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HILLARY CHEERLEADER Publication Warns Republicans: DUMP JESUS…Or Become Irrelevant | God family, guns and country these are some of the most important things to the majority of Republicans, yet means very little to leftist Democrats. Without God, we become the communist nation the Democrat party has been pushing us towards for decades God doesn t just go away because the Left wants Him to. Unfortunately, this is what happens when a political party who elects godless presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton who sincerely believe that Government can replace God in the lives of American citizens.Salon Magazine has accused the Republican Party of being out of touch with post-Christian America, warning the GOP that if it doesn t renege on its alliance with Christianity, it will soon become irrelevant.Ted Cruz s failure to get the GOP nomination, Matthew Sheffield proclaims in Salon, is a perfect window into trends that will set the pace of American politics for decades to come: Americans are moving away from Christianity, including people most likely to vote Republican. To back up his claims, Sheffield cites the 2014 Pew Research study finding that 23 percent of Americans say they re unaffiliated with any religious tradition, up from 20 percent just three years earlier.The trend away from religion, and Christianity in particular, Sheffield argues, is the real cause of Republicans woes and their failure to win the last two elections. The likely reason why Republicans have declined in popularity among the non-religious is GOP s long habit of identifying itself as a Christian party, he states. The later attempt to add in a Judeo- prefix has done little to stop the bleeding. While the statistics showing a rise in the religiously unaffiliated are undoubtedly sobering to people of faith, Sheffield fails to mention that the very same Pew study showed that over 70 percent of Americans continue to identify as Christian. That means that to an overwhelming majority of Americans, God matters. Breitbart | 1real |
Comment on Someone tampered with a Virginia road sign so they could call Hillary Clinton a b – – – – by Steven Broiles | Posted on November 3, 2016 by DCG | 6 Comments
Truth hurts.
From Washington Post : Authorities are investigating apparent tampering with an electronic road sign at a busy Virginia commuter lot that resulted in a disparaging remark about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and a call for people to “Vote Trump.”
The sign at the Tackett’s Mill commuter lot in Lake Ridge flashed three consecutive message screens: “CROOKED HILARY”; followed by a profanity (“IS A B –––– ”); followed by “VOTE TRUMP.”
The messages were on display for an unknown period Tuesday evening while commuters headed to their homes in the Virginia suburb, about 25 miles southeast of the District.
Their tone reflects the bitter 2016 presidential race, in which both major-party candidates are historically unpopular and Trump’s supporters openly wear T-shirts calling Clinton the b-word and gleefully chant “Lock her up” during his rallies.
“Crooked Hillary” is a name Trump coined for Clinton and uses regularly. Earlier this week, a tweet from the account of Texas’s agriculture commissioner , a Trump adviser, took the name-calling a step further, using a vulgar term for female genitalia to refer to Clinton.
In Prince William County, the offending electronic sign was one that had been placed in the commuter lot about a month ago by the county elections office. It was programmed to broadcast a message encouraging early voting for those who cannot make it to the polls on Tuesday.
There are about 10 such signs posted in heavily trafficked areas across Prince William County, a relative Republican stronghold in the Washington area. The Board of County Supervisors is chaired by Corey Stewart (R), a high-profile cheerleader for Trump who co-chaired the GOP nominee’s Virginia campaign until a dispute last month led to his ouster .
Election officials in the county, which also has a fast-growing Latino population, are taking special measures this year to speed voting and minimize potential disruptions at the polls.
On Wednesday, officials said the tampered-with sign equipment had not been locked, giving whoever changed the message easy access to a keyboard panel inside. “There’s a set of instructions next to the panel,” said Winston Forrest, a spokesman for the county elections office. “Anyone who could get access to it could make the change.”
After the errant message was reported, it was turned off and the equipment was removed, according the county police.
County elections officials said they have placed locks on the remaining voting road signs in the county. “There are no more of these types of messages,” Forrest said.
Read the rest of the story here .
DCG | 1real |
Guess how leftists, millennials and ‘Black Lives Matter’ morons decided to celebrate the 4th of July? | Guess how leftists, millennials and Black Lives Matter morons decided to celebrate the 4th of July? Do they even know our history? Do they care? The video below is one of the best ever from Paul Joseph Watson 2016: LANGUAGE ALERT!Paul Joseph Watson does a great job of explaining why America is great and how wrong so many leftists are on our history. From racism to genocide, Watson walks us through the misconceptions about America. Great stuff! You re carrying Mexican flags while chanting, Trump is not my President. You know that this is America right? ***Language warning***It s funny that a Brit can know more about how great America is than any American citizen | 1real |
EP #9: Patrick Henningsen LIVE – ‘Our Western Lands’ with guest Doyel Shamley | Join Patrick every Wednesday at Independent Talk 1100 KFNX and Alternate Current Radio for the very best in news, views and analysis on all top stories domestically and abroad THIS WEEK: Episode 9 This week saw a media storm, as the President-Elect Trump took on the real fake news empire led by CNN and NBC s online tabloid BuzzFeed. Also, Yemenis must be celebrating now that globalist UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon announced he s finally heading for retirement.Host Patrick Henningsen is joined by special guest Doyel Shamley, newly elected Apache County Supervisor and head of Veritas Research Consulting to discuss the serious challenges facing Arizona and the 11 western states, including Native American tribal government, as well as environmental and water issues, problems with federal land management, and the systematic threat to rural living posed by bureaucratic and federal corruption. Listen Listen to EP 9: Patrick Henningsen Live With Guest Doyel Shamley on Spreaker.This program broadcasts LIVE every Wednesday night from 8pm to 9pm MST, right after the Savage Nation, on Independent Talk 1100 KFNX over the terrestrial AM band across the greater Phoenix and central Arizona region, and live over global satellite and online via www.1100kfnx.com.LISTEN TO MORE INTERVIEWS AT PATRICK HENNINGSEN LIVE SHOW ARCHIVES | 1real |
Nepal to elect new parliament after years of instability | KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepalis vote on Sunday to choose a new parliament and seven state assemblies hoping to end years of fickle coalitions and complete a tumultuous transition, more than a decade after the end of a civil war. The two-phase election is also expected to determine the path the country takes in balancing ties with China and India, both of whom are pushing hard to expand influence in the buffer state. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba s centrist Nepali Congress party faces a tight battle against a left alliance between the main group of Maoist former rebels and the opposition Communist UML party. About 15.4 million eligible voters are tasked to pick a 275-member parliament - 165 through first-past-the-post and 110 through proportional representation - the first under a new constitution agreed after years of wrangling. Simultaneously, voters will choose representatives to seven provincial assemblies for the first time after Nepal turned into a federal republic and abolished monarchy in 2008. These elections will firmly put the country on the path of stability and prosperity, Deuba, the country s tenth prime minister in as many years, told Reuters. Counting of votes will begin after the second round of polling on Dec 7 and complete results may not be known until the middle of December because of cumbersome counting procedures. Political analysts say that the left alliance is likely to open up the country further to Chinese investments if they were to come to power in the election. Already, the UML has said it would hand back the country s biggest hydro-electric project to China after the Deuba-government, seen as more pro-India, canceled the deal citing lapses in the contract. Our government will revoke the decision after the election, UML general secretary Ishwar Pokharel said, adding there was nothing wrong in the $2.5 billion deal with China Gezhouba Group Corporation to build a 1,200 megawatt plant. Soon after the cancellation of the deal, the chairman of Indian state-run power company NHPC Ltd said it could bid for the project, underlining Delhi s attempts to claw back ground in a country which it has long considered its backyard. The performance of the two largest communist parties in the elections could determine the course of Chinese investment in infrastructure projects in Nepal, said Guna Raj Luintel, editor of the Nagarik daily. In March, Nepal received letters of intent worth $8.4 billion from Chinese investors compared with $300 million received from Indian delegates at an investment summit, officials said. Deuba s Nepali Congress has struck a loose-knit alliance with ethnic Madhesi minority groups who live in the southern plains and have long complained of being sidelined by the Kathmandu-based main political parties. Madhesis account for one third of Nepal s 28 million people and Deuba has promised to amend the constitution to address their grievances if the alliance won the election. Aid and tourism dependent Nepal, recovering from a devastating earthquake that killed 9,000 people in 2015, is among the world s poorest. The economy, which saw zero growth last year due to instability and the earthquake, is expected to expand by 6.9 percent this year because of improved power supply and agricultural production, officials said. | 0fake |
Marco Rubio Cracks: Announces He Plans to Vote for Rex Tillerson’s Confirmation - Breitbart | Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio announced Monday he will vote to confirm former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, providing Tillerson with a critical vote to get him through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. [“I believe the president is entitled to significant deference when it comes to his choices for the cabinet,” Rubio wrote in a Facebook post. “I also believe given the uncertainty surrounding the future direction of our foreign policy that a higher degree of scrutiny is justified in evaluating whoever is nominated to serve as secretary of state. ” Rubio said he remained “concerned” about the U. S. defending democracy and human rights, adding he worried that under Trump, the U. S. “will pursue a foreign policy that too often sets aside our values and our historic alliances in pursuit of flawed geopolitical deals. ” “But in making my decision on his nomination, I must balance these concerns with his extensive experience and success in international commerce, and my belief that the president is entitled to significant deference when it comes to his choices for the cabinet,” he said. “Given the uncertainty that exists both at home and abroad about the direction of our foreign policy, it would be against our national interests to have this confirmation unnecessarily delayed or embroiled in controversy,” Rubio continued. He plans to give Tillerson the critical swing vote to confirm him in committee and will vote for him in the full Senate. “However, upcoming appointments to critical posts in the Department of State are not entitled to and will not receive from me the same level of deference I have given this nomination,” he warned. Rubio had grilled Tillerson about doing business with Russia as CEO of Exxon Mobile and whether or not Vladmir Putin is a “war criminal” during a long and contentious hearing in committee. With Rubio’s vote, Tillerson will likely reach at least 52 votes in the Senate to be confirmed as Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. | 0fake |
Megyn Kelly Just Can't Handle It When Hillary Supporter Goes to Incredible Lengths to Avoid Leaked Emails | Share on Twitter
Fox News host Megyn Kelly grew exasperated on the air Wednesday night when one of her Hillary Clinton-supporting guests repeatedly refused to discuss the hacked John Podesta emails released by WikiLeaks.
At one point, Kelly got so fed up that she actually covered her face with her notes and ended the segment. Image Credit: Fox News/“Kelly File”
Every single time Kelly attempted to get Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman to address the WikiLeaks emails, he changed the subject to Russia and claimed the emails might be fake.
“They haven’t denied it,” Kelly correctly pointed out.
It wasn’t long before Zimmerman was once again repeating his prepared talking points:
“Russia is, in fact, undermining our democracy, trying to sabotage our election and we’re not talking about that, that Donald Trump is embracing Vladimir Putin…” Image Credit: Peter Muhly - WPA Pool/Getty Images
A frustrated Kelly interrupted, “You’ve said that like five times, can you just talk about the emails? Are you going to defend her or not?”
Zimmerman claimed people can’t even talk about the emails because it’s not clear if they are “valid” or not.
At that point, Kelly was done. | 1real |
Rick Scott Issues Bizarre Response To The Woman Who Humiliated Him In Starbucks | On Tuesday, the world was treated to an awesome video of a woman absolutely reaming Florida Governor Rick Scott at a Gainsville Starbucks. Now, we finally get to hear what he had to say about the woman who prevented him from getting his latte and it is absolutely baffling.In the viral video, Cara Jennings yelled (in part), You don t care about working people. You should be ashamed to show your face around here, at the governor.She s not wrong, Scott has done many, many horrible things to the people of his state. He refused to expand Medicaid to nearly a million of the state s working poor. He changed hospital rules for one of his donors who ran a medical center with an extremely high infant mortality rate. He has attacked women at every turn, most recently with an unconstitutional anti-abortion bill.On Wednesday, Governor Scott s office issued a statement saying: People with radical views tend to not like civil debate. A self-proclaimed anarchist rudely yelled and cursed at the Governor. She also refused to Pledge Allegiance to the flag. It s a free country, but it s not at all surprising that an anarchist prefers shouting over conversation. What? That s his response? Jennings didn t stand for the Pledge, seriously?Jennings, a former Lake Worth city commissioner, was asked what she thinks of Scott s bizarre allegations and she said that sometimes she recited it, sometimes she didn t: I was never disrespectful about it, but I was never an avid Pledge leader, she said. But I don t know how that bears any impact on if I critique his policies or not. How is it relevant if I say the Pledge? It has absolutely nothing to do with her critiques of his policies, but he is doing what Republicans often do when confronted: he s deflecting. Scott is not the kind of guy who feels like he should ever have to answer for anything he does. A prime example of this was when his former company Columbia/HCA defrauded the federal government out of millions of dollars with the biggest Medicare fraud in history and when he was asked about it, he invoked the 5th Amendment 75 times.So, his current deflection is, really, just more of the same from Florida s biggest mistake.Featured image via Joe Raedle/Getty Images | 1real |
Along New York Harbor, ‘On the Waterfront’ Endures - The New York Times | On an overcast Friday morning last January, longshoremen all over New York Harbor walked off the docks, bringing the port nearly to a stop for a day. What were the longshoremen’s grievances? What were their demands? Many of the men seemed not to know. They hung around the food trucks and milled about the parking lots, unsure why they had stopped working and unsure what it would take for work to resume. “No one knew what that was about,” one recalled recently. A year later, the reason for the strike remains unclear, even as the agency tasked with ridding the waterfront of organized crime, the Waterfront Commission, has questioned dozens of longshoremen under oath. One told the commission he learned of the strike early that morning, when it was too dark to see the face of the man giving the order. It could have been anyone. It was the old D D — Deaf and Dumb, the classic longshoreman’s response, popularized in the 1954 film “On the Waterfront. ” In that movie, the longshoremen were reluctant, even frightened, to talk to the authorities, whether a priest or a detective, because the mob controlled the waterfront. In the years since, much has changed around New York Harbor the heavy lifting is done not by hand but by cranes, and human voices are scarcely heard amid the beeping of the straddle carriers, giant insectlike machines that move containers back and forth. But even as New York and New Jersey’s increasingly valuable shoreline is claimed by luxury development, investigators say the mob is still present. It is where the daughter of one of the mobsters made famous in the 1997 film “Donnie Brasco” is up for a job where the nephew of another famous mobster pulled down more than $400, 000 in a single year because he was almost never off the clock, not even when he was at home sleeping where three consecutive presidents of a Newark longshoremen’s union were convicted of extortion. There is physical evidence as well, like the $51, 900 wrapped in cellophane that was discovered buried in the backyard of a longshoreman. It was, according to federal agents in a 2010 affidavit, the tribute that a group of Newark longshoremen paid the Genovese crime family each Christmas. “You will need another generation or two to get the mob out of this port, because they are very well entrenched,” said one longshoreman who requested anonymity because of a concern for his safety and his livelihood. Those who step out of line, he said, face being reassigned from jobs unloading container ships to the cruise ship terminals, where the work and the pay is far less. While investigators say the mob and the waterfront remain entwined, both institutions are much diminished today, pushed to the margins of New York City. The finger piers that once extended from much of Manhattan and Brooklyn are mostly gone. These days the most famous shipping line in the city is the Circle Line, which does sightseeing tours. Container ships generally head across the harbor to New Jersey, toward the ports of Elizabeth, Newark and Bayonne. They unload at a number of terminals, one of which is owned by a Canadian teachers’ pension fund. The pay is pretty good on the docks — plenty of longshoremen make well over $100, 000 — but the work is often dreary and dangerous. “It’s a funny thing about this port,” a hiring agent at Port Newark named Pasquale Pontoriero was overheard saying in a 2009 wiretap, a few years before his license was revoked because he had associated with organized crime figures. “I call it the Broadway of broken dreams. ” Perhaps the starkest difference at the port today is in how many machines there are, and how few people. A century ago New York Harbor employed 40, 000 longshoremen, who unloaded ships with hook and sling and brawn. Today, the entire workforce is just under 3, 400 longshoremen, many perched behind the controls of cranes and straddle carriers. Yet amid all the transformation, some investigators say, racketeers and mobsters are still as present as the barnacles attached to the piers. In the view of Walter M. Arsenault, the executive director of the Waterfront Commission, the fundamental relationship between the waterfront and the mob remains unchanged since “On the Waterfront. ” “The only difference is now, it’s in color,” Mr. Arsenault said. He based that assessment on several indicators, such as the number of relatives of figures who continue to hold choice jobs, many of which involve little work and pay unusually high salaries, like the union shop steward position held by Ralph Gigante, the nephew of the boss of the Genovese family, the late Vincent (Chin) Gigante. Ralph Gigante earned $419, 000 in 2014, and has said he believes he holds the union office for life — “until death do us part. ” There is also the fact that some of the same New York and New Jersey union officials whom federal prosecutors have in the past accused of racketeering have since risen to the top ranks of the East Coast waterfront union, the International Longshoremen’s Association. One is Harold J. Daggett, the garrulous president, who owns a yacht, the Obsession, and has been spotted by his members riding in a Bentley. One longshoreman said he had been surprised to catch sight of a holster strapped to Mr. Daggett’s ankle during a meeting. The Justice Department, which has lost two cases against Mr. Daggett, has described him as an “associate” of the Genovese crime family whose rise through the union ranks was part of the mob’s plan. A good portion of the Justice Department’s evidence against him came from the testimony of an aged mob turncoat, George Barone, who had once been a waterfront enforcer for the Genovese family and who described Mr. Daggett as thoroughly under the mob’s control. But Mr. Daggett, on trial in 2005, took the witness stand and portrayed himself as a mob target, describing a 1980 episode in which Mr. Barone had put a gun to his head and threatened to kill him and his family — an incident that so terrified Mr. Daggett he urinated in his pants, according to news accounts. During that trial, one of Mr. Daggett’s a reputed mobster named Lawrence Ricci, went missing. Several weeks after the men were acquitted, Mr. Ricci’s decomposing body was found in the trunk of a car outside a New Jersey diner. The murder, which Mr. Arsenault said is the last known waterfront killing, remains unsolved. Mr. Daggett declined, through the longshoremen’s association’s spokesman, to be interviewed. But alluding to his brushes with the Justice Department, Mr. Daggett joked at a union conference in Puerto Rico in 2015 that when he was invited to the White House for a labor meeting, “I thought I might have a better chance ending up in the big house, but there I was, your I. L. A. president, at the White House. ” But Mr. Daggett’s lawyer in that 2005 trial, George Daggett (his cousin) said in a recent interview that “the mob on the waterfront is a myth” — something that has not been true for half a century. Mr. Daggett, who frequently represents longshoremen in litigation with the Waterfront Commission, said that the agency prefers to pretend “we’re still in the ’50s. ” “They can’t say, ‘We got rid of the mob,’ because then there’s no reason for them to be in existence,” George Daggett said. “I challenge them to prove mob influence on the piers. What have they come up with? A couple of guys here and a stray guy there?” The mob’s grip over the New York waterfront began nearly a century ago and was predicated on a few simple facts: The work was uneven, depending on a ship’s arrival time, and yet the cargo needed to be unloaded quickly, so that produce did not spoil and the shelves of America’s stores could remain stocked. Gangsters quickly realized that the piers were the choke point of the economy, and that a dizzying array of rackets were available to them. They pilfered cargo as it came ashore and extorted truckers who had come to collect cargo or drop it off. And, most cruelly, the mob controlled which of the longshoreman would be selected to work. Theirs was some of the most dangerous work in the country, but longshoremen had to beg to get it. At the on the piers, where longshoremen would gather each morning in the hope of joining the group that would work on an arriving ship, it was common for a man to place a toothpick behind his ear, a signal that he would kick back some of his pay. All this began to change with containerization, as goods were no longer shipped loose but packed into containers that stacked efficiently, and transferred easily between ships and trucks and trains. With cranes doing the lifting, the number of longshoremen plummeted by more than 90 percent. Today, advances in automation threaten to reduce the number of longshoremen even further. As the workforce dwindled, the remaining jobs became well paid. This was a result of a shrewd move by the longshoremen’s association: The union negotiated a flat fee, today roughly $5 a ton, that the shipping industry would pay into various funds to provide an income for longshoremen and supplement the benefits and income of those who would work fewer hours as a result. As global trade has soared, the few longshoremen who remain have seen their paychecks grow. The waterfront today has largely receded from the city’s consciousness and even its geography. And to some extent, so has the mob. Decimated by mass prosecutions over the last three decades, New York’s five crime families have struggled to adapt. While there have been some new, profitable ventures, like online gambling, the waterfront still exerts its own pull. Mr. Arsenault referred to the waterfront as the mob’s “last candy jar. ” In recent years, the union has brazenly recommended friends or relatives of organized crime figures for jobs on the docks, said Phoebe S. Sorial, the general counsel for the Waterfront Commission. She said the union has sought waterfront jobs for “people who posted bail for organized figures” and “people who are in business with organized crime figures,” along with any number of relatives. In 2014, for instance, the union recommended the daughter of one of New York’s most famous mobsters, Benjamin (Lefty) Ruggiero (played by Al Pacino in the film “Donnie Brasco”) Mr. Arsenault said, adding that other such cases abound. “You can’t throw a rock on either side of the waterfront without hitting a brother, son or daughter of a made member,” Mr. Arsenault said, using the terminology for someone who has been inducted into a crime family. The Waterfront Commission was formed in 1953 to fight organized crime on the docks. For many years, before it came under new leadership in 2008, it was a and sleepy agency. Since then it has focused on extensive background checks, mapping the familial relationships between mobsters and longshoremen — an elaborate genealogy project. The Gigantes, for instance, have 10 relatives — mostly nephews, and grandsons — working on the waterfront, according to the commission. This kind of blatant nepotism was impressive if not especially unusual. And yet Mr. Daggett, the union president, objects to the assumption that these sorts of arrangements necessarily signal corruption. “There is an old saying,” he once proclaimed at a public hearing, slightly stretching the degree of kinship in the adage, “‘The son or a nephew should not carry the sins of a father or an uncle. ’” Many of those with relatives in organized crime say the insinuation that they themselves are mixed up in racketeering is hurtful, untrue and yet maybe inescapable. “When I started out, people were a little standoffish because of fear, because of my ancestors,” James Anastasio said. His father’s uncle was Albert Anastasia, once the head of what the press called Murder, Inc. he was “Lord High Executioner,” as his 1957 obituary in The Daily News put it. “Although once they got to know me and realized I had nothing to do with that, they treated me as a normal person. ” Mr. Anastasio, who runs a training institute for longshoremen and is also an executive at a crane company, said that in his long career on the waterfront, “I’ve never really come across the mob. ” “As far as I know, no, the mob is no longer on the waterfront,” he added. “I can’t say there are not small pockets of bad people, but as far as big influence — not that I’ve seen in my lifetime. ” George Daggett, the lawyer and cousin of the union president, said that the Waterfront Commission has taken to harassing some longshoremen with relatives reputed to be organized crime figures. He cited a lawsuit he had brought on behalf of a longshoreman in New Jersey named Pasquale Falcetti Jr. Mr. Falcetti, he said, was denied a port registration card by the Waterfront Commission for no other reason, apparently, than “who this kid’s father is” — Pasquale (Uncle Patty) Falcetti, a convicted racketeer and reputed leader in the Genovese family, currently finishing a federal prison sentence. The union has complained about such aggressive tactics, and the longstanding antipathy between the longshoremen’s association and the Waterfront Commission may have been the driving force behind the strike last year. And yet a spokesman for the longshoremen’s association, James McNamara, said the union did not give the order for the strike and urged the longshoremen to return to work. “What we had heard,” Mr. McNamara said, “was the men were seemingly protesting against the Waterfront Commission and what was perceived as harassment. ” As for the presence of organized crime along the waterfront, Mr. McNamara said the mob had no influence anymore. “They just don’t,” he said. “It’s a highly automated, highly sophisticated industry. ” He added, “You just don’t hear about that at all anymore. ” But another viewpoint was offered two years ago by Sabato (Sal) Catucci, a legendary waterfront figure who operated the stevedoring company that ran the Red Hook docks in Brooklyn until 2011. At a public hearing before the Waterfront Commission in 2010, he protested investigators’ insinuation that the ports were under mob control. He was so wary of being tarred as a mobster that he even chose what to wear with care. “I didn’t come in here with a black shirt today, because I don’t feel that I wanted to be stereotyped,” he said. Yet just a few years later, Mr. Catucci, now locked in a battle over a contract to operate the Red Hook port, accused the longshoremen’s union of threatening him during negotiations. He had been told he would be taken out “in a box,” according to a lawsuit he filed. One vice president of the union “shoved me and threatened to knock me out,” Mr. Catucci said in a 2014 affidavit, in which he claimed that some of the waterfront’s most powerful figures “are, or are associated with, thugs who get their way by intimidation and force. ” Investigators insist that the same rackets that gave life to “On the Waterfront” continue today. Mr. Arsenault checked off the various forms of thievery and extortion, both big and small, that he learned of through his investigations. containers occasionally disappear, most likely the result of theft. Truckers, in order to be allowed to retrieve their container and leave the port, have been encouraged to buy overpriced bottles of water, or even Girl Scout cookies from the longshoremen, he said. Robert Stewart, a longtime anticorruption prosecutor who until last year had worked in a role for 13 years to rid a longshoremen’s local in Bayonne of organized crime, said that mob influence on the waterfront was “a tad better” than in the past. “You don’t have bodies showing up,” he said. But he said he wondered whether the mob had not simply directed its attention to a different source of income. For years, investigators have suspected that the mob’s most lucrative targets on the waterfront are the longshoremen benefit funds, including what is known as the “container royalty fund,” the fund that pays extra wages to longshoremen each year as compensation for the diminished work that came with containerization. The funds are worth a great deal of money one received more than $95 million in 2014. They also tend to be rather opaque. “It is an awfully inviting target, and knowing the cast of characters involved here, to think they’re not getting a piece of this is unrealistic,” Mr. Stewart said. The list of employees at the benefits fund, said one law enforcement official, include an accountant and a director of operations who are the children of dead organized crime figures. But John Nardi, the president of the New York Shipping Association, a trade group that has a role in managing the funds, said he had seen no evidence of misconduct. “Based on people’s names you can make a lot of assumptions,” he said. However, he said, “All monies are accounted for. ” | 0fake |
Portugal heading for another record year for tourist arrivals | LISBON (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal jumped around 13 percent in January-July, putting the country firmly on track for another record year for tourism, which has been a key driver of its economic recovery since a 2011-14 debt crisis. The National Statistics Institute said on Thursday in its monthly data on the hotel sector that over 7.1 million foreign visitors stayed in Portuguese hotels through July, which helped drive total hotel revenues over 17 percent higher to 1.8 billion euros ($2.14 billion). Portugal s arrivals growth outpaced those in neighboring Spain, which chalked up a 11 percent rise in the same period, according to official Spanish data. Despite a deceleration in July from June levels, both the tourist arrivals and revenues so far this year maintained the pace of growth seen in 2016, when tourist arrivals exceeded 10 million for the first time. August is traditionally the strongest month by far for holiday-making in Portugal, which lures foreign visitors with its beaches, historic sites and some of the lowest prices for wining and dining in western Europe. Pop star Madonna has this month become the most illustrious of a growing number of foreign residents in Portugal, which was also named Europe s top destination for expatriates in a survey by social network InterNations. Hotel revenues and all travel-related revenues account for about 10 percent of Portugal s gross domestic product. The tourism sector is also a key source of employment. Tourism has been growing since 2011, helping the heavily indebted country overcome its economic and debt crisis. Economic growth this year is expected to accelerate to over 2 percent from 1.4 percent in 2016. Portugal has opened dozens of new hotels in the past year and private entrepreneurs have redeveloped hundreds of apartment buildings in old parts of Lisbon and other areas to rent to tourists, helping the country s flagging construction sector. | 0fake |
Watch: Stephen A Smith Gets Heated During Debate Over Tony Romo’s White Privilege - Breitbart | Things got heated Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take” during a debate about retiring Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo suiting up for the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night. “First Take” Stephen A. Smith questioned Romo’s special treatment because of the lack of success he experienced as the starter in Dallas compared to black athletes such as former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. “Do you know of any black athlete that won just two playoff games, didn’t have any kind of postseason success whatsoever that gets celebrated like this?” Smith asked. “Usually there is a requirement to have some kind of success in order to garner the celebratory atmosphere and ambiance that we saw for Romo. ” Max Kellerman responded by saying he could not think of any athlete of any race who is “feted” to the same extent as Romo. “[A]s an … I’m enlightening you about the fact that these are the kinds of things away from the white community that when folks in the black community huddle amongst ourselves and talk about things and talk about discrepancies, it’s the kind of stuff that irks us,” Smith replied. “Because we know that those are the kinds of things that are not reserved for us. Sports is supposed to be the closest thing to a meritocracy. Where is it here?” ESPN’s Will Cain called Smith’s white privilege argument “so much nonsense and so much junk,” adding to make the debate racial “detracts” from the “real racial issues. ” “What you just said was so much nonsense, and so much junk,” Cain told Smith. “To make this racial is so far beyond the pale that it makes real racial issues hard to pay attention to. It detracts. ” Smith angrily replied, “You don’t get to just chirp chirp chirp and talk about what we’re supposed to feel, and I don’t get a chance to respond. What the hell do you think this is? Let me be very, very clear: You’re not black. Don’t think for one second you get to tell me how to feel. ” Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | 0fake |
Superstar Marc Anthony Rocks Madison Square Garden By Shouting ‘F*** Donald Trump!’ As Crowd Cheers (VIDEO) | If Donald Trump had been at Madison Square Garden during this Marc Anthony concert, he would have been booed out of the building.During the concert, the popular Latino singer took aim at the Republican billionaire by shouting at the top of his lungs about his pride at being a Latino before telling Trump to go f*ck himself, which drew a loud cheer from the thousands in attendance. I m proud to be a Latino, Anthony told his fans. I just want to say, we re proud of our country. We speak a little differently. We have our own food, we have our own way of being. But here, no matter where you come from, we re Latinos. And we have to take care of each other, no matter where we come from. There s only one f*cking box to check when you come to this country, and it says Latino!' There s some crazy movement coming from some Anthony began to say while motioning with his hands. He then wanted to say two things. First, F*ck Donald Trump! Anthony then told the crowd that he wants Trump to hear it from his house. Wake that motherf*cker up. And then the concert resumed.Here s the video via YouTube.It s understandable why Anthony has a problem with Donald Trump. Throughout his run for the presidency, Trump has repeatedly launched unfair attacks on Latinos. During his official campaign announcement Trump characterized all Mexicans as rapists, and promised to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep Latino immigrants from entering the country. Ever since, he has blamed Latinos for the crime and violence in the United States and called for a renewal of Operation Wetback, a deportation initiative under the Eisenhower Administration, a consequence of which resulted in the use of wetback as a derogatory term against Latinos and the displacement of thousands of men, women, and children.The fact is that, like Donald Trump, Marc Anthony is an American citizen and a native New Yorker. But while Trump clings to a racist version of America, Anthony believes in the historical diversity that has made America great over countless generations.That being said, Republicans should tread carefully if they really want Latinos to vote for their candidate in November. After all, 70 percent of Latinos voted for President Obama in 2012. If the GOP doesn t stop being racist, they can expect even more Latinos to vote against them this time around. Featured image from Facebook | 1real |
Re: Hillary Slights Comey In Presser Responding To FBI Bombshell | Email
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton responded to the latest bombshell about her emails by demanding FBI director James Comey immediately release everything the FBI has discovered.
She also falsely accused Comey of only sending the letters to Republicans, suggesting he was causing a political firestorm by doing so. Clinton held a brief four-minute press conference with reporters in Iowa Friday, where she has been campaigning.
“I have now seen Director Comey’s letter to Congress,” Clinton said to open her remarks. “We are 11 days out from perhaps the most important national election in our lifetimes … so the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately.” https://twitter.com/NBCNightlyNews/status/792142514471907329
“The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not,” she continued. “I’m confident whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July. Therefore it’s imperative that the Bureau explain this issue and question, whatever it is, without any delay.”
Clinton said the recent announcement from Comey came as a complete surprise to her and her staff, and that she only learned about it thanks to “this letter sent to Republican members of the House.”
While Clinton’s rhetoric implies that Comey only contacted Republicans, that’s not the case. While only Republicans are listed at the top of Comey’s letter (because they hold all House committee chairmanships) Comey’s letter was also copied to the Democratic ranking members of each committee.
Clinton also dismissed as a “rumor” reports that the email investigation was reopened due to discoveries made during a separate investigation of former Democratic representative Anthony Weiner. Weiner is the husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, though she announced her separation from him following revelations last month that Weiner sexted with an underage girl. That sexting triggered an FBI investigation of its own, which has now circled all the way back to Clinton.
“We’ve heard these rumors,” Clinton said. “We don’t know what to believe. That’s why it is incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what they’re talking about, because right now your guess is as good as mine, and I don’t think that’s good enough.”
She then wrapped her conference by once again slamming Comey for supposedly only contacting Republicans. “If they’re going to be sending this kind of letter that is only going originally to Republican members of the House, they need to share whatever facts they have with the American people.”
The Daily Caller Foundation | 1real |
Donald Trump Beat Expectations Everywhere, Suggesting a Broad Shift - The New York Times | After just about every primary night this year, I’ve written something like “Donald J. Trump stayed on a narrow but clear path to the Republican nomination. ” After Tuesday night, Mr. Trump has never had a wider path to a majority of pledged delegates. He swept the Northeastern corridor by a huge margin, smashing any and all expectations based on primaries to date. He won a majority of the vote nearly everywhere, and even carried many of the places where he was expected to be weak — like Montgomery County, Md. or Greenwich, Conn. or Lancaster, Pa. His huge victory makes a majority of delegates seem well within reach. That’s in part because he amassed more delegates than expected, but also because his strength made wins in Indiana and California seem more likely than before. He was expected to fare well, but he beat the polls everywhere. He was at 48 percent in the final Pennsylvania polls he won 57 percent. He was at 49 percent in the Maryland polls (43 percent excluding the generally dubious polls from A. R. G.) he won 54 percent. Similarly, The Upshot’s models systematically underestimated Mr. Trump’s performance. His best state, as expected, was Rhode Island. But he won 64 percent of the vote, not the 57 percent that the model anticipated. Mr. Trump was favored to win big, at 50 and 51 percent, in Delaware and Connecticut he won 61 and 58 percent. Maryland and Pennsylvania seemed more challenging for Mr. Trump. The model had him at 41 and 45 percent. He easily outperformed those tallies, winning 54 and 57 percent of the vote. Mr. Trump’s overperformance was broad — spanning nearly every kind of county across all of the states in play. That raises the possibility of a significant shift in Mr. Trump’s favor over the last month. There’s no way to be sure, but national polls show something similar, with Mr. Trump creeping up into the . The state polls in Indiana and California have also looked very good in recent weeks. Perhaps he will return to more familiar levels of support once he leaves the Northeast. But even then, he’ll still have a very credible shot to win a majority of delegates — and an easier shot because of the delegates he earned in the Northeast. If there’s any good news for Mr. Trump’s opponents, it’s that his landslide didn’t yield too many more pledged delegates than expected — most of the states awarded their delegates to the winner, and Mr. Trump was expected to win. But every delegate counts for Mr. Trump at this stage, and where he could squeeze out additional ones, he did. He won all of the delegates at stake in Maryland and Connecticut by clearing 50 percent of the vote and winning all of the congressional districts. He even earned an unexpected additional delegate in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District, where Mr. Cruz failed to get the 10 percent needed for a delegate. Altogether, Mr. Trump will probably win 110 of the 118 pledged delegates at stake — a hair better than what seemed like his scenario. Mr. Trump outperformed by even more in the Pennsylvania “loophole” primary — the sort of contest that has tripped him up. Voters directly elected 54 unbound delegates to the Republican convention, but the ballot included no guidance on whom the delegates might support. Nonetheless, Mr. Trump’s preferred slate appears to lead in 31 of the 54 delegate slots, and another 11 had told the news media that they would vote for the winner of their district. Mr. Trump may not ultimately win all of these delegates — they’re not bound to their statements — but they could provide him with a crucial cushion if he falls a bit short in the pledged delegate count. If you include Mr. Trump’s preferred delegates from the unpledged delegate slate in Pennsylvania, he is around 250 delegates short of the 1, 237 necessary to win the nomination. He can cover about half of that amount with expected wins in West Virginia and New Jersey and with delegates from proportional states. That leaves two key states: Indiana and California. Mr. Trump would easily win if he carried both states. He might not even need Indiana if he maintains the loyalty of the unbound delegates who said they would vote for the winner of their district in Pennsylvania, or simply if he wins big in California. And after Tuesday night, a big win in California looks quite possible. | 0fake |
Thanks To Trump The U.S. Economy Lost Jobs For The First Time In 7 Years | After taking office, Donald Trump has repeatedly taken credit for President Obama s economy and regularly touts jobs numbers on his Twitter timeline. Now that Trump s economy is in effect, we doubt he ll be tweeting about the labor market losing 33,000 jobs last month.While some of this can be attributed to natural disasters, Trump has also failed to pass any major legislation.Job growth in August and July was revised down, to 38,000 less than previously reported. Economists expected 75,000 new jobs instead of a 33,000 job loss.The economy has added an average of 172,000 jobs a month over the past year but that has dropped to a 91,000 average over the past three months, showing a trend which is not in Trump s favor.Axios reports:Economists widely blame the disruptive effects of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey for the disappointing number, because the survey methodology dictates that folks who didn t get paid on the pay period that included September 12th are not counted as employed.But the report also revised down the two previous monthly estimates of job growth, suggested the slowdown is not all weather related.After Obama took office, he had quite a task on his hands in dealing with the cost of his predecessor s wars, but he did it. Obama s economy took an upward swing, even after natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and the floods which ravaged Louisiana. Throughout his campaign, Trump called Obama s economy a disaster but compared to other presidents, that was far from the truth.Fact: Obama took office during the worst recession since the Great Depression when the economy was losing 750,000 jobs a month and already had lost a record 9 percent of GDP. Obama started with a weak economy due to his predecessor s decisions but his final jobs report showed 75 consecutive months of growth.The unemployment rate, however, just fell to 4.2 percent, and we re sure Trump will bring that up. Let s see how long that lasts because the former reality show star is now making war noises toward North Korea. Also, if Trump manages to get the GOP tax proposal in the works, we ll see more reports like this one.But for a guy whose presidency has been based on undoing everything Obama has done, he sure did a good job of that with the first loss of jobs reported in 7 years.Photo: Alex Wong via Getty Images. | 1real |
Steelers Crush Dolphins to Set Up a Clash With the Chiefs - The New York Times | PITTSBURGH — The Miami Dolphins won the coin toss Sunday and kicked off to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a decision that in retrospect seemed a tad misguided. But then it was not as if electing to receive would have been a wiser choice. A more prudent, if somewhat unorthodox, strategy would have been doing something else entirely with the football. Hiding it, for example. Maybe beneath the Dolphins’ parkas. Because without the ball, the Steelers’ offense could not score. And if the Steelers’ offense could not score, then the Dolphins might actually have stood a chance of winning Sunday’s playoff game at Heinz Field instead of absorbing a comprehensive demolition. The defeat, which reaffirmed Pittsburgh as a formidable A. F. C. contender, held less suspense than a romantic comedy. All of 2 minutes 45 seconds elapsed before Pittsburgh scored on an exquisite (50 yards) by Antonio Brown. That preceded another exquisite by Brown (62 yards) which preceded a scoring rush by Le’Veon Bell, who accounted for all 78 yards on that drive (excluding a penalty) all on runs, 10 in a row. It was as if the Steelers kept giving him the ball because they had grown bored of demoralizing Miami through the air. Finishing with 167 yards, Bell set the team postseason record in his playoff debut. He missed the playoffs two seasons ago with a hyperextended knee. Last year, a torn knee ligament sidelined him. The Steelers have been eagerly waiting for their redoubtable trio of Bell, Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed his first 11 passes for 188 yards, to play in the postseason together. They combined for all four touchdowns, scored across the first seven series (one was a before halftime) in a performance that showcased Pittsburgh at the apex of its intimidating might. “We can attack in different ways,” Bell said. All of them are devastating. Especially those that involve Brown, who turned two short passes into long touchdowns, and Bell. Not since Barry Sanders, perhaps, has the N. F. L. seen a running back as destructively patient as Bell. He takes the handoff. Then he waits. “I’m standing back there and I’m watching, and I’m like, ‘Uh, are you going to go any time here? ’” Roethlisberger said of Bell. The length of Bell’s pause varies from play to play, but it allows him to survey the field, set up his blockers and find creases. Accelerating through, he leaves defenders in his wake, then drags them through it. “He’s a man for all situations or circumstances,” Coach Mike Tomlin said. When Miami’s defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, was asked last week how he prioritized containing Brown, Bell and Roethlisberger, he chose Bell first. “If you can’t contain Bell, you can’t contain A. B. ,” Joseph said, using Brown’s nickname. The Dolphins, overwhelmed by the challenge, did neither. The burden of preparing for the Steelers now belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs, who will host Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon in a rematch of a Week 4 game. The Steelers won by 29 points that night, but there is folly in perceiving past as prologue. The Dolphins’ resurfacing in the postseason after an absence elicited much joy not only in South Florida, but also in western Pennsylvania, where the Steelers seethed all week, eager to avenge an October rout. That win ignited Miami’s recovery from a start and foretold the steamrollering that running back Jay Ajayi, who rushed for 204 yards that day, would administer to defensive game plans. Even thinking about that defeat angered the Steelers’ defensive coordinator, Keith Butler, who said it “really challenges your manhood. ” The Steelers pride themselves on playing a physical style. Shoved around that day, they vowed to inflict pain Sunday. “We just wanted to get out there and be as physical and as violent as we could be,” safety Mike Mitchell said. “Like I said, our was to tee off on them. It wasn’t to wrap up and make tackles. ” Ajayi exceeded 200 yards twice more during the regular season. He never came close Sunday, smothered by Pittsburgh’s front. He finished with 33 yards on 16 carries. “We always can get better, but we was cooking today,” defensive end Stephon Tuitt said. “It was fun to cook. ” The essence of Mitchell’s proclamation — “The goal was to tee off on them I can’t say that enough” — permeated the rest of the defense, which nearly turned Miami’s suboptimal quarterback situation even more dire midway through the second quarter. Starting a fourth consecutive week in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill (knee) Matt Moore left the pocket and, after releasing a pass, encountered linebacker Bud Dupree. He did not hit Moore so much as nearly dislodge Moore’s head from his body. “You just see a sack,” said Dupree, who had not yet seen a replay. Moore crumpled to the field and lay there as a skirmish that began near the Miami sideline expanded closer to midfield. It seemed to take less time for Moore to be examined for a concussion, and other injuries, than he spent on the ground. He missed one play. “I got checked out, I felt fine,” Moore said. “It was more of my jaw than anything else. I felt good. I came back in, and I was fine. ” On that drive, the Dolphins kicked a field goal to draw to within . But on their next two series, on either side of halftime, Moore was losing the ball — and, soon enough, the game for the Dolphins. Pittsburgh, which has won eight straight, has not lost since Nov. 13, when Dallas pilfered a late victory that earned the wrath of Roethlisberger, who demanded afterward that the Steelers play with more discipline and accountability. Those elements returned, and so did the A. F. C. North crown, borrowed for a year by Cincinnati. The Steelers reached this stage of the playoffs last season before losing at Denver. They did not have Bell, or even Brown, who sat with a concussion. Now they have both. And Roethlisberger, who said he would play next week despite an injured ankle encased afterward in a walking boot. And a healthy offensive line. And a snarling defense. But still. “I’m not excited about this,” guard Ramon Foster said after the win. Why? “It’s bigger than this week,” he added, referring to the coming game against the Chiefs. | 0fake |
Ex-NATO Chief: We Need US As World's Policeman | Propaganda Alert
Ex-NATO Chief: We Need US As World's Policeman By Dominic Waghorn SKY " - The man who led the West's most powerful alliance through most of the Obama administration has told Sky News that the President has not done enough to prevent conflict.
Former NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen says America's next commander-in-chief must do more to lead the world. In an interview, he explained: "I think President Obama has been too reluctant to use military force or threaten to use military force to prevent conflicts in the world.
"We need America as the world's policeman. We need determined American global leadership."
His criticism carries more weight in the closing days of the US election campaign, and reveals the frustration of a man tasked with running the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation during the Obama years.
Regardless of who wins the presidency in less than a week's time, Mr Rasmussen said the US has no choice but to return to the path of greater interventionism.
"Superpowers don't get to retire. Look around you will see a world on fire. Syria torn by war and conflict. Iraq on the brink of collapse. Libya a failed state in North Africa. Russia attacking Ukraine and destabilising Eastern Europe. China flexing its muscles, the rogue state North Korea threatening nuclear attacks.
"All that requires a world policeman to restore international law and order."
Mr Rasmussen also expressed deep concerns about what Donald Trump might do to the world should he win the presidency.
"It might be very dangerous, of course," he said. "We don't know what will be the concrete policies of a Trump administration - but if his statements were to be taken at face value, I consider it could be very dangerous for the world."
The Danish politician's aspirations for greater US global leadership are not shared by millions of Americans, it seems.
They have supported a candidate who has advocated that the US intervenes less in foreign affairs and withdraws more.
On the campaign trail, Mr Trump has said America cannot carry on being the world's policeman.
Whether or not Mr Obama could have done more to prevent conflicts is the focus of intense debate in Washington.
Some blame him for the turmoil roiling the Middle East. Others say he has skilfully managed its fallout, and greater US involvement would only have made matters worse.
Aaron David Miller, who has advised both Republican and Democratic administrations on foreign policy, says even superpowers are limited in what they can achieve - as America's next president will discover.
He said: "(I think) the notion that Mrs Clinton or Mr Trump will somehow be able to come up with comprehensive fixes for the world's problems or America's is an illusion.
"Our constitution talks about creating a more perfect union. Nowhere in the document does it say it is the objective of the American policy to create a more perfect world.
"That does not mean we need to abandon the world. We can't. But it does mean particularly in the wake of Iraq and Afghanistan we need to take a very hard look at what American interests are, and figure out the most effective and smart way of protecting them." | 1real |
Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Jo Cox: Your Wednesday Evening Briefing - The New York Times | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the .) Please note: The Evening Briefing is taking a break on Thursday, but we’ll be back on Friday. Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. Donald Trump moved to diversify his cabinet with selections for three key positions. He chose Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina as the ambassador to the United Nations and Betsy DeVos, a charter school advocate, for education secretary. He is also nearing an announcement of Ben Carson as secretary of housing and urban development. Ms. Haley, seen above last year, is a rising star in Republican politics and has sparred bitterly with Mr. Trump. We published the full transcript of Mr. Trump’s visit to our Midtown headquarters yesterday, and here’s a guide to the most salient quotes. ____ 2. Mr. Trump will hold meetings in his upscale club in Florida, over Thanksgiving. The use of his vast real estate holdings is raising questions about whether he is exploiting the high profile of the presidency to draw attention to his properties. Here is a visual visitors’ log of notable people who filed through Trump Tower in a single day earlier this week. Mr. Trump plans to bar registered lobbyists making donations to activities surrounding his inauguration, but corporations and wealthy donors are welcome to contribute. 3. Hillary Clinton has widened her lead in the popular vote to 1. 5 percentage points, a spread not seen for a losing candidate since the disputed election of 1876. The news prompted calls from liberal activists for audits in three states won narrowly by Mr. Trump: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Above, an election watch party hosted by the American Embassy in South Korea. ____ 4. A Thanksgiving dinner will be served to about 2, 000 people protesting an oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota on Thursday — and two celebrities, Jane Fonda and Shailene Woodley, said they would be on hand to help. The state’s leaders are pressuring President Obama to authorize the pipeline’s completion. Here’s a detailed map of conflicts along its path. ____ 5. A London jury sentenced a man with a history of extremist beliefs to life in prison for the murder of Jo Cox, a British lawmaker, a week before the country’s “Brexit” vote to leave the European Union. Thomas Mair shot and stabbed Ms. Cox, a mother of two, in a case that shocked the country. Ms. Cox supported remaining in the bloc. ____ 6. The thick cloud of pollution that engulfed Delhi this month has dissipated, but the air quality will remain dangerous for months as the poor burn trash to stay warm. It’s a problem throughout northern India, particularly for children and the elderly. Our reporter visited two families at opposite ends of the economic spectrum to see how they are coping. ____ 7. The healthier dishes in your Thanksgiving spread were probably grown in California’s Salinas Valley, known as the salad bowl of the nation. But the workers who pick the crops there are facing a crisis of poverty and malnutrition. “The people who grow our food can’t afford to eat it, and they are sicker because of it,” said an advocate for farmworkers. ____ 8. Our movie critics have parsed through Hollywood’s latest offerings and chosen five films worth seeing over Thanksgiving, including “Moana,” above. And if you’re in New York City, here’s a guide to the best art shows in museums and galleries. The major museums have extended hours through the weekend. ___ 9. The big football game to watch on Thursday is the Minnesota Vikings against the Detroit Lions. Our writer says it is one of the 10 most important games left in the regular season. The teams are tied for first in the N. F. C. North, at . Whichever team wins will have a huge leg up on the other in terms of reaching the playoffs. (12:30 p. m. Eastern, CBS) ___ 10. Ralph Branca, the Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who served up the home run that lives on in baseball history as the “Shot Heard Round the World,” died at 90. He had three consecutive seasons, but would never live down throwing the fastball that lost his team the 1951 National League championship. “A guy commits murder and he gets pardoned after 20 years,” Branca once said at an ’ game. “I didn’t get pardoned. ” ___ 11. Finally, we’re down to the wire to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps you’d like some tips by text message from our food editor Sam Sifton, or to check out our Thanksgiving menu planner. In other news you can use, here’s how to be a perfect guest some election facts to employ in debate and if all else fails, a wine guide. (Look for something light, versatile and but really, there are no wrong choices.) And if your Black Friday shopping will be done from the comfort of your own home, you may want to consult our new holiday gift guide. Above, Mr. Obama pardoned a turkey as president for the last time. Happy Thanksgiving! ___ Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing this version of the briefing should help. Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s last night’s briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com. | 0fake |
President Trump Declines Invite to Throw Out First Pitch at Nats Game - Breitbart | Early on Tuesday rumors began circulating that President Donald Trump was in talks with the Washington Nationals to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day this month. But, it appears the White House has decided to turn down the invitation. [According to a Politico report, the White House made plans with the team to take the mound for the ceremonial first pitch in the Opening Day game against the Miami Marlins. The report came from Luke Russert, who heard about the discussion from his perch in Florida. But, before end of day, others began reporting that the White House already put the kibosh on the plan. Washington Post sports columnist Barry Svrluga took to his Twitter account to report that Trump won’t be tossing that first pitch after all. Nats say the White House has declined invitation for President Trump to throw out ceremonial first pitch Opening Day. — Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) March 28, 2017, The Donald has done some throwing in the past. In 1992 he and Marla Maples appeared at Pilot Field in Buffalo to toss the pigskin around. He looked pretty good doing it, too. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com. | 0fake |
Podesta Emails: Memo Reveals Clinton Campaign’s Plan To Coordinate With DNC | Following the publication of emails from the Democratic National Committee by WikiLeaks, chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was pushed to resign around the same time as the political party’s national convention. She privately attacked the Bernie Sanders campaign and was fiercely loyal to Hillary Clinton. However, a document recently published by WikiLeaks clearly indicates the Clinton campaign had little confidence in Wasserman Schultz’s leadership.
The document titled, “DNC Leadership,” is a memo attached to an email released as part of the “Podesta Emails.” It was circulated in December 2015, before the primary officially kicked off with the Iowa Caucuses, and it contains the campaign’s plan to appoint a chief of staff at the DNC, who could work with them during the primary instead of the DNC chairwoman.
“Though we have reached a working arrangement with them, our dealings with party leadership have been marked by challenges, often requiring multiple meetings and phone calls to resolve relatively simple matters,” the memo declares. “We are frequently caught in the middle of poor communication and a difficult relationship between the chairwoman and the executive director.”
“Moreover, leadership at the committee has been slow to respond to structural challenges within their own operation that could have real impact on our campaign, such as research.”
“Jen O’Malley Dillon has entered into a contract with the DNC as a consultant for the general election, which addresses some of these challenges and provides a connection for us within the party,” according to the memo. “However, this arrangement does not change the need for systemic shifts at the DNC leadership level—to ensure that we have strategic and operational partners within the committee that can help drive a program and deliver on our general election imperatives.”
The memo further reveals there were an array of “special projects” the campaign agreed to work on with the DNC before Clinton secured the nomination. They included “GOP opposition research, communications, and discrete data and analytics projects.” And from March through July, the campaign planned to bring on a chief of staff to “drive the day-to-day work” with the party until the convention.
NBC News reported in February that the campaign hired Dillon, a former Obama deputy campaign manager. The report suggested it was to “retool messaging and strategy,” and it was perceived as a response to Sanders’s big victory in New Hampshire. None of the reports mentioned Dillon’s role at the DNC or that hiring Dillon was planned back in December.
The memo shows the campaign favored keeping Amy Dacey on as CEO .
There were three plans of action for the DNC after the convention, none of which were executed because Wasserman Schultz resigned.
One of them involved neutering Wasserman Schultz so her role was “largely ceremonial.” She would help with fundraising and serve as a surrogate. They planned to tell her the campaign would rely on Dillon to run the DNC.
Another scenario involved replacing Wasserman Schultz with former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, an ardent supporter of Clinton.
Throughout the primary, Wasserman Schultz constantly insisted she was neutral in her role as DNC chair.
“If I wanted to favor a candidate, I would not be DNC chair and I would support that candidate,” Wasserman Schultz said back in January. “It’s a pretty convoluted way to help a candidate when I have to actually function neutrally as the DNC chair.”
However, Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii resigned from her post as vice-chair of the DNC to endorse Sanders partly because she witnessed corruption in the DNC. The party inappropriately limited the number of debates. Wasserman Schultz even disinvited her from a debate in Las Vegas.
Sanders repeatedly criticized Wasserman Schultz and the DNC. The campaign’s lawyer, Brad Deutsch, condemned a fundraising arrangement between the Clinton campaign and the DNC.
“The Hillary Victory Fund has reported receiving several individual contributions in amounts as high as $354,400 or more, which is over 130 times the $2,700 limit that applies for contributions to Secretary Clinton’s campaign,” Deutsch wrote in a letter to Wasserman Schultz. “Bernie 2016 is particularly concerned that these extremely large-dollar individual contributions have been used by the Hillary Victory Fund to pay for more than $7.8 million in direct mail efforts and over $8.6 million in online advertising, both of which appear to benefit only HFA by generating low-dollar contributions that flow only to HFA, rather than to the DNC or any of the participating state party committees.”
DNC emails published by WikiLeaks revealed the party committee sought to cover up the fact that states were only permitted to keep a small portion of the funds raised. This allowed the campaign to skirt campaign finance laws and essentially operate a money laundering scheme to keep her campaign coffers burgeoning as Sanders consistently raised more funds than her with small dollar donations.
As POLITICO reported, Marc Elias, an attorney who advises the DNC and the Clinton campaign, wrote in an email to DNC officials, “The DNC should push back DIRECTLY at Sanders and say that what he is saying is false and harmful to the Democratic party.”
Dacey responded “I do think there is too much of this narrative out there — I also worry since they are emailing to their list (which has overlap with ours!)”
At virtually no juncture did the Clinton campaign have to address their plans to coordinate with the DNC, which explicitly undermined the impartiality of the committee.
So long as the efforts to work with leadership of the DNC to defeat Sanders and the GOP nominee remained secret, it made no sense to say anything. It was much easier to let Wasserman Schultz field all the blowback from their unethical cooperation and replace her when she was no longer needed.
The post Podesta Emails: Memo Reveals Clinton Campaign’s Plan To Coordinate With DNC appeared first on Shadowproof .
| 1real |
HOLLYWOOD RACE WAR HEATS UP: Full Metal Jacket Actor SHUTS DOWN Race-Baiting Hotel Rwanda Star | Nice job Adam Baldwin. We commend you for standing up to the highly successful, black multi-millionaires Jada Pinkett-Smith, her husband Will Smith and Director Spike Lee who, much like Al Sharpton never lets the opportunity to start a good race war go to waste Ever since the Motion Picture Academy announced the nominees for the 2016 Oscars, there have been some heated discussions on social media regarding the diversity or lack thereof displayed by the Academy s choices.Nowhere has this been more apparent than Twitter, where #OscarsSoWhite has become an ongoing trend. It recently led to a dustup between Full Metal Jacket alum Adam Baldwin and Ironman actor Don Cheadle. Via: IJRHere is the first joke dig at the Academy Award show by Cheadle:@chrisrock Yo, Chris. Come check me out at #TheOscars this year. They got me parking cars on G level. Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) January 17, 2016Baldwin responded:https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/688841370853740544Then Cheadle responded to Baldwin:@AdamBaldwin @chrisrock Nope. Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) January 18, 2016Then Baldwin asks Cheadle a legitimate question:https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/688898296006352896To which Cheadle responds with an incoherent answer:@AdamBaldwin @chrisrock Only the legitimacy of the phrase and complete and obvious truth of it. Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) January 18, 2016But when Baldwin challenged the one-time Oscar nominee https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/688916800579354624Cheadle then decided to twist the conversation around@AdamBaldwin @chrisrock The PHRASE OscarSoWhite, dumb dumb. Not the show. You're a lazy reader. Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) January 20, 2016At which time Baldwin slays Cheadle with FACTS:https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/689889591940100099And in typical liberal fashion, Academy Award winner Don Cheadle ran away with his tail between his legs. Like a garlic to a vampire, the Left is always ready to defend victimhood until the facts come out and then they head for the hills. | 1real |
Italy's 5-Star names youthful new leader as election nears | RIMINI, Italy (Reuters) - Italy s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, riding high in opinion polls, has named 31-year-old Luigi Di Maio to lead it into parliamentary elections next year that could see it win national power. Di Maio, deputy speaker of the lower house, is the party s most prominent and popular politician and had been groomed for the leadership in recent years by 5-Star s founder, the 69-year-old comedian Beppe Grillo. Boyish-looking and usually immaculately turned out in suit and tie, Di Maio presents a moderate image in striking contrast to Grillo, who is famous for his raucous tirades against Italy s ruling elite. You have given me an enormous responsibility ... I assure you I ll carry it out with discipline and honor, Di Maio told supporters on Saturday at the party s annual gathering in the Adriatic coastal town of Rimini. I promise I will form a government team to be proud of for the first time in our history. Grillo, who has so far acted as 5-Star s de facto chief, is now expected to gradually withdraw from the limelight. I will always be like a dad for all of you, but I am old, he told the gathering on Friday. Di Maio, who has taken tough stances on law-and-order and immigration and is widely seen as on the right of the party which says traditional left-right labels have no meaning. He won by a huge margin over seven rivals in an online member ballot, held on Thursday and Friday, that reflected the movement s credo of internet-based direct democracy. His election was considered a formality because the other candidates were all little-known figures, mostly local councillors. However, participation was much lower than the party had hoped, with just over 37,400 people casting a ballot, compared with more than 140,000 eligible. Di Maio won 83 percent of the vote. The only people seen as having any chance against him decided not to run, opening the party up to accusations of failing to run a proper contest. Di Maio will now try to put that criticism behind him in the run-up to elections due by May next year. Most opinion polls, give 5-Star around 28 percent of the vote, just ahead of the ruling Democratic Party. However, that would not be enough to give it a majority in parliament unless it allies itself with another party, something it has so far always refused to do. The right-wing Northern League and Silvio Berlusconi s conservative Forza Italia (Go Italy) each have around 14 to 15 percent. 5-Star, founded by Grillo nine years ago as a protest movement, bases its appeal mainly on a campaign against corruption and vested interests. Its policies include the introduction of universal income support for the poor, boosting green energy and increasing the budget deficit to fund investments in infrastructure. Di Maio will need to broaden the movement s appeal and soothe barely disguised resentment among some 5-Star lawmakers over his dominant role in the party. His first challenge will be a vote in Sicily in November, which offers 5-Star the chance to win control of its first ever region. Victory could be a springboard to national success while defeat would be a major setback after the party spent months campaigning intensely on the island. (This version of the story has been refiled to add dropped words in paragraph 8) | 0fake |
BRITISH ACTRESS NAILS IT: Do you think ISIS cares about “pathetic hashtags, prayers or candles”?…”Stop waiting to be SLAUGHTERED and DEMAND our leaders DO something!” [VIDEO] | Pathetic Predictably impotent. We are not united we are divided. We do not stand strong. We sit like ducks. Waiting to be shot. Helpless, pathetic, slow.Mohamed took a truck and drove it into men, women and children celebrating Bastille day in Nice. He killed 84.And who yet knows of the horrors still to spew from hospital wards lives fractured, crumpled, crushed.One minute they were jubilant, locals and tourists alike celebrating Bastille day together. The next, lying splintered on the floor.And the most sickening thing of all worse than spilt blood, fractured bodies, children with legs contorted out of human control, the reek of death, is our horribly sanitized response to it all.Pathetic. Predictably impotent.Evil mowed us down in a monster truck. And we tweeted like lethargic birds between Egyptian cotton sheets.Celebrities rushed to social media with their message not again , designers comforted with a patriotic graphic, tea candles were lit and instagrammed. There will be a vigil in a public square. Again. A hashtag is born #PrayForNice, exploding into a thousand others as people want to #PrayFor France or #PrayForHumanity, failing to acknowledge the horrible truth that this attack was done in some spurious god s name. You want to pray for Nice?You think religion will help solve this? Religion and its bonkers side-shoots are the problem.That s true if you re talking about the religion of hate Katie, but Christians, Jews and Hindu s don t subscribe to killing innocent people to gain entry to heaven. -100 Percent FED UP!Politicians tell us to stand united. The Prime Minister of France has said he will not allow the country to be destabilised. President Hollande reminds us terrorism will not be tolerated.Well big news: France IS destabilised in a perpetual state of Emergency. We do not stand united. We are divided, we are ripped apart. And yet we tolerate it every time.We do not stand strong. We sit like ducks. Waiting to be shot. Helpless, pathetic, slow.French Pres. Hollande hours before #NiceAttack: "What threatens us is the rise of populism." https://t.co/X9HR4Jw2fE pic.twitter.com/kyBedUfKlW Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) July 15, 2016We are reminded to be more tolerant. Liberal lefties takes to the airways lecturing at us, not to react. To remind us of the good and humanity in most people.Muslim mayors stand and tell us we will be there, shoulder-to-shoulder with France, reminding us Mohamed has nothing to do with ordinary Muslims or Islam.As with every other time, someone from the BBC informs us many of the victims will have been Muslim, as if that helps. Trying to give credence to the notion Islam can t be blamed because Muslims died too. And again, we hear a familiar refrain. The suspect was known to the police he had a fiche S on his file marking his links to terror and ISIS.He was a French national from Tunisia. (Why are they always French-Tunisians, never Tunisian/French? What do you think he called himself?)Via: Daily Mail | 1real |
America's angry voters divvied up by Trump and Sanders: poll | IOWA CITY, Iowa/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 2016 election is shaping up to be the year of angry voters, the disgruntled Americans shaking up the establishment by fueling the presidential campaigns of two very different candidates - billionaire businessman Donald Trump and self-declared socialist Bernie Sanders. Some 73 percent of voters likely to head to the polls in November’s election say they think the United States is on the wrong track, and these disaffected people make up a majority of the support bases for both Republican candidate Trump and Democratic hopeful Sanders - 87 percent and 54 percent, respectively, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Both candidates were seen as long shots against brand name rivals like Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton a few months ago, but have seen their popularity surge as the election race starts in earnest with the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. They are likely to do well in Iowa, but even if they lose, the fervor they’ve whipped up has upended the race and maybe even American politics. So who are the angry Americans? They deviate from the population in key ways: they are whiter, poorer and less educated. They are less likely to support a candidate who has been involved in politics. And regardless of party, they have deep distrust for Clinton after her more than two decades in the public eye. Where the camps differ is in identifying the root of America’s ills, with supporters of Sanders pointing to income inequality and health care as the top problems, and those backing Trump putting the blame on immigrants and foreign terrorists, according to the poll. Pundits have been quick to define the economy as the source of the voter anger feeding the Trump and Sanders campaigns. In a post-recession world, the middle class still struggles with stagnant wages and a weak job market. But a close look at the polls, and interviews with prospective voters, show concerns go well beyond economic indicators. Here in Iowa, the December jobs report issued Tuesday found just 3.4 percent unemployment – far below the national average and still on the decline. “Now Hiring” signs are ubiquitous across the state. Asked to select the top issue for the next president in the first 100 days of the new administration, 24 percent of voters nationwide who said the country was on the wrong track picked immigration - making it the most popular choice by that group. Only 10 percent of those who think the nation is on the right track selected immigration, making it the fifth most popular choice for that group, according to the poll. “Wrong track” voters were also more likely to say terrorism and the economy were concerns. Trump has built his campaign on an immigration platform that includes building a wall and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. And his insistence that he could negotiate better trade deals provides a strong appeal to those concerned about disappearing jobs in a global economy. On Tuesday night in Iowa City, Trump’s rally drew both supporters and opponents. Eight times the event was interrupted by protesters, who were forced out of the packed gymnasium and heckled by the raucous crowd. Jim Schmidt, 48, of Johnson County, Iowa, was among the angry. His 11-year-old son wore a button proclaiming “Bomb the shit out of ISIS. The child watched as protesters were ejected from the event, cheering and waving his hand in support. “I’m angry but I love it and enjoy it,” Schmidt said afterward. He’s backing Trump for his business experience and ability to bring about change. Where Trump’s angry voters have been on display at rallies, the intensity around Sanders has manifested itself online - dominating message boards and comment sections. A liberal radio host in Oregon, Carl Wolfson, announced last month he was ending his show in part because of the vitriol coming from Sanders supporters. His Facebook post on the topic was then inundated with angry responses. Sanders is resonating among angry voters by focusing on income inequality, and promising to deliver universal health care and free college education. Meghan Metier, 22, of Iowa City said the Affordable Care Act - President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare reform - has allowed some of her friends to access Medicaid. But to keep it, she added, they have to be certain their income doesn’t exceed the poverty level, so they stay barely employed. For her the system is broken and Sanders is the only candidate who appears ready to fix it. “He’s a more reliable progressive,” she said, comparing him to Clinton. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Mary Milliken) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency. | 0fake |
We told you so! The Zika virus is harmless | In March we wrote: Reading About Zika May Hurt Your Brain . We listed 35 sensational "news" headlines about potential catastrophes related to a Zika epidemic. The common factor of those panic creating media wave - all those headlines included the miraculous little word may . The pieces were pure speculations with some quoting this or that "expert" who was hunting for research funds or lobbying for some pharmaceutical or pesticide conglomerate. In June we added: Zika Virus Does Not Cause Birth Defects - Fighting It Probably Does . New serious research found what some people in Brazil had suspected from the very start of the small and strictly locally limited jump in microencephaly cases in Brazil: [D]octors in the Zika affected areas in Brazil pointed out that the real cause of somewhat increased microcephaly in the region was probably the insecticide pyriproxyfen, used to kill mosquito larvae in drinking water: The Brazilian doctors noted that the areas of northeast Brazil that had witnessed the greatest number of microcephaly cases match with areas where pyriproxyfen is added to drinking water in an effort to combat Zika-carrying mosquitoes . Pyriproxyfen is reported to cause malformations in mosquito larvae, and has been added to drinking water in the region for the past 18 months. Pyriproxyfen is produced by a Sumitomo Chemical - an important Japanese poison giant. It was therefore unsurprising that the New York Times and others called the Brazilian doctors' report a "conspiracy theory" and trotted out some "experts" to debunk it. ... But [s]cientist at the New England Complex Systems Institute also researched the pyriproxyfen thesis. They found : Pyriproxifen is an analog of juvenile hormone, which corresponds in mammals to regulatory molecules including retinoic acid, a vitamin A metabolite, with which it has cross-reactivity and whose application during development causes microcephaly . ... [T]ests of pyriproxyfen by the manufacturer, Sumitomo, widely quoted as giving no evidence for developmental toxicity, actually found some evidence for such an effect , including low brain mass and arhinencephaly—incomplete formation of the anterior cerebral hemispheres—in rat pups. Finally, the pyriproxyfen use in Brazil is unprecedented—it has never before been applied to a water supply on such a scale. ... Given this combination of information we strongly recommend that the use of pyriproxyfen in Brazil be suspended pending further investigation. Today the Washington Post finally admits that the Zika virus does not cause birth defects: [T]o the great bewilderment of scientists, the epidemic has not produced the wave of fetal deformities so widely feared when the images of misshapen infants first emerged from Brazil. Instead, Zika has left a puzzling and distinctly uneven pattern of damage across the Americas. According to the latest U.N. figures, of the 2,175 babies born in the past year with undersize heads or other congenital neurological damage linked to Zika, more than 75 percent have been clustered in a single region: northeastern Brazil. The wide areas where the flue virus occurred outside of the small area in Brazil saw no increase in birth defect numbers. The number of (naturally occurring) microcephality cases stayed constant despite a very large increase in (harmless) Zika virus infections. The numbers in Brazil also turned out to be partially inflated because of a lack of standard diagnosis criteria and unreliable statistics. A factor we had pointed to in our very first piece. The WaPo piece today muses about several "possible" causes for the local increase in cases in northeastern Brazil that indeed happened. It quotes some of the very "experts", like from the pharmaceutical industry influenced CDC, that were wrong on the issue since the very first panic headline. It strenuously avoids to even mention the most likely cause - the excessive local use of an insecticide that is supposed to cause birth defects - in developing mosquitoes. Thus the reporting is still void of journalistic ethics and irresponsible in its conclusions. It did not take much effort to get this right. An hour or two of skimming through publicly available sources of good standing, some basic higher education and sound reasoning was enough. But instead of doing such basic inquiries "journalists" and media "served" panic and speculations by biased "experts". Keep this story in mind for the next sensationalist onslaught of panic headline. There surely will be some "interests" behind those; just don't expect unbiased facts and basic logic reasoning. Comment: And Zika -- like Ebola, SARS, bird flu, West Nile, etc. -- will fall down the memory hole...until the next scare comes along. | 1real |
WAPO: Trump Planning To Go Around Senate To Replace Sessions With A Loyal Stooge | Donald Trump is very busy right now trying to get rid of his Attorney General, one Jeff Sessions. This is pretty extraordinary, since Sessions endorsed Trump while the rest of the elected Republican establishment was still treating Trump s candidacy with a mix of comedy and horror. Now, however, times have changed. Trump wants Sessions gone, due his firm (and possibly true) belief that Sessions decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.As Mueller digs further into Trump World including into Trump s finances, which Trump himself has said is some kind of red line Trump is looking for a way to rid himself of the threat of what Mueller might find. With Sessions recused, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the one who would have the authority to fire Robert Mueller. Rosenstein has gone on the record under oath as saying that he will do no such thing without just cause. The solution to all of this for Trump? Get rid of Sessions and Rosenstein, and appoint an Attorney General who will be a staunch and unwavering Trump loyalist.It has been speculated that Trump is considering that former New York Mayor and fervent Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani might be just the man to do this. However, there is just one problem with that: Giuliani likely wouldn t pass the Senate confirmation process in this climate. In order to appear non-partisan, even Senate Republicans would insist on a nominee who is not an obvious Trump stalwart. Plus, Rudy Giuliani already admitted on the air that he literally tried to help Trump find a way to ban Muslims from the nation without doing so explicitly so as to pass Constitutional muster. Then there was the time during the campaign when Giuliani seemed to know what would be in a batch of hacked anti-Hillary Clinton emails that were leaked shortly after his statements. So, yeah, big confirmation problems there.So, what s Trump to do? Well, that s easy. Go around the Senate completely and install any Attorney General he wants, by appointing someone during the recess that the Senate always takes in late summer. Problem solved. According to the Washington Post, Team Trump is considering doing just that, when it comes to weighing options to get a pro-Trump Attorney General. From WaPo:Another scenario is that Trump could make a recess appointment, said University of Texas School of Law professor Steve Vladeck. Under that plan, Trump could choose an attorney general during the August recess who would serve until the end of the next Senate session, which could be early January. That person would have the same authority as someone who is confirmed by the Senate, Vladeck said.Now obviously such a move would be nothing short of the height of corruption, and politically explosive for Congressional Republicans, especially if they don t warn him against doing this. We all know that Trump and the people in the White House don t care how something like that looks. They want Robert Mueller and his Russia investigation gone at all costs, and if it means looking guilty as hell to do it, so be it. Anyone who has paid attention knows that Rudy Giuliani would have absolutely no issue following a Trump order to fire Robert Mueller. He d relish the task, in fact, because that would put him in the highest regard in Trump World perhaps permanently.Republicans, if this shit goes down like this, it s on your heads. It would literally spin us into a full-fledged Constitutional crisis. If Trump moves to fire Mueller, you need to impeach him. Period.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | 1real |
Weiner Rising in White House: Ally of Disgraced Ex-Congressman Hired - Breitbart | Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump enlisted the services of Risa Heller, a New York City public relations figure known for her work with Democrats — including former Rep. Anthony Weiner ( ) Sen. Chuck Schumer ( ) and Gov. David Paterson ( ) — when they came to Washington to take up their official posts in the Trump White House, according to a report in Buzzfeed. [The revelation came amid reports that a New York City set with a history of friendly ties to the Democratic party is gaining traction in President Donald Trump’s White House, much to the chagrin of conservative commentators. Members of the Kushner family itself donated large sums to Democratic causes until a few years ago, and Jared has reportedly been accused of being “a Democrat” by more nationalist and populist factions within the White House. Another member of this is the Director of Trump’s National Economic Council, registered Democrat and former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn. Asked by Buzzfeed about her choice, Ivanka responded in a statement, “Risa is incredibly talented, driven and passionate. She is a formidable advocate and respected by all as a trustworthy and honest broker of facts. ” Her husband Jared echoed her sentiments. “She’s the best fighter in the business, is universally respected, and most importantly has always told me what she really thinks, good or bad,” he said. Heller began her career in Schumer’s press office before expanding her horizons in and beyond the political field. She served as communications director for David Paterson as the New York governor who replaced Gov. Eliot Spitzer and then found himself in crises of his own. In addition to allegations of witness tampering by his appointees, Heller managed Paterson’s image through the emergence of the sex and drug scandals that ultimately sunk his reelection hopes. Anthony Weiner, perpetrator of perhaps politics’ most embarrassing litany of also sought Heller’s help as he tried to weather the media storm of the century that surrounded his multiple “sexting” scandals. Now banished from the political realm, Weiner sung Heller’s praises. “If I had taken her advice at critical junctures even 5% of the time, I would have been infinitely better off,” he told Buzzfeed. “This may sound ironic coming from me, but she never advocates for not telling the truth. I repeatedly didn’t take that kind of advice where I should have. ” For her own part, Buzzfeed reports Heller continued to argue Weiner was a “good person,” even as the worst details of his improprieties were emblazoned on front pages around the world. Jared and Ivanka, until recently, haunted the same New York circles in which these Democratic politicians are hounded by the city’s notorious tabloid press. Kushner himself has used Ms. Heller, sending her to handle the New York Times earlier this year when that paper raised questions about a deal of his in China. Anthony Weiner, for one, seemed to think she was a natural pick to help Jared and his wife in DC. “It doesn’t surprise me that people like the Kushners would gravitate toward her,” he told Buzzfeed. At the beginning of April, paparazzi supplied the Daily Mail with photos of Ms. Heller heading into Jared and Ivanka’s new home in Washington, DC. Some think Heller is an odd choice to bring so close to Ivanka’s father’s Republican administration. At least one of her own former Democrat colleagues in New York expressed horror at the move. “I think there’s a big difference between representing business interests and essentially helping to advance an agenda that is completely antithetical to everything that Democrats stand for,” the Democratic operative told Buzzfeed. Heller was reportedly dismayed to be the subject of a Buzzfeed article, but offered a defense of her decision to work for the Kushners: “I fight tirelessly for my clients, period. That’s what I am in business to do. I am proud of what I do and who I do it for. ” Heller is not the first publicity figure the Kushners have brought in from sources Republicans traditionally might not consider. Jared hired Josh Raffel right out of Hollywood earlier this month. | 0fake |
Venezuela says debt refinancing under way, S&P calls selective default | CARACAS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venezuela s cash-strapped government insisted it had successfully begun efforts to refinance some $60 billion in bonds, though creditors disagreed following fruitless talks and a ratings firm declared the nation in selective default. Venezuelan bonds slid on Tuesday after S&P Global Ratings announced that Venezuela was in selective default for failing to make $200 million in overdue coupon payments on its 2019 and 2024 global issues within a 30-day grace period. Investors, meanwhile, voiced concern after President Nicolas Maduro s negotiators met briefly with bondholders in Caracas on Monday but failed to present firm proposals to alleviate the OPEC nation s crippling foreign debt amid an unprecedented economic meltdown. The process of refinancing Venezuela s foreign debt began with resounding success, the socialist government said late Monday, complaining about U.S. financial sanctions and what it called unfair assessments from international ratings agencies. The government repeated pledges to honor all its foreign debt and said Monday s talks were attended by 100 or so participants, including bondholders from Venezuela, the United States, Panama, Britain, Colombia, Chile, Japan and Argentina. However, attendees at the meeting came away confused over how Venezuela plans to avoid a default, given its parlous state finances, and how any refinancing could be worked out amid U.S. President Donald Trump s sanctions. The U.S. measures block the issuance of any new Venezuelan debt and impose sanctions on the country s chief negotiators, Vice President Tareck El Aissami and Economy Minister Simon Zerpa, on drug and corruption charges. Venezuela has dismissed those accusations as politically motivated fabrications by Washington to tarnish the country s reputation. The bondholder meeting in Venezuela was a non-event, lasting only 20-30 minutes with reports of only 10 non Caracas-based investors...and the only official that spoke was drug kingpin VP Tareck El Aissami said Siobhan Morden, head of Latin American fixed-income strategy at Nomura, who did not attend. Four years of recession in the South American nation, fueled by failing socialist economics and a plunge in global oil prices, have hit Venezuelans hard. Many skip meals or suffer from malnutrition and preventable diseases, due to severe shortages of food and medicine and triple-digit inflation. With some $9 billion in payments looming for 2018, a default would be a short-term relief for the government, enabling Maduro to spend on desperately-needed food and medicine imports ahead of next year s presidential election. But that strategy could also backfire if it sparks aggressive legal challenges from abroad, including moves to seize assets of state oil company PDVSA, [PDVSA.UL] which is the cash-cow for Venezuela s socialist system. Despite concern that U.S. sanctions could prevent Venezuela hiring advisors, the government has appointed lawyer David Syed - a former partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe - to advise it, working alongside a team at global law firm Dentons, according to IFR, a Thomson Reuters news service. On another flank of the country s creditworthiness, a committee of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) is looking into whether PDVSA triggered a credit event through late payment of its 2017N bond this month. The group said it would reconvene on Thursday to continue discussions of whether or not PDVSA was in default. ISDA also said on Tuesday it had received another request from investors as to whether Venezuela had triggered a credit event due to the late payment of the coupon on its sovereign bonds. Bondholders had told Reuters on Monday they had not yet received payments on the 2019 and 2024 bonds but were unconcerned about the delay, which they said was partly due to increased bank vigilance following the U.S. sanctions. In its statement on Monday, S&P Global Ratings said it could raise Venezuela s ratings again if the government made payments on the overdue coupons and remained timely on other payments before the restructuring is completed. However, it said it saw a one-in-two chance that Venezuela could default again within the next three months and it listed a further four bonds with overdue coupon payments due in the coming weeks, with unpaid obligations totaling $420 million. The Luxembourg Stock Exchange said on Tuesday said it was temporarily halting trading of Venezuela s 2019 and 2024 bonds due to the event of default in order to make changes to the way in which the securities are traded. Fitch Ratings also downgraded PDVSA due to payment default on notes due on Oct. 27 and Nov. 2 after processing delays that resulted in bondholders receiving principal payments up to one week after the due date. Venezuela s sovereign bonds, already the most distressed in the benchmark JPMorgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Plus (EMBI+) 11EMJ, have whipsawed over the past week. The index measures the spreads of 13 Venezuelan sovereign bonds versus benchmark U.S. Treasuries. Last week, as the Caracas talks loomed, investors bought Venezuela s bonds on speculation there might be progress in finding a solution, driving a 1,095 basis-point narrowing in spreads from Nov. 7 through Monday. However, on Tuesday, spreads ballooned by 714 basis points as investors dumped Venezuelan bonds. (For a graphic on 'Venezuela's economy' click tmsnrt.rs/2pPJdRb) | 0fake |
COINCIDENCE OR TRUMP EFFECT? FORD Changes Course, Brings Mexico Plant Back To U.S. After Trump Makes This Threat About Outsourcing | It s almost like a flip has switched. Political pundits, news sources and even businesses are starting to see that Trump is a force to be reckoned with and he very likely could be America s next President Donald Trump may not be the President yet, but his constant criticism of Ford outsourcing jobs to Mexico has caused the auto tycoon to change course and bring the $2,000,000,000 plant back to the United States.Ford is moving its facility, originally slated for Mexico, back to the United States, where it will employ 1,000 factory workers in struggling Youngstown, Ohio.Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently said that if he s elected he would take steps to make it more expensive for manufacturers to shift work to Mexico and then export the items back to the United States. How does that help us? Trump said about the Ford investment in Mexico while campaigning in Michigan this week. Mexico is becoming the new China. Ford has declined to comment, but many see this as a good sign, a welcome change after decades of outsourcing manufacturing plant overseas. | 1real |
With costly fight ahead against Trump, Cruz courts new donors | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz is leaning on new sources of cash as he prepares for a long primary fight against front-runner Donald Trump, with new campaign finance filings showing the expense of competing against a billionaire adept at grabbing headlines. Cruz’s more traditional campaign has struggled to compete with Trump. The U.S. senator from Texas poured money into advertising, staff and calls to voters, spending $5.6 million more in February than he raised as he tried to outmaneuver Trump, according to campaign finance records made public on Sunday. But the effort had a limited impact as Trump took a commanding lead in the delegate count for the Republican nomination while spending a little more than half what Cruz did. The real estate mogul has loaned his campaign more than $24 million since he entered the race for the White House. Now, with establishment Republican rivals Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio out of the race, Cruz is trying to win votes and rake in money by arguing the party should unite behind him if it hopes to defeat Trump. It’s a tough proposition for a conservative candidate who has long rankled the establishment wing of his party, including by leading a fight over President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law that led to a 16-day shutdown of the federal government. Cruz now hopes to convince his party that he, not Ohio Governor John Kasich, the other Republican remaining in the race, is best poised to defeat Trump and go on to the Nov. 8 presidential election. In a sign of Cruz’s warming ties with establishment Republicans, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been a vocal critic of Cruz, plans on Monday to hold a fundraiser for the senator from Texas. Charles Foster, a Houston immigration attorney who backed Bush until he left the race in February, said Friday he is urging establishment Republicans to line up behind Cruz. “My pitch to them simplistically is that Trump is an existential threat. He’d be a total disaster,” Foster said. “The only person that has a real chance,” he added, “particularly within the Republican primary base, which is conservative, far more conservative than Kasich, is Ted.” Trump has a substantial lead in the Republican White House race, though he remains far short of the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. It is unclear whether he will hit that number before the July convention in Cleveland, but it would also be difficult for either Cruz or Kasich to catch him. Cruz could pick up delegates in Utah, which holds its caucus on Tuesday, and all of the candidates are expected to compete hard in Wisconsin on April 5. But so far, efforts to stop the Trump juggernaut have made little impression on voters. In February, Cruz raised $11.9 million and spent $17.5 million, leaving his campaign with $8 million when he woke up on Super Tuesday. And despite the heavy spending, Cruz won just one state that voted in February and three on the March 1 Super Tuesday primaries. In addition to self-funding his campaign, Trump has the advantage of running an operation that leans heavily on free media exposure. In February, Trump, raised $9.2 million, including a $6.9 million loan he gave his own campaign, and spent $9.5 million. Kasich raised $3.4 million in February and spent $3.6 million. About half of Cruz’s spending, or more than $8.7 million, was on advertising. Cruz also allotted $2.6 million to traditional campaign tactics like printing mailers, postage stamps and phone calls to voters. Cruz did spend a bit less than Trump on staff, recording $342,525 in payroll costs in February to Trump’s $370,973. Jeff Roe, Cruz’s campaign manager, said on Twitter on Sunday the campaign has enough cash to continue competing through June 7, the last Republican primary day when hundreds of delegates are up for grabs. | 0fake |
U.S. top diplomat urges new steps to press North Korea to abandon weapons programs | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea s launch of an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile and urged the international community to take new steps to press Pyongyang to halt development of nuclear arms. In addition to implementing all existing U.N. sanctions, the international community must take additional measures to enhance maritime security, including the right to interdict maritime traffic traveling to North Korea, Tillerson said in a statement. Tillerson said the United States and Canada would convene a meeting of U.N. countries, including South Korea, Japan and other affected nations, to discuss how the global community can counter North Korea s threat to international peace. | 0fake |
Tom Hanks Gives White House Press Corps A Great Gift To Help Them Keep Fighting Trump | Actor and Medal of Freedom recipient Tom Hanks is doing his part to support the free press against the tyranny of Donald Trump.The White House Press Corps has had to deal with a lot of bullshit, so Hanks sent them a gift that ought to keep them going for the long haul.CNN White House producer Allie Malloy reported on Twitter that Hanks sent the White House Press Corps an expresso machine so they can keep pumping themselves full of all the caffeine and sugar they need for all the long days and late nights of keeping the American public informed on what Trump and his administration are doing. Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way, Hanks wrote before taking a clear shot at Trump. Especially for the Truth part. Tom Hanks note to the WH press corps attached to the espresso machine he gifted. pic.twitter.com/JAZy8ghetc Allie Malloy (@AlliemalCNN) March 2, 2017Indeed, Trump lies every time he opens his mouth and his team refers to their lies as alternative facts. The press has had to dig deep since Trump took office to keep the American people informed and fact-check all of his claims, most of which have been debunked as lies.This isn t the first time Hanks has slammed Trump.During the campaign Hanks burned Trump for bragging about grabbing women by the genitals without their consent. He was at work, man, Hanks said during an interview in October. He wasn t in a locker room. He was at work. He was showing up to do a thing on camera. Look I m offended as a man. I m not offended as a husband or a father. I m offended as a guy. That s just not right, I m sorry. It s not right at work, it s not right in the locker room. It s wrong, period. The end. That s all. Featured image via Wikimedia | 1real |
Alfred Hitchcock explains James Comey, the media and 2016’s ‘MacGuffin’ | Alfred Hitchcock explains James Comey, the media and 2016’s ‘MacGuffin’ It takes a master of suspense to decode the final plot twists of this election. By Neal Gabler Posted on November 7, 2016 by Neal Gabler
It is impossible to count the myriad ways in which the media botched FBI Director James Comey’s Friday announcement that the agency had found a cache of emails that seemingly (a key word) pertain to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server. I heard the news via CNN at an airport while waiting to board a plane. No one needs to be told that CNN is a journalistic disgrace—a textbook case of the decline of American media, all the more depressing because, unlike Fox News and MSNBC, it purports to be a real news organization. Instead, it is a ratings machine, and it is beyond contemptible.
So what I heard was Wolf Blitzer in his customary tizzy, as if Pearl Harbor had just been attacked, breathlessly ballyhooing Comey’s missive to Congress and asking what seemed to be an endless queue of talking heads to weigh in on what is now routinely called a “bombshell.” This too is a textbook example of media practice. In the movies, bombast has replaced narrative. The last half-hour of every blockbuster is obligatory and generic: noise, lots and lots and lots of noise, and a gazillion special effects until any vestige of story evaporates and your head throbs. Cable has done something similar with news. It is all pitch, no content. The hysteria can transform anything into a drama, which is precisely cable’s intention.
This has been true of the Clinton emails since the beginning. It was always something of a hoax—a new chapter for a hungry media juicing its audience. Not one in a hundred voters can tell you the awful crime Clinton was supposed to have committed or why it matters. Not one in a hundred—and I would include journalists—have any idea of what really went down with these emails, as I discussed in an earlier post that highlighted the one reporter, Garrett M. Graff of Politico , who actually did something it appears no other reporter thought of doing: read the FBI’s summary account of the investigation.
In effect, then, the Clinton emails have always been what the great film director Alfred Hitchcock called a “MacGuffin,” which Hitchcock described as the “device, the gimmick, if you will, that sets the plot in motion.” And he continued: “It doesn’t matter what it is. And the logicians are wrong in trying to figure out the truth of a MacGuffin, since it’s beside the point. The only thing that really matters is that in the picture, the plans, documents or secrets must seem to be of vital importance to the characters. To me, the narrator, they’re of no importance whatever.”
It takes Alfred Hitchcock to reveal the secret of the emails as well as the basic operating principle of our political media. To the media, the emails are the primary plot device. In reality, they mean nothing. And I should add this: Should Donald Trump win this election, and he very well might now, historians 50 years from now will be scratching their heads over how something so inconsequential as a private email server could possibly have swayed the election. Emails! Really! How do we explain a MacGuffin overtaking our politics?
The thing is that while the media have been obsessing over the MacGuffin, they have missed entirely the real story—the story that historians will examine and ponder. Oddly enough, it was arguably one of the world’s worst newspapers, England’s right-wing Daily Mail tabloid, which is about 10 notches below our own New York Post , which is 10 notches below any real newspaper, that broke the deeper story .
The Daily Mail reported that FBI agents were incensed over Comey’s decision not to prosecute Clinton (so, says the paper, was Comey’s wife) and many submitted resignations in protest. Even when real newspapers finally caught up with this angle, they soft-peddled the significance of the nation’s primary investigative agency being an in-house right-wing force that was determined to veer the election toward Trump. The later dump of Bill Clinton documents only underscores the determination of the FBI to turn the election.
That is real and really disturbing news—colossally big news, giant headline news. With his sudden announcement, Comey may or may not have been trying to pacify the GOP, which would have been bad enough. It does appear he was trying to raise morale among the Gestapo at his own agency by aiding Trump. And let’s be clear: He knew he was aiding Trump.
That the media have largely ignored this aspect is both astonishing and depressing. The New York Times very delicately compared Comey to the late J. Edgar Hoover, who used the agency for his own devices, largely to settle personal grievances and advance his right-wing agenda. (And I mean very delicately. The media have always treated Comey as Diogenes.)
But then the media are so caught up in their own hysteria over emails, they don’t have distance to view the big story. And when they aren’t preoccupied with the emails, they are preoccupied with how Comey’s revelation, seemingly in violation of Justice Department protocols and the Hatch Act, will affect the election. So you go from the MacGuffin to the horse race without ever having to engage anything substantive.
You could say that Comey brilliantly played the media for his own benefit, knowing that they couldn’t resist and certainly wouldn’t investigate a new plot twist. Hitch knew the difference between an insubstantial MacGuffin and something that was important. Comey realized that the media don’t. Their confusion, along with their unwillingness to out the FBI and its seemingly alt-right agenda, could wind up being the decisive element in this election. It is the campaign equivalent of that deafening superhero movie climax—all noise, no sense. This post was first published on BillMoyers.com .
Neal Gabler is an author of five books and the recipient of two LA Times Book Prizes, Time magazine’s non-fiction book of the year, USA Today’s biography of the year and other awards. He is also a senior fellow at The Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, and is currently writing a biography of Sen. Edward Kennedy. | 1real |
For a Perfect Catch in Seattle, Fishmongers Go for the Halibut - The New York Times | SEATTLE — The catch of the day has a couple of meanings to Mike Kirn, who works at Pike Place Fish Market. If you’re talking fork, plate and a nice dill sauce, he puts his money on white king salmon. But when he is trying to catch one in midair, with hundreds of people clustered around to watch — not an unusual amount on a touristy afternoon — halibut, Mr. Kirn says, is the fish without equal. Sure, salmon are sleeker and more beautiful — and they are the money fish at Pike Place, clocking in at $46 or more per pound. They glisten like princelings as they go up and up, hurled 20 feet or more, and then down into the waiting, surprisingly gentle hands of a fishmonger. But the ungainly and lumbering halibut is the real of the market when it takes off to fly. “It’s like a big floppy Frisbee,” Mr. Kirn said. “The crowd loves to see a halibut. ” Fishmongers have been throwing fish for decades in this small shop just off Seattle’s downtown waterfront at Pike Place Market. And for a long time, they have allowed amateurs to try their luck at catching, too. (Vanna White, from TV’s “Wheel of Fortune,” tried a few times, with eventual success.) The practice, and the philosophy of fun that came with it, evolved partly through desperation after a failed expansion in the the shop’s owner, John Yokoyama, wrote in 2004 in a book called “When Fish Fly. ” “The only way I was going to go for being world famous was if it didn’t cost me any money,” Mr. Yokoyama wrote, with his Joseph A. Michelli. For here’s the drill: You stand sideways to the fish’s flight path, then think of a football, or perhaps a baby — one hand held low, the other high, ready to support the head as the fish comes down. Then you hope for the best. New employees said that the learning curve is steep. Fish fly at you from the first day on the job. There are no corporate retreats, no training sessions out of the public eye. “You stand back here and they throw a big fish and you say, ‘Time out, I don’t want to catch this fish,’ but you’ve just got to do it,” said Ryan Hébert (pronounced ) 36, who has worked just more than a year with the company. “And the more you do it, the more and more you learn,” he added. Mr. Kirn, 33, said the secret of flight is that while the crowd roars at a good catch, especially the but risky the real skill is in the throwing, which hardly anyone notices at all. “It’s like a golf swing, you keep your right arm straight,” said C. J. Conrad, 27, describing the perfect form for tossing. “Then you use your hips. ” A fish does a little flop halfway to its target, then flattens out into an aerodynamic glide, horizontal but with the head slightly up. If all goes well, the final moments are more like a landing than a catch. Sliminess is irrelevant. Except when it isn’t. “I picked it up so fast, people didn’t even know,” said Zach Swingle, 27, describing a recent miss. They also keep a “practice fish” behind the counter, which gets tossed around for fun, or when business is slow. At day’s end, a fish that has been thrown too many times looks exactly as you would expect: beaten up by the experience. This fish is then donated to the zoo, where the bears have it for dinner. | 0fake |
Malia Obama Is Getting Political And Standing Up Against Trump | Less than a week after her father left office on a nearly historically high approval rating, First Daughter Malia Obama is dipping her hat into politics, sort of.According to the former President, both his daughters were disappointed that Donald Trump won, but they are both still hopeful. Malia is taking that hope and standing up for the Native Americans at Standing Rock.Malia, who s now 18, skipped a well-earned post presidential family vacation and opted instead to go to the Sundance Film Festival. It was there, in Park City, Utah, where Malia joined a protest against Trump and against the oil companies insisting on putting a pipeline through sacred land.And this past Monday, just four days after her father vacated the Oval Office, Malia made it clear just how disappointed she was in the new commander-in-chief by joining a rally protesting his plans to revive the Dakota Access pipeline project.The 18-year-old student, who will be heading off to Harvard University later this year, was one of approximately 100 people who gathered on Main Street at the Sundance Film Festival to let it be known how upset she was with President Trump s plan to move forward with the controversial transport system.The group braved the blistering cold and heavy snowfall as they held up signs reading Exist. Resist. Rise. and Impeach corporate control. Source: Daily MailLast month, members of the Standing Rock Sioux nation were celebrating after the United States Army announced they would not approve the easement for the pipeline s construction. This was after months of protests.In his first week in office, Donald Trump reversed that decision and chose to screw the Standing Rock Sioux by signing an executive order that would allow the pipeline to go forward. That s what Malia is protesting. Look for this to be the first in a brilliant young woman s life as an activist, if not a politician.Featured image by Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images. | 1real |
Merkel wants EU to consider halting Turkish accession talks after vote | BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that Turkey was fast abandoning the rule of law and vowed to push her EU partners to consider suspending or ending its accession talks at a meeting in October. Less than three weeks before a German national election, she spelled out her intentions clearly to the Bundestag lower house of parliament after sharpening her rhetoric on Sunday and saying Turkey should not become an EU member. Those comments, made in a televised debate with her Social Democrat (SPD) election rival, drew charges of populism from Ankara. It was the latest of a series of spats between Merkel and President Tayyip Erdogan over the last two years which has led to a serious deterioration in relations. Turkey is moving away from the path of the rule of law at a very fast speed, Merkel said, adding her government would do everything it could to secure the release of Germans detained in Turkey, who Berlin says are innocent. The Foreign Ministry said last week 12 German citizens, four of them with dual citizenship, had been detained in Turkey on political charges. One has since been released. The ministry updated its travel advice on Tuesday and said that incomprehensible arrests were taking place all over Turkey, including regions frequented by tourists. Venting her growing frustration, Merkel said a rethink of Germany s and the EU s relations with Turkey was needed. We will also - and I will suggest this takes place at the EU meeting in October - discuss future relations with Turkey, including the question of suspending or ending talks on accession, she said. I will push for a decisive stand ... But we need to coordinate and work with our partners, she said, adding that it would damage the EU if Erdogan saw member states embroiled in an argument. That would dramatically weaken Europe s position. Although Turkey s foreign minister has said EU membership remains a strategic goal, the EU has turned very skeptical - especially since Erdogan s crackdown on opponents after a failed coup in July 2016. A European Commission spokesman said on Monday Turkey was taking giant strides away from Europe. Although her conservative party has long opposed Turkish membership of the bloc, Merkel has staked a good deal on maintaining relations with its NATO ally. She has repeatedly defended an EU-Turkey migrant deal she championed last year because it helped to stem the flow of refugees fleeing war in the Middle East to western Europe. Merkel said despite her own reservations, she had gone along with EU accession talks agreed by her SPD predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, mainly to ensure continuity in foreign policy. Erdogan accuses Germany of harboring plotters behind the 2016 coup attempt. Turkey has arrested about 50,000 people in its purges of state institutions and the armed forces. Ankara says the crackdown is necessary to ensure national security but many Western countries and human rights groups say it is an attempt by Erdogan to stifle all dissent. Erdogan also won sweeping new powers in a referendum in April. In the runup to the German election little divides the main parties, who currently share power in a grand coalition, on Turkey. SPD Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in July said Germans should be careful if they traveled to Turkey and threatened steps that could hurt investment there. | 0fake |
Target Stores To Launch In-Store Vertical Farms To Grow Their Own Crops | Indoor farming is quickly becoming a growing trend because of consumers’ mistrust in GMOs, the yearning to buy as local as possible, and a decline in usable land. There are a variety of indoor... | 1real |
#MayorsStand4All Day Touts Support for Illegal Immigrants | Sixty mayors from around the country on Tuesday held press conferences and other events to show their support for immigrants both legal and illegal. [The U. S. Conference of Mayors helped organize the effort dubbed “Cities Day of Immigration Action. ” The organization collected the names of the mayors and cities participating in the event and the actions they would be taking, including pledges to: The mayor of Austin, Texas, Steve Adler, Tweeted an article entitled “Mayors Celebrate Immigrants While Facing ICE’s New ‘ ’ City List” using the hashtag “MayorsStand4All. ” . @routefifty: Mayors Celebrate Immigrants While Facing ICE’s New ‘ ’ City List #MayorsStand4All https: . — Mayor Adler (@MayorAdler) March 22, 2017, Breitbart Texas reported that ICE, under the Trump Administration, is now publishing a weekly Declined Detainer Outcome Reports, demonstrating the crimes for which aliens have been accused. The maiden report revealed that sanctuary jurisdictions released 206 criminal aliens from their jails. Texas leads the nation with more than 70 percent of cases. While there were 149 criminal aliens released from Texas jails, 142 were released in Travis County. One day before the #MayorsStand4All events, Jessica Vaughan with the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) told Breitbart Texas, “The report from DHS is commendable, but also alarming. Now the public can understand exactly who is benefiting from the sanctuary policies — the released criminal aliens. ” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings used the #MayorsStand4All hashtag to welcome the director of the new “Office of Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs. ” Pleased to welcome Liz director of our new Office of Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs. #MayorsStand4All pic. twitter. — Mayor Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) March 21, 2017, The Dallas mayor has been outspoken for the rights of Syrian refugees and illegal aliens, and has stood against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s efforts to stop the flow of refugees into the Lone Star State. Mayor de Blasio held a press conference outside of the Tweed Courthouse in Manhattan and said absent a court order, he will ICE agents from the city’s schools. “We will not allow ICE agents to threaten that protection, disrupt classes or take any action that would be detrimental to our students,” de Blasio said, reported Breitbart News. When questioned, the NYC mayor admitted that ICE agents have not gone into the schools but ominously added, “we’re seeing things that we have not seen before and there’s a tremendous amount of fear out there. We have to be ready for anything. ” Our schools will not become part of the president’s deportation machine. #MayorsStand4All pic. twitter. — Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 21, 2017, The New York Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs issued a letter to students and families the same day stating that ICE agents would not be permitted in the schools. It also declared that the NYC Department of Education (NYC DoE) would not be releasing information about students and would be “expanding Know Your Rights workshops for students, parents and community members. ” City officials in Washington, D. C. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, and Kansas City Mayor Sly James participated in the Cities’ Day of Immigration Action along with 57 other mayors and cities. DC joins 59 cities across the US today for Cities’ Day of Immigration Action! @usmayors @MayorBowser #MayorsStand4all #SomosWashingtonDC, — Tomás Talamante (@TalamanteDC) March 21, 2017, Mayors across the country are joined together in our support of the New Americans who strengthen our cities and economy. #MayorsStand4All pic. twitter. — Megan Barry (@MayorMeganBarry) March 21, 2017, Mayors know first hand the economic and moral imperatives that make it necessary to fix our broken immigration system. #MayorsStand4All pic. twitter. — Mayor Sly James (@MayorSlyJames) March 21, 2017, Not everyone who used the hashtag “MayorsStand4All” was supportive of the mayors. This individual may have been noting the recent rape and sodomization of a girl at Rockville High School in Maryland. #MayorsStand4All is a nifty way of saying ”your daughters are less important to us than illegal aliens (aka:future Democrat voters).” — Ben Crystal (@Bennettruth) March 22, 2017, Others were clear in their reference to the alleged sexual assault. One of the males charged, Sanchez Milian, had a deportation order pending at the time of the alleged assault. The Guatemalan was allowed to enroll as a freshman, reported Breitbart News. Jose O. Montano, the other student charged, is from El Salvador. Sean Spicer criticized sanctuary jurisdictions saying the tragic crime was why President Trump is so “passionate” about buckling down on illegal immigration. Rockville High School is located in Montgomery County, Maryland, a county that is listed as a sanctuary jurisdiction, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Illegal immigrants get more passes in US than Americans because of this we get horrific crimes like #RockvilleRape sick! #MayorsStand4All, — TrumpStrong (@TrumpStrong45) March 21, 2017, Still waiting for #MayorsStand4All folks to tell me how many #RockvilleRape cases they are willing to accept for ideology. Pick a number. — CassiusK (@UWRockBuster) March 21, 2017, One of those Tweeting under #MayorsStand4All said it was ironic that the hashtag was trending at the same time as “#rockvillerape” and added, “Mayors should stand for citizens first. PERIOD. ” #rockvillerape #MayorsStand4All How ironic these two trending. Mayors should stand for citizens first. PERIOD. — T (@MADDdawg99) March 21, 2017, Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2. | 0fake |
'Let's get emotional' says German SPD, struggling to oust Merkel | BERLIN (Reuters) - One month away from a national election, Germany s Social Democrats are struggling in their efforts to narrow a yawning gap in support behind Chancellor Angela Merkel s conservatives. The left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD) is languishing on around 24 percent support, polls show, far behind Merkel s conservatives bloc, on some 38 percent. Germans go to the polls on Sept. 24. The SPD is having difficulty in differentiating itself from the conservatives, with whom it rules as junior partner in a grand coalition - an alliance the party wants to avoid repeating, but which polls suggest is the only partnership that can guarantee a majority. We need to get more emotional, to fight and force Merkel to speak in clear terms so that the differences become clear, SPD Labour Minister Andrea Nahles told business daily Handelsblatt. Nahles accused Merkel, who is campaigning for a fourth term on a platform of economic stability, of trying to cruise through the election without staking out clear positions. Last year, Germany s refugee crisis threatened Merkel. But with the migrant flow now stemmed and unemployment at a record low, she is able to project herself as an anchor of stability in an uncertain world. Trying to rock her, SPD leader Martin Schulz has grown increasingly critical of Merkel this week, accusing her of blocking his party s efforts in the ruling coalition to win better pay for temporary workers and improve workers rights. On Thursday, Schulz takes his campaign to Essen, in the heart of the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia that was at the center of Germany s post-war economic miracle but which is now a rust-belt. Germany s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia has traditionally been an SPD stronghold but the party lost there in a state election in May - one of three regional votes Merkel s conservatives won earlier this year. Schulz, 61, led the SPD to a brief poll surge after the party selected him as leader at the start of the year. But the revival quickly fizzled as his campaign for social justice failed to gain traction. A former European Parliament president, he cannot match the clout of Merkel, 63, gained in 12 years of experience as leader of Europe s biggest economy. Searching for another point of difference, Schulz pledged on Tuesday to have U.S. nuclear weapons withdrawn from German territory if, against the odds, he defeats Merkel. Schulz s election campaign is jumping around so many areas that it is impossible to discern a theme, the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote in an editorial. Striking a defeatist note, Schulz said earlier this month he wanted to stay on as SPD leader even if his party loses the election. | 0fake |
GOP elites are now resigned to Donald Trump as their nominee | Throughout the Republican Party, from New Hampshire to Florida to California, many leaders, operatives, donors and activists arrived this week at the conclusion they had been hoping to thwart or at least delay: Donald Trump will be their presidential nominee.
An aura of inevitability is now forming around the controversial mogul. Trump smothered his opponents in six straight primaries in the Northeast and vacuumed up more delegates than even the most generous predictions foresaw. He is gaining high-profile endorsements by the day — a legendary Indiana basketball coach Wednesday, two House committee chairmen Thursday. And his rivals, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, are making the kind of rushed tactical moves that signal desperation.
The party is at a turning point. Republican stalwarts opposed to Trump remain fearful of the damage the unconventional and unruly billionaire might inflict on the party’s down-ballot candidates in November. But many also now see him as the all-but-certain nominee and are exhausted by the prospect of a contested July convention, according to interviews this week with more than a dozen party figures from coast to coast.
“People are realizing that he’s the likely nominee,” said Tim Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor and onetime endorser of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. “The hysteria has died down, and the range of emotion is from resignation to enthusiasm.”
In Colorado — where Cruz outfoxed Trump in a series of clamorous meetings earlier this month to win all of the state’s 34 available delegates — former state party chairman Dick Wadhams said, “Fatigue is probably the perfect description of what people are feeling.”
He continued: “There is an acceptance, a resignation or whatever, that Trump is going to be the nominee. More and more people hope he wins that nomination on the first ballot because they do not want to see a convention that explodes into total chaos. People just want this to be over with — and we need a nominee.”
[Trump rolls to crushing victories in five East Coast primaries]
With likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton pivoting to a general election and her well-funded allies readying for a full-out assault, Republicans are eager to unite quickly. Some are fearful that waiting until the convention in Cleveland to pick a nominee would put the party at a disadvantage in raising money and engaging the Democrats.
“The lion’s share of Republicans want the process settled,” said Mike Dennehy, a veteran New Hampshire-based party strategist. “There’s anxiety setting in about the process, and that’s what people are tired of. They just want it done, they want the fighting to stop, and they want a general-election campaign to begin in a meaningful way.”
So does Trump. Celebrating his sweep in Tuesday’s primaries, he declared himself the “presumptive nominee.” At a rally the next day in Indianapolis, he proclaimed, “We’re just about ready to put it away, folks.”
Cruz is pushing back on the idea that Trump is nearing a lock on the nomination. He took the unusual step Wednesday of choosing a running mate, businesswoman Carly Fiorina. The new ticket, as well as independent groups opposed to Trump, see Indiana’s primary on Tuesday as their best — and perhaps last — chance to derail the front-runner and deny him the nomination.
Opposition to Trump still runs strong in parts of the GOP establishment. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a vocal Trump critic and former presidential candidate, praised Cruz’s pick of Fiorina in a CNN interview that aired Thursday — in part because he said “she takes on Trump really well.”
Speaking to reporters Thursday in Fort Wayne, Ind., Cruz predicted that Trump will not win the majority of delegates — 1,237 — and blamed the mainstream media for bestowing what the senator considers a false sense of inevitability on Trump’s campaign.
“Donald, sadly aided and abetted by media network executives who are all liberal Democrats, who are all rooting for Hillary, are quick to say that the race is over,” Cruz said.
[Indiana looms large for Cruz, while options to stop Trump dwindle]
The race is not over, but both Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are already mathematically eliminated from clinching the nomination on a first ballot and would need a convention floor fight to win. Trump has won 992 of the required 1,237 delegates so far, according to the Associated Press. Cruz has 562, and Kasich has 153. If he falls short, Trump could persuade unbound delegates to lift him over the threshold on the first ballot at the convention.
“Trump has become a fact rather than a problem,” said Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker who has offered informal advice to Trump but has not endorsed him. “Show me mathematically how you’re going to stop him. This all assumes, by the way, that the guy who wrote ‘The Art of the Deal’ can’t figure out a way to make a deal with the undecided delegates.”
Republican consultants across the country are singing the same tune. Reed Galen in Southern California said: “Is it a done deal? It’s certainly looking that way.” In Georgia, Tom Perdue said, “If you go to barbershops in Atlanta, you’ll hear people say they never thought he’d end up being the nominee, but for the most part people think he will be the nominee.”
On Thursday, Trump’s top campaign adviser, Paul Manafort, was on Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and press his case that Trump is becoming the de facto GOP standard-bearer.
Two prominent GOP establishment congressmen — Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, and Jeff Miller of Florida, who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee — endorsed Trump on Thursday.
“It’s time for our party to unite behind Donald Trump and focus our time and energy on defeating Hillary Clinton,” Shuster said in a statement.
[At RNC meeting, some elites aren’t quite convinced by Trump charm offensive]
That echoes what Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday in a Facebook posting calling for an end to the “Never Trump” movement among conservatives: “Donald Trump is going to be our nominee, and he is going to be on the ballot as the Republican candidate for President. The Republican leaders in Washington did not choose him, but the Republican voters across America did choose him. The voters have spoken.”
Brian Ballard, a Florida-based lobbyist whose clients have included Trump’s real estate company and who also was a top fundraiser for the Bush and Rubio campaigns, said many donors in his state are ready to give to Trump and the Republican National Committee for the general election.
“I think he has earned the nomination, as far as I’m concerned,” he said of Trump. “The folks that I talk to are moving towards him rapidly, though there’s going to be holdouts till the very end who are bitter about what happened.”
At last week’s RNC meeting in Hollywood, Fla., many party officials seemed resigned, if not thrilled, with the idea of Trump as the GOP candidate.
“More and more Republicans are believing that Trump is the inevitable nominee,” said Ron Kaufman, an RNC member from Massachusetts who is close to 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and former president George H.W. Bush. “They’re accepting the fact that he’s the nominee and looking forward to moving on.”
Sean Sullivan in Fort Wayne, Ind., contributed to this report. | 0fake |
This BEAUTIFUL Celebrity Farewell Video To President Obama Will Have You BAWLING (VIDEO) | Unfortunately, we will be losing President Obama at noon on January 20th, and he will be replaced with Donald Trump. Think about that one of the most loving, classy, dignified, accepting, extraordinary men on the planet will be replaced with a buffoon who is quite possibly the most vengeful, bigoted, fraudulent, dangerous man to ever walk the earth. It is truly an American tragedy. Well, we progressives on the ground aren t the only ones who feel this way. There are celebrities who are missing President Obama just as much as we are, and they wanted to make sure he knew it.The likes of A-listers like Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres and more are making sure to give President Obama a great send-off. They all got together and produced an emotional video entitled Yes We Can: Your Most Memorable Moments from the Obama Presidency. In the video, the stars tell stories of their memories of President Obama s eight years in office, and what it meant to them. Here are just a few quotes:John Legend: I never cried from an election result before.Leonardo DiCaprio: When I was at the U.N. and I heard our president say that climate change is the most important issue facing, not only this generation but also future generations, it was inspiring. Ellen DeGeneres: The CVS experience with Michelle (Obama) was pretty cool and dancing with Barack at his birthday party. And he s a good dancer. He should not get any flack for that you re a good dancer. Alongside the A-listers, there are also children speaking of what President Obama has meant to them, and how he made them feel. The video is absolutely heartwarming and heartbreaking as well, considering what we are up against now. Get your tissues out for this one, folks.Watch below, via The Hill:[ad3media campaign= 1413 ]Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Watch: Amazon Boss Jeff Bezos Pilots Real-Life Giant Mech - Breitbart | At the MARS 2017 tech conference, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos hopped into Hankook Mirae Technology’s massive mechanized suit. [@JeffBezos ”Why do I feel so much like #sigourneyweaver ?” @amazon #MARS2017 #openpodbaydoors 😬 pic. twitter. — Caleb Harper (@calebgrowsfood) March 20, 2017, Bezos asked aloud why he “felt so much like Sigourney Weaver” in reference to Weaver’s character Ripley piloting a mechanized suit in Aliens as he manipulated the giant metal arms for an enthusiastic crowd on Sunday. I just got to pilot an awesome (and huge) robot thanks to Hankook Mirae Technology. Nice! #MARS2017 pic. twitter. — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) March 20, 2017, The “ ” mecha was created by South Korea’s Hankook Mirae Technology. It stands at a hulking 14 feet tall, and weighs 1. 6 tons at a minimum, according to their minimalist website. Visually, it most resembles the mechanized suits from James Cameron’s fluorescent blue cat lady epic, Avatar. The massive suit was designed in part by Vitaly Bulgarov, who worked with Boston Dynamics on their own bipedal robots. Bulgarov also signed on with Industrial Light Magic to help with designs for Michael Bay’s Transformers reboot. interface and arm motion test! ” ” large manned robot project for which I had a pleasure to make the design. Very fortunate to be part of the incredible Hankook Mirae Technology team. (previously posted as Korea Future Technology since ”Hankook” means ”South Korea” in Korean Language and ”Mirae” means ”Future”)team. More info at ” color:#c9c8cd : :14px :17px :0 :8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px :center :ellipsis :nowrap”>A post shared by Vitaly Bulgarov (@vitalybulgarov) on Dec 15, 2016 at 3:12pm PST, Hankook Mirae Chairman Yang called the “the world’s first manned bipedal robot,” saying that it was “built to work in extreme hazardous areas where humans cannot go [unprotected]. ” He added that they are taking “baby steps” to a point where they can allow the mech to “move freely. ” The is expected to be commercially available by the end of 2017, and will only set you back a cool $8. 3 million. It might sound like a lot, but there is no cost too great in the inevitable lunar battle against and the flying robot army pouring from his weird . Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both. | 0fake |
Trump, Clinton camps both offered slice of dossier firm's work: sources | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The same political research firm that prepared a dossier on Trump campaign ties to Russia had unrelated information on Clinton Foundation donors that a Russian lawyer obtained and offered to President Donald Trump’s eldest son last year, three sources familiar with the matter said. The White House and Republican lawmakers have attacked the firm, Fusion GPS, over the dossier compiled by a former British spy that is central to investigations in Congress and by a special counsel into conclusions by U.S. spy agencies that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election and wanted to help Trump win. The sources told Reuters that the negative information that Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya wanted to give to Republican Trump’s campaign at a June 2016 meeting in New York had been dug up by Fusion GPS in an unrelated investigation. Trump’s congressional supporters have suggested that because Fusion also conducted research for lawyers representing a Russian firm in the unrelated matter, the dossier was part of a Russian campaign to help Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump backers call the 35-page report a “dodgy dossier” financed by Clinton supporters. Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of meddling in the U.S. election and Trump denies any collusion between his campaign and Moscow officials. In an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, Veselnitskaya said she went to the Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner, and top campaign adviser Paul Manafort to show them proof of tax evasion by major Democratic donors. She said Donald Jr. asked her for written evidence that illegal funds went to Clinton’s campaign, Bloomberg reported. Emails made public earlier this year by Trump Jr. showed that a publicist for the son of one of his father’s Russian business contacts helped introduce Veselnitskaya and advised him that she and her associates had “sensitive” information that could damage Clinton. “I love it,” Trump Jr. responded, according to the emails. In December, 2014, the sources said, Veselnitskaya, who then was involved in litigation pitting her Russian client against British-American financier William Browder, received a legal research memo reporting that the Ziff Brothers, two New York financiers allied with Browder, had made a large contribution to a Clinton charity. The memo had been prepared by Fusion, which had been hired to conduct legal research on Browder by Baker and Hostetler law firm. The firm represented Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, who was engaged in disputes with Browder and U.S. prosecutors. Glenn Simpson, one of Fusion GPS’ founders, met with Veselnitskaya about that litigation before and after her meeting with Trump Jr., Kushner and Manafort, according to a source familiar with the matter. However, a source familiar with 10 hours of testimony Simpson gave the Senate Judiciary committee in August said he told investigators he did not know of Veselnitskaya’s Trump Tower meeting until reports of it appeared in the media. Representatives of the Judiciary Committee’s Republican majority did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment. Representatives for Trump Jr. and Kushner could not immediately be reached for comment and neither could a U.S.-based lawyer for Veselnitskaya. Two sources said the Fusion GPS work for Baker and Hostetler that produced the information Veselnitskaya offered Trump Jr. and his associates was unrelated to the firm’s work for Perkins Coie, a law firm that represented the Democratic National Committee and Clinton’s campaign. Perkins Coie has acknowledged that it paid $1.02 million to Fusion for research related to Donald Trump and his campaign. | 0fake |
11 Things To Let Go Of Before The New Year | The new year is almost here and it’s often a time when we all start to think about what we want to change for the next year. I’ve never been much a fan of the whole cliche of changing because of the new year, but why not embrace it as a time where we can make change?
Do a quick reflection right now. Do you feel like you have followed your dreams and passions this past year? Do you feel you got caught up in the stresses of life quite often? Did you feel judgement, negative self talk and anger were a big part of your days? Reflecting on how you’ve felt over your year and being honest with yourself about it gives you the chance to know how to adjust and move forward from this moment forward whether it be the new year or not.
I’ve found in my own life that if I don’t pay attention to how I feel, what I create, what’s playing out in my life and take responsibility for it, it doesn’t change. It stays the same, I experience the same emotions or stagnant feelings, and I don’t move forward. But the moment I decide to take it into my own hands, I see how much I’m not a victim to what happens.
11 Things To Let Go of Before the New year 1. Stop all the negative self talk – It’s first because it’s probably one of the most important. The more we talk poorly about ourselves to ourselves or others, the more we disempower ourselves and empower all the things we wish to adjust about ourselves. Observe it, take note of it, and kick it. It’s not helping you.
2. Choose one bad eating habit and kick it! – Taking care of and fuelling your vessel is one of the most important things we can do in life to stay mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy. Pick one of your worst eating habits and aim to cut it out completely in 3 months. Whatever it might be, be honest with yourself and make it happen. Then take on the next bad eating habit in 3 months.
3. Let go of chasing ‘success’ – So often we put up goals or plans for ourselves yet have this tiny limited scope of what success is. Next thing you know we bring stress, worry and fear into the equation throughout the whole journey because we may not be totally in line to hit this pin prick point of what success looks like to us. Instead, do your best to take the steps needed to get to where you want to go, but let go of the lure of success and what it looks like and means. There’s no such thing as failure. (more)
4. Kick the idea that you cannot achieve or follow your dreams – So often we have our ideas of what we are excited or passionate about, but let it go because we think we can’t do it or because it’s unrealistic. Instead of believing every word of that, take ONE step. One step towards making your passion or your dreams happen. The one step will lead to the next and the next, but you have to take the first one. Plan out that first step and take it!
5. Let go of the idea that you should run from your problems – We often get into this mentality that we just need to “get over it.” In theory this sounds sorta good, you move on from things that happen in the past or something to that effect. But by just forgetting about it, did we really move on? No, it gets triggered again later or lies dormant as a resented event etc. Instead, let’s face our problems and truly move past them. Journal about it, talk to someone else about it. Put the cards on the table to someone who cares about you and who can help you move past it. Pick someone who will see the bigger picture and be honest with you. You have all it takes to move past what challenges you.
6. Stop comparing yourself to others – This is a big one. So often we are looking at others and using what they have, do or are to compare it against us and make up a story. This whole game can make us sad or feel down about ourselves or it can feed our ego in a big way. Let it go, respect everyone’s journey, including your own and stop the need to compare yourself to others.
7. Stop judging others – Judging other people can become a habit and an addiction. It’s like something we can’t stop doing sometimes! Take a moment the next time you judge someone and observe it. Ask yourself why you did it, how did it make you feel? Etc. Make a conscious effort to stop. (more)
8. Stop the blame game – Blaming and pointing fingers when it comes to our challenges or what happens to us doesn’t allow us to look at and observe how we might have created or aligned with an experience to help make it happen. I’m not saying there’s no such things others can do to hurt you, I’m simply saying take responsibility for how you feel and don’t even point blame, it doesn’t help us.
9. Stop worrying and trying so hard to fit in and be accepted – This is something far too many of us do just to save face and not be “the weird one.” The reality is, it’s more ‘weird’ to be a version of yourself that isn’t genuine or real simply because you want to be accepted by others. It’s a choice you can’t maintain forever and the longer it goes the more uncomfortable you will feel. Be you, accept yourself, be genuine and don’t try to make others do the same when. Let it happen. Trust.
10. Let go of the need to control everything – Sometimes we can’t take a step forward in anything because we don’t know all the answers or all the variables. This is our obsession with control sometimes. Yes, observe a situation and make the best choices available to you, but don’t worry so much about needing to control or know every detail about it. Learn to leave things up to trust and knowing that things will work out as they need to. This doesn’t mean be reckless, just that you don’t need to control every thing, person and detail.
11. Stop procrastinating – This one goes with everything on the list. Stop putting it all off. Whatever it may be. The changes listed above, the hobby you want to, the career you want to explore, or the thing you want to tell to someone important to you. Stop putting it off and just do it!
| 1real |
Trump’s Rally Already Off The Rails As Nazis Show Up; Protester Slammed To Ground While Trump Rants | The rally Trump held to compete with the National Correspondent s dinner in Washington is off to a predictably ugly start. At least one protester has already been physically tackled by waiting police officers. Nazis are mingling with the crowd. And Trump is raving from the pulpit. It s the ugliest parts of the 2016 campaign all over again.Trump is currently being sued for his involvement in the assault of a protester during the campaign but that didn t stop him from being similarly aggressive at this rally. According to reporters on the scene, Trump was yelling get him out of here! as his supporters and his police detail yanked a protester to the ground. Politico s Josh Dawsey captured the moment.Cops throw angry protester to the ground. He's not leaving quietly. "Get him out of here," Trump says. pic.twitter.com/kOCKdO89rH Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) April 30, 2017Carrying Make America Strong Again signs, Trump supporters hurled insults and lewd gestures at the protester as he was dragged out of the arena.Pennsylvania State Police drag out a Donald Trump protester while a supporter gives him the middle finger @ Harrisburg rally. pic.twitter.com/DIYodbvy4G Jonathan Lee Riches (@xxxlawsuitxxx) April 30, 2017It s important to remind ourselves that this is not normal. There used to be a sense of respect for both president and protester. President Obama once made international headlines when he told a heckler to please be respectful until he was finished talking. In just 100 days, Trump has torched that tacit agreement.Neo-Nazis were also spotted in the crowd. They ve been a regular feature of Trump rallies in recent months, including proudly filming themselves give Nazi sieg heil salutes during a Berkeley march. New York Magazine s Olivia Nuzzi spotted a few of the Trump supporters donning skin head regalia and snapped this photo:Seen at the Trump rally in Harrisburg: pic.twitter.com/dBl3RHKJ73 Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) April 29, 2017Tee Keystone State Council is a known hate group which has stated their mission is to target young people to build a new generation of white supremacists. They are also linked to several neo-Nazi groups, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.Again, Nazis and white supremacists showing up to openly support a president is not normal.As for Trump, he pretended he was running for president again. He ranted about making America stronger , bragged about the crowd size and blatantly lied. Just like old times.Trump says "we have a lot of ppl standing outside" and he "broke the all time record" in this arena. There are rows of empty seats here pic.twitter.com/ixbErKjrQu Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) April 30, 2017What does it say about the country that an event like this is happening? What does it project to the rest of the world?Featured image via Twitter | 1real |
Заседание Международного дискуссионного клуба «Валдай», Владимир В. Путин | Заседание Международного дискуссионного клуба «Валдай» Владимир В. Путин Сеть Вольтер | Сочи (Россия) | 27 октября 2016 English français Т.Колтон (как переведено): Добрый день, дамы и господа! Меня зовут Тимоти Колтон. Я знаком со многими присутствующими сегодня здесь. Мне чрезвычайно приятно, что меня попросили выступить модератором этой последней сессии в 2016 году в рамках Валдайского дискуссионного клуба, так мы его называем.
Хотел бы особо приветствовать нашего основного выступающего – это Владимир Владимирович Путин, Президент Российской Федерации. Он нашёл время, чтобы приехать сюда, принять участие. Мы знаем, как он занят. Мы также высоко ценим его готовность отвечать на наши вопросы.
В какой‑то момент, когда Вы выйдете на пенсию, господин Президент, и напишете свои мемуары, попытайтесь подумать, сколько времени Вы потратили на ответы и вопросы. Я уверен, Вы будете поражены этим. Мы очень благодарим Вас за это. Спасибо за то, что Вы с нами сегодня.
Позвольте мне также представить других участников сегодняшней сессии. Я представлю их в том порядке, в котором они будут выступать. Прежде всего Тарья Халонен, которая сидит справа от господина Президента. У неё была блестящая карьера, в течение 12 лет она была президентом соседа Российской Федерации – Финляндской Республики, до 2012 года. Затем выступит господин Хайнц Фишер, который сидит слева от Президента Путина. У него также очень длинная, разнообразная карьера. Совсем недавно он вышел в отставку с поста президента Австрийской Республики, он занимал этот пост с 2004 года до 2016 года. Сейчас в Австрии нет президента, к сожалению, но это уже другая история.
Третий выступающий, я хотел бы представить его, господин Табо Мбеки, ещё один человек с длительной карьерой. С 1999 года по 2008 год он занимал пост президента Южно-Африканской Республики.
Я не думаю, что я должен представлять Андрея Быстрицкого. Он активно участвует в наших встречах, но он всё‑таки коротко остановится на встрече Валдайского клуба здесь. Он возглавляет Совет, занимающийся Валдайским форумом.
Пожалуйста, Андрей, слово Вам.
А.Быстрицкий: Спасибо большое.
Уважаемый господин Президент! Уважаемые гости и модератор! Уважаемые участники Валдайского форума!
Мы собрались на заключительное пленарное заседание нашей ежегодной большой Валдайской конференции. За три дня работы, как мне представляется, мы проделали большой путь. И, как мне кажется, эта конференция была исключительно интересной. Мы обсуждали, что уже сегодня определяет завтра, наше будущее. В общем, мы сконцентрировались примерно на пяти сферах современной жизни, положение дел в которых, мы видим, это будущее и определяет.
Это международные отношения, это экономика, это демография и миграция, это технологии и общественное устройство. Эти сферы важны по очевидным причинам. От международных отношений в прямом смысле зависят вопросы войны и мира, от экономики – общая возможность развития человечества. Демографические и миграционные проблемы способны поколебать стабильность очень многих стран. А технологии в состоянии изменить все наши представления о том, что возможно и что невозможно в этом мире.
И наконец, внутреннее устройство страны, оно, впрочем, как и всегда, но сейчас в иной форме влияет в том числе и на внешнюю политику этих стран. И, в общем, конференция прояснила много вопросов, впрочем, поставила и много новых. С одной стороны, вроде бы все сошлись на том, что современный мир немыслим без международных институтов и международного права, хотя их нынешнее состояние представляется не идеальным и мир нуждается как в развитии, так и в улучшении уже действующих, а может быть, и создании чего‑то нового и дополнительного.
Естественно, интересно и то, что, обсуждая противоречия, которые естественным образом возникают между крупными мировыми игроками, большинство сошлось на том, что эти противоречия всё же не являются непреодолимыми, что шанс, хотя и не безусловный, преодолеть их и договориться есть. Любопытно, но многие ответили, что при сохранении по‑прежнему важной роли США влияние многих государств, прежде всего таких, как Китай, Индия, Россия, растёт, а о Западной Европе так сказать нельзя, при всей экономической мощи в политическом отношении её возможности и активность представляются недостаточными. Более того, возможно, они уменьшаются в сравнении с растущей Азией и Россией.
Обсуждались и те сферы, которые если и зависимы от политики властей, то не прямо, это уже упомянутые технологии и миграции, например. В ходе дискуссии о миграции, которая называлась «Мир после переселения народов», прозвучала мысль о том, что правильнее назвать не «мир после», а «мир до переселения народов», поскольку, возможно, главные миграционные волны и самые главные угрозы ещё впереди.
О технологиях тоже было сказано немало, и хотя сегодня мы понимаем их возрастающую мощь и даже видим отдельные серьёзные последствия, но всё же сколько‑нибудь полного понимания о масштабах и влиянии и долгосрочных последствиях у нас нет. Отчасти вследствие этого, мы сегодня об этом говорили, Валдайский клуб совместно с Всероссийским центром изучения общественного мнения попытается с помощью нового, нами разрабатываемого индекса измерить уровень готовности стран к будущему.
Кроме того, чрезвычайно интересными были две специальные сессии: по Ближнему Востоку и по Европе. Высказывались весьма разные точки зрения, подчас полярные.
Также мне кажется, что очень интересно прошли встречи с Игорем Ивановичем Шуваловым, с Вячеславом Викторовичем Володиным, с Сергеем Викторовичем Лавровым, Алексеем Леонидовичем Кудриным. Здесь у нас принимала участие Элла Александровна Памфилова в дискуссиях и многие, многие другие очень известные российские и не только российские учёные, деятели и так далее.
В общем, конечно, рассказать в три минуты о том, что было в три дня, невозможно. Но мы, как всегда, подготовим доклад по итогам Валдайского клуба и, естественно, представим его вашему взыскательному вниманию.
Спасибо большое.
Т.Колтон: Очень хорошо.
А теперь давайте перейдём к делам. У нас потрясающая тема: как вы видите эту философию международного развития в интересах нового мира? И это вызывает в памяти серьёзные вопросы, которые, на мой взгляд, могут дать нам возможность двигаться в разных направлениях, послушать разнообразные комментарии, различные точки зрения.
Философия – это очень требовательное слово, однако, когда речь идёт о международном развитии, я думаю, что это подходящее слово. Вчера я провёл поиск Google и использовал слова «международное развитие», «философия». Результатов было 13 миллионов. Так что очень много слов потрачено на описание этой темы. Однако она настолько сложна, настолько многоаспектна, что есть элементы, заслуживающие дополнительного исследования, в особенности в свете того, что мы видим в интернете, в газетах, где заголовки в основном касаются вопросов конфликтов, безопасности и так далее.
Так что очень просто забыть о повестке дня в области развития, а она между тем очень масштабна, она преображает наш мир. Удивительно, каким образом эти компоненты складываются воедино, как они отражаются на нашей парадигме развития. Если раньше это был вашингтонский консенсус, сейчас он подвергается нападкам со всех сторон.
Очень удивительно смотреть на то, что происходит с официальной помощью развитию, это особый компонент развития. Совсем недавно такая помощь в основном доминировала ограниченным числом стран, это богатые страны, которые имеют развитую промышленную систему и выделяли основную часть помощи. Сейчас же появились новые доноры, которые ранее были реципиентами помощи.
Такие, например, как страны БРИКС, в том числе Южная Африка, Южная Корея, Саудовская Аравия, Турция, Венесуэла, Чили, Таиланд. Усложняется ситуация ещё и тем, что многие из этих доноров новых по‑прежнему остаются и реципиентами помощи, то есть категория получателя помощи и выделителя её несколько размыта.
А сейчас я передаю слово Президенту Путину. Пожалуйста.
В.Путин: Уважаемые Тарья, Хайнц, Табо! Уважаемые коллеги, дамы и господа!
Я тоже очень рад нашей новой встрече. И хочу прежде всего поблагодарить российских и зарубежных участников Международного клуба «Валдай» за содержательное участие в его работе, а наших уважаемых гостей – за готовность принять участие в открытой дискуссии.
Наш уважаемый модератор пожелал мне благополучно выйти на пенсию, я тоже себе этого желаю, когда время придёт, это очень правильно, это нужно сделать. Но пока я ещё не на пенсии, действующий руководитель большой державы, я должен быть сдержанным, не проявлять в своих выражениях излишней агрессивности. Собственно говоря, я и не думаю, что это мой стиль.
Тем не менее полагаю, что особенно в этой аудитории мы должны быть откровенны друг с другом, должны вести открытую дискуссию, иначе она не имеет смысла, она будет постной и абсолютно неинтересной.
Такой стиль нашего общения, действительно, на мой взгляд, сегодня чрезвычайно востребован, потому что на фоне масштабных перемен, которые происходят на планете, тема нынешнего заседания «Валдая» – «Будущее начинается сегодня: контуры завтрашнего мира» – звучит очень актуально.
В прошлом году в рамках Валдайского форума мы говорили о неустроенности миропорядка. К сожалению, за прошедшие месяцы к лучшему мало что изменилось, если быть откровенным – ничего к лучшему не изменилось.
Противоречия, связанные с перераспределением экономической мощи и политического влияния, только нарастают, груз взаимного недоверия сужает наши возможности для того, чтобы эффективно отвечать на стоящие перед мировым сообществом реальные вызовы и реальные угрозы. По сути в кризисе оказался сам проект глобализации, а в Европе говорят уже – мы это хорошо знаем, слышим – о несостоятельности мультикультурализма.
Считаю, что такая ситуация – во многом следствие ошибочного, поспешного, а в чём‑то и самоуверенного выбора, сделанного элитами некоторых государств четверть века назад. Тогда, на рубеже 80 – 90-х годов, был шанс не просто ускорить процессы глобализации, а придать им качественно иной, гармоничный, устойчивый характер.
Однако, посчитав себя победителями в «холодной войне», – не посчитав, а мы слышали, прямо рассуждая об этом, некоторые страны предпочли просто начать «перелицовывать» мировой политический и экономический порядок под себя, под свои интересы.
Находясь в явной эйфории, они по сути отказались от содержательного, равноправного диалога с другими участниками международной жизни, предпочли не создавать и совершенствовать универсальные институты, а попытались распространить на весь мир действие своих собственных структур, норм и правил, пошли по пути глобализации и безопасности «для себя, любимых», для избранных, а не для всех. Оказалось, что далеко не все с этим согласны.
Что греха таить, мы с вами прекрасно знаем и понимаем: многие были не согласны, но кто‑то уже не мог этому противостоять, а кто‑то ещё не был к этому готов. Но в результате, тем не менее, систему международных отношений лихорадит, глобальная экономика не может выйти из системного кризиса. При этом принципы и правила – как в политике, так и в экономике – постоянно перетасовываются, зачастую выворачивается наизнанку то, что совсем недавно считалось истиной, возводилось в догму.
Если сегодня «сильным мира сего» выгодны какие‑то стандарты или нормы, они заставляют подчиняться им и всех остальных. Но если завтра такие стандарты начинают мешать, их немедленно отправляют «в корзину», объявляют устаревшими и устанавливают новые правила или пытаются это сделать.
Так было принято решение о нанесении ракетно-бомбовых ударов в центре Европы, по Белграду; по Ираку, затем по Ливии. Да и, собственно говоря, в Афганистане операция началась без соответствующего решения Совета Безопасности Организации Объединённых Наций. Стремясь изменить в свою пользу стратегический баланс, сломали и международно-правовой режим, запрещавший развёртывание новых систем противоракетной обороны. Создали и накачали оружием террористические группировки, жестокость которых толкает миллионы мирных людей к бегству, переселению, миграции, а целые регионы ввергает в хаос.
Мы видим, как жертвуют свободой торговли и используют так называемые санкции для политического давления, в обход Всемирной торговой организации пытаются формировать закрытые экономические альянсы с жёсткими правилами и барьерами, где главные выгодоприобретатели – свои транснациональные корпорации. Почему это происходит, мы тоже знаем: не удаётся решить в рамках ВТО накопившиеся проблемы, значит, в стороночку отодвинем все эти правила и саму организацию и создадим новую. Это именно то, о чём я только что сказал.
При этом мы не видим желания некоторых наших партнёров решать реальные международные проблемы. В созданных ещё во время «холодной войны» и явно переживших свой век структурах, таких, например, как НАТО, несмотря на все разговоры о необходимости адаптации к новым условиям никакой реальной адаптации к новым условиям не происходит. А такой важный механизм обеспечения общеевропейской, да и трансатлантической безопасности, как ОБСЕ, постоянно пытаются превратить в инструмент обслуживания чьих‑то внешнеполитических интересов. И в результате этот важнейший инструмент работает вхолостую.
При этом постоянно штампуются угрозы – вымышленные, мифические, вроде пресловутой «российской военной угрозы». Действительно, это прибыльное занятие: можно новые военные бюджеты выбивать в своих собственных странах, нагибать союзников под интересы одной сверхдержавы, расширить НАТО, приблизить инфраструктуру альянса, боевые подразделения, новую технику к нашим границам.
Конечно, очень приятно, подчас и выгодно, выдавать себя за защитников цивилизации от каких‑то новых варваров. Однако дело в том, что Россия‑то ни на кого нападать не собирается. Да и смешно это: я ведь тоже читаю и ваши аналитические материалы, не только присутствующих здесь в зале, но и аналитиков из тех же Соединённых Штатов, из Европы.
Немыслимо просто, глупо и нереалистично. В одной Европе – 300 миллионов, все члены НАТО; с США общая численность населения – 600 миллионов человек, наверно. В России 146 миллионов всего сейчас. Просто смешно даже об этом говорить. Нет, это всё равно используется для достижения своих политических целей.
К числу мифических, придуманных проблем относится и развёрнутая в США истерия, по‑другому не могу сказать, по поводу влияния России на ход нынешних выборов американского Президента. Казалось бы, в Америке действительно множество острых, действительно насущных проблем – от колоссального государственного долга до роста насилия с применением огнестрельного оружия и фактов полицейского произвола.
И, наверное, в ходе выборов разговор должен был бы идти именно об этом, о других нерешённых проблемах. Но, видимо, сказать элите особенно нечего, нечем общество успокоить. Поэтому куда проще отвлечь внимание людей на российских так называемых хакеров, шпионов, агентов влияния и так далее, и тому подобное.
Хочу задаться вопросом и вам этот вопрос задать: неужели кто‑то всерьёз думает, что Россия может как‑то повлиять на выбор американского народа? Америка – это какая‑то «банановая страна», что ли? Америка – это великая держава. Если я не прав, поправьте меня, пожалуйста.
Возникает вопрос: если дальше всё будет развиваться в таком русле, что ждёт мир? Каким он будет завтра? Есть ли ответы на вопросы, как обеспечить стабильность, безопасность, устойчивость экономического роста? Как повысить благосостояние людей?
Как это ни печально признать, никакого консенсуса на этот счёт в мире нет. Не знаю, может быть, в ходе состоявшихся дискуссий вы пришли к такому общему выводу, мне было бы, конечно, интересно об этом услышать. Но существует, совершенно точно, дефицит стратегии и идеологии будущего. Это создаёт атмосферу неуверенности, которая прямо влияет на общественные настроения.
Социологические исследования, проводимые по всей планете, показывают, что жителям разных стран и континентов будущее, к огромному нашему сожалению, чаще всего кажется смутным и мрачным. Будущее не зовёт, оно пугает. При этом люди не видят реальных возможностей и механизмов что‑либо изменить, как‑то повлиять на ход событий, на выбор политики.
Да, формально все атрибуты демократии в современных странах налицо: выборы, свобода слова, доступ к информации, право выражать своё мнение. Однако даже в так называемых развитых демократиях у большинства граждан нет реального влияния на политические процессы, нет прямого, реального влияния на власть.
Граждане чувствуют, что их интересы и представления элит о единственно правильном курсе, который эти элиты выбирают, всё чаще и больше расходятся между собой. Как следствие – референдумы, выборы всё чаще преподносят сюрпризы, сюрпризы для власти. Люди голосуют совсем не так, как им советовали официальные, респектабельные средства массовой информации, и не так, как это рекомендуют так называемые системные партии. А общественные движения, которые ещё совсем недавно считались слишком «левыми» или слишком «правыми», выходят на авансцену, оттесняя политических тяжеловесов.
Сперва такие неудобные результаты поспешили объявить некой аномалией, случайностью. Когда они стали повторяться, заговорили о том, что общество не понимает тех, кто находится на олимпе власти, не доросло до того, чтобы оценить устремления властных структур, заботу о народном благе, а то и вовсе доходят до истерики, мол, это следствие зарубежной, как правило, российской пропаганды.
Я вам скажу, уважаемые друзья и коллеги, хотелось бы мне иметь такую пропагандистскую машину в России, но это, к сожалению, не так. У нас нет таких глобальных средств массовой информации, как CNN, BBC и некоторые другие, у нас таких возможностей пока нет.
Что касается тезиса о торжестве маргиналов, популистов над здравомыслящим, трезвым, ответственным меньшинством, то дело, конечно, и не в популистах и иже с ними, а дело в том, что простые люди, рядовые граждане перестают доверять правящему классу, вот в чём проблема.
Кстати, политическая повестка и так уже выхолощена, выборы перестают быть инструментом перемен, а сводятся к скандалам, обсуждению компроматов. Простите меня, к обсуждению того, кто кого за что ущипнул, кто с кем спит. Это просто переходит всякие границы. Да и, честно говоря, если посмотреть на программы различных кандидатов, то такое впечатление, что они вообще скроены по одним и тем же лекалам, разница‑то небольшая или её вообще, по сути, нет.
Элита словно не замечает углубляющегося расслоения в обществе и размывания среднего класса, и при этом насаждают идеологические модели, которые, на мой взгляд, разрушают культурную, национальную идентичность. А в некоторых случаях, в некоторых странах и жертвуют национальными интересами, отказываются от суверенитета в обмен на благосклонность сюзерена.
Резонно возникает вопрос: так кто же, в самом деле, маргинален? Расширяющийся класс наднациональной олигархии и бюрократии, часто фактически не избираемый и не контролируемый обществом, или большинство граждан, которое хочет, в общем‑то, простых и понятных вещей: стабильности, свободного развития своих стран, жизненных перспектив для себя и своих детей, сохранения своего культурного лица, а главное, элементарной безопасности для себя и своих близких.
Так, люди откровенно напуганы тем, что на их глазах терроризм из какой‑то далёкой угрозы стал повседневностью, что теракт может произойти буквально рядом, на соседней улице, если не на собственной улице, а орудием массового убийства способно стать любое подручное средство: от изготовленной кустарным способом взрывчатки до обычного грузовика.
Более того, теракты последних лет в Бостоне, других американских городах, в Париже, Брюсселе, Ницце, в городах ФРГ, да, к сожалению, в нашей стране, показывают, что террористам уже не нужны ни ячейки, ни организационные структуры, они могут действовать и в одиночку, автономно, достаточно лишь идеологически их мотивировать и направить на врага, на нас с вами.
На примере террористической опасности со всей очевидностью проявляется неспособность оценить характер, причины возникновения нарастания угроз. Мы видим это по тому, как развивается ситуация в Сирии. Остановить кровопролитие и запустить политический процесс не удаётся. Казалось бы, после долгих переговоров, огромных усилий и сложных компромиссов наконец начал формироваться единый фронт борьбы с терроризмом.
Однако этого не произошло, он фактически не создан. Не сработали и наши личные договорённости с Президентом Соединённых Штатов, в Вашингтоне нашлись силы, которые сделали всё, чтобы эти договорённости не были реализованы на практике. Всё это демонстрирует необъяснимое, я бы сказал, иррациональное стремление западных стран раз за разом повторять свои ошибки, как у нас в народе говорят, наступать на одни и те же грабли.
Все мы видим, что происходит в том же Афганистане, Ираке, Ливии, ряде других стран. Я задаюсь вопросом: где результаты борьбы с терроризмом и экстремизмом? По большому счёту, в глобальном масштабе, регионально где‑то, в отдельных местах результаты есть, но глобально результатов борьбы с терроризмом нет, а угрозы только нарастают.
Мы все помним эйфорию некоторых столиц по поводу так называемой «арабской весны». Где сегодня эти бравурные марши? А призывы России к совместной борьбе с террористами игнорируются. Более того, террористические группировки продолжают вооружать, снабжать, обучать в надежде использовать их, как и прежде, для достижения своих политических целей. Это очень опасная игра, и хочу ещё раз обратиться к подобным игрокам: в данном случае экстремисты хитрее, умнее и сильнее вас, и, заигрывая с ними, вы всегда будете проигрывать.
Уважаемые участники форума! Очевидно, что сейчас мировому сообществу важно сосредоточиться на действительно реальных проблемах, стоящих перед всем человечеством, решение которых позволит сделать мир и безопасным, и стабильным, а систему международных отношений равноправной и справедливой. И, как уже говорил, в конечном счёте превратить глобализацию из глобализации для избранных в глобализацию для всех. Убеждён, любые вызовы и угрозы можно преодолеть только сообща, на прочной основе международного права и Устава Организации Объединённых Наций.
Сегодня именно ООН продолжает оставаться структурой, которой нет равных по представительности и универсальности, уникальной площадкой для равноправного диалога. Универсальные правила ООН необходимы, чтобы включить как можно большее число стран в процесс экономической и гуманитарной интеграции, гарантировать их политическую ответственность и обеспечить согласованность действий, разумеется, при сохранении суверенитета и своей модели развития.
У нас нет сомнения, суверенитет – это центральное понятие всей системы международных отношений. Его уважение, укрепление – это залог мира, стабильности и на национальном, и на международном уровне. Стран, которые, как Россия, могут опереться на тысячелетнюю историю, в мире немало, и мы научились ценить свою идентичность, свободу и независимость. При этом мы не стремимся ни к глобальному доминированию, ни к экспансии какой‑то, ни к конфронтации с кем бы то ни было.
В нашем понимании настоящее лидерство сегодня заключается не в том, чтобы выдумывать эфемерные угрозы и, спекулируя на них, пытаться подмять под себя остальных, а в том, чтобы видеть реальные проблемы, содействовать объединению усилий государств в их решении. И именно так Россия понимает сегодня свою роль в мировых делах.
Приоритеты, без которых благополучное будущее нашей общей планеты немыслимо, абсолютно очевидны. Не скажу ничего нового. Прежде всего это равная и неделимая безопасность для всех государств. Только прекратив вооружённые конфликты и обеспечив мирное развитие всех стран, мы сможем говорить об экономическом прогрессе, решении социальных, гуманитарных и других ключевых проблем. Важно на деле бороться с терроризмом и экстремизмом. Уже не раз говорилось о том, что победить это зло можно, только объединив усилия всех государств мира. Россия предлагала и предлагает до сих пор это всем заинтересованным нашим партнёрам.
Необходимо поставить в международную повестку и вопрос о восстановлении прочной государственности, экономики и социальной сферы стран Ближнего Востока. Колоссальный масштаб разрушений требует сегодня выработки долгосрочной и комплексной программы, если хотите, своего рода «план Маршалла» для возрождения этого истерзанного войнами и конфликтами региона. И Россия, конечно, готова принять активное участие в такой совместной работе.
Мир нельзя сделать стабильным, если не обеспечить поступательное развитие глобальной экономики. Важно создать условия для созидательного труда и экономического роста, обеспечить темпы экономического роста так, чтобы мир не был больше разделён на вечно проигрывающих и вечно выигрывающих. Правила игры должны быть такими, чтобы развивающиеся экономики имели шанс хотя бы догнать тех, кого мы называем экономиками развитыми. Нужно добиваться выравнивания темпов экономического развития, подтягивать отстающие страны и регионы, чтобы плоды экономического роста и технологического развития были доступны всем, в том числе это позволит победить одну из самых тяжелейших проблем современности – бедность.
Абсолютно очевидно и то, что экономическое сотрудничество должно быть взаимовыгодным и базироваться на всеобщих универсальных принципах, чтобы каждое государство могло стать равноправным участником мировой хозяйственной жизни. Да, в среднесрочной перспективе тенденция на регионализацию мировой экономики, видимо, продолжится, но региональные торговые соглашения должны дополнять, развивать, а не подменять универсальные нормы и правила.
Россия выступает за гармонизацию региональных экономических форматов на основе принципов прозрачности и уважения интересов друг друга. Именно так мы выстраиваем деятельность Евразийского экономического союза, ведём переговоры с нашими партнёрами, в том числе о сопряжении с реализуемым Китаем проектом «Экономического пояса Шёлкового пути». Рассчитываем, что это позволит создать большое Евразийское партнёрство, которое в перспективе может превратиться и в один из центров формирования в Евразии широкого интеграционного контура. Для воплощения этой идеи уже начаты переговоры в формате «пять плюс один» по соглашению о торгово-экономическом сотрудничестве между всеми участниками этого процесса.
Важная задача – это развитие человеческого потенциала. Только мир с широкими возможностями для всех, с высококвалифицированными работниками, доступными знаниями, богатством путей самореализации может считаться по‑настоящему свободным. Только мир, в котором люди разных стран живут полноценной жизнью, а не борются за выживание, может быть стабильным.
Достойное будущее невозможно без заботы об экологии, конечно, и решения климатических проблем. Поэтому сохранение природного богатства и его многообразия, снижение антропогенной нагрузки на окружающую среду в ближайшие десятилетия станут всё более значимым делом.
Не менее важна и задача глобальной охраны здоровья. Безусловно, здесь немало проблем с масштабными эпидемиями, снижением смертности в ряде регионов мира и множество, множество других. Здесь же огромное поле для развития, конечно. Дать жителям планеты, причём всем опять же, а не избранным, возможность по‑настоящему здоровой, долгой, полноценной жизни – это очень благородная цель. Словом, фундамент для будущего мира нужно, безусловно, искать уже сегодня, вкладывая средства во все приоритетные направления развития человечества. И конечно, важно, чтобы контуры нашего общего будущего широко обсуждались, чтобы все здравые, перспективные предложения были услышаны.
Уважаемые коллеги, дамы и господа! Не сомневаюсь, что в этой работе вы – члены Валдайского клуба – примете самое активное участие. Ваш высокий экспертный потенциал, уровень позволяет всесторонне оценить процессы, происходящие и в России у нас, и в мире, увидеть, спрогнозировать развитие долгосрочных тенденций, дать им оценки, идеи подтолкнуть новые и рекомендации предоставить, которые помогут нам найти путь к более благополучному и более стабильному будущему, в котором мы все так нуждаемся.
Спасибо вам большое за внимание!
Т.Колтон: Спасибо большое, господин Путин.
А сейчас хотел бы предоставить слово госпоже Халонен. Она так же, как я понимаю, выступит от трибуны.
Т.Халонен (как переведено): Господин Президент! Ваши превосходительства! Дамы и господа! Уважаемые участники!
Большое спасибо за организацию Валдайского клуба, спасибо, что пригласили меня поучаствовать в этих обсуждениях. Тема очень интересная, своевременная, как было уже отмечено. И мы видим новую динамику, которая влияет на всех нас, на глобальный мировой порядок, на региональные дела. Я очень рада тому, что мои коллеги, мои хорошие друзья – бывший президент Австрийской Республики господин Фишер, а также господин Путин – со мной сегодня разделяют трибуну. Мы сотрудничали на протяжении последних десятилетий вместе, и мы разделяем многие идеи о том, как мы бы хотели, чтобы мир развивался в будущем. Поэтому я думаю, что обсуждения будут очень открытыми, откровенными.
Философия международного развития для нового мира используется в заголовке наших обсуждений, и она напоминает мне о тех годах Горбачёва, говорившего о новом мировом порядке. Новый мировой порядок произошёл частично, как предусматривалось, а частично не так, как предусматривалось. И я не уверена, можем ли мы говорить действительно о порядке. Конечно же, мы приветствуем оптимизм, мы многого добились, мир действительно изменился. Тем не менее, думаю, не все понимают, что мир будет состоять из многих игроков. И что это значит, когда у нас так много игроков одновременно?
Коллективные глобальные действия сталкиваются со многими сложностями, в частности в сфере глобальной политики безопасности. Таким образом, люди говорят, что изменения всегда представляют собой возможность. Но сегодня, несмотря на усилия, направленные на стабилизацию международных отношений, глобальной экономики и благосостояния, как уже сказал Президент Путин, у нас есть проблема того, как справляться с кризисами.
И действительно, очень много вызовов и проблем стоит перед нами. Что же я наблюдала во время участия в различных форумах за последние годы, особенно во время своего президентства? Люди всегда говорят, что этот мир – это мир полной неопределённости. Это действительно так. Люди чувствуют каждый день, что они очень сомневаются в будущем, и иногда это очень парадоксально, поскольку мы настолько продвинулись вперёд.
В любом случае это мир, в котором мы живём, мир, в котором нам нужно строить фундамент для устойчивого будущего, и если мы будем ждать, лучше не станет, и мы должны быть в состоянии работать на различных фронтах. И хотя, к сожалению, конфликты по‑прежнему имеют место и становятся всё более гибридными по своей природе, нам нужно понимать, что представляет собой устойчивое развитие. Возможно, нам уже известно, каким может быть порядок в будущем. Конечно, СМИ всегда заинтересованы в освещении конфликтов, но хочу рассказать вам о том, что будет в будущем.
Повестка, принятая Организацией Объединённых Наций в сентябре 2015 года до 2030 года, представляет собой мощную основу для дальнейшей работы. И именно Организация Объединённых Наций объединила все крупные державы, основных игроков, и мы добились успеха. Мне очень приятно сознавать, что борьба с нищетой и неравенством является центральным элементом этой повестки дня, в особенности неравенство гендерное.
С момента саммита в Рио, думаю, что мы все заявили о том, что мы слишком сильно используем свои природные ресурсы. Однако, к сожалению, мы недостаточно использовали человеческий потенциал, в особенности потенциал женщин, бедного населения, а также молодых людей. И когда я смотрю на этот зал, я вижу, что многое уже меняется.
Очень серьёзная политическая воля была проявлена в 2015 году. Однако сейчас необходимо сдержать сделанные обещания, лидеры должны будут сделать то, что они взяли на себя в качестве ответственности. У нас есть ресурсы, у нас есть необходимые научные знания. Стоит вопрос о политической воле. Во‑первых, это морально необходимо и абсолютно нужно. Более того, речь идёт о создании интеллектуальной экономики, о правильном, умном выборе, и я уверена, что мы сможем добиться успеха.
Организация Объединённых Наций традиционно базировалась на трёх основах. Во‑первых, на безопасности, правах человека и развитии. Что касается развития и прав человека, мне кажется, что удалось на историческом отрезке добиться серьёзного успеха. К сожалению, конфликты по‑прежнему очень ожесточённые, полны насилия, они стали куда сильнее и куда более многочисленными, нежели мы надеялись бы. Однако, как я сказала, к несчастью, не закончился период катастроф и проблем.
Традиционные угрозы, может быть, становятся реже, однако вооружённые конфликты поражают многие страны. Гражданское общество, женщины и дети являются целью таких конфликтов, к сожалению. Я считаю, что это трагедия. Я работала с организациями системы ООН, с различными группами для того, чтобы способствовать благополучию, здоровью, безопасности женщин и детей. Ужасно видеть то, что происходит в Сирии, в Йемене, во многих других местах.
Однако давайте посмотрим на картину ещё с другой стороны. Очень грустно, мы видим, что военная сила, которая используется, может быть слишком сильной. И я должна сказать, что порой нам приходится пользоваться военной силой для того, чтобы положить конец насилию. Но каким образом? Мы не можем принять, чтобы люди страдали, гражданское население страдало, в особенности дети.
Более того, мы знаем, что в рамках глобализации всем хорошо известно, что происходит по всему миру. Так что мы в качестве населения реагируем на то, что происходит в других частях мира. Люди понимают, что справедливо, что хорошо, а что нет. И то, что хорошо, должно получать от нас поддержку. Такова основа моей философии.
Позвольте привести только один пример для того, чтобы завершить своё выступление. Я из Финляндии, из Хельсинки, из рабочего класса. В моей церкви 24 октября очень долго звонят колокола для того, чтобы помянуть жертв среди гражданского населения в Алеппо. Это гуманитарное движение распространилось по всей территории Финляндии, а сейчас перекинулось и на другие страны.
Церкви в Финляндии также стали прибежищем для тех, кто не получил статус беженца, но кто нуждается. Как вы видите, люди прекрасно понимают, что правильно, а что нет во многих странах, и они все говорят, что необходимо положить конец насилию в Сирии, Йемене, других местах. Они говорят о том, что мы должны быть больше людьми, более человечными по отношению друг к другу.
Господин Президент, господин Путин! Я была обеспокоена Вашим выступлением, потому что Вы нарисовали такую мрачную картину будущего, однако в конце Вы сказали, что есть всё‑таки проблеск надежды и есть воля к сотрудничеству. И хочу сказать, даже когда самые обычные люди, рядовые граждане, которые живут в серьёзных, стеснённых условиях, они все хотят, чтобы у них была надежда в будущем. Нам необходимо работать вместе для того, чтобы эта надежда воплотилась в жизнь. И мне очень приятно будет продолжать дискуссию.
Спасибо Вам!
Т.Колтон: Спасибо. Я благодарю Вас. А сейчас слово предоставляется господину Хайнцу Фишеру.
Х.Фишер (как переведено): Господин Президент! Уважаемая аудитория! Ваши превосходительства! Дамы и господа!
Прежде всего хотел бы поблагодарить организаторов этой встречи за направленное нам приглашение принять участие в Валдайской конференции, которая посвящена обмену мнениями о проблемах, о шансах, изменениях в международных отношениях. В частности, она посвящена вопросу о будущем международных отношений.
На мой взгляд, каждый желает знать, насколько это только возможно, каково будет будущее – будущее отдельно взятой личности, политическое будущее, экономическое будущее и так далее. Однако никогда не может быть удовлетворительного ответа на этот вопрос, потому что будущее – это не только результат воли человека, его личности, это также ещё и продукт объективных факторов. Но этого недостаточно, это очень сложная смесь двух этих компонентов, двух элементов. Есть множество философских течений, которые пытаются объяснить соотношения в этой смеси. Есть много интереснейших книг, в которых выражается различный подход к тому, как мы должны смотреть на будущее. Есть два основных направления мысли.
Во‑первых, некоторые считают, что в начале цивилизации, на заре, был золотой век, рай, а затем люди из‑за своих грехов пали. И они всё падали и падали, это падение продолжалось на протяжении истории. Согласно другому подходу говорится, что сперва существовал хаос, все воевали против всех, право сильного господствовало, насилие царствовало. Затем сложилось рабовладельческое общество, феодальное общество, наконец, капиталистическое общество, и в конце концов настал последний этап, когда причины антагонизма, насилия остались позади. Мне кажется, что ни тот, ни другой подход не подходит нам.
Сам я родился ещё до Второй мировой войны. Я помню о последних днях этой войны, помню, в частности, о сложных, но многообещающих временах восстановления после войны. Проблеском надежды, положительной чертой послевоенного времени нашей эры было подписание в 1955 году Соглашения о восстановлении суверенного Австрийского государства. И говорилось тогда в этом договоре о выводе иностранных войск из нашей страны. Мы считали, что этот момент положит начало положительному периоду успеха не только для Австрии, но и для всей Западной Европы.
Однако, к сожалению, одна тень нависла над этим положительным развитием. А именно, разделение Европы в ходе «холодной войны», а также возникла угроза «горячей войны». На излёте 90-х годов пропало разделение Европы, которое было главной причиной напряжённости. В тот момент казалось, что будущее будет светлым, что международные отношения будут развиваться хорошо и поступательно. Однако вновь развитие пошло по другому направлению, надежды, чаяния не оправдались.
Можно даже сказать, что те возможности, которые возникли в тот момент, не были задействованы полностью. Вновь было продемонстрировано, что история, как я только что сказал, не представляет собой линейный процесс, она развивается волнами, она качается от прогресса к регрессу, есть положительные изменения, есть отрицательные изменения. Конечно, прогресс – разница от континента к континенту, вне зависимости от глобализации.
Хотел бы сконцентрировать своё внимание на Европе и на соседнем регионе. Я по‑прежнему убеждён, что проект европейского сотрудничества, который был закреплён в виде идей, лежащих в основе Европейского союза, по‑прежнему необходим, это такое предприятие, которое нам нужно. Более того, европейское сотрудничество будет оставаться важной целью, важным стратегическим элементом в обозримом будущем.
Отчасти это объясняется тем, что, как мы слышали на протяжении многих дискуссий, Европейский союз отчасти лишился слаженности и своей привлекательности. Объясняется это недостаточным уровнем финансовой и экономической координации. Существуют различные интересы между государствами-членами, эти интересы всё более и более проявляются, возникают проблемы, европейская солидарность не работает так, как она должна работать.
Я должен упомянуть проблему беженцев. Европейский союз на фоне этой проблемы продемонстрировал отчасти свою несостоятельность и отсутствие солидарности. Отношения между ЕС и Российской Федерацией также развивались не так, как мы на то надеялись 25 лет назад. Я знаю аргументы, приводимые обеими сторонами относительно того, кто или что ответственны за такое развитие событий. Однако сейчас мы говорим ведь не о прошлом, мы говорим о будущем. И та, и другая сторона должны продемонстрировать, что они осознают важность отношений друг с другом. Европейский союз, в частности, не должен упускать из виду тот факт, что на протяжении последнего века развивались отношения между Европой и Россией, и что Москва иначе смотрит на развитие НАТО, и точка зрения Москвы отличается от брюссельской или вашингтонской.
Россия же должна принимать к сведению, она должна учитывать то, что некоторые действия, связанные с использованием военной силы, не соответствуют международному праву, они вызывают раздражение европейской публики и отражаются на политике ЕС. В частности, последний пример тому – Крым.
Алеппо – это символ того, каким образом сложно провести грань между борьбой с террористами, с одной стороны, и бомбардировками ни в чём неповинного населения. Я очень внимательно сегодня утром слушал дискуссию. Есть очень много проблем, которые сопряжены с этим процессом. Война в Сирии длится уже дольше, нежели Первая мировая война, и длится дольше, нежели вторжение Гитлера в Советский Союз во время Второй мировой войны.
Это ужасная война уже унесла сотни тысяч человеческих жизней, и она привела к ухудшению отношений между теми странами, которые даже не имеют общей границы с Сирией. Доверие было подорвано. Более того, этот процесс сопряжён с всплеском терроризма. Более того, терроризм порождает страх, страх порождает агрессию, а агрессия ведёт к возникновению фанатизма, с одной стороны, жёсткого национализма, что ставит под угрозу мир и свободу.
То же самое, пусть и несколько в другом масштабе, мы наблюдаем на примере палестино-израильского конфликта. Кажется, что решение этого конфликта как никогда далеко. Совсем недавно я присутствовал на похоронах Шимона Переса в Иерусалиме. Даже в слове на этих похоронах говорилось о том, что мир должен быть достигнут. Шимон часто говорил: «Невозможно Израилю безопасно существовать без мира». Нынешнее же правительство Израиля концентрируется не на мире, а на безопасности. Они утверждают, что без безопасности не может быть мира. Однако безопасность не может пользоваться приоритетом перед миром, и тот и другой фактор, и то и другое условие должны быть воплощены в жизнь одновременно.
Дамы и господа, можно задаться вопросом: есть ли какие‑то положительные аспекты, есть ли какие‑то положительные возможности, таящиеся в будущем? Ответ – да. Соглашение между «пятёркой» и «пять плюс один» в формате с Ираном по иранской ядерной программе – это хороший пример успеха.
Ещё один пример успеха – это успешное подписание Парижского соглашения по изменению климата. Это первый положительный шаг, хотя многое ещё предстоит сделать для того, чтобы решить эту проблему в целом. Европейская интеграция как таковая, даже невзирая на ряд негативных тенденций, которых я только что коснулся, невзирая на решения, даже нерешительность в целом представляет собой историю успеха.
Я также возлагаю большие надежды на работу Организации Объединённых Наций. Очень часто ООН попадает под град критики, их обвиняют в бессилии, тем не менее ООН по‑прежнему остаётся важнейшим игроком в международных отношениях, а также нравственным авторитетом. Цели развития тысячелетия сыграли ключевую роль в сокращении крайней нищеты почти на 50 процентов. С тех пор удалось добиться снижения материнской смертности, детской смертности на 45 процентов и на 50 процентов соответственно. Была принята новая повестка дня – развитие до 2030 года. В рамках этой повестки дня поставлены цели – продолжить этот прогресс, были сформулированы реалистичные, важные цели.
Дамы и господа! Даже несмотря на то, что невозможно в количественных показателях измерить развитие демократии, я убеждён, что демократия в качестве политической системы, ограничивающей власть тех, кто находится у кормила, наблюдается. Более того, мирный переход к демократии будет становиться всё более и более распространённым. То же самое касается прав человека, а также растущего уважения к правам человека.
Всё шире и шире наблюдается признание этого показателя в качестве показателя эффективного управления. Более того, я считаю, что демократия должна сыграть важную роль в наших обсуждениях о том, каким должно быть будущее. Это, в частности, касается следующего факта, это моё мнение. Демократическая система, а также готовность к миру, к избеганию войны в некотором смысле переплетены, взаимосвязаны.
Уважаемые гости! В футболе следующий матч всегда становится самым важным. Во внутренней политике следующие выборы всегда самые важные, а в международных отношениях следующие 10 лет – это самое важное время, а также самое сложное время одновременно. Однако кое‑что совершенно ясно, несомненно, история не носит линейного характера. Но поскольку историю творит человечество, мы несём на своих плечах ответственность за то, каким образом история будет развиваться на протяжении следующего десятилетия. Вот почему. Речь идёт о нашей коллективной ответственности. Мы должны поддерживать мир, пользоваться теми возможностями, которые нам предоставляются. Мы должны учиться на прошлых ошибках, а также стремиться к положительному развитию в будущем.
Я благодарю Вас за внимание.
Т.Колтон: Спасибо, господин Фишер. Господин Мбеки.
Т.Мбеки (как переведено): Большое спасибо, господин модератор!
Как и мои коллеги, хочу поблагодарить Валдайский дискуссионный клуб за приглашение поучаствовать.
Ваше превосходительство господин Президент Путин! Уважаемые панелисты! Уважаемые делегаты!
Я хотел бы верить в то, что вы поймёте, почему сегодня я выступаю перед вами, для того чтобы представить никем не санкционированное мнение Африканского континента о вопросах нашей повестки дня. Думаю, что все из нас вспомнят о Декларации тысячелетия ООН, которая была принята в 2000 году, где говорилось о целях развития тысячелетия, а также содержались глобальные обязательства, в частности, я цитирую: «Обеспечить специфические нужны Африки». И затем, в 2002 году, в сентябре, Генеральная Ассамблея ООН приняла Декларацию по новому партнёрству в целях развития Африки.
И затем в 2002 году, в сентябре, Генеральная Ассамблея ООН приняла Декларацию по новому партнёрству в целях развития Африки, и международная поддержка, реализация этого нового партнёрства в целях развития Африки крайне важна – это опять была цитата.
В октябре 2014 года Генеральный Секретарь ООН созвал совещание высокого уровня, перед которым была поставлена задача выработать рекомендации по операциям ООН сегодня и в будущем. В докладе этой группы, этой панели, содержалось следующее: в плане предотвращения конфликтов или реагирования на конфликты региональные партнёрства на Африканском континенте должны укрепляться.
И думаю, что для того чтобы понимать полностью важность этих рекомендаций, мы должны помнить о том, что в 2015 году 80 процентов миротворцев ООН были развёрнуты в Африке. И уважаемые коллеги заметили, что процитированные мною документы ООН, относящиеся к двум главным проблемам Африканского континента, – это социально-экономическое развитие, обеспечение мира и безопасности.
Я упомянул эти документы для того, чтобы обозначить главные проблемы, с которыми сталкивается Африканский континент, во‑первых.
Во‑вторых, обозначить, что эту реальность признаёт мировое сообщество.
И, в‑третьих, что международное сообщество принимает на себя обязательство вступить в партнёрство с Африкой для того, чтобы успешно справляться с этими проблемами.
Учитывая тему, выдвинутую на обсуждение, хотел бы сделать несколько высказываний о том, с какими проблемами сталкивается Африка, а также объём, в котором ООН реагирует на эти проблемы, также о философии развития.
В первую очередь хотел бы сказать в этой связи, что для того чтобы Африка добилась упомянутых мною целей, Африке необходим новый мир. Второе категоричное утверждение, которое я хочу сделать, – это то, что эти требования представляют собой категоричное противоречие тому, что Африканский континент является мировой периферией. И третье категоричное утверждение, которое я сделаю, заключается в том, что глобальное процветание и мир во всём мире недостижимы, в то время как Африка исключена и как участница таких прекрасных результатов. И четвёртое утверждение, которое я хотел бы сделать: поддержание мира и развитие невозможно без относительной автаркии в том, что относится к Африканскому континенту.
Что касается борьбы с бедностью и других целей – хотел бы подтвердить, что наш континент по‑прежнему с энтузиазмом относится к принятию очень амбициозных целей устойчивого развития, как уже упомянул наш президент. И это связано с теми глобальными обязательствами, поскольку для достижения целей устойчивого развития никто не останется позади – я опять упомянул цитату.
Для нас, африканцев, это означает, что система глобального правительства должна меняться таким образом, чтобы можно было достигнуть действительно цели устойчивого развития и тех целей, которые я обозначил. И в различные периоды времени существовали системы неравных правительств, в том числе в конце «холодной войны». Всё это привело к тому, что образовался однополярный мир, гегемония, с Соединёнными Штатами в качестве гегемона.
И в том, что касается африканского тысячелетия, как я упомянул, даже победа римлян над карфагенянами, колониализм, неоколониализм. Я хотел бы сказать, что существование гегемона приводит к возникновению феномена центра, который преуспевает за счёт существования периферии. И именно в плане глобального распределения у нас есть такая ситуация, когда, я думаю, что комментарий, который сделал господин Президент Путин сегодня днём, указывает на то, как существует сегодня этот мир.
Для Африки невозможно избавиться от существующей ситуации вне контекста мира, в котором бы уважалось равенство всех наций в плане определения миропорядка. И по этой причине как африканцы, и именно потому, что мы относительно слабы в глобальном плане – в экономическом, политическом, технологическом плане, – нам очень нужна свободная, универсально согласованная система международного права, которую будут уважать все страны.
И, на наш взгляд, какие бы легитимные предложения ни выдвигались в отношении создания лучшего мира, они должны быть основаны на той степени международного права, которая уже была согласована. И это подчёркивает абсолютный императив для всех наций вернуться к духу и букве для того, чтобы реализовать то, что было отражено в Уставе ООН и в других стратегических документах, которые были приняты после 1945 года в рамках ООН. Существование согласованного международного права, а также надежда на реформированные институты ООН должны быть центром философии международного развития для нового мира.
Большое спасибо.
Т.Колтон: Сейчас мы уже выслушали выступление всех четырёх ораторов. Мы начнём обсуждение довольно коротко, поскольку здесь так много желающих задать вопросы. Возможно, я начну с небольшим, коротким вопросом, и на него может ответить любой из присутствующих ораторов.
Во время комментариев Президента Путина меня удивил акцент на безопасности и отсутствии безопасности. И с дилеммой безопасности, с которой мы сталкиваемся, когда мы говорим о вопросах развития, я думаю, что это естественный способ, поскольку мы извлекли тот урок из истории, что без безопасности, предсказуемости развития не будет. Поэтому сейчас очень мучительный момент, когда развитие осуществляется.
Люди, которые живут в четырёх странах, представители которых сидят здесь, живут лучше, чем их предки, всё это происходит по всему миру, но отсутствие безопасности в мире тем не менее есть, и философ Гоббс говорил об этом, что это то состояние, при котором нет власти, приводит к отсутствию безопасности, нестабильности и неспособности отдельных людей обеспечить себе лучшую жизнь. И по всему миру происходил процесс строения государств, более сильных государств, и необходимо государствам учиться жить друг с другом в мире, в мирном сосуществовании.
Поэтому хотел бы задать очень общий вопрос нашим панелистам. Хотел бы спросить следующее. Во время выступлений каждого из вас вы все упоминали о том решении, которое предлагал Гоббс, – это построение институтов, изменение институтов. И хотел бы спросить вас, что должно быть нашим важнейшим приоритетом сейчас?
Президент Путин отметил в конце выступления важность ООН, важность того, чтобы ООН стала более эффективной, и использование ООН вместе с другими силами. Некоторые другие ораторы говорили о необходимости реформировать созданные институты. Например, господин Мбеки об этом упомянул. Наши европейские коллеги упоминали историю успеха, включая Европейский союз, например. ЕС появился достаточно недавно. Поэтому мой вопрос: что самое важное, о чём мы должны подумать сообща?
Мы должны создавать новые институты для вопросов безопасности или мы должны говорить о возвращении к тем институтам, которым сейчас уделяется меньше внимания, таким как ООН? Или мы должны в первую очередь концентрировать свои усилия на реформировании существующих институтов? А когда я говорю об институтах, я говорю прежде всего о международных институтах. Поэтому хотел бы сейчас предложить ораторам, может быть, начиная с Президента Путина, поделиться своим мнением, если у вас есть такое желание, конечно.
В.Путин: Просто полностью присоединяюсь к тому, что сказал Президент Табо Мбеки. Он сказал, я даже записал, процитирую: «Нужна система международного права, которая уважалась бы всеми странами». Нужно вернуться к Уставу Организации Объединённых Наций. Абсолютно правильно. И если бы он этого не сказал, я должен был бы сказать это сам. Я полностью разделяю эту точку зрения. Мы просто пренебрежительно начали относиться к Уставу ООН, вытесняя его при принятии очень важных решений, делая вид, что это уже не важно, устарело.
А потом, когда мир сталкивается с острыми проблемами, те, кто виноват в нарушении Устава Организации Объединённых Наций, резко начинают призывать к исполнению основных положений Устава ООН. Так нужно с самого начала, чтобы все это помнили и уважали Устав ООН. Нужна надёжная система международного права, которая была бы гарантией от любых злоупотреблений сил.
Т.Халонен: Думаю, что мы сейчас, на данный момент, создали государство наций. Мы знаем слабости государства наций, и нам нужно тем не менее развивать их сильные стороны. Я, поскольку сама из Финляндии, говорю о государстве благосостояния. Это демократия, это верховенство закона, это благосостояние, это социальные, экономические, культурные права народов, всех людей, также и мигрантов. И когда мы говорим о разнице между целями тысячелетия, целями устойчивого развития… Помню, когда я была сопредседателем на саммите тысячелетия, я слышала от людей, что они хотят добиться лучшего будущего.
И это крайне важно, поскольку некоторые люди говорят, что мы слишком наивные в наших надеждах сделать мир лучше. Действительно, мы добиваемся каких‑то успехов, может быть, не во всём, но всё‑таки мы двигаемся к успеху. Если мы сравним ЦРТ и ЦУР, ЦРТ в основном создавались для правительств, в основном для правительств богатых стран, которые преуспевают, для того чтобы продемонстрировать глобальную солидарность со странами Юга.
Но сейчас цели устойчивого развития показывают, что мир – это нечто большее, чем просто государство-нация, это также и бизнес-сообщество, это также проблема. Без системы, в которой будет больше игроков, нам будет сложно. И, как господин Фишер, бывший президент Австрийской Республики, говорил о системном анализе, думаю, что в рамках Валдайского клуба вы также могли бы подумать о том, как консультироваться с экспертами, которые специализируются на системном анализе. Я думаю, что это часть ответа на Ваш вопрос.
Также необходимы меры укрепления доверия. Это очень простые слова, и всё это лежит в основе государства-нации. Всё, что мы можем сделать в целях укрепления доверия, мы видим в Балтийском море, нашем общем море, а также на других, более крупных участках.
Мне было бы очень интересно узнать, поскольку мы сейчас в России, как Вы, господин Путин, видите это развитие, таким образом, в будущем. Думаю, что у меня есть некий луч надежды в отношении Вашего интереса, в отношении ООН.
Т.Колтон: Вы хотели бы сейчас ответить, господин Президент, или мы сначала выслушаем других ораторов?
В.Путин: Думаю, что выслушаем Хайнца и Табо.
Т.Колтон: Хорошо, спасибо.
Господин Фишер, пожалуйста.
Х.Фишер: Нам всем известно, что институты, а также неправильно созданные институты могут частично являться проблемой. Но в большинстве случаев они не представляют собой целую проблему, и те же самые институты, которые хорошо функционируют при определённых ситуациях, могут при других обстоятельствах, в другой среде, при другой экономической ситуации быть гораздо слабее и казаться неправильно созданными.
В том, что касается Европейского союза, в последние годы ситуация, если мы посмотрим, например, на торговые соглашения с Канадой, становится очевидно, что часть ответа на вопрос лежит в том, что необходимо создавать больше возможностей для центральных институтов в Европейском союзе, больше властных полномочий парламенту, больше власти комиссии, а также общая экономическая налоговая политика.
С другой стороны, очевидно, что именно это является очень чувствительной проблемой, и многие люди чувствуют, что наша автономия, наши возможности как государства всё больше передаются в Брюссель. И поэтому, если кто‑то говорит: давайте запустим процесс модернизации и изменения институтов Европейского союза, – на данный момент я бы сказал: давайте подождём, давайте не будем торопиться, поскольку на данный момент это создало бы очень проблемную ситуацию во многих европейских странах.
Что же касается Организации Объединённых Наций, то я с большим интересом прислушиваюсь к аргументам, согласно которым Совет Безопасности, являющийся наиболее влиятельным органом Организации Объединённых Наций, был создан более 70 лет назад. Так что в соответствии с этой аргументацией было бы полезно, было бы необходимо дать Совету Безопасности новую структуру, такую структуру, которая позволила бы ему эффективно работать в текущей обстановке, быть более представительным органом в том, что касается различных сторон государства.
Однако мы, конечно, понимаем сложности, сопряжённые с этим процессом. Если мы обратимся к нашим австрийским представителям в ООН с вопросом, возможно ли это, они скажут: нет, это совершенно невозможно, слишком расходятся мнения. Так что решение проблем при помощи реформирования институтов может быть только частью решения проблемы, частью того, что необходимо сделать.
Т.Колтон: Спасибо большое.
Т.Мбеки: Что должно быть сделано – это должно быть сделано. Вы знаете, когда госпожа Халонен говорила, что ООН концентрировалась на трёх столпах направления: на безопасности, на правах человека, и, в‑третьих, на развитии. Я в действительности убеждён, что, когда мы говорим о безопасности в глобальном масштабе, о правах человека в глобальном масштабе, о развитии в глобальном масштабе, невозможно решить какие бы то ни было из этих проблем в одиночку успешно на глобальном уровне, если мы не обратим свой взор вновь на Организацию Объединённых Наций в контексте Устава Организации Объединённых Наций, в контексте согласованной политики. Мне кажется, что участники конференции принимают это. Мир стал многополярным, и необходимо, чтобы эта многополярность перетекала в реальные действия на практике, для того чтобы успешно справляться с вызовами.
Каковы многополярные институты, которые сейчас существуют? Таким институтом должна быть ООН. Проблема реформирования Совета Безопасности становится именно в этом контексте особенно важной. Как сказал господин Фишер, Совет Безопасности создан очень давно, и он сейчас не отражает нынешнюю многополярную систему международных отношений. Он должен быть изменён, это сложно. Россия – член Совета Безопасности, может быть, она тоже является препятствием на пути этой реформы. Однако реформирование Совбеза должно произойти.
Мы должны также посмотреть на взаимоотношения Совета Безопасности и Генассамблеи, посмотреть на взаимоотношения с ЭКОСОС, то есть на все структуры. Они должны выражать многополярный характер мира, для того чтобы мы добились успеха на глобальном уровне в решении проблем, связанных с безопасностью, прав человека и развития. Это невозможно отбросить в сторону. Я не говорю, что это единственное, что необходимо сделать, но структуры должны быть укреплены, они должны быть более представительны и они должны быть также активизированы таким образом, чтобы все эти институты с уважением относились, во‑первых, к реформированному международному праву.
А во‑вторых, как сказал Президент Путин, необходимо… Я не говорю, что поскольку у нас есть ООН, то пропадает суверенитет. Суверенитет никуда не пропадает. Существует равенство государств. Само существование государств покоится на этом принципе, и это должно быть учтено при реформировании института ООН. Многополярный мир должен найти своё полноценное отражение в ООН. Если бы это произошло, то не было бы никакой катастрофы в Ливии, например.
Я завершаю уже свои комментарии. Когда мы говорим о целях устойчивого развития, они очень важны для Африканского континента и, я убеждён, для всех развивающихся стран. Одна из проблем, с которыми мы сталкиваемся на континенте, – это сложность переговоров с ЕС по соглашениям об экономическом партнёрстве. Более того, я считаю, что те переговоры, которые сейчас ведутся с ЕС, ведутся так, что многие требования ЕС противоречат требованиям ЦУР – целям устойчивого развития. Если вы посмотрите на глобальный уровень, то необходимо будет провести соотношение этих соглашений, с одной стороны, и целей устойчивого развития, посмотреть, не противоречат ли они друг другу. Вот о чём я хотел бы сказать. Спасибо большое.
Т.Колтон: Вы знаете, я был несколько взволнован. Я боялся, что мой вопрос не вызовет таких интересных ответов. Но спасибо большое.
Президент Путин, Вы не могли бы прореагировать на то, что было сказано?
В.Путин: Ещё маленькая ремарка по поводу того, что господин Фишер сказал. Он упомянул дискуссию в ЕС по поводу торгового договора с Канадой. Это чисто внутриеэсовское дело. Просто маленькая ремарка, если позволите.
Да, действительно, я знаю, что определённое раздражение в Европе вызывает позиция Валлонии, где всего три с половиной миллиона человек, и они, эти три с половиной, заблокировали принятие решения по такому глобальному вопросу, как торговое соглашение с Канадой. Но ведь, когда Бельгия создавала Евросоюз, она создавала его на определённых принципах и исходила из того, что и у неё в целом, и у Валлонии будут определённые права.
Если к сегодняшнему дню ЕС разросся очень сильно, изменился его состав и так далее, но права‑то никто не менял. Может быть, и нужно эти права поменять, но сначала нужно тогда предоставить людям, которые создавали эту организацию, демократическим образом права поменять, а потом уже требовать от них согласия.
Теперь что касается спора. Я знаю этот спор не так хорошо, как, конечно, европейцы, тем не менее, много или мало прерогатив у наднациональных органов в ЕС, замечу, я уже говорил об этом публично: количество обязательных решений, которые принимает Европарламент в отношении стран – членов ЕС, больше гораздо, чем количество обязательных решений, которые принимал Верховный Совет СССР в отношении республик Советского Союза во время существования самого СССР. Хорошо это или плохо – это не нам решать. Мы за то, чтобы Европа была сильной, централизованной – наша позиция. Но в самой Европе, там разные точки зрения, и это, надеюсь, когда‑нибудь завершится каким‑то позитивным решением.
Теперь по поводу ООН. Я уже говорил об этом, вынужден повторить: нам нужно обязательно вернуться к тому, что написано в Уставе ООН, потому что другой организации, такой универсальной, как ООН, в мире не существует. И если мы сейчас от неё откажемся – это верная дорога к хаосу. Ничего другого в мире универсального не существует. Да, ситуация поменялась в мире. Да, ООН и Совет Безопасности нуждаются в реформах и реконструкции. Но, как у нас в МИДе принято говорить, это можно сделать, если мы хотим, чтобы сохранялась эффективность этого инструмента, это можно сделать на основе широкого консенсуса. Нужно, чтобы с этими реформами согласилось подавляющее большинство участников международного общения.
Теперь почему нужно обязательно вернуться к единообразному пониманию принципов норм международного права, выработанных на основе Устава ООН? Потому что создавалась эта Организация после окончания Второй мировой войны, был определённый расклад сил в мире. Потом, после распада Советского Союза, Соединённые Штаты решили, что теперь, в общем‑то, не с кем согласовывать и не надо ни с кем согласовывать кардинальные вопросы. И началось.
Сначала в середине 90‑х годов – удары по Белграду. По сути, агрессия. Я сейчас не буду говорить про гуманитарную составляющую, которая предшествовала этим решениям, но просто наблюдать за ракетно-бомбовыми ударами в конце XX века в центре Европы… Не знаю, как вам, но для меня это было дикостью какой‑то, просто дико. Тем не менее это было в обход Устава ООН, никто же этого не санкционировал. Как только столкнулись с этим, сразу начали говорить, что устарело, надо бы чего‑нибудь поменять.
Дальше больше, дальше события в Ираке. ООН разве санкционировала действия в Ираке? Нет. А до этого был Афганистан в 2001 году. Да, мы знаем трагические события 11 сентября 2001 года, но всё равно по действующему международному праву надо было сходить в Совет Безопасности ООН и получить сначала там соответствующую резолюцию. Нет.
Потом Ирак. Потом принята была резолюция по Ливии – о чём резолюция по Ливии? Здесь же все эксперты, все знают, читали же все эту резолюцию. Что там написано? Бесполётная зона. Какая же бесполётная зона, если начали наносить ракетно-бомбовые удары по территории! Грубо извратили просто, опять нарушили Устав Организации Объединённых Наций.
Потом Сирия. Тарья, по‑моему, говорила или Хайнц выступал, что в Сирии только умножается число террористов из‑за действий в Алеппо. Разве с этого началось приумножение терроризма? Разве в Ираке были террористы? Близко не было никаких террористов до разрушения государственных структур страны. А в Ливии? Да ничего подобного там не было, никаких террористов, там и духу их не было. Как только разрушили государственность в стране, сразу этот вакуум был заполнен кем? Террористами. То же самое и в Сирии происходит.
Я понимаю намёк на наши действия в том же Алеппо или где. Но позвольте, как только началась война в Сирии, она началась задолго до нашего участия в этих событиях, там сразу и террористы появились, их начали снабжать оружием. Я же говорил об этом в своём выступлении. Их начали воспитывать, науськивать на Асада и так далее. Потому что других возможностей не было, они самые эффективные. И до сих пор это продолжается. Потому что это самые эффективные боевые подразделения. Их можно, как считают некоторые, направить, а потом мы, мол, с ними разберёмся. Ничего потом не будет! Не получится! В этом вся проблема.
И хотел бы тоже отреагировать на абсолютно правильные вещи, которые происходят, скажем, в Финляндии. Колокола звонят по погибшим в Алеппо. Давайте позвоним по погибшим сейчас в районе Мосула. Сейчас начинается операция в Мосуле. Уже, по‑моему, свыше 200 человек террористы расстреляли в надежде остановить наступление на город – давайте не будем про это забывать. А в Афганистане? Одним только ударом авиации уничтожали целые свадьбы по 120 человек, одним ударом! Мы забыли об этом? А сейчас что происходит в Йемене? Колокола должны звонить по всем этим безвинным жертвам! Согласен с Вами.
Мы всё время слышим: Алеппо, Алеппо, Алеппо… Ну да. Вопрос в чём? Или оставить там террористическое гнездо, или, минимизируя, делая всё, чтобы избежать жертв среди мирного населения, всё‑таки это гнездо дожать? Если не нужно вообще ничего трогать, тогда не нужно наступать и на Мосул. Давайте всё оставим как есть. Давайте Ракку не будем трогать. Ведь мы всё время слышим от наших партнёров: нужно наступать на Ракку, нужно уничтожить это гнездо терроризма. Но в Ракке тоже живут мирные граждане. Мы не будем с ними бороться вообще? Когда они где‑то в городах захватывают заложников, мы что, оставляем их в покое? Возьмите пример с Израиля, Израиль никогда так не делает, он всегда борется до конца и благодаря этому существует, да и другого выбора нет, надо бороться. Если мы постоянно будем сдавать позиции, мы всегда будем проигрывать.
Теперь о том, что Тарья спросила по поводу безопасности в районе Балтийского моря. Напомню, что эта тема возникла не по нашей инициативе, она возникла в ходе моего визита в Финляндию, в Наантали, и она возникла по инициативе Президента Финляндии господина Ниинистё. Он совершенно неожиданно для меня поставил вопрос о том, чтобы российская авиация не летала без включённых транспондеров. Для тех, кто далёк от военного дела, скажу, что это приборы, которые на самолётах стоят и подают сигнал о том, что они в воздухе находятся. И включение этих систем, конечно, увеличивает безопасность в районе Балтийского моря. Это правильно, это правда. Я сразу же сказал, что, во‑первых, количество полётов нашей авиации в разы уступает количеству полётов авиации стран НАТО, в разы. Это первое.
И второе. Я пообещал господину Президенту Финляндии, что мы обязательно поставим этот вопрос перед нашими партнёрами на ближайшей встрече в рамках Совета Россия–НАТО. Докладываю вам: мы это сделали. Результат: наши партнёры по НАТО предложение отклонили, более того, они сказали, что отклоняют предложение Путина. Путин здесь ни при чём, они отклоняют предложение господина Ниинистё, Президента Финляндской Республики.
Для нас тоже, между прочим, не так уж и просто это было, не так это было просто – пойти на такой шаг, потому что там есть технические вещи, есть и вещи чисто военного характера. Но я соответствующие указания Министерству обороны дал – поискать такую возможность, не нанося ущерба нашей безопасности. И наше Министерство обороны такую возможность нашло. Но наши коллеги из НАТО не хотят. Так что, пожалуйста, все вопросы туда, в Брюссель, в штаб-квартиру.
Т.Колтон: Тарья, насколько я понимаю, Вы хотели бы ответить коротко на этот вопрос?
Т.Халонен: Если позволите, я отвечу. Я очень рада, что у нас по‑прежнему продолжается замечательный диалог с Вами, господин Президент.
Это открытая дискуссия. Как правило, мы ведём такие дискуссии в меньших группах, тем не менее мне кажется, что предложение Президента Ниинистё было прекрасным примером. Считаю, что это важно для безопасности в нашем регионе. Однако, как сказал Президент Путин, есть очень много технических вопросов, других проблем с обеих сторон.
А это говорит нам о чём? Даже когда речь идёт о каком‑то ограниченном вопросе, требуется время, требуется сила. И тем не менее я считаю, что мы по‑прежнему все согласны. Нам необходимо добиться этого для того, чтобы обеспечить безопасность в регионе. Мы должны добиться принятия этих предложений. Надеюсь, что дискуссия будет продолжаться. И хорошая работа продолжится.
Позвольте мне так же коротко остановиться на других аспектах, которые были упомянуты Президентом Путиным. Конечно, Алеппо и Йемен – это те проблемы, о которых мы постоянно слышим в средствах массовой информации, в западных странах и в России тоже. Но здесь нет чёрного и белого. Это очень сложный вопрос. Но мы должны с уважением относиться к чувствам людей, они совершенно верно говорят: это неправильно. ЮНИСЕФ со стороны ООН тоже говорит о том, что то, что происходит, – неправильно. У нас есть, к счастью, эксперты, которые могут разобраться во всём этом.
Что же касается ООН, я очень рада, что мы много говорили об ООН, я сторонница ООН, я там работала, и я буду работать с ними, я обещала господину Пан Ги Муну, и следующему Генеральному секретарю я обещаю сотрудничество. Мы все понимаем, что если мы ничего делать не будем, то это может нам очень дорого обойтись.
Возьмём, например, Совет Безопасности. Я с большим интересом слушала то, что сказал Министр Лавров. Как мне кажется, если мы не сможем добиться успеха в Совете Безопасности, это ещё не всё, мы должны подумать о работе Генассамблеи, об ЭКОСОСе, ведь ООН – очень большая структура. Мы должны подталкивать их вперёд. И надеюсь, что мы добьёмся прогресса.
Спасибо за то, что Вы подняли эти вопросы, и эти вопросы и далее будут обсуждаться.
Т.Колтон: Сейчас я хотел бы поблагодарить всех и передать слово тем, кто присутствует в зале, для вопросов. У нас здесь представлено большое число экспертов, почти все хотят задать вопрос, и вы можете отвечать на вопросы, на которые хотите, отмечать их.
Хотел бы сказать, что, к сожалению, Ваша популярность, господин Президент, растёт; моя к концу дня, наверное, сократится. А времени у нас очень мало.
Позвольте, мы передадим слово сначала первым, кто заявил о желании задать вопросы. Многие из них, думаю, будут адресованы Президенту Путину. Однако если кто‑то желает тоже ответить, даже если они напрямую не направлены им, то, пожалуйста, отвечайте.
Вопрос (как переведено): Господин Президент, как Вам известно, растёт обеспокоенность международного сообщества относительно киберпространства, киберконфликтов. Ключевой вопрос состоит в следующем. Это обеспокоенность осуществления кибератак для достижения политических целей, учитывая, что вопрос кибератак очень молодой вопрос в отличие от других войн. Пространство кибератак очень известно, государства не должны использовать киберпространство для атаки на инфраструктуру других государств. Поэтому мой вопрос заключается в следующем.
Во‑первых, в теории. Я слышал, что Вы уже говорили, поэтому в теории: должны ли национальные избирательные системы считаться критической национальной инфраструктурой?
И второй вопрос: какие конкретные правила Вы бы предложили по мере того, как международное сообщество думает о киберпространстве, для того чтобы снизить угрозу кибервойн в будущем?
В.Путин: На мой взгляд, вмешательство во внутриполитические процессы, одной страны в другую, недопустимо вне зависимости от того, каким способом такие попытки могут предприниматься: с помощью кибератак либо с помощью каких‑то других инструментов, подконтрольных организаций внутри той или иной страны.
Например, вы знаете, что произошло в Турции, и знаете позицию Президента Турции Реджепа Эрдогана по поводу того, что он считает. А он считает, что попытка переворота в Турции была предпринята структурами, которые были воспитаны на идеях и при прямом участии организации некоего Гюлена, проживающего уже девять лет в Соединённых Штатах Америки. И это недопустимо, и кибератаки недопустимы.
Но нам не избежать, наверное, взаимного влияния друг на друга, в том числе и в киберпространстве. Но Вы задали вопрос конкретный, а именно Вы задали вопрос об избирательной системе. Я считаю, что это абсолютно недопустимо. А как избежать подобных эксцессов, если они где‑то будут возникать, нет никакого другого способа, как договариваться и вырабатывать определённые правила, причём такие правила, которые будут единообразно пониматься, будут признаны на правительственном, государственном уровне и могли бы быть проверяемыми.
Встаёт вопрос, конечно, о свободе интернета и всего, что с ним связано, но мы знаем, что очень во многих странах, в том числе и в тех, кто всегда выступал за свободу интернета, предпринимаются и на практике реализуются шаги по ограничению этого доступа, связанного с интересами большинства граждан. Это касается и преступлений, которые там могут готовиться либо совершаться в киберпространстве. Например, покушение на банковские системы, незаконные переводы денег, это касается всяких суицидов, преступлений против детей и так далее. Но эти же правила на национальном уровне принимаются, значит, мы можем принимать соответствующие правила и на национальном уровне в отношениях между государствами.
Т.Колтон: Спасибо.
Хотел бы предоставить слово господину Сушенцову, затем слово господину Быстрицкому.
Господин Сушенцов, Вам слово.
А.Сушенцов: Владимир Владимирович! Андрей Сушенцов, университет МГИМО, Валдайский клуб.
В зарубежных СМИ сложилось мнение, что у России есть однозначный фаворит на американских президентских выборах – Дональд Трамп. Какую на самом деле роль играет фигура следующего американского президента для России, для двусторонних отношений? И каким условиям должна удовлетворять американская внешняя политика по отношению к России, для того чтобы отношения нормализовались?
В.Путин: По поводу так называемых фаворитов или не фаворитов в избирательной кампании в Соединённых Штатах. Вы сказали о том, что это образ, который создан СМИ? Он и создан, этот образ, СМИ. Я Вас уверяю, не случайно. Я вообще редко вижу, когда что‑то случайно создаётся ведущими средствами массовой информации. Сама идея вброшена в общественное сознание в ходе президентской кампании в Соединённых Штатах, на мой взгляд, только с одной целью – с целью борьбы тех, кто защищает интересы кандидата от Демократической партии госпожи Клинтон в борьбе с представителем Республиканской партии, в данном случае в борьбе с господином Трампом.
Как это делается? Во‑первых, создаётся образ врага в виде Российской Федерации, в виде России, а потом объявляется, что Трамп – наш фаворит. Это полный бред и полная чушь! Это просто способ внутриполитической борьбы, способ манипулирования общественным мнением накануне президентских выборов в самих Соединённых Штатах.
Да, на самом деле я много раз говорил, хочу повторить: мы не знаем, как поведёт себя любой из кандидатов, который добьётся победы. Мы не знаем, как поведёт себя господин Трамп, мы не знаем, как поведёт себя госпожа Клинтон, если она будет избрана, что там будет исполнено, что не исполнено. Поэтому по большому счёту для нас это более или менее безразлично. Но, конечно, мы не можем не приветствовать слова, мысли, намерения, о которых публично говорится, о нормализации отношений между Соединёнными Штатами и Россией. И в этом смысле, конечно, мы приветствуем такие заявления, от кого бы они ни исходили. Вот, собственно говоря, и всё.
Что касается самого господина Трампа, он выбрал, видимо, свой способ достучаться до сердец избирателей. Какой? Он, конечно, ведёт себя экстравагантно, мы все это видим. Но, я думаю, не так уж это всё и бессмысленно. Потому что, на мой взгляд, он представляет интересы той части общества, а она значительная в Штатах, которая устала от тех самых элит, которые десятилетиями находятся у власти. Он просто представляет интересы таких простых людей.
Он и сам изображает из себя такого простого парня, который критикует тех, кто уже десятилетиями находится у власти, тех, кому не нравится (мы же читаем аналитику, в том числе и американскую) передача власти по наследству, допустим. Об этом прямо некоторые эксперты пишут в США. И он работает на этой «поляне».
Но насколько это будет для него эффективно, выборы покажут в ближайшее время. Но хочу повторить ещё раз один штамп, который всё время повторяю: мы будем работать с любым президентом, которого изберёт американский народ и который захочет работать с нами.
А.Быстрицкий: Владимир Владимирович, можно вопрос в развитие темы безопасности, которая только что поднималась? Понятно, что здесь ключевым и важным элементом, в этой теме безопасности, является взаимодействие. И понятно, что оно может быть сложным. Например, в случае упомянутых только что в разговоре транспондеров. Но в конце концов самолёты могут летать.
Но есть критически важные области, где речь идёт непосредственно о жизни людей, и жизни людей невинных. Вы недавно вспоминали дело Царнаевых. И, как я понимаю, информация с российской стороны была предоставлена, но это не возымело ни малейшего действия, как я тоже понимаю. Означает ли это, что на таком практическом уровне взаимодействия в сфере безопасности ситуация критическая?
В.Путин: Я уже говорил об этом. Не помню когда. По‑моему, на встрече с французскими журналистами, что ли? Да, действительно, мы предоставили в своё время информацию по этим братьям Царнаевым американским партнёрам. Написали один раз – ответа никакого. Потом ещё раз написали – опять никакого ответа нет. И уже после второго письма пришел ответ, что они наши граждане, вы сюда не лезьте, мы сами разберёмся. Ладно, я директору ФСБ сказал: всё, сдаю в архив. Так ответ у нас в архиве и лежит до сих пор.
Но потом, к сожалению, через несколько месяцев произошёл теракт в Бостоне во время известного марафона, погибли люди. Очень жаль, что эта трагедия произошла. Если бы контакты и доверие были бы на другом уровне между нами и нашими партнёрами, уверен, можно было бы избежать этой трагедии. Потом у нас и американцы появились сразу, приехали, мы отдали материалы, которые у нас были. Но поздно, уже люди‑то погибли.
Это, кстати говоря, отчасти ответ на предыдущий вопрос. Те, кто хочет с нами работать, – я не знаю, будут они или не будут, но они формулируют правильно тезис о том, что это необходимо для всех, особенно на поле борьбы с терроризмом. В этом смысле мы приветствуем, повторяю, всех, кто об этом заявляет.
Но, скажем, я тоже уже говорил об этом, например, в ходе подготовки к Олимпийским играм здесь, в Сочи, американцы реально нам помогали. И я благодарен им за это, мы все им за это благодарны, они сотрудничали и здесь, на месте, сотрудничали с нами очень эффективно и на более высоком уровне – на уровне руководства спецслужб. Были и другие примеры хорошего сотрудничества.
В целом у нас неплохо обстоят дела по этому направлению с европейскими партнёрами, как раз с французскими спецслужбами, там достаточно откровенный, профессиональный разговор идёт, обмен информацией имеет место быть. В общем, не всё так плохо, но могло бы быть гораздо лучше.
Т.Колтон: Хорошо.
Хотел бы сейчас предоставить слово Сафине Фишер из Берлина.
С.Фишер: Спасибо. Мой вопрос Президенту Путину, он касается Украины.
Президент Путин, недавно после достаточно длинной паузы состоялась встреча «нормандской четвёрки» в Берлине. И после этой встречи стороны несколько по‑разному интерпретировали результаты переговоров. Поэтому мне бы очень хотелось услышать Вашу оценку результатов и атмосферы этой встречи.
Помимо этого, считаете ли Вы «нормандский формат» в данной форме эффективным или Вы думаете, что он мог бы работать более продуктивно, если бы, например, туда присоединились Соединённые Штаты Америки?
Спасибо большое.
В.Путин: Можно уточняющий вопрос? Какая разная интерпретация была результатов встречи? О чём Вы говорите? Как ни странно, я просто не слышал этих разных интерпретаций. Какие?
С.Фишер: Были обсуждения полицейской миссии в Донбассе, с одной стороны, и упор на «дорожную карту», которая делалась, например, в России в СМИ и тоже в политических дебатах. По‑моему, это действительно были разные интерпретации результатов.
В.Путин: Здесь секрета никакого нет. Я скажу, вообще как было. Некоторые вещи, может быть, не буду говорить, чтобы не ставить никого в трудное положение и не мешать самому процессу.
Как вы знаете, в Минских соглашениях, думаю, что эксперты все читали, там чёрным по белому написано: через 30 дней после подписания Минских соглашений на Украине Рада должна принять постановление, которое очертило бы географические границы районов, в которых начал бы сразу действовать закон об особом статусе этих непризнанных республик. Потому что единственное, чего не хватало, чтобы он начал работать, было отсутствие описания этих географических границ.
И это нужно было принять не законом, а постановлением парламента, и это постановление с нарушением сроков, но тем не менее было принято. И, казалось бы, этот закон должен был бы сразу вступить в действие. Он был принят, хочу напомнить, парламентом Украины, проголосован, и он был согласован с непризнанными республиками, что очень важно, и в этом смысле он является, на мой взгляд, жизнеспособным и ключевым элементом политического урегулирования.
Но, приняв это постановление Рады, украинская сторона, парламент страны принял дополнение к этому закону пунктом в статью девятую или десятую, в которой написал, что этот закон вступит только тогда, когда произойдут муниципальные выборы на этих территориях. То есть опять отложил вступление этого закона в силу, повторяю, по нашему мнению, абсолютно ключевого для политического урегулирования кризиса на юго-востоке страны. Причём сделал это, конечно, уже ни с кем не согласовывая, с этими непризнанными республиками даже не консультировались.
Год назад в Париже мы это очень активно обсуждали, спорили. Я настаивал на том, чтобы это было сделано, и сделано незамедлительно, поскольку это прописано в Минских соглашениях и является ключевым элементом, на наш взгляд. Тем не менее Президент Украины настаивал на том, что это сделать невозможно. И зашло всё в тупик. Поскольку зашло в тупик, и всё могло закончиться сразу же на месте год назад в Париже, неожиданно Министр иностранных дел ФРГ господин Штайнмайер предложил компромисс.
Он сказал: «Давайте мы так договоримся. Этот закон вступит в силу в день выборов в муниципальные органы власти на этих территориях на временной основе, и на постоянной – после того как БДИПЧ ОБСЕ признает, что выборы состоялись в соответствии с правилами ОБСЕ». Это было совсем не то, что написано в Минских соглашениях, но, чтобы не заводить дело в тупик, я согласился и сказал: «Хорошо, договорились. Мы это согласуем с Донецком и Луганском». И мы согласовали.
Но на встрече в Берлине вдруг неожиданно Президент Украины попытался изменить и эту формулу, уже как бы компромиссную. Пошёл ещё дальше, по сути, отказываясь вообще от имплементации этого закона когда бы то ни было. Опять возник тот же самый кризис, который мы имели в Париже год назад. Но я хочу отметить роль Федерального канцлера. Она всё‑таки нашла аргументы и убедила всех собравшихся в том, что мы можем и должны остаться на согласованной позиции, и невозможно каждый раз, встречаясь через год, менять то, о чём мы договаривались до этого, так мы никогда ни о чём не сможем договориться. Но нюансы и детали того, как это должно имплементироваться, договорились погрузить в ту концепцию, о которой Вы сказали и которую предстоит ещё выработать.
Вот, пожалуй, и всё. Но в принципе много было сделано по вопросам обеспечения безопасности – там мы практически согласовали почти каждый из пунктов. Почти ни о чём не договорились по вопросам гуманитарного характера – эти территории остаются в строгой блокаде, и ситуация там очень сложная. На это, кстати говоря, весь так называемый цивилизованный мир предпочитает не обращать никакого внимания. Сейчас не хочу даже открывать дискуссии на эту тему.
Но что касается формата, он полезен или не полезен, – просто другого нет. Да, дискуссии идут сложно, да, это не очень эффективно, соглашусь с этим, но другого нет, и если мы хотим хоть чего‑то добиться, надо оставаться в рамках этого формата.
Нужно ли привлекать кого‑то другого? Российская позиция такая: мы не против привлекать кого бы то ни было, в том числе и наших американских партнёров. Но договорились таким образом со всеми участниками этого процесса, что мы с нашими американскими коллегами будем работать параллельно. И вы знаете, мой помощник и госпожа Нуланд постоянно встречаются, регулярно эти темы обсуждают, ищут компромиссы. Но это, разумеется, делается не келейно, не тайно, и все участники нормандского формата в курсе, знают, и мы учитываем, конечно, и позицию наших американских партнёров.
Т.Колтон: Анджела Стент, пожалуйста.
А.Стент (как переведено): Спасибо. Мой вопрос адресован Президенту Путину. Я профессор Джорджтаунского университета Вашингтона.
Россия недавно вышла из соглашения с Соединёнными Штатами по уничтожению плутония, но в то же время российское Правительство заявило, что рассмотрит повторное вступление к соглашению, если будут выполнены три условия. Первое, что войска НАТО должны вернуться к тем позициям, которые они занимали до 2000‑х годов в Европе, во‑вторых, «закон Магнитского» должен быть отменён, и в‑третьих, что санкции, введённые против России с момента начала украинского кризиса, должны быть сняты, и России должна быть предоставлена компенсация.
Вопрос заключается в следующем. 20 января у нас будет новый президент, я настроена оптимистично, должны ли мы понимать в США, что эти три условия лягут в основу изначальной переговорной позиции со стороны Российской Федерации с новым американским президентом, когда он вновь восстановит отношения высокого уровня с Кремлём?
В.Путин: Вы профессор, сразу видно, что не дипломат. Если Вы у дипломатов спросите, они Вам скажут, что есть такое понятие, как запросная позиция, и решение по поводу договора об уничтожении избыточного количества оружейного плутония – мы из него не вышли. Соединённые Штаты вышли из договора по противоракетной обороне, а мы не вышли, мы приостановили его действие. Но почему? Я думаю, что все здесь знают почему. Это соглашение что предусматривало? Оно предусматривало, что и в России, и в США будут построены заводы, которые будут уничтожать избыточное количество оружейного плутония, наработанного как в США, так и в России.
США свои обязательства не только не выполнили, а объявили, что выполнять не намерены – со ссылкой на финансовые трудности. Как будто у нас таких финансовых трудностей нет. Но мы завод построили и уничтожаем этот плутоний промышленным способом. То, что объявили Соединённые Штаты, причём в одностороннем порядке, никак с нами свои действия не согласовывая… Они сказали, что они будут его разбавлять, этот оружейный плутоний, там хранить в каких‑то пластах и так далее.
Это значит, специалисты говорят, это называется возвратный потенциал. В любую секунду можно вернуть, опять обогатить, и всё снова здорово, как у нас в народе говорят. А мы‑то уничтожаем его промышленным способом. Мы завод построили, деньги истратили. Мы что, богаче Соединённых Штатов, что ли?
И очень по многим вопросам нам очень трудно разговаривать с администрацией сегодняшней, потому что ничего почти не выполняется, почти никакие договорённости не исполняются, в том числе и по Сирии. Может, ещё к этому вернёмся. Но мы готовы будем разговаривать с новым президентом и искать решения любых сложных вопросов, любых.
Вопрос (как переведено): Господин Президент, хотел бы задать Вам вопрос по политике России в отношении Азии. Сегодня акцент делается на построении многополярного мира во внешней политике России. Но помимо этого вы также уделяете особое внимание многополярности в Азии. Сегодня в Вашей речи Вы, в частности, на мой взгляд, указали на рост напряжённости в отношениях с Западом и о переориентировании на Азию. Но есть и проблемы в Азии. В частности, появление новых игроков ведёт к появлению страхов, появляются новые разделительные барьеры. Скажите, есть ли опасность того, что Россия путём акцента на многополярном мире может недооценить опасность однополярной Азии в ущерб необходимости всех великих держав работать вместе для создания нового мира?
В.Путин: Мы интенсифицируем развитие наших отношений с азиатскими странами не потому, что у нас напряглись отношения с Европой или Соединёнными Штатами. Просто то, что сейчас происходит, диктуется самой жизнью. Необходимость расширения наших контактов, увеличение этих контактов диктуются жизнью. Почему?
Рост и значение азиатских стран растут и будут расти дальше, причём достаточно высокими темпами. Но для России, значительная часть территории которой находится в Азии, было бы нелепым не использовать своё географическое преимущество и не развивать отношения с нашими соседями.
Китай – наш сосед, я говорил об этом во вступительном слове. С Индией у нас хорошая предыстория отношений, что грех было бы это не использовать для развития отношений с Индией сегодня и на длительную историческую перспективу. У нас много совпадающих интересов. Мы естественным образом взаимодополняем друг друга, кстати говоря, как в политике, так и в экономике.
Но что касается многополярности или однополярности Азии, Азия не является однополярной, мы это прекрасно видим и понимаем.
Жизнь вообще сложна и многообразна, она вообще вся соткана из противоречий. Важно только, чтобы эти противоречия разрешались цивилизованным способом. Мне кажется, что у лидеров азиатских стран сегодня достаточно здравого смысла, чтобы выйти именно на такой режим работы друг с другом. И мы готовы работать в таком же режиме со всеми.
Вы знаете, что я недавно был с визитом в Индии, только что вернулся из Индии наш Министр обороны. У нас не только по линии оборонных ведомств, по линии промышленного производства в оборонной сфере, но и в гражданских областях очень много пересекающихся интересов с Индией, Китаем, тем же Вьетнамом, с другими странами региона. И они очень перспективные и масштабные.
Т.Колтон: Тома Гомар, пожалуйста.
Т.Гомар (как переведено): Господин Президент, в сентябре 2014 года на Валдайском клубе Вы описали отношения между Украиной и Россией следующим предложением: две страны – один народ. А каким образом Вы сегодня описали бы отношения между этими двумя странами?
В.Путин: Я сейчас не буду говорить про то, кто в чём виноват, но я считаю, как и считал, что русские и украинцы – это действительно один народ. У нас есть люди крайних националистических взглядов, как в России, так и в Украине. Но в целом в большинстве своём это один народ – народ одной истории, одной культуры, очень близкий этнически. Нас сначала разделили, а потом стравили, но мы сами в этом виноваты. И мы должны сами найти выход из этой ситуации. Уверен, что здравый смысл восторжествует, и мы этот выход найдём.
Вопрос: Уважаемый господин Президент! До моего вопроса хотел бы очень коротко передать Вам слова моих молодых студентов. Два года назад, когда Вы были в Шанхае по очень важным другим делам, наши студенты пропустили шанс встретиться в университете с Вами и Вас спросить. Но они сказали мне, что всегда Вас ждут. И это не зависит от того, будете Вы на пенсии или нет.
Мой вопрос такой. Сегодня мы обсуждаем философский вопрос международных отношений. Человеческое сообщество уже переживало многие вариантов международной системы. По Вашему представлению, будущие системы до какой степени будут похожи на бывшие? И на какие положительные элементы нам больше нужно обращать внимания? Это немножко теоретически, по каким принципам, более универсальным или более многообразным? Какие сочетания, какие комбинации среди них Вы предпочитаете?
Ещё конкретный вопрос. В текущие дни очень оживлённо обсуждаем вопрос, какие взаимоотношения между Россией, Западом и Китаем.
В.Путин: Хайнц здесь такую ремарку сделал, что это очень философский вопрос, об этом можно долго рассуждать.
Будет ли мир будущего таким, каким он был в прошлом? Конечно, нет. Разве это возможно? Мир меняется очень сильно. Разве Китай 60–70‑х годов похож на Китай сегодняшнего дня? Совсем две разные страны, да и Советского Союза нет.
Господин Мбеке говорил про Африку. Я с этими тезисами согласен. Но Африка не может быть где‑то на периферии. Если кто‑то так думает, то он глубоко заблуждается. Если мы будем действовать именно таким образом, нас ждут очень тяжёлые испытания. Мы уже сейчас видим, говорят: беженцы-беженцы, Сирия-Сирия. Я сегодня только смотрел – очередное событие в Средиземном море, где итальянская береговая охрана вылавливала беженцев из Африки. При чём здесь Сирия? Вы знаете, это очень серьёзный вопрос – будущее мира и будущее Африки. Так же и взаимоотношения в Азии, там много конфликтных, таких потенциально конфликтных ситуаций.
Хочу повторить то, что я только что сказал. Вопрос в том, хватит ли у нас ума и мужества найти приемлемые способы решения всех этих проблем и сложных конфликтов. Мне бы очень хотелось, чтобы это было именно так, чтобы мир действительно стал многополярным и чтобы учитывались мнения всех участников международного сообщества. Маленькая это страна или большая, должны быть единообразно понимаемые общие правила, гарантирующие суверенитет и интересы народов.
А что касается наших взаимоотношений между нашими партнёрами в Европе, в Соединённых Штатах, в Америке вообще, в азиатских странах, мы выстраиваем разновекторную политику, и не только в силу своего географического положения. Наша политика в отношении всех наших партнёров строится на основе равноправия и взаимного уважения.
Т.Колтон: Хорошо.
Николай Злобин, пожалуйста.
Н.Злобин: Владимир Владимирович, у меня вопрос тоже философский, но я подразумеваю, что Вы уже думали на эту тему, поэтому хотел бы получить от Вас ответ в Вашем стиле. Вы умеете формулировать афористично, мы все это знаем.
Я вернусь к Вашей речи, к ней пока никто не апеллировал. Я не согласен с одной вещью в Вашей речи, где Вы описывали мир. Вы описывали его правильно, но мне кажется, что сводить всё к злой воле элит или каких‑то отдельных лидеров, это не совсем правильно. Страны действуют под влиянием очень большого количества объективных факторов. Даже Вы сейчас, говоря о евразийском сотрудничестве, сказали, что жизнь требует так поступать. Я помню, когда была история с Крымом, Вы сказали: я не мог поступить иначе, хотя весь мир считал, что это не самый лучший жест доброй воли.
Мой вопрос в этой связи. Думаю, что страны действуют под влиянием национальных интересов, того, как они видят мир. И очень часто эти национальные интересы входят в противоречия, одной страны и другой страны.
Однажды в интервью какому‑то западному агентству Вы сказали, что Ваша работа – продвигать национальные интересы России. Поэтому я подозреваю, что Вы знаете, что такое национальные интересы России, причём не тактические, не сегодняшние, а фундаментальные, которые существовали раньше и будут существовать потом. Думаю, что Вам ещё рано на пенсию уходить, но всё равно когда‑нибудь это случится, и национальные интересы сохранятся. Есть у Вас формула в голове, ёмкая, хорошая, как объяснить миру? Потому что одна из проблем, что Россия воспринимается страной непредсказуемой. Можете Вы объяснить одной формулой, которая сохранится надолго, что такое национальные интересы России?
В.Путин: То, что хорошо для русского человека, то и национальные интересы России и вообще для народов Российской Федерации. Но вопрос не в том, чтобы любой ценой продвигать эти национальные интересы, вопрос в том, как это делать. Я хочу вернуть нас к ставшему ключевым вопросу: мы считаем, что добиваться своих национальных интересов нужно в диалоге со всеми участниками международной жизни, уважая их интересы и пользуясь единообразно понимаемыми правилами игры, которые называются «международное право».
Кстати, когда выступала Тарья, она сказала, что несколько мрачновато прозвучали мои оценки. Если именно так и восприняли, что исключительно в ошибках элит заключаются все проблемы сегодняшнего дня, то, конечно, я не это имел в виду. Это одна из серьёзных проблем сегодняшнего дня – расхождения между интересами так называемых широких масс и правящими классами, но не единственная, а в основе, конечно, лежат и интересы, но способы достижения своих интересов важны, вот что важно.
А.Мухин: Владимир Владимирович, на Украине постоянно пытаются что‑нибудь запретить российское. И складывается такое ощущение, что любые российские компоненты просто выдавливаются из украинского общества. В этой связи у меня тоже философский вопрос. Пётр Порошенко говорил о том, что он намерен продать свой российский бизнес. Этот бизнес существует вообще или нет? И как Вы к этому относитесь?
В.Путин: Мы стремимся к тому, чтобы уважать право собственности. Алексей Леонидович – горячий приверженец, считает, что это один из столпов экономической политики, и в этом смысле я с ним полностью согласен. У нас далеко не всегда так получается, нам практику нужно ещё поправлять, и в законодательстве многое нужно сделать, но мы всегда будем к этому стремиться.
То же самое касается и наших иностранных инвесторов, в том числе и украинских инвесторов. Пётр Алексеевич Порошенко является одним из таких инвесторов, имею в виду, что он является собственником достаточно крупного предприятия в Липецкой области – фабрики «Рошен». Там, собственно, два предприятия, второе занимается, по‑моему, реализацией продукции. Там есть некоторые проблемы, связанные с невозвратом НДС, и судебные органы ввели определённые ограничительные меры, но фабрика работает, работает ритмично, выплачивает зарплату, получает прибыль, и нет никаких ограничений, связанных с использованием этой прибыли, в том числе и с переводом её за границу. Я сейчас не помню, сколько, не погружаюсь в такие детали, но она работает с прибылью, и работает успешно.
П.Дуткевич: Господин Президент, я уже задал этот вопрос заместителю Министра иностранных дел вчера, но я понял свою ошибку, потому что исключительным адресатом этого вопроса являетесь Вы, Владимир Владимирович.
Вопрос такой: поступила информация, я не знаю, насколько она достоверна, что во время встречи с господином Обамой в Китае в сентябре этого года Вы разговаривали о перемирии в Сирии. Не знаю, насколько это достоверно, но Вам предложили семидневное перемирие. Вы засомневались и сказали, что невозможно за такой короткий период развести радикалов от мирных, и вряд ли можно это сделать. Поэтому Вам на это был ответ, что если мы не сумеем это сделать, тогда у вас свободные руки. Вы можете вспомнить этот разговор? Потому что он очень важный для истории того, что происходит сейчас в Сирии.
В.Путин: Да мне и не нужно его вспоминать, я его и не забывал. Это очень важный разговор. Там действительно шла речь о том, чтобы прекратить работу российской и сирийской авиации по нанесению ударов по объектам террористов в Алеппо до разделения так называемой здоровой части оппозиции от «Джабхат ан-Нусры» – террористической организации, признанной в таком качестве Организацией Объединённых Наций, входящей в перечень международных террористических организаций.
В этой связи хотел бы заметить, что не секретом является то, что нам наши американские партнёры обещали это сделать. Они признали, во‑первых, что это нужно сделать, они признали, что часть Алеппо занята террористическими организациями – и ИГИЛ, и «Джабхат ан-Нусрой». Собственно говоря, это видно на кадрах телевизионной хроники, когда мы видим знамя ИГИЛ, знамя «Джабхат ан-Нусры» в определённых районах Алеппо. Они признали, что это надо сделать, и заверили нас, что сделают это.
А после этого мы договорились о том, что вместе определим прямо на поле боя, где здоровая часть оппозиции, и мы их не будем трогать вообще, а где террористы, и мы будем вместе с американскими нашими партнёрами работать по этим террористам. Они обещали нам многократно и на уровне Минобороны, и на уровне министров иностранных дел, и на уровне специальных служб. К сожалению, раз за разом всё это срывалось, и они этого не делали.
В очередной раз этот вопрос был поднят во время нашей встречи в Китае. Действительно, мой американский партнёр, Президент Обама, предложил в очередной раз их развести. Но он настаивал на том, чтобы сначала мы объявили день Д, день тишины, прекратили бы боевые действия, удары авиации, а затем в течение семи дней они брали бы на себя обязательство развести оппозицию здоровую и «Джабхат ан-Нусру» друг с другом. Я сейчас не буду говорить о деталях, потому что не считаю себя вправе какие‑то детали воспроизводить вслух. Всё‑таки в ходе таких переговоров остаётся какая‑то часть, которая доверительно доводится друг до друга. Но факт остаётся фактом.
Вместо того чтобы развести террористов, «Джабхат ан-Нусру», и здоровую часть оппозиции, наши американские партнёры сами сорвали это перемирие. Кстати говоря, в конечном итоге я хоть и настаивал на том, что сначала развести нужно, а потом прекратить полёты авиации, но в ходе дискуссии согласился с мнением американского партнёра. Он настаивал, и я с ним согласился, пошёл навстречу, сказал: ладно, бог с ним, мы сначала объявляем перемирие, не будем летать, не будем наносить удары, пожалуйста, вот вам семь дней.
Перемирие было объявлено, по‑моему, 12 сентября. 17‑го американская авиация нанесла удар по сирийским войскам, после чего подразделения ИГИЛ перешли в наступление. Нам сказали, что удар был нанесён по ошибке, а ИГИЛ перешёл в наступление случайно, это случайность. Может быть, и так, но перемирие было сорвано и далеко не по нашей вине.
А что там обещал или что не обещал Президент Соединённых Штатов, это всё‑таки Вы спрашивайте у него. Я думаю, что в ходе, допустим, своей поездки по европейским странам он сам об этом расскажет нашим европейским уже партнёрам. И думаю, что нужно сделать это откровенно и честно, а не просто использовать их для того, чтобы повлиять на нашу позицию по Сирии.
Да, кстати говоря, вы знаете, сегодня уже девятый день, когда российская и сирийская авиация в районе Алеппо просто не работает. Вот вам ещё не семь дней, вот вам ещё девять, уже десять дней сейчас будет. Где разведение террористов и здоровой части оппозиции? Понимаете, если мы не будем выполнять взятых на себя обязательств, мы никогда не добьёмся успеха в решении задач борьбы с террором.
Я понимаю, это непростая задача, и мы здесь не склонны никого ни в чём обвинять, но уж если о чём‑то договорились, надо исполнять. Во всяком случае, на нас не перекладывать вину и не обвинять во всех смертных грехах. Это просто неприлично. Мы пока ведём себя сдержанно и также по‑хамски нашим партнёрам не отвечаем, но всё имеет свои границы, можем и ответить.
Т.Колтон: Господин Черногорский из Словакии. Пожалуйста, Вам слово.
Черногорский: Я буду как будто продолжать вопрос Анджелы Стент, хотя мы не договорились. Господин Президент, условия, которые, Вы сказали, в связи с договором об утилизации плутония, по сути, являются наступательными условиями. Когда бы эти условия были исполнены, это бы означало практически, что будут аннулированы все отступления России практически со времён Михаила Горбачёва. Меня интересует время. Как Вы оцениваете, когда бы такие условия могли быть исполнены или, скажу это по‑другому, думаете, что Вы увидите исполнение этих условий ещё как Президент Российской Федерации?
В.Путин: Условия, о которых Вы говорили сейчас и которые Вы назвали наступательными, они изложены на бумаге. Это Указ Президента Российской Федерации. Это бумажка.
А условия уничтожения оружейного плутония, которые нарушили Соединённые Штаты, – это очень серьёзный вопрос в сфере международной безопасности и обращения ядерных материалов. Это совершенно две разные категории. И мы вышли из этого договора, потому что Соединённые Штаты не выполняют взятых на себя обязательств. А об условиях того, как вести нам переговорный процесс по широкому кругу проблем, мы договоримся.
Т.Колтон: Михаил Погребинский, пожалуйста, из Киева.
М.Погребинский: Владимир Владимирович, возвращаюсь к вопросу, который был задан коллегой из Германии. Мне кажется, Вы не вполне ответили на него, а это важно, по‑моему.
Речь идёт о том, что, действительно, насколько мы понимаем, интерпретации результатов этого Берлина были разные в Киеве и в Москве. Во всяком случае, два слова скажу, что киевская интерпретация такая: главный успех Порошенко на этих переговорах – это то, что он убедил ООН и вообще участники переговоров убедили Вас в том, что Вы согласились на полицейскую миссию.
При этом в Киеве понимают эту полицейскую миссию как некую такую систему, которая будет с оружием обеспечивать безопасность до проведения выборов и после проведения выборов какое‑то время. Информация из Москвы официальная была такая, что, в общем, не совсем так.
Можете внести какую‑то ясность по этому поводу, чтобы было понятно?
В.Путин: Я могу попросить Тарью или Ханца, они очень хорошо знают, что такое ОБСЕ, как работает эта организация. Скажу Вам свою позицию по этому вопросу.
Президент Порошенко выступил с инициативой так называемой полицейской миссии во время проведения будущих возможных выборов в Донбассе, в Донецке и Луганске. Я единственный, кто его поддержал. Просто я не называю это полицейской миссией в силу того, что вообще все остальные участники процесса возражают, а возражают не потому, что не хотят помочь Петру Алексеевичу, а потому, что ОБСЕ никогда ничего подобного не делала, у неё нет такого опыта, нет людей, нет практики осуществления каких бы то ни было полицейских миссий.
И на сегодняшний день эта идея, выдвинутая Петром Алексеевичем Порошенко и поддержанная Вашим покорным слугой, она другими участниками этого процесса не поддерживается, но мы называем это не полицейской миссией, а возможностью тех, кто будет обеспечивать выборы и безопасность на выборах, находиться там с табельным стрелковым оружием. Те, кто против реализации этого предложения, указывают на то, что это может спровоцировать неизвестно кого на применение оружия против вооружённых людей.
Они считают, что сила наблюдателей ОБСЕ заключается не в том, что у них табельное оружие, а в том, что они как раз представляют общепризнанную мировую солидную международную организацию, и как раз они сами не вооружены, и применять против них силу и оружие – это абсолютно неприемлемо и будет восприниматься как самое неприемлемое поведение кого бы то ни было. И в этом их сила, а не в том, что у них будет пистолет.
Хотя, если Пётр Алексеевич считает, что это пошло бы на пользу, я лично его поддерживаю, но я единственный, кто это делает. Это странная ситуация, это единственное, где наши мнения совпадают. Но я уже об этом говорил неоднократно, и здесь нет никакой новизны, и в конечном итоге все согласились, что это возможно, но нужно это проработать, в том числе на площадке ОБСЕ. Не знаю, Тарья меня поправит, но, по‑моему, в практике ОБСЕ никогда такого не было. Тарья, можно тебя спросить?
Т.Халонен: Да, должна честно сказать, что не могу припомнить таких случаев. Возможно, стоит спросить кого‑то, у кого есть более актуальная информация, но я займусь этим вопросом.
Т.Колтон: Представитель, пожалуйста, из Пекина.
Вопрос (как переведено): Бывший Президент Австрийской Республики господин Фишер сказал, что отношения между ЕС и Россией не такие, как 25 лет назад ожидалось, какими они будут. И, к сожалению, это сейчас имеет место, но нам нужно быть оптимистами тем не менее.
И хочу спросить господина Президента: с Вашей точки, почему это так происходит? И какие могут быть ожидания? Какие ожидания 25 лет назад были неверными или были неверными всё время? И с философской точки зрения какие уроки, как Вам кажется, следует извлечь для следующих 25 лет?
В.Путин: Что было сделано правильно, а что неправильно? Ожидания были большие в связи с тем, что Советский Союз перешёл к политике открытости, в связи с тем что практически то, что считалось главным, что разделяло Советский Союз и потом Россию, и западный мир, исчезло – я имею в виду идеологические разногласия. И, откровенно говоря, у нас сначала и в Советском Союзе при Горбачёве, а дальше и в России все считали, что сейчас начнётся совершенно другая жизнь. Вот здесь один из наших экспертов правильно сказал: существуют вещи, как оказалось, гораздо более глубинные, чем даже идеологические противоречия, а это так называемые и национальные, и геополитические интересы.
Можно было бы сделать что‑то по‑другому? Да, можно. Я на прошлой встрече здесь, по‑моему, в этом зале, говорил: был такой немецкий политик господин Рау, известный деятель Социал-демократической партии Германии, его уже нет среди нас, но он тогда вёл очень активную дискуссию с руководством Советского Союза. И он тогда говорил – у нас есть записи этих бесед, мы до сих пор никак не можем это опубликовать, но надо это сделать, – что в Европе должна быть создана новая система международной безопасности.
Помимо НАТО нужно создать ещё структуру, в которую входил бы и Советский Союз, и те страны, которые выходят из Варшавского договора, но с участием США, с тем чтобы была сбалансированная система. И дальше он продолжал, что если этого не будет сделано, в конечном итоге это будет приводить к тому, что вся эта система, созданная во времена холодной войны, будет работать против Советского Союза. И он говорил, что это беспокоит меня только потому, что это будет разбалансировать всю систему международных отношений и вопросы безопасности в Европе будут подвергаться серьёзным испытаниям.
Как этот дед сказал, так и случилось. И тогда вот те люди, которые работали над преобразованиями в мире, одни не хотели ничего менять, им представлялось, что и так они на коне, а другие не имели политической воли, чтобы реализовать эти абсолютно правильные мысли очень мудрого и опытного немецкого политика.
Но я надеюсь, что всё‑таки с изменением реального соотношения сил в мире будет меняться и политико-дипломатическое и нормативное сопровождение этих изменений в лучшую сторону. Мир будет более сбалансированным и многополярным.
Х.Фишер: Могу добавить следующее, что 25 лет назад, в начале 90‑х годов, в Европейском союзе было 12 членов. Швеция, Финляндия, Австрия присоединились лишь в 1994–1995 годах. Это была эпоха такого «медового месяца» между Россией и Европой, в частности между Россией и Германией, Россией и другими важными странами Европы. Это был период до экономического кризиса, когда темпы экономического роста были более высокими, перед введением евро. Введение евро – очень важная мера, но евро – это также проблематичный компонент, если вы посмотрите на ситуацию в Греции или в Италии. Такие факторы тоже следует принимать во внимание.
Спасибо.
Т.Халонен: Я также хотела бы добавить, что 25 лет назад Россия была другой, Европейский союз был другим. Я также была вовлечена в этот процесс. Думаю, что урок, который мы могли бы извлечь со стороны ЕС и со стороны Совета ЕС – это была очень хорошая возможность для расширения. Возможно, нам следовало бы больше вкладывать в процесс расширения, не только до процесса расширения, но и после процесса расширения. И, возможно, процесс проходил бы легче сегодня. Но, конечно, всегда времени не хватает. Мы не можем вернуться в прошлое, мы сейчас стараемся строить будущее дальше.
Т.Колтон: Габор Штиер, пожалуйста.
Г.Штиер: Мой вопрос Президенту Путину об Украине.
С приближением зимы обычно в последние годы часто говорим о том, что будет на Украине, что будет с безопасностью экспорта российского газа. Будет ли тепло в украинских квартирах? Будет ли Киев платить за газ? Откуда будет покупать? Мой вопрос следующий. Ведутся ли переговоры о поставке газа теперь в Украину? И говорили ли об этом с украинским Президентом в Берлине?
В.Путин: У нас вызывает обеспокоенность то, что происходит сейчас с этой энергетической, очень важной составляющей на Украине. Потому что, по нашему мнению, по мнению наших специалистов, а они не хуже, чем на Украине, потому что это когда‑то был единый комплекс, как известно, во времена Советского Союза, мы прекрасно себе отдаём отчёт в том, что там происходит. Для того чтобы обеспечить бесперебойные поставки в Европу, нужно закачать необходимый объём в подземные хранилища. Не для внутреннего потребления, а для обеспечения транзита. Вот в чём технологический смысл того, что было сделано ещё во времена Советского Союза.
Газа закачано мало, недостаточно. В принципе от 17 до 21 миллиарда должно быть закачено в подземное хранилище, закачано только, по‑моему, четырнадцать, и более того, сейчас уже начался отбор оттуда. Это вызывает определённые опасения. Мы с Президентом Украины по его инициативе обсуждали вопрос с газоснабжением Украины. Он задал вопрос, может ли Россия возобновить поставки. Конечно, может в любую секунду. Для этого ничего не нужно.
У нас есть контракт, есть дополнение к нему. Нужно только одно – предоплата. И на тот объём денег, которые будут предоплачены, мы точно и гарантированно будем осуществлять поставки наших энергоносителей для потребителей Украины. Но сегодня цена для Украины, а мы договорились об этом раньше, мы сказали об этом раньше, ещё в прошлом году, будет не выше, хочу это подчеркнуть, не выше, чем у соседних государств, в частности для Польши.
Сейчас самой актуальной ценовой ситуации не знаю, но на момент нашего разговора Польша у нас по тем договорным обязательствам, которые есть и которые действуют, покупала газ где‑то по 185, по 184 доллара за тысячу кубов. Украине мы могли бы продавать за 180. Я эту цену назвал – 180 долларов за 1 тысячу кубов. Но нам сказали, что лучше им покупать по реверсу, – пожалуйста. Это, правда, нарушение контрактов между «Газпромом» и его контрагентами в Западной Европе, но мы смотрим на это уже сквозь пальцы, с пониманием.
Если нравится больше по реверсу – пожалуйста, пусть по реверсу покупают, но, насколько мне известно, стоимость газа для конечного потребителя, для промышленных потребителей на Украине сегодня уже превышает 300 долларов за 1 тысячу кубов. Мы предлагаем продавать по 180, но у нас брать пока не хотят. У меня есть основания полагать, что посредники, которые участвуют в этих сделках, покупая по реверсу, видимо, близки сердцу некоторых руководителей в топливно-энергетическом комплексе на Украине. Флаг им в руки, пусть они работают, только главное, чтобы они обеспечили транзит в европейские страны.
Ф.Лукьянов: Владимир Владимирович, в развитие темы, которую Вы и в речи затронули, и потом немножко звучала. Мы все читаем газеты, ведущие мировые журналы, обложки смотрим, тоже очень красивые бывают, наверное, и Вы тоже видите что‑то из этого. Вам приятно чувствовать себя самым опасным и самым могущественным человеком в мире? Это вообще высокая очень оценка ведь.
В.Путин: Вы знаете, мне, конечно, приятно с вами беседовать сегодня, не скрою, и я люблю это дело. Но гораздо более важным считаю прохождение бюджета Российской Федерации через российский парламент, с тем чтобы нам обеспечить воздействие бюджета на решение самых главных вопросов, перед которыми стоит страна. А именно: обеспечение темпов устойчивого роста, необходимых для нашей экономики, решение социальных задач. У нас их огромное количество. Слава богу, нам удаётся сейчас сдерживать инфляцию, которая у нас будет в этом году, надеюсь, все эксперты так говорят, ниже шести процентов. У нас дефицит бюджета, надеюсь, не превысит заданных величин, где‑то три процента.
Как вы знаете, у нас кардинальным образом, в разы, уменьшился отток капитала. Разные есть причины на этот счёт, они есть разные, но реально уменьшился этот отток. У нас много нерешённых проблем, перед которыми стоит страна. И только от решения этих проблем, прежде всего в сфере экономики, социальной сфере, зависит внутренняя политическая стабильность и вес России в мире. Вот я о чём думаю, а не о каком‑то мифическом могуществе.
Т.Колтон: Мы работаем уже два с половиной часа. Мне как модератору надо Вам задать вопрос. Сколько у Вас остаётся резерва времени и терпения? Ваше решение.
В.Путин: Я пришёл сюда, чтобы пообщаться с аудиторией. Вы здесь руководите процессом…
Т.Колтон: Я местный президент, можно сказать.
В.Путин: Я готов подчиниться тому регламенту, который Вы здесь будете продвигать. Пожалуйста.
Т.Колтон: Давайте, работаем ещё полчаса. Он готов. Хорошо.
В таком случае у меня ещё список желающих задать вопросы. Я попытаюсь внести в него обновления.
Следующий выступающий Юрий Слёзкин, Калифорния.
Ю.Слёзкин: Как Вы думаете, какие темы будут главными в главе «Путинская эпоха» в будущих учебниках русской истории? То есть эти учебники уже пишутся, эти главы уже некоторые начинают писать. Некоторые называют Вас строителем государства, преобразователем, централизатором и сравнивают с Екатериной, Петром и другими.
Некоторые считают Вас по большей части консерватором и охранителем. Некоторые делят Ваше правление на два периода: первый – строительство и укрепление государства, и второй период – реакции. И в этом смысле сравнивают Вас со Сталиным и Иваном Грозным среди прочих. Как Вы себе представляете эту главу будущего учебника?
И если я могу ещё задать вопрос, имеющий к первому вопросу отношение: о ком и о чём, по‑Вашему, будет следующая глава? Потому что у нас тут два дня назад Вячеслав Володин повторил своё утверждение двухлетней давности о том, что нет Путина – нет России. И это, мне кажется, подчёркивает важность одного из основных вопросов любой политической системы – вопроса о механизме наследования власти, механизме преемственности. О механизме, который в русской истории очень редко работал гладко и предсказуемо. Что, по‑Вашему, нужно сделать, чтобы следующая глава в нашем учебнике русской истории не называлась «Смутное время»?
В.Путин: На Екатерину я точно не похож по гендерному признаку.
Что касается того главного, о чём, мне кажется, будет интересно узнать будущим исследователям русской истории: главное заключается в том, как нам удалось добиться сплочённости российского общества и русского народа, объединить всех вокруг решения общенациональной задачи. А позволю себе вернуться в ещё советскую историографию и всё‑таки подчеркнуть, что при всей важности личности в истории всё‑таки реальным творцом являются сами люди, сами граждане страны.
А на Ваш вопрос о том, в отношении кого и в отношении чего можно будет писать следующую главу, на это тоже ответят люди, в отношении того, кого они выберут, и в отношении того, что эти люди вместе с будущим руководством страны сделают.
Вопрос: Добрый день! Вашингтонское отделение Международного института стратегических исследований. У меня три конкретных нефилософских вопроса.
В.Путин: Вы шпион?
Реплика: Нет. (Смех.)
В.Путин: А кто же тогда?
Реплика: Учёный.
В.Путин: Нет, я здесь ничего плохого не вижу. Ладно, потом я расскажу историю про одного крупного очень известного политического деятеля в США, которого я очень уважаю и очень люблю. У нас с ним был такой интересный разговор на этот счёт.
Пожалуйста, извините.
Вопрос: У меня вопрос по поводу договора об РСМД. Сейчас он испытывает большие трудности, как Вы знаете; есть много громких взаимных обвинений и так далее. И в этом контексте очень важно понимать общий подход России к этому договору. Есть ли ценность для России в этом договоре – если да, то какая? И вообще стоит ли этот договор сохранить?
В.Путин: Он представил бы очень большую ценность для нас, если бы нашему с Соединёнными Штатами примеру последовали другие страны. Ведь что получилось: наивное бывшее российское руководство пошло на то, чтобы ликвидировать ракеты средней дальности наземного базирования. Американцы ликвидировали «Першинги», мы – ракеты СС-20, их порезали. Была в этой связи известная трагедия, которая связана с тем, что главный конструктор этих систем покончил жизнь самоубийством, посчитал, что это предательство национальных интересов и одностороннее разоружение.
Почему одностороннее? А потому что по этому соглашению мы наземный комплекс порезали, но это соглашение не затронуло ракет средней дальности, расположенных на море и в воздухе. Воздушного и морского базирования (это соглашение ракетно-воздушного и морского базирования) это соглашение не коснулось. У Советского Союза их просто не было, а Соединённые Штаты их оставили на вооружении.
Но получилась явная диспропорция: Соединённые Штаты оказались вооружены ракетами средней дальности – какая разница, они на море находятся, в воздухе тем более или на суше; а Советский Союз просто лишил себя этого вида оружия. Тем более что соседние наши государства – вот в Штатах никто из соседей Соединённых Штатов такое оружие не производят: ни Канада, ни Мексика, а у нас соседние страны почти всё производят: и страны на востоке наших границ, и на Ближнем Востоке, и так далее – кругом. Поэтому для нас это особое испытание, но тем не менее мы считаем необходимым соблюдать это соглашение. Тем более, как вы знаете, у нас тоже сейчас появилось такое же оружие – ракета средней дальности морского и воздушного базирования.
Т.Колтон: Я передаю слово господину Тайсу Кею, Токио.
Тайс Кей: Токийский фонд, Япония. Наконец‑то в сентябре объявлена дата Вашего визита в Японию: это 15 декабря. И сейчас идут интенсивные переговоры о подготовке к этому. Уверен, что ваш визит окажет большой толчок к укреплению отношений между Японией и Россией.
В связи с этим у меня такой вопрос. Накануне Вашей встречи с Премьер-министром Абэ во Владивостоке Вы дали интервью, что нынешнего состояния атмосферы между Японией и Россией недостаточно для подписания мирного договора. У меня такой вопрос: Вы сохраняете такую же оценку сейчас? И если это так, то насколько реалистично ожидать создания атмосферы, которая позволит Японии и России подписать мировой договор в ближайшем будущем – я имею в виду в течение двух, трёх, четырёх лет?
В.Путин: Вы знаете, это тот случай, где, на мой взгляд, нельзя, невозможно и даже вредно определять какие‑то сроки. Скажем, мы с Китайской Народной Республикой вели переговоры по территориальным вопросам на границе в течение 40 лет. И мы договорились окончательно и подписали соответствующее соглашение, в том числе, а может быть, прежде всего потому, что мы с Китаем достигли беспрецедентного уровня сотрудничества, который мы называем больше, чем стратегическим партнёрством – привилегированное стратегическое партнёрство. Так и есть, очень большая степень доверия. И конечно, к сожалению, наши отношения с Японией такого качества ещё не достигли. Но это не значит, что мы не можем этого сделать. Более того, на мой взгляд, и Япония, и Россия заинтересованы в окончательном урегулировании вообще всех вопросов, потому что это соответствует нашим взаимным национальным интересам. Мы этого хотим, мы к этому стремимся.
Когда это будет сделано, как это будет сделано и будет ли сделано вообще, я сейчас ответить не могу. Это вопрос, который мы должны решать вместе, и опираясь на то, что уже было достигнуто в прежние времена, и, конечно, главным образом посматривая в будущее. Я очень рассчитываю, что наши МИДы, наши эксперты внесут в это достойный вклад, и мы сможем на это опереться.
О.Москателли: Вице-министр иностранных дел Богданов нам сказал, что если Ливия или Ирак попросят помощь России против терроризма, Вы будете принимать это серьёзно во внимание. Скажите нам, пожалуйста, на самом деле возможна новая практически военная российская интервенция на Ближнем Востоке, и думаете ли Вы, что это могло бы помочь разрешить проблемы в регионе или наоборот?
В.Путин: А что вы понимаете под словом «интервенция»? Это незаконное или законное участие, что?
О.Москателли: Помощь против терроризма – значит, либо нанести удар… Я не знаю, как Вы на это смотрите, но если принимать серьёзно во внимание, значит, какая‑то, может быть, интервенция, это неправильное слово, но акция военная точно.
В.Путин: Я понял. Нет, мы ничего подобного нигде не планируем.
К.Затулин: Владимир Владимирович, на дискуссии, которая у нас была здесь по Сирии, я задал вопрос Клиффорду Капчану, на который он не ответил. Я сказал о том, что мы пришли в Ближний Восток, в Сирию в том числе для того, чтобы помочь в чувствительном для Запада вопросе борьбы с терроризмом, но сейчас наблюдаем двойные стандарты, когда дело касается операции в Алеппо и операции в Мосуле.
И вопрос мой заключался в том, достигли бы мы победы во Второй мировой войне, если бы всё время любые действия на советско-германском фронте сопровождались бы обвинениями в том, что мы неправильно воюем, со стороны наших союзников, а в свою очередь мы бы обвиняли их в том, что они неправильно воюют на Тихом океане. Вопрос о двойных стандартах, и даже не связанный с Мосулом и Алеппо – с другой территорией. В Сирии нас убеждают, что надо иметь в виду всегда точку зрения оппозиции: она уважаемая, её приглашают в Лозанну, в Женеву и так далее.
Когда дело касается переговоров по Украине, то мы ведём переговоры в формате «нормандской четвёрки», но официально в переговорах никогда не участвуют ДНР и ЛНР. Это непризнанные государства, но это сторона конфликта. Почему она не признаётся стороной конфликта? Это то, что происходит в Приднестровье, то, что было в Абхазии, в Осетии и так далее. Можно ли этого добиться и нужно ли?
В.Путин: Это даже не вопрос – это констатация печального факта, согласно которому нарушаются вообще принципы урегулирования конфликтов, когда, конечно, должны непосредственное участие в выработке решений принимать конфликтующие стороны. Первое.
И, второе, это нарушение самих договорённостей в Минске, потому что там предусмотрено, что напрямую диалог будет. Ведь Минские соглашения подписаны как раз представителями Донецкой и Луганской народных республик. Украинская сторона настаивала на том, чтобы там стояли подписи руководителей этих республик. Мы эти подписи получили, а теперь с ними отказываются разговаривать. Даже логики в этом нет никакой. Это, конечно, контрпродуктивно. Вот и всё, вот и весь комментарий.
Давайте мы всё‑таки дадим слово нашим иностранным друзьям. Попрошу наших российских коллег не обижаться, всё‑таки наши гости приехали издалека, давайте им дадим слово. Пожалуйста.
Вопрос (как переведено): Для меня большая честь быть приглашённым сюда уже шестой раз подряд. У меня очень простой вопрос. Все мы представляем разные страны мира, у нас разное мнения насчёт того, что Вы делаете, у нас разное мнение насчёт внешней политики России. Но Вы приезжаете сюда для глубоких обсуждений с нами, Вы проводите с нами большое количество времени. Мы знаем, что у Вас очень плотное расписание, Вы один из самых занятых, наверное, людей. Поэтому мой вопрос: зачем Вы сюда приезжаете, зачем Вы с нами разговариваете? Я знаю, что Вы единственный лидер, который таким образом обменивается мнением с представителями интеллектуальной элиты со всего мира. В чём выгода лично для Вас? Как Вы можете содействовать национальным интересам России здесь и за пределами?
В.Путин: Две задачи. Первая – послушать умных людей, экспертов. Мне реально интересно ваше мнение, это полезно и для меня, и для моих коллег. И второе – донести до вас и через вас нашу точку зрения из первых уст. Вот и всё. Я считаю, что это важно.
Пожалуйста.
Вопрос (как переведено): Спасибо, господин Президент.
Мне неважно, зачем Вы здесь, но я очень благодарна Вам, что Вы здесь. Думаю, для нас большая честь, что Вы здесь присутствуете.
Мой вопрос касается отношений с США. Критика США в Вашем выступлении была гораздо менее резкой, чем несколько лет назад, но я не думаю, что кто‑либо здесь был бы удивлён тому, что большая часть критики была направлена на США.
Когда я слушала Ваше выступление о выборах в США, о нашем поведении, я не могла не думать о заголовке в США, когда будет опубликована запись наших обсуждений. Хочу Вам рассказать о тех заметках, которые я сделала.
Люди в Америке говорят: действительно ли российский лидер верит, что описание американского политического процесса, которое он представил, выдвигается для того, чтобы противодействовать критике, звучащей в Америке, в отношении российского политического процесса, или же это возврат к чему‑то тому, что, на Ваш взгляд, являлось нашей системой, но на самом деле не является? В этом заключается мой вопрос, поскольку Ваше описание нашего избирательного процесса звучит действительно так же, как наше описание вашего избирательного процесса. Это первый вопрос.
Второй вопрос. Описание нарушений международного права, например, в Белграде, звучит точно так же, как наше описание того, что произошло в Крыму. Поэтому хотела бы задать Вам следующий вопрос. Наш диалог с обеих сторон – способствуют ли ему такие описания, которые звучат и с российского телевидения, и с американского телевидения?
У нас есть такое выражение, что, если вы в яме, единственный способ выбраться оттуда – перестать копать эту яму. И поэтому такие односторонние шаги, шаги в отношениях с другими странами, – есть ли какие‑то шаги, которые могли бы быть предприняты, чтобы порвать этот порочный круг, который заключается в том, что мы описываем друг друга таким образом, что не способствуем развитию наших отношений? Мне кажется, без этого перспективы наших отношений, наверное, не очень‑то и светлые.
В.Путин: Да, конечно. Я согласен с Вами в том, что нужно, безусловно, предпринять хотя бы попытку прервать этот порочный круг. Но не мы его начали чертить, этот круг. Мы‑то, наоборот, открылись полностью в середине 1990-х годов.
Мы ожидали, что это будет равноправный диалог, что будут учитываться наши интересы, мы сможем дискутировать, в чём‑то идти навстречу друг другу. Но нельзя же решать все вопросы в одностороннем порядке, и всё. И любой ценой добиваться своих целей.
Вот Вы привели пример бомбардировок, скажем, бывшей Югославии, Белграда и Крыма. Спасибо Вам за такой пример, просто замечательный пример. Бомбардировки Белграда – вот это и есть интервенция в обход норм и правил международного права. Разве Совет Безопасности ООН принимал решение о военной интервенции в Югославии? Нет. Соединённые Штаты сделали это в одностороннем порядке.
Вы сейчас мне скажете, Вы сказали: в Крыму. А что в Крыму? Что Вы сделали в Югославии и потом отделили от неё часть государств, в том числе и Косово, а потом от Сербии. В Косово парламент проголосовал после военных действий интервенции, после многочисленных жертв. И всё, решение принято, и все с этим согласились.
В Крыму не было никакой войны. Не было никаких бомбовых ударов, военных действий, жертв нет, вообще ни один человек не погиб. Единственное, что мы сделали, – обеспечили право народа на волеизъявление в полном соответствии, кстати говоря, с уставом Организации Объединённых Наций. И слово в слово почти всё то же самое сделали, что вы сделали по Косово, только чуть больше.
В Косово парламент принял решение об отделении, а здесь люди пришли на референдум и на референдуме сказали своё мнение. А затем парламент это решение парафировал и уже как независимое государство обратился в Россию с целью воссоединения.
Конечно, можно сколько угодно пикироваться, но этот порочный круг надо прервать. Я много раз говорил об этом, хочу ещё раз сказать. Югославия, потом Ирак, я же вам говорил, потом Ливия, Афганистан, движение НАТО – это что? А потом каждый раз что‑то забывается, выбрасывается, нас на что‑то провоцируют, на какие‑то действия по защите своих интересов, а потом говорят: вот злобная Россия предпринимает такие‑то и такие‑то шаги. Так вы нас не провоцируйте на это, не провоцируйте нас на активную защиту своих интересов. Давайте мы с вами будем договариваться о чём‑то. Договориться же ни о чём невозможно. А о чём договариваемся – не выполняется.
Мне очень хотелось бы, чтобы с новой администрацией у нас сложились другие отношения – отношения партнёрства и учёта взаимных интересов.
О.Антоненко: Владимир Владимирович, если позволите, небольшую ремарку и потом вопрос. Ремарка такая: Вы в ответе на вопрос Фёдора Лукьянова сказали, что для Вас более важным является то, что происходит в России: принятие бюджета, реформы, – чем внешняя политика; поэтому она касается именно этого – того, что происходит в России.
Мы с Всемирным банком проводим каждые пять лет опросы во всех странах переходной экономики и странах бывшего Советского Союза, и в Восточной Европе, теперь в Турции и на Ближнем Востоке. И последний опрос только что закончился, и в том числе там был вопрос о том, как люди воспринимают своё положение.
И очень интересные данные по России. 30 процентов людей с самым низким доходом в России: их отношение к своей жизни за последние пять лет никоим образом не уменьшилось – наоборот, в чём‑то немного увеличилась. Это несмотря на инфляцию, несмотря на падение реального дохода, несмотря на всё, что произошло за последние три года. Но зато у тех людей, которые представляют 30 процентов наибольшего дохода, падение почти 30 процентов. Это самое большое среди всех стран переходного периода. Интересные данные.
Как Вам кажется, Вы не сказали ещё, собираетесь ли Вы баллотироваться в 2018 году, но, если Вы всё‑таки собираетесь, как Вы хотите этой категории людей доказать, что Вы отвечаете их интересам? И не кажется ли Вам, что у них есть запрос, вот то, что Алексей Леонидович Кудрин называл, – на снижение геополитической напряжённости, во‑первых; во‑вторых, на проведение реформ и, в третьих, борьбу с коррупцией.
В.Путин: У нас у всех есть запрос на снижение геополитической напряжённости, только не способом наших похорон. Если плата за то, чтобы снизить геополитическую напряжённость, – наши похороны, то нас никого это не устроит, в том числе и тех, кто проявляет сомнение по поводу эффективности работы действующей власти, или тех, кто хотел бы серьёзных перемен. Таких немало в стране.
По поводу того, о чём Вы сказали, что большинство всё‑таки удовлетворено своим положением. Думаю, что это связано с тем, что у нас всё‑таки на минимальном уровне находится уровень безработицы: он меньше 6 процентов. Если в некоторых европейских странах за 25 зашкаливает, в странах Евросоюза, и больше – у нас в среднем меньше шести. У нас есть свои проблемы, особенно на Кавказе, там с занятостью есть проблема. Это первое.
Второе. Мы всё‑таки стремимся к исполнению своих социальных обязательств, и люди видят это, видят, что, с одной стороны, есть проблемы, но с другой стороны – государство делает всё для того, чтобы обеспечить их интересы. Мы проводим очень взвешенную социальную политику и при этом обеспечиваем макроэкономическую стабильность. Это основа того, что и такой активный слой населения, активный класс, особенно предпринимательское сообщество, может иметь перспективы улучшения ситуации.
Мы сейчас говорили, Вы говорили о геополитической напряжённости. Так мы разве в этом заинтересованы? Нельзя же добиваться от нас того, чего кто‑то хочет, исключительно, хочу это подчеркнуть – исключительно за счёт наших национальных интересов. Всё же к этому сводится. Диалога нет, понимаете, в чём дело. Формулируют позицию, объявляют её правильной, и вся дискуссия сводится к тому, как быстро мы согласимся с этой позицией. Вот и всё. Но разве такая работа возможна? Почти по любому вопросу. А там, где‑то чего‑то обещают, – не выполняют, но делают вид, что не заметили, и дальше пошли.
Вы представляете очень солидный финансовый институт, у нас хорошая предыстория отношений. Почему Вы пошли на поводу у политиков и свернули проекты в России? Это Вам вопрос. Он ведь создавался не для этого, не для того, чтобы усугублять геополитическую напряжённость, а чтобы, наоборот, сглаживать. Но даже такие институты используют для других целей. Это печально, это же не мы придумали.
В отношении этих ограничений – никому не нравится; это, конечно, вызывает наши озабоченности, это мешает нашему развитию, но мне кажется, я уже об этом говорил, что, даже если бы не было этих проблем, связанных с Украиной, с юго-востоком, с Крымом, с Сирией, всё равно нашли бы что‑нибудь другое для сдерживания России. Потому что не нравится наша независимая позиция по ряду вопросов – надо поднажать, надо заставить, надо мобилизовать ресурсы. Что‑то не сделали наши американские партнёры по сирийской проблеме (им даже неудобно, они же знают, что они не сделали, договорённости не использовали) – раз, подсылают европейцев, давайте поднажмём с другой стороны. Это не способ решения проблем.
Вот эти ограничения. Некоторые западные эксперты считают, что где‑то у нас серьёзные потери. Я думаю, что это преувеличение. Да, Вы согласны со мной, я понимаю. Считают, 0,5 процента ВВП. Я думаю, что это не так.
Сами европейские страны потеряли экспорт в Россию в объёме почти 60 миллиардов долларов или евро, не помню, где‑то 58 с чем‑то. Вот недополученная выгода от реального нормального сотрудничества. У нас‑то потери в основном связаны с падением цен на нефть, потом к ним привязаны цены на газ, а к этому привязаны цены на производство химических продуктов, удобрений, нефтехимии и так далее, и так далее. Там целая цепочка возникает. Поэтому прежде всего вот это на нас действует.
Хотя финансовые ограничения тоже вредны, они вызывают определённую нервозность у инвесторов. Это и не нравится тем 30 процентам, о которых Вы сказали. И мне не нравится. А кому может понравиться? Мы будем работать над тем, чтобы этого не было. Надо только, чтобы это была дорога с двусторонним движением.
Пожалуйста.
А.Островский: Господин Президент, за последние 15 лет Россия очень сильно продвинулась в смысле экономики. Её экономика выросла с 1 триллиона до 3,5 триллиона рублей, и Россия стала страной с доходом выше среднего. Появился очень мощный, экономически мощный средний класс и выросло первое постсоветское поколение: те, кому сегодня 25, родились в том самом 1991 году. Некоторых из них мы видели на протестах в Москве в 2011–2012 годах. Считаете ли Вы, что для дальнейшего успешного развития российской экономики нужна смена политической и экономической модели в стране? Это первый вопрос.
И второй вопрос. На Западе огромную озабоченность вызывает всё, что касается, естественно, ядерного оружия. И, когда по российским государственным каналам звучат слова о том, что Америку можно превратить в ядерный пепел (которые не звучали даже в советское время), считаете ли Вы использование самой риторики, касающейся ядерного вооружения, приемлемой?
В.Путин: Первое, что касается перемен: перемены всегда нужны, без этого наступает стагнация, – вопрос, каким способом осуществляются эти перемены. Или революционным, и это, как правило, наносит только вред. И я считаю, что часть людей, которых Вы сейчас упомянули, – иных уж нет, как у нас говорят, а те далече, – даже если предположить, что они хотели лучшего, способ достижения этих целей неправильный и вредный. Нужен эволюционный процесс. И я очень рассчитываю на то, что мы и будем двигаться этим способом, эволюционным.
Сейчас не буду вдаваться в детали, у нас просто уже формат не позволяет, но мы над этим думаем. У нас и Центр стратегических разработок функционирует, и мы привлекаем экспертов самых разных. Думаем на тему о том, как мы будем развиваться и до президентских выборов, и после 2018 года.
И по поводу атомного оружия. Бряцать атомным оружием – самое последнее дело. Это вредная риторика, и я её не приветствую. Но надо исходить из реалий, исходить из того, что ядерное оружие является фактором сдерживания и фактором обеспечения мира и безопасности во всём мире. Нельзя его рассматривать как фактор какой бы то ни было потенциальной агрессии, потому что это невозможно, это означает конец вообще существования всей нашей цивилизации, наверное.
Но как фактор сдерживания, это совершенно очевидная вещь, имеет место быть, и многие эксперты считают, что если мир не знал крупных вооружённых конфликтов 70 лет с лишним после окончания Второй мировой войны, то это в том числе благодаря наличию у ведущих стран мира ядерного оружия. Важно только, чтобы соблюдались режимы нераспространения, касающиеся самого ядерного оружия, средств доставки и чтобы все ядерные державы относились очень ответственно к своему ядерному статусу. Россия будет придерживаться именно таких подходов, несмотря ни на какие заявления, которые в ходе полемики, конечно, наверное, могут где‑то звучать. Но, повторяю, на государственном уровне Россия всегда к своему ядерному статусу будет относиться очень ответственно.
Кстати говоря, Вы дали мне повод для того, чтобы сказать о том, что, когда наши американские партнёры в одностороннем порядке вышли из Договора по противоракетной обороне (напомню, что я сейчас скажу, это очень важно), мы сказали, что поскольку мы сейчас не готовы развивать такие системы, они неизвестно как будут работать, насколько они эффективны, но это вынуждает нас совершенствовать ударный системный комплекс. На что нам наши американские друзья ответили: «Делайте что хотите, потому что система ПРО, которую мы будем делать, не против вас, а мы будем исходить из того, что то, что вы делаете по ударным комплексам, – не против нас». Я сказал: «Хорошо, пошло». И мы работаем. Но таким образом всё‑таки, хотят этого или не хотят, но мы подтолкнули в известной степени гонку вооружений даже в этой сфере. Повторяю, главное, чтобы все относились к этому очень ответственно. Россия будет это делать.
Т.Колтон: Мы уже переступили через 3-часовой порог, и думаю, что наши четыре панелиста, конечно, здесь участвовали все, но господин Путин, наверно, поработал больше остальных. Хочу поблагодарить всех за вопросы, за работу. Уверен, что вопросов ещё осталось очень много, но это обсуждение было очень полезным.
Большое всем спасибо.
В.Путин: Я хочу тоже всех поблагодарить, большое спасибо, и всех моих коллег – за терпение, за участие. Благодарю вас.
Владимир В. Путин | 1real |
Ann Coulter–Our New Country: “Women And Minorities Hardest Hit” | 1real | |
Turkey's Erdogan targets U.S. ambassador over visa dispute | BELGRADE (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the United States should dismiss its ambassador to Ankara if he took the decision to suspend visa services in Turkey, adding he did not regard him as a representative of the U.S. government. Speaking at a news conference in Belgrade, Erdogan blamed the United States for causing the dispute between the two countries and asked how agents had infiltrated the U.S. consulate, referring to a consulate worker who was arrested last week and the involvement of a second individual at the mission. | 0fake |
BOMBSHELL: Hillary’s Democrat Niece Is “100 Percent” Behind Her Choice For President…And It’s Not Her “Selfish” Aunt Hillary | Her husband s overseas in the military, and she s home working in a local salon. She s the everyday American woman Hillary claims to be the champion for. There s only one problem she s doesn t believe that selfish Auntie Hillary should be anywhere the White House Hopeless Hillary Clinton s own family has turned against her and endorsed Donald Trump for president! In a bombshell world exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, the only daughter of Bill Clinton s druggie brother, Roger, revealed she s voting for Hillary s Republican rival instead of her selfish aunt!Hairstylist Macy Smit has never met Hillary. Her father the former first lady s brother-in-law was a deadbeat dad who walked out on her mom when she was pregnant. Something tells me the Clinton side of the family looks at me and my mother as not good enough, but we re hard-working! Macy, 25, said from her home in Tampa, Fla. I support Donald Trump 100 percent! I have been a Democrat my entire life, but Trump is what we need right now somebody who is going to stand up for us. I think at this point Hillary just wants it for the history books to be the first woman president for selfish reasons. Macy works 10 to 12-hour days at a salon, while husband Derrick Smit, 25, is a meteorologist with the U.S. Air Force. He s on active duty in Kuwait, where he helps coordinate air operations into Iraq. He was deployed in July and will return in January. Last year, pregnant Macy suffered heartbreaking tragedy when she lost her baby. At the time, her husband was deployed and she claims she was abandoned by the Clintons.Macy said, They re not as good as everyone thinks they are. I went through some very personal things [without their support]. The Clintons are all talk! Macy s mother Martha, 50, told Radar. Hillary says she s all about family, but she s got a niece she s never met and never acknowledged. The Clintons have never helped us out. According to Macy, she has a distant relationship with her father. Although they talk regularly, Macy said Roger, 60, constantly makes promises he doesn t keep just like Hillary! Radar Online | 1real |
US Airstrikes on Iraqi Army Slowing Advance on Mosul | By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor on October 29, 2016 Several Iraqi Soldiers killed by US Airstrike Near Mosul With a blocking force in place preventing ISIS from moving into Syria, reported by Iranian press, the US is doing everything possible to slow down the Iraqi Army and prevent successful operations. There have long been suspicions that the Kurds, who let thousands of ISIS oil trucks through their region each week, have been working with ISIS all along. It was the Kurds, not the real Kurds, but Barzani’s Saudi run dictatorship in Erbil, that invited Turkey into Iraq. Deputy Chief of the Nineveh Provincial Council Noureddin Qablan announced that the US-led coalition warplanes have launched airstrikes on army base in Nineveh province, killing several soldiers. “The US fighter jets hit one of the military bases of Iraqi Army’s 16th Division in a region North of Mosul, and the attack left at least four Iraqi soldiers dead,” Qablan said. According to FNA, He said that the US army has confirmed the attack, calling it a “mistake”. Qablan said that it is not the first time the US warplanes hit the Iraqi army and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) military positions, adding, “The US-led coalition has each time said that air raids were not deliberate.” It is reported that another peshmerga convoy accidentally hit by an USA-led coalition airstrike near Mosul today. That’s was 3 “Mistakan Raid” in 24 hours. Related Posts: No Related Posts The views expressed herein are the views of the author exclusively and not necessarily the views of VT, VT authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, technicians, or the Veterans Today Network and its assigns. LEGAL NOTICE - COMMENT POLICY Posted by Gordon Duff, Senior Editor on October 29, 2016, With Reads Filed under World . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 . You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. FaceBook Comments
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Turkey, Iraq agree on opening second border gate: Turkish customs minister | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey and Iraq have agreed to open a second border gate and its construction will begin once the necessary security measures are taken, Turkey s customs minister said on Thursday. I had the impression that the Iraqi government agrees that there should be a second border gate , Bulent Tufenkci told Anadolu news agency. He said the planned gate would be near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, in a region where Islamic State and Kurdish PKK militants still pose a security threat. Once steps are taken to secure the path, there is no other obstacle for us, he said. | 0fake |
The Awkward Arranged Marriage of Trump and Pence | After a two-day botched rollout of his grand vice-presidential reveal, Donald Trump barely shared a stage with Mike Pence on Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, in the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan, The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” reverberated in the hall, symbolically announcing the new union of Donald Trump and his veep pick, Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
After a whirlwind 48 hours in which the news of Pence’s pick leaked, and Trump reportedly waffled on the choice so much that he was making midnight calls on Thursday night to try to find an escape hatch, the two men—opposites in most qualitative respects—briefly shared the limelight behind a podium emblazoned only with Trump’s name.
As the Indiana governor looked on from the side of the stage, the presumptive Republican nominee devoted much of his address to bashing “Crooked Hillary” Clinton and weighing in on recent global conflicts, including the attempted military coup in Turkey on Friday.
"Great people, amazing people,” Trump said of the Turks, switching back and forth from prepared remarks to his usual riffing. “We wish them well. A lot of anguish last night but hopefully it'll all work out.”
A day after the Trump campaign scrapped the initial scheduled rollout for his vice presidential pick—which was ultimately unceremoniously announced on Twitter—they quickly pulled together an event at the same location where Ronald Reagan announced his 1980 presidential bid, with all the pomp and circumstance of a man meeting a mail-order spouse.
“Indiana Governor Mike Pence was my first choice,” Trump said despite the fact that he reportedly struggled to choose between an establishment-pleasing pick (pushed by campaign chairman Paul Manafort) and two men with whom he’s had better rapport: Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Much of Saturday’s speech, a rollout that was accompanied by a website redesign to include Pence’s face and a new logo—replacing a suggestive image that was mocked on social media on Friday—sounded like any other Trump address.
“Hillary Clinton is the embodiment of corruption,” Trump said before suggesting that “she got away with murder” for not being charged after an investigation into her use of a private email server. He dropped typically braggadocious lines like “I was the one that predicted it,” in reference to Brexit, before seemingly remembering that Pence was supposed to be the man of the hour.
“Back to Mike Pence,” he’d interject before beginning to discuss his success in the Republican primary again (“I dominated with evangelicals”). Trump conceded that one of the reasons Pence was selected was for “party unity” before adding “he looks really good.”
When he finally called Pence to the stage, the two men shared a brief handshake before Trump waltzed off and gave the governor the floor—choosing not to stand beside him for a visual representation of the Republican ticket.
“I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order,” Pence said to applause in the room. The Indiana governor’s address and policy positions—which include much more conservative opinions on LGBT rights and abortion—were intended to assuage on-the-fence Republicans who can’t fathom a former reality television star being the standard-bearer of their party.
He told the crowd that Trump had called him with the decision on Wednesday night, which runs counter to the narrative Trump himself presented to the media in various interviews on Thursday, during which time he proclaimed he hadn’t made his “final, final decision.”
The tenuous relationship of the two men has developed over the past two months since Pence made a less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of Senator Ted Cruz ahead of the Indiana primary (today, Trump said that endorsement was essentially one for him).
Their policy differences have played out on Trump’s favorite form of social media, with the Indiana governor tweeting his support of the Trans Pacific Partnership in 2014, something that the real estate mogul is adamantly against.
In December 2015, Pence tweeted: “Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional,” in response to an initial proposal from Trump that the United States place a temporary ban on Muslims coming to the country after the attack in San Bernardino.
But on Friday during his first interview as Trump’s vice presidential pick, Pence told Sean Hannity that he is “very supportive of Donald Trump's call to temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorist influence and impact represents a threat to the United States," a more recent iteration of the proposed ban.
Before the two men appear together once again at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week, the governor is returning to Zionsville, Indiana on Saturday for what is billed as a “Welcome Home Rally” according to the Trump campaign. | 0fake |
3 “MIDDLE EASTERN” Men Arrested For GANG RAPE Of Swedish Woman Broadcasted LIVE On Facebook | Three men in Uppsala have been arrested on suspicion of rape after they raped a young woman and sent it live on Facebook, just as it was warned about would happen when Facebook introduced the feature.The arrest was made during a police action shortly after nine o clock in the morning. They were arrested between nine and nine fifteen. The alert came in at 8:24, says Uppsala police officer, Ivan Aslund, to the Swedish news outlet Fria Tider.On Flashback, the men accused of the rape are identified as Middle Easterners. The rape was conducted at an address in Uppsala, and the men filmed themselves and sent the assault live via Facebook.According to a person who saw the live broadcast, the woman who was raped looked quite intoxicated and appeared completely dead while one of the men molested her. Several people alerted the police when they saw the film.The live broadcast on Facebook was not stopped until the police stormed into the room where the woman and the men were. The men will now be interrogated by the police. Before prosecutors can make a decision, the policemen have to document everything, a complaint, write down observations and conduct interviews with those who have something to say. Once that is done, they will present it to the prosecutor, so it takes time, says Aslund.He is otherwise very secretive about the investigation and would not say anything about the rape that was sent live worldwide on Facebook from the new Sweden.The last transmission shows the police breaking into the apartment and arresting the rapists: | 1real |
Rams Select Jared Goff With No. 1 Pick in N.F.L. Draft - The New York Times | CHICAGO — The Los Angeles Rams chose quarterback Jared Goff of California with the first overall pick in the N. F. L. draft, the latest move by a team trying to itself in Southern California after two decades in St. Louis. Eager to make a splash in their new home and revive their fading fortunes, the Rams traded a passel of draft picks to acquire the top overall selection from the Tennessee Titans. Without a strong quarterback on their roster, the Rams opted for Goff, widely considered one of the top prospects at that position in the draft. The Rams have not had a winning season since 2003, and they are eager to begin their second tenure in Southern California, where they played from 1946 to 1994, by becoming competitive in the N. F. C. West, one of the toughest divisions in the N. F. L. The Rams are betting that Goff, one of 96 underclassmen to enter the draft this year, can make the jump to the N. F. L. He threw for 4, 719 yards, 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year in the competitive Conference. His strong arm and quick release should help him reach the Rams’ collection of middling receivers. “I’m going to prove them right, let them know they made the right decision,” Goff said. Many of the picks in the first round were not surprises, although Ohio State dominated, with five of its players taken in the first 20 picks. Goff’s selection continues a trend toward teams focusing more on their passing game with their top picks. He was the 14th quarterback chosen first over all in the past 19 years. Goff was also the latest underclassman to be chosen first over all, following the likes of Matthew Stafford (2009) Sam Bradford (2010) Andrew Luck (2012) and Jadeveon Clowney (2014). Last season, quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were chosen first and second over all in the draft. In some ways, the Rams mortgaged the future for Goff, who will begin his career playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for three seasons until the owner E. Stanley Kroenke completes a nearly $3 billion stadium and retail complex in nearby Inglewood. The Titans sent their picks from the first, fourth and sixth rounds this year to the Rams. In return, they received the Rams’ pick, their two picks and a pick this year, and their and picks next year. By selecting Goff, the Rams cleared the way for the Philadelphia Eagles, who engineered their own blockbuster trade, to pick a top quarterback of their own. Last week, the Eagles acquired the second overall pick from the Cleveland Browns, as well as the Browns’ pick next year, in exchange for their picks in the first, third and fourth rounds this year, their pick next year and their pick in 2018. The Eagles selected Carson Wentz, who led North Dakota State to an F. C. S. Championship. Big and quick, Wentz played a offense in college, and Philadelphia is betting that he can make the jump from Division football to the N. F. L. “I block out all the noise, play ball,” Wentz said of the high expectations. “I’m confident in myself that it will all work out as it’s supposed to. ” Despite the selection of Wentz, the Eagles said Sam Bradford would remain the team’s starting quarterback and would not be traded. Last month, Bradford signed a contract worth $36 million, $22 million of which is guaranteed. The San Diego Chargers picked third and took Joey Bosa, the highly rated defensive end from Ohio State, to improve a team that had among the fewest sacks last season. Bosa’s college teammate, running back Ezekiel Elliott, was taken next by the Dallas Cowboys. The Jacksonville Jaguars, which had the pass defense last season, then took Jaylen Ramsey, a defensive back from Florida State. Teams continued to plug holes. The Baltimore Ravens took offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley to help protect quarterback Joe Flacco. The Tennessee Titans acquired the eighth pick in a trade with the Cleveland Browns and took Jack Conklin, an offensive tackle from Michigan State. Tampa Bay Buccaneers then traded the ninth pick to the hometown Chicago Bears, who chose linebacker Leonard Floyd of Georgia. The Giants, who have not made the playoffs since 2011, chose defensive back Eli Apple, the third Ohio State player chosen in the top 10. Tampa then took Vernon Hargreaves, a cornerback from Florida. The Jets, whose playoff drought is a year longer that the Giants’ chose Darron Lee, a linebacker from Ohio State, with the 20th pick This year’s event lacked some of the buzz of past years, like in 2012, when Robert Griffin III and Luck were taken, but minutes before the start of the draft a bizarre video was posted on the verified Twitter account of the offensive tackle in the draft, Mississippi’s Laremy Tunsil, showing a person smoking from a mask equipped with a bong. The approximately video was posted to the account before being deleted. The account was deactivated about 30 minutes later. After plummeting, Tunsil was selected with the 13th pick by the Miami Dolphins. Tunsil said later that the account was hacked and added that all of his drug tests came back negative in college. Another big story was what did not happen: The Patriots did not select a player in the first round. The Patriots lost that pick and a pick next year after the league determined that quarterback Tom Brady was “generally aware” of a plot to deflate balls used in the A. F. C. Championship game in 2015. The penalties led to a very public fight between the Patriots, Brady and the league. As the draft began Thursday, the Patriots posted a photo of Tom Brady on their Instagram account. The Patriots, though, have 11 picks in the remaining six rounds of the draft, which finishes Saturday. Considering that players drafted early do not always provide the most value per dollar, stockpiling picks in the later rounds could be prudent. Brady, after all, was chosen in the sixth round. Kansas City Chiefs fans might take notice. The team lost its draft pick this year and its choice next year for violating the league’s tampering policy. Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was loudly jeered by the crowd in Chicago, rejected the team’s appeal of the penalties. | 0fake |
WATCH: BEYONCE Performed This Sickening, Cop-Hating, Anti-White Song At Super Bowl | How very progressive After all, what would Super Bowl Sunday be without a little cop and White-shaming (Obama-Sharpton style), during the halftime show? WATCH:A day ahead of her anticipated return to the Super Bowl halftime show stage, Beyonce has released new single Formation along with an accompanying music video.Set in New Orleans, the clip features shots of Bey lying on top of a sinking New Orleans police cruiser as well as a graffiti d wall that says, Stop shooting us. There s also a scene of a black child in a hoodie dancing in front of a line of police officers in riot gear. At one point a man holds up a newspaper called The Truth with an image of Martin Luther King Jr. on the front page captioned, More than a dreamer. Blue Ivy Carter, Beyonce s daughter, also appears in the video.Beyonce will join Coldplay and Bruno Mars in the Super Bowl 50 halftime show on Sunday afternoon on CBS, during which Formation will make its live debut, according to Entertainment Tonight.Via: Variety | 1real |
The Trump presidency on Feb. 10 at 7:05 p.m. EST | (Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday: Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe open a new chapter in U.S.-Japan relations with Trump abruptly setting aside campaign pledges to force Tokyo to pay more for U.S. defense aid. Trump says he is considering issuing a new travel ban executive order, while White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus says the administration could still escalate a legal dispute over Trump’s original travel ban order to the U.S. Supreme Court. Several Democratic U.S. senators and a Republican congressman whose district includes a section of the U.S.-Mexico border express skepticism about Trump’s proposed wall there after learning the project’s estimated cost is $21.6 billion. Trump changes tack and agrees to honor the “One China” policy during a phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in a major diplomatic boost for Beijing, which brooks no criticism of its claim to self-ruled Taiwan. RUSSIA-UKRAINE The Washington Post reports White House national security adviser Michael Flynn privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with Moscow’s ambassador during the month before Trump took office. Flynn had previously denied discussing sanctions. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposes Slovenia, the birthplace of Trump’s wife, Melania, as a good place for a meeting with Trump, but says the decision on a location is not Moscow’s alone. Trump expresses support for an undivided Ukraine in a letter to Lithuania’s president, using language similar to that of his predecessor Barack Obama, and seen as likely to be welcomed by Kiev and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies. Trump says Iran President Hassan Rouhani “better be careful” after Rouhani was quoted as saying that anyone who speaks to Iranians with threats would regret it. Trump pulls Elliott Abrams as a contender for the No. 2 position at the State Department after learning that the Republican foreign policy veteran criticized him during the 2016 election campaign, sources say. Tom Price is sworn in as U.S. secretary of health, which Trump says will allow his administration to fulfill his pledge to dismantle Obamacare and reshape the healthcare system. The Federal Reserve Board’s top bank regulator says he will resign, giving a boost to Trump’s plans to ease reforms put in place after the 2007-09 financial crisis. | 0fake |
From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece - The New York Times | ANNAPOLIS, Md. — It was early fall, and Donald J. Trump, behind in the polls, seemed to be preparing a rationale in case a winner like him somehow managed to lose. “I’m afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest,” the Republican nominee told a crowd in Columbus, Ohio. He was hearing “more and more” about evidence of rigging, he added, leaving the details to his supporters’ imagination. A few weeks later, Cameron Harris, a new college graduate with a fervent interest in Maryland Republican politics and a need for cash, sat down at the kitchen table in his apartment to fill in the details Mr. Trump had left out. In a dubious art just coming into its prime, this bogus story would be his masterpiece. Mr. Harris started by crafting the headline: “BREAKING: ‘Tens of thousands’ of fraudulent Clinton votes found in Ohio warehouse. ” It made sense, he figured, to locate this shocking discovery in the very city and state where Mr. Trump had highlighted his “rigged” meme. “I had a theory when I sat down to write it,” recalled Mr. Harris, a former college quarterback and fraternity leader. “Given the severe distrust of the media among Trump supporters, anything that parroted Trump’s talking points people would click. Trump was saying ‘rigged election, rigged election.’ People were predisposed to believe Hillary Clinton could not win except by cheating. ” In a raucous election year defined by stories, Mr. Harris was a practitioner, a boutique operator with no ties to Russian spy agencies or Macedonian fabrication factories. As Mr. Trump takes office this week, the beneficiary of at least a modest electoral boost from a flood of fakery, Mr. Harris and his website, ChristianTimesNewspaper. com, make for an illuminating tale. Contacted by a reporter who had discovered an electronic clue that revealed his secret authorship of ChristianTimesNewspaper. com, he was wary at first, chagrined to be unmasked. “This topic is rather sensitive,” Mr. Harris said, noting that he was trying to build a political consulting business and needed to protect his reputation. But eventually he agreed to tell the story of his foray into fake news, a very gig that he calculated paid him about $1, 000 an hour in web advertising revenue. He seemed to regard his experience with a combination of guilt about having spread falsehoods and pride at doing it so skillfully. At his kitchen table that night in September, Mr. Harris wondered: Who might have found these fraudulent Clinton ballots? So he invented “Randall Prince, a electrical worker. ” This Everyman, a “Trump supporter” whose name hinted at a sort of nobility, had entered a back room at the warehouse and stumbled upon stacked boxes of ballots for Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Harris decided. “No one really goes in this building. It’s mainly used for storage by a commercial plumber,” Prince said. In case anyone missed the significance of the find, Mr. Harris made it plain: “What he found could allegedly be evidence of a massive operation designed to deliver Clinton the crucial swing state. ” A photograph, he thought, would help erase doubts about his yarn. With a quick Google image search for “ballot boxes,” he landed on a shot of a balding fellow standing behind black plastic boxes that helpfully had “Ballot Box” labels. It was a photo from The Birmingham Mail, showing a British election 3, 700 miles from Columbus — but no matter. In the caption, the balding Briton got a new name: “Mr. Prince, shown here, poses with his find, as election officials investigate. ” The article explained that “the Clinton campaign’s likely goal was to slip the fake ballot boxes in with the real ballot boxes when they went to official election judges on November 8th. ” Then Mr. Harris added a touch of breathlessness. “This story is still developing,” he wrote, “and CTN will bring you more when we have it. ” He pushed the button and the story was launched on Sept. 30, blazing across the web like some kind of counterfeit comet. “Even before I posted it, I knew it would take off,” Mr. Harris recalled. He was correct. The ballot box story, promoted by a Facebook pages Mr. Harris had created for the purpose, flew around the web, fueled by indignant comments from people who were certain that Mrs. Clinton was going to cheat Mr. Trump of victory and who welcomed the proof. It was eventually shared with six million people, according to CrowdTangle, which tracks web audiences. The next day, the Franklin County, Ohio, board of elections announced that it was investigating and that the fraud claims appeared to be untrue. Within days, Ohio’s secretary of state, Jon Husted, issued a statement to deny the story. “A Christian myself, I take offense to reading such unbelievable lies from a publication alleging Christian ties,” Mr. Husted said. There was nothing especially Christian about his efforts, Mr. Harris admits he had simply bought the abandoned web address for $5 at ExpiredDomains. net. Within a few days, the story, which had taken him 15 minutes to concoct, had earned him about $5, 000. That was a sizable share of the $22, 000 an accounting statement shows he made during the presidential campaign from ads for shoes, hair gel and web design that Google had placed on his site. He had put in perhaps half an hour a week on the fake news site, he said, for a total of about 20 hours. He would come close to a far bigger payday, one that might have turned the $5 he had spent on the Christian Times domain into more than $100, 000. The money, not the politics, was the point, he insisted. He had graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in May, and he needed to pay his living expenses. “I spent the money on student loans, car payments and rent,” he said. By the time he launched his fraudulent story on ballot fraud, he had found minimal success with “Hillary Clinton Blames Racism for Cincinnati Gorilla’s Death,” a reference to the sad tale of Harambe, the gorilla shot after he grabbed a little boy visiting the zoo. He had done better with “Early Morning Explosion in DC Allegedly Leaves Yet Another DNC Staffer Dead,” spinning off conspiracy theories around the earlier shooting death of a Democratic National Committee staff member. Later, he would tell gullible readers “NYPD Looking to Press Charges Against Bill Clinton for Underage Sex Ring,” “Protesters Beat Homeless Veteran to Death in Philadelphia” and “Hillary Clinton Files for Divorce in New York Courts. ” Eight of his stories would merit explicit debunking by Snopes. com, the site, but none would top the performance of the ballot box fantasy. President Obama thought the fake news phenomenon significant enough to mention it as a threat to democracy in his farewell speech in Chicago last week. “Increasingly,” he said, “we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there. ” That was exactly the insight on which Mr. Harris said he built his transient business: that people wanted to be fed evidence, however implausible, to support their beliefs. “At first it kind of shocked me — the response I was getting,” he said. “How easily people would believe it. It was almost like a sociological experiment,” added Mr. Harris, who majored in political science and economics. By his account, though he voted for Mr. Trump, his early preference had been for Senator Marco Rubio. Mr. Harris said he would have been willing to promote Mrs. Clinton and smear Mr. Trump had those tactics been lucrative. But as other seekers of clicks discovered, Mr. Trump’s supporters were far more fervent than Mrs. Clinton’s. In late October, with the inevitable end of his venture approaching, Mr. Harris sought an appraisal for the web domain that by then had vaulted into the web’s top 20, 000 sites. An appraiser said that given the traffic, he could probably sell it for between $115, 000 and $125, 000. But Mr. Harris made a costly mistake: He decided to wait. Days after the election, denounced for making the peddling of fake news remunerative, Google announced that it would no longer place ads on sites promoting clearly fabricated stories. A few days later, when Mr. Harris checked his site, the ads were gone. He checked with the appraiser and was told that the domain was now essentially worthless. All was not lost, however. He had put a on the site inviting visitors to “join the ‘Stop the Steal’ team to find out HOW Hillary plans to steal the election and what YOU can do to stop her!” and collected 24, 000 email addresses. He has not yet decided what to do with them, he said. Asked whether he felt any guilt at having spread lies about a presidential candidate, Mr. Harris grew thoughtful. But he took refuge in the notion that politics is by its nature replete with exaggerations, and outright whoppers, so he was hardly adding much to the sum total. “Hardly anything a campaign or a candidate says is completely true,” he said. Lately he has picked up Mr. Trump’s refrain that mainstream news organizations are themselves regular purveyors of fake news. Last week, when BuzzFeed released what it called an “explosive but unverified” dossier suggesting that Russia had planned to bribe and blackmail Mr. Trump, Mr. Harris wrote on Twitter: He did not mention his own expertise in the field. | 0fake |
Madonna Says She'll Give A Blowjob To Anyone That Votes For Hillary Clinton (VIDEO) | Home / News / Madonna Says She’ll Give A Blowjob To Anyone That Votes For Hillary Clinton (VIDEO) Madonna Says She’ll Give A Blowjob To Anyone That Votes For Hillary Clinton (VIDEO) Heisenberg 1 min ago News Comments Off on Madonna Says She’ll Give A Blowjob To Anyone That Votes For Hillary Clinton (VIDEO) Pop star Madonna got raunchy while introducing comedian Amy Schumer at a performance in New York City Tuesday night, promising the crowd sexual favors in exchange for their support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“If you vote for Hillary Clinton, I will give you a blowjob. OK?” the 58-year-old Rebel Heart singer told an audience at New York’s Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. “I’m really good. I’m not a douche, and I’m not a tool. I take my time, I have a lot of eye contact, and I do swallow.”
The comments came as Madonna warmed up the crowd with a very brief standup set ahead of the Trainwreck star’s performance at the Garden Tuesday night, according to the New York Daily News .
Schumer took the stage afterward for her first stand-up gig since hundreds of supporters of Republican candidate Donald Trump stood up and walked out of her performance in Tampa, Florida earlier this week after the comedian called him an “orange monster.” As Breitbart previously reported, Shumer was widely booed during the performance at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, where she instructed security to remove hecklers.
During her performance Tuesday night, Schumer read aloud a letter she composed in response to the Trump fans who walked out on her show in Tampa.
“Dearest Tampa, I’m sorry you didn’t want me, a comedian who talks about what she believes in, to mention the biggest thing going on in our country right now,” Schumer said, adding: “How could I think it was OK to spend five minutes having a peaceful conversation with someone with different views? After the show, I want you to know that I will go straight to a rehab facility.”
The comedian added that she looks forward to “putting this all behind us” in November, when “ Hillary Clinton is our motherf*cking president.”
Madonna has previously used sex appeal to drum up support for the Democratic presidential candidate; in September, the singer joined fellow pop star Katy Perry in stripping off her clothes to encourage Clinton voters to head to the polls in November. | 1real |
Tribal Leader Threatens Protest If Border Wall Is Built | A tribal leader is threatening protests if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) begins construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. [During a meeting of Native American tribal leaders, the Tohono O’odham Nation’s Vice Chairman Verlon Jose threatened protests similar to those known as ‘Standing Rock,’ where environmentalists protested the Dakota Access Pipeline, if Trump’s wall is built, according to AZ Central: Before the day was over and the guests left the remote desert mission on tribal lands, Jose would bash Trump’s proposed wall, calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars and comparing it to the Berlin Wall. He would call on people to see the barrier as an international issue, offer an alternative plan for tightening border security, and acknowledge that innocent tribal members are subjected to increased vehicle searches by Border Patrol agents. He also warned of a mass protest on the border if diplomacy fails to keep the U. S. government off Tohono O’odham land, a protest that he said would rival Standing Rock. Jose is threatening the protests because his tribe sits on more than 2 million acres across a southern Arizona desert that crosses through Mexico, across the U. S. Border. Besides gathering to threaten a protest against the construction of the border wall, the meeting of tribal leaders also included a chant demanding a “sanctuary for all. ” “They chanted a message printed on for the trek: No Deportations, No Ban, No Wall, Sanctuary for All,” the AZ Central noted. Despite between the Trump Administration and Congress, DHS Secretary John Kelly said the construction of the border wall would “move forward,” Breitbart Texas reported. John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder. This article has been updated to reflect text formatting that was not immediately visible at the time of publication. | 0fake |
Kenya court grants access to poll returns in case seeking to void election | NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya s election board must give access to election returns to parties challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta s victory in last month s presidential election, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday. Access to the original vote tally forms and a copy of the voter register must immediately be granted to the petitioners, a former lawmaker and two human rights activists, the judges said. They denied a request for access to the electronic devices used in vote counting. The legal challenges come after the court nullified Kenyatta s August victory and ordered a new election, an unprecedented move in Africa. The current proceedings may be the last chance for legal scrutiny of the second election, held on Oct. 26. The protracted political crisis has stirred fears for the stability of the east African nation, a regional hub for trade, diplomacy and security. The court is on a tight schedule. It has until Nov. 20 to rule on the two petitions. If the election result is upheld, Kenyatta will be sworn in on Nov. 28. Chief Justice David Maraga told the petitioners they must file a report on their findings from the returns by Thursday afternoon. After Wednesday s ruling, lawyers for the petitioners began presenting their cases, arguing the poll s outcome is void because the election board did not hold fresh nominations after the earlier poll was invalidated, among other reasons. Our position is you cannot have a fresh presidential election without a fresh round of nominations, said Benjamin Musyoki, a lawyer for former legislator Harun Mwau. The lawyer for the two activists, Julie Soweto, also argued that voter turnout - just 39 percent, because opposition leader Raila Odinga boycotted the election - required the court to consider whether the election conformed to the spirit and intent of the constitution. Violence before and during the election also marred the process, Soweto said. She also referred to remarks by the election board chair the week before polling - he said he could not guarantee the vote would be free and fair, citing interference from politicians and threats of violence against his colleagues [L8N1MT0XK]. The process in the Supreme Court, however, may not repair the rifts opened by this year s prolonged elections season. A poll released by research firm Ipsos found that 80 percent of Kenyans think the country is going in the wrong direction. Pessimism about the country s path was at a record high - higher than during drought and food shortages earlier this year or a prolonged teachers strike in 2015. Human rights groups say at least 66 people have died in election violence, mostly at the hands of police cracking down on opposition supporters. Electioneering has also disrupted East Africa s richest economy. The government lowered its forecast for 2017 economic growth to 5.5 percent, partly because of the political uncertainty. The Supreme Court was created by a 2010 constitution that followed a violent political crisis three years earlier. Around 1,200 people were killed in ethnic clashes after a disputed election in 2007. However, analysts said the moves by Kenya s court may embolden other judiciaries in Africa. This month, Liberia s Supreme Court halted a presidential run-off until the election board investigates claims of fraud in the first round of voting. | 0fake |
US Thanksgiving Guide: How to Celebrate a Sordid and Genocidal History | Table set for thanksgiving in Siem Reap. (Photo: Andre Vltchek)Andre Vltchek NEOA table was set up for two, an advertisement table, a table with a photo of a giant turkey, two elegant plates, and a U.S. flag sticking out into the air. Thanksgiving at Angkor Royal Cafe , a flier read. And: 23rd November Join us for a traditional Thanksgiving Feast .This was at one of the international hotels in Siem Reap, a Cambodian city near the world architectural treasures of Angkor Wat and the ancient Khmer capital, Angkor Thom.The same day I read an email sent to me from the United States, by my Native American friends, with a link to an essay published by MPN News, called Thanksgiving Guide: How to Celebrate a Sordid History . It began with a summary: While millions of Americans prepare this week to get into the holiday spirit, beginning with Thanksgiving, how many are prepared to view the day through an accurate lens? While to many Americans the holiday serves as a reminder to give thanks, it is seen as a day of mourning by countless of others. The truth is: European migrants brutally murdered Native Americans, stole their land, and continue to do so today . The day became an official day of festivities in 1637, to celebrate the massacre of over 700 people from the Pequot Tribe.In a hotel, I approached a cheerful French food and beverage manager and asked him whether he was aware of what he was suggesting should be celebrated in one of his restaurants? Oh I know I know, he replied, laughing. It is a little bit controversial, isn t it? Bit controversial? I wondered. It appears more like you are inviting people to celebrate genocide, a holocaust, with free flowing wine and a giant turkey. I am trying to see things positively, he continued grinning at me. Then he summarized: So I guess you won t be joining us tonight? What a pity What a pity, I thought, what a pity. I won t get to eat that famous American pie tonight and turkey and who knows what else, just because I am not eager at all to celebrate the massacres and land grabs perpetrated by the Empire.The manager couldn t help asking: Where are you from? I knew he would ask. No European would say what I was saying. I m Russian, I replied. Oh I see, he gave me that I should have guessed smile . Russian-American, I added.I m convinced that the French manager has been sincerely oblivious about what I was stating. He is supposed to be oblivious. There are, after all, our genocides , and the genocides of the others . Our genocides , those that we triggered or committed, should never be discussed. Or more precisely, it is extremely impolite to discuss them. Most of the people don t even know about them, including many of the victims. On the other hand, the genocides committed by the others, particularly by adversaries of the West, are widely discussed, publicized, analyzed, inflated and very often even fabricated (All this described in detail in my 840-page book Exposing Lies Of The Empire ).Cambodia is the textbook case of the latter. Here, several decades ago, the U.S. and its allies first supported the hopelessly corrupt and brutal government in Phnom Penh, while triggering a monstrous carpet-bombing campaign of the Cambodian countryside, mainly near the border with Vietnam. This was supposed to prevent the country from going Communist , or at least Ho Chi Minh style Communist . Hundreds of thousands of villagers were murdered by the bombing. Millions were forced to hit the road, leaving their dwellings, as the countryside was converted into a giant minefield, covered by unexploded ordnance.Further hundreds of thousands died from starvation and diseases. Furious, mad from suffering, the people of Cambodia rose against the collaborators with the West in Phnom Penh. Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge took the capital virtually unopposed. Recently, deep in the jungle, I spoke to the former Pol Pot s personal guards. I asked them point-blank whether they knew anything about Communism. Nothing at all, I was told. The U.S. was murdering our families, for no reason. Corrupt elites were selling the country to the West. We were all outraged, and ready for revenge. We would follow anybody calling for revenge. However, the West is passing the events, to this day, as a Communist genocide .Rwanda is yet another case of a twisted narrative. I made an entire full-length documentary film Rwanda Gambit on the subject. There, the West turned the history upside down, reducing the entire tragedy into a primitive and easy-to-digest narrative of bad Hutus killing good Tutsis. Yet even the former U.S. ambassador Robert Flatten told me that his country groomed, armed and supported the deadly RPF, mainly Tutsi army, which had been, before 1994, raiding the Rwandan countryside from neighboring Uganda, burning villages and killing civilians.While a former Australian lawyer and U.N. investigator, Michael Hourigan, supplied me with information about the downing of the plane, which, in April 1994, killed both the Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira, while on the final approach to Kigali airport. The orders to shoot down the plane were given by the RPF leader Paul Kagame, who was in turn sponsored by the West. This event triggered the terrible bloodletting on 1994. The next year, in 1995, the Rwandan army entered the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and participated in the killing of at least 9 million people, mainly civilians, on behalf of Western governments and multi-national companies, making it the worst crime against humanity in recent history.In fact, almost all the major genocides committed by the West or its allies in modern history, are silent ones , including those in Iraq, Syria, Iran, West Papua, East Timor, DRC, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Angola, and dozens of other unfortunate places all over the world.The gruesome genocides committed by the West all over the world, during the last 2,000 but especially during the last 500 years, are never defined as such; never as genocides . Throughout history, European countries have been destroying, systematically, most of the cultures on all continents of the Planet, enslaving virtually all the non-white nations, plundering and looting its colonies (read: almost all the non-white nations of the world), while exterminating hundreds of millions of men, women and children. The death toll has been rising, accumulating, to near 1 billion, according to the testimony of one of my friends, a senior U.N. statistician.I will return to the Cambodian story soon, on the pages of this magazine. And I will be returning, again and again, to the genocides committed by Europe and North America, virtually everywhere. Unless the history is understood and acknowledged, the world has no future, and there can be no solutions to the terrible problems that our humanity is facing.But for now, let me conclude this brief essay by saying that I did not participate in the consumption of turkey and American pies on Thanksgiving holiday, in the Cambodian city of Seam Reap.My thoughts went to those 700 people from the Pequot Tribe who rebelled, stood firm and died for freedom, almost 400 years ago. These were some of the first fighters against Western imperialism. These were the Americans that I admire, this is America that had been terribly damaged but not yet completely destroyed. No overly sugary, sentimental and empty words could fully choke its essence, as no gluttony and food orgies could ever fully silence the screams of the pain of those who died in the hands of the European invaders, during and after the conquest of what has been so cynically christened as the New World .***Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are his tribute to The Great October Socialist Revolution a revolutionary novel Aurora and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: Exposing Lies Of The Empire . View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky On Western Terrorism . Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter.SUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 1real |
One Weight-Loss Approach Fits All? No, Not Even Close - The New York Times | Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of nutrition at Harvard, likes to challenge his audience when he gives lectures on obesity. “If you want to make a great discovery,” he tells them, figure out this: Why do some people lose 50 pounds on a diet while others on the same diet gain a few pounds? Then he shows them data from a study he did that found exactly that effect. Dr. Sacks’s challenge is a question at the center of obesity research today. Two people can have the same amount of excess weight, they can be the same age, the same socioeconomic class, the same race, the same gender. And yet a treatment that works for one will do nothing for the other. The problem, researchers say, is that obesity and its precursor — being overweight — are not one disease but instead, like cancer, they are many. “You can look at two people with the same amount of excess body weight and they put on the weight for very different reasons,” said Dr. Arya Sharma, medical director of the obesity program at the University of Alberta. Not only can that explain why treatment is so difficult and results so wildly variable, but it can explain why prevention efforts often fail. If obesity is many diseases, said Dr. Lee Kaplan, director of the obesity, metabolism and nutrition institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, there can be many paths to the same outcome. It makes as much sense to insist there is one way to prevent all types of obesity — get rid of sugary sodas, clear the stores of junk foods, shun carbohydrates, eat breakfast, get more sleep — as it does to say you can avoid lung cancer by staying out of the sun, a strategy specific to skin cancer. One focus of research is to figure out how many types of obesity there are — Dr. Kaplan counts 59 so far — and how many genes can contribute. So far, investigators have found more than 25 genes with such powerful effects that if one is mutated, a person is pretty much guaranteed to become obese, said Dr. Stephen O’Rahilly, head of the department of clinical biochemistry and medicine at Cambridge University. But those genetic disorders are rare. It is more likely that people inherit a collection of genes, each of which predispose them to a small weight gain in the right environment, said Ruth Loos, director of the genetics of obesity and related metabolic traits program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Scientists have found more than 300 such altered genes — each may contribute just a few pounds but the effects add up in those who inherit a collection of them, Dr. Loos said. There are also drugs that, in some people, can cause weight gain. They include medications for psychiatric disorders, some drugs for diabetes, some for seizure disorders, beta blockers to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate, and steroids to suppress the immune system, for example. People taking them, however, may not realize the drugs are part of their problem. Instead, they blame themselves for a lack of as their weight climbs. Certain diseases also cause weight gain, Dr. O’Rahilly noted. They include hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome and tumors of the hypothalamus. To help people find an effective way to lose weight, obesity medicine specialists say they start by asking if there is an obvious cause for a person’s excess weight, like a drug that can be switched for something else. If not, they suggest patients try one thing after another starting with the least invasive option, and hope something works. “There are 40 therapies I can throw at a patient,” Dr. Kaplan said. “I will try diets and aerobic exercise and sleep enhancement. I have 15 drugs. ” Dr. Caroline Apovian, director of the nutrition and weight management center at Boston Medical Center, said most people can lose weight but keeping it off is the key. For most, she said, finding something that works “is still trial and error. ” Andrea Gardner, a registered nurse who lives in Weymouth, Mass. is in the midst of that process. She has tried one diet after another, losing weight and gaining it back. She is 5 feet 5 inches tall, and her body, she says, seems to want to settle at a weight of about 185 pounds, which is not acceptable to her. She continues to work with Dr. Apovian, ever hopeful that this time a diet and, she said, willpower, will do the trick. But about 15 to 20 percent of patients respond to measures short of surgery, with response defined as a change in their body weight that is maintained without constant hunger or cravings. While people seldom end up thin, their permanent weight loss is a proof of principle, showing that treatments can lower the weight the brain forces a person to maintain. The last resort, for those whose obesity is extreme, is bariatric surgery, which elicits a permanent and substantial weight loss in almost everyone. In the meantime, there is Dr. Sacks’s challenge. His study involved 811 overweight and obese adults, randomly assigned to follow one of four diets and undergo behavioral counseling to help them stick to their diets. The diets ranged over the span of what has become popular. Two diets were low in fat but one diet was high in protein and the other had average amounts of protein. Two others were high in fat and one of those diets had an average amount of protein while the other was high in protein. The research was designed to answer the question of whether one diet was any better than another and it provided an answer: None of the diets elicited much weight loss on average, and no diet stood out from the others. But buried in those averages were the outliers: In every one of the four diet groups were a few superresponders who dropped huge amounts of weight and a few nonresponders who did not lose any. And as soon as his paper on the diets was published, with the conclusion that no diet stood out and none elicited much of a weight loss, he started hearing from people who challenged him. “People would say, ‘How can you say all these diets have no effect when I lost 100 pounds on diet X?’ Others would say the same thing about the opposite diet. ” Dr. Sacks believes them. He knows people who have lost weight and kept it off with diets, including a colleague in his department. “He lost 30 or 40 pounds in the 1970s and kept it off all these years,” Dr. Sacks said. But why him and not someone else following the same regimen? “Beats me,” Dr. Sacks said. Every obesity medicine specialist has seen it happen — someone repeatedly tried and failed to lose weight and keep it off. It turned out they were trying the wrong thing. Here are some people who finally found a plan that worked. Connie Anne Phillips’s weight inched up gradually in adulthood and her attempts to control it went nowhere. As publisher and chief revenue officer at Glamour magazine, she was always entertaining clients, hosting them at breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Weight loss seemed an impossibility. In 2011, she went to Dr. Louis Aronne, an obesity medicine specialist at Cornell Medicine Center in Manhattan. He suggested a plan that would allow her to maintain her lifestyle. The key was a low glycemic load diet, choosing foods to keep her blood sugar from spiking. “I just had to learn to make the right choices,” Ms. Phillips, 51, said. She learned to eat protein before carbohydrates. It was O. K. that she loves pasta, but now she precedes it with a piece of broiled fish or grilled chicken. “Now I would never start my day with a glass of juice and a bagel. ” Ms. Phillips said. Instead, she has egg whites with vegetables or Greek yogurt. Twenty pounds melted away and she has kept them off without effort. When he arrived for his first appointment with an obesity medicine specialist in April 2014, Scott Goldshine was certain his only hope was bariatric surgery. He had been skinny when he was younger — his nickname was Bones — but around age 30 he began putting on weight and simply could not halt the relentless accumulation of pounds. Soon he weighed 265 pounds. He is 5 feet 7 inches. “I was a miserable human being,” Mr. Goldshine, 56, said. So he scoffed when Dr. Aronne said, “I think I can help you. ” He was — and still is — the general manager at Zabar’s, a famous New York deli, spending his days around food he loves. And his cravings were relentless. “I couldn’t go behind the bread counter without taking a couple of slices of bread and a couple of rugelach,” he said. But that was only the start. There was the “big fat piece of crumb cake” almost every day. There were the cookies he’d grab from the catering platters. There were the “gigantic sandwiches. ” Customers noticed his weight gain. “They would come up to me and rub my stomach and say, ‘You’re getting fat,’” Mr. Goldshine said. Dr. Aronne saw something interesting in Mr. Goldshine’s records. He was taking pioglitazone for diabetes, a drug that makes some people gain weight. Dr. Aronne replaced it with Invokana, a diabetes drug that can contribute to weight loss — and Mr. Goldshine lost a small amount. Then Dr. Aronne added a drug that combines bupropion, an antidepressant, and naltrexone, a drug used to combat cravings for drugs like opioids. He chose it, he said, because patients often say it helps turn off constant thoughts of eating. It worked. “I pretty much eat my same diet, but so much less,” Mr. Goldshine said. He lost about 75 pounds, and has kept them off without conscious effort. For Eric Scarmardo, 53, a manager at a Chicago prescription benefit management firm, the solution to a frustratingly stubborn weight problem turned out to be blindingly simple. But it took him years to discover it. His problem began when he was 25 and just out of law school, working, he said, “ridiculous hours” for a large Chicago firm, eating without thinking. Within a year, his weight climbed from about 200 pounds to 220 on his frame. Ten years later, he weighed close to 300 pounds. He tried, repeatedly, to lose weight with elaborate diet and exercise programs that typically lasted about a week. Finally, he went to Dr. Robert Kushner, an obesity medicine specialist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The first message was that all that matters is calories,” Mr. Scarmardo said. Dr. Kushner insisted that Mr. Scarmardo keep a detailed log of what he ate, weighing and measuring every morsel. “It was difficult at first, but now it has become part of my routine,” Mr. Scarmardo said. He even asks restaurants to weigh his food before serving it to him most comply. He lost 42 pounds and has kept them off for two and a half years. R. C. Binstock, a novelist and technical writer in Cambridge, Mass. has always been heavy. He felt ashamed, accepting others’ judgmental views. “I am fat because I am weak, I am fat because I am inadequate. I am fat because I am morally flawed,” he castigated himself. So when he went to Dr. Sriram Machineni at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston two years ago, he vowed that this would be his last attempt before bariatric surgery. Dr. Machineni suggested lifestyle modification. Mr. Binstock refused. He was already doing all that and it did not help. Dr. Machineni moved on to medications, trying one after another. Each time the drug would work at first but then Mr. Binstock’s food cravings returned. Eventually, Dr. Machineni found a drug combination that had a lasting effect — the diabetes drug metformin, which can have a side effect of weight loss, and lorcaserin, or Belviq, a new drug that acts on the brain to control appetite. Mr. Binstock lost 55 pounds and maintained it. “I was able to see a food I love and say, ‘I am just not going to have that,’” Mr. Binstock said. “I will never be ashamed of my body again, ever,” he said. Most of Dr. Jennifer Kerns’s family was fat. And so was she. Dr. Kerns, 42 — now an obesity medicine specialist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington — reached a peak weight of 300 pounds. She knows all too well how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off. Diets would work, but then the weight would come back. So, in 2006, she tried what she hoped would be the solution to her weight problem she became a contestant on “The Biggest Loser” reality television show. Her expectation was that with an extreme regimen and the competition, she would get control of her weight. And once she lost the weight, she thought she would keep it off. “The Biggest Loser” contest certainly helped her lose weight — she dropped 108 pounds — but she was unprepared for how hard it would be to keep those pounds off. At first she thought regular vigorous exercise would do it, but her weight began climbing. Eventually, she discovered a lifestyle program that lets her keep her weight between 155 and 180 pounds — her weight fluctuates because each time she relaxes her guard the pounds return. The program is centered on what she calls an iron grip on her diet. Dr. Kerns keeps tempting foods such as desserts and especially anything containing chocolate out of her house. She brings her own breakfast, lunch and snacks to work. She uses an app on her phone to count calories. “I am of everything I eat,” she said. “It is an active effort. ” She works out vigorously on an elliptical for 30 minutes a day, nine days out of 10. She weighs herself every day. She just had her first baby, Graham Kerns Marvel, and kept up her routine during pregnancy, exercising, weighing herself every day, and controlling her diet. She only gained 31 pounds. But it never gets easier. So why does she do it? She has seen family members grow extremely obese with uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure. By keeping her weight down, she has avoided those problems. And she knows how harshly obese people are judged in our society. “Nobody wants to be obese,” Dr. Kerns said. Elias Elias, president of Griff Technologies in Milton, Mass. thought he knew why he was fat. His life was stressful. To relax, he liked to go out and have a good time, eating and drinking. His weight problem began 40 years ago as a teenager when he began taking steroids to treat three autoimmune diseases — psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and ankylosing spondylitis, an arthritis of the spine. Steroids are known to cause weight gain. With use, a person’s weight can be permanently reset at a higher level, his doctor, Dr. Lee Kaplan, an obesity medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital said. New drugs came along, allowing him to stop taking steroids, but the damage was done. His weight kept climbing until it reached 252 pounds. He is 5 feet 9 inches. He tried dieting, but to no avail. He blamed himself for lacking willpower. Finally, in 2007, he went to see Dr Kaplan. Dr. Kaplan prescribed, phentermine, a stimulant. “It was miraculous,” Mr. Elias said. Suddenly, the drive to eat excessively was no longer there. Pounds began to fall off. In six months his weight dropped to around 190 pounds and stayed there for seven years. Then, in early 2014, he wondered if he should stop taking the drug. It did not seem to be working any more. His weight had begun climbing. Dr. Kaplan told him the drug still was effective but usually became less so over time. So, to test that theory, Mr. Elias stopped taking it. His weight climbed even higher and settled around 240 pounds. He thinks he can still lose the weight he gained but, he said, “I lost the motivation. ” As he sees it, his personal problems have sapped his zest to control what he eats. “My success ended up for me being a sword,” Mr. Elias said. “Now that I know it is doable, I am procrastinating in terms of restarting the focus. ” But Dr. Kaplan said Mr. Elias really needs a different drug. When phentermine was exerting its maximum effect, Mr. Elias ate less no matter what else was going on in his life. In fact, Dr. Kaplan said, it is not really in his power to diet his way back to that low weight and stay there. | 0fake |
The Deep-Programs of your Conditioned Mind are Living your Life | The Deep-Programs of your Conditioned Mind are Living your Life Nov 4, 2016 3 0
“The first gift of your conscious alertness is when you discover, that instead of you, the deep-programs of your conditioned mind are living your life” Frank M. Wanderer
The society and culture in which you have grown up programmed those fixed patterns of the mind into you, and your identity who you are and what your job is in this world, is based upon those patterns. What need we know about this fixed conditioned mental patterns? The fixed patterns of your mind are individual, since they reflect the expectations of the particular environment in which you have been brought up. The expectations usually influence you unconsciously, almost like automatic deep programs of the mind. These systematic patterns of thoughts, programmed into you by your parents and teachers are deeply embedded into your mind and subconscious by the psychological mechanisms of identification, and they automatically surface every now and then. These patterns strive to be self-sustaining, and they generate the work of mind. The result is the cobweb of thoughts with which you identify and that is how you live your life. As these in-depth conditioning have become a part of your mind in the course of your upbringing, a particular situation or person immediately activates them. You automatically put on the mask appropriate for the particular situation, tailored to the expectations of the situation or person. The fixed operational methods of the mind cannot be defeated by the works of the mind itself, that is, by effort, practice or your willpower. When a fixed mental pattern appears, all you need to do is watch how it works, what expectation activates it. But you do not need to fight it, you do not need to make any effort to neutralize it. There is only one remedy against them, and that is Sight, nourished by the deeper dimensions of Alertness , and the Sight will bring recognition to you. The power of Sight is that it reduces your identification with your mind, and places you back into your original state of existence: Oneness. When you see and recognize how your fixed mental patterns work, the energy supply they receive gradually dries up, since the energy that formerly supplied these patterns now supply the emergence of the deeper dimensions of Alertness in you. In this way, conditioned mental patterns gradually lose their power and they vanish. As a result, the work of the mind that might have appeared chaotic to you before become increasingly transparent. In this way, Consciousness and Presence will increasingly dominate your mind, and they will be manifested in longer and longer periods of silence. That is how the mind regains its original mission, and it will become a means by which Consciousness is able to express itself in the world of forms and shapes . | 1real |
Kris Kristofferson’s “Dementia” Turned out to Be Something Completely Different… | Kris Kristofferson’s “Dementia” Turned out to Be Something Completely Different…
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
Songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson has Lyme disease. While this isn’t necessarily good news, it’s new news because for years he was told he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia.
For years Kristofferson, 79, was misdiagnosed, his doctors assuming his issues stemmed from Alzheimer’s or dementia. Thankfully, earlier this year someone finally did a test and it came back positive.
His wife Lisa remembers him taking medications for things he didn’t have, and dealing with all the side effects, but after just three weeks of Lyme treatment, he was back. There are still some down days, but for the most part, he’s his old self.
Lyme disease is caused by the bite of an infected blacklegged or deer tick. If the tick is a lyme carrier and the bite is left untreated, it can eventually cause a host of debilitating symptoms, weeks or months later. While the disease may reveal itself within 30 days as a characteristic “bull’s-eye” rash, some people never get a rash.
Most bites come from the immature form of the tick- the nymph- which is about the size of a poppy seed, so the bite can easily go unnoticed. Someone who has been bitten may experience one or more of the following: Severe headaches Additional rashes on other parts of the body Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, often in the knees Facial or Bell’s palsy Muscle and joint pain that comes and goes Heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat (Lyme carditis) Dizziness or shortness of breath Nerve pain Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet Problems with short-term memory
And, even after months or years of infection, other cognitive problems can occur: problems remembering names or words slowed thinking “brain fog” difficulty following conversations
Perhaps this is why doctors assumed Kristofferson was suffering from dementia, the symptoms are similar. However, many patients say that their doctors pay little attention to their persisting symptoms and often either assume it’s something else or brush it off.
But it’s time to stop pretending that Lyme disease isn’t the major health threat the government has labeled it. According to the CDC, about 300,000 people a year are diagnosed with Lyme disease.
The medical establishment has been at odds for years. There is strong disagreement about how reliable current testing methods are and even if it should be called a lasting illness.
From the Next Avenue article:
“The term ‘chronic Lyme disease’ (CLD) has been used to describe people with different illnesses,” the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says on its website. “While the term is sometimes used to describe illness in patients with Lyme disease, in many occasions it has been used to describe symptoms in people who have no evidence of a current or past infection with [the Lyme bacterium].
The best way to prevent Lyme is to keep from getting bitten. Avoid wooded areas with a lot of brush, high grass, and leaf litter. When you go off trail (if you must) use bug repellent on exposed skin and clothes and ALWAYS check yourself and your loved ones as soon as you get done.
Don’t forget that your pets can also bring them inside so make sure to protect them too. If you use traditional methods, your vet can prescribe something but lavender and geranium oil are also good, natural deterrents for ticks.
Again, you can have fun outside where the ticks are. Just remember to very carefully inspect yourself for ticks after hiking, camping or being in the backyard if it’s close to a wooded area. | 1real |
What a Wonderful World – US Saviour Complex | Bruno Guigue 21st Century WirePurveyor of platitudes, the West portrays itself as the epitome of universal values . A paragon of democracy, this champion of human rights always deploys its presumed virtues in support of its hegemonic ambitions. Like the Fairy Godmother, doing her best to match her morals with her interests, she veils her ambitions with the cloak of Law and Justice. Thus, the Free World goes about bombing foreign nations for the sake of democracy , preferably in oil or mineral-rich territories. By combining a simple creed with capitalist greed, it is acting as if it can convert its economic supremacy into moral privilege.The rest of the world is not fooled by these tactics, but who cares? The Free World is always right because it represents the good fight and for as long as it is the most powerful, it will not be contradicted. The inherent barbarism that it projects onto others is the counter to its self-proclaimed monopoly on civilization .Sanctified by the holy order of right to intervene , a marriage of the GI sandbags with the Kouchner-style bag of rice, the West, vassalized by Washington, believes wholeheartedly that they can save the world by subjugating it to the pitiless ravages demanded by the financial vultures and military industrial complex.This supremacist enterprise was not born yesterday. It was midwived in the historical period dear to Fernand Braudel, that of the emergence of the world economy. Driven by its superior technological advances, since the Renaissance, the western world has propelled itself towards the conquest of our planet earth. Patiently, the west has appropriated other cultures, other worlds, and twisted them into its own image, enforcing obeissance and imitation, eliminating all those who would not conform. Its certitude is untroubled by its own hypocrisy, the West perceives itself as a metaphor for this world. The West wanted to expand from being a part of the world into being the whole. In the same way today, we see countries comprising 10% of the world s population portraying themselves as the International Community. Over the last three centuries, colonial conquest has demonstrated the West s desire to expand its influence beyond its own boundaries, under the banner of bringing civilization to the under-developed. This global domination project was temporarily derailed by the uprising of the colonized peoples in the 20th Century, but it made a triumphant return with its North American branch of hegemony.America, the Far West discovered by Christopher Columbus in search of the Far East , inherited the Old Continent penchant for imperialism and rapacious carpet-baggery. The US converted its lack of history into the promise of a better future , emerging suddenly from Anglo-Saxon puritanism, the US magnified the globalist for profit ethos. Paid for with the blood of the American-Indian genocide, America was born, the newly minted metaphor for the world.It is not certain that this change was for the better. Colonial empires collapsed under the weight of their archaic structures, while US hegemony maintains itself through modern technology channels, from Google to drone warfare. Suddenly the US was the most supple and resilient. What imbues it with flexibility also ensures its longevity. From the white pith helmet of the european colonial overlords to the digital screens of US cyber warfare, a revolution took place. The US substituted a shock-colonization, dismantled after bloody decolonization conflict, with a multi-faceted hegemonic enterprise. Taking over from the classic colonial three M s, the made in the US NGOs replaced the Christian missionary complex, merchants became multi-nationals and the soldiers converted to cyber supremacy.Emboldened by the die-hard spirit of born again Midwesterners, the American empire is projecting its devastating Manichaeism upon the rest of the world. Dreaming with its eyes wide open, the US envisages a definitive alliance between good and evil, the indestructible pillar upon which to build a straightforward ethnocentrism. The law is on their side as it embodies the core values of democracy, human rights and market economy . Obviously, this is a crude ideology, a fraudulent mask for its own sordid interests, but it is effective. Its efficacy is proven by the popular consensus that the US won the second world war, capitalism works, Cuba is a tropical gulag, Assad is worse than Hitler and that North Korea is a threat to the world. This process of self-beatification, bestows upon the North-American-Empire zealots, the right to track down all Evil in the world. No scruples will impede its saviour frenzy, it is the very incarnation of such an exceptional civilization , that it must cleanse the world of barbarism by all means at its disposal. That is why modern imperialism functions as a court of universal law, a judge, that rewards or punishes where it sees fit. Before this elevated moral jurisdiction, the CIA represents the prosecution, the Pentagon is the secular chamber, the US President is the high court judge, a deus ex machina , invoking divine justice, the lightning strike, upon the Axis of Evil and any other sinners circulating in the court of the Empire of Good .This tendency for the US to see itself as the moral compass for the world is central to this structure and is unperturbed by the rapid turn-around of Presidents in the White House, a new tenant changes nothing. Washington s crusade against the barbarians conceals the unbridled greed of the Military Industrial Complex and the iron claw of the deep state. From Harry Truman to Donald Trump with Barack Obama inbetween, from Korea to Vietnam to Syria, Indonesia, Angola, Mozambique, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, South Africa, Serbia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Libya, death is the cure, by proxy or directly, for all those who oppose the saviour s kingdom of universal justice. Philanthropic America always harnesses the local labour force to carry out its dirty work. Franco, Hitler and Mussolini (until 1939), Chiang Kai Shek, Somoza, Syngman Rhee, Ngo Dinh Diem, Salazar, Batista, Mobutu, Marcos, Trujillo, Pik Botha, Duvalier, Suharto, Papadopoulos, Castelo Branco, Videla, Pinochet, Stroessner, Reza Shah Pahlevi, Zia Ul Haqq, Bin Laden, Uribe, King Salman, Nethanyahu, Ukrainian Nazis and the moderate terrorists in the Middle East have been of invaluable service to Empire.Undisputed leader of the Free World, America claims to embody civilization while obliterating entire populations with nuclear weapons, napalm or a rain of cruise missiles. Sometimes it chooses a slow death for its prey, with Agent Orange, depleted uranium, or with punitive embargoes on medicines and humanitarian aid.While America is never short of sychophants praising their services to Humanity , the evidence is irrefutable, that the collapse of this Empire would be a cause for celebration.Translation by Vanessa Beeley for 21st Century Wire*** Bruno Guigue is a French author and political analyst born in Toulouse 1962. Professor of philosophy and lecturer in international relations for highter education. The author of 5 books including Aux origines du conflit Isra lo-Arabe, l invisible remords de l Occident (L Harmattan, 2002).SUPPORT 21WIRE SUBSCRIBE & BECOME A MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV | 1real |
BARBRA STREISAND Gives Up On Dream Of Impeaching Trump Over Fake Trump-Russian Collusion…Tweets HILARIOUS New Reason Trump Should Be Impeached | Barbra Streisand was an Obama sycophant and one of the corrupt Clinton s most loyal fans. She is also part of the Hollywood liberal resistance movement. Much like Rosie O Donnell, Kathy Griffin, and literally hundreds of overpaid celebrities, Barbara Streisand is obsessed with tweeting about how much she hates President Trump. It s Streisand s latest tweet that has conservatives calling her out for her complete and utter stupidity .Streisand tweeted: Collusion or no collusion, @realDonaldTrump should be impeached for sheer stupidity. Collusion or no collusion, @realDonaldTrump should be impeached for sheer stupidity. Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) December 30, 2017Twitter users wasted no time DESTROYING the has been entertainer.This tweet suggested her music and acting awards should be recalled due to the sheer stupidity of the recipient.I can think of a lot of Oscars, Emmy s, Tony s and Grammy s that should be recalled due to sheer stupidity of the recipient. Particularly this one: https://t.co/f4KtzLsOQA AnneMarie (@bulliegirl1959) December 30, 2017Dan Bongino suggested that talent aside, Streisand should be mocked for failing constitutional basics 101.Singing or no singing @BarbraStreisand should be mocked for failing constitutional basics 101. https://t.co/EeFKkiYtOb Dan Bongino (@dbongino) December 30, 2017 Mike truly schooled Streisand when he explained to her, You can t impeach a President, because of your feelings, Barbra. You can't impeach a President, because of your feelings, Barbra. https://t.co/vsmuW223pI Mike (@Fuctupmind) December 30, 2017Barbra got destroyed in one powerful image reminding her that Impeachment requires an actual crime pic.twitter.com/BBW1lEY9hn chach malone (@chachmalone) December 30, 2017OUCH! Rita replied to Barbra that she used to be a fan, but no more. She even took it a step further, and let Barbra know that she was now on her boycott list!!! I was a Fan of you!!! Now you are on my boycott list!!! Rita Reisch Afd (@rita_reisch) December 30, 2017Finally, this Twitter user refers to Barbra Streisand as a has been vs the President.There ya go!! A has been vs the President beaner (@CWhitam) December 30, 2017 | 1real |
DOUBLE AMPUTEE VET Blasts Obama’s War Strategy…Saw Him As “Expendable”…Explains Why He Wishes He Was Fighting Under President Trump [VIDEO] | War veteran Johnny Joey Jones praised President Trump for dropping the mother of all bombs on ISIS, saying the last administration failed to take appropriate action.Jones, who lost both his legs in an IED explosion, said he might still have his legs if the Obama administration wasn t concerned with public relations backlashes.He said he felt expendable because he lost his legs clearing a empty town on-the-ground, because the White House did not want to be seen in the press as dropping bombs on villages.Jones said Trump instead gave his generals the tools to make the decision best for their troops. FOX NewsHere s Jones tweet that went viral:I lost my legs because my gov't was afraid to use the tools they had and saw me as expendable. I wish I'd had this admin. Johnny (Joey) Jones (@Johnny_Joey) April 13, 2017War-hawk, anti-Trump John McCain s daughter Megan took to Twitter to invite Johnny Joey Jones to appear on Fox show Outnumbered where she is a co-host. He kindly accepted her invitation:Everyone loves you can you come on the show soon? Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) April 14, 2017Others on Twitter took the time to let him know how much they appreciate his service and his sacrifice:Real patriots don't see you as expendable. Jim (@Jim65783) April 14, 2017https://twitter.com/Lord12Almighty/status/852741550790422528thank you sir. Your service to protect me will never be forgotten. Sbeard74 (@Sbeard741) April 14, 2017Thank you, Joey. Honest to God, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service. I wish you'd had this administration, too. NyetToSeeHere (@GRRRR8est) April 13, 2017 | 1real |
Clinton faces pressure to pick VP who is tough on trade, Wall Street | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of the Democratic Party’s liberal wing on Thursday nervously awaited Hillary Clinton’s announcement in coming days of a vice presidential running mate, urging her to choose someone who opposes a massive Pacific free trade deal and backs tough Wall Street reform. Two U.S. senators, Tim Kaine and Cory Booker, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack were among the contenders, according to a Democratic source with knowledge of the discussions. “After promising to oppose the TPP, it’s important for Clinton to pick someone who shares that position,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee The Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, known as TPP, became a key issue during the primary season, with critics contending that it would be unfair to American workers. Clinton’s chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has headed the effort on the U.S. left to oppose the TPP and trade deals like it. The Democratic source said that while Clinton’s decision was being closely held, there were “vibes” she may be leaning toward Kaine as a partner to take on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence in the Nov. 8 election. But the source said that the consideration of Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, “is real,” even if Kaine, a senator from Virginia who is also a former governor of the state, might have an edge. Clinton “wants somebody who will be a reliable partner she can trust and make the policy decisions” and potentially step into the presidency, the source said, adding that Clinton sees Kaine as someone who would “fit that bill.” Hispanic-Americans, meanwhile, continued to push for a first-ever Latino on the Democratic ticket. “For our members that kind of a message would certainly resonate,” said Yvanna Cancela, political director for the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas. “It is way past the time for when we have a Latino in one of the highest offices in the country.” Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro had both been mentioned. Others have also come under consideration. The source added that U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a favorite of the party’s liberal wing and a fierce critic of Wall Street, received close consideration by Clinton but would not provide the “right balance” for the ticket. Others have also been under consideration in recent days, including Booker, to see if they hit a “surprise” chord with Clinton, the source said. Booker, an African-American, is a first-term senator and a former mayor of Newark, New Jersey. Both Kaine and Vilsack have backed free-trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiation by the Obama administration, encompassing about 40 percent of the world’s economies stretching from Japan to Chile. Critics include Trump as well as Sanders. Clinton herself has distanced herself from the trade deal. Taylor said that it is “also important she pick someone committed to strong Wall Street reform,” saying that the “wrong pick” could hamper Democrats’ drive to keep Trump from winning the White House. Booker traveled to Cleveland to defend the Clinton campaign, which has come under continued attack at the Republican convention there this week. “The vile and the viciousness, it doesn’t reflect who we are as a country,” Booker said of the Republican convention, in an interviewed with MSNBC. Asked about his appearance Thursday on Clinton’s official Instagram account, Booker said it should not be read as tea leaves about a potential vice presidential pick. “You have a social media-minded person and I understand this platform,” he said. The Democratic source knowledgeable about the process said Clinton could announce her running mate as early as Friday in Florida. She will campaign there in the run-up to next week’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia, where Clinton is expected to be formally nominated. Another Democratic source said Clinton might wait until Saturday to help keep the media focused on the Republican convention in Cleveland, where opposing wings of that party were in open warfare. Television interviewer Charlie Rose, speaking with Clinton recently, noted that some view Kaine as “boring.” Clinton responded, “I love that about him.” Susie Tompkins Buell, a founder of the Esprit fashion label and close friend of Clinton, on Thursday would not comment on who might be the choice. But Buell, a major donor to Clinton’s campaign, said the person would be a “high contrast” to Trump’s choice of Pence. | 0fake |
Identities Of Arrested Anti-Racist Stone Mountain Protesters Released (VIDEO) | Authorities have released the identities of nine men who were arrested on April 23 during a clash between about a dozen white supremacist demonstrators, a group of counter-protesters and police in Stone Mountain, Georgia.According to WXIA, chaos broke out after a pro-white organization planned a rally at Stone Mountain Park on Saturday. The white supremacist group Rock Stone Mountain organized the demonstration to protest what they claim are efforts to erase the white race. In response, a second group of counter-protesters called All Out Atlanta also staged a demonstration at the park.Only about two dozen white supremacists attended the protest, while counter protesters numbered somewhere between 200 and 300, according to local reports.Both groups were granted permits by park authorities.Police say the opposing protest groups were to be located in different areas of the park.Things went bad, however, when two members of the pro-white group got lost and ended up in the middle of the counter-demonstration.Police from three different agencies, dressed in riot gear, descended on the area.Video shows one of the men from the white supremacist organization referring to counter-protesters as savages. Nine members of the counter-protest group were arrested.Eight were charged with the misdemeanor crime of wearing a hood or mask. They were identified as:The ninth protester was identified as 21-year-old Joshua T. Taft. Taft is charged with Aggravated Assault.According to police, members of All Out Atlanta threw rocks and got physical with officers.Taft is accused of throwing a firework of some kind at police.Video of the arrest doesn t appear to show him resisting arrest or becoming physical with police.Here s more on the story from WXIA in Georgia. Here are two videos showing the arrests of some of the counter-protesters. It s clear from the videos that no-one is throwing rocks or fireworks at the time these people were arrested.This video was uploaded to YouTube by Regina Willis.Here s the second video via Alex Hariri on YouTube.Image credit: video screen capture via Regina Willis YouTube | 1real |
House Appropriations Chair Rodney Frelinghuysen Rebukes Speaker Paul Ryan: Obamacare 2.0 Is ’Currently Unacceptable’ - Breitbart | WASHINGTON, D. C. — In a stunning rebuke to House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen ( ) announced his public opposition to Obamacare 2. 0 on Friday morning. [“Seven years after enactment of Obamacare, I wanted to support legislation that made positive changes to rescue healthcare in America,” Frelinhguysen, who has been lauded as the Garden State’s most powerful congressman, wrote in a Facebook post. Unfortunately, the legislation before the House today is currently unacceptable as it would place significant new costs and barriers to care on my constituents in New Jersey. In addition to the loss of Medicaid coverage for so many people in my state, the denial of essential health benefits in the individual market raise serious coverage and cost issues. I remain hopeful that the American Health Care Act will be further modified. We need to get this right for all Americans. The House Speaker almost never loses the Appropriations Chairman on major pieces of legislation. The fact Frelinghuysen is against the bill calls into question Ryan’s ability to lead the conference — including his own committee chairs — in the future on other pieces of legislation. It shows just how unpopular this legislation really is and further demonstrates Ryan’s inability to bring together the different factions of the House Republican conference. Many more Republicans are expected to vote against Speaker Ryan’s bill, the American Health Care Act — or “Obamacare 2. 0” or “Obamacare Lite” or “RyanCare” or “ ” — as it has become known. Other Republicans who are expected to vote against the revised version of the Affordable Healthcare Act include Rep. Mark Amodei ( ) Rep. Tom Budd ( ) Rep. David Brat ( ) Rep. Mark Meadows ( ) Rep. Mo Brooks ( ) and Rep. Louie Gohmert ( ). Now that Ryan has lost Frelinghuysen — the chairman of a powerful committee that controls government spending — it is highly unlikely Ryan will be able to deliver the votes on this. That means Ryan is delivering a loss to President Trump, after failing to control his members. Follow Adelle Nazarian on Facebook and Twitter @AdelleNaz | 0fake |
COMEDY GOLD ON DETROIT NEWS: “Willy” Dumps His Tires In The Wrong Spot [Video] | Charlie LeDuff is legend in Detroit but this is a classic: | 1real |
Bernie's California endgame | The election in 232 photos, 43 numbers and 131 quotes, from the two candidates at the center of it all. | 0fake |
Sexual misconduct allegations may roil 2018 U.S. congressional elections | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A spate of sexual misconduct accusations against U.S. politicians and other powerful men will force candidates for the November 2018 congressional elections to weigh more carefully than ever whether their past behavior could doom their chances. Following allegations against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, Democratic U.S. Representative John Conyers and Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken, campaign operatives from both parties warned that past behavior that might once have been excused may now be disqualifying. “This is a game-changer,” said Democratic strategist Dane Strother. “Every man who wants to run for office needs to give some serious thought to his past.” Politicians have been among a growing number of prominent men, including in the entertainment and media fields, accused of sexual harassment. There will be increased pressure on candidates to undertake “self-vetting,” where, as one Republican strategist said, they are willing to subject themselves to a “trial on what the other side will put them through.” But he cautioned: “A lot of this is still dependent on what the candidate is willing to talk about and how forthcoming they are.” In next year’s elections, Democrats will seek to wrest one or both houses of Congress from Republican control. Thirty-three U.S. Senate seats and all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be contested. Sex scandals have long been a part of U.S. politics, but in the current environment, operatives are encouraging candidates and office-holders alike to level with advisers about past conduct, even behavior that might in the past have fallen into a gray area. “You may have to press the candidate particularly aggressively to be sure that he confronts what he may have passed off as a failed advance and not have imagined would come back to haunt him,” a veteran Democratic lawyer who advises campaigns told Reuters. Sonia Van Meter, a Democratic opposition researcher, said candidates would have to think carefully about “their demeanor, their offhanded remarks, the way they carried themselves. Everything will be under more scrutiny.” If candidates are not careful about self-vetting, operatives said, researchers working for opposing candidates would do it for them. Verifiable facts - court documents, voting records, speeches and more - usually form the backbone of opposition research conducted by rival campaigns. Such research may expand into behavior that has not been documented, Strother said, adding that might include conversations with former female staffers to find out if there are any issues. Tracy Sefl, a strategist in Chicago who has directed opposition research for the Democratic National Committee, said workplace relationships between a male candidate and women could now be targeted by opposing campaigns. “In the context of employment: Was a man supervising women? Were those women younger, older, or his peers?” Sefl said. “How long did those women tend to work there? What do they have to say about their experience there and about him, specifically?” But Alex Conant, a Republican consultant who worked for presidential candidates Tim Pawlenty and Marco Rubio, doubted opposition research would see a dramatic shift, largely because most campaigns cannot afford it and must instead rely on public records, internet searches and news reports. “Opposition research in early stages of congressional campaigns is not going back and interviewing every single person who has worked with a candidate,” Conant said. There are also limits on the effectiveness of opposition research in identifying potential misconduct. Rumors surrounding Moore’s alleged interest in teenage girls had circulated in Alabama politics for years, but it took reporters from the Washington Post, not researchers from campaigns, to persuade his accusers to go on the record. Moore, who is running against Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election, has denied the allegations, which Reuters has been unable to independently verify. Republican lawmakers in Washington, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, have distanced themselves from Moore and urged him to quit the race. Self-vetting is all the more important, operatives said, because the national parties have little capacity to weed out problematic candidates. In 2016, the insurgent White House bids of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders highlighted the limited ability of parties to hand-pick candidates for major public offices. Trump won the presidency despite himself being accused by several women of having in the past made unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate personal remarks about them. Trump denied the allegations, saying they were part of a smear campaign. In the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, Moore prevailed in the Republican primary over Luther Strange, the incumbent backed by the party establishment. While the parties still vet some candidates for Congress and big-ticket donors, they largely rely on local party officials to screen and refer them. Van Meter said the string of scandals had altered the landscape because victims now felt empowered to go public, which may topple some candidates and keep others from running at all. “What has changed is the culture, the number of women coming forward,” she said. “We’re going to see more of these cases.” | 0fake |
WATCH: Rachel Maddow OBLITERATES Kellyanne Conway Over Trump’s Call For More Nukes | Rachel Maddow just pounded Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump s former campaign manager and soon-to-be White House counselor, into the ground over the president-elect s call for more nuclear weapons.The MSNBC host confronted Conway with Trump s repeated suggestions that the world needs more nukes. Conway wriggled and squirmed to try to put a positive twist on Trump s calls for expanding nuclear capabilities, but Maddow was not having it. Trump s professional spin doctor even tried to claim that Trump hadn t really suggested that we should have more nuclear weapons at all.News flash, he absolutely did. On Thursday morning, which is just the most recent instance of his thirst for more nuclear weapons, Trump posted this little gem to his Twitter page for all his followers to see.The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016Maddow completely shut Conway down when she tried to argue that Trump s Twitter rants aren t actually him setting official policy. The president making policy happens whenever the president speaks on a national security matter, Maddo pointed out.Conway may be good at twisting the truth but she utterly failed tonight when she tried to make Trump s insistence that we need more nukes look like anything other than the terrifying invitation for global disaster that it is.Watch Maddow shut Conway down when it comes to Trump s calls for more nuclear weapons, here:Maddow: The president making policy happens whenever the president speaks on a national security matter. https://t.co/Dd7sd2TZnc Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) December 23, 2016Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
If You Think Hillary And Trump Are Both Bad Candidates, Seth Meyers Clears Up That Bullsh*t Idea | The ultimate guide to who really is the worst candidate in this election.On a night when the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series title since 1908, Seth Meyers Closer Look segment went largely unnoticed at a time when millions of Americans are trying to make their final decision on who they will vote for on November 8th.For months, these undecided voters have written off the contest as one between two equally awful candidates. They say it doesn t matter who wins because both are the same.But as Meyers hilariously pointed out on Wednesday night, Hillary Clinton is not nearly as bad as Donald Trump. It s not even close. I mean, do you pick someone who s under federal investigation for using a private email server? Or do you pick someone who called Mexicans rapists, claimed the president was born in Kenya, proposed banning an entire religion from entering the U.S., mocked a disabled reporter, said John McCain wasn t a war hero because he was captured, attacked the parents of a fallen soldier, bragged about committing sexual assault, was accused by 12 women of committing sexual assault, said some of those women weren t attractive enough for him to sexually assault, said more countries should get nukes, said he would force the military to commit war crimes, said a judge was biased because his parents were Mexicans, said women should be punished for having abortions, incited violence at his rallies, called global warming a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, called for his opponent to be jailed, declared bankruptcy six times, bragged about not paying income taxes, stiffed his contractors and employees, lost a billion dollars in one year, scammed customers at his fake university, bought a six-foot-tall painting of himself with money from his fake foundation, has a trial for fraud coming up in November, insulted an opponent s looks, insulted an opponent s wife s looks, and bragged about grabbing women by the pussy. How do you choose? Here s the video via YouTube.Seriously, if people can t recognize that Trump is the worst candidate running in this election they shouldn t be allowed to vote at all. The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. John F. KennedyFeatured Image: Screenshot | 1real |
MUST WATCH INTERVIEW! Judge Jeanine and AG Jeff Sessions On Immigration & Law: “This border is not open! If you come to America, come legally” [Video] | AG Jeff Sessions is a complete change from the lawless Obama administration. We are so lucky to have someone like Sessions running the Department of Justice! The interview below by Judge Jeanine is so worth the watch! They discuss immigration and lawfulness in America. Great interview!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BjW_JgrXuoOur Previous Report on Sessions at the Border another GREAT speech! THE TRUMP ERA : JEFF SESSIONS Puts An End To Obama s Open Border Policies With Law & Order [Video]Attorney General Jeff Sessions toured the Nogales, Arizona border today with the border patrol. He made a bold statement (transcript below) on law and order: This is a new era.This is a Trump era. Catch & release policies of the past are over .KEY POINTS FROM THE SPEECH:Starting today, federal prosecutors are now required to consider for prosecution all of the following offenses: The transportation or harboring of aliens. As you know too well, this is a booming business down here. No more. We are going to shut down and jail those who have been profiting off this lawlessness people smuggling gang members across the border, helping convicted criminals re-enter this country and preying on those who don t know how dangerous the journey can be. Further, where an alien has unlawfully entered the country, which is a misdemeanor, that alien will now be charged with a felony if they unlawfully enter or attempt enter a second time and certain aggravating circumstances are present. Also, aliens that illegally re-enter the country after prior removal will be referred for felony prosecution and a priority will be given to such offenses, especially where indicators of gang affiliation, a risk to public safety or criminal history are present. Fourth: where possible, prosecutors are directed to charge criminal aliens with document fraud and aggravated identity theft the latter carrying a two-year mandatory minimum sentence. Finally, and perhaps most importantly: I have directed that all 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices make the prosecution of assault on a federal law enforcement officer that s all of you a top priority. If someone dares to assault one of our folks in the line of duty, they will do federal time for it. The bottom line is that he s bringing back rule of law after the lawless Obama open borders policy.Border traffic is the lowest its been in 17 years but we need to keep at it! We re thinned that this administration means business when it comes to sovereignty!Attorney General Jeff Sessions: The catch and release policies of the past are over #TuesdayMotivation #BuildWall pic.twitter.com/OkhmZaD5In STOCK MONSTER (@StockMonsterUSA) April 11, 2017THE ENTIRE SPEECH FROM AG JEFF SESSIONS:TRANSCRIPT: Attorney General Jeff Sessions Delivers Remarks Announcing the Department of Justice s Renewed Commitment to Criminal Immigration Enforcement Nogales, AZUnited States ~ Tuesday, April 11, 2017Good morning, everyone. Let me start by thanking the brave men and women of Customs and Border Protection, who not only served as our gracious hosts today, but who put themselves in harm s way each day to secure our borders and protect us.Here, along our nation s southwest border, is ground zero in this fight. Here, under the Arizona sun, ranchers work the land to make an honest living, and law-abiding citizens seek to provide for their families.But it is also here, along this border, that transnational gangs like MS-13 and international cartels flood our country with drugs and leave death and violence in their wake. And it is here that criminal aliens and the coyotes and the document-forgers seek to overthrow our system of lawful immigration.Let s stop here for a minute. When we talk about MS-13 and the cartels, what do we mean? We mean criminal organizations that turn cities and suburbs into warzones, that rape and kill innocent citizens and who profit by smuggling poison and other human beings across our borders. Depravity and violence are their calling cards, including brutal machete attacks and beheadings.It is here, on this sliver of land, where we first take our stand against this filth.In this fight, I am here to tell you, the brave men and women of Customs and Border Protection: we hear you and we have your back. Under the President s leadership and through his Executive Orders, we will secure this border and bring the full weight of both the immigration courts and federal criminal enforcement to combat this attack on our national security and sovereignty.The President has made this a priority and already we are seeing the results. From January to February of this year, illegal crossings dropped by 40 percent, which was unprecedented. Then, last month, we saw a 72 percent drop compared to the month before the President was inaugurated. That s the lowest monthly figure for at least 17 years.This is no accident. This is what happens when you have a President who understands the threat, who is not afraid to publically identify the threat and stand up to it, and who makes clear to law enforcement that the leadership of their country finally has their back. Together, we will drastically reduce the danger posed by criminal aliens, gang members and cartel henchmen.To that end, the President and I want to do our best to arm you, and the prosecutors who partner with you, with more tools in your fight against criminal aliens. So today, I am pleased to stand here with you and announce new guidance regarding our commitment to criminal immigration enforcement. As we speak, I am issuing a document to all federal prosecutors that mandates the prioritization of such enforcement.Starting today, federal prosecutors are now required to consider for prosecution all of the following offenses:The transportation or harboring of aliens. As you know too well, this is a booming business down here. No more. We are going to shut down and jail those who have been profiting off this lawlessness people smuggling gang members across the border, helping convicted criminals re-enter this country and preying on those who don t know how dangerous the journey can be.Further, where an alien has unlawfully entered the country, which is a misdemeanor, that alien will now be charged with a felony if they unlawfully enter or attempt enter a second time and certain aggravating circumstances are present.Also, aliens that illegally re-enter the country after prior removal will be referred for felony prosecution and a priority will be given to such offenses, especially where indicators of gang affiliation, a risk to public safety or criminal history are present.Fourth: where possible, prosecutors are directed to charge criminal aliens with document fraud and aggravated identity theft the latter carrying a two-year mandatory minimum sentence.Finally, and perhaps most importantly: I have directed that all 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices make the prosecution of assault on a federal law enforcement officer that s all of you a top priority. If someone dares to assault one of our folks in the line of duty, they will do federal time for it.To ensure that these priorities are implemented, starting today, each U.S. Attorney s Office, whether on the border or interior, will designate an Assistant United States Attorney as the Border Security Coordinator for their District. It will be this experienced prosecutor s job to coordinate the criminal immigration enforcement response for their respective offices.For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country, be forewarned: This is a new era. This is the Trump era. The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws and the catch and release practices of old are over.In that vein, I am also pleased to announce a series of reforms regarding immigration judges to reduce the significant backlogs in our immigration courts.Pursuant to the President s executive order, we will now be detaining all adults who are apprehended at the border. To support this mission, we have already surged 25 immigration judges to detention centers along the border. I want to thank personally the judges who answered the call to help us with this new initiative.In addition, we will put 50 more immigration judges on the bench this year and 75 next year. We can no longer afford to wait 18 to 24 months to get these new judges on the bench. So today, I have implemented a new, streamlined hiring plan. It requires just as much vetting as before, but reduces the timeline, reflecting the dire need to reduce the backlogs in our immigration courts.With the President s Executive Orders on Border Security, Transnational Criminal Organizations and Public Safety as our guideposts, we will execute a strategy that once again secures the border; apprehends and prosecutes those criminal aliens that threaten our public safety; takes the fight to gangs like MS-13 and Los Zetas; and makes dismantlement and destruction of the cartels a top priority. We will deploy a multifaceted approach in these efforts: we are going to interdict your drugs on the way in, your money on the way out, and investigate and prosecute your trafficking networks to the fullest extent of the law.Why are we doing this? Because it is what the duly enacted laws of the United States require. I took an oath to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. How else can we look the parents and loved ones of Kate Steinle, Grant Ronnebeck and so many others in eye and say we are doing everything possible to prevent such tragedies from ever occurring again?Let me finish where I started, by thanking you the brave men and women in uniform who are at the front lines of this fight. I know we ask a tremendous amount from all of you, but know this: we have your back, and will do all we can to empower you and support you in your work.God bless you and thank you. | 1real |
Dissecting the Russian Doping Inquiry - The New York Times | A inquiry into allegations of doping in Russia, released Monday, confirmed a Russian ’s claims. The inquiry, commissioned by the World Agency, focused on Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov’s detailed account of cheating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Who is Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov? He is the former director of Russia’s antidoping lab who oversaw drug testing at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He resigned last November after another investigation accused Russia of doping that was coordinated by government officials and Dr. Rodchenkov. Dr. Rodchenkov did not fully cooperate with that inquiry, and after its results were published, he fled to the United States, fearing for his life in Russia, he said. When did he speak out, and what did he say? In Los Angeles in May, he told The New York Times that Russia had seen hosting the Olympics as an opportunity to control the antidoping lab results and allow athletes to use drugs throughout the competition. He said that at Sochi, he had carried out orders from the country’s sports ministry to “win at any cost,” protecting top Russian Olympians who were on steroids from getting caught. At least 15 Russian medalists at Sochi used banned substances, Dr. Rodchenkov’s records indicated. How did the scheme that he detailed work? Dr. Rodchenkov said he had received spreadsheets from the Russian sports ministry that named top athletes who were part of the doping program. In the months leading up to the Olympics, he said, those athletes collected their clean urine and provided it in containers — soda bottles and baby formula bottles, for example — that were stockpiled in a freezer. At Sochi, Dr. Rodchenkov said, he spent most nights, from around midnight on, replacing urine samples tainted by drugs with clean urine from the same athletes, somehow breaking into the supposedly bottles that are the standard at international competitions. He did so with the help of members of Russia’s intelligence service, he said. For hours each night, the small team worked in a shadow laboratory lit by a single lamp, passing bottles of urine through a hole in the wall, to be ready for testing the next day, Rodchenkov said. How could the bottles have been breached? Dr. Rodchenkov said he never saw the bottles being opened, and whether it is possible to successfully break into the bottles has certainly figured into the investigation that is to be reported on Monday. “Magicians were on duty,” he said, claiming that he had seen locked bottles disappear through the hole in the wall and return about an hour later, unlocked and with their caps intact. He theorized that the method the Russian intelligence service used to break into the bottles had something to do with the toothed metal rings that lock the bottles when the cap is twisted shut. In the months leading up to the Games, he said, a man that Dr. Rodchenkov believed to be working for the intelligence service collected hundreds of those rings from the Moscow lab, he said. Aren’t doping samples anonymous? How did he know whose urine was whose? Each urine sample is coded with a unique number. Dr. Rodchenkov said that athletes had taken pictures of their sample forms, including the code, and texted them to the ministry, offering forbidden insight into the samples. Is there any other way to prove what he said? Dr. Rodchenkov said that he had added table salt to some of the urine samples he tampered with to make the specific gravity — a chemistry measurement recorded on the samples — match the specifications of the original tainted samples. He has encouraged investigators to examine Russian athletes’ urine from Sochi — which is still being stored in a laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland — to test for excessive levels of table salt, and to examine the glass bottles for telltale scratches around their necks, where the interlocking metal rings sit. Who conducted the investigation? Richard McLaren, a Canadian lawyer, led the inquiry, which was commissioned in May by the World Agency. Mr. McLaren was also part of a independent investigation that, last year, accused Russia of widespread, doping. What will happen next? Any decision to discipline Russia would rest with international sports federations and the International Olympic Committee. Last month, the global track and field authorities barred Russian athletes from the Rio Games. WADA has indicated that it could recommend barring the entire Russian delegation. Over the weekend, several national antidoping organizations and athlete groups made it clear that they were preparing to ask the I. O. C. to bar the entire Russian Federation from the Games. The organizations discussing taking that extraordinary step included the antidoping agencies of the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and Switzerland. How will Russia react? Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s minister of sport, dismissed the significance of the McLaren investigation, which did not consult with him during its inquiry and which, along with WADA, does not have the power to do anything beyond issue recommendations to the I. O. C. and sports federations. Russia is challenging the ban imposed on its track and field team, and further legal action may follow if additional disciplinary measures are imposed. The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland is set to have a hearing this week regarding the ban on Russia’s track team, and a decision on that could come as soon as Wednesday. | 0fake |
Clinton Aide Jennifer Palmieri Blasts Trump for Being ‘Preoccupied’ with Russia | Former Clinton aide Jennifer Palmieri has blasted President Trump for being “preoccupied” with allegations of ties between Russia and the Trump campaign and called him “obsessed” with proving he is a legitimate president. Palmieri leveled these criticisms despite her role in the Clinton team’s constant efforts to delegitimize the president by making claims about alleged Russian interference in the election. [Palmieri, who served as the communications director for the Clinton campaign, told the New York Times in a weekend article that Trump’s tweeting after his firing of FBI Director James Comey shows he is “more preoccupied” with the Russia controversy than once thought. “What we’ve really learned is either he’s worried about Russia because he’s got a significant vulnerability or he’s worried about Russia because it undermines his electoral win,” Palmieri said. “He’s clearly been more preoccupied with it than we understood. ” Later in the article, Palmieri expressed shock about Trump’s frequent references to his win in November. “It is remarkable,” she said. “Has there been a president ever who’s been that obsessed about proving that he’s legitimate?” Yet Palmieri’s remarks, and the Times’ reporting, ignores the role Palmieri — as well as others on the Clinton campaign team — have played in trying to delegitimize Trump’s election. The recent book on the failed Clinton campaign, Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign, documents that the narrative of how Russia was partly to blame for Clinton’s loss was formulated within 24 hours of Clinton’s concession. That narrative has been peddled by Clinton aides and media outlets ever since. Just last week, Clinton campaign chair, John Podesta, tweeted out a video claiming to “connect the dots” between Russia and Trump. Palmieri retweeted the rambling minute video complete with meandering spider diagrams: Watch this: https: . — Jennifer Palmieri (@jmpalmieri) May 12, 2017, On Friday, the Washington Post published an by Podesta, which called for the firing of Trump’s top aides who refuse to speak “truth to power,” and called for “a special counsel to investigate Russia’s interference in our election, possible collusion by the Trump campaign, and Trump’s ongoing attempts to interfere in the investigation. ” That was tweeted twice by Palmieri, the second time with the caption “So good, had to retweet again. ” In March, Palmieri wrote a piece for the Washington Post, ominously titled “The Clinton campaign warned you about Russia. But nobody listened to us”: Now that Trump is president, though, the stakes are higher, because the Russian plot succeeded. The lessons we campaign officials learned in trying to turn the Russia story against Trump can help other Democrats (and all Americans) figure out how to treat this interference no longer as a matter of electoral politics but as the threat to the republic that it really is. At an event in New York in May, Clinton herself blamed Russia for her election woes. While saying she took responsibility for her election defeat, she then blamed that defeat on alleged Russian interference in the election, as well as Comey’s actions related to the FBI’s investigation into her private email use. “I was on the way to winning until the combination of Jim Comey’s letter on October 28 and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off,” she said. At that event, she also described herself as “part of the resistance” — not something that someone who believed the occupant of the White House is legitimate would normally say. Adam Shaw is a Politics Reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter: @AdamShawNY. | 0fake |
MASSIVE MI VOTER FRAUD UNCOVERED? 59% Of Detroit Vote Counting Machines Didn’t Work On Election Day…Ballots May Have Been Counted Several Times…Votes Were Certified Anyway | One-third of precincts in Wayne County could be disqualified from an unprecedented statewide recount of presidential election results because of problems with ballots.Michigan s largest county voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, but officials couldn t reconcile vote totals for 610 of 1,680 precincts during a countywide canvass of vote results late last month.Most of those are in heavily Democratic Detroit, where the number of ballots in precinct poll books did not match those of voting machine printout reports in 59 percent of precincts, 392 of 662.According to state law, precincts whose poll books don t match with ballots can t be recounted. If that happens, original election results stand. It s not good, conceded Daniel Baxter, elections director for the city of Detroit.He blamed the discrepancies on the city s decade-old voting machines, saying 87 optical scanners broke on Election Day. Many jammed when voters fed ballots into scanners, which can result in erroneous vote counts if ballots are inserted multiple times. Poll workers are supposed to adjust counters to reflect a single vote but in many cases failed to do so, causing the discrepancies, Baxter said.Even so, Baxter said it s unlikely all 392 of the city s precincts with mismatched numbers will be disqualified from a recount. The city is in contact with elections officials at the state of Michigan and Baxter predicted the numbers will match when the ballot boxes are re-opened for the recount, which starts Tuesday in Wayne County at Cobo Center. It s a challenge, but we re confident the ballots will match, Baxter said. I don t think it s going to be 100 percent, but it never is with a recount. County reports obtained by The Detroit News, though, indicate canvassers were provided no explanation for why the numbers didn t add up in those precincts. They certified the results of the election anyway.U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith ordered the hand recount of 4.8 million ballots just after midnight Monday, granting a motion in favor of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. It began Monday in Oakland and Ingham counties and continues at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Kalamazoo, Kent, Macomb, Ottawa, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.The recount will begin throughout the rest of Michigan s 83 counties in phases this week.Republican President-elect Donald Trump won Michigan by a razor-thin margin, 10,704 votes. Presumably, Clinton s best opportunity to eliminate that margin rested in finding uncounted ballots in Wayne County, which she carried by a 2-1 ratio.Besides Wayne, Clinton carried Oakland, Washtenaw, Genesee, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Marquette and Muskegon counties.None had nearly as many problems as Wayne. But at least 13 of 222 precincts in Genesee County are not balanced. More than half of those were in heavily Democratic Flint, according to county canvassing reports. The election was still certified by its board of canvassers. The trouble is there s too much leniency with the board of canvassers, said John Gleason, Genesee County s clerk. They re not as stringent as need to be because they think it won t affect the outcome of the election. Gleason, who estimated the recount will cost the cash-strapped county $100,000, said he expects the numbers to reconcile when workers begin the county recount on Wednesday. It s impossible to tell at this point how many will and how many won t be re-countable, added Joseph Rozell, elections director for Oakland County.In the first six hours of Ingham County s recount Monday, six of 30 precincts from Lansing could not be recounted. One of the ballot containers had a hole in it, making it susceptible to tampering and not recountable, county Clerk Barb Byrum said.Two tries to match numbersState law spells out a prescribed criteria for determining whether a precinct can be recounted. Workers first check to make sure the number of ballots on the seal of the container matches the ballots recorded by workers on Election Day. If the seal number matches, then we know it s not been tampered with, Rozell said.If numbers don t match, then workers can count all of the ballots in the precinct twice to see if there was an error made by workers on Election Night. If it does not match after the second count, then it s not recountable, Rozell said.Entire precincts can be set aside in a recount if the ballots are stored in an unapproved container or if it isn t properly sealed.At Ingham County s recount operation Monday at the county s fairgrounds in Mason, ballots were stored in suitcase-like containers that were sealed with plastic zip-ties that had to be cut for workers to take out the ballots.Byrum plans to have the ballot bags guarded each night during the recount by a sheriff s deputy. Detroit News | 1real |
Valerie June: The First Time I Lost a Parent - The New York Times | Although my dad was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever known, his life seemed to be fully focused on his family and his businesses. My father had two companies: Music Makers Productions, where he promoted the likes of Prince and Bobby Womack, and Hockett Construction and Demolition Company, where he made the bulk of his living for his wife and five kids. We all worked for my father. Mr. Red, one of my father’s best and only friends, was his foreman. He didn’t drive, so we’d all load into the van and head to Bemis, Tenn. to pick him up. Then we’d gather a few more workers and drive to the job site with our hammers and helmets, ready for a long day of labor beneath the steamy, Southern sun. Mr. Red kept us on our feet. As kids, my brothers would drive forklifts and operate bulldozers and backhoes. I can remember pulling bricks from the walls of the buildings we demolished. We’d roll them out in a wheelbarrow to be cleaned, knocking away the mortar with a hatchet. Then, after loading them onto the back of my father’s we’d head to Memphis to sell them to the brickyards. My father salvaged everything from the demolition jobs: tubs, scrap metal, lumber, sinks. He even found a baby grand piano once. As we made our way back home to Jackson, Tenn. in the dark of night, I’d always pray for him. My parents were not silent about the obstacles they faced as black owners in the South. They shared their journey with us to make us stronger and to inspire us to live our dreams regardless of the challenges. They made us work for the things we wanted. But my father worked so hard that it broke my heart. I was worried that his body would not be able to take the labor much longer. Three years ago, my fears came true. He suffered a major heart attack and learned he had heart disease. The doctors commanded him to stop working, and he was put on a left ventricular assist device to keep his heart beating. A year later, he had a stroke that greatly affected his brain. Our hopes of a heart transplant went out the window. He had around three years to live. I was determined to make them the best. I’d been living in New York for years, but I returned home every month or two just to take him out for an ice cream cone or a drive. He loved to be on the open roads of Tennessee. The stroke left him with early signs of dementia, so we often had a hard time telling if he knew what was going on. On the road one day, he directed me to a trailer in Obion County, Tenn. He told me to knock on the door to see if his friend Bubba was there. As dogs were wildly barking, a man came to the door and said that Bubba had been dead for 10 years. I told my father the news, and we drove to Union City, Tenn, his birthplace. Once again, he directed me to a house and asked me to see if Frank was there. He was dead, too. Both Bubba and Frank had been his workers. When we got home, I pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. My father sat there for a while and then said, “I guess all my friends have died and gone. ” It was as if he was trying to decide whether to stay or to go. On Nov. 14, my father passed away. He was 63. Luckily, we were all able to fly home to be with him that day in the hospital. I come from a singing family. We held hands in a circle around him and sang songs from our childhood. We sang songs we used to sing at church and songs we used to sing to get through the hard work days. I was holding my father’s hand when I felt his spirit leave his body. Looking back, I see that my father’s companies were his form of art, and I find myself still learning lessons from the years we worked side by side. Music promotion was his passion, but construction was his source of financial stability. So many times on the path toward manifesting my own musical dream, I have leaned on the work foundation he and my mother laid for us. The things we are passionate about are fueled by mundane tasks. All is necessary. My father’s goals fed each other. Without construction, there would have been no music promotion. Without his music promotion, I never would have followed a musical path myself. His dream became my own. Always supportive of me, he sang on my song “Shake Down,” one of the greatest gifts he left me. As a vocalist, I treasure the sound of his voice. And I am in awe of his limited time on earth. | 0fake |
Donald Trump Close to Picking Ben Carson as Housing Secretary - The New York Times | WASHINGTON — Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who ran an outsider’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and later backed Donald J. Trump, is likely to be chosen as secretary of housing and urban development, according to a person close to the Trump transition, suggesting that the is seeking diversity in an administration that has started off predominantly white and male. Mr. Carson would be the first member of Mr. Trump’s cabinet — and a familiar face to millions of Americans after a Republican primary campaign in which he briefly soared to the top of the polls. Mr. Trump has begun meeting with a wider array of prospects, either for advice or as potential cabinet picks. He is also considering Harold Ford Jr. an former Democratic representative from Tennessee, for transportation secretary or another post, though that process has not yet become serious, a Trump official said. Interviewed on Tuesday on the Fox News program “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” Mr. Carson said the had offered him multiple positions in his cabinet. Asked specifically about the housing job, he replied, “I would say that it was one of the offers on the table. ” Mr. Carson’s job prospects had gotten somewhat lost in the recent flurry of speculation about key national security positions, as well as his own misgivings about his qualifications. But on Tuesday, Mr. Carson thrust himself back into the spotlight, with an assist from Mr. Trump. “I am seriously considering Dr. Ben Carson as the head of HUD,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter, using the acronym for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “I’ve gotten to know him well — he’s a greatly talented person who loves people!” In recent days, Mr. Trump has broadened the list of people he is consulting to include Michelle Rhee, a former District of Columbia schools chancellor Representative Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii Democrat who is the first Hindu member of Congress and Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina, an . Mr. Ford, with whom he has not yet met, is a regular commentator on the MSNBC show “Morning Joe,” whose host, Joe Scarborough, Mr. Trump regularly calls for advice. So far, however, his picks have consisted of five white men: Stephen K. Bannon as chief strategist in the White House, Reince Priebus as chief of staff, Senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser, and Representative Mike Pompeo as director of the C. I. A. Mr. Trump is also rumored to be close to naming Gen. James N. Mattis as secretary of defense. While not as vocal as other supporters like Rudolph W. Giuliani or Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Mr. Carson has been a steadfast backer of Mr. Trump. He went on television to defend him after the release of an “Access Hollywood” tape in which Mr. Trump spoke about groping women. But his last job was as director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, and he has little background in housing. In the Fox interview, Mr. Carson cited his childhood in Detroit and his experience treating patients as qualifications for the job. “I grew up in the inner city,” he said, “and have spent a lot of time there and have dealt with a lot of patients from that area and recognize that we cannot have a strong nation if we have weak inner cities, and we have to get beyond the promises and start really doing something. ” “You know, our inner cities are in terrible shape, and they definitely need some real attention,” Mr. Carson continued. “You know, there have been so many promises made over the last several decades, and nothing has been done, so it certainly is something that has been a interest of mine, and I’ll be thinking and praying about it seriously over the holiday. ” Mr. Carson’s remarks were a striking reversal from last week, when a friend of his said he had turned down an offer from Mr. Trump to be secretary of health and human services, citing his lack of experience in running a vast federal bureaucracy. “Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he’s never run a federal agency,” his friend Armstrong Williams told The Hill newspaper. “The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency. ” The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, had 8, 416 employees and an annual budget of $32. 6 billion as of 2014. On his own Facebook page, Mr. Carson has said he would prefer to remain an outside adviser to Mr. Trump. “My decision not to seek a cabinet position in the Trump administration has nothing to do with the complexity of the job, as is being reported by some news outlets,” Mr. Carson said. “I believe it is vitally important for the Trump administration to have many outspoken friends and advisers who are outside of the Washington bubble. ” The relationship between Mr. Carson and Mr. Trump has had its ups and downs. Before the primaries, when Mr. Carson was riding high in the polls, Mr. Trump accused his rival of having a “pathological temper. ” He based his accusation on a passage in “Gifted Hands,” Mr. Carson’s autobiography, in which he described having a strong temper and said that when he became angry, “I grabbed the nearest brick, rock or stick to bash someone. ” During the debates, however, Mr. Trump generally spared Mr. Carson the cutting remarks he aimed at Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Later, when Mr. Carson endorsed Mr. Trump, he conceded that it was difficult to reconcile the bombastic figure on the trail with what he described as a more thoughtful person behind closed doors. “There’s the one you see on the stage,” Mr. Carson said, “and there’s the one who’s very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully. ” | 0fake |
Lessons in the Delicate Art of Confronting Offensive Speech - The New York Times | What if Billy Bush had just changed the subject? As unlikely as that may sound to anyone who has heard the infamous 2005 tape of Donald J. Trump boasting about sexually accosting women to the chuckling encouragement of Mr. Bush, an “Access Hollywood” host at the time, it just might have stifled the celebrity billionaire. A body of psychological research shows that even mild pushback against offensive remarks can have an instant effect — as difficult as that can be, especially with a boss, a friend or a celebrity. It is research worth considering in a political season when ethnic, racist and sexual slurs, not to mention general insults, seem to have become part of everyday chatter. Polls show that people are increasingly unhappy with the tenor of the national debate but unsure what to do about the decline in civility. Researchers have detailed the difficulty of confronting prejudice, but they have also found that even the politest of objections — or subtle corrections to loaded words — can almost instantly curb a speaker’s behavior. With a clearer understanding of the dynamics of such confrontation, psychologists say, people can develop tactics that can shut down the unsavory talk without ruining relationships, even when the offender has more status or power: a fraternity president, say, or a team captain or employer. The alternative is passive complicity, psychologists say. “When we hear this egregious, uncomfortable talk and we don’t speak up, what’s actually happening is that the person speaking is getting a green light,” said Sharyn J. Potter, of the Prevention Innovations Research Center, at the University of New Hampshire. “It encourages them. ” It hardly takes a psychologist to explain the difficulty inherent in any such confrontation. “Simply saying, ‘I don’t appreciate that comment,’ or ‘That’s not cool’ — well, people aren’t going to like you very much after that,” said Linda Tropp, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “But they do get defensive, and change their behavior quickly. ” It is important to realize that you don’t have to make a dramatic, principled stand. “We don’t want bystanders to think they have to fly in with their Superman cape,” said Dr. Potter, who is also an associate professor of sociology. There are many approaches people can use to stop talk they find noxious, say experts in what is known as bystander education. Among them: distraction, such as abruptly changing the subject. “Even in the locker room, guys can change the conversation, they can spray people with water, or crank up the music,” Dr. Potter said. Rather than calling out the speaker and shaming him or her publicly, which can carry the risk of retaliation, you could make it about you. “You could say: ‘This is bothering me. One of my good friends was raped. ’” Dr. Potter said. “If you put it on yourself, that might feel safer. ” Or you can try humor. Gail Stern, an educator and a of Catharsis Productions, which gives sexual violence prevention training on college campuses and in the military, said that one deft approach might be to assume that the speaker is being outrageous on purpose, and to respond with something like this: “I love satire. It’s so weird that people believe that for real and it’s so cool you called that out. ” She calls that tactic “verbal aikido,” after the Japanese martial art whose practitioners defend themselves by redirecting an opponent’s attack. An essential component of bystander intervention training is to get participants to imagine their own responses to scenarios. The goal is to get people to arm themselves with approaches that feel natural and innate, rather than outfitting them with model scripts. “If you have a plan in your head, then you can use it,” Dr. Potter said. Psychologists who study the effects of such confrontation divide offensive behavior into two loose categories. One includes strangers acting out — a mother who slaps a toddler, a boy who punches his girlfriend — and bystanders, when they react, tend to do so viscerally and quickly. The other category includes offensive jokes or references among people who know one another, like friends or . In those cases, there are more gray areas, as well as personality factors to consider and often a relationship at stake. Objections, if they come, often take a little longer than bystander intervention does. Deborah Cameron, a professor of language and communication at the University of Oxford, said that sexual banter often takes place among men who are friends, and that “the function of it is to promote bonding. ” Men may feel that if they challenge conversation they find tasteless, or simply don’t join in, “they’re spoiling the mood at a minimum and possibly putting their relationship to the group at risk,” she said. And sometimes they worry that “it will raise doubts about their masculinity or heterosexuality,” or that they will become targets of bullying, said Ms. Cameron, author of “The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages?” Yet subtle objections can stop people in midsentence, in some cases prompting later reflection, psychologists have found. In one type of experiment, for example, study participants guess the occupations of people based on a photograph and limited information, like “spends most of his days walking the streets” or “does regular housework. ” Most of these profiles are ethnically neutral. But some are ringers. The photo of a black man who “walks the streets” often prompts guesses of “homeless” rather than mail carrier and a black woman who depends on money from the government gets identified as a welfare mom instead of a government employee or a student with loans. Then the researchers, under the guise of fellow participants, push back. “We confront them in a variety of ways, sometimes harshly — ‘That’s racist!’ — and sometimes much less so, appealing to equality: ‘Shouldn’t everyone be treated the same? ’” said Alexander Czopp, director of the Center for Research at Western Washington University. “Depending on how the confrontation is done, the participants might show different levels of defensiveness and anger right away but they usually show less attitudes on tests we do later. ” David Fleischer, director of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Leadership Lab, often sends gay and transgender people into socially conservative districts to do canvassing. “We have to handle these situations all the time,” said Mr. Fleischer, now canvassing in Cleveland. “We are seeking out people who are prejudiced, and they’re using offensive language. And if you correct that language, just use different words yourself, and your tone and demeanor are kind, people are very responsive, and you don’t have to get into a screaming match. ” In a recent study, Mr. Fleischer and other researchers found that this kind of canvassing can soften the views of some 10 percent of voters — a large shift when it comes to political behavior, and one that has prompted wider training in such cordial, respectful “correcting” of language. Of course, most people never get any training they make judgments on the fly, about costs, tactics and personal integrity. And some are more likely to speak up than others, new research suggests. Aneeta Rattan, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the London Business School and Carol Dweck of Stanford found in a recent study that people who are optimistic and believe that others can change — that a bigot, with time, can change stripes — are more likely than the pessimists to say something. “In that sense,” Dr. Rattan said, “this work suggests that your belief system about others can either be a barrier or a staircase where you can take that first step — even if it’s just saying, ‘I disagree. ’” | 0fake |
Concert plus campaign: Clinton turns to celebrities in homestretch | By Reuters 7:16 pm Heading into the homestretch of the presidential campaign, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is looking to harness some celebrity star power to help get out the vote and energize volunteers in battleground states.
By Roberta Rampton
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – Heading into the homestretch of the presidential campaign, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is looking to harness some celebrity star power to help get out the vote and energize volunteers in battleground states.
Jennifer Lopez will headline a free concert for Clinton supporters in Miami on Saturday, giving the former secretary of state a chance to connect with the key demographic of millennials she has sometimes struggled to reach – and some visual counter-programming to the latest email controversy to roil her race for the White House.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday it is investigating more emails as part of a probe into Clinton’s use of a private email system – a late-breaking surprise that will likely continue to get extensive media play leading up to the Nov. 8 vote
Celebrity-driven events like the concert “can serve as a bit of a distraction” from the controversy, said Eric Kasper, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
“It is a way to kind of take the edge off things because it tends to be more positive,” Kasper said.
The JLo concert is the first in a series. Next week, Clinton will take the stage with Jay Z in Cleveland, and then with Katy Perry in Philadelphia on Nov. 5.
A Harvard University poll this week showed that among likely voters aged 18 to 29, Clinton is leading Republican rival Donald Trump, a celebrity in his own right who starred in the reality television show “The Apprentice.”
But turnout is a concern. The exceptionally negative tone of this year’s race for the White House has soured young Americans on politics, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows.
Presidential candidates have long sought to create buzz with help from celebrity pals, said Tevi Troy, who chronicled the strategy in his book “What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, and Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Pop Culture in the White House.”
“Campaigns do it to reach out to people who are not necessarily interested in politics but are interested in pop culture,” said Troy, a presidential historian who worked in the George W. Bush White House.
The events are like a larger version of a campaign yard sign, a way to show a “groundswell” of support behind a candidate – and a way to appeal to fans of the musicians, said Kasper, who has studied the intersection between pop culture and politics.
“It can create a kind of psychological connection that we otherwise might not have when a politician endorses a presidential candidate, for instance,” Kasper said.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Concert plus campaign: Clinton turns to celebrities in homestretch added by Reuters on Sat, Oct 29th, 2016 | 1real |
UNBELIEVABLE: IL City Denies Re-zoning Request For Islamic Worship Center…That’s When Obama’s Radical DOJ Stepped In | Mums the word on Christian persecution in the White House. Just let them get a whiff of possible injustice against a Muslim in America and Obama s radicalized DOJ is on it, like a dog on a bone In its latest effort to protect Muslim rights in the United States the Obama Justice Department is suing an Illinois town for denying a rezoning application to convert an office building into an Islamic temple. Failing to approve plans for the Islamic worship center violates a 2000 law known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed this week in federal court. The accused are lawmakers in Des Plaines, a Chicago suburb with a population of about 60,000. In 2013 the Des Plaines City Council voted 5-3 to reject a rezoning request made by the American Islamic Center (AIC) to make a vacant office building in a manufacturing zone to an institutional zone that would allow a worship center.The plan called for 3,661 square feet of worship space that would be used for prayer services on Fridays and Sundays as well as nightly prayers during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast and commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. The new temple would also be used for youth group events and other gatherings, according the rezoning application.In nixing the plan, Des Plaines aldermen expressed concern about the loss of tax revenue since religious institutions are nonprofits that don t pay taxes. They also cited traffic and safety issues for voting against the project.In its lawsuit the DOJ dismisses those issues and claims that the city s treatment and denial of AICs rezoning requests constitutes the imposition or implementation of a land use regulation that imposes a substantial burden on AICs religious exercise. Denying a city zoning change to accommodate a Muslim temple also discriminates against the Islamic group on the basis of religion, according to the feds. Attorney General Loretta Lynch wants the court to issue an order forcing Des Plaines to let AIC construct its worship center in the city. The ability to establish a place for collective worship is a fundamental protection of the First Amendment and our civil rights laws, said Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ s bloated civil rights division, in a statement announcing the lawsuit. The Justice Department will remain vigilant in its mission to ensure that all religious groups enjoy the right to practice their faiths freely. The federal prosecutor handling the case in Illinois said the freedom to practice the religion of one s choosing is a precious right in our country and the DOJ will continue to enforce the laws that protect this important right. The DOJ s enthusiasm for protecting Muslim rights is in a class of its own, however. Back in 2010 Obama s first Attorney General, Eric Holder, personally reassured Muslims of DOJ protection during an address at a San Francisco-based organization (Muslim Advocates) that urges members not to cooperate in federal terrorism investigations. It was a first for the nation s top federal prosecutor to publicly condone illegal behavior. A few years later the DOJ warned against using social media to spread information considered inflammatory against Muslims and threatened that it could constitute a violation of civil rights.One of the biggest and most unbelievable moves by the DOJ came in 2012 when it issued a broad order changing the way the U.S. government trains federal agents to combat terrorism and violent extremism by eliminating all materials that shed a negative light on Muslims. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) actually destroyed instructional material that characterized Muslims as prone to violence or terrorism and hundreds of pages from the 9/11 attacks were purged because they were considered offensive to Muslims under the new initiative.In 2013 Judicial Watch published an in-depth report documenting and analyzing Islamist active measures and influence operations targeting anti-terrorism training in the U.S.Via: Family Security Matters | 1real |
Scientists Fascinated By Lake Under The Sea: Those Who Enter Never Come Out [Watch] | This underwater lake is actually helping scientists deal with a much bigger mystery. Credit: EVNautilus
It may seem impossible, but scientists have discovered what can only be deemed as a lake under the sea. Dubbed the “Jacuzzi of Despair,” the brine-filled pool is deadly for the majority of creatures that dare enter it but is proving to be highly informational for those that are studying it.
Located in the Gulf of Mexico, the lake rises about 12 feet off of the ocean floor and is four to five times saltier than the surrounding ocean. It’s also twice as warm, rich with methane, which is what makes it bubble like a jacuzzi, and is dense with hydrogen sulfide. This makes it incompatible with the sea water and a completely separate entity.
Dr. Erik Cordes, associate professor of biology at Temple University in Philadelphia who discovered the pool with several colleagues, told Seeker,
“It was one of the most amazing things in the deep sea. You go down into the bottom of the ocean and you are looking at a lake or a river flowing. It feels like you are not on this world.”
Since the conditions of the pool are so foreign to humans and most of the creatures living under the sea, it’s allowing scientists to get a glimpse of what life might be like in extreme circumstances. What started as an interesting lake in the middle of the ocean has now become the heart of experimentation for one of the most mysterious subjects known to man: space. Dr. Cordes said,
“There’s a lot of people looking at these extreme habitats on Earth as models for what we might discover when we go to other planets.The technology development in the deep sea is definitely going to be applied to the worlds beyond our own.”
What makes the pool even more unique is that it has a lively ecosystem that has evolved throughout the centuries to include more species. While larger animals, such as deep-sea crabs, die as soon as they enter the pool, other creatures have adapted to the atmosphere of the water and even thrive on it. Giant mussels formed symbiotic bacteria in their gills to feed off of the hydrogen sulfide and methane gas from the pool and specially adapted shrimp and tube worms were able to survive the harsh conditions. Any other animals that entered were immediately killed, pickled by the salt, and preserved forever.
Watch the video below to see the beautiful lake for yourself and the creatures who did and did not survive the conditions.
Do you like our independent & investigative news? Then please check these two settings on Facebook to guarantee you don't miss our posts: | 1real |
Brexit deal on Irish border possible by Friday: EU Commission | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain s Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker may meet early on Friday to reach a deal on the Irish border after Brexit, a Commission spokesman said on Thursday. We are making progress but not yet fully there. Talks are continuing throughout the night. Early morning meeting possible, the spokesman said on Twitter. Juncker spoke by telephone to May and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, the spokesman said. | 0fake |
A Drumbeat of Multiple Shootings, but America Isn’t Listening - The New York Times | CINCINNATI — After the slaughter of nine worshipers at a South Carolina church last June, but before the massacre of eight students and a teacher at an Oregon community college in October, there was a shooting that the police here have labeled Incident 159022597. 01. It happened on a clear Friday night at an Elks Lodge, on a modest block of clapboard houses northeast of this city’s hilly downtown. Unlike the butchery that bookended it, it merited no presidential statements, no saturation television coverage. But what took place at 6101 Prentice Street on Aug. 21 may say more about the nature of gun violence in the United States than any of those far more famous rampages. It is a snapshot of a different sort of mass violence — one that erupts with such anesthetic regularity that it is rendered almost invisible, except to the mostly black victims, survivors and attackers. According to the police account, more than 30 people had gathered in the paneled basement bar of the lodge to mark the 39th birthday of a man named Greg Wallace when a former neighbor, Timothy Murphy, showed up, drunk. Fists flew. Mr. Murphy ducked out the door, burst back in with a handgun, and opened fire. As partygoers scrambled for the door, he chased Greg Wallace’s younger brother Dawaun to a tiny bathroom, where he shot him nine times before the violence spilled out onto the street. There, another Wallace relative, also armed with a handgun, fired back at him. By the end, 27 bullets had flown, hitting seven people: Mr. Murphy, who died Dawaun Wallace, who was grievously wounded four bystanders, one of whom was hit in the genitals, another in the leg. And Barry Washington. A seasonal packer for Amazon. com, Mr. Washington, 56, had stopped at the lodge on his way to the store for cigarettes, said his sister, Jaci Washington. He was in the bathroom when Mr. Murphy cornered Dawaun Wallace there. A single bullet pierced Mr. Washington’s arm, then his heart. He left behind a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, a mother and four grandchildren. “My brother died on the floor of a bathroom for no reason,” Ms. Washington said. “He had nothing to do with the whole situation. I can’t believe I lost my brother like this. ” Yet many in the neighborhood where they grew up, she said, responded with a shrug. “The reality is, this happens quite frequently,” she said. “And it’s kind of, ‘Oh, well, this guy was killed today. Somebody else will be killed tomorrow.’ ” That is more than correct. The Elks Lodge episode was one of at least 358 armed encounters nationwide last year — nearly one a day, on average — in which four or more people were killed or wounded, including attackers. The toll: 462 dead and 1, 330 injured, sometimes for life, typically in bursts of gunfire lasting but seconds. In some cities, law enforcement officials say a growing share of shootings involve more than one victim, possibly driven by increased violence between street gangs. But data are scarce. Seeking deeper insight into the phenomenon, The New York Times identified and analyzed these 358 shootings with four or more casualties, drawing on two databases assembled from news reports and citizen contributors, and then verifying details with law enforcement agencies. Only a small handful were mass shootings like those in South Carolina and Oregon. The rest are a pencil sketch of everyday America at its most violent. They chronicle how easily lives are shattered when a firearm is readily available — in a waistband, a glove compartment, a mailbox or garbage can that serves as a gang’s gun locker. They document the mayhem spawned by the most banal of offenses: a push in a bar, a Facebook taunt, the wrong choice of music at a house party. They tally scores of unfortunates in the wrong place at the wrong time: an clinging to his mother’s hip, shot as she prepared to load him into a car a church deacon, killed by a stray bullet while watching television on his couch. The shootings took place everywhere, but mostly outdoors: at neighborhood barbecues, family reunions, music festivals, basketball tournaments, movie theaters, housing project courtyards, Sweet 16 parties, public parks. Where motives could be gleaned, roughly half involved or suggested crime or gang activity. Arguments that spun out of control accounted for most other shootings, followed by acts of domestic violence. The typical victim was a man between 18 and 30, but more than 1 in 10 were 17 or younger. Less is known about those who pulled the triggers because nearly half of the cases remain unsolved. But of those arrested or identified as suspects, the average age was 27. Most of the shootings occurred in economically downtrodden neighborhoods. These shootings, by and large, are not a phenomenon. The divide is racial as well. Among the cases examined by The Times were 39 domestic violence shootings, and they largely involved white attackers and victims. So did many of the massacres, including a wild shootout between Texas biker gangs that left nine people dead and 18 wounded. Over all, though, nearly of victims and suspected assailants whose race could be identified were black. Some experts suggest that helps explain why the drumbeat of dead and wounded does not inspire more outrage. “Clearly, if it’s we don’t get the same attention because most people don’t identify with that. Most Americans are white,” said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston. “People think, ‘That’s not my world. That’s not going to happen to me.’ ” Michael Nutter, a former Philadelphia mayor, who is black, said that society would not be so complacent if whites were dying from gun violence at the same rate as blacks. “The general view is it’s one bad black guy who has shot another bad black guy,” he said. “And so, one less person to worry about. ” Droves of experts study massacres by assailants, usually driven by mental disorders, at schools, workplaces and other public spaces. Academics regularly crunch data on single homicides and assaults. But the shootings that wound or kill several victims — a relatively small subset of the shootings that kill nearly 11, 000 people and wound roughly 60, 000 more each year — are uncharted territory for researchers, said Richard B. Rosenfeld, a professor of criminology at the University of . Louis. The Times compiled its list of 358 shootings with four or more casualties from largely lists managed by the social media network Reddit and Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization. The groups recently combined their efforts at the website gunviolencearchive. org. Four or more casualties is a far broader measure than “mass shootings,” which are commonly defined as the killing of at least four people, not including the attacker. But it captures many victims who some criminologists say are too often ignored: people who might have died given a slightly different trajectory of a bullet, or medical care. Counting assailants among casualties increased the total number of cases by fewer than three dozen, most of them domestic violence shootings that ended in suicide. Hispanics were not separately identified, because police reports do not systematically identify victims and suspects by ethnicity, only by race. There are 358 reasons for those 358 shootings, though some remain a mystery in about a fourth of the cases, investigators have discerned no motive. As for the rest, some patterns stand out. The fewest occurred while another felony, such as a burglary, was underway. Domestic violence shootings were nearly as infrequent, but were among the deadliest. About a third were provoked by arguments, typically or often over petty grievances. A sampling: Outside a crowded bar in Decatur, Ill. a customer found an expensive watch. When another man insisted it was his, the customer pulled out a semiautomatic handgun, shot the man in the face and wounded four people near him. After a day of drinking, singing karaoke and watching football, four friends in a small town north of Baton Rouge, La. got into a fight — some said over the choice of music. One shot the other three, then killed himself. Outside an Orlando, Fla. housing project, lewd comments about a young man’s pregnant girlfriend resulted in 15 to 20 gunshots. A boy who peered out his window at the fracas was struck directly in one eye. One of three wounded adults later acknowledged that “a fist fight would have settled the issue,” the police report said. Another third of the 358 cases — and the most common in cities with more than 250, 000 residents — were either or were shootings typical of gangs. But the police and prosecutors say many of those were not directly linked to criminal activity, such as a dispute over a drug deal. More often, a minor — a boast, an insult, a decision to play basketball on another gang’s favorite court — was taken as a sign of disrespect and answered with a bullet, said Andrew V. Papachristos, a Yale University professor who studies gang behavior. Over all, of shootings took place outdoors, endangering innocent people. More than 100 bystanders, from toddlers to grandparents, were injured or killed. Among them: eight family members shot as they bade one another goodbye after a reunion in Philadelphia a soldier struck by a stray bullet during a shootout in a public square in Savannah, Ga. a college sophomore killed when a gunman sprayed a crowd outside an Ocala, Fla. club. In Cincinnati, where last year’s toll of 479 gun deaths and injuries was the highest in nine years, a growing share of shootings involves more than one victim — 1 in 8 attacks with guns in the first half of last year compared with 1 in 12 over the same span in 2010. Police officials in some other cities have noted a similar trend, though others say they have not. What is behind the upticks, they said, is a matter of speculation. In Rochester, shootings accounted for fewer than 15 percent of victims in 2006 so far this year, they make up 38 percent. Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said that he suspected that social media was playing a role by simultaneously catalyzing minor disputes into deadly standoffs and drawing more people into them. Larry C. Smith, interim chief of police in Durham, N. C. and a veteran of the force, said, “Are we starting to reap the age? I don’t know. ” “But five, or certainly 10 years ago,” he added, “it wasn’t like this. ” The Elks Lodge shooting was one of five last year in Cincinnati that resulted in at least four casualties. The others took place on street corners, on a front porch and at a cookout in a parking lot. Police officials say they suspect that as many as half of the 24 victims were not the intended targets community workers blame gunmen who are often high on drugs or are drunk. “They are not marksmen,” said Aaron Pullins, an worker. “They don’t know how to hold the gun. They just shoot. ” Investigators have linked three of those shootings to gangs, although like many of their counterparts in other cities, they say the word gang conjures up a false image of a hierarchical criminal organization. Instead, they describe fluid, sometimes tiny bands of teenagers and young adults bound by illegal activity. “They are groups of friends who rob and shoot each other,” Detective Greg Gehring said. “That’s just what they do. ” And they do it all too well. Last year such groups accounted for 40 of Cincinnati’s 58 gun homicides and more than half of its 421 nonfatal shootings. Two of the five shootings with four or more casualties occurred just 300 feet apart in East Westwood, an impoverished neighborhood with high unemployment and dropout rates, on a block that averaged a shooting nearly every other month. A third occurred a mile away. That pattern is typical: Urban gun violence tends to spread around specific blocks or intersections, like a contagious disease. Rival gang members, seeking revenge for an earlier shooting, had already tried to run Jonathan Austin, 24, off the road when they caught up to him in early December outside the Schwarz Market in East Westwood, the police said. They chased him and his friends for an entire block, firing up to 50 shots. Mr. Austin was killed. Three of his friends were injured, including an who was shot repeatedly in the back, damaging his spine. Detective Gehring said that when he talked to the teenager last month, he was bedridden in his mother’s apartment, worried he would never move his legs again. With the help of the market’s surveillance video and one witness, the police arrested a felon on charges of murder and illegal possession of a weapon. But as many as five other gunmen got away. A few weeks ago, one of the suspects was shot 11 times, possibly in retaliation, the detective said. Street violence is that way: Shootings beget shootings that beget more gunmen. Professor Papachristos, the gang expert, said the more violent the neighborhood, the more teenagers and young men seek safety in numbers. “The No. 1 reason people join gangs is for protection,” he said. “The perverse irony is they are then more at risk. ” Abdullah, 67 and with a neatly trimmed gray beard, is an turned outreach worker for Cincinnati’s Human Relations Commission. He or his were at the scenes of all five of Cincinnati’s shootings with four or more casualties last year, working the crowds outside the yellow police tape, trying to defuse the potential for further gunfire. They see themselves as stop signs for young black men bound for . They also see themselves as about the intersection of race and gun violence — a topic that neither the city’s mayor, who is white, nor its police chief, who is black, publicly addresses. “White folks don’t want to say it because it’s politically incorrect, and black folks don’t know how to deal with it because it is their children pulling the trigger as well as being shot,” said Mr. Abdullah, who is black. No one worries more about violence than . Surveys show that they are more fearful than whites that they will be crime victims and that they feel less safe in their neighborhoods. Most parents Mr. Abdullah meets are desperate to protect their children but are trapped in unsafe neighborhoods, he said, “just trying to survive. ” And some are in denial, refusing to believe that their sons are carrying or using pistols, even in the face of clear evidence. “ ‘Not my child,’ ” he said, adopting the resentful tone of a defensive mother. “ ‘It may be his friends, but not my child, because I know how I raised my child.’ ” His reply, he said, is blunt: “These are our children killing our children, slaughtering our children, robbing our children. It’s our responsibility first. ” make up 44 percent of Cincinnati’s nearly 300, 000 residents. But last year they accounted for 91 percent of shooting victims, and very likely the same share of suspects arrested in shootings, according to the city’s assistant police chief, Lt. Col. Paul Neudigate. Nationally, reliable racial breakdowns exist only for victims and offenders in gun homicides, not assaults, but those show a huge disparity. The gun homicide rate peaked in 1993, in tandem with a nationwide crack epidemic, and then plummeted over the next seven years. But blacks still die from gun attacks at six to 10 times the rate of whites, depending on whether the data is drawn from medical sources or the police. F. B. I. statistics show that who constitute about 13 percent of the population, make up about half of both gun homicide victims and their known or suspected attackers. “Every time we look at the numbers, we are pretty discouraged, I have to tell you,” said Gary LaFree, a professor of criminology at the University of Maryland. Some researchers say the single strongest predictor of gun homicide rates is the proportion of an area’s population that is black. But race, they say, is merely a proxy for poverty, joblessness and other disadvantages that help breed violence. Mr. Nutter, now an urban policy professor at Columbia University, spoke out repeatedly about the disparity during his eight years as Philadelphia’s mayor — and was accused of casting in a bad light. “Some people got upset,” he said. “I said, ‘I’ll stop talking about it when you stop killing each other.’ ” Cloaking the issue, he said, only makes it easier for the country to tune out what amounts to “mass murder occurring in slow motion every day. ” Both he and Mr. Abdullah say they wish some of the outrage over police killings of unarmed would spill over to victims who die in anonymity in routine gun violence. After a white University of Cincinnati police officer fatally shot an unarmed black driver in July, street protests erupted here, Mr. Abdullah noted. But “when we kill each other,” he said, “it seems an acceptable way of life. ” Every month, the outreach workers attend more ceremonies, outpourings of grief marked by teddy bears, high school photos, candles and scrawled tributes to the victim of the day. “I feel so burned out,” said Steve Sherman, one of the workers. “We go to vigil, after vigil, after vigil, after vigil. ” From his hospital bed, one of four young men shot last May at one of Cincinnati’s most violent intersections pointed a police officer to a suspect. He gave the man’s first name. And he suggested that he had been shot in retaliation for an earlier shooting in the same area. Officers were able to identify the suspect and confirm that his car had been shot up a few days earlier, said Police Specialist Mark Longworth, who headed the inquiry. But “that’s where this case died,” he said. The injured victim attributed his information purely to “street talk,” not to direct knowledge that would stand in court. Hints are not evidence. “It’s frustrating because if people would do the right thing, we could probably prevent some of these shootings from happening,” Specialist Longworth said. “But in that world, very few things are worse than being labeled a snitch. ” Nationally, nearly half of last year’s shootings with four or more casualties ended in the same way: no arrest often, not even a suspect. At least 160 assailants, responsible for 102 murders and 635 gun injuries, were still on the streets at year’s end. A case was more likely to be solved if one or more victims died — the situation in about half the cases. But even some double, triple and quadruple murders continue to stump investigators. The national clearance rate for homicides has fallen from nearly three in four in 1980 to fewer than two in three today. That is partly because public attention has driven down the share of domestic violence killings, which are routinely solved, Professor Rosenfeld said. Much of what remains are killings involving gangs, drugs and witnesses with criminal backgrounds who are wary of talking to the police. “You are left with a larger percentage of homicides that are more difficult for police to clear,” he said. A shift in law enforcement from solving crimes to preventing them has also contributed, as has rising distrust of the police in some cities, said Charles F. Wellford, emeritus professor of criminology at the University of Maryland. Still, he said, some law enforcement agencies are much worse at closing murder cases than others. Some of those same departments are worse at closing shootings with four or more casualties, too. In Baltimore, the police have not solved any of 11 shootings last year. New Orleans made arrests in only one of eight cases Chicago, two of 16. Cincinnati was more typical, solving two of its five cases, at least in part. Detective Charles Zopfi had real hopes of arresting the gunmen behind a shooting here last September. About 20 people had gathered on a warm Monday night for a cookout in a parking lot beside an apartment building. “There were kids and older people, not your usual crowd of to guys,” the detective said. As a car sped down the street, someone fired at least 10 bullets out a window. Detective Zopfi said he knew from experience how people respond in such situations: They look in the direction of the gunfire, and only then dive for cover. But eight months later, he said, he has been unable even to nail down whether the vehicle was black or green. He heard that of the five victims, a man was left paralyzed from the waist down. But that man refused to take his phone calls, then changed his telephone number. A wounded named Jabarri seemed the best hope of persuading witnesses to come forward, the detective said. Sometimes, the moral outrage over a child victim overwhelms the code of silence. And Jabarri, he said, was “the cutest little boy” who had smiled beguilingly at him from a hospital gurney even after being shot in the leg. At the detective’s request, Jabarri’s mother agreed to meet with a reporter. But when the reporter showed up at her home, she backed out, pleading a haircut appointment. “The code of silence is strictly enforced,” the detective said. Mr. Abdullah, the worker, talks to some of the victims and witnesses who will not give information to the police. “They are scared,” he said. “We have had cases where people found out who talked and that person wound up dead. ‘So if the police cannot protect me, why would I jeopardize my life and my family?’ ” “It’s so much bigger than the idea of ‘no snitching,’ ” he said. Barry Washington was a neighborhood fixture in Madisonville, a racially mixed community of small, neat homes in northeastern Cincinnati where he grew up. Slim, handsome and barely he had an infectious smile and a weakness for hats, from jaunty duckbills to baseball caps worn backward. He helped out families at the Presbyterian church, and brought household goods to the apartment he shared with his mother, Amanda. He was getting to know a son, then 37, whose existence he had only recently discovered. “An good guy,” said his sister, Jaci. “There wasn’t a woman who didn’t love him, or a man who didn’t want to hang out with him. ” A Mr. Washington could landscape a yard, operate a forklift, mend a torn basketball. He had to revert to odd jobs after the bus stopped running last year to Amazon. com’s northern Kentucky warehouse, where he had packed shipments. But his sister said he had planned to share an apartment near the warehouse so he could resume work there. Madisonville is neither Cincinnati’s safest nor its most dangerous neighborhood. The Washingtons had avoided brushes with gunmen, but Mr. Washington was wary even around ninth graders. “ ‘Be careful,’ ” his sister recalled him saying. “ ‘The little young kids are getting crazy.’ ” Sometime before 11 p. m. on Aug. 21, Mr. Washington left his apartment in a green pullover, telling his niece he needed cigarettes. His mother was in bed, watching a police drama. The next morning, Jaci Washington awoke to a blizzard of text messages about a shooting. She called her mother, who said her brother had not come home. Soon Amanda Washington’s phone rang: a detective, asking repeatedly whether she was alone. “Why? What happened to my son?” she demanded. “Is he dead?” Mr. Washington had stopped at the Elks Lodge, a narrow, building clad in pale green siding a walk from their apartment. Greg Wallace’s party was underway in the basement bar, a “Happy Birthday” banner and blue and yellow balloons on the walls. Tins of muffins and rolls sat on tables covered with plastic tablecloths. Mr. Wallace and his brother Dawaun had recently been feuding with Timothy Murphy. The three men had grown up together in the neighborhood, and as adults had each been convicted of drug trafficking, court records show. Mr. Murphy’s mother, Christine Poindexter, said her son was upset because the Wallaces were selling drugs out of his father’s house. The argument resumed when Mr. Murphy showed up at the party, and ended only when Mr. Murphy was dead and Dawaun Wallace had been peppered with nine bullets. Tests later showed that Mr. Murphy’s blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal driving limit, and that there was evidence of recent marijuana use. Mr. Murphy’s killer was not prosecuted, Detective David Gregory said, because he appeared to have fired in . Barry Washington’s death was collateral damage — a stray bullet, meant for Dawaun. Nine months later, Mr. Washington’s family is still reeling. His mother, a cancer survivor, is virtually a . “We loved him dearly, and with a pull of the trigger, he was gone,” she said. “That I cannot accept. ” Jaci Washington’s son is withdrawn and angry. Her daughter has nightmares. Her brother, she said, probably would have counseled her to forgive his killer. “He kept telling me, ‘You have to look for the good in everybody, ’” she said. But she says she cannot forgive. She grasps for metaphors to capture the family’s loss. “It’s like the world crashing in. It’s like a nuclear bomb went off on my couch,” she said. “It’s like someone hit ‘pause’ in my life. I just saw him, and I will never see him again. ” Mr. Murphy’s mother is not seeking forgiveness. In an interview, she said she did not believe her son had fired a gun at anyone, insisting that the police had botched the investigation and let the real culprits go free. And she is angry with Jaci Washington for characterizing her son as a murderer at community meetings on gun violence. Ms. Washington and her mother no longer go to those meetings. They seemed futile, they said — more broken people, describing more senseless deaths. “I don’t want pity. I want results,” Jaci Washington said. “One more black shooting in a black neighborhood. ‘Let’s rally around.’ It’s a facade. When all is said and done, we’re still left with the grief. ” | 0fake |
Documentary: Are the Illuminati Real? -Exposing the Jesuit Order | Should you embrace new age practices you deny Me Saturday Dec 06, 2014 at 02:20 pm My dearly beloved daughter, how is it that those who do not accept My Existence, or the Divinity of My Eternal Father, are so willing to embrace false gods all of their own making?When My Presence is felt by souls who reject My Existence, they feel a need to retaliate without compunction. They will scoff, ridicule, mock My Presence, whether this be in My Church, in books; in the Word or when I Am Present in other souls. The Presence of God is Omnipotent and it is felt in the most painful way by those souls who are in darkness. This is why they react with such venom to any mention of Me. These people have a deep ingrained hatred of Me and they fail to see how they can hate someone Who, in their eyes, does not exist.I warn those who embrace false spirituality and who idolize or obsess about anything that does not come from Me. If you open your souls to any spiritual realm, not of My Making, you will open the door to demons, who will cunningly entice you into their dark world. Whatever peace you believe you receive from new age practices will be short-lived. And as you seek more, you will then enter into a state where your conscience will be taken over by those enemies of God, until you are unable to release yourself from their domain. You will never find peace when you idolize false gods.The world is infiltrated with false doctrines, gods and religions. There is only one True God and you can only come to Him by recognising the Great Sacrifice He made when He sent Me, His only Begotten Son, to bring you salvation from the snares of the evil one.To those who do know Me, but who dabble in other doctrines, know this. Should you embrace new age practices, you deny Me. Should My Church acknowledge other creeds, that are not of Me, then they betray Me.The time when My birth is celebrated, by showing allegiance to other religions, that are not of Me, will be one of the greatest betrayals of the Truth. | 1real |
An open letter to Mr. Khizr Khan | Editor's note: The following column originally appeared on the website US Defense Watch. It is reprinted with permission.
I, like millions of Americans saw your speech at the DNC on Thursday night.
I wish to offer my sympathy for the death of your son, Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in action in Iraq.
As a former US Army officer, and a veteran of the Gulf War, I can certainly understand the pain and anguish that you and your wife endure every day.
Your son died saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. As Jesus told his disciples, according to the Gospel of John, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Captain Khan is a hero. I am sure the soldiers he served with regard him as one. I know you and your wife do. Rest assured that millions of veterans regard your son as a hero as well.
To paraphrase from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, your son’s name liveth for evermore.
Your son made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, a country that was new to you and your family and one which you openly embraced and certainly love.
When you and your family arrived to America from Pakistan, you assimilated into our country. You adopted American ways, learned our history and apparently you even acquired a pocket Constitution along the way. Good for you sir.
But, there are many Muslims in America who not only have no desire to assimilate, but wish to live under Sharia Law.
That is unacceptable to Americans. There is only one law of the land. That is the U.S. Constitution.
As you well know, Mr. Khan, we live in violent times, dangerous times. Muslim madmen from ISIS and other radical Jihadi groups are on a murder and terror spree across the globe.
Your religion of peace, Islam, is anything but that in 2016. That is a fact that is confirmed every time a Muslim shoots, bombs, beheads and tortures innocent men, women and children. This does not mean that every Muslim is a terrorist, but most terrorists, sir, are indeed Muslims.
A Muslim terrorist attack has become the sign of the times.
Regardless of what the feckless, naïve, leftist ideologue Barack Obama and his dimwitted colleagues John Kerry, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel state, the United States and the West are at war with Radical Islam. It is the job of the president of the United States to protect his nation from all enemies; foreign and domestic. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama romanticizes Islam and refuses to accept reality, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people across the world.
Groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda have one goal, the complete destruction of the Judeo-Christian culture, our religions and our way of life.
Many Americans have families that have been here for decades, even centuries. Many families like mine have relatives who fought in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. Some families have relatives who fought in the American Revolution.
We don’t plan on letting our country be devoured by Muslim maniacs. We are Americans sir, and not unarmed, socialist European zombies. We will do what is necessary to protect the United States. While many Democrats and liberals see the world through rose colored glasses, conservatives understand that there is good and evil in this world. Evil must be destroyed before it destroys us.
Strong measures, wartime measures, must be taken to protect this country from those that wish to annihilate us and our way of life.
Mr. Trump’s plan to temporarily halt immigration from Muslim countries that are known to either support terrorism or harbor terrorist groups is not only pragmatic, but indeed it is constitutional. It is the constitutional duty of the president of the United States to protect this nation.
There is simply no way to vet hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees from war zones like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Europe is being destroyed because reckless leaders like Angela Merkel have opened the continent’s doors to a flood of over one million undocumented Muslims arriving with nothing more than a bad attitude and a haversack of Jihad.
Do you think Americans are stupid? While the left lives in a dream world, the right does not. Mr. Trump understands the threat to his nation and the threat, sir, is not from Swedish Lutherans named Anna and Lars. The threat, sir, is from radical Islam.
How in God’s name are U.S. immigration authorities supposed to know the true intentions of a 22-year-old Syrian man? It is impossible. You know it is impossible.
How in God’s name are U.S. immigration authorities supposed to know the true intentions of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and thousands of other sundry Muslims who wish to arrive on our shores?
It is impossible. You know it is impossible.
Whether you, your wife, the Muslim world and millions of Democrats are offended by Mr. Trump’s realistic view of the world is irrelevant.
Whether you, your wife and son would have been prohibited from emigrating from Pakistan to America under Mr. Trump’s wartime plan is irrelevant. The security of this great land supersedes your desires and the desires of others who wish to come here now. The United States of America has no obligation to open its doors in order to placate foreigners and liberals in our government.
To adopt any other course but Mr. Trump’s would be a cause for further endangering the lives of Americans every day. That, sir, is unacceptable.
You attacked Mr. Trump in front of a worldwide audience, yet you can’t understand the fact that he defends himself against attacks from you, Hillary Clinton and the left. What else is one to do sir?
We must live in a world of reality, not a world of denial, delusion and fantasy the Democrats inhabit every waking day of their lives.
Radical Islam is the enemy of everyone on this planet who believes in freedom and justice. Until it is destroyed, this nation must protect itself from enemies both foreign and domestic.
Ray Starmann is the founder of US Defense Watch. He is a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer and veteran of the Gulf War, where he served with the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 3rd Armored Division “Spearhead!” Mr. Starmann was a contributing writer for several years at SFTT.org, founded by the late Colonel David Hackworth. | 0fake |
Spin Doctors – How the Media Reports on Medicine | Spin Doctors – How the Media Reports on Medicine
In a study of the dietary advice given by newspapers in the UK, “no credible scientific basis” was found for most claims. The “[m]isreporting of dietary advice” was found to be “widespread and may contribute to public misconceptions about food and health.” And, potentially, not just the public.
Scientists like to think they’re not influenced by popular media, but this study decided to put that to the test. Each week, The New York Times reports on scientific research, and the studies they report on end up being cited more often than those they don’t report on. Ah, so, the popular press does have an impact.
Not so fast. That’s just one potential explanation. Maybe, outstanding articles are both more likely to be picked up by media, and independently more likely to be cited. Maybe, the newspaper was just earmarking important science, and their publicity didn’t really have any effect on future studies.
How could you disentangle the two? An event in 1978 made it possible. There was a three-month strike, in which they continued to print copies, but could not sell them to the public. So, a natural experiment was set up. If the paper was just earmarking important articles, then the strike would have no effect on the studies’ impact. But, that’s not what happened. The studies highlighted during the strike months, when no one could read them, appeared to have no impact.
The next question, of course, is: are they just amplifying the medical information to the medical community, or distorting it, as well?
Systematic studies suggest that many stories about new medicines, for example, tend to overstate benefits, understate risks and costs, and fail to disclose relevant financial ties. Overly rosy coverage of drugs may also result from financial ties between drug companies and the journalists themselves, who may be susceptible to Big Pharma perks.
Scientists and physicians often blame the press. In fact, the famous physician William Osler was quoted as saying, “Believe nothing that you see in the newspapers” and “If you see anything in them that you know is true, begin to doubt it at once.”
But, both parties share in the blame. Reporters may only have an hour or two to put together a story; and so, they may rely on press releases. And, it’s not hard to imagine how drug company press releases might be biased. But, surely, press releases from the scientists themselves, and their institutions, would present the facts fairly, and without spin, right? Researchers decided to put it to the test.
Critics blame the media. But, where do you think they’re getting the information from? One might assume that press releases from prestigious academic medical centers would be measured, unexaggerated—but suffer from the same problems: downplaying side-effects, conflicts of interest, study limitations, and promoting research that has uncertain relevance to human health.
For example, most laboratory or animal studies explicitly claimed relevance to human health—yet lacked caveats about extrapolating results to people. For example, a release about a study of ultrasound reducing tumors in mice, was titled “Researchers study the use of ultrasound for treatment of cancer”—failing to note “for your pet mouse.”
Apparently, it’s been estimated that less than ten percent of animal research ever succeeds in being translated to human clinical use. Overselling the results of lab animal studies as a promised cure potentially confuses readers, and might contribute to disillusionment with science.
Although it’s common to blame the media for exaggerations, most times they don’t just make it up. That’s what the research institutions are sending out in their own press releases. And, medical journals, too. Sometimes, medical journal press releases do more harm than good. An analysis of press releases from some of the most prestigious medical journals found the same litany of problems.
I don’t think most people realize that journals sell what are called reprints, copies of the articles they print, to drug companies, which can bring in big bucks. Like, drug companies may buy a million copies of a favorable article. Sometimes, the company will submit an article, and promise to buy a certain number in advance—which is effectively a bribe, notes a long-time editor-in-chief at the prestigious British Medical Journal . He remembers once when a woman from a public relations company rang him up, and stopped just short of saying she would go to bed with him if they published the paper.
Another medical journal conflict of interest relates to advertising—a major source of income for many journals. Most of the advertising comes from pharmaceutical companies. And, so, if they don’t like a study, they can threaten to withdraw their advertising—potentially leaving editors faced with the stark choice of agreeing to bury a particular piece, or seeing their journal die.
Even if journalists have time to skip the press releases, and go straight to the source, and try to read the studies themselves, they may find them utterly incomprehensible gobbledygook. But, even if they do understand them, scientific articles are not simply reports of facts. Authors often have many opportunities to add “spin” to their scientific reports—defined as ways that can distort the interpretation of results, and mislead readers, either unconsciously, or with willful intent to deceive.
What these researchers did was look at randomized controlled trials with statistically nonsignificant results—meaning some drug, for example, was compared to a sugar pill, and the difference between the newfangled treatment and placebo was essentially nonexistent. Would the researchers just lay out the truth, and be, like, well, we spent all this time and money, and in terms of our primary outcome, we got nothing. Or, would they try to spin it? In 68% of cases, they spun. There was spin in the abstract, which is like the summary of the article. And this is particularly alarming, because the abstract is often the only part of an article people actually read.
And so, no wonder the media often gets it wrong. Spin in the abstracts can turn into spin in the press releases, and results in spin in the news. Therefore, even if journalists are doing their due diligence, using the original abstract conclusion in good faith, they still run the risk of deceiving their readers.
Researchers presenting new findings could always be careful to stress how preliminary the findings may be. But, let’s be serious, powerful self-interests may prevail.
Finally, though, I think the biggest problem with the way media reports on medicine is the choice as to which stories are covered. In 2003, SARS and bioterrorism killed less than a dozen people, yet generated over a hundred thousand media reports—far more than those covering the actual greatest threats to our lives and health.
In fact, ironically, the more people that die, the less it appears something is covered. Our leading #1 killer is heart disease. Yet, it can be prevented, treated, and even reversed with diet and lifestyle changes. Now that is something that deserves to be on the front page.
Close Sources Video Sources | 1real |
New earthquake rocks Italy, buildings collapse but no deaths reported | Reuters
A powerful earthquake struck Italy on Sunday in the same central regions that have been rocked by repeated tremors over the past two months, with more homes and churches brought down but no deaths reported.
The quake, which measured 6.6 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was bigger than one on Aug. 24 that killed almost 300 people. Many people have fled the area since then, helping to avoid a new devastating death toll.
The latest quake was felt across much of Italy, striking at 7.40 a.m. (0640 GMT), its epicenter close to the historic Umbrian walled town of Norcia, some 100 km (60 miles) from the university city of Perugia.
Panicked Norcia residents rushed into the streets and the town’s ancient Basilica of St. Benedict collapsed, leaving just the facade standing. Nuns, monks and locals sank to their knees in the main square in silent prayer before the shattered church.
“This is a tragedy. It is a coup de grace. The basilica is devastated,” Bishop Renato Boccardo of Norcia told Reuters.
“Everyone has been suspended in a never-ending state of fear and stress. They are at their wits end,” said Boccardo, referring to the thousands of tremors that have rattled the area since August, including two serious quakes on Wednesday.
Italy’s Civil Protection unit, which coordinates disaster relief, said numerous houses were destroyed on Sunday in the regions of Umbria and Marche, but either they were deserted at the time or most of the residents managed to escape beforehand.
“No deaths have been reported, but there are a number of people injured,” said Civil Protection chief Fabrizio Curcio, adding that just one person was in a serious condition.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Italy was living through extremely difficult times, but promised a massive reconstruction effort in the years ahead regardless of any possible objections from the European Union over the eventual costs.
“We will rebuild everything, the houses, the churches and the businesses,” Renzi told reporters. “Everything that needs to be done to rebuild these areas will be done.”
Local authorities said towns and villages already battered by August’s 6.2 quake had suffered further significant damage.
“This morning’s quake has hit the few things that were left standing. We will have to start from scratch,” Michele Franchi, the deputy mayor of Arquata del Tronto, told Rai television.
Experts said Sunday’s quake was the strongest here since a 6.9 quake in Italy’s south in 1980 that killed 2,735 people.
ARTISTIC LOSS
The destruction of the Norcia basilica was the single most significant loss of Italy’s artistic heritage in an earthquake since a tremor in 1997 caused the collapse of the ceiling of the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, which is 80 km to the north.
The frescoed basilica, which is the spiritual, historic and tourist heart of Norcia, was built over the site of the home where the founder of the Benedictine order and his Sister St. Scolastica were born in 480.
The basilica and monastery complex dates to the 13th century, although shrines to St. Benedict and his sister had been built there since the 8th century.
Benedict founded the Benedictine order in Subiaco, near Rome. He died in 530 in the monastery at Monte Cassino, south of Rome, which was destroyed during World War Two. That monastery was later rebuilt.
A number of other churches were also ruined on Sunday, Italian media reported, including Norcia’s Cattedrale di Santa Maria, which was built in the 16th century, while the town hall belltower had deep cracks running through its walls.
However, most of Norcia’s homes appeared to have withstood the prolonged tremor, with residents praising years of investment by local authorities in anti-seismic protection.
In the nearby city of Rieti patients were evacuated from a hospital to allow experts to check on structural damage, while hillroads across the region were littered with fallen rocks.
Sunday’s earthquake was felt as far north as Bolzano, near the border with Austria and as far south as the Puglia region at the southern tip of the Italian peninsula.
It was also felt strongly in the capital Rome, where transport authorities shut down the metro system for precautionary checks. Authorities also toured the city’s main Roman Catholic basilicas looking for possible damage.
Italy sits on two geological fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe.
Gianluca Valinsese, a scientist at Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology, warned the latest series of quakes could continue for weeks in a domino effect along the central Apennine fault system.
Italy’s deadliest quake since the start of the 20th century came in 1908, when a tremor followed by a tsunami killed an estimated 80,000 people in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily.
(Writing by Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella; Additional reporting by Steve Scherer, Gavin Jones and Mark Bendeich; Editing by Mark Heinrich) | 1real |
Factbox: Main elements in France's counter-terrorism bill | PARIS (Reuters) - France s National Assembly (lower house of parliament) will vote to adopt a counter-terrorism bill on Tuesday, including measures to increase police and intelligence agency powers when there is a security threat or reason to believe an attack is planned. The bill, still subject to amendments but expected to be definitively approved by mid-October, will transpose into law several powers granted to the police and other agencies under a state of emergency that began in November 2015, after the Islamist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. The state of emergency, the most sweeping anti-terrorism powers in Europe, will expire at the end of October. Below is an outline of the measures that will come into force if the bill passes into law. Human rights and legal experts have raised concerns about the sweep of the proposals, including the fact that in some cases the interior ministry would be able to act without judicial oversight. Under the proposals, the legislation would remain in place until at least 2021, and the government will have to report to parliament annually on how it is using the new powers. ** The interior ministry would have the power to designate public spaces as security zones for up to a month, limiting who could enter and leave (both vehicles and people) and with wide powers to stop and search within the perimeter. Private security guards, under police supervision, would be granted similar stop and search powers. ** The interior ministry would have the power to shut down places of worship if there are suspicions that they are being used to propagate hate speech or incitement to violence, to provoke acts of terrorism or to justify terrorist acts. The closures could be for up to six months, with the religious sites having 48 hours to lodge an appeal with judicial authorities against the decision. ** The interior ministry would have the power to limit the movement of people considered a national security threat. The individual administrative control and surveillance measures would compel a person to remain in a defined geographic area, report to the police three times a week, report any change of residence and potentially submit to an electronic surveillance bracelet. ** The interior ministry, with approval from a judge, would have the freedom to search private property and seize documents, objects or goods if there is a suspicion of terrorist activity being planned or to prevent a terrorist act being carried out. | 0fake |
Honduran electoral website shows president 1.59 percent points ahead | TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez held a lead over his main opposition rival after a partial recount of a disputed Nov. 26 presidential vote that has sparked a political crisis, the website of the electoral tribunal showed Monday. Hernandez had 42.98 percent of the vote, while TV star Salvador Nasralla had 41.39 percent, with 99.96 percent of votes tallied, according to the tribunal s website. The head of the tribunal, David Matamoros, has yet to declare an outright winner, telling reporters that parties could still file legal challenges and that the tribunal could still consider a wider recount. He said there would be more announcements later on Monday. Early last week, Nasralla, a former sportscaster and game show host, appeared set for an upset victory over Hernandez, gaining a five point lead with over half of the vote tallied. After the count suddenly halted for more than a day, the sporadic vote count started leaning in favor of the incumbent. | 0fake |
Chicago teachers union eyes future security with charter merger | CHICAGO (Reuters) - After trying for years to stymie the growth of charter schools in Chicago, leaders of its public school teachers’ union are seeking to enlist staff from charter schools in a bid to strengthen the union’s bargaining power and tap a new source of members’ fees. Union officials in the third-largest U.S. city say their push for a tie-up took on added urgency after U.S. President Donald Trump chose Betsy DeVos, a backer of charter and private schools, as his education secretary. In cities and suburbs across the country, charters and traditional public schools have been in fierce competition for students and financing. But many are united in their rejection of private schools and voucher programs. Unions fear Trump and DeVos will slash funding for traditional public schools, and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) wants charter members to boost their ranks in order to help them fight back. A more unified approach has long been the answer, said Jesse Sharkey, vice president of the CTU. “I don’t think we’re going to get to keep public education the way we currently think of it unless people organize and prepare to defend it,” he said. Charter schools are free and open to the public but are run independently of local school districts by private companies that compete for state funds. They often boast small class sizes, innovative teaching styles or a particular academic focus. Their numbers in the United States have shot up to more than 6,000, from 2,500 a decade ago. An estimated 6 percent of U.S. public school students, or more than 3 million pupils, attend charter schools. The possibility of a merger has many eyes on Chicago, where the proportion of charter school teachers who are unionized on their own is much higher than in other cities. While only about 10 percent of U.S. charter schools had collective bargaining agreements last year, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 25 percent of Chicago’s 130 charter schools are organized. Leaders of the city’s unionized charter school educators say they see the benefits in joining forces with the CTU. “We face an existential crisis,” said Chris Baehrend, president of Chicago’s union for charter teachers. “The answer to every crisis is more solidarity. It’s better for us to be a small part of a larger voice that wins things.” Leaders of his 1,000-member organization had been mulling a merger with the CTU for years, Baehrend said, but Trump’s election propelled them into action from fear of his and DeVos’ conservative agenda. DeVos’ office did not respond to requests for comment. In June, the education secretary faced hostile questions from a U.S. Senate committee about her support for school vouchers, to which DeVos responded that she was only exploring the possibility of a program. Vouchers are state-funded payments families can use to send children to private schools. Supporters say they could give those children in neighborhoods with weak public schools the chance of a better education at private institutions. Critics say they are intended to boost private-sector profits with public money. A majority of Baehrend’s organization voted in June to merge with the CTU. The CTU’s leadership favors the merger, and its 23,500 members will vote on it in the fall. Baehrend said he is confident the measure will pass. Not everyone supports the closer links. Some supporters of charter schools say the attributes that attract many parents, including their flexibility and autonomy, could be put at risk in Chicago if the CTU introduces new terms for contracts, such as limits on the time an instructor can teach each day. “They’re now trying to find ways to undermine the existing schools via organizing,” Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, said of the CTU’s leaders. | 0fake |
Istanbul Nightclub Terrorist ’Identified as Uzbek Jihadist’ | ISTANBUL (AFP) — The attacker who shot dead 39 people on New Year’s night at an Istanbul nightclub has been identified as an Uzbek jihadist who belongs to the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, Turkish press reports said. [There had been confusion over the identity of the attacker — who remains on the run — with reports initially suggesting a Kyrgyz national and then a Uighur from China. It said he has the code name of Ebu Muhammed Horasani within the IS extremist group. There was no official confirmation of the report. The killer slipped into the night after killing 27 foreigners and 12 Turkish nationals at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul just 75 minutes into 2017. Despite an intense manhunt, he remains on the run, with some reports saying that he is still believed to be in Istanbul. Turkish police had last week released images of the alleged killer, including a chilling silent video he purportedly took in central Istanbul with a selfie stick. Uzbekistan clamped down on militant Islam after the fall of the Soviet Union under the secular rule of its leader Islam Karimov who died in 2016. IS militants from Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as from Russia’s Muslim regions of Dagestan and Chechnya are believed to have played a key role in the triple suicide bombings and gun attack at Istanbul’s main airport in June. The IS extremist group claimed the Istanbul nightclub attack, the first time it has ever clearly claimed a major attack in the country despite being blamed for several strikes including the airport bombings. | 0fake |
Irma to stress-test Florida insurers, reinsurers: rating agencies | (Reuters) - Florida s insurance and reinsurance market is well equipped to handle hurricane losses, but Irma could strain the state s coverage market depending on the extent it makes landfall in Florida, according to rating agencies. Irma, the second major hurricane to approach the United States in two weeks, is expected to make landfall in south Florida on Sunday morning. Fitch said if the storm were to produce insured losses greater than $75 billion, some Florida insurers and reinsurers could experience notable financial strain . Irma hit the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Friday, heading for Cuba and the Bahamas. The projected path and severity of Irma creates the potential for economic and insured losses to significantly exceed those experienced in Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Fitch said. Strong capitalization of the insurance and reinsurance sector will help mitigate the impact of Irma, S&P Global Ratings said. | 0fake |
Pressure From Trump May Delay a Factory’s Exit, but It Won’t Stop It - The New York Times | Even if President Trump’s fails over the long run to create jobs or prevent companies from moving offshore, there’s a good chance that it will appear, at first, to be a success. But this is a dangerous illusion, the result of companies responding strategically to the new president’s threats. And it could lead to more bad policy if voters or policy makers draw the wrong conclusions. That’s why it’s important to understand precisely how these new policies are likely to shape the numbers over the next few years. Some simple economics can help. Mr. Trump has taken to Twitter to name and shame manufacturing firms planning to relocate some of their production lines overseas. His attacks on Carrier, on Toyota, on General Motors have made their chief executives squirm and, in some cases, have produced what appear to be results. Carrier, for instance, has promised to keep some of the jobs it had planned to send offshore in the United States. Other companies have recycled old announcements of their domestic expansion plans. At first glance, pressuring a handful of companies seems unlikely to have much impact in an economy as large as that of the United States. Imagine that you are a chief executive of a company that has not been a Trump target there are so many companies in the country that the risk of yours being denounced by the president is tiny. At least that’s what the math shows. But the psychological reality is very different. Research has shown that people often overreact to insignificant risks, especially when the risks are so vivid. Just as it is almost certain that you won’t get eaten by a shark this summer, it is a near certainty that the vast majority of companies won’t end up in Mr. Trump’s cross hairs. Yet the fears persist, and people take greater precautionary measures than the actual threat warrants. Moreover, Mr. Trump is targeting the asset that corporate bosses tend to protect most jealously: their personal reputation. Which makes them edgy. So far, the evidence bears this out. There are plenty of anecdotes suggesting that Mr. Trump has executives running scared. Some are hiring communications and crisis managers. Few have been willing to announce the sort of plant closings that might put them in the harsh glare of the president’s spotlight. But this doesn’t mean that Mr. Trump’s tweets have saved jobs. At least not in a lasting sense. To see why not, put yourself in the shoes of a C. E. O. You’re not just deciding whether to send production offshore you also need to decide when to act. This gives you a relatively cheap way to avoid the president’s ire: Mothball your blueprints for the new overseas factory, but don’t burn them. When the political threat passes — and, eventually, it will — just dust them off and move. If enough companies follow this script over the next couple of years, the number of factory jobs in the United States should stabilize, or even rise. Mr. Trump’s eventual successor may well inherit a manufacturing sector that is superficially stronger, though it will hide an underlying weakness: thousands of C. E. O.s ready to move production offshore. As soon as Mr. Trump leaves the stage, several years worth of demand for offshoring may erupt, and as these plans are followed and factory jobs return to more normal levels, expect a sharp drop in manufacturing employment. Now imagine what all this will look like to a future policy wonk. Manufacturing jobs seemed to be scarce before Mr. Trump’s tenure, improved while he was at the helm, and then shrank sharply as soon as he left office. It might seem as though his angry tweets actually caused manufacturing to thrive. But it would be a mistake to infer that businesses really perform better when threatened. Rather, the fluctuating jobs numbers reflect the ease with which cuts can be delayed, not prevented. Sure, a delay is, in itself, good news for factory workers who keep their jobs a little longer, but it doesn’t address their problems. Indeed, many economists, both Democrat and Republican, fear that Mr. Trump’s policy of naming and shaming will hurt the manufacturing sector in the long run. After all, the point of the exercise is to allocate workers and machines based on presidential diktat, not market forces. He is pushing corporate leaders to please the White House, rather than their customers and shareholders. The cost of hiring crisis managers to deal with Mr. Trump raises the cost of doing business just as surely as a tax hike would. By making it more expensive to leave the market, he also creates a disincentive for foreign companies thinking of building plants in the United States. The difficulty with trying to use the bully pulpit to create a lasting change in corporate behavior is that words — even a president’s — don’t much alter a company’s bottom line. Corporate decisions are driven by the balance of costs and benefits, and the benefits of offshoring are typically large and enduring. Still, for short periods, even relatively minor incentive shifts can cause large reactions when what is involved is merely a delay, not fundamental change. For example, imagine two people who love Cancún and have decided to vacation there if the cost of a flight rises by $100, they will go anyway, because the cost isn’t enough to deter them. But if the airfare rises by $100 on Sunday, the day they had planned to go, but was to remain at the original price on Monday, the travelers may well decide to wait a day. So fewer people may fly to Mexico on the weekend, when it’s more expensive, yet there will be no impact on travel. Temporary policies often look as though they have disproportionately large effects, but they aren’t meaningful. That is the odd truth here: Mr. Trump’s approach may appear to have had a big effect precisely because it’s not viewed as a permanent solution. In fact, the more temporary his industrial policy is thought to be, the more likely it is that chief executives will delay job cuts until the climate changes. Perhaps corporate bosses are currently pliant because they expect that this storm will pass. But bad economics can be good politics. We may see some spectacular effects, even if Mr. Trump undermines the competitiveness of America’s factories. The political upside will be obvious in the monthly employment numbers, while the economic downside will be difficult to disentangle from the trend of declining factory jobs. Yet we shouldn’t be deluded. C. E. O.s will ultimately move jobs abroad if that’s what it takes to churn out profits. | 0fake |
40 ans sur le front: à 72 ans ce combattant peshmerga lutte contre Daech avec ses 4 fils | Gültan KisanakGültan KisanakAprès l’arrestation mardi soir de Gültan Kisanak et de Firat Anli, les deux co-maires de la grande ville kurde de Diyarbakir, les représentants du HDP en Europe appellent les parlements et les institutions internationales à exprimer leur opposition aux pratiques illégales du gouvernement turc.Selon les informations recueillies par les représentants du parti kurde HDP ( Parti Démocratique des Peuples ), Firat Anli, l’un des deux maires de Diyarbakir a été interpellé à son domicile, tandis que sa collègue Gültan Kisanak, était arrêtée à l’aéroport de Diyarbakir à sa descente de l’avion qui la ramenait d’Ankara. Les domiciles des deux maires ont été fouillés, ainsi que les bâtiments du conseil minicipal.Gültan Kisanak a été en 2014 la première femme élue maire de Diyarbakir, la grande ville du sud-est de la Turquie, considérée comme la « capitale » de la région kurde. Officiellement, c’est elle qui est maire de la ville, mais la tradition kurde veut qu’il y ait toujours un homme et une femme à la tête d’une commune, pour respecter la parité.Ancienne journaliste, Gültan Lisanak est une figure très connue du mouvement pour les droits démocratiques en Turquie. Co-présidente de l’ancien parti BDP ( qui deviendra par la suite le HDP ), elle est aujourd’hui la présidente de tous les maires des villes du Sud-Est de la Turquie, qu’elle représente auprès dans les discussions auprès des instances officielles.Gültan Lisanak avait déjà été arrêtée lors du coup d’état militaire de 1980, et torturée pour avoir refusé de renoncer à son identité kurde.« Chaque jour était un combat pour survivre », a-t-elle expliqué au site de presse Al Monitor, pour décrire ses conditions de survie dans l’ancienne prison de Diyarbakir, qu’elle décrit comme un « enfer » où « les abus avaient pris des proportions barbares. »Gültan Kisanak a déjà passé en tout quatre années et demi de sa vie en prison.En l’interpellant hier, c’est donc à une figure politique majeure de la Turquie et du peuple kurde que s’en prend le gouvernement d’Erdogan. Son collègue, Firat Anli,est avocat, c’est un militant connu des Droits de l’Homme.Le HDP parle d’une volonté d’Erdogan et de son parti l’AKP, « d’anéantir la volonté politique du peuple kurde et de l’opposition démocratique dans le pays. » Au cours d’une conférence de presse qui a suivi l’arrestation des deux co-maires de Diyarbakir, le procureur a accusé, sans présenter de preuve, les deux élus de collaborer avec les combattants kurdes du PKK, accusation rituellement avancée dès qu’il s’agit d’arrêter ou de destituer des élus kurdes.26 élus locaux kurdes ont déjà été démis de leurs fonctions par les autorités turques depuis le mois de juillet.Pour le HDP, la détention des deux co-maires de Diyarbakir est « contraire aux droits de l'homme, » et « contredit de nombreuses conventions internationales dont la Turquie est signataire. »Le parti kurde appelle toutes les organisations non gouvernementales, les partis politiques, les « forces de démocratie et de paix », les institutions internationales et parlements « à ne pas rester silencieux face à cette illégalité, et à exprimer leurs réactions par la voie démocratique. »Passée en 20 ans de 250 000 à un million 600 000 habitants, la ville de Diyarbakir est une ville emblématique de l’Anatolie du sud-est. Elle a été marquée l’hiver dernier par des affrontements violents entre des jeunes habitants de la ville, soumis à un régime de couvre-feu et de contrôles permanents, et les forces spéciales de l’armée turque, qui avaient déployé des très importants moyens militaires ( véhicules blindés, barrages, militaires lourdement armés.. ) Le quartier historique de Sur, a été le lieu des affrontements les plus violents avec les forces spéciales turques. | 1real |
Top U.S. diplomat role an unlikely fit for 'tough guy' Giuliani | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is now the leading candidate to become President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state, but even some Republicans say his tough-guy personality and global business ties may be at odds with international diplomacy. Giuliani, 72, has been one of Trump’s most vocal and high-profile supporters, and according to sources close to him and Trump, he is eager to become the top U.S. diplomat and expects a decision by Trump as early as next week. The other top candidate, the sources said, is former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, a foreign policy hawk. New York mayor at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by al Qaeda militants, Giuliani is also considered a hard-liner on national security matters, but he has little diplomatic experience. Still, some prominent Republicans said he is qualified to take command of U.S. diplomacy at a time of chaos in the Middle East, rising nationalism in much of Europe, and growing challenges from Russia and China. Senator Lindsey Graham, a respected conservative voice on defense and foreign policy who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and who made a rather short-lived bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, on Tuesday called Giuliani “competent and capable” of being secretary of state. “Rudy is an internationally-known figure. He’s a personal friend. He has dealt with the unimaginable, which was 9/11. He’s a loyal supporter of President Trump. He should be rewarded in my view,” Graham told reporters. Giuliani himself extolled his foreign policy credentials in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity on Tuesday. “I’ve been in 80 countries, 150 different foreign trips,” Giuliani said. “A lot of it for different reasons. Speeches. Security consulting, where I helped bring down crime.” Critics, however, said they are troubled not only by Giuliani’s combative nature and lack of experience, but also by his international business ties and his lucrative speaking engagements for an Iranian exile group that was on the U.S. terrorism list until four years ago. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its consideration of Giuliani for secretary of state. After serving as New York mayor for eight years, Giuliani founded management and security consulting firm Giuliani Partners in 2002, which he left in 2007 when he campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination and questions were raised about his foreign business ties. The firm’s clients have included Colombia and, reportedly, the government of Qatar. Giuliani appears to have resumed work with the firm after his 2007 failed presidential bid, and is listed as chairman and chief executive officer of Giuliani Partners on the Giuliani Security and Safety website. He joined a Texas law firm as a name partner in 2005. The firm did lobbying work for Citgo, a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, which at the time was controlled by President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s late socialist ruler. At the time, Giuliani’s office said he was not personally involved in the lobbying and said Giuliani believed that “Chavez is not a friend of the United States.” Giuliani’s dealings in Russia may face scrutiny in Senate confirmation hearings. His ties to TriGlobal Strategic Ventures, a consulting firm that helps Western clients advance their business interests in emerging markets of the former Soviet Union, date back to 2004, when Giuliani visited Moscow to meet Russian businessmen and politicians, according to the company’s website. The consulting firm’s president, Vitaly Pruss, has “created and developed strategies” for companies including Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft and has “worked closely” with Giuliani Partners, according to his profile on TriGlobal’s website. State-owned Transneft was among Russian oil companies targeted with sanctions by Western powers following Russia’s annexation of Crimea under President Vladimir Putin. Giuliani also has spoken in support of the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran, a group of Islamic leftists who opposed Iran’s late shah, but fell out with the Shi’ite clerics who took power after the 1979 revolution and later aligned itself with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The U.S. government considered it a terrorist organization until 2012. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who also was a contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, told CNN on Tuesday he was worried about Giuliani’s ties to foreign governments. “Whether or not you have divided loyalties obviously is very important,” Paul said. “I hope Donald Trump will pick somebody consistent with what he said on the campaign trail - Iraq war was a mistake, regime change in the Middle East is a mistake. “You want to have a diplomat in charge of diplomacy,” he said. Critics, however, say the bottom line is that Giuliani is no diplomat, either personally or professionally. “The challenge for Giuliani if he becomes secretary of state would be to move beyond the tough guy persona he cultivated as prosecutor and mayor and instead stand up for some of the basic principles of human rights, democratic accountability, and the rule of law that enhance rather than shrink America’s influence abroad,” said Ken Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, who worked for Giuliani when he was a federal prosecutor between 1983 and 1987. | 0fake |
WATCH: Trump Goes Full-On Dictator – Says ‘Cancel The Election’ | WATCH: Trump Goes Full-On Dictator – Says ‘Cancel The Election’ By Natalie Dailey on October 28, 2016 Subscribe
For weeks, nominee Donald Trump has been whining that the election is being “rigged” against him. He even called the presidential debates “rigged.”
Now, I guess his ego is so YUGE because he wants the election cancelled, and the presidency awarded to him without voting.
He said at a rally in Toledo, Ohio Thursday: “And just thinking to myself right now, we should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right? What are we even having it for? What are we having it for? ‘Her policies are so bad. Boy, do we have a big difference.”
He’s against voter fraud, but he’s OK with just yanking the election away from us? That is insane. That is not how a democratic election works, Trumpy. Taking the vote away from the people like that would make Trump our first dictator.
Trump may have been trying to make a joke out of it, but with his talk of rigged elections, that comment is just plain scary.
On Thursday, Trump appeared on Bill O’ Reilly’s show. When asked if the polls would be rigged on election day, Trump said he believes they will be. When asked about his trailing in the national polls, Trump said : “I’m winning in certain polls and then in other polls, the dirty polls we call them, I was losing by numbers that were ridiculous. I think we’re winning, but Bill, you look at some of these polls it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Just last week, Trump’s poor Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway was faced with the undesirable job of defending Trump’s idiocy. After one of the other times he whined about the election being rigged, she said : “His entire campaign is built about the little guy being the victim, the forgotten man and forgotten woman being the victim of the rigged corrupt system. Let’s keep the focus there. That’s who he’s fighting for. I know so many in the media like to just dismiss the crowd sizes. Let me tell you something, you go out on the road with Donald Trump, this election doesn’t feel over.”
When he refers to himself in the third person, it makes him sound even creepier.
Check out this clip
Featured image via YouTube screenshot . About Natalie Dailey
Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog abravealabamaatheist.com. Check out my other blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com Connect | 1real |
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