will escalate tensions and push towards a possible third world war.
“This is a credible deterrence, not to provoke a conflict but to prevent conflict, ” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday — ironically ignoring the fact that it is a de facto provocation.
Just imagine what would happen if Russian troops amassed along the Mexican border and told the US that this move was to ‘prevent conflict.’
The so-called Iskander-M cruise missiles can hit targets across Poland and the Baltics, although NATO officials declined to say if Russia had moved nuclear warheads to Kaliningrad.
The United States’ envoy to NATO, Douglas Lute told reporters that NATO and the US military may consider Russia a threat if they had nuclear weapons within range of NATO’s deployment. This statement is insane considering the fact that the US military is the ones who are many miles from home on the border of someone else’s lands.
“This deployment, if it becomes permanent if the presence of nuclear weapons were confirmed, would be a change in (Russia’s) security posture, ” Lute said.
If anyone is a threat, it is NATO and the US government.
These military tensions are the result of an ongoing proxy war in Syria, in which western powers are attempting to institute a regime change in the country by funding violent rebel groups. Meanwhile, Russia has interests in keeping their allies in the Syrian government in control, putting the two superpowers at odds.
Until now, Russia and the US have been fighting through third parties, just as they had during the previous cold war, and the same type of situation is developing today. Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/nato-us-uk-assemble-largest-troop-buildup-russian-border-since-cold-war/#Egz3E7sm2qQrQwBh.99 Share this: | 1real |
Factbox: Summary of Trump's comments in New York Times interview | (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke on a wide range of issues with New York Times editors and reporters on Tuesday. The following is a summary of some of his comments as reported by the newspaper or its reporters. Trump said prosecuting Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for her handing of classified information while secretary of state or the dealings of the Clinton Foundation was “not something that I feel very strongly about.” “I don’t want to hurt the Clintons, I really don’t,” Trump said. “She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways.” “I think it would be very very divisive for the country,” he said, referring to prosecuting Clinton or her husband, former President Bill Clinton. During campaign rallies, Trump often fired up his supporters by calling for pressing for investigations of Hillary Clinton, spurring chants of “Lock her up!” by the crowd. Trump, who previously called man-made global warming a hoax, said: “I think there is some connectivity” between humans and climate change. “I’m looking at it very closely,” Trump said about the 2015 Paris climate accord, which he had promised to quit during the presidential campaign. “I have an open mind to it.” * ALT-RIGHT AND STEVE BANNON Trump condemned an alt-right conference in Washington over the weekend where some members performed a Hitler salute and yelled: “Hail Trump!” after a speech about white nationalism. “I condemn them. I disavow, and I condemn,” he said. “It’s not a group I want to energize. And if they are energized I want to look into it and find out why.” Rejecting charges by some critics that his chief White House strategist Steve Bannon is a racist, Trump said: “I’ve known Steve Bannon a long time. If I thought he was a racist, or alt-right ... I wouldn’t even think about hiring him.” Critics say Bannon, a former head of the conservative Breitbart News, had made the website a forum for the alt-right, a loose grouping that rejects mainstream politics and includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. The real estate mogul said he saw no conflict in his business dealings and being president. “In theory I could run my business perfectly and then run the country perfectly. There’s never been a case like this,” Trump said. “I’d assumed that you’d have to set up some type of trust or whatever and you don’t,” he said. But he added: “I would like to do something.” “The law’s totally on my side, the president can’t have a conflict of interest.” * DEALING WITH THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT Trump said his son-in-law and close aide, Jared Kushner, could help broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and that the president-elect himself could play a role in achieving what has eluded his predecessors. “I would love to be the one who made peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump said. “That would be such a great achievement.” | 0fake |
CAFE OWNER REACTS IN AWESOME WAY After Town Told Her To Remove “God Bless America” Banner From Front Of Restaurant | Bravo! This woman is example of true courage. More Americans need to take a stand against anyone who attempts to silence their First Amendment right Whenever folks in Penfield, New York get a hankering for pancakes for lunch they head over to the 5 Mile Caf .The family-owned restaurant is known in those parts for serving breakfast any time of the day (order their homemade corned beef hash).They are also known for their patriotism. We are very patriotic here at the caf all year round not just this time of year, owner Jennifer Aquino told me. We have American flags and patriotic things around the caf . So Jennifer decided to ask the town for a permit so she could post a God Bless America banner on the front of her restaurant. She wanted to display the banner from Memorial Day through Independence Day.There was just one significant problem.Penfield has a strict banner allotment policy. Businesses are only allowed to post banners for a total of three weeks out of the year. And Jennifer had used up her allotment. At one point we had banners all over the town and the town just looked trashy and our residents said enough s enough, town supervisor Tony LaFountain told WHEC.Jennifer s request was denied.Instead of posting the banner outside the restaurant, she posted it inside. And that was that until the Orlando terrorist attack. I decided on my way to work that I was going to put it up regardless of the town telling me I couldn t, she said. So I put it up. A bit later that day she received an email from the town telling her to remove the banner. They warned her that she could face a possible fine for violating the ordinance. I didn t take it down, Jennifer told me. And I was willing to pay the fine. The [message on the banner] means a lot to me especially during this time in our country with all that s going on with terrorism, she said. I just can t believe that I can t have this banner up and be supported by the town board. The fact that I m being asked to take it down is wrong, she said. It s against my First Amendment rights. People need to open up their eyes. If we start letting them tell us we can t do this it s going to get worse. Jennifer tells me she never imagined there would be a day like this in America. I have lots of veterans in my family, she said. I have a cousin who fought in Desert Storm so that we could have the freedom to hang a banner that says, God bless America. And yet we live in a nation where you can be punished for simply being patriotic.Via: FOX News | 1real |
How Rubio’s campaign failed: problems from the start | MIAMI (Reuters) - Marco Rubio had all that you need in a Republican presidential candidate: fluency on the issues, a conservative outlook, crossover appeal as a Cuban-American, and youthful good looks. But in an election year when anyone associated with the Republican establishment is seen as tainted, Rubio ended his campaign after New York real estate mogul Donald Trump won the coveted primary, or nominating contest, in Rubio’s home state of Florida on Tuesday. “This may not have been the year for a hopeful and optimistic message about our future,” Rubio told supporters as he announced his decision. How the 44-year-old U.S. senator got to this point is a story of miscalculations and missed opportunities, according to interviews with more than a dozen campaign officials, financial donors and Republican strategists. Rubio attempted to position himself as a new-age Republican, the son of Cuban immigrants who was able to connect with everyday voters with tales of his hard-luck upbringing. He also tried to appeal to America’s growing Hispanic population to help boost his party’s chances of claiming victory in the Nov. 8 election. He got off to a difficult start. His advisers wanted to run a campaign where it made more sense to be on Fox News, a channel popular with Republicans, or on other cable networks and local broadcasters whose clips can go viral on social media, rather than spend a lot of time in small towns in Iowa and New Hampshire. The early nominating contests there often shape the narrative and direction of presidential elections. So Rubio made a strategic gamble. He would try a different approach in those two states, strategists familiar with his campaign said. He would try to save time and money by making strategic stops in those states rather than carpet-bomb them with multiple visits. It would be a break from the usual playbook of White House hopefuls that says candidates should saturate Iowa and New Hampshire with town halls and other events and aim for early wins to garner media coverage and campaign donations and build momentum. Rubio’s gamble backfired. Republican activists in Iowa complained he was largely absent from the state for long stretches, not spending the face-to-face time necessary to sell himself. He only made an all-out push in the late stages of the race. Throughout the campaign, Rubio has battled perceptions that he does not work hard enough. For other candidates running for president, a voting record in the Senate would be a minor issue. But for Rubio, missing votes on the Senate floor dovetailed with the narrative that was building on the trail. If he was not in the Senate and was not on the trail, where was he? Rubio spokesman Alex Conant said Rubio faced more than $50 million in attacks ads. “Obviously that had a massive impact. I think we could have won Iowa had it not been for the more than $25 million in attacks spent on us in Iowa alone.” Republican rival and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas tried to visit every Iowa county on a bus. Rubio tended to fly in and fly out. Polls showed he typically did better in metropolitan areas, not the hamlets than can often make or break candidates in early states. Cruz won Iowa’s caucuses on Feb. 1 with Trump second. Rubio’s third-place finish was seen as something of a victory by his camp, but Republicans in the state were not so sure. “He had a chance to win Iowa,” said Jamie Johnson, a Republican activist in Iowa. As Johnson traveled the state ahead of the caucuses, voters often asked him when Rubio would visit their area, he said. “Iowans like being visited in their home county,” he explained. “If a presidential candidate wants to win in Iowa, then he must put in the shoe leather.” Rubio’s team said he had tended to campaign in major population centers in Iowa in order to get the most impact from the news media. “I was very pleased with the campaign that we ran here and I thought the national team did a very good job and I had no complaints,” said Iowa state Senator Jack Whitver, who was the head of Rubio’s Iowa campaign. NO-SHOW AT DINNERS Rubio heard similar complaints in New Hampshire. He spent just 28 days campaigning there, about half as much as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and a fraction of the some 70 days that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich were there. Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the state Republican Party, sought to hold meet-and-greet events at his home for each candidate. Candidates such as Bush and Kasich took him up on it. Rubio did not. Cullen eventually aligned himself with Kasich, who went on to finish second to Trump in the state. “There were a lot of opinion leaders - key endorsers who end up on a candidate’s delegate list - who were interested in Rubio but never got to meet him or have those small-group, private meetings that result in commitments,” Cullen said. Renee Plummer, a real-estate developer and an influential conservative activist in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who hosted more than 10 Republican candidates for intimate dinners with local leaders, said she tried to schedule Rubio three separate times to no avail. She eventually threw her support behind Christie. Rubio faced another problem: a perception that he could only muster well-worn talking points. At a July 6, 2015, dinner at a Chicago steakhouse with reporters, he appeared relaxed and knowledgeable. But as the campaign intensified, that Rubio appeared less and less frequently, replaced by a candidate who seemed able only to deliver canned lines and talking points. Christie’s campaign noticed. Days before the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, Christie caught Rubio in repeat mode during a debate, calling him robotic and scripted. It affirmed some voters’ doubts that he lacked depth. Rubio never quite recovered. “What happened to Marco in New Hampshire struck a responsive chord,” said John “Mac” Stipanovich, a prominent Florida lobbyist who first supported Bush and then switched to Rubio. “It crystallized that lack of stature.” Trump’s unrelenting dominance of the media spotlight made it hard for rivals to shine. But Rubio’s decision, starting with a debate in Houston on Feb. 25, to try to match Trump insult for insult was cited by voters as another wrong move. Rubio has since said he regretted the negative turn. A campaign source said it was Rubio who made the ultimate decision to switch gears and attack Trump personally, motivated in part by a desire to win more media coverage. It worked. At a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, he ruefully noted that when he was engaged in his war of insults with Trump, CNN and other networks carried his events live, something they had not done before. That was, in a nutshell, the problem. Months of wall-to- wall news coverage of Trump decimated Rubio’s strategy of using free-media avenues. “You can’t out-Trump Trump,” said Rubio supporter Jim Bundstein in Florida. For some, the roots of Rubio’s problems can be traced back further to an icy afternoon in Washington on Jan. 28, 2013. That is when he held a news conference with three Democratic senators and a Republican on Capitol Hill to launch immigration reforms. The legislation, sponsored by what became known as a bipartisan “Gang of Eight” senators, would have created a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but only if steps were taken to secure the U.S. southern border with Mexico and strengthen visa tracking. Rubio had already faced conservative anger when flirting with immigration reform a year earlier, when he proposed a path to citizenship for young people who came to the country illegally but would join the military. Conservative columnist Ann Coulter derided those ideas as “nothing but amnesty” for lawbreakers. The “Gang of Eight” bill ran into similar resistance. As Rubio distanced himself from it, Hispanic groups faulted him for giving up. In a Republican primary race where Trump has thrilled many conservatives by vowing to deport immigrants and build a wall on the Mexican border, Rubio’s involvement in the legislation and sudden abandonment of it haunted his 2016 campaign. It was the centerpiece of attack ads by his rivals and the independent fundraising groups supporting them. At a rally in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, Trump said of the senator: “He’s weak on immigration. He’s very weak on amnesty. I don’t know how he got elected.” | 0fake |
Russia says regrets over U.S. moves on consulate closure | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed regret during a phone call with his U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson about Washington s move to close down Moscow s San Francisco consulate and two other annexes, his ministry said. Moscow will closely study the new measures announced by the Americans, after which our reaction will be conveyed, Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. | 0fake |
Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Pick, Has Steered Money From Public Schools - The New York Times | It is hard to find anyone more passionate about the idea of steering public dollars away from traditional public schools than Betsy DeVos, Donald J. Trump’s pick as the cabinet secretary overseeing the nation’s education system. For nearly 30 years, as a philanthropist, activist and Republican she has pushed to give families taxpayer money in the form of vouchers to attend private and parochial schools, pressed to expand publicly funded but privately run charter schools, and tried to strip teacher unions of their influence. A daughter of privilege, she also married into it her husband, Dick, who ran unsuccessfully for governor of Michigan a decade ago, is heir to the Amway fortune. Like many education philanthropists, she argues that children’s ZIP codes should not confine them to failing schools. But Ms. DeVos’s efforts to expand educational opportunity in her home state of Michigan and across the country have focused little on existing public schools, and almost entirely on establishing newer, more entrepreneurial models to compete with traditional schools for students and money. Her donations and advocacy go almost entirely toward groups seeking to move students and money away from what Mr. Trump calls “failing government schools. ” Conservative school choice activists hailed her on Wednesday as a fellow disrupter, and as someone who would block what they see as federal intrusion on local schools. Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, where Ms. DeVos helped push legislation establishing tax credits for scholarships to private schools, called her an “outstanding pick,” a “passionate change agent to press for a new education vision. ” “Her allegiance is to families, particularly those struggling at the bottom of the economic ladder, not to an outdated public education model that has failed them from one generation to the next,” he wrote on Facebook. Frederick M. Hess, the director of education policy studies for the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington, called Ms. DeVos a “smart, principled conservative who’s experienced in politics and versed in the relevant policy. ” But to teachers’ unions, she is anathema. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, called Ms. DeVos “the most ideological, education nominee” since the secretary of education was elevated to the cabinet level four decades ago. Even some groups that share her support for charter schools worried that picking someone so closely identified as a champion of vouchers signaled that the Trump administration would try to starve public schools. As a candidate, Mr. Trump proposed steering $20 billion in existing federal money toward vouchers that families could use to help pay for private or parochial schools, perhaps tapping into $15 billion in Title I money that goes to schools that serve the country’s poorest children. He called school choice “the civil rights issues of our time. ” Amber Arellano, the executive director of the Education an advocacy group in Michigan that supports charters but has been critical of a Michigan charter school law that Ms. DeVos has spent millions to defend, said the pick had “the potential to undermine the nation’s progress by diverting resources from the young people who most need them, or by failing to uphold the federal government’s responsibility to protecting the needs and interests of all students — especially the most vulnerable. ” Michigan is one of the nation’s biggest school choice laboratories, especially with charter schools. The Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids school districts have among the nation’s 10 largest shares of students in charters, and the state sends $1 billion in education funding to charters annually. Of those schools, 80 percent are run by organizations, a far higher share than anywhere else in the nation. The DeVoses, the most prominent name in state Republican politics, have been the biggest financial and political backers of the effort. But if Michigan is a center of school choice, it is also among the worst places to argue that choice has made schools better. As the state embraced and then expanded charters over the past two decades, its rank has fallen on national reading and math tests. Most charter schools perform below the state average. And a federal review in 2015 found “an unreasonably high” percentage of charter schools on the list of the state’s schools. The number of charter schools on that list had doubled since 2010, after the passage of a law a group financed by Ms. DeVos pushed to expand the schools. The group blocked a provision in that law that would have prevented failing schools from expanding or replicating. Ms. DeVos, 58, got into education advocacy primarily as a backer of vouchers, and has served on the board of several organizations that have campaigned for them across the country. A ballot initiative she led to establish vouchers in Michigan failed in 2000. The next year, she established the Great Lakes Education Project, which became an ardent proponent of charter school expansion, and has donated generously to candidates who have supported it. The Michigan law pushed by Ms. DeVos to establish charter schools 20 years ago allows an unusually large number of organizations to start such schools, yet established little mechanism for oversight. Even Republican supporters of charter schools say the law has allowed failing charter schools to expand or replicate. Last spring, the group was the chief force behind the defeat of legislation that would have established standards for identifying and closing failing schools, both charter and public, in Detroit, where a flood of charter schools in the past decade has created what even charter school supporters call chaos. Ms. DeVos was born in Western Michigan, the more conservative and religious part of the state, where her father created a successful auto parts company. Her brother is Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, the troubled private security contractor that was awarded billions in United States government contracts in the Middle East. Like many conservatives who supported Mr. Trump, she does not support Common Core, the set of standards for what students should know at each grade level that was developed by the National Governors Association and other groups — and that has been incorrectly branded as a federal policy. She also had not supported Mr. Trump her family was behind Senator Marco Rubio of Florida in the Republican presidential primary. On Wednesday, she wrote on Twitter: “I am honored to work with the on his vision to make American education great again. The status quo in ed is not acceptable. ” | 0fake |
ANGRY BLACK MILWAUKEE RESIDENTS Set City On Fire After Armed Black Man Is Killed By Police: “The black people of Milwaukee are tired…They’re tired of living under this oppression” [VIDEO] | This is Obama s America This will be his legacy. He was elected by over 90% of the Black community. He promised them jobs. Instead, he opened our borders and gave their jobs to illegal aliens who will gladly do the jobs for less money.During Obama s tenure, the percentage of black Americans struggling below the poverty line has advanced, according to the most recent Census Bureau data, from 25.8 in 2009 to 26.2 in 2014 up 1.6 percent. Real median income among black households during those years, according to the Census Bureau, sank from $35,954 to $35,398 down 1.5 percent.The number of black food-stamp participants exploded across that time frame from 7,393,000 to 11,699,000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports up 58.2 percent. Also, from Obama s oath of office through the fourth quarter of 2015, the percentage of black Americans who own homes foundered from 46.1 percent to 41.9 percent, according to the Census down 9.1 percent. -National ReviewMilwaukee:A standoff between police and an angry crowd turned violent Saturday night in the hours after a Milwaukee police officer shot and killed an armed suspect during a foot chase on the city s north side.After an hours-long confrontation with officers, police reported at 10:15 p.m. that a gas station at N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Burleigh St. was set on fire. Police said firefighters could not for a time get close to the blaze because of gunshots.Later, fires were started at businesses including a BMO Harris Bank branch, a beauty supply company and O Reilly Auto Parts stores near N. 35th and W. Burleigh streets, a grim and emphatic Mayor Tom Barrett said. He spoke at a midnight news conference at the District 3 police station at N. 49th St. and W. Lisbon Ave.The mayor said some involved in the disturbances took to social media early in the evening to encourage others to come out and participate in trouble-making. He said many of them were young people, and he urged parents to keep tight reins on their children to avoid a repeat of Saturday night. Our police officers are doing everything they can to restore order, he said. But he said everyone needed to help restore calm. If you love your son, if you love your daughter, text them, call them, pull them by their ears, get them home. The mayor said police had shown an amazing amount of restraint Saturday evening.Hamilton said, Our city is in turmoil tonight. He promised a full and open investigation into the the police-involved shooting.Assistant Police Chief James Harpole said at least 200 people had gathered at the disturbances earlier. He said there were multiple gunshots over the course of the evening.When the gas station was set ablaze, there were three people in the building and all got out safely, he said.The news conference ended with Aldermen Russell W. Stamper II and Khalif Rainey delivering strongly worded statements about the disturbance springing from the frustrations of black Milwaukeeans and the problems they face.Rainey, who represents the area where the man was shot by the officer and the disturbance occurred, was particularly pointed. He said Sherman Park had become a powder keg this summer, and ended his remarks by implying that downtown could be the site of disturbances if the issues facing African-Americans here not addressed. This entire community has sat back and witnessed how Milwaukee, Wis., has become the worst place to live for African-Americans in the entire country, Rainey said. Now this is a warning cry. Where do we go from here? Where do we go as a community from here? Do we continue continue with the inequities, the injustice, the unemployment, the under-education, that creates these byproducts that we see this evening? The black people of Milwaukee are tired. They re tired of living under this oppression. This is their existence. This is their life. This is the life of their children. Now what has happened tonight may have not been right; I m not justifying that. But no one can deny the fact that there s problems, racial problems, here in Milwaukee, Wis., that have to be closely, not examined, but rectified. Rectify this immediately. Because if you don t, this vision of downtown, all of that, you re one day away. You re one day away. Earlier in the evening, more than 100 people gathered near the scene of the shooting at N. 44th St. and W. Auer Ave. and at times pushed against a line of 20 to 30 officers, some of whom were in riot gear.At one point, the officers got in their cars to leave and some in the crowd started smashing the windows and side of a squad car. Another vehicle was set on fire. As officers returned to the scene, this time with more in riot gear, as many as seven shots could be heard about 8:45 to 9 p.m.Soon thereafter, the crowd turned on and chased reporters and a photographer from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. One reporter was shoved to the ground and punched.Police later tweeted that an officer was hit in the head with a brick that was thrown through a squad window. Police said the officer was being treated at a hospital.At nearly 11 p.m., police tweeted that gunshots again were fired near N. 44th St. and W. Auer Ave.City officials said three people had been arrested during the initial disturbance. Another disturbance developed at N. 35th and W. Burleigh streets.Crowd breaks widows of unoccupied squad near Sherman and Auer. Other squad set afire and broken windows on another. pic.twitter.com/Jux2mJZYyQ Milwaukee Police (@MilwaukeePolice) August 14, 2016City police officials said two officers stopped two suspects in a car about 3:30 p.m. The suspects then took off on foot. During the pursuit, a six-year veteran of the department shot and killed a 23-year-old Milwaukee resident, who was carrying a semiautomatic handgun, police said.The officer was not hurt.During his midnight news conference, Barrett said the officer pursuing the 23-year-old man ordered him to drop his gun. The man didn t and the officer fired several times, the mayor said.The man was hit twice, once in the chest and once in the arm. He said police determined there were 23 rounds in the man s gun.Barrett said the officer was wearing a body camera and his understanding was that the camera was operational during the incident. Via: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | 1real |
Donald Trump Attacks Pope’s ‘Disgraceful’ Criticism About His Border Wall | Donald Trump infuriates even the most compassionate and holy amongst us like the Pope, for example. When Pope Francis was asked on Thursday how he felt about the Republican front runner, it took every ounce of the religious leader s strength not to erupt.While Francis was in Mexico, a reporter questioned the Pope about Trump s potential for president. Francis brilliantly slammed the racist GOPer, saying that A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. Francis had been referencing Trump s promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border something that Trump has become infamous for during his campaign, along with his numerous offensive comments about immigrants.When Trump found out about what Francis said about him, he tried to shrug it off, saying, Now it s probably going to be all over the world. Who the hell cares? OK? I don t care. But he cares very much. Thin-skinned and never one to take criticism lightly, Trump fired back at the Pope while at a campaign stop in South Carolina just hours after the pontiff was praying at the border for those who died trying to come to the United States. Trump issued a press release stating that No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man s religion or faith, calling Francis comments disgraceful. Trump also added in a few jabs at President Barack Obama. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. Unable to accept that maybe he s just a horrible guy and unequipped to be president, Trump whined that the Mexican government had soiled his reputation and turned the Pope against him so they can continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border. Clearly in a huge amount of denial, Trump said: The Pope only heard one side of the story he didn t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn t see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation. Making a case for his offensive approach on immigration, Trump suggested that the Mexican government is using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant. This echoes comments Trump had made last week, when he spoke against Francis plans to pray at the border, stating that the Pope was being exploited. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said: I don t think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico. I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They re making a fortune, and we re losing. In his press release, The Donald also suggested that the Pope would be sorry for ever doubting him. He said that if and when ISIS attacks the Vatican, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened. Keep dreaming, Donald. Featured image via Flickr / Flickr | 1real |
Battle Over Dakota Access Pipeline Should Be the Most Important of the Year | Battle Over Dakota Access Pipeline Should Be the Most Important of the Year Posted on Nov 3, 2016
By Sonali Kolhatkar A protester against the controversial Dakota Access pipeline project takes a stand before law enforcement officers Oct. 27 as police and other forces attempt to force activists from a camp set up in the path of pipeline construction near Cannon Ball, N.D. ( James MacPherson / AP Photo )
More than a million people around the U.S. have “ checked in ” via Facebook to Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Cannon Ball, N.D. While this began as an attempt to confuse Morton County Sheriff’s Department officials thought to be digitally surveilling activists, the check-ins morphed into a collective gesture of solidarity. They are also a measure of how deeply the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s fight over the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) resonates with the American public. A similar measure is apparent in how crowd-funding campaigns set up by activists have far outpaced their funding goals— one effort to raise $5,000 ended up generating more than $1 million. Americans who are unable to physically lend their support are eager to participate in some way in the struggle against the pipeline that one New York Times op-ed writer equates with the Keystone XL pipeline fight .
The DAPL conflict is symbolic of so many wrongs and is at the intersection of so many issues that it is no wonder it is shaping up to be the most important contemporary struggle in the U.S. It embodies, in particular, the historic mistreatment of Native Americans, as well as their ongoing efforts to preserve their sovereignty. It is also a matter of environmental racism, given that the pipeline is routed under the water source of a vulnerable minority. Short-term pollution from pipelines and other oil infrastructure, as well as the longer-term pollution of greenhouse gases that affect the climate, are also part of the DAPL story.
In the massive police response against protesters, we are seeing horrifying examples of police brutality and witnessing how state power protects private commercial interest and preserves corporate domination over people. This has engendered domestic solidarity from the Black Lives Matter movement, labor groups and others who consider it a common struggle, as well as international solidarity offered by oppressed communities, such as Palestinians. Many threads are coming together to weave a tapestry of struggle.
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The fight to stop the DAPL is a perfect storm of issues, a convergence of ills that represents so much of what is wrong with American society that needs desperately to be fixed. A growing list of celebrities—including actors Shailene Woodley, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth, as well as musicians Neil Young and Dave Matthews—are lending their star power to the cause and turning their fans on to it.
The fact that our elected officials are so deafeningly silent on this crucial struggle is exactly why many Americans are disillusioned by our electoral system. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has said nothing about the pipeline project, perhaps because he has numerous business interests tied to it. But Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who ought to be a natural ally to the “water protectors,” as they refer to themselves, had to be shamed into issuing a statement. Indigenous youths from various tribes occupied her campaign office in Brooklyn, N.Y., recently to demand she take a stand against the pipeline. When she issued a statement , it was a meaningless request that “all voices should be heard and all views considered.” Her campaign chairman, John Podesta, spouted similar nonsense in a recent interview, saying, “I think she believes that stakeholders need to get together at this point. ... It’s important that all voices are heard.”
Similarly, President Obama, who seems to have very little to lose by stopping the project voluntarily halting its project. The company, obviously, did not comply. However the President did suggest in open letter to Obama , calling on him to “take a bold stand” against the project.
It’s not just most elected officials and candidates running for office who are silent. Mainstream corporate media outlets have only recently begun covering the protests at Standing Rock, although they began in April. In September, the media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting called out TV networks for their “blackout” of the story. Even with increased media coverage, there has been little focus from traditional media outlets on police brutality against water protectors and journalists and the extreme felony charges many of them are facing. | 1real |
WATCH: Trump From 2011 Was DEFINITELY Sure Obama Wasn’t Born In The USA | With absolutely no shame or apology, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump finally admitted to the American public that President Obama was, in fact, born in the United States of America despite his repeated efforts to prove otherwise. It s now not as politically convenient for Trump to still push this issue considering he now has to try to win over the opposing side of the topic.Trump said: President Obama was born in the United States. Period. Now, we want to get back to making America strong and great again. Profound, really. And absolutely pathetic.Here s the thing, though, Trump is full of absolute horseshi*t because he was the Birther-in-Chief back half a decade ago, even going so far as to claim credit for the fact that Obama released his birth certificate. And even after that, Trump still had his many doubts over its authenticity.There s even video of him from 2011 stating how much he believes this is a very valid issue that needs to be looked into. He even went so far as to say calling those who wanted to see the birth certificate birthers was derogatory because they re actually on to something. And ever the political opportunist, he said: People love this issue especially in the Republican Party. So, when you hear Trump say that President Obama was born in the United States. Period, remember what he really thought and likely still thinks. You can also tell he s doing it for pandering purposes because he ended his announcement with his damn campaign slogan.Those who haven t caught on to how absolutely smarmy Trump is, need to wake up and wake up fast.Kyle Griffin of MSNBC s Last Word posted the video on Twitter:Trump on birtherism in 2011: "People love this issue especially in the Republican Party." https://t.co/6I6WKsC4DI pic.twitter.com/6eza8loaoN Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 16, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Clinton: More Europe can do to help U.S. combat terrorism | (Reuters) - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday the attack in Brussels that killed more than 30 people is the “latest brutal reminder” that more must be done to defeat Islamic State militants, including by European Union member countries. In an address at Stanford University in California, Clinton said the United States and Europe should take a “harder look” at protocols at airports and other “soft sites” that are outside security perimeters. Clinton also said “there is much we can do to support our European partners” but “there is also more they can do to share the burden with us.” Clinton said she would like to see more European countries investing in defense and security in the way Germany has during the Obama administration. “The most urgent task is stopping the flow of foreign fighters to and from the Middle East” who are citizens of France, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom with European passports that make it easier for them to cross into Syria and return radicalized, Clinton said. Clinton said that many European nations do not currently alert their neighbors when they turn away a “suspected jihadist” at their border or when a citizen’s passport is stolen. European Union countries also need to share traveler information more readily, Clinton said. “It’s actually easier for the United States to get flight manifests from EU nations than it is for EU nations to get them from their own neighbors, thanks to an agreement that the United States negotiated when I was secretary of state,” Clinton said. Additional steps that could be taken in Europe are the creation of a “new, unified, European border and coast guard” to strengthen the external borders of a continent that is under “unprecedented pressure from refugees and migrants,” Clinton said. Clinton also praised past partnerships between the United States and Europe, calling the NATO alliance between North American and European countries one of the best investments that America has made. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has in recent days said that the United States should rethink its involvement in the decades-old alliance. Clinton also took aim at Trump, along with presidential rival U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, when she slammed “offensive, inflammatory rhetoric that demonizes all Muslims,” including those who could be partners in the fight against terrorism. | 0fake |
Trump: Father of UCLA player in shoplifting case is 'ungrateful fool' | (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reignited a feud with the father of one of the three UCLA basketball players who were detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting, calling him an “ungrateful fool” in a series of early-morning tweets. LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo Ball, has played down Trump’s involvement in the three athletes’ release from Chinese detention after they admitted to stealing items from three stores during a team trip to China earlier this month. “...LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It’s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!,” Trump tweeted. In another tweet, Trump took sole credit for getting LiAngelo Ball out of a long-term prison sentence - and not the White House, the State Department or LaVar Ball’s associates in China. “IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think.. ,” Trump tweeted, referring to the American boxing promoter. Ball has declined to thank the president and downplayed his role in helping to get his son home from China. The three players have apologized and thanked Trump for helping secure their release by raising the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to the country earlier this month. All three players have been suspended indefinitely from the UCLA basketball team. On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he “should have left them in jail!” The Republican president also weighed in on another pet peeve: National Football League players kneeling during the national anthem at games. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that league owners are considering reverting to an earlier practice of keeping players off the field during the national anthem. “The NFL is now thinking about a new idea - keeping teams in the Locker Room during the National Anthem next season. That’s almost as bad as kneeling!” Trump said in a third early-morning tweet. “When will the highly paid Commissioner finally get tough and smart? This issue is killing your league! ...” A NFL representative had no immediate comment. | 0fake |
Chilling images capture destruction as two earthquakes hit Italy (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) | Chilling images capture destruction as two earthquakes hit Italy (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) People walk past a destroyed building in the village of Visso, central Italy, after earthquakes on October 26, 2016. © Tiziana Fabi / AFP With two earthquakes hitting central Italy on Wednesday, social media users were quick to capture the devastation on camera.
The second Italy earthquake has been rated 6.0 by the USGS. Virtually the same spot as the foreshock, which remains a 5.5. — Sean Breslin (@Sean_Breslin) October 26, 2016
The tremors were strong enough to be felt in Rome, which is over 150 km away and residents reported their homes shaking.
“Our village does not exist anymore,” the mayor of Ussita reportedly said. +++ "Our village does not exist anymore after latest #earthquake ", Mayor of Ussita (Marche) to ANSA +++ #Terremoto #Italy — Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) October 26, 2016 Sounds unbelievable, but luckily so far NO ONE KILLED after the latest strong #earthquake in Italy. A few slightly injured #Terremoto — Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) October 26, 2016
Some buildings reportedly collapsed in the area struck by the quakes. However, the damage is believed to be much less than in August, when a major earthquake hit Marche, Lazio and Umbria regions.
Hundreds of people were killed in the August 24 quake and several towns were razed to the ground in the worst-affected areas. Second more violent #earthquake hits same region in #Italy . 5.9 magnitude in #Ussita . Mayor says city in panic @inewsmalta #Terremoto pic.twitter.com/dIlW1fc5j7 — Jake Azzopardi (@JakeaAzzopardi) October 26, 2016
Several people were reportedly injured in Wednesday’s tremors, officials in the town of Visso said, and several older buildings – including a church – have collapsed. Some areas have lost power, and several roads remain closed. — Russian Market (@russian_market) October 26, 2016
In Castelsantangelo sul Nera, which has around 300 residents, the town’s mayor Mauro Falucci confirmed that there was no electricity. | 1real |
DEMOCRAT CONGRESSWOMAN Who Served Two Tours In Iraq Hammers Obama: Should Stop Illegal, Counter-Productive War In Syria, Potential For WWIII [VIDEO] | Congresswoman Gabbard also criticizes Hillary s strategy. Is it possible we re hearing a Democrat who s actually making sense? Hmmm .this is gonna leave a mark Last month, US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard went on CNN and laid bare Washington s Syria strategy.In a remarkably candid interview with Wolf Blitzer, Gabbard calls Washington s effort to oust Assad counterproductive and illegal before taking it a step further and accusing the CIA of arming the very same terrorists who The White House insists are sworn enemies. In short, Gabbard all but tells the American public that the government is lying to them and may end up inadvertently starting World War III. For those who missed it, here s the clip:https://youtu.be/IHkher6ceaAThat was before Paris.Well, in the wake of the attacks, Gabbard has apparently had just about enough of Washington vacillating in the fight against terror just so the US can ensure that ISIS continues to destabilize Assad and now, with bi-partisan support, the brazen Hawaii Democrat has introduced legislation to end the illegal war to overthrow Assad.Gabbard, who fought in Iraq twice has partnered with Republican Adam Scott on the bill. Here s AP:In an unusual alliance, a House Democrat and Republican have teamed up to urge the Obama administration to stop trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad and focus all its efforts on destroying Islamic State militants.Reps. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat, and Austin Scott, a Republican, introduced legislation on Friday to end what they called an illegal war to overthrow Assad, the leader of Syria accused of killing tens of thousands of Syrian citizens in a more than four-year-old civil war entangled in a battle against IS extremists, also known as ISIS. The U.S. is waging two wars in Syria, Gabbard said. The first is the war against ISIS and other Islamic extremists, which Congress authorized after the terrorist attack on 9/11. The second war is the illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad. Scott said, Working to remove Assad at this stage is counter-productive to what I believe our primary mission should be. Since 2013, the CIA has trained an estimated 10,000 fighters, although the number still fighting with so-called moderate forces is unclear. CIA-backed rebels in Syria, who had begun to put serious pressure on Assad s forces, are now under Russian bombardment with little prospect of rescue by their American patrons, U.S. officials say.For years, the CIA effort had foundered so much so that over the summer, some in Congress proposed cutting its budget. Some CIA-supported rebels had been captured; others had defected to extremist groups.Gabbard complained that Congress has never authorized the CIA effort, though covert programs do not require congressional approval, and the program has been briefed to the intelligence committees as required by law, according to congressional aides who are not authorized to be quoted discussing the matter.Gabbard contends the effort to overthrow Assad is counter-productive because it is helping IS topple the Syrian leader and take control of all of Syria. If IS were able to seize the Syrian military s weaponry, infrastructure and hardware, the group would become even more dangerous than it is now and exacerbate the refugee crisis. And make no mistake, Tulsi s understanding of Washington s absurd Mid-East policy goes far beyond Syria. That is, Gabbard fully grasps the big picture as well. Here s what she has to say about the idea that the US should everywhere and always attempt to overthrow regimes when human rights groups claim there s evidence of oppression: People said the very same thing about Saddam (Hussein), the very same thing about (Moammar) Gadhafi, the results of those two failed efforts of regime change and the following nation-building have been absolute, not only have they been failures, but they ve actually worked to strengthen our enemy. Somebody get Langley on the phone, this woman must be stopped.Here s Gabbard speaking to CNN this week about Assad: So there s hope for the US public after all.Perhaps if the clueless masses won t listen to lunatic fringe blogs or Sergei Lavrov, they ll listen to a US Congresswoman who served two tours of duty in Iraq and who is now telling Americans that The White House, The Pentagon, and most especially the CIA are together engaged in an illegal effort to overthrow the government of a sovereign country and in the process are arming the very same extremists that are attacking civilians in places like Paris.Good luck Tulsi, and thanks for proving that there s at least one person inside that Beltway that isn t either dishonest or naive.Via: Zero HedgeFrom Gabbard Here are 10 reasons the U.S. must end its war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad:Because if we succeed in overthrowing the Syrian government of Assad, it will open the door for ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other Islamic extremists to take over all of Syria. There will be genocide and suffering on a scale beyond our imagination. These Islamic extremists will take over all the weaponry, infrastructure, and military hardware of the Syrian army and be more dangerous than ever before. We should not be allying ourselves with these Islamic extremists by helping them achieve their goal because it is against the security interests of the United States and all of civilization. Because the money and weapons the CIA is providing to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad are going directly or indirectly into the hands of the Islamic extremist groups, including al-Qaeda affiliates, al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, and others who are the actual enemies of the United States. These groups make up close to 90 percent of the so-called opposition forces, and are the most dominant fighters on the ground. Because our efforts to overthrow Assad has increased and will continue to increase the strength of ISIS and other Islamic extremists, thus making them a bigger regional and global threat. Because this war has exacerbated the chaos and carnage in Syria and, along with the terror inflicted by ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups fighting to take over Syria, continues to increase the number of Syrians forced to flee their country. Because we should learn from our past mistakes in Iraq and Libya that U.S. wars to overthrow secular dictators (Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi) cause even more chaos and human suffering and open the door for Islamic extremists to take over in those countries. Because the U.S. has no credible government or government leader ready to bring order, security, and freedom to the people of Syria. Because even the best case scenario that the U.S. successfully overthrows the Syrian government of Assad would obligate the United States to spend trillions of dollars and the lives of American service members in the futile effort to create a new Syria. This is what we have been trying to do in Iraq for twelve years, and we still have not succeeded. The situation in Syria will be much more difficult than in Iraq. Because our war against the Syrian government of Assad is interfering with our being one-pointedly focused on the war to defeat ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the other Islamic extremists who are our actual enemy. Because our war to overthrow the Assad government puts us in direct conflict with Russia and increases the likelihood of war between the United States and Russia and the possibility of another world war. | 1real |
MN: SOMALI MAN RAPES COLLEGE STUDENT…Gets 90-Days In Jail…Allowed to Leave Scene Of Crime Without Arrest by Somali Officer | A 24-year-old Somali man, Ashraf Alaaeldin Mohamed Elgamal, raped an unconscious Minnesota State University student and was given only 90 days in prison and two years of probation.A student at MSU walked back to her apartment, intoxicated, after a party and went to bed. She woke up to find Elgamal raping her. She was drifting in and out of consciousness and when she asked him to stop, he responded: bitch, stop being selfish .The friends of the victim called the police when they walked into her room and saw Elgamal on top of their unconscious friend. The Mankato Public Safety officer who responded was named Mohamed Mohamed and was also Somali. When the officer spoke to Elgamal, he informed him that he was not under arrest and free to leave at any time , even though he was made aware that Elgamal was seen penetrating the unconscious girl and asked to stop. Elgamal claimed the sex was consensual and said he thought the victim accused him of rape because he has a girlfriend. Southern Minnesota News | 1real |
As American as Apple Pie? The Rural Vote’s Disproportionate Slice of Power - The New York Times | In 1920, for the first time, the Census Bureau counted more people living in urbanized America than in the countryside. This hasn’t been a rural nation ever since. Yet the idea of Thomas Jefferson’s agrarian America has receded slowly despite demographic change. We still romanticize the family farm, though relatively few of them exist anymore. We view even suburbia in pastoral terms — the “crabgrass frontier,” as the historian Kenneth T. Jackson put it. And, as the recent Electoral College results make clear, we still live with political institutions that have baked in a distinctly bias, by design. The Democratic candidate for president has now won the popular vote in six of the last seven elections. But in part because the system empowers rural states, for the second time in that span, the candidate who garnered the most votes will not be president. Rural America, even as it laments its economic weakness, retains vastly disproportionate electoral strength. Rural voters were able to nudge Donald J. Trump to power despite Hillary Clinton’s large margins in cities like New York. In a House of Representatives that structurally disadvantages Democrats because of their tight urban clustering, rural voters helped Republicans hold their cushion. In the Senate, the least populous states are now more overrepresented than ever before. And the growing unity of rural Americans as a voting bloc has converted the rural bias in national politics into a potent Republican advantage. “If you’re talking about a political system that skews rural, that’s not as important if there isn’t a major cleavage between rural and urban voting behavior,” said Frances Lee, a professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland. “But urban and rural voting behavior is so starkly different now so that this has major political consequences for who has power. “And it’s not just in terms of policy outcomes,” she continued. “This pervasively advantages Republicans in maintaining control of the U. S. national government. ” The Electoral College is just one example of how an increasingly urban country has inherited the political structures of a rural past. Today, states containing just 17 percent of the American population, a historic low, can theoretically elect a Senate majority, Dr. Lee said. The bias also shapes the House of Representatives. It exists, as a result, in the formulas that determine where highway funds are spent or who gets Homeland Security dollars. It exists in state capitols, where bills preferred by urban delegations have been much more likely to be rejected. Today, the influence of rural voters also evokes deeply rooted ideals about who should have power in America. Jefferson and James Madison argued that the strength of the nation would always derive from its agrarian soil. “They had this vision of what they called the ‘yeoman farmer’: this independent, person who owed nothing to anybody, who didn’t receive any payments from the government, who didn’t live by a wage, but who could support himself and his family on a farm growing everything they needed — and that these were the people who were going to be the backbone of democracy,” said Gerald Gamm, a political scientist at the University of Rochester, describing what could be the forefathers of the rural voters who tilted this year’s election. When the framers of the Constitution were still debating the shape of institutions we have today, 95 percent of America was rural, as the 1790 census classified the population. The Connecticut Compromise at the time created the Senate: one chamber granting equal voice to every state to counterbalance the House, where more populous states spoke louder. And they made sure the compromise stuck. Today, equal state representation in the Senate is the only provision in the Constitution that remains singled out for protection from the amendment process no state can lose its full complement of senators without its permission. But even as a deliberately undemocratic body, the Senate has slipped further out of alignment with the American population over time. The Senate hasn’t simply favored sparsely populated states politicians in Washington created sparsely populated states to leverage the Senate’s skewed power. “When we talk about bias, all of that was an intentional policy choice,” said Jowei Chen, a political scientist at the University of Michigan. Republicans in Congress passed the 1862 Homestead Act, offering free land to settlers who would move to territories that would eventually become states — creating more Senate seats and Electoral College votes for a Republican Party eager to keep government control away from Southern Democrats. They even managed to divide the Dakota Territory into two states, worth twice the political power. As the Plains later depopulated and American cities, then suburbs, swelled, the Senate became even more unrepresentative. Jeffersonian suspicion of big cities also appears in the sites of state capitals: Albany and not New York Jefferson City and not St. Louis Springfield and not Chicago. Political scientists at the University of California, Davis, have found that most state capitals were located near what was then the population centroid of each state — typically closer to the geographical center of the state, and not the place where the most people already lived, breaking with how much of the world sited its capitals. The state legislatures there also grew significantly less representative as America urbanized. In 1961, when lawyers in Tennessee brought what would be a seminal case before the Supreme Court challenging the practice, the state legislature had not reapportioned its districts to reflect population change in 60 years. Maryland was still using districts drawn in 1867. Even states that had constitutions requiring equal population districts were ignoring them. Florida, Georgia and New Mexico gave small counties 100 times the voting power of the most populous ones. Decades ago in California, Amador County (population 14, 294) had the same representation in the state’s Senate as Los Angeles County (with a population over six million). “They justified it because that was a cultural norm it was just the way things were,” said Stephen Ansolabehere, a Harvard professor of government. Rural legislators had no incentive to change a system that favored them. “They just let it keep getting worse. You’re in power. Why change?” By the century, no state approximated majority rule. America at the time, Dr. Ansolabehere and James M. Snyder Jr. wrote in their book “The End of Inequality,” had some of the most unequal representation in the world. A series of Supreme Court cases beginning with that Tennessee complaint upended this system and established the standard that equal representation means “one person, one vote. ” Not one town, one vote. Or one county, one senator. Only the United States Senate, protected by the Constitution, remained unchanged. Still, the House retains a rural bias. Republican voters are more efficiently distributed across the country than Democrats, who are concentrated in cities. That means that even when Democrats win 50 percent of voters nationwide, they invariably hold fewer than 50 percent of House seats, regardless of partisan gerrymandering. The Electoral College then allocates votes according to a state’s congressional delegation: Wyoming (with one House representative and two senators) gets three votes California (53 representatives and two senators) gets 55. Those two senators effectively give Wyoming three times more power in the Electoral College than its population would suggest. Apply the same math to California and it would have 159 Electoral College votes. And the entire state of Wyoming already has fewer residents than the average California congressional district. In Washington, these imbalances directly influence who gets what, through minimums (no state can receive below a certain share of education funding) and through formulas that privilege rural states (early road spending was doled out in part by land area and not road use). There are policy reasons that the country might want to disproportionately spend resources on places with few people. Repairing an interstate highway in rural Oklahoma keeps national commerce flowing. And when the private market won’t build essential infrastructure, public investments like the New Deal’s rural electrification help fight poverty. But even when you control for policy need, Dr. Lee’s research has found that a significant rural bias in resources persists. You can see it in Homeland Security funding that gave Wyoming, for example, seven times as much money per capita as New York after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. You can see it in Alaska’s proposed “bridge to nowhere. ” “In that case,” Dr. Ansolabehere said, “Alaska has so much disproportionate power in the negotiation over funds that in order for California to get some, Alaska gets a lot — to the point of not knowing what to spend the money on. ” These calculations also mean that populous states subsidize less populous ones, which receive more resources than the tax dollars they send to Washington. The challenge for rural voters now is that their electoral strength, and even these funding formulas, have not translated into policies that have fixed the deep economic problems they face, from high unemployment to declining wages. And it’s unclear how Mr. Trump will do that for them, either — even if his major infrastructure proposal comes to pass and helps rebuild their roads. If he can’t, rural voters may stray from his party again. In that future, the rural bias in American politics would persist. But Democrats might yet have a chance to blunt its effects. | 0fake |
AWESOME! HISPANIC TRUMP SUPPORTER Rips Into Pro-Sanctuary City Officials: “I’m a hard core TRUMP supporter” [Video] | 1real | |
Summer Travel and the Zika Virus - The New York Times | Health officials have warned pregnant women to avoid travel to the more than 45 countries and territories in which the Zika virus is circulating. Infection during pregnancy can lead to birth defects in infants, particularly brain damage and abnormally small heads, called microcephaly. But with the Olympics nearing and summer tourism in full swing, what about other travelers? What are the risks of visiting a country for a woman who has no plans to get pregnant — or her partner, or her child? Here are some answers to commonly asked questions. Most of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a list of affected countries. But the tally has been criticized for tarring many nations too broadly: Not every region in every country has seen Zika infections. In particular, the mosquitoes that carry the virus don’t survive at elevations higher than 6, 500 feet. So if your plan is to visit Mexico City or go in Argentina, the odds of being bitten there are close to nil. Sadly, there’s no easy way to judge the risk of infection region by region. And even if you’re headed to a destination in Latin America or the Caribbean, the C. D. C. has warned, you may be at risk of mosquito bites if you fly in or out of an airport below 6, 500 feet in elevation. The travel situation will become more complicated if locally transmitted cases are discovered in the continental United States. As of Friday afternoon, two possible cases are under investigation in Florida. All travelers can reduce the likelihood of getting mosquito bites by using insect repellents with DEET, picaridin or IR3535, and by booking accommodations with . (Those heading to Brazil might want to check out the repellent available there.) Wear shirts and pants as often as possible. Just to reiterate: Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant soon should stay away from any country in which the Zika virus is circulating. Don’t even think about it. Zika infection is usually mild, and most people don’t realize they had it. Roughly 20 percent of infected adults have symptoms such as rash, fever, joint pain or red eyes for up to a week — a nuisance on vacation, but not worse than other hazards. Women in their childbearing years who are not pregnant and do not plan to become pregnant — and consistently use birth control, ensuring that they will not conceive — can safely visit countries in which the Zika virus is circulating. The same is true for women past their childbearing years. Zika virus can remain in semen for months, even in men who had very mild infections. This month, French scientists reported they had detected the virus in the semen of a man 93 days after he first reported symptoms. To avoid infecting a sexual partner, a man who experienced symptoms of infection during a trip to a country in which Zika is circulating, or after returning, must use condoms during oral, anal or vaginal sex for six months. If he did not experience symptoms, he should use condoms for at least eight weeks. If his partner is a pregnant woman, the couple must use condoms for the duration of the pregnancy or abstain from sex altogether. The Zika virus can be passed between men during anal sex, so advice regarding condom use applies to gay and bisexual men, too. Some men who must travel and who want to become fathers in the near term — including a few Olympic participants — have taken to freezing their sperm before departing for countries. About half the pregnancies in the United States are unintended. If there’s even a remote chance a man’s partner may become pregnant, he should follow the rules above. Yes. Earlier this month, New York City reported the first documented case of sexual transmission of Zika from a woman to a man. Soon afterward, the C. D. C. recommended that women who may be infected follow the same rules as men who may be infected. No cases of sexual transmission between women have been reported. But whenever a female partner is pregnant or could become pregnant, the C. D. C. advises condoms or other barrier methods be used. One concern, though very uncommon, is a form of temporary paralysis called syndrome. It can leave patients unable to move and dependent on life support. The rate among those infected with the Zika virus is about 1 in 4, 000, research has shown. Other vacation misfortunes are far more likely, and in itself, the possibility of is not a reason to avoid travel. Most children and teenagers who get Zika virus have no symptoms or only mild ones, much like adults. But there are exceptions. Earlier this year, Colombian doctors reported that a teenager died from complications of sickle cell disease after getting a Zika infection and blood transfusions. It’s not clear why. Still, deaths from Zika infection appear to be rare at any age. No. That’s why the C. D. C. wants pregnant Americans to avoid unnecessary travel to places and for everyone else to take precautions. More than 1, 400 cases have been reported in the continental United States as of July 20. | 0fake |
Candidate | How irrationally foolish I would be to place my faith in Hillary when madness of empire and world is sung a dying song of money, weapons and devious sex the boot pushed harder to our necks and all the while a tv tale tells of hope and dignity
And Donald with his woman ways his corporate heart and billionaire days wants to tell me he knows the moves to make our very lives improve to end the dark of struggle and strife and give the people a better life he tells me this as his grand yacht drifts over everything gone amiss
And in the mix, my blessed freedom washed up, abandoned, reaching for room my rights, waiting on the edge of oppression Is liberty coming any time soon? These are the jewels, the pearls of great price No candidate has yet delivered Still we seek the sweetened life Where songs of love are softly whispered
galen | 1real |
Eric Trump Just Humiliated Himself With Fake Photo Of ‘Florida’ Rally (Complete With Texas Flag) | Ever since Hillary Clinton generously, yet correctly, identified about half (only half?) of Donald Trump s vapid, illiterate flock of racist, meth-addled taint-barnacles, as a basket of deplorables, the Right has been in a frenzy as they feverishly attempt to prove her right. One such deplorable, Trump s son Eric, showed the world on Monday that he is deserving of the title when he attempted to hit back at Clinton over the remark. Look at the #BasketOfDeplorables in Pensacola Florida last night! What a horrible statement. #CrookedHillary, Trump tweeted victoriously.Look at the #BasketOfDeplorables in Pensacola Florida last night! What a horrible statement. #CrookedHillary pic.twitter.com/GfevT0KUjd Eric Trump (@EricTrump) September 10, 2016Unfortunately, there was just a teensy problem. That photo was not of the Pensacola rally. In fact, it wasn t even in Florida. Legendary former news commentator Keith Olbermann was among the many, many people who rushed to point out the obvious lie. The Pensacola Deplorables relocated to Dallas because they were promised a new arena @KeithOlbermann. How do you NOT know this? @EricTrump Orlando Jones (@TheOrlandoJones) September 10, 2016Yes, Dallas. In Texas. Eric Trump, as Olbermann postulated, may very well be dumber than his dad. Others helpfully informed Trump of his error:@BillyBlac LOL.. That picture is from a rally an 1 yr ago at American Airlines Center in DALLAS. @EricTrump < CON MAN @RickRapscallion Billy Tee (@BillyT_202) September 10, 2016@BillyBlac @BillyT_202 @EricTrump @RickRapscallion there's a Texas state flag right in the picture, genius. Eric's the one lying to you. Brian Santa Maria (@briansantamaria) September 10, 2016.@EricTrump and lying runs in the family eh?? Throw another one in #BasketofDeplorables https://t.co/Moa8hbfUbL Bimmerella (@bimmerella) September 10, 2016@TheFTProphet @EricTrump @bimmerellaEric is as dumb as his dad has no idea that we can google image search his bullshit tweet. ??? ((tay)) (@SensiblySecular) September 10, 2016@EricTrump You intentionally cropped out American Airlines Center.. You're a con man just like your daddy. https://t.co/0PTsEjgg6p @mcuban Billy Tee (@BillyT_202) September 10, 2016Trump s supporters including his children who participate in The Donald s circus of idiocy deserve their new, cute little nickname, and this is just one example. His followers consist almost entirely of white supremacists and other assorted racists, Tea Party revolutionaries who desperately crave a new revolution, and xenophobes groups that most of us would consider deplorable. Unfortunately, to Trump and his friends on the Right, they re patriots. Featured image via Twitter | 1real |
Bulgarians use 'speed dating' to get know migrants | SOFIA (Reuters) - Couples lining up to face each other are given 30 seconds to chat before moving on - in a version of speed dating that, rather than sparking romance, aims to promote understanding and integration for new immigrants. At a social center in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, the locals stand on one side, the immigrants - many refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and other war-torn countries - face them. The quick-fire conversations - in which participants have just seconds to share their dreams and stories of love, pain and family - are aimed at starting a dialogue between two communities that in normal daily life rarely speak to each other on an equal footing. It s so good to have an event like this, especially for refugees, said Rodi Naamo, a 26-year-old Syrian Kurd who arrived in Bulgaria in 2015, when hundreds of thousands of migrants passed through the Balkans en route to Germany and northern Europe. Bulgarians also appreciated the speedy encounters, as well as the Middle Eastern food and traditional Afghan dances afterwards. I really enjoyed it, it helped me overcome prejudices, said Milka Bocheva, a Bulgarian who runs an online business. They (the refugees) are just people like us, we gave such similar answers. Bulgaria stands out in the region for its significant Muslim minority, some 12 percent among 7.1 million mainly Orthodox Christians - a legacy of its history as part of the Ottoman Empire. Despite that, large parts of the population are concerned about the influx of asylum-seekers and migrants. Naamo, who returned to Bulgaria after a short spell in Germany, to work in a call center, believes opinions are starting to change. I decided to stay here, this is my country. I ll bring my family here, he said. | 0fake |
Clinton to Trump on Twitter: ‘Delete Your Account’ - The New York Times | Look, we don’t want to write about every presidential campaign tweet that teeters on the brink of the absurd like a mirror revealing the political Frankentheater that the entire electorate has collaborated to create, whether actively or by submission. We’d never get anything else done. But O. K. fine, this one could use some explanation. Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was responding to a tweet from Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee: Mrs. Clinton’s missive, most likely written and sent by her campaign staff, quickly became one of the most widely shared tweets of the 2016 campaign. It was precisely the kind of tweet that political junkies, and anyone else checking Twitter for a midday distraction, thirsts for in the middle of the afternoon when they’d prefer to think about something other than work. But it’s worth noting, to the unfamiliar, that “Delete your account” was not a sudden turn of phrase by a coldblooded social media manager, let alone the candidate herself. The phrase has a long history as a dismissive rejoinder, especially on Twitter. It translates roughly as “Your tweet or opinion is so bad that you should be immediately disqualified from further participation on the platform. ” Mr. Trump then responded, and other political figures quickly jumped on board. Mrs. Clinton has not always been totally hip, jiggy and on fleek with the cool kids. She was widely panned for a tweet in August that struck some watchers as a tad too pandering. On Friday, a day after it was announced that Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, was endorsing Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Trump unleashed a typical tweet, mocking the senator’s heritage. But Ms. Warren, who has taken to matching the Republican taunt for taunt on social media, could not resist resurrecting Clinton’s tack. There. Now you understand politics again. | 0fake |
CNN’S JIM ACOSTA Schooled on the Meaning of the Statue of Liberty by Trump Senior Advisor [Video] | We wish President Trump could clone SENIOR ADVISOR Stephen Miller! He s so brilliant and knows immigration like no other! We can t say the same for the White House Press Corp! The Trump administration made some positive announcements on immigration and the left went nuts! Miller got the best of them!Stephen Miller has been with President Trump from the earlier days of the 2016 campaign. He would give incredible speeches to the rally audience. He s so well versed on immigration and American history that he could take on anyone and win in a debate! We love the guy! He s a PATRIOT!FYI: The Statue of Liberty had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with immigration. The Emma Lazarus poem that Acosta refers to was affixed to the pedestal as an ex post facto inscription in 1903. ONE OF OUR FAVORITE MILLER MOMENTS WAS A SPEECH DURING THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT AWESOME!Trump spokesperson Stephen Miller just hammers Hillary Clinton! You will love every minute of this!HERE S A PREVIOUS REPORT WHERE MILLER RIPS INTO CHUCK TODD ANOTHER AWESOME MILLER MOMENT!There was a big hit piece in WaPo on Stephen Miller that called him every nasty thing in the book. He battled back and steamrolled over Chuck Todd. Keep it up Stephen Miller! We absolutely love how you re calling out the left!WATCH Stephen Miller SMOKE @chucktodd on Immigration. Chucky keeps trying to interrupt Miller steamrolls over him! pic.twitter.com/kOurG4cpWH Boston Bobblehead (@DBloom451) February 12, 2017 | 1real |
HELL-BENT ON A CONVICTION: Is The Pentagon’s Third Attempt At Convicting A Marine For The Death Of An Iraqi Citizen Politically Motivated? | Which begs the question:How many Iraqi s have been placed on trial for similar circumstances? And do the rules of engagement only apply to the US Military? A retrial is set to begin Monday at Camp Pendleton for a Marine convicted in the 2006 killing of an Iraqi civilian one of the most high-profile and legally and politically complex court martials of the Iraq war.Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins was convicted in 2007 by a Marine jury of unpremeditated murder in the killing of a 52-year-old former Iraqi police officer in Hamandiya, west of Baghdad.The killing was meant as a warning to Iraqis to stop planting roadside bombs and cooperating with insurgent snipers attacking U.S. troops.Six other Marines and a Navy corpsman were also convicted in what was called the Pendleton 8 case. As the squad leader, Hutchins got the longest sentence, 15 years, later reduced to 11.Appeals courts twice have overturned Hutchins conviction: once on grounds that the NCIS illegally obtained a confession, once because his lawyer was allowed to retire on the eve of trial. The Marine Corps has opted for a retrial.Hutchins has spent more than six years behind bars, first at the federal prison at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., and then the brig at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. Since mid-2013, he has been free on appeal, restored to his rank of sergeant and assigned to Camp Pendleton, living with his wife and children.The legal case has provoked strong, contrasting opinions among Marines.Several of Hutchins co-defendants, all of whom are long since freed and returned to civilian life, believe the killing, while brutal, saved American lives because attacks on U.S. troops declined in the following months.Other Marines believe the Marine Corps must retry Hutchins to prove that it can hold its ranks accountable for the unauthorized use of deadly force. The Marine Corps is doing what justice demands, said Gary Solis, a retired Marine and now an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University. It is being neither unfair nor harsh, Solis said. An innocent Iraqi male was taken prisoner by Hutchins and his squad and, while he was bound, repeatedly shot in the face [and] murdered. Much of the evidence against Hutchins will come from squad members who were convicted in the case, Solis noted: Given the unusually strong case against Hutchins the Marine Corps would be derelict were it to walk away from the murder of a defenseless Iraqi. But Bing West, former Marine, former assistant secretary of Defense and author of books about combat Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that, given the chaos facing Marine grunts during the Iraq war, a retrial is unwarranted. In a savage war, Sgt. Hutchins, mistakenly believing he was protecting his squad, killed an innocent Iraqi, West said. He has spent several years in the brig. Further punishment would be unjust. It is time to allow him and all of us to move on. Marine prosecutors would not comment.Christopher Oprison, a former Marine and Hutchins defense attorney, has promised a vigorous defense in which he will assert that the Marine Corps is continuing to pursue his client for political purposes. The case, he said, is an indictment of the entire military justice system. The prosecution is basing its case on the information obtained by rogue NCIS agents who forced these young Marines to confess under threats and coercion. Oprison insists that comments made by Navy Secy. Ray Mabus in 2009 alleging guilt by the Pendleton 8 have tainted the case and prevented Hutchins from getting a fair trial. The political pressure to make an example out of Sgt. Hutchins is palpable, Oprison said. Enough is enough. The gloves are off. We hope to have Sgt. Hutchins home with his wife and children on Father s Day a free man. Under military rules, the jury will include officers and enlisted, most of whom, if not all, have served combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan or both. The jury will decide guilt or innocence, and punishment.Via: LA Times | 1real |
Boiler Room EP #126 – Immigration Consternation | 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 side Jay Dyer of Jays Analysis, Funk$oul & Infidel Pharaoh (ACR Contributors,) for the hundred and twenty sixth 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 the ACR Brain-Trust is back with another meeting of the Social Reject Club in the No Friends Left Zone and the gang is discussing the consternation associated with immigration, DACA, Trump making deals with D.C. Swamp-critters like Schumer and Pelosi, technology, not-so-free markets, 9-11, Hesher s chat with Psonick and the Type 1 Radio crew along with Dr. Judy Wood and Andrew Johnson and much more.Direct Download Episode #126 (Link Available Shortly After Live Recording)Please like and share the program and visit our donate page to get involved! Reference Links, for your consideration and research: | 1real |
20 Spiritual Herbs for Activating Higher Consciousness, Awakening Intuition and Deep Healing | posted by Eddie F or centuries people have been looking into their teacups to find answers in the tea leaves. These brews and herbs have always held a spiritual energy . When you take time to make yourself a soothing cup of herbal tea, you are allowing yourself to go within. You soften your thoughts and begin to hear the voice of your intuition. The Art of Spiritual Tea Making In our current convenience-focused age, many just grab a tea bag and pop it into a cup of hot water. This instant tea is really just flavored water. If you want to gain all the spiritual benefits that a healing herbal infusion has to offer, you need to take some time in preparing it. Tea is best made in a closed vessel—either a teapot or a cup with a small saucer placed on top to serve as a lid. When you brew tea this way, you allow the beautiful aromatic qualities to recirculate back into the liquid. You know that uplifting fragrance emanating from peppermint tea? Well, that represents most of the spiritually healing herbal oils floating off into the atmosphere. If you brew it in a teapot or cup with a lid, the steam condenses back into the infusion. For most herbal teas and for maximum spiritual benefit to be had, you’ll want to brew it for at least five minutes in boiling water. You can allow your tea to brew longer and get an even more potent spiritually activating herbal infusion . A general rule is one teaspoon of herb per cup of water, plus one extra for the teapot. So if your teapot holds two cups of water, you would add three teaspoons of herb. Spiritual Properties of Various Herbs, Plants and Teas Calendula Calendula is a powerful spiritual herb that will bring healing as well as activate your innate healing abilities. When you drink calendula, you stand tall as a powerful healer. This tea repairs your aura and brings energetic protection. Chamomile Chamomile helps attract abundance. This pleasant tasting spiritual herb relaxes your energy, which allows you to become receptive. The Universe and God always have your best interests in mind. When things seem challenging, it can be for one of two reasons: You are trying to go in a different direction than where you are truly being guided, or you are unwilling to receive help and support along the way. When you drink chamomile, you let down your guard and let in the healing love of God and your angels. Fennel Fennel tea (made from the seeds) can help reduce sugar cravings. On an energetic level it gives you a “pat on the back.” As a healer or reader, you may focus on helping others rather than devoting time to yourself. By drinking this herbal, spiritually enhancing infusion, you remember that it’s okay to have a rest every now and then. You can relax, take a day off, and just enjoy life. Ginger Ginger tea releases anger and frustration. It helps you let go of resentment and jealousy, bringing you to a place of contentment and balance. Hibiscus Hibiscus tea makes a wonderful ruby-colored infusion. It allows you to accept your sensitive side. Know that being sensitive isn’t a weakness; it’s an asset! By picking up on the subtle energies around you, you will know much more easily when you should move on. The spiritual plant hibiscus brings you and your loved ones together. It heals past wounds and promotes forgiveness. Lavender Lavender is a legendary spiritually rejuvenating herb that relaxes your mind and quiets the ego voice. It is beautiful before a meditation, as it resonates with the third-eye chakra—your center of clairvoyance. This summons psychic visions and intuitive insights. Lavender brings a deeper spiritual understanding . This herb helps cast away any fears about embracing your spiritual gifts. Lemongrass Lemongrass is a lesser known spiritual herb that wards off distractions and procrastination. If you are struggling to get something done and finding many excuses not to do it, then you need lemongrass tea! It brings you clarity of purpose so you can get to work. It also shows you the tremendous benefit that completing this task will serve both you and others. Lemongrass sharpens your focus and stops people from interrupting your important job. Nettle tea Nettle tea is great for when you feel worn-out and drained. It is a highly nutritious infusion that supports your body physically. It provides energetic protection , giving you time to recharge. As your body and mind reset, you learn new ways to handle situations. Understand the lessons involved in your current situation and you won’t have to repeat them. Peppermint Peppermint is a common yet still powerful spiritual plant that helps motivate and inspire you, bringing you new creative ideas on how to achieve your dreams . It clears and balances the sacral and solar-plexus chakras, lending you confidence and self-esteem. Rose Rose tea is an ancient, sacred spiritual herb that opens your heart. It attracts compassion; understanding; healing; and, of course, love. When drinking this tea, you become very aware of your language. Every word you speak will have the essence of love attached to it. All your communications will be uplifting and centered around healing. You’ll find that you have no time for gossip or negativity. Instead, you will become an inspiration to those around you—who will wonder why you are so peaceful and then will want to join you on that path of tranquility. Rosemary Rosemary may not be an herb you’d commonly think of for tea. It tastes exactly like you’d expect, but the energy is beautiful! Rosemary has an affinity for the head area. It clears away unwanted thoughts, lifts negative thinking in favor of a positive attitude, and assists with concentration. Rosemary resonates with the third-eye chakra and releases pressure surrounding your spiritual path, making it a great spiritual herb to keep on hand. Allow yourself to enjoy this wonderful journey, and don’t put unnecessary deadlines in place. Saffron Saffron tea sounds so indulgent and somewhat royal. And saffron is the most expensive herb in the world. Thankfully, you only need the smallest amount to make a very powerful spiritually activating tea. Add five to ten good quality saffron threads (parts of the pistil of a crocus) to a cup of boiling water. Allow to steep for a minimum of ten minutes so the saffron can fully give itself to the water. Research trials have shown that saffron helps ease symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and feelings of depression. Spiritually, saffron unlocks the mysteries of the Universe, allowing you to learn deep, esoteric concepts. It awakens and clears all your energy centers and connects you to God, making it an essential spiritual herb for the seeker. Thyme Thyme is another spiritual herb you might not have considered brewing. This tea opens up your centers of communication and resonates with the throat chakra to help you speak and write with passion and purpose. If you’re finding it difficult to express yourself, try thyme tea. How to Take Herbal Medicines As a sensitive and spiritual person, you may not need high doses of herbal supplements, as your body is receptive to these healing compounds and will immediately begin to utilize them. Where it may take others three to four weeks to observe a change, you might see improvements in just a matter of days. You understand that what you eat changes your entire energy. You’ve noticed that you can’t handle certain foods or drinks because they just don’t agree with your delicate body. So, before you dive into high doses of spiritual herbs , check in with your intuitive feelings. Herbal medicines come in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, teas, liquid extracts, and tinctures. Whichever form you choose, please ensure it’s sourced from a reliable company, sustainably harvested, and organic or wild-crafted. This will give you the best results, as well as the highest energy and spiritual activation. Any form of spiritual herb will have a healing influence, yet there is something especially powerful about a liquid. When you take a tincture, it brings through the energy and vibration of the spiritual plant. Add the appropriate dose to a small glass of water. The amount of water isn’t important as long as you drink the entirety. If you are on any other medications or have preexisting health concerns, please always check with your health-care practitioner before starting any herbal medicines. Elder (Sambucus nigra) Elder (Sambucus nigra) is available in two forms—the berry and the flower. Elderberry is an excellent antiviral. In this case, though, we are more interested in the elder flowers, as they help promote sweating. The elder tree has a long history connected to ancient mysticism. Even farmers would refer to the spirit of this tree as the “Elder Mother.” This spiritual herb has a powerful energy that awakens your intuition and opens your chakras . Elder flowers have a connection to the head and are excellent for people with constant colds, runny noses, or hay fever. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a warming herb that stimulates your circulation. As your blood spreads through the superficial layers of your skin, it clears the eccrine glands. The ginger carries with it the nutrition that’s available to your body. Think of it like a courier transporting your vitamins and minerals to the locations that need them most. Along with this nutrition, your energy also flows through the same path. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the blood and energy/vital force follow one another. So if your circulation is stimulated, so too is your energy, and therefore your intuition. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) helps stimulate the eccrine glands and soothe an upset stomach. You may have noticed that when you have a cup of spiritually activating peppermint tea, your hands sometimes feel warmer. This doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it shows that the energy in your palm chakras has been awakened. Your hands are now more sensitive to energy, and you can use them as a natural divination tool. When you meet someone for the first time and shake hands, trust the impression that you receive. Peppermint tea will help you have more confidence in these intuitive messages . Heart-Healthy Herbs Herbal medicines have both physical and energetic properties. These heart-healthy spiritual herbs nourish and protect your physical heart, stimulate your heart chakra, and also heal you emotionally. Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) is a legendary tonic spiritual herb that nourishes the heart. It may balance blood pressure, as well as help you better cope with stress. Astragalus is a wonderful regulator for the body. It corrects imbalances and helps you overcome any obstacles. Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is a spiritual herb that has a strong connection to the heart. It balances blood pressure and prevents your blood from becoming too thick. Dan Shen protects the heart and can reduce palpitations. This herb can be helpful when people have a fiery energy about them, seeming angry and aggressive. A red face that comes from anger or high blood pressure can be a sign that this herb is needed. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is one of my favorite heart-healing spiritual herbs. I use it for both the physical and emotional heart. On a physical level, it protects the heart muscle. It nourishes this precious organ, helping strengthen and regulate it. Emotionally and energetically, it soothes a broken heart. I’ve used it for healing grief; difficult relationships; and feelings of being taken advantage of by friends, family, or partners. Hawthorn has a gentle energy, like a comforting friend giving you support. Korean Ginseng (Panax ginseng) Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a powerful, tonic spiritual herb that deserves a great deal of respect. It stimulates and awakens the whole body. In contrast to the way caffeine stimulates, Korean ginseng heals and restores. It nourishes the heart and clears feelings of debility. Korean ginseng allows you to cope with stressful situations in a healthy way, and has even shown an ability to increase mental alertness and memory. Taking a dose just before an exam can help you remember more information—an effect made even more powerful when you combine it with ginkgo. Source: by Doreen Virtue and Robert Reeves, N.D. From Around the Web Founder of WorldTruth.Tv and WomansVibe.com Eddie ( 8988 Posts )
Eddie L. is the founder and owner of www.WorldTruth.TV. and www.Womansvibe.com. Both website are dedicated to educating and informing people with articles on powerful and concealed information from around the world. I have spent the last 36+ years researching Bible, History, Alternative Health, Secret Societies, Symbolism and many other topics that are not reported by mainstream media. | 1real |
Neil Armstrong: Their Ships Were Far Superior To Our -Boy, Where They Big | Everyone is familiar with the broadcast images of Neil Armstrong's historic first steps on the moon, and many believe his footsteps to be the first ever on the lunar surface. However, during a documented NASA symposium, Armstrong made comments alluding to the fact that not only had other species visited the moon, but that there were signs of colonization there upon.
The Real Reason NASA Refuses a Return to the Moon
Armstrong stated in an interview with an unnamed professor at the symposium that their presence on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission was immediately noticed and addressed by an alien race. The beings that occupied the lunar air space made very clear their displeasure of the human's arrival on the moon's surface:
Armstrong: It was incredible … of course, we had always known there was a possibility … the fact is, we were warned off. There was never any questions then of a space station or a moon city.
Professor: How do you mean “warned off”?
Armstrong: I can’t go into details, except to say that their ships were far superior to ours both in size and technology – Boy, where they big! … and menacing … No, there is no question of a space station .
Armstrong: Naturally – NASA was committed at that time, and couldn’t risk a panic on earth…. But it really was a quick scoop and back again. (Above Top Secret, p. 186)
Additionally, there are reports that upon arrival on the moon Armstrong witnessed structures on the surface resembling shops and other buildings obviously not designed by man. It is believed that while footage exists of these findings, the decision was made not to make these films public so as to not incite public panic.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NASA's unwillingness to move forward with lunar cities or even stations can easily be explained by the fear of going against the will of a much more advanced race. Armstrong stated that this fear is what lead to the following Apollo missions to only include a quick landing and sample collection. With this limited access to the moon, NASA or any other space exploration organization would be greatly hindered in their efforts to establish surface space stations of any type and lunar colonies would be completely infeasible.
Could it be that human's exploration of the cosmos is closely regulated by alien races? What lengths would those races go to prevent space travel advancement by humans? Perhaps in the future, humans will gain the favor of the celestial inhabitants and be privy to the mysteries of beyond.
Disclose TV
SOURCE | 1real |
Sen. Mike Lee: Conservatives Must Join President Trump as Champions of ’The Forgotten Man’ | Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee told an audience at Washington’s Heritage Foundation Wednesday that he is aligned with President Donald Trump’s populist conservatism and the president’s concern for “The Forgotten Man” — a full reversal from stances he took in the presidential campaign when he adamantly opposed Trump’s candidacy. [“Donald Trump’s tabloid and persona may be an artifact of America’s glib celebrity culture, but his presidency represents a substantive indictment of Washington’s political and policymaking consensus, very much including the consensus within the GOP,” Lee said. “It’s an indictment I . ” Lee, who was associated with conservative holdouts, said it was time to get with the program and recognize that Trump is working on the same problems they are working on. “Almost seven years ago, I first ran for the Senate as an challenger against an incumbent of my own party,” he said. He added: Four years ago, I first came to the Heritage Foundation and urged conservatives to reconnect with the working families and struggling communities our party had too long ignored and I spent the bulk of my first term in the Senate advocating for policy reforms to help and empower the “Forgotten Americans” that Washington’s broken status quo was leaving behind. “President Trump’s peculiar brand of populist, nationalist politics is not what I had in mind. But nor must his election be the existential threat to conservatism, republicanism, and constitutionalism that many of his critics on the Right fear,” the senator said. The speech marked Lee’s progress from the loyal supporter of his best friend in the upper chamber, Sen. Ted Cruz (R. ) who took the fight to candidate Trump on the platform committee and led the unsuccessful fight to unbind pledged delegates to the New York City developer. It was a move that could have freed delegates unable to vote their will on the first ballot. In September, Lee rejected the idea of accepting Trump’s nomination to the Supreme Court. In October, Lee asked Trump to step aside from the GOP ticket after the Access Hollywood tape was released. In November, Lee said he did not vote for Trump, instead opting for Evan McMullin, a former senior aide to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R. . ). After the election, the Utah senator made the trip to Trump Tower and met with the for 90 minutes. The meeting went well enough for Lee to tell a Utah radio audience in January that if Trump asked him to be on the Supreme Court, he would accept the nod. The senator was the featured speaker opening up the foundation’s “Conservatism for the Forgotten Man” discussion. The discussion will be hosted by John Edward Hilboldt, the foundation’s director of lectures and seminars led by Yuval Levin, a Hertog Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and editor at National Affairs and Heritage’s Salim Furth, a research fellow in macroeconomics. Lee said conservatives struggle with how to gauge how much government people really want and need. “Conservatives’ view of human nature and history tells us that in this life, there will always be problems and that attempts to use government to solve them often only make things worse,” he said. The natural skepticism for government action often proves conservatives are correct and much better at empowering citizens and communities to develop their own solutions, he said. “At our worst, though, we look indifferent to suffering and injustice because we may not see problems that require action. ” Deciding where, when, and how much to act is the constant frustration for conservatives, but with the November results, the struggle and frustration have been resolved, he said. “President Trump has already identified the problems that Americans want us to solve: Economic dislocation and insecurity. Inequality of opportunity, political marginalization, social isolation, and the cruel repugnance of a elite insulated from all of the above openly contemptuous of their disconnected countrymen who are not,” he said. “These problems are why Donald Trump ran for president and why he won. ” Conservatives must recognize that millions of real people need help, and it is incumbent upon them to work with the president, he asserted. “Trump was elected to help those Americans. And conservatives — especially conservatives who had misgivings about Candidate Trump — have a duty now to help him see how and where our principles can serve his mandate,” he said. “While the Left rages and the Washington Establishment scratches its head, conservatives — we — can make a case for a unifying, agenda. ” | 0fake |
California Hires Eric Holder as Legal Bulwark Against Donald Trump - The New York Times | LOS ANGELES — Girding for four years of potential battles with Donald J. Trump, Democratic leaders of the California Legislature announced Wednesday that they had hired Eric H. Holder Jr. who was attorney general under President Obama, to represent them in any legal fights against the new Republican White House. The decision by the Legislature to retain Mr. Holder, who is now a prominent Washington lawyer, is the latest sign of the ideological battle that may play out over the next four years between this predominantly Democratic state and Washington. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president, defeated Mr. Trump by more than four million votes here. “Having the former attorney general of the United States brings us a lot of firepower in order to prepare to safeguard the values of the people of California,” Kevin de León, the Democratic leader of the Senate, said in an interview. “This means we are very, very serious. ” Mr. de León said he expected California to challenge Washington — and defend itself from policies instituted in Washington — on issues including the environment, immigration and criminal justice. He said California Democrats decided to turn to Mr. Holder as they watched Mr. Trump assemble his cabinet and begin to set the tone for his presidency. “It was very clear that it wasn’t just campaign rhetoric,” Mr. de León said of Mr. Trump’s proposals over the past year. “He was surrounding himself with people who are a very clear and present danger to the economic prosperity of California. ” Mr. Trump did not immediately return requests for comment. The move by Mr. de León and his Democratic counterpart in the Assembly, Anthony Rendon, follows Gov. Jerry Brown’s appointment of Representative Xavier Becerra as attorney general last month, to succeed Kamala D. Harris, who was elected to the United States Senate. That appointment made Mr. Becerra one of the Latino officials in this state, and he is expected to be instrumental in battling with the Trump White House over any attempt to enforce stringent measures aimed at immigrants. Mr. Brown has made clear that he intends to challenge the administration on global warming and that his attorney general will be a key to that battle. The Democratic Party controls of both the Assembly and the Senate in California. Every statewide elected official is a Democrat. Mr. Holder was Mr. Obama’s attorney general from 2009 to 2015. He was the first to hold that position. He is a partner at Covington Burling, a law firm in Washington that specializes in representing states and companies against the federal government. “I am honored that the Legislature chose Covington to serve as its legal adviser as it considers how to respond to potential changes in federal law that could impact California’s residents and policy priorities,” Mr. Holder said in a statement. “I am confident that our expertise across a wide array of federal legal and regulatory issues will be a great resource to the Legislature. ” The Legislature has an ample stable of lawyers on staff, but officials said Mr. Holder and his firm brought specific litigation and political skills that could be needed in the coming years. Mr. de León said the final compensation for the firm had not been set, but would be publicly disclosed once it was. “The cost will be very minimal compared to the billions of dollars at stake if California doesn’t adequately make its case,” he said. | 0fake |
Getting Your Home Holiday-Ready - The New York Times | Having everyone over for the holidays may have seemed like a good idea when you agreed to it last year. Back then, there was plenty of time to redo the guest room, fix the leaky kitchen faucet and upgrade the powder room. But with just a few weeks to spare, the thought of opening your home to family and friends might start to feel a bit overwhelming. If you act now, however, there is still time to make your home feel fresh and festive — without a major overhaul. FOCUS ON MAIN SPACES Concentrate on the kitchen, powder room and living areas, said Sarah Fishburne, the director of trend and designer for Home Depot, who recently hosted Thanksgiving for the first time in her new home in Atlanta. “Don’t get jammed up worrying about those secondary areas. ” You can always stash the laundry you didn’t have time to do in your bedroom and shut the door. But the kitchen — “that’s the gathering zone. ” Ms. Fishburne swapped out her older kitchen faucet with a new smart faucet that turns on and off with a tap of the wrist or forearm. Other upgrades that can be accomplished in a day and require minimal investment: adding a new backsplash, swapping out an old light fixture and changing cabinet hardware. “Instantly, you’ll feel like you really accomplished something,” said Ms. Fishburne, who traded knobs for pumpkin knobs and updated three orb pendant lights to oxide brass shade island lights. UPDATE ACCENTS “Switching out your pillows and throws is a great way to transform your space for the holidays,” said Alyssa Kapito, who founded the Manhattan interior design firm Kapito Muller with Vivian Muller. “Wool, mohair and cashmere are wonderful fabrics for colder seasons, and if you want to get really festive, you can try throwing in a plaid or a check fabric to add a bit of warmth and coziness,” she said, suggesting a cashmere knit throw from ($199) and a patchwork plaid pillow cover from Pottery Barn ($49. 50). Similarly, you can give your bathroom a quick refresh with a new bath mat, curtain liner, towels and some nice soaps. TIDY UP Ridding counters of clutter and shelves of tchotchkes is a fast and easy way to streamline space. Use an empty shoe box to collect pens, mail, knickknacks and other items that have accumulated in the kitchen and living room, said Tova Weinstock, an organizer in Brooklyn. While you’re at it, clear some closet space for guests’ belongings. A dedicated spot for hanging clothes or even a single drawer, she said, “will immediately boost your guest’s stay and amp up your hospitality level. ” You can temporarily store your own clothing in a soft bin like the Real Simple canvas bags sold at Bed Bath Beyond, Ms. Weinstock said. “Another idea is to double up coats on hangers, with coats underneath and winter coats over. ” CODDLE GUESTS Putting some consideration into how guests will experience your home will not only make them feel more welcome, but can make your life easier. When preparing for houseguests, Pamela Dailey, an interior designer in Beacon, N. Y. displays logistics like the network name and password and instructions on how to use the coffee maker in strategically placed picture frames. “The frames themselves can be switched out simply to add a festive touch,” she said, or “you could use a pretty piece of wrapping paper in the frame that you put the information on. ” In the guest bedroom, “little details like a notepad and pen on a bedside table” and “some flowers” will make guests feel more welcome, said Ms. Kapito, who recommends placing a carafe filled with water (like CB2’s $13 stackable cylinder) on the night stand. And in a twist on the hotel slipper, Ms. Weinstock suggests laying out a new pair of fuzzy socks. EASY ON DECORATIONS Keeping decorations simple and contained makes for easy elegance. “Choose a focal spot in your home — a mantel if you have a fireplace, an entry table or one shelf on your bookcase — that you can dedicate your energy to for creating some seasonal atmosphere,” said Ms. Dailey, who likes to designate a spot for displaying all the holiday cards she receives. “This is a great way to decorate, since everything will come to you,” she said. “I like to find somewhere on a wall so that you’re not taking up surface space or cluttering the refrigerator. Get some festive washi tape that you can tack the cards up with as they come in. ” Denise Piccolo, a professional holiday decorator in Brooklyn, suggests filling a few clear vases with shatterproof tree ornaments. “Display in mismatched groups or on their own,” she said, and drape matching stands of beads around the bottoms of the vases, scattering a few ornaments around the outside. REUSE AND RECYCLE If you’re feeling crafty, you can transform empty wine or liquor bottles into centerpieces by painting them in metallic holiday colors, like silver and gold, Ms. Piccolo said. “You can use blue painters’ tape to make patterns or block out letters to spell seasonal words such as ‘joy’ or ‘peace.’ ” Embellish with glitter, she suggested, or tie on jingle bells, ribbon or tiny pine cones around the necks of the bottles. “You can display the bottles in a group, intertwined with a strand of Christmas lights around the bases. ” If you’re buying a real Christmas tree, ask for the excess branches that get cut off the bottom to make a swag for your front door. “Simply bunch it together,” she said, and “tie with floral wire, fashioning the end into a loop to hang it. ” Trim any excess and “finish with a pretty bow to cover the wire, with tails hanging down on the branches. ” Another easy option is to stick the extra branches in a vase with water as you would with flowers, Ms. Piccolo said, and “embellish with holly sprigs, available at florists or garden centers, or holiday picks from the craft store. ” | 0fake |
WHY DECISION To Cut Off Gas Deliveries To Trump Supporters By Gas Co Owner In Maine Will Probably Destroy His Business [AUDIO] | An owner of a propane dealership in Maine is refusing to deliver gas to anyone who voted for President-Elect Donald Trump.Michael Turner, owner of Turner LP Gas in Skowhegan, Maine, recorded a voicemail greeting that leaves little question as to his feelings for those in his community who supported Trump. Thank you for calling Turner LP Gas. If you voted for Donald Trump for president, I will no longer be delivering your gas please find someone else, the message states.Turner isn t the first person to refuse to do business with Trump voters in late November, Mathew Blanchfield, CEO of an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based marketing firm, issued a statement saying he would no longer work with Trump supporters.But unlike Blanchfield, who lives in a county that voted solidly for Hillary Clinton, Turner lives in a county that overwhelmingly supported Trump. Trump won Somerset County, Maine in which Skowhegan is located 57.73 percent to Hillary Clinton s 35 percent.In Skowhegan specifically, where Clinton performed better than Somerset County at large, Trump still received over 50 percent of the vote and had a 10-point lead on Clinton, according to rough figures published on Skowhegan s town website. Turner is apparently so distraught over Trump s win he is willing alienate more than half of his community and possibly sacrifice his livelihood. Lifezette | 1real |
Giuliani’s Excuse For Forgetting 9/11 Is Just As Bad As Forgetting It (VIDEO) | After a decade and a half of peppering nearly every political conversation with as Joe Biden famously said a noun, a verb and 9/11, the mayor who was in charge of New York City during 9/11 appeared to forget it ever happened when he said that terrorism didn t hit our country until President Obama took office.After taking a day of brutal media and Twitter mockery, Giuliani offered an explanation. He just didn t have enough time to form the couple of extra words, like since 9/11. I m not there to give a major 45-minute policy address, he said of his Trump introduction Monday in Youngstown, Ohio, where he said plainly that under those eight years, before Obama came along, we didn t have any successful radical Islamic terrorist attack inside the United States. You speak in somewhat abbreviated language, Giuliani told The News Tuesday. All human beings speak in abbreviated language at times. Source: New York Daily NewsEven this short video clip is a minute and 20 seconds long. He had plenty of time to talk about everything but 9/11.The idea that all (terrorist attacks) started once Clinton and Obama came to office is both false and offensive. The deadliest terrorist attack happened when Giuliani was in office, and many speculate that things would not have been so bad, especially for the first responders, under a different mayor.More than that, this is a dangerous lie. As of 2014, 3,158 people have died from terrorist attacks within the United States. Over 2,900 of those people died during the attacks of 9/11. Even with the addition of the San Bernardino shooting, far fewer than 100 people have died from terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, at least since Obama took office.Whether or not Giuliani actually forgot 9/11 is irrelevant. Donald Trump is trying to create an environment in which no one is held accountable for their words, and Giuliani is no exception. The new way of campaigning, at least for Trump s team, is to spit out ridiculous accusations and assertions and then blame the media for directly quoting them. Giuliani says he will slip up again, as we all will, but since he s on the Trump team, don t look for any sort of contrition. Look for doubling down and more lies.Featured image via Jeff Swensen at Getty Images. | 1real |
SEATTLE CITY COUNCILWOMAN Incites Riot…Vows To Shut Down Trump Inauguration [Video] | 1real | |
UN: All Sides in Aleppo May Be Committing War Crimes | A new statement from the UN Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani warned that there is growing evidence that all sides fighting around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo are engaged in war crimes by conducting indiscriminate strikes in civilian-populated areas.
Shamdasani warned that while the UN lacked details to attribute individual attacks to different factions in the area, the indications are that everyone has basically ignored the “fundamental prohibition” on launching such attacks when civilians are present.
This has been a recurring concern for months in Aleppo, with large civilian casualties reported on a disturbingly regular basis. And while most of the international forces with an interest in Syria are keen to exclusively blame one side or the other, civilians in both sides’ neighborhoods are being killed.
Russia has paused their airstrikes against Aleppo over the past couple of weeks, though an escalation in fighting further west has meant civilian casualties have continued, with reports of chlorine gas attacks by Nusra forces against government-held areas. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz | 1real |
WOW! 83-YEAR OLD SENATOR Challenged By Teen To Do Push-Up Contest…Who Wins? [Video] | 1real | |
White House spokesman does not rule out Trump-Putin July meeting in Germany | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House spokesman did not rule out a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin when he was asked about reports the two leaders may hold talks on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Germany next month. “To the extent that we can work with Russia to solve some problems and to cooperate, if we can find that willingness then we’d like to do it,” spokesman Sean Spicer said at a news briefing. | 0fake |
George Takei BURIES Trump With Perfect Response To Tweet About Jailing Flag Burners | Donald Trump attacked the First Amendment on Tuesday and George Takei clobbered him for it.Trump called for jailing Americans who burn the flag, and suggested they be stripped of their citizenship as further punishment.Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag if they do, there must be consequences perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016Burning the flag is a form of expression that is protected by the Constitution. The Supreme Court has ruled that way twice, and that included support from Justice Antonin Scalia, whom conservatives often hail as a hero.Trump s tweet immediately drew massive condemnation from people on both sides of the aisle. Even Fox legal analyst Andrew Napolitano blasted Trump for his blatantly unconstitutional statement.But Trump also pissed off someone else.George Takei also went after Trump. And his perspective on the subject gives him far more standing on this subject than Trump will ever have.I pledged allegiance to the flag every morning inside an internment camp. I would never burn one, but I d die to protect the right to do so. https://t.co/O5ecSQkyC2 George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 29, 2016If anyone had reason to burn a flag it s George Takei. He never did so, but that was his choice. Despite this, he is still defending people who choose to burn it because it s freedom of expression. And Takei actually made another point. There are people who have been mistreated under our flag in this country. Taking away their right to express their anger would only marginalize people and that is not right.Takei wasn t done though. He posted another tweet later reminding Trump that he is responsible for protecting and defending the Constitution now, so he better do his damn job.Mr. Trump, one of your sacred duties as President will be to uphold the Constitution. That means honoring and protecting free speech. George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 29, 2016A lot of people may find the act of burning the flag reprehensible and that s their right. But there are also those who see burning a flag as a message to the government in opposition of a policy or a lack of action to fix an issue. Silencing this form of expression would be tyrannical. If Trump is allowed to take away this form of freedom of speech, nothing stops him from taking away other freedoms as well. At that point, we might as well rip up the Constitution.Featured Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images | 1real |
TEAM CLINTON MEMBER BILL GATES Pushed For Unlimited Guest Worker Permits Last Week…This Week Slashes 18,000 Jobs | The question is not how Hillary will ever be able to repay the kindness of so many donors to the Clinton Slush Fund/Clinton Charity the question is how will America survive her pay-backs?According to donation records, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which funds global vaccine distribution has donated at least $26 million to the Clinton charity, though records appear to be incomplete so the amount could be higher.On Thursday, a week after former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates argued for amnesty and for an unlimited number of high-tech guest-worker visas, Microsoft announced it would slash 18,000 jobs. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella promised his employees that we will go through this process in the most thoughtful and transparent way possible. Analysts told USA Today that the number being let go was larger than expected. The vast majority of employees will reportedly be notified within the next six months and earn severance and job transition help in many locations. Microsoft employs 125,000 people.Bill Gates, along with Sheldon Adelson and Warren Buffett, advocated removing the worldwide cap on the number of visas that could be awarded to legal immigrants who had earned a graduate degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics from an accredited institution of higher education in the United States. However, numerous nonpartisan scholars and studies have determined that there is a surplus not a shortage of American high-tech workers. Moreover, after a recent Census report found that 74% of those with a bachelor s degree in these subjects don t work in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) jobs, the mainstream media may finally be catching on and taking away the high-tech industry s free pass. CBS News, for instance, concluded that the Census data suggest the high-tech industry s contention that there is a shortage of American high-tech is largely a myth. Ron Hira, a public policy professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has said there are 50% more graduates than job openings in the STEM fields. Microsoft s announcement hammers home his point that the IT sector has often been an area of social mobility, and removing the caps on high-tech guest-worker visas would take jobs away from American workers and make it more difficult to climb the economic ladder. You ve got people who come from working-class backgrounds who go into these sectors, Hira said on a conference call of scholars earlier this year that Sen. Jeff Sessions'(R-AL) office organized. It s a way of getting into the middle class and the professional class, and that s being cut off. Via: Breitbart News | 1real |
Skiing the Alps, Making It My Own - The New York Times | One more run. We had to take one more run from the Zehnerkar peak down the steep, snowy trails, beyond the black strings of chairlifts and all the way into the Austrian valley below, where the gondola would gather us up like parishioners crowding into church and whisk us back to the top. My legs were tired and trembling a little, but my friends Christoph and Thomas were too excited about the packed powder, sunshine and empty trails in this corner of the Obertauern ski area to stop now. After that next run we would have earned the Alpine refreshments, the spiked milk and the yeast dumpling drizzled in vanilla sauce. There were traditions to uphold, the Wiener schnitzel, the pear schnapps, but most of all the camaraderie that came with our yearly weekend trip to Austria. I know that sounds extravagant — “my annual trip to the Alps with my friends” — but they’re German, and I was living in Berlin when we started the tradition. Christoph and I would hop down on a short Air Berlin flight to Munich. Thomas would pick us up for the drive to neighboring Austria, where a lift ticket at Obertauern costs less than $50. On days with decent visibility, the mountains were already discernible in the distance. We would stop at a gas station for chips and candy bars, Haribo gummy bears and sodas as if we were on a school ski trip. To save money we slept three to a room and somehow I always ended up as the one on the pullout couch while the Germans shared the bed. Capturing that teenage feeling of friends joking and daring and not caring was basically the premise of the entire trip. We set aside one weekend a year without spouses or children or work responsibilities to risk limbs on slopes. The only other rule was a different resort every time, always a new adventure. We met an actual princess in a bar in Kitzbühel, and her stepsister asked me what kind of Lamborghini I drove (hint: none). Somewhere a grainy BlackBerry video supposedly exists where I am dancing — in ski boots — on a table at the Krazy Kanguruh slopeside bar in St. Anton am Arlberg (doesn’t quite sound like me). And in a pulsating nightclub in Ischgl full of German, Dutch and Austrian teenagers, we conceded our age and called it an early night (about time). We were rewarded for our judiciousness the next morning with an early start, first up the mountain and out onto the best untouched powder any of us had ever skied. Over and over again it comes back to that: the mountains all around you, some with elevations over 10, 000 feet, black and white crags as far as you can see in any direction. As Albrecht Dürer, inspired painter and traveler of the Alps, insisted, “Truly, art is embedded in nature he who can extract it, has it. ” There would always be that moment, coming off the highest lift for the first time, when some combination of dizziness from the altitude, the bracing wind and the stunning vista would hint at the sublime. My skiing roots are decidedly modest. Growing up in the Washington, D. C. area meant carving the nearby hillocks of Pennsylvania and Virginia with names like Liberty and Roundtop. We would rarely even stay overnight Dad would wake up my sister and me as early as possible, and we would pile into the brown Volkswagen Dasher station wagon, fortifying ourselves at the with McMuffins and hash browns. At that age I had no idea that the mountains were tiny or the waits for the lift interminable. My frame of reference was summer trips to the amusement park, where you stood in line for 20 minutes for the brief thrill of a ride. Skiing beat any roller coaster for me. I felt like the Italian slalom legend Alberto Tomba, despite the poor imitation my snowplow turns were of his muscular moves around each gate. I begged to stay longer every time and kept the lift ticket dangling from the zipper of my ski jacket all winter to remind myself of the fun I’d had. When I got a little older, there were bus rides to Vermont with friends, watching VHS tapes of Warren Miller movies like “Steep and Deep” and “White Winter Heat,” filled with guitar solos and aerial tricks we would never pull off. The cramped journey earned you a spot on slopes of pure ice where subzero windchill gusts rearranged the tiny drifts, like a decorative dash of confectioners’ sugar on a dessert. But the mountains were much taller than those in the and the runs were longer. The rush of those solitary slides down the mountain alternated with good talks with friends on the chairlift up again. A ski accident my senior year of high school sent me to the hospital, and other than one trip with my dad, I took a hiatus from my favorite sport. When I moved to Germany as a correspondent for this paper and realized how tantalizingly close the Alps were, I made a deal with myself: One day a year, no matter what. But my promise became a reality only because my friends got onboard. I was the instigator, who began peppering the others with emails starting in October, hounding them until a date was chosen and reservations could be made. Thomas was the driver, leaning on his BMW in his when we arrived, ready to beat the Friday rush hour traffic with an early start from Munich. Christoph was the navigator of the pistes his skills as an illustrator came in handy as we puzzled over the stylized blue, red and black slashes on the map, where, to my eternal confusion, you could somehow ski down something pointing upward. Each had his role, the key to assembling a team that travels well together time and again. This year, on our way to Obertauern, we drove past the Chiemsee, one of the placid Bavarian lakes you pass before you begin the climb into the mountains. The sky was blue with a few cumulus clouds scraping the peaks in the distance. We even saw a mountaintop castle, in case in my state I momentarily thought we were headed for the Rockies or the Sierras. As usual, we raced to get there in time for a few runs in the afternoon. Saturday was our only full day of skiing, so getting the feel for our skis on Friday was essential. We dropped our bags at the Alpenhotel Perner, changing as quickly as we could into ski pants and jackets. The moment at the rental shop arrived. Could they find the ridiculous ski boots I needed? One year we had to go to three different stores before I could squeeze my feet into a pair and missed our Friday start. I watched anxiously as the staffers conferred, then checked the cobwebby back corners of their storage spaces before emerging, chuckling, with the single pair of boots in the place. On the mountain, Thomas barreled downhill, always skirting the edge of control. Christoph executed one meticulous turn after another, like an ice skater perfecting his figures, or the illustrator that he is, drawing curves on the mountainside with his skis. I alternated between following in his tracks and pointing my tips straight down and hurtling into Thomas’s wake. “At the beginning, I think, ‘Oh God, why am I doing this,’ but by the third or fourth round, I remember,” Christoph said on one of our lift rides. “This is redemption for being a bad skier as a kid,” he said, then paused for a moment to consider. “I was not a bad skier,” he corrected. “I was a terrible skier. ” The other reason you have to get in runs on Friday, as he pointed out, was that otherwise you felt like a fraud in cavernous après ski bars like the Lürzer Alm, which looks like a peaceful mountain lodge from the outside but transforms into a Brothers Grimm club mixing traditional woodwork and disco balls, where everyone is wind burned and still wearing their gear from the mountain. I was mentally better prepared for the soaring mountains — “White Winter Heat” was partly set in the Alps, after all — than the party atmosphere. The World Cup Alpine ski racer Bode Miller nearly torpedoed his reputation in the United States with a comment on “60 Minutes” about skiing drunk. In Austria he had plenty of company. We once watched an entire police unit at the bottom of the mountain with Breathalyzers pulling people aside and writing ticket after ticket. After your last run, you plant your skis into the snow, leaving them in the neon forest of equipment outside the bar, and enter a . The Latsch’n Schirm in Obertauern looked like a circus tent, with the red and yellow striped roof. Immediately someone called for a round of pear schnapps with a chunk of pear speared on a plastic sword. The music is a beguilingly weird blend of oompah, disco, hair metal and techno, with songs about polar bears and red horses. When a hundred people clomp their heavy plastic ski boots at once you feel as if the floor is about to drop out from under you. We watched a grown man tear a teddy bear apart until the cottony stuffing blew across the bar while the members of a bachelorette party in snow pants, blue sashes and bunny ears danced together on the bar. It’s a party every time but one with a clear and blessedly early endpoint. With a few exceptions the hotels are all including dinner as well as breakfast, so the bars clear out at a reasonable hour as everyone retreats to their hotel rooms for a shower and then down to their meal. The second night, chastened by the first night’s party, we cut the après ski short and had a restoring sauna at the Perner before dinner. My friend Julia, at her home resort of Ellmau in view of the jagged Wilder Kaiser range, taught me the basics of hearty mountain eating in Austria. You have your staples, like the aforementioned Wiener schnitzel and spaghetti Bolognese, pure fuel for the slopes. You have to drink an Almdudler, the Austrian herbal soft drink, a little reminiscent of cream soda, the name a reference to yodeling. There’s the rösti, a dish of shredded potato with a couple of eggs over easy, which hails from Switzerland. You will break Thomas’s heart if you don’t have kaiserschmarrn for dessert, an eggy pancake chopped up and topped with powdered sugar and served with fruit sauce or compote. Which leads us back to that yeast dumpling, better known in these parts as a germknödel. It looks a bit like a round lump of uncooked bread dough but is fluffy and delicious and hides a plum jam in the middle. Covered with vanilla sauce and sprinkled with poppy seeds, it is a miniature mountain in a bowl. “One more run after this?” Christoph asked. I demurred. My legs were so tired and I was feeling comfortable in the a large mountaintop hut decorated with old wooden poles and skis. Out the window I could see gusts of snow swirling around the cross set high on the peak. “He’s not up for it,” Thomas said. I took another sip of fortified chamois milk, thinking how those intrepid mountain goats wouldn’t turn in early. The day was receding and with it Christoph’s flight to Berlin approaching. Each year you had to wonder whether next year would really happen, if the tradition could hold up under the pressure of careers, of children, and with my move back to the States it frankly didn’t seem all that likely. Outside in the snow, we clicked our boots into the bindings and pushed toward the wondering if this would be our last time down the mountain together. I remembered those day trips to Roundtop, pleading with my father to stay a little longer. “One more run?” “Maybe even two,” I said. And off we went. | 0fake |
Former FBI Agent: ‘Stay Tuned’ Because Mueller Is Hot On Trump’s Trail (VIDEO) | Donald Trump is terrified of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. This is especially true since it has been revealed that Mueller has now impaneled a grand jury in Washington D.C. in the Russian probe. Now, according to a former FBI Agent, Trump is right to be very, very worried.Asha Rangappa is now a national security analyst for CNN. She also is the Associate Dean of Yale Law School. Before that, though, she worked for the FBI. On Saturday, she had a warning for Trump, and hopeful news for the American people. First, she talked about disgraced National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and the Mueller team s request that the White House hand over all documents relating to Flynn s short and troubled time in the White House: They probably honed in on a crime or some set of crimes that they want to get more information on. They re probably looking for any kind of communications. Of course, this is likely related to foreign payments that Flynn received but did not immediately disclose. Then, Rangappa went on to say that the grand jury is definitely bad news for Trump and the people in his orbit: The new grand jury is an indication that this is expanding. This is probably still in the early stages. It would be normal at this point to collect more evidence, so they want possibly financial records, they want people to come in and testify under oath to get more information and they re going to use that to proceed. So this is going to be one stage of many as I explained to some people, if this were a TV drama, this might be Episode 4. So, stay tuned. There s more coming. This is getting hotter by the day, and no amount of Trump s going on unhinged Twitter rants about how the Russia story is fake news, a witch hunt, or a hoax will stop Robert Mueller from getting to the bottom of what happened between Team Trump and the Russians. We will be staying tuned for sure, Ms. Rangappa. You can bet on that.Watch the video below:Featured image via Ann Heisenfelt/Getty Images | 1real |
WATCH: UNHINGED CLINTON SUPPORTER Knocks Elderly Man To Ground After He Tries To Stop Him From Burning U.S. Flag [VIDEO] | Hillary s lawless, anti-American supporters were clearly just trying to promote that unity she spoke of during her brilliant DNC speech Police say that a Clinton supporter lit a flag on fire near a group of Trump supporters and attacked a man near the Clinton-Kaine event downtown Saturday afternoon.The incident happened at the intersection of 10th Street and Penn Avenue around 4 p.m.According to a criminal complaint, police were told Joshua Sturman was in the area to support Hillary Clinton, who spoke at a rally at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center later that afternoon. A group of Trump supporters had gathered on the opposing sidewalk in what police say was a peaceful assembly.Sturman crossed the street and walked into the middle of the group of Trump supporters. The criminal complaint says the members of the group were standing close to one another, shoulder-to-shoulder. The complaint says Sturman then pulled out a flag and began to light it on fire.The Trump supporters attempted to put out the fire, which enraged Sturman. Sturman then threw a Trump supporter to the ground and attempted to jump on top of him. Bystanders alerted nearby officers, and police removed Sturman and placed him under detention. Pittsburgh CBS Local h/t Gateway PunditHere s Hillary s historic B.S. unity speech. Maybe these guys were busy burning American flags while she gave it:Watch the first minute. Hillary s unity speech starts at the 18 second mark:https://youtu.be/fTtVQfwEx54 | 1real |
SHOCKING! MSNBC REPORTER GRILLS MAXINE WATERS On Whether Comey Should Have Been Fired [Video] | TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS! Maxine Waters is the poster child for term limits! She is a nasty and vey bitter racist who has such deep hate for Trump that she refuses to work with him. Well, good luck with that! The Republicans have the House, Senate and the Presidency so she won t get far without at least trying to work with the opposing party.We re thrilled to know that there s a decent reporter working for MSNBC! He wouldn t let her wiggle out of answering him. Great job!Maxine might want to start paying attention There s a candidate running against her that just might beat the old bat in the James Brown wig. | 1real |
Honduran opposition candidate Nasralla says "I no longer have anything to do in politics" after U.S. recognition of Hernandez victory | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Honduran opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla said his bid for the presidency was a lost cause on Friday after the United States recognized President Juan Orlando Hernandez as winner of the election. The situation is practically decided, Nasralla said in an interview with TV network France 24. I no longer have anything to do in politics, but the people, which are 80 percent in my favor, will continue the fight. The United States backed Hernandez as winner of the Nov. 26 election despite widespread misgivings about the vote count. | 0fake |
Another Saudi War Crime in Yemen as 43 Prisoners Dead in Airstrike | Another Saudi War Crime in Yemen as 43 Prisoners Dead in Airstrike Posted on Oct 31, 2016
By Juan Cole / Informed Comment
Saudi airstrikes targeting a judiciary building in al-Hudayda, a port on the western coast of Yemen under Houthi control, have killed some 43 people and wounded dozens of others, most of them prisoners.
The strike on the judiciary building, which had a prison attached, could have been predicted to kill civilians. It is therefore a war crime in international law. It isn’t that hard, Riyadh. If you think taking the shot will possibly kill non-combatants, especially a lot of non-combatants, you can’t take it.
Prisoners are especially vulnerable since they are restrained.
Whoever ordered that airstrike should be hauled before the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
h/t wikipedia
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In the past, the US military has warned the Saudis against hitting civilian infrastructure (including the port of al-Hudayda and a key bridge at that city) and Riyadh has blown Washington off and hit them anyway. Which makes me want to ask why the US hasn’t completely dissociated itself from this bloodbath.
In mid-September, jets of the Saudis and their allies killed 25 people in their private residences when they struck the residential al-Hunoud district (they were trying to hit a governmental building in the hands of the Houthis).
On October 8, the Saudis struck a civilian funeral from the air . The US said it was reviewing its involvement then, but nothing changed.
The Houthis have also committed war crimes, sending rockets on civilian neighborhoods in Najran, e.g., but in the nature of the case a small guerrilla group can’t wreak the kind of havoc that an America-equipped state of the art air force can.
The Saudi war on the Houthis of north Yemen has been going on for 18 months and for the past 14 months the Saudis and their allies have had exactly zero success. This is because you can’t win a guerrilla war from the air, and there aren’t enough Yemeni troops willing to fight for deposed president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to take even major Sunni cities from the Zaydi Houthis.
The Houthis bear a lot of the blame for the conflict, since they interrupted Yemen’s constitutional process and made a coup, hand in glove with deposed president Ali Abdallah Saleh, in January of 2015. They then tried to take over the whole country, which wasn’t plausible.
The Houthis are a religious extremist movement hailing from the Shiite Zaydi branch of Islam. Part of what started their rebellion was Saudi proselytizing in Yemen for the anti-Shiite Wahhabi branch of Islam.
About a third of the 22 million Yemenis are Zaydis, mainly in the northwest of the country. It was never very likely these 7 million could rule the 15 million Sunnis, or Sunni cities like Aden, and they were fairly swiftly kicked back out of it by the Arab coalition, in summer of 2015. (In fact, most of the 7 million Zaydis aren’t pro-Houthi, so their ambition is even more overweening than this demographic suggests).
The Houthis are braggarts who say they will overthrow the Saudi government. They have imprisoned many human rights workers. The Saudis accuse them of being Iranian puppets but that frankly is silly. They are an indigenous Yemeni movement and they got most of their weapons by raiding Yemeni army depots for American arms. Iran has probably given them a little help, but configuring what is going on as Saudi v. Iran in Yemen is ridiculous.
Apparently the population in Sanaa, the capital, has swung behind the Houthis on nationalist grounds, and they’ve held big demonstrations against Saudi Arabia (Saudi bombed the demonstration).
The Saudi-led war on Yemen has produced enormous hunger and displacement, which is likely only to get worse.
The reason the Saudis keep committing these war crimes is that their tactics are unsuited to the struggle the want to wage. And if they go on like this, they will come to regret it. TAGS: | 1real |
Greece moves asylum-seekers from Lesbos to mainland | PIRAEUS (Reuters) - Greek authorities on Thursday moved a few hundred asylum-seekers from the island of Lesbos to the mainland in an effort to ease overcrowding in its camps. Thousands of asylum-seekers have become stranded on Lesbos and four other islands close to Turkey since the European Union agreed a deal with Ankara in March 2016 to shut down the route through Greece. I came to heaven from hell, said 30-year old Mohammad Firuz, who lived for two months in a state-run camp in Lesbos. Firuz was among 300 people, many of them women and children, aboard a ferry that reached the port of Piraeus early on Thursday morning. The asylum seekers would be taken to camps and apartments in the mainland, authorities said. Lesbos is now hosting some 8,500 asylum-seekers, nearly three times the capacity of state-run facilities. Violence often breaks out, mainly over delays in asylum procedures and poor living standards. Lesbos residents went on strike earlier this month to protest against European policies they say have turned it into a prison for migrants and refugees. | 0fake |
Four Republican senators say they cannot support healthcare bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four conservative U.S. Republican senators said on Thursday they are not prepared to vote for the Senate Republican healthcare proposal unveiled on Thursday when it comes to the floor, probably next week. “Currently, for a variety of reasons, we are not ready to vote for this bill, but we are open to negotiation and obtaining more information before it is brought to the floor,” the senators — Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, and Ted Cruz — said in a joint statement. The draft bill would not repeal Obamacare and lower healthcare costs, they said. If legislation is to prevail, Republicans can only lose the support of two of the Senate’s 52 Republicans, assuming all 48 Democrats and independents oppose the bill as expected. | 0fake |
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