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10,200 | Pope asks Trump to be peacemaker, gives him environmental letter | VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged U.S. President Donald Trump to be a peacemaker at their first meeting on Wednesday after they exchanged sharp words last year, and Trump promised he would not forget the pontiff’s message. Under clear blue skies, Trump received a tribute from the Swiss Guard in a Vatican courtyard when he arrived. He entered a small elevator taking him to the third floor of the Apostolic Palace and, after a long ceremonial walk past frescoed corridors, shook the pope’s hand at the entrance to the private study that the frugal pontiff uses only for official occasions. Before the door of the wood-lined elevator closed, a Vatican protocol official was heard quipping to the president that it was not “like Trump Tower in New York”. Francis smiled faintly as he greeted Trump outside the study and was not as outgoing as he sometimes is with visiting heads of state. Trump, seeming subdued, said, “It is a great honor.” Even when the two were sitting at the pope’s desk in the presence of photographers and reporters, the pope avoided the small talk that usually occurs before the media is ushered out. The two spoke privately for about 30 minutes with translators. Both men looked far more relaxed at the end of the private meeting, with the pope smiling and joking with Trump and his wife Melania. Francis’s interpreter could be heard translating a comment by the pope to the First Lady: “What do you give him to eat?” Francis then gave Trump a small sculptured olive tree and told him through the interpreter that it symbolized peace. “It is my desire that you become an olive tree to construct peace,” the Pope said, speaking in Spanish. Trump responded: “We can use peace.” Francis also gave Trump a signed copy of his 2017 peace message whose title is “Nonviolence - A Style of Politics for Peace”, and a copy of his 2015 encyclical letter on the need to protect the environment from the effects of climate change. “Well, I’ll be reading them,” Trump said. During his election campaign, Trump said scientific findings that human economic activity contributed to global warming were a hoax. As president, he has proposed deep cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency and the elimination of many environmental regulations. Trump gave the pope a boxed set of five first-edition books by murdered U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King. As Trump and the pope said goodbye at the door of the study, Trump told him: “Thank you, thank you. I won’t forget what you said.” Asked how the meeting with the pope went, Trump said: “Great. He is something. He is really good. We had a fantastic meeting.” A Vatican statement said the meeting was “cordial” and that the Vatican hoped there could be “serene collaboration” between the U.S. government and the American Catholic Church, including “assistance to immigrants”. The U.S. Catholic Church hierarchy opposes Trump’s attempt to cut federal assistance for cities that give sanctuary to illegal immigrants. It also opposes his plan to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. The pope said last year a man who thinks about building walls and not bridges is “not Christian”. Trump, who was a candidate at the time, responded that it was “disgraceful” of the Argentine-born pope, who represents just over half of the world’s two billion Christians, to question his faith. The meeting with the pope was the third stop on Trump’s nine-day foreign tour, and part of his world tour of religions after meeting leaders of Muslim nations in Saudi Arabia and visiting holy sites in Jerusalem. Trump at first did not plan to stop in Rome during his visit to Europe, which some in the Vatican saw as a snub. When he changed his mind, the Vatican squeezed him in at 8:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, an unusual day and an unusually early time. He later flew to Brussels where he was to meet Belgium’s king and prime minister on Wednesday evening before a day of meetings with European Union and NATO leaders on Thursday. | 1 |
10,201 | Clinton enlists former foe Sanders in appeal for youth votes in U.S. presidential race | DURHAM, N.H. (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shared a stage with former rival Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to appeal for youth votes in the Nov. 8 election as opinion polls show a close race with Republican Donald Trump. Clinton told an audience at the University of New Hampshire that she would make college affordable if she wins the White House, the kind of promise that won Sanders many young supporters during the Democratic nominating contest. “We should and we will make public colleges tuition-free for families earning less than $125,000 a year,” Clinton said. She vowed to help those who already have student debt to refinance. Clinton’s campaign is worried that some polls show voters under the age of 30 might not turn out in great numbers at polling stations in November, potentially giving an advantage to Trump. Members of the crowd on Wednesday waved signs that read: “I will vote.” Recent opinion polls have shown the race tightening between Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, and Trump, a New York real estate magnate. A majority of Americans say Clinton won Monday night’s presidential debate, but her performance does not appear to have boosted support among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national tracking poll released on Wednesday. The online poll found that 56 percent of American adults felt Clinton did a better job, compared with 26 percent who believed the Republican did better. Even so, Clinton’s performance seemed to have little impact on her support. The poll showed 42 percent supported her, while 38 percent backed Trump. Trump, often described as racist by Clinton, tried to turn the tables at a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He pointed to the Democrat’s remark that “implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just the police,” when asked at the debate whether she believed police are implicitly biased against black people. “She accuses the entire country, including all of law enforcement, of ‘implicit bias,’ essentially suggesting that everyone, including our police, are basically racist and prejudiced,” Trump said. Clinton’s event with Sanders took place on a university campus, but it was not open to students without an invitation, according to attendees, many of whom were middle-aged and said they were members of local Democratic organizations or invited by the campaign. Clinton praised Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who was her opponent in the hard-fought struggle for the Democratic nomination earlier this year. “He is one of the most passionate champions for equality and justice that I have ever seen and someone that I am looking forward to working with,” Clinton said of Sanders, who introduced her on Wednesday. Although Sanders lost to Clinton, he consistently drew younger voters to his side with promises to take on Wall Street, make college less expensive and close the income gap. He called on young people in New Hampshire, a swing state in the presidential election, to get behind Clinton. “Get your uncles, your aunts, get your friends to vote for Hillary Clinton,” he said. Clinton’s campaign said it hoped to get Sanders to make more appearances on Clinton’s behalf before the election. | 1 |
10,202 | Pope to meet head of Myanmar army, Rohingya refugees: Vatican | VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will meet the head of Myanmar s army and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, both late additions to a tour of the two countries next week. Human rights monitors and U.N. officials have accused Myanmar s military of atrocities, including mass rape, against the stateless Rohingya during operations that followed insurgent attacks on 30 police posts and an army base. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said on Wednesday that the pope would meet army head Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Nov. 30 in a church residence in Yangon. Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo had talks with the pope in Rome on Saturday and suggested that he add a meeting with the general to the schedule for a trip that is proving to be one of the most politically sensitive since Francis was elected in 2013. Both the pope and the general agreed. Some 600,000 Rohingya refugees, most of them Muslim and from Myanmar s northern Rakhine state, have fled to Bangladesh. Burke said a small group of Rohingya refugees would be present at an inter-religious meeting for peace in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka on Dec 1. Myanmar s government has denied most of the claims of atrocities against the Rohingya, and the army last week said its own investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by troops. The pope will separately meet the country s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the capital Naypyitaw, on Nov. 28 in an encounter that was already on the schedule. Briefing reporters on the trip, Burke gave no details of how the Rohingya who will meet the pope would be chosen. A source in Dhaka said the refugees would be able to tell the pope about their experiences. Both events were not on the original schedule of the Nov. 26-Dec. 2 trip. Bo, the cardinal from Myanmar, has advised the pope not to use the word Rohingya while in Myanmar because it is incendiary in the country where they are not recognized as an ethnic group. Burke said the pope took the advice seriously but added: We will find out together during the trip ... it is not a forbidden word . | 1 |
10,203 | HOW CAN WE TRUST Voting Machine Company Servicing 22 States Who Just Got Busted Making Donation To Clintons? | Here s Wikipedia on Dominion Voting: Yes, they cover half of our states with voting machines If you click on the corresponding highlighted link it now takes you to a closed page. Think they re on to us?This is yet another reason why we must vote TRUMP and drain the swamp in Washington. Make sure when you got that your vote is for TRUMP! We need this election to be a landslide! Please vote but check to verify your choices are right!Via: GP | 0 |
10,204 | Man found guilty under UK terrorism laws after refusing to reveal passwords | LONDON (Reuters) - A man who refused to provide passwords to his electronic devices when stopped by British police was found guilty under terrorism laws at a court in London on Monday, in a case that campaigners say threatens personal privacy. Muhammad Rabbani, 36, the international director of campaign group CAGE was found guilty of wilfully obstructing or seeking to frustrate an examination or search, and given a conditional 12-month discharge, and was ordered to pay a 620 pound ($830) fine. CAGE is an advocacy group which campaigns against the impact of counter-terrorism policies, and came to international attention over its links to Jihadi John, a British Islamic militant, before he went to Syria. Rabbani said he was returning from a wedding in Qatar when he was stopped at Heathrow last November. Police seized his phone and computer, and demanded the passwords for the devices. Rabbani said that he had not provided the passwords as he wanted to protect the privacy of a client who he was working with on an anti-torture case. However, judge Emma Arbuthnot found that Rabbani was lawfully required to provide the passwords. Rabbani said he would appeal the decision. He was held under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which was used to detain David Miranda, the partner of the journalist who brought leaks from former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to world attention in 2013. Rabbani said that the law poses a threat to personal privacy, and told reporters and supporters outside the court that the decision highlights the absurdity of the Schedule 7 law. They accept that at no point was I under suspicion, and that ultimately this was a matter of having been profiled, he said, referring to the judge and prosecution. There are important implications for our collective privacy, as Schedule 7 acts as a digital strip-search. But the police welcomed the verdict. Today s verdict is an important one. It s crucial that police are able to use the legislation that exists to help keep the public safe, said Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, in a statement, adding that Schedule 7 was a vital tool in the fight against terrorism. The Met has retained Rabbani s phone and laptop and is continuing its efforts to examine the contents. ($1 = 0.7437 pounds) | 1 |
10,205 | Exclusive: Iraq holding 1,400 foreign wives, children of suspected Islamic State fighters | SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State fighters after government forces expelled the jihadist group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said. Most came from Turkey. Many others were from former Soviet states, such as Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Russia, Iraqi army and intelligence officers said. Other Asians and a very few French and Germans were also among them. The wives and children are being held at an Iraqi camp south of Mosul. Most had arrived since Aug. 30, when Iraqi troops drove Islamic State out of Mosul. One intelligence officer said that they were still in verifying their nationalities with their home countries, since many of the women no longer had their original documents. It is the largest group of foreigners linked to Islamic State to be held by Iraqi forces since they began driving the militants from Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq last year, an aid official said. Thousands of foreigners have been fighting for Islamic State, or Daesh, in Iraq and Syria. We are holding the Daesh families under tight security measures and waiting for government orders on how to deal with them, said Army Colonel Ahmed al-Taie from Mosul s Nineveh operation command. We treat them well. They are families of tough criminals who killed innocents in cold blood, but when we interrogated them we discovered that almost all of them were mislead by a vicious Daesh propaganda, he said. Reuters reporters saw hundreds of the women and children sitting on mattresses crawling with bugs in tents without air-conditioning in what aid workers called a militarized site . Turkish, French and Russian were among the languages spoken. I want to go back (to France) but don t know how, said a French-speaking veiled woman of Chechen origin who said she had lived in Paris before. She said she did not know what had happened to her husband, who had brought her to Iraq when he joined Islamic State. A security officer said the women and children had mostly surrendered to the Kurdish peshmerga near the northern city of Tal Afar, along with their husbands. The Kurds handed the women and children over to Iraqi forces but kept the men - all presumed to be fighters - in their custody. Many of the families had fled to Tal Afar after Iraqi troops pushed Islamic State out of Mosul. Iraqi forces retook Tal Afar, a city of predominantly ethnic Turkmen that produced some of Islamic State s senior commanders, last month. Most of its pre-war population of 200,000 have fled. An interior ministry official said Iraq wanted to negotiate with embassies the return of the women and children. We can t keep this number in our custody for a long time, he said. Officials had counted so far at least 13 nationalities, said Army Lieutenant Colonel Salah Kareem. Aid workers and the authorities are worried about tensions between Iraqis, who lost their homes and are also living in the camp, and the new arrivals. Many Iraqis want revenge for the harsh treatment they received under the extremists interpretation of Sunni Islam, which they imposed in Mosul and the other areas they seized in 2014. The families are being kept to one side (of the camp) for their own safety, an Iraqi military intelligence officer said. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is supporting the 541 women and their children, said Iraq must swiftly move to clarify its future plans for these individuals . Like all those fleeing conflict, it is imperative that these individuals are able to access protection, assistance, and information, NRC said in a statement. They are in de-facto detention. Western officials are worried about radicalized fighters and their relatives coming home after the collapse of Islamic State s caliphate . French officials have indicated a preference for citizens found to be affiliated with IS to be prosecuted in Iraq. The general philosophy is that adults should go on trial in Iraq, a French diplomatic source told Reuters last month, of those found to have been fighters. We think children would benefit from judicial and social services in France. The women in the camp were cooking noodles or lying on mattresses with their babies in the hot tents. Many were still wearing the black abayas and face veils, which were mandatory in areas the militants controlled. My mother doesn t even know where I am, said a 27-year-old French woman of Algerian descent. She said she had been tricked by her husband into coming with him through Turkey into Syria and then Iraq when he joined Islamic State last year. I had just given birth to this little girl three months before, she said holding the infant and asking not to be named. He said let s go for a week s holiday in Turkey. He had already bought the plane tickets and the hotel. After four months in Mosul, she ran away from her husband to Tal Afar in February. She was hoping to make it back to France but he found her and would not let her leave. She tearfully recounted how her five-year-old son was killed in June by a rocket while playing in the streets. I don t understand why he did this to us, she said of her husband, who she said was killed fighting in Mosul. Dead or alive - I couldn t care less about him. She and a few other families had walked for days to surrender at a Kurdish peshmerga checkpoint beyond al-Ayadiyah, a town near Tal Afar where the militants made their last stand. We were getting bombed, shelled and shot at, she said. Kurdish officials said dozens of fighters surrendered after the fall of Tal Afar but gave no details. One Tal Afar resident said he had seen between 70 and 80 fighters fleeing the town in the final days of the battle. | 1 |
10,206 | Vice President Biden, Turkey's Erdogan discuss fight against Islamic State | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed ways to deepen cooperation in the fight against Islamic State in a meeting on Saturday in Istanbul. Biden and Erdogan also talked about the “importance of de-escalating recent tensions between Turkey and Iraq in a manner that respects Iraqi sovereignty,” the White House said in a statement released on Sunday. | 1 |
10,207 | South Africa's Zuma says influence-peddling in his government to be investigated | JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday allegations of private businesses wielding undue influence in his government will be investigated by a judicial commission of inquiry. The country s High Court ruled on Wednesday that Zuma must set up a judicial inquiry into state influence-peddling within 30 days, upholding the findings of a graft watchdog report entitled State of Capture . The report focused on allegations that Zuma s friends, the businessmen and brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, had influenced the appointment of ministers. Zuma and the Guptas have denied all accusations of wrongdoing. Zuma was speaking on Saturday at the start of a weekend conference of his African National Congress that will vote on a new party leader. | 1 |
10,208 | Tillerson, Russia's Lavrov to meet on Sunday: U.S. State Dept | NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet in New York on Sunday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. State Department said in a brief statement. The State Department did not provide any details on what the two men would discuss during the 9 p.m. (0100 GMT on Monday) meeting. Possible topics include the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Syrian civil war and North Korea s nuclear and missile programs. | 1 |
10,209 | With One Simple Chart, The Wall Street Journal Just WRECKED Trumpcare (IMAGE) | Republicans seem to be steadfast in their quest to destroy the Affordable Care Act despite all the facts showing that doing so will be devastating not only to the millions of Americans who rely on the law to have access to affordable coverage but also to the economy.The Congressional Budget Office has just come out and said that not only would 14 million lose coverage by next year under Trumpcare, but by 2021, 21 million will lose insurance, and then by 2026, 24 million.And yet, there are still Republicans and those who support them who insist on repealing Obamacare and replacing it with the subpar version known as Trumpcare. So, for the visual learners out there who can t quite seem to grasp how horrific this all is, the Wall Street Journal made a graph to show how drastic this loss of coverage will be.Here s the image:The projected percentage of uninsured Americans under the House GOP plan vs. Obamacare: https://t.co/zOSvG99BmU pic.twitter.com/cbv37xVQs4 Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 13, 2017While the new bill would seemingly reduce the deficit over time, it leaves behind tens of millions of Americans who will no longer have access to care. And when people can t afford care, they go to the emergency room, and when they can t pay their bills, taxpayers end up picking up the tab. The spending will always be there. It s just whether or not you want to spend money for people to stay healthy or wait until they are in such dire straits that they need emergency care and are willing to go bankrupt because of it.All in all it s heartless. We need Medicare for all now!Featured Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images | 0 |
10,210 | Kurdish leader Barzani resigns after independence vote backfires | ERBIL/BAGHDAD Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani said he would give up his position as president on Nov. 1, after an independence referendum he championed backfired and triggered a regional crisis. There was high drama at the Kurdish parliament, which was stormed by armed protesters as it met to approve the veteran leader s resignation as Kurdish president. Some MPs were barricaded in their offices on Sunday evening. In a televised address, his first since Iraqi forces launched a surprise offensive to recapture Kurdish-held territory on Oct. 16, Barzani confirmed that he would not extend his presidential term after Nov. 1 under any conditions . I am the same Masoud Barzani, I am a Peshmerga (Kurdish fighter) and will continue to help my people in their struggle for independence, said Barzani, who has campaigned for Kurdish self-determination for nearly four decades. The address followed a letter he sent to parliament in which he asked members to take measures to fill the resulting power vacuum. The region s parliament met in the Kurdish capital Erbil on Sunday to discuss the letter. A majority of 70 Kurdish MPs voted to accept Barzani s request and 23 opposed it, Kurdish TV channels Rudaw and Kurdistan 24 said. Demonstrators, some carrying clubs and guns, stormed the parliament building as the session was in progress. Gunshots were heard. Some protesters outside the building said they wanted to punish MPs who they said had insulted Barzani. Some attacked journalists at the scene. A Kurdish official had told Reuters on Saturday that Barzani had decided to hand over the presidency without waiting for elections that had been set for Nov. 1 but which have now been delayed by eight months. The region, which had enjoyed unprecedented autonomy for years, has been in turmoil since the independence referendum a month ago prompted military and economic retaliation from Iraq s central government in Baghdad. In his address, Barzani vigorously defended his decision to hold the Sept. 25 referendum, the results of which can never be erased , he said. The vote was overwhelmingly for independence and triggered the military action by the Baghdad government and threats from neighboring Turkey and Iran. He added that the Iraqi attack on Kirkuk and other Kurdish held territory vindicated his position that Baghdad no longer believed in federalism and instead wanted to curtail Kurdish rights. Barzani condemned the United States for failing to back the Kurds. We tried to stop bloodshed but the Iraqi forces and Popular Mobilization Front (Shi ite militias) kept advancing, using U.S. weapons, he said. Our people should now question, whether the U.S. was aware of Iraq s attack and why they did not prevent it. Asked for reaction to Barzani s resignation, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: I would refer you to Kurdistan officials for information on President Barzani. Also, we are not going to get into any private diplomatic discussions. Barzani has been criticized by Kurdish opponents for the loss of the city of Kirkuk, oil-rich and considered by many Kurds to be their spiritual home. His resignation could help facilitate a reconciliation between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraq s central government, whose retaliatory measures since the referendum have transformed the balance of power in the north. Barzani has led the KRG since it was established in 2005. His second term expired in 2013 but was extended without elections being held as Islamic State militants swept across vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces, Iranian-backed paramilitaries and Kurdish fighters fought alongside each other to defeat Islamic State but the alliance has faltered since the militants were largely defeated in the country. After the Kurdish vote, Iraqi troops were ordered by the country s prime minister Haider al-Abadi to take control of areas claimed by both Baghdad and the KRG. Abadi also wants to take control of the border crossings between the Kurdish region and Turkey, Iran and Syria, including one through which an oil export pipeline crosses into Turkey, carrying Iraqi and Kurdish crude oil. The fall of Kirkuk - a multi-ethnic city which lies outside the KRG s official boundaries - to Iraqi forces on Oct. 16 was a major symbolic and financial blow to the Kurds independence drive because it halved the region s oil export revenue. Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga started a second round of talks on Sunday to resolve a conflict over control of the Kurdistan region s border crossings, Iraqi state TV said. A first round was held on Friday and Saturday, with Abadi ordering a 24-hour suspension on Friday of military operations against Kurdish forces. He demanded on Thursday that the Kurds declare their referendum void, rejecting the KRG offer to suspend its independence push to resolve a crisis through talks, saying in a statement: We won t accept anything but its cancellation and the respect of the constitution. | 1 |
10,211 | Airlines at Beirut implement measures in line with Trump travel ban - airport sources | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Airlines operating at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport have begun implementing measures in compliance with U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban on refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries, airport sources said on Sunday. The measures would include denying U.S.-bound travel for nationals from those countries - Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen - who were not U.S. green card holders, the sources said. U.S.-bound journeys from Beirut typically involve transfers in Europe, Turkey or Gulf Arab countries. | 1 |
10,212 | Starbucks ‘Pleased’ That Their Cafes Are Now Segregated For Men And Women (TWEETS) | Saudi Arabia, that bastion of human rights, is at the center of a controversy on Twitter. To be more specific, a Starbucks in Saudi Arabia is getting the attention. That s because their stores have segregated entrances for men and women.Stories about the barbaric treatment women and other political minorities face in Saudi Arabia are nothing new. However, the oppression they face does not usually receive a publicly stated golden seal of approval from a major U.S. company.One Starbucks located in Jabir is currently undergoing remodeling. They have segregated entrances and seating for women and families. The wall that separates the two sides came down during the remodel. So they decided to just outright ban women from entering the cafe. One woman encountered this sign while trying to get her caffeine fix. PLEASE NO ENTRY FOR LADIES ONLY SEND YOUR DRIVER TO ORDER THANK YOU. #Starbucks store in Riyadh refused 2 serve me just because I'm a WOMAN & asked me 2 send a man instead@Starbucks pic.twitter.com/6Nj6DkOtFJ Manar N (@manarn8) February 1, 2016Unreal. Starbucks in Saudi Arabia refused to serve women. Note on their door, plus official response from company. pic.twitter.com/d4tCSqqQOv Muhammad Lila (@MuhammadLila) February 3, 2016It gets so much worse.Starbucks responded to the situation. They released a press statement, which says the following: At Starbucks, we adhere to the local customs of Saudi Arabia by providing separate entrances for families as well as single people. In addition, all our stores provide equal amenities, service, menu, and seating for men, women, and families. Starbucks, whoever came up with we adhere to the local customs of Saudi Arabia needs to be paid more. They managed to make Starbuck s support of incredibly sexist laws against women sound like the company is doing nothing more than trying to be a culturally sensitive 21st-century global corporation.What other local customs of rich ISIS does (Saudi Arabia really does not like it when you compare them to ISIS) Starbucks adhere too? If an atheist like Raef Badawi, threatened Islam by saying what they believe in one of their 78 locations in Saudi Arabia, would they be fine with it if they person was sentenced to death? The official statement said customs which leaves a lot of room for such questions.I could go on and on dissecting the lengthy statement put out by Starbucks. The mental gymnastics that went into making the company sound as if they are actually supporting women s rights is astounding. However, I think this might be the most egregious part: We are pleased to share that the store is now accessible to single men on one side as well as women and families on the other side. Starbucks has now 78 stores in Saudi Arabia and all stores cater to both families and singles, except for one that is exclusively reserved for women and families. They re pleased to inform people everything is back to normal because their cafes are all now 100% segregated again.If you recall, Starbucks attempted to profit from the wholesale slaughter of people of color last year, by way of their infamous #RaceTogether marketing campaign. After all, one marginalized group s oppression is another empowered group s opportunity. For some f#cking reason, Starbucks urged customers to talk to their baristas about racism.Here s an idea, what if every one of Starbucks customers started asking baristas about how incredibly messed up Starbucks overseas business practices are? We can make it a campaign and call it something like #HoldTheSexism or #PatriarchyTogether. This is really low for a company that tries so hard to appear to be progressive.Featured image By Nirzar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons | 0 |
10,213 | Gabby Giffords Shames GOP Rep. For Using Her Shooting As An Excuse To Hide From Town Halls | Republicans across the country have been doing all they can to avoid town hall meetings where angry constituents are waiting. But Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) should win some type of award for his despicable excuse.Earlier this week, Gohmert claimed that he hadn t scheduled a town hall meeting to discuss important issues with the people he represents because with all the angry protesters around he s afraid of a shooting like the one that involved Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. But don t worry. This isn t because he s a coward. It s just that he wants to keep his constituents safe. Unfortunately, at this time there are groups from the more violent strains of the leftist ideology, some even being paid, who are preying on public town halls to wreak havoc and threaten public safety. Threats are nothing new to me and I have gotten my share as a felony judge. However, the House Sergeant at Arms advised us after former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot at a public appearance, that civilian attendees at Congressional public events stand the most chance of being harmed or killed just as happened there. In a scathing statement, Giffords slammed Gohmert for his cowardly comments and basically told him to grow a pair. She pointed out that her offices were open after her shooting. Giffords added that the representative who took her place during that difficult time also continued to hold town halls rather than hide from the people. Her statement ended by shaming Gohmert and telling him, point blank, to have some courage. I was shot on a Saturday morning. By Monday morning my offices were open to the public. Ron Barber at my side that Saturday, who was shot multiple times, then elected to Congress in my stead held town halls. It s what the people deserve in a representative. In the past year, campaigning for gun safety, I have held over 50 public events. To the politicians who have abandoned their civic obligations, I say this: Have some courage. Face your constituents. Hold town halls. Giffords followed her statement up with a tweet that shared the same message.To the politicians who have abandoned their civic obligations, I say this: Have some courage. Face your constituents. Hold town halls. Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) February 23, 2017It is also worth noting that Republicans aren t willing to pass legislation that might help control the massive gun problem clutching the United States. They d prefer to continue playing the puppet for the NRA and then hide from the people they re supposed to represent because they re scared that they might get shot. Unbelievable.Featured image via Spencer Platt/Getty Images | 0 |
10,214 | BUSTED! OBAMA’S DOJ EXTORTS MONEY FROM BANKS To Fund Radical Groups To Push Hillary Vote | A new report from the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) concludes that the Obama administration s Department of Justice has been extorting fines from major banks, which are then used to fund leftist groups that push the Democratic vote.The report notes that while community organizing groups have been using aggressive, terrorist tactics for decades to force banks to provide funding for their operations, the Obama administration has brought the power of the federal government to bear on their behalf. Banks are threatened with lawsuits for racial discrimination based on the controversial disparate impact theory, and offered incentives to settle by paying left-wing groups directly, beyond the review or oversight of Congress.The result, the GAI report says, is a system of political patronage:The old time political machine has been replaced by these nonprofits and a system of patronage now operates with the imprimatur of the DOJ. The DOJ has instituted a system that provides significant funding for nonprofit community organizers through a pattern of extortive lawsuits. This system, wherein appointed attorneys can legally extract money from the private sector and redistribute the funds to third-party organizations outside of the appropriations process, shows an unprecedented and extraordinary disregard for Congressional authority.Left-wing groups have long used the Community Reinvestment Act signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and boosted by President Bill Clinton in the 1990s to threaten bank mergers unless the banks fund their lending and activist operations.Many of the organizations, including the non-profit Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), control huge amounts of funding for use in mortgages that might not otherwise be granted. They also register their beneficiaries to vote.A former NACA employee, who spoke to Breitbart News on condition of anonymity, confirmed that They do ask that everyone is registered to vote. They don t force you to do it, but when you come in for your intake, and you do your initial application [for a mortgage], you are handed a voter registration form. Applicants were also asked to perform various acts of community service for NACA, which typically involved political activity, such as attending protests or writing to Congress.In early 2009, in the midst of a wave of foreclosures as a result of the 2007-8 subprime mortgage crisis, groups like NACA used old-style intimidation tactics to terrorize bankers personally, including by targeting bankers children at their schools.According to the GAI report, the Obama administration s new policy, midway through 2009, abused the powers of the Justice Department to do through the courts what groups like NACA had once done through the bare-knuckle tactics of the streets.Read more: Breitbart | 0 |
10,215 | HILARIOUS! FEMINIST GOES NUTS Over Trump Win In Coffee Shop…Projects Every Whacked-Out Liberal Emotion Known To Man On Black Barista [VIDEO] | When your White Guilt boils over and you project your problems onto a random black barista. Shorty face is priceless. pic.twitter.com/Yu7M2h6OV8 IV:XX Hotep Doobs (@DOEDoobs) January 24, 2017 | 0 |
10,216 | Trump attorney disputes Comey testimony, slams leak | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s personal attorney disputed key points of the testimony of former FBI director James Comey on Thursday and attacked Comey for leaking information to the media. Comey accused Trump of firing him to try to undermine the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. Comey said Trump pressured him to drop an investigation of his former national security adviser Michael Flynn and told Comey that he needed his loyalty even though FBI directors are supposed to work independently from the White House. Trump did not directly comment on the allegations, but his personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, tried to discredit Comey’s testimony. “The president never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone,” Kasowitz said in a brief appearance before television cameras. “The president also never told Mr. Comey, ‘I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.’ He never said it in form and he never said it in substance.” Kasowitz said Comey’s testimony made it clear that Trump was not being investigated for collusion with Russian officials and that the president felt “completely vindicated.” The attorney also attacked Comey for testifying that he used a friend to leak to a reporter his notes on a meeting with Trump. Kasowitz said the leak contained “privileged communications with the president.” “We will leave it the appropriate authorities to determine whether these leaks should be investigated along with all the others that are being investigated,” Kasowitz said. Legal experts questioned Kasowitz’s contention that Trump’s private encounters with Comey should be considered privileged communications. Comey said he had hoped the leak would prompt the appointment of a special counsel, which later occurred. Kasowitz is playing a lead role in handling Trump’s responses to the Russia investigation. He was with Trump at the White House on Thursday to watch Comey’s televised testimony. | 1 |
10,217 | Donald Trump Throws Temper Tantrum After Justice Ginsburg Humiliates Him | This is why we love the Notorious RBG.Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been on the bench for a long time. Usually the Justices of the high court stay out of presidential politics, but this is no ordinary election and Ginsburg isn t going to stay quiet when the fate of the country hangs in the balance. I can t imagine what this place would be I can t imagine what the country would be with Donald Trump as our president, Ginsburg told the New York Times in an interview published on Monday.And then she doubled down during an interview with CNN that same day. He is a faker. He has no consistency about him. He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego. How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that. Indeed, the media has largely ignored Trump s refusal to release his tax returns unlike the way they hounded Mitt Romney four years ago.The Washington Post and the New York Times are both whining about Ginsburg s remarks. Both editorial boards are calling for her to stop name-calling and think she should stop talking all together.The hypocrisy here is stunning. Donald Trump has said far worse things on the campaign trail then Ginsburg has in these two interviews, but I don t recall seeing either editorial board telling the Republican nominee to shut his mouth. Furthermore, it s not exactly unprecedented for Supreme Court Justices to get involved in presidential politics. I seem to recall a certain 5-4 ruling the high court made in 2000 that handed George W. Bush the presidential election even though it was totally unprecedented for the Supreme Court to decide such a contest. The conservative judges ruled that Florida should not count the votes in a race that was incredibly close and could have gone either way if we had just allowed the democratic process to unfold. The Supreme Court should have stayed out of it then.Regardless, when Donald Trump heard that Ginsburg humiliated his sorry ass he exploded on Twitter. Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me, he whined. Her mind is shot resign! Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot resign! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2016Trump even complained to the New York Times, which happily gave Trump the platform to tell a woman to shut her mouth. I think it s highly inappropriate that a United States Supreme Court judge gets involved in a political campaign, frankly. I think it s a disgrace to the court and I think she should apologize to the court. I couldn t believe it when I saw it. It s so beneath the court for her to be making statements like that. It only energizes my base even more. And I would hope that she would get off the court as soon as possible. Sorry, Donald. But Justice Ginsburg isn t retiring any time soon. In fact, she d probably make sure she stays put if you somehow become president just to spite you.The bottom line here is that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is not just a Supreme Court Justice, she s a citizen of this country with a right to free speech just like everyone else. This is a critical election at a momentous time in this country and Ginsburg clearly felt the need to speak up. It s hard to believe that if these remarks had come from one of her male colleagues that the Post and the Times would be throwing such a hissy fit over it. Trump is spewing unprecedented hate and vitriol in a presidential election, but these two newspapers are complaining about Ginsburg commenting about it. There s something seriously wrong with that.Featured Image: Branden Camp/Getty Images | 0 |
10,218 | Republicans, Democrats bicker over infrastructure plans | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats argued over the best way to rebuild U.S. infrastructure - a high priority of President Donald Trump - with no agreement in sight following skirmishes on Tuesday between the two parties. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected a new, detailed $1 trillion proposal unveiled by Democrats that would rely heavily on new government spending. That came shortly after Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party could not accept the tax credit mechanism Trump has proposed to fuel the rebuilding of roads, bridges, sewers, airports and other public works. Schumer vowed to oppose any plan by Trump that would rely on “tax credits for developers” to spur rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. Trump earlier on Tuesday signed an executive action to expedite environmental approvals for high-priority infrastructure projects. That prompted Schumer to warn that Democrats would work to include environmental protections in any infrastructure measure that moves through the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promptly lambasted the Democrats’ proposal. “I don’t think we ought to borrow almost $1 trillion and plus-up a bunch of federal accounts, incur a lot of additional debt and don’t build any projects to speak of,” McConnell said, comparing the plan to President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus legislation that Republicans opposed. Democrats argue that an investment plan relying on developer tax credits would fail to generate enough construction and would result in the creation of too many toll roads to finance costs over the long term. Instead, Senate Democrats are seeking heavy investments by the government, including $210 billion to rebuild roads and bridges, $110 billion for water and sewage projects, $180 billion for rail and bus systems and $75 billion to rebuild schools. McConnell’s support would be essential to any infrastructure measure succeeding in Congress. Trump campaigned throughout last year on a promise to pursue a $1 trillion infrastructure program, which would come at a time when major public works projects are crumbling. The economy, however, also faces a shortage of the skilled workers needed to build roads, bridges, airports and other facilities. | 1 |
10,219 | Trump or Clinton? Israelis fret, but either is a likely ally | JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Most of the world follows U.S. presidential elections closely, but Israel can seem particularly obsessive, endlessly assessing which candidate will better protect its interests and breaking down their every comment for policy clues. As America votes on Tuesday, a cartoon in the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz captured a sense of that fretfulness, depicting friends sitting outside a typical falafel stand and discussing in nerdy detail how the ballot will turn out. “There’s no way he’d lose Utah and Arizona, and you can’t count on North Carolina,” one says to the other. “They’d need to win Pennsylvania and hopefully Florida,” the other replies. The fact is, despite all the nervous introspection, both Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are likely to be reliable for Israel, continuing the broad policy mix U.S. presidents have pursued since the 1980s. It’s the Palestinians who may have more to worry about. Over the past four years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had a fractious relationship with Barack Obama, openly campaigning against the U.S. deal on Iran’s nuclear program, including condemning it in a speech to Congress. But ultimately that did not stand in the way of the Obama administration’s agreeing a new, $38 billion, 10-year military aid package for Israel. And while the U.S. president has criticized Israel for building more settlements on land the Palestinians seek for their own state, the censure has never gone beyond words, essentially leaving Israel free to build. Analysts say that standoff-ish approach is likely to continue whether Clinton or Trump becomes president, and there are other reasons for Israel to expect a warmer embrace from the next administration than it has had from Obama. Netanyahu has been careful not to show favoritism, meeting both candidates and saying much the same thing afterwards. Clinton, a former New York senator and U.S. secretary of state, has repeatedly emphasized that she will protect Israel’s interests. Trump has said he will move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a popular line that would all but enshrine Jerusalem as the country’s capital. “We enjoy and appreciate the strong bipartisan support we get,” said Lior Weintraub, vice-president of The Israel Project, a pro-Israel lobby group, and a former chief of staff at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC. “We believe either president will continue the tradition of the many presidents from both sides of the aisle of fostering the alliance on every front, from security to culture.” While polls show most Israelis favor Clinton, Trump has a hard-core following among some national-religious Israelis, many of whom are originally from the United States. When it comes to policy, Israeli analysts see Clinton as having a better handle on the issues, and the people who are likely to handle the Middle East if she is elected are more familiar faces than those in Trump’s circle. The question is what it may mean for the Palestinians. With deep internal divisions and little prospect of a resumption of peace talks with Israel, Palestinian observers believe neither candidate has their best interests at heart. “Either of them will maintain the U.S. commitment to aid Israel, the two have publicly angered the Palestinians in electoral speeches,” said analyst Hani Habib. “The only difference was that Trump promised to move the U.S. ambassador to Jerusalem while Clinton kept silent. “Any betting on either of them is a losing bet,” he said. (This version of the story was refiled to restore the dropped word ‘will’ in paragraph two) | 1 |
10,220 | WATCH: Female Cop Halts Sex Offender’s Violent Rampage | Earlier in January, 31-year-old Michael Cox was found guilty of sexually abusing a five-year-old girl.After the jury read the verdict, attorneys for the prosecution and defense approached the bench for a sidebar with the judge.As the attorneys were making their way back across the courtroom, Cox suddenly attacked Deputy District Attorney Scot Key in a violent rage, shoving him to the ground, before leaping on top of him.As the courtroom erupted in chaos, Transport Officer KaeDea Smith burst onto the scene.Video of the incident shows the female officer shooting like a bolt of lightning through the double doors leading into the courtroom.Within seconds she has the rampaging pedophile pinned to the floor.Thankfully, Cox did not have a gun on him during his courtroom rampage.Here s video of the attack, courtesy of KOB.This is poetic justice at its finest. Since Cox is clearly used to victimizing helpless little girls who can t defend themselves, let alone others, it s fitting to see his rampage brought to an end by this heroic and incredibly badass female officer.Unlike many of the cops we hear about today, Officer Smith put the safety of others before her own, rushing in to protect the attorneys, judge, jury and others.Instead of firing her police-issued weapon into a crowded courtroom, she used non-lethal force to subdue the threat.During an interview with KRQE, Officer Smith told reporters she was just doing her job. I was able to get a hold of the defendant and use the least amount of force possible to go ahead and detain him to get him under control. While the law does require police officers to use the least amount of force necessary to get a suspect to comply with orders, it s not often in today s news cycle that we hear of a cop actually doing what the law requires.The violent rampage was caught on camera in Otero County, New Mexico s 12th Judicial District courtroom, on January 20.The best part of this is knowing that someday, when Cox s 5-year-old victim is old enough to understand what happened in that courtroom, she ll get to watch the man that molested her get taken down by someone who was a little girl once, too.Featured image from video screen capture from KOB | 0 |
10,221 | Russian bombers strike Islamic State targets in Syria: RIA | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Six Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers struck Islamic State targets near the town of Abu Kemal in Syria on Thursday, RIA news agency reported, citing Russia s Defense Ministry. Command centers and weapon depots were among the targets hit in the air strike, Russia s military said, according to RIA. | 1 |
10,222 | FCC media rule rollback could usher in TV station buying spree | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led Federal Communications Commission is moving to quickly undo roadblocks to increased consolidation among media companies, potentially unleashing an onslaught of deals among TV, radio and newspaper owners as they seek to better compete with online media. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Wednesday disclosed his plans to ask the media and communications regulator on Nov. 16 to eliminate the 42-year-old ban on cross-ownership of a newspaper and TV station in a major market. The changes would also make it easier for media companies to buy additional TV stations in the same market, or for local stations to jointly sell advertising time. The move, along with other expected FCC media rule changes, could usher in a new era of media consolidation that could help struggling newspapers and TV stations, but limit the diversity of media voices. FCC’s Pai has cited rising competition for advertising from websites like Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc as a reason for easing the media ownership rules as well as helping struggling newspapers. Big media firms including Tegna Inc and Nexstar Media Group Inc, have cited the potential rule change as motivating them to look for expansion opportunities. In the near future, the decision could also allow Sinclair Broadcast Group’s, which is seeking approval for its proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media Co, to avoid some divestitures in order to get the deal approved. Eliminating “outdated regulations that unnecessarily hobble local broadcast stations will benefit consumers in communities across the country,” said the National Association of Broadcasters Friday. Advocacy group Free Press criticized Pai’s proposal, saying it “ignores how decades of runaway media consolidation have significantly harmed local news and independent voices.” Anne Bentley, a spokeswoman for Tegna, a TV broadcaster formerly known as Gannett before it spun off the newspapers in 2015, said the company “expects to be a strategic and disciplined consolidator at this pivotal time of positive regulatory change.” Nexstar Chief Executive Officer Perry Sook said in a statement Thursday the changes would allow local broadcasters to “make additional investments in localized programming content, our people, news resources and reporting capabilities.” Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics, told Reuters the rollback of the rules means “we will see more consolidation on the local level, where TV stations or TV groups will buy local newspapers.” CBS Corp Chief Executive Les Moonves said in February he believed Pai’s deregulatory plans “will be very beneficial to our business.” With rule changes, CBS “would strategically want to buy some more.” In April, the FCC voted to reverse a 2016 decision that limits the number of television stations some broadcasters could buy. Under rules adopted in 1985, stations with weaker over-the-air signals could be partially counted against a broadcaster’s ownership cap. But last year, the FCC under Democratic President Barack Obama said those rules were outdated after the 2009 conversion to digital broadcasting, which eliminated the differences in station signal strength. Pai said in late March that he also planned to take a new look at the current overall limit on companies owning stations serving no more than 39 percent of U.S. television households. | 1 |
10,223 | Egypt FM to head to Ethiopia after Nile dam talks stall | CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will visit Addis Ababa next week for talks with his Ethiopian counterpart, a foreign ministry spokesman said, in a bid to end a standoff over a multi-billion dollar dam project on the Nile river. The dispute, which also involves Sudan, centers on control of a share of the waters of the Nile that stretches 6,695 km (4,184 miles) from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean and is the economic lifeblood of all three countries. Cairo says the dam would threaten water supplies that have fed Egypt s agriculture and economy for thousands of years. Ethiopia says the Grand Renaissance Dam, which it hopes will help make it Africa s largest power exporter, will have no major effect on Egypt. It accuses Cairo of flexing its political muscle to deter financiers from backing other Ethiopian power projects. Delegations from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia met in Cairo in November to approve a study by a French firm commissioned to assess the dam s environmental and economic impact. But negotiations stalled when they failed to agree on the initial report with each blaming others for blocking progress. Sudan s Irrigation Minister Moataz Moussa said Egypt was unwilling to accept amendments to the report put forward by Khartoum and Addis Ababa. Sudan and Ethiopia had expressed concern over several points, especially the proposed baseline from which the study would measure the dam s impacts, Moussa said in November. Another source of disagreement is whether Ethiopia plans to complete construction before negotiations over water flows have finished. It s clear they don t want to reach conclusions quickly. We believe they probably want to start filling the dam and complete construction while there are still some ongoing discussions, said Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Arab Water Council Chair and former Egyptian irrigation minister. He said this would violate an agreement signed by all three countries in Khartoum in 2015 meant to ensure diplomatic cooperation and stem fears of a resource conflict. Cairo fears the 6,000-megawatt dam, being built by Italy s largest construction firm, Salini Impregilo SpA, and due for completion next year, will reduce the flow it depends on for drinking water and irrigation. Egyptian officials say safeguarding the country s quota of Nile water is a matter of national security. No one can touch Egypt s water ... (which) means life or death for a population, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said last month. | 1 |
10,224 | FOX NEWS Chooses Muslim “Victim” To Question GOP Debate Candidates…You’ll Love Who She’s Supporting For President | Islamic terrorism is the #1 issue with most Americans, so why would FOX News choose to make the debate about Muslims who believe they are victims in America? Shouldn t they have addressed how Americans are becoming victims of violence by followers of Islam instead?The Islamic advocate and fashion-blogger invited by Google and Fox to question the GOP s 2016 candidates at the Jan. 28 debate is also a supporter of far-left 2016 candidate, Democrat Sen. [score]Bernie Sanders (I-VT)[/score]Noor, who describes herself as an advocate for Islam, earlier posted a video portraying Adolf Hitler in agreement with Trump.Noor s affiliation with far-left Sanders showcases the post-1960s radical political shift among America s far-left advocacy groups.Before the 1960s, these left-wing groups pushed for Marxist-style economic policies they thought would aid poorer, working-class Americans, regardless of color, by transferring wealth and power from industry and factory-owners.But after the 1960s, the far-left leaders gradually shifted their focus away from economics and towards cultural policies. Under this cultural Marxism, progressives believed they would aid racial and sexual minorities and now Islamic minorities by transferring cultural power and status from ordinary Americans, especially from white working-class Americans and away from individualistic-minded Christian churches.Many large business groups and very wealthy individuals have welcomed and funded this shift from Economic Marxism to Cultural Marxism. Since then, the left s culture-war against ordinary Americans long-evolved, equality-promoting and pro-ideal culture has forcibly imposed diversity on society, which has divided Americans into angry factions and sharply reduced the pre-1970s political pressure for higher taxes on very wealthy individuals.The shift has also caused the Democratic Party to fight for increased immigration, much to the delight of business groups and Wall Street, who make enormous financial gains from an increased inflow of cheap workers and welfare-supported immigrant customers. Those economic gains flow to many major companies, including Google and Fox, who are producing the Jan. 28 debate.Because of this divide-and-rule diversity strategy, progressive Democrats including President Barack Obama are also encouraging the migration of devout Muslims and their theocratic political leaders into the United States.The resulting spike in jihad attacks, the migrants high use of welfare and the spread of their religious ideology which stigmatizes woman and sexual minorities and ordinary non-Muslim Americans that are the base of the Democrats disparate political coalition and progressives increasingly shrill contempt for Americans who dislike of Islamic ideology, are just the costly civic side-effects imposed on Americans by progressives reach for political power and social status.Muslim advocates are useful for progressives because they rally immigrant Muslim voters and they help to spike American social conflicts, which boosts the civic conflict, or diversity, that benefits business groups and far-left, secular, anti-Christian, progressive leaders. For example, Noor s anti-Trump video initially displayed a fake twitter image claiming that Trump tweeted Muslims should be treated no differently than sex offenders. Via: Breitbart News | 0 |
10,225 | No deal on tax among German coalition parties: conservative politician | BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany s would-be coalition partners have not agreed to abolish a tax imposed after reunification to help poorer eastern states, a conservative politician told Reuters on Sunday, retracting his previous remarks that a deal on the issue had been reached. Hans Michelbach, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel s conservative bloc, said earlier that an agreement had been reached with the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) to abolish the solidarity tax by 2021. The FDP had made abolishing the tax, which was due to expire in 2019, an election promise. | 1 |
10,226 | RIOTERS CHASE DOWN Trump Supporter’s Truck…Attack Him While Screaming “Peaceful Protest”…Throw Bricks | Portland rioters have been chasing a Trump supporters truck for 8 blocks. pic.twitter.com/ZjYr5c5h5x Just Call Me Mister (@MisterMetokur) November 11, 2016The rioters then track down the Trump supporter at another light, continue to attack him while screaming peaceful protest and throwing bricks:Portland rioters track down Trump supporter at another light, continue to attack him while screaming peaceful protest and throwing bricks. pic.twitter.com/zzG91B1aX8 Just Call Me Mister (@MisterMetokur) November 11, 2016 | 0 |
10,227 | OUTRAGE! HOW REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT Is Using United States As Dumping Ground To Settle Diplomatic Disputes | Admitting Somalis who d been settled for years in Pakistan like the Ohio State jihadi and his family is only one of them. Another refugee absurdity was revealed recently the Obama administration has agreed to admit illegal aliens intercepted at sea by Australia and held in camps outside that country, on two Pacific islands.The number of people said to be affected is reported to range from 1,600 to nearly 2,500; my colleague Nayla Rush has an overview here. These are people Australia has decided do not warrant refugee status (or what our law would consider asylum). Therefore they have no right to move to Australia. But for a variety of reasons, Australia cannot, or does not want to, send them back, and the refugees won t accept offers of resettlement in New Guinea or Cambodia because they re holding out for a First World country. What s more, their presence in those Australian-run camps on the islands of Nauru and Manus (the latter owned by Papua New Guinea) has become a political headache. Most are from Iran, with smaller numbers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and elsewhere.I can see why Australia would want this deal; it costs Oz taxpayers $2 billion to run the two island detention facilities and closing them down would rid the government of the headache. But if Australia doesn t consider them refugees, why should we take them?It appears we re doing this as a favor to Australia; some speculate it s a quid pro quo for Australia s taking some U.S.-bound illegals in camps in Costa Rica, though how that s comparable isn t clear, and Australia has denied any such bargain. The chairman of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, Bob Goodlatte and Chuck Grassley, also want to know why we re doing this, and they wrote to the secretaries of State and Homeland Security asking for details on the secret agreement to bring the illegal aliens here. When Capitol Hill staffers asked the State Department how many such refugees would be resettled here under the secret deal, they were told the number was classified. Read more at: NRO | 0 |
10,228 | Team Trump Refuses to Turn Over Key Vetting Documents on Flynn | What did he know and when did he know it? These iconic questions are swirling around President Donald Trump and his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. With the new revelations that received money from both the Russian and Turkish governments, it appears Team Trump is either about as incompetent as many critics believe or liked Flynn enough to overlook clear violations of the U.S. Constitution and the law. The U.S. Constitution prohibits members of the military from taking any money from foreign governments. Despite this, Flynn registered as a foreign agent after he left the administration. No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state. Even retired members of the military can be called back at any time so it is important that there be no conflict of interest. As a lobbyist for Turkey, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, it is hard to see how Flynn could have anything but such a conflict. Both the Department of Defense and the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight are looking into Flynn. The problem is that Team Trump is refusing to turn over the documents they used to vet the former general.Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) was not happy with this situation. The ranking member on that committee said, I honestly do not understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn. It makes the American people think the White House has something to hide. There is obviously a paper trail that the White House does not want our committee to follow. For its part, the Department of Defense s inspector general is looking into Flynn s association with Russia and Turkey. He had been warned by the agency against taking these payments.The White House has had several explanations for why it is not turning over what they used to vet Flynn. They claim they do not have anything that was used before January 20. They then claim that the documents they have are too sensitive to turn over. When all of that didn t work, they fell back on an old standby. They blamed President Obama. The Obama administration fired Flynn.White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said this, My only point is that when General Flynn came into the White House he had an active security clearance issued during the Obama administration with all of the information that s being discussed that occurred in 2015. So, I guess my only point is to explain how the process works and who adjudicated that. After Flynn was fired, Trump stood by him calling Flynn a good man and blaming the media for his departure from the administration. Flynn says he told Team Trump of his dealings with Turkey. It seems they knew about what Flynn was doing and just didn t understand how serious it was and what the implications for our national security are. It will be impossible to know without a subpoena.Featured image via Mark Makela/Getty Images. | 0 |
10,229 | French troops conducting operations on Niger-Mali border after attack | PARIS (Reuters) - French troops are involved in an operation near Niger s border with Mali on Thursday, the French army said, a day after an attack that killed three U.S. Army Special Forces members. French army spokesman Colonel Patrick Steiger told a news conference in Paris that its regional Barkhane force had been asked to support a counterattack, after Niger and U.S. troops were ambushed by suspected Islamist militants overnight. He said fighter jets had been dispatched to the area and French helicopters had been used to evacuate the wounded. No French soldiers had been killed in the initial attack, Steiger added. | 1 |
10,230 | Angela Merkel Brilliantly Trashed Trump Yesterday, And His Response Is Beyond Pathetic (DETAILS) | Yesterday, Donald Trump visited Brussels and met with several top leaders of the European Union. As expected, he completely blew it and humiliated America once again.Earlier that day, German leader Angela Merkel had spoken at NATO HQ, where she took a shot at Trump when she said it wasn t the building of walls that makes us successful. Merkel and Trump already have a rocky relationship, as America s unworthy POTUS has publicly disrespected Merkel several times. Trump had responded by criticizing NATO for not putting enough money toward defense, but apparently he didn t get it all out of his system. While in Brussels, Trump continued to lash out at Merkel with his usual childish behavior and went off on a disgusting rant against the Germans.German publication Der Spiegel reported that as Trump spoke to EU Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk, Trump further damaged America s standing with Germany by saying this: The Germans are bad, very bad. Trump also promised to put an end to German car sales in the United States: Look at the millions of cars they sell in the US, and we ll stop that. Junker tried to explain to incompetent Trump that free trade was beneficial, and EU attendees expressed concern that Trump actually had no idea how EU trade agreements actually worked, and that America couldn t isolate Germany in negotiations.Overall, Trump s statements about Germany were extremely embarrassing and a pathetic response driven by Trump s fragile ego. It couldn t be more clear that Trump has no idea what he s doing as POTUS, and has even less awareness about how America s relations with other parts of the world really work. Every time he meets with world leaders, he shames our country and his first overseas trip couldn t be better proof of that.Featured image via Sean Gallup / Getty Images | 0 |
10,231 | 117 Days On The Job And Trump Just Had A Major Meltdown In Front Of The World | With new revelations of Trump aides making undisclosed contacts with Russia screaming across headlines today amid the mountain of scandals facing the alleged president, the 70-year-old Twitter addicted man-baby took to his social media account Thursday morning. To Donald Trump, he s the real victim as he assaults the English language with yet another typo. With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special councel appointed! Trump tweeted.With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special councel appointed! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017Trump was responding to the appointment of a special counsel (not councel) to investigate the alleged ties between his campaign and Russia. This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017However, after the announcement of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel, Trump stated that a federal investigation into his campaign s ties to Russia would find that there was no collusion. As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity, he stated. I look forward to this matter concluding quickly. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country. Trump is obviously very worried this morning as the walls close in around him.Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as well as other advisers to Trump s campaign, were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former U.S. officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters.All eighteen contacts with Russian officials were undisclosed. And, wow, the report states they were in contact via email, too. We re pretty sure that Hillary Clinton knows what being a target of a witch hunt over emails feels like. Trump made sure of that during the campaign as his supporters chanted, Lock her up! The contacts with Russia will now be part of the record which is being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators probing Russia s meddling in 2016 election and contacts between Trump s campaign and Russia.Flynn and Sergei Kislyak s conversations accelerated after election day. The two reportedly discussed establishing a back channel for communication between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that could bypass the U.S. national security bureaucracy.Previously, the White House denied any contact with Russian officials, but that was in January. I mean, who wouldn t forget about EIGHTEEN conversations with Russian officials to discuss creating a back channel to secretly communicate? And there s more. It s also been revealed that the amateur president knew Flynn was under investigation before his inauguration but appointed him anyway.In fairness to Trump, he does know something about witch hunts.An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012Meanwhile, everyone at the White House is MIA. Even Kellyanne Conway canceled an interview at the last minute with Fox News. Trump has no one left to defend him except for his Twitter account, and if I was his lawyer, I d be sitting on his hands, screaming, Stop tweeting, you moron! Photo by David Becker via Getty Images. | 0 |
10,232 | Republican Candidate Signs Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood While Calling Himself ‘Moderate’ | Attacking women s health is not a moderate position.So, it s pretty easy to call bullshit on Ohio Governor John Kasich s insistence that he is the only moderate Republican left in the GOP field.On Sunday, Kasich signed a bill stripping Planned Parenthood of millions of dollars for performing what Republicans call nontherapeutic abortions which are defined as any abortion that isn t in the case of rape, incest, or saving the life of the mother.In other words, Kasich and his conservative supporters in the state legislature are telling Planned Parenthood that if they want to continue being funded, they must deny women their constitutional right to obtain an abortion unless they meet one of the three criteria listed above.The problem with this conservative logic is that only 3 percent of services Planned Parenthood provides are abortion-related. Plus, state and federal funding is not used by Planned Parenthood to pay for abortion.What state and federal funds are used for, however, are crucial medical services that women will no longer have access to because Republicans don t care about collateral damage in their war on a woman s right to choose.According to Huffington Post, Planned Parenthood is about to lose $1.3 million that would have been spent on HIV testing, cancer screenings and programs that help prevent domestic violence and infant mortality. This isn t even the first time Kasich has attacked women s health since becoming governor.He has also signed bills banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, banning public hospitals from accepting transfer patients from clinics, and stripping rape crisis centers from funding if they refer patients to an abortion provider.As for the current bill Kasich signed, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards denounced it and the man who signed it. John Kasich is proudly eliminating care for expectant mothers and newborns; he is leaving thousands without vital STD and HIV testing, slashing a program to fight domestic violence, and cutting access to essential, basic health care. It s clear Kasich has no regard for women s health or lives, and will stop at nothing to block health care for the tens of thousands of Ohioans who rely on Planned Parenthood. And Kasich signed this bill, now one of the most extreme anti-women laws in the nation, as he parades across the country trying to convince everyone, especially women, that he is a moderate Republican deserving of their support in his bid to become President of the United States, a position he would absolutely use to ban abortion entirely and eliminate Planned Parenthood.Kasich is not a moderate. He s just another conservative extremist like Ted Cruz.Featured image from Flickr | 0 |
10,233 | Trump supports Republican tax overhaul bill: adviser | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump supports the tax overhaul bill unveiled on Thursday by Republicans in the House of Representatives, a top White House advisor said. “The bill that the House has delivered today ... is a bill that the president can support,” National Economic Council director Gary Cohn told a gathering of the Economic Club of Washington, adding that he was confident the House would approve a tax overhaul. “If it delivers middle class tax relief and a 20 percent corporate tax rate and it shows up on his desk I can guarantee he’s going to sign it,” Cohn said. Republicans pushing the tax bill will have to accept the assessments of budget analysts who may not share the White House’s views on how the tax bill could increase some tax revenues by fostering growth in the economy, Cohn said. “We have to accept the score to get the legislation through,” he said. “We will legislate to a bill to get the score that we need to get it through the legislative process.” | 1 |
10,234 | WIFE OF LIONS QUARTERBACK Matthew Stafford Just Sent A BRUTAL MESSAGE To NFL Players Who Disrespect Our Flag | Not only is Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford s wife drop-dead gorgeous, she s also smart, patriotic, and apparently outspoken when it comes to professional athletes who refuse to stand for our national anthem. We couldn t stop smiling, as we read Kelly Stafford s passionate and patriotic Instagram message to her husband s fellow NFL players.Here s what Stafford wrote: If you think the country can be better, stand for the ideal. If you think the answer is people showing unity, stand with them. The anthem is not the national police song. The anthem is not the national racists song. The anthem is an exercise in how this country can endure and rise, how we can agree on its future potential, even while struggling with its present.The anthem s words depict a flag that is suffering through bombs and rockets. You could easily view those bombs and rockets as the challenges our democracy faces today, and the flag a symbol of rising above them. -Mitch albomI ve been hesitant to talk about this, as I know I will get backlash from it.. but I believe we can stand and show our unity against everything that doesn t represent what this flag stands for.Let s stand united against terrorists, against racism, against white supremacists, against killing of cops, against police brutality, against sex slave trafficking.. against anything that is not the ideal for this country.Let s unite in the fact that God made us all unique and different and that is something we should cherish. You can disagree with me and that is totally ok.. let s use this forum to discuss (not yell at each other) and listen to one another.Here is the actual Instagram post: If you think the country can be better, stand for the ideal. If you think the answer is people showing unity, stand with them. The anthem is not the national police song. The anthem is not the national racists song. The anthem is an exercise in how this country can endure and rise, how we can agree on its future potential, even while struggling with its present. The anthem s words depict a flag that is suffering through bombs and rockets. You could easily view those bombs and rockets as the challenges our democracy faces today, and the flag a symbol of rising above them. -Mitch albom I ve been hesitant to talk about this, as I know I will get backlash from it.. but I believe we can stand and show our unity against everything that doesn t represent what this flag stands for. Let s stand united against terrorists, against racism, against white supremacists, against killing of cops, against police brutality, against sex slave trafficking.. against anything that is not the ideal for this country. Let s unite in the fact that God made us all unique and different and that is something we should cherish. You can disagree with me and that is totally ok.. let s use this forum to discuss (not yell at each other) and listen to one another. #landofthefree #homeofthebrave #illstandwithyou #nfl #standunited #unitedwestandA post shared by Kelly Stafford (@kbstafford89) on Aug 23, 2017 at 4:45am PDTMost of the comments Stafford received on her Instagram post were positive, however, there are always gonna be haters out there, and for the haters, Stafford posted a follow up to her original statement (which also received mostly supportive responses):A post shared by Kelly Stafford (@kbstafford89) on Aug 23, 2017 at 7:55am PDT | 0 |
10,235 | Watch FOX News Anchor Hammer Mitch McConnell: Washington Stinks!!! | Bill Hemmer let Mitch McConnell have it but McConnell was looking like a deer in the headlights with a blank stare on his face: People on the outside see this and think that that s just Washington doing what Washington wants to do. And, damn the laws. And, you know what s going on in the campaign trail, Democrat or Republican. That s why Bernie Sanders is getting 15,000 people at a rally. That s why Donald Trump is at 32% of the polling right now. People do not like what is coming out of Washington and they think the smell stinks. | 0 |
10,236 | LOL! SARAH SANDERS MOCKS CNN’s April Ryan…Sends Hilarious Tweets To Verify Authenticity Of Her Homemade Pecan Pies | One month ago, CNN political analyst and American Urban Radio Networks White House correspondent April Ryan took to Twitter, and without any evidence, suggested that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn t actually bake the Thanksgiving Day pecan pie she posted on Twitter.Here s the tweet from Sanders showing the pie she baked with the message: I dont cook much these days, but managed this Chocolate Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving at the family farm! I dont cook much these days, but managed this Chocolate Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving at the family farm! pic.twitter.com/rO8nFxtly7 Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) November 23, 2017Ryan responded by actually demanding that Sanders do more than post a picture of the pie with a white background, and that she show Twitter users the pie on her table!Show it to us on a table. https://t.co/ifeSBlSZW7 AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 24, 2017Ryan then took it a step further and doubled down, letting her Twitter users know that the legitimacy of Sanders claim that she baked the pecan pie was no laughing matter.I am not trying to be funny but folks are already saying #piegate and #fakepie Show it to us on the table with folks eating it and a pic of you cooking it. I am getting the biggest laugh out of this. I am thankful for this laugh on Black Friday! https://t.co/ifeSBlSZW7 AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) November 24, 2017Never one to let the bad behavior of a leftist member of the media sharks go unnoticed, Sarah Sanders decided to share a step-by-step pictorial of her Christmas pecan pies for the petty CNN reporter April Ryan. Sanders tweeted directly to April Ryan this time, asking Ryan for her opinion on how to best prepare her pie: It s pie time! With or without bourbon @AprilDRyan? #piegate It s pie time! With or without bourbon @AprilDRyan? #piegate pic.twitter.com/2xw58FDFg6 Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 14, 2017Sanders then thanked VP Chief of Staff Nick Ayers for supplying the pecans from his family farm in Georgia:Thanks to @VP Chief of Staff @Nick_Ayers for supplying the pecans from his family farm in Georgia #piegate pic.twitter.com/Lx7LpMwF4V Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 14, 2017Sanders even offered to provide CNN s April Ryan with further documentation if she needed further proof to verify the authenticity of her homemade pecan pies:Ingredients all mixed up and pies in the oven! @AprilDRyan let me know if you need further documentation #piegate pic.twitter.com/OVYLg1gBgO Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 14, 2017Finally, Sanders ended her series of tweets with a zinger: Excited to share these at tomorrow s press potluck. Merry Christmas to the WH press corps! Excited to share these at tomorrow s press potluck. Merry Christmas to the WH press corps! pic.twitter.com/PKqfHk3nXJ Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 14, 2017Could there be a classier or wittier person than Sarah Huckabee Sanders, when it comes to dealing with our rabid, Trump-hating, leftist media? | 0 |
10,237 | LOL! SNARKY WHITE YAHOO Sports Writer TRASHES Black NHL Player P.K.Subban For Saying He’ll “Never Kneel During National Anthem” Because He Has “Too Much Respect For American Flag” | How very bold of the white Yahoo sports writer Greg Wyshynski, who affectionately refers to himself as Puck Daddy to call out one of only a handful of black men in the NHL for not standing up for the Black Lives Matter, anti-cop movement, that disrespects our flag, and our veterans in one fell swoop Wyshynski writes: P.K. Subban said on Tuesday that he will never kneel during the national anthem to protest something politically.Subban performed at a fundraiser on Tuesday night at Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville, to benefit Comedy Cares. He told the audience that he would never take a knee during the national anthem because he has too much respect for the American flag. His comments were sent to us by two eyewitnesses and confirmed by the Predators. Subban, who is Canadian, is considered the most prominent black player in pro hockey.Earlier in the day, the Nashville Predators announced that, as a team, they would not engage in any protests during the national anthem. This came less than two days after hundreds of NFL players, coaches and executives showed solidarity in rebuking President Donald Trump s comments that players who protested police brutality against African-Americans during the national anthem were sons of bitches who deserved to lose their jobs.Said CEO Sean Henry, to the Tennessean: When this all came about, we wanted to get together with our team because everything we do is collaborative. When we say what we re going to be doing, it really is a we. Everyone had input on it. We are honoring the anthem and the flag and the country by standing during the anthem. We invite our fans to do so with us. It is also our way of honoring what else it stands for, and it does provide for the freedom for others to express their views and protests in a manner in which they feel comfortable doing. We just think there s proper forums for all. Our games have become this unifying celebration, so we have decided that we re all going to stand together to honor the country and all that comes with it. According to Seth Dean, a Predators fans who attended the comedy fundraiser event, Subban took the stage and said he will continue to stand, respect, and sing along with U.S. anthem. At one point, he pointed out a friend of his in the crowd who was a law enforcement officer from Boston.From Dean: He also addressed why he always shuffles his feet during anthem. He first said it could be ADD but he was never tested. Then he mentioned just being pumped up by crowd and excited to support USA even as a Canadian. He even jokingly suggested we should all stand and sing anthem there at Zanies (which didn t happen). He obviously wasn t going to go against Lavy s proclamation that players were going to stay standing, especially with his coach in the room, but he made his support for anthem as unequivocal as he possibly could. In an email to Yahoo Sports, Hailey, another attendee, described the scene in more detail:Tonight was a comedy fundraiser at Zanies in Nashville, for which Ryan Hamilton was the headliner. As my attendance was spontaneous, I was pretty excited when PK Subban was the first comedian . Much to my surprise, his allegedly impromptu set ended with a tense promise from PK that despite his previous dancing antics during the national anthem, he would NEVER kneel during the national anthem, followed by a long rant about his respect for the American flag. | 0 |
10,238 | JUDGE JEANINE PIRRO DECLARES WAR On Hillary…Leaked E-Mails Prove The Election Was Rigged [Video] | Judge Jeanine Pirro rips into Crooked Hillary for her collusion in rigging the election process so she would come out on top of Bernie Sanders: | 0 |
10,239 | Russia says Kiev's belligerence forced its observers to quit east Ukraine | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian military observers had to pull out of a joint ceasefire control group due to Kiev s determination to solve the crisis in the rebel-held eastern regions of the country by force, a spokesman for Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Earlier this week, the ministry said it was recalling officers serving at the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination in Ukraine, accusing the Ukrainian side of obstructing their work and limiting access to the front line. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said on Thursday that the United States encouraged the resumption of large-scale bloodshed in eastern Ukraine by Washington s approval of lethal arms sales to Ukrainian army. | 1 |
10,240 | Fox News Finally Fired An Analyst For Going TOO FAR With Lies Defending Trump | Donald Trump just lost another one of his propagandists thanks to Fox News.Last week, Andrew Napolitano opened his big mouth and threw gasoline on a raging fire by claiming that President Obama enlisted British Intelligence agency GCHQ to wiretap Trump.Napolitano s desperate claim came after Trump and his team repeatedly were unable to produce any evidence that President Obama ordered such a wiretap.Rather than vet the claim, White House mouthpiece Sean Spicer repeated it to the press and a firestorm ensued as GCHQ issued a rare statement refuting the accusation. Thus, Napolitano helped create an international incident between the United States and one of our oldest allies.But when asked about the accusation during a press conference, Trump threw Fox News under the bus by blaming them directly instead of taking personal responsibility for repeating an accusation made by a pundit. We said nothing, Trump said. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. So you shouldn t be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox. Fox News immediately scrambled to refute Napolitano. Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano s commentary, Fox anchor Shep Smith said. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-President of the United States was surveilled at any time in any way. Full stop. Fox anchor Bret Baier soon followed. We love the judge, we love him here at Fox, but the Fox News division was never able to back up those claims and was never reported on this show, Baier said.And now that FBI Director James Comey has put the nail in the coffin of Trump s wiretapping accusation, Fox News has moved to punish Napolitano.According to the Los Angeles Times, Fox News has removed Napolitano from their programming indefinitely. People familiar with the situation who could speak only on the condition of anonymity said Napolitano is not expected to be on Fox News Channel any time in the near future, the Times reported.Indeed, it appears that Napolitano really has been yanked off the air. After all, Monday has been a heavy legal news day considering Trump is being investigated by the FBI and Neil Gorsuch is being grilled on Capitol Hill. It s heaven for legal analysts but Napolitano didn t provide any analysis for Fox News. That s because instead of being an objective analyst, Napolitano chose to support Trump by tossing out unverified claims even though he damn well knew that Trump s accusation was a lie in the first place.Napolitano s credibility is now in shambles just like Trump s. The only difference is that while Napolitano has been removed from his job, Trump continues to remain in the White House.Featured image via screenshot | 0 |
10,241 | Egypt military carries out air strikes in area of Sinai mosque attack: security sources | CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt s military has begun conducting air strikes around the area of North Sinai where a deadly mosque attack that killed more than 230 occurred on Friday, security sources and eyewitnesses said. The strikes have been concentrated in several mountainous areas surrounding Al Rawdah mosque where militants are believed to be hiding out, the security sources said. | 1 |
10,242 | Harvard Law Professor Calls For Electoral College To Dump Trump | Donald Trump is a threat to the continuing survival of our nation and democracy. And the only thing that can stop him is the Electoral College.That s why Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig is openly calling upon the Electoral College to save us from this abomination that has made a mockery of our Constitution without even setting one foot inside the White House yet.Most Americans would agree that the Electoral College is an outdated part of our election that should be removed. But in this instance, it the last hope America has to keep Trump and his racist minions from destroying our country.In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Lessig points out that the Founding Fathers adopted the Electoral College as an additional check on our elections to make sure that demagogues and con artists like Donald Trump don t get to be president.Hillary Clinton currently has more than a 2 million vote lead over Trump in the popular vote, which means the will of the American people has been trampled by an electoral system that Republicans may very well have rigged this year, which is why Jill Stein has raised enough money to trigger a recount in three battleground states.On December 19th, the electors will meet to cast their votes for president and vice-president. And when they do, they have a chance to put the rightful winner of the 2016 Election in the White House.According to Lessig, the Electoral College is not meant to deny a reasonable judgment by the people. It is meant to be a circuit breaker just in case the people go crazy. In this election, the people did not go crazy. The winner, by far, of the popular vote is the most qualified candidate for president in more than a generation. Like her or not, no elector could have a good-faith reason to vote against her because of her qualifications. Choosing her is thus plainly within the bounds of a reasonable judgment by the people. The framers left the electors free to choose. They should exercise that choice by leaving the election as the people decided it: in Clinton s favor.In short, electors need to do the right and moral thing and vote for Hillary Clinton, even if it means being fined for voting their conscience.Over 4 million Americans have already signed a petition asking the Electoral College to vote for Clinton. Fell free to sign it by clicking here.These electors have a responsibility to keep our country from burning down to the ground. Trump has already proven that he isn t taking the presidency seriously and that he intends put our government into the hands of people who want to destroy it.Lessig is right to ask the electors to switch their votes to Clinton and the rest of us need to ask them to do it, too. We need to support them and tell them we have their back. Sure, conservatives will bitch about it. But at this point, who really gives a shit about them anyway? They voted for a tyrant, therefore, their opinions no longer matter.Featured Image: Zach Gibson/Getty Images | 0 |
10,243 | Factbox: Republican senators to watch in tax bill fight | (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans made progress on Tuesday in addressing the demands of some key senators in the party about their tax legislation, improving the outlook for the bill’s passage. President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress want to pass a tax bill by the end of 2017. Republicans control the Senate by a 52-48 margin, leaving little room for defections in the face of Democratic opposition. Here is a list of Republicans whose votes are pivotal to the bill’s fate. Senator Bob Corker said on Tuesday he had the outlines of a deal satisfying his concerns that the tax cuts could add too much to the national debt. As a deficit hawk, Corker’s main concern about the plan has been red ink - the tax bill is expected to add $1.4 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. Republicans say that gap would be narrowed by additional economic growth. Under the deal that Corker said he had reached with Senate leaders, the bill would be modified to automatically raise tax revenues if growth targets were not reached. The Tennessee lawmaker, a Trump critic who is not running for re-election, voted to advance the tax plan on Tuesday in the Budget Committee. He also spoke to Trump at a Republican lunch. The two feuded recently, with Corker calling the White House an “adult day care center” after Trump attacked Corker repeatedly on Twitter. The moderate senator from Maine has said she has qualms about Senate leaders’ plan to include repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate in the tax bill. The mandate requires people to buy health insurance or face a penalty. But Trump appears to be making a clear bid for Collins’ vote. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday that Trump backed a Collins proposal to set aside money to help health insurers cover the most expensive patients. Graham said that provision would probably go into an upcoming government funding bill, along with another measure Collins favors to continue Obamacare subsidy payments for low-income people for two years. Collins told reporters she would offer an amendment to the tax bill to include a deduction of up to $10,000 in property taxes. Collins was among three Republicans who voted in July to block a Republican attempt to dismantle Obamacare, Democratic former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, formally known as the Affordable Care Act. The senator from Alaska wanted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, to oil and gas drilling. Provisions to do that were attached to the tax bill as it passed the Budget Committee. Murkowski told reporters on Tuesday she was “feeling better” about the tax bill. She voted against three attempts to dismantle Obamacare earlier this year. But a week ago, she wrote an opinion piece saying she supported repealing the Obamacare individual mandate. Murkowski also wrote that she supported legislation to continue Obamacare subsidy payments for low-income people. Senator Ron Johnson also voted to advance the tax bill in the Budget Committee on Tuesday, although he has been demanding more favorable treatment for “pass-through” businesses as a condition of support. The Wisconsin lawmaker surprised colleagues earlier this month by becoming the first Republican to announce opposition to the tax plan. That earned him a call from Trump. Johnson, formerly chief executive of a polyester and plastics manufacturer, says the legislation unfairly helps corporations over small enterprises organized as non-corporate “pass-throughs.” Those include partnerships and sole proprietorships and account for most U.S. business. The senator from Montana said in a statement on Monday he opposed the current version of the tax bill because it helped corporations more than other kinds of businesses. “I want to see changes to the tax cut bill that ensure Main Street businesses are not put at a competitive disadvantage against large corporations,” he said. “Before I can support this bill, this improvement needs to be made.” The Arizona maverick and former presidential nominee said on Monday he was still undecided and concerned about “a lot of things” in the tax plan, according to the Wall Street Journal. The war hero infuriated Trump when he joined Collins and Murkowski in voting against the Senate bill last summer to repeal Obamacare. McCain, who is still working after a diagnosis of brain cancer, has said he has almost no working relationship with Trump. The senator from Arizona, a vocal Trump critic who is not seeking re-election in 2018, has issued a statement saying he was worried about the tax bill’s impact on the national debt. Trump has tweeted that he expects Flake to be a “no” on the tax bill “because his political career anyway is ‘toast.’” Like Corker, Oklahoma conservative Lankford questions whether tax revenues from economic growth will compensate for the expected increase in the national debt under the tax plan. He has been working with Corker to “trigger” more revenues if needed. “We’re still trying to lock in exactly how we would do it,” he told reporters on Tuesday. The Kansas lawmaker is also wary of the impact on the national debt, pointing to his own state’s recent experience of fiscal problems following tax cuts. A spokesman for Moran said the senator was “determined to pass tax reform” and was working with colleagues to do so. | 1 |
10,244 | Brexit will not be derailed, says May ahead of crunch cabinet meetings | LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would not be derailed from leaving the European Union, laying the groundwork for difficult meetings this week in which she will try to unite a divided cabinet behind her vision for post-Brexit Britain. May was applauded by European Union leaders in Brussels on Friday after securing an agreement to move previously-deadlocked talks forward onto the topic of interim and long-term trading arrangements. The progress has gone some way to easing concerns of businesses and investors who fear Britain could crash out of the bloc without an exit deal, or that May s fragile government could collapse under the pressure of delivering Brexit. Amid all the noise, we are getting on with the job, May wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. My message today is very clear: we will not be derailed from this fundamental duty to deliver the democratic will of the British people. But May can expect some difficult exchanges this week when she and senior ministers discuss the so-called end state of the Brexit negotiations for the first time since Britain voted to leave the EU in a referendum in June 2016. The type of long-term relationship the country should have with the EU is a vexed question at every level in Britain, including within May s cabinet where some want to keep close ties with the EU and others want a more radical divorce from Brussels. Mindful of the need to keep both sides happy, May has so far plotted a careful path. May says she wants a wide-ranging free trade deal with the EU and a more outward-looking trade policy, but has largely steered clear of the more contentious issues such as whether Britain should stay aligned with EU trading rules and the future role of European courts. Meetings expected to take place on Monday and Tuesday are likely to force those issues out into the open. One of the key pro-Brexit voices in the cabinet, foreign minister Boris Johnson, has set out his own view ahead of the meetings, warning May that Britain must avoid becoming subordinate to the EU. What we need to do is something new and ambitious, which allows zero tariffs and frictionless trade but still gives us that important freedom to decide our own regulatory framework, our own laws and do things in a distinctive way in the future, he told the Sunday Times newspaper. He said that mirroring EU laws would leave Britons asking What is the point of what you have achieved? because we would have gone from a member state to a vassal state. | 1 |
10,245 | new report uncovers secret trump server that repeatedly communicated with russia | world leaders personal chefs sample indian market fare wed oct pm news bulletin the chefs to various heads of state pose for a photograph as they visit the spice market in the old quarters of new delhi on october afp
the worlds most highprofile chefs are in india to explore one of the most gastronomic societies on earth
members of the exclusive cooking society le club des chefs des chefs have gathered up in new delhi to sample indias spicy and aromatic cuisine
the culinary delegate comprising personal chefs to the worlds leaders decided to hold a meeting in india after being invited by the countrys president they got the chance to explore the crowded alleys of old delhis pungent spice market and get a taste of the countrys authentic ingredients
the top chefs get together every year for a general assembly the meeting is supposed to provide a platform for the gourmands to exchange recipes the elite chefs also discuss ways to use food diplomacy to connect communities the club also seeks to promote local food and healthy eating habits | 1 |
10,246 | Obama Has A Powerful Message About 9/11 You Have To See (VIDEO) | President Obama used the platform of his weekly address from the White House to address the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In his speech, the President sought to remind Americans of their best qualities as we saw in the response to the horrific attack.In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said that while so much has changed in the years since 9/11 it s important to remember what has stayed the same. The core values that define us as Americans. The resilience that sustains us, he said on the eve of the 15th anniversary of one of the nation s darkest days.He said the terrorists goal is to frighten Americans into changing how they live, but Americans will never give in to fear. We re still the America of heroes who ran into harm s way, of ordinary folks who took down the hijackers, of families who turned their pain into hope, Obama said.The idea that America has to eye all Muslims with suspicion since 9/11 has unfortunately gone from a fringe belief to a central concern of the conservative movement. Current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has argued that Muslims should be barred from entry to the United States, and has even suggested that they be tracked somehow. He and other Republicans also claim that Muslims aren t helping America in the war against terrorism, but they have laid down their lives right alongside Christian patriots in the last decade and a half.President Obama s message is one of inclusion not exclusion, arguing that the American instinct was seen in its purest form after the attack, when so many were united in a common cause.The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 killed almost 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. The assault was executed by the al Qaeda terrorist network and ordered by leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was killed in a raid ordered by President Obama and executed by U.S. Navy Seal Team Six on May 2, 2011.Featured image via YouTube | 0 |
10,247 | U.S. might ban laptops on all flights into and out of the country | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all flights into and out of the country as part of a ramped-up effort to protect against potential security threats, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday. In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Kelly said the United States planned to “raise the bar” on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items. “That’s the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it’s a U.S. carrier, particularly if it’s full of U.S. people.” In March, the government imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey. Kelly said the move would be part of a broader airline security effort to combat what he called “a real sophisticated threat.” He said no decision had been made as to the timing of any ban. “We are still following the intelligence,” he said, “and are in the process of defining this, but we’re going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now.” Airlines are concerned that a broad ban on laptops may erode customer demand. But none wants an incident aboard one of its airplanes. “Whatever comes out, we’ll have to comply with,” Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines (UAL.N), told the company’s annual meeting last week. Airlines were blindsided in January when President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning entry for 90 days to citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, sending airlines scrambling to determine who could board and who could not. The order was later blocked in the courts. In the case of laptops, the administration is keeping the industry in the loop. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) said in a statement it “continues to be in close contact with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” while Munoz applauded the administration for giving the company a “heads up.” “We’ve had constant updates on the subject,” he said. “We know more than most. And again, if there’s a credible threat out there, we need to make sure we take the appropriate measures.” MORE SCRUTINY OF CARRY-ONS Among the enhanced security measures will likely be tighter screening of carry-on items to allow Transport Security Administration agents to discern problematic items in tightly stuffed bags. Kelly said that in order to avoid paying fees for checking bags, people were stuffing them to the point where it was difficult to see through the clutter. “The more stuff is in there, the less the TSA professionals that are looking at what’s in those bags through the monitors can tell what’s in them.” The TSA has begun testing certain new procedures at a limited number of airports, requiring people to remove additional items from carry-on bags for separate screenings. Asked whether the government would expand such measures nationwide, Kelly said: “We might, and likely will.” | 1 |
10,248 | UNHINGED MIKA Called President Trump “Not Well, Ignorant, Stupid, Mentally Ill and a Narcissist in ONE MINUTE! [VIDEO] | Hour one of the MSNBC morning show began typically enough with Mika and Joe. The assembled gang could barely contain their glee at the prospect of damning testimony from James Comey. That all set the stage for a typical Mika Brzezinski tirade that was honestly one of the most disgusting assaults on President Trump yet. It s unhinged hate!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZoUCHs22Aw I think Trump is such a narcissist, it s possible he is mentally ill in a way and this is on the table, I said it months ago and now everyone is starting to say it like it s new, and it s ok to say. He s not well, she said. At the very least, he s not well. And he s so narcissistic he does not believe the rules apply to him, and that s where the ignorance label may apply because this is a man who says he can grab women anywhere because he s famous. Then something very curious happened.Scarborough looked off camera and can be heard saying, What s that? Wow, Then Willie Geist showed him something and the two started laughing. Then a clearly not listening Scarborough, banged the table. Stop right there, he laughed I need an eject button. He posted it? Scarborough appeared to ask someone else?Brzezinski finally realized that nobody was listening to her and demanded an explanation. Nothing I have said is crazy, she said. We ll talk about it in the break, said Scarborough barely able to get it out through his own laugher.The show soon went to break. When it returned Scarborough joked about keeping it in the guard rails. Brzezinski appeared to offer an explanation of her actions. I am keeping it in the guard rails. Everything I ve said you all have thought and you know and you ve said in your own way. You re going to talk to me about a filter? she snapped at Scarborough. Yes, he said. | 0 |
10,249 | Trump chides Merck CEO after resignation from presidential council | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump chided Merck & Co Inc’s Kenneth Frazier after the drugmaker’s chief executive resigned from a presidential advisory board earlier on Monday and cited a need for U.S. leaders to denounce bigotry following a violent weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!,” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter. | 1 |
10,250 | Trump Wants To Spend Most Of His Term Going On Vacation And Playing Golf | Since Republicans had such a problem with President Obama going on vacation and playing golf, they ll be totally opposed to Donald Trump doing even more of both, right?Because while President Obama and his family moved into the White House and took less vacation time than any Republican president in the last 40 years, it looks like Trump wants to spend much of his term playing golf or relaxing at his gold-plated apartment in Trump Tower.According to The New York Times,Mr. Trump, a homebody who often flew several hours late at night during the campaign so he could wake up in his own bed in Trump Tower, is talking with his advisers about how many nights a week he will spend in the White House. He has told them he would like to do what he is used to, which is spending time in New York when he can.The questions reflect what Mr. Trump s advisers described as the president-elect s coming to grips with the fact that his life is about to change radically. They say that Mr. Trump, who was shocked when he won the election, might spend most of the week in Washington, much like members of Congress, and return to Trump Tower or his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., or his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach on weekends.In other words, Trump isn t interested in being president full-time. He wants to vacation and golf. And if he gets the schedule he wants, he would end up spending 416 days away from Washington over the course of four years. Far MORE days than the 217 days President Obama spent on vacation in eight years.And that s not even counting official vacations Trump will likely take.Furthermore, if Trump plays one round of golf every weekend, he will play more golf in two years than President Obama played during his whole first term.So while Trump is away, it s likely the responsibility of governing will be left to his advisers and cabinet members.If Donald Trump is serious about governing, he should be in Washington full-time. Also, he should never take a vacation or play a single round of golf during his term because for years, Trump and his supporters bitched every time President Obama left the White House for just about any little thing. And they definitely despised him for playing golf. Doing either of these things would make Trump a hypocrite, especially since he could end up doing more of it over four years than Obama did in eight.Featured Image: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images | 0 |
10,251 | Syrian army, allies break Islamic State siege in eastern city | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces on Tuesday reached troops besieged for years by Islamic State in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, the militants last major stronghold in Syria, the army said. Tanks and troops pressed quickly toward a government-held enclave in the city, where Islamic State has trapped thousands of civilians and Syrian soldiers since 2014. The advance has opened a land route linking that territory to the outside. The advance into strategic prize Deir al-Zor, a city on the Euphrates river and once the center of Syria s oil industry, is a significant victory for President Bashar al-Assad against Islamic State and another stinging blow to the group. The group is being fought in Syria by government forces, backed by allies Iran and Russia, and separately by a U.S.-led alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters. In Iraq, the jihadists were driven out of their Mosul stronghold earlier this year. Islamic State still holds half of Deir al-Zor city and much of the province, however, as well as parts of its former stronghold Raqqa to the northwest, where the U.S.-backed offensive is being fought. Our armed forces and allies, with support from Syrian and Russian warplanes, achieved the second phase of their operations in the Syrian desert, Syria s military said. They have managed to break the siege. State media and a war monitoring group said advancing forces had linked up with the besieged troops at a garrison on the western edge of the city. Footage on Syrian state TV showed soldiers cheering near the garrison. State media said residents in government-held parts of the city were celebrating the advance. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a nearby military air base and three districts remained under siege by IS. Battles still raged around the city, the British-based war monitor said. Deir al-Zor governor Mohammed Ibrahim Samra told Reuters that government troops were also pushing toward the air base. The forces have begun to lift the siege, he said. Our residents have been waiting for this moment ... forces are (trying to) break the siege on the military airport as well. The coming days will see the clearing of Deir al-Zor city (of militants) and advances on nearby countryside under Islamic State control, Samra added. Assad congratulated the troops in a statement from his office. The army and its allies made rapid advances in recent days pushing through Islamic State lines with the help of heavy artillery and Russian air strikes. A Russian warship in the Mediterranean sea fired cruise missiles at Islamic State positions near Deir al-Zor to boost the offensive, Russia s defense ministry said. The city has been cut off from government-held Syria since 2013, after rebel groups rose up against Assad during the first flush of Syria s six-year war. Islamic State then overran rebel positions and encircled the army enclave and nearby air base in 2014. The United Nations said in August it estimated 93,000 civilians were living there in extremely difficult conditions. During the siege, high-altitude air drops have supplied them. Deir al-Zor lies southeast of Islamic State s former base in Raqqa. Hemmed in on all sides, Islamic State fighters have fallen back on footholds downstream of Deir al-Zor in towns near the Iraq border. The Deir al-Zor gains form an important launching pad for expanding military operations in the area, the army said. For Damascus, the latest advance caps months of steady progress as the army and its allies turned from victories over rebels in western Syria to push east against Islamic State. The eastwards march has on occasion brought them into conflict with U.S.-backed forces. Still, the rival campaigns have mostly stayed out of each other s way, and the U.S.-led coalition has stressed it is not seeking war with Assad. In a statement on Sunday an alliance of Iran-backed Shi ite militias allied to Damascus, including Lebanon s Hezbollah, accused Washington of trying to hinder the advance to Deir al-Zor. An official in the pro-Assad alliance said senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani was closely monitoring fighting, a sign of Iran s close military involvement. | 1 |
10,252 | New Jakarta governor faces backlash for racially tinged speech | JAKARTA (Reuters) - The new governor of Indonesia s capital faced a barrage of criticism on Tuesday for remarks in his inauguration speech that some residents and politicians warned could stoke ethnic and religious tension in the Southeast Asian country. Anies Baswedan, a former education minister, said in a speech only hours after he was sworn in on Monday that pribumi (native or indigenous Indonesians) should take back control of the country from colonial influences. His comments came as tolerance in the Muslim-majority country has been under scrutiny since bitterly fought city elections this year during which Islamist-led rallies targeted the former governor, an ethnic Chinese Christian, in a controversial blasphemy case. We pribumi people were oppressed and defeated. Now, after independence, it is time for us to be masters in our own country, Baswedan said in a speech to supporters outside the Jakarta City Hall late on Monday. The word pribumi , which excludes ethnic groups like Chinese Indonesians or Indian Indonesians who have lived in the country for generations, was the top trending topic on Twitter in Indonesia on Tuesday. You are of Arab descent yourself sir! So who do you mean when you say it s time for pribumi to be masters of the country ? user @denradityaa tweeted. Baswedan is a descendant of the Hadrami tribe of Yemen and comes from a family of respected moderate Islamic scholars. Some took Baswedan s words to single out Chinese Indonesians - a minority that has faced long-running resentment for their control of trade and wealth in Indonesia. There were also some supporters. Why are people making a racket about pribumi? If you re born, raised and have Indonesian Id, you re a pribumi. Those who are mad with (the word) pribumi are not Indonesians, @febrin_navarro wrote. A spokesman for the governor did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but Baswedan was quoted by media as saying the comments referred to the colonial era. The point is that (the word) was used to explain the Dutch colonial era, he was quoted as saying. Baswedan and his deputy, Sandiaga Uno, won April s governor election on the back of support from hardline Islamists who have pushed, among other things, vitriolic anti-Chinese rhetoric. A prominent Islamist leader, Bachtiar Nasir, who backed Baswedan s campaign, said the wealth of Chinese Indonesians was a problem and advocated an affirmative action program for native people. Neighboring Malaysia runs a controversial affirmative action policy under which ethnic Malays and other indigenous populations enjoy entitlements such as quotas in universities and companies and cheaper property rates. Indonesia s 250 million people are predominantly Muslim, but it has sizeable Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities and hundreds of ethnic groups. Baswedan is ripping the national fabric...with the use of the word pribumi , said Rian Ernest, an ethnic Chinese politician with the Solidarity Party of Indonesia. We strongly condemn Baswedan s statement, which does not reflect the spirit of leadership or unity in diversity , he added, referring to Indonesia s national motto. | 1 |
10,253 | Trump's Virginia comments last straw for disenchanted CEOs | NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several U.S. chief executives had been considering resigning from Donald Trump’s business advisory councils for months after the president said he would pull out of the Paris climate accord and ban transgender people from the military, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, long before Trump’s comments on racial violence this week pushed them over the edge. Trump disbanded two high-profile advisory groups on Wednesday, after the head of his Strategic and Policy Forum advised the White House the group was breaking up, and a trickle of departures from his American Manufacturing Council threatened to become a mass exodus. “He was at 95 percent already,” a source close to Larry Fink, head of investment firm BlackRock Inc (BLK.N), said of Fink’s leaning toward resigning from the Strategic and Policy Forum. “I think that (Trump’s latest comments) just made it 120 percent.” A number of CEOs started to consider more seriously whether to disband after Trump’s initial remarks blaming violence at Saturday’s white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on “many sides,” which was taken to include not only white nationalists but also anti-racism activists who opposed them. Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) CEO Kenneth Frazier, an African-American, was the first to leave the manufacturing council on Monday over Trump’s weekend reaction. Trump then attacked Frazier on Twitter, prompting other CEOs to consider quitting also. Frazier’s resignation was followed by the CEOs of Under Armour Inc (UAA.N) and Intel Corp (INTC.O) later on Monday. Trump’s fiery comments on Tuesday, doubling down on his initial response to the Virginia rally, unnerved CEOs already doubting the utility and public relations value of remaining on Trump’s councils, sources close to several of the CEOs told Reuters. Soon after Trump’s comments on Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) CEO Jamie Dimon, who serves on the Strategic and Policy Forum, started pushing for the forum to take some kind of action, a person close to him said. Dimon had previously expressed exasperation with politics in Washington, saying in July that it is “almost an embarrassment being an American citizen traveling around the world.” Sensing a breakdown in the group, Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of money manager Blackstone Group (BX.N) and chairman of the Strategic and Policy Forum, convened a call on Wednesday for its members. After some debate, “the momentum was such that there wasn’t much room for dissent,” said one source familiar with the discussion. The decision to disband was agreed and Schwarzman called the White House to inform the president, the source said. Shortly after, Trump tweeted that he was disbanding the two groups. The leader of the manufacturing council, Dow Chemical Co DOW.N CEO Andrew Liveris, had planned a call with remaining members to try to salvage the group on Wednesday, according to an email seen by Reuters. The call never took place, superseded by Trump’s dissolution of the group. Sources familiar with the discussions of the boards of Merck and Intel said that they backed their CEOs’ decisions to leave because they did not believe stepping down from Trump’s councils would have a negative impact on their businesses. “I don’t think these are personal decisions,” said Blain Rethmeier, a Republican strategist who worked on the Trump transition and consults with companies in California. “I think these are made through the eyes of what’s in the best interest of the company, and the brand risks of what it means to be involved with the council became too much.” | 1 |
10,254 | Vatican says investigating alleged abuser who became priest | VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican said on Saturday it had opened an investigation into reports that a former teenage altar boy, who allegedly repeatedly forced a dormitory mate to have sex with him, went on to become a priest. The allegations concerning the St. Pius X Institute, known as a pre-seminary, were made in a recent book and in Italian television reports. The pre-seminary is a residence inside the Vatican for altar boys who serve at masses in St. Peter s Basilica mostly presided over by priests, bishops and cardinals. At times they also participate in papal liturgies. The boys go to Italian schools while they live in the Vatican, a sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome. The reports said that despite complaints to superiors against the teenager, he was accepted into what is known as a major seminary when he became an adult. He was later ordained a priest and is now serving in a parish in northern Italy, they said. The statement said an initial investigation in 2013 had resulted in no adequate confirmation . A new investigation had been opened following the latest reports in order to try to shed full light on what really happened , it added. | 1 |
10,255 | Ryan has 'full confidence' in House Intelligence election probe | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan has “full confidence” in the investigation of possible Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. election campaign being led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a Ryan spokeswoman said on Monday. “Speaker Ryan has full confidence that Chairman Nunes is conducting a thorough, fair and credible investigation,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in an emailed statement. | 1 |
10,256 | CO JUDGE REMOVES DAUGHTER From Mother’s Care For Making Comments To Other Adults About Chemtrails: ‘She is a danger to her daughter’ | This story is for anyone who believes liberal judges don t have the ability to make life altering decisions that affect Americans who don t conform to an acceptable thought process A Boulder, Colorado judge has removed a child from her mother s care because the mother believes chemtrails are being sprayed into the atmosphere, court documents reveal.Boulder Judge D.D. Mallard told Becca Vandb that 99% of people would know those are just contrails, and said that she is so immersed in a fringe subculture that she is a danger to her daughter. I can now only see my daughter with a social security worker standing over me taking notes, and the judge said this was so that if I mention chemtrails they would put a stop to that. Becca pointed out that there have been no neglect or child abuse allegations from the court or her daughter s school. There have been no criminal charges and no protective services visits. I am being railroaded for expressing my views about chemtrails. Becca Vandb s daughter wants to be with her mother, but is being kept away from her, with only supervised visits allowed, because Judge Mallard believes Becca is immersed in a dangerous fringe subculture. I bought up chemtrails at my daughter s school and was immediately banned from the premises. Schools and courts in Boulder, Colorado have flat out denied there is any such thing as geoengineering or chemtrails, so has my kid s dad who works in atmospheric research at the University of Colorado seriously. [quote_box_center] I can now only see my daughter with a social security worker standing over me taking notes, and the judge said this was so that if I mention chemtrails they would put a stop to that.'[/quote_box_center]DANGEROUS PRECEDENT The school helped him take away custody because I had the gall to argue with them when they severely embellished my comments (made to adults only) about chemtrails. Meanwhile An historic lawsuit has been filed in Canada in an effort to expose and halt the practice of chemtrails being sprayed into the atmosphere. The suit claims that the Canadian and US governments are conducting a geoengineering program that aims to spray toxic substances and particles into the atmosphere endangering the lives of millions of citizens. Via: Trendolizer | 0 |
10,257 | Trump hotels reach deal with unions, ending labor board cases | (Reuters) - Hotels in Las Vegas and Washington owned by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reached agreements with their workers’ unions that will end a series of cases alleging the hotels violated federal labor law, the Trump Organization and unions said on Wednesday. More than 500 food and beverage and housekeeping employees at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas entered into a four-year collective bargaining agreement effective Jan. 1 that guarantees annual raises and pension and healthcare benefits, Trump Hotels and Unite Here Culinary Workers Union Local 226 said in a joint statement. Under the agreement, the union will withdraw a series of cases filed with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board against the hotel, union spokeswoman Bethany Khan said. Those cases had been expected to be an early test of how Trump, who as president will have influence over the NLRB, would handle concerns over conflicts of interest raised by his business holdings. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Alan Garten, general counsel of the Trump Organization, said in an interview the company was moving to resolve legal disputes that could raise concerns about conflicts. “(It is) certainly better to avoid distraction, but we’re going to continue to move forward on matters where we think we’re in the right,” Garten said. Trump Hotels also agreed to permit workers at the Trump International Hotel Washington D.C., which opened in October, to organize, the company said on Wednesday. Last week, Democrats in the U.S. Congress called on Trump to divest from the Washington hotel, which is in a building leased from the federal government, saying the lease would pose a conflict of interest because he would essentially be both its landlord and tenant once he is sworn in. Eric Danziger, chief executive of Trump Hotels, called Unite Here Local 25, the union organizing workers at the hotel, which is down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, an “important partner” in a statement. “We share mutual goals with the union, as we both desire to ensure outstanding jobs for the employees, while also enabling the hotel to operate successfully in a competitive environment,” he said. As part of the agreement, the Trump Organization will end its appeal of a November NLRB decision that said it violated workers’ rights to organize at the Las Vegas hotel. The Trump Organization still faces a pending case at the NLRB claiming it required thousands of U.S. employees to sign unlawfully broad confidentiality agreements. | 1 |
10,258 | Iran was behind cyber attack on British lawmakers in June: The Times | LONDON (Reuters) - Iran carried out a cyber attack on British lawmakers earlier this year, The Times newspaper reported on Saturday, citing an intelligence assessment of the incident. The report came the day after Britain joined other European countries in warning the United States against harming a nuclear deal with Iran. Britain s parliament was hit by a sustained and determined cyber attack in June, designed to identify weak email passwords, just over a month after a ransomware worm crippled parts of the country s health service. The Times said that the attack was Iran s first significant cyber attack on a British target after the hack was initially blamed on Russia. Britain s National Cyber Security Centre was not immediately available for comment. The Iranian government had no immediate comment. While the motive for the attack has not yet been established, the hackers were not seeking simple financial profit, The Times said. | 1 |
10,259 | House intel panel chief Nunes says he will not divulge his sources | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said on Tuesday he will not divulge - even to other members of his panel - who gave him intelligence reports that indicated President Donald Trump and his associates may have been ensnared in incidental intelligence collection. Asked by an ABC News reporter whether he would inform the other committee members about who gave him the reports he viewed on the White House grounds last week, Nunes said: “We will never reveal those sources and methods.” (This story has been corrected to fix second paragraph to show ABC News reporter asked Nunes, not a Fox News reporter) | 1 |
10,260 | Pakistan's hostage rescue hailed, but tensions with U.S. remain | (This version of the story corrects spelling of Caitlan Coleman s name) By Drazen Jorgic and Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The freeing of a hostage U.S.-Canadian family by Pakistan s army has been hailed by officials as a positive step in mending ties between Washington and Islamabad, but those hoping for a fresh start in their fraught relationship seem likely to be disappointed. Pakistan and the United States have for years been - at best - uneasy allies in the war against the Taliban and other Islamist extremists. U.S. President Donald Trump said the raid that rescued American Caitlan Coleman, her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle and their three young children showed that Pakistan had started to respect the United States again in response to his administration s tough-talking tactics. But the two countries still have conflicting interests - and the Trump administration s vow to apply more diplomatic pressure on Pakistan is unlikely to work, given Islamabad s growing alliance with regional heavyweight China, say analysts. This is a small occurrence between Pakistan and the U.S., and it should not be confused with the big issues that separate Pakistan and the U.S., said Pakistani security analyst Imtiaz Gul. On Friday, five years after they were kidnapped in Afghanistan, Coleman and Boyle flew home with the three children born while they were captives of the Haqqani network, a feared Taliban sub-group that Washington particularly accuses Pakistan of failing to do enough to fight. Some saw the timing as a goodwill gesture ahead of upcoming visits by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. I don t think it s a coincidence that this hostage release was announced when you have a parade of top Trump administration officials in Islamabad to deliver strongly worded warnings to Pakistan, said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Woodrow Wilson Center. He added that no one should take the good news as a definite sign that Pakistan would drastically change its behavior towards militants such at the Haqqanis. Going after hostages is not the same thing as going after the terrorists holding them, he said. The United States has repeatedly accused Pakistan of not doing enough to eliminate militant havens on its territory. For now, officials on both sides are talking up the cooperation on display in Wednesday s rescue operation, when Pakistani troops acting on a U.S. intelligence tip-off swooped on a vehicle carrying the hostages. But tensions remain. Pakistan is still angry at the unilateral U.S. operations on its soil to kill al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011 and last year s drone strike that killed Taliban supreme leader Akhtar Mansour. United States officials, for their part, suspect both bin Laden and Mansour were able to live in Pakistan with the tacit support of at least some elements of the powerful military. Washington also argues that the Taliban - which has been fighting to re-establish its hardline Islamist regime in Kabul since a 2001 U.S.-backed military intervention - would not have been able to gain so much ground against Afghan government forces in recent years without safe havens in Pakistan. Trump s administration in August warned aid to Pakistan might be cut and Washington might downgrade its status as a major non-NATO ally, in order to pressure it to do more to help bring about an end to America s longest-running war. Pakistani officials bristle at U.S. claims Islamabad is not doing enough to tackle Islamist militants, particularly the Haqqanis, saying they have cooperated for years and launched military operations to push out militants from its soil. Pakistan also says few appreciate that 17,000 Pakistanis have died fighting militants or in bombings and other attacks since 2001. Pakistan is less vulnerable to threats of U.S. aid cuts because Islamabad has been deepening its relationship in recent years with China, which is financing some $57 billion in infrastructure projects, said Gul. Critics say the Pakistani military nurtures the Taliban and other Islamist factions because they are seen as potentially useful to Pakistan s core confrontation with old rival India. The Trump administration s recent talk of a regional strategy for Afghanistan that would include a bigger role for India has deeply upset Pakistan s establishment, said Mosharraf Zaidi, an Islamabad-based commentator and former Pakistan Foreign Ministry adviser. It seems like for the U.S., and President Trump has said so, that India is going to be a big part of the future of Afghanistan, and for Pakistan that s not on the table, Zaidi said. As a nuclear power, Pakistan could also be offended further at Trump s implication that it has bowed to his administration s pressure. Given that people understand that respect for America is a big deal for Trump and a big deal for the American people, it shouldn t be so hard to understand why Pakistan ... also wants to be respected, said Zaidi. | 1 |
10,261 | Obama defends record on terrorism in national security speech | TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned that the United States would not be able to wipe out terrorism with military might as he offered a sweeping defense of his administration’s national security record. In his final major speech on counterterrorism as president, Obama argued that his administration had been able to make al Qaeda “a shadow of its former self” and had put Islamic State on its heels, but said terrorism would remain a threat to the United States. “Rather than offer false promises that we can eliminate terrorism by dropping more bombs or deploying more and more troops or fencing ourselves off from the rest of the world, we have to take a long view of the terrorist threat and we have to pursue a smart strategy that can be sustained,” Obama said during a speech at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Obama will turn over the White House on Jan. 20 to Republican President-elect Donald Trump who has been sharply critical of his administration’s approach to fighting terrorism. Trump referred to Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as the “co-founders” of Islamic State during the presidential campaign, blaming them for the initial spread of the militant group. The White House said Obama’s national security speech had been planned long before the Nov. 8 election and was not aimed specifically at the incoming Trump administration. But during his speech, Obama spoke of the importance of adhering to American laws and values and against reinstating the use of waterboarding or imposing a religious test on immigrants, two positions that Trump has supported in the past. “The whole objective of these terrorists is to scare us into changing who we are and our democracy,” Obama said. Obama signed an executive order after taking office in January 2009 that banned waterboarding and other “enhanced interrogation techniques” or EITs. Such executive orders can be rescinded by a president’s successors. Many lawmakers and human rights groups have denounced waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, as torture. While Trump is now calling for “extreme vetting” of certain refugees admitted to the United States, during the campaign he proposed banning foreign-born Muslims from entering the country. Obama came into office planning to unwind U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and promising to focus on fighting militant groups that threatened the United States wherever they were. Instead, he has been forced to return some U.S. troops to Iraq and keep thousands in place in Afghanistan after more than 14-1/2 years of war. Obama said his administration’s approach of providing support to local partners and not undertaking massive ground invasions has been effective and is making progress in the fight to take Mosul in Iraq from Islamic State. Some counterterrorism experts have pointed to the rise of Islamic State as an example of Obama being too slow to respond to an emerging threat. While the United States has been successful in killing some key militant leaders, Obama’s “legacy has been tarnished by the way terrorist groups have regenerated and strengthened in the latter parts of his presidency,” said Robin Simcox, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation. | 1 |
10,262 | U.S. Air Force picks Raytheon, Lockheed for next-gen cruise missile | (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co separate $900 million contracts to continue work on a replacement for the AGM-86B air-launched nuclear cruise missile, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Although the award for the new Long Range Standoff weapon (LRSO) comes amid rising tensions with North Korea, the Air Force had asked the defense industry last summer for proposals to replace the aging nuclear cruise missiles and intercontinental ballistic missile system as the military moved ahead with a costly modernization of its aging atomic weapons systems. “This weapon will modernize the air-based leg of the nuclear triad,” said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson in a statement. LRSO, which is a plane launched weapon, “will be capable of penetrating and surviving advanced integrated air defense systems from significant standoff range” Lockheed Martin said in its statement about the award. The relatively small contract award is a milestone that allows Lockheed and Raytheon to continue parallel detailed development and prototyping for the cruise missile replacement. For the next four and a half years, the companies will perform the technology maturation and risk reduction of the weapon. Once complete, the Air Force will choose a single contractor for engineering, manufacturing and deployment. The Air Force plans to procure approximately 1,000 LRSO flight bodies, with development and procurement costs estimated at about $10 billion, according to an Air Force spokesperson. Only some of the bodies will be armed with nuclear weapons, the others will be used for testing or spares. The Air Force has said it plans to start fielding LRSO by 2030. The current cruise missile was first fielded in the early 1980s with a 10-year life. On Monday, the Air Force awarded Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp separate contracts to continue work on the replacement of the aging Minuteman III ICBM system. Modernization of the U.S. nuclear force was expected to cost more than $350 billion over the next decade. The United States plans to replace its aging systems, including bombs, nuclear bombers, missiles and submarines. Some analysts estimated the cost at $1 trillion over 30 years. | 1 |
10,263 | U.N. council to meet on North Korea rights abuses, nuclear program in December | UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea s nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years. Japan s U.N. Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11. China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes. This year s meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay. Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses. A landmark 2014 U.N. report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. Michael Kirby, chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had cataloged were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. Some of them are strikingly similar, he told Reuters. North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs. Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the U.S. and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people s livelihood and providing them with a better future, the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14. | 1 |
10,264 | Trump Has The Most UNCOMFORTABLE Moment With Merkel, Makes A FOOL Of Himself (VIDEO) | Earlier today, Donald Trump had a joint conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and he used it as an opportunity to embarrass himself (and the rest of the United States) in front of yet another world leader. Sadly, this is a pattern that the once highly respected America is becoming used to.When Trump was asked if he regretted some of his tweets, particularly his insane wiretapping accusations against former President Barack Obama, Trump failed miserably in his attempt to handle the situation and redeem himself with Merkel, who he d been criticizing for the past few months after she allowed Syrian refugees into her country.Trump stated that he very seldom regrets the things he posts on Twitter, right before turning to Merkel and making a reference to the unfounded wiretapping accusation he created. Trump suggested that perhaps the two of them had something in common, in an attempt to make a joke about Obama s surveillance of Germany s administration and press. The problem was, it took several moments for anyone in the audience to get the joke, and the tension in the room was nothing but awkward and uncomfortable as everyone tried to figure out just what the hell Trump was talking about.You can watch this strange moment unfold below, thanks to MSNBC:This humiliating moment was just one of the memorable instances between Merkel and Trump today. Trump embarrassed himself again during a sit-down meeting with the German chancellor by turning down her offer to shake hands, making himself seem even more offensive and rude than ever before. Considering Trump s horrendous track record with women, he couldn t have chosen a more disrespectful thing to do. Then again, I guess we should all be thankful that he didn t grab her by the p*ssy.Trump continues to make the U.S. look horrible in front of other countries, and it s only been two months. I don t even want to think about the damage he could do to our reputation in four years. Hopefully, he won t last that long.Featured image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | 0 |
10,265 | WATCH: Fox Host Unexpectedly Declares Support Of Assault Weapon Ban On The Air | When even Fox News begins to call for gun control, it s a clear sign that Republicans and the NRA better start compromising.Gretchen Carlson has been one of the most vocal hosts on the conservative network for years, and she has consistently toed the Republican Party line throughout her years as co-host of Fox & Friends and now throughout her tenure hosting her own solo program.But in the wake of a domestic terrorist attack that killed 50 people in an Orlando night club this past weekend, Carlson could no longer sit back and be a puppet for the gun nuts, which is why she went totally off script during her show and declared her support for banning assault weapons such as the AR-15 used in the massacre. There s no doubt Omar Mateen was able to kill so many people because he was firing an AR-15, Carlson said. A military-style assault weapon, a weapon easier to buy in the state of Florida than buying a handgun. Florida sets a three day waiting period for purchasing handguns, but the state mandates no waiting period for any gun that requires two hands to hold. Carlson s remarks on Florida gun laws appear to be a rebuke of Florida Governor Rick Scott, who not only just offered thoughts and prayers instead of acting to prevent future mass shootings in response to Orlando, he s the one who weakened Florida s gun laws over the last five years.Carlson further justified her stance by pointing out that 58 percent of Americans support a ban on assault weapons. Do we need AR-15s to hunt and kill deer? Do we need them to protect our families? she continued. I m in favor of people being able to carry. I think some of these mass shootings would have been less deadly if that were the case. But despite her support of Second Amendment rights, Carlson said banning assault weapons is just common sense and stated that it is time for Americans to take a stand in order to prevent mass shootings in the future. But I m also with the majority today, taking a stand. Can t we hold true the sanctity of the Second Amendment while still having common sense? 89 percent of Fox viewers, however, refused to shake off the brainwashing the NRA has drilled into them over the years by overwhelmingly rejecting passage of a new assault weapons ban.Here s the video via YouTube.America once did have a ban on assault weapons in place, but Republicans let it expire and refused to renew it. And mass shootings have increased ever since.According to the New Century Foundation in 2012,In the eight years since the Assault Weapons Ban has expired, there have been 28 mass shooting events. That equals an average of 3.5 a year an increase of over 200 percent. That is a startling jump, by any measure.During the ten year duration of the ban between 1994 and 2004, there were 15 mass shootings. In 2015 alone there were at least six major mass shootings that occurred, more depending on what statistics and definition you use. So this is a continuing problem that isn t going away by praying. It s going to take action such as the action taken by Australia in 1996. After five mass shootings between 1987 and 1996, the country finally had enough of the carnage and banned assault weapons. There hasn t been a mass shooting ever since.But it s different in the United States. We have a Second Amendment, therefore it is harder to ban guns entirely. However, banning assault weapons isn t the only change we could demand. We also need better background checks and we need law enforcement to have the ability to ban people from having guns if they are on the terrorist watch list. Had Republicans not refused to do that latter action, perhaps those 50 people would be alive today because Mateen, who was an ISIS sympathizer, would not have been able to legally buy the AR-15 he used to slaughter them.Gretchen Carlson deserves props for supporting a ban on assault weapons, even though she definitely risks being fired for doing so.Featured Image: Screenshot | 0 |
10,266 | christians martyred by isis | social justice warriors vow to call the police on people wearing offensive halloween costumes zombie outfits or sexy pocahontas costumes could get you in trouble paul joseph watson october comments
social justice warriors have vowed to call the police on people wearing offensive halloween costumes
if you thought the triggering last year was bad wait until you hear about whats happening this october st
if you do celebrate halloween please make sure you wear the most tasteless offensive costume imaginable
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10,267 | Trump’s Brilliant Solution To Opioid Crisis: Just Tell Youth ‘No Good, Really Bad For You’ (VIDEO) | The current occupant of the White House has been quiet about his campaign promise to combat the opioid crisis which has swept across the United States. Then he held an ego-rally in West Virginia, one of the states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. You have a big problem in West Virginia, and we are going to solve that problem, Trump told his supporters Thursday night at the rally. He said this in Huntington, West Virginia, in which the city and its surrounding area is estimated by the mayor to have one in 10 residents addicted to opioids.Finally, Trump stepped up to address this devastating issue while he s on his 17-day vacation at his luxury golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Trump unleashed his wisdom on the masses as to how to prevent opioid addiction. He said, Maybe by talking to youth and telling them no good, really bad for you.' Watch:Trump on preventing opioid addiction: "Maybe by talking to youth and telling them 'no good, really bad for you.'" https://t.co/vYhELawmK3 NBC News (@NBCNews) August 8, 2017Well, jinkies, why didn t anyone ever think of that before? This guy is such a brainiac. He should call this the Just say no program and cure the world of drug addiction. Just like that. I mean, who needs Medicaid and access to treatment when you can just tell yourself it s no good then BOOM! You re cured! Even worse, the amateur president was reading from prepared notes and that was the best he could come up with.The commission, headed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, which the former reality show star appointed to study the epidemic, recommended last week that Trump declare a national emergency, however, its report stressed medical solutions, not law enforcement. We must act boldly to stop it, the commission wrote. The opioid epidemic we are facing is unparalleled. So then Trump came up with his brilliant plan to tell addicts that drugs are really bad for you. He said that after threatening to start a nuclear war.Then he basically called for a war on drugs (another genius idea that no one has ever come up with before). At the end of 2016, there were 23% fewer federal prosecutions than in 2011, so they looked at this surge and they let it go by, Trump told reporters. We re not letting it go by. Trump just let down his base, particularly in rural, lower-income and working areas which have been devastated by the opioid crisis.Read more:Image via screen capture. | 0 |
10,268 | Massachusetts ballot initiative on president tax return passes hurdle | BOSTON (Reuters) - A proposed Massachusetts ballot initiative that would allow voters to require U.S. presidential candidates to release their tax returns cleared a key hurdle on Wednesday, as state lawmakers mulled a similar bill after President Donald Trump declined to release his returns. The state’s attorney general, Maura Healey, a Democrat, certified the initiative petition along with 20 others covering a variety of topics as having met constitutional requirements for ballot questions. The proposed Massachusetts law would require candidates for U.S. president and vice president to submit to the state’s secretary copies of their federal income tax returns for the last six years that could then be made public. Certification of the petitions means backers can begin collecting the tens of thousands of signatures needed to get their questions onto the November 2018 ballot. Healey’s office said her decision did not mean she supported the petitions. The election-related initiative came after Trump, a Republican, last year became the first major presidential candidate since the 1970s to not voluntarily release at least some of his tax returns. Healey’s certification of the petition came as state lawmakers held a committee hearing and took testimony on a bill that would require U.S. presidential candidates to also disclose their tax returns in order to get onto the ballot. Senator Michael Barrett, the bill’s Democratic sponsor, in an interview said the bill had “a lot of grassroots interest,” and was receiving support from March Forward Mass, which formed after the Women’s March protest held in January a day after Trump was inaugurated. William Galvin, the Democratic secretary of state, testified in support of the bill, saying the public disclosure of tax returns is needed in order for voters to know about a candidate’s potential conflicts of interest. “This bill is not about Donald Trump,” he said. “It’s because of Donald Trump.” Barrett acknowledged such a law could be subject to lawsuits. The U.S. Constitution sets out qualifications to become president, and critics could argue the state’s law would unconstitutionally do the same. But Galvin testified that he believed that a law requiring tax returns’ disclosures could survive a legal challenge as states have a right to set conditions to get on their ballots. Similar proposals are being considered in other states. Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in May vetoed a bill that would have required the disclosure by presidential candidates of tax returns, calling it “politics at its worst.” | 1 |
10,269 | WHO WAS THE MOST “GOOGLED” CANDIDATE DURING THE GOP PRIMARY DEBATE? | The Washington Post is of course, befuddled as to what all of this means, so let us break it down for them: FOX News moderators hardly gave Ted Cruz the opportunity to speak, so the viewers who liked what they saw in the brief moments given to Cruz had to do their own research on him (and any of the other non-Trump or non-RINO candidates). I think that about covers it It will be interesting to see what the TV ratings for Thursday night s presidential primary debate look like once they come out.The most Googled candidate in the debate at any point was Ted Cruz with 67 percent more searches at his peak than the next most-searched candidate s peak.The search volume is all relative to each other; a 100, the Cruz peak, is the most search in a minute for a candidate.On average, Trump held the most sustained search interest, surprise, surprise. Notice that Ben Carson maintained steady interest, too followed by Cruz and Marco Rubio.The key point: We have no idea what this means. We don t know if the spike in Cruz searches will convert people to his cause, or the new attention to Carson will boost him in the polls. We don t know. But we do, at least, have some sense of who people wanted to know more about. We ll see if this reveals anything more significant down the road.What the Republican field not named Trump needed to do during the Fox News debate was get people to spread the attention around a bit. With the debate over, it looks like at least some of them did.In the first half hour, people Googled Ted Cruz. As the night progressed, Ben Carson and Marco Rubio started to attract some attention. Jeb Bush got people interested when the moderators mentioned his alleged comments about the businessman perhaps because they wanted to look up what he said.All data in the graphs above comes from Google Trends.Via: Washington Post | 0 |
10,270 | Lockheed nears $27 billion helicopter deal with Pentagon | (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp is expected to receive Pentagon approval on Thursday to begin production for 200 new heavy cargo helicopters for the U.S. Marines, a Defense Department official said on Tuesday. The long-expected award for the CH-53K King Stallion will cost $87 million on average each and $105 million including spare parts and certain service contracts, said Colonel Hank Vanderborght, who heads the program for the Pentagon. The $27 billion program also includes more than $6 billion in research and development costs. The new helicopter, in development by Lockheed’s Sikorsky helicopter business, can lift 36,000 pounds and would replace the CH-53E Super Stallion, which has operated as the backbone of field logistics for the U.S. Marines since the mid-1980s. The Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board will meet on Thursday and it is expected to approve the beginning of production of the new helicopter, Vanderborght told Reuters. A Lockheed Martin representative declined to comment. The expected approval by the Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board would be a major milestone for the largest U.S. defense contractor. Final terms of the production deal still are being finalized, a Defense Department official said. Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson told reporters at the company’s annual media day last week that the 2015 purchase of helicopter maker Sikorsky from United Technologies Corp for $9 billion helped reshape the company. | 1 |
10,271 | North Carolina governor gets initial win in fight over cabinet | WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - A three-judge panel has sided at least temporarily with North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper in his fight against a Republican-backed attempt to curtail his powers by requiring legislative confirmation of cabinet appointments. The law was among a series of measures approved by lawmakers in December limiting Cooper’s executive authority after he defeated incumbent Republican Governor Pat McCrory. Cooper sued to block it, arguing that requiring Senate consent to his cabinet secretaries was unprecedented and unconstitutional. In an order Tuesday evening, the trio of state judges said the governor was likely to succeed in his challenge. “The court is absolutely correct in their decision and should not be intimidated by threats from legislative leaders,” Cooper said in a statement on Wednesday. Eight of the 10 cabinet secretaries for the state have been appointed and sworn in. The temporary restraining order halted a hearing set for Wednesday to review Cooper’s appointee for secretary of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Republican lawmakers vowed they would eventually meet to review the cabinet members’ qualifications and potential conflicts of interests. Republicans have said such confirmation hearings were lawful and would serve as a check on executive power. Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, both Republicans, said the judges were legislating from the bench and called on them to reverse their order. “In a gross misreading of the Constitution and a blatant overstep of their Constitutional authority, three Superior Court judges attempted to dictate to the legislature when it could or could not hold committee meetings and what it could or could not consider in those meetings,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “If these three men want to make laws, they should hang up their robes and run for a legislative seat.” The judges said they would hear the governor’s motion for a preliminary injunction on Friday. A trial on the issue is scheduled for March 7. | 1 |
10,272 | Speaker Ryan pledges to work with Trump on bold agenda | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, who sparred with Donald Trump at times during his presidential campaign, pledged on Wednesday to work closely with the president-elect to forge an aggressive Republican legislative agenda from the outset of 2017. At a news conference in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, Ryan said he and Trump are arranging a meeting to discuss the transition to a new Congress and administration, as well as the Republican agenda for the lame-duck session of Congress that begins on Monday. Tuesday’s election results will give the Republicans simultaneous control of the White House, Senate and House for the first time since early 2007. “He just earned a mandate and we now just have a unified Republican government,” Ryan said of Trump. “The opportunity is now here. And the opportunity is to go big, to go bold and to get things done.” Ryan said he expected his six-point “A Better Way” blueprint to provide a framework for future action. The plan, which House Republicans used an election platform, calls for initiatives that include repealing and replacing Obamacare, reforming the U.S. tax code and scaling back federal regulations on industry. Ryan had been slow to endorse Trump for president and clashed with the wealthy businessman over his incendiary campaign rhetoric, accusing him of making comment that was “the textbook definition of racism” about a judge of Mexican heritage. Last month Trump described Ryan as “a very weak and ineffective leader.” But on Wednesday Ryan said he and Trump had held two “fantastic conversations” in the past 18 hours. Ryan’s aim is to “make sure that when his hand comes off the Bible, when he is sworn in as president, we are hitting the ground running.” Ryan said Republicans in Congress also would coordinate with Trump on the upcoming lame duck session on what can be achieved. The speaker also said it was time for “redemption, not recrimination” and dismissed concerns about civil liberties created by Trump campaign talk. “Donald Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else heard. He connected in ways with people no one else did. He turned politics on its head,” Ryan said. “Donald Trump provided the kind of coattails that got a lot of people over the finish line so that we could maintain our strong House and Senate majorities.” There had been speculation Ryan would not run for the speaker job in January but last week his staff said he would run for re-election to the post. | 1 |
10,273 | The Anne Frank Center Just TORCHED Trump For Pathetic And Late Condemnation Of Anti-Semitism | Donald Trump does not care about Jewish people. If he did, he would have strongly condemned anti-Semitism long ago instead of pandering to groups that commit it.In cities across the country on Monday, Jewish community centers were evacuated after receiving bomb threats.This is yet another escalation of the attack on Jewish people in America since Trump was elected in November. Hate crimes are on the rise, and so is anti-Semitism. Trump has been repeatedly called upon to condemn anti-Semitism but he has refused to do so or only weakly does so because he would lose his supporters on the extreme right-wing.On Tuesday, a full day after the bomb threats, Trump finally made a short statement pathetically denouncing anti-Semitism. The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil, Trump said.Of course, Trump has contributed to this hate by ignoring it and has insulted Jews ever since taking office a month ago.Shortly after Trump s late statement, Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect Executive Director Steven Goldstein scolded Trump in a statement. The President s sudden acknowledgement is a Band-Aid on the cancer of anti-Semitism, he began. His statement today is a pathetic asterisk of condescension after weeks in which he and his staff have committed grotesque acts and omissions reflecting anti-Semitism, yet day after day have refused to apologize and correct the record. Make no mistake: The Antisemitism coming out of this Administration is the worst we have ever seen from any Administration.The White House repeatedly refused to mention Jews in its Holocaust remembrance, and had the audacity to take offense when the world pointed out the ramifications of Holocaust denial. And it was only yesterday, President s Day, that Jewish Community Centers across the nation received bomb threats, and the President said absolutely nothing.When President Trump responds to anti-Semitic proactively and in real time, and without pleas and pressure, that s when we ll be able to say this President has turned a corner. This is not that moment. .@POTUS @realDonaldTrump do not make us Jews settle for crumbs of condescension. What are you going to do about #Antsemitism in @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/95Z5GP1OBc AnneFrankCenter(US) (@AnneFrankCenter) February 21, 2017Trump s campaign was heavily supported by Nazis and Trump even hired a Nazi by making Steve Bannon his top adviser. So while Trump s statement on Tuesday is a start, it s not enough because his anti-Semitic supporters still believe he is one of them and that he doesn t really believe what he s saying when he condemns them. That s because Trump s statement was weak and his previous actions and words make it clear that he is not a friend to Jews.Featured image via Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images | 0 |
10,274 | O’Reilly And Trump Bond Over Sexual Harassment In Alec Baldwin’s Most Creative SNL Skit Yet (VIDEO) | We all love seeing Alec Baldwin portray Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, but last night he pulled another ace out of his sleeve when he debuted as Bill O Reilly. But it gets better Baldwin s Bill O Reilly interviews Baldwin s Donald Trump!As the sketch opens, O Reilly addresses his audience on a serious note: Hello, I m Bill O Reilly, and I hope you are having a terrific evening, The subject of tonight s Talking Points Memo is a scandal everyone s been talking about all week. A scandal no one thought I would have the guts to address head on. It appears he s going to address his sexual harassment issues, but instead he reveals his true talking point: The shocking allegations of the abuse of power that have been leveled against the Obama administration. He then attempts to introduce Fox News reporter Laurie Dhue (one of the actual women who received a settlement after filing a sexual harassment suit). After he s told that she no longer works for Fox News, O Reilly asks, Well, did she receive the check? After speaking to another female reporter who, for obvious reasons, had to stay 500 yards away from him, he goes on to address the issues he s having with sponsors leaving the show. As you know, 60 of our sponsors have pulled ads from the program, O Reilly said, before going to commercial break. No word as to why yet. We thank the following for sticking with us. After that, fake ads played for dog cocaine and horse Cialis. Now this is hard for me to discuss, but I also have been in the news this week, Baldwin s O Reilly said after the break. Several women have come forward and accused me of offering them exciting opportunities here at Fox News. Beyond that, the details are fuzzy, but one man was brave enough to come to my defense. A man who is unimpeachable on all female issues. Cue Donald Trump who did, in real life, come to O Reilly s defense this past week. The two then appear together in split screen. I actually see a lot of myself in you, Bill, Baldwin s Trump said, calling himself a big fan of the host. O Reilly then thanks him for his support and asks him if he is actually familiar with the case. I m more familiar with this case than, say, health care, but I didn t really look into it much, no. I was busy being super presidential by bombing a bunch of shit. Baldwin s O Reilly then thanked him for promoting Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Trump said: That s right, Bill. It s a subject near and dear to my hands. Watch the full video below:Featured image via video screenshot | 0 |
10,275 | Charlie Sheen Sends SHOCKING Message About Trump, Twitter Practically EXPLODES (TWEETS) | This year was a rough one and many of us can t wait for it to be over. Not only did America endure a very emotionally volatile, stressful election, but several amazing celebrities had passed away unexpectedly.The year 2016 had already seen the deaths of amazing celebrities such as George Michael, David Bowie, Prince, Alan Thicke and Muhammad Ali. Most recently, beloved actress Carrie Fisher and her mother, fellow actress Debbie Reynolds, have passed on. As America wept over this tragedy, actor Charlie Sheen took to Twitter to express his feelings over these recent deaths, as well as send a strong message to Donald Trump. In a tweet that immediately drew criticism, Sheen called on God to take Trump s life next, complete with a middle finger emoji:Twitter As the country was still mourning the death of Fisher and her mother, the tweet was liked and retweeted thousands of times. But despite the fact that the majority of America is repulsed by Trump and did not vote for him by any means, Sheen s tweet was also rejected by many. As multiple people came forward to denounce Sheen s ill-advised message, the opposing consensus was clear joking about someone s death is NOT funny, no matter who it is. Here are some of those responses:Twitter Some even brought up Sheen s own dirt, giving him a humbling reality check:TwitterTwitterTwitter While most of us could agree that Trump is absolutely repulsive and undeserving as the next leader of our country, joking about a President-elect s death is nothing but distasteful. One Twitter user even pointed out that there shouldn t be a double standard even though Trump is an absolute moron: Imagine a Hollywood celebrity tweeting their wish for Obama s death. That would be CNN s lead story in seconds. To quote First Lady Michelle Obama, When they go low, we go high. Yes, 2016 was a trying, emotional roller coaster and with Trump taking the White House in January, 2017 will likely be just as hard if not worse. But we can t allow this disastrous president-elect to devolve us into people like his supporters. After all, Trump himself once called for Hillary Clinton s death during his presidential campaign. We must never stoop to his level, because rising above hatred and fear is the only way Trump can be defeated.Featured image via Christopher Polk/Getty Images | 0 |
10,276 | Somalia rebukes its states for breaking with Qatar | MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia s government rebuked its three semi-autonomous regions on Thursday for cutting ties with Qatar, saying it was determined to stay neutral in the Gulf nation s dispute with other Arab states. The region of Galmudug issued a statement on Wednesday saying it stood with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in the regional row, followed similar declarations last month by the regions of Puntland and Hirshabelle. Somalia s federal government responded by saying only it had the authority to speak on foreign affairs. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut political and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism and their arch-foe Iran - charges that Doha denies. The spat about it in volatile but strategically located Somalia illustrated how far the political ripples from Qatar s dispute have spread. Somalia s open stance is important for Qatar - Somalia s airspace remains open for Qatar Airways, a critical lifeline amid the blockade. Gulf Arab States have meanwhile been pouring resources into the semi-autonomous regions. (The Arab states) are trying to give more energy and emphasize more their relations with these regional governments, trying to pressure them to go against the federal government, said Nairobi-based Somalia expert Ahmed Roble. The choice by those regions to break from the federal government and reject Qatar, is unsurprising, Roble added. Somalia s position also underlines its delicate position - dependent on trade from Saudi Arabia, but increasing close to Turkey, which is backing Qatar in the dispute. Saudi Arabia in Somalia s top export partner, and the United Arab Emirates supplies the horn of Africa country with key imports from electronics to building materials. Turkey has poured in more than $1 billion in aid since President Tayyip Erdogan s visit to Somalia in 2011 and is expected to open a military base in Mogadishu this month. The cabinet reaffirms the federal government s decision in June ... that Somalia is neutral about the conflict of Gulf countries, read a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. The statement called on the conflict be solved brotherly, peacefully and diplomatically. | 1 |
10,277 | Trump's criticism only draws Europeans closer, says French minister | PARIS (Reuters) - Criticism of Europe by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump only serves to reinforce European solidarity, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said on Tuesday. Trump said German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made a “catastrophic mistake” with her open door policy on migration, according to an interview published on Sunday by German newspaper Bild. “The more he (Trump) makes this sort of statement, the more Europeans close ranks,” Sapin told reporters, adding that such criticism was unacceptable. “The attack on the Chancellor is not an argument we can accept as Frenchmen or as Europeans.” Asked whether Europe would have to react if the United States decided to slap a 35 percent tax on imports, Sapin said: “We will all have time to see whether there’s a difference between the content of a tweet and the laws that will be passed.” Trump was quoted as telling Bild he would impose a 35 percent levy on German-made cars imported to the U.S. market, a plan that drew sharp rebukes from Berlin and hit automakers’ shares. “I would tell BMW that if you are building a factory in Mexico and plan to sell cars to the USA, without a 35 percent tax, then you can forget that,” Trump said in remarks translated into German. | 1 |
10,278 | Xi says China will boost efforts to tackle terrorism, extremism | BEIJING (Reuters) - China will step up efforts to tackle subversion, terrorism, separatism and religious extremism, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday in a speech at the opening of a key Communist Party Congress. Xi said that maintaining national security is in the interests of all people. | 1 |
10,279 | Donald Trump Reveals The First Thing He’d Do If America Puts Him In The White House (IMAGES) | Republican front runner Donald Trump has revealed a truly insidious First Day in the White House. His number 1 priority? Removing Gun-Free Zones from schools.To much of the world, schools being gun-free is standard. The entire developed world has achieved consensus on the simple logic that deadly weapons and children don t mix. It seems only the Republican Party of the United States and their followers reject this logic. As a result, the U.S. leads the developed world in deaths by gun per capita and school shootings, by a distance which is as horrifying as it is embarrassing.As we can see from the data compiled by Quartz, the United States suffered almost the same number of mass killings in schools between 2000 and 2010 than 36 other nations combined. This figure becomes yet more astonishing when they point out the fact that:In 2010, the US was home to a population of approximately 309 million. The populations of these other countries totaled 3.8 billion.Yet, speaking to an audience in Burlington, Vermont on Thursday night Trump announced: I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools you have to and on military bases on my first day. It gets signed my first day, You know what a gun-free zone is to a sicko? he asked. That s bait. Trump timed the announcement to coincide with the President s Town Hall meeting on gun violence, which was airing on CNN. President Obama, having been consistently thwarted in his efforts at bipartisan cooperation on gun control, will now use executive powers to implement a raft of measures to protect American citizens from out-of-control gun violence.Donald Trump and the Republican Party just failed a very big test. Given the choice to operate with political courage in the interests of the American people, or with political opportunism in the interests of themselves and their donors, Trump and the GOP picked the latter. In doing so, they put American lives in peril, and proved themselves unworthy of a place in the White House.Featured Image via Flickr | 0 |
10,280 | Kuwait arrests five over video deemed offensive to crown prince | DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait arrested five suspects accused of posting a video on social media considered offensive to the Gulf state s crown prince, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. The accused were government employees with positions at important institutions within the state , the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency KUNA. In recent days, a clip has circulated on social media showing the crown prince jabbing his finger at dignitaries at a Gulf football event, apparently trying to tell them who should be first to shake the hand of the ruling emir. It was not immediately clear if that video was the subject of the legal charges. | 1 |
10,281 | Car bomber kills at least 15 in Yemeni port Aden: witnesses | ADEN (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber blew himself up at a security checkpoint in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Sunday, killing 15 people and wounding at least 20, residents and a security official said. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the assault, without providing evidence. The attack occurred outside the main security headquarters in Aden s Khor Maksar district, according to Aden residents and the security official. The blast was heard across the city and a plume of smoke could be seen from miles away. Clashes erupted in the area immediately afterward, witnesses reported. It was unclear who was behind the attack or the clashes that followed. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on the internet, though without immediate evidence to back up its assertion. IS said at least 50 people had been killed by the blast and in clashes. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the local branch of the global Islamist militant network, has been the most active jihadist group in southern Yemen in recent years. Aden is the interim headquarters of Yemen s internationally recognized government, which had to move there when Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2015 during Yemen s civil war. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the Houthis advanced on Aden, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee and seek help from Saudi Arabia. Aden is dominated by Yemeni forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen s war to restore Hadi. Saudi Arabia s air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday, state news agencies reported. The missile was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city and did not cause any casualties. | 1 |
10,282 | German parties brace for tough coalition talks on migration | BERLIN (Reuters) - The three parties exploring a possible coalition in Germany face an early test of their willingness to compromise on Thursday when they try to hammer out a common stance on deeply divisive immigration and asylum policy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is trying to patch together a tricky three-way coalition after her party suffered bruising losses in a national election three weeks ago - losses that even some of her allies blame on her refugee policies. Germany s demographic landscape changed overnight in 2015 with her decision, in the face of refugee flows on a scale not seen since World War Two, to open the borders to over a million migrants fleeing war in the Middle East and Africa. While some hailed the move as a humanitarian act, it was less popular in her own conservative camp, where many blame her for the subsequent surge in the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, which took seats from her bloc. Within her conservative bloc, the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) is demanding a cap on refugee numbers, rejected by Merkel as unconstitutional. To her left, the Greens oppose what they see as a populist-driven tightening of asylum rules. With parties far apart, Christian Lindner, leader of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) warned that talks could rapidly descend into conflict with Greens on the sensitive matter of allowing family members to join migrants in Germany. The CSU s talk of an upper limit is empty, Lindner told Der Spiegel magazine. But I have sympathy for the CSU s calls for a change in immigration policy given the need for order, he added, warning Merkel against compromising with the Greens. Once control has been re-established, then we can be more open again on family reunification, he said. Until then it must be strictly limited to cases of hardship and to the core family - parents and children. In the first two round of coalition talks, the three parties defied expectations by finding substantial common ground on fiscal policy. But politicians from all parties have said it could take months to clinch agreement on what would be Germany s first three-way coalition for decades. | 1 |
10,283 | U.N. chief presses for release of arrested Reuters journalists in Myanmar | TOKYO/YANGON (Reuters) - The arrest of two Reuters journalists in Yangon this week was a signal that press freedom is shrinking in Myanmar and the international community must do all it can to get them released, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. Guterres said his main concern over Myanmar was the dramatic violations of human rights during a military crackdown in Rakhine State that forced more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee the country for southern Bangladesh, and the arrest of the journalists was probably related. It is clearly a concern in relation to the erosion of press freedom in the country, he told a news conference in Tokyo, referring to the detention of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had been working on stories about the strife in Rakhine State. And probably the reason why these journalists were arrested is because they were reporting on what they have seen in relation to this massive human tragedy, he added. Myanmar s Ministry of Information said in a statement on Wednesday that the Reuters journalists and two policemen faced charges under the British colonial-era Official Secrets Act. The 1923 law carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. The reporters illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media , the ministry said in its statement, which was accompanied by a photo of the two reporters in handcuffs. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh say their exodus from the mainly Buddhist nation was triggered by a military offensive in response to Rohingya militant attacks on security forces at the end of August. The United Nations has branded the military s campaign in Rakhine State a textbook example of ethnic cleansing of the minority Rohingya. Guterres said the international community should do everything possible to secure the journalists release and freedom of the press in Myanmar. He called for aid to be delivered, violence contained and reconciliation promoted in Rakhine State, and for the Rohingyas right of return to be fully respected and implemented. Britain has expressed grave concerns to the government of Myanmar over the arrest of the two journalists, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told reporters in London on Thursday. We are committed to freedom of speech and people s ability to report the facts and bring into the public domain what is happening in Rakhine state, he said. Canada s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland tweeted that she was deeply concerned by the reports about the arrests. Freedom of the press is essential for democracy and must be preserved, she said. And the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani also called on Myanmar to protect media freedoms and release the two. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo went missing on Tuesday evening after they had been invited to meet police officials over dinner on the outskirts of Yangon. The authorities have not confirmed where the journalists are being held and, as of Thursday evening, Reuters had not been formally contacted by officials about their detention. At Htaunt Kyant police station, where the journalists were charged, family members of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were told that the pair were being detained at another location by an investigative team. They are not here, said Police Second Lieutenant Tin Htway Oo, according to Pann Ei, wife of reporter Wa Lone. The police investigation team took them soon after they were arrested. He said he did not know where the journalists were, Pann Ei added, but he did tell her they would be brought back to the station in two to three days at most. Reuters could not immediately reach Tin Htway Oo for comment. Police Lieutenant Colonel Myint Htwe of the Yangon Police Division told Reuters the reporters location would not be disclosed until the investigation was complete. It will be known later. Please wait a while, he said. Reuters President and Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement on Wednesday: We are outraged by this blatant attack on press freedom. We call for authorities to release them immediately. The Foreign Correspondents Club of Myanmar said it was appalled by the arrests and gravely concerned about the state of press freedom in the country. In a statement, it called on the authorities to ensure the safety of the reporters and allow their families to see them. The foreign correspondents club in neighbouring Thailand said it was alarmed by the use of this draconian law with its heavy penalties against journalists simply doing their jobs . Wielding such a blunt legal instrument has an intimidating effect on other journalists, and poses a real threat to media freedom, the Bangkok-based club said in a statement, calling for the journalists to be released. | 1 |
10,284 | Iowa governor urges caucus-goers to say 'No' to Cruz, cites 'Big Oil' | ALTOONA, Iowa (Reuters) - Iowa’s governor said on Tuesday it would be a “big mistake” for voters in the nation’s first presidential contest next month to choose Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination, citing the U.S. senator’s opposition to a biofuel mandate important to the state. Republican Governor Terry Branstad said Cruz was in the pocket of “Big Oil,” and criticized the Texan’s opposition to the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires U.S. fuel to contain a minimum amount of biofuels, including ethanol. Ethanol is a major market for Iowa corn, and the state’s voters have generally supported ethanol mandates. Branstad said Cruz is a big opponent of renewable fuels who is “heavily financed by Big Oil.” “Ted Cruz, who is ahead in the polls, is diametrically opposed to what we really care about, and that is growing the opportunity for renewable fuels in this country,” Branstad said. Branstad spoke after addressing the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, where Republican front-runner Donald Trump also spoke later in the day and endorsed the Renewable Fuel Standard. Branstad’s oldest son, Eric, has worked on a political action committee that has been critical of Cruz’s ethanol stance. The governor has said he would not endorse a candidate before the Feb. 1 caucuses in Iowa, where Cruz leads Trump in some opinion polls. “I think it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him,” Branstad said of Cruz. “I know he’s ahead in the polls, but the only poll that counts is the one they take on caucus night. And I think it could change between now and then.” U.S. Representative Steve King of Iowa, who backs Cruz, criticized Branstad’s comments as a “de facto endorsement of Trump.” (Reporting by Kay Henderson; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency. | 1 |
10,285 | Zimbabweans pour onto Harare streets in jubilation after Mugabe resigns | HARARE (Reuters) - Thousands of Zimbabweans poured onto the streets of Harare after President Robert Mugabe resigned on Tuesday, and cars were hooting in the streets. Some people were holding posters of Zimbabwean army chief Constantino Chiwenga and former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking this month triggered the military takeover that forced Mugabe to resign. | 1 |
10,286 | China's most-wanted fugitive jailed for eight years for graft | BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Friday jailed the country s number one most wanted fugitive for eight years for graft and taking bribes, state media said. Yang Xiuzhu, a former deputy mayor of Wenzhou city in the booming eastern province of Zhejiang, gave herself in to Chinese authorities late last year, returning from the United States after spending 13 years in hiding. China ranked Yang top in a 2015 list of its 100 most wanted graft suspects who were targeted with Interpol red notices. Many on the list had fled to the United States, Canada or Australia. Some 48 have since returned to China. Yang s prison sentence and a fine of 800,000 yuan ($121,500) was announced by the People s Intermediate Court in Hangzhou, the official Xinhua news agency said on social media. The court gave Yang a reduced sentence as she had expressed regret, pleaded guilty and actively returned her illegal gains, as well returned to China, Xinhua reported. In under three years in her position at the construction bureau, Yang had embezzled nearly 20 million yuan in public funds and had accepted over 7 million yuan in gifts. Just under 27 million yuan of this had been recovered, the court said. It was not possible to reach Yang or a representative for comment. President Xi Jinping s war on graft has spread beyond China s borders with overseas searches dubbed Operation Fox Hunt and Sky Net hunting down officials and business executives who fled overseas with their assets. Wary that suspects might not get a fair trial and that accusations may be politically motivated, some developed nations have been hesitant to comply with Beijing s requests to return people to China. Yang told Reuters in 2015 that she was innocent and called the most-wanted list a political document targeting enemies of the current regime rather than a roster of criminals. | 1 |
10,287 | France's Le Maire heads to Berlin to test Eurogroup waters | BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire will meet German officials in Berlin this week to discuss the future of the euro zone and assess his own prospects of becoming the next chairman of the Eurogroup forum of finance ministers. French and German officials confirmed Le Maire would be in Berlin on Wednesday, when he will meet acting Finance Minister Peter Altmaier, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Le Maire is also due to see Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), and Cem Oezdemir, co-leader of the Greens party. Both are in discussions with Merkel s conservatives on forming a coalition government. France s Emmanuel Macron has made euro zone reform a central goal of his five-year presidency. But any changes will require the support of Merkel and her new government, which is not expected to be in place before Christmas. Lindner has been critical of Macron s idea to create a budget for the euro zone. We want to follow up on the president s Sorbonne speech and exchange views on the future of the euro zone, a French finance ministry official said, referring to a speech by Macron in September when he laid out his vision for EU reform. While Le Maire s visit - his first to Berlin since the German election - is about strengthening contacts with likely members of the new government, officials indicated that it would also be an opportunity to sound out Berlin on the Eurogroup presidency, a powerful position that will be elected next month. Since it was created in 2005, the Eurogroup, which brings together the euro zone s 19 finance ministers, has had only two presidents: Luxembourg s Jean-Claude Juncker, who served from 2005 to 2013, and former Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is due to step down in January. The position involves chairing monthly meetings and driving policy around economic and monetary union, including ensuring that all member states stick to strict targets on deficits and debt. The post has been dubbed Mr Euro . Le Maire, 48, is regarded as sharp, ambitious and more than capable of leading the group. But some euro zone officials are wary about the presidency ending up in the hands of either Germany or France, the two largest economies in the single currency bloc and already dominant forces in policymaking. A further complication for Le Maire is France s poor record of meeting its own deficit targets over the past decade. German officials are not ruling out Le Maire, but they have also expressed a preference for giving the post to a smaller country. Last week, one official in Berlin mentioned two possible alternatives: Pierre Gramegna of Luxembourg and Peter Kazimir of Slovakia. The official also floated the idea of extending Dijsselbloem, seen as a close ally of Berlin, even though he is not part of the new Dutch government. It is still quite unclear who will come forward, the German official said when asked about the presidency. At this stage there does not seem to be one candidate everyone is rallying behind. There is no natural candidate. The Eurogroup president will be chosen on Dec. 4, an EU official said last week, with the formal call for candidates opening in mid-November. It is not a done thing, the German official said of Le Maire s candidacy. He will only apply if he gets the impression that he is the one. The talks in Berlin on Wednesday could be decisive in determining whether he does throw his hat into the ring. If Le Maire were to get the job, it could have repercussions for other top euro zone jobs. Mario Draghi will end his term as president of the European Central Bank on Oct. 31, 2019, and Germany s Jens Weidmann is already being mentioned as a potential successor. Euro zone watchers say that if the French secure the presidency of the Eurogroup, it may be harder for them to argue against a German candidate taking over the ECB. Still, as one senior French official told Reuters on condition of anonymity last month, Weidmann at the helm of the ECB would be a problem for a lot of countries, not just for France . | 1 |
10,288 | Abbas: U.N. must try to end Israeli occupation 'within set timeframe' | UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Nations on Wednesday to pursue efforts to bring an end to Israeli occupation of the state of Palestine within a set timeframe. Abbas, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, warned that if the two-state solution were to be destroyed, Palestinians would have no choice but to continue the struggle and demand full rights for all inhabitants of historic Palestine . | 1 |
10,289 | Republican Senate leader to hold healthcare vote within hours | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he will schedule a vote on whether to open debate on a healthcare overhaul in a “couple of hours.” “Today’s vote to begin debate is the first step, and we should take it,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “Any senator who votes against starting debate is telling America that you’re just fine with the Obamcare nightmare.” | 1 |
10,290 | There’s A Bill In The House That Would Completely Shut Down The Russia Investigation | For Republicans, the Robert Mueller investigation into Donald Trump s Russian ties is a very inconvenient truth. If Trump is found guilty, there s little doubt that many others in the party would be dragged down with him. It s also putting a big damper on the Republican agenda to screw the poor and the middle class while giving big bonuses to Trump and those in his tax bracket (whatever that is). Now there s a bill in Congress to shut the whole thing down and it can be done, legally.Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill that would financially starve the investigation by cutting off funding after six months and would limit its scope to nothing prior to June, 2015, which was when Trump decided to run for president.According to a Washington Post report, Trump has been seeking business opportunities in Russia for three decades. It began in 1987, when he explored the options of opening a hotel in Moscow. He found it rather inconvenient, because everything is owned by the government while Russia was under communist rule.Almost 10 years later, in 1996, Trump announced that he was going to invest $250 million in buildings in Moscow. Those deals didn t pan out, but he was given a lot of trademarks that year.In 2005, Trump further expressed interest in building in Moscow, saying, It s ridiculous that I wouldn t be investing in Russia, he said. Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment. We will be in Moscow at some point. In 2008, Donnie Jr. admitted that the Trumps have all kinds of money tied up in Russia. In terms of high-end product influx into the US, he says, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. In 2013, while planning the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Trump tweeted about Putin becoming his best friend. Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow if so, will he become my new best friend? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2013During that year, he also continued his talk about doing more business in Russia.Cutting the investigation off at 2015 isn t a guarantee that Trump will get away with it. There have been numerous meetings between Russian officials and Trump officials since then.Mueller, though, is going broad. He s going after money laundering and all of Trump s business ties and he s probably going back years. DeSantis sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on the Judiciary. It s very possible that he has some insight into the scope of Mueller s investigation and he knows that if he prevents him from looking at anything pre-2015, Trump may have cleaned up his act, at least on paper.The provision, which is part of a government spending package may never see a vote, but if enough Republicans see this as a way out of the mess, it could.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
10,291 | REP LUIS GUTIERREZ (D-NY) CALLS MURDER OF KATE STEINLE BY ILLEGAL ALIEN “A little thing” [Video] | Die-hard amnesty for illegal aliens cheerleader Rep. Luis Gutierrez: Every time a little thing like this happens, they use the most extreme example to say it must be eliminated. Reporting on a recently released survey by Rasmussen Reports that indicates that 62% of Americans oppose sanctuary city policies, Telemundo, the nation s second largest Spanish-language network, slanted its coverage in favor of maintaining the controversial policy. Reporting from the sanctuary city of Chicago, Telemundo correspondent Janet Rodr guez cited an unauthorized immigrant in favor of the policy, along with two quotes from Congressman Luis Guti rrez (D-IL), who had the gall to minimize Kate Steinle s murder, at the hands of a hardened criminal and five-time deportee, in the sanctuary city of San Francisco.Although Rodr guez reported the study s findings that the majority of Americans not only oppose the policy, but also support withholding federal funding to make sanctuary cities comply with immigration authorities, she included only one critical view of the policy, that of presidential candidate Donald Trump calling sanctuary cities a disgrace. To make matters worse, Rodr guez also misled viewers about the considerable trans-partisan nature of the opposition to sanctuary city policies. Rodr guez stated on air that it has to be emphasized that the poll reveals that the majority of those who agree on eliminating sanctuary cities or that in some way they lose federal funds, all are Republicans. However, the poll actually indicates that 79% of Republicans, 61% of unaffiliated voters, and 46% of Democrats believe sanctuary cities should lose federal funds. Similarly, 79% of Republicans, 65% of unaffiliated voters and 43% of Democrats support U.S. Justice Department legal action against sanctuary cities.Via: Newsbusters | 0 |
10,292 | It’s Already Happening: DAPL Spews Oil From Multiple Leaks As Construction Continues | Oil leaks that pose catastrophic risks to the environment, people and water were the reason thousands of protesters risked their lives to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Millions of others around the world showed their support for the protesters and the rights of all people to have access to clean water and a healthy environment.Tragically, the fears of clean water activists around the world are already coming true. The Associated Press reports the Dakota Access Pipeline has already spilled oil onto American soil three separate times before it s even been fully constructed.According to the North Dakota Health Department, a leaky flange in a pipeline terminal spilled 84 gallons of oil on March 3, in Watford City. The spill was quickly contained and oil flow was stopped on site. According to the department, the contaminated soil and snow were removed and no waterways, people or wildlife were harmed.Two days later a leak of 20 gallons was reported in a rural area of Mercer County by the Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Again, they stated that no waterways, people or wildlife were harmed.The incident report faults a manufacturing defect as the caused a valve failure and the subsequent leak, which was isolated by closing valves upstream and downstream. All other valves were later inspected and given the OK.Despite the ETP insisting that the pipeline is safe, several native Dakota tribes still fear the future environmental havoc of this 1,200-mile pipeline that will start commercial operation on June 1st.The Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Oglala Sioux and Yankton Tribes are still fighting to stop the pipeline from operating. They are currently working in court to convince a federal judge to shut it down.The pipeline leaked a third time on April 4th. Eighty-four gallons were spilled at a rural pump station in South Dakota. The SD Department of Environment and Natual Resources reported the spill to its online database but kept it quiet from the public. Apparently, the department s policy is to conduct a press release only if the spill threatens waterways or public health. In the fight to stop the DAPL, attorneys and local Tribal leaders are using these leaks as evidence that additional environmental reviews are necessary before it becomes fully operational. We have always said it is not a matter of if, but when, tribal attorney Jan Hasselman said after the South Dakota leak. Pipelines spill and leak. It s just a fact. | 0 |
10,293 | This Woman And Her Sign Show Us Everything You Need To Know About Trump’s Black Support (IMAGE) | Donald Trump, while pretending to reach out to minorities, has almost no minority support. That doesn t stop him from talking down to African-Americans and telling them that they live in conditions of dangerous squalor that only he can fix. Of course, that doesn t stop Trump from bragging about his great relationship with the blacks. Well, perhaps the two people holding up the Blacks for Trump signs at an October 12th rally had the last name of Black, because they certainly didn t look African-American.Most noticed only the woman, and Twitter tore her and the fake black outreach of the Trump campaign apart.Note the blond woman with the Blacks for Trump sign. Okay. pic.twitter.com/LLLbblzba5 John Aravosis (@aravosis) October 12, 2016A white woman was just holding up a blacks for Trump sign at his rally. No honey you were supposed to grab the women for Trump sign. Smh Plat Brat (@PlatBrat) October 12, 2016 I saw this live, 3 African American s stategically placedWhite woman holds Blacks 4 #Trump sign at Florida rally https://t.co/DrhYf0PxwC Raging Bull NO TRUMP (@ACBadBeat) October 12, 2016Sorry we couldn t find one Black person to hold the Blacks for Trump sign #WorstWaysToApologize https://t.co/qrF14U8NPD Raymond Li (@madbarrister) October 13, 2016My eye keeps coming back to this older white woman holding up a Blacks for Trump sign to Trump s left pic.twitter.com/lOdcjQ8wqy Catherine Thompson (@KT_thomps) October 12, 2016Why is this white woman is holding a Blacks for Trump sign pic.twitter.com/VIirzH1wrY Jake Ferguson (@Ferguson_27) October 12, 2016Trump supporters have defended the woman, saying everything from she picked up the wrong sign to it s racist to object to blaming Shaun King.Why is it okay for white man Shaun King to start #BlackLivesmatter but not for a white woman to hold a Blacks for Trump sign? #Hypocrite pic.twitter.com/5BpEFSFHVI Deplorable Agentmom (@agentm0m) October 12, 2016White man @ShaunKing pretended 2b black & organized #BlackLivesMatter but white woman holds sign ?https://t.co/pV6DvZsydJ via @cbsnews Deplorable Cannoli!! (@ReRe_76804) October 13, 2016Um, Shaun King is bi-racial, just like the President who you hate because of his dark skin.Clearly, the problem is not with the woman. It s simply that the woman (and the man who for some reason is ignored) is the perfect symbol of Trump s African-American outreach. Trump is a white man who tells African-Americans how they should be feeling, while at the same time, having a deep history of racism. His black outreach is a farce and he knows it, so really, who better to carry a Blacks for Trump sign than a white woman?Featured image via Darren McCollester/Getty Images. | 0 |
10,294 | HILARIOUS! Everyone’s Laughing When They See Why “CREEPY JOE” BIDEN Teamed Up With Lady Gaga To Make A PSA Video | Could there be two creepier people than creepy Joe Biden and the sex-obsessed pop-star Lady Gaga, (who is famous for bloody orgies, and violent sex scenes used in her music videos) to come together to make a PSA against sexual assault? Here s a disturbing compilation of Creepy Joe Biden creeping on women:Nevermind their reputations of creeping on women and having gang sex with large groups of men, Creepy Joe Biden and pop singer Lady Gaga have teamed up to produce a PSA against sexual assault. We want to make it real clear, it s on us it s on everyone to intervene, to stop abuse when they see it and when they hear about it, and to intervene, Biden says in a short video shared by Lady Gaga on Twitter. No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman for any reason other than self-defense, ever. Period, he says.A message from me & my buddy Vice President @JoeBiden @ItsOnUs to stop sexual assault. Go to https://t.co/aMd5silSst #ItsOnUs to help. pic.twitter.com/w5JGRCd2z8 xoxo, Gaga (@ladygaga) October 25, 2017 I am a sexual assault survivor, and I know the effects, the aftermath, the trauma psychological, physical, mental, Gaga says. It can be terrifying waking up every day feeling unsafe in your own body. But we re here to remind you that it s important to reach out to someone in your life that you can trust, and to know that they will be there to help you; there will be someone to listen. Because you know what? It s on us. Information Liberation | 0 |
10,295 | Trump Only Cares About Trump; Why He Is Recognizing Jerusalem Today | President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he plans to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While this is left most pundits perplexed, the reasoning is clear. Trump wants to divert attention from Robert Mueller s investigation. It is no coincidence that the day after the news broke that Deutsche Bank has received subpoenas for information on the Trump family s assets, that this Jerusalem decision was announced. What could be a bigger news story than getting this information? A blow up in the Middle East.Look at the reaction world leaders have had to this announcement. American allies throughout the Middle East and Europe have asked Trump not to do this and have stressed how dangerous a statement this is. US News and World Report put this out today: The mere consideration of Trump changing the status quo sparked a renewed U.S. security warning on Tuesday. America s consulate in Jerusalem ordered U.S. personnel and their families to avoid visiting Jerusalem s Old City or the West Bank, and urged American citizens in general to avoid places with increased police or military presence. It is worth noting that while Trump will formally announce that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital, there is no movement underway to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv. In fact, he has signed an order to delay that decision for another six months. This move is necessary due to the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which mandated the embassy be moved. It also allowed the president to delay that by six months and every president since that act became law has done so this way.The Atlantic has even compared this decision to Trump wagging the dog, a reference to a movie where a U.S. president goes to war with Albania to take the public s attention away from his own scandals involving a mistress. The film was viewed as a parody of President Bill Clinton s military actions in Afghanistan and Sudan after he acknowledged an affair with Monica Lewinsky.While whether or not Clinton attacked other countries to distract the nation from his actions with Lewinsky may be a point that is up for debate, it is clear that Trump likes to do things to distract the public s attention. Catherine Rampell wrote about this tactic late last year in the Washington Post. She wrote: Welcome to 2017, the ouroboros of distractions, where every terrible thing is a head-fake for a ruse for a diversion for a misdirection from something else much, much worse. Trump makes announcements, sends tweets and says things without any thought to the real world consequences that follow. Experts in the Middle East fear that the Jerusalem announcement will lead to real deaths. Many people worry that his thoughtless and impetuous tweets will lead to a nuclear war. His thoughtless comments confuse and enrage many.By making such a move, for such purely personal reasons, Trump is proving, once again, that he is not fit to be president of a condo association, much less of the United States.Featured image by Andrew Burton/Getty Images. | 0 |
10,296 | Joe Scarborough Just EVISCERATED Trump’s Attorney On Twitter Over Tax Returns (TWEETS) | The days when Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough would play nice with Donald Trump are definitely over. Not only has Scarborough turned into a major Trump critic, but he s actually going after Trump s team now.While Trump s team scrambles to do damage control after Trump s 2005 tax return was released last night on Rachel Maddow s show, Trump s personal attorney Michael Cohen decided to individually attack anyone who criticized Trump and claim that he d intentionally leaked his tax returns to journalist David Cay Johnston himself. What Cohen didn t bank on was getting into a vicious Twitter war with Scarborough, and getting his a** handed to him in the process!Earlier this morning, Scarborough had weighed in on Trump s tax document, adding to the suggestions that Trump was behind the leak. Scarborough noted that this tax return was suspiciously normal, and wondered why it hadn t been a more current tax document:Cohen saw this and decided to jump in, attacking Scarborough and saying that he better have proof to back up his big mouth proving that everyone on Trump s team is a bully.Cohen immediately regretted this, because Scarborough hit right back and put it perfectly when he told him to save your dumb thug routine for someone who gives a damn. Brutal. Cohen has now resorted to retweeting insults people are making about Scarborough on Twitter, obviously because he s not courageous enough to come up with something himself. Meanwhile, Scarborough is attacking Trump on everything from his tax returns to his wiretapping accusations against former President Barack Obama which Trump still has yet to provide any evidence for.Once again, the media has shown more guts and spine than anyone on Trump s team, and anyone in the Republican Party for that matter.Featured image via Frederick M. Brown and Drew Angerer / Getty Images | 0 |
10,297 | Cambodia faces U.S., EU action after banning opposition | PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The United States stopped election support for Cambodia with a promise of more concrete steps and the European Union threatened vital trade preferences after the main opposition party to Prime Minister Hun Sen was banned. But China said it supported Cambodia in following its own path, making no criticism of the government led by the former Khmer Rouge commander who is one of Beijing s most important allies in Southeast Asia after more than three decades in power. The ban on the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), decreed by the Supreme Court at the government s request, followed the arrest of its leader for treason. Kem Sokha is accused of plotting to take power with American help. Hun Sen s critics called the CNRP dissolution an attempt to steal the election and the death knell for democracy. Western donors have spent billions of dollars since 1993 trying to build a multiparty system following decades of war. On current course, next year s election will not be legitimate, free or fair, a White House statement said, promising to take concrete steps . The first of those was to end support for the Cambodian National Election Committee ahead of the 2018 election, it said. In April, the U.S. embassy announced a $1.8 million grant to assist local elections in 2017 and next year s general election. In Brussels, an EU spokesman said the election could not be legitimate without the opposition and noted that respect for human rights was a prerequisite for Cambodia s access to EU trade preferences under its Everything But Arms scheme. That scheme, giving tariff-free access, and similar trade preferences in the United States have helped Cambodia build a garment industry on low-cost labor. Between them, EU and U.S. markets take some 60 percent of Cambodia s exports. I am very worried after the dissolution of the party, factory sewer Heng Kheang, 35, said as other colleagues nodded in agreement at their lunch break. Workers will be most affected, more than the rich. In a symbolic step, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution calling on the Treasury and State departments to consider placing Cambodian officials implicated in abuses on a watch list for asset freezes and travel bans. Huy Vannak, undersecretary of state at Cambodia s Interior Ministry who is close to Hun Sen, said the U.S. position was made without consideration to the evidence and court hearing . We hope that the U.S. will consider the overall bilateral relations with Cambodia and continue to collaborate with common interests of both countries, he said. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing that China supported Cambodia in pursuing its own development path. China is by far the biggest single donor to Cambodia and its biggest investor. Hun Sen has been in a deepening war of words with the U.S. embassy and State Department over a crackdown on his critics, but at the weekend posed with U.S. President Donald Trump at a regional summit and praised his policies of non-interference. The fact that the threat of action came from the White House gave it greater weight than previous statements from the State Department calling for the release of Kem Sokha. So far, Western countries have shown little appetite for sanctions and the opposition itself has shied away from calling for steps to restrict garment exports because of the hundreds of thousands of workers who depend on them. But leaders of the CNRP now say they support some sanctions. Sanctions are the best leverage for negotiation for free, fair and inclusive elections, said Mu Sochua, a deputy to CNRP leader Kem Sokha, who fled Cambodia fearing arrest. There have been no protests over the opposition party ban and many people in the capital, Phnom Penh, said they were afraid to speak out. There were no party members at the CNRP headquarters on Friday, only security guards. They are worried about their safety, said guard Chin Savy. The central market was full of its usual bustle and one man told Reuters he was glad to see the back of the opposition. Hun Sen has a lot of help from China. If he just depended on the U.S., we wouldn t be anywhere, said Khen Kong, 69, a businessman. In a televised address on Thursday, Hun Sen told Cambodians the election would go ahead as normal and appealed to politicians from the CNRP who had not been banned to join his Cambodian People s Party. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein expressed grave concern about the conduct of credible elections next year as well as a clampdown on civil rights groups and independent media. | 1 |
10,298 | 'At the doors of starvation:' siege strangles Damascus suburbs | EASTERN GHOUTA (Reuters) - A tightening siege has pushed people to the verge of famine in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, residents and aid workers say, bringing desperation to the only major rebel enclave near the Syrian capital. Cases of malnutrition among children have almost doubled in the last two months at one clinic in the suburbs, which have been under siege by Syrian government forces since 2013 but come under new pressure this year as tunnels used to smuggle in food have been cut off. The child that we consider normal in Ghouta is the child whose weight is on the lowest end of the normal weight scale. We don t have fully healthy children. The main reason is the lack of food and nutrition, said Dr Amani Ballour, a paediatrician. There are children who we previously classified as at risk of malnutrition, who are now classified as medium-level acute malnutrition or extreme-level acute malnutrition cases. At two and a half years old, Hala al-Nufi weighs less than five kilos (12 pounds). She suffers from a metabolic disorder, but a lack of adequate food has made the case extreme. Hala, her eyes hollow and her translucent skin stretching over her tiny bones, had gotten sicker in recent months, her parents said. They worry she will not survive the siege. Um Said, a mother of six, says she is too hungry to breast feed her six-month-old twins, Marwa and Safa. I put the child to the breast, but there is no milk. I am not eating. I slept without supper last night, she said. Sometimes I hit myself against the wall, she said. For God s, sake open the road. In the name of the prophet, I kiss your hands and feet, open the road for us. We are going to die of hunger. We are eating from the trash bins. At least 1,200 children in eastern Ghouta suffer from malnutrition, on the rise with 1,500 others at risk, a spokeswoman for the U.N. children s agency UNICEF said. We could be at the doors of starvation, of a medical catastrophe, said health worker Mahmoud al-Sheikh. He said children were not yet dying of hunger but could be soon. God help the people in the coming time. The army s advances in recent months have shrunk the rebel-held pocket in the densely populated area of satellite towns and farms east of the capital. Food, fuel and medicine once traveled across frontlines into the suburbs through a network of underground tunnels. But early this year, an army offensive nearby cut smuggling routes that provided a lifeline for around 300,000 people in the enclave. Supplies have barely entered in months. Shortages have sent prices soaring even higher. Residents and local aid workers say they fear the worst if nothing changes when the cold arrives and stocks run out. A kilogram of sugar now costs more than 5,000 Syrian pounds ($10.81 dollars), roughly 14 times the state-regulated price in nearby Damascus. Two malnourished babies died this week after the siege aggravated their illnesses, a local official said. Photos of one of them a skeletal baby girl brought widespread attention to a crisis that has been growing there for months. Linda Tom, a spokeswoman for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) in Syria, said the one-month-old girl, Sahar, had congenital abnormalities. Hunger worsened her condition, and the baby died of pneumonia. Through a series of offensives and evacuation deals, the Damascus government has defeated opposition pockets around the capital. Eastern Ghouta has held out, but residents say there is now talk for the first time of agreeing to evacuate. People are under pressure, they will erupt. There is no baby milk at all. Mothers and fathers are watching their children go hungry. They want a solution in any way, at any price, said Adnan, 30, who runs a local aid group. Families relied on crops they harvested in the summer, and meagre food distributions from warehouses run by the opposition government based in Turkey, he said. Adnan s group had preserved and dried vegetables that it will distribute to 1,500 families next week, but besides that, its food aid has halted. Even if I get funding, there are no goods to buy, he said. The eastern Ghouta has shut down. There is a state of paralysis. The Wafideen crossing at the outskirts, where checkpoints allowed some goods to enter, has also been heavily restricted or shut, the U.N. and residents said. Only two aid convoys have reached the Ghouta since July, each with food and medicine for about 20 percent or less of the population. In July, Moscow and rebels in the Ghouta signed a ceasefire that had sparked hopes of opening crossings and aid flowing into the suburbs. But residents say none of that has materialized. The de-escalation deal reduced the barrage of air strikes and artillery, but the siege only got harsher, they said. Fierce ground battles also rage on in some frontline districts. When people in the Ghouta learned of the deal and thought it would bring relief, many began using up their food reserves at home, said Khalil Aybour, head of the local council in the town of Douma. After they saw it was all rumors, he said, the misery grew immensely. | 1 |
10,299 | EXPOSED: How US-Backed War on Syria Helped ISIS to Expand Their Operations | ABC News PhotoDaniel Lazare Consortium NewsWhy are Islamic militants wreaking havoc from Brussels to Lahore? The best way to answer this question is by taking a close look at how The New York Times covered this weekend s liberation of Palmyra from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi s Islamic State.The article, entitled Syrian Troops Said to Recapture Historic Palmyra From ISIS, began on a snide note. While the victory may have netted Bashar al-Assad a strategic prize, reporters Hwaida Saad and Kareem Fahim wrote that it also provided the Syrian president with something more rare: a measure of international praise. The article noted that Mr. Assad s contention that his government is a bulwark against the transnational extremist group has been bolstered, but added that his foes and some allies argue that he must leave power as part of a political settlement to end the war in Syria without, of course, specifying who those allies might be.Then it offered a bit of background: Lost in the celebrations was a discussion of how Palmyra had fallen in the first place. When the Islamic State captured the city in May [2015], the militants faced little resistance from Syrian troops. At the time, residents said officers and militiamen had fled into orchards outside the city, leaving conscripted soldiers and residents to face the militants alone. Since the Times claims to have several hundred surreptitious contacts inside Syria, the charge that Assad s troops fled without a fight may conceivably be correct. But it s hard to square with reports that the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh) had to battle for seven or eight days before entering the city and then had to deal with a counter-offensive on the city s outskirts. But even if true, it s only part of the story and a small one at that.The real story began two months earlier when Syrian rebels launched a major offensive in Syria s northern Idlib province with heavy backing from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Led by Al Nusra, the local Al Qaeda affiliate, but with the full participation of U.S.-backed rebel forces, the assault proved highly successful because of the large numbers of U.S.-made optically guided TOW missiles supplied by the Saudis. [See Consortiumnews.com s Climbing into Bed with Al-Qaeda. ]The missiles gave the rebels the edge they needed to destroy dozens of government tanks and other vehicles according to videos posted on social media websites. Indeed, one pro-U.S. commander told The Wall Street Journal that the TOWs completely flipped the balance of power, enabling the rebels to dislodge the Syrian army s heavily dug-in forces and drive them out of town. Although the government soon counter-attacked, Al Nusra and its allies continued to advance to the point where they posed a direct threat to the Damascus regime s stronghold in Latakia province 50 or 60 miles to the west.Official Washington was jubilant. The trend lines for Assad are bad and getting worse, a senior official crowed a month after the offensive began. The Times happily observed that [t]he Syrian Army has suffered a string of defeats from re-energized insurgents [which] raise newly urgent questions about the durability of President Bashar al-Assad s rule. Assad was on the ropes, or so everyone said. Indeed, ISIS thought so as well, according to the Associated Press, which is why it decided that the opportunity was ripe to launch an offensive of its own 200 miles or so to the southeast. Worn-out and depleted after four years of civil war, the Syrian Arab Army retreated before the onslaught.But considering the billions of dollars that the U.S. and Saudis were pouring into the rebel forces, blaming Damascus for not putting up a stiffer fight is a little like beating up a 12-year-old girl and then blaming her for not having a better right hook.So the U.S. and its allies helped Islamic State by tying down Assad s forces in the north so that it could punch through in the center. But that s not all the U.S. did. It also helped by suspending bombing as the Islamic State neared Palmyra.As the Times put it at the time: Any airstrikes against Islamic State militants in and around Palmyra would probably benefit the forces of President Bashar al-Assad. So far, United States-led airstrikes in Syria have largely focused on areas far outside government control, to avoid the perception of aiding a leader whose ouster President Obama has called for. The upshot was a clear message to ISIS to the effect that it had nothing to worry about from U.S. jet bombers as long as it engaged Assad s troops in close combat. The U.S. thus incentivized ISIS to press forward with the assault. Although residents later wondered why the U.S. had not bombed ISIS forces while they were traversing miles of open desert roads, the answer, simply, is that Washington had other things on its mind. Rather than defeating ISIS, it preferred to use it to accomplish its primary goal, which was driving out Assad.The BlowbackBut what does this have to do with Brussels and Lahore? Simply that America s fundamental ambivalence toward ISIS, Al Qaeda, and similar groups its policy of battling them on one hand and seeking to make use of them on the other is what allows Sunni terrorism to fester and grow.The administration is shocked, SHOCKED, when Islamists kill innocent people in Belgium but not when they kill innocent people in Syria. This is why the White House long regarded ISIS as a lesser threat: because it thought its violence would remain safely contained. Where Al Qaeda s principal ambition is to launch attacks against the West and U.S. homeland, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes explained in August 2014, ISIL s primary focus is consolidating territory in the Middle East region to establish their own Islamic State. Since the only people in harm s way were Syrians, there was no cause for alarm. The rest of the world could relax.Hence the confusion when ISIS did the unexpected by striking out at Western targets after all. As the Times observed in a major takeout this week on Islamic State s Western operations, officials were slow to connect the dots because Euro-terrorism was not supposed to be ISIS s thing: Even as the group began aggressively recruiting foreigners, especially Europeans, policymakers in the United States and Europe continued to see it as a lower-profile branch of Al Qaeda that was mostly interested in gaining and governing territory. Turkish officials made essentially the same point last week in response to widespread complaints that they have done little to prevent Sunni terrorists from making their way to Syria. Not so, they countered. When they tried to return the jihadis from whence they came, they found that members of the European Union were none too eager to have them. We were suspicious that the reason they want these people to come is because they don t want them in their own countries, a senior Turkish security official told the London Guardian. Instead, they preferred to see them continue on their way. And why not? At home, they would only cause trouble, whereas in Syria they would advance Western interests by waging war against Assad s Baathist government.Thus, Brussels was unresponsive when Turkish officials informed it that they had detained a Belgian citizen named Ibrahim el-Bakraoui in the border town of Gaziantep on suspicion of traveling to Syria to join the jihad. The Turks deported him anyway, but the Belgians remained unconcerned until El-Bakraoui turned up among the suicide bombers at Zaventem airport.The same thing happened when the Turks intercepted a Syria-bound French national named Omar Ismail Mostefai. Paris was also unresponsive until Mostefai wound up among the ISIS militants who stormed the Bataclan concert hall last November, at which point its attitude turned distinctly less blas .In June 2014, Turkish security officers in Istanbul intercepted a Norwegian citizen traveling to Syria with a camouflage outfit, a first-aid kit, knives, a gun magazine and parts of an AK-47, all of which E.U. customs officials had somehow overlooked.Two months later, they intercepted a German citizen with a suitcase containing a bulletproof vest, military camouflage and binoculars that customs had also failed to notice. When they apprehended a Danish-Turkish dual citizen on his way to Syria, they sent him back to Copenhagen. But the Danes gave him another passport regardless so he could continue on his way. Everyone figured that what happens in Syria stays in Syria, so why worry?Now, of course, everyone is worried big time. With the AP reporting that Islamic State has armed and trained 400 to 600 fighters for its European operations, talk of ISIS sleeper cells is ubiquitous. Referring to the Brussels district where the March 22 bombing plot was hatched, Patrick Kanner, the French social-democratic minister of youth, warned ominously: There are today, as is well known, hundreds of neighborhoods in France that present potential similarities to what happened in Molenbeek. The implication was that the state of emergency should not only continue but deepen. As hundreds of neo-Nazis descended on Brussels chanting anti-immigrant slogans, paranoia took a giant leap forward as did its handmaidens racism and Islamophobia.But as much everyone would like to blame it all on Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen and others of that ilk, none of this is really their fault. To the contrary, the West s disastrous Syria policy is entirely the creation of nice-guy liberals like Barack Obama. Desperate to appease both Israel and the Sunni oil sheiks, all of whom for various reasons wanted Assad to go, he signed on to a massive Sunni jihad that has turned Syria into a charnel house.With death estimates now running as high as 470,000, which is to say one person in nine, the idea that massive violence like this could remain confined to a single country was absurd to begin with. Yet Obama went along regardless.Indeed, the administration is still unwilling to back down despite all that has happened since. When a reporter asked point-blank at a State Department press briefing, Do you want to see the [Damascus] regime retake Palmyra or would you prefer that it stays in Daesh s hands, spokesman Mark Toner hemmed and hawed before finally admitting that a takeover was preferable because we think Daesh is probably the greater evil in this case. (Exchange starts at 1:05.)But the next day he walked back even that mealy-mouthed statement. Refusing to endorse Palmyra s fall at all, he declared: I m not going to laud it because it s important to remember that one of the reasons Daesh is in Syria is because Assad s brutal crackdown on his own people created the kind of vacuum, if you will, that has allowed a group like ISIL or Daesh to flourish. Just because he s now, given the cessation of hostilities, willing and-or able to divert his forces to take on Daesh doesn t exonerate him or his regime from the gross abuses that they ve carried out against the Syrian people. Since Assad is the only one to blame, the U.S. doesn t have to ponder its own contribution to the problem. Instead, it gives itself a clean bill of health and moves on. Rather, it would like to move on if only ISIS would let it.But the more aid the U.S. and its allies funnel into the hands of Sunni terrorists, the more groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda will grow and the farther their reach will extend. The upshot will be more bombings and shootings in Paris, Brussels, and who knows where else. Racism and Islamophobia will continue to surge regardless of what bien-pensant liberals do to talk it down.The liberal center is engineering its own demise.***Daniel Lazare is the author of several books including The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralyzing Democracy (Harcourt Brace).READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria Files | 0 |
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