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10,400 | New Zealand's populist Peters garners attention as kingmaker in heated election debate | WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Neither major New Zealand political party leader on Monday would rule out appointing nationalist New Zealand First head Winston Peters as deputy prime minister as poll averages showed a neck-and-neck race for a Sept. 23 election. Labour s Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister and National Party leader Bill English faced off in a fiery televised election debate, the same day tightening poll averages suggested each would still need New Zealand First to form a government. The leaders traded jabs as Ardern accused the center-right National Party of ignoring a housing crisis in its nine years in power, while English criticized his 37-year-old, center-left opponent of putting ideals over concrete projects. You can t replace a plan with a vision, English told Ardern. Labour has argued that New Zealand s economic growth rate, among the fastest in the developed world, on the National Party s watch, has masked growing inequality and strains on infrastructure. Labour also says people are not seeing the benefits of growth, with wages still lagging behind living costs. People ... feel like they are going backwards. And that s because they are. An economy should be about people, Ardern said. Both party leaders said they would not make Peters, who would like to slash immigration and increase the central bank s ability to intervene in the currency, finance minister in their governments. Labour s soaring support since charismatic Ardern took over as leader on Aug. 1 may put it in a position to form a government without having to rely on the controversial nationalist party if its momentum is sustained. National, however, looks as if it would likely still be heavily reliant on the New Zealand First Party, whose support is also waning. Although both major parties are open to forming a coalition with the populist party, Peters has not said which one he would throw his lot in with. Labour s average level of support in opinion polls rose to 39.8 percent, and the Greens average was 6.2 percent, figures released by media on Monday showed, putting the two parties, which share a working agreement, comfortably ahead of National s 41.6 percent. A party, or combination of parties, needs 61 of Parliament s 120 members in order to form a government in New Zealand s German-style proportional representation system. The averages suggest Labour and the Green Party would garner 57 seats, compared with National s 51. If National happen to drop a bit further, they won t have any chance of forming a government because they don t have as many coalition options as Labour, said Bryce Edwards, a political analyst at Victoria University in Wellington. Only weeks ago, outspoken Peters was expected to be the kingmaker in the formation of government after the vote. But a controversy over mistaken overpayment of superannuation to Peters has hurt his support, while voters have also been drawn to the newly invigorated Labour party. Although the average of polls shows New Zealand First remains decisive in the formation of the next government, the situation could change if its loss of momentum continues, analysts say. New Zealand First s average fell to 8 percent, down from 9.1 percent on Friday. Certainly New Zealand First, if they are somewhere in the 5 percent to 7 percent range, there will be a good chance of them no longer being a kingmaker after the election, Edwards added. Support for the party fell to 6.6 percent in a poll released on Sunday, following a drop to 8 percent in another poll last week. Both polls were used to calculate Monday s average. | 1 |
10,401 | WATCH: Chuck Todd Blasts Pence For Trump’s Hiring Of Alleged Rapists And Racists | Donald Trump s campaign currently has a leadership that is under fire for more than a few scandals. On Sunday, Chuck Todd blasted Trump s running mate Mike Pence for hiring both Steve Bannon of Breitbart, a right-wing reactionary media site, and Roger Ailes of Fox News. Bannon is facing allegations of anti-Semitism and Ailes for sexually harassing what now seems like every woman who ever stepped foot in his office: Quick question about the leadership of the campaign, there s been some troubling allegations both against Steve Bannon, somethings he may have said about Jewish people, some things that may have happened between him and his wife, Todd said during a broadcast of Meet the Press. There s been troubling allegations having to do with Roger Ailes. Both of whom are apparently advisers to this campaign. Are you comfortable with that considering some of the allegations you ve read against both of these men? Are you comfortable with their involvement in this campaign? I promise you the person leading Donald Trump s campaign is Donald Trump, Pence responds. He and I talk every day, sometimes several times a day. He is he is a hands on leader and a hands on CEO. Todd then goes on to question Pence further, asking him it is, appropriate for Roger Ailes to be involved? I trust Donald Trump s judgment to assemble around this team a group that s going to help us move forward and be successful and win, Pence says. And come on, I mean, Steve Bannon has denied all of those allegations Todd then interjects to say, Some are in court records. I mean, look, I know look, divorces are divorces. But it s troubling allegations, people are going to look and say, all right, Steve Bannon and then you see all these allegations against Roger Ailes, it just feels as if there s does he ignore troubling allegations against people that work for him? I trust Donald Trump to assemble a team around him in this campaign has he has and will continue to. You ll continue to see people added to this campaign, Pence says.Pence s claim that we ll see more people added to his campaign staff has me wondering who Trump will hire next. Martin Shkreli seems like he would fit in with the rest of Trump s campaign compadres. At this point, it wouldn t even be shocking to see Trump hire George Zimmerman to spearhead his outreach efforts to voters of color.What Todd doesn t go into is the fact that a presidential candidate has officially aligned himself with two major players in the media. While Ailes may have resigned as the chairman and CEO of Fox News due to his inability to give women in his employment their basic human rights, he still remains on of the most powerful men in the news industry. So powerful in fact, that Rupert Murdoch has gone on record as saying that Ailes is responsible for the success of Trump s campaign thus far. Then there is Bannon, who is on a temporary leave from his position as the CEO of Breitbart, a staple site in propagating bizarre right-wing conspiracies and white supremacist narratives.What this amounts to is the collusion two of the largest private dispensers of information in the world working with a fascist billionaire to try and take control of the wealthiest and most influential nation in the world. This current situation should serve as a warning to the entire left-wing that in the era of neoliberalist domination, corporations have the power to convince millions of people to vote for an administration that would rather turn the United States into sacrifice zone, rather than lose a profit.You can watch the clip below:Featured image via video screenshot | 0 |
10,402 | STATE DEPARTMENT COVERUP: Reporter Questions Missing Video Potentially Showing Iran Deal Deception Was a ‘Glitch’ | The deception was really a Glitch Sure! | 0 |
10,403 | U.S. Nazi Party Leader: Trump’s Campaign Is A ‘Real Opportunity’ For White Nationalist (AUDIO) | More proof that Donald Trump s presidential campaign is helping the fascist arm of the right-wing has just come in. During the July broadcast of his radio program, Rocky Suhayda, the chairman of the American Nazi Party declared that Trump s campaign is a real opportunity for people like white nationalists. Not only does Suhayda think that Trump presents an opportunity to build new, politically active white nationalist coalitions, he also believes that Trump will win the election in November for various reasons. Suhayda believes that the enemy is in for a real surprise: I m gonna project, that I believe that Trump is going to win the election this November, for various reasons which I don t want to go into again. I think it s gonna surprise the enemy, because, I think that they feel that the white working class, especially the male portion of the working class, and with him, his female counterparts have basically thrown in the towel. Given up hope of any politician again standing up for their interests. Suhayda then goes on to say that it is time for an American Nazi political caucus to form in Congress. He also urges his followers to adopt the guise of being pro-white rather than overtly racist against minorities. Now, if Trump does win, okay, it s going to be a real opportunity for people like white nationalists, acting intelligently to build upon that, and to go and start you know how you have the black political caucus and what not in Congress, and, everything, to start building on something like that, okay. It doesn t have to be anti, like the movement s been for decades, so much as it has to be pro-white. It s kinda hard to go and call us bigots if we don t go around and act like a bigot. That s what the movement should contemplate. Alright. Trump has received support from the worst-of-the-worst within the white nationalist and white supremacist movements. It s ridiculous to think that Trump might actually win the presidency this November. Poll after poll shows Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton winning the election. That being said, Trump s campaign itself is being used as a conversation starter for the KKK to recruit new members, according to the Washington Post.Trump s campaign is dangerous for the United States. Republicans who support him are supporting white supremacist movements. Well, more so than they already tacitly do through racist policy decisions. November is fast approaching and it is time for Republicans across the United States to dump Trump and the fascist factions of the far right that support him.You can listen to the radio broadcast below.Featured image from Scott Eisen/Getty Images | 0 |
10,404 | House chairmen seek new federal probe of Clinton testimony | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairmen of two U.S. House of Representatives committees asked the Justice Department on Monday to launch an investigation into whether Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton committed perjury during testimony to Congress about her use of a private email server. “The evidence collected by the FBI during its investigation of Secretary Clinton’s use of a personal email system appears to directly contradict several aspects of her sworn testimony” to Congress, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said in a letter to U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips requesting the probe. After a year-long investigation of Clinton’s emails, the FBI recommended that no criminal charges be brought against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee for the Nov. 8 election. That recommendation was accepted by Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The FBI found, however, that she was “extremely careless” while secretary of state in her handling of email documents that contained classified information. Representative Elijah Cummings, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform panel, accused Republicans of a political vendetta following years of Republican-led investigations of Clinton in the House. “Republicans are now squandering even more taxpayer dollars in a desperate attempt to keep this issue alive and bring down Secretary Clinton’s poll numbers ahead of the election,” Cummings said. Clinton has said that she did not believe she was handling classified information on the private email system. Chaffetz has also asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to give him access to its investigative files on Clinton. | 1 |
10,405 | Britain says Syrian reconstruction only after political transition 'away from Assad' | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain, the United States and other countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will not support the reconstruction of the country until there is a political transition away from Assad, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Monday. We believe that the only way forward is to get a political process going and to make it clear to the Iranians, Russians and Assad regime that we, the like-minded group, will not support the reconstruction of Syria until there is such a political process and that means, as Resolution 2254 says, to a transition away from Assad, he said. Johnson was speaking after a meeting of about 14 countries that back the Syrian opposition including France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States. | 1 |
10,406 | Suicide bomber attacks NATO convoy in Afghanistan, some wounded | KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber in an explosives-packed vehicle attacked a NATO convoy in Afghanistan on Monday, wounding a small number of foreign troops and at least three civilians, officials said. The soldiers were taken to the nearby Bagram Air Field and none of their injuries appeared life-threatening, NATO s headquarters in Kabul said. At least three civilians were hurt, District Governor Abdul Shukor Qodossi said, without giving details on the extent of their injuries. A statement from the Taliban militants said 13 Americans had been killed and 11 wounded and three armored vehicles destroyed. The attack came on the 16th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, which triggered the U.S.-led military operation that toppled the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. | 1 |
10,407 | Donald Trump ‘SHOCKED’ A Group Of Women Have Heard Of One Of The Most Famous Women In History (VIDEO) | For some reason, Donald Trump decided to speak to a group of women at a women s empowerment event on Wednesday, on one of the final days of Women s History Month. It didn t go well.First he bragged about the number of women in his cabinet. There are six women. Out of 24. That s 25 percent. Less than half of what would be representative of the nation as a whole. It s also the whitest and most male cabinet since Ronald Reagan.It got worse. Trump went on to name women, famous women, although there s no indication that Trump knew why many of them were famous. The first part wasn t soooooo bad: Since the very beginning, women have driven, and I mean, each generation of Americans, towards a more free and more prosperous future, Trump said. These patriots are women like the legendary Abigail Adams, right? Who, during the founding, urged her husband to remember the rights of women. She was very much a pioneer in that way. We ve been blessed with courageous heroes like Harriet Tubman who escaped slavery. And went on to deliver hundreds of others to freedom, first in the underground railroad and then as a spy for the union army. She was very, very courageous, believe me. Source: Raw StoryIt very quickly became clear he was out of his intellectual element when he completed that thought with:Around we ve had leaders like Susan B. Anthony. Have you heard of Susan B. Anthony? I m shocked that you ve heard of her who dreamed of a much more fair and equal future and an America where women themselves as she said helped to make laws and elect the lawmakers, and that s what s happening more and more. Of course, it s not shocking at all that a group of women have in fact heard of the suffragette and all around social justice warrior. There was even a coin with her face on it, but to be fair, it s doubtful Trump carries cash. Other people pay all of his bills.Trump, though, had clearly never heard of Anthony, at least before someone briefed him right before the event.Here s the video:Perhaps Trump s handlers (whoever they are) need to remind the orange dictator that he should never, ever speak to people who aren t white and male.Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
10,408 | hillary clinton supporters now calling for a recount of votes in battleground states | while richard spencers halfjoke of hailing donald trump with r oman salute rose a lot of dust some remarks in his npi speech point into rather sinister direction a posthuman one
transcript with references and additional av material
undoubtedly there was a sigh of relief throughout the world when hillary clinton lost presidential elections to donald trump if for nothing else then for the sake of quiet joy of watching adolescent commissars melt in tears because racism homophobia xenophobia and whateverphobia it was a joy and a relief because it showed monolithic control system of moral nominalism dubbed political correctness to be a paper tiger
however party is over and dialectics is back with the vengeance as sjw s are hopefully moving out from the spotlight of posthistorical stage the new contender asserts his right to fashion the reality of our day and age into his own image if we are to judge the day by the first gleam of dawn this image will be just as ugly and just as unreal as hermaphrodite ideal of politically correct shitlib
in the words of more or less universally acclaimed leader of the alternative right movement richard spencer in the future we are to deal with the leadership of children of the sun
this is an interesting and to my mind quite worrisome statement of intent a manifestation of will as spencer would doubtless rectify me pointing out in many directions while seemingly focusing on the eternal and quite unidirectional circular movement of the pagan deity revered by all selfrespecting übermenschen from nietzsche to postmodern occultists
however theres a deeper astrotheological metaphor at work here the pure eye that can gaze upon overabundance of joy without envy nietzsche in its virtual postmodern installment is not to be strictly represented by swastika as spencer apparently assumes but by other only seemingly ancient symbol taken in fact from the world of tabletop and pc gaming and turned into ideological brand by russian philosopher alexander dugin or his minions an individual widely promoted by core members of alt right movement
the symbol in question is an eight pointed star signifying the movement not of sun but of presumably primordial origin of everything chaos
in the lines to follow well provide some preliminary analysis of the emerging situation the channeling of chaos principle and adjacent chaos logic through loosely knit alt right movement taking as a starting point some statements from spencers speech held at npi conference in washington dc on november st
triumph of the will or hipster babylon working
in introduction to his triumphal encomium to the ideological victory of alt right embodied in the election of donald trump spencer makes one interesting remark
but even though we always took trump seriously there was still a moment of unreality or perhaps too painfully intense reality when the state of pennsylvania was called for donald trump the moment when we knew kek had smiled upon us that meme magic was real and though these terms are used halfjokingly they represent something truly importantthe victory of will we willed donald trump into office made this dream into reality
it is all delivered in a manner of an injoke not to be taken too seriously moreover to the uninitiated into mysteries of this internet movement it is probably unclear who is kek and what exactly is meme magic
well start our explanation with lesser weirdness
meme is an expression denoting inexistent existent coined apparently by richard dawkins to explain how human thoughts fit in his evolutionary theology memes are thoughts expressed in image andor phrase which by circulation in public acquire the life and subsistence of their own and are able to infect the consciousness with their messages like viruses meme is inexistent because theres no such thing as thoughts having a biologically based selfsubsistence and ability to procreate like viruses images andor phrases are not living beings save by bad analogy that omits to tell us on what exactly it is based what is that one principle making memes and viruses congenial yet they quite paradoxically exist because analogy apparently works however no one seems to pose the question why it works
well it works because it is magical
chaos magick
here we have an example of magical thinking in the postmodern in fact posthumanist vein resting on assumption that what has not evolved in nature can and should be created in analogy to imagined process of evolution if artificial construct is in line with principle of evolution it is real or to be more precise it is in accordance with imaginary nature of this principle it is imagined into existence
therefore meme magick works only insofar it relies upon artificial preferably technological medium for sustenance and on assumption that its recipients identify themselves with their artificial preferably online identities that can indeed be imbibed with memes as they are in themselves artificial and arbitrary constructs
the goal of practitioner of such magic a far cry from what was traditionally considered to be magic is to change the world according to his will this is more or less what is known from the seventies of the last century as chaos magick a postmodern imitation of ancient practice of acting in subhuman and subnatural domain of the world in the past mostly confined to people born with dubious talent to practice it the peculiarity of chaos magick is on the one hand that it is entirely syncretic ie that it uses everything that its practitioner can imbibe with intended subjective meaning and that it relies on virtual ie artificial world of mass culture now embodied above all in internet
the idea behind it all is that nothing is true and everything is possible
there are many interesting implications to this
the first is that everything is interrelated ie that everything is connected with everything else so any which way you take youll get where you want to get if you will it hard enough the second is that theres no hierarchy of higher and lower theres only an infinite surface dissolving into ever more complex elements dissolving in turn into nothingness if concentrated upon as theres nothing higher theres nothing to be revered and everything can and indeed should be an object of ironical laughter and most importantly this is the world of dreams ruled by what is usually called dream logic but in actual fact chaos logic or unlogic
in this sense richard spencer quite accurately proclaimed trumps victory an accomplishment of meme or chaos magick
trump is willed into office by internet memes binding the will of alt right adherents and turning their dream into reality virtual reality one may add yet reality nonetheless the fact that trump was elected for a plethora of motives from the appeal of his politics to public takedown of hillary clinton by wikileaks is immaterial because in the world of chaos every subjective reality tunnel or interpretation of the world is as real as any other
in this sense we can observe new god emperor of usa as a magical creation of internet by the internet and for the internet today still the internet of interconnected computer nodes but soon probably the internet of things if one is to push spencers remark to its logical extreme we can assert that illustrious donald is the worlds first president of posthuman race an embodiment of ultra progressive dream invoked to reality by professed ultra antiprogressive group
so that was lesser weirdness let us proceed now to high weirdness
we owe the reader an answer to a question who the hell is kek
well the reason why spencer mentions him is again a magickal halfjoke kek is interpreted to be an ancient egyptian deity by a number of internet observers and identified with alt right memetic avatar pepe the frog while i habitually suspend judgment on all things egyptian because ancient egyptian culture is a slippery ground even for experts i consider this interpretation upon closer inspection to be quite valid in the virtual light of chaos logic
namely pepe the cartoon character conceived in by cartoonist matt furie emerged as a meme from the depths of internet forums more precisely chan subforum pol devoted to political discussions with no holds barred which was in view of some observers a breeding ground for many alt right aficionados a place of absolute freedom therefore absolute chaos
the expression kek was also appropriated from the forums and stems from the injoke among the players of world of warcraft replacing the standard internet abbreviation lol laughing out loud someone eventually noticed that kek is in fact the name of frogheaded egyptian deity signifying chaos and darkness and pepe was rebranded as kek the deity ironic one no doubt half joking one as surprisingly many alt righters like to put it but deity nonetheless
it is important to point out that in view of the most esoteric kekists that is half grinning faithful of kekpepe the association was originally entirely haphazard and accidental yet it developed into an ever growing system of synchronicities causally unrelated meaningful relations among events so it came to pass that kek sounds very similar to cuckoriginally cuckservative a term denoting old fashioned conservative who was still not red pilled another meme taken from pop culture shared by both alt right and conspiracy theorists by alt right or should we assume kek himself furthermore hillary clinton addressed pepe as nothing less than public enemy identifying presumably the whole alt right movement with cartoon character then it happened that after this act hillary fainted in front of the cameras and that was immediately interpreted as an action of kek
a good rundown of kekpepetrump identification
however it all began with people noticing the numerical synchronicities in the random series of numbers in posts on pol subforum
one last thing you need to understand about imageboard culture dubs
every post on chan and similar venues comes with an digit numerical stamp this number represents that posts entry position in the entire posting lineage of the imageboard
with the amount of traffic these sites get the last couple digits of this number are essentially a random roll when a poster gets repeated digits its called dubs trips quads and so on
since a poster cant know their post number until after theyve submitted the post its common for people to bet the contents of their message on the occurrence of repeating digits when that endeavor proves a successful a get has been made and the stroke of luck is celebrated
out of this practice a strange phenomenon began to take place on pol discussion threads associated with trump displayed noticeably frequent gets it wasnt long before all of these seemingly random elements discussed so far became irreparably tied together within imageboard culture pepe the frog now pols unofficial mascot donald trump pols overwhelming candidate of choice repeating digit post numbers gets kek used as an expression of delight particular in response to trumps trolling of the establishment as well as in reaction to unlikely gets in general
and a god was born source
synchronicities related to emergence of kek the god and his merging with trump in the bowels of internet forums early on in the presidential campaign are so numerous and frankly mind boggling that we cannot list them here for the sake of brevity for our purpose it is sufficient to point out that for many alt right aficionados including core leadership kek is the god and trump is his prophet all declared with smug grin and ironical stance yet with all the necessary power of conviction
namely chaos magick relies on laughter or irreverence of its own principles because it is essentially unprincipled fairly in accordance with its postmodern nature it seeks to deconstruct any kind of order to enable its practitioner to impose his own will and change the world as spencer would put it make his dreams a reality
i would go further and add make all reality a dream because chaos magick and alt right are nothing more but novel forms in the development of virtual ie posthuman world the idea of adherence and reattachment to tradition that the alt right movement professes is nothing more but simulacrum appealing to people tired of liberal nihilism in its essence however it is a complete opposite a disintegration of all substantial traditional principles above all an idea of preexistent hierarchy of being into nothingness of primordial chaos
posthuman traditionalism
i already developed this insight regarding the subversive work of alexander dugin who is probably the most consequent subverter of tradition with recognizable public persona acting in our age but now we can see how his affiliates in usa and europe are doing the same thing with less philosophical subtlety but fueled by much greater raw power namely alt right if we are to judge by what its leadership advocates is ideologically nothing more but project of building the simulated tradition something richard spencer likes to call political theology founded on new age filtered aryan myths racial interpretation of nietzsche and generally crossbred with do your own thing mentality all done in the virtual ether of information technology after all if we are to agree with spencer half jokingly of course that god emperor was inaugurated by the act of kek the god then the victory of alt right traditionalists is in fact the victory of technological magic the act of pseudo magus waving the same wand ray kurzweill and his ilk offer to progressive lunatics
in the end therefore we are talking about another victory of posthumanism branded spontaneously or otherwise as traditionalism the obsession of alt right adherents with identity in general and white identity in particular points to a fact that they are unable to realize the simple truth of tradition they supposedly defend they understand identity as something that can be created and not something that must be accepted observing the plethora of various rather eccentric individuals in its vanguard from macho gay postmodern spartans to adherents to all kinds of exotic and to a large extent made up pagan religions one is at the lack to find a common denominator save maybe for quite unchallenged neodarwinist stance especially to be found among game bloggers as chateau heartiste if someone thinks that he can reattach himself to premodern spiritual history of humankind actually the only one there is while at the same time musing about alpha and beta males sexual market signaling and countersignaling professing therefore his proud monkey ancestry and reducing human relations to mental gmo of memes genes and biological analogies he is doing nothing else than unconsciously subverting the very thing he seemingly defends
the allure of alt right lies in its dialectical opposition to political correctness and rampart destruction of moral substance of the west induced by process of globalization yet this is an eristic or to use an excellent neologism invented by one correspondent of mine discordian dialectic the process of infinite division into ever multiplying opposites founded on the principle of chaos it is all done with the crooked half grin a pinch of salt to every smug remark with irony of the man who knows hes a liar and a cheat but smug humor goes just a short way in the end it morphs into sarcasm and irreverence of what should in fact be revered and subverts the very principles it professes to defend far more effectively than dead serious pc brigade or techno loonies of posthumanist movement could ever hope for
well end with the word of warning to christian adherents of alt right the words have a definite meanings and power theres only one chaos and theres only one bringer of light from chaos as some kek worshipers already defined the poor frogs main job and its not the one to be defined as god from god light from light but god from gutter light from darkness a real darkness shining in virtual brightness hope you guess his name
so without a pinch of irony i declare be careful who your hail
author branko mali? is a croatian author and owner of kali tribune with the background in classical philosophy hes focused on philosophy media culture and deep politics analysis | 0 |
10,409 | Bad News, GOP: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Backs Obama In Supreme Court Fight | President Obama just received the highest profile supporter for his quest to fulfill his Constitutional duties by nominating a successor to recently deceased Justice Antonin Scalia s seat on the Supreme Court. Retired Justice Sandra Day O Connor, the first woman to serve in that capacity, told an interviewer that Obama is right America needs a Justice. I don t agree (with Republicans), O Connor said in an interview with Phoenix-based Fox affiliate KSAZ. We need somebody in there to do the job and just get on with it. She noted that it s unusual to for a Supreme Court opening to exist in an election year, saying that the proximity to the presidential race creates too much talk around the thing that isn t necessary. She said Obama should name a replacement for Scalia, an influential conservative member of the nation s high court who was found dead Saturday at age 79.O Connor also told the station that you just have to pick the best person you can under these circumstances, adding, I wish the president well as he makes choices and goes down that line. The retired justice adds to the slowly growing chorus of voices on the right who have begun to peel off of the original assertion that Obama should not be able to appoint Scalia s replacement. Now some Republicans are closer to the Democratic position, arguing that as has been done in the past, a nomination in the president s final year should not be summarily rejected.O Connor was nominated in 1981 by Ronald Reagan, but while appointed by a conservative president over time she came to be seen as a swing justice, never exclusively on one side of an issue.For instance, while she voted in the majority in the Bush v Gore election case in 2000, she also voted with the majority in favor of abortion rights and campaign finance reform.O Connor stepped down from the court in 2005, and was replaced by George W. Bush s nominee, Samuel Alito, a hardcore conservative.Featured image via Twitter | 0 |
10,410 | With one bill, Republicans fast track plan to undo Obama regulations | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday giving Congress the power to kill dozens of recently enacted rules in one fell swoop, as Republicans charged ahead on their campaign to strip down federal regulations. It was the second time the Republican-dominated chamber took up legislation blocking “midnight rules,” those rolled out at the close of a president’s term. But the previous bill, introduced in November, had faced a certain veto from President Barack Obama, a Democrat. On its second day back in session, the House passed the bill on a vote of 238 to 184. The Senate is expected to soon consider companion legislation, which could face a harder time because it would need eight votes from Democrats. Under a law known as the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the right to review regulations for a certain period of time after they are issued. That means any federal regulation approved since May could be voided by the Republican-led Congress once President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House and can sign off on their disapproval. It takes only a simple majority of both chambers to reverse a rule, giving Senate Democrats little power to block a vote with a filibuster. As disapproving each regulation separately could span days, Republicans would like to simply vote once to end a variety of new rules on energy, the environment, transportation, banking, finance, education and media ownership. Many Wall Street regulations inspired by the 2007-09 financial crisis have only recently taken final form or are on the cusp of completion, putting them in the disapproval line of fire. That includes two pending rules on payday lending and mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts - both of which have raised Republican ire. “Because outgoing administrations are no longer accountable to the voters, they are much more prone to issue midnight regulations that fly in the face of the electoral mandate the voters just gave the new, incoming administration,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte before the vote. “Waves of midnight rules can also be very hard for Congress or a new administration to check adequately.” Cutting down regulation was a near-constant theme in Republican political campaigns last year, and is part of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s “Better Way” agenda. The House is also expected to consider soon legislation that would require a congressional vote of approval for any new regulation. | 1 |
10,411 | Rohingya say their village is lost to Myanmar's spiraling conflict | (Story refiles to add dropped word not , in paragraph 10, in the September 7th story) By Simon Lewis KUTAPALONG, Bangladesh (Reuters) - The villagers said the soldiers came first, firing indiscriminately. Then came civilians, accompanying the soldiers, to loot and burn. Now in Bangladesh, 20 Muslims and Hindus gave interviews in which they recounted how they were forced out of their village of Kha Maung Seik in Myanmar s Rakhine State on Aug. 25. The military brought some Rakhine Buddhists with them and torched the village, said Kadil Hussein, 55. All the Muslims in our village, about 10,000, fled. Some were killed by gunshots, the rest came here. There s not a single person left. Hussein is staying with hundreds of other new arrivals at the Kutapalong refugee settlement, already home to thousands of Rohingya who fled earlier. Nearly 150,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launched attacks on security forces in Rakhine State. Reuters interviewed villagers from Kha Maung Seik and neighboring hamlets, who described killings and the burning of homes in the military response to the insurgent attacks. Reuters has been unable to verify their accounts. Access to the area has been restricted since October, when the same insurgent group attacked police posts, killing nine. Myanmar says its forces are in a fight against terrorists . State media has accused Rohingya militants of burning villages and killing civilians of all religions. Myanmar does not recognize the 1.1 million Rohingya as citizens, labeling them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The refugees from Kha Maung Seik, and from numerous other villages across the north of Rakhine State, say Myanmar forces and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists are intent on forcing them out. One refugee, Body Alom, 28, said he hid in forest with thousands of others when the soldiers arrived. He waited for hours before emerging to look for his family. He says he saw corpses in paddy fields, and eventually found his mother and brother dead with gunshot wounds. Two other villagers said they saw bodies in the fields. It wasn t safe, so I just left them, he said. I had no chance to give them a burial. A military official denied that Buddhist civilians were working with authorities and instead accused Muslims of attacking other communities. The military arrived at the village later but did not find any bodies, said the military source, who declined to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to media. Another military source in the state capital, Sittwe, said Kha Maung Seik was in the conflict zone and clear information about what happened had yet to emerge. The main village of Kha Maung Seik was home to a mixed community, with Rohingya Muslims in the majority along with about 6,000 Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus and others. The village is known to the Rohingya as Foira Bazar for its market of about 1,000 shops where everyone did business. But relations have been strained for some time. A government plan to grant Hindus citizenship, violence in the state in 2012 and October, and an identity card scheme that the Rohingya rejected as it implied they were foreign, all contributed to tension, the refugees said. Since October, more soldiers were posted near the village, with border police. Patrols went house-to-house arresting anyone suspected of having militant links, they said. Abu Kalam, 31, showed Reuters welts on his back, arms and legs, and what he said were cigarette burns on his arms. He said he was detained by the military last month, before the attacks, as he was working in his vegetable patch with a knife. After October, the military told us not to have knives. When they saw me using one they arrested me, he said, adding he was kept in a barracks for six days. They regularly tortured me, asking are you connected with al-Yaqin? , he said, using another name for the rebels. Villagers in Kha Maung Seik say they heard shooting at 2 a.m. on Aug. 25. A military source in Maungdaw town and two Muslim residents said militants attacked a police post near the village that night. According to the military source, the rebels attacked with grenades then turned their attention to a Hindu neighborhood. Four Rohingya villagers separately gave Reuters accounts of how, at about 5 a.m., soldiers entered the village, firing indiscriminately. Thousands fled. I was at the front of a big group running for cover, but I looked back and could see people at the back getting shot, said Abul Hussein, 28. Later, grenades and mortar bombs were fired into the forest, according to Hussein and three other villagers. I saw a mortar hit a group of people. Some died on the spot, he said. From the forest, residents watched military and civilians loot and burn houses. Civilians helped gather bodies, according to Body Alom and two other villagers. They collected the bodies, searching for belongings, said Body Alom. They took money, clothes, cows, everything. Then they burned the houses. Members of Myanmar s small Hindu community seem to have been caught in the middle. The military source said some Hindus from Kha Maung Seik were unaccounted after the militant attack. A group of Hindu women refugees in Kutapalong said they saw eight Hindu men killed by Buddhist Rakhines after they refused to attack Muslims. They asked my husband to join them to kill Rohingya but he refused, so they killed him, said Anika Bala, 15. Six months pregnant, she said Muslims helped her get to Bangladesh. After seeing their homes burned, Kha Maung Seik s Muslim leaders decided it was too dangerous to stay. We thought we might be able to return and live with other types of people, said Mohammed Zubair, 30, assistant to the village chairman. But we realized that s not possible. About 100 men decided to stay and fight, Body Alom said. One said to me If I have to die, I will die here . | 1 |
10,412 | #HurricaneHarvey Weather Channel Reporter Retrieves Flag But What He Does Next Will Make Your Day! [Video] | Paul Goodloe was covering Hurricane Harvey for The Weather Channel when he spotted a downed American flag. What he did next was fantastic! Not only did he pull the flag out of the water but he folded the flag properly Moment @weatherchannel reporter retrieved fallen American flag during Harvey pic.twitter.com/0l7f7VfLjg Breaking911 Nature (@B911Nature) August 27, 2017 Showing respect for our flag is so refreshing since way too many people have been burning it lately. HOW TO FOLD AN AMERICAN FLAG:Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely. Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside. Make a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open (top) edge of the flag. | 0 |
10,413 | HANNITY AND TUCKER CARLSON: THE 5 MAJOR FORCES Aligned To Take Down President Trump [Video] | Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson went after the deep state with commentary on who they believe is trying to harm Trump: Five entities in government and the media are trying to cripple the Trump administration. The leaks are also putting our National Security at risk. This is not just fun and games politics anymore. This is the deep state at war with a sitting president!The destroy Trump propaganda media, the Washington deep state, Democrats, establishment Republicans and never Trumpers are now working together in an unprecedented attack against a sitting president Sean Hannity:Tucker Carlson: | 0 |
10,414 | Trump Will Freak Out After This Senator Just Shut Him Down | Among the more disgusting practices Donald Trump has said he wants to bring back in the presidency is the use of torture by the American military. Despite evidence that has shown it doesn t work, and the fact that it smells of moral depravity, Trump told his ravenous crowds during the election that he would allow waterboarding.But now Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is telling Trump flatly that this isn t going to happen.Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said at the Halifax International Security Forum that any attempt to bring back harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding, which simulates drowning, would quickly be challenged in court. I don t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do or anybody else wants to do. We will not waterboard. We will not do it, McCain said to applause during a panel discussion.McCain is a hardcore conservative from Arizona, but he is also one of the few people serving in public life at the federal level who has actually experienced torture. McCain was shot down over Vietnam and tortured while he served as a prisoner of war.In a previous exchange with Trump, the former reality star denigrated McCain s service record and said he didn t like soldiers who were captured during war.McCain rescinded his endorsement of Trump during the election when audio surfaced of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women.Trump has repeatedly attacked McCain, who was among the more prominent Republicans who criticized Trump during the campaign.While McCain has a poor record on many topics, he has been consistent in his opposition to torture, even as he has been described by liberals as a warmonger.McCain was Barack Obama s opponent in the 2008 presidential election, and lost in a landslide to the current sitting president.Featured image via Flickr | 0 |
10,415 | Kuwait replaces oil and finance ministers in cabinet reshuffle | DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait replaced its oil, finance and defense ministers in a cabinet reshuffle on Monday, state news agency KUNA reported. Bakhit al-Rashidi was appointed the new oil minister of the OPEC member state and Nayef Falah al-Hajraf was named the new finance minister, KUNA said, citing a royal decree. Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad, son of the ruling Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was appointed the new minister of defense. The previous cabinet resigned on Oct. 30 when its information minister was questioned by parliament and faced a no-confidence vote over alleged violations of budgetary and legislative rules. Mohammed Nasser Al-Jabri was named the new minister. The major oil producer has the oldest legislature among the Gulf Arab states and experiences frequent cabinet reshuffles. The previous government was formed in February. Rashidi, who replaced Essam al-Marzouq as oil minister, is chief executive of Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), the international downstream subsidiary of state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. There was no immediate announcement about his KPI post but in the past, Kuwaiti ministers have resigned positions as corporate executives when they take government posts. Rashidi, who has an engineering background, is also a former executive of state refiner Kuwait National Petroleum Co. Hajraf replaced Anas al-Saleh, who had been finance minister since early 2014. Hajraf was previously chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Capital Markets Authority, the securities regulator. He has also served as an acting finance minister. Saleh was named deputy prime minister and state minister for cabinet affairs. | 1 |
10,416 | Rosie O’Donnell Retitles The News To More Honestly Depict Donald Trump (TWEET) | As much as he and his supporters want to say the media is against Donald Trump, it s clearly not. Trump has gotten a ridiculous amount of media attention, and it would be easy to say much more than any other candidate of either party.With this media attention comes an abundance of newspaper articles, blog posts and ledes to stories. All with their own way to describe something Trump has said or done or is being scrutinized for. Many of which are pretty straight-forward and bland, not really depicting Trump in a way that really embodies his true essence.Well, fixing this dilemma is none other than the extraordinary Rosie O Donnell who took to Twitter to retitle the news to more accurately depict Donald Trump.For example, Huffington Post titled an article, Judge Criticized By Trump Unseals Documents In Trump University Case, but Rosie kept it real and wrote: ORANGE PEOPLE STEAL MONEY FROM UNSUSPECTING INNOCENTS ORANGE PEOPLE STEAL MONEY FROM UNSUSPECTING INNOCENTS https://t.co/1988CJAPB4 via @HuffPostPol #DEPORTORANGEMAN Rosie (@Rosie) May 30, 2016Which is exactly what he did. Let s not try to sugarcoat what a scam artist Donald Trump actually is. He opened a make-believe university, took people s money, and laughed all the way to the bank. He scammed people then like he is scamming people now when he says he ll make a good president. When in reality he d be the worst president we ve ever seen. Yes, even worse than George W. Bush. Trump has absolutely no policy experience whatsoever, foreign or domestic, and he would be an embarrassment to the entire nation if he were to represent us in the world forum.It s getting to the point where you re waiting for the big reveal, as though someone is about to come out and say, Hey America, you re on Candid Camera, and we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. However, until then, kudos to Rosie O Donnell for keeping in real.Featured Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Fund for Women s Equality/ ERA Coalition | 0 |
10,417 | Henningsen: ‘Trump Challenging Sacred Cows of US Foreign Policy, But for How Long?’ | 21st Century Wire says Just days before the US inauguration, in his recent interview with the Times of London President-Elect Donald Trump continues to challenge a number of Washington foreign policy sacred cows, particularly neoconservative positions. He signalled a lifting of US sanctions against Russia in the spirit of cooperation in nuclear arms reductions and also to partner with Moscow in the fight radical Islamist Terror. Trump also laid into NATO calling it obsolete , while potentially driving a wedge between traditionally tight US-EU relations as he chastised Brussels, as well as US ally Germany and its leader Angela Merkel over her country s immigration policy. They have sanctions on Russia let s see if we can make some good deals with Russia. For one thing, I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, said Trump.Regarding a change in sanctions policy, Trump added, Something can happen that a lot of people are going to benefit. His off-handed comments on the EU will certainly upset career Mandarin europhiles in Brussels and Berlin too: You look at the European Union and it s Germany. Basically a vehicle for Germany. That s why I thought the UK was so smart in getting out. 21WIRE s Patrick Henningsen spoke to RT International about the policy signalling in Trump s interview and what it means going forward. How long will his rhetorical rebellion will last and will it translate into policy? Watch:. READ MORE TRUMP NEWS AT: 21WIRE Trump FilesSUPPORT OUR WORK BY SUBSCRIBING & BECOMING A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV | 0 |
10,418 | Ex-president George H.W. Bush moved to intensive care; wife hospitalized | (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush has been moved to an intensive-care unit at a Houston hospital with pneumonia and was stable and resting comfortably after doctors performed a procedure to clear his airway, his office said on Wednesday. His wife of 72 years, former first lady Barbara Bush, also was admitted to the same hospital on Wednesday as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing, the office said in a statement. Bush, who at 92 is the nation’s oldest living ex-president, has been at Houston Methodist Hospital since Saturday after experiencing shortness of breath, family spokesman Jim McGrath said on Wednesday. Since then, Bush experienced an “acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia” and was sedated for the unspecified procedure, his office said. He will remain in the hospital’s intensive-care unit for observation, his office said. Bush and the 91-year-old former first lady marked their 72nd anniversary on Jan. 6. At a White House news conference, President Barack Obama said that the Bushes have been a constant source of friendship and good counsel to him and to first lady Michelle Obama. “They are as fine a couple as we know, and so we want to send our prayers and our love to them,” Obama said. Bush is the father of former President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who sought the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. The eldest Bush, a Republican like his sons, was vice president during Ronald Reagan’s two White House terms before being elected president in 1988. He lost his re-election bid to Bill Clinton, then the Democratic governor of Arkansas, in 1992. A naval pilot during World War Two, Bush became an occasional skydiver after leaving the presidency and marked his 90th birthday by parachuting from a helicopter with jump partner. He has used a wheelchair in recent years and was hospitalized twice in 2014, once for seven weeks with pneumonia and again for breathing difficulties. In July 2015, he broke a bone in his neck in a fall at the family home in Maine. Bush and his wife were already planning to miss President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday due to health reasons. “My doctor says if I sit outside in January, it likely will put me six feet under,” Bush wrote to Trump on Jan. 10, according to a copy of the letter released on Wednesday. “Same for Barbara. So I guess we’re stuck in Texas.” Trump was critical of George W. and Jeb during the 2016 presidential campaign, and their father did not endorse Trump in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton. But in his letter, Bush said he and his wife would be with Trump in spirit at the inauguration and wished him “the very best as you begin this incredible journey of leading our great country.” Republican Senator John McCain and the Carter Center, founded by former President Jimmy Carter, posted tweets wishing Bush a quick recovery. In December Bush marked the 75th commemoration of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor by attending a ceremony at his library at Texas A&M University. | 1 |
10,419 | Pope Francis Delivers A Major Slap In The Face To Wealthy Donors And The GOP (VIDEO) | Pope Francis has delivered a strong message to corporate types who exploit people for profit and attempt to cleanse their souls by donating to the church, telling them: we don t want your blood money.During his general audience in Vatican City on Wednesday, in which he railed against the exploitation of working people by feckless employers, the Pope said: The people of God and the church don t need dirty money. They need hearts that are open to the mercy of God. It is far from the Pope s first intervention on the matter of unrestrained and crony Capitalism that has come to define (at least) the last thirty years of human history. Last Summer, the Pope referred to the global dominance of Capitalism s 1% as the new colonialism in a speech in Bolivia pointing to the removal of liberty, human rights and opportunity created by gross inequality and the resulting centralization of wealth and power. He continued: In this third world war, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide is taking place, and it must end. Throughout his time as Pontiff, Pope Francis has continued to exercise the message of New Testament Jesus. A personal show of compassion, and a determination to enable poor and vulnerable people to make the best possible lives for themselves, and the widest possible contribution to their communities.What is so interesting about this though, is that the political party that considers itself the party of God on earth, the Republican Party, asset there delivering the opposite message.Somewhere along the line, Young Republicans confused Atlas Shrugged with the Bible and it s radical right-wing author Ayn Rand for Jesus. Republicans don t worship Jesus, they worship Ayn Rand. Republicans don t preach the gospel, they preach The Fountainhead. Instead of restraining the power of big business to hold unique influence over public and personal life, the Republican party has devoted itself to the opposite.Things have come to such a head, that Republican leaders are now openly denouncing the Pope and his interpretation of the Bible, rather than taking instruction from his leadership and questioning their own. In doing so, they are by their own definition, committing the sin of Pride and we all know what pride comes before. A Fall.You can see how The Young Turks handled Pope Francis assault on crony capitalism in the video below: Featured image via Flickr Creative Commons | 0 |
10,420 | Philadelphia prosecutor will not seek reelection after ethics fine | (Reuters) - Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said on Friday he would not run for reelection this year, saying he made “regrettable mistakes” when he accepted gifts that resulted in the city ethics board ordering him to pay a record fine. Williams, a Democrat, had already been expected to face several challengers in the May primary election for the top law enforcement position in the fifth-most-populous U.S. city. Last month, Williams agreed to pay $62,000 in civil penalties to end an investigation by the Philadelphia ethics board into his failure to disclose gifts including NBA basketball tickets, cash and lodging. The ethics board said it was the largest amount in penalties it had imposed in its 10-year history. The gifts prompted the FBI to interview members of the prosecutor’s staff and at least one of the gift-givers, and the bureau is investigating a nonprofit Williams founded, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on Friday. Williams apologized at a televised news conference. “My decisions to accept gifts and fail to report them brought much embarrassment, shame and adverse publicity to me and, unfortunately, to the office which I love,” he said. “For this, I will always hold deep regret in my heart.” Another top Pennsylvania prosecutor, former state attorney general Kathleen Kane, resigned in August after she was convicted of leaking confidential grand jury information and then lying about it to investigators. Kane, a Democrat, was sentenced to 10 to 23 months in prison. Williams, first elected in 2009 and reelected in 2013, is the first black district attorney in the history of Pennsylvania. His 600-person office handles 40,000 criminal cases a year, from minor crimes to murders. He said he was proud of changes he had made in the office, such as involving senior prosecutors in the earliest stages of cases. | 1 |
10,421 | Islamic State's footprint spreading in northern Somalia: U.N. | NAIROBI (Reuters) - A militant faction loyal to Islamic State (IS) has increased its following in northern Somalia from a few dozen last year to up to 200 this year, a U.N. report said, days after the group came under U.S. air attack for the first time. The increase in strength of the IS spin-off group has attracted attention because some security officials fear it could offer a safe haven for Islamic State militants fleeing military defeat in Syria or Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) faction loyal to Sheikh Abdulqader Mumin - estimated...in 2016 to number not more than a few dozen..., has growing significantly in strength, and (now) consists of as many as 200 fighters, said the report by a panel of U.N. experts obtained by Reuters. Even a few hundred armed fighters could destabilize the whole region, said a regional diplomatic security source. It(air strikes) is a recognition from the U.S. that the situation in terms of the (Islamic State) faction in Puntland is becoming increasingly critical. Somalia has been riven by civil war and Islamist militancy, though more in the south than in the north where the Puntland region is located, since 1991 when clan warlords overthrew a dictator before turning on each other. Friday s air strikes failed to kill Mumin, the security source said. But Abdirizak Ise Hussein, director of semi-autonomous Puntland s spy service, said the strikes killed about 20 militants, including a Sudanese fighter and two Arabs. Almost all Mumin s fighters are Somali, the U.N. report said, though the group is believed to include a Sudanese man sanctioned by the United States. The group also has contacts in Yemen. It was unclear if the Sudanese man under U.S. sanctions was the same one reported killed in the air strike. The number of IS fighters in Puntland has increased. Mostly they come from southern Somalia and a few, including foreigners, come from Yemen, Colonel Abdirahman Saiid, a military officer in Puntland, told Reuters. The U.N. report said defectors from Mumin s faction reported the group had received money and orders from Iraq and Syria, and one member said he had seen Mumin and another leader using TrueCrypt software to communicate with them. The United Nations could not independently verify those claims. Mumin s group has been slowing increasing its activity over the past year. In late 2016, it occupied the port of Qandala in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region, for a month. Earlier this year, it carried out its first attacks. Its fighters killed four guards at a hotel in Bosasso, the economic capital of Puntland, in February. The same month, the group beheaded three men it had kidnapped. Somalia s main Islamist insurgent group, al Shabaab, is aligned with al Qaeda and is most active in the Horn of Africa country s south. It has repeatedly clashed with the Islamic State-aligned faction in the north. | 1 |
10,422 | TRUMP SUPPORTERS REACT TO DEBATE: “Clinton News Network (CNN) no longer picks our President”…Florida Gives Trump ROCK STAR Treatment…Fire Marshall Turns 12,000 Away | MELBOURNE, FL is a town with a population of 76,000. Trump held an enormous rally there yesterday, and over 15,000 people had to be turned away.Unbelievable evening in Melbourne, Florida w/ 15,000 supporters- and an additional 12,000 who could not get in. Thank you! #TrumpTrain #MAGA pic.twitter.com/2N3Xq7AGmx Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2016"Post Debate Surge" media will be very upset. Look at this sea of ppl yesterday. Ppl get it. pic.twitter.com/RX0XVw18gg Juliana Stone (@AY4WEB) September 28, 2016Trump patriots honor our flag:Janna Ivey, the Brevard sheriff's daughter, sings the national anthem during the @FlyMLB Trump rally #321Vote @Florida_Today pic.twitter.com/GBSKapRG1C Rick Neale (@RickNeale1) September 27, 2016Watch hundreds of Trump fans rush from behind barricades to get into the rally:Authorities cut off the Trump entry line, and hundreds of people rushed forward from behind barricades #321Vote @Florida_Today pic.twitter.com/9it8El9C3S Rick Neale (@RickNeale1) September 27, 2016https://twitter.com/rgcdm/status/781093464389787649Even the young Trump supporter is not buying into the media s bias:Mainstream media will be losing their mind over Trump's post debate surge! Trump won big in the debate in many polls. Landslide coming! MAGA (@steve0m2) September 28, 2016Hillary Clinton on the other hand had barely 400 people at her rally Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.Since August 1st when both parties conventions concluded, Trump has had more than 312,000 people at his events with thousands turned away due to space limitations. He has set records for some of these locations in attendance. However, Hillary has only had 12,000 total at her rallies since August 1st. Gateway Pundit | 0 |
10,423 | Mattis stresses commitment to NATO to German defense chief: Pentagon | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary James Mattis stressed the United States’ commitment to NATO in a telephone call with Germany’s defense minister on Thursday, the Pentagon said. Mattis assured German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen of “the United States’ enduring commitment to the NATO alliance,” the Pentagon said in a statement. It said Mattis discussed the importance of NATO in a separate call with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. In a call with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Mattis underscored his “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” the Pentagon said. | 1 |
10,424 | America’s Stepdad Tim Kaine Just Burned Trump HARD On Colbert | Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine spent his Thursday evening with Late Show host Stephen Colbert, and of course eventually the conversation turned to the absolutely destructive force that is the Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump. The first element of Trump s many outrageous statements to be discussed was his absurd description of Trump calling Kaine s running mate Hillary Clinton a bigot. Kaine reminded the audience the difference between the two candidates records regarding America s race troubles: When Hillary Clinton got out of law school, she was working to help advance racial justice in the juvenile justice system in South Carolina and fight school segregation in Alabama, and I about that time got out of law school and was battling housing discrimination in the South and in Virginia. At his early career, Donald Trump was a real estate guy who got sued by the Justice Department for discriminating against people in housing (by) writing the letter C on applications if they were minority, Kaine continued. Hillary Clinton has got a track record all the way back to being a middle schooler in a Methodist youth group of trying to advance priorities for others and Donald Trump s for himself. Kaine is right, of course. The contrast couldn t be more stark, and history speaks for itself. If anyone is the bigot in this scenario, it s Donald Trump, not Hillary Clinton.Briefly, Stephen Colbert turned to his and Kaine s shared faith, and asked Kaine to recite a New Testament verse he is fond of. Kaine responded with Philippians 2:3: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind consider one another as more important than yourself. Colbert then cited his own favorite verse in Latin. A backstage interview yielded more criticism of Trump from Kaine, when he said: This is fundamentally about the nation s promise of equality. If we are supposed to do a U-turn or not, so you got to take that seriously, and I m really glad she just reminded everybody that is what is at stake in November. Kaine says that if he ever gets to confront Trump, he d ask one simple question: How can you say the things you re saying? Kaine then continued his final blistering blow: He is going around saying that the American military is a disaster, ridicules a Gold Star family, makes fun of John McCain because he was a POW that kind of personality shouldn t be within 10 time zones of being commander-in-chief. So right, Senator Kaine, so right. Hopefully, people listen to you.Watch a clip below, via Raw Story:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
10,425 | Kremlin wants opposition's call for election boycott investigated | MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday a call by opposition leader Alexei Navalny to boycott next year s presidential election must be checked to see if it complies with the law, paving the way for possible police action against him and his supporters. Navalny called on Monday for a boycott of the March 18 election after Russia s central election commission ruled he was not eligible to run for president due to a suspended prison sentence hanging over him. The calls for a boycott will require scrupulous study, to see whether or not they comply with the law, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. Declining to comment on the election commission s decision, Peskov shrugged off allegations that the presidential poll would be a farce without Navalny. The fact that one of the would-be candidates is not taking part has no bearing on the election s legitimacy, said Peskov. Navalny, a 41-year-old lawyer, has repeatedly said the suspended sentence handed to him in an embezzlement case was politically motivated. On Monday Navalny said millions of voters would be disenfranchised without his participation in the election, which opinion polls show incumbent Vladimir Putin winning comfortably. The European Union also questioned the Russian election commission s decision to bar Navalny. (It) casts a serious doubt on political pluralism in Russia and the prospect of democratic elections next year, the EU s External Action Service said in a statement on Tuesday. Politically motivated charges should not be used against political participation, it said, urging Moscow to ensure a level playing field for all Russian elections. Putin, 65, has dominated Russia s political landscape for the last 17 years and if, as expected, he wins next year s election would be eligible to serve another six years until 2024, when he turns 72. Allies laud Putin as a father-of-the-nation figure who has restored national pride and expanded Moscow s global clout with interventions in Syria and Ukraine. Navalny says Putin s support is exaggerated and artificially maintained by a biased state media and an unfair system which excludes genuine opponents. He says he could defeat him in a fair election, an assertion Putin s supporters have laughed off. Navalny has been jailed three times this year and charged with breaking the law for organizing public meetings and rallies designed to bolster his presidential campaign. | 1 |
10,426 | French defense minister hopeful for fighter jets, armored vehicle sale to Qatar | PARIS (Reuters) - France is hoping to strike deals to sell 12 Rafale fighter jets and armored vehicles to Qatar when President Emmanuel Macron visits the country in December, the French defense minister said on Thursday. Qatar has been strengthening its military since its ties with other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, have deteriorated. France, which has carefully avoided taking sides in that dispute, is hoping to capitalize on a recent arms export surge which included the sale of 24 Rafale jets to Doha in 2015. The Rafale is made by Dassault Aviation. We ve been negotiating for months, defense minister Florence Parly told BFM TV. We ve also been negotiating for months about the sale of a large number of armored vehicles and we hope it will be concluded when the president goes to Qatar at the beginning of December, she added. French media have said France s Nexter was in talks to sell about 300 VBCI armored vehicles to Qatar. However, a French government source told Reuters nothing had been agreed yet. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar in June, suspending air and shipping routes with the world s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas. | 1 |
10,427 | heres a summary of the engineered us election chaos with a positive perspective | by kurt nimmo remember when the pentagon promised to put a missile down the smokestack of anybody who hacks the elite it hasnt done that | 0 |
10,428 | Alexandria police chief says five people taken to hospitals after shooting | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five people were taken to hospital after a shooting at a baseball field in Alexandria near Washington, where Republican members of Congress were holding baseball practice, the Alexandria police chief said on Wednesday. Police Chief Michael Brown did not elaborate on the extent of their injuries. He told a news conference police received a call about an active shooter shortly after 7 a.m. ET and were on the scene within three minutes. U.S. Capitol Police Matthew Verderosa said on-scene Capitol Police officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect. | 1 |
10,429 | Anti-Assad nations say no to Syria reconstruction until political process on track | NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and other countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will not support the reconstruction of the country until there is a political transition “away from Assad,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Monday. The “Friends of Syria” group, an alliance of mainly Western and Gulf Arab countries, met in New York on Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly at a time when the conflict in Syria, now in its seventh year, appears to be less urgent with attention focused on the North Korean nuclear threat and the fate of the Iran nuclear deal. “We believe that the only way forward is to get a political process going and to make it clear to the Iranians, Russians and Assad regime that we, the like-minded group, will not support the reconstruction of Syria until there is such a political process and that means, as Resolution 2254 says, to a transition away from Assad,” Johnson said. He was speaking after a meeting of about 14 countries that back the Syrian opposition including France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States. The U.N. Security Council has adopted a Syria transition road map through a Geneva-led process. Russia joined the war on Assad’s behalf in 2015, turning the momentum in his favor. Assad also enjoys robust support from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the moderate Syrian opposition is moribund and the United States has largely stepped back from a leading role in Syrian diplomacy. Earlier this year the Trump administration also halted the CIA’s covert program to equip and train certain rebel groups fighting Assad. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield, said all those at the meeting agreed that “there has got to be a political process if there is to be any international participation in the reconstruction of Syria.” “The regime and the regime supporters cannot declare a victory solely based on a map and colors of positions on the ground,” Satterfield said. “The reconstruction of Syria depends very much on that credible political process. That political process is focused on Geneva and the role of the United Nations.” The meeting on Monday was in stark contrast to last year’s which took place after a ceasefire deal between the United States and Russia effectively collapsed when an aid convoy was bombed in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. Aleppo is now in the hands of Assad’s forces and Assad himself is in a much stronger position, thanks to Russian and Iranian support. The last major international attempt to resolve the crisis ended in failure when the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which included Iran, was cast aside after Syrian government forces retook the rebel stronghold of Aleppo in 2016. Russia, Turkey and Iran have been negotiating separately for months in Astana to try to reduce the violence on the ground by creating de-escalation zones across the country, although those talks do not cover a long-term political solution “We discussed here how to bring it back to the U.N.-led process and Geneva,” Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström told Reuters. Asked if there was consensus on that, she said “I would say so.” “It’s good if the Astana process leads to de-escalation and a reduction of the violence but it has to lead into the political process.” Earlier on Monday, France warned that the status quo in Syria risked leading to the country’s permanent fragmentation and opening the door to new radical Islamist groups. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in New York he would hold a meeting with the four other permanent members of the Security Council - Britain, China, Russia and the United States - on Thursday to persuade them to create a contact group to give new impetus to end the seven-year conflict. Le Drian said “realism” dictated that Assad could not stay in power after millions of Syrians had fled the country due to the war, but that it was vital major powers worked together to help revive U.N.-brokered peace talks in Geneva. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said the French contact group proposal was not discussed at the Friends of Syria meeting. But Riyad Hijab, a prominent Syrian opposition leader, said he told French President Emmanuel Macron that the initiative was important in part because “of American withdrawal and Russia is dominating the entire process. So Mr. Macron’s initiative is the right way to fix this because it’s vital all five (permanent Security Council members) are involved in the process.” | 1 |
10,430 | Trump says he has 'great heart' for immigrant 'Dreamers' | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has “great heart” for illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children and he wants Congress to produce a legislative solution for them. “I have a great heart for the folks we’re talking about, a great love for them,” Trump said after his administration announced earlier Tuesday it was phasing out a program that protects the so-called Dreamers from deportation. “I can tell you in speaking to members of Congress they want to be able to do something and do it right and really we have no choice,” Trump told reporters. | 1 |
10,431 | trump supporters didnt vote because of the economy it was racism and heres proof | on february am
its a common stereotype that food stamp recipients and those who abuse it are black hispanic or any other race but white according to the usda in their report for fiscal year of recipients are white and are black courtesy of travissonnocom
while the media and americas culture will have you believe that black people or anyone who isnt white account for copious amounts of fraud theres a story breaking that you wont hear on fox news anytime soon or you might because any chance to crush the snap program they will take
according to wcax news in new york
more than people have been nabbed for food stamp fraud in the north country
investigators say over the past couple months people used their food stamps to get food or alcohol at the old time butcher block store in brushton
police also say its not the first time the owner of that store dennis sauve has been charged with allowing such fraud
police say more arrests are expected
now heres the kicker theyre all white brushton new york where this bust happened has a population of roughly people approximately of the population is white and are black these demographics are eerily similar to the food stamp capital of the country owsley country kentucky which is white and republican maybe we should investigate them
i just wish we could get the political affiliations of those arrested in brushton
according to wptz news
police say the arrests are the result of a yearlong investigation initiated by the franklin county department of social services fraud unit franklin county district attorneys office the united states department of agriculture and the new york state office of temporary and disability assistance helped with the investigation
the store owner denis sauve also white has been charged with thirddegree grand larceny and misuse of food stamps
this really isnt a racial issue so much as it is an i told you so issue while the food stamp program has one of the lowest rates of abuse than any other welfare program a lot of people buy into this misconception that it is the lazy blacks who account for all the fraud and woes of government assistance well here we are a major food stamp bust and every criminal involved is white
it might be time to rethink today stereotypes share this article author ryan denson living blue in a red state hopefully it will be purple in the next years you can reach me at email protected search | 1 |
10,432 | Refugee Living In England Arrested For Threatening To “Cut Out His Wife’s Heart” Because She Was Becoming “Too English” | Here is just one more, in a long line of stories, that prove these poor refugees escaping persecution have no desire to assimilate in their gracious host countries.A KOSOVAN refugee who threatened to cut out his wife s heart because she had become too English has been jailed.Behar Kasemi told police that women in Kosovo were supposed to obey their husbands and look after the children after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.He spat at magistrates as he was jailed for four weeks for breaching a Domestic Violence Prevention Notice imposed on him by police after he was arrested.The order, banning him from going back to his marital home, was made last Friday after Kasemi threatened to cut out his wife s heart.Detective Constable Rob Sweeney said he was aggressive during his interview and had described his wife as having become too English .He told officers: In my country it is for the women to obey their husbands and look after the children. Magistrates heard Kasemi breached the order to stay away from his wife within hours of it being imposed.His terrified wife called police and he was arrested hours after first being released in Swindon, Wilts.Magistrates heard the original order meant when police released him on bail at 2.20am he had nowhere to go so he went home.Kasemi spat at the glass in the dock during the hearing before Swindon magistrates as he admitted breaching the order.Wayne Hardy, defending, said the Kosovan didn t know what else to do after he was eventually released in the middle of the night.He criticised the police for not helping him or arranging to accompany him to collect his belongings or money from the family home.Magistrates also criticised police.Via: Express UK | 0 |
10,433 | Biden urges U.S. business in Davos to lean on anti-gay states | DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged executives in Davos to use their influence to drive change in countries where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face repression, putting gay rights at the heart of this year’s meeting. The issue is on the official agenda for the first time at the World Economic Forum, where political leaders from countries that discriminate against gay people, such as Nigeria and Russia, schmooze business leaders and billionaire investors. Biden told U.S. executives including Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of apartment-sharing firm Airbnb, Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca Cola Company, and Anthony Scaramucci, founder of hedge fund SkyBridge Capital, to push for change. “You can change the terms of debate,” he said. “You actually put governments on notice.” He said he and President Barack Obama privately raise the issue of repression of the LGBT community when they meet political leaders. “I have had some run-ins with at least four heads of state already on this,” said Biden. Banging his fist on the table, Biden said there was no national cultural justification to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. “People used to be cannibals as part of their culture, people used to do terrible things as part of their culture,” he said. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the United States’ largest LGBT civil rights organization, said business leaders should take the opportunity in Davos to confront the leaders of countries with “hateful laws”. Big business has been key to lobbying for change on gay marriage around the world. Some leading companies, including Google, Twitter and eBay, released videos of their employees voicing their support for marriage equality ahead of a country-wide vote on the issue in Ireland. Apple CEO (AAPL.O) Tim Cook came out last year, but according to the U.S.-based Center for Talent Innovation, 41 percent of LGBT people do not feel comfortable disclosing their sexuality at work. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage nationwide last year but it is still legal in many U.S. states to fire someone based on their sexual orientation. | 1 |
10,434 | MESSAGE TO HOLLYWOOD GOES VIRAL | This is the best yet! A message to Hollywood that went viral. It covers most of the things we think of when we think of the hypocrisy that runs rampant there:Hollywood:You lecture us about our carbon footprints while flying on private jets.You preach feminism while brutalizing women.You castigate violence while making millions off it in your movies.You condemn guns, with armed bodyguards at your side.You are the problem, not us.WELL SAID!LIBERAL HOLLYWOOD HAD THE WORST SUMMER IN 25 YEARS:With the list of Hollywood actors and entertainers that Americans have decided to boycott over their sickening public hate for our President, is it really any wonder we re seeing the worst box office numbers in 25 years? Meryl Streep used her allotted time for accepting her lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes to trash President Trump. At the start of her dramatic speech, Streep bemoaned to her fellow liberals that Hollywood belong to one of the most vilified segments in America right now . It appears that she hit may have actually the nail on the head. The problem with arrogant actresses like Meryl Streep who falsely believe that because they ve been gifted with exceptional acting abilities, that Americans should fall in line with their radical political beliefs or we are ignorant."As my friend Princess Leia said to me once: take your broken heart, make it into art." #MerylStreep pic.twitter.com/GzOHo7O729 #GoldenGlobes Richard Hine (@richardhine) January 9, 2017And then there s Robert DiNero, who called candidate Trump a punk, a pig and an idiot. Only days before the election, DiNero angrily admitted that he would like to assault our soon to be President, claiming, I d like to punch him in the face .The list of Hollywood losers who have made vile, unfounded and even threatening remarks against a man who has put his very successful life on hold in an effort to save our nation is vast. The list of Hollywood losers who have said they would like to harm our President is also rather significant, starting with Madonna who got a visit from the secret service after she told a large, adoring group of women at the Women s March in DC, that she d like to blow up the White House.And then there s comedian Kathy Griffin, who saw her career literally blow up after making an ISIS style video holding up a decapitated and bloodied head of President Trump. Is Hollywood s rapidly declining appeal really so surprising to most Americans who are 100% FED UP with their hate for middle-America?As Hollywood wraps up the all-important summer box-office season this Labor Day weekend, a sobering reality has gripped the industry.The number of tickets sold in the United States and Canada this summer is projected to fall to the lowest level in a quarter-century.The results have put the squeeze on the nation s top theater chains, whose stocks have taken a drubbing. AMC Theatres Chief Executive Adam Aron this month called his company s most recent quarter simply a bust. Such blunt language reflects some worrisome trends. Domestic box-office revenue is expected to total $3.78 billion for the first weekend of May through Labor Day a key period that generates about 40% of domestic ticket sales down nearly 16% from the same period last year, according to comScore. That s an even worse decline than the 10% drop some studio executives predicted before the summer began. LA TimesBreitbart Even before this catastrophic Labor Day weekend is factored in (more on this below), the domestic 2017 box office is in hideous shape. This year is 6.3% behind 2016 and continues to fall behind 2015, 2013, and 2012.If you figure in inflation, those numbers are even worse. For example, in 2012 the average ticket cost $7.96. Today it is almost a full dollar more at $8.89. Yeah, things are that bad and will look even worse on Tuesday.With no apparent faith in their own product, this is the first Labor Day in 25 years where a new title has not been released on more than 1,000 screens. Over this weekend last year, the box office hauled in nearly $130 million. This year will do about a third of that.Summer attendance is at a 25-year low.The summer box office is down a whopping 16% compared to 2016.Can a handful of titles It, Kingsman 2, Bladerunner 2, Thor 3, Justice League, Star Wars 8 save an entire year? Doubtful. Pull out of a dive? Maybe. Still, we are talking about only six big titles over four months, which is about on par with last year s Passengers, Rogue One, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts, Inferno, Sully, and Magnificent Seven. | 0 |
10,435 | Diplomatic Frauds: Kerry, Power, Kirby Lying and Shilling for ‘Body Bags’ and War in Syria | Patrick Henningsen 21st Century WireWhen US Secretary of State, John Kerry, on Thursday said there was no point in pursuing further negotiations with Russia over Syria, you had to question on what basis this man is holding his current position as the nation s highest ranking diplomat. Really? No more diplomacy? At this point, even a conservative assessment would have to grade his performance as a failure.Regarding Russia, Kerry proclaimed, We are on the verge of suspending the discussion, adding, It is one of those moments where we re going to have to pursue other alternatives for a period of time. At the time of this statement earlier this week, Kerry was not clear about what those other alternatives would be, but yesterday, a new leaked audio presented by a New York Times journalist seems to answer this question According to a leaked taped conversation acquired by The New York Times of a backroom meeting at the United Nations General Assembly, John Kerry was never been interested in a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria. Quite the opposite: his priority has always been to topple President Bashar Assad by military means and through the implementation of a No Fly Zone which would most certainly give a tactical advantage to US and Gulf-backed terrorist proxy fighting groups like Al Nusra Front, Arar al Sham and others. I ve argued for use of force. I stood up. I m the guy who stood up and announced we re going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process. There it is: after all the diplomatic doublespeak, the underlying US policy is and always has been regime change.More shockingly, he then told a US-backed opposition operatives that, you have nobody more frustrated than we are (the US) that the Syrian conflict is now being solved diplomatically a clear betrayal of his job description, but also of the fundamental principles on which the UN was founded.Kerry also added further insult to injury by admitting that both Saudi Arabia and NATO member Turkey are financing Wahabist terrorist fighters on the ground: The problem is that, you know, you get, quote, enforcers in there and then everybody ups the ante, right? Russia puts in more, Iran puts in more; Hezbollah is there more, and and Saudi Arabia and Turkey put all their surrogate money in, and you all are destroyed. In the audio, Kerry keeps referring to the opposition but is careful and never brackets the confab of terrorist forces on the ground in that conversation, thus making the theoretical fantasy of a ceasefire somehow viable in his own parallel universe.The reality is that if Syria and Russia grounded their airforces in a ceasefire, then Al Nusra Front, Jaesh al Fatah, ISIS and other terrorists (many of whom are armed by the US) would simply step-up their own advances and attacks on civilian and SAA protected areas. The US knows this, and would like to see that happen for reasons now revealed by John Kerry in this recording.Something else in the tape was significant. After saying that Russia do not observe international law , Kerry then admitted that, Russia was invited in (legally into Syria) while the US was not.Incredibly, Kerry also admitted that, Hezbollah are not plotting against us (the United States) , and that, Hezbollah are being targeted by the opposition who we (the US) are arming and training. Now, leaks are rarely if ever accidental in Washington, especially when a pro-Obama Administration newspaper like the New York Times is involved in the operation. Is Kerry trying to extricate himself from this 5 year-long foreign policy debacle? With Washington s crown jewel in the destabilzation project, Aleppo, due to fall any time now, perhaps he might be opening an intermediary exit door for this Administration from the current losing path to partitioning Syria. Time will tell.Listen to this incredibly informative leaked audio here: Interestingly, back in April, Raed Salah, the leader of the White Helmets, was denied entry into the US at Washington s Dulles International Airport and deported, supposedly told due to extremist connections. Salah was on his way to receive a humanitarian relief award at a gala dinner hosted by USAID. It turns that USAID has also pumped at least $23 million into the White Helmets. How did Salah get back into the US for this month s UN General Assembly festivities? Did Kerry intervene personally to help sidestep his travel ban? It seems that these days in Washington, the term conflict of interest has lost all meaning with the ruling Mandarin class.Samantha Power s MeltdownMuch could be gleaned by Samantha Power s flippant tantrum after walking out of a crucial UN Security Council emergency session after the US had attacked and massacred over 80 Syrian military soldiers after a Coalition airstrike on Dier Azor a US attack which allowed ISIS to strategically advance past Syrian Army defensive positions. Undoubtedly, this act by the US is what ruined any chance of a viable ceasefire agreement. Power then went on the blame Russia for the crisis.Here, the US was caught red-handed, and it seems that Power s only recourse was to lash out in an adolescent huff, indicating that she is not capable of maintaining a professional demeanor in public while tasked with managing the sensitive job of international diplomacy. As a result, many now believe that Power was promoted well above her own level of incompetence. Watch Power here: Kirby s Jejune Diplomacy As if the shrill antics of Power were not enough, US State Dept spokesman John Kirby did his part this week in undermining America s reputation a trusted international broker of diplomacy. What s telling, however, about Kirby crass, passive aggressive evasive diatribes is the sound of desperation. His defensive reactions make it sounds as if the United States is losing in Syria. The truth is they are losing very badly. Still, like a good corporate soldier, he s trying to project confidence, believing he s one of the good guys. While Kerry threatens to cut off all talks with Moscow over Syria unless they cease attacks on Aleppo (the US never want to say East Aleppo), Kirby added something even more toxic into the mix when he issued an unprecedented threat to Russia, saying: Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags.. Just like Kerry, Kirby s dangerous comment should disqualify Kirby from holding any diplomatic position in the US government. Maybe he should go back to the Pentagon where things aren t so complicated.Then Kirby began wielding his ISIS dog whistle, saying that Russia can expect terrorist attacks in Russian cities. Even more disappointing though, is Kirby s fallacious attempt to whitewash the war crimes of Saudi Arabia (and the US, too) in Yemen, as they wage an afront to international law and order with their undeclared war of aggression against their neighbor. In a verbal exchange with RT s correspondent Gayane Chichakyan over Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Kirby tries to avoid the uncomfortable question by attacking Chichakyan s network RT. Watch: Clearly, we are witnessing the internal implosion of the UN through systematic and institutional corruption, with the main players in this stage act being the United States and Saudi Arabia.Presently, the United States and its client in Saudi Arabia are in direct violation of the Nuremberg Principles that were established after WWII and which provide the legal and moral basis for both the Geneva Convention and the United Nations organization itself.So this is the dynamic trio that Barack Obama is hiding behind. American diplomats like John Kerry, Samantha Power, and John Kirby have a lot to answer for, because even though they may not be aware of it, everyone else now knows that their public outbursts are nothing more than smokescreens to cover the numerous lies and covert operations that the US government continues to sell regarding two dirty wars in Syria and Yemen.As it stands today, they are definitely on the wrong side of history.Here s more on John Kirby and US duplicity in Syria and Yemen RTUnless Russia stops the violence in Syria, extremists would exploit the vacuum to attack Russian interests and even cities, the US State Department has said. Extremist groups will continue to exploit the vacuums that are there in Syria to expand their operations, which could include attacks against Russian interests, perhaps even Russian cities. Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags, and will continue to lose resources, perhaps even aircraft, John Kirby, the State Department s spokesperson, told reporters at Wednesday s press briefing.If the war continues more Russian lives will be lost, more Russian aircraft will be shot down, Kirby said.Early on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to end all cooperation between the United States and Russia to stop Syria s civil war, unless Moscow and Damascus ended the current attack on East Aleppo. We are working through steps that we might have to take to begin to suspend our engagement with Russia on Syria. We haven t taken those steps yet, said Kirby. The message to the [Russian] Foreign Minister today was that we are perfectly willing and able to move forward on those steps that would end with the suspension of US-Russia bi-lateral engagement in Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presented a different version of the call with Secretary Kerry, with the demand that the US live up to its obligation to separate opposition forces from extremist groups.The US promised long ago to separate the rebels from terrorists and it needs to live up to that obligation, Lavrov told Kerry, bringing up the recent interview of an Al-Nusra commander about how the group is receiving outside support including American weapons as well as the statement of a Syrian opposition leader Riyad Hijab that he did not consider Al-Nusra terrorists.Foreign Minister Lavrov told Kerry that many US-backed groups are working side by side with the Al-Qaeda affiliate, and brought up media reports that Nusra was receiving weapons from the US.During the press briefing, Kirby said the US had influence over some of the [rebel] groups but not all. There are other nations that have influence. We have admitted that not all opposition groups on every single day have abided by it, and we have continued to work with them on that, Kirby said, asked about the rebels violations of the Syrian ceasefire.The Obama Administration has consistently called for regime change in Syria, and Kirby told reporters on Wednesday Obviously, we don t want to see the regime acquire any additional territory in Aleppo.In response to the statement that Russia was targeting Nusra Front and terrorists, Kirby said That s not what s happening. They re hitting hospitals, civilian infrastructure. When asked about the US arming Saudi Arabia, Kirby said the State Department had been critical about the lack of precision in some strikes in Yemen. We have a strong defense relationship with Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is under attack from missiles that are finding their ways to Yemen from Iran, said Kirby, rejecting any comparison between what was happening in Yemen and what was happening in Syria, as a ludicrous exercise. Continue this story at RTREAD MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria FilesHelp support us by Subscribing and becoming a Member @ 21WIRE.TV | 0 |
10,436 | Donald Trump Gets Mercilessly Mocked For Calling His Pathetic Apology A ‘Great Success’ | Donald Trump thinks his apology was a great success, and he just got owned on Twitter for it.During a speech in North Carolina on Thursday, the Republican nominee claimed to regret some of the things he has said during his campaign. Sometimes, in the heat of the debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that, and I regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues. But, this is Donald Trump, so of course he backtracked on that moments later. In this journey, I will never lie to you. I will never tell you something I do not believe myself. I will never put anyone s interests ahead of yours. Trump then took to Twitter to tout his speech as a great success. The reporting at the failing @nytimes gets worse and worse by the day. Fortunately, it is a dying newspaper. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2016And he was thoroughly destroyed for it. @realDonaldTrump Low energy tweet! Mike Elgan (@MikeElgan) August 19, 2016@realDonaldTrump Says who? Sahil Lavingia (@shl) August 19, 2016 @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/sfwBD3oUd7 dan rolle (@danrolle) August 19, 2016@realDonaldTrump Many people are saying New Trump is like New Coke; leaves a bad taste and is a complete failure. Sonny Burnett (@SonnyUndercover) August 19, 2016 @realDonaldTrump Donald, is this how you appeal to African Americans? https://t.co/Na9nxHSgEG Nathan Bernard (@nathanTbernard) August 19, 2016@realDonaldTrump Our boss s use of wrong words goes back a long way. Strange the regret only appeared this week! pic.twitter.com/wPSY8zPmZd Trump University (@trumpUni) August 19, 2016 @realDonaldTrump An extremely credible source has called our office & told us that your apology is a fraud pic.twitter.com/BwWr8GFeQT Trump University (@trumpUni) August 19, 2016@AP Yep. Another pitiful attempt to alter the optics of this disgraceful campaign. After once again shuffling the staff, of course. tyler easter (@tylerOeaster) August 19, 2016 @AP it wasn t an apology I didn t hear the words I apologize did you???? What exactly does he regret??? I ll wait PhenomenalWoman (@1nePhenomenalMe) August 19, 2016@AP pic.twitter.com/Mf8jQU6IsF Preston Porter (@pr3ston) August 19, 2016 @AP @YouTube Trump is pandering for votes because he knows he is losing. His mouth is his Waterloo! NO one to blame but himself! No vote! Bahia Wilson (@bahiawilson) August 19, 2016@realDonaldTrump That speech was NOT a great success. What, exactly, do you have regrets about? @PeggyBrava (@PeggyBrava) August 19, 2016 @realDonaldTrump If they hand these gizmos out at the door, you re screwed. pic.twitter.com/zBVvan4s86 Butch McLarty (@ButchyMcLarty) August 19, 2016Donald Trump s apology is nothing but a sham in desperation to reverse his plummeting poll numbers. The damage has already been done and Trump has no one to blame but himself.Featured Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images | 0 |
10,437 | Kurd forces move back defense line around Kirkuk in disengagement effort | KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish forces have moved back their defensive line around the oil region of Kirkuk in northern Iraq by 2 km (1.2 miles) to reduce the possibility of friction with nearby Iraqi forces, security sources in the region said on Friday. The Peshmerga, as the Kurdish force is known, withdrew from positions in the areas of Taza and Bashir, about 10 km south of Kirkuk, overnight, they said. Iraqi security forces moved into some of the positions evacuated in an orderly manner, without any clashes, they said. The areas of Taza and Bashir are mainly populated by Shi ite Turkmen, many of whom are loyal to the Shi ite led-government in Baghdad and affiliated to Iranian-backed political parties and paramilitary groups. | 1 |
10,438 | You Won’t Believe The Insane Anti-Obama Bullsh*t This Idiot ACTUALLY Wrote To His Local Paper | On Saturday, Illinois newspaper, the Belleville News-Democrat. published the unhinged ravings of one of the perpetual haters of sanity regarding President Obama s yet-unfulfilled mass gun-grab. Sure, he s gone seven years without taking guns away from Americans even the Stupid Part of America but Steve Kassa Jr. of Edwardsville is certain that any day could be the day, and he wrote to share his mindbogglingly-stupid thoughts with everyone. Obama was up to his lying and deceiving propaganda again trying to drum up support like Hitler installing to take your guns away, Kassa writes. He s had his prostitute in the media, Katie Couric, doing gun propaganda all week on satellite. In fact, he says that the President even used the Sandy Hook conspiracy (that s right he thinks Sandy Hook was fake) to emphasize his point that it s probably not a good idea to allow unhinged people to buy and own guns without some form of safeguard in place. After this last big breaking of the law and getting in America s face with this transgender thing, if you can t see America where this guy is wanting you disarmed, you better watch some of the rise and fall of the third Reich on AHC or the American History Channel, he continues, segueing into the inevitable ill-informed Hitler comparison: These people have a very evil, demonic agenda and soon as they get the guns, if they can, you will see worse than what happened in Germany in World War II here in the United States. In reality, had Mr. Kassa opened a book at some point in his lifetime (not even a history book, just any book that mentions Hitler s rise to power), he would know that while Hitler seized guns from his enemies, he was actually quite in favor of an armed populace. Politifact notes that, like his party s modern-day American counterparts, Hitler was in favor of open carry, deregulation of firearm regulations, and allowing children to own guns:The Nazis adopted a new gun law in 1938. According to an analysis by Bernard Harcourt, a professor at Columbia University School of Law, it loosened gun ownership rules in several ways.It deregulated the buying and selling of rifles, shotguns and ammunition. It made handguns easier to own by allowing anyone with a hunting license to buy, sell or carry one at any time. (You didn t need to be hunting.) It also extended the permit period from one year to three and gave local officials more discretion in letting people under 18 get a gun.The regulations to implement this law, rather than the law itself, did impose new limits on one group: Jews.Then, things got crazy (yes, then). Kassa decided to bring Agenda 21 into the mix: The rich white elite Democrats wanted the American Indians ground, so the first thing they did was disarm them, the next thing they did was put them on a reservation (Agenda 21), and then they stole their ground. Go check out Agenda 21 for yourself. Agenda 21 is a fictional New World Order plot to depopulate the earth and control everything that is mindlessly parroted by people who have trouble figuring out how to operate a doorknob. In reality, Mother Jones notes that Agenda 21 isn t actually scary at all, despite the ominous-sounding name:While the name might sound a bit ominous, Agenda 21 is a voluntary action plan that offers suggestions for sustainable ways local, state and national governments can combat poverty and pollution and conserve natural resources in the 21st century. (That s where the 21 comes from. Get it?) 178 governments including the U.S. led by then-President George H.W. Bush voted to adopt the program which is, again, not legally binding in any way, at the 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. These people are very evil and you bet they want the guns so bad they can t stand it, as it s not for your safety, but for theirs, Kassa concludes. God bless America and unite as the one world order will have Obama coming after you. Be prepared, stick together. Featured image via Getty Images/Pool (modified) | 0 |
10,439 | NYC REFUSED TO ARREST 5 Illegals Including A Sexual Abuser…You Won’t Believe Why! | You might want to sit down for this one The policy of NYC is so upside down and crazy that you might now believe it! The policy is to just let criminal illegal aliens roam the streets instead of deporting them or locking them up. I kid you not! The theory from the brainiacs at city hall is that this promotes public safety .PROMOTES PUBLIC SAFETY???WELL, ICE ISN T PUTTING UP WITH THIS ANY MORE! THEY ARRESTED THE CRIMINALS ANYWAY!Earlier this week, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced in a press release that they arrested five illegal aliens from four different countries, including an Indian national wanted for assault and sexual abuse, after New York City refused to cooperate federal immigration law.New York City is a sanctuary city, meaning that they do not demand their police department cooperate with federal immigration laws nor requests from immigration officials, particularly on orders such as detainers. Detainers serve as a legally-authorized request, upon which a law enforcement agency may rely, to continue to maintain custody of an alien for up to 48 hours so that ICE may assume custody for removal purposes, according to the October 18 press release. But some cities simply catch and release these criminals in hopes of promoting cooperation between the city and the illegal alien community.In fact, Mayor Bill De Blasio orders that the New York City Police Department routinely ignore these requests. De Blasio officials have said that their sanctuary city policies promote public safety.All of these men are illegal aliens and all have been arrested for various degrees of drug possession or violence in the past. But, NYPD has never reported them to authorities. In their desire to appear politically correct, De Blasio s administration is allowing criminals to roam the streets.HOW IS THIS PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY?READ MORE: TH | 0 |
10,440 | U.S. intel report identifies Russians who gave emails to WikiLeaks -officials | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA has identified Russian officials who fed material hacked from the Democratic National Committee and party leaders to WikiLeaks at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin through third parties, according to a new U.S. intelligence report, senior U.S. officials said on Thursday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Central Intelligence Agency and others have concluded that the Russian government escalated its efforts from discrediting the U.S. election process to assisting President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign. The intelligence assessment was presented to President Barack Obama on Thursday and will be briefed to Trump on Friday. Trump has rejected the broad intelligence community’s assessment that Russia staged cyber attacks during the election campaign to undermine Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Russia has rejected the hacking allegations. MORE FROM REUTERS* Trump says U.S. funds spent on border wall would be repaid by Mexico* Schumer emerges as Trump's newest punching bag* Beheading attire and sexy suicide vests? Satire of ISIS wives stirs anger and praise “By October, it had become clear that the Russians were trying to help the Trump campaign,” said one official familiar with the full report speaking on the condition of anonymity because the complete version is Top Secret. In some cases, one official said, the material followed what was called “a circuitous route” from the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, to WikiLeaks in an apparent attempt to make the origins of the material harder to trace, a common practice used by all intelligence agencies, including U.S. ones. These handoffs, the officials said, enabled WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to say the Russian government or state agencies were not the source of the material published on his website. In an interview with Fox News this week, Assange said he did not receive emails stolen from the DNC and Clinton aide John Podesta from “a state party.” Assange did not rule out the possibility that he got the material from a third party. Details of the report emerged as the top U.S. intelligence official, James Clapper, said on Thursday he was “even more resolute” in his belief that Russia staged cyber attacks on Democrats during the 2016 election campaign. Not all 17 intelligence agencies participated in preparing the assessment. An unclassified version of the report is expected to be released on Friday morning, two officials said. The report contains some of what the officials called “minor footnotes” about open questions and other uncertainties, in part because some of the evidence supporting the conclusion is inferential. One such example, the officials said, was that intercepted messages and conversations among senior Russian officials in Putin’s inner circle indicated they were aware of the hacking campaign and celebrated Trump’s election as a victorious end to the campaign. The officials declined to discuss the nature of the communications, including whether they were domestic, international, or both. “People who knew what this was about were celebrating a victory over the United States,” said one official. Another example of inferential evidence, the officials said, was that as time passed and the early leaks attracted media attention that undermined or eclipsed Clinton’s campaign, the Russians increasingly focused their hacking “almost exclusively” on Democratic rather than Republican targets. There was also strong resemblance — including the use of the same computer malware — the Russians have used against targets in Europe and the marriage of traditional espionage tactics used by Soviet and Russian intelligence such as bribery, blackmail and internet vulnerabilities, which they said Putin has devoted increasing resources and attention to exploiting. For example, one official said, the Democratic databases and email servers the Russians hacked also contained personal information that WikiLeaks has not published. Such information could be used to search for financial, medical, browsing history and other records that can be used to target individuals for recruiting efforts by Russian spies. | 1 |
10,441 | Delta to cancel about 800 flights due to Irma | (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc said it would cancel about 800 flights on Monday as it braces for Tropical Storm Irma at its Atlanta hub. "Hurricane Irma is expected to bring to the Atlanta hub strong crosswinds that exceed operating limits on select mainline and regional aircraft," Delta said on Monday. (bit.ly/2gXW5Cu) The No. 2 U.S. airline by passenger traffic, whose business is heavily dependent on operations at the Atlanta airport, said it was planning to resume service to airports in Florida. Irma, ranked as one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, hit a wide swath of Florida over the past day. It is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of up to 70 miles per hour (110 km per hour). Bigger rival American Airlines Group Inc said on Sunday it would not resume commercial flights at its Miami International Airport hub on Monday, but may operate flights to bring in staff and supplies. | 1 |
10,442 | At North Korea's doorstep, Trump warns of U.S. power while also striking conciliatory note | SEOUL (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned North Korea he was prepared to use the full range of U.S. military power to stop any attack, but in a more conciliatory appeal than ever before he urged Pyongyang to make a deal to end the nuclear standoff. Speaking on North Korea s doorstep during a visit to Seoul, Trump said that while we hope to God not to have to resort to the use of full U.S. military might, he was ready to do whatever was necessary to prevent the North Korean dictator from threatening millions of lives. We cannot allow North Korea to threaten all that we have built, Trump said after talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has supported diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang. But at times taking a more measured, less confrontational tone, Trump also urged North Korea to do the right thing and added that: I do see some movement, though he declined to elaborate. It really makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal, Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with Moon. Despite Trump s renewed threats against North Korea, it was a far cry from the more strident approach he has pursued in recent months, including his previous dismissal of any diplomatic efforts with Pyongyang as a waste of time. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made clear, however, that he has little interest in negotiations, at least until he has developed a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Landing earlier at Osan Air Base outside Seoul, the president and First Lady Melania Trump stepped down from Air Force One onto a red carpet as he began a 24-hour visit that could aggravate tension with North Korea. He then flew by helicopter to Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base in the country, and met U.S. and South Korean troops, along with Moon. The White House billed Trump s trip as intended to demonstrate U.S. resolve over a hardline approach to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats. But many in the region had expressed fear that any further bellicose rhetoric by Trump toward Pyongyang could increase the potential for a devastating military conflict. Trump praised Moon for great cooperation despite differences in the past over how to confront North Korea and over a trade pact between the United States and South Korea. At the news conference, the leaders said they had agreed to renegotiate the trade agreement in a timely fashion. In formal talks after an elaborate welcoming ceremony outside the presidential Blue House in Seoul, Moon told Trump he hoped his visit would relieve some of South Koreans anxiety over North Korea. Pyongyang s recent nuclear and missile tests in defiance of U.N. resolutions and an exchange of insults between Trump and Kim have raised the stakes in the most critical international challenge of Trump s presidency. At the news conference, Trump said Pyongyang must understand the unparalleled strength that Washington had at its disposal. He cited three U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups that are converging on the Western Pacific for exercises as well as a nuclear submarine he said was also in position. Trump has rattled some U.S. allies with his vow to totally destroy North Korea if it threatens the United States and by deriding Kim as a Rocket Man on a suicide mission. Kim responded by calling Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard. Trump s senior aides privately have since urged him to avoid personalizing the conflict any further, U.S. officials say. On the second leg of his five-nation trip, Trump toured the sprawling Camp Humphreys garrison, which lies about 100 km (60 miles) from the border with reclusive North Korea, and met commanders and troops. The base visit gave him a first-hand view of the massive military assets the United States has in place in South Korea, but it also could serve as a reminder of the cost in U.S. military lives as well as the potential massive South Korean civilian losses if the current crisis spirals into war. Trump wrapped up his first day with a dinner hosted at the Blue House, dining on grilled sole, beef ribs and chocolate cake while being serenaded by a K-pop singer with an orchestra in the background. Mr President, may your dreams come true, Trump said to Moon, raising his glass in a toast. North Korea has not conducted a missile test for 53 days, the longest such lull in testing this year. North Korean state media has not commented on Trump s arrival in the South. South Korea s spy agency said last week that North Korea may be preparing another missile test, raising speculation that such a launch could be timed for Trump s trip to the region. U.S. officials have said privately that intercepting a test missile is among options under consideration, though there is disagreement within the administration about the risks. Trump had previously criticized Moon over his support for diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang something the U.S. president once called appeasement but both leaders used Tuesday s news conference to stress common ground. Moon urged maximum pressure from sanctions against North Korea to force it to negotiate abandonment of its nuclear program, something Pyongyang says it will never give up. Several hundred supporters and protesters lined the streets of downtown Seoul as Trump s motorcade passed by en route to the Blue House, waving flags and posters, with some saying, No Trump, No War, Yes Peace, while others cheered, Trump! Trump! Trump will deliver a speech on Wednesday to South Korea s National Assembly expected to focus heavily on his North Korea policy, which has stressed sanctions and military pressure instead of diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies. Washington denies any such intention. (This version of the story was refiled to add dropped Trump in third-from-last paragraph) | 1 |
10,443 | Iran arrests Islamic State member, foils attacks: Revolutionary Guards | (Reuters) - The Iranian Revolutionary Guards arrested a member of Islamic State and foiled a plan for suicide attacks, a Guards commander said on Wednesday. Col. Amin Yamini, the Guards commander for the western Tehran suburb of Shahriar, did not say when the arrest was made but said the attacks were being planned for a 10-day Shi ite religious holiday that begins next week. The Islamic State member arrested was from the Syrian branch of the militant Sunni organization and had planned to organize about 300 people to carry out suicide attacks, Yamini said, according to Basij Press, the news site for the Tehran branch of the Guards. On June 7, Islamic State attacked the parliament in Tehran and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, south of the capital, killing 18 people and wounding more than 40. Iran has blamed Saudi Arabia for being behind the deadly attacks. Riyadh has denied any involvement. The Revolutionary Guards fired several missiles at Islamic State bases in Syria on June 18 in response to that attack. According to Yamini, the Guards tracked the Islamic State organizer, who had a cell phone and satellite phone, and set up a meeting with him in the western Tehran suburb of Andisheh by posing as Islamic State members. When the person showed up, he was arrested. Valuable information has been gleaned from his cell phone, Yamini said, according to Basij Press. | 1 |
10,444 | Trump acknowledges Obama was born in the United States | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has long questioned President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship, on Friday said he believes the president was born in the United States. “President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period,” Trump said at a campaign event. | 1 |
10,445 | Sarah Palin Oddly Brings Up Justin Bieber During Abortion Talk – Watch Jake Tapper’s Face (VIDEO) | Sarah Palin is back at it again. Only this time, Jake Tapper was caught in her crosshairs. While discussing Donald Trump s flip-flopping on the issue of abortion, Palin somehow was inspired to bring Justin Bieber into the debate. Let s just say CNN host Jake Tapper, wasn t exactly prepared for that. It took him completely off-guard.Here was their exchange, in part:Tapper: Donald Trump is somebody who clearly has had different positions on issues than he has today, including an issue very near and dear to your heart, the issue of abortion and life.Palin: I am so glad Trump has seen the light.There are groups that are pro-life; they are giving Trump a hard time on his views of abortion while they re celebrating others like, umm, I was going through a list, like Justin Bieber, and umm, gosh Tapper: Justin Bieber?Palin: Yeah, yeah .Pic via screen capture.We can only imagine what was going through his head when she said that. The expression on his face, though, was utterly PRICELESS. That much is for certain.So, why then, was Palin bringing up Justin Bieber? We were curious. We did some digging, and apparently the teen heartthrob made some past statements about waiting until you re in love before you do anything with a girl, and, I don t really believe in abortion .It s like killing a baby. He said that back in 2011. Why that s relevant, we still don t know.We re also not sure what s going through Donald Trump s head by his continuing to let Mrs. Palin stump for him. Why is she still doing interviews? Personally, we love it. We hadn t laughed this much since, well, when Trump began running. It s like every single interview is a skit straight out of Saturday Night Live. Laughter is the best medicine, they say.Featured image from screen capture. | 0 |
10,446 | Japan's Emperor Akihito likely to abdicate at end-March 2019: Asahi | TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan s Emperor Akihito is likely to abdicate at the end of March 2019 and Crown Prince Naruhito is expected to ascend the throne in April, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in nearly two centuries, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday. The government is in the final stage of formalizing the schedule, said the Asahi, citing several sources. In June, Japan s parliament passed a law allowing Emperor Akihito to abdicate and the government needs to hammer out the details including the timing. Japan s top government spokesman denied the Asahi report. We are not aware of the report and there is not such fact, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. We will continue to discuss appropriately and will do our best to carry out the emperor s abdication smoothly, he said. Akihito, 83, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare public remarks last year he feared age might make it hard for him to continue to fulfill his duties. He will be succeeded by Naruhito, 57, and a new era will start from April 1, the Asahi reported. The abdication law, which applies only to Akihito and not to future emperors, included a resolution to debate letting female royals stay in the imperial family after marriage but did not touch on the controversial topic of allowing women to inherit. Asahi said the expected 2019 abdication schedule would minimize the impact on people in changing to a new imperial reign from the current Heisei Era, which started in 1989 after the death of Akihito s father Hirohito, according to the Asahi. The Imperial Household Agency also wanted the transition to take place in spring 2019 as many ritual events are scheduled for the imperial family in autumn and winter, the report said. Akihito, the first Japanese emperor who was never considered divine, has worked for decades at home and abroad to soothe the wounds of World War Two which was fought in his father Hirohito s name. In a written remarks of her 83rd birthday on Friday, Empress Michiko said that she thought this year her travels with Emperor Ahikito around Japan might be their last and have become deeply emotional. The Empress also said she felt an immeasurable sense of peace that Akihito will be able to rest and spend quiet days after years of pursuing how the Emperor should be. | 1 |
10,447 | LOL! GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS Win NBA Title…Former “Sports Network” ESPN Obsesses Over Whether Or Not They’ll Visit White House [VIDEO] | Remember when the first question reporters asked players after winning a national championship went something like this: Now that you ve reached the pinnacle of your career, where are you going? to which the player would reply, I m going to Disneyworld! Since ESPN has become more of a liberal propaganda network than an actual sports network, their question has changed to asking about whether or not the players will dare to visit the White House, where the one man who liberals fear most currently resides.ESPN s obsession with President Trump is embarrassing. Instead of reporting about sports, they d rather report about how many crybaby, multi-millionaire athletes don t like our President and may choose to stay home in their safe-spaces as opposed to visiting the democratically elected President of the greatest country in the world. To put this in perspective, in less than 24 hours after winning the NBA championship, ESPN s senior NBA writer, The Undefeated s Marc Spears obsessed over whether or not the Golden State Warrior team would visit the White House. Seriously? After winning the coveted NBA championship, that s what basketball fans are supposed to care about? Did anyone at ESPN even consider that about 99.9% of their target market couldn t care less about their leftist political propaganda, and they actually want read their articles or tune in to their shows because they re interested in SPORTS?From ESPN article titled:The reigning champion Golden State Warriors addressed speculation about whether they will make the traditional visit to the White House, saying they will make those decisions when and if necessary. Today is all about celebrating our championship, the team said in a statement Tuesday. We have not received an invitation to the White House, but will make those decisions when and if necessary. Shortly before the team issued its statement, Warriors owner Joe Lacob was asked about a potential White House visit during an interview with ESPN s First Take. I can t believe we re getting this question already, Lacob said. But honestly, that s something we ll worry about at the time. That s a long time from now. Questions about the Warriors plans for a trip to Washington, D.C., arose just hours after they won their second NBA title in the last three years, when a CNBC analyst tweeted that the team unanimously decided to skip the White House visit.Most of the Warriors, in the immediate aftermath of their Game 5 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, have not publicly commented on whether they will make the trip.Veteran forward David West, who has been outspoken in his disapproval of President Donald Trump, told The Undefeated s Marc Spears on Monday night that he probably will decline the opportunity. I don t know. I probably won t, West said. But I m going to enjoy this. They re going to have to get me down from this cloud. I can t describe it. Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed his disappointment with the election results last November, saying after the election that Trump regularly used racist, misogynist, insulting words during his campaign. | 0 |
10,448 | Murdered North Korean Kim Jong Nam had $100,000 in backpack, police witness says | KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was carrying $100,000 in cash in his backpack at the time of his murder, the police officer investigating the case told a Malaysian court on Wednesday. Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, a Vietnamese, are charged with murdering Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with VX, a chemical poison banned by the United Nations, at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. The money is now stored in a safe in the office of the police chief of the Sepang district, which has jurisdiction over the murder site, police official Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz said. Wan Azirul said he took posession of the victim s blazer, backpack and watch and handed them to the chemistry department for analysis, but was later told by investigation authorities to hand them over to representatives of the North Korean embassy. I do not know why, I was following orders, he added. In court, the prosecution played more than 30 videos of closed-circuit television footage of the women s activities, after Judge Azmi Ariffin overruled defense objections to their admissibility, saying it could be challenged later in the case. The defense lawyers for both Huong and Siti Aisyah said the videos could be considered hearsay, as the investigating officer did not record them himself and was not present to witness the crime. Some of the footage, dated Feb. 11, appeared to show Huong approaching an unidentified man from behind and placing her hands around his neck and face, before backing away slowly with her head slightly lowered and her hands put together. Most of the videos, however, appeared to show Huong and Siti Aisyah before, during and after the attack on Kim Jong Nam. The two women were mostly seen in separate locations, save for during the attack and when they were at a taxi-stand later. The two women were in the same area at the time of the attack, Wan Azirul, who is with the Sepang criminal investigations department, confirmed. The hearing resumes on Thursday, with Wan Azirul returning to the witness stand. | 1 |
10,449 | Trump dismisses Facebook ads controversy as part of 'Russia hoax' | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday questioned Facebook Inc s (FB.O) decision to overhaul how it handles paid political advertisements amid investigations into alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections. The Russia hoax continues, now it s ads on Facebook, Trump wrote on Twitter. What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary, referring to Hillary Clinton, his rival in the 2016 presidential campaign. Earlier this month, Facebook said an internal review had shown that an operation likely based in Russia spent $100,000 on 3,000 Facebook ads promoting divisive messages in the months before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The company initially declined to turn over details on the ads to Congress but said on Thursday it would do so, making a concession to U.S. lawmakers who have threatened to regulate the world s largest social network over ads that run during election campaigns. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook, for the first time, would now make it possible for anyone to see any political ads that run on Facebook, no matter whom they target. Facebook also will demand that political advertisers disclose who is paying for the advertisements, a requirement that under U.S. law applies to political ads on television but not on social media. Zuckerberg said on Thursday the changes would help address concerns that governments including Russia are using Facebook ads to meddle in other countries elections. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia engaged in cyber attacks to sway the 2016 election against Democrat Hillary Clinton in favor of Trump. U.S. congressional investigators and a special counsel are investigating the matter. Moscow has denied any interference. While Trump dismissed the advertisement controversy, his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, expressed concern. Well, I think all of these social media providers are faced with many challenges, Tillerson said on ABC s Good Morning America, pointing to their use by militant groups around the world as well as in election campaigns. But they also have responsibilities, he said. And I think they re going to have to think carefully about their responsibilities in this regard. U.S. election law bars foreign nationals and foreign entities from spending money to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate. | 1 |
10,450 | FLASHBACK: Reagan Skipped Debate Before Iowa And Won In A Landslide | Will history repeat itself, or is skipping the debate a bad idea? On Tuesday night Donald Trump and the Trump campaign announced that GOP frontrunner Trump will skip the FOX News GOP Primary debate this week in Iowa. Via: Gateway Pundithttps://youtu.be/wjKVlVLgs3MTrump is not the first Republican candidate to skip a debate. Ronald Reagan skipped the Republican debate ahead of the 1980 Iowa caucus and went on to win in a landslide.Watch stunned, leftist media, as they are stunned by reports that Ronald Reagan is winning in a landslide:Here is what the map looked like after Reagan s shocking landslide win: Bloomberg reported:Trump isn t the first top-tier presidential candidate to skip a debate. Ronald Reagan did not attend a Republican debate ahead of the 1980 Iowa caucuses, which he lost to George H.W. Bush. Reagan went on to the win the nomination and the presidency.On her Fox News program Tuesday night, Kelly said she will still co-moderate the debate. The truth is he doesn t get to control the media, Kelly said. I ll be there. The debate will go on with or without Trump. The network said in an e-mailed statement that capitulating to politicians ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats. Fox said it had warned Lewandowski not to level any more threats against Kelly, as when he allegedly told the network that Megyn had a rough couple of days after that last debate and he would hate to have her go through that again. We can t give in to terrorizations toward any of our employees, the network said.Trump told reporters the campaign will raise some money for the Wounded Warriors. We ll raise money for the vets, Trump said. I was all set to do the debate. I came here to do the debate. When they sent out the wise-guy press releases a little while ago, done by some PR person, along with Roger Ailes, I said: Bye, bye. Trump s campaign also released a statement saying that Mr. Trump knows a bad deal when he sees one. | 0 |
10,451 | MARK LEVIN BURNS OBAMA: “Trump did what Obama didn’t have the nerve to do” [Video] | This is truly epic! Mark Levin goes after the Democrats on their hypocrisy in the firing of Comey and the Russia/Trump investigation .He specifically goes after Chuck Schumer:Notice how he says, the media and the Democrats, one and the same Haha!Levin lists all of the items that he feels warrant a special prosecutor including the Iran deal: How about an independent special prosecutor to investigate this whole seedy Iranian deal? Levin goes on to speak highly of the Assistant Attorney General and how the Democrats are truly hypocritical because they voted overwhelmingly for his confirmation:Every single Democrat voted for his confirmation: 94-6 The new assistant Attorney General doesn t have a political bone in his body https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUyf945m8ho The President of the United States did what Barack Obama didn t have the nerve to do! Mark LevinWe want more Levin! He nails it! | 0 |
10,452 | Senate shelves disaster aid bill until next month | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to provide $81 billion in new disaster aid for U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was put on hold by the Senate on Thursday amid attacks from both Republicans and Democrats. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the legislation earlier on Thursday to help recovery efforts stemming from hurricanes and wildfires. But the Senate put off a vote until at least January, according to some lawmakers and aides, after Democrats complained Puerto Rico was not getting enough help and some fiscal hawks fretted about the overall cost. | 1 |
10,453 | EU lawmakers give tentative nod to Brexit clearing law that could clobber Britain | LONDON (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers on Tuesday gave broad support to a law that could end the City of London s global dominance in clearing euro-denominated financial contracts after Brexit. The plan has raised hackles in Britain, where it threatens both job losses and tax revenues. The draft EU law proposes that a foreign clearing house which stands between two sides of a transaction to ensure its smooth completion must be subject to more intense supervision by the bloc s regulators if it wants to serve customers in the EU. But if a clearing house is systemically important to the euro zone, then euro-denominated business with EU based customers must move to the bloc. The draft law is anathema to Britain, which voted to leave the EU in a referendum last year. It is home to LCH, an arm of the London Stock Exchange that clears most euro-denominated swaps in Europe. Financial services represent Britain s biggest tax earning sector and the LSE has warned that thousands of jobs could leave the UK if euro clearing was forced out. In the first debate in the European Parliament on Tuesday, lawmakers from the two biggest parties, the center right European People s Party and the center-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, gave broad backing to the draft law, but called for some changes. It s a good proposal from the European Commission, Polish center-right MEP Danuta Huebner told parliament s economic affairs committee. In principle, I support the proposal, which I find necessary, added Roberto Gualtieri, an Italian center-left lawmaker who chairs the committee. The European Parliament and EU states have final say on the reform, with changes expected during the approval process. No timetable has been agreed for approving the law and, separately, there has been scant agreement on any new relationship between the EU and Britain. That means LCH s European customers don t know at the moment if they can continue using the London clearer after Brexit. Exploit this uncertainty, Frankfurt-based Eurex unveiled a Brexit-proof package of sweeteners on Monday to woo LCH customers. Huebner said parts of the draft law were too complex, creating uncertainty over how exactly EU regulators and the European Central Bank would decide when euro clearing conducted outside the bloc must move to the EU. We have to do everything to avoid potential inconsistency in decision-making, Huebner said. We must not politicize the whole process. Gualtieri said there was a need to upgrade EU supervision of clearing, but lawmakers should be very cautious, reflective and in a listening mood given the potential consequences. Others said there was need to avoid protectionism or using clearing as a stick to beat Britain given that the UK was already fighting with itself . Kay Swinburne, a British center-right lawmaker, a lone voice in outright opposition, said a regional restriction on a global currency is the wrong approach. There is a reason why we have done so much work at the global level, and I really hope that we are not going to throw all of that away to have some protectionism with regards to a Brexit decision, Swinburne added. Banks and the LSE have warned that forcing out some clearing would split markets and bump up costs for EU companies who use swaps to insure against adverse moves in borrowing costs, raw material prices, and currency swings. | 1 |
10,454 | Trump Blasted Nordstrom For Dropping Ivanka’s Brand. The Company’s Response Is PERFECT (TWEET) | It is absolutely insane how much one man can screw up, but Donald Trump has exceeded all expectations. Not only is he well on his way to ruining an entire country (and already has made a pretty big dent in that goal), but he has singlehandedly brought down the value of his own brand thanks to his idiocy and unpopular rhetoric.The Trump name is now so hated that even his most beloved family member, his daughter Ivanka, is suffering for her father s madness and erratic behavior. Recently, retail giant Nordstrom decided to pull Ivanka s brand from its inventory due to declining sales, and a pesky anti-Trump boycotting campaign called Grab Your Wallet. Here s what Nordtrom s president, Pete Nordstrom, had originally said about dropping Ivanka s line: This is a sharply divisive subject. No matter what we do, we are going to end up disappointing some of our customers. Every single brand we offer is evaluated on their results if people don t buy it, we won t sell it. In response, Trump threw an insane temper tantrum and tweeted this: My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible! The company has now responded, and the way they handled it was perfect. Indirectly addressing Trump s immature response to their decision to drop Ivanka s brand, Nordstrom issued a brilliantly diplomatic statement that remained professional without feeding Trump s insane narcissistic need for attention..@PressSec says @Nordstrom removing Ivanka s clothing line was an attack on Trump family. This is what company says. pic.twitter.com/5i7zhuGBgv Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) February 8, 2017It s a subtle hit at Trump, despite not ever acknowledging Trump himself. We all know that the reason Ivanka s sales were declining over the past year is because of The Donald and his disgraceful behavior much like the decline of popularity in his own hotels. Sadly for the man-baby POTUS, Trump only has himself to blame for this one!Read more:Featured image via Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images | 0 |
10,455 | Brexit campaigner Farage says to address Trump rally | LONDON (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, an anti-immigration politician who was a figurehead of the successful campaign to get Britain out of the European Union, intends to address a Donald Trump rally on Wednesday, a spokesman said. Once dismissed by then-prime minister David Cameron as the leader of a party mostly consisting of “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists”, Farage had his revenge when the June 23 Brexit referendum went his way, forcing Cameron to resign. Trump, the U.S. Republican Party’s presidential nominee, applauded the Brexit result, seeing the blow to British and EU political elites as a good omen for November when he hopes anti-establishment fervor will send him to the White House. Farage will tell Trump’s rally in Mississippi “the story of the Brexit campaign”, the spokesman said. There was no immediate confirmation from the Trump campaign. Farage’s future is unclear. He stepped down as head of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after the referendum delivered what he said was the main ambition of his 25-year political career - Britain leaving the EU. Often seen as an abrasive and controversial figure, Farage was marginalized by the official Vote Leave campaign which deemed him too divisive. He instead toured the country in a double-decker bus painted in UKIP’s color, purple. | 1 |
10,456 | Sanders plan raises incomes but also U.S. deficits, analysts say | NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ tax and benefit plans would raise income for most Americans but his proposal for single-payer healthcare would help generate record federal deficits, two Washington think tanks said on Monday. An analysis by the Tax Policy Center said that although most people would pay higher taxes under Sanders’ plan, the average household income would increase by nearly $4,300 in 2017 after his proposed benefits were factored in. Those benefits include an expansion of the Social Security government pension plan, paid family leave and free tuition at public colleges, ideas that have generated support for Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, as he seeks to become the Democratic nominee for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Only the wealthiest 5 percent of households would end up paying more in new taxes than they got back in benefits, according to the center, a joint effort run by two Washington-based think tanks, the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution. But Sanders’ plans would also increase federal deficits to “unprecedented levels,” the center said, relying largely on a new estimate of the cost of his healthcare proposals published on Monday in a separate analysis by the Urban Institute. Sanders has proposed a single-payer healthcare system, a more significant overhaul than the tweaks that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton wants to make to the Affordable Care Act, a signature policy achievement of Democratic President Barack Obama. The Urban Institute estimated Sanders’ healthcare plan would require an increase in federal spending of $32 trillion over the next decade but that new revenue sources proposed by Sanders only covered just under half of that amount. The overall result would be an increase in annual federal budget deficits by $18 trillion over the next decade, the Tax Policy Center said. Warren Gunnels, Sanders’ policy director, called the new cost estimate “wildly” overestimated in a statement on Monday. He said the analyses were wrong to assume that state and local governments would stop their own spending on healthcare, thereby shifting $4.1 trillion in costs to the federal government. Gunnels said the reports also underestimated what the Sanders campaign forecast would be trillions of dollars in savings in administration, paperwork and drug prices seen in other Western countries with single-payer systems. The Sanders campaign has estimated that his proposed healthcare system would save more than $6 trillion over the next 10 years, compared with the current system. | 1 |
10,457 | Germany disputes size of Russian wargames, predicts 100,000 troops | TALLINN (Reuters) - Germany said on Thursday that Russia was planning to send more than 100,000 troops to war games on NATO s eastern flank this month, disputing Moscow s version that only 13,000 Russian and Belarussian servicemen would participate. The Sept. 14-20 exercises known as Zapad, or West in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, are stirring unease in NATO despite Moscow s assurances troops would rehearse a purely defensive scenario. It is undisputed that we are seeing a demonstration of capabilities and power of the Russians, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told reporters at an EU defense ministers meeting in Tallinn. Anyone who doubts that only has to look at the high numbers of participating forces in the Zapad exercise: more than one hundred thousand, she said in a joint news conference with her French counterpart Florence Parly. (For a graphic on Russia's Zapad war games click tmsnrt.rs/2xQtYwH) While Baltic nations have voiced concerns about a bigger-than-reported exercise and while NATO s secretary-general expects more than 13,000 troops, Von der Leyen s remarks are the first time a top Western politician has called out Russia publicly on what NATO sees as the true size of the war games. Such numbers would be legal under international treaties on war games, but would require inviting international observers. With less than 13,000 troops, international observation of the drills is not mandatory, Russia says. In a sign of efforts to contain tensions, NATO general Petr Pavel held his first face-to face meeting in more than two years with Russia s top general, Valery Gerasimov, in Azerbaijan on Thursday, the alliance said. NATO said in a statement the meeting showed a clear mutual interest to maintain the military lines of communication. An exercise on that scale is one of NATO s most pressing concerns. France, for one, believes the war games are no simple military drill, even though Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin told Western military attaches in Moscow in August the West had nothing to fear. Russia accuses NATO of building up forces on its frontiers in a manner reminiscent of the Cold War. But NATO says it is protecting the interests of member states bordering Russia who are troubled by Moscow s annexation of Ukraine s Crimea and links to pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. Previous large-scale exercises in 2013 employed special forces training, longer-range missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that were later used in the Crimea annexation and in actions in eastern Ukraine and Syria, NATO diplomats said. Russia has a global strategy of a visible, deliberate demonstration of force, Parly said before heading to meet French troops in Estonia as part of NATO s deployment of deterrent forces in the Baltics and Poland. They have a strategy of intimidation, Parly said, warning that any attack on a Baltic country or Poland by Russia would be considered an attack on all of the U.S.-led NATO alliance. | 1 |
10,458 | Virginia court rules for Trump in travel ban dispute, order still halted | (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge in Virginia ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump’s travel ban was justified, increasing the likelihood the measure will go before the Supreme Court as the decision took an opposing view to courts in Maryland and Hawaii that have halted the order. U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Trenga rejected arguments by Muslim plaintiffs who claimed Trump’s March 6 executive order temporarily banning the entry of all refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries was discriminatory. The decision went against two previous court rulings that put an emergency halt to the order before it was set to take effect on March 16. The order remains halted. Trump has said he plans to appeal those unfavorable rulings to the U.S. Supreme Court if needed, and differing opinions by lower courts give more grounds for the highest court to take up the case. Trenga, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, said the complaint backed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group, found that more than 20 individuals who brought the suit had been able to show they were harmed by the travel ban since they might be unable to reunite with their relatives. But he also ruled that Trump’s revised order, which replaced a more sweeping version signed on Jan. 27 and rejected by courts, fell within the president’s authority to make decisions about immigration. He said that since the order did not mention religion, the court could not look behind it at Trump’s statements about a “Muslim ban” to determine what was in the “drafter’s heart of hearts.” Trump has said the ban is necessary to protect the country from terrorist attacks, but his first order was halted by a federal judge in Seattle and a U.S. appeals court in San Francisco due to concerns it violated the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition against religious bias. “We’re confident that the president’s fully lawful and necessary action will ultimately be allowed to move forward through the rest of the court systems,” said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at a briefing. CAIR said it would appeal the decision to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Lena Masri, CAIR’s national litigation director, said the 4th Circuit and the Supreme Court “are the judicial bodies that will ultimately decide whether the Constitution protects the rights of Muslim Americans.” A ruling by U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii - an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama - put a stop to the two central sections of the revised ban that blocked travelers from six countries and refugees, while leaving other parts of the order in place. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland, also an Obama appointee, only put a halt to the section on travelers. The Virginia lawsuit sought to strike down the revised ban in its entirety. Watson scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to decide whether his temporary order blocking the travel and refugee restrictions should be converted into a more formal preliminary injunction. The Justice Department has said it would oppose that bid. The government has appealed Chuang’s decision in Maryland, also to the 4th circuit, and a hearing in that case is scheduled for May 8. Other lawsuits against the ban continue to move forward around the country. Also on Friday, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups filed a new complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. on behalf of Muslim community organizations. | 1 |
10,459 | Explainer - Damian Green, UK PM's May deputy, resigns over pornography scandal | LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May forced her most senior minister, Damian Green, to resign on Wednesday after an internal investigation found he had made misleading comments about pornography on computers in his parliamentary office. Below are details about Green, the investigation into his behavior and May s decision to demand his resignation. An ally and a friend from their days at the University of Oxford, Green was appointed first secretary of state, May s de-facto deputy, in the wake of her snap June election which stripped her party of its parliamentary majority. In the tumultuous weeks after the June vote, Green helped to stabilize May s premiership and appease some of those within the Conservative Party who wanted her to quit. His departure is a blow for the government as May navigates the final year of tortuous Brexit negotiations before Britain s exit from the European Union in March 2019. He is also the third minister to quit in recent weeks following the departure of the defense minister and the aid minister. The departure of Green, who like May voted in the 2016 referendum to stay in the EU, also removes one of her most senior advocates of a softer Brexit. The resignation comes a day after May started the delicate process of agreeing a common negotiating position among her cabinet for the long-term relationship Britain wants to have with the EU after Brexit. On Nov. 1 Kate Maltby, an academic, critic and family friend wrote an article in the Times newspaper alleging that Green had made an inappropriate sexual advance toward her in 2015. He offered me career advice and in the same breath made it clear he was sexually interested, said Maltby, who is three decades younger than Green. He steered the conversation to the habitual nature of sexual affairs in parliament... He mentioned that his own wife was very understanding. I felt a fleeting hand against my knee. Green denied the allegations as absolutely and completely untrue . May asked the Cabinet Office, responsible for the administrative functions of the government, to investigate. Five days later the Sunday Times reported that the police had found pornography on a computer in Green s office during a 2008 investigation into government leaks. Green said in a statement that the story was completely untrue . More importantly, the police have never suggested to me that improper material was found on my parliamentary computer, he added. In a second statement on Nov. 11 he again said no allegations about the presence of improper material on his parliamentary computers had ever been put to him. On Wednesday, May s office published a summary of its investigation into Green. It found that Green s conduct as a minister was generally professional and proper and that it was not possible to reach a definitive conclusion on the appropriateness of his behavior with Maltby. It said however that the investigation found Maltby s account of the events to be plausible. On the issue of pornography, it found the two statements made by Green on 4 and 11 November to be inaccurate and misleading. The Metropolitan Police Service had previously informed him of the existence of this material, it said. These statements therefore fall short of the honesty requirement of the Seven Principles of Public Life and constitute breaches of the Ministerial Code. Mr Green accepts this. On Wednesday, May asked for his resignation. While I can understand the considerable distress caused to you by some of the allegations which have been made in recent weeks, I know that you share my commitment to maintaining the high standards which the public demands of Ministers of the Crown, May wrote to Green in a letter. It is therefore with deep regret, and enduring gratitude for the contribution you have made over many years, that I asked you to resign from the government and have accepted your resignation. Green apologized for breaking the ministerial code. He said that he did not download or view pornography on his parliamentary computers but accepted that he should have been more clear in his November statements about what the police had told him. He said he did not recognize the description Maltby gave of their 2015 meeting but said he had clearly made her feel uncomfortable and apologized. He added that he deeply regretted the distress caused to Maltby after she wrote the article. I regret that I ve been asked to resign from the government following breaches of the ministerial code, for which I apologise, he said. | 1 |
10,460 | WATCH: Black Driver Bravely Shames Cop Who Drew His Gun Over A Turn Signal Infraction | When you are Black in America, getting pulled over by a cop even for the smallest infraction is a very scary thing. As we have seen repeatedly, this could cost you your life. Usually, when that happens, the cop in question faces no real consequences. Generally, the police department investigates itself and finds it did nothing wrong, naturally. So, to that end, Black Americans tend to act with extreme compliance when it comes to interactions with police. Not being that way could cost us our lives. However, one brave black driver who was pulled over for not using his turn signal properly decided that he s had enough, and confronted the cop who pulled him over and approached with a drawn gun.The whole incident was caught on video, as the man goes all in on the cop, saying: Big f*cking crime right? Big crime. A crime enough for you to come with your fucking gun pulled out, right? A turn signal not made is a big enough crime for you to need to take out your service pistol. Do you have no conscience? You just don t give a f*ck right? Because I would have been just another dead black motherf*cker right? the man tells the officer. And you would have just gone about your business, right? Luckily, the officer didn t shoot, and just accepted this rightfully outraged driver reading him the goods on his racist behavior. It s too bad more encounters with racist cops making unfounded assumptions about the supposed dangerous criminality of Black Americans can t end this way.Now, time to find out who this cop is.Watch the priceless video evidence of America s racist policing problem below:Cop pulls over a black man for failure to signal, walks to his car with his gun drawn Black dude is my fucking hero????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/S8ef8Mx4Kk SIX_FOOT_5 (@Choco_Optimus) September 10, 2017The ending of black dude going ham on cop Left him looking stupid as fuck! ? pic.twitter.com/9oCHBbCBRi SIX_FOOT_5 (@Choco_Optimus) September 10, 2017Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
10,461 | LOL! HILLARY’S New Anti-Trump Ad Backfires..Ends Up Being AMAZING Pro-Trump Ad [VIDEO] | Hillary has to be one of the worst candidates to ever get this far in a presidential race. She has no idea what the American people truly want. Like every good progressive, she only knows what she believes is good for Americans. And what Hillary believes are Donald s weaknesses with voters, are actually his strengths. Enjoy:Very nice of Hillary Clinton to run a pro-Trump ad, too? https://t.co/lYGCyHb7BA Mollie (@MZHemingway) May 4, 2016 It isn t so much that liberals are ignorant. It s just that they know so many things that aren t so. -Ronald Reagan | 0 |
10,462 | House Speaker Ryan says U.S. sanctions against Russia should stay | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Friday the United States should keep its sanctions against Russia, amid speculation that President Donald Trump may lift the punitive measures imposed under former President Barack Obama. “I think Obama was late in putting them in place, so I think they should stay,” Ryan said in an interview with Politico. Ryan, the top Republican in the U.S. Congress, was responding to a question about comments by Republican Senator John McCain that if Trump lifted the restrictions, he would work to “codify sanctions against Russia into law.” | 1 |
10,463 | 'France is not the U.S.,' presidential hopeful Juppe's camp says | BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - “The French never vote like the Americans,” a politician told a rally for presidential favorite Alain Juppe on Wednesday as France wondered if it would be the next country to prove the opinion polls wrong. Juppe, mayor of the southwest city of Bordeaux and a former prime minister, has topped the polls for months. Surveys predict he will win both a primary later in November to be the center-right’s candidate and the presidential election in six months. But after pollsters failed to predict U.S. voters would make Donald Trump their country’s 45th president, like their British colleagues who got the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU wrong, France has started bracing for a possible surprise next year. “Juppe is ahead in polls and he will also win. The French are not like the Americans, we’re not crazy,” Juppe supporter Mbacoye Balde, 35, told Reuters at the Bordeaux rally. Nearby, another Juppe supporter carried a banner reading “Ne vous Trumpez pas” a French play on words with Trump’s name that meant “Don’t make a mistake.” “We’ve always been cautious about polls, we’ve always said one should not get carried away and it was not in the bag,” Virginie Calmels, Juppe’s deputy in Bordeaux and one of his campaign spokespersons, said of his strong ratings. But she added: “It’s not quite the same in France and in the United States.” Unlike in the United States for the Trump vote, pollsters in France have recently tended to overestimate support for the anti-immigration National Front (FN), she said. The far-right party won no region in last year’s local elections, despite forecasts it would get at least one. But its leader Marine Le Pen is another strong candidate in the presidential election and is expected to be one of the two contestants to make it into the runoff round - possibly against Juppe himself. Juppe told the rally that, if elected, he would “obviously be available for dialogue with President Trump” but spent much of his speech warning against populism, saying inclusiveness and hope were the answer. Juppe is campaigning on a moderate platform more to the center than the law-and-order strategy of main rival Nicolas Sarkozy, who was France’s president in 2007-2012 and has courted controversy with his hard line on immigration and Islam. Without mentioning Sarkozy by name, Juppe said: “Beware the false answers and bad solutions ... I say ‘no’ to divisiveness, ‘no’ to demagoguery that pit the French against one another.” “I want the optimistic France to lift up the sad France,” he said, just days ahead of the two-round primary on November 20 and 27 where he will compete against Sarkozy and five other candidates for the center-right’s nomination. | 1 |
10,464 | Ardern to be next New Zealand PM, spelling changes for economy, immigration | WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand will get its youngest prime minister in more than 150 years after the small, nationalist New Zealand First Party agreed to form a new government with Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern, ending the National Party s decade in power. The outcome caps a remarkable rise for Ardern, 37, who only took over the party s top job in August, and marks another victory for a youthful global leader promising change, with big implications for the world s 11th most traded currency, the central bank, immigration and foreign investment. Labour had an even chance as National to form a government after inconclusive elections on Sept. 23 gave neither party enough seats to form a majority in parliament. Their tighter immigration proposals and more restrictive housing policy all suggest economic growth could be a little bit weaker than the Nationals policy, Paul Dales, chief Australia and New Zealand economist at Capital Economics, said of Labour. The chances of a sharper slowdown are higher under Labour. The announcement of the new government drove the New Zealand dollar down around 1.7 percent to its lowest levels in four and half months, as markets worried about more protectionist policies to come. Labour has always believed that government should be a partner in ensuring an economy that works and delivers for all New Zealanders, Ardern told reporters. Labour said it would stick to its campaign promise to change the central bank s mandate, seek to renegotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and prioritize an effort to ban foreign ownership of certain types of housing. It has said it wants to add employment to the central bank s mandate, which would mark a big change for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand which was the pioneer of the inflation-targeting regime adopted across the world. Record net migration of more than 70,000 annually has fuelled demand for housing in New Zealand, far outstripping supply and pushing house prices prohibitively higher, pricing ordinary New Zealanders out of the housing market. Far too many New Zealanders have come to view today s capitalism not as their friend, but as their foe, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, who has been offered the role of deputy prime minister, told reporters. We ve had to make a choice for a modified status quo, or for change. Peters said new policy announcements would be up to Ardern, but gave a foretaste of what may come by saying he expected fewer immigrants to be allowed into New Zealand. He had agreed with Labour to build tens of thousands of affordable homes, he added. Labour made tackling what it calls a housing crisis a priority during its election campaign. This shows that Winston Peters wants to make some radical changes in New Zealand, said Bryce Edwards, political analyst at Critical Politics in Wellington. He has always been an anti-establishment MP and he, in what will be his last time in government, wants to be in sync with that global rebellion against the status quo. Labour made a last minute-gamble when it appointed Ardern as a leader not long before the vote, hoping to ride the global sea of change that drove Britain to vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump to become U.S. president. Her popularity and message of hope have drawn comparisons with the similarly youthful leaders such as France s Emmanuel Macron and Canada s Justin Trudeau. Markets are concerned about uncertainty. They worry that curbs to migration and trade could hurt two key sources of New Zealand s robust growth in recent years. More restrictive trade and foreign ownership could also hurt New Zealand s reputation as an open economy and antagonize the likes of China, a key trading partner. Trade between the two countries has grown to more than NZ$20 billion ($14.4 billion) a year and Chinese President Xi Jinping called the relationship unprecedented in its depth. | 1 |
10,465 | Mcconnell says Russian hacking investigations cannot be partisan | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday added his voice to calls for bipartisan cooperation on investigations into Russian hacking aimed at interfering with the American presidential election. “Any foreign breach of our cybersecurity measures is disturbing and I strongly condemn any such efforts,” McConnell said at a news conference. “This simply cannot be a partisan issue.” | 1 |
10,466 | How TYSON FOODS Is DESTROYING Small Towns…Forcing Taxpayers To Pick Up Housing, Healthcare Costs For Muslim Refugees | This is a story you won t likely find anywhere else, as both political parties seem to be okay with the import of low wage workers from foreign countries. Meanwhile, we have millions of American citizens who have given up any hope of finding a job, and many more who are being paid more by our government to stay home. LEXINGTON, Neb. The old Longhorn Laundry is an unlikely place for a showdown over the First Amendment.You could easily miss the nondescript concrete building on a quiet downtown corner of this old cow town.But ever since a group of Somali workers from the local meatpacking plant spread out a sea of Persian rugs in the expansive former laundry and began holding Muslim prayer services five times a day, there has been controversy.City officials maintain that mosque leaders are ignoring local zoning laws and thumbing their noses at requirements for building permits and fire-code inspections.They insist that the flap is about a lack of parking, not a denial of religious freedom, and that it wasn t spurred by Islamophobia. The attraction is employment at Tyson Foods:African Muslims, mostly from war-torn Somalia, started arriving in the mid-2000s. Census estimates put the number of Somalis in Lexington at 769 in 2014 a 40 percent increase from 2000. Local Somalis and those who work with them say there actually may be 1,500 or more living in the community.Across Nebraska, census estimates show 2,100 Somali-born residents clustered in Omaha and Lincoln, and near meatpacking plants in Grand Island and Madison, as well as Lexington.Since Obama was elected, Nebraska has welcomed 6,716 refugees and the numbers have been increasing each of those years.Most of the refugees (seeded in Nebraska by federal church contractors) are Burmese or Iraqis, but of course Somalis have been resettled as well. (There are small numbers of Muslim Burmese and the largest group of Iraqis we admit to the US are Muslims. Somalis are virtually all Muslim.)For centuries, immigrants in search of a better life have been drawn to America s largest cities. Now, in part because of the meatpacking industry, recent immigrants have been seeking out small, rural towns. But many of these towns are struggling to provide the social services needed by such a diverse population that s largely invisible to most Americans.Noel, Mo is one of those small towns in America affected by the huge influx of mostly Somalian Muslim immigrants.Noel, Mo., has been dubbed the Christmas City and Canoe Capital of the Ozarks thanks to the Elk River, which winds through town. But this Missouri town of fewer than 2,000 residents thrives because of the Tyson Foods Inc. chicken processing complex located here it alone employs about 1,600 people. Just 20 years ago, Noel had only about half as many residents, and most of them were white. Then in the 1990s, Hispanics most of them Mexican moved to Noel to process chicken. Pacific Islanders and refugees from parts of Myanmar and Africa followed. We do have small towns that have had 100 to 200 percent growth that have really changed overnight over the past 20 years and have a much larger immigrant population than they used to, says Lisa Dorner, a University of Missouri education professor who has done extensive research on immigrant children growing up in small towns and suburbs. Dorner thinks such major demographic changes don t always sit well with local residents.How on earth our federal CHURCH contractors can be aiding and abetting this travesty continues to be beyond my understanding.From Progressives for Immigration Reform (emphasis RRW):In her NPR news story, In A Small Missouri Town, Immigrants Turn To Schools For Help, writer Abbie Fentress Swanson chronicles the plight of newly arrived immigrants to the small, rural town of Noel, Missouri. It seems that longtime residents there are not dealing well with sudden demographic changes. Consequently, immigrants from Mexico, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and the Pinglap region of Micronesia are among those feeling unwelcome and isolated in this formerly white community, which saw its population double to 2,000 in just two decades.Many of these immigrants are so poor they cannot afford housing or healthcare. Their children often lack shoes and clothes. As Swanson notes, about 90% of the community s children would go hungry most of the school day, if they didn t qualify for free or low-cost meals. With such an influx of people, Noel has not been able to keep up with providing social services. There is a long wait list for units from the local housing authority, and building more housing would strain the town s sewer system, already at 80% capacity.Immigrants are attracted to Noel by jobs at the chicken processing plant of Tyson Foods, which employs 1,600 people. The starting wage is a paltry $9.05 per hour, which comes to $362 a week before taxes for an eight-hour, five-day week. Despite health and injury risks to workers in this industry, Swanson calls this a decent wage and declines to hold Tyson culpable for perpetuating widespread misery in the cash-strapped town.The nation s largest U.S. meat processor by sales can easily afford to pay its employees in Noel a living wage, but prefers to have the community subsidize the resulting human wreckage. After all, profit is the overriding goal, even if it must be achieved by driving wages so low that most American citizens no longer can afford to work at its processing plants. No matter the continuous stream of cheap, compliant foreign labor will do just fine. The results are compelling .The Mayor of Noel, MO, John Lafley says Tyson Foods is pushing the town to allow for more housing development, but he s concerned that Noel s infrastructure can t handle more units.The schools system (66% minority children!) has become the de facto social services department trying to stem poverty in the immigrant households.The mayor says there s no money in the budget either to provide the social services needed in this small, remote town, which sits not far from the Missouri-Kansas-Arkansas-Oklahoma borders. For rural Missouri, Tyson plant jobs pay decent wages that start at $9.05 an hour. Still, poverty looms large here. About 90 percent of Noel school students qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. The number of homeless children has doubled in the past five years. Because the nearest food pantry and free clinic are miles away, many plant workers turn to their children s schools for help.Tyson Foods wants the town to build more housing, but the town can t afford the infrastructure costs.Affordable housing is also a problem here in Noel. There s a long waiting list for open units at the local housing authority. You cannot rent a house right now. If you look, try to find a house, you can t, says Faisal Ali Ahmed, a Somali refugee who works the night shift at the Tyson plant as a forklift driver. It s a very difficult life. If they shut down this company now, nobody stay in this bush.John Lafley, the mayor of Noel, says longtime residents need to be sensitized to immigrants needs, and immigrants need to try to fit in. We re trying to assimilate people that don t understand the American way. And they want to keep their own ways, which is not that popular, Lafley says.Lafley says Tyson Foods is pushing the town to allow for more housing development, but he s concerned that Noel s infrastructure can t handle more units.The schools system (66% minority children!) has become the de facto social services department trying to stem poverty in the immigrant households.The mayor says there s no money in the budget either to provide the social services needed in this small, remote town, which sits not far from the Missouri-Kansas-Arkansas-Oklahoma borders. For rural Missouri, Tyson plant jobs pay decent wages that start at $9.05 an hour. Still, poverty looms large here. About 90 percent of Noel school students qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. The number of homeless children has doubled in the past five years. Because the nearest food pantry and free clinic are miles away, many plant workers turn to their children s schools for help.Read about the profits Tyson Foods is making. Then this:Assimilation is not the real problem facing Noel, Missouri nor is it street-level bickering about matters of race, religion and values. The larger issue is what to do about rogue corporations that run roughshod over small communities in pursuit of profit, little of which is invested locally. Of greater concern is that our government wants to overload the job market even more through mass immigration policies, which will lay waste to many more small communities throughout America.And, what do you do about federal contractors for the US State Department wearing the white hat of do-gooderism while helping Tyson Foods make the profit!For entire story: Refugee Resettlement Watch | 0 |
10,467 | Trump says to spend extra day in Philippines during Asia trip | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he would spend an extra day in the Philippines during his trip to Asia, which the White House confirmed would be to attend the East Asia Summit taking place there. We re actually staying an extra day in the Philippines. We have a big conference, the second conference, and I think we re going to have great success, Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for his trip. | 1 |
10,468 | no title | many of us do not share donald trumps past values but we do love america in my opinion it is not about him it is about who will preserve and a protect the constitution who will protect the second amendment who will not send your son or daughter into harms way unless there is a good reason who does not support partialbirth abortion who wants to fix our inner cities and our infrastructure who will improve our economy and bring jobs back to the usa who is a nationalist and not a globalist who will protect our vets from dying in the streets and on park benches and get them help when they need it who supports our police firemen military men and women who will protect our borders from criminal elements and terrorist who will not leave americans to die in foreign countries under the hands of terrorist who is now a professed christian and changed man according to many christian leaders and pastors these are just a few reasons to vote for donald trump | 1 |
10,469 | Canada's Trudeau says will work with next U.S. president | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday vowed to work with whomever replaces President Barack Obama when his term ends in January following the U.S. presidential election in November. “The relationship, the friendship between our two countries goes far beyond any two individuals or any ideology. I have tremendous confidence in the American people and look forward to working with whomever they chose to send to this White House later this year,” said Trudeau, speaking at a White House press conference alongside Obama, a Democrat. | 1 |
10,470 | Trump arrives in Sicily ahead of Group of Seven summit | SIGONELLA, Italy (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Sicily from Brussels on Thursday ahead of a two-day Group of Seven summit at which other leaders are expected to pressure him to soften his stance on trade and climate change. The G7 meeting in the resort town of Taormina is the last leg of a nine-day tour by Trump of the Middle East and Europe — his first foreign trip since taking office in January. After visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Trump met Pope Francis in Rome on Wednesday and held talks on Thursday with the heads of European Union institutions and the NATO military alliance in Brussels. His plane landed in the Sigonella military airbase. He was due to be flown to Taormina by helicopter. | 1 |
10,471 | DR BEN CARSON’S WISE WORDS On Attack On Christians In Pakistan [Video] | Dr. Ben Carson is so full of great common sense and wisdom! | 0 |
10,472 | Rush Limbaugh Squirms And Stammers As A Caller Debunks His LIES About Guns And Obama (VIDEO) | Just about every day, Rush Limbaugh s big fat lies are systematically exposed and debunked online by a variety of sources, and it never stops being awesome. But when it comes from one of his own dittoheads and on his own show, no less it s especially entertaining. Not only is it fun to hear callers stick it to him, it s even more fun to watch Limbaugh squirm and pluck his chest, desperately struggling to wiggle out of the call.Such was the case on Tuesday following President Obama s executive order to expand background checks and to provide additional funding for mental health treatment and new resources for the FBI and the ATF.During the January 5 edition of his radio show, Limbaugh was ranting about something he yanked out of his diseased bunghole, suggesting that Obama s executive order forces patients to tell their doctors where they re storing their firearms and ammo. Of course, this is total hooey, and Limbaugh would ve continued to elaborate on his lie if it hadn t been for an industrious and pro-gun caller who totally undermined Limbaugh s entire rant with the, you know, facts.Hashtag flop-sweat.The caller noted that there are, in fact, state-level statutes in place already that mandate doctors to ask mental health patients if they believe they re a danger to themselves, but there s nothing in either state law or Obamacare or in Obama s executive order demanding that doctors known where patients are hiding their weapons. Nothing. It doesn t exist. Limbaugh made it up.Via Media Matters:CALLER: [Y]ou re telling a half-truth, at least for my state a half-truth for my state. You need to get the information from the pamphlets that were sent out to health professionals at that time for each state. And we weren t it does not say you ask where the gun is. It asks sensible things like are you going to hurt yourself? If they are, of course, stupid enough to say yes, you re, you know do you have access to ways are you planning on hurting someone else? But nothing on that says that I have to ask him, Where is your gun? and so forth. I got that information and that was from my state, not from Obama. That was from my state, and I know federal trickles down to state, but I take a little issue with some of your blanket statements when most of it was common sense prior to that, but it is state statute in Illinois a long time ago that if, say grandma has dementia and she lives with you, that you have a certain way to store that, and that s just called gun responsibility.Limbaugh stammered and tried desperately to dodge the truth. The caller, meanwhile, kept hammering away, noting that it s perfectly acceptable to, for instance, call the police if we think someone in our household is a danger to him or herself. The caller refers to this action as a civic responsibility. Needless to say, Limbaugh s call-screener will likely be spending the New Year looking for a new job.By the way, you have to listen to the audio of the call just to hear Limbaugh completely choking on the truth.Featured image via video screen grab. | 0 |
10,473 | Polish lower house of parliament backs judiciary council changes | WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland s lower house of parliament on Friday approved changes to the country s National Judiciary Council, a part of a broader overhaul of the courts system pushed by the ruling conservatives. Under the new rules, which still need Senate and presidential approval, parliament will have the responsibility for choosing members of the council which in turn nominates all judges. | 1 |
10,474 | U.S. appeals court sides against Pence in Syrian refugee case | CHICAGO (Reuters) - Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the Republican nominee for U.S. vice president, lost another round in federal court on Monday in his bid to keep refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war from resettling in his state. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago affirmed a lower-court ruling that Pence’s order seeking to bar state agencies from helping the resettlement of Syrian immigrants discriminates against the refugees based on their national origin. The setback for Pence comes a day before he is scheduled to debate the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, on national television. Pence was among more than 25 U.S. governors, mostly Republicans, who urged President Barack Obama to stop resettling refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war after November attacks by extremists in Paris that killed 130. Critics of the resettlement program have argued that it leaves the United States vulnerable to infiltration by militants from Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which has seized vast swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq and claimed responsibility for attacks on civilians in Paris and elsewhere. But Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner, writing for the three-judge panel that sided unanimously against Pence, said the governor’s assertions of a national security threat were presented “without evidence” and amounted to “nightmare speculation.” All three appellate panel members are Republican appointees, including Judge Diane Sykes, who Pence’s running mate, Donald Trump, has said he would nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court if he wins the Nov. 8 presidential election. A Pence spokeswoman, Kara Brooks, said the FBI and U.S. Homeland Security Department have acknowledged “security gaps” in screening of Syrian refugees. She also quoted a State Department spokesman who said last month that he “‘wouldn’t debate the fact that there’s the potential for ISIS terrorists to try to insert themselves’ into the refugee program.” Pence’s order was blocked by a U.S. district judge in February after a court challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and he appealed. The ACLU welcomed the court’s ruling on Monday as upholding the group’s position that the governor “may not constitutionally or legally discriminate against a particular nationality of refugees that are extensively vetted by the federal government.” Indiana has accepted 150 Syrian immigrants between Oct. 1, 2015, and Aug. 31, 2016, accounting for about 9 percent of all refugee arrivals in the state during that period, according to the State Department. | 1 |
10,475 | BOOM! SMALL ALABAMA TOWN TAKES ON TARGET: Any Man Using Women’s Restroom, Changing Rooms Will Face Fine Or Jail Time | America is experiencing an overwhelming climate of hostility and bullying by the Left (think Alinsky), as a means to shove their agenda down our throats. This story of courage and conviction by a small town in Alabama who is fighting back, will make you want to stand up and cheer! This is about a city council who is actually putting the safety and well-being of 99.80% of the population before the .2% of transgenders in America. As expected, the gay mafia descends on Oxford, AL. Please call the Mayor of Oxford, Leon Smith at 256-831-2660 and let him know you support him and the city council s decision to keep our women and children safe.The Oxford City Council on Tuesday made it illegal for anyone to use a public bathroom that doesn t align with the gender they were born with.The new law, approved unanimously by the council s members, restricts a person s use of public bathrooms and changing rooms to the facilities designated for use by those of the gender listed on his or her birth certificate. The law applies within both the city s limits and police jurisdiction.After members approved the new city ordinance, Council President Steven Waits read from a prepared statement.Waits said he and the council sought the law not out of concerns for the 0.3 percent of the population who identify as transgender, but to protect our women and children. He said the measure isn t meant to be discriminatory, and comes in direct response to the bathroom and changing-room usage policy put forth by supermarket chain Target, which has a store at Oxford s Exchange shopping center.The company posted that policy in a blog on its website last week, referencing recent debate around proposed laws in several states. That debate has been heated in North Carolina, where news outlets report that scores of protesters have been arrested this week while demonstrating for or against a statewide law that extends similar restroom restrictions. We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity, read the company s post, put online last Tuesday.Waits said he s received an overwhelming number of complaints from city residents regarding the company s policy since it was announced.Under the new law, alleged violations must be reported by a witness or committed in front of a police officer to be prosecutable.Those found to have violated the law would be fined $500, or sentenced to six months in jail.There are some exceptions to the new rule, though: Adults are allowed to accompany children under the age of 12 into the restroom. Those who need to do janitorial or maintenance work, to offer emergency medical assistance, or to assist the disabled, likewise are permitted to enter any bathroom.Via: Anniston Star | 0 |
10,476 | Did Anonymous Just Release Records PROVING Ted Cruz Ordered Prostitutes Through DC Madam? (SCREENSHOTS) | Right-wing blogs are buzzing with what they view as absolute proof that Ted Cruz availed himself of the DC Madam s services while business was still booming on the elite prostitution front. Recently, Rachel Maddow reported that Deborah Palfrey s former attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, is ready to spill the beans on the previously-unreleased clients who were not outed as part of the original investigation. He has been in possession of these records for years, but has been prevented via restraining order from releasing them.Hundreds of names have been released, but Sibley is in possession of hundreds more and at least one of them, he says, could alter the 2016 presidential race. To date, he has not named the person or people who made an appearance in the records, but he is adamant about releasing them. Not only has the lawyer filed a request with the Supreme Court to be released from the order that prevents him from making this information public, but he has vowed to release it illegally if need be. He has also set up a dead man s switch that will release the information if something happens to him that prevents him from taking action for a period of 72 hours.Many have speculated that Ted Cruz is the name on the list, given the recent National Enquirer piece that outed five alleged Cruz mistresses including Donald Trump s current mouthpiece Katrina Pierson. Previously, Anonymous threatened to release evidence that Cruz frequented prostitutes and on April 1, an account that claimed to be associated with the hacktivist collective did indeed tweet out a now-deleted image purporting to show Cruz among the many, many phone numbers contacted by Palfrey.First, there is no evidence to show that the account is in any way related to Anonymous. Additionally, it seems as though this alleged phone record may be a fake. A closer look at the image shows a rather suspicious typo on the Date of invoice. Specifically, it is 120/01, a date which does not exist period.There s also the matter of the 1:32 call between 7:19 and 7:35 pm in a list that is otherwise chronological:While it is entirely possible that the records are accurate, and that the records simply contain typos, and while it is convenient and even appetizing to immediately say BOOM GOTCHA after viewing these records, it does not appear that these are legitimate. While there is almost certainly something slimy in the Evangelical Christian s past that will ultimately end him, this image (which was released on April Fools Day) is likely a fabrication that should be taken with the same grain of salt with which people should take everything conservatives say in general.What involvement, if any, did Cruz have with the DC Madam? It looks like we re still going to have to wait a while.Featured image via screengrab/photoshop | 0 |
10,477 | ‘Far Too Sacred’ LFL Weighs In On NFL Kneeling Protest…An Option To Watching The NFL? | The football league formerly known as the Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) announced via Instagram and video this week its belief that America s flag and national anthem are far too sacred to protest.The all-woman league said in a Tuesday statement that its players would not be taking a knee during the national anthem as many of their male counterparts in the NFL have done. The LFL recognizes everyone s First Amendment right to protest, but our nation s flag and anthem are far too sacred, the league said. Too many fellow Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice, so that our flag and anthem continue in all its majesty. It symbolizes all the blood, sweat, and tears that have been shed so that we as Americans can raise our flag across our nation, the organization says during the video. The LFL salutes all those who make this the greatest country in the world. We stand in salute of our flag. This year s Legends Cup Champions were the Seattle Mist, which defeated the Atlanta Steam 38 to 28 in the finals. The Mist finished the season undefeated.Read more: WFB | 0 |
10,478 | Clinton leading Trump by 2 points in McClatchy-Marist poll | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads Republican Donald Trump by 2 percentage points in the White House race, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll released on Friday. The poll of 940 likely voters conducted Nov. 1-3 showed Clinton with 46 percent and Trump at 44 percent. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. A September McClatchy-Marist poll showed Clinton with 48 percent and Trump at 41 percent. | 1 |
10,479 | Roy Moore campaign casts Alabama race as referendum on Trump | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The campaign of Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for U.S. senator in Alabama who has been accused of sexual misconduct, appealed on Sunday to President Donald Trump’s supporters, saying a vote for Moore would be a vote for Trump’s agenda. In the final days before Tuesday’s special election, opinion polls show a tight race between Moore, a 70-year-old conservative Christian and former state judge, and Democrat Doug Jones, a 63-year-old former U.S. attorney. Dean Young, chief political strategist for Moore, cast Jones as a liberal who would vote against Trump’s priorities such as building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and cutting taxes. “If the people of Alabama vote for this liberal Democrat Doug Jones, they’re voting against the president who they put in office at the highest level,” Young told ABC’s “This Week.” “So it’s very important for Donald Trump. ... If they can beat him, they can beat his agenda, because Judge Moore stands with Donald Trump and his agenda.” Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct toward women when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s, including one woman who said he tried to initiate sexual contact with her when she was 14. Moore has denied the misconduct allegations and said they were a result of “dirty politics.” He has said that he never met any of the women involved. Reuters has not independently verified any of the accusations. As the race tightens, Jones has cranked up his attacks on Moore over the allegations and made those charges central to his argument that Moore is an unsuitable choice. The effort by the Moore campaign to align itself as closely as possible with Trump raises the stakes for the president in the Alabama race. Trump has endorsed Moore and praised him on Friday at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, near the Alabama state line. The president’s support of Moore came despite efforts by other senior Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to distance themselves from Moore. Alabama voters went strongly for Trump in last year’s presidential election, favoring him by 62 percent to 34 percent over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Washington has been roiled by sexual misconduct scandals, with accusations leading to the resignations last week of three members of Congress. The growing wave of women reporting abuse or misconduct has brought down powerful men, from movie producer Harvey Weinstein to popular television personality Matt Lauer. Republican leaders have said that if Moore wins, he could face an immediate investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee. Republican Richard Shelby, the senior U.S. senator from Alabama, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he did not vote for Moore and instead backed a write-in candidate. The editorial board of the AL.com website, which covers Alabama news, has endorsed Jones. In an editorial on Sunday, the website urged conservative voters in Alabama to follow Shelby’s lead and consider a write-in candidate if they did not want to vote for Jones. | 1 |
10,480 | Trump firing of FBI Director Comey evokes criticism, praise | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After U.S. President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, Democratic members of Congress denounced the move and renewed calls for an independent investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Democrats likened the dismissal to President Richard Nixon’s firing of an independent special prosecutor during the Watergate investigation and discounted Trump’s contention that the move was related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe of the emails of Hillary Clinton, Trump’s rival for the presidency. Some Republicans defended the firing, saying new leadership was needed at the law enforcement agency. Here are reactions from Democrats and Republicans to Comey’s firing: “No one should accept President Trump’s absurd justification that he is now concerned that FBI Director Comey treated Secretary Clinton unfairly. ... This is nothing less than Nixonian.” - Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy “Today’s action by President Trump completely obliterates any semblance of an independent investigation into Russian efforts to influence our election and places our nation on the verge of a constitutional crisis.” - Democratic Representative John Conyers “Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well.” - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham “This is Nixonian. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein must immediately appoint a special counsel to continue the Trump/Russia investigation.” -Democratic Senator Bob Casey “I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination ... His dismissal, I believe, is a loss for the bureau and the nation.” - Republican Senator Richard Burr, head of the Senate committee investigating Russia role in the election “The decision ... raises profound questions about whether the White House is brazenly interfering in a criminal matter ... The same president who has called the investigation into the Russian hacking of our democracy and the potential complicity of his campaign a ‘fake,’ cannot pretend to have made such a decision uninfluenced by his concerns over Comey’s continued involvement in the investigation.” - Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee looking into possible Russian connections “Any suggestion that today’s announcement is somehow an effort to stop the FBI’s investigation of Russia’s attempt to influence the election last fall is misplaced. The president did not fire the entire FBI; he fired the director.” - Republican Senator Susan Collins “Earlier this afternoon, President Trump called me and informed me he was firing Director Comey. I told the president: ‘Mr. President, with all due respect, you are making a big mistake’ ... Given the way the president has fired Director Comey, any person who he appoints to lead the Russia investigation will be concerned that he or she will meet the same fate as Director Comey if they run afoul of the administration.” - Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer in remarks to reporters “There is now a crisis of confidence at the Justice Department and President Trump is not being held accountable because House Republicans refuse to work with us to do our job.” - Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, who called for immediate emergency hearings “Many, including myself, have questioned his actions more than once over the past year. I believe new leadership at the FBI will restore confidence in the organization and among the people who do the hard work to carry out its mission.” - Republican Senator Roy Blunt in a statement “The president’s actions today are shocking. ... The only way this administration can begin to demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law ... is to cooperate fully with the ongoing congressional investigations and to support the appointment of an independent special counsel.” - Democratic Senator Mark Warner “This FBI director has sought for years to jail me on account of my political activities. If I can oppose his firing, so can you.” - Fugitive former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked intelligence documents and is now living in Russia, on Twitter “Over the course of the last several months, Director Comey’s decisions on controversial matters have prompted concern from across the political spectrum and from career law enforcement experts.” - Republican Senator Charles Grassley “There can be no question that a fully independent special counsel must be appointed to lead this (Russia) investigation. At this point, no one in Trump’s chain of command can be trusted to carry out an impartial investigation.” - Democratic Senator Ron Wyden on Twitter “I find it deeply troubling that this decision comes a day after damning testimony by former acting Attorney General Sally Yates on Russia’s ties to the Trump campaign and just days before Comey was scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee.” - Independent Senator Bernie Sanders “It is essential that ongoing investigations are fulsome and free of political interference until their completion, and it is imperative that President Trump nominate a well-respected and qualified individual to lead the bureau at this critical time.” - Republican Senator Bob Corker “James Comey is a man of honor and integrity ... I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The president’s decision to remove the FBI director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee.” - Republican Senator John McCain “The need for a special prosecutor is now crystal clear. President Trump has catastrophically compromised the FBI’s ongoing investigation of his own White House’s ties to Russia. Not since Watergate have our legal systems been so threatened.” - Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal “Mr. Comey did not seem to understand some of the laws he was asked to investigate and unfortunately politicized his sensitive position as the FBI director.” - Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch “FUN FACT: President Nixon never fired the Director of the FBI #FBIDirector #notNixonian” - Official Twitter account of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum | 1 |
10,481 | Snowden Laughs-off CIA Excuse of ‘Mistakenly Destroying’ Secret Torture Report | 21st Century Wire says This week s announcement by the CIA that they somehow lost the infamous torture report has failed to impress its critics who are all but certain that the agency has destroyed, or hidden the report in order to protect all who are involved in the illegal and ultimately useless practice of torturing alleged terrorist suspects in order to obtain made-up information.I worked @CIA. I wrote the Emergency Destruction Plan for Geneva. When CIA destroys something, it's never a mistake. https://t.co/S1VULfE4NY Edward Snowden (@Snowden) May 18, 2016RTThe comprehensive Senate torture report could be what was needed to really drive the point home about America s use of torture and its true effectiveness. Word of the document being destroyed emerged despite Justice Department lawyers earlier assuring a federal court there were several copies in existence.The report was said to have been destroyed by the CIA inspector general s office in an inadvertent fashion. What was extremely peculiar was the fact that last summer the officials had uploaded a copy onto a computer, then accidentally deleted that. As if that wasn t enough, they have now accidentally destroyed the disk which contained the copy of the report. I worked @CIA. I wrote the Emergency Destruction Plan for Geneva, Snowden told his millions of global supporters over Twitter. When the CIA destroys something, it s never a mistake. Continue this story at RTREAD MORE SNOWDEN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Snowden Files | 0 |
10,482 | aids patient zero not the source of the outbreak | how a communist brainwashing method came to the us cia learns from communists image credits luo shaoyang via flickr
during the height of the cold war the cia attempted to develop mind control techniques with the mkultra program
as it happens the communists already had a leg up on them well explore how this was done along with some new twists
the criticism and selfcriticism technique in history
the technique of criticism and selfcriticism kritika i samokritika was developed during the early days of the soviet union this got results when the early soviet show trials and purges took place the targets would confess to committing treasonthe details stretching credulityand beg for execution the maoists chinese communists used it too typically during struggle sessions also forced confessions were required in vietnam for prisoners in reeducation camps
what happened wasnt much different from a medieval inquisition those targeted would be badgered until they confessed to whatever it was they supposedly did of course physical forms of coercion were also an option these werent actual trials their fates were already decided | 0 |
10,483 | CLIMATE CHANGE REFUGEES? FEDS GIVE $1 BILLION In Grants To 13 States To “Help Them Adapt” To Climate Change | Now it beings the government has changed who is a refugee to include climate refugees. Does anyone else see the insanity in this? This could mean just about anyone who simply claims they fear climate change has harmed their very existence. Watch out for this one to be used by anyone and everyone. OF COURSE THE UNITED NATIONS IS BEHIND THIS REDISTRIBUTION SCAM ALONG WITH JOHN KERRY:The United Nations Institute for Environment and Human Security and the International Organization for Migration estimated that climate change could displace as many as 200 million individuals by 2050. Most of these would likely be fisherfolk and farmers relying on the environment for their livelihood.SLICK SCAM: John Kerry Warns Global Warming Will Produce Millions Of Climate Refugees Climate change, particularly unprecedented sea level rise, is already creating refugees in the United States.Back in January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it will allocate $1 billion in grants to 13 states to help them adapt to climate change. The projects will include building stronger dams as well as drainage systems. Among those grants was $48 million for Isle de Jean Charles, the first time federal tax dollars were reserved for moving an entire community mired with the impacts of climate change. The low-lying island on the Gulf coast of Louisiana is already sinking. The island is home to a few dozen people whose way of life is rooted from generations back. They are now getting displaced and turned into climate refugees. We re going to lose all our heritage, all our culture. It s all going to be history, mourned Chief Albert Naquin of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, the tribe where most of the island s residents belong, in a New York Times report. From once being 22,000 acres in size, the island has now been reduced to only 320 acres. According to 2009 data reported by Northern Arizona University, only 25 houses remained occupied, down from 63 only five years earlier.In a release, Louisiana Office of Community Development executive director Pat Forbes said that the tribe is frontlining the disaster of Louisiana s coastal land loss. The grant, she added, will help them resettle to a safer location and serve as a model for resettlement of endangered U.S. communities. Since the 1950s, the Native American tribe has already lost some 98 percent of its land to climbing sea levels, flooding and coastal erosion, with the island suspected to be totally submerged in a matter of 50 years. Naquin expressed excitement in an Indian Country Today interview over their chance to reunite the family and keep the culture intact. According to reports, the tribe will remain owners of the island even after relocating to its new community, something that could take place as soon as 2019. The first-of-its-kind grant must be spent by 2022. Read more: Tech Times | 0 |
10,484 | Macron says there is EU 'consensus' for new reforms | TALLINN (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday European Union leaders agreed during a summit dinner that they should push ahead more quickly with reforms of the bloc. Macron used the dinner in Tallinn to expound a vision of faster, deeper EU integration which he laid out in a speech on Tuesday. He told reporters the meeting had been fruitful . Last night s discussions showed there s a common realization of a need for a leap forward in Europe, he said. Today we re all convinced Europe must move ahead faster and stronger, for more sovereignty, more unity and more democracy. | 1 |
10,485 | TOP TEN Clinton Scandals That Wikileaks Exposed And That YOU Need To Know About | 1. Mrs. Clinton had cozy and improper relationship with the mainstream media.2. The State Department paid special attention to Friends of Bill. 3. Mrs. Clinton argued for a hemispheric common market with open trade and open borders. 4. The Clinton campaign was in touch with Department of Justice officials regarding the release of her emails.5. The Clinton camp was tipped off to the release of the Benghazi emails.6. Mrs. Clinton admitted sometimes her public and private positions differ.7. Mrs. Clinton s spokesman mocked Catholics and evangelicals as severely backwards. 8. Mrs. Clinton admitted she has a hard time relating to the struggles of the middle class.9. Mrs. Clinton campaign used Benghazi as a distraction from the email scandal.10. The Clinton team strategized on how to delay releasing emails, knowing it was against the law.Via: WT | 0 |
10,486 | Trump Once Again Demonstrates Why His Russia Scandal Should Be Investigated | There is definitely such a thing as protesting too much, and Donald Trump is making it very clear that Congress should investigate his ties to Russia.In yet another hissy fit on Twitter, Trump whined about his Russia scandal continuing to be a major news story and claimed that the media keeps bringing it up to hide his big election victory.Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2017First of all, Trump s big election victory was one of the smallest on record. He only received 306 electoral votes, which is lower the both of President Obama s totals in 2008 and 2012. Furthermore, Trump lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.Second, the media continues to report on Russia because it is a major scandal that Trump has been trying to shake for months now. His chief-of-staff Reince Priebus even desperately asked the FBI to shut down the reports on it in order to muzzle the story.Third, leaks are important sources for the press, especially since Trump lies constantly every time he speaks. Also, Trump is only calling the news fake because he doesn t like it.But Trump s obsession with calling his Russia scandal fake news should be reason enough for Congress to open an investigation. Trump has been protesting this story and trying to make it go away for way too long. If there is truly nothing to the story then Trump would just ignore it. But he isn t because he has something to hide.As usual, Twitter users were not impressed by Trump s tweet either.@realDonaldTrump And can you explain HOW Russia is fake news ? You ve said this 1000 times yet have never countered a single point! William LeGate (@williamlegate) February 26, 2017@realDonaldTrump The only illegal leaks now are coming from within *your* administration, and we all know leaks cannot be fake William LeGate (@williamlegate) February 26, 2017@realDonaldTrump In a recent press conference you were corrected that you did not have the biggest electoral college win. Al Letson (@Al_Letson) February 26, 2017@realDonaldTrump Additionally, you lost the popular vote by 2.8 million voters. How is this a big election defeat? Al Letson (@Al_Letson) February 26, 2017@realDonaldTrump was birtherism a fake story? You wanted Obama to prove your accusation wrong. Should you not do the same? Al Letson (@Al_Letson) February 26, 2017@realDonaldTrump Are you sure it isn t that your talk about inauguration numbers is just a cover for your ties to Russia? Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) February 26, 2017.@realDonaldTrump How is it fake news AND illegal leaks? If it s fake news, you wouldn t be after leakers. Jordan Uhl (@JordanUhl) February 26, 2017The bottom line is that Trump needs to be investigated by Congress, but Republicans are too busy making excuses so that they don t have to do it. Because if they did their duty, they would discover Trump s treachery and would be forced to impeach him. And they don t want to do that because they would lose their rubber stamp and piss off their voter base.Featured image via Win McNamee/Getty Images | 0 |
10,487 | CRAZY VIDEO OF MUSLIM JIHADESS Being Dragged Up Hill In Burqa After Police Arrest Her For Plot To Blow Up Train | Feel good video of the day A female ISIS recruiter who planned to blow up a French train station was engaged to a jihadist who beheaded a Catholic priest and the terrorist who murdered a police couple.French police believe one of the gang, known only as Sarah H., 23, was due to marry Larossi Aballa, 25.Aballa murdered a police man and his officer wife outside Paris in June before he was himself shot dead.Molins said the woman was engaged to Larossi Abballa, who killed two police officials in Magnanville in June and filmed the aftermath on Facebook Live before dying in a police raid.He said she was also betrothed to Adel Kermiche, who slit the throat of an elderly French priest during morning Mass in July. Her current fiance was arrested on Thursday, Molins said. He added: In the last few days and hours a terrorist cell was dismantled, composed of young women totally receptive to the deadly Daesh ideology. Today it emerged that the female jihadi cell the first of its kind in France had wanted to attack the Gare du Lyon in Paris, which is one of the busiest rail stations in Europe. Police and officers from the DGSI, France s counter terrorism intelligence agency, had been on the trail of the trio since Sunday, when a car full of gas cannisters was found parked in Paris. In a briefing after the raid, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said: These three young, radicalised women were preparing an imminent and violent attack. Three women were arrested in Bossy-Saint-Antoine, in the Essonne following the finding, and an officer was stabbed by a suspect who was then shot in the head. Via: Daily Mail | 0 |
10,488 | NRA Tried To Attack Hillary, Accidentally Proves We Need Better Background Checks (VIDEO) | The National Rifle Association recently made a pathetic attempt to attack Hillary Clinton and it backfired horribly.The NRA thought it had released a clever video bashing Clinton s record of approving arms exports when she served as Secretary of State, but instead they validated what gun control advocates have been asking for all along: better background checks.In the video, Conservative host Dana Loesch accuses Clinton of letting the decision about whether or not to export arms to foreign nations be based on what countries had made donations to the Clinton Foundation. These were, of course, false accusations but the NRA still tried to shame Clinton for something she didn t do. In actuality, the U.S. has the highest standards in the world for deciding whether to approve gun sales to foreign nations. But the NRA was apparently so focused on bashing the Democratic front runner, that the right-wing organization completely missed the fact that they d made a great case for background checks when Loesch said:Brilliant. The video also makes another important point that countries approved for export permits are at least investigated to ensure that countries receiving guns from the United States will be using them to promote our national security interests and foreign policy objectives. But in America, that s a different story. Guns are not only available to our military, but to nearly anyone who can clear just a few legal/safety requirements.And it gets better. Loesch continued to spew nonsense, once again unintentionally making a case for women in other countries and completely ignoring the fact that America has a huge issue with guns and domestic violence: When Hillary Clinton isn t trying to disarm women and prevent us from the equal opportunity exercise of our pro-choice right to self-defense, she is approving billion-dollar arms sales to countries with horrendous human rights records. Countries where women have little to no rights, countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and others. According to gun reform group Everytown Research, domestic violence and gun deaths are very closely linked, but the NRA is choosing to be ignorant. Domestic violence in America is to a significant degree a problem of gun violence. Over the past 25 years, more intimate partner homicides in the U.S. have been committed with guns than with all other weapons combined. And people with a history of committing domestic violence are five times more likely to subsequently murder an intimate partner when a firearm is in the house. This attack ad implies that women in other countries could and should be kept safe with strong background checks and rigid gun ownership laws. And by making no mention of protecting American women in the same way, the NRA s video suggests that women in this country should suffer the consequences that come with more relaxed gun laws. We could make the argument that in America, we need gun control the most the United States leads other developed countries in gun violence by a landslide.Clinton, on the other hand, is passionate about reducing gun violence so while the NRA tried to soil Clinton s record, they instead revealed a huge hypocrisy in their own argument. You can watch the video below:Featured image via Justin Sullivan / Getty Images | 0 |
10,489 | VETERAN BIKER GROUP Helps Returning Soldier Force Out Illegal Ex-Con Squatters | HOW IS IT THAT SQUATTERS HAVE MORE RIGHTS THAN LEGAL HOMEOWNERS?HOW TO TAKE OVER SOMEONE S PROPERTY AND GET AWAY WITH IT: Adverse possession is a principle of real estate law that gives anyone who possesses the land of another for an extended period of time in an actual, open, hostile and continuous manner the right to claim legal title to that land. The exact elements of an adverse possession claim may be different in each state. In Florida, the law prescribes continuous possession of at least seven years. In New Jersey, a squatter must be in possession of the property for 30 years, while in New York it s 10 years. In some states, the trespasser must have paid taxes on the property during this time period. Other states don t require payment of property taxes, but will apply a shorter time requirement for occupying the land if the trespasser has paid taxes.This is another case of criminals having more rights than the legal homeowners. Thank goodness for this veteran biker group that put the heat on these squatters. We ve done other articles on squatters and how they have more rights than the legal owners. Here s a great one that went viral it s pretty funny but happens more than you know: ONLY IN DETROIT: Squatting On The Squatter Takes A TurnSOLDIER RETURNS TO SQUATTERS:A soldier from New Port Richey, Florida says that squatters took over his house while he was stationed in Hawaii for two years, and when it came time to move back into his home with his wife, the squatters refused to leave.As reported earlier this week, Army Spc. Michael Sharkey says that he and his wife haven t lived in their Florida home in the two years that he s been stationed in Hawaii, but upon learning they could go back to Florida, they were shocked to discover that two ex-cons broke in, changed the locks, and were refusing to leave. Unfortunately for Sharkey, he was told that legally, there was nothing he could do to force them out. They are criminals, said Sharkey to WFLA. I am serving my country, and they have more rights to my home than I do. Police told Sharkey that they could do nothing about the couple, Julio Ortiz and Fatima Cardosa, since they already established residency, so the matter would have to be settled in a civil court.Ortiz claims that he made a verbal agreement with Sharkey s friend, who was overseeing the home while the soldier and his wife were gone, that they could live there for free as long as they did repairs on the house. Both Sharkey and his friend say those claims are lies, but Ortiz has continued to defend himself. The people that are in this house cannot produce any documentation, lease, agreement, anything that they belong in that house, said Sharkey.Once word got out that the squatters had taken over Sharkey s house, a group of military veteran bikers announced that they would be paying a visit to the home to peacefully make the squatters uncomfortable. That seems to be all it took because now, reports say that Ortiz and his girlfriend have packed up their belongings and are leaving the home for good.Via: America News | 0 |
10,490 | STUNNING: Podesta Brothers and Manafort Connected to Russia Scandal…NOT Trump [Video] | Tucker Carlson had bombshell announcements tonight that he even seemed shocked by. The biggest one was that the Podesta brothers and Paul Manafort are central figures in the Russia investigation NOT Trump:.@TuckerCarlson: Source Says Podesta Brothers & Manafort, Not #Trump, 'Central Figures' in Russia Probe https://t.co/A5XLV46ovw | #Tucker pic.twitter.com/IL5u7QtiOK Fox News (@FoxNews) October 25, 2017Fox News reported:A thus-far-reliable source who used to be involved with Clinton allies John and Tony Podesta told Tucker Carlson that press reports appearing to implicate President Trump in Russian collusion are exaggerated.The source, who Carlson said he would not yet name, said he worked for the brothers Podesta Group and was privy to some information from Robert Mueller s special investigation.While media reports describe former Black, Manafort & Stone principal Paul Manafort as Trump s main tie to the investigation, the source said it is Manafort s role as a liaison between Russia and the Podesta Group that is drawing the scrutiny.The vehicle Manafort worked for was what Carlson called a sham company with a headquarters listed in Belgium but whose contact information was linked to Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.Manafort was, at the time, representing Russian business and political interests during the Obama era.The source said the Podesta Group was in regular contact with Manafort while Hillary Clinton was America s chief diplomat. | 0 |
10,491 | 'Good to go': Top Trump aide gave inaugural day ok to nuclear plan - congressman | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As President Donald Trump delivered his inaugural address on Capitol Hill in January, his incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn, sitting a few yards away, texted a former business partner that a nuclear power project that would require lifting sanctions on Russia was “good to go,” a senior House Democrat said in a letter released on Wednesday. Quoting a confidential informant, Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote that Alex Copson, the managing partner of ACU Strategic Partners, told the informant that Flynn would see that the sanctions on Moscow were “ripped up.” In the letter to Representative Trey Gowdy, the panel’s Republican chairman, Cummings demanded that Gowdy subpoena documents on the nuclear power plan from the White House, Flynn, Copson, their partners and associates. Cummings said he had found the unnamed informant to be “authentic, credible, and reliable,” and offered to produce the individual for Gowdy. Reuters was unable to identify the informant or independently confirm the information in Cummings' letter, which can be seen here: tmsnrt.rs/2AvwKex. Gowdy told reporters later on Wednesday that he was not going to have the Oversight Committee look into the issues raised in Cummings letter, because it falls outside the scope of the committee’s responsibilities. He suggested the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election, take up the matter. Copson and ACU did not immediately respond to detailed requests for comment, while an attorney for Flynn declined to comment. The White House referred inquiries to Trump’s personal White House attorney, Ty Cobb, who declined to comment. If true, the informant’s story adds new evidence that the project’s promoters believed that Flynn and Trump backed the plan for a consortium of U.S., Russian and French firms to build and operate 45 nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Reuters last week published documents that showed Copson and other plan proponents believed they had Flynn and Trump in their corner. The documents also revealed previously unreported aspects of the ACU proposal, including the involvement of a Russian nuclear equipment manufacturer currently under U.S. sanctions. Flynn was a consultant to ACU from April 2015 to June 2016, according to amended financial disclosure forms he filed in August 2017. Flynn, who served only 24 days as Trump’s national security adviser, pleaded guilty last week to lying to FBI agents working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller about his contacts with a senior Russian diplomat. Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 elections. Cummings wrote that he delayed releasing the letter at Mueller’s request until the special counsel “completed certain investigative steps. They have now informed us that they have done so.” Cummings said the informant, who contacted his staff in June, met Copson at a Jan. 20 inaugural event in Washington. The two had not known each other, Cummings said. Copson described the nuclear project and told the informant that he had “just got this text message” from Flynn saying that the plan was “good to go” and that Copson should contact his colleagues to “let them know to put things in place,” Cummings wrote. Copson showed the informant the text message, according to Cummings. While the informant did not read the message, he saw the time stamp of 12:11 pm, which was about 10 minutes into Trump’s inaugural address. “Mike has been putting everything in place for us,” Copson told the informant, Cummings wrote. “This is going to make a lot of wealthy people.” “The whistleblower was extremely uncomfortable with the conversation,” Cummings wrote. “While at the event, the whistleblower made brief notes of Mr. Copson’s name and the discussion. The whistleblower left the event shortly thereafter.” | 1 |
10,492 | WHOA! CONSERVATIVE MEDIA Was In Cahoots With Rubio To Push Immigration Reform | This is a blockbuster discovery that nails conservative media for being in cahoots with Rubio and other high level politicians in their support of amnesty. The Gang of Eight Bill was the political football being tossed around by Democrats and then Rubio joined in to make it a bipartisan effort. The account of what happened between politicians and media is a perfect example of what s got Americans so ticked off at Washington and the media. It s very obvious that the media was a big reason for Obama s two-term presidency and now we have FOX News selling its soul for Rubio in the 2016 election. The article below will open your mind to the political manipulation happening all the time between media and Washington- it s a stunner:A few weeks after Senator Marco Rubio joined a bipartisan push for an immigration overhaul in 2013, he arrived alongside Senator Chuck Schumer at the executive dining room of News Corporation s Manhattan headquarters for dinner.Their mission was to persuade Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the media empire, and Roger Ailes, the chairman and chief executive of its Fox News division, to keep the network s on-air personalities from savaging the legislation and give it a fighting chance at survival.Mr. Murdoch, an advocate of immigration reform, and Mr. Ailes, his top lieutenant and the most powerful man in conservative television, agreed at the Jan. 17, 2013, meeting to give the senators some breathing room.But the media executives, highly attuned to the intensifying anger in the Republican grass roots, warned that the senators also needed to make their case to Rush Limbaugh, the king of conservative talk radio, who held enormous sway with the party s largely anti-immigrant base.The dinner at News Corporation headquarters which has not been previously reported and the subsequent outreach to Mr. Limbaugh illustrate the degree to which Mr. Rubio served as the chief envoy to the conservative media for the group supporting the legislation. The bill would have provided a pathway to American citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants along with measures to secure the borders and ensure that foreigners left the United States upon the expiration of their visas.It is a history that Mr. Rubio is not eager to highlight as he takes on Donald J. Trump, his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, who has made his vow to crack down on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign.Those discussions of just a few years ago now seem of a distant era, when, after the re-election of President Obama, momentum was building to overhaul the nation s immigration system.The senators embarked on a tour of editorial boards and newsrooms, and Mr. Rubio was even featured as the Republican savior on the cover of Time magazine for his efforts to change immigration laws. He already was being mentioned as a 2016 presidential contender.Now Mr. Trump has become the Republican leader in national polls by picking fights with Mr. Ailes and offending the Latino voters whom Mr. Rubio had hoped to bring into the Republican fold. And while Mr. Rubio ultimately abandoned the bipartisan legislation in the face of growing grass-roots backlash and the collapse of the conservative media truce, he, and to a certain degree Fox News, are still paying for that dinner. Rubio Discusses Borders & Benefits In Immigration Bill w/ Bill O Reilly The so-called Gang of Eight was four Democrats and four Republicans, including Mr. Rubio, who drafted an immigration bill in 2013. It passed the Senate but was stymied by conservative opposition in the House.Details of the dinner, and a previous one in 2011, were provided to The New York Times by an attendee of one of the meetings and two people with knowledge of what was discussed at both get-togethers.None of the attendees agreed to be identified for this article because the conversations were supposed to be confidential.But on Monday, Mr. Limbaugh shed light on his interactions with the senators when he told a caller frustrated with his criticism of Mr. Rubio that the immigration position the senator had advocated comes right out of the Gang of Eight bill. Mr. Limbaugh added, I ve had it explained to me by no less than Senator Schumer. Mr. Schumer declined to comment for this article. But before Mr. Obama s re-election and soon afterward, he could hardly stop talking with conservative senators and media power brokers about the chance to pass comprehensive immigration legislation.As early as March 9, 2011, Mr. Schumer joined Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and another eventual member of the Gang of Eight, at the Palm restaurant in Manhattan, where they made their case to Mr. Murdoch, Mr. Ailes and Mr. Limbaugh in a private room. The senators argued how damaging the word amnesty was to their efforts, and walked Mr. Limbaugh through their vision for an immigration overhaul. | 0 |
10,493 | Syria says U.S. attack killed six, caused extensive damage | BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army said a U.S. missile attack on one of its airbases killed six people and caused extensive damage, adding it would respond by continuing its campaign to “crush terrorism” and restore peace and security to all of Syria. A statement from the army command described the attack on Friday as an act of “blatant aggression”, saying it had made the United States “a partner” of Islamic State, the ex-Nusra Front and other “terrorist organizations”. The United States on Friday fired dozens of cruise missiles at an airbase from which it said a deadly chemical weapons attack was launched this week, in an escalation of the U.S. military role in Syria that directly raised tension with Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had ordered the strikes in America’s “national security interest”. The Syrian army said the attack “undermines the operation of combating terrorism that the Syrian Arab Army is carrying out”. “The United States has tried to justify this aggression under the pretext of the Syrian Arab Army using chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhoun, without knowing the reality of what happened,” it added. Washington has blamed Assad’s forces for the attack that killed scores of people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday. The Syrian government has strongly denied responsibility and blamed the deaths on leaks from a rebel chemical arms store it says was hit by a Syrian air strike. Rebels say there were no military positions in the targeted area in Khan Sheikhoun and that they have no chemical weapons. The army said Friday’s U.S. attack “sends the wrong messages to the terrorist organizations and makes them go further in using chemical weapons in the future whenever they face big losses on the battlefield”. The Syrian government describes all armed groups opposed to it as terrorists. | 1 |
10,494 | WATCH: Fake Fox News Girls Question Conservatives With Hilarious Results (VIDEO) | Watching a good old-fashioned troll perpetrated against the most uninformed American voter, the right-winger, is always a hoot. This HULU production of an episode of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog takes attractive white women to the scene of rallies for candidates, telling ridiculous lie after ridiculous lie.Time and time again the conservative knuckleheads willing to hold a sign for a candidate like Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and more. With realistic looking microphones and presumably cameramen, they capture the beauty and simplicity of the wild American patriot. The way they see it they re some kind of dying breed coming together as a movement. The way we see it is a dangerous bunch of people who will believe anything you tell them rallying behind lunatics and narcissistic billionaires.Dangerous is the key word. Godwin saw Donald Trump coming. Godwin s law says all internet disputes eventually end at Nazi, and he who goes there first loses. What else can you possibly equate to Donald Trump s rise to power besides 1936? People are thrilled to be able to hate so openly. Millions of people. They want someone loud and aggressive who will rebuild our military, as Trump orders the best of the best of the best for our troops. If you re white, full of rage, rich, or just plain dumb, a Donald Trump presidency is a dream come true. It wouldn t take that idiot but a month to destroy our respect as a country and our economy.That makes people who support Donald Trump fair game. This bit of trickery goes quite a bit further, however, when one of the Fox girls gets a hold of Rick Santorum and asks him about Trump s plan to sterilize Puerto Ricans. Santorum is NOT in favor of sterilizing anyone at this time. The fact that he takes it seriously is comedy gold. Senator Rand Paul gets the same story and says the most intelligent thing of anyone on the entire clip: I think that s the dumbest thing I ve ever heard. The bonus at the end is just too much. Enjoy it below, courtesy of HULU on Youtube:Featured image from screen capture | 0 |
10,495 | Trump tries to move past controversies, says he is keeping promises | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump argued on Tuesday that his 60 days in office have been a successful keeping of his campaign promises as he attempted to turn the page from a variety of controversies that have bedeviled his White House tenure. In a speech before the National Republican Congressional Committee, Trump sprinkled his remarks with jokes, mocked his critics and expressed optimism that a healthcare proposal he backs will a survive a close vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday. “We’re doing well,” Trump said of his efforts to persuade lawmakers to vote for the legislation. “I think we’re going to have some great surprises. I hope that it’s all going to work out.” Trump’s first two months have been dominated by controversies from the firing of national security adviser Michael Flynn to tweets in which he accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of wiretapping Trump Tower, a charge that FBI Director James Comey declared without foundation on Monday. Trump’s approval rating has sagged to 37 percent, according to a Gallup poll this week. But Trump looked at the sunny side in his speech, saying he has taken steps to strengthen the U.S. border with Mexico and is eager to launch into a tax overhaul and pursue a deal to fund infrastructure once he overhauls Obama’s healthcare law. He said his corporate tax effort would seek to clear the way for companies with profits overseas to bring back as much as $3 trillion to $5 trillion. “The American people gave us clear instructions. It’s time to get busy, get to work and get the job done,” Trump said. The event raised a record $30 million for the committees that help pay for Senate and House election campaigns, more than the $20 million brought in at the same event a year ago. Trump made reference to a controversy that he has been embroiled in: his efforts to suspend temporarily people traveling from several Muslim-majority nations. His original Jan. 27 executive order applying to people from seven countries was blocked by federal judges. A subsequent rewritten version has been blocked as well. “The courts are not helping us, I have to be honest with you,” Trump said. “It’s ridiculous. Somebody said I should not criticize judges. Okay, I’ll criticize judges.” | 1 |
10,496 | is google and youtube in the hillarys purse | scientists say weird signals from space are probably aliens a team of astronomers believes that strange signals emanating from a cluster of stars are actually aliens trying to tell the universe they exist the study which appeared in the publications of the astronomical society of the pacific analyzed the odd beams of light from stars a fraction of the million that were observed the bizarre beacons led the papers authors ermanno f borra and eric trottier from laval university in quebec to conclude that its probably aliens we find that the detected signals have exactly the shape of an extraterrestrial intelligence signal predicted in the previous publication and are therefore in agreement with this hypothesis wrote borra and trottier they also note that their findings align with the extraterrestrial intelligence eti hypothesis since the mysterious activity only occurred in a tiny fraction of stars the hypothesis also suggests that an intelligent life force would use a more sophisticated optical beacon than say radio waves to reveal its existence click link for article mods if this is a duplicate please delete and or lock so apparently signals detected from stars are fitting the hypothesized parameters established for extraterrestrial intelligence the stars in question also fit the hypothesized parameters for supporting life since only a small amount of stars in the area being looked at are fitting the parameters they are using that as further evidence in support of their claims thoughts | 0 |
10,497 | Factbox: Trump on Twitter (September 20) - Graham-Cassidy bill, Luther Strange, North Korea | The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Big meetings today at the United Nations. So many interesting leaders. America First will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! [0614 EDT] - After allowing North Korea to research and build Nukes while Secretary of State (Bill C also), Crooked Hillary now criticizes. [0640 EDT] - Thank you @foxandfriends - great show! [0700 EDT] - Rand Paul is a friend of mine but he is such a negative force when it comes to fixing healthcare. Graham-Cassidy Bill is GREAT! Ends Ocare! [0809 EDT] - I hope Republican Senators will vote for Graham-Cassidy and fulfill their promise to Repeal & Replace ObamaCare. Money direct to States! [0816 EDT] - Looking forward to Friday night in the Great State of Alabama. I am supporting “Big” Luther Strange because he was so loyal & helpful to me! [0829 EDT] - It was a great honor to be with King Abdullah II of Jordan and his delegation this morning. We had a GREAT bilateral meeting! [1123 EDT] - Honored to meet w/ Pres Abbas from the Palestinian Authority & his delegation, who have been working hard w/everybody involved toward peace. [1308 EDT] - Honored to host a luncheon for African leaders this afternoon. Great discussions on the challenges & opportunities facing our nations today. [1505 EDT] -On behalf of all Americans, I want to wish Jewish families many blessings in the New Year. 45.wh.gov/BNJys9 [1829 EDT] - Alabama is sooo lucky to have a candidate like “Big” Luther Strange. Smart, tough on crime, borders & trade, loves Vets & Military. Tuesday! [1842 EDT] - I would not sign Graham-Cassidy if it did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. It does! A great Bill. Repeal & Replace. [1907 EDT] - The NRA strongly endorses Luther Strange for Senator of Alabama.That means all gun owners should vote for Big Luther. He won’t let you down! [2042 EDT] - Senator (Doctor) Bill Cassidy is a class act who really cares about people and their Health(care), he doesn’t lie-just wants to help people! [2106 EDT] - Governor @RicardoRossello- We are with you and the people of Puerto Rico. Stay safe! #PRStrong [2313 EDT] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR) | 1 |
10,498 | Russia accuses U.S. of pretending to fight Islamic State in Syria, Iraq | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of pretending to fight Islamic State and of deliberately reducing its air strikes in Iraq to allow the group s militants to stream into Syria to slow the Russian-backed advance of the Syrian army. The Pentagon strongly denied the accusations, saying that the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State posts data every day on the number and result of strikes for the public to see. In the latest sign of rising tensions between Moscow and Washington, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the U.S.-led coalition had sharply reduced its air strikes in Iraq in September when Syrian forces, backed by Russian air power, had started to retake Deir al-Zor Province. Everyone sees that the U.S.-led coalition is pretending to fight Islamic State, above all in Iraq, but continuing to allegedly fight Islamic State in Syria actively for some reason, said Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia s defense ministry. The result, he said, had been that militants had moved in large numbers from Iraqi border areas to Deir al-Zor where they were trying to dig in on the left bank of the River Euphrates. The actions of the Pentagon and the coalition demand an explanation. Is their change of tack a desire to complicate as much as they can the Syrian army s operation, backed by the Russian air force, to take back Syrian territory to the east of the Euphrates?, asked Konashenkov. Or is it an artful move to drive Islamic State terrorists out of Iraq by forcing them into Syria and into the path of the Russian air force s pinpoint bombing? In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning described the Russian accusations as absolutely false . We remain committed to killing ISIS and denying them safe havens and the ability to carry out strikes in the region or globally, Manning said, using an acronym for Islamic State. Konashenkov added that Syrian troops were in the midst of trying to push Islamic State out of the city of al-Mayadin, southeast of Deir al-Zor, but that IS tried daily to reinforce its ranks there with foreign mercenaries pouring in from Iraq. | 1 |
10,499 | Trump Spokesman Reveals ASTONISHINGLY Racist Reason Kanye West Wasn’t Invited To Inauguration | Even after famously meeting with Donald Trump last month, and even after Trump has had an historically difficult time finding A-list musicians willing to debase themselves enough to perform at his inauguration, the planning committee said no to Kanye West as its star or anything else, and the reason is incredibly racist. He s not traditionally American enough. What in heaven s name could that mean, hmmmm?A spokesperson for president-elect Donald Trump s inauguration committee told CNN that Friend of Donald Kanye West was not invited to perform at the real estate mogul s inaugural because Ye s music wasn t right for the typically and traditionally American event. Tom Barrack, chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Committee, told CNN s Erin Burnett that the inauguration wasn t a fitting venue for West, who famously met with Trump in December and posed for a stiff photo at Trump Tower afterwards and whose music is about to be the subject of a course at Washington University in St. Louis called Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics. He s been great, he considers himself a friend of the president-elect, but it s not the venue. Kanye, who was born in Chicago and performs a style of music, hip-hop, that was invented in the United States on the streets of Trump s New York in the late 1970s, performed at MTV s Inaugural Youth Ball in honor of President Obama in 2009. It s going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy, we just haven t asked him to perform. And we move on with our agenda, Barrack added.Source: BillboardHere s the video:Damn @kanyewest couldn t even get to perform at this friend @realDonaldTrump s inauguration b/c the event is Traditionally American . pic.twitter.com/wu3EezncR2 Unstripped Voice (@UnstrippedVoice) January 18, 2017Looking over the list of inaugural entertainers, it s clear that typically and traditionally American means white, with a few exceptions. Most are country artists. There are a couple of African-American R&B singers, there s Travis Green, and there s an Indian-American DJ named RaviDrums. To give that extra-American oomph, Trump s ball will feature Irish dance.Trump may have done West a favor. After expressing his theoretical support for Trump (he didn t actually vote, but if he had voted ), West was forced to cancel his tour. We ll see if the D-list acts they ve managed to book suffer the same fates, assuming they re popular enough to currently be on tour.Featured image by Drew Angerer via Getty Images. | 0 |
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