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10,500 | Atlantic’s Endorsement SLAMS Trump, Indicts Him As One Of The Most Dangerous Candidates Ever | The Atlantic is a well-respected American publication. It also is one that tries with all its might to not be partisan when it comes to reporting on presidential politics. For this reason, the Atlantic usually refuses to endorse presidential candidates. The magazine has existed since 1857, and prides itself on being fact-based, morally sound, and non-partisan for the most part. They actually took sides for the first time in endorsing then-Republican candidate for president Abraham Lincoln, due to his position on slavery. To that endorsement, the paper said its reasoning for endorsing Lincoln was clear: a moral objection to slavery. The paper said of this endorsement:One of the animating causes of this magazine at its founding, in 1857, was the abolition of slavery, and Lowell argued that the Republican Party, and the man who was its standard-bearer in 1860, represented the only reasonable pathway out of the existential crisis then facing the country. In his endorsement of Abraham Lincoln for president, Lowell wrote, on behalf of the magazine, It is in a moral aversion to slavery as a great wrong that the chief strength of the Republican party lies. He went on to declare that Abraham Lincoln had experience enough in public affairs to make him a statesman, and not enough to make him a politician. The second time The Atlantic endorsed a candidate for president also had to do with racism, when the endorsement for Lyndon B. Johnson was announced. The Atlantic s position then was, once again, less of a glowing heap of praise for Johnson, but rather against Barry Goldwater s rank racism. Then-editor Edward Weeks wrote at the time: We admire the President for the continuity with which he has maintained our foreign policy, a policy which became a worldwide responsibility at the time of the Marshall Plan. The magazine went on to write that President Johnson would deliver to America the solution to the vexed problem of civil rights a power of conciliation which will prevent us from stumbling down the road taken by South Africa. They went on to say of the known racist candidate they saw in Barry Goldwater:We think it unfortunate that Barry Goldwater takes criticism as a personal affront; we think it poisonous when his anger betrays him into denouncing what he calls the radical press by bracketing the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Izvestia. There speaks not the reason of the Southwest but the voice of Joseph McCarthy. We do not impugn Senator Goldwater s honesty. We sincerely distrust his factionalism and his capacity for judgment.And now, when faced with the possibility of a bigoted, dangerous demagogue as president, The Atlantic once again has taken a stand and endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Again, this has more to do with the dangers of a Trump administration than it has to do with Hillary herself. While the good folks at The Atlantic had plenty of praise for Hillary s public service record, their public endorsement is definitely focused on the indisputable dangers of Donald Trump. They said, in part:Donald Trump, on the other hand, has no record of public service and no qualifications for public office. His affect is that of an infomercial huckster; he traffics in conspiracy theories and racist invective; he is appallingly sexist; he is erratic, secretive, and xenophobic; he expresses admiration for authoritarian rulers, and evinces authoritarian tendencies himself. He is easily goaded, a poor quality for someone seeking control of America s nuclear arsenal. He is an enemy of fact-based discourse; he is ignorant of, and indifferent to, the Constitution; he appears not to read.This judgment is not limited to the editors of The Atlantic. A large number in fact, a number unparalleled since Goldwater s 1964 campaign of prominent policy makers and officeholders from the candidate s own party have publicly renounced him. Trump disqualified himself from public service long before he declared his presidential candidacy. In one of the more sordid episodes in modern American politics, Trump made himself the face of the so-called birther movement, which had as its immediate goal the demonization of the country s first African American president. Trump s larger goal, it seemed, was to stoke fear among white Americans of dark-skinned foreigners. He succeeded wildly in this; the fear he has aroused has brought him one step away from the presidency.The Atlantic s editors are right to do this. Trump is dangerous. The fact that a non-partisan, widely respected publication that has only taken sides in presidential politics three times since 1857 has such strong words against one major party candidate and in favor of another is very telling. They are telling us something that we should already know: a Donald Trump presidency isn t just embarrassing, or even just bigoted. It would be a reckless and dangerous affair that would literally amount to a national and international emergency.Sure, Independents and others who aren t necessarily on Team Hillary might have legitimate reasons for not taking the word of a clear Clinton supporter such as myself seriously. But you surely can, if only for a second, take a step back and consider the opinions of a paper like The Atlantic.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images | 0 |
10,501 | GOP Rep. To Struggling Mom: Get A Job If You Need Medicine For Your Kids | A struggling mom sent an email to all 122 of Mississippi s lawmakers asking for help getting insulin and an insulin pump for her diabetic daughter. This was after she called 23 suppliers, trying to find one that would take Medicaid following her former supplier s move out of Medicaid s network. Her daughter has Type 1 diabetes, and needs six to ten insulin injections per day just to live.Nicole Nichols was flabbergasted when she received this response from State Representative Jeffrey Guice: I am sorry for your problem. Have you thought about buying the supplies with money that you earn? Wow. A struggling mom gets desperate and emails her lawmakers for help, and she gets slapped down with a horrifically insensitive reply from someone who doesn t know squat about her or her family. Guice is the perfect example of what s wrong with the GOP. The bootstraps crowd over there has a very limited understanding of these things.Guice issued an apology for his terrible response, which actually just reinforces the fact that he doesn t care about anyone outside his little bubble: I realize my remarks to Mrs. Nichols were completely insensitive and out of line I am sorry and deeply regret my reply. I know nothing about her and her family and replied in knee-jerk fashion. I d like to think the people of Mississippi and my constituents know that I m willing to help where I am able. I replied in knee-jerk fashion. That s basically an admission that he thinks anyone receiving government aid is a lazy good-for-nothing living high on the hog off of the backs of hardworking taxpayers. That s what the entire GOP thinks about people on aid. What an obtuse piece of flotsam.Nichols told her story to the Clarion-Ledger, going into more detail in a video about her situation and why she needs these supplies:Nichols is a stay-at-home mom, but her husband works two jobs to provide for their family of four. The insulin pump, which her daughter needs to avoid having to go through six to ten injections every day, is $2,000. The insulin itself can run as much as $400 per month. Struggling families can t afford that, and no amount of get a job is going to change that.Nichols actually did receive two other replies, both of which were sympathetic to her situation. Thankfully, people like Guice aren t calling the shots here. Nichols posted about this on her Facebook page, prompting a barrage of outraged comments from people who read it. Mississippi Medicaid saw her post, actually had some compassion, and reached out to Nichols about this very situation.Guice, and the rest of the GOP, are heartless brutes. He might regret his comments, but the fact that he even made them shows that he s just another one of those who thinks everyone should just magically grow bootstraps with which to pull themselves up.Featured image via screen capture from embedded video | 0 |
10,502 | Donald Trump Colorado Campaign Office Is Literally Run By A Kid (VIDEO) | The Donald Trump campaign is relying heavily on a 12 year old to help open a field office in one of the most important counties in the swing state of Colorado. You read that right. A 12-year-old is being relied upon to ensure that the thin-skinned man-baby candidate obtains keys to the White House.Weston Imer is co-chair of the campaign in Jefferson County, but his mother, the official field coordinator, said that she gave her son the bulk of the work in order to help teach him responsibility.Weston sits in the office instructing volunteers on what to do, as well as making phone calls to Trump supporters. Get involved kids need to be educated, Weston said, according to KDVR. Parents have the responsibility to educate their kids, Laurel Imer said.Weston will be at the field office every day until he has to start school in September. At the tender age of 12-years-old, Weston is likely in the 7th grade. Do you want to be President of the United States one day? a reporter asked Weston. Definitely, 2040 watch for me and Baron Trump if you re watching. I ll take ya as my running mate, Imer said.Watch:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn9Zx8yUkXY]The 12-year-old would like to become President of the free world one day. We re pretty sure that Donald, his idol, never dreamed he would get this close to the White House since he s done everything possible to discourage that.Donald trails Hillary Clinton by ten points in Colorado, according to a Fox News poll. Again, we re talking about a Fox News poll. It s not exactly surprising since Donald s campaign doled out $7.7 million to his family and Trump-owned companies. Instead of increasing spending on staff or organizing like in crucial states such as Colorado the campaign spent $1.8 million on hats and other merchandise.It s commendable that Mrs. Imer wants to teach her child responsibility but this is a presidential election in important battleground territory. Aside from that, educating her child while using Donald as a model for responsibility is counterproductive. Donald is a scam artist, nothing more.Image via screen capture. | 0 |
10,503 | DISGRACEFUL! Senator John McCain Swipes At Trump…Slams His Leadership Ability | Senator John McCain took another swipe at President Trump. He claimed that American leadership was stronger under Obama. The Senator has been attacking Trump non-stop making people wonder what in the world is wrong with him. President Trump has only been in office 5 months!The Hill had this to say about McCain s feelings on Trump s leadership:Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said American leadership was stronger under President Trump s predecessor, President Barack Obama, according to a Guardian report published Sunday.Asked if the country stood on sturdier ground under Obama s leadership, McCain said yes, according to the report. As far as American leadership is concerned, yes, said McCain, who also vocally criticized many of the Obama administration s foreign policy decisions.McCain also lost to Obama when he ran as the GOP nominee in the 2008 presidential election.He recently fumbled in questioning former FBI Director James Comey leaving people to question his mental fitness for the Senate:Memes like the one below have started to pop up on social media:McCain has become more and more of an obstructionist when it comes to Trump s policies. Is this McCain s true colors coming out or a case of his mental ability to reason diminishing? We think it s a little of both Time to go! | 0 |
10,504 | Oh Brother! White House Compares Obama To The Pope | These social justice warriors always think they know what s best for you and everyone else. Social justice is socialism so perhaps the White House press is correct. It s easy to spread the wealth with other people s money Pope Francis and President Obama have both dedicated their lives to helping the less fortunate, and that commonality will be central to their meeting Wednesday during the pope s first visit to the United States, a White House spokesman said hours before Obama left to greet the pontiff as he landed at Andrews Air Force Base Tuesday afternoon. Both men have talked, quite publicly, about their commitment to social justice, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in previewing their Oval Office meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning. And both men have dedicated their, not just their careers, but their lives, to that effort. Certainly the kind of commitment that we ve seen from Pope Francis is unique and singular, Earnest allowed but I think the values that both men live out have some common ground. Earnest talked about how Obama turned down high-paying jobs upon graduating law school to instead work in Chicago s poor South Side, and how Francis is known for advocating on behalf of impoverished communities in his home country of Argentina before ascending through the Roman Catholic Church s ranks.Via: Gateway Pundit | 0 |
10,505 | Bill O’Reilly Just Made The Most Offensive And Outrageous Claim About Black Lives Matter EVER | If there is anyone who is as big a bully as Donald Trump, it is Fox News Bill O Reilly. Whenever he has a guest on his show that has a differing opinion than him, he cuts them off, yells at them and all around treats them like shit. In addition to the way he treats his guests, he lies all the time to his audience and makes inflammatory claims about Democrats and liberal organizations. His love for outrage was showcased on the Wednesday night episode of The O Reilly Factor where he accused Black Lives Matter of killing Americans. O Reilly introduced the Talking Points segment of his show by saying, How Black Lives Matter is killing Americans: that is the subject of tonight s talking points memo. He went on to say that the movement is a violent subculture within the African-American community. Yes, because fighting for the rights, through protests and demonstrations, is SUPER offensive and violent. He claimed: The media will not spotlight that much of the violent crime in America is being committed right now by young black men. Blacks of all ages commit homicide at a rate of 8 times higher than whites and Hispanics combined. Conclusion: There is a violent subculture in the African American community that should be exposed and confronted. I would love to know where Bill gets his statistics from. Obviously, it s The Bullshit Center For White Supremacist Studies. This tired old narrative that black people commit more crimes than white people is, exactly that, bullshit. According to FBI statistics, African-Americans were arrested more than whites for murder and manslaughter, but the numbers varied by ONE percent.However, white people committed far more violent crimes than African-Americans. Sixty-five percent of the people arrested for forcible rape were white, that s double the 32 percent that were black. Aggravated assaults? 62.8 percent were committed by whites, 34 percent by blacks. Burglaries? 67.1 percent were committed by whites, 30.8 percent by blacks. The FBI found that 58.7 percent of all violent crimes were committed by white people and 38.5 percent by African-Americans.Table via FBI.govDon t expect O Reilly to amend his false claims, though, he needs to keep his audience nice and outraged. He needs his viewers to believe that black thugs are murdering, raping and robbing. The Republican Party needs him to spread this racist, bombastic nonsense because the more fearful white folks are of black people, the more likely they are to vote for people like Trump who are promising to take the country back. They HATE that a black guy has taken up residence in their White House and they want to make their Oval Office white again. O Reilly and the GOP know that this is how their vapid base feels so they are fear-mongering HARD.Featured image via Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images | 0 |
10,506 | YRC Worldwide says multiple terminals closed in U.S. Southeast | (Reuters) - YRC Worldwide Inc said on Monday it had multiple terminals closed in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida due to Irma. The closed terminals included locations in Atlanta, Valdosta and Albany, in Georgia; Charleston, Columbia, and Florence, in South Carolina; Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa in Florida. | 1 |
10,507 | Special counsel Mueller asks White House for Flynn documents - New York Times | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Investigators working for U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia, have asked the White House for documents related to his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the New York Times reported on Friday. “Though not a formal subpoena, the document request is the first known instance of Mr. Mueller’s team asking the White House to hand over records,” said the Times, which cited unnamed people close to the investigation for the report. The Times also said the investigators had questioned witnesses about whether Flynn was secretly paid by the Turkish government during the final months of the 2016 campaign. The White House and Flynn’s lawyer, Robert Kelner, did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment. The Times quoted Ty Cobb, special counsel to Trump, as saying “We’ve said before we’re collaborating with the special counsel on an ongoing basis.” Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia and called the investigation a witch hunt. The Republican president fired Flynn in February after it became clear that he had falsely characterized the nature of phone conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to Washington in December. Reuters reported in June that according to a subpoena, federal prosecutors in Virginia were investigating a deal between Flynn and Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin as part of a grand jury criminal probe. Alptekin’s company, Netherlands-based Inovo BV, paid the now-inactive Flynn Intel Group $530,000 (406,554 pounds) between September and November 2016 to produce a documentary and research on Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish cleric living in the United States. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan blames Gulen for a failed coup last year. | 1 |
10,508 | Senator Rand Paul returns to work after being tackled while mowing lawn | (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said he returned to work on Monday, more than a week after he suffered six broken ribs when tackled by a neighbor while mowing his lawn. “While I’m still in a good deal of pain, I will be returning to work in the Senate today, ready to fight for liberty and help move forward with tax cuts in the coming days and weeks,” the Republican senator Paul said on a Twitter post. The man accused of tackling Paul and breaking his ribs, Rene Boucher, 59, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a misdemeanor assault charge, a court official said. Boucher is charged with fourth-degree assault causing minor injury, for which he faces up to a year of imprisonment if convicted. A pretrial hearing was set for Nov. 30. Boucher’s $7,500 bond requiring him to keep at least 1,000 feet (305 m) away from Paul remained in effect. Paul, 54, told police that Boucher came on his property in a gated community near Bowling Green and tackled him from behind, the Bowling Green Daily News reported, citing an arrest warrant. Paul previously said on Twitter he suffered the broken ribs from the Nov. 3 incident and that X-rays showed a pleural effusion, which is a buildup of fluid in the tissues that line the lungs and the chest. Media reports have said Boucher, also a physician like Paul, had a long-running dispute with the senator. But Paul, in a Washington Examiner interview published Monday, said he had no dispute with Boucher and had not spoken to his neighbor in a decade. He said he knew of no motive for the incident. Paul could not be reached by Reuters Monday. “My first encounter was basically being hit in the back,” he said. “We’ve never had words over anything, we’ve never had a dispute or discussion or words.” The Kentucky State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incident, according to Warren County Attorney Amy Milliken. Citing unnamed sources, Fox News reported on Thursday that Paul had been told federal charges were expected in the case. “There is going to be a criminal prosecution,” Paul told the Examiner but did not elaborate on what he meant. There are no updates on the federal charges, David Habich, an FBI spokesman in Louisville, said in an email on Monday. The senator’s office declined to comment on possible federal charges on Monday. | 1 |
10,509 | Japan to launch crackdown on asylum seekers: Yomiuri | TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will curb asylum seekers rights to work and detain any not deemed refugees or who have made multiple applications, the Yomiuri daily reported on Tuesday, in a move to further tighten one of the developed world s toughest refugee systems. From as early as mid-November, Japan will only allow those it regards as bona fide refugees the right to work. The Justice Ministry estimates that the new rule will effectively deny the right to work for more than 10,000 asylum seekers a year who don t qualify for refugee status, the Yomiuri said, without citing sources.Others, including those who fail to qualify as refugees in initial checks and multiple asylum applicants, will be held in detention centers after their permission to stay in Japan expires, the report said. At present, asylum seekers with valid visas receive renewable permits allowing them to work in Japan while their refugee applications are reviewed - a system the government says encourages people to seek asylum in order to work. We are looking at policies, including that in the (Yomiuri) article. We haven t decided whether to put it into action, said Yasuhiro Hishida, a Justice Ministry official overseeing refugee recognition. Japan accepted just three refugees in the first half of 2017 despite a record 8,561 fresh asylum applications, and only 28 in 2016. Human Rights Watch in January described the country s record on asylum seekers as abysmal . The prospect of the crackdown drew criticism from Japan s most prominent refugee organization, which said that asylum seekers would struggle to make ends meet without work permits. It s essential that minimum living conditions are ensured while people apply for asylum, said Eri Ishikawa of the Japan Association for Refugees. The world s third biggest economy has remained unwelcoming to immigration despite a shrinking, aging population that has exacerbated the worst labor shortages in four decades and drags on an already slow economic growth. Japan s reluctance to accept foreign workers and refugees is in contrast to the policies of other industrialized countries, and has forced labor-hungry industries including construction and manufacturing to rely on asylum seekers with work permits. Immigration remains a controversial subject in Japan, where many pride themselves on cultural and ethnic homogeneity. Almost six in 10 Japanese think diversity of ethnic groups, religions and races makes their country a worse place, a poll this month by the Pew Research Center showed. | 1 |
10,510 | Pope holds emotional meeting with refugees, says "Rohingya" for first time | DHAKA (Reuters) - Pope Francis had an emotional meeting with Muslim refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh on Friday and used the word Rohingya to describe them for the first time on his Asian trip, calling for them to be respected. He also urged the world not to ignore refugees, persecuted minorities, the poor and vulnerable. The encounter took place at an inter-religious peace meeting on his first full day in Bangladesh, to where 625,000 Rohingya from Myanmar s Rakhine state have fled from an army crackdown. Refugees have said scores of Rohingya villages have been burnt to the ground, people killed and women raped. Myanmar s military has denied accusations of ethnic cleansing by the United States and United Nations. The pope had earlier in the week visited Myanmar, where he met its leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. But there he avoided using the word Rohingya, a term the authorities reject. Many people in Myanmar regard the largely stateless Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. At the Bangladesh meeting, however, he said: The presence of God today is also called Rohingya. Addressing about 5,000 people at the gathering on the grounds of the Roman Catholic archbishop s residence, Francis said: How much our world needs this heart to beat strongly, to counter the virus of political corruption, destructive religious ideologies, and the temptation to turn a blind eye to the needs of the poor, refugees, persecuted minorities, and those who are most vulnerable. Aid workers brought 16 Rohingya refugees from camps in Cox s Bazar, about 430 km (260 miles) southeast of Dhaka on the border with Myanmar, to join other Muslims, as well as Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and charity workers. The pope looked somber as each member of the group, which included 12 men and four women, including two young girls, told him their stories through interpreters. Francis looked pained as he listened. In the name of all those who persecute you, who have persecuted you, those who have hurt you, above all for the indifference of the world, I ask for forgiveness, forgiveness. Francis said in improvised comments. Before that, in his calls for peace in Myanmar and Bangladesh, he had not publicly used the word Rohingya to describe the refugees disappointing human rights groups and other prominent figures in the West who have condemned the repression. He had decided to follow the advice of Myanmar Church officials, who said his use of the word could prompt a backlash against Christians and hurt Myanmar s fragile path to democracy. One of the women refugees told Reuters before the meeting: Myanmar military captured me and some other women, tortured us. I still bleed, there is pain in the abdomen, my back hurts, I get headaches. Medicines have not helped much. I will share my pain with him, the woman as her young daughter clutched at her burqa garment. The pope spoke under a huge tent-like canopy held up by bamboo poles and covered with red, white and scarlet fabric to guard against the afternoon sun. He had first visited the cathedral and then was taken to the tent in a flower-bedecked peddle rickshaw that a man pushed up the central aisle. In his address, Francis said: Religious concern for the welfare of our neighbor, streaming from an open heart, flows outward like a vast river, to quench the dry and parched wastelands of hatred, corruption, poverty and violence that so damage human lives, tear families apart, and disfigure the gift of creation, he said. The pope has called for decisive measures to resolve the political reasons that caused the refugee crisis and urged countries to help the Bangladesh government deal with it. Earlier this year from the Vatican, the pope twice defended the Rohingya by name, once saying that they had been tortured, killed simply because they wanted to live their culture and their Muslim faith . The Myanmar military launched the crackdown in response to Rohingya militant attacks on an army base and police posts in August and says it is a legitimate counter-insurgency operation. | 1 |
10,511 | Senator McCain wants Pentagon to probe United Launch executive's remarks | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain on Thursday urged Defense Secretary Ash Carter to investigate what he called troubling remarks by a former senior United Launch Alliance executive about his company’s dealings with the Pentagon. Brett Tobey resigned Wednesday as vice president of engineering for ULA, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, after his comments at a Colorado university were posted by Space News, a trade publication. In his remarks, Tobey contradicted ULA’s reason for skipping a competition to launch GPS satellites and said the Defense Department “bent over backwards to lean the field” to ULA’s advantage in that competition with new market entrant SpaceX. He also said the Pentagon was trying to figure out “how do we silence McCain,” who has urged the government to penalize ULA for failing to bid in the competition despite receiving $800 million in support funding for launch services every year. “This committee treats with the utmost seriousness any implication that the Department showed favoritism to a major defense contractor or that efforts have been made to silence members of Congress,” McCain told Carter at a hearing on the U.S. Defense Department’s fiscal 2017 budget request. ULA said Tobey’s remarks were inaccurate. ULA, the sole provider for U.S. military launches for nearly a decade, is scrambling to restructure so it can compete with Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX. ULA last year said it had skipped the GPS-3 launch competition because it lacked the required accounting systems and did not have enough Russian-built RD-180 engines to power its Atlas 5 rockets due to a ban imposed by Congress after Russia’s annexation of the Ukraine region of Crimea. Tobey said ULA did not want to get into a “price shootout” with SpaceX since its launches cost $125 million, or close to $200 million including the separate launch support contract, compared to around $60 million for SpaceX. Carter did not respond to McCain’s request for a “full investigation” into the comments from the former ULA executive. Winston Beauchamp, deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for space, had no immediate comment on Tobey’s remarks. He said the Air Force had concluded it could not penalize ULA for not bidding in the GPS-3 launch competition since there was no requirements for companies to bid. He also noted that the launch support contract was solely associated with launches already awarded to ULA under an earlier block buy contract. | 1 |
10,512 | Trump’s Problems With Women Get Worse As Another Beauty Queen Comes Forward With Assault Story | Donald Trump keeps saying that all the women who have come forward alleging that he acted in a sexually inappropriate way toward them are liars. However, the stories are remarkably similar, and they reflect Trump s own words on the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape where he bragged to then-host Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women. Well, on Thursday, those issues deepened, as a 12th woman came forward.Ninni Laaksonen once held the title of Miss Finland. Speaking with Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, she says that Trump touched her rear end inappropriately in 2006, where the pageant participants were doing an episode of The Late Show with David Letterman. Laaksonen says: Before the show we were photographed outside the building. Trump stood next to me and suddenly he squeezed my butt. He really grabbed my butt. I don t think anybody saw it but I flinched and thought, What is happening? What is most interesting here is the fact that this young woman didn t go out of her way to go public with these allegations. The paper she spoke with, which is supposedly the second-biggest publication in all of Finland, went looking for women in the nation who had histories with Trump. That is how Laaksonen was found, which makes her allegations against Trump all the more credible. She didn t go looking to attach her name to this scandal unfolding in the United States presidential election, but that is what happened, just because she chose to be brave.Perhaps the grossest part of all of this is what Laaksonen says someone told her regarding Trump s attraction to her: Somebody told me there that Trump liked me because I looked like Melania when she was younger. This is just disgusting. The GOP really should be addressing this with the public. They are literally trying to put a sexual predator in the Oval Office. This just goes to show that they do not care about the women of this country, or about the nation itself at all. They care about their party and their careers, and that s it.Hopefully, more women are found between now and election day, and they won t be able to be ignored.Featured image via screen capture | 0 |
10,513 | Turkey says Gulen network behind U.S. case against Turkish trader | ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The U.S. case against a Turkish gold trader accused of evading U.S. sanctions on Iran is based on evidence fabricated by the network of the Muslim cleric Ankara blames for last year s coup attempt, Turkey s foreign minister said on Friday. Mevlut Cavusoglu said the case against the trader, Reza Zarrab, showed the extent to which followers of the U.S.-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, had infiltrated American state institutions, including its judiciary and overseas missions. The Zarrab case has complicated already strained relations between the United States and Turkey, both members of the NATO military alliance. U.S. prosecutors have charged the wealthy Iranian-born Zarrab and his alleged co-conspirators of handling hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran s government and Iranian entities from 2010 to 2015, in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions. While nine people have been criminally charged, only Zarrab and a banker from Turkey s Halkbank, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, are in U.S. custody. Both are due to go on trial on Nov. 27, and have pleaded not guilty. When you look at the indictment of Mr Zarrab it is exactly the same one that FETO actually prepared here in Turkey in 2013, Cavusoglu told reporters at a briefing in Istanbul, using the government s term for Gulen s network. So this case is very much a FETO-motivated one, this is for sure. All those indictments and files they fabricated here were taken back to the United States. Under a Turkish investigation that became public in 2013, prosecutors accused Zarrab and high-ranking Turkish officials of involvement in facilitating Iranian money transfers via gold smuggling, leaked documents at the time showed. Erdogan, then prime minister, cast the case as a coup attempt orchestrated by his political enemies. Several prosecutors were removed from the case, police investigators were reassigned, and the investigation was later dropped. Turkey blames Gulen s followers for the July 2016 failed coup, when a group of rogue soldiers attempted to overthrow the government and killed more than 250 people. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has denied any involvement and condemned the coup. Turkey has repeatedly requested Gulen s extradition, but U.S. officials have said the courts require sufficient evidence before they can extradite the elderly cleric. The United States says its judiciary is independent of any political or other interference. Cavusoglu said he had informed U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of what Ankara sees as the Gulenists attempts to spread their influence. I told him very openly that I believe that FETO has infiltrated his missions here in Turkey through the local staff, and the Halkbank case and the Zarrab case are very much FETO-motivated ones. I am very open. He didn t make a comment on this, Cavusoglu said. Last month Turkey arrested a local employee working at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul over alleged links to Gulen s network, prompting an angry reaction from Washington that led to both countries scaling back visa services they provide for each other s nationals. On Nov. 6, Ankara and Washington said they would resume visa services on a limited basis, although ties remain strained. [nL8N1NM6XB] | 1 |
10,514 | Opponents of Saudi 9/11 bill keep up fight ahead of veto override vote | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Opponents of a bill that would allow lawsuits against Saudi Arabia’s government over the Sept. 11 attacks kept up their fight against the measure on Tuesday, a day before the U.S. Senate is expected to oppose President Barack Obama’s veto, allowing the bill to become law. Opponents circulated a letter from Ash Carter, Obama’s Secretary of Defense, saying that the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” known as JASTA, posed risks for U.S. forces abroad. “While we are sympathetic to the intent of JASTA, its potential second- and third-order consequences could be devastating to the Department and its Service members and could undermine our important counterterrorism efforts abroad,” Carter wrote to Representative Mac Thornberry. As Reuters reported on Friday, Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has circulated a letter to his fellow House of Representatives Republicans saying that he will vote to sustain Obama’s veto and urging them to do the same. Obama vetoed the legislation on Friday. If Congress gets enough votes to override the veto for the first time since Obama became president in 2009 the bill would become law. It takes two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House to override a veto. The legislation passed the Senate and House without opposition, in reaction to long-running suspicions, denied by Riyadh, that the hijackers of the four U.S. jetliners that attacked the United States in 2001 were backed by the Saudi government. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. While a few lawmakers have expressed concerns about the implications of the bill, it still has strong support, among both Republicans and Obama’s fellow Democrats. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, told reporters on Tuesday she would vote to override. She said the vote was about giving a day in court to survivors and relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, not a rebuke of Obama. “It isn’t anti-president,” she said. | 1 |
10,515 | U.S. health secretary: House health bill is just first step | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is the first step of the Trump administration’s effort to revamp the nation’s health care system, U.S. Health Secretary Tom Price said on Tuesday. Price, in a letter to the chairmen of two key House committees, said congressional rules prevented the proposed bill from including certain changes, such as allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines and lowering drug costs. More action would be needed, he added but gave no other detail. | 1 |
10,516 | Cops Put Trump-Backed Breitbart To SHAME For Fake 1,000-Muslim Mob Attack Story | Donald Trump loves the right-wing, white supremacist news publication Breitbart so much that he snagged their former executive chair, white supremacist Steve Bannon, to serve as his chief strategist in the White House. But Bannon s propaganda rag recently demonstrated some behavior that most of us find cringeworthy (while Trump and friends are surely cheering) when they decided a story about a small fireworks fire needed a bit of spice.According to Breitbart in a story headlined Revealed: 1,000-man mob attack police, set Germany s oldest church alight on New Year s Eve, a crowd of at least 1,000 young Muslim men began throwing fireworks into a crowd of families with children before setting fire to a church. When police asked them to stop, the mob began to throw fireworks at cops instead. So sayeth Breitbart. Writer Virginia Hale adds:Also reported by the Ruhr Nachrichten was that a group of Syrians sang in celebration of the ceasefire in Syria. However, a video posted to Twitter by one of the newspaper s reporters, paired with the caption Syrians celebrate the truce in their country, shows a group of men chanting Allahu Akhbar around the flag of al-Qaeda and Islamic State collaborators, the Free Syrian Army. Unsurprisingly, the video she posted did not show an ISIS flag in the least, nor did it show anyone throwing fireworks at anyone:#Silvester in #Dortmund: Syrer feiern den Waffenstillstand in ihrem Land. pic.twitter.com/Yxom6nY5QC Peter Bandermann (@RN_Bandermann) December 31, 2016Police confirm, however, that nothing extraordinary or spectacular had actually occurred and they want the right-wing lie-rag to knock it the f*ck off.Ruhr Nachrichten, the local newspaper cited in the Breitbart report, says that numerous elements of the story had been twisted by Breitbart to produce what they call in no uncertain terms fake news, hate and propaganda. They explain that Wolf took numerous unconnected incidents, exaggerated them, and threw them together with the sole purpose of creating a false image of Muslims as terrorists.This Breitbart story has even prompted the justice minister of the Hesse state, Eva K hne-H rmann, to warn that the danger is that these stories spread with incredible speed and take on lives of their own. In reality, stray fireworks started a small fire on netting covering the scaffolding on the church. The fire was extinguished in 12 minutes, the roof was never on fire, and contrary to Breitbart s report s claim the church isn t even the oldest in Germany. In reality, police say they handled 185 missions that night a sharp drop from the 421 they responded to in 2015. In fact, leadership says that the night was rather average to quiet. The story is still online without a single correction, apology, note, or alteration because the truth is that Breitbart s readers simply don t care about the truth.Featured image via screengrab | 0 |
10,517 | Ellen DeGeneres Refuses To Have Donald Trump On Her Show; Here’s Why (VIDEO) | Ellen DeGeneres, perhaps more than anyone, has shown average Americans that LGBT people are just like other people, only in her case, a lot funnier, a better dancer and a lot nicer. She s so nice that she rarely weighs into political issues, so for liberals, it was refreshing when she told Matt Lauer of The Today Show that she would never have Trump on her show because he s against everything that (she) stand(s) for. The daytime talkshow host has interviewed numerous politicians on her show, including Barack and Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and even George W. Bush. Obama even awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But for Trump, she says, I m not going to change his mind, and that kills it for her. We need to look at someone else who looks different than us and believes in something that we don t believe in and still accept them, and still let them have their rights. It s not really personal for DeGeneres, who said she s met Trump and never had a problem with him until he began running for president. I flew in his helicopter and did a bit with him. So I knew him then, she told Lauer. I have not spoken to him since he s run for president or become president, she said.Here s the video:DeGeneres came out 20 years ago. Since then, she has gained mainstream acceptance and there s little doubt that her show and her persona have helped change Americans views on LGBT rights.She doesn t get political too often, but this isn t the first time she has spoken out against Trump. DeGeneres was the voice of Dory in the animated Pixar film Finding Dory. After Trump s inauguration, she noted that there were similarities between Dory and Trump s proposed border wall. Now, of course Finding Dory is about a fish named Dory, DeGeneres said in front of a monitor displaying stills from the film. And, Dory lives in Australia, and these are her parents, and they live in America. And I don t know what religion they are, but her dad sounds a little Jewish doesn t matter. Dory arrives in America with her friends Marlin and Nemo, the host continued. She ends up at the Marine Life Institute behind a large wall. They all have to get over the wall and you won t believe it, but that wall has almost no effect in keeping them out. Judging from the audience s applause, they particularly enjoyed DeGeneres joke. Even though Dory gets into America, she ends up separated from her family, but the other animals help Dory, DeGeneres began. Animals that don t even need her. Animals that don t even have anything in common with her. They help her, even though they re completely different colors. Because that s what you do when you see someone in need you help them. Source: USA TodayLet s hope DeGeneres speaks out more in the future. But when one of the nicest people in the world won t even welcome Trump, perhaps Trump should listen not that he would.Featured image via Alex Wong/Getty Images. | 0 |
10,518 | Soledad O’Brien SLAMS Media For Supporting White Supremacy (VIDEO) | On Sunday, former CNN host Soledad O Brien appeared on CNN s Reliable Sources, where she claimed that CNN and the mainstream media in general, have helped Donald Trump normalize white supremacy through their coverage of his campaign. If you look at Hillary Clinton s speech where she basically pointed out that what Donald Trump has done actually quite well has normalized white supremacy. I think she made a very good argument, almost like a lawyer. Here are ways in which he has actually worked to normalize conversations that many people find hateful.I ve seen on-air, white supremacists being interviewed because they are Trump delegates, and they do a five-minute segment, the first minute or so talking about what they believe as white supremacists. So you have normalized that. O Brien continued to voice her objections to the type of coverage the press has given Trump over the course of his campaign run, saying: Donald Trump will say, Hillary Clinton, she s a bigot. And it s covered, the journalist part comes in, They trade barbs. He said she s a bigot and she points out that he might be appealing to racists. It only becomes he said, she said. When in actuality, the fact that Donald Trump said she s a bigot without the long laundry list of evidence, which if you looked at Hillary Clinton s speech, she actually did have a lot of really good factual evidence that we would all agree that are things that have happened and do exist. They are treated as if they are equal. O Brien is voicing critiques of the media that have come up recently regarding the way media organizations handle their bias towards objectivity. Similar criticisms of mainstream media companies have arisen in the past over a wide variety of issues most notably, when covering issues relating to climate change. For example, in an effort to appear objective, news and editorial shows will have a climate scientist come on their program as well as a climate change denier.It isn t at all fair to have a climate change denier be given airtime when they represent an incredibly small fraction of the population of experts. Especially when you take into consideration that their views are generally considered to be demonstrably false by all available scientific evidence.The same goes for Trump and those involved with his campaign. They represent an overall tiny segment of population keep in mind that less than 10% of the eligible U.S. population voted for any candidate in the presidential primary and they generally have put out views that are hateful and even bizarre.You can watch the video of the exchange below:Featured image via video screen capture | 0 |
10,519 | Iraqi Kurdish security forces raid local broadcaster NRT, take it off air: NRT chief | SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdistan s internal security forces, Asayish, have raided the offices of Kurdish private broadcaster NRT in the province of Sulaimaniya and taken the channel off the air, its head told Reuters on Tuesday. The channel was not accessible. Earlier, local officials said three people had been killed and more than 80 wounded when Kurdish protesters, angered by years of austerity and unpaid public-sector salaries, took part in a second day of violent unrest amid tensions with Baghdad. | 1 |
10,520 | Illinois Republican lawmaker resigns, cites Facebook, Twitter hacks | CHICAGO (Reuters) - A prominent Illinois Republican has resigned from the state legislature, citing multiple incidents of fake Facebook and Twitter accounts set up in his name in recent weeks. “After some cyber security issues arose, I began to re-evaluate my continued public service,” Representative Ron Sandack, House Republican floor leader, said in a resignation letter dated Sunday and provided on Monday by the Republican Caucus. Sandack, known as an adamant defender of Republican Governor Bruce Rauner’s initiatives on the floor of the Democratic-dominated House, was up for re-election in November against Democrat Greg Hose. His resignation comes as both major U.S. political parties are increasingly bedeviled by hacking, including Friday’s leak of emails that have embarrassed Democrats as they gather for the party’s convention in Philadelphia this week. Sandack had been battling since July 4 to remove multiple fake Facebook and Twitter accounts in his name, he told Capitol Fax, a respected political blog based in Springfield, the state capital. It is not clear what, if anything, the fake accounts posted in his name. Sandack, who was an active user of social media, has shut down his Facebook and Twitter accounts and has filed a police report regarding the fake ones, Capitol Fax reported. A spokeswoman for Jim Durkin, leader of the House Republicans, did not respond to a question on who would replace Sandack as Republican candidate for his seat. Rauner did not respond to reporters’ questions about Sandack following an event on Monday morning. Sandack is a Chicago lawyer and former mayor of Downers Grove, Illinois. He was appointed in 2010 to the Illinois Senate to fill in for a senator who resigned, and went on to be elected as representative for his suburban Chicago district. In his resignation notice he also said he was no longer willing to miss so many family events. | 1 |
10,521 | Trump BEGGED This Singer To Perform At His Inauguration, So She Told Him To Go F*ck Himself (TWEETS) | Donald Trump s inauguration festivities aren t looking too spiffy. Having been turned down by Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Aretha Franklin, KISS, Davis Foster, The Chainsmokers, and more, Trump s main draws are a 16-year-old reality show contestant and the marching band from the most racist high school in Louisiana as well as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and whichever Rockettes show up. In fact, that s pretty much it for Trump s celebration of his kinda-sorta victory.But that hasn t stopped Trump from trying to find someone anyone to perform at what is shaping up to be a shitshow of epic proportions. Apparently, he had his staff reach out to singer/songwriter Charlotte Church and her answer extended well beyond the simple no, I don t think so Trump has become accustomed to receiving from pretty much anyone he has asked. Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you re a tyrant, Church said. Bye. She followed this message up with a bunch of poop emojis:@realDonaldTrump Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you're a tyrant. Bye???? Charlotte Church (@charlottechurch) January 10, 2017While Trump s people will likely scream about her rudeness, they really should have known the answer. Last year, Church told the New Statesman that she would refuse an invitation to meet Trump because he is such a tool. Mind you, I sang at George Bush s inauguration. Not everyone has flat-out refused. Trump s good friend and favorite entertainer Alec Baldwin has graciously agreed if he can sing AC/DC s Highway to Hell and reality show contestant Rebecca Ferguson says she ll do it if she can sing a 1939 protest song about lynching.At this point, we re just going to have to hope that racist high school marching band is talented if we re going to get any decent entertainment. But, hey, at least we can have a laugh, right?Did a quick Google to check Charlotte Church's recent comments. This result was enormously confusing pic.twitter.com/iB9DirnInn Neil Alcock (@IncredibleSuit) January 10, 2017Featured image via Getty Images/Dan Kirtwood | 0 |
10,522 | OSCE report cites concerns about U.S. electoral system: German media | BERLIN (Reuters) - International observers documented a range of concerns during November’s U.S. elections, including cyber security risks, disenfranchisement of current and former prisoners, and an opaque campaign finance system, a German newspaper group reported. “The American electoral system is very fragmented and in many places no longer meets international standards,” Michael Link, chief election observer for the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain. A report prepared by a team of OSCE observers who monitored the Nov. 8 presidential and congressional elections cited the need for steps to make the U.S. campaign finance system more transparent and address moves by many U.S. states to ban former and current prisoners from voting, Link said. He said each state had different voting laws and varying usage of new voting technologies. There were increasing moves across the United States to return to a paper-based voting system after negative experiences with electronic voting machines in recent years, but 15 states used computers that did not allow a manual recount, he said. Link said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies had taken steps to ensure the security of electronic voting machines, but many machines in use across the country were old and did not meet international standards. “This is a security risk,” Link said. Link also criticised U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on Friday, for “consciously and repeatedly overstepping the bounds of hate speech.” “That he was successful with this sets a dangerous precedent,” Link said. “The international community expects the United States to provide a good example, also in this area.” No further details of the report were immediately available. The OSCE sent its biggest team ever to the United States for the 2016 election amid charges from Trump that the poll could be “rigged” and concerns by civil rights activists that black voters could face undue obstacles. | 1 |
10,523 | Iceland PM calls snap election after a coalition party quits | REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland s prime minister called a snap parliamentary election on Friday following the decision of one of the three coalition parties to quit the government formed less than nine months ago. We have lost the majority and I don t see anything that indicates we can regain that... I am calling an election, Bjarni Benediktsson told reporters, adding that he would prefer the vote to take place in November. The outgoing government party Bright Future made its decision to quit due to a breach of trust after the prime minister s party purportedly tried to cover up a scandal involving his father. | 1 |
10,524 | Brazil police suspect Temer, aides involved in corruption | BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil s federal police suspect that President Michel Temer, alongside a group of close aides from his party, participated in illicit acts that rendered him up to 31.5 million reais ($10 million) in advantages and other perks. In a report on Monday, police said there were indications that Temer, 77, and the so-called Gang of the Lower House might have engaged in active and passive corruption acts, fraud and other crimes. The report was sent to the Federal Supreme Court, the only court with the authority to investigate a sitting president. While the report did not specify what advantages Temer might have obtained, it identified a series of transfers made from companies such as Odebrecht SA, and cash stemming from state contracts. The report gathered data from recent testimonies that incriminated Temer in the campaign financing of at least one ally. According to the police, Temer s Chief of Staff Eliseu Padilha and Wellington Moreira Franco, Temer s privatization tzar, were also named in the investigation, which started in 2015. The report could provide additional evidence for a second formal corruption accusation against Temer in as many months. Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot, whose term expires at the end of this week, filed the first almost two months ago but lower house lawmakers voted to drop it, alleging lack of sufficient evidence. Temer has been a central figure in the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party for decades, helping create a solid bloc in the lower house that has participated in the past four administrations. He became Brazil s vice president in 2011 and replaced his predecessor Dilma Rousseff when she was impeached last year for doctoring budget accounts. Press representatives of Temer, who enjoys immunity from prosecution in lower-tier courts, said in a statement he does not participate nor has ever been part of a criminal gang, noting he has never made use of any state structure to directly or indirectly extract any benefits from public office. Padilha said he would only respond to the accusation when he has access to the document. Moreira Franco told Reuters he has never participated in any illicit act. The investigation also includes Eduardo Cunha, a former lower house speaker who accelerated Rousseff s ouster and is jailed for his involvement in a massive bribery scandal. | 1 |
10,525 | The Latest Delusion From Devin Nunes Will Make You SICK — This Is Exactly Why He Can’t Be Trusted | Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on Wednesday that the Democrats are not serious about the investigation into Russia s interference in the 2016 presidential election. We re beginning to figure out who s actually serious about the investigation because it appears like the Democrats aren t really serious about this investigation, he told reporters, according to Politico.This is the same Nunes who snuck onto the White House grounds to meet an unnamed source last week, then switched cars and ditched aides, then vanished into the night so that the next day he could make an announcement to defend alleged president Donald Trump. Nunes, while refusing to name his source, said that he had seen evidence that Trump associates were incidentally surveilled after the election.The top Democrat on the committee, Adam Schiff, and other Democrats, are calling for Nunes to recuse himself from the Russia probe. Nunes has refused to do so.Nunes alleges that the Democrats have not given him a witness list and added that as far as he knew they had done very little to read the documents provided by the intelligence agencies, according to Politico. So, at the end of the day here, we re going to get to the truth, we re going to find out who s actually doing a real investigation, Nunes said.Nunes, who literally went around the very committee he chairs, to bring Trump evidence amid one of the biggest scandals to ever hit the White House, claims that Democrats aren t serious about a probe into Russia s meddling of our election.Sure, accuse the other side of what you re guilty of, Rep. Nunes.So far, only one Republican lawmaker has stepped forward to call for Nunes to recuse himself from the investigation. Hopefully, more Republicans will locate their conscience in order to disallow a hostile foreign government from underminding our election process in the future.Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images. | 0 |
10,526 | Trump snags former rival's backing, scraps Chicago rally | CHICAGO/PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled a campaign rally Friday night amid security concerns just hours after the Republican front-runner earned the endorsement of a former rival who said the billionaire’s pugnacious campaign style is belied by a more thoughtful, private side. “There are two different Donald Trumps: there’s the one you see on the stage and there’s the one who’s very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully,” Ben Carson said Friday as he became the second former Republican candidate to back Trump in the White House race. The soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon, who dropped out of the race last week, said the American people would be “comforted” when they discover Trump’s gentler side. The thousands of protesters who showed up for Trump’s rally Friday evening at the University of Illinois at Chicago - along with thousands of supporters - showed little indication they had noticed anything but the candidate’s combative campaign style. The university arena turned into a chaotic scene as the two warring sides amped up their positions. A half hour after the rally was slated to begin, a Trump campaign staffer announced it was being postponed for safety reasons, unleashing competing chants of “We dumped Trump!” and “We want Trump!” throughout the packed venue. “We made a great decision not to have the rally,” Trump told CNN after meeting with law enforcement and making the call. “I am not a person that wants to see violence,” he added. Trump blamed protesters for creating disturbances at his campaign events and said it is a “love fest” among his supporters. Friday’s event in Chicago stood out because the huge number of protesters virtually matched the number of Trump supporters, as opposed to other Trump campaign events where protesters have been a very small, albeit vocal, minority. Earlier in the day, speaking at a public event in St. Louis, Missouri, Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters who were led out of the event by police and security, an increasingly common occurrence at his raucous rallies. “He’s all mouth, get him out,” Trump shouted as one of the protesters was led out. “Go back to mommy,” he said as another protester was led away. The latest endorsement for Trump followed a Republican debate in Miami on Thursday night at which Trump and the remaining three candidates in the Republican race struck a markedly more civil tone. Carson shot to the top of the Republican pack last year but faltered in the early nominating contests. His endorsement is unlikely to dramatically shift the Republican race, but it gives Trump a boost as the Republican establishment cranks up attacks, and comes just days before crucial nominating contests in the battle to be the party’s presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election. The Republican primaries to be held on Tuesday in five states will be critical for Trump to cement his lead, and to determine whether U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Governor John Kasich, whose home states are among those holding contests on Tuesday, will be able to continue with their increasingly long-shot candidacies. Trump’s nearest rival in the race is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Carson’s comments on Friday aimed to soften Trump’s public image after a campaign marked by his demeaning personal attacks on opponents, harsh comments about Mexican immigrants and calls to temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the country. Trump’s controversial campaign has led many Republican establishment figures to call for an all-out effort to prevent him from winning the nomination - an effort that Carson said would fracture the Republican Party and ensure a Democratic win in November. Asked about Carson’s comments, Trump said he did not want to “overanalyze” himself but there was only “one Donald Trump.” “Certainly you have all of this, and you have somebody else that sits, and reads and thinks. And I’m a thinker,” said Trump, 69. “Perhaps people don’t think of me in that way because you don’t see me in that form.” Trump also raised the possibility that he will not attend the next Republican debate, scheduled for later this month in Salt Lake City. “We’ve had enough debates, in my opinion,” he said. In St. Louis, Trump’s speech was interrupted more than a half-dozen times by protesters. Scuffles between Trump supporters and protesters have become more frequent, and a protester was punched in North Carolina on Wednesday by a Trump supporter who has been charged with assault. “The officers are being very gentle,” Trump advised, telling the crowd later, “It adds to the flavor, makes it more exciting, isn’t this better than listening to a long boring speech?” Carson’s endorsement of Trump followed that of another former candidate, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who announced his backing last month. Next Tuesday’s voting will be a pivotal point as candidates chase the 1,237 delegates from primary contests and caucuses needed to win the Republican nomination. Trump has 459 delegates, followed by Cruz at 360, Rubio at 152 and Kasich at 54, according to the Associated Press. The primaries in Florida and Ohio on Tuesday have the potential to be game-changers because both states award Republican delegates on a winner-take-all basis, meaning that he winner of the popular vote in each state will be awarded the state’s entire slate of delegates. Many states award delegates proportionate to the popular vote. For his part, Rubio said in a round of television interviews on Friday he was still in position to win Florida next week. Voters in his home state who do not want Trump as the Republican nominee should support him, he said. “If they don’t want Donald Trump to be our nominee, then voting for John Kasich or Ted Cruz in Florida is a vote for Donald Trump,” Rubio said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Rubio said later that his supporters in Ohio should vote for Kasich next Tuesday if that looked like the best anti-Trump tactic. “Clearly John Kasich has a better chance of winning Ohio than I do, and if a voter in Ohio concludes that voting for John Kasich gives us the best chance to stop Donald Trump there, I anticipate” that is what they will do, Rubio told reporters at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Additional reporting by Clarece Polke, Eric Beech, Amanda Becker and Susan Heavey in Washington and Jon Herskovitz in Texas; Writing by John Whitesides and Amanda Becker; Editing by Frances Kerry and Leslie Adler) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production. | 1 |
10,527 | Moscow eyes meeting with U.S. Tillerson in Germany in February: RIA cites source | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is ready to make contact with new U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and is considering a meeting in Bonn or Munich in Germany in February, Russia’s state-run RIA news agency cited a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying on Thursday. | 1 |
10,528 | Factbox: What Trump has said about the United Nations | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his first speech before the United Nations on Tuesday, touting U.S. sovereignty and threatening to totally destroy North Korea. Trump has been critical of the United Nations and complained about the cost to the United States of helping to fund the 193-nation body. Below are some comments he has made about it over the years. Remarks at luncheon hosted by U.N. Secretary General September 19, 2017 For years I ve been a critic, but I ve also been somebody that said that the United Nations has tremendous potential. Remarks at U.N. General Assembly September 19, 2017 Too often the focus of this organization has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process. The United States is one out of 193 countries in the United Nations, and yet we pay 22 percent of the entire budget and more. In fact, we pay far more than anybody realizes. Remarks at lunch with U.N. Security Council Ambassadors April 24, 2017 I also want to say to you that I have long felt the United Nations is an underperformer but has tremendous potential. There are those people that think it s an underperformer and will never perform. Twitter Dec. 26, 2016 The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad! American Israel Public Affairs Committee speech March 21, 2016 Which brings me to my next point, the utter weakness and incompetence of the United Nations. The United Nations is not a friend of democracy, it s not a friend to freedom, it s not a friend even to the United States of America where, as you know, it has its home. And it surely is not a friend to Israel. Twitter Oct. 3, 2012 The cheap 12 inch sq. marble tiles behind speaker at UN always bothered me. I will replace with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me. Twitter Sept. 8, 2011 Why is the UN planning to attack @Israel s sovereignty and ignore Iran s nuclear program? The US should look at future funding. Senate committee hearing on renovation of U.N. headquarters July 21, 2005 I am a big fan, a very big fan of the United Nations and all it stands for. I cannot speak as to what has been happening over the last number of years because it certainly has not been good, but the concept of the United Nations ... is very important to me and very important to the world as far as I am concerned. | 1 |
10,529 | Effort to replace Trump on ballot would face tremendous obstacles | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some prominent Republicans are urging Donald Trump to quit as the party’s presidential nominee after video surfaced of him making vulgar comments about women but any attempt to replace Trump on the ballot would face huge legal and logistical hurdles. The real estate magnate has insisted he would never give up the White House race and wrote on Twitter on Sunday that Republicans who are attacking him are “self-righteous hypocrites.” With only a month to go before the Nov. 8 election against Democrat Hillary Clinton, it would be a massive stretch to substitute Trump for his running mate Mike Pence or anyone else, Republican strategists and U.S. election experts said. It is “virtually impossible to replace somebody in August, let alone October,” Republican strategist Karl Rove said on “Fox News Sunday.” After a video of Trump making vulgar comments about women surfaced Friday, Republicans such as U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois urged Trump to remove himself from the race. The 2005 video showed Trump, then a reality TV star speaking on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. The video was taped only months after Trump married his third wife, Melania. Making a change at the top of the ticket for one of the two major parties this close to Election Day would be without precedent in the history of modern U.S. presidential elections. In 1972, Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern’s running mate, Thomas Eagleton, was replaced after it was revealed that the vice presidential hopeful had been hospitalized for depression. Eagleton withdrew from the race in August of that year and was replaced by Sargent Shriver. In 2000, Missouri voters faced a last-minute candidate change in the state’s U.S. Senate race after the Democratic challenger Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash, a month before the election. Carnahan’s name remained on the ballot, however, and the dead man won the election. His widow, Jean Carnahan was appointed to fill the seat. Republican party rules do not include a mechanism to involuntarily remove from the ticket a presidential candidate who has already been nominated. The party does have procedure, known as Rule 9, that outlines the process for filling a vacancy if a nominee were to die or quit. Republican leaders could try to pressure Trump into resigning by withdrawing financial support for his campaign and withholding logistical help. But as of Sunday, Trump showed no sign of backing down and went on the attack against party figures who have suggested he leave the race. But if Trump were to decide to quit, the process would involve convening a 160-member committee of the Republican convention to select a new nominee, said Thomas Schwartz, a presidential historian at Vanderbilt University. Experts say such a step would lead to electoral chaos with Republican attorneys fighting state-by-state legal battles to make the last-minute candidate swaps on paper ballots, long after many state deadlines have already passed. Even more daunting, would be how to deal with early or overseas votes already cast. About 411,000 Americans already have voted in person or through the mail, according to Michael P. McDonald, a Florida State University political science professor who tracks early voting. The figure is sure to grow dramatically over the coming days. Early voting has already begun in six states and this week it will start in eight more. Another problem for Republicans is the risk of legal challenges to the election result. Concern about such challenges could deter some Republicans from voting. The Republican Party might argue that those ballots already cast for Trump should count toward electoral votes for the replacement candidate, said Matthew Dallek, an expert on presidential politics at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile said the party would likely challenge any effort by Republicans to replace Trump as their candidate on the ballot, adding that it would be “very confusing” for voters with early ballots already being cast. “It would be political suicide for Donald Trump to step down right now,” she told ABC News. “I’m sure my legal team is already looking at efforts underway, if there are any efforts underway,” she said when asked if Democrats would oppose any effort by Republicans in the states to switch candidates on ballots. Dallek said an effort to substitute a new candidate at this point would lead to “utter chaos.” “We would be operating in uncharted territory. You would be in this legal netherworld,” he said. | 1 |
10,530 | JUST IN: Obama Regime Helped Terror Group #Hezbollah Traffic Drugs In U.S “So The Iran Nuke Deal Would Go Ahead”…Proceeds Were Allegedly Used To Design New IED’s That Killed US Troops In Iraq | This could be one of the largest scandals of our time. Meanwhile, back in Washington it s all about Trump and Russia, Russia, Russia.The Obama administration has been accused of sabotaging an operation to stop Hezbollah smuggling drugs into the US so that the nuclear deal with Iran could proceed.In a stunning expos by Politico, the former US President s officials are said to have opened the door for trafficking and money laundering operations by the terror group founded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.The nuclear deal agreed to scrap crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for a promise from to Tehran to stop nuclear development. By putting themselves between the DEA and Hezbollah, the Obama administration helped the militant group grow into a global security threat that is suspected of designing IEDs used to kill American troops, the report said. Donald Trump s White House slapped at his predecessor Sunday night, with press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeting that the story shows a contrast of President Trump s success against ISIS vs. President Obama s appeasement of terrorists. And a Republican House leadership aide told DailyMail.com on Monday that the Obama White House was the worst of the worst when it came to fighting terrorism in the ways that mattered most. The Drug Enforcement Administration led a complex venture called Project Cassandra to tackle the criminality of the Lebanese militant group from 2008 on.But it is claimed Obama s people threw down a number of roadblocks, effectively paving the way for Hezbollah s illegal activities including cocaine smuggling into the US which agents believe raked in $1 billion for the terror group. DEA agents claim the Obama administration stopped them arresting key figures linked to Hezbollah as an agreement on the Iran nuclear deal approached and scrapped Project Cassandra entirely once the terms were agreed in 2015. Hezbollah s $1 billion-a-year international criminal operation. International drug smuggling operation founded by the mastermind of the bombing of Beirut bombing that killed 241 US Marines in 1983.The organization is now expected to be working with the Zetas cartel to smuggle tonnes of cocaine into the United States One of the world s top cocaine traffickers called The Ghost is a Hezbollah operative.Same man accused of selling chemical weapons to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.Hezbollah launders its drugs profits by allegedly shipping used cars from America to Africa and selling them.Money laundering also takes place through South America, the Middle East, and the US.Lebanese arms dealer Ali Fayad is a suspected top Hezbollah operative, according to Politico, and is believed to report to Vladimir Putin.Fayad is accused of plotting the murder of American government workers.Venezuela s vice president Tareck El Aissami is believed to be deeply involved in cocaine trafficking and is an ally of Hezbollah.Hezbollah is believed to be providing weapons and training to anti-American Shiite militias.An alleged Hezbollah drugs kingpin is based in Colombia and is accused of working with the Zetas cartel to smuggle cocaine into the US.Proceeds from the operations were allegedly used to design new IEDs that killed US troops in IraqThe nuclear deal agreed to scrap crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for a promise from to Tehran to stop nuclear development.By putting themselves between the DEA and Hezbollah, the Obama administration helped the militant group grow into a global security threat that is suspected of designing IEDs used to kill American troops, the report said.David Asher, who helped establish Project Cassandra, told Politico: This was a policy decision, it was a systematic decision. They serially ripped apart this entire effort that was very well supported and resourced, and it was done from the top down. He added that the closer Obama came to finalizing the Iran nuclear deal, the more difficult the DEA s job became.The weapons agreement was announced in January 2016, which coincided with Project Cassandra officials being moved on to other assignments. Daily Mail | 0 |
10,531 | Putin says Russia does not seek confrontation with U.S. | GOA, India (Reuters) - Russia does not seek confrontation with the United States and is not trying to influence the upcoming presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. Putin said he would work with any U.S. leader willing to work with Russia. | 1 |
10,532 | Rouhani says Iran will stay in nuclear deal only if it serves interests: TV | ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran harshly reacted to President Donald Trump’s decision not to certify its nuclear deal with six major powers, and President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran might walk away if the continuing agreement does not serve the country’s national interests. Defying Trump, Rouhani said Tehran will double its efforts to expand the country’s defense capabilities, including the country’s ballistic missile program despite the U.S. pressure to suspend it. Trump said in an address at the White House that he would not continue to certify the multinational agreement and warned he might ultimately terminate it. “No president can revoke an international deal ... Iran will continue to respect it as long as it serves our interests,” Rouhani said in a live television address, adding that Trump’s speech was full of “insults and fake accusations” against Iranians. While Trump did not pull the United States out of the agreement, aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, he gave the U.S. Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the pact. That increases tension with Iran as well as putting Washington at odds with other signatories of the accord such as Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union, who say the U.S. cannot unilaterally cancel the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers . “The Iranian nation has not and will never bow to any foreign pressure... Iran’s deal cannot be renegotiated,” Rouhani said. Trump announced the major shift in U.S. policy in a speech in which he detailed a more confrontational approach to Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its support for extremist groups in the Middle East. Pragmatist Rouhani backed Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), saying the IRGC will continue its fight against “regional terrorists. “The IRGC has always protected our nation against terrorists ... It will continue to help oppressed nations in the region,” Rouhani said. Iran accuses its regional rival Saudi Arabia of fuelling regional tension and the Sunni Muslim kingdom is at odds with Tehran’s revolutionary Shi’ite leaders in struggles across the Arab world, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon. The IRGC is Iran’s most powerful security entity and wields control over large swathes of Iran’s economy as well as considerable influence within its political system. | 1 |
10,533 | OOPS! DOCUMENTS SHOW Roy Moore Represented Accuser’s Mother In “NASTY” Custody Case, Where She Won Custody Of 12-Yr Old Grandson…Accuser Also Plead “Guilty” To FELONY FRAUD Charges Against Family Member | Court documents related to Tina Johnson, an Alabama woman who claims that Republican senatorial candidate Roy Moore groped her in his office decades ago, may raise questions about Johnson s motives in making the accusation.The documents, reviewed by Breitbart News, show that Moore represented Johnson s mother in a nasty custody case for Johnson s then 12-year-old son, Daniel Sitz. In the case, Johnson was repeatedly painted by Moore s client as an unfit, absent, and unstable mother and was accused of taking her son from his elementary school against his will. Johnson s mother was ultimately awarded custody in the case.One affidavit signed by Johnson s mother while she was represented by Moore accused Johnson of having a violent nature and noted that she has been treated by a psychiatrist when she was approximately 15 years of age. Johnson was a teenage mother.Separate criminal documents show that, as late as 2010, Johnson was arrested and pled guilty to felony fraud charges related to checks belonging to a family member. She also entered a court drug program.Speaking to AL.com, Johnson first went public with the claim that Moore groped her when she was on legal business with her mother in 1991. The website noted that Johnson reached out to AL.com to discuss her alleged experience with Moore.The website related that Johnson was at the office to sign over custody of her 12-year-old son to her mother, with whom he d been living. Johnson claimed that, after the two met with Moore, her mother walked out of the office door first and that, as Johnson was walking out, Moore grabbed her buttocks from behind. He didn t pinch it; he grabbed it, she claims.Watch, as Tina Johnson tells CNN s Erin Burnett the details of her alleged sexual assault by Judge Roy Moore. It s curious that a woman with Johnson s background vs. the squeaky clean background of Judge Roy Moore would attempt to prove that her faith was stronger, or more somehow more relevant than Roy Moore s faith. A document, signed by Moore, stated that Cofield and not Johnson was the most fit and proper person to have custody of Daniel Sitz.Johnson s son had resided with his grandmother, Cofield, since he was nine months old. Cofield says that, during those years, she provided Daniel with food, clothing, and shelter without any assistance from Johnson. A judge officially granted Cofield full custody on September 23, 1991.Last week, Breitbart News interviewed Delbra Adams, Moore s former longtime secretary and judicial assistant. Adams said that, in her 13 years of working for Moore, she never saw or experienced any inappropriate conduct toward women.Adams worked for Moore in 1991 at the time of Johnson s accusations. Adams s desk was right outside his office door at the time. Adams name was signed as a notary on one of the custody documents filed in Johnson s case on behalf of Johnson s mother, Cofield. Breitbart News | 0 |
10,534 | CAN WE ADD DIRTY MONEY ‘LAUNDERING’ To The Obama $1.7 Billion Iran Ransom Payment? | A member of the House Intelligence Committee is accusing the Obama administration of laundering some $1.7 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars to Iran through a complicated network that included the New York Federal Reserve and several European banks, according to conversations with sources and new information obtained by the lawmaker and viewed by the Washington Free BeaconNew disclosures made by the Treasury Department to Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), a House Intelligence Committee member, show that an initial $400 million cash payment to Iran was wired to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) and then converted from U.S. dollars into Swiss francs and moved to an account at the Swiss National Bank, according to a copy of communication obtained exclusively by the Free Beacon.Once the money was transferred to the Swiss Bank, the FRBNY withdrew the funds from its account as Swiss franc banknotes and the U.S. Government physically transported them to Geneva before personally overseeing the handover to an agent of Iran s central bank, according to the documents. It looks as if the White House made just about every corner of the executive branch complicit in covering up the extent of its payments to Iran, the source said. Congress was already aggressively looking into payments involving the State, Treasury, and Energy Departments. Now it s the Justice Department, too. We already know that top officials from Justice objected strongly to the ransom deal, but were overruled. Congress wants to know what happened and why. Read more: WFB | 0 |
10,535 | WHY ARE DEMOCRATS Willing To Put Women Working At White House At Risk, By Allowing Sexual Predator, Accused Rapist To Roam Halls? | New Wikileaks email shows Bill Clinton wanted Young Latina Celeb Type on campaign trail for Hillary with him, and that Hillary s campaign was more than happy to try to make that happen. This new email should cause ever American to ask, Why would any person who cares about women intentionally send a young female on the campaign trail with a known sexual predator and accused rapist? Bill Clinton wanted to appear on the campaign trail for his wife with young Latina celeb types, according to newly released hacked emails.The former president asked earlier this year for Hispanic surrogates to appear at his campaign events for Hillary Clinton, and suggested either the Castro brothers or a young female celebrity. WJC asking if we should have a Latino surrogate do events with him, wrote Tina Flournoy, Bill Clinton s chief of staff, on Feb. 10, 2016. Not sure that s the focus for the Sunday trip. Where are we putting him? Flournoy said Clinton suggested Juli n Castro, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or his brother Joaqu n Castro, a congressman from Texas. He just suggested Castro to me too, wrote Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton s campaign manager. Or young Latina celeb type. The campaign team then suggested actress America Ferrera, a longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton. He was thing America but that s based in his mind on 2008 [sic], Flournoy said. We love America, said Huma Abedin, a top Hillary Clinton aide. Tried to get her but she couldn t do this weekend. WFB | 0 |
10,536 | russiaus plutonium deal no longer in effect | fbi releases clinton foundation investigation records
daily caller
the fbi on tuesday released documents related to a nowclosed federal investigation of an alleged paytoplay scheme involving bill clinton and the clinton foundation
the documents which are heavily redacted regard the investigation of clintons lastminute pardon of marc rich a billionaire fugitive who was wanted in the us for tax evasion
the jan pardon sparked the last controversy to befall the scandalplagued clinton administration richs exwife denise donated more than million to various clinton and democratic entities including the democratic national committee hillary clintons new york senate campaign and the clinton foundation
the release provides little in the way of information that has not already been publicized but the dump is noteworthy for two reasons it reminds voters that the clinton white house and clinton foundation were embroiled in an investigation concerning paytoplay allegations the clinton foundation is reportedly being investigated at the present by multiple fbi field offices
it also comes as the fbi is locked in a bitter standoff with the clinton foundation and the justice department over fbi director james comeys handling of the hillary clinton email investigation
the newlyreleased files include one entry which shows that the required pardon standards and procedures were not followed prior to the rich pardon
roger adams the us pardon attorney at the time testified to congress in feb that none of the regular procedures were followed ahead of the rich reprieve
former attorney general eric holder is also mentioned in the file it cites holders testimony that he was the only person who worked at doj he was deputy attorney general at the time about the rich pardon from the fbis clinton foundation investigation files
a grand jury was convened to weigh the merits of the case but no indictments were handed down ironically the law enforcement official who closed the case was fbi director comey he served as deputy attorney general in the george w bush administration
the fbis website suggests that more clinton foundation investigation records could be coming in the future
this initial release consists of material from the fbis files related to the william j clinton foundation a nonprofit c organization the site reads the bulk of these records come from a fbi investigation into the pardon of marc rich aka marcell david reich by president clinton in it was closed in
the fbi did not respond to a request for more information on future releases
update clinton campaign press secretary brian fallon questioned the release
the fbi issued a statement late tuesday afternoon saying that the file was released in response to a foia request
the fbis records management division receives thousands of foia requests annually which are processed on a first in first out fifo basis the statement reads
by law foia materials that have been requested three or more times are posted electronically to the fbis public reading room shortly after they are processed per the standard procedure for foia these materials became available for release and were posted automatically and electronically to the fbis public reading room in accordance with the law and established procedures | 0 |
10,537 | Factbox: Why the Clinton Foundation draws both praise and criticism | (Reuters) - Since announcing her presidential bid last year, Hillary Clinton has had to field questions about the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, her family’s global philanthropy. The non-profit group has been praised by health experts for helping to negotiate lower prices for HIV medicine in the developing world. But ethics experts and Clinton’s Republican opponents say its reliance on millions of dollars from foreign governments and powerful businesses makes her vulnerable to charges her donors could expect favorable treatment from the White House, which her campaign says is unfounded. * THE FOUNDATION’S HISTORYBill Clinton established the Clinton Foundation in 1997 to raise funds for his presidential archive in Little Rock, Arkansas, as he prepared to leave the White House. It has since grown into a complex global philanthropic organization, working to improve health and prospects in dozens of countries and to fight climate change. After leaving her job as U.S. secretary the state in 2013, Hillary Clinton joined the foundation’s board, and the organization was renamed the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Later in 2015, Hillary Clinton left the foundation to run for president and in the August 2016 her husband said he will step down from the board if she wins. Their plans to remain with the foundation.* THE FOUNDATION’S WORK The foundation typically raises more than a quarter of a billion dollars each year in grants and donations. It spends about $200 million each year on programs and other expenses. The biggest program is the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which accounts for about two-thirds of the foundation’s annual expenses and focuses on reducing the cost and increasing the availability of medicine for HIV, malaria and other infections in developing countries. The foundation also is involved in an array of other causes. It helps farmers in Africa increase yields and profits and tries to stop poachers from killing elephants there. It encourages American parents to read to their toddlers and schools to provide healthier environments for their students. It also helps Americans get access to loans to make their homes more energy efficient. Under the name Clinton Global Initiative, the foundation throws regular glitzy multi-day gatherings where people from politics, corporations and non-profit organizations to discuss philanthropy projects. CGI will hold its last such meeting in September before ending. In 2015, foundation officials admitted the charity breached an ethics agreement Clinton signed with the White House in order to become secretary of state. Under the agreement, she promised she would annually disclose the names of all donors to the charity and that it would seek State Department approval before accepting new money from foreign governments. The charities said not complying with the promises was a result of oversights. The foundation also admitted it had wrongly completed half a dozen annual tax returns that gave misleading figures about the amount of support it got from foreign governments, among other errors. After Reuters discovered the errors, the foundation apologized and refiled the returns. The foundation continued to accept money from foreigners, including foreign governments, and corporations while Clinton was secretary of state but has said it will introduce at least some limits on such donations if she becomes president. Emails by Clinton and her staff released by the State Department show it was not unusual for foundation officials to help donors get access to Clinton, prompting experts in government ethics to raise concerns that the foundation gives rise to an appearance of a conflict of interest. Donald Trump, Clinton’s Republican rival for the presidency, has called for a special prosecutor to look into the foundation. Clinton’s campaign says any donor who expected special favors from Clinton in return would have been disappointed. | 1 |
10,538 | democratic congressman threatens violence if gop tries to defund planned parenthood daily wire | just a few days after launching into a minute concertwrecking rant in which he declared amid a chorus of boos from his audience that he would have voted for donald trump kanye west has been | 1 |
10,539 | FL ‘Responsible Gun Owners’ Shoot 9-Year-Old Girl During ‘Celebratory’ New Year’s Gunfire (VIDEO) | A bunch of the NRA s responsible gun owners in Florida rang in the new year with gunfire something that had a very negative impact on at least one little girl s ability to enjoy herself. As she was leaving an Orlando church just after midnight, a massive amount of gunfire rang out. Was ISIS attacking? Nope. Was there yet another mass shooting happening? Negative. Was the American Taliban celebrating New Year s Day by wildly firing their weapons? Bingo.As the girl was exiting the service at a church on the 800 block of South Kirkman Road, the was struck in the right arm by a bullet, according to police. Law enforcement says that the girl was not targeted the bullet came from one of many individuals who were wildly firing their self-defense weapons into the air in celebration of the holiday. There are many ways to enjoy the New Year, but firing random shots in the air should not be among them, Orange County Sheriff Demings in a statement. Unfortunately, police do not think a suspect can be found because the round that struck the little girl seemed to be from the voluminous amounts of gunfire happening at the time of this senseless shooting.Firing a gun in public or on a residential property is a crime, and can range from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony. Unfortunately, the nation s ammosexuals do not care much about laws regarding guns, with many demanding that gun sellers ignore Obama s planned executive action to keep these dangerous weapons out of the hands of people who should not have them a group that probably includes every single person who felt the appropriate way to ring in the new year is by randomly firing their guns and almost killing a child.The little girl was treated on the scene by the Orlando Fire Department, and is expected to recover from her injuries fortunately.Watch a report on this senseless shooting below:Featured image via Guns.com | 0 |
10,540 | EU-Canada trade deal is only model that fits Britain's terms: EU's Barnier | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The future free trade agreement between the European Union and Britain will have to be along the same lines as the one the EU has with Canada, the EU s chief Brexit negotiation Michel Barnier said on Friday. Barnier said that there was no other option, given Britain s terms for a future relationship with the EU, after it leaves the bloc in 2019. Britain does not want to be part of the EU s single market, customs union or be subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. If you take that - what are you left with? Just one thing: a free trade agreement on the Canadian model, Barnier told a news conference. | 1 |
10,541 | CLASSIC! GREG GUTFELD Rips Comey Memo Disclosure As “Very Mean Girls”…You Will Love This! [Video] | GREG GUTFELD IS SO PASSIONATE and so on target with his commentary about the Comey memo disclosure. This is truly epic! Gutfeld said all of this comes down to the non-political way Trump communicates. When you say you hope for something, it s not a command. It s not saying you d better do this. Gutfeld then compared the use of hope to desiring a bicycle for Christmas, wanting people to show up for your birthday, and asking neighbors to be quiet while you re sleeping. In my mind it seems like it s not a big deal, which is maybe why Comey didn t think it was obstructionist, so he didn t have to comply to reporting it, because he knew what Trump was doing is what Trump does. Everything to him is like visiting a construction site. It s not what a politician says or does. He doesn t understand how internal stuff works. So he shows up and says I wish we could do this for cheaper wish we could have done a better job on lights on bathrooms. THE GUTFELD COMMENTS COME AT THE 9:30 POINT: | 0 |
10,542 | Unions brace for pro-business shift in labor policy under Trump | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Unions in the United States face sweeping changes to labor law and regulations under a new Republican administration that is expected to tilt policy toward employers. Republicans will take control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s elections, after unions failed to deliver key industrial states to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s loss could have wide-ranging consequences for unions. Donald Trump and a Republican-led Senate will likely pick the next justice for the Supreme Court, which often hears labor-related cases. “I think it’s going to be a very difficult period,” said Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who said he was surprised by the election outcome despite knocking on doors and talking to members in several states. Among his concerns, he listed a Supreme Court case this year in which public-sector unions scored a victory related to funding organized labor – but only because the court deadlocked 4-4. The appointment of a new conservative judge by Trump to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia could change that. Republican nominees will control the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which under Democratic President Barack Obama has sought to make it easier for unions to organize. The NLRB is pursuing litigation to establish that McDonald’s Corp is a “joint employer” of workers at its franchised restaurants, a determination that could compel the company to bargain with unions representing employees of its independent franchisees. Republicans will control federal agencies that govern the formation of unions, overtime rules and more. For example, in September the Obama administration finalized an executive order requiring federal contractors to provide sick leave to workers, as well as rules expanding the types of data employers are required to provide on pay. A separate Labor Department rule expanding which employees are eligible for overtime pay is scheduled to take effect next month. Those actions drew criticism from business groups, and all could be reversed under a Trump administration. “We don’t have a firewall now,” said Tom Buffenbarger, a prior president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who campaigned for Clinton. Trump has expressed support for so-called right-to-work legislation, which allows workers to avoid paying union dues. Republican leaders in Congress have consistently sought such a change at the national level. Labor unions say such laws are aimed at undermining collective bargaining and workers’ rights. William Gould, chair of the NLRB under Democratic President Bill Clinton and now a professor at Stanford Law School, said on Wednesday that Trump was likely to partner with Congress in dismantling a host of administration labor initiatives from Obama. Republicans “regard unions as first amongst fair game” because of their support for Clinton, he said. Steven Bernstein, a partner at law firm Fisher Phillips, which represents employers, said the Trump administration and Congress may also target recent NLRB rulings that allowed workers to picket on private property, expanded the type of worker activity protected by federal labor law and gave graduate students the right to unionize. “It’s also fair to assume that Trump will be inclined to repeal a host of executive orders supporting unions,” particularly rules that apply to federal contracts, Bernstein said in a statement. Organized labor is a key Democratic constituency – contributing everything from volunteers to votes for Democratic candidates. Trump nonetheless carried union-heavy states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and even Michigan, home to the United Auto Workers (UAW). In Ohio, for example, a Fox exit poll said Trump won 52 percent of union workers. An exit poll from ABC News suggested Clinton got no advantage among union households, even after Obama won those voters by 23 percentage points. (abcn.ws/2eUMxpx) (fxn.ws/2eULxS8) David Lephart, a 58-year-old UAW pipefitter at a General Motors Co plant in Marion, Indiana, voted for Trump. He earns about $100,000 a year, with overtime, he says, and has put both of his kids through college. He said union leaders pressed hard for members to support Clinton, but the union has nOt kept its promises to workers in recent years. “I don’t have a tendency to believe what you tell me — when you haven’t fulfilled the promises you’ve made,” he said. UAW President Dennis Williams in a statement on Wednesday said, “we have high hopes that elected officials heard the American people loud and clear about trade, jobs, education and the inequality in this country.” | 1 |
10,543 | HERE’S WHY HILLARY CLINTON FORBIDS PRESS From Taking Photos Of Private Jet Travel THAT COSTS MILLIONS | Eureka! We figured out why Hillary won t let the press see her off: The campaign of Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has poured more than $2 million into the use of private jets this election cycle, according to a review of its expenditures.Federal Election Commission documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon found that Hillary for America made a total of 48 payments from June 1, 2015, to Jan. 29, 2016, to Executive Fliteways, a New York-based private jet company, running up a tab of $2,128,293 for the campaign.Executive Fliteways is considered one of the largest independently owned and operated charter companies in the country and boasts a fleet of private planes ranging from mid-size, which can seat seven or eight passengers, to heavy, which can carry 12 to 16 people.While it is not clear which jet Clinton prefers on the campaign trail, or if they routinely switch between the jets they use, Clinton has been pinned on Executive Fliteways Falcon 900B heavy jet in the past, according to a media reports. Hillary boarded the plane, which burns 347 gallons of fuel per hour, shortly after laying out her campaign s plan to combat global warming.ABC REPORTER Liz Kreutz TWEETED OUT THIS MESSAGE WITH A PHOTO: Clinton staff won t allow press to film HRC boarding her charter. We must get on our plane before she gets out of car The Falcon 900B heavy jet carries a price tag of $5,850 per hour and comfortably seats 12 passengers. The luxury accommodations includes a full service galley, executive workstation, onboard WiFi, a full-size private lavatory, and a flight attendant for the ultimate inflight experience, according to the company s website.Via: WFB | 0 |
10,544 | U.S. voters deliver mixed results on gun control measures | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Voters rendered a split decision on gun control measures in the election, approving universal background checks for private firearms sales in Nevada while narrowly rejecting them in Maine. Gun safety advocates had poured millions of dollars into backing the initiatives in an effort to combat the political might of the gun lobby’s National Rifle Association. The measure was defeated in Maine by 51.0 percent of votes to 48.9 percent, or about 12,700 ballots, the Bangor Daily News reported. Nevada voters approved a similar proposal by 50.5 percent to 49.6 percent, state election officials said. Both ballot initiatives were backed by Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control group founded by billionaire former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and polls had suggested the measures would pass. The votes were seen as a crucial test of the gun safety campaign’s decision to adopt a state-by-state strategy after efforts to pass legislation failed in Congress. Gun control supporters won victories in two other states. Washington state voters easily approved a measure giving judges the power to keep dangerous individuals, such as accused domestic abusers, from possessing guns. In California, residents backed a referendum that bans large-capacity ammunition magazines and requires some people to undergo background checks in order to buy ammunition. The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, and gun rights advocates fiercely contest any attempt to restrict it. Opponents had said the background check laws were not clear and would do nothing to stop criminals. “We know today that the place where criminals are getting guns, the black market, they aren’t subjecting themselves to background checks,” said Ryan Hamilton, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association-backed opposition in Nevada, before Election Day. “It doesn’t target criminal behavior, it targets law-abiding behavior.” Proponents, however, said background checks would save lives. Jennifer Crowe, a spokeswoman for the pro-initiative campaign in Nevada, previously told Reuters nearly one in 11 people in that state who purchased guns online would have failed a background check. Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control group founded by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, spent tens of millions of dollars in Washington state, Nevada and Maine, while the National Rifle Association focused much of its spending on supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. | 1 |
10,545 | “Unvetted” Illegals Turn Germany Into A Third-World Trash Heap…Sound Familiar? [Video] | Take Notes America! Germany s Angela Merkel has just promised to dial back on immigration but it s really too late now as you can see in this video from Vlad Tepes: Quantifying the Impact of Border Trash:Apprehensions of individuals by the U.S. Border Patrol as a result of illegal immigration vary every year. Current U.S. Border Patrol statistics indicate that in federal fiscal year 2015, which ended on September 30, approximately 63,400 border crossers were apprehended in the Tucson Sector, which doesn t count the many others who get through. The border crossers leave approximately six to eight pounds of trash in the desert during his or her journey. The cost of disposing of this trash is high for local communities. Landfill fees range from $37 to $49 per ton in Southern Arizona. These fees do not include costs for materials, equipment, labor and transportation for the collection and transfer of the trash to the landfill. | 0 |
10,546 | Passengers on Saudi Arabia airlines allowed to bring electronics on flights to UK | RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that passengers traveling on its airlines to the United Kingdom would once again be allowed to carry on electronic devices, reversing a ban put in place earlier this year for security reasons. Passengers will be able to use laptops and tablets in aircraft cabins on flights from the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah starting from Dec.21, the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement on its official Twitter account. The United States and Britain implemented curbs on electronic items in the cabin in March on direct flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia in response to unspecified security threats. The United States lifted its ban in July on passengers on Saudi Arabian airlines carrying large electronics on board flights bound for America. | 1 |
10,547 | cnn panel cant explain election outcome | democratic congressman threatens violence if gop tries to defund planned parenthood by hank berrien november
the democratic congressman who is challenging house minority leader nancy pelosi ohio rep tim ryan threatened a youngstown street fight if donald trump attempts to defund planned parenthood
speaking with jake tapper on cnns state of the union on sunday ryan intimated that defunding planned parenthood wasnt the only stimulus he would need to launch violence he stated if he tries to defund planned parenthood if he tries to kick people off their health insurance if they try to privatize medicare or cut taxes for the wealthy you know we are going to have a youngstown street fight in the capitol
youngstown has been plagued by violent street fights in the recent past last may and august violence erupted on the streets of the city
ryan called trumps infrastructure plan a bunch of smoke and mirrors he added that he didnt blame pelosi for focusing any specific economic issues i cant in good conscience hang this election around nancy pelosis neck of course but moving forward we have to win congressional seats in areas of the country that voted for donald trump even in my district where they voted for me and they voted for donald trump
ryans campaign to replace pelsoi is picking up steam on sunday new york rep kathleen rice endorsed him stating he has a lot of good ideas but maybe most importantly he also isnt suggesting he has all the answers he has stressed that he wants these conversations to be ongoing that he wants more voices in the conversation so that we can work together to craft our message and forge a winning strategy rice said in a statement
rice tweeted excited to announce my support for reptimryan to serve as our next democratic leader full statement httpstcoliwfuaxzxa demschange kathleen rice repkathleenrice november tags | 1 |
10,548 | Trump STUPIDLY Attacks A Major U.S. Ally Before Threatening North Korea With War | If Donald Trump drags us into war with North Korea, it could be without the help of our most important ally in the region.South Korea is a critical ally since the country sits just below North Korea. South Korea not only serves as a base for our troops and any strike we launch against Kim Jong-Uu, it would provide logistical and military support.Defeating North Korea requires strong allies and cooperation. But Trump may have just ruined that with a Twitter tantrum on Sunday morning.First, Trump took a shot at China. Then he tweeted out what amounts to an I told you so and accused South Korea of appeasing North Korea. Then he threatened war with North Korea.North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States .. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017Trump s attack on South Korea comes just a day after he instructed his staff to prepare to withdraw from the South Korea trade deal, another move that antagonizes one of our closest allies at a time when we need them the most.So just to recap, China has warned Trump not to attack North Korea and now he has antagonized South Korea.America is running out of allies in Asia. And it s all because Donald Trump is a terrible leader who thinks being a bully works better than diplomacy and cooperation. Americans better get ready for nuclear war because Trump is going to start one.Featured image via Sean Rayford/Getty Images | 0 |
10,549 | Washington Post calls for Maine governor to resign | BOSTON (Reuters) - The Washington Post on Wednesday called on Maine Governor Paul LePage to resign, following a series of incidents in which the two-term Republican made racially charged statements and threatened a Democratic lawmaker in an obscenity-laden email. LePage, whose term extends through 2018, last month lashed out at a state lawmaker who criticized his comments blaming black and Hispanic people from out of state for the heroin trade in Maine. In an editorial titled “Maine’s unhinged governor,” the newspaper wrote “LePage threatens to remake his state’s image from a vacation paradise of surreal natural beauty to a hotbed of hatred.” LePage had told reporters he had collected a three-ring binder of people arrested for trafficking drugs in the state and that 90 percent of those in it were black or Hispanic. The governor released the binder this week and a review by local media found that closer to one in three arrestees in it matched LePage’s description. Maine legislative leaders last month briefly considered convening a special session to reprimand LePage for the outburst, but the effort collapsed with the two parties unable to agree on whether they wanted to censure him or pursue impeachment. A spokeswoman for the governor dismissed the editorial as biased. “The Post did not contact anyone from the governor’s office to fact-check this biased piece of propaganda,” spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett said in an email. “Clearly, the Post editorial board is exempt from reporting facts.” Asked about what factual inaccuracies in the editorial concerned the governor, Bennett challenged the Post’s description of LePage declining to attend a 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Day event hosted by the state’s NAACP chapter, noting that he had instead attended a Rotary Club event honoring the slain civil rights activist. At the time that he declined the NAACP’s invitation, in his first month as governor, LePage said that critics of his decision could “kiss my butt.” | 1 |
10,550 | NYC mayor warns Trump: 'stop and frisk' will make things worse | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday against embracing the “stop and frisk” police tactic that he said would worsen relations between police and community in the country. Trump has praised the anti-crime tactic in which police stop, question and search pedestrians for weapons or contraband and said on Fox News on Thursday it “massively changed” the crime statistics in New York City. “Stop and frisk worked,” Trump said on Fox & Friends on Thursday. He said the crime-ridden city of Chicago needed to adopt the tactic. De Blasio rejected that claim and attributed the sharp drop in crime to another strategy adopted by Bill Bratton, the city’s longtime police commissioner who retired less than a week ago. Bratton championed the “broken windows” policing strategy that emphasizes pursuit of crimes no matter how minor. In his resignation letter he attributed the decline in crime in New York City, the nation’s largest with 8.5 million people, to additional officers and an emphasis on building bonds within neighborhoods. “Donald Trump talks about stop and frisk like he knows the facts,” de Blasio said in an interview with CNN. “He has had no experience with policing, no experience with public safety. “He should really be careful because if we reinstitute stop and frisk all over this country, you would see a lot more tension between police and community.” Police tactics and deadly encounters with African-Americans, many of them unarmed, have sparked protests and unrest across the country. A state of emergency was declared in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a second night of unrest sparked by the fatal police shooting of a black man. There have also been protests in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in recent days demanding the arrest of a police officer seen in a video last week fatally shooting an unarmed black man who had his hands in clear view at the time. The stop and frisk policy gained traction in New York City under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, now a top Trump supporter. De Blasio promised to end the practice during his 2013 mayoral campaign. De Blasio also credited the continued drop in crime in New York City in recent decades to a crime reduction strategy adopted by Bratton called CompStat, which adopts statistical strategies to achieve more effective policing. “That’s what changed things in New York City,” de Blasio said, adding crime has gone down in the three years since his administration curtailed the use of stop and frisk. (Fixes ninth paragraph to say protesters demanding arrest, officer not arrested.) | 1 |
10,551 | EU negotiator says British withdrawal deal must be ready by Oct. 2018 | BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain s withdrawal agreement from the European Union must be ready by October, the bloc s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Friday as London and the 27 remaining states sealed a deal to move their negotiations forward. We will need to have the final version of the withdrawal agreement ready by October 2018, in less than one year, Barnier told a news conference. | 1 |
10,552 | Lithuania gets minority government as junior partner leaves | VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania s government lost its majority in parliament on Saturday after its junior coalition partner quit, saying they has been sidelined over policies ranging from alcohol age limits to subsidies on central heating. A parliament vote on next year s budget, expected by early December, will be the first test for the minority government following the departure of the Social Democrats after less than a year in power. The government will need to convince opposition parties to support it on a case-by-case basis. The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the sole party remaining in power, have a block of 57 members in Lithuania s 141-seat parliament. The country, once ruled from Moscow but now a member of both the European Union and NATO, is rebuilding its military in the face of an assertive Russia but has found development hampered by emigration and raising wages, eating away at competitiveness. All preconditions are in place for our government to continue until the next general election in 2020, Saulius Skvernelis, prime minister since November 2016, told Reuters. The Social Democrats took a short-sighted and suicidal decision, he added. Lithuania s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, a Social Democrat, told Reuters he will leave his party to continue in the government. At least one of the two other Social Democrat appointees will leave the 15-member government, said Social Democrat chairman Gintautas Paluckas, elected in April this year on a reform mandate. Relationships within the coalition were bad, our opinions differed on almost all major issues and, since Farmers and Greens looked for votes elsewhere, we had scant possibilities to shape its politics, he told Reuters. This will cost us influence in the short term, but we ll be in a position to better represent our supporters in the long term, he said. The Social Democrats, which have held power for long stretches since Lithuanian independence, have been looking for a way to reconnect with the voters after finishing a distant third in the 2016 general election. Social Democrat rank-and-file overwhelmingly supported leaving the government in a recent poll, in contrast to the party s members of parliament who preferred staying in power. | 1 |
10,553 | Thailand approves $2.2 billion in help for rice farmers | BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand s government on Friday announced $2.2 billion in loans and handouts to help stabilize prices for rice farmers, a politically influential group whose heartland is in regions where opposition to the military junta is strongest. Thailand s staple food has long been a factor in its politics. The announcement by the commerce ministry came a week after former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra fled into exile ahead of a court verdict in a criminal negligence case over a rice subsidy scheme that cost billions of dollars. The ministry said it would provide $1.57 billion in handouts to farmers and $633 million in loans that will cover 3.7 million households. The program will span the seasonal harvest from the start of November this year to the end of February 2018. This is to help take 2 million tonnes of rice from the market, Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, head of the commerce ministry s department of internal trade, told reporters. The government introduced similar short-term loans and cash handouts for rice farmers last year that cost the state $2.3 billion to cover 4 million households during the same period. This subsidy program is essentially similar to past rice subsidies introduced by previous governments, said Somporn Isvilanonda, a senior fellow at the Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand who is critical of subsidies. The bottom line is these cash handouts create more debt for farmers, Somporn said. After hitting a four-year high earlier this year, the price of benchmark Thai 5-percent broken white rice has tumbled by nearly 20 percent over the last two months to $372.50 per tonne, its lowest since April. Thailand s main rice-growing areas are the northeastern and central regions, which have traditionally been strongholds of support for the populist Shinawatra movement of Yingluck and her brother Thaksin, who was overthrown in a 2006 coup. | 1 |
10,554 | australia to hunt down antivax nurses and prosecute them for disobeying the medical police state | top toxins that are poisoning your kids
amy goodrich tags toxins childrens health poisoning naturalnews toxins are everywhere they are lurking in the air we breathe the water we drink and the food we eat young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects our modern lifestyle creates they can suffer profound and permanent adverse health effects which affect their developing brain and nervous systema leading group of us scientists medical experts and health organizations said that they are witnessing a dramatic increase in learning and behavioral issues in children therefore they called for chemicals to be banned at the first sign of danger rather than waiting for direct scientific proofour failures to protect children from harm underscore the urgent need for a better approach to developing and assessing scientific evidence and using it to make decisions the experts saidhere are the top ten toxins that our kids are exposed to on a daily basis mercury fillings europe norway and sweden banned mercuryleaching amalgams nearly a decade ago nonetheless dental offices across the us continue to use these toxic substances in their everyday practice according to the centers for disease control and prevention cdc exposure to high levels of mercury can cause lung damage while prolonged low exposure may result in memory loss neurological impairment kidney abnormalities and skin rashes vaccines as stated by the national vaccine information center a typical child receives about recommended doses of toxinladen vaccines before the age of six heres a short list of the most common toxic chemicals found in vaccines formaldehyde used to preserve dead things mercury aluminum associated with alzheimers gmo yeast antibiotics and monosodium glutamate msg prescription drugs overprescribing doctors with close ties to the big pharma are a real treat when it comes to your childs safety writing for blogs natural news dr brent hunter explained that some of these drugs are the legal versions of addictive street drugs take adhd medication as an example these commonly prescribed drugs are quite similar to drugs like meth and speed monosodium glutamate msg msg is a common artificial food additive with neurotoxic effects it has been linked to numerous health problems like brain lesions obesity malformed organs abnormal reproductive systems infertility aggression antisocial behavior and high cholesterol processed and fast foods we all know that processed or fast foods are bad news they are loaded with artificial synthetic chemicals preservatives nitrates and artificial colors and flavors which have been linked to a host of adverse health effects toxins in personal care products when you read the label of personal care products such as body washes moisturizers deodorants and toothpaste you might not recognize most of their ingredients when these chemicals seep into the skin they can cause devastating longterm effects opt for nontoxic organic alternatives instead toxins in laundry detergent if your laundry detergent has a strong nice fragrance chances are it is packed with cancercausing toxins some of these chemicals can be absorbed through your skin toxic cleaning products keep out of reach of children is not an uncommon phrase on the label of cleaning products while we all know that they can be harmful or fatal when swallowed dr brent hunter said that we dont need to drink them to experience the damaging sideeffects these chemicals can also end up in our body through inhalation or contact with the skin pesticides pesticides are everywhere they are in our home the environment and the food we eat opting for natural pest control and organic homegrown foods is your best chance to avoid these toxins from entering your home soda sodas are loaded with phosphoric acid which weakens your childs bones and teeth furthermore they contain high amounts of high fructose corn syrup that causes obesity and diabetes sources for this article include | 0 |
10,555 | Bill Cosby Thanks ‘Friends And Fans’ In New Year’s Tweet, Twitter EVISCERATES Him (TWEETS) | Bill Cosby was America s favorite dad for a long time. However, there was a dark side to the comedian and television icon s legacy. For years, there have been whispers that Cosby was drugging and sexually assaulting young women, many of whom were young, starstruck, naive and believed that Cosby could help with their entertainment careers.In recent times, though, Cosby s alleged dirty deeds came back to haunt him, and nearly 60 women came forward to reveal to the world what he had done. Finally, with the statute of limitations on one of the cases just days from running out, Cosby was arrested for sexual assault.On New Year s Eve, Cosby sent out a tweet to his friends and fans, who support him despite the damning evidence against him and the huge number of women saying he violated them. While there are certainly many Cosby apologists out there, most people at this point believe the women. It turned out that sending this tweet was definitely the wrong thing to do. Twitter pounced on the disgraced star as he, in my opinion, so richly deserved:@BillCosby I get the friends and fans things, Bill, but what do you say to the victims? Steve Elzer (@Steveelzer) January 1, 2016@BillCosby having any ladies over tonight for quaaludes and rape? Augie March (@AugustMarch2) January 1, 2016@BillCosby Forgot u were on here & i was following you. Your past has finally caught up to you. There isn't a known level of shame for u yet #GoBucks (@Tim_Static) January 1, 2016@BillCosby enjoy getting roofied in prison. Joe 2016 Edition (@JoeAlv) January 1, 2016@BillCosby Seriously? You & your wife need to be locked up. Mary Kastelic (@MaryKastelic) January 1, 2016@BillCosby No, thank you for sabotaging your own legacy and tarnishing people's childhoods. Tryin not to pass judgment, but, c'mon dude Kenny Baker (@BoyRaisin2) January 1, 2016@BillCosby what would you do if you found out there was a slight chance someone drugged and raped your wife or daughter? Would you be cool.. stephen slade (@StephenSlade) January 1, 2016Plenty of people pointed out that Cosby is innocent until proven guilty, which, to be fair, is true. However, considering the fact that he admitted under oath that he used quaaludes on women he wanted to have sex with well, let s just say the cards are stacked against him.This really just goes to show that America has a major issue with victim blaming and refusal to believe women who are victimized, especially when a beloved celebrity is the one being accused. Being rich and famous with a lot of fans and influence should not mean that one is above the law, and that is what has been the case with Cosby for years. Yes, he should have his day in court but so should the victims. Justice is what is important here, not a television legacy.Featured image via Bill Cosby Twitter/Raw Story | 0 |
10,556 | Huckabee FURIOUS After He’s Forced To Pay $25k For Playing ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ At Kim Davis Rally | When Kim Davis made her way back on the street after doing her time and taking her chances, then-presidential candidate Mike Huckabee triumphantly played Survivor s Eye of the Tiger to welcome the bigoted Kentucky county clerk back to the civilization whose laws she refused to respect. Davis was jailed briefly after refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in violation of the Supreme Court s ruling that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide something that angered the band s frontman, Frankie Sullivan. NO! We did not grant Kim Davis any rights to use My Tune -The Eye Of The Tiger. I would not grant her the rights to use Charmin! a furious Sullivan wrote on Twitter following Davis and Huckabee s stunt. See Ya really SoooooooonnnnnN!!! The Rude Music, which is owned by Sullivan, quickly sued Huckabee for copyright infringement, leading Huckabee s campaign to boldly declare they would not be bullied by artists whose only desire is to protect the integrity of their work. Mr. Sullivan is demanding an amount of money that exceeds the average yearly salary of a hard-working American simply because a snippet of his song was played briefly at a rally, Huckabee spokeswoman Alice Stewart told CNN at the time. The campaign offered Mr. Sullivan fair compensation, but that offer was rejected. We refuse to be bullied. The campaign argued that the event was a religious assembly and that it didn t have to pay because the hate rally was non-commercial a strange assertion given that Huckabee s political campaign paid for everything. Ultimately, Huckabee s legal defense performed a perfect imitation of his presidential campaign. He ultimately settled for a confidential amount but the former Fox News contributor s campaign disclosure forms reveal that he made two payments of $12,500 to Rude Music. The first was listed as a legal settlement for copyright infringement. The second was listed under debts and obligations. Since Huckabee s campaign was perpetually broke, the 2016 washout petitioned the FEC to allow him to set up a special legal defense fund, but the FEC told him to bootstrap it up and pay the money himself.Featured image via Getty Images/Ty Wright | 0 |
10,557 | War crimes verdict on Mladic delayed as he undergoes blood test: Mladic son | AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The verdict in the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was delayed on Wednesday while he underwent a blood pressure test, his son Darko told Reuters. U.N. judges had ordered a five-minute bathroom break for Mladic, 74, before issuing their verdict in his trial for 11 alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including genocide. That pause then stretched on for more than an hour. They took his blood pressure during the break. We don t know the readings, but they said they could continue with the verdict. We are very concerned about his blood pressure because he has already has four strokes, Darko Mladic said. | 1 |
10,558 | NuStar's Statia terminal in St Eustatius shut down ahead of Irma | HOUSTON (Reuters) - NuStar Energy LP has shut down operations at its oil terminal in the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma, the U.S. firm said in a statement on Tuesday. The Statia terminal has capacity to store up to 13.03 million barrels of crude and refined products and has six mooring locations to service oil tankers. We have activated our hurricane response plan and will continue to monitor the storm to determine our next course of action, the company said. | 1 |
10,559 | It Finally Happened: KKK Grand Imperial Wizard Endorses Donald Trump | All the months of speculation that the modern day KKK does indeed endorse Donald Trump can be confirmed as the terrorist organization s Rebel Brigade Knights Grand Imperial Wizard endorses the GOP frontrunner on live national television.When asked by reporter Chris Thomas who would be the best one for the job of President of the United States, the Wizard answered: I think Donald Trump would be best for the job. The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes in, we believe in. We want our country to be safe. Under the guise of now being a political group, the word safe has now become synonymous with xenophobia, Islamophobia, racism and bigotry all tenets, still, of the KKK, no matter how they want to word it.And they re pretty much endorsing Donald Trump.To make it even better, the Klan has (apparently) had success in recruiting since President Obama has been in office and it has nothing to do with being black, so says the Grand Wizard. It s merely a difference in politics. Totally.And if that wasn t strange (and stupid) enough, the Grand Wizard also admitted should Trump lose the nomination, they would back Kasich, not Cruz, for President. Why? Because Ted Cruz wasn t born on American soil. In their eyes, he s a foreigner who isn t fit to be president, even though they share a lot of the same views.Again, this is purely political and absolutely nothing to do with being a racist, xenophobic bigot.So now that there seems to be plurality of KKK members rushing to embrace Trump, is to fair to say he s the candidate for racist America?Let s see how long it takes him to disavow this endorsement. It took Clinton one day to disavow the phony Koch endorsement. If it s any indication, his rejection of David Duke took two weeks and much consideration.I wonder how much consideration this will take.Featured image via John Sommers II/Getty Images | 0 |
10,560 | WATCH: HILLARY BERATE RAPE VICTIM Over Question About Bill At Town Hall | Of course Hillary cares about rape victims, unless they re tied to her husband, the serial pervert Hillary s ongoing war on women.Sounding like a schoolmarm disciplining a child, Hillary Clinton yelled down a heckler at a a rally in Dover. It turns out the woman who heckled Clinton was a GOP State Rep. from Derry. She was trying to ask about Juanita Broderrick s rape allegations against Bill Clinton.HERE S THE NASTY MOMENT: | 0 |
10,561 | Obama’s Former Speechwriter Tweets Top 5 Reasons Not To Vote For Trump, And They’re Perfect | When it comes to Donald Trump, a lot of people have a lot of different opinions. While some seem to think he speaks for them when Trump elicits fear and anger, others see right through his shenanigans and are very well aware of where Trump has come from, what he as done and said, and how much he s only in this race for himself and not the greater good.One of the people who sees right through Trump and his poppycock is former President Obama speechwriter, Jon Favreau. He recently took to Twitter to perfectly summarize Trump and give us five reasons no one should ever vote for Trump, especially if they re a working class American.Here is Favreau s summary of Trump:Trump:1) Profited off of 9/112) Rooted for the housing crash3) Ran a fraudulent university 4) Sued for tax dodging 5) Is a dick Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 20, 2016And if you think he s lying, don t worry, he sourced everything as well:Links:1) https://t.co/alx1shhGCi2) https://t.co/nERH9BgIoP3) https://t.co/NsmmfGCbbw4) https://t.co/W1hTwTeoS05) Duh Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 20, 2016With the duh being, by far, the most accurate. Of course, there are many, many more reasons not to vote for him as well (racism, sexism, etc.), but this was a good jumping off point.The only reason Trump wants to be president is to say he s president. He doesn t care about the nation, and his actions more than prove that point. He only cares about himself and his own ambitions. And for goodness sake, America, realize this sooner rather than later.Featured Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Twitter | 0 |
10,562 | Trump, Malaysia's Najib skirt round U.S. probe into 1MDB scandal | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to the White House on Tuesday, praising his country for investing in the United States while steering clear of an American investigation into a Malaysian corruption scandal. The visit is important for Najib, who faces elections next year and wants to signal he is still welcome at the White House despite a criminal probe by the U.S. Justice Department into a state fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Flanked by top advisers in the Cabinet Room, Najib told Trump that Malaysia Airlines would buy 25 Boeing 737 jets and eight 787 Dreamliners, and would probably add another 25 737s in the near future - a deal he said would be worth more than $10 billion within five years. Najib said Malaysia s Employees Provident Fund, a major pension fund, wanted to spend $3 billion to $4 billion on U.S. infrastructure development. Najib enjoyed close ties with Trump s predecessor, Barack Obama, playing golf in Hawaii in 2014, but relations cooled over human rights issues as well as the 1MDB scandal. Najib founded the fund, which is facing money laundering probes in at least six countries including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore. He denies wrongdoing. The U.S. Justice Department has said more than $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials of the fund and their associates, according to dozens of civil lawsuits it filed last year. The Justice Department sued to seize some $1.7 billion in assets it said were bought with misappropriated 1MDB funds, but asked for a stay on its civil lawsuits in August because it was conducting a related criminal probe. The White House had said it would not comment on the Justice Department investigation but a senior U.S. official acknowledged it was unusual to meet with Najib while 1MDB was under regulatory scrutiny. It s a weird situation, no doubt, the official said, explaining that the administration has prioritized developing relations with Southeast Asia to counter huge gains China has made in the region. Najib and his delegation stayed at the Trump International Hotel, according to several U.S. media reports, but the White House dismissed questions about the stay. We certainly don t book their hotel accommodations, so I couldn t speak to the personal decision they made about where to stay here in D.C., White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. In a speech to U.S. business leaders, Najib said opposition politicians had blown the 1MDB scandal out of proportion in a failed attempt to topple his government. I know that some of you will have heard some less positive stories about the Malaysian economy, particularly about 1MDB, Najib said. Indeed, there was a campaign to deliberately sabotage the company and undermine investor confidence in our economy in a failed attempt to topple the government in-between election cycles. He also said Malaysia s investigations into 1MDB revealed there had been some failings . The U.S. lawsuits had alleged $681 million of the misappropriated funds from 1MDB was transferred to the account of Malaysian Official 1 , which U.S. and Malaysian sources have previously identified as Najib. A Malaysian government investigation has cleared him of any wrongdoing. Najib s invitation to the White House was slammed by several rights groups who had urged the Trump administration to bring up Najib s record of cracking down on the media and others critics. Trump sees Malaysia, a majority Muslim nation, as an ally in its fight against Islamic militancy. It is also wants it to cut ties with North Korea. He does not do business with North Korea any longer, and we find that to be very important, Trump said referring to Najib. Ties between Malaysia and North Korea soured after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un s half brother was assassinated in Kuala Lumpur this year. It was also discovered that North Korea was using Malaysia as a base for its arms export and other businesses, that funneled money to Pyongyang. Before their meeting, Trump praised Najib for his tough stand on Islamic State. He s been very, very strong on terrorism in Malaysia, and a great supporter from that standpoint. For a graphic on Malaysia's 1MDB scandal, click: here | 1 |
10,563 | PATHETIC! It’s What Trump DIDN’T Say To Eminem That Has The Rapper ‘Extremely Angry’ [Video] | Seriously? How pathetic is this? In an effort to score some publicity, Eminem performed a free style rap saying disgusting things about President Trump. It s clear now that POTUS was not biting TRUMP GETS THE LAST LAUGH!Eminem says he is extremely angry President Trump never responded to his BET Awards freestyle: I feel like he s not paying attention to me. I was kinda waiting for him to say something, and for some reason, he didn t say anything. Pathetic Eminem says he is extremely angry President Trump never responded to his BET Awards freestyle: "I feel like he's not paying attention to me. I was kinda waiting for him to say something, and for some reason, he didn't say anything." pic.twitter.com/PaSMvUm5gK Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) November 21, 2017LOL! PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID NOTHING SO GUESS WHERE THE NEW SONG HIT WORST EVER RELEASE BY EMINEM SINCE 1998Trump curse strikes again. Eminem's new single is his first not to debut in the Billboard top 10 since 1998. pic.twitter.com/lotqxlqCvY Thirsty Grunt (@Thirsty_Grunt) November 21, 2017 | 0 |
10,564 | Trump's threats chill corporate investment plans in Mexico | MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Donald Trump’s threats to battle Mexico over trade, investment and jobs have pushed a growing number of companies operating in the country to put expansion plans on hold until the president-elect fleshes out his policies, business leaders have told Reuters since the Nov. 8 election. Pledging to recast a joint trade deal and protect U.S. industry from outsourcing to Mexico, Trump landed his first blow last week, announcing a deal with United Technologies Corp’s Carrier unit to stop it shifting about 1,000 jobs south of the border. Trump’s unorthodox move, involving state tax breaks, sent a chill through executives still uncertain which policies the president-elect would pursue upon assuming office on Jan. 20. On the campaign trail, he threatened to levy hefty tariffs on Chinese and Mexican-made products. “If he puts an import duty on Mexican goods, it’s going to be a total disaster,” said Maurizio Rosa, chief executive of Codan Rubber Mexico, a maker of hoses for the auto industry with annual sales of some 200 million pesos ($10 million). Codan and other companies in Mexico are plugged into the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Mexico and Canada, which Trump has threatened to dismantle if he cannot renegotiate it. Over half of Codan’s output goes directly to the United States, and “probably the rest” indirectly through other firms, said Rosa, whose clients include automakers Nissan Motor Co Ltd, Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and tractor maker Kubota Corp. Until it becomes clear what Trump means for business, new investment at the firm has been put on hold, he said. Mexico wants to reduce its economic dependency on the United States, and a recent auction of deep-water oil fields was notable for the pledges made by investors from China, Australia, Malaysia and elsewhere. But most big investments made since NAFTA have served to further integrate Mexican manufacturing with the United States. The Friday after Trump’s election victory, the Mexican Association of Industrial Parks (AMPIP) surveyed members internally on what implications it had for business, getting eight replies. The as-yet-unpublished survey found that 37.5 percent of pending projects - eight in total - had been put on hold, mostly until 2017. The rest were still going ahead. Nearly half of the $425.7 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico between 1999 and 2015 came from the United States. Such investment has been a cornerstone of U.S.-Mexican trade, today worth $500 billion annually. But Trump’s renewed threats of punitive tariffs on goods made abroad by U.S. companies may threaten that flow of investment. Shortly after his deal with Carrier, Trump revived his campaign on Twitter to slap a 35 percent tariff on such goods coming into the United States. Mexico is more immediately exposed to the risk of a trade war, given it sends 80 percent of its exports to U.S. buyers, five times the U.S. proportion going to Mexico. Economists have already highlighted the risks. After Trump’s win, HSBC slashed its 2017 Mexican growth forecast to 1.7 percent from 2.3 percent, saying most of the hit would likely come from reduced FDI and private investment. Credit rating firm Fitch on Friday flagged the risks Trump posed to trade and investment as it revised down Mexico’s outlook to negative from stable. Emilio Cadena, CEO of Grupo Prodensa, a specialist in helping foreign companies move to Mexico, estimated one in 10 such businesses - all “smaller firms” - had put investments on hold while uncertainty persisted over U.S.-Mexico relations. Business lobbies said major investments are still proceeding as planned, but smaller firms focused on the U.S. market are less able to absorb potential shocks. Bosco de la Vega, a partner in Agro Groppo, a potato producer in the northern state of Sinaloa, said his firm has now put off a $5 million investment for at least four to six months. The company and its partners had planned to purchase a Mexican firm to help them export more to the United States. Luis Aguirre, vice president of industry confederation Concamin, said some smaller foreign manufacturers were also in a holding pattern because of uncertainty caused by Trump. A survey of German companies in Mexico published on Wednesday showed that 83 percent expected Trump’s trade policy to have a negative impact on business. Carlo Bonfante, economy minister of the border state of Baja California, said that none of the 2017 investment already in the pipeline for the state was on hold yet, but that firms would likely wait until April before making their next move. “There’ll be a pause for analysis that there wouldn’t have been if Trump hadn’t won,” he said. | 1 |
10,565 | Thailand says closely watching Myanmar crisis, ready to provide aid | BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand s foreign ministry, in a rare statement on an ongoing crisis in neighboring Myanmar s Rakhine state, said late on Saturday that it was closely following the situation and would provide aid to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Violence erupted in Rakhine last month when Rohingya militants attacked security posts, triggering a crackdown by the Myanmar army. More than half a million ethnic Rohingya - a mostly Muslim minority who are denied citizenship by Myanmar - have fled to Bangladesh since then. Those who fled accuse Myanmar s army, backed by Buddhist mobs, of a brutal killing campaign. The United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing a sweeping government offensive in the north of Rakhine State in response to those attacks. Thailand is closely following the situation in the Rakhine State with concern, the ministry said. The Royal Thai Government has always placed great importance to providing care and protection to Myanmar displaced persons, it added, pointing to some 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who live in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. But many of those living in the camps are long-term residents who fled conflict decades ago. None are Rohingya, according to non-governmental organizations who work there. The Thai foreign ministry said its statement was in response to views raised by some human rights groups regarding Thailand s position on the unrest in Rakhine. Amnesty International last week said Thailand must not push back Rohingya fleeing violence and that it should provide refugees formal legal status and protection. Thailand does not recognize the status of any refugees or recognize the Rohingya as legitimate migrant workers. Thailand said it supported a statement on the issue by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a grouping of 10 nations. In the statement, ASEAN foreign ministers condemned the attacks on Myanmar s security forces and all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives . Malaysia, an ASEAN member, disassociated itself from the statement, saying it misrepresented issues relating to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya. So far, none of the affected victims from the August unrest in Rakhine State have been found in Thailand, the Thai foreign ministry said. | 1 |
10,566 | WOW! DOCUMENT Shows Teachers How To Teach History After Trump Election…”And Not Get Fired” | Have you ever had an argument with a liberal who swears on her mother s grave that educators in America don t fill our children s heads with propaganda and liberal lies? Here s proof that they re wrong. We found this website listed on a radical leftist Facebook page used to recruit activists in the fight against Trump. One of their primary focuses in their battle against Trump is how to turn kids against him. The google document we reference in this article was created by history educators in Oakland, California. They make it a point to let the teachers know that they can t guarantee they won t be fired for teaching their version of History in Post 2016 as suggested below, but hey, that s why they have teacher s unions right? We ve copied the Google document and taken several screen shots, as these documents, like the one created by the Assistant Professor Melissa Zimdars that was supposed to point out fake news sites was deleted once people realized she was just a radical trying to discredit conservative websites. The first thing the website addresses is how to keep your job but still teach your version of history post Trump election:How to Be a Critical History Educator. . . and not get fired.*Here are a few samples of articles the website suggests teachers use to aid them in their indoctrination of their students. Check out some of the titles and a sample of what the articles are about. These are pure indoctrination articles that all lean very hard to the Left. (Go to this link for full list): For example, Oakland Unified School District Board of Education Policy 6144 states that The study of a controversial issue should help students learn how to gather and organize pertinent facts, discriminate between fact and fiction, draw intelligent conclusions and respect the opinions of others, and Administrative Regulation 6144 states that Controversial issues may be discussed in the classroom, provided that: 1) The issue is related to the course of study and provides opportunities for critical thinking, for developing tolerance, and for understanding conflicting points of view The ACLU of Washington State has also compiled The Free Speech Rights of Teachers, a legal guide covering speech inside and outside of the classroom, clothing, classroom or office displays and decorations, bulletin boards, conversations with colleagues, and campus demonstrations.*Although we think the guidance in this document is good practice, we can t guarantee you won t get fired. Use your best judgment, plan explicitly, and develop relationships with site, district, and community partners.One of the articles they suggest teachers use to aid them in teaching history to their students is The Zinn Education Project: The Zinn Education Project stands in solidarity with those who have denounced Donald Trump s racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and Islamophobia as well as his ignorant and deadly proposals about the environment and climate change. We have been encouraged by the young people in our classrooms and in the streets who are living the maxim that people make history. As we have tried to make sense of this election and what it means for educators and our students, we have asked ourselves, What would Howard Zinn say? While detesting the outcome, we doubt he would have been surprised. Zinn observed that,Is not nationalism one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along with religious hatred? These ways of thinking cultivated, nurtured, indoctrinated from childhood on have been useful to those in power, and deadly for those out of power.But Zinn would surely remind us that just because the rich and powerful want something to happen, doesn t make it so. He would urge us not to lose heart, and to remember our history. Zinn wrote,There is a tendency to think that what we see in the present moment will continue. We forget how often we have been astonished by the sudden crumbling of institutions, by extraordinary changes in people s thoughts, by unexpected eruptions of rebellion against tyrannies, by the quick collapse of systems of power that seemed invincible.No doubt, still reeling from this poisonous election, it is hard to be hopeful. But we invite you to draw on curriculum at the Zinn Education Project to help your students make sense of this new context. We include lessons some highlighted below that:Show how social movements have made important strides even during dark times. Help students explore other moments in history when elites have mobilized to roll back racial and economic progress. Highlight examples of divide and conquer politics. Help students explore aspects of Trump s agenda immigration, the environment, Muslims, civil liberties, the press, and economic inequality. It s vital that we introduce our students to the individuals and social movements that have made this country more just. As Howard Zinn reminded us:To omit, or to minimize, these voices of resistance is to create the idea that power only rests with those who have the guns, who possess the wealth, who own the newspapers and the television stations. People who seem to have no power, whether working people, people of color, or women once they organize and protest and create movements have a voice no government can suppress.Civil rights organizer Ella Baker said, We who believe in freedom cannot rest. The role of teachers is crucial in this freedom struggle. Please check out the lessons and resources below. | 0 |
10,567 | Watch The Moment A White Teacher Gets SCHOOLED By His Student On Racism’s True Meaning (VIDEO) | A brilliant moment where a high school student turned the tables and gave her white male teacher a much-needed lesson on racism has been caught on camera and is currently going viral.The video, which surfaced on the But That s None of My Business Facebook page, shows a young woman of color confronting her teacher during a presentation, for what appears to be his assertion that white people can also become victims of racism.The female student calls him out on his misinformed position and explains to him that it is impossible for white people to experience racism, because white people have never once faced systemic oppression or been discriminated against or disenfranchised by institutions. She offered a heated explanation: Racism is based on the systematic oppression of people. White people have never suffered that. Yeah, you ve tried to say it s possible. Yeah, in the future it s possible to like have some sort of systematic oppression of white people. But it s never happened. So you saying it s not going to be up for argument, it s kind of like you, as a white man, saying what is and what is not racist. And that s what s been happening throughout this century. Many of her fellow students, most of which also appear to be people of color, begin applauding right before she adds, So for you to tell me that, it doesn t make me believe you, because that s what s been said to us for so long. You can watch her powerful lesson below:Without a doubt, the parents of this young girl deserve a hand for raising such a socially aware teenager who not only understands white privilege and systemic racism, but possesses enough courage to dispute and educate an adult in power when they are painfully wrong and ignorant.It would have been amazing if the entire discussion had been caught on camera, but it s safe to say that this student is probably more capable of teaching a class on racism than her teacher.Featured image is a screenshot | 0 |
10,568 | Ramping up rhetoric, Turkey's Erdogan chastises U.S. over democracy | ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan showed no retreat from a diplomatic row with the United States on Saturday, castigating Washington for what he said an undemocratic indictment against his security detail. His comments may further dash hopes of a quick resolution to an on-going diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies. Both Ankara and Washington have cut back issuing visas to each other s citizens as ties have worsened. They say the United States is the cradle of democracy. This can t be true. This can t be democracy, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. If arrest warrants are issued against my bodyguards in absentia ... in the United States, where I went upon invitation, excuse me but I will not say this is a civilized country. A U.S. grand jury in August indicted 15 Turkish security officials over a brawl between protesters and Erdogan s security personnel during the Turkish president s visit to Washington in May. Erdogan has said the indictment was not binding for Ankara. The row deepened after Turkish authorities arrested two U.S. consular staff, both Turkish nationals. In May, a translator at the consulate in the southern province of Adana was arrested and two weeks ago a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worker was detained in Istanbul. Both are accused of links to last year failed coup. The U.S. embassy has said the accusations are baseless. Turkish police want to question a third worker based in Istanbul. His wife and daughter were detained this month last week over alleged links to the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the abortive putsch. They were later released. Turkey has been angered by what it sees as U.S. reluctance to hand over the cleric Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999. U.S. officials have said its courts require sufficient evidence to order his extradition. Turkey has also been enraged by Washington s support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the fight against Islamic State. Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). On Saturday, the U.S. embassy issued statement reiterating its stance on the PKK and its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in an apparent response to criticism from Erdogan. The U.S. government works together with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and maintenance of stability in the region, it said on Twitter. The PKK is listed among foreign terror organizations. Ocalan has been jailed in Turkey for his actions related to the PKK. He is not a person to be respected. On Friday, Erdogan criticized the United States over a huge banner of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan unfurled in Syria s Raqqa by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. The banner was raised at a ceremony to mark Raqqa s capture from Islamic State in a campaign spearheaded by the YPG. How can the U.S. explain the poster of Ocalan in Raqqa? Is this the way they are cooperating with us in the struggle against terror? Erdogan said. You are not standing by us against terrorism. Ocalan has been in jail in Turkey since 1999 on a treason conviction. More than 40,000 people, most of them Kurds, have died in the fighting since the PKK took up arms against the state in 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey and the European Union. | 1 |
10,569 | Maltese journalist probably killed by remotely detonated bomb, government says | VALLETTA (Reuters) - Police believe a bomb that killed a prominent journalist in Malta was attached beneath her car and triggered remotely, a government spokeswoman said on Thursday, giving the first details of the investigation. Daphne Caruana Galizia, a renowned blogger and fierce critic of the government, died on Monday in a blast that wrecked her car as she was leaving her house, throwing debris and body parts into a nearby field. The murder shocked the Mediterranean island, the smallest nation in the European Union, and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Wednesday promised a reward to anyone who came forward with information about the killing. However, Caruana Galizia s three grown-up sons dismissed the offer, and called instead for Muscat to resign, saying he should take political responsibility for the first such murder of a journalist in Malta since the island won independence in 1964. Muscat has ruled out quitting and flew to Brussels on Thursday for an EU summit, where his spokeswoman said investigators were making some progress. Emerging evidences make us think that the bomb was placed under the car and was set off with a remote trigger, she said, adding that foreign experts would be called on to help identify the mobile phone which was used to detonate the bomb. In a news conference in Valletta, police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar denied British police would join Dutch forensic experts and a team from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in helping with the case. Muscat s spokeswoman earlier said British officers would be involved. Cutajar said no arrests had made so far and added it was too soon to discuss possible motives, telling reporters it would take weeks to collect all the evidence. He also could not confirm reports from a Maltese police source that Semtex explosives were believed to have been used in the killing. The island has seen a number of small bomb attacks in recent years tied to gangland criminals, but the explosives used were relatively rudimentary and did not have the same power as the device that targeted Caruana Galizia. The 53-year-old journalist used her widely read blog to lambast Muscat, his wife and some of his closest advisers, accusing them of setting up off-shore accounts to hide ill-gotten gain. They denied the charges and Muscat was suing Caruana Galizia for libel at the time of her death. The police may or may not find out who ordered the assassination of our mother but as long as those who led the country to this point remain in place, none of it will matter, her three sons, Matthew, Andrew and Paul, wrote on Facebook. That added that the only way forward was for Muscat to stand aside: Resign for watching over the birth of a society dominated by fear, mistrust, crime and corruption. As he arrived at the EU summit in Brussels, Muscat denied that he had created a mafia state in Malta, which is home to a large financial services sector and the continental hub for the flourishing online gaming industry. Definitely not, Muscat said. The European Parliament said it would hold a debate next week on the protection of journalists and media freedom in Malta, where the government enjoys sweeping powers over the judiciary and the police. Malta is a Mecca for money launderers and tax avoiders, Greens EU legislator Sven Giegold said. The prime minister says the financial services sector is as transparent and compliant as in any other European jurisdiction. | 1 |
10,570 | Sessions: 'no reason to doubt' Roy Moore's accusers | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday he “has no reason to doubt” five women who have accused U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct with them when they were in their teens. Moore, who is running for the Senate seat that Sessions vacated when he joined President Donald Trump’s administration, has denied the allegations. Sessions, who is the nation’s top law enforcement officer, said he would not comment on the campaign. Numerous other Republican figures have called on Moore to withdraw from the race. | 1 |
10,571 | Democrats to study every option to halt Obamacare repeal bill | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday his party would look at “every single option” to halt a last-ditch effort by Republicans to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. “We’re going to explore every single option,” Schumer told a news conference to underscore Democratic opposition to a bill introduced by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy that proposes replacing the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Republicans face a two-week countdown before Senate procedural rules make it much harder for them to advance their latest bill. | 1 |
10,572 | UK business, unions ally to urge Brexit citizenship deal | LONDON (Reuters) - Britain s leading business and union bodies jointly urged the British government and European Union on Thursday to guarantee their citizens rights after Brexit takes place in March 2019. The uncertainty facing four million expatriate European and British citizens has become intolerable, said the heads of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Trades Union Congress (TUC) - who often sit on opposite sides of the corporate negotiating table. Millions of workers and thousands of firms are today united in their call to leaders on both sides to find an urgent solution, the CBI s Carolyn Fairbairn and the TUC s Frances O Grady said in a joint statement. The issue of expatriate citizens rights has become a stumbling block in bilateral talks over Britain s divorce. Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said concessions made last week by UK Prime Minister Theresa May went in the right direction, but not far enough to move negotiations forward. Describing the current situation as human poker , Fairbairn and O Grady said a clear guarantee of the right to remain for citizens in Britain and the EU was needed within weeks. The CBI and TUC said EU citizens accounted for 10 percent of registered doctors and 4 percent of nurses in Britain. Millions more work in the public and private sectors delivering public services and making a vital contribution to our economy, they said. EU citizens giving evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee on Europe said they had missed job opportunities in the UK due to confusion among employers on the need for a permanent residency card, which costs 160 pounds ($215) and can only be obtained by filling out an 80-page form. But it is unclear whether the card will be valid post-Brexit when they will then need to apply for settled status , under proposals currently being discussed. ($1 = 0.7441 pounds) | 1 |
10,573 | Wisconsin agrees to statewide recount in presidential race | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wisconsin’s election board agreed on Friday to conduct a statewide recount of votes cast in the presidential race, as requested by a Green Party candidate seeking similar reviews in two other states where Donald Trump scored narrow wins. The recount process, including an examination by hand of the nearly 3 million ballots tabulated in Wisconsin, is expected to begin late next week after Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s campaign has paid the required fee, the Elections Commission said. The state faces a Dec. 13 federal deadline to complete the recount, which may require canvassers in Wisconsin’s 72 counties to work evenings and weekends to finish the job in time, according to the commission. The recount fee has yet to be determined, the agency said in a statement on its website. Stein said in a Facebook message on Friday that the sum was expected to run to about $1.1 million. She said she has raised at least $5 million from donors since launching her drive on Wednesday for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania - three battleground states where Republican Trump edged out Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by relatively thin margins. Stein has said her goal is to raise $7 million to cover all fees and legal costs. Her effort may have given a ray of hope to dispirited Clinton supporters, but the chance of overturning the overall result of the Nov. 8 election is considered very slim, even if all three states go along with the recount. The Green Party candidate, who garnered little more than 1 percent of the nationwide popular vote herself, said on Friday that she was seeking to verify the integrity of the U.S. voting system, not to undo Trump’s victory. While there was no evidence of tampering or voting errors in the election, only a thorough review of results from the three states at issue will reassure Americans, Stein said. “This was a hack-riddled election,” she told CNN, pointing to various cyber-attacks on political organizations and individual email accounts before Election Day and media reports citing concerns raised by computer security specialists. Experts urged extra scrutiny of the three states, Stein said, because their voting systems were seen as vulnerable. They also cited “unexplained high numbers of undervotes,” the close finish between the two nominees and “discrepancies between pre-election polling and the official result,” she said. According to Stein, the Wisconsin commission confirmed receipt of her recount petition at 3:45 p.m. local time, just over an hour before the deadline for filing. The filing deadline is Monday in Pennsylvania and Wednesday in Michigan. The Wisconsin board said Stein was joined in her petition by another third-party candidate, Rocky Roque De La Fuente. Although Trump won narrowly in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the margins make it highly unlikely any recounts would end up giving Clinton a win in all three states, which would be needed for the overall election result to change. Trump beat Clinton in Pennsylvania by 70,010 votes, in Michigan by 10,704 votes and in Wisconsin by 27,257 votes. The presidential race is decided by the Electoral College, based on a tally of wins from the state-by-state contests, rather than by the popular national vote. The Electoral College results are expected to be finalized on Dec. 19. Trump surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win, although Clinton will have won the national popular vote by more than 2 million ballots once final tallies are in. A representative for Trump’s transition team on Thursday had no comment on Stein’s effort, and Clinton has not commented on Stein’s effort. | 1 |
10,574 | Here’s The GOP Debate In A Nutshell, And It’s An Absolute Clusterf*ck (VIDEO) | It s time to get absolutely real about something the Republican party, in all legitimacy, has absolutely no one serious to run for president. While the Democrats are sitting with two extremely competent and viable choices, either of which would be great, the Republicans are left with the side-show of circus that isn t even capable of selling tickets. Let s be real no one wants them. They re all nincompoops. People are just voting for them because, A.) they re nincompoops too, or B.) they just don t know what else to do.Here you have these men, vying for the most coveted position in all the world, and we d be lucky if we could even witness them tie their own shoe laces. They argue with each other like pre-schoolers fighting over toys in the sandbox. Trump even called Cruz a basket case. Which sure, he is, but that is neither here nor there. Watching these men go at it is no better than watching a cockfight. You re literally waiting for them to just whip it out and lay it on the table to measure. That s sincerely what it looks as though it s come to.And if you need further proof, just watch here:// < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>#GOPDebate In A NutshellIn case you couldn t watch the laughable mess that was the GOP debate, here s the clip that really showcases what it came down to. Do ANY of them seem presidential? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Want to make it extra fun? Tag your favorite Republican friend and ask them to explain this.Like Americans Against The Republican Party for more!Posted by Americans Against The Republican Party on Thursday, February 25, 2016Featured image: screen capture | 0 |
10,575 | GOP Operative Connected To Trump’s Ousted Top Adviser Tried Obtaining Russian-Hacked Clinton Emails | An explosive report in the Wall Street Journal explicitly links the Russian-hacked Clinton campaign emails with Trump s campaign and Michael Flynn s chances of ending up in prison just skyrocketed.According to the report, a GOP operative, Peter Smith, who had worked with Flynn s consulting group asked computer experts to help him get a hold of the cache of hacked emails the Russian government stole from Clinton s campaign. To open doors to getting what he wanted, he name-dropped Michael Flynn, who at that point was working on Trump s campaign. Smith died recently, but not before handing the Wall Street Journal a bedside confession of sorts.Talking Points Memo summarizes the insane details of the scheme:In one recruiting email reviewed by the newspaper, Smith said Flynn s son, Michael G. Flynn, was helping with the effort. In another, Jonathan Safron, a law student who worked for Smith, included Flynn s consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, at the top of a list of websites of people working with the team. He said, I m talking to Michael Flynn about this if you find anything, can you let me know? Eric York, one computer security expert who said he searched hacker forums on Smith s behalf to try to dig up the emails, told the Journal.Here s where the other shoe drops, via WSJ:Those investigators have examined reports from intelligence agencies that describe Russian hackers discussing how to obtain emails from Mrs. Clinton s server and then transmit them to Mr. Flynn via an intermediary, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the intelligence.It isn t clear who that intermediary might have been or whether Mr. Smith s operation was the one allegedly under discussion by the Russian hackers. The reports were compiled during the same period when Mr. Smith s group was operating, according to the officials.Trump actively encouraged Russian hackers to steal Clinton s documents during the campaign, but later claimed to not have anything to do with their release. Despite the denials, a mountain of circumstantial evidence and a number of questionable admissions from Trump s team have only stoked the flames that something was very wrong during the election. Much of his staff, including Vice President Mike Pence and Trump s own personal lawyer, have hired defense attorneys in preparation for the investigation into their involvement.This new information only further incriminates Flynn, who now goes from looking pretty guilty to very guilty. It also burns the last remaining bridges he may have had to save himself.Michael Flynn has toyed with taking a deal to turn on his former boss, but the FBI says it is not pursuing that relationship. There is a good possibility that, if these allegations bear fruit, Flynn winds up in jail for treason or something close to it.Now all eyes have turned to Trump himself, who seems consumed with protecting Flynn. By his own retelling, Trump fired then FBI Director, James Comey, because he wouldn t stop the Russia investigation. Comey has since testified that Trump specifically asked him to drop any investigation into Flynn (who has by now retroactively filed as a foreign agent working for Turkey s despotic regime).Spies, hackers, foreign agents, liars, thieves, and crooks quite a group assembled by Trump, the man who only hires the best people.Featured image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images | 0 |
10,576 | Veteran Newsman Ted Koppel Scorches O’Reilly: You Spent 20 Years Making The News Dumber (VIDEO) | Legendary ABC News reporter Ted Koppel has seen a lot of change in the way news is covered during his lifetime and clearly not all of it is good.In a fiery interview with Fox News pundit Bill O Reilly, Koppel turned the tables and laid out a scathing indictment on the entire conservative network s way of doing business. It was beautiful to watch.O Reilly attempted to seek advice from Koppel on how best to approach an interview with Donald Trump. The Republican front runner is known for being brash, aggressive and evasive. O Reilly put it to his former colleague, Not an easy interview. How would you do it? But Koppel wasn t having the fake sincerity. O Reilly, and his ilk at Fox, created this monster. You and I have talked about this general subject many times over the years. It s irrelevant how I would do it. You know who made it irrelevant? You did. You have changed the television landscape over the past 20 years you took it from being objective and dull to subjective and entertaining. And in this current climate, it doesn t matter what the interviewer asks him; Mr. Trump is gonna say whatever he wants to say, as outrageous as it may be. Thanks to people like O Reilly, who routinely ignore facts to push a right-wing agenda, Trump can get away with saying anything he wants and the gullible Fox audience will eat it up. Facts no longer matter because they ve been told for years that the truth has a liberal bias anyway.When O Reilly ignored the critique, Koppel again went for the throat. He suggested Fox might try to counter Trump, and this might sound crazy to a guy like O Reilly, by some reporting. It s an old-fashioned concept, but I think demonstrating who and what Mr. Trump is and what his policies really amount to is something you don t do in an interview. He doesn t answer the questions. Letting Trump control the interview doesn t work. MSNBC tried it with their townhall and it was a complete disaster. Trump is a showman, what he lacks in substance he makes up for in empty bravado. Instead, Koppel told O Reilly, try actually exposing the truth for once.It s refreshing to see someone so unequivocally call Bill O Reilly out right to his face. It helps that it comes from a long-time veteran of the news business. O Reilly had hoped to get some tips from the years of experience under Koppel s belt, but wound up getting way more than he bargained for.Watch the video below via Media Matters:Featured image via Fox News | 0 |
10,577 | Toll in Sanaa fighting rises to 234 killed, 400 wounded: ICRC | GENEVA (Reuters) - The toll in fighting in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in nearly a week has risen to 234 killed and 400 wounded, including 383 severely injured, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday. Robert Mardini, ICRC regional director for the Middle East, also said in a tweet: Our @ICRC_ye teams are now doing all they can to supply hospitals with medicines, surgical materials and fuel. The ICRC said on Monday that there were at least 125 killed and 238 wounded in the clashes. Sanaa was quiet on Tuesday after five days of fighting that culminated in the death of ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and U.N. and Red Cross flights have landed at the airport, the United Nations said. | 1 |
10,578 | Pentagon identifying new areas to pressure Iran, reviewing plans | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Friday it was identifying new areas where it could work with allies to put pressure on Iran in support of President Donald Trump’s new strategy, which promises a far more confrontational approach to Tehran. Trump struck a blow against the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement on Friday in defiance of other world powers, choosing not to certify that Tehran is complying with the deal and warning he might ultimately terminate it. He also promised to address Iran more broadly, including its support for extremist groups in the Middle East. Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Defense Department spokesman, told Reuters the Pentagon was assessing the positioning of its forces as well as planning but offered few details. “We are identifying new areas where we will work with allies to put pressure on the Iranian regime, neutralize its destabilizing influences, and constrain its aggressive power projection, particularly its support for terrorist groups and militants,” he said. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said his first goal would to talk with U.S. allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere to gain a shared understanding of Iran’s actions. “Certainly we intend to dissuade them from shipping arms into places like Yemen and explosives into Bahrain and the other things they do with their surrogates, like Lebanese Hezbollah,” Mattis said. The U.S. military has long been a strident critic of Iran, accusing it directly and indirectly of trying to undermine the United States and its allies, including in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The tensions escalated in recent months in Syria, where American pilots shot down two Iranian-made drones this summer. Still, a more aggressive approach to Iran could trigger a backlash from Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and forces that it backs. That includes in Iraq, where U.S. troops are fighting Islamic State and trying to keep their distance from Shi’ite militia aligned with Iran. “U.S. forces in Iraq are quite exposed, and coalition forces are quite exposed to the risk of attack if Iranian elements so choose,” said Jennifer Cafarella, lead intelligence planner at the Institute for the Study of War, a think-tank in Washington. The U.S. military is analyzing an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, that killed an American soldier in Iraq this month. The reappearance of the device, which Iran-backed Shi’ite militia routinely used to target American troops in Iraq before their withdrawal in 2011, has startled U.S. officials. CIA Director Mike Pompeo noted the device was detonated in an area controlled by a militia backed by Tehran. “We do not have evidence of a direct link to Iran, but we are closely examining this tragic incident,” Pompeo said on Wednesday. Cafarella said the killing of the U.S. soldier may have been a warning from Iran. “I think it is possible that the Iranians have been attempting to signal their commitment to retaliate against the U.S. strategy,” she said. Mattis said the United States was watching for any new provocations from Iran. Asked whether he thought Tehran might retaliate, he said: “It would be ill advised for them to attack us.” Reuters has previously reported that options to increase pressure on Iran include more aggressive U.S. interceptions of Iranian arms shipments, such as those to Houthi rebels in Yemen, It could also direct U.S. naval forces to react more forcefully when harassed by armed IRGC speed boats. The Pentagon on Friday detailed a series of major concern about Iran, including its ballistic missile development and cyber attacks against the United States and U.S. allies. The Pentagon promised to review U.S. security cooperation activities with allies in the region, something that could lead to alterations in U.S. arms sales and military exercises. It also signaled a willingness to re-examine the positioning of the roughly 70,000 American troops the Pentagon says are stationed in the Middle East. Still, Mattis said: “Right now we are not changing our posture.” | 1 |
10,579 | FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR on Anti-Trump FBI Agent: “He belongs in Leavenworth. He belongs behind bars.” [Video] | WE COULDN T AGREE MORE! Former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom on the Peter Strzok anti-Trump texts: He belongs in Leavenworth. He belongs behind bars. These things cannot happen in a democracy. Former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom on the Peter Strzok anti-Trump texts: "He belongs in Leavenworth. He belongs behind bars. These things cannot happen in a democracy." @FoxBusiness @LizMacDonaldFOX pic.twitter.com/tMkX7wBoA9 Risk & Reward (@RiskRewardFBN) December 14, 2017THERE ARE SEVERAL PLAYERS IN THIS ANTI-TRUMP SCAM BUT FBI AGENT STRZOK IS THE MAIN CULPRIT:FBI Supervisor Fired For Anti-Trump Texts Oversaw Michael Flynn Interviews:Wow! Could this charade of an investigation into Trump-Russian collusion get any more embarrassing for special counsel Robert Mueller?A supervisory special agent who is now under scrutiny after being removed from Robert Mueller s Special Counsel s Office for alleged bias against President Trump also oversaw the bureau s interviews of embattled former National Security advisor Michael Flynn, this reporter has learned. Flynn recently pled guilty to one-count of lying to the FBI last week.FBI agent Peter Strzok was one of two FBI agents who interviewed Flynn, which took place on Jan. 24, at the White House, said several sources. The other FBI special agent, who interviewed Flynn, is described by sources as a field supervisor in the Russian Squad, at the FBI s Washington Field Office, according to a former intelligence official, with knowledge of the interview.Strzok was removed from his role in the Special Counsel s Office after it was discovered he had made disparaging comments about President Trump in text messages between him and his alleged lover FBI attorney Lisa Page, according to the New York Times and Washington Post, which first reported the stories. Strzok is also under investigation by the Department of Justice Inspector General for his role in Hillary Clinton s email server and the ongoing investigation into Russia s election meddling. On Saturday, the House Intelligence Committee s Chairman Devin Nunes chided the Justice Department and the FBI for not disclosing why Strzok had been removed from the Special Counsel three months ago, according to a statement given by the Chairman.The former U.S. intelligence official told this reporter, with the recent revelation that Strzok was removed from the Special Counsel investigation for making anti-Trump text messages it seems likely that the accuracy and veracity of the 302 of Flynn s interview as a whole should be reviewed and called into question. The most logical thing to happen would be to call the other FBI Special Agent present during Flynn s interview before the Grand Jury to recount his version, the former intelligence official added.The former official also said that Strzok s allegiance to (Deputy Director Andrew) McCabe was unwavering and very well known. Flynn, a retired three-star general, issued a statement on Dec. 1, saying, it has been extraordinarily painful to endure these many months of false accusations of treason and other outrageous acts. Such false accusations are contrary to everything I have ever done and stood for. But I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right. According to another source, with direct knowledge of the Jan. 24 interview, McCabe had contacted Flynn by phone directly at the White House. White House officials had spent the earlier part of the week with the FBI overseeing training and security measures associated with their new roles so it was no surprise to Flynn that McCabe had called, the source said.McCabe told Flynn some agents were heading over (to the White House) but Flynn thought it was part of the routine work the FBI had been doing and said they would be cleared at the gate, the source said. It wasn t until after they were already in (Flynn s) office that he realized he was being formerly interviewed. He didn t have an attorney with him, they added.Flynn s attorney Robert Kelner did not respond for comment.A former FBI agent said the investigation into Strzok and the reported text messages between him and Page, shows a bias that cannot be ignored particularly if he had anything to do with Flynn s interview and his role in it. The former U.S. intelligence official questioned, how logical is it that Flynn is being charged for lying to an agent whose character and neutrality was called into question by the Special Counsel. According to an anonymous source in The Washington Post, Strzok s and Page had exchanged a number of texts that expressed anti-Trump sentiments and other comments that appeared to favor Clinton. For entire story: Sara Carter, Hannity.com | 0 |
10,580 | LOL! WAIT Till You See Why The Race-Obsessed Left Is Attacking “Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne” Actor For Posting This Picture On Social Media | A black actor s holiday photograph sparked a social media backlash over colorism because some people thought a black woman with a dark complexion looked like she was being excluded from a group of lighter-skinned women.Actor and model Lance Gross, who is best known for his role on the TBS sitcom Tyler Perry s House of Payne, posted the holiday photo of himself and his wife Rebecca Jefferson and their seven friends to his Twitter.Everyone in the image is paired up, except for one woman who is sitting off to the side with a look of disinterest on her face.It sparked a fierce debate with some social media users quick to accuse Gross of colorism because the woman concerned is the only one without a partner, is on the fringes of the group and is darker skinned than the other women.One commenter wrote: This picture says white supremacy has won. But one of the people defending the photograph is the very same woman who is sitting off to the side without a partner.We've Been doin the same joke for years #insidejoke #youontheoutsidelookingin https://t.co/37Vv8gYbNt Lance Gross (@LanceGross) December 27, 2016 All I have to say about all this ignorant s*** at the moment, For the entire story DM | 0 |
10,581 | Syrian army fights to secure corridor into Deir al-Zor | BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies are fighting to secure a corridor to troops in Deir al-Zor, a day after they smashed through Islamic State lines to break the jihadist siege. The army reached Deir al-Zor city on Tuesday in a days-long thrust that followed months of steady advances east across the desert, breaking a siege that had lasted three years. Islamic State counter-attacks lasted through the day, trying to repel the army, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Fierce battles raged around the city, as troops sought to expand the route and allow aid in, the British-based war monitor added. Work is progressing to secure the route and widen the flanks so as not to be cut or targeted by (Islamic State), said a commander in the military alliance backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The next step is to liberate the city, the non-Syrian commander said. It points to a tough battle ahead as the army aims to move from breaching the siege to driving Islamic State militants from their half of the city, the sort of street-by-street warfare in which they excel. Syrian state news agency SANA said the army had made gains expanding its control near the corridor after heavy artillery and air strikes. Assad and his allies - Russia, Iran and Shi ite militias including Hezbollah - will follow the relief of Deir al-Zor with an offensive along the Euphrates valley, the commander said. The Euphrates valley cuts a lush, populous swathe of green about 260 km (160 miles) long and 10 km (6 miles) wide through the Syrian desert from Raqqa to the Iraqi border at al-Bukamal. The area has been an Islamic State stronghold in Syria but came under attack this year when a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias besieged and assaulted Raqqa. Rapidly losing territory in Syria and Iraq, Islamic State is falling back on the Euphrates towns downstream of Deir al-Zor, including al-Mayadin and al-Bukamal, where many expect it to make a last stand. Still, the jihadist group specializes in urban combat, using car bombs, mines, tunnels and drones, and has held out against full-scale attack for months in some towns and cities. Islamic State has 6,000-8,000 fighters left in Syria, despite losing most of its territory across both Iraq and Syria since September 2014, the United States-led coalition said. Parallel with their thrust toward Deir al-Zor, the Syrian military and its allies have been fighting Islamic State in its last pocket of ground in central Syria, near the town of al-Salamiya on the Homs-Aleppo highway. On Wednesday, army advances gained control of four villages there, further tightening the pocket, a military media unit run by Lebanon s Hezbollah said. In Raqqa, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance says it has taken about 65 percent of Islamic State s former self-declared Syrian capital. Deir al-Zor lies along the southwest bank of the Euphrates. The government enclave includes the northern half of the city and the Brigade 137 military base to the west. The army also holds an air base and nearby streets, separated from the rest of the enclave by hundreds of meters of IS-held ground and still cut off from the advancing army. Government forces will push toward the besieged airbase, the pro-Assad commander said. Instead of breaking the siege along the main road from Palmyra, stretches of which remain in Islamic State hands, the army reached the Brigade 137 along a narrow salient from the northwest. The corridor from the west into Brigade 137 was only about 500 meters (yards) wide, the commander said. The United Nations has estimated that 93,000 civilians were living under IS siege in Deir al-Zor in extremely difficult conditions, with some high-altitude air drops supplying them. Deir al-Zor s provincial governor told state-run television that convoys loaded with food and medicine were on the way, along with ambulances and a mobile clinic. Residents in the enclave had gone years without vegetables, fuel, and other necessities, Mohammed Ibrahim Samra said. Despite all this, the schools kept running, he said. Our people in Deir al-Zor have suffered a lot ... and they still held on to their land. | 1 |
10,582 | BLACK TRUMP SUPPORTER Goes On Tirade Over CNN’s Support For Radical Islam At #MarchAgainstSharia [VIDEO] | On June 10, people in at least 27 cities are gathering to march for human rights and against Sharia Law. The nationwide day of protest is being organized by ACT for America, a grassroots organization that is the self-proclaimed NRA of national security. The New York City event is being organized by Pax Hart, a writer and political commentator. There were initially 18 other March Against Sharia rallies scheduled for June 10. After Manchester, people were furious and started contacted us through Twitter to find out how they could organize a rally in their own city. I think it s now up to 27 cities, Hart said. BigLeaguePoliticsJUNE 10th Nationwide U.S. rallies against Sharia and radical Islam. #MarchAgainstSharia #ManchesterArena @MarchAgstSharia pic.twitter.com/dokpNxYM9S Pax Hart (@PaxHart) May 23, 2017An unidentified interviewer caught up with a black Trump supporters at a #MarchAgainstSharia event at Foley Square in NYC. The video can be seen below. Here is a partial transcript of the conversation: CNN is a part of this. They re in bed with radical Islam. All mainstream media is in bed with Sharia Law and that s why I m here ladies and gentlemen, to wake you up to mainstream media being complicit. They re in bed with Sharia Law. It s incompatible with the United States. It s hard to distinguish what the interviewer asks, but the Trump supporter answers the interviewer by saying that he loves Infowars, and goes on to thanks Infowars founder Alex Jones by saying, Thank you brother, I love you! Black Trump supporter and infowarrior shouting @CNN is a terrorist organization. "I love you @RealAlexJones" he said. #MarchAgainstSharia pic.twitter.com/Y11IO8rfSW Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) June 10, 2017 | 0 |
10,583 | Russia: Asia should not be militarized under pretext of countering North Korea | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is opposed to the militarization of Asia under the pretext of countering North Korea and is concerned by U.S. plans to deploy part of its global missile defense system in the region, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday Lavrov was speaking after talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono in Moscow. | 1 |
10,584 | Obama, in shift, says he will keep 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan until 2017 | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, calling Afghanistan’s security situation precarious, said on Wednesday he will keep U.S. troop levels there at 8,400 through the end of his administration rather than reducing them to 5,500 by year’s end as previously planned. Obama, in a statement at the White House, said the role of U.S. forces in Afghanistan will remain unchanged: training and advising Afghan police and troops, and supporting counterterrorism missions against the Taliban and other groups. Obama’s presidency ends in January. Obama’s plan still calls for a reduction in U.S. troop levels from the current roughly 9,800, but not as much as previously planned. Obama, who took office in 2009 pledging to wind down the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he had ended America’s combat mission in Afghanistan. But he acknowledged that security concerns persist. “The security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious,” Obama said. “The Taliban remains a threat. They’ve gained ground in some places.” Taliban forces now hold more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, according to recent United Nations estimates. The Islamic State group has also established a small presence in Afghanistan. Obama’s decision, which came after a review submitted last month by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army General John Nicholson, drew some criticism inside and outside his administration. Some Pentagon officials said that it does nothing to address the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. “It’s disappointing that the administration thinks that troop numbers are a substitute for a more comprehensive strategy,” said a U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This is neither the reduction that the White House seems to have wanted nor the current numbers that don’t seem to be sufficient to deal with the security problem.” Mac Thornberry, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, criticized what he said was a new cap on U.S. troop levels. “It is time that the president level with the American people about what it will really take to achieve our goals in Afghanistan, and how much it will cost,” Thornberry said in a statement. Obama spoke in advance of a NATO summit on Friday and Saturday in Warsaw, Poland, where alliance members are expected to confirm their support for the Kabul government. In addition to the U.S. forces, there are about 3,000 other international troops in Afghanistan. U.S. troops have been in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion launched by Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, that toppled the Taliban leaders who harbored the al Qaeda organization responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that killed about 3,000 people. It is America’s longest war. During his announcement at the White House, Obama was flanked by Defense Secretary Ash Carter and the top U.S. military officer, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. | 1 |
10,585 | Republican Senators Corker, Toomey reach deal on budget resolution | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Pat Toomey and Bob Corker, both members of the Budget Committee, said on Tuesday they had reached an agreement on a budget resolution that would allow for tax cuts over a 10-year period. “While each member of the caucus will have to make their own decision, I believe our agreement gives the tax writing committees enough headroom to achieve real tax reform that eliminates loopholes and lowers tax rates for hardworking Americans,” Corker said in a joint press release with Toomey. Toomey said: “I am confident the budget agreement I have reached with Chairman Enzi and Senator Corker will give the Finance Committee the headroom needed to write a pro-growth tax plan that reforms the code, causes the economy to surge, and ultimately results in reduced federal budget deficits.” | 1 |
10,586 | Trump Has CRAZY Meltdown On ‘Face The Nation’, Ends Interview In The Most COWARDLY Way (VIDEO) | Donald Trump and his team are not only some of the most corrupt people we ve ever had infiltrate our government, but they re also some of the most cowardly and Trump has just set an example to his team that will likely give way to even more spineless behavior.In an interview with CBS s Face The Nation, Trump actually cut the interview short, ending it abruptly by literally fleeing from reporter John Dickerson when Dickerson dared to question Trump about his unfounded claims that former POTUS Barack Obama wiretapped him (Trump has STILL not been able to prove this).Dickerson was speaking to Trump inside the Oval Office when the discussion turned to Trump s relationship with Obama, and Trump made some extremely disrespectful, inflammatory remarks. Trump said he d had some difficulties with Obama over what happened with surveillance. When Dickerson cornered Trump on why he d called his predecessor sick and bad in his wiretapping accusations in March, Trump practically had a breakdown from being put on the spot while the cameras rolled. Trump gave this incoherent response: I don t stand by anything. I just, you can take it the way you want. I think our side s been proven very strongly. And everybody s talking about it. And frankly it should be discussed. I think that is a very big surveillance of our citizens. I think it s a very big topic. And it s a topic that should be number one. And we should find out what the hell is going on. Trump only seemed to get more frustrated and edgy as Dickerson tried to get to the bottom of Trump s babbling. Trump said: You don t have to ask me.Because I have my own opinions. You can have your own opinions. Dickerson had tried to hold Trump accountable, and it was just too much for the man baby. Trump suddenly ended the interview by straight up walking AWAY from Dickerson, saying Okay, that s enough, thank you, thank you very much. You can watch this awkward, highly unpresidential exchange below:Featured image is a screenshot | 0 |
10,587 | PRIORITIES: #BlackLivesMatter Terrorists Protest Cops In Gun-Free Chicago, While Ignoring 6 Murders, 21People Shot Over Christmas Weekend | The December tally in Chicago (so far) is: December to Date Shot & Killed: 29 Shot & Wounded: 189 Total Shot: 218 Total Homicides: 31Six men were killed and at least 21 other people have been wounded in shootings across Chicago over the holiday weekend. The latest homicide happened early Sunday in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side.About 2:15 a.m., 29-year-old Tyree White was outside with a 28-year-old woman near West 59th Street and South Wentworth Avenue, when someone walked up and opened fire, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner s office. White, of the 200 block of East 121st Place, was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene less than 30 minutes later, authorities said.A pregnant mother of three was killed by a hit-and-run driver, though the baby survived the tragedy.Karla Y. Leanos had been crossing the street in North Lawndale in the 4200 block of West Ogden around 10 p.m. when she was hit by a 2008 Chrysler traveling westbound at a high rate of speed, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner s office. The vehicle did not initially stop, police said. A woman was shot in the back and taken to Stroger, where her condition was stabilized, police said.Saturday night, a 36-year-old man was fatally shot in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side, police said.The 36-year-old was sitting outside with other people in the 2800 block of West 21st Place about 9:50 p.m. when a white SUV pulled up and a passenger displayed gang signs and then fired shots, police said.Black lives matter .just not the ones who are killed by other blacks in their own neighborhoods.The man was shot in the chest and mouth and was taken by a friend to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he later died, police said. The medical examiner s office could not immediately confirm the fatality.Less than three hours earlier, a 28-year-old man was found shot to death in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.He was found about 7:20 p.m. in the 600 block of South Tripp Avenue with gunshot wounds to the chest and stomach, according to police and the medical examiner s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was being withheld Sunday morning pending notification of his family.Another man was killed Christmas Day in Englewood. Officers responding to a call of shots fired at 11:36 a.m. Friday in the 700 block of West 71st Street found 20-year-old Angelo Frazier with multiple gunshot wounds to the thigh, authorities said.Frazier was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later, authorities said. He lived in the 600 block of Sullivan Lane in University Park. About three hours earlier, a 22-year-old man was shot to death outside his West Side Austin neighborhood home.Kylan D. Collier was discovered unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head about 8:30 a.m. on the stairs of the back porch of his home in the 5500 block of West Monroe, authorities said. He was dead at the scene. The weekend s first fatal shooting happened about 4:50 p.m. Thursday in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side.A witness told police that 30-year-old Craig Harris went outside and four males were waiting for him in a gangway in the 7300 block of South Vernon, authorities said. Police said the witness heard gunshots then ran inside to call police.Harris, who lived on the same block as the shooting, was shot in the temple and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The latest nonfatal attack happened early Sunday in the South Side Chicago Lawn neighborhood.A 55-year-old woman went to answer her door in the 6700 block of South Oakley Avenue about 5:30 a.m. when she was shot in the shoulder and abdomen, police said. Two males were seen fleeing the scene. The woman was taken Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in serious condition, police said. Less than 90 minutes earlier, a man was shot and critically wounded in Englewood. Officers responding to a call of shots fired about 4:15 a.m. found a 25-year-old man in the driver s seat of a vehicle in the 6000 block of South Laflin, police said. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital.At 2:27 a.m., two people were shot near the Aragon Ballroom in the Uptown neighborhood on the North Side. A 68-year-old man was standing outside in the 1100 block of West Lawrence when he heard gunfire and realized he d been shot in the leg, police said. A 34-year-old woman sitting in her vehicle nearby also heard the shots and then suffered a graze wound to the forehead. They were both taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where they were listed in good condition. Police said an unoccupied SUV that had crashed into a building was discovered in the area of the shooting, but it was not immediately clear how the vehicle was connected to the investigation. About 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Austin, a 16-year-old boy was standing outside in the 5200 block of West Adams when two males came out from the alley and shot him in the left leg, police said. He was taken to West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, where he is listed in good condition.Less than two hours earlier, a man was shot in the Oakland neighborhood on the South Side. The 18-year-old man was shot in the abdomen about 4:30 p.m. in the 3800 block of South Ellis during an attempted robbery, police said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. At least 14 other people have been wounded in other shootings since 12:15 p.m. Thursday.Additionally, three people were shot Saturday by Chicago Police. A man and a woman were fatally shot in the West Garfield Park neighborhood just before 5 a.m. and a man was critically wounded in a separate police-involved shooting that afternoon in Washington Heights. Via: NBC Chicago | 0 |
10,588 | presstvyemens hudaydah suffering from dire humanitarian situation | news bulletin andy murray of great britain returns the ball during a tennis match against martin klizan of slovakia at the atp tennis tournament in vienna austria october afp
britains andy murray has booked his spot in the second round of the erste bank open by defeating slovakias martin klizan in vienna andy murray afp
murray was tested in the wednesday match as he managed to overcome his opponent after hours and minutes
the scot won the opening set but the slovakian kept up with him all the way in the second and came out on top to take it and tie the match at apiece martin klizan afp
the number seed however produced some master class performance in the rd and didnt let klizan to even win a game as he advanced into the last with a bagel hell next face frenchman gilles simon loading | 1 |
10,589 | WATCH: Nevada Caucus Chair Breaks Rules, Counts Non-Existent Voters | On February 20, Justin Linden went out to caucus for Bernie Sanders in Clark County, Nevada.As he was waiting to be counted, he says he saw a volunteer begin passing out ballots to Hillary Clinton supporters, who already had ballots in their hands. When he tried to ask why this was being done, Linden says his questions were ignored.That s when he took out his cell phone and started recording.Over the next 28 minutes, Linden captured footage that shows how easily the caucus process can be manipulated.At the time of the count, there were 33 caucus-goers present to support Bernie Sanders. There were 21 present to support Hillary Clinton.According to caucus rules, only people who are actually present are supposed to be included in the final tally.Yet after the official count was taken, Linden was stunned to see officials adding ballots to the count, from people who were not there.Suddenly, to everyone s surprise, the count on Hillary Clinton s side began to rise.Another caucus-goer, Rhiannon Frauenfeld, confirmed that this is exactly what happened.Frauenfeld told Addicting Info:With the paper ballots of absentee people included, it was 42/31 Bernie still leading. As she went to walk away after counting the Hillary ballots she turns back around and pulls out ballots that were in her hands and counts several more. This is when we were all confused because we didn t know where these ballots came from. She had been holding everything so we didn t know if they were ballots she already counted or where she got them.It gets worse from there.As documented in Linden s video, the tally on Clinton s side continues to rise, although no-one is sure where these extra ballots keep coming from.Linden provided us with a timeline from the video, noting that all of the volunteers mentioned were wearing Hillary Clinton shirts.Here s an overview of the major events, as Linden describes them;6 minutes: Volunteer claims Hillary now has (37) ballots. Is questioned where the extra ballots came from and does not reply.7.5 minutes: Volunteer 1 claims there are even more ballots to add to the count.10.5 minutes: Volunteer 1 claims there are even more ballots to add to the count.12.25 minutes: Volunteer 1 comes back and says with the extra added, both camps are tied (42) to (42). The delegate count is (7) to (7). She had not collected ballots from people present at this point.13 minutes: Volunteer 1 collects the ballots of those present14 minutes: Ballots are collected from Bernie s camp, but handed back out to Hillary camp.16 minutes: Volunteer 1 hands ballots to Hillary side, claiming they are filling out second alignment. Bernie s side does not get this opportunity.17 minutes: Volunteer 1 and Volunteer 2 begin counting physical ballots.17.5 minutes: Additional ballot handed to Volunteer 2 from off camera and added to count.19 minutes: Count of (37) for Hillary, Count for Bernie (35) ***Numerous ballets now missing***As the events were unfolding, Frauenfeld placed a call to a legal observer, who confirmed to her that a person must be present in order for their vote to be counted during the caucus.Frauenfeld told Addicting Info:While I m on the phone with him I hear the woman conducting the caucus say now the numbers are at 42 to 42. As I try to approach her and tell her that she can only count people who were there and we can demand a recount, she kept telling me to go away.This encounter is also captured on Linden s video.You can watch the entire video, via Justin Linden on Facebook, below. // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>Voter fraud. Woman hands out completed ballets for people who are not there. And they get counted despite numerous Posted by Justin Linden on Saturday, February 20, 2016Linden points out that there is no way to know if the extra ballots were filled out by actual voters. Nor is there any way to know if people filled out multiple ballots.In any case, according to the Nevada Democratic Party s website, people who are not physically present cannot be counted during a caucus.Frauenfeld told us: While I can t say conclusively that I believe that the conduct was a deliberate attempt to cheat the count, it raised doubts about the legitimacy of the process. I feel there was an attempt to skew the results toward Hillary, their favored candidate. Linden told us he believes that the volunteers were aware that they were only supposed to count people who were present.He told us, I find it strange that it was called as an even tie, before the volunteer actually collected the ballots. Linden also said, I find it more strange that Hillary s number kept going up with every count, and that was fine with them, but when a third of the Bernie ballots disappeared, it wasn t an issue. Image credit: video screen capture via Justin Linden on Facebook | 0 |
10,590 | (VIDEO) GOV SARAH PALIN’S INTERVIEW WITH DONALD TRUMP | Sarah Palin interviewed The Donald tonight on One America News Network. Here s the full video: | 0 |
10,591 | Judge Orders Trump To Court In Early January; Trump Claims He Can’t Make It | One of Donald Trump s main tools as a businessman has always been our court systems. Over the year, he s either sued or been sued more than 4,000 times and it looks like that won t stop after the electors meet.Trump has been ordered by a judge to appear in a court deposition over a contractual dispute with celebrity chef, Jose Andres. The judge, DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer A. DiToro, ruled that Trump would have to spend at least seven hours in a New York courtroom in the first week of January.Trump is suing Andres for backing out of a restaurant deal in Trump s Washington hotel. Andres said he cancelled because of the anti-Mexican rhetoric during the presidential campaign.Trump argued that he s too busy to appear in court.Trump s attorneys previously agreed to his deposition in New York City, but sought to limit the length and scope of questioning, arguing in court filings that Mr. Trump is not just any apex deponent; he is the President-elect It is not an overstatement that he is extremely busy handling matters of very significant public importance. But Di Toro was not moved, ruling Wednesday that limiting Trump s examination would be too prejudicial to the defense team s right to prepare the case for trial, and Mr. Trump s own statements are at the heart of the parties claims.Source: CNNAndres doesn t want the lawsuit. On Tuesday, he tweeted, Mr. @realDonaldTrump can we end our lawsuits and we donate $ to Veterans NGO to celebrate? Why keep litigating? Let s both of us win. Mr. @realDonaldTrump can we end our lawsuits and we donate $ to a Veterans NGO to celebrate? Why keep litigating? Let s both of us win.. Jos Andr s (@chefjoseandres) December 13, 2016In other words, if Trump is truly too busy to go to court, he has a way out. It s doubtful that that s the real reason though. Trump isn t really spending much time preparing for his new job. He rarely attends security briefings. Instead, he acts like he s still on the campaign trail. He prefers to spend his time at meaningless ego-boosting rallies and on Twitter. Featured image via Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 0 |
10,592 | Republicans fail again to kill off Obamacare in Senate | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans on Tuesday fell short yet again in their seven-year drive to repeal Obamacare, in a bitter defeat that raises more questions about their ability to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda. The party was unable to win enough support from its own senators for a bill to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act and decided not to put it to a vote, several Republicans said. The bill’s sponsors vowed to try again, but face steeper odds after Sunday, when special rules expire that allow them to pass healthcare legislation without Democratic support. “We basically ran out of time,” said Senator Ron Johnson, a co-sponsor of the measure with Senators Bill Cassidy, Lindsey Graham and Dean Heller. Republicans have now repeatedly failed to deliver on their longtime promise to roll back former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature domestic accomplishment. They have yet to achieve any major domestic policy successes in Congress this year, which could hurt their efforts to retain control of the Senate and House of Representatives in the November 2018 congressional elections. Republicans widely view Obamacare, which provides coverage to 20 million Americans, as a costly government overreach. Trump vowed frequently during the 2016 election campaign to scrap it. Democrats have fiercely defended it, saying it has extended health insurance to millions. After falling short in July, Senate Republicans tried again this month with a bill that would have given states greater control over the hundreds of billions of dollars that the federal government spends annually on health care. As before, they ran into objections from members on the right and the center who opposed repeal for essentially opposite reasons. Senator Susan Collins, a moderate, complained it undermined the Medicaid program for the poor and weakened consumer protections. Senator Rand Paul, a conservative, said it left too many of Obamacare’s regulations and spending programs in place. Democrats said it was time for Republicans to work with them to fix Obamacare’s shortcomings, and Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said he would resume talks with Democratic Senator Patty Murray to shore up the law’s insurance subsidies. Shares of healthcare providers ended broadly higher. Hospital company HCA Healthcare Inc rose 1.8 percent, while insurer Centene Corp, which focuses on Medicaid, rose 2.2 percent. The insurance industry, hospitals, medical advocacy groups such as the American Medical Association, American Heart Association and American Cancer Society, the AARP advocacy group for the elderly and consumer activists opposed the latest bill. Trump said on Tuesday his administration was disappointed in “certain so-called Republicans” who did not support the bill. The Republican president said later he still had not given up hope that the law would eventually be repealed. “It’ll happen,” he told reporters while traveling to New York for a fundraiser. Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate and at least three senators - Collins, Paul and John McCain of Arizona - had publicly rejected the bill. Republicans crafted special rules earlier this year that allowed them to pass a bill with a simple majority in the 100-seat chamber. After those rules expire at the start of the new fiscal year on Sunday, they will need at least 60 votes to advance most legislation. John Thune, a member of the Republican leadership in the Senate, said the party would likely not try to undo Obamacare again until it was clear there were enough votes for it. He said the party would now focus on overhauling the U.S. tax code - another complex undertaking that could meet with stiff resistance from a wide range of interest groups. A CBS poll on Monday showed 52 percent of Americans disapproved of the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill, while 20 percent approved. “I will readily admit that the Republican Party has done a bad job of explaining what we’re for in terms of replace on Obamacare,” Republican Senator Ben Sasse said on the Senate floor. Six protesters staged a “die-in” on the floor of a Senate office building, lying on the ground and covering their heads and bodies with a white shroud to represent what they said would be lives lost if the bill passed. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the number of people with health insurance covering high-cost medical events would be slashed by millions if the latest Republican bill had it become law. The CBO also found that federal spending on Medicaid would be cut by about $1 trillion from 2017 to 2026 and that millions of people would lose their coverage in the program, mainly from a repeal of federal funding for Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. | 1 |
10,593 | FATHER OF SON MURDERED BY ILLEGAL ALIEN: Donald Trump Was “Sent from God”…”Since my son was dead, I pretty much gave up on being happy” [VIDEO] | This former Democrat is speaking out about the only man who cared enough to reach out to him after the random murder of his innocent son by an illegal alien. The Left will be calling him Uncle Tom in 5 4 3 2 1 A new ad released Friday by Donald Trump s campaign team tells the story of Jamiel Shaw, a Los Angeles man who lost his teenage son in 2008 when a man in the U.S. illegally randomly shot and killed 17-year-old Jas.WATCH AD HERE:I will end illegal immigration and protect our borders! We need to MAKE AMERICA SAFE & GREAT AGAIN! #Trump2016https://t.co/wd3LlMz01I Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2016In his first interview since the ad debuted, Shaw, an African-American man, told the Washington Examiner why he chose to support the Republican Manhattan billionaire who has been criticized by some as a racist and a phony.It started on March 2, 2008, in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles were Jas had been walking home, talking with his girlfriend on a cellphone. He was three doors down from his house when a car pulled up by him. Two Hispanic men in the vehicle asked Jas which gang he belonged to. Police reports indicate Jas did not respond, which frustrated one of the men who pulled out a gun and shot the teen.Jamiel, inside the family home, heard the shots and ran outside to find his son, a boy he judged to have been on the right path, bleeding from bullet wounds. Jas later died at the hospital.In the days that followed that incident, Shaw tried to piece together the perfect storm of conditions that created this tragedy. Shaw learned the man who had killed his son was an illegal immigrant who had just been released from jail.The incident gained national attention for a short time, prompting former president George W. Bush to write a condolence letter. But it was quickly forgotten, and Shaw didn t quite know what to do. Since my son was dead, I pretty much gave up on being happy, Shaw said. He said he gave in to grieving day in and day out. Shaw also admitted a frustration of not being able to express the sorrow he had to others.Trump unexpectedly reached out to Shaw last year about the murder and asked for a meeting at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles hotel, which left Shaw stunned. To see somebody, especially a billionaire, come out. I can t even get a neighborhood politician to come out, that s why it s so surreal to me, Shaw said.The two shared an intimate moment shortly after meeting last year. He told me to my face, he said, I promise you I would never let your son s life be in vain. To me it felt like the [future] president cared about me, an emotional Shaw shared.Shaw told the Washington Examiner that he never reached out to the Trump campaign about immigration policy, and especially the deportation of violent criminals of the kind who killed his son. He believes someone on Trump s team saw an interview he did on Fox News.Trump s meeting with Shaw and promise to reform immigration laws were a transformative moment for Shaw, who was previously a Democrat but had switched to Independent following the death of his son. Via: Washington Examiner | 0 |
10,594 | John McCain’s Son Really Hates Ignorant Racists, So He Did THIS To Piss Them Off (TWEETS) | After racists threw a temper tantrum over Old Navy s ad featuring an interracial couple, Senator John McCain s son took them on.Oh, happy day! Our #ThankYouEvent is finally here. Take 30% off your entire purchase: https://t.co/nGQ9Pji1pN pic.twitter.com/vq4mIczm6A Old Navy Official (@OldNavy) April 29, 2016McCain s son Jack is a Navy lieutenant and he is married to Air Force Reserve Captain Renee Swift, who happens to be a black woman. So when racists attacked interracial marriage on Friday, Jack McCain took it personally.Standing up to their hate, Jack McCain took to Twitter and told the racists to basically go f*ck themselves. To the people upset about the #OldNavy Scandal of an a picture of a mixed race marriage, eat it, McCain wrote along with a picture of the couple. To the people upset about the #OldNavy Scandal of an a picture of a mixed race marriage, eat it. @Reneeitchka pic.twitter.com/yA5YwbZRcm Jack McCain (@McCainJack) May 2, 2016And then for good measure he posted a picture of the pair on their wedding day. I hope this one burns too, you ignorant racists, he wrote.I hope this one burns too, you ignorant racists. Here is us on our wedding day. @Reneeitchka pic.twitter.com/1VSd2gqH9W Jack McCain (@McCainJack) May 2, 2016McCain has received an outpouring of support on his Twitter account, including a comment from CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who wrote that anyone who has a problem with it is an idiot clinging to a backward time. @marcoscadiz @McCainJack @Reneeitchka anyone who has a problem with it is an idiot clinging to a backward time. Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 2, 2016Of course, McCain s posts must have stung the racists hard because some responded with vile replies.@McCainJack @noFelld @ClaraJeffery @Reneeitchka No, you re not. I certainly wouldn t consider myself lucky to be married to a monkey. monolith (@wishgranter14) May 4, 2016 @McCainJack @Reneeitchka Dude, you re the one wasting your seed, not us. Why wouldn t I be happy to see tards dropping out of our gene pool? Prez Davis (@prez_davis) May 2, 2016Clearly, Jack McCain succeeded at enraging the racists in our society. Hopefully, one day, racism will truly no longer exist in this country. Until then, it s good that there are people like Jack McCain fighting back against the hate.Featured Image: Twitter | 0 |
10,595 | Airport video shows North Korean embassy official with Kim Jong Nam murder suspects | KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A North Korean embassy official and a manager of Air Koryo, the national airline, met suspects wanted for the killing of Kim Jong Nam shortly after the murder, according to video recordings shown at the trial in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Two women, Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, and four men who are still at large, have been charged in the murder of the half-brother of the country s leader, using banned chemical weapon VX at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. Defense lawyers have said Siti Aisyah and Huong were duped into thinking they were playing a prank for a reality TV show. The four suspects, who were caught on airport camera talking to the women before they attacked Kim Jong Nam, were identified as North Koreans for the first time on Monday, a month since the trial began. Three of them were seen meeting a North Korean embassy official and the Air Koryo official, both unidentified, at the main airport terminal within an hour of the attack, lead police investigator Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz told the court. North Korea has vehemently denied accusations by South Korean and U.S. officials that Kim Jong Un s regime was behind the killing. Kim Jong Nam, who was living in exile in Macau, had criticized his family s dynastic rule of North Korea and his brother had issued a standing order for his execution, some South Korean lawmakers have said. Footage played in the courtroom showed the Air Koryo official helping the three suspects at an airport check-in counter. He was later seen arranging a flight ticket for the fourth suspect too, Wan Azirul said. Wan Azirul identified the men as North Koreans Hong Song Hac, Ri Ji Hyon, Ri Jae Nam and O Jong Gil, citing intelligence findings by the special branch of the Malaysian police. Wan Azirul said he investigated and took statements from both the embassy and the Air Koryo official. They explained that the reason they were there was to assist every North Korean individual or citizen who boarded a flight to leave the country, he told the court. The North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur did not respond to Reuters telephone calls and emails to seek comment. The sensational murder unraveled once-close ties between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysia was forced to return Kim Jong Nam s body and allow the return home of three North Korean men wanted for questioning and hiding in the Kuala Lumpur embassy, in exchange for the release of nine Malaysians stuck in Pyongyang. Wan Azirul said police intelligence also provided information on a fifth suspect identified as Ri Ji U, who was also suspected to have the real name James , based on images and photographs taken from Siti Aisyah s phone. (The story was refiled to remove article an in paragraph one.) | 1 |
10,596 | WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO THE 2006 SECURE BORDER FENCE ACT? | Remember the promise of a fence on our southern border? Yes, it was the plan but the $1.2 billion dollar plan was never executed as proposed. You can thank Obama and a popular Republican for that WE RECENTLY POSTED THIS VIDEO OF AN IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL SAYING BUILDING A BORDER FENCE ISN T POSSIBLE EVEN THOUGH $1.2 BILLION WAS GIVEN IN 2006 FOR A FENCE: In his speech in El Paso on immigration reform on May 10, 2011, Obama declared that the fence along the border with Mexico is now basically complete. Like much of what comes out of the Obama administration, that was a lie. What was supposed to be built was a double layered fence with barbed-wire on top, and room for a security vehicle to patrol between the layers. Except for 36 of the seven-hundred mile fence, what was built looks like the picture above or the one below.OBAMA CLAIMED: We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement, Obama said. All the stuff they asked for, we ve done. But even though we ve answered these concerns, I ve got to say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time. Maybe he s right the goal posts were moved, but to make the job easier.THE SECURE FENCE ACT The Secure Fence Act was introduced on Sept. 13, 2006 by Rep Peter King (R-NY) and passed Congress on a bi-partisan basis. In the House of Representatives, the Fence Act passed 283 -138 on September 14, 2006. On September 29, 2006, the Fence Act passed in the Senate 80 -19. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 s goal was to help secure America s borders to decrease illegal entry, drug trafficking, and security threats by building 700 miles (1,100 km) of physical barriers along the Mexico-United States border. Additionally, the law authorized more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting as well as authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology such as cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce infrastructure at the border. So far less than 40 miles of a real fence have been built most of it during the Bush Administration.Of the almost 700 miles of fencing, DHS reports there are currently 36.3 miles of double-layered fencing, as the bill required, the kind with enough gap that you can drive a vehicle between the layers. But the majority of the fencing erected has been made from vehicle barriers with single-layer pedestrian fencing, the kind of barriers that are designed to stop vehicles rather than people. The design specifications vary, depending on geography and climate characteristics, but according to the Customs and Border Patrol website, those include post on rail steel set in concrete; steel picket-style fence set in concrete; vehicle bollards similar to those found around federal buildings; Normandy; vehicle fence consisting of steel beams; and concrete jersey walls with steel mesh.PROMINENT REPUBLICAN FROM TEXAS:The first blow against the promised fence was made by Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican Senator from Texas, at the urging of DHS she proposed an amendment to give the Department discretion to decide what type of fence was appropriate in different areas. The law was amended to read, Nothing in this paragraph shall require the Secretary of Homeland Security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the Secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location. Hutchison s amendment was included in a federal budget bill in late 2007 despite the fact that Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., had a cow he argued the amendment effectively killed the border fence promised in the 2006 bill, he was right. Hutchison s intentions may have been honorable, but she didn t foresee Barack Obama being the next president.When Janet Napolitano became Obama s first DHS she took advantage of Ms. Hutchison s 2007 amendment, instead of building a fence which look something like the below, she built a fence that was mostly a combination of the two pictures above.When She was still Governor of Arizona Janet Napolitano said, You show me a 50-foot wall, and I ll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border. And she may be right The fence will never STOP all illegal crossings. The purpose of the fence is two-fold, slowing the intruders and making them visible to members of the border patrol. The rest of the work is done by human beings.Very little of the Israeli separation barrier erected to keep out terrorists is a wall, most of the 400 miles of the barrier which has received so much international scorn is a two layered fence like section of their barrier below. The fence has served its purpose, in 2002, the year before construction started, 457 Israelis were murdered; in 2009, 8 Israelis were killed.The reason it has been effective is not simply the fence itself but how the fence is guarded and patrolled. And that s what will make our fence along the Mexican border work.Here s the bottom line. Back in 2006 the people of the U.S. were promised a border fence. Since then thanks to Kay Bailey Hutchison and Barack Obama 95% of the fence wasn t built. The arguments against the fence are bogus especially if you look at Israel s history. It s time for America to demand that its leaders build the fence they promised. No one can honestly say it wont work, after all it hasn t been tried. Via: The Lid | 0 |
10,597 | ECHR orders Greece to pay damages over probe of death in wiretap case | ATHENS (Reuters) - Europe s top human rights court has faulted Greece for failing to fully investigate the death of a telecoms engineer in 2005 during a scandal over wiretapping of the country s political leadership. Costas Tsalikidis, 38, was found hanged in his apartment in Athens in March 2005, around the time that Vodafone Greece told authorities of widespread wiretapping of much of the government, including the prime minister, via Vodafone s network. Tsalikidis had worked for Vodafone. On two occasions, Greek judicial authorities ruled out foul play related to Tsalikidis s death. He did not leave a note and his family said he was not suicidal. They took the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The Court considers that the national authorities failed to carry out an adequate and effective investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Tsalikidis, the Strasbourg-based court said in a ruling dated Nov. 16. It ordered Greece to pay Tsalikidis s family 50,000 euros in damages for the state s failure to clarify circumstances surrounding his death. The Court observes, in particular, that the difficulty in determining whether there was any substance in the applicants claim that their relative was unlawfully killed rests with the failure of the authorities adequately to investigate the circumstances of the death, it said. A Greek prosecutor would investigate whether the case needed to be reopened, Greek court sources told Reuters on Friday. Then Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and the foreign, defense and public order ministers were among about 100 people whose mobile phones were tapped for months around the time of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Unauthorized installed software allowed calls to and from scores of mobile phones to be recorded from June 2004 until March 2005. It stopped when Vodafone discovered the incident and reported it to authorities, Reuters reported at the time. Who was behind the wiretap is unclear. In 2006 and 2007, Vodafone Greece was fined a total of 95 million euros by Greek regulators for breaching privacy rules. A forensic expert contracted by Tsalikidis s family called the initial autopsy probe grossly inadequate , while a second investigation launched after exhumation in 2012 revealed inconsistencies which should have been investigated further, the ECHR said in its verdict. (The) Court notably bore in mind that the public prosecutor, during the initial investigation, had mentioned that the death had been causally linked to the wiretapping case. It had therefore been all the more important to take every measure necessary to investigate Costas Tsalikidis death, the court said. It noted Tsalikidis s family had at no point contended Greek authorities were responsible for his death or implied Greece was aware he was at risk. | 1 |
10,598 | U.S. judge deals blow to Texas 'sanctuary' city law | AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge in Austin has rejected an effort by Texas to have a law that would punish so-called sanctuary cities be declared constitutional ahead of the measure taking effect next month. The Republican-backed law is the first of its kind since Republican Donald Trump became president in January, promising a crackdown on illegal immigrants and localities that protect them. Texas is the U.S. state with the longest border with Mexico. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, appointed under Republican President George H.W. Bush, dismissed the case without prejudice late on Wednesday. The brief ruling did not give a reason. Senate Bill 4 calls for jailing police chiefs, sheriffs and possibly frontline officers who fail to cooperate with U.S. immigration officials. The measure also allows police to ask about immigration status during a lawful detention. After the law was approved in May, Texas sued major urban areas, including Austin, El Paso and Houston, as well as civil rights groups, saying they backed policies of non-cooperation with federal immigration officials. At a June hearing, Sparks asked why a court should declare the law constitutional before it took effect on Sept. 1. He also questioned why he should hear the case when most of the parties were part of a separate lawsuit over the same law being heard in a federal court in San Antonio. The defendants contended they had abided by federal law and the suit should be dismissed because Texas had no evidence showing it had been harmed by a law not yet in effect. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Wednesday he was disappointed with the ruling on what he called an “undoubtedly constitutional law.” The American Civil Liberties Union, a civil rights group that has argued in court against the law, on Thursday said the Texas suit was a farce aimed at distracting attention from the harm that would come with SB 4. “This is a significant blow to the State, and its legal posturing has only resulted in wasted taxpayer money,” Edgar Saldivar, senior staff attorney of the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement. In the federal case in San Antonio, a small border town and some of the largest Texas cities told a judge in June that SB 4 could lead to an immigration police state and establish illegal racial profiling. They asked the court to halt it, saying it was unconstitutional. | 1 |
10,599 | WAS IRANIAN BUSINESSMAN FREED FROM JAIL After HUGE Payoff To Clintons? | Just before an Iranian-American businessman was freed from jail in Iran in Oct. 2010, his son met with Bill Clinton and also made the first of what would become more than $1 million in donations to the Clinton Foundation.Nima Taghavi, who owns businesses in California, grew impatient in 2010 with negotiations to secure his father Reza s release from an Iranian prison, and so he turned to the former president for help.To arrange the meeting with Clinton, Taghavi first contacted Doug Band, who worked as Clinton s body man, has counseled the Clinton Foundation, and co-founded Teneo Holdings, a consulting group that Clinton advised.Taghavi met with the former president in hopes that he would serve as special envoy to Iran, sources told TheDC. And through his personal charity, the Nima Taghavi Foundation, the businessman gave a $5,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation in 2010. He would go on to give more than $1 million over the next several years.The timing of the meeting and the first round of donations raises two questions: whether Clinton promised to help Taghavi in exchange for contributions to his family s organization and whether he violated an agreement not to personally solicit funds for his charity.As part of the deal to bring Hillary Clinton on board as secretary of state, the Clintons signed a memorandum of understanding in Dec. 2008 agreeing to the stipulation that Bill Clinton not raise money.It is unclear if Hillary Clinton knew of her husband s meeting with Taghavi. In an email informing Clinton that an unnamed Iranian-American businessman had been released from an Iran jail Clinton asked her aide Huma Abedin who the prisoner was. Abedin informed her it was Reza Taghavi.In an email with the subject Why Taghavi was released, a State Department official wrote I understand [Clinton] is asking. The theory of a Clinton-related quid pro quo whether Hillary Clinton knew about it or not is not unfounded, as it fits a pattern of the former first couple providing favors and access to donors to their charity and to their various political campaigns.Read more: Daily Caller | 0 |
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